The last week of my outreach was a kaleidoscope of emotions. It was full of rest, healing, fun, redemption and so much love.
We left the lovely village of Lambubu on Saturday morning and drove to the most... unique airport I've ever been to. It was literally a corrugated steel shack attached to the ruins of an old building next to the ocean. They weighed us and our luggage on a rusty old scale (which definitely was not accurate) and we walked right on a small 14 seat airplane. As we took off, the view was so breathtaking as we saw the bright blew water and coast lined with fields and fields of coconut tree under the sparkling sun. After a short hour flight, we arrived back at the capital of Vanuatu; Port Vila. We would be returning to the Family Care Centre for the week, which was where we had stayed in for the first two weeks of our outreach. We definitely looked like a motley crew; returning from the village in our traditional dress, exhausted, smelly due to the lack of hygiene available in the village and sick. Unfortunately, we also came back with bed bugs. The first couple of days back in Port Vila were planned to be ministry, but with the bed bugs, sickness and just being so worn out from the intense last two weeks, most of us rested and dealt with our bug issue. It was so lovely to be back at the FCC, with real beds, running water, electricity and also with the amazing staff. It was like a mini re-entry to the Marine Reach base back in New Zealand, and being in that community of Christ-loving people was so refreshing.
One day, we went back to the markets in town to do ministry. It was so fantastic to see the difference in our relational, cultural and language skills from the beginning. When we first came, evangelism was very difficult due to the language barrier and my lack of knowledge. This was such a redemptive experience as we all wore our traditional island dresses and could make real meaningful connections. I had the opportunity to meet so many incredible woman and sit down chat, and pray with them. As usual, they blessed me so greatly and walked out with various gifts and items to remember them by. I had a really special encounter with a woman named mama Cadle. She worked at the sewing market. We sat down and had incredible chats about our faith. She was so full of the joy of the Lord, no matter her circumstances. We talked for a very long time, and she ended up giving me a shirt that quoted Matthew 17:20 and says:
“Faith can move mountains."
This was so meaningful to me, as I was going through some difficulties and needed reminder of the power of Faith.
That was officially the last day of ministry. Wow! I could not believe those two months had gone by so fast! For the last couple of days, we had the chance to relax as a team and celebrate. We had a lovely girls night at the Pastor's house and the FCC put on a thank you dinner for us which was so sweet. In addition to that, on the second last day we went to a resort where we completed outreach evaluations and met one-on-one with our outreach leader. This was such a fantastic day and was absolutely stunned by God's beauty and nature! After only eating basically cassava, banana and spinach for the past couple of months; the buffet was quite appealing to our team.
On our last full day, we went to the Blue lagoon. This is an insanely gorgeous bright blue, clear lagoon nestled in lush trees with a plethora of rope swings, trees jutting up in the water or over the water and huts to rest under. We had so much fun as a team, swimming, exploring and swinging into the water until our arms burned. We finished off the day with a dinner at a lovely restaurant right on the water in town. I am so grateful for my team as they are so hard-working, sincere, yet so fun and absolutely ridiculous in the best way. I am so grateful for the strong bond of our team and the friendships made.
Leaving this beautiful country was insanely difficult for me as we headed back to New Zealand for our final re-entry week. This country had truly changed me. The way I see life, people, the way I speak and think. In every single place I went, I met so many special people and shared so many incredible experiences with them. I know that without a doubt a little bit of my heart was left with these people and in these places. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of these people and experiences and praise God for the country of Vanuatu. There is also not a day that goes by that I ask God "When can I go back?".
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