Update Sunday 8th October 2017

Well the last few days have been a special time for us.  Annette getting used to rooms she can easily move around in without bumping into someone or something, using a shower that is bigger than the Chimere's galley, with hot water! And me adjusting back from bachelorhood. It is good to be back together again, and not having to rely on at times very poor network connections, and often none at all.  We also had some very good news that Kirsty (our eldest daughter) will be visiting us at the end of October.

On Tuesday evening we went out for dinner with those members of the MSM Mission 4 team who were still in Vila. We went to the Melanesian Hotel and had probably the best meal of anywhere we have eaten out in Vila.
L-R back row: nurse Cathy West (and Annette's cabin mate), dentist Wellan Jerethy, sailor Martin Burgess, Annette, Co-owner of Chimere Barry Crouch (and no he wasn't standing up on anything, he really is that tall!), oral health volunteer Deb Allen. Front row: sailor Matt Bryant, dental assistants Bob Natuman and Barkon Japheth, captain and co-owner of Chimere Robert Latimer.

On Wednesday evening Martyn went to our church Men's Group - they had a MEAT only night, Men Eating Animals Together. Not a salad in sight!

On Thursday it was Constitution Day, a public holiday. We went for a walk down to the waterfront and found a ceremony happening on the site of the signing of the Constitution. We were just in time to hear part of President Obed's speech, and to hear Pastor Allen introduce a hymn.  

The army was on parade, 

and also the Vanuatu Military Force Band. 

On Friday morning at devotions, Rob presented Ps Allen with a stole, made by an Australian supporter of MSM. It has Vanuatu images on one side and Australian on the other. We joked about where to add a Kiwi onto it.

On Saturday nights, the Nambawan Cafe has a free movie night. We decided to go and try it out. They were showing Free Willy, and we arrived in time to get front row seats. They have a big screen set up on the waterfront, and you can sit in the cafe looking towards the harbour, enjoying the movie in the open air but with a roof overhead. Just as well as there were a few showers in the evening. They had a bit of trouble with the sound, but it was a very predictable movie so we got the gist. 

On Sunday morning on the way home from church, we saw this police truck and couldn't  resist taking a photo of the number. On closer inspection, we found a policeman sitting in the passenger seat, so thought we had better ask if it was okay to take the photo! It was, and we chatted and found out the emergency phone number in Vanuatu isn't 911, it's 111 same as in NZ 😆