Welcome to my blog turned website!

Blogs don't seem to be the best way of communicating with people anymore, so I've stopped spending the time to post new content here. However, the tabs are active and updated a few times a year. So please use my blog as a website and read the tabs as current information. Houghton and Gretchen Richards https://www.facebook.com/houghtongretchen.richards do a great job of posting regular updates on the ministry on their Facebook page so if you like to keep up that way, check them out!

Grace to you,

Laura

Jesiah soccer

 This year Houghton started training the youth guys in soccer skills, and Jesiah got to play on one of the island league teams.  He was the youngest player on the team, with most players in their 20s, but has done well.  

 

Houghton and Yanik.  Yanik played and helped coach as well.

 

 

 

Sorry, this is a really annoying work of me spinning back and forth, but Jesiah is in here in the yellow and black #19. 

Adult reading competition

 In January, we had our first adult reading competition.  Many adults participated, and did a great job reading out the verses they were given.  The winner was a grandma, Rruta, from Faramsu, our sister village, who blew everyone away. 

 

Jowed was one of our judges but she got a turn reading as well.

 

 

A bit of cuteness, followed by seeing little William here's dad, Temarr, read.

Hurried practice with a bit of help from the kids.

 

 

Rruta came in 1st.

 

Prizes - all winners got some rice and a few of our publications.

 

 

Rruta got 1st prize.

 

Malibu came in 2nd.

 

Jenita was 3rd.

 

Our translators George and Yanik didn't read in the competition since they get so much practice, but we hope to have another competition that is leveled so they'll be placed in advanced and have a go there.  George was a judge and Yanik was the fantastic emcee.  I judged and Houghton tallied points for us.  We learned from my mistakes last time, and hopefully we just keep getting better at this!  Please pray for everyone to be motivated to keep practicing reading, and to dig into God's Word in their own language.

Cyclone Harold

 In 2015 Cyclone Pam came and wreaked havoc in Ambrym and even more south of us in Vila and Tanna.  Since then, we've had nothing quite so major.  Cyclone Harold was right up there for Vanuatu though.  It was much faster moving (which was good) and started out much smaller when it hit, but it did considerable damage to Santo and northern Malakula islands, as well as the southern part of Pentecost, the island directly north of us.  Our teammates, the Ellises, had the roof on their recording studio (for audio Scripture recording) torn off, and there were some other roofs damaged north of us.  Fortunately for us, most of our houses were ok, but the gardens took a significant beating.  By God's grace the gardens are planted and yielding fruit again.

 

This path prediction didn't end up coming to pass.  The cyclone's eye was actually up north of us in the end.  But this does show how huge these storms are.

Homemade village volcanoes

 The kids in the village did something this year when the ground was really wet that I've never seen them make before - homemade volcanoes!  So fun!

 

 

 

Here's a bonus video that has nothing to do with volcanoes, but shows the beauty of the fresh water spring down the coast from our house.

 

And here's just a funny picture of Kaiden's friend David wearing sunglasses upside-down.

 

And a gorgeous pic of the two of them together.

And last bonus pic of our 2 cute cats, who were frenemies, but seem to be full friends now:  Jojo and Bagira.

Some beauty

 There are often dazzling skies and flowers and other aspects of God's creation to enjoy in Vanuatu.  

Waterfall that I walked to with our new associate director, Andrea, and her husband Mike.

top of the falls.

 

Prettier when the 2 hibiscus were still blooming, but they only stay open for a day!

 

Other Vila happenings

 Besides waiting around for citizenship and passports to come through the last few months, I've had the privilege of working a few days a week with Harre and Rrut.  Harre is the son of one of my translation helpers, Alice.  Last year in June, he contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which is a bit like a full body stroke.  He was on a (the one and only in Vanuatu) respirator, tube fed, and was completely helpless physically, but fine mentally.  This is a sickness that many times people recover fully from, or at least a majority of function again, but it often takes up to 2 years.  After a year and 2 months, he is able to eat, breathe, talk, and has all muscle movement back again other than being able to stand and walk unassisted.  Because he and Rrut have been in Vila for so long, I got to know them well with many hospital visits, and they were interested in helping with the translation work.  He has been out of the hospital several months now, and is staying at a relative's house.  I go there to work with he and Rrut, and have enjoyed getting to know all the extended family as well, who (mostly) all speak Rral.

Harre with Rrut and her brother and sister and Alice, his mom.

Rrut and Alice.

Harre at his relative, Stifen's house.  Rrut made a nice snack for us for when we were done working!

Harold is often at work at Stifen's workshop on the property.  He's a pretty impressive carpenter.  He's "from Ambrym" but has never been to visit and doesn't know the language.  Lots of people in Vila are like that - born in Vila, but still claim to be from outer islands that their parents grew up in.

Mak, Rrut, and I.

On Children's Day.

While in Vila I also went to a wedding of a missionary friend, Jared.

How fun to have bride and groom lead everyone in a praise song!

 

 

We had a Vanuatu translation group workshop in a gorgeous location on the beach.

Gretch and I walked the beach in a few minutes of free time and went and saw this crazy unfinished structure just down the beach (pics following).

With the borders being closed because of Covid, we got crazy cheap rates to host at this beautiful place.

The Vanuatu Wycliffe/SIL families in country for the workshop.

 

A friend of mine, Shawnda, is leaving once she and her family can get a flight back to the US.  They've been missionaries in Vanuatu since before we came in 2008.  We had  very lovely going away party for her including lots of very sweet time together praying.  She will be very missed!!

Jinny, Arlene, me, Allison, Julie, Michele, Carol

 Shannon, Shawnda, Jamie

Group hugs!

We had a bit of a walk in the rain!

Jesiah and Shawnda's oldest, Titus.

Shawnda and I.

 Addy and Gwen with Shawnda's middle child, Lexie.

Thanks to this event, I met Allison, who is an Occupational Therapist, and has gone to help Harre with walking and standing!

 

When the Richards were in town for the workshop, I took each kid out to a restaurant and then they spent the night at my house.  Fun Vila auntee tradition.  I forgot to take pictures with Gwen and Kaiden!

Look at those milkshakes!

 

When I'm in Vila I get to go to a fun Zumba class for just $3! Great exercise, and the girls and Gretch go with me when we're all here.

 

There are often over 100 women that go, mostly Ni-Vanuatu, and it is a great class full of energy.  That's my long white arm in the left back.