Many of you are probably wondering "who" the crazy guy is that I am going with to Vanuatu. His name is Caleb Bislow and he is an itinerant speaker for Kingdom Building Ministries. He has a heart for the "unreached" people that have not heard the Gospel. I met Caleb about 3 years ago through my youth pastor, Derry Prenkert. Caleb and I hit it off instantly as our passions collided. From that point on I knew that Caleb and I would venture on an overseas mission trip sometime in the future. Caleb developed a strong burden for the Vanuatu people several years ago. He has kept his eye on this specific people group (Bunlap Tribe) on Pentecost ever since.
Caleb asked me to venture with him to Vanuatu a little over a year ago. I have spent a great deal of time praying and seeking guidance in making this decision for the past 12 months. I even wrote a semester long research paper on the Bunlap Tribe of Pentecost Island. I have developed a strong burden to share with these people the hope in Jesus that I have.
This trip is very unique. It is much different than any trip I have ever been on. While my previous trips have been scheduled out in detail, this trip will not. This is what Caleb calls a "scouting trip." We have no agenda except to learn and love. We want to learn as much as we can about the culture, people, history, rituals, etc. while loving the people in the process. Caleb plans to come back sometime in the next year to take the next steps. If there is one specific thing that can be prayed for at this time it is that the Holy Spirit would lead us in every decision and action we take on this trip. We plan to spend a lot of time listening to what God wants us to do.
I am very excited about venturing with Caleb, Mike Phipps (good friend and future cousin-in-law), and Brandon (whom I have not yet met). I plan to post more and more as the trip gets closer.
(The picture above includes Caleb holding his son Trace with his wife Jess Bislow.)
Pray for Unity. This team does not know each other at a very deep level yet. We have only talked on the phone as all four of us one time. We need to get deep and get there quick. There can't be any half-hearted communications and poor feelings toward each other on a trip like this. We need to be a unified group of guys that learns to love and care about each other quickly. Fortunately, I know Mike Phipps really well already. We both went to Bethel together and have become very good friends and accountability partners. I truly believe that our group is very solid, but prayer could still be used in this area because of the fact we have not spent much time together, let alone in an extremely different environment for all of us.
Please pray for a translator. This is a huge prayer request. Vanuatu's primary language is Bislama (pidgin), but the country has the most languages per capita in the world. They have 113 different languages that are spoken. The language barrier can be a huge obstacle in this whole process. Caleb has been in the process of looking for translators. There are three things that Caleb looks for in a translator:
Please pray for the children of Vanuatu. Whenever I spend time praying for Vanuatu God keeps giving me a strong burden for the children. I can't get them off my mind. I feel that the children could be a huge "barrier breaker" for us. If the people of the village see that we care and love their children then they may be more open to accept us as well. I am taking some bubbles, balloons, and coloring books in hopes to interact with the kids. Please pray that the kids will be warm and welcoming to us and that they will trust us quickly. Pray that the parents and adults would see the love we have for the children and accept us because of it.
Many of you are probably wondering "who" the crazy guy is that I am going with to Vanuatu. His name is Caleb Bislow and he is an itinerant speaker for Kingdom Building Ministries. He has a heart for the "unreached" people that have not heard the Gospel. I met Caleb about 3 years ago through my youth pastor, Derry Prenkert. Caleb and I hit it off instantly as our passions collided. From that point on I knew that Caleb and I would venture on an overseas mission trip sometime in the future. Caleb developed a strong burden for the Vanuatu people several years ago. He has kept his eye on this specific people group (Bunlap Tribe) on Pentecost ever since.