Fourteen young people from Johnsonville Uniting Church were inspired by their recent trip to Lelepa Island , Vanuatu , to raise $25,000 to roof the village church. This is their account of the mission trip, which was supported by the Presbyterian Global Mission Office.
Was it only a week? It felt like so much longer. We arrived on a Monday morning, and were unsure of what to expect or of how we would cope. We left a week later, on a Monday morning, which felt as though we were leaving close friends. There were tears on both sides at the parting. So what happened to create this bond?
We were hosted by the locals who are mostly linked with the Presbyterian Church. It was a most humbling experience to be given so much in terms of time, food and hospitality. We knew that our hosts had gone to great trouble and personal sacrifice to create living spaces including mattresses to sleep on. Although we donated kilos of rice, that was a mere drop in the bucket.
We could go wherever we liked and any little walk was greeted by waves and “hellos”. We only had to take up that welcome and sit down to talk. As soon as any one of us did that we found the conversation just flowed. Our pre-visit communication worries were non-existent.
The holiday programme run by our group created a doorway into relationships. Each day there was a hubbub of chatter, activity and fun. About 40 children took part, with 60 attending on one day. Parents and older brothers and sisters joined in. Our teenagers did so well. They planned and implemented the whole week in complete unity and enjoyment. Their relationships with the local kids spilled over into the rest of the day, and especially into torch games in the dark!
There were huge lessons for us about life lived without much money. Most locals would earn less than US$1 per day, the global benchmark of poverty, yet they don’t see themselves this way because the land and the sea meet their basic survival needs. Our conversations revealed people who are generally happy and outward-looking.
Our week showed us that a number of issues need attention. Number one was a roof for the church that stood half built in the centre of the village. This was one of the reasons for our trip. It had taken seven years and huge local effort to get to this point after a cyclone destroyed the original building. It will be a focal point for all village gatherings, and a place to shelter from harsh weather because it will be cyclone proof. It will also be a place of worship.
Other issues included the lack of water tanks to collect rain (as there is no other water source on the island). Each day most families make a 30-minute canoe journey to the main island to collect water from a stream. Other issues raised by the women included the need for sanitation (there are only long drop toilets at present), the cost and quality of health and education and the lack of electricity. The solutions for these issues will be local, but we intend to be partners in an ongoing relationship – friends who listen and support, but don’t take away ownership.
Right now though, we have to prove ourselves. We need to help to get this roof on. Our new friends have asked us to work alongside them adding our skills to theirs and that’s what we intend to do. It’s all just $25,000 (materials for the roof) away from becoming a reality.