We began the process of multiple meetings on Monday morning. In developing countries, things often take much longer than they would at home. It took us until Friday to be able to meet with all the parties we needed to meet with, including key people at the central hospital and the Vanuatu Society for Disabled People.
There is no doubt that the Lord is mindful of the work in Vanuatu. Wednesday we went to the hospital to talk to someone about a shipment of wheelchairs which will arrive in March. We waited for over a half hour and we were sent away to come back the next day. As we walked out of the hospital we met President Gila, who is the branch president of the Black Sands Branch. We talked with him for a few minutes and asked he knew a "Tom", a person at the "disability society" - Yes, he knew him and he also knew where his office was located. President Gila went with us to his office, which we wouldn't have found on our own. Tom, the person at the "disability society" was the very person we needed and the consignee for the wheelchair shipment. There is no question in our minds that the Lord put President Gila right there at that specific time to help us. He was an answer to our prayers.
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| President Gila |
When we arrived at his office Tom was not there, but we were told to come back the following day. On Thursday we first went back to the hospital at 9:00 AM and were told that we needed to come back at 2:00 PM. We then went to our next meeting to see Tom. When we arrived at the Vanuatu Society of Disabled People, a film crew was there, but Tom was not. They told us to go to another location somewhere across town. After driving around and around, we finally found the place "Wan Smolbag" (One Small Bag) but we did not find Tom. However we found two members of the church that Sister Duke knew. After chatting with them for a few minutes they made some inquiries about Tom for us and found out that he was not there anymore. Wan Smolbag is an organization that uses community theatre to convey messages about health issues. After lunch we went back to the hospital for our 2:00 PM appointment and were told to come back the next morning. We went back to the Mission Office a bit weary as nothing seemed to be working. Susan had the impression to call Tom's office and see if we might be able to set up an appointment. The person who answered the phone was Tom! We went back to his office right then to meet him. The film crew was still there, but they allowed us to slip in past all the equipment and we had a wonderful meeting with Tom.
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| Tom Toswel |
Friday morning we went back to the hospital. Our expectations were not extremely high as this was now our fourth time to try to meet with the right person. We were delighted when we were able to meet with Dr. Richard Leona, a surgeon and the hospital administrator. We discussed the wheelchair shipment and accompanying training program. He was very excited especially about the opportunity to have local people trained in wheelchair fitting. We had a good meeting with Dr. Leona and feel confident that he will be an excellent contact person for the new couple.
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| Dr. Leona |
We close this post with a quote from President Monson "Consider the Blessings" October 2012. "Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives."
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