In November 2011, two young Australians will join the code-named Vanilla Island TIMO team. Another will join a nearby team in 2012. This Vanilla team is AIM’s forty-fourth team since TIMO’s inception in 1985. TIMO aims to train people in cross-cultural ministry and plant churches. Here the Vanilla Island team leader describes life on the Vanilla Island in the Indian Ocean and some of the challenges facing this two-year team:
At first glance, Vanilla Island is a tropical paradise. It has beautiful beaches with occasional volcanic outcroppings and is ringed with a coral lagoon. It’s volcanic crest rises 5000 feet and its forest is home to exotic creatures like lemurs, Vassa Parrots, and the great Livingstone Bat, a harmless fruit-eater with a six-foot wingspan. The Island has 40,000 inhabitants who live in about 20 communities around the coast of the island. They make their
living from their fields on the mountain slopes, daily harvesting breadfruit, manioc, coconuts, maize, mangoes, peanuts, and all manner of citrus including oranges, mandarins, limes, and pumelos. They also raise cows, goats and sheep, chickens, ducks and pigeons. When there are spring tides they go out to collect sea snails to roast, or hunt octopus on the reef. Others fish for reef fish, or go past the reef to catch large white albacore tuna, mackerel, parrotfish, or wahu. The Island is a peaceful place. Life starts early in the morning with the call to prayer at around 5am, and moves to social spots like the public squares or around the dominoes tables, where the men tell stories, drink lemonade and smoke. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon there is a siesta, with many people here taking two naps a day. Later in the evening the boys play soccer or sit and watch pirated western action films filled with Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone. The women braid hair, and cook and make flower pins for their hair.
Theft is rare; crime seldom, there has not been a recorded murder on the island for more than 60 years. There are no venomous snakes, hunting spiders, hyenas, baboons, or stray dogs (though there are venomous centipedes—nonlethal, but very painful!). From the first view, life is good here — I’m sure many are ready to move here already! But in the midst of this great beauty, this surreal peace, there is a deep reminder of a greater reality — a perfect world created, a Garden of Eden, but also of a great fall — of a sinful nature that rules all whose relationship with God has never been restored. Instead of peaceful paradise the people are locked in a spiritual struggle. They contend with powerful spiritual forces, and a religion that demands of them submission and behaviour they cannot keep. Although they do not follow all the rules (like chopping off the hands of thieves, or stoning adulterers) they know them. They know they fall short. They say that their punishment will be great at the judgment. They know they are failing. Empty wine boxes and beer bottles on the beach testify to this. The rule against alcohol itself does not quench thirst.
Immorality is another failure. Polygamy is nationally recognized, and the faithful have up to four wives at a time—paying a dowry of around $1400 for each wife. The men move from one wife’s house to another yet still have many affairs with other’s wives, or young women. Molestation of young girls is a quiet sin that demands vigilance on the part of mothers. To deal with incest and abuse young boys are sent to live in their own houses from about age 14, outside the family home. But nothing stops the pornography that is available on videocassette, DVDs and phones.
Once again, despite the religion’s strict standards, the heart of sin remains unchanged, and the desires of the flesh render the rules useless despite their appearance of wisdom (Colossians 2:21). The abundance of marriages only adds to the abundance of divorces. It is not uncommon to meet those in their 30’s who have already had 3 divorces. It seems no family has children from only one father. When asked about this, there is strong agreement that this system is hurtful for all, but the youth seem to be the most pained by it. Under the system, men are even allowed to divorce their wife 3 times — able to divorce them and then demand them back—after all, they have paid such a high dowry. Only after the third divorce does a man lose his marital rights with that woman. Women are left with the children — the man bears no further responsibility. Fatherhood, true fatherhood is absent. How much more difficult to understand a loving heavenly father?!
The small villages are social and tranquil, but below the surface is gossip and back-biting. Neighbours exchange pleasantries but soon move onto slander and malice. Occasionally a feud surfaces publicly and results in long-held grudges and feuds. Entire communities fight with each other, trading insults and sabotaging the other’s interests.
In all of this the greeting, “Peace be with you. And also with you.” takes a back seat as division reigns. Despite a common culture, common language, and common faith, quarrels dominate, mistrust and deceit are common. Social utopians need look no further than this community to see that even well-fed, peaceful communities with seemingly strong cultural fabric still fall under the power of sin, and attack themselves from within. Those that come from other islands experience an even greater prejudice — although the religion demands hospitality to strangers and generosity to the poor, these immigrants face exclusion from jobs, fields and living space. Again the rules fail to mark true change on their hearts.
Deeper still there is greater darkness. While the prayers, the rules, the month of fasting and the pilgrimage are all done in hope of paradise, there are other things that are required for the appeasement of evil spirits. Witchcraft is very present, both in people who claim to be possessed by spirits that give them certain powers, and the charms and spells to bring fortune or ward off evil, or sacrifices to pacify powers not controllable. It is an unpleasant balance — there is great fear of the dark powers that are so tangibly manifested, yet also a great desire to benefit from the magic — in charms for health or even for winning soccer games.
We have already been welcomed with open arms. We come as volunteers to live among them, learning their language and culture, offering our skills in the areas they want like English courses, sports, health, or community projects.
These give us tremendous access. Although we are openly Christian, we are officially invited by the national and local government, given free visas, tax-exempt status, and entrance to schools, sports associations, hospitals and community events. As we live together our light shines through our attitudes, our behavior, our generosity and hospitality, our relationships. In every opportunity be it open dialogue about our beliefs or quiet prayer interceding for the soul of another we are light in a dark place.
This island has few known believers — none in our target areas and no indigenous gatherings for worship. In a country where observing the month of fasting is compulsory for all nationals on pain of imprisonment or torture, interest or conversion carries even greater consequences including being socially ostracized from your community, disowned by your family, arrest, imprisonment, or worse.
Our goal is to support the handful of believers (maybe four?), to disciple them, but also to add to their number — to see others, through relationships with us, come to full relationship with their Heavenly Father; to see the emergence of a disciplined, mature, indigenous church. My personal plea, as team leader, is that supporters and churches would see the tremendous opportunity we have here — an opportunity that is unheard of in this type of ministry — complete, long-term access in an intimate community setting with open dialogue in a country that is 99.9% unreached!
September 2011
