Rebuilding after Cyclone Pam, Part 1

On Friday, August 28th we flew to the island nation of Vanuatu.  We were met at the airport by Elder and Sister Leben, the humanitarian missionary couple in Vanuatu.  The purpose of our visit was to help them with the recovery plans to rebuild homes after Cyclone Pam.

We dropped off our luggage at our hotel and then went to the Leben's home for lunch.

Just as we were finishing lunch Elder Leben received a phone call telling him that the Saturday morning flight to Tanna island he and Gary were scheduled for was cancelled and they would book them for a flight on Tuesday.  That was totally unacceptable as the whole purpose of the trip was so that Gary and Elder Leben could work on Tanna for 5 days.  We immediately went to the Air Vanuatu office in downtown Port Vila to see if they could get on a different flight.  After standing in line for forever we finally left with one confirmed seat and one standby seat on another flight in the morning.

After our experience with the airline, we drove to one of the higher points on the island of Efate to relax and get an overview of Port Vila.

Early Saturday morning Sister Leben took the men to the airport.  Elder Leben took the confirmed seat on the first flight at 8:00 AM and Gary was able to get on a 9:00 AM flight with a stop on another island.  He arrived on Tanna island about 11:00 AM.  Meanwhile Susan and Sister Leben went about their part of the work on the island of Efate.  Things worked out well for Gary and Matthias and they had the 5 days needed for their work on Tanna island.  (More details on the next post.)

With the men safely off on their flights, Susan and Sister Leben went to the market and bought food for the week.  After their shopping they attended a baptism.  Following the baptism they went to lunch with Sister Stoddard, an education missionary on Vanuatu.  Her husband took the people (15) who came to the baptism back to their homes, an hour's drive away.  Pick up trucks are quite versatile.

Sunday they attended church at one ward and then went to another ward hoping to catch up with the stake president.  They were unsuccessful but were able to make contact with President Basil later in the day.  After discussing a pressing matter with him they went home and had dinner with Elder and Sister Stoddard who live next door to the Leben's.  After dinner Susan and Petra worked on their computers and made plans for Monday morning which began a full day and a busy work week.

Beginning Monday morning, Sisters Winters and Leben worked with local church members who helped them find the homes of people needing help rebuilding or repairing their homes.  When they arrived at a home, Susan would photograph the home and owner and assign a number.  She would ask them how many people lived in the home, if they owned the land and if they had water.  Meanwhile, Sister Leben and the local people would measure and assess the condition of the home.  Some homes were totally gone, while others just needed a few building materials to make them livable again.  

The plan is to have government approved building training courses at the local churches.  The training will teach the recipients how to build a stronger and safer, more cyclone resistant structure.  Each selected household will receive the specific materials that they need for repair or rebuild.  After the families complete the repairs or rebuild, the training the teams will go back and take pictures of the completed homes.  We call them homes, but they are far from what most people would consider a home.  They are really just a shelter, a sleeping area where the family can keep dry. Each home owner must attend the rebuilding training in order to receive the building materials.  The supplies will help to make a 4m x 5m (about 13 ft. X 16 ft.) sleeping area.  They are told not to try to build a bigger home as it will not be cyclone safe.  With the proper materials and building techniques the homes will be safe up to a category 3 cyclone.  This help and training is offered to everyone in the areas selected - members and non-members alike.  At this stage, it looks like there may be about 700 homes.

"Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, 'I'll try again tomorrow.'"  Mary Anne Radmacher, Courage Doesn't Always Roar (2009) quoted by Thomas S. Monson, First Presidency Message  January 2012 "Living the Abundant Life" 

Cyclone Pam

Jac and Sara's arrival

Trip to temple before Gary's departure

Our daughter Sara and son-in-law Jac arrived last Sunday ready to spend some time with both us of,  see beautiful New Zealand and participate in cultural events and activities offered by this country.  We had plans ready and had arranged to take few days off of work to enjoy the country.  However even the best laid plans can sometimes be derailed by mother nature.  Last weekend, a category 5 storm (Cyclone Pam) hit the island nation of Vanuatu resulting in a major emergency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for the people and government of Vanuatu.  With Gary's background and experience he was asked to travel to Vanuatu and help assess the situation and recommend how the Church might provide aid in this disaster.  Commercial flights to Vanuatu resumed on Wednesday March 18 and Gary left with two others from the Pacific Area Office to Port Vila, Vanuatu.  Here is what he reported when he returned to New Zealand on Saturday, March 21:

"We arrived the afternoon of Wednesday 18 March at approximately 4 PM and left on Saturday 21 March at 7 AM.  The Vanuatu government has imposed a dawn to dusk (6 PM to 6 AM) curfew so we had two full days to make our assessment and evaluation.  Our first impression comparing Port Vila and Efate to a previous trip in November 2014 was that it “looked like winter”.  The leaves were off the trees and there were small fires and smoke everywhere.  After landing and driving to our hotel accommodation, our general impression was that damages, although significant, were not as bad as expected.  All missionaries are safe and accounted for.  Members on the island of Efate (Port Vila) along with their counterparts in the community are working hard to rebuild their homes and lives.  There were 200-300 living temporarily in Church buildings at night and working hard during the day to piece together the remnants of their homes.  People are going back to their homes and property as quickly as possible.  Church buildings withstood the cyclone quite well.  We visited 5 meetinghouses and the mission home.  The four Church-constructed meetinghouses and the mission home had minor damage, but were very functional.  One “bush-chapel” we visited will need to be rebuilt.  Church members and people in the community are generally positive, happy and working hard to piece their lives back together.  Food and supplies are available in Port Vila, but outside of the city where people depend upon agriculture and their gardens to feed themselves, there is only food on the ground and in the ground for the next week or possibly two.  The immediate to mid-term needs outside the city are for the basics:  food, water and shelter.  Agricultural help will be needed long-term."

Overview upon arrival

The Team - Hans, Elder and Sister Leben, Gary, and Garrick

Rebuilding

Remains of a meetinghouse

Elder and Sister Leben viewing remains of a village school

The school before the storm

Replacing the roof 

Food to be distributed

Helping hands ready to deliver food

Quoting Gary, "Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  People of Vanuatu, after losing almost all their possessions were positive, happy and working hard to restore their lives.  If you listened carefully you could hear in the background the sound of chainsaws, children playing and people laughing as the worked together.  I had the feeling that I was where I was suppose to be when I was suppose to be there."  As said by a great prophet from the Book of Mormon:  "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God."  

Baptism by Fire and Wind and Rain

Last week we trained Elder and Sister Leben and sent them on their way Monday morning to the island of Vanuatu just in the nick of time to experience a massive cyclone.  They arrived Monday afternoon and were able to get settled in, receive their cell phones and then start to prepare for Cyclone Pam to arrive.  These huge storms are called cyclones in the South Pacific where in North America they are referred to as hurricanes.

The storm hit late Friday night/early Saturday morning.  All power was out on the island.  The municipal water system stopped working and gasoline was unavailable.  The satellite phone worked some of the time.  The only way we were able to communicate was by text, which can work during an emergency when other forms of communications are unavailable.  All communications were limited as the batteries could not be charged without electricity.

As of Sunday night the water is back in Port Vila.  All missionaries on Efate (Port Vila) are safe and accounted for.  Please continue to keep the missionaries and good people of Vanuatu in your prayers.

President Brewer, Vanuatu mission president had the missionaries at the mission home and everyone there is doing well.  A tree did some damage to the roof of the mission home, but other than some roof damage, it is fine.  Members took shelter in church meetinghouses which survived the storm very well.  Many local homes did not stand up well in the high winds.  We have no doubt that the Lord is mindful of his missionaries in the isles of Vanuatu.  We are thankful that Elder and Sister Leben arrived when they did.  They will be a great help to President Brewer.  In addition, Elder Leben, a medical doctor was a practicing pediatrician before he retired, so he will be of great help with his medical background.

This link gives more details about the storm.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/67383571/cyclone-pam-vanuatu-aftermath-heartbreaking

"Now, as a Church we have worked with others in lifting the sorrow and sufferings of those who are in distress. Our humanitarian efforts have literally blessed the lives of countless thousands not of our faith. In the terrible tsunami disaster, and in other disasters incident to conflict, disease, and hunger, we have done a great and marvelous work assisting others without worrying about who gets the credit. In February of this year the president of the American Red Cross presented to the Church the Circle of Humanitarians Award, which is the highest honor given by them. It is in recognition of the effort of the Church to extend the vaccination against measles to thousands and thousands of young people.... Countless lives have been saved, and much pain and misery have been avoided ... To the extent made possible by resources which come from the generosity of our people, we are reaching down to lift those in distress. Surely the Lord is blessing us as a people, and we must reach out to bless His needy wherever they may be." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign, May 2005, 102).

Training Couples

Part of our assignment in the Area Office is working with senior couples who serve as humanitarian missionaries in the various islands of the South Pacific.  After the couples have gone to the MTC and received basic training, they come to Auckland, NZ for a few more days of specific hands-on training.  It is a good way for us to get to know our couples, provide answers to their questions and hopefully help them begin the adjustment to life in the Pacific.

On March 4th Elder and Sister Leben from Hanover, Germany, arrived and spent 5 days with us.  They are preparing their departure to Port Vila, Vanuatu for the next 18 months.

Prior to that we had Elder and Sister Crooks from Cardston, Alberta, Canada, with us for 5 days as well.  They came to Auckland on February 8th and left late the night of the 12th for the Marshall Islands.  We would have posted the Crooks' visit much earlier, but Susan decided our lives were not exciting enough and if you have read the earlier postings, you know the rest of that story.

We help orient the couples on principles of great humanitarian projects, basic Church Welfare principles, the Church humanitarian database, their country responsibilities and workings of the Church in the Pacific area.  We have the most wonderful couples in the Pacific and the Crooks and the Lebens are no exception to the rule.  We enjoy so much the opportunity to be able to work with these fine people who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord and their fellow man for the next 18 months.  At night after a days training we take our couples to see the signs of Auckland.

Crooks arrival

Elder and Sister Crooks in front of office building

Lebens arrival

Takapuna Beach

Dinner 

This is a huge Moreton Fig Tree

Gary taking our picture

Looking at Central Auckland from Devenport Auckland

Auckland from Devonport Harbour

Statue at Auckland Airport

Hat Shopping in Henderson, Auckland

Gary and Elder Leben on Lion Rock at Piha Beach

Elder Leben on Lion Rock

Lion Rock and Piha Beach

Elder Leben enjoying the surf

Susan in the Kauri grove

One Tree Hill

Lebens and One Tree Hill

On the top of One Tree Hill

Carved Pouwhenua at Achilles Point

That is it for the week.  Susan's hand is doing good.  She gets a new cast on Thursday.  She is now learning how to and mastering how to do things with one hand.  Hopefully with the new cast she can have a wee bit more freedom.  Her fingers have returned to normal size and they can grip things most of the time.  Thank you for all your kindness in her behalf.  

There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize.  Thus the commandment.  "Judge not."  Thomas S. Monson