John and Elaine - busy in Vanuatu

John and Elaine (from Victoria) are serving as volunteer teachers in Vanuatu. Here's some news of their latest activities:

Finished all exam marking (4 year levels) and application forms for 68 Year 10’s applying for schools next year. Each form had a 300 word minimum explanation as to why the student had chosen the Course/School. That took a lot of time, as kids really had no idea. They wrote some funny things – e.g. I really want to be an engineer ………and one day I will be a doctor so I can help with people’s health. There was a lot of confusion between Mech Engineering and being an auto mechanic. It is really hard for kids to come up with decisions about the future when positions are so hard to get. It took a lot of 1:1 talk and advice.
In mid-June a teacher trainee arrived from Deakin Uni (Melb). She completed a really great round and the kids loved her. There were a group of student teachers in various schools in Vila. The lecturer visited them as would happen is Australia.
19 June – Onesua Week began – a week of morning classes and so much activity each afternoon – everyone farming, work parties along the road, concerts, Careers Day (excellent), sports day and Open Day when reports were distributed and everyone displayed the kids’ work and church services in 42 places taken by the kids and staff.
Paul and Judy came to stay for a week and we enjoyed their company a lot. Judy took some fabric painting classes in a village, the nearby training center and with some people in our community. They all really enjoyed it. On the practical side Paul fixed our shower and we can now get wet just standing still whereas we used to have to run around trying to get wet. FANTASTIC He also fixed the water system here a bit – we have had a lot of trouble with water leaking out over night so the whole campus has no water in the mornings. And, most importantly he went to class and proved to be an artist extraordinaire – the Year 7’s were illustrating story books they had written (now in Oz with the student teacher) He drew amazing things e.g. coconut crabs playing soccer and even a horse eating chicken and chips!
Mid Term Break is next week and John is coaching the 3 girls’ basketball teams in Vila for 5 days so we will stay in Vila for the week. We get a week because the kids get a day for Childrens’ Day – very important in Vanuatu, and Independence Day - another very important day of great significance.

People in Mission Coordinator: sandy@sa.uca.org.au

Shelley's Commissioning

Rev John Barr (UIM Asia Area Secretary) and Shelley Houghton (Volunteer in Mission) at Shelley's Commissioning Service, West End UC (Brisbane). Shelley leaves for Papua in early July to begin her volunteer placement.  

United Church in Zambia church 

STET Zambia - Jo's news

Well another couple of days have passed here in beautiful Mwandi. Yesterday we went to church (United Church of Zambia). The service started at 9:30am and we left at 1pm!! We presented the communion cloth which we’d brought with us, and got the pre-school children to put their hand prints around the edge. We also gave them communion glasses. Bek, Luci and I sang “We are marching in the light of God” – they loved it! Heath (lab technician) preached in English and someone translated into Lozi – the local language. When the service finished the whole church exited single file and shook everyone’s hand, once you got to the end you joined on – so eventually everyone had shaken the hand of everyone in the service – very special. The ladies’ fellowship led the singing in the service, and afterwards they started dancing and singing under the verandah – so Luci and I joined in, it was fantastic!
Yesterday afternoon we went into Mwandi village – where all the village people live, and visited Innocent who carves things out of wood. He is very good so a couple of us bought some of his beautiful wares. We also went to Misole’s place (Misole works for Fiona and is lovely!) and met his wife and daughter – she is very beautiful. Last night Luci and I were present in the Mwandi Mission Hospital for the birth of a baby girl. It was amazing! I sat in the corner and didn’t say anything, but it was very lovely to have the privilege of being there. Unfortunately it’s because I’m a “makua” (white person) and the Mwandi people have such respect for us – but I count it an amazing experience to have been present. Thanks God! Luci did an amazing job, so did the other nurses who were present. Luci will make an amazing midwife some day! This morning Marnie and I will be continuing to work on the Drop-in Centre library. Then Luci and I are going to spend the afternoon in the hospital (want to visit mother and baby from last night!). Tomorrow is Fiona’s birthday – we plan on doing something special. Wednesday I’m going into Livingstone to do some shopping and Thursday and Friday I hope to do some typing for the hospital. I can’t believe we’ve been here for a whole week – I can remember each day as clear as can be, but it’s also zoomed by fast. Love and blessings, Jo xx

Communion cloth - kids handprints 

Roadside in Mwandi Village (Zambia) - A + B + C ('or you will' in small print) D.  

Bek in Mwandi Village, Zambia

Well I’m still having a good time. Yesterday afternoon I got to go down the river in a dugout canoe. Musole, a local guy who’s working with us, took us out… it was very awesome. And it provided a lot of entertainment for the people on the banks who seemed to find it quite hilarious to see makua’s in a canoe.

I’ve still been working at the drop-in centre and preschool. They have a recently built playground which we have to teach the kids to use, because they’ve never had a playground before. I was over there the other day pushing kids on the swings. It was really funny because even though they were all speaking in Lozi, you could still tell when one of them was saying “it’s my turn…she’s been on there too long” etc. 

The group seems to be holding up well. One of the girls kind of lost it yesterday after seeing a newborn who is starving because the mother is starving and can’t produce any milk. And their family and the hospital have no money to help out.

It’s also really sad to see the HIV patients that are basically just left in the hospital beds to waste away. There are so many basic facilities (well, what we would call basic) that the hospital just doesn’t have. And the scary thing is that this is actually a better hospital than most of the others in Zambia.

I’m starting to feel pretty hungry so I’m going to sign off.
Take care of yourselves,
Bek

Chun Hai in Australia

Chun Hai is a 16 year old from Bethany Home in Malaysia. He has been in Australia, hosted by Wendy and Peter Flahive who served as Volunteers in Mission at Bethany Home (2004-05) and got to know Chun Hai in one of the group homes at Bethany Home. Chun Hai has had the opportunity to attend school in Australia, and to enjoy life in rural Victoria. He even had the opportunity to experience snow for the first time on the snowfields at nearby Dinner Plain! He will leave Australia mid-July, after a farewell party for both church and community members. Peter and Wendy write: 'We are sad to say goodbye, but the cost of visa extension has meant his stay has been limited to three months. He has made many friends and we expect many people to attend the farewell dinner.'

Chun Hai (from Bethany Home, Malaysia) enjoying snow for the first time 

Chun Hai (from Bethany Home, Malaysia) in rural Victoria 

Emma in Romania

Emma (SA) and four O.T. students from Adelaide are currently in Romania. Emma is supervising them in O.T. work experience at the hospital where Emma served in a volunteer placement in 2003. She writes:

"I have enjoyed catching up with old friends here. In many ways it is as though I never left. Work in the hospital has been interesting this week. There used to be 3 doctors in neurology, but one has just up and left and the other has been at a conference this week, so that has left the head of the department who is neither seen nor heard of much at all, so I don't know what happens to patients from a medical point of view. I have been really very pleasantly surprised though by the positive reception of nursing staff on Neurology. They have been very happy for us to read the medical notes (my Romanian has improved, except when it's combined with doctor's writing) and the ones who speak English have been happy to translate for us. The general appearance of the ward and its smell has not improved and the general concensus of all I have spoken with has been that the hospital is in the worst financial situation it has ever been in with not even enough food for patients. I saw the cleaner on the ward, Sylvia, who was a lady I knew last time and it was so good to see her again - she is a real character. Her English is excellent - all self taught and she seems to do more for the patients than the nurses do sometimes! She always says good bye by saying "See you soon, Baboon!"

Onto a different note, our accommodaton here is great. Each of us (the students and I) all have separate rooms in the big ACASA centre, which is otherwise almost empty (closed due to the withdrawal of funding). The view to Zalau and over the mountains is quite beautiful. Because the centre is closed, we have free reign of the big industrial kitchen and laundry. I have been impressed with the students' cooking abilities, so we have had some lovely meals here. The five of us are like a family in many ways. I am definitely the mum of the group though and I have to admit that I do get exhausted by the responsibility because, naturally they are currently quite reliant on me.

Even though there do seem to have been quite a few things go not as well as I had hoped, I am really blown away by the number of times there have been some blessings in disguise. I know that I would not be coping so well if I didn't have my faith to hold on to. I think I am really being supported by people's thoughts and prayers and to know that I have someone looking over me is incredibly reassuring.

Much love to yu all, Love Emma

STET Kashmir - Jan's first impressions

Jan is one of the participants on the short term exposure trip (STET) to Kashmir, led by Rev Dr Rob Bos. She shares her early impressions travelling through India and Kashmir:
The experience to date has been rich, exciting and mind stretching. I hardly know where to start to tell you all that has happened. India is an amazing place and has been a real cultural experience. Traffic must be seen to be believed. It's anything goes and every person for themselves. Everyone blows their horns in the traffic and it's mind blowing. That is of course through my eyes!!
The Golden Temple - a Sikh temple in Amistrar - was overwhelming. Yesterday, our journey from Jammu to Srinagar would have to be the highlight of my time so far. It took us 12 hours to go 295 kms, such was the traffic, the road conditions and the steep climbs us the mountains. The scenery was spectacular going up through the Himalayas. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is all happening to me. We could see snow on distant high mountains, and when we came into the Vale of Kashmir - well, that was a real picture!!
The weather has been very very hot, but today is raining and quite cool. All of the team is getting along so well together. I am learning heaps!! There are people and animals everywhere. I guess that's to be expected with a population of a billion people. We haven't got all the home comforts but that is nothing in comparison to
the experience we are having.
Eating lots of Indian food and enjoying it!! I had my baptism of fire in a restaurant in Delhi. I was given a wrong order which ended up being the hottest of hot curries. I managed to eat half of it with youghurt and rice and lots and lots of water. Now all the other curries I have taste mild!! Not quite sure if this is the way to go, but it was a fun experience.
This has certainly been the opportunity of a life time!
(for information on other STET's planned in 2005/6, email sandy@sa.uca.org.au)

Rev Jonathan Davies (SA) - CSI Youth Convention

Rev Jonathan Davies was invited to share in the Youth Convention in the Diocese of Madras (Church of South India) in June 2005. He had the opportunity to meet hundreds of young adults attending the Convention, and to be part of the busy program. He also spent time with UCA Volunteers in Mission, Rev Ainslie and David Scott (Vic), and visited projects in the Diocese. He even had time to take part in a wedding at Chengalpattu on his last day.

Rev Jonathan Davies (SA) and Bishop in Madras, Rt Rev Dr V. Devasahayam, June 05