Teach, teach, and more teaching - a good week!!!

Hello Family and Friends,

Sunday Evening with Senior Missionaries

Tonight (Sunday) we gathered, as we do each week, with the other senior missionaries serving here in Port Vila. We met at Sister Bertelson’s apartment. After a brief refreshment, she invited each of us to share something that has left a deep impression during our mission.

Sunday evening with the senior missionaries.
Elder & Sister Meyer, Elder & Sister Beck,
Sister & Elder Lamph (left to right)

Darleen shared an experience from January at the YSA Convention. A young man had fallen ill with a fever over 105 degrees. She accompanied his sister in an ambulance to the hospital to ensure he was cared for, while he was visiting our island from the island of Tanna. For more than two hours doctors worked with IVs and tests, but he remained unresponsive. They thought he may have some type of Tanna disease that can be caused by exposure to rats.   Darleen was talking on the phone with the Vanuatu Seminary Coordinator, Katimal (our boss!), and asked if he could come gi ve a blessing. He arrived with a branch president, and as Katimal laid his hands on the young man and finished the blessing, the young man immediately opened his eyes and said, “I’m hungry.” Within two hours he was back at the convention without further incident. Darleen testified of this small but powerful miracle early in our mission.

I next shared how deeply I have come to love the little children here. At first, I would see these small spirits with runny noses rushing up to shake hands, and I was cautious as to where to touch them. But over time, I have grown to love them—these “pikinini,” as they are called in Bislama which is the word for child. A few weeks ago, at a baptism, a three‑year‑old boy was running around. We did what grandparents do—making faces (maybe I was the one doing most of the faces) and keeping him entertained. The next day at church, he ran up and hugged Darleen’s leg, then mine. That simple act reminded me of the Savior’s love for children. In 3 Nephi 17:11–24, Jesus commanded that the children be brought to Him, blessed them one by one, and the record says His prayer was so great that “no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things.” Afterwards, angels ministered to them. Many days I feel we get to be those angels here in Vanuatu, ministering to some of His children. They are so easy to love.  It is definitely one of the tender mercies (and blessings) our Heavenly Father has given us to see while we serve.  

Challenges in Malekula

During our discussion at our senior missionary gathering Sunday we learned, from Elder and Sister Beck (the senior missionaries in charge of Housing and the Car/Truck fleet), that on the island of Malekula the local police have begun taking trucks away from the junior missionaries. Their reasoning is that the missionaries do not have local licenses, or that they are too young to drive the Land Cruisers assigned to them. The statutes are vague, but reportedly state that anyone under 21 cannot drive a vehicle designed to carry eight or more people. While eight cannot fit in the cab of these trucks, the police consider them capable of carrying eight passengers in the back of the truck also, and are enforcing the regulation on that basis. 

This restriction has not been applied on other islands in Vanuatu, but it is severely impacting the work in Malekula, one of the most remote and difficult islands to navigate without transportation. Unfortunately, if other vehicles were placed on that island, they would not withstand the terrain and rivers that must be crossed regularly. Land Cruisers are truly the only vehicles built for this environment.

Even the local Malekula District President has tried to persuade the police to stop, pointing out that these vehicles are not used like local buses to transport the public, but are authorized only to carry other missionaries.  He’s tried to explain they are not transport for 8 or more people.  They only hold these missionaries, and they are not allowed to give others rides.   Despite his efforts, he has not been successful. Elder Beck now plans to seek an audience with the Chief of Police for Vanuatu, who is stationed on our island of Efate, in hopes of resolving the issue. Yet, as is often the case here, things move slowly, and even if he receives positive results from the Police Chief, it could take weeks or months before a resolution is reached out on this islands.

In the meantime, the vehicles sit unused in a church parking lot, as the police have warned that if the missionaries drive them again, they could face jail time. We have to take that seriously, which the missionaries are starting to get scared, so have not intentions of violating until rectified.   We were all asked by Elder Beck to pray that the hearts of the police will be softened and that a solution can be found quickly, so the missionaries can continue their work effectively on this island.

Ministering in Eton

Today (Sunday) Darleen and I traveled to the Eton unit, where we have been focusing our efforts to help strengthen that small unit of about 70-85 regular attendees at church services. Unfortunately, Eton has not had classes after sacrament meeting (e.g. YW/YM, Priesthood, Relief Society, Primary), at least since we have been here for the past 8 months.  So, a few weeks ago we asked if we could teach Primary. They gladly agreed. After the meeting, we gathered the children with help from some adults. Darleen led while I acted as her assistant.

She began with having the children sing “Keep the Commandments,” followed by a prayer from one of the boys. Then she taught the song “Do As I’m Doing,” with marching, clapping, and fun variations. The children loved it. Especially the fast or slow, and the high and low acting that we all were doing.   Next, she asked if they knew the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” which they all yelled “YES”.   We then had a very enthusiastic rendition of that song given by the 20+ children with us.  Afterwards, she introduced “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.” She first played it from her laptop and had them follow along with the words that were displayed as the song played.  Then she had printed the words of the song with pictures.  She called up some of the children to hold up the words as they sang the words.   They started to learn it as they repeated the words.   Then she had them remove one card at a time to see if they remembered the words without the clues.  They did so great.

Darleen teaching the song "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus"

Me helping with the coloring 
activity.  

I then taught a short lesson on Jesus feeding the 5,000. Using pictures, I explained how He had only two fish and five loaves yet fed thousands. When I asked how He did it, the children shouted, “By a miracle!” Their faith is simple and strong.

Holding up their pictures.

We gave them crayons and a picture of the miracle to color. For 15 minutes they worked happily, then proudly held up their artwork for a photo—smiles everywhere. We ended with the song “Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.” Darleen explained what an apricot tree looks like, then led the motions. The children loved it, singing it many times over and over.  As they did, Darleen would ask what window we should look at, and then they would look at that window as she had them start singing the song over again.   She also did versions with them singing it faster and then slower.  They loved that!!! Finally, we closed with “I Am a Child of God” and a prayer. We shared bags of popcorn with the children, who were so happy about it.  We had popped 50 bags, so we had enough to share with the youth and some of the adults, a small gesture of love, since they often give us fruit when we visit.

One of our little favorite children
that attended our primary class.  
His shirt was dress length on him.

50 Bags of Popcorn.   This was our
2nd time this week making popcorn.
SIS classes like having that for snacks.

We left Eton on a spiritual high, grateful for the chance to be ministering angels and to see the Savior’s love reflected in these children. Our Sabbath day was a true blessing. We plan to return in two weeks, and though we may not be able to top today’s experience, we know the Spirit will guide us again.

Proudly displaying his Jesus picture
of the miracle of feeding the 5000.

Additional Weekly Highlights

Beyond our Sunday items, there were a few other things worth noting. We continue working to get the Succeed in School (SIS) program going around the island. For months we have tried to start it in the Mele and Erakor branches. On Monday, Darleen spoke with the Erakor Branch President, and they agreed to begin SIS on June 2 and 4. We are working to get teachers called, but until then, Darleen and I will lead those meetings with the 11–18‑year‑old youth, helping them with math, reading, and writing. We know we mention this program often, but it truly is a blessing for these youth to advance their education.

Speaking of SIS, on Monday afternoon we delivered snacks to the two classes that meet in the Stake Center. When we arrived, our teacher who teaches the Foundation class (ages 11 thru 14) told us she could no longer teach because of an Area calling requiring her full focus on YSA. We hadn’t planned to teach that day.  Darleen then turned to her and said, “you are going to teach today given the short notice”.   I’m not sure she had planned on doing that, but she did, and we were grateful. She has been our most reliable teacher, and while we will miss her, we are happy she is blessing lives in her calling with the area YSA’s. Thankfully, Darleen coordinated with other teachers in the building and arranged coverage until mid‑July, so we won’t need to step in ourselves.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we taught seminary again in Eton. As mentioned, we are trying to strengthen this small unit out in the bush of Efate. We learned the teacher hasn’t been teaching, so we offered to cover for several weeks. On Tuesday, it took about 15 minutes to gather the youth, but we had eight students. On Thursday, after another 15 minutes of gathering (with Darleen yelling “COME TO SEMINARY”), we had ten, including some new faces show up. We taught simple lessons from the book of Joshua—now some of my favorite passages in the Old Testament—focused on faith. The students soaked up the messages. Since they don’t have scriptures, they wrote verses in their seminary journals, which we feel serve as their personal scriptures. On Thursday, we made it easier by printing verses on slips of paper they could glue into their books. Teaching from the Old Testament weekly has given me a new love for these scriptures, which I hadn’t appreciated as much before.

Succeed in School in Etas Ward

On Wednesday and Friday we worked to resurrect the SIS program in our own ward, the Etas Ward. Unfortunately, the teachers had stopped coming since the beginning of the year (or at least fairly inconsistent), which caused the students to slowly stop attending. Last week in our first attempt to get it re-started we had no students on Wednesday and only two youth on Friday. This week was much better—five students came on Wednesday (two in the younger class and three in the older class), and ten came on Friday (five in each class). Success! Not as many as before, but a solid start. Darleen taught the Foundation class (ages 11–14), and I taught the Intermediate class (ages 15–18). The students were grateful we taught, and we were grateful they showed up.

Attendance here is not always a simple matter. Many youth live long distances away, and teachers are often busy with family or work responsibilities. When classes stop, there are usually valid reasons, but still it then has a ripple effect with attendance. While it can be frustrating to see programs start strong and then slow down, we remind ourselves to keep trying. We are laying a foundation they can build on. We don’t mind teaching, but our goal is to help local members take ownership. When Seminary, Institute, and SIS are taught by unit members, the programs become sustainable long-term. That is true success.

Institute Classes+

On Wednesday night we taught the Institute Pathway class again. We have 13 missionaries from our mission enrolled, and we teach from the manual Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel. This week’s lesson was Lesson 3: “Trusting Jesus Christ, Our Premortal Savior and Leader.” We have enjoyed teaching these lessons over the past seven months, but engagement is always a challenge since the class is taught via Zoom. The missionaries are spread across several islands, making in‑person classes impossible. Zoom is a blessing, but it limits interaction. Some weeks the students participate well; other weeks, not as much. This week was probably one of those less than participating moments.   We continue to experiment with ways to improve. If anyone has suggestions, we welcome them!

On Friday night I had the opportunity to teach the Port Vila YSA Institute class from the manual Foundations of the Restoration. I suspected there might not be a teacher, so I prepared—and sure enough, there wasn’t. The lesson was on “Establishing the Cause of Zion.” We discussed how we can build Zion where we stand: being of one heart and one mind, living the commandments, and caring for the poor and needy. For 45 minutes I shared thoughts, scriptures, and examples. The young adults contributed well, and I enjoyed the face‑to‑face interaction, which reminded me how much I prefer in‑person classes over Zoom.

Meanwhile, Darleen attended the YSA class on Eternal Marriage. She prepared to teach the lesson “Intimacy in Marriage” in case no teacher showed up, but the teacher was present. At first only one YSA attended, along with three adults (the teacher, the Stake President – her husband, and Darleen). Darleen smiled at the young man, who we have known since our early days on the island, as she was imagining his thoughts like: “Great, three married adults teaching me this topic without anyone else in attendance.” Thankfully, five more YSAs joined shortly after, so he wasn’t alone. Darleen enjoyed the class and the discussion, but I think she was a little bummed, she didn’t get to teach it.

If you’re keeping track, this week Darleen and I taught Seminary twice, SIS twice, Institute twice, and Primary once. I’ve never taught so many lessons in a single week! Next week we may even have more to teach, and definitely the following week as we begin another two SIS classes in Erakor Branch. Some of you who teach seminary daily may say, "that's not a lot", but everyone was a little different lesson type so you get to read a lot of lesson manuals to prepare yourself.    I can feel my ability to teach and lead discussions improving as we serve here.  

Beyond teaching, I spent time preparing seminary make‑up work for students who miss classes. Since they need credit, I’ve been building lessons they can complete independently. Using Microsoft Copilot, I translated 14 lessons into Bislama this week and published them for teachers to use. I work on these during quieter moments, and it has been rewarding to see them come together.   We also spent time working on creating lessons, buying snacks for SIS and seminary classes, getting supplies, attending Seminary & Institute weekly meetings, attending Ward Council, organizing and distributing SIS manuals, finishing a project Darleen’s been doing, and picking up Elder & Sister Meyer who returned back from a trip home to witness their son Charlie graduate from UVA.  These are just a few highlights of the activities we have been doing this week.  We are not lacking for ways to keep ourselves busy.

Weekend celebrations

Relaxing celebration for Elder Lamph's birthday out 
on Erakor Beach area.  Elder Lamph is in the back
to my left (your right)

On Saturday we celebrated Elder Lamph’s birthday. His wife arranged horseback riding at a local beach, snorkeling, and dinner at the Ramada Inn. Darleen and I skipped the horseback riding but enjoyed walking along the beach in the Erakor area (about 15 minutes from where we live). While picking up shells, I noticed what looked like an eel near my foot. It turned out to be a banded sea krait—a venomous sea snake. Thankfully, they are not aggressive and have small mouths as they like to eat eels. I moved away slowly and watched it swim off. They say there are no deadly animals on the islands, but apparently there are some in the waters!

Little banded sea krait (sea snake).   

Dinner at the Ramada was a fun evening, even though it lasted about 2.5+ hours. A local group sang traditional songs and even got us up to dance. At one point a young boy pretended to be a warrior with his club, coming close to my head with it, which made us laugh. The evening ended with the whole restaurant singing “Happy Birthday” to Elder Lamph, complete with a funny birthday hat. 😊

Some of the entertainment at the Ramada Inn restaurant

Elder Lamph's birthday smile.
I think we all get to wear the funny 
hat whenever it's our birthday.  Thanks
Darleen.

Me almost having my head taken off by little warriors.  

Family Birthdays Back Home

While we celebrated here, we also marked two birthdays back home. Our granddaughter Alysse turned 12. We FaceTime’d them while they were driving home from a school music festival. To our surprise, Ella—another granddaughter—was driving, as our son Nicholas was at another concert with Zachary (another grandson).  Ella’s a good driver (or at least she tells us she is), but I do have to admit it is a little scary to see a granddaughter behind the wheel.  It brought back memories of when our own children got their licenses and started driving. We also wished Kristen, our daughter‑in‑law, a happy birthday Sunday.   We had a good conversation with her and really appreciate all Kristen does for her family, and the fact that we are blessed to have her in our tribe now.   😊

It is wonderful to connect with our family members regularly, even from afar. All 12 of our grandchildren are finishing up school this week and heading into summer break. It is hard not being there in person, but we are blessed to know this mission is for a short time, and we will be reunited in just over nine months. In the meantime, technology helps us feel closer.

Closing Thoughts

One of the thing we are enjoying seeing as we travel around the island are the many vehicles that have flags from Central and South America and Europe.   The locals are getting ready for the upcoming Football World Cup that will be held in North America.   We see Brazilian, Argentina, Germany, France, and Spain as the most prevalent flags on vehicles driving around the island.   Most of them are the favorite teams to win the cup.   It is just interesting how global the world cup is, even in Vanuatu.

A truck showing support for Brazil.   We are seeing these
on vehicles for the past few weeks.

Hopefully, you could follow along as I did a little more jumping around with the weekly report.  If anyone has anything they may want to know about our mission, just drop us a note back and we would be happy to include that in our upcoming communications.   Until we chat again, we hope you enjoy our weekly highlights. We hope you all have a super fantastic week. Consider yourself hugged!

Nana & Papa, Mom & Dad, Darleen & Mark, Sista Lovelace & Elda Lovelace

Additional Pictures from the Week

Venus and the Moon close together in the skies horizon

Small waterfall out in the Eton area past the unit building

Saturday on Erakor beach.   We are not always
in our bathing suits, but some weekends we do take a moment 
to enjoy different beaches here.

Erakor Beach area.  Post Card pictures.

Elder Lamph at the end of the horseback ride

Eton house besides our church building.  Gives 
an idea of the types of living structures in that area.

That's a tree fort