Monday, November 2, 2009

A story from the South Pacific.....

Happy Valley Baptist Church, Tafuna Village, Pago Pago, American Samoa.

On September 30, a powerful earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter Scale unleashed a Tsunami that hit the Samoan Islands with vengeance, destroying entire villages and sweeping homes, cars and people out to sea. After only four days of notification and preparation, Randy and I boarded a plane on Oct 21 bound for Pago Pago, American Samoa located in the South-Central Pacific Ocean. We knew our mission was to go and reflect the love of Christ by assisting in the relief efforts but we really had no idea what to expect once we got there.

Here I am, now 5556 miles from home; the jet lag from the 48 hour journey to get here has wore off and the reality of where I am and what God has called us to do on this tiny island has now set in. As I sit here gazing out the window at the lush mango and avocado trees of this tropical paradise, my heart is smiling with joy as I hear the sweet laughter of children playing their hearts out in the school yard next door to our mission house. As I reflect back on the past week, my mind can hardly comprehend the vast amount of things I have seen, experiences I have had and people I have met in the short time we have been on this tiny 77 square mile island.

The main role of our relief teams on the island is to provide water purification and crisis intervention. We travel from village to village at the rapid speed of 25 miles per hour to survey all of the damage and to assist in meeting the people's needs. We have witnessed firsthand the tremendous amount of destruction caused by the Tsunami and have heard many different testimonies from the people about their experiences and stories of the loved ones they have lost. As we enter into the villages, I do not hear grumbling or complaining but instead we see smiles and excitement as the "Yellow Shirted" relief workers drive up. The village people have been told to bring containers for water; cool clear water, free of sand and bacteria. I find the Samoans to be very happy respectful people and it is humbling to see how grateful they are for the small things in life. Simple necessities such as fresh water, food and shelter for their families that many of us sometimes take for granted. Even in the aftermath of a natural disaster, you will find big smiles on their beautiful faces as they calmly and patiently wait their turn in line to receive assistance and fresh water from our volunteers.

As their parents wait in line, the children run around playing and stop to talk to us and ask questions. They tell us where they live and point to piles of rubble that used to be their home. They ask me questions like where do I live, how many children I have, and laugh at my last name, Corn. Their favorite subject in school is math so I give them math problems and we have contests to see who can answers the quickest. I am learning some of their names and they give me lessons on the Samoan language teaching me how to say hello, good bye and how to count. They articulately spell the words out for me as I carefully write them down in a notebook. These are just normal children, doing normal things; taking life as it has been dealt to them. They are so innocent and unpresumptuous; always saying thank you and ALWAYS smiling!! The words to the song Jesus Loves the Little Children has come to life in my soul as I know without a shadow of a doubt, "they are TRULY precious in His sight."

As I focus in on listening to the children, I hear a loud clanging noise in the background signaling that it is time to gather, pray and worship as a family and extended family. The signal is made by using a steel bar to strike an empty 5 foot propane tank which hangs by a rope on a tree. The truth is this is the very same signal used to warn of an oncoming Tsunami but today, as the signal is heard, each family comes to the meeting place called a fale, an open air building with many poles all around. Each pole represents a family and each family comes and sits in their appointed place. As the Pulen'u (mayor of the village) takes his place, there is a quietness in the air, full of respect and reverence. They begin to sing and, oh my goodness, I sit in awe covered in goose bumps as their thunderous melodies fill the air echoing out over the quiet waves rolling in from the mighty Pacific. I am almost breathless and close my eyes so that I can soak up every note into my soul. I think of all the beauty that is around me; the worship, the people, the scenery and realize that I am right smack in the middle of God's divinity - I am in PARADISE. After the singing is over, the Pulen'u ends the meeting with a beautiful prayer; the children go back to playing while the adults to talking about their day and contemplate what will come tomorrow. As we drive away my thoughts go toward home and how much we could learn from the people of American Samoa.

On Monday, October 27 I am already thinking of how the time is flying by and start wishing it would just stand still for a few more weeks. On this day we have been invited to purify water in the village of Tula, one of the hardest hit villages located on the south east coast of the island. The views along this drive are absolutely breath taking. We see every color flower imaginable, ocean waves breaking that are the color of Carolina blue, bays of emerald green shadowing black lava rock and a miniature island jutting up with jungle green vegetation swaying in the winds. On the right side is the ocean and on the left, high mountains covered with lush green vines and palm trees. Yes, this IS paradise on earth. With every curve of this windy road, there came a new sight to experience, all I could think about is that our Creative Father God created all of this beautiful majestic artwork in just 6 days. Wow, He is amazing!

As we drove into Tula, the destruction was massive. What used to be homes are now piles of rubble consisting of cement blocks, wood, tin and huge coral rocks that had been shot out of the ocean like a canon. There were homes that were twisted and torn and crushed automobiles that looked like they had been tossed about as if they were plastic toys. As we set up our equipment at a local church that had been gutted by the Tsunami and begin our process of water purification, the village people begin showing up with their containers to get the desperately needed fresh water. We purified about 270 gallons of water that day and once again, the very appreciative Samoan people patiently waited in line, smiling and talking to the "yellow shirted disaster relief" workers. As we completed our task, Pastor Elise of Happy Valley Baptist Church, walked us through the areas that were most heavily hit by the big wave. We weaved our way in and out of damaged homes; some totally gutted, some pulverized, and some with only minor amounts of damage. People are still living in a lot of the homes with no windows or doors; sleeping on the floors and managing the best way they can.

As we came around a corner, we were asked if we could go and speak with an elderly lady. We graciously agreed and walked over to a nearby porch where we found this beautiful gray haired woman name Alo sitting there in all her splendor with a very warm and inviting smile on her face. Pastor Else began talking to her and we immediately felt her frailness as she told us of her amazing testimony. After the earthquake, Alo had looked out the back door of her house directly on the ocean and noticed the surf had receded to a point where she could see the coral. She had a terrible feeling something was wrong then heard people saying a Tsunami was headed towards the island. She quickly bolted her back doors and as she stepped out the front door, she was literally taken away by the massive wave. She was carried over the top of 2 houses and came to rest at the base of a nearby mountain with not even one scratch. Alo told us she felt as if "someone" had carried her to safety and, yes, we all know who that "Someone" is, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After she talked about her brush with death, she told us she knew God spared her life for a reason. She allowed us to pray her with and as we did so, she was able to cry and release all the emotions that she had held inside since the day of the great Tsunami. Alo told us right then she felt the presence of God. How tender is our loving Father, to allow us the privilege of talking and praying with a precious woman and for Him reveal His mighty presence to His precious daughter. We will be going back to Tula soon to purify more water and my heart can't wait to see our precious Alo once again.

We have come to this island praying that Our father would use us to be a reflection of Him to the wonderful people of this great island but Our Precious Lord has also used this opportunity to reveal Himself to US through the awesome splendor of nature and through the warm friendly people we have met. We have just about 2 and 1/2 weeks left here on this island and our hope and prayer for the remainder of this mission is to have countless opportunities to witness the Gospel of Christ and teach the people that just as they live in what I consider PARADISE in this temporary life, Jesus Christ is the answer to living in PARADISE for eternity.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Humor is Good for the Soul in American Samoa


On Sunday afternoon after church I decided to take off my lava lava and put on something a little more comfortable. So rather than spending the time to iron a shirt from the wrinkled clothes in my suitcase, I decided to try on one of the many Hawaiian style shirts left in the bedroom closet at mission house where we are staying. I made the assumption that they were left by a previous mission team and selected one of the many shirts hanging in the closet. I soon realized that a button was missing mid way down the shirt, so I took it off and hung it back in the closet. I made another selection and the same thing happened; a button was missing about mid way down the shirt. The third choice is always a charm, and as was in this case, no buttons were missing from the shirt and it fit me like it was tailor made.



Sunday night we were invited by the church members at Happy Valley to join them in celebration of the Pastor Elise’s 66th birthday while enjoying cake and ice cream outside in the (fale) or covered pavilion. We arrived at the celebration and I was standing beside the pastor when he said to me, “that is a nice shirt you are wearing” and I said thank you. He went on to say that he had one just like it. As I began to think about what he said, I asked a question, where is it? He said it was upstairs in the mission house. I knew I had made a big mistake at this point and began to apologize for wearing his shirt and promised to wash it and return it. He went on to explain that he sometimes goes upstairs to take a shower, so he leaves some clothes in the closet. He said, “no problem” and we laughed it off. Soon after that the pastors wife, Lucy, got wind of the story and approached me. She said, “do not worry about wearing the shirt and as a matter of fact I want you take that shirt and any other shirts in the closet home with you”. She went on to say that Pastor Elise put the shirts upstairs because he had outgrown them and could no longer wear them. She said she had been trying to get rid of them, but he has a hard time letting go. Now I know why the buttons were missing!



Having a laugh! Randy Corn

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Update From American Samoa




Talofa,

Just wanted to say hello in Samoan (talofa) and let everyone know we are doing fine. Randy preached at Happy Valley Baptist Church on Sunday to the Samoan congregation wearing a traditional lava lava skirt and a white shirt. The Samoan people sang, prayed and praised the Lord with joyful hearts. We attended the funeral of one of victims, Chen Li, of the Tsunami on Sunday afternoon. Pastor Don Gann who was on our team gave the invocation prayer and Randy was asked to read scripture during the funeral. Mr. Chen was only 43 years of age and had a wife and three children. The wife and children were truly broken and this funeral brought us to the reality of this disaster relief effort. We were definitely connected to this tragedy and felt compassion as the daughter shared during the eulogy and then spoke of angels who had appeared to help with the funeral. Before we had arrived, Terry Henderson and Don Gann had the opportunity to council with this family and purchase some medical supplies for the mother. The DR team of five led by Terry Henderson, flew home on Sunday night. The incoming and out going flights are a major attraction for the locals. They gather at the airport to meet and greet those arriving and to say goodbye to those departing. After the commotion dies down and the plane leaves, it is off to McDonalds which is another hot spot for the islanders.

On Monday Randy had an early breakfast meeting with Pastor Elise, from Happy Valley Baptist Church, to discuss strategies for the week. Ronda shopped for office supplies and food items at the local store. In the afternoon we drove to the opposite end of the island to do water purification in a village called Tula. The speed limit on the island never exceeds about 30 miles and hour on the bumpy and heavily traveled roads. It took about an hour to drive the 15 miles, however the views of the aqua blue and green pacific ocean and the miniature islands with palm trees and vegetation jutting up within view of the road made the ride spectacular. We had to be on the watch for coconuts falling from the trees and pot holes in the road.

We were joined in Tula by Pastor Lee who is the Korean Pastor, Missionary Joeli from the Seafarer Ministry, Pastor Vaafuti from the church in Paga Paga and Pastor Elise from Happy Valley Baptist Church. Working together we ran two water purification units which are about the size of a suitcase and powered from 12 volt receptacles in the vehicles. The villagers lined up with their water jugs, coolers and containers to receive the purified water (approximately 270 gal.). The water we supplied will last them for only a few days. Jesus said, I give you living water for which you will thirst no more. Several opportunities arose for spiritual conversations with the people waiting in line. We visited with a 76 year old Samoan lady name Alo, who had been swept up by a wave after stepping out her front door and taken on a wave up on the side of the mountain. As we later walked through the debris and saw her house, there was no doubt that this was a miracle and that God had spared her life and protected her from physical harm, as she did not receive even a scratch. The back side of her house was crumbled into tiny pieces from the tons of coral and debris that literally blew the house apart. We listened with amazement as she told her story and wept. We were able to encourage and pray with her before leaving. Her family was very appreciative that we were there to dialog with her and told us that she had not been talking or eating much since the tsunami struck.

We continue to be blessed by the Samoan people as we travel from village to village. Please continue to pray for us to be a light that shines bright on this island. We have a team coming from Utah tomorrow to work in water purification and as Chaplains. We have been invited into the schools, both private and public. Pray for many doors to open.

Blessings to each of you!

Love,
Randy and Ronda

Friday, October 23, 2009

We Made It To American Samoa

Hello Family & Friends,

We made it to American Samoa last night. We are close to the capital Paga Paga, pronounced Pango Pango, silent "n" before all "g". We got in bed around 12:30 am and up at 5:00 am. The dogs barked throughout the night, the roosters crowed, and the birds were singing early this morning. This is a tropical area and we had rain several times during the night which helped to cool things off. We have a fan in our room which has helped to keep us cool, there is no A/C. The floor is sagging in places due to the sheeting not matching up to the floor joist (oops). This is American territory, where is Span when you need them.

Okay, so 12:30 AM is really 7:30 AM home time....We hardly know what day it is. We are going to get an office set up and are are having a Skype conference call now discussing teams coming in. We have 1500 displaced families and many needing fresh water. So, we are going from village to village and getting permission from the Chief to purify water and that is our opportunity to go back in and minister to the villages. The Chief....he rules. They are called the Matai...the big chief. We need to find favor with the different village Matai's, that is a prayer request.

So...we will send more information later....but all in all, we are good. We have a lot to learn about their culture but they are very sweet people.

Praises... the Lord blessed us with 18 FREE bags on Hawaiian Airlines. The is a true blessing when they would have been $80 per bag. We got here safely, with no problems.

Please pray for:
1. Adjusting to local time
2. We can understand how the culture works here, very different from US
3. We will be ready for teams that will begin arriving next Wednesday.
4. Pray for the Samoan people, they need Jesus.

Thanks you all for your prayers!!! We can sure feel them!!!

Love to all!
Ronda and Randy