Can we all just agree that 2020 has been a “different” kind of year?! Things keep compiling on top of one another, so much so, that 2020 felt similar to that of a decade; whether it is Covid-19 related, churches open/closed and then repeat. Jobs looking differently, no travelling, the great mask debate, phrases such as “social distancing, co-morbidities, quarantine, active-drinking/eating, etc…” all becoming the lingua franca of the day, now everyone knows this vernacular. Whether you are isolated or displaced, 2020 has been a good trial of many things; we are all learning patience during this time.
We would love to be back in Vanuatu serving the Tiale people, however, we are waiting for a few things to fall in place before we head back… even though we have not received any funds towards our tickets to go back, that is the least of our worries. We are waiting for the process to enter the country to be reduced to ONLY two weeks of quarantining. Not two- four weeks of quarantine and about $6000; which was the process until the first case of documented Covid-19 in Vanuatu, which occurred just a few weeks ago. Not only are several weeks of quarantining not practical, it is also financially taxing, whether you are a missionary or not. Another thing we are waiting for, is for the country to go back to some sort of normalcy, especially for the medical facilities to be an option again. Both of Nicole’s medevacs were directed via an Australian run clinic in town, and that is currently not functioning ‘normally’ at this time. A new aspect of our life we have to consider is the medication Nicole takes every day. If that clinic is not working at full capacity, we might not be able to get her the medication she needs. We also received an update from travel affairs regarding international travel to Vanuatu, in short they said, “if you make it to Vanuatu, do not expect to be able to leave even if it is for medical reasons”. These are three of the many things that are compiling on top of one another which greatly impact our decision of “when” we head back to our home in Vanuatu.
Not only are those three major things weighing down on us and our decision, but also with this vaccine being pushed, we heard just last week from a CEO of the major airline we use say, ‘that they want to see how well the vaccine works and will make it a requirement to fly with them. This will be the norm most likely for all traveler’s and for many other things even in the USA. If this proverbial domino falls into place, it will fall down in all places, making it “standard” for all flying, and possibly even for us to enter Vanuatu. Whatever your stance is on vaccines… know this, no one should feel comfortable in taking a mandatory vaccine, literally removing your choice from the matter. Nonetheless, we will not let a vaccine impact our decision in any way, shape, or form in our desire to head back to Vanuatu. We would never let something so small impact our decision in serving our Lord. If we have no choice, then this too fall under the realm of Sovereignty… we would honestly not feel comfortable taking ‘this’ vaccine for many reasons… but if it’s a “must”, we will move forward so we can serve the Tiale people, our preferences do not take precedence over our Lord’s command to see all nations having fully mature disciples.
Of course, we want to get back, like yesterday… how can we not want to???? But we are resting in our Sovereign, He will allow those four things to fall into place (1. Tickets 2. Medical 3. Quarantining for ONLY two weeks 4. Vaccine). After they fall into place, we will be on the next plane back! We would love to go back in January, but it is looking more or less like February or later… time will reveal the path God will give us. There are so many things that make us want to go back; discipling the people, starting translation, going forward with the Bible school, etc. All of these things are pulling at our heartstrings. We know our physical house will be in poor shape and needing lots of cleaning since no one has lived in it for over a year, we left in a rush because of Nicole’s condition, expecting to return a month or two later. We are praying our solar system stays strong and has no issues. So many physical things to think about practically; house, truck, rivers, and cyclones etc.… it can bog you down. Not to mention the spiritual degradation that could possibly be happening with all the people we serve. Men and women whom we invested in for several years, none of them fully mature spiritually yet; many of them have much more growth needed before they would be seen as being autonomous. The churches are not yet to the point of being solid New Testament churches that replicate themselves, we are burdened for their spiritual health and not being able to be there with them. We know God is our ultimate Father, and He takes care of every detail, but He did give us the command to mature others, His followers (us Christians), and much like Paul, we feel burdened for their spiritual growth.
Continue to pray for the spiritual health of the Tiale people, and that God would allow those 4-steps that we need to fall into place so that we can head back. We hope this encouraged you in some way, while also giving you glimpse into our lives practically. We appreciate your prayers and partnership as we serve our Lord, whether it is here or in Tiale land.
Your feet to the Tiale people & the country of Vanuatu,
Seth & Nicole Stokes
Stoking The Fires 