Leading Villagers to Christ in Vanuatu

Tucked away in the south Pacific, the islands of Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) are largely unchanged from when John Paton served as a missionary there in the 1850s. The village of Lalalo—accessible only by a full day of hiking—is what the missionaries call a “custom village,” meaning that it is entirely unchurched.  Many of these villages are hostile or even dangerous for missionaries, but a team of three men from West Coast Baptist College who were in the country for some summer ministry experience were invited by the chief of Lalalo to spend the night.
 
Daniel Bass (a senior from Illinois), Ben Baucum (a senior and son of a missionary from China), and Bro. Tobi England (the extension ministry leader for West Coast Baptist College) made the hike to the village, and the chief asked them to stay in his hut. Built out of bamboo and hanging precariously off an eighty foot cliff, it was an act of faith to climb the single stalk of bamboo that served as a ramp to the front “porch.” They pretended that they didn’t see the cows grazing below as they looked through the numerous gaps in the floor and prepared for the hog roast that would follow shortly. They all wondered if they would be invited to hold a service later that night.

Missions takes on a whole new meaning when sitting around a fire in a village this remote. The team from West Coast were surrounded by curious but friendly pagans, and many of the men wore a simple loincloth. God was gracious, and used their patience and friendliness to open the villager's hearts to ask for a small service. Praise God—two ladies and a young man were saved that night. By the time they finally got to bed, the cows below the hut had gone to sleep and the fire outside had been reduced to a pile of coals. Bro. England said, "What a joy it is to serve the Lord of lords and see His Word is powerful as long as we are faithful to proclaim it."