Participants: Jeff Reich
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM000136
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00:37 We are back on Vanuatu on the Island of Gaua
00:40 where Dr. Turnbull and family are based as part of a project 00:43 with Laymen Ministries. 00:44 It's been nearly two years since our last visit 00:46 and it was great to see old friends again. 00:49 For many changes have taken place 00:51 to the clinic and medical ministry, 00:52 there was also many exciting developments with the school, 00:55 the church and life in general on the island of Gaua. 01:03 While we were gone the Turnbull's had enlisted 01:06 with the help of some of the local people 01:07 to lay a cement slab in the hangar house. 01:10 We talk with Dr. Mark about what was involved 01:12 to complete a project like this on the island of Gaua. 01:15 When I was here a couple of years ago 01:16 this floor was solid dirt in here 01:18 and you had this idea of building 01:20 different rooms inside this area here. 01:22 I see they're starting to take shape 01:24 and I don't think 01:26 that the people back in Australia 01:28 or New Zealand or in United States or Canada 01:31 whoever might watch this video have any idea 01:33 how much work goes into pouring cement. 01:34 So, what do you do? 01:35 You're like, you order cement, 01:37 a big cement truck comes in here 01:39 and-- seriously how, share with us how this slab, 01:42 it's a lot of cubic feet isn't it? 01:44 We wish we had cement trucks bringing cement here 01:48 but no, we have to get sand from halfway down the island 01:51 that's like a few miles from here, 01:54 shoveling it into flour bag, putting it on to your shoulder 01:57 and carrying it to the boat, 01:59 putting in the boat bringing it around to the shore. 02:01 There's no walk, so we're gonna bring it to the shore 02:04 and then carried up to from the shore here, 02:06 ready for mixing and its got salt in it 02:08 so its got to be out in rain for few months 02:12 and then we have cement 02:14 its got to come all the way from Santo 02:16 that comes here on the ship 02:17 which has to be unloaded by hand once again. 02:20 Okay, we'd ship we'll anchor offshore about 300 meters 02:24 and then a small boat will bring it to the shore 02:27 and then people will carry each individual bag, 02:30 put it on the shore and then put them here. 02:31 I don't how many few carried the sack of cement, 02:34 but they are heavy. 02:35 Yeah, the biggest work was involved 02:37 in the actual lying of the, the slab 02:40 because we didn't have, 02:41 we had a small cement mixture this thing 02:44 but a lot of work was done by hand. 02:46 And, and then pouring these slabs 02:49 and doing all of this just required 02:53 almost massive amount of manpower. 02:55 How much cement and sand 02:57 you think is enough for this size? 02:58 Okay, well this one here 02:59 we calculated it was about 50 tons all. 03:02 Fifty ton all carried by hand by people 03:04 from one point to another to get here. 03:06 Yeah, what the, the foundations were done 03:08 when we didn't have a roof here. 03:10 So, we didn't have water 03:12 because the water comes off the roof. 03:13 I remember helping Scott 03:15 with pulling the forms off 03:16 and watching the guys mix up the cement. 03:17 Yeah, the water-- 03:19 we didn't tell you on that last video 03:20 was the water for these footings, 03:23 was brought from a river 03:25 which is about, about six or seven miles away. 03:28 And that to get the water here to this part of the island, 03:33 we didn't have any big enough, 03:34 we didn't have big enough containers. 03:35 So, we actually took buckets 03:38 and we filled up the boat with water. 03:40 You've almost swamped the boat. 03:41 Yeah, filled up the boat with water 03:43 and then brought the boat around here 03:45 and then unloaded the water into rain water tank 03:47 which was down on the shore. Yeah. 03:49 And then individually brought up 20 liters at a time up here. 03:53 Now I have the unfortunate experience 03:55 of doing quite a bit of cement work 03:57 and I am working at this floor 03:58 and the sky was really a professional. 04:01 This is really, really squirted nice and level on its smooth 04:04 and Joel was saying they had a hard time getting the froth 04:07 because of the kind of coarseness 04:08 of the sand to get the nice smooth. 04:09 So, he actually did it in two layers, 04:11 he did like the lower part 04:12 and then kind of a bid of skim coat 04:14 on the top to get the smooth thing. 04:15 Well, praise God, lessee got a cement 04:17 for here this makes a big difference. 04:18 Sure that. Yeah. 04:19 Joel Marshall firmly, 04:21 one of Laymen Ministries Philippines missionaries 04:23 recently joined our Vanuatu project. 04:26 Joel now divides his time 04:27 between teaching and construction. 04:29 I checked in with Joel, 04:30 as he was working on his latest project. 04:34 Hey Joel, what's you are working on? 04:37 This is a new style kitchen for Vanuatu. 04:40 So, what you mean this is a new style kitchen 04:43 for Vanuatu I mean. 04:45 Well, we are trying to build a kitchen 04:47 that they would use, they like to, 04:50 normally they cook on the ground 04:53 and their house, the kitchen just fills up with smoke. 04:57 So we are trying to build a kitchen 04:58 where we can cook with the firewood 05:01 just like they normally do, raised it up a bit. 05:04 So, it's a bit easier for them more convenient 05:07 and also the smoke can go out of the building 05:11 through this duct here and-- 05:14 This is kind of like a big chimney 05:15 all way crossed in. 05:16 Yeah, it could be a big chimney. 05:17 For like what they have in a fancy restaurants 05:19 where they have that big hood like allover 05:21 where they are cooking all the food. 05:22 Yeah, it's right. 05:23 This is a kind of revolutionary for Vanuatu. 05:26 Yeah, we were trying to think of ideas 05:27 that we can get the smoke out of the building 05:29 and we are thinking of like pipes and stuff like this. 05:34 And then this side they came up 05:35 for just why don't we just make a big, a big chimney. 05:39 And we can just use the materials 05:41 that are available because you can't, 05:43 you know, you can't get chimneys and stuff, pipes and stuff-- 05:45 So, you better how long 05:46 before you gonna be able to test drive this. 05:50 Probably, couple of days. 05:52 Oh good, we'll be here for the test drive. 05:55 So, before you started building this 05:56 what were they cooking in? 05:58 Now come out and better look. 05:59 Okay. 06:03 Well, at first they were just cooking on the grass 06:06 because we didn't have a kitchen yet. 06:08 We built this patient house first and they were just, 06:11 they just had basically made a spot over here open. 06:15 So this is kind of some of the, some of the places 06:17 they cook in the villages like this toward this, 06:19 it may be a little better. 06:21 They has--they do have slightly better than this. 06:25 They have bamboo walls 06:27 and a thatched roof for their kitchen. 06:31 So, this was just a temporary kitchen 06:34 we've that just to keep them 06:35 over until we could better kitchen. 06:41 The school that we started 06:42 a few years ago has grown tremendously. 06:45 Mark's wife Naomi is the principal of the school 06:48 and we asked her if she would give us a tour. 06:50 Okay. 06:51 This was the first, first class when it was built. 06:54 Yeah that's right. What grades were in here? 06:55 At the moment we have got grade seven and eight 06:57 in the side of the classroom. 06:59 We have an office in the middle and then we grades five and six 07:02 on the other end of the building. 07:04 And how many years got it we built this classroom. 07:07 This was built in I think it was January 2009 07:13 by the team of volunteers 07:14 from Australia that came to do this one. 07:17 So what is that one down there, that one was a-- 07:19 Yeah that's one just been built 07:22 in the last year-and-half I guess. 07:25 A group of former Yugoslavian church members 07:29 that worship together as group in Australia 07:31 they decided they wanted to do project 07:33 and they raised the funds 07:34 and then they came as a team to help build it. 07:38 So we've been using that-- 07:40 So it was just kind of like a fly and build 07:41 or the whole group came here. 07:42 Yeah, here we had a group of 21 people 07:45 come to help build this along with the clinic at the same time 07:49 so that they did two buildings at one time. 07:50 I didn't know that both built at the same time. Yeah. 07:52 So what grades we have here? 07:54 This one is grade 4 07:57 and over this side we have grade 3. 08:01 So, are the, did the teacher share classrooms, 08:03 I mean you have like two teachers in a classroom. 08:05 In the first building, yes, we have got two teachers 08:08 and two classes in each room so-- 08:11 And its there something like earlier part of the day 08:13 one teacher is teaching something 08:14 and later part of the day the other one. 08:16 Yeah, or sometimes they're teaching together 08:18 and that can be a bit challenging. 08:19 So, if the weather is good 08:20 we take them outside under the trees. 08:22 You are actually teaching two different classes 08:24 same time inside the same room. 08:26 Yeah. That can be confusing. 08:27 It can be. 08:29 Alright, so just over here now we have the staff housing. 08:35 This is all new I think since you were here last Jeff. 08:38 We got... Few years ago 08:39 when I was here you guys were just have 08:41 one little house for the teachers. 08:43 Yeah, because I think we aren't even to grade 4, at that stage. 08:47 How many actually houses are this for? 08:51 We got a large family that's taking up two houses 08:54 and a kitchen area and then a single teacher 08:57 who lives with his sister who shares the kitchen area 09:00 and then the cook house over there 09:02 and then off in the distance 09:04 there's another local style thatched building at the back 09:07 there for one of the yeah, teaches and his wife. 09:11 And what is this classroom? This is class one. 09:14 When you say class one, what is it? 09:16 Great one, six, seven years old. 09:18 Six and seven. Yeah. 09:20 So, they have a little bit of rough deal at the moment 09:23 because they don't have proper walling. 09:25 So, when it's rainy and windy 09:27 sometimes they have to migrate 09:28 to the other side of the building. 09:30 So it is a cooler building when the suns out, right. 09:32 It is good in hot weather. 09:33 And I noticed over here that this school part 09:36 but it was right down to the ocean, right. 09:38 So you guys have each front property for the school. 09:40 Yes, very, very special property this one 09:43 and when the local cooper boats comes to bring us cargo 09:47 that we need building supplies or school supplies, 09:49 its dropped right--right near the classroom. 09:52 So, very convenient probably worth a lot of money 09:54 in other parts of the world. 10:00 So Jeff, this is our teachers and students garden here. 10:04 We have students working different areas of the garden. 10:07 So I think this is grade 3, they do this area, 10:10 grade 4 over the back here 10:12 and grade 5 and 6 and 7 and 8. 10:14 Do the teachers actually use this 10:16 for helping feed themselves. 10:17 It helps to supplement their food supplies. 10:19 What is this stuff here? 10:20 This is manioc, this is all cassava, 10:23 it is staple part of the diet. 10:25 I know what that stuff is. 10:27 That is... I always call it jungle cabbage 10:30 but you didn't call is really supposed to be-- 10:31 Island cabbage, Island cabbage, yeah. 10:33 This is everyday food for us 10:35 here on the island like a spinach really. 10:39 Not bad. 10:40 They don't normally eat raw 10:41 it they normally cook this with coconut milk which-- 10:43 Don't eat it wet. Raw. 10:45 All raw. Is it poisonous? 10:46 Not. Oh, that's good. 10:47 Yep, yep you're right. 10:49 And then we can even eat these one here 10:52 if we have had not enough rain 10:54 and this one is not growing really well. 10:55 We can use the young shoots of this one here. 10:58 I think this were totally ornamental 11:00 you can actually eat it up. You can eat that. 11:01 It looks like dandelion sangria. 11:03 Yeah, it's got a little bit of a stronger flavor 11:05 than the island cabbage but its still, its okay-- 11:08 It's still like a jungle cabbage I think that's sounds better. 11:11 It had a jungle flavor. Yeah, not bad. 11:14 Okay, so some of the teachers have been planting corn too 11:16 which is almost-- almost ready to harvest. 11:19 They might be yield eat this 11:20 before school breaks up for the year. 11:22 How big is this corn get your curiosity? 11:24 The crop a little big bigger and it's a bit more chewy 11:28 than your sweet corn, it's a maize, something. 11:29 And so this is not all this is a maize, something. 11:31 Yeah. 11:32 Because you get old American corn 11:33 you know like this, grip big whole. 11:35 Yeah. 11:37 Now, they got nice garden-- 11:39 We don't have to spend a lot of money on food here. 11:44 Good place for survivor. Yeah. 11:47 These guys-- 11:49 My name Scott Stevenson, I am from Australia 11:53 and I am here helping to start a furniture school 11:59 with students at Matafanga, 12:02 special need school. 12:05 And my name is Kathy Stevenson 12:07 and I am helping at the same school 12:11 Matafanga, special need school 12:13 and I am helping the deaf children. 12:16 Well, the length of our stay here is, 12:19 it well its almost coming to an end naturally 12:21 because we were here in April 2013 12:26 and we are just coming to December 12:27 when we're going home to Christmas 12:30 but we plan to be back early next year 12:34 to help with various things around the school. 12:39 When we come back next year I totally believe 12:42 I will be involved with the deaf children again 12:45 and helping out as needed again 12:47 with craft classes that sort of thing. 12:53 My specific goal is to work with some boys 13:01 some young men with the furniture school, 13:04 to help them to learn some aspects of trade, 13:08 learn how to use machinery and tools 13:11 and to make some things 13:14 that will be able to give them some experience 13:19 when they move forward 13:21 whether it's in the missionary career 13:24 or even a vocational job for themselves. 13:35 The volcanic soil in Vanuatu creates a lot of lush vegetation 13:39 you can tell by looking round this here. 13:41 And there are some really interesting plants, 13:42 so there's one plant here it is call the sensitive plant 13:45 and its look kind of like a fern like 13:46 you would see in some of the forest in Idaho 13:49 and we touch it, it closes. 14:06 The school isn't the only thing growing; 14:08 the church near the school had really taken off too. 14:12 Mark took a moment to tell us about recent developments 14:15 with the Sabbath school program. 14:16 Yeah, well, what we're doing is a small group ministry 14:19 which our concept that comes from the general conference. 14:22 The idea of Sabbath Schools 14:24 breaking up the small group ministries 14:26 and using each group to involve every single member 14:29 in Bible study witnessing prayer life, spirituality. 14:34 See, why don't we take a look of what they're doing here. 14:35 How many different groups do you have, 14:37 are they divided up. 14:39 We started with a one group 14:41 and its divided and its divided again 14:43 and then we have five different groups. 14:44 Now we're involving the very small children 14:46 in the same principle. 14:48 What they so is they start out as the, with sharing time. 14:51 So every group has, has a builder and a teacher. 14:55 And they start out with the sharing times 14:57 so they share experiences from the week. 15:01 And they encourage each other with their testimonies 15:04 and then they have a time of prayer 15:05 when they pray for each other and missing members 15:07 and then they go into the class 15:09 which is just the normal Sabbath school class 15:11 but the one difference is they try to involve 15:13 every single person, every single Sabbath. 15:15 So, it's like the, it's-- a teacher is not a good teacher 15:19 unless he involves everyone. 15:20 It's not like some churches were going too 15:22 where the Sabbath school teacher gets up 15:23 and just dominates everything up, 15:25 who just preaches in many sermon and everybody listens, 15:27 everybody actively are involved. 15:28 The idea behind is every single member must learn 15:31 how to participate and they get preparation 15:34 and encouragement during the week to share. 15:36 So, when they come to Sabbath school 15:38 they actually some thoughts ready 15:41 on the mind to share in Sabbath school. 15:42 Yeah, interesting is that? Yeah. 15:44 What kind of-- 15:45 This is a youth group, this is a young people's group 15:48 and Joel is leading this group. 15:50 He is the teacher. 15:52 And yeah, 15:56 and now we are trying to implement something similar 15:58 for the younger children 16:01 which Kay is pioneering this one. 16:03 So, Kay is our pioneer for this 16:05 form of Sabbath school in this age group. 16:13 One thing about Vanuatu is they get a lot of rain here 16:17 and a the lot of times people watch our videos 16:19 they see the beautiful blue skies 16:20 and the boats on the water 16:21 and all that but about a 4-5 months a year 16:25 we get a lot of these kind of rainstorm. 16:28 Last night the wind was blowing 16:29 and the rain was coming down so hard. 16:32 So, it's a pretty common between November to March here. 16:40 I am making coconut milk. 16:43 What we do is scratch some flesh from the coconut shell 16:47 and then you squeeze the coconut that you've scratched 16:51 and then nut change into coconut milk 16:54 when you boil it. 16:56 And if you boil it long enough 16:57 that will turn into coconut water. 17:04 My name is Kay and I am 23 years old 17:06 living in Guava in Vanuatu. 17:10 When I first came to Vanuatu 17:11 I helped dad quite a bit in clinic, 17:15 just with through basic things 17:17 and I also helped mom with housework 17:20 and whatever doing a little bit of advance schooling. 17:24 Recently, last two years 17:26 I have been quite heavily involved in the clinic. 17:30 We now have a building which is functional 17:33 and we do require lot of operations. 17:35 So, I helped that a lot more now. 17:38 I help with anesthesia, 17:40 we have a very different system of anesthesia 17:43 to most operations in big hospitals. 17:46 It's very simple coming to this academy 17:50 up that's trying me how to use that. 17:52 So, that's what I do with the operations. 17:55 Sometimes when we have other people 17:56 that can do anesthesia 17:58 I assist with the operations, just depends on who's around. 18:14 Life on the island is never dull. 18:16 We got a chance to follow Dr. Mark to other islands 18:18 as he continued to make in roads to medical ministry. 18:23 Okay, this lady has a big hole in her tooth 18:27 and I don't do dentistry 18:29 but I do pull teeth which is surgery. 18:31 Oral surgery so I'm just gonna pull this tooth 18:34 and we can do that right here. 18:40 (Speaking in foreign language) 19:40 Okay. 19:42 Jeff. 19:44 This is yours. 19:46 So. Oh. Okay. 19:49 It's also called coconut ice cream. 19:51 Coconut ice cream, this is the heart of coconut. 19:54 Okay. 19:55 I have eaten one of these up. 19:58 This is where the coconut trees 19:59 already started to grow inside the shell. 20:01 That's a sprouted coconut. 20:02 That's a sprouted coconut and I am gonna eat up 20:05 embryonic coconut tree-- 20:07 And sprouted seeds are always 20:10 more nutritious than any other form. 20:12 So, this is super nutritious food. 20:16 It's a mango balloon. 20:18 That's how you do. 20:19 You keep making the mango softer and softer 20:23 and collect just nothing but juice inside. 20:43 This is a conventional method, 20:45 its called get strings between your teeth method. 21:06 One of the best experiences about traveling 21:08 to these remote places is getting to know the people, 21:11 its fun to try to step into their shoes 21:13 and do the things that they do on a daily basis. 21:16 It's a great way to build rapport 21:18 and of course at least seemed amused by it too. 21:23 The next step for making this as they have a lop lop fire 21:26 will be put the logs 21:28 then heat up a really big heap full of firewood like that 21:32 and then when the coals get right nice hot 21:34 and they put the rocks in there. 21:35 Heat the rocks up and then they this green stuff 21:38 in between banana leaves 21:40 and cook it down inside the fire. 21:42 Its kind of a lop lop. 22:00 Joseph is explaining to us 22:01 that in this village one of the big problems 22:03 they have is water and they have like 22:05 really old cement tank and too big fiberglass tanks 22:08 and then one small tank over the kind of clinic 22:11 they have here. 22:12 And they really need two more tanks here 22:14 at least try to serve the community of this size. 22:41 Today is the big day. 22:44 Basically, Mark and I just sat down 22:46 and discussed how can we design a kitchen 22:50 local style and that they would feel comfortable using. 22:54 And they can use the local materials 22:58 and that will make it more helpful for them. 23:06 Now we are gonna see the smoke really goes up the chimney thing 23:10 or its gonna smoke up the full room. 23:19 You made an ingenious flap system, 23:22 it closes there up on the roof is a fixed one. 23:25 Go ahead and close it Joe, 23:27 that's pretty cool. 23:29 All right and you can see the smoke flows up 23:31 its going this side here. 23:33 It going up around. 23:36 A nice design. 23:43 I think it's gonna work. 24:31 Near the end of our visit 24:32 we sit down and talk with Mark and Naomi 24:34 about their time here with this mission project 24:36 and what kind of needs they still have? 24:39 I think we have been working for Laymen Ministries, 24:42 it must be nine years now 24:44 because we started this project 2005. 24:49 When I was first came I was a housewife 24:51 and just doctors assistant on occasions when he needed me, 24:54 but now I am full time principal 24:56 of this small school that we started here. 24:59 It started out very small with grade 1 in the first year 25:03 and each year we have added on a year 25:06 up until this year we currently have grade 8 25:08 and we have a total of 75 students now. 25:12 We don't know but it seems like the local community 25:15 want this school to grow even more 25:17 so that we might go beyond yeah 8, in the future 25:20 if God leads that way. 25:21 So, definitely we need of more buildings 25:24 and more facilities down at the school. 25:27 I am not sure who might be the best person 25:30 to help with this project but I just know that 25:33 I am not keeping up with all the bookwork, 25:35 this is associated with running a ministry like this. 25:37 This is much more involved than a human being, 25:40 one human being can do. 25:42 And so I just feel overwhelmed with all that 25:45 combines with being doctor, pilot everything else. 25:47 So, if someone is to help it would be a big blessing. 25:51 The work that where I am involved 25:53 now I am using every bit of my ability to the maximum, 25:56 I think God, God is using me 25:58 and I so much appreciate that. 26:00 I enjoy being in this position 26:03 and I feel like my work is a ministry 26:07 and so I just feel it's a great privilege for me 26:12 to give my life in-service in helping a remote people group 26:16 we nee help 26:18 and to me its not a problem, 26:20 the money is not an issue, 26:22 God provides for all my needs all of our needs 26:24 and we have got nothing to complain about. 26:26 We have really got things to thank the Lord for. 26:28 So, I didn't fear for the future I just believe it 26:31 as we do work for God he will provide. 28:16 If you would like to help the project in Vanuatu, 28:18 write or call Laymen Ministries, 28:21 414 Zapada Road, Saint Maries, Idaho 83861. 28:25 180-0245-1844. |
Revised 2014-12-17