A total of 115 members of the Niuleni Community Music Ministry (NCMM) (a singing ministry) and some volunteers recently returned from a Cyclone Pam Rehabilitation mission project undertaken on the Island of Pele, Vanuatu.
Reports said, the members comprised of men, women and children from ages as young as 5 – 75 years old.
The group left the country on 3 separate flights in June and was accommodated at the Freshwind Adventist Church in Port Villa before travelling to Pele.
While in Port Vila, they participated through singing in two separate concerts to help raise funds to repair two church buildings on the island of Efate and another one on the island of Futuna which was destroyed by cyclone Pam.
The group travelled to Pele Island on 29th June with additional volunteers from the Freshwind Adventist Church.
They spent a week on the island rebuilding 16 sleeping houses and 7 kitchens using local bush materials brought and shipped from Malo Island near Santo to Port Vila then ultimately to Pele Island.
Initially it was suggested that local materials were to be sourced and transported from the Solomon Islands since the cyclone has destroyed everything on the island of Pele. Quarantine issues and restrictions however did not allow this to happen.
Besides rebuilding the houses and kitchens, the group also helped the communities in general cleaning up of villages and house surroundings, construct a small church extension, do other small house repairs and maintenance work, dag wells, weed gardens, brush and cleared areas for bush for community poultry and other agricultural projects.
Some of our elderly members took time to conduct home visitations to other elderly members in the communities, sharing little gifts, encouraging and praying with each other.
The women also had an opportunity to share skills and knowledge with each other in areas of arts and crafts making and cooking.
According to members, it was a rewarding experience given the opportunity to go, visit and be able to provide the little support we can give to the cyclone pam victims on Pele and in Vanuatu.
To be able to light smiles on people’s faces, talk and makes friends with them, shares stories and goods together, work and play together, eat together and prayer together was somewhat a holistic and therapeutic experience and approach to healing people, mentally, physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
