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by Don Bell, Lt. Colonel and Dave Hudson, Major –
The following day we were up at 4:00 a.m. for the trip to Chuuk. The Chuuk Corps lost its building over a year ago but that has not deterred the work in the Federated States of Micronesia. In the last year it has more than doubled. Captains Hermes and Rufina Otis conduct meetings in their home and throughout the islands at sites they refer to as “prospective outposts”; we had the joy of visiting two of those sites.
Major Dave Hudson reports: “We traveled by car into the hills on a very narrow road (I use the term loosely) to visit one prospective outpost. At times, I was not sure we would make it; and that doubt increased when Captain Otis’s four-wheel drive vehicle was stuck for a brief time (Sharron, Major Saunders and I were in a small rented car). However, by walking the last part of the way, we finally arrived in Witchap Nikitui Iotek, a small community of people with no running water or electricity. The people live very simple lives but are full of joy and contentment. In the center of the community is a small building that is used for a number of occasions, one of which is for the prospective outpost. We were welcomed with gifts and coconut water as we shared together in praise and song. It was a joyous time. As we were leaving, Major Saunders commented on how we get caught up into so many things that do not really matter, and seeing these people’s simple faith had just taught him a number of lessons.
“We traveled about 45 minutes by boat to our next stop, Fonoton. After about 15 minutes on the boat, we gave up on the idea of trying to keep dry. So, soaked to the bone, we walked about 10 minutes from the boat dock to the village. It was moving beyond words to be greeted with singing of the children. The children’s voices were tremendous and they sang with all their hearts. Again, we were presented gifts and coconut water. It is an understatement to say God blessed us. They had a simple request for a new keyboard, and we were pleased to oblige. Of course we would also need to provide a battery to operate the keyboard as electricity was not available. Both of these ‘prospective outposts’ had over 80 in attendance.”
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