Captain’s Blog

#71 OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Fiji

ZERO VISIBILITY

The motor vessel Galilean II is purring like a kitten this morning. Two engines totaling 450 horse power . 5200 rpm. 24.3 nautical miles an hour. Three uneventful hours South into the Pacific since dawn. God’s handiwork evident so clearly. The bow slicing the rhythmic swells sending spray to port and to starboard. In front of us there’s a black wall as far as you can see. I look down at the image created by the sweep of the Furuno radar. For the last hour I’ve discussed in detail, with my crew, the implications of the squall line that lies directly in front of us. We’ve been tracking the 20 mile solid cloud line by radar and calculating it’s forward movement, seeing if we could possibly outrun it? No way. No sign of lightning so we swing to cut through the front. As the torrential tropical rain slams into us, I lower the speed and visibility drops to zero. Once more I find myself very thankful for the safety equipment like an excellent radar, on this boat. In spite of this heavy squall line, the ocean conditions are good.

ONO

The startled sound from one of the passengers reminds me that they had not been aware of our proximity to the island of Ono. Navigation equipment has been tracking us correctly and I knew the mountain face of this island would suddenly appear immediately to our left out of the pouring rain. There she was. Between two islands, at a designated place, we rendezvous with the pastor and his wife who have been working in this area for many years now. Our first stop is a village on the island of Ono. Meeting with the chief, we listen again as Dr. Becky Morsch presents the fundamentals of Community Based Health Care. This is the last leg of an extensive three Pacific nation fact finding trip for us.

DRAVUNI - KADAVU

On to the island of Dravuni. Again we meet with the chief and the elders of the village. This village is where we spend the night and then on to the island of Kadavu, stopping at the first designated village and then working our way around the South side. Another village and another meeting, this last meeting takes us into the night. Finally we end up at safe anchorage and prepare for the Sunday services the next day at the ‘Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene’ here. The service is great!

PROBLEM

By Sunday night we have a problem. The wind has really kicked up and suddenly we’re looking at ‘gale force’ with potentially dangerous ocean conditions. We have to get James Johnson and Becky Morsch way down to the other side of this island chain to where there’s a dirt runway and try to fly them out so they can catch their international flights… no way am I taking the mv/Galilean II out into that ocean until things calm down. Inside the sheltered waters behind the barrier reef, we get them down island and fly them out. Conditions deteriorate - the wind starts howling.

STRANDED

Day after day we listen to the static of the weather forecast and hear by radio that the 1000 ton cargo ship has canceled it’s trip over the same section of ocean - the conditions are bad. The most difficult thing is to hold to our safety parameters, but they’ve been proven over 8 years… we hold for four very long days. Friday morning dawns hot and bright, there’s sudden calm after the storm and we head out to sea. By noon we’re safely docked and tied down at home port. Another successful trip. God has never been far away.

#70 OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Solomon Islands

OXYGEN

James Johnson, Becky Morsch, my daughter Danielle and I land in Honiara, Solomon Islands only long enough to grab George Miller and hop aboard another ‘puddle jumper’. I don’t know how many seats this one had, but I do know that EVERY seat was taken and the airplane was sealed up tight and then (before starting the engines) we sat and waited… and waited… and waited. Currently in these tropics it is what we call ’summer’. That is along the lines of being in a very humid oven set on high. The scuba diver inside of me begins calculating the total volume of air, consumption rate of the average human, etc. etc. I can’t get the numbers to work. By the time we get going we’ve long ago used up all the oxygen in the passenger compartment and everyone should be dead but we aren’t. My theory is that missionaries must not use as much oxygen as others.

NOT NOWHERE

Gizo is a place on earth just like the name sounds. It’s is a very long ways from nowhere and the entire island where the runway is, is nothing but a runway and a tiny empty brick room called ‘Airport Terminal’, and 200 liter drums of airplane fuel out on the ground so that the airplane can try to get back to wherever it came from. Then you climb into small fiberglass or dugout boats to go anywhere from the runway island… which is what we do.

By evening we’ve traveled by boat, way, way beyond Gizo, deep into remote Solomon Islands to a place called Vilorae. It’s not on the map. Any map. There’s a Nazarene church there and they are waiting for us… As we approach from sea, you would have thought King Solomon and his entourage have arrived!! They’ve decorated everything with cut flowers (countless wild orchids) and plants with a palm archway where there’s a crowd of people dancing and singing and presenting us each with handmade woven hats and leading us to where we will stay and the huge evening meal they’ve prepared. Gracious people - very gracious, giving people. Baths and showers at Vilorae, look like a spring fed stream in the mangroves, which is flooded at high tide - it works great. Bathrooms there are not… as in a fair amount of the 3rd world. So very much you and I take for granted.

TRANSFORMED

The testimony of the transforming power of the Gospel in the life of a man by the name of ‘Zoti’ from here, will remain vivid in my mind for a long time. Mostly because it is not primarily given by him. It is given by his wife who prayed for him for 35 years, who was struck by lightning and then touched by God’s miraculous power. It is given by his brother. It is given by his daughter and it is given by his son in law. This was one evil, violent man… obviously deeply transformed by Christ as witnessed by all who knew him. This is evidence of God’s Holy Spirit manifested in the life of someone.

CBHC

Dr. Becky Morsch continues presenting the concepts and ideas involved with CBHC as we meet with the people here and then work our way further by boat to a place called ‘Iri-iri-pasa-pasa’ (’Bitter Well’), also not on any map. Once more the people overwhelm us with hospitality that simply gives their best and offers literally all they have to us, their guests. The traditional hut where we sleep is high off the ground. Meals by now have included lobster, fish, clams and crab… though the staple is ‘laplap’, which can be difficult to describe and eat. During the services, the people responded eagerly to God’s word and we find ourselves continuously in another service, which isn’t unusual because places like this are so far off the beaten path, they don’t want to miss out on what they see as an oportunity.

ADRIFT

Eventually we’re heading back to Gizo. Twice we find ourselves adrift with engine problems. Twice I find myself wishing for one of our boats with motors that work (supporting Nazarene Maritime Ministries is a good thing <www.fijiboat.org> ). After a quick makeshift overhaul with pliers and a screwdriver, the motor eventually coughs to life, sputters and pushes us hesitantly on amidst the 990 islands that make up this Island nation… looking for the one with a runway on it.

HOT SHOWER

Very successful trip! A couple hours flying time back to Honiara and the priceless hot shower and waiting hospitality at the Millers house with internet access and time to regroup before heading out to Fiji and the next watery horizon. Throughout all of this, we are deeply grateful to all of you who have held us in prayer as we have pursued God’s leading and watched with awe, evidence of His presence and power, His purpose and direction.

Your prayers move His hands, thank you - Harmon

#69 OFF THE BEATEN PATH - Vanuatu

BEYOND

Beyond tourist traps, beyond places frequented by white faces, beyond comforts and things like bathrooms and showers, beyond TV and telephones, hot water and roads… much of May has been out there. Places with names like Anawa, Vilorea, Iriiripasapasa, Dravuni, Vabea, Wairoro.

KID/JUMPING/YELLING

This kid should not have had a pilots uniform on… but then it wasn’t a very big plane taking off from Tanna in the southern Vanuatu island chain… already a long ways from Port Vila. Our team of missionaries crammed into this, another ‘puddle jumper’ then craned to see out, yelling to each other above the engine sound. Deep tropical mountains rose high filling our view with dense jungles as they whipped passed the windows. The pilot worked his way up and onto course… banking to starboard and leaving Tanna behind. Eventually way off into the vast Pacific, the tiny island of Anawa slid into view with it’s single coral covered runway and our first destination.

This would be the first time Nazarene missionaries set foot on this island… yet amazingly, beyond our principle reason we were also here for the dedication of the first Nazarene church, a beautiful building, built by hand without things like cement, iron, glass, etc. For the miraculous story of how God planted this church, you will soon be able to access it on our new SOUTHPACIFICFAMILY web site (not yet - but almost).

CBHC - INCREDIBLE MINISTRY TOOL

Our principle reason was in bringing Dr. Becky Morsch. This would be an exploratory trip for CBHC (Community Based Heath Care) into this part of the South Pacific. Before our time is over, we would spend very many hours walking this island, we would meet with the chiefs and leaders of the six villages that know this island as their home. Over and over ‘Dr. Becky’ would conduct interviews with community

representatives, searching out the types of information needed and all the while we are treated as royalty. A humbling thing as people who have what we think of as so little… give away their very, very best to us! Becky’s passion in using CBHC to minister to people out here in a way no-one has done before, is another ministry that will be linked to and tracked through our upcoming web site.

MOVING GOD’S HANDS

Pray for Becky Morsch and the decisions being made right now in relation to the people of Anawa in Vanuatu as it relates to CBHC and the Church of the Nazarene. Pray for the new ‘pastors’ Paul and Keithly and their challenge in this place as they work with the leaders of these people including the leader of the JohnFrom Cult (a story for another time) pictured in some of our photos. Pray for missionaries Peter and Jenny Isaac whom God used to reach this island. Pray for missionaries David and Sylvia Potter as they celebrate God bringing priceless returns like this to the investment of their lives into the islands of Vanuatu. Pray for the Johnsons as they continue to offer great Field leadership over this part of the world. Pray for us as we continue going where God leads.

Our God Reigns! Harmon