Connors at Talua

Final field experience trip

2011-10-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. The translation course went well. Classes are going well. We have also had great conversations with students and staff recently about how we can proclaim Christ more faithfully in Vanuatu.

This weekend (21st-23rd) is our final field experience in Avunatari, the largest village on Malo. We will lead studies on grace and justification by faith (not using those words!). Then Api will preach on Sunday on Romans 6, showing how we died with Christ and now live new lives in him. Please pray that we will teach clearly and faithfully. Pray that God will work powerfully by his Spirit so that people may appreciate the wonderful salvation we have by his grace and will give themselves wholeheartedly in obedience to him.

We then have two more weeks of class. Glen will be teaching:
– diploma students about judgement, heaven and hell.
– foundation year students on prayer.
– BMin students on New Testament letters, especially Galatians.

Please continue to pray for both of us as we teach and for the students in these last few weeks before exams.

SIL course

2011-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Each year SIL workers come to Talua to lead a 1 or 2 week training workshop on Bible translation. It teaches students the importance of people having God's Word in their own language and leads some students to Bible translation work after college. Please pray for the workshop next week.

Give thanks that the reconciliation ceremony went well on Wednesday. There seemed to be genuine repentance at wrongdoing and a desire for forgiveness and moving forward. Pray that there will be forgiveness and unity in Christ within the Talua community.

Please continue to pray for our regular teaching and as we prepare for our final field experience on 21st-23rd October.

Connor weekly prayer points (Wednesday 28th September)

2011-09-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Prayer brief: Pray for Rachael who is teaching the women to write and lead Bible studies, a very new idea for most of them.

Hello everyone,

It is a normal week this week – nothing special. Please keep praying for our preparation and teaching, and for mentoring each week.

We give thanks that the staff member on strike has now resumed teaching. The meeting to discuss the issue is tomorrow (Thursday 29th) so please keep praying if you receive this email in time.

Glen was a little sick and didn't go on field. We haven't heard how it went, but will let you know next week.

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany, Matthew & Lachlan

Pastor's retreat on the decline of the Presbyterian Church

2011-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

We had a very encouraging field experience last weekend at Malo. It was our first time visiting the village, and we found the people to be full of praise and thanksgiving to God through Christ. The students worked hard and we are all very thankful to God for the weekend.

Tomorrow (Friday) the director of the Ministry Training Program in Australia will be visiting Talua. Please pray that Ben will say many helpful things to the students and staff, and that it will help us to see the importance of training people in ministry and give us ideas for how to do this better.

Next week (29th August - 2nd September) many pastors and elders will meet in Luganville to address the problem of the decline in the Presbyterian church. Ps Tony Wan will lead some of the sessions and call people back to preaching, teaching and discipleship. This is a wonderful opportunity. Please pray that those attending will see the importance of focusing on the Gospel of Christ and be filled with greater passion to preach Christ and teach the Word of God.

The following week is the Presbyterian Church Assembly. There are many administrative matters to deal with, but please pray that in all that we discuss we will remember Christ and be making decisions that help people throughout the nation know him and grow to maturity.

There are many exciting things happening and also many challenges. Thank you again for your prayers.

Connor prayer points for 5th August

2011-08-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We hope this email finds you standing firm and growing in the Lord. There was a lot of tiredness and minor sickness in our family last month, but we are all back to full health now. Students at Talua have been studying this week and will sit their exams on Monday and Tuesday. This has been less demanding on us and Glen has been doing more marking and preparation. We also had very helpful staff inservice training for two mornings.

The calendar is very different this year because of the date of the church Assembly. Students will have 5 days rest after exams and then term 3 will begin on 15th August. This will be very demanding on staff and students.

• Give thanks for good health, for the encouragement from recent visitors, and for the training Talua staff received.
• Pray that staff will work together, united in a common desire to see Christ proclaimed and glorified through our lives and work and through the students we are training.
• Pray for students doing exams next week, especially those who have little formal schooling and are very nervous.
• Pray that God will give strength to both staff and students as we begin term 3 after a very short break.
• Give thanks for Emily's time with us, and pray for her safe return to Australia in about two weeks time.
• Give thanks that Talua has decided to increase mentoring time to one hour each week beginning next term, a wonderful answer to prayer!

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany, Matthew & Lachlan

Connor prayer points

2011-04-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Last Sunday we had a visiting Korean missionary come to Talua and preach on the importance of the preaching of the Word and prayer. He showed very clearly that the Presbyterian church of Vanuatu is in decline and that we need urgent change. We need to stop being distracted by administration and money, and start focusing on preaching and discipleship. Many people were challenged by what he said and the Principal asked students to meet in Presbytery groups to discuss how we need to change.

We have had the same burden for a long time but have found it hard to put clear preaching and prayer on the agenda. God has been clearly working here over the last week to call the church back to its true foundation. Please pray for what is happening.

This week (11th-15th April) Campus Crusade will run an evangelistic training week for the whole college. This is wonderful timing in God's plan and could lead many people back to building on the only foundation, which is Christ.

Please pray that there will be deep change at Talua, so that we will focus on praying and preaching Christ and his Word. Pray for our family as we try to encourage this change. Pray that we will take initiative to take up opportunities to preach and teach, and that we will provide resources and support for others. And give thanks to God!

(The landline phones were repaired this week (+678 37005) and we have also been reconnected to the internet. This will make it much easier for us to keep in touch with you again.)

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany, Matthew & Lachlan

Many things to give thanks for...

2010-04-04T14:43:00.001-07:00

There are many things to give thanks for:

• Field experience in March went very well. The students took the initiative to plan the weekend and review all the activities afterwards. I have been very impressed with their maturity and seriousness and their growing focus on teaching the Bible well and telling people about Christ.

• The Easter weekend was more focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus than we have seen previously. Rachael led a children's program that went very well and overall it was a great weekend.

• I spoke a couple of weeks ago with Jiroy, a D2 student from Sarete (6km from Talua), about the crusade he and some other students ran in Sarete just before Christmas. They said it went really, really well. Many hundreds of people came from all the surrounding villages and about 50 people made commitments (although it is sometimes hard to work out what this means). Villagers said that the week before Christmas is normally a time of drunkenness and trouble but this year it was quiet and people were worshipping God. One of the elders said that it needs to happen again and asked the students to help organise a crusade in Vunavus (8km from Talua) from 5th-9th May. Thank you for your prayers last year about this event and praise God! Please continue to pray for the follow up of those who were converted, for Jiroy and others as they plan the next crusade, and for regular faithful teaching of God's Word in the churches here.

Some prayer points:
• We have two more teaching weeks until the end of term 1. Please continue to pray for our teaching.
• This Friday we will meet with our mentoring group and then we will go to Weilapa again on 16th-18th April.
• We still have no bursar and the principal is still on leave, so the administration here is quite a mess. Please pray that this will be resolved quickly.

End of exams

2009-11-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

We have now finished classes and exams for term 3. Graduation will be
held this Wednesday and then students will head back to their islands.
Students are being encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt
during their time at Talua, and how it can affect their lives and
their ministry.

The final field experience weekend in Sarete went very well. The
Saturday women's bible study looked back over the studies they had
done during the year. It helped clarify basic Christian teaching for
many of the women. On Saturday night we showed a movie about the five
missionaries martyred in Ecuador and Joel gave a talk on God's
judgment. The Sunday service and farewell went well. Overall it was a
great weekend of teaching and fellowship, and we were encouraged to
see that we and the people in the village have grown a lot through the
year. Please give thanks for the work we were able to do in Sarete and
that the final weekend went well, and pray that God would provide good
teaching in the village in the future and help people keep growing.

Jiroe is a student who came from Sarete and has just finished 1st year
at Talua. He is planning a mission/crusade week in Sarete from
21st-25th December on the theme "Be ready to meet Jesus". He has
spoken to leaders from different churches in the village to get their
support and has organised some college staff and BMin students to
speak during the week. If it goes well he then wants to organise
leaders from Sarete to do similar work in other villages. Give thanks
with us for Jiroe's enthusiasm for people to know Jesus and pray that
the mission would go well.

Term 3, week 4

2009-09-26T13:51:00.001-07:00

• Rachael's health is continuing to improve. She stills feels very
tired but has picked up a lot.

• We are in week 4 of term. Classes are going well. This week Glen is
looking at providence with 1st year diploma students and Hebrews 4-6
with 2nd & 3rd year diploma students. The Bible studies are continuing
each Sunday afternoon at Sarete.

• There has been confusion over some college dates and our programs
for the term. This is quite normal, but please pray that the program
will be sorted out and that students will be trained well.

• Glen is still doing the bursar's work until a full-time bursar is
found. Over the next two months he will be cutting back the bursar's
work to a minimum and being more restrictive on the hours people can
come to his office concerning financial matters. This is already
causing tension and many people will probably become angry at him.
Traditionally it has been understood that you can go and see the
bursar anytime about anything and he should do it straight away (for
those of you who know Talua, think about Ps Frank's old job!). This
perception has changed a little, but it will have to change a lot more
over the next two months and there may be anger and frustration.
Please pray that people will be understanding of why Glen needs to set
aside time for teaching and preparation and cannot do financial work
during these times.

• Our college accreditation expired last year and their may be a re-
accreditation visit in October. Please pray that this will go well and
that the college will be accredited.

Start of term 3

2009-09-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Term 3 begins tomorrow and students have been arriving back at College
yesterday and today.
• Please pray for safe travel for returning students and staff,
especially those coming by ship.
• Please pray for staff as they prepare and teach classes, and for
students to work hard at their studies and grow in knowledge, ministry
skills and godliness.

Rachael has been back from Australia one week. She still feels very
tired and is resting a lot, but is recovering well now.
• Please continue to pray for Rachael's improving health and that the
rest of the family will be helpful and cooperative during this time.

This term Glen will be teaching "Humanity and Sin" to 1st year
diploma, "Hebrews to Revelation" to 2nd & 4th year diploma, and Greek
to the BMin foundation year students.
• Please pray for all of Glen's preparation and teaching.
• Please also continue to pray for the Bible's studies at Sarete which
will recommence next Sunday.

Assembly was a great chance to meet up with many former students and
other pastors in the church and to find out what is happening in the
wider church. While there were many encouragements, it was also
difficult seeing the acceptance of liberalism in the church and the
almost total absence of the Good News of Jesus from the programs and
planning of the church.
• Please continue to pray that pastors throughout the the PCV will
read the Bible and understand clearly who Christ is and what he has
done, and that they will faithfully teach these things to people
throughout Vanuatu.
• Please pray that staff and students at Talua will be able to produce
more resources to help pastors in this work.

Finally, please pray for us as a family. The last two months have been
difficult because we haven't been able to follow our regular routines.
Glen's mother was with us for most of August and helped greatly and
the children have been very helpful and understanding. But we now need
to return to some regular patterns of life!

Rachael going back to Australia

2009-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Rachael has been unwell lately and is going to Sydney today (monday)
for treatment. It is not serious or long term, but we would appreciate
your prayers for safe travel, for good health, and for the family
while she is away. She is looking forward to the trip as it is always
encouraging meeting family & Christian friends in Australia. Glen's
mother is still here in Vanuatu and is helping with the children.

Glen will travel to Vila on Friday (21st) for Assembly. Rachael will
probably fly back from Sydney and join him in Vila, and then we will
return to Talua on 28th August.

Thank you for your prayers for the work in Sarete. We have been doing
Bible Studies on Galatians and are now half way through chapter 3.
There are about 10-15 who come along and they have clearly learnt a
lot from from the studies and are thinking carefully about what it
means for themselves and others in the village to believe in Christ
for salvation. Please keep praying for the people of Sarete and for
Glen and the students. (We will have a break for the next two weeks
for school holidays.)

No water!

2009-08-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a quieter week this week. Students are preparing for exams
and we are catching up on marking, administration, tidying etc. Glen's
mother is visiting for 5 weeks and will look after the children when
Glen and Rachael go to Assembly later this month.

Some points for prayer:
• Glen will preach tomorrow at Talua and then lead a Bible Study in
the afternoon at Sarete.
• Students will sit their exams next week.
• The coop store had a break in two weeks ago and cash was stolen, and
this week someone cut the main water pipes bringing water to Talua so
we had no water (rainwater for drinking was unaffected). Please pray
for peace in the community and a resolution of problems if people are
upset with Talua.

Approaching the end of term 2

2009-07-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

We are now approaching the end of term 2. Next week is the last week
of lectures, followed by study week and exams. The students are
feeling weary after a long term and quite a few visitors during July.
(Yes, we are feeling weary too, although we had a little more rest
over the last week.) Please pray that students will have the strength
and discipline to continue studying over the next few weeks.

Thank you for your prayers for Open Day. Two of the volleyball teams
from Sarete stayed at our house for 3 nights during Open Day and it
was a great chance to get to know them a lot better. A lot of barriers
have been broken down and our visits to the village have become easier.

Students will go on field experience again this weekend. Rachael and
Lignes will be leading a women's Bible study on Saturday afternoon and
Glen will probably be leading a Bible study on Sunday afternoon. The
students will be involved in various other activities. Please pray for
the whole college field experience program as there are many problems.
The college is till trying to work out what to do with the program.

There was trouble in Luganville last week because of a murder and
about 50-100 people were forced to leave town by the police. It has
been resolved, but please pray for peace during Independence Day
celebrations this week.

Sarete and Open Day

2009-06-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

We are going to Sarete for field experience this weekend. Please pray
for all the activities, but especially:
- Saturday morning devotions and training with the elders & deacons
(Glen leading)
- Saturday afternoon women's Bible study (Rachael) and children's
Bible story time (John)
- Sunday afternoon Bible study.
Please also pray for our conversations and visitation.

On Sunday there is a combined communion service for the surrounding
villages and so the students will not lead or preach.

Talua is now preparing for "Open Day" which is a four day soccer &
volleyball competition followed by one day music festival, to be held
from 1st-5th July. It is a big event and a lot of work for the
students. In the past we have been concerned that there is no
teaching, evangelism etc during the whole of the soccer & football
competition. It takes all of our energy for quite a few weeks and many
people come, but we don't give them anything except entertainment and
food. Some students are concerned about this and are trying to do
more. Please pray that the event will be run in a way that brings
glory to Christ and that there will be many opportunities to tell of
who he is and what he has done.

Sarete field experience

2009-06-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

We have just finished the fourth week of term and life is in a more
regular pattern now. Schooling with the girls is going well even
though it is very tiring, and Glen is enjoying his classes this term.

The students went to Sarete last weekend for field experience and Glen
has continued to go each Sunday to lead a Bible Study. There is a
small core who are very committed and we are now beginning to think
about how that group and the students can start to reach out to others
in the village. The students will go again for field experience next
weekend (19th-21st June). Billy will be preaching on Sunday morning
and we will also hold separate devotions or Bible Studies for the
women, children, church leaders, and the whole community.

There has been some serious tension with one staff member and the
issue will be dealt with by the Church executive during the coming
week. The tension is quite serious and we would appreciate your prayers.

We have been waiting quite a number of months for different equipment
to arrive at Talua, including the new college truck, a satellite
internet dish and solar panels for the English' teachers house. None
of these are essential, but they make life a lot simpler and we would
appreciate your prayers for the logistics.

Thanks again for your prayers. Above all else please continue to pray
that Christ will be the centre of our College life at Talua and of all
that we say and do personally. It is still very rare that we hear a
sermon or devotion proclaiming clearly what Christ has done for us,
and when that is missing then something else always takes its place as
the focus.

Holiday at Turtle Bay

2009-05-08T13:14:00.001-07:00

Greetings,

We have just returned from a five day break on the east coast of Santo
and are feeling very refreshed. During this next week Talua is still
on holidays and Glen will work on preparation for term 2 (teaching
"John's Gospel," "the last things" and Greek). Rachael will have
school with the girls.

Glen will be preaching tomorrow morning at Talua on 1 John 1:1-4 and
lead a Bible Study at Sarete in the afternoon, but otherwise there is
very little planned for this week.

Thanks for your prayers,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany & Matthew

Teaching in Sarete

2009-04-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Field experience went well last weekend, although Rachael and the
children weren't able to go because Rachael sprained her ankle on
Wednesday night.

Even though there has been very little bible teaching in the village
and many people are struggling spiritually, they are still keen to
learn from the Bible. Most weekends this year there was no sunday
service in Sarete itself and none was planned for last weekend, but
the elders were keen to meet when we suggested it as they are aware
that the lack of time together for community worship and teaching is a
problem. Also, the elders have agreed for us to come each Sunday
afternoon to teach the Bible. This Sunday we will begin to read and
discuss 1 John with anyone who wants to come. Sunday School also had
not been planned, but on Saturday night and Sunday morning Joel led a
time of singing and Bible stories with the children.

The students had opportunity to speak with people around the village
and are focusing on helping people clearly understand the Gospel and
respond appropriately. We also met someone from the Praise & Worship
church who has a DVD player and shows religious movies or singing or
teaching almost every night. We gave him a DVD of John's Gospel and
about 40 or 50 people watched chapters 1-14 on Friday night. He asked
us to bring more material that he can show people.

Please pray:
• that there will be more regular services on Sundays, with faithful
Bible teaching.
• that people will come to the Bible Study on Sunday, and that we will
learn from God's Word and grow together.
• that we will have more opportunities to teach the children in the
village, and to encourage parents and others in the village to teach
them, and that these children will grow up to know and trust our Lord
Jesus Christ.
• that as students share the Gospel around the village, God will work
by his Spirit to bring more people to know him.
• giving thanks for the man from the Praise & Worship church who is
using his DVD player to help and encourage people in the village.
• that we will be able to encourage and support him in this ministry
and that it will bring the message of Christ and good Bible teaching
to many people in the village.
• that the tension between the villages of Hasavaea and Vimele, and
that the field experience group in Hasavaea will be able to continue
their work.
• for students doing their exams next week

Trip to Sarete

2009-03-26T20:59:00.001-07:00

We're just heading out to Sarete for field experience for the weekend.
(Glen, Billy & John with our familes, and Joel and Kalmara who are
single.)
We will visit different people and meet with the church leaders and
people involved in different ministries.

On Sunday there is a very large combined service for all the villages
in the local area. Joel will be preaching on the judgment of God from
the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

There is also a Langham preaching conference on next week. This will
be held in Vila and includes pastors from all over Vanuatu.

Please pray for us and these events.

End of the first week of classes

2009-02-16T00:22:00.000-08:00

We are all well and enjoying the many blessings of life at Talua.

Philip attended his Father's funeral in Ambrym and has now returned to
Talua to continue the BTh program. Thank you for your prayers for him.
There are some students in the Diploma and Mission program who haven't
arrived yet. Transport is difficult here and some people are waiting
on ships. Please pray that everyone will be able to arrive quickly and
safely.

This week fourth year diploma students will be looking at the death of
Christ with Glen over 8 class hours. Please pray that we will also see
more clearly God's love and mercy and justice and just how much he has
done for us. Pray also that we will respond to this teaching with
renewed trust in God and thankfulness to him and desire to share with
others how wonderful our God is.

Some other events coming up:
20th Feb - Rachael is leading devotions on John 4:7-42
27th Feb - First field experience weekend with Billy, John, Joel &
Kalmara, at a nearby village called Sarete.
1st March - Glen will be leading a prayer night with the College
community

Term 1 begins for Diploma students

2009-02-06T22:57:00.000-08:00

This week is the first week of lectures for term 1. Glen will be
teaching "God's solution to sin" and "Biblical Interpretation" to
final year Diploma students as well as Greek with the BTh students.
These are all subjects he greatly enjoys, although it has been hard
getting enough preparation time. Please pray for Glen's preparation,
and that he would be able to show the students the benefits of
studying these subjects so that they will work hard. Pray especially
for the final year students, that these subjects will help them to be
focused on our Lord Jesus Christ and paying careful attention to God's
Word.

Philip Joses is one of the degree students. His father passed away
last week and he has gone back to his home island of Ambrym. Please
pray for God's comfort during this time, and for Philip as he has a
lot of responsibilities to carry out in his village at this time.
Please pray also that he would be able to come back to Talua soon and
continue his studies.

There are a lot of activities in the last half of February. We'll try
to give you more information next week, but the phones have been quite
problematic and we wanted to get this email out quickly while we can.

BTh foundation year begins!

2009-02-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

We have returned to Talua again for 2009 and we look forward to your
prayer support again. Our Father delights in the prayers of his
children! Here are some ideas to guide your prayers.

• The BTh program began in January with a 3 week Greek intensive, and
this week is now week 1 of term. Please pray that the students will
work hard at their Greek and their other subjects and not find it
overwhelming. Give thanks that most students have enjoyed their
studies so far and have kept up with the Greek. Three students (Ps
Kalotap, Fr Boe & Fr Tari) arrived late and are behind on their Greek.
Please pray that they will be able to catch up. Please pray that all
the students will grow in knowledge and godliness as they train for
future ministry.

• This week is orientation week for the other programs, with bible
studies on obedience. Please pray that these studies will challenge
and encourage students from God's Word and that the students and staff
will be serious about out personal growth during this year. (Glen will
lead the Tuesday morning study.)

• Pray for staff as they prepare lessons ready for classes next week.

• We are short on married accommodation this year and some families
are having to share one house. Please pray for patience in this
difficult situation and the families involved will be able to rejoice
even in this difficulty. Pray that the families will be able to get on
well, especially those with young children, and that God would use
this situation to bring great blessing to the families involved.

• Please pray for Rachael as she teaches Sophie (yr 1) & Bethany
(kindy) at home. Especially pray for her patience with the children
and that she would be a loving and godly example to the children as
she teaches them.

Thanks for your prayers,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew

General prayer points

2008-10-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Glen is teaching through 1 Samuel this week, looking at the rise of
the Kingship in Israel. He wants students to understand what God is
teaching us in 1 Samuel, but also to become better at reading Old
Testament stories and applying them to us through Jesus. He is also
teaching Paul's second and third missionary journeys.

We are organising for about 6 people from Vanuatu to come to Australia
at the end of November to attend a conference called "South Pacific
Regional Training Event." This could be a great help and encouragement
to these people. Please pray for passports and visas to be given, the
remaining funds needed for the trip to be provided, smooth planning,
and that it would really help the people who go. You may be able to
meet some of these people during their stay!

We are also hoping that some people will visit Australia for a much
longer period during 2009 to help in their ministry training. Please
pray that this will be able to happen.

We had a very enjoyable visit from Glen's brother (Wayne) and two of
his children. He did a lot of electrical work and this has helped us
and the Williamson's greatly. We are very thankful for this.

We had our final mentoring night last Friday. The students have learnt
a lot through this year from our times together and from their
experiences on field. The new program has been a wonderful blessing to
the students and we are very thankful. It has also changed the way
they do their ministry as they are seeking to base what they do more
thoroughly on the Scriptures and to keep the good news of Jesus at the
centre of their ministry. This is wonderful to see!

Ban Ban Again

2008-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

We had a good weekend at Million Dollar Point (Ban Ban). Although the
church was locked and the problems have not been resolved, a sunday
service was organised in a house and quite a few people came. It was
an encouraging time together. We were also able to pray with different
people over the weekend. People rejoiced that the problems did not
stop us meeting together and that God is with us wherever we meet.

We will return again this weekend. As far as we know the issues are
still not resolved and we will probably meet in the house again. Glen
will preach on part of Ephesians 1. Please continue to pray for the
situation and for our work this weekend. Pastor Philip, the local
pastor, has returned from Assembly and will need to deal with the
issues. It is difficult for him because he is pastor of about 15
different congregations and his time is limited. Please pray for
wisdom for him!

Glen's brother Wayne has been with us over the last week, with his
sons Ben and Tim. It has been great spending time together and Wayne
has fixed a lot of electrical problems in our house and around Talua.
This is a real blessing!

Please pray for peace in many tense situations...

2008-09-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you again for your prayers. Please continue to pray for our
daily lives and teaching here. There are also a number of significant
issues taking place all at once. Please remember the following matters
in your prayers.

We heard yesterday that there has been a lot of trouble at Ban Ban
over the last few days. Various leaders within the church are arguing
bitterly and openly. No church activities are going ahead and we heard
that someone stole the bell to stop church meetings. We may go to Ban
Ban this weekend. Glen will be preaching at Ban Ban either this
weekend or next weekend, or possibly both. Please pray for humility
and gentleness among those involved in the situation, for wisdom for
the leaders and others who are helping, and for a peaceful resolution.

One of the lecturers at Talua has a house and small store in town. We
heard this morning that these buildings were attacked and destroyed.
Please pray also for this situation and the lecturer concerned.

The Assembly of the Presbyterian Church began on Saturday and will go
for one week. There has been tension leading up to this Assembly
because it was postponed within a week of the scheduled starting date.
This caused a lot of inconvenience and financial burden to people.
Many pastors arrived yesterday (Monday) afternoon but were feeling
quite angry. Please pray that this will be dealt with in a helpful and
godly way and that there may also be peace in this situation. Please
pray that the Assembly will make wise decisions. (The Assembly will be
deciding whether to reappoint us and the Williamsons at Talua for
2009-2010.)

A new prime minister was appointed today. It is a very weak and
unstable coalition and, hence, the PM is only being appointed for one
year. Please pray for stability in the government here.

In all of this we want to trust in our good, loving and powerful God
who is working in all things, and we want to stay focused on
proclaiming Christ and applying the Gospel to these difficult
situations. These situations can only be resolved properly if people's
hearts are truly changed!

Pray for Million Dollar Point

2008-08-30T03:02:00.000-07:00

We have just finished the first week of classes. Glen is teaching Luke-
Acts and Joshua-1 Kings and is loving it so far. It is especially good
just reading the Bible with the students and helping them to
understand what it means.

Last night we met with the students we are mentoring to talk about the
next field experience weekend. A lot of our time was spent sharing
our thoughts and feelings about the church we are working with at
Million Dollar Point. We have now visited three times and it is clear
that the students are feeling disappointment with the situation. The
church is very weak with little ministry happening, and it is becoming
clear to us that the community has a lot of trouble and tension and
probably most people are not Christians.

This has been a huge realization for the students since Vanuatu is
considered a "Christian" country and normally people here just think
of everyone as Christian. The students are realizing that this is not
the case, and that most other villages are like Million Dollar Point.

We would really appreciate your prayer over these matters. Pray that
the students would see the situation in a way that is realistic and
like the way God sees it. Pray that their disappointment will turn to
prayer and desire to preach the Gospel and do all they can to see
people here saved. Pray that as we visit on 5th-7th September we will
be able to encourage the church leaders to carry out faithful ministry
and that we will have opportunities to share the Gospel with people in
the Village. Pray for Glen as he leads the Bible Study on Saturday
morning, John as he preaches on Sunday, the women as they lead a Bible
Study on Sunday afternoon, and all of the students as they do
visitation and talk with people over the whole weekend.

Glen will then travel to Australia on Sunday afternoon for one week to
attend a course on Acts. Pray that this will be a fruitful and
encouraging time and that it will help him to teach well when he
returns to Talua. Pray for Rachael and the children as they remain at
Talua for the week.

Field Experience at Million Dollar Point

2008-08-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Field Experience will go ahead this weekend. Please pray that nothing
will hinder the trip!

On Saturday night Glen will lead a Bible Study on Hebrews 11. The
passage is a strong encouragement to trust that God will do what he
has promised, even though we don't see it yet with our eyes. On
Saturday morning Joel will preach on Luke 15, focusing especially on
the joy over sinners who repent. Do we have a love for sinners and joy
over their repentance like our heavenly father does? On Sunday
afternoon Rachael, Susan and Liness will lead a women's Bible study on
the death of Jesus in Mark's Gospel. At the same time the others will
do visitation around the community.

Please pray for all these activities over the next few days.

Field Experience cancelled

2008-08-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are all much healthier now; thanks for your prayers. We have also been able to eat more meat/protein now that the fridge is working and we think this may be giving us more strength. We certainly give thanks to God for the fridge!!!

Unfortunately on Thursday Talua decided to cancel field experience this weekend because exams are on during the next week. This sort of thing happens a lot over here. People do not plan ahead and tend to make a lot of last minute decisions, which makes good preparation difficult. We have been here several years now and are more used to this, but we still find it frustrating.

We want to teach the students to prepare well when they teach God's Word and so we had already met several times with the students in our group to prepare for the weekend. This means that the students shared our frustration and disappointment. It has helped them to see that the reason we plan ahead is so that we can prepare well, and that last minute changes create disappointment when preparation is done well. So we can give thanks for the way God has taught and challenged us, even through the disappointment.

The students in our group have decided that they want to go next weekend when exams are over. This is also a great encouragement, as the initiative for this came from the students rather than us or the school. Please pray for the students as they do exams this week, and then for our field experience group as we go out next weekend.

Preaching at Ban-Ban

2008-07-27T02:37:00.000-07:00

We have reached the end of term 2 at Talua. This coming week is revision week, and after that is exams, and then two weeks holidays.

Pray for the students as they revise their work. Pray they are able to spend lots of time studying God's word and that he would open their eyes to many new things. Pray that this study not be a burden, but that it would refresh and enliven them. Pray for those who find exams difficult; that God would keep them calm and that they would continue to trust him through a difficult time. Pray that all the students would not study just to pass exams but to know God better so they may love him more dearly and serve him more faithfully.

This coming weekend is another field experience weekend. This time Lignes, Susan (wives of two of the students in Glen's group) and Rachael hope to be involved. Glen will be preaching and leading a bible study, in order to help the students as they will be between revision and exams and to provide a model for them.

Pray that Glen will prepare diligently and teach faithfully. Pray that God would speak through him and work in mighty ways this weekend. Pray that God would prepare the hearts and minds of the people at Ban-ban to hear and obey His word. Pray for Lignes, Susan and Rachael as they begin work with the women at Ban-ban.

A bible study began during term 2 term for the women at Talua on a Sunday afternoon. We finished reading through the book of James today and have found it very challenging.

Thank God for the core group of women who faithfully come each week; for Namlengi, Mercy, Cindy, Jenny and myself (all staff) and for the wives of students who have begun coming; Susan, Lignes, Colinette, Vejingo and Salome. Please pray that we will remember what we learnt from James, particularly about taming the tongue, about living faith which produces good works and about persevering through suffering.

We've all had the flu for the past month and have had to take things slowly.

Please pray that God would provide healing at this time, particularly for Glen who will need to work hard on his preparation for this weekend and for Bethany who has really had a rough time and has often been awake coughing at night.

Some answers to prayer and great encouragements

2008-06-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

We have had some great encouragements over the last couple of weeks and we will write some of these in our next toktok. Some students have organised to read the Bible and pray together and believe it is making a difference in their lives. One student told me he didn't grow much during his two years doing the Certificate Course, but that he has grown heaps over the last six months while in first year diploma. He said the difference is that he is reading and discussing the Bible with other students and he can see now how God changes people as they read his Word and pray. Students are also keen to help people in surrounding villages, and many have decided to run Bible studies on basic discipleship as part of their field experience. They are also trying to find ways to use Open Day this weekend as a way to encourage and teach people from the surrounding area.

Give thanks to God for the work he is doing here. Give thanks for students like Temar, Kalmara, John Maite and Matthew who are really keen for these things to happen. Please pray that the discipleship Bible studies will go ahead in many villages, and that people will come to know Christ or grow in their faith and obedience to him. Please pray that students will find ways to glorify God in the way that we run Open Day, and that people who come will learn more about Christ as well as having a good time.

We have also enjoyed having visitors recently including many who came for the opening of the new library, some friends from College, and Glen's mother. We always love having visitors and find it very encouraging and helpful!!!

Thanksgiving for the field experience visits...

2008-06-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

Some of the students spoke tonight about their time in the villages
over the weekend.

Bosco spoke about an old man in the village who began to cry during a
bible study and he cried and cried. It was a study on discipleship
and he was crying for his village who were not following Christ.
Bosco challenged the staff here at Talua to give their best as they
teach so that students can go out and give their best in the villages.

Then Manangis stood up. He was bouncing with joy as he spoke about
how they had seen God at work. In his village the people were hungry
for the word of God and begging the students to come more and more to
run bible studies for them. Manganis also said, 'please keep feeding
us so we can feed them.'

Temar, his smile spread across his face, and eyes shining, stood up
and simply thanked us (and you!) for praying for them. God, he said,
answered your prayers. Thank-you.

Glen leaves for Australia amid general family chaos

2008-04-19T13:40:00.001-07:00

Greetings,

Give thanks with us for a wonderful term. The last few weeks went well and the students all seem satisfied with their growth through the term. The mission class was difficult, but by the end of the term some of them where getting pretty excited about the book of Exodus. Give thanks for all that has happened this term, and pray for the students as they begin exams on 28th April.

Before exams we have the week of Annual lectures, beginning tomorrow. Two speakers, Greg Anderson and Ma'afu Palu, will look at how to read and apply the Bible from within our particular context. Please pray that they will speak well and that it will encourage the students to read the Bible carefully and take it seriously in their lives and their ministry.

Glen will be away during this time because he is leaving today to go to Australia for two weeks to do a course at SMBC. Please pray for Rachael who will stay behind with the three children. Matthew had a vomiting bug on Friday night and Sophie had it last night so everyone is feeling a little tired. We also had a cyclone pass yesterday but it didn't end up hitting us. These things are all minor, but they make it hard for Glen to get on the plane and go. Please pray that God would give strength and good health to Rachael over the next two weeks, that the children will be cooperative, and that other people at Talua will help and support Rachael.

Lastly, Glen has been talking with an Elder from the church in town about working together on a book store in town. Please pray that God would provide a way for this to happen.

Thank you again for your prayers. We really appreciate them!

Yours in Christ,

Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew Connor

Upcoming visit to Australia

2008-04-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

There are now two weeks of classes left. Please pray that students would work hard during this time and that what they learn will be helpful in their future ministry. Pray that God would calm those who are worried about exams or outstanding school fees. Pray also that the students will grow not just in knowledge about God but in true knowledge of him and in holiness and desire to please him.

Glen will be in Australia for almost two weeks, beginning 20th April, and will need to finish marking and a lot of financial matters before he goes. Pray that this work would be completed and that he will also be able to spend good time with the family before he goes.

This week we will try to organise for students to visit the prison. Please pray that this ministry will be able to go ahead and will bear fruit. Pray that there will be no hindrances to this ministry or to mentoring.

Give thanks that Matthew is sleeping much better at night (except for last night!). We can always give thanks for continuing health and safety, the day to day growth of the students in knowledge and godliness, the encouraging sermons we have heard from students, their desire for evangelism, and many other things.

Yours in Christ,

Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany & Matthew Connor

A busy time

2008-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Thank you for your prayers over the last few weeks. It has been a busy
time for us all.

The evangelism in town went very well. We had good conversations with
people and the students are keen to go back and do it again. Some of
us chatted with people in the main street, some went to the hospital,
and some went to the prison. The people in the prison are keen for us
to do regular Bible studies with them so we will try to organise for
this to happen.

Rachael and I are both thankful for the opportunities we had to
preach. Rachael preached in Bislama and the women found her words
biblical and helpful. The preaching conference in Vila also went very
well. A lot of people said they were challenged to study the Bible
more carefully and improve their preaching. They are also keen to
continue to meet together in smaller groups to work at preaching.
Please pray that this would go ahead and that God would raise up many
faithful preachers in Vanuatu.

There are three weeks to go in this term and the end of term weariness
begins to set in about now. Please pray that God would sustain us, the
other staff, and the students at Talua. Also, please pray for good
health as there are lots of mosquitoes around from heavy rain and
there have been a lot of cases of malaria at Talua over the last week.

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany & Matthew

A busy and exciting Easter

2008-03-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

There are quite a lot of important things happening over the next two
weeks and we would appreciate your prayer:

Sunday 16th - Rachael is preaching in the afternoon at the combined
women's service. There will probably be a few hundred women from the
local area at the service. The theme is "wisdom" and so Rachael will
speak about how true wisdom is found in Christ and the cross.

Monday 17th - Wednesday 19th - Student's will be cutting copra in the
afternoons after morning classes. This is tiring work and it will be a
difficult three days for the students. Other afternoon activities will
be cancelled.

Thursday 20th 5pm - The mission class will eat at our house and we
will re-enact the passover (as Glen is teaching them Exodus). When we
have done this in the past it has been a very special night for the
students.

Thursday 20th & Saturday 22nd at night - Screening of a movie based on
Matthew's Gospel to help the students reflect on Easter. (All the
words in the movie are from the NIV text of Matthew's Gospel.)

Saturday 22nd 10am - About ten students and one or two staff members
will go to town to do evangelism. We will chat with people and try to
explain to them who Jesus is and what Easter is about. This is the
first time that most of the students have done something like this.
They are very keen!

Sunday 23rd - Glen will preach at Talua for Easter, probably on
Colossians 3:1-4.

Monday 24th - Friday 28th - A preaching conference will be held in
Vila. This is being organised by Ps Andrew Williamson and
representatives from Langham Literature will speak. About 100 pastors
and lay leaders from Vanuatu are attending, and it is hoped that this
conference will be a great encouragement and help to good biblical
preaching in Vanuatu. It is also hoped that smaller preaching clubs or
groups can begin after the conference.

Please remember us and the people of Vanuatu in your prayers over this
exciting and special time,

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew Connor

Prayer points beginning again

2008-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

It feels like cheating to call this a weekly prayer update, but we
will try to send them more regularly again from now on! We settled in
quickly this year and are finding it much easier now as we are more
familiar with how things work in Vanuatu and our language has
developed. Talua has now had 4 weeks of lectures. Sophie has also
started school and is loving it, and Rachael is enjoying teaching.

There have been several difficulties we faced here over the last few
weeks:

Two weeks ago there was a problem with work permits for Glen & Andrew
Williamson. The College didn't put in the necessary papers and has now
received a fine. It also meant we had to stop work for 3 days. We give
thanks that we are now working again, but it messed up lessons plans
quite a bit.

Last week the main issue at Talua was finances. The budget has a huge
shortfall (about 30%), but people here don't think about budgets or
take them seriously so no one saw the problems coming. But by the end
of February our accounts were all empty even though staff had been
unpaid all through the month. The Staff Council last week approved a
revised budget which drastically cuts spending. They also said that
money can only be spent if it is in the budget. This came mostly from
Glen as he is acting Bursar this year, but it is counter cultural and
will be hard to enforce in practice. Staff are all supportive, but it
is never easy to cut spending. The next few months will be very
difficult! We would appreciate your prayers concerning the financial
situation, but especially that we would be able to continue with our
work of teaching and training the students. (It is likely that there
will be many fundraising events and missed classes.)

Although I think Christians in wealthy nations have a huge obligation
to give to their poorer brothers and sisters, we are not in favour of
asking for funds to be given directly to Talua as there is not a
culture here of transparency or accountability in finances. Money in
institutions in Vanuatu often disappears and is spent poorly. But if
the College as a whole goes ahead over the next few months with the
decisions they have made then I think it would be good for wealthier
Christians to support the College so that staff and students can focus
on classes rather than on fundraising. We will keep you informed of
the situation.

Mentoring is going well and the students are keen to go out and do
ministry. We are inviting anyone at Talua to come to a meeting on
Thursday 13th March to discuss evangelism in town and pray together.
We will then do street evangelism in town on Easter Saturday 22nd
March. Please pray for this. It is a radical step for most students,
but there are big needs in town and many hungry people. We are also
planning on doing some work in a nearby village in April but this is
not definite yet. Please pray that these plans would go ahead.

Finally, please pray for the mission class. There are only six
students, but there is a big variation in their educational
backgrounds. One has finished high school, but another student has
never been to school and is virtually illiterate. Andrew and I are
both finding it a real challenge to teach the class. Please pray that
they will be able to understand what we teach and would learn and grow
through the classes.

Sorry that it has taken a while to get these emails going, and thank
you again for your prayers,

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany & Matthew Connor

Return to Vanuatu

2008-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

We have been a little quiet lately as we have just had one month rest
with our families in Australia for Christmas. Glen has now returned to
Vanuatu and Rachael will return with the family on 27th January.

Over the next three weeks Glen will mainly be working on College
finances and lesson preparation (when he finds out which classes he
will be teaching). Rachael will continue to spend time with her
parents, and the girls will go to swimming lessons.

We are still not sure which courses will go ahead this year. Please
pray for those who are making decisions. There are a lot of big
changes taking place.

Thanks again for your prayers, and we will try to give you more
guidance in your prayers as we learn more about what the year will
look like.

Yours in Christ,
Glen & Rachael and family

Feasting Time

2007-11-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

This prayer email is a little longer, but after this the emails will
become a little less regular as things wind down a lot and we have a
holiday over Christmas. If you just want prayer points, look at the
bold parts.

We are now in the season of FEASTING!

MENTORING FEAST
Last Wednesday we had a our final mentoring get together and feast.
This involved all the students Glen mentors and their families (Peter,
Songie, Kasai, Jilifi, John and Kalangai). The night went well and was
an encouraging time together. Because it was the final night there were
a lot of formalities and speeches. Glen explained the importance of
what we have done in mentoring and of faithfully teaching people about
Christ whenever we can, especially as the students go on field
experience next year.

Please pray for these students and the other 2nd year diploma students
going on field experience for one year. They will face many pressures
next year and will find it hard to be faithful in their own personal
godliness and in their pastoral work. Many students in the past have
fallen into serious sin during their time on field and have been
suspended. Pray especially for the single students going on field
(Thomas, Martin, Sheila) and for the married students and staff who
have come to Talua without their families. These students face
especially strong temptations.

So please pray that God would strengthen these students and their
families as they go for field experience, that he would help them to
keep focused on their task of proclaiming Christ, and that he would
work to produce holiness in their lives.

OTHER FEASTS
On Thursday we had a feast for the families living in our corner of
Talua and said farewell to the Parkes family who are leaving at the end
of this year. Friday was the Talua community feast and farewell to
graduating students. Saturday was a community feast for the end of
"Kids Prayer Warriors", a program for the children to encourage them in
their prayer. Sunday was a final feast with our Presbyteries. Tonight
(Monday) is the single students feast. Wednesday is the final
graduation feast, which is by far the largest as it also includes many
visitors.

GRADUATING STUDENTS
Thank you for your prayers for the graduating students retreat. The
students participated in the seminar very enthusiastically and asked a
lot of good questions. The main purpose of the seminar was to
encourage students to reflect deeply on Scripture and on God and his
works and they responded positively to this message. God is working in
their lives and we ask that he will continue to do so!
Also, please pray for Jon Parkes as he speaks at graduation on
Wednesday, and for the graduating students as they begin their work in
local churches.

CHANGES FOR 2008
A lot of changes are happening in 2008 at Talua and in our lives. We
will list some here to give the bigger picture and help your prayers,
but we will not give individual prayer points:

• Regarding courses, there will be no certificate intake as this course
is being cancelled, there may be no diploma intake as the applicants
were not suitable, and the degree course has been postponed until 2009.
• The Santo Presbytery is trying to begin a lay training course based
at the farm up the road, with help from Talua staff.
• Glen will be helping with the College accounts in 2008, doing the
books but not the other jobs that normally go along with this.
• The 'Bookroom' has grown substantially. Next year it will probably be
officially licensed and begin operating as an online bookstore to
supply Vanuatu and other South Pacific islands (and Australia if people
want cheap books!).
• Sophie will begin school next year. Rachael will home school and not
do any official Talua teaching.
• One of Glen's main goals for next year is to be more involved in
ministry in surrounding villages. We have spoken about ministry a lot
in classes and mentoring, but it would be good to go out and teach and
preach and encourage people around us. The plan is for this to link
with mentoring, so we train and encourage our students by working with
them to teach and pastor in surrounding villages. This has not been
possible so far because of class preparation time and language
barriers, but after three years we pray that God will enable us now to
take this step.

Please pray for God's guidance and provision during these changes for
next year.

Feast, feasts and more feasts

2007-11-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

Exams are now all finished. Thank you for your prayers for us and the
students.

There are now two weeks before graduation, which takes place on
Wednesday 28th November. During this time preparations will be made for
graduation, but there are also a lot of feasts to celebrate the closing
of different College groups or activities, sort of like our end of year
Christmas parties. On Thursday night Glen went to the mission
students' feast, last night was a feast with our Presbytery group etc.
Each feast takes a lot of preparation so everyone is still busy, but in
a social way as people enjoy working together at a gentle pace getting
things ready.

This is also a good time for reflection. We have grown a lot through
the year and have seen new areas that we need to work at. We have also
been able to see growth in the students, both academically and
spiritually. This real growth is an answer to prayer and we give thanks
for the many good things we have seen God do through the year. We are
also thankful for his continuing protection and care.

Next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is the final year students
retreat. They will remain on the College site, but spend a lot of time
together reflecting on their time at College and preparing to leave. On
Wednesday Glen will lead the devotions and a time together on
"meditation". Please pray for this time together and that all the
discussion times will be helpful for the students.

Glen will also hold his final night with his mentoring students next
week. He was sick on the official night and so postponed it. This is a
highlight that he is really looking forward to, but please pray that a
time to meet can be found and that there be no interuptions.

There are many issues for prayer regarding next year as a lot of
changes will take place and many decisions are being made about what
will happen at Talua. We will list some of these next week and would
appreciate your prayer.

God has kept peace

2007-10-31T02:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you for remembering us in your prayers.
There was tension yesterday but God restrained those who were
threatening violence and the day passed peacefully.

The local province officials and the police are continuing to work on
the problem and there are meetings organised over the next few days
between representatives from the two villages involved.

At the heart of the issue is a land dispute, a huge issue in Vanuatu.
Land is a very important part of identity and security, but earlier
British/French occupation has made traditional land ownership very
difficult to determine and there is now the added problem of many
villages selling their land. Almost every staff/student at Talua that
we have asked is involved in a land dispute of some sort and the
disputes can easily end up with slander or violence. This is an ongoing
matter for prayer in Vanuatu.

Trouble Nearby

2007-10-29T01:11:00.000-07:00

There has been a little unrest in the nearby village and threats have
been made of violence tomorrow. The police have been notified to help
ensure that there is no trouble, but please pray that this matter will
be resolved peacefully.

Two teaching weeks left

2007-10-28T03:14:00.000-07:00

There are now two weeks of lectures left in this term and then exams.

We will both continue to meet individually with the students we are
mentoring and then we will meet in our groups on Friday 9th November.
Please pray for the students during these final weeks of mentoring,
especially that there be no interruptions to our time together, that
Rachael will be able to have good conversations reflecting on the year,
and that Glen would be able to encourage his students as they prepare
to go for one year of field experience.

Over the next two weeks Glen will be teaching Revelation to the 2nd and
4th year diploma students. He would greatly appreciate prayer for this!

Over the next few weeks the College will be reviewing applications for
next year. Please pray for wisdom in the selection process, that the
students chosen will be godly men and women who know and love Jesus.
Pray also for wisdom as we decide whether there are enough applications
for the degree course to begin next year.

Please pray that God may provide us with a bursar for next year. If no
one suitable is found then this work will probably be taken by Glen.

A bad flu has been going around the College. It is beginning to pass,
but many are not yet in full health. It affected all of our family,
but especially Glen and Matthew who are still trying to shake it off.
Please pray that God would restore us to full health, and give thanks
for the reminder that we are longing for our resurrection bodies and
our eternal home in which there will be no more sickness and pain. Give
thanks that God has blessed us with very good health through this year.

Assembly Week

2007-10-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

This week most of the teaching staff from Talua are at General
Assembly. The students have been left work to do, but it is still a
good chance for them to catch their breath a little. Glen decided not
to go to Assembly this year because it is during teaching time and
there are already several representatives from Australia attending.

Glen has been continuing to meet individually with three students:
John, Kasai & Jilifi. We are now talking about how to write Bible
studies, as they are keen to learn this before they leave for their one
year field experience next year. Each week we read through a Bible
passage together, try to work out the main ideas and applications, and
then write a study together. This is working very well and they are
learning a lot, but it would be better if they were actually leading
studies! Next year I may try to organise for the students to lead Bible
studies in nearby villages. Please pray for the spiritual growth of
these students, and that they will grow in their understanding of God's
Word, their ability to teach it to others and their trust in God to
work powerfully when his Word is taught.

Glen would also appreciate prayer as he is teaching 1 & 2 Samuel to
Diploma 1 over the next few weeks. He is finding this more difficult
than normal because it is not an area he has studied a lot and he was
not given a lot of preparation time before the course started.

Rachael has been finding teaching a real challenge. It is a constant
struggle to teach at the right level and she has had to alter her
course a number of times this term. Nevertheless, Rachael is encouraged
that some of the women are really keen to learn to write Bible studies
and are working hard at understanding Bible passages and writing
questions that will help other women to understand too. Please continue
to pray for Rachael and the women doing this course.

All three children have a cough at the moment and consequently nights
are disturbed. Please pray for patience for Rachael and a quick return
to health for the children.

Talua has a large debt which it is difficult to pay. It is important
for us to pay this, but even more important for us to make sure
responsible systems of financial management are in place to make sure
we are being faithful with what we are given. Please pray that God
would provide us with a capable bursar for next year and the other
staff needed at the College.

Keeping focused on the harvest...

2007-09-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

There is quite a lot happening over the next few weeks. Here is a brief
summary:
The 4th year diploma major projects are due at the end of the week.
The students are madly typing and correcting their work, but this is
very difficult because very few people have computers! Wednesday is a
public holiday for local province elections. Also on Wednesday a team
of 13 people arrive from New Zealand to continue working on the new
staff house. Rachael's mother arrives on Sunday for a one week visit.
There will be other groups visiting on Monday and Thursday next week.
On the 5th and 6th October the 2nd year diploma students are holding a
two day football competition and fundraiser. It will take most of their
focus over the next two weeks. The week after that many staff will
leave for General Assembly and be away for 1 or 2 weeks.

Our main goal through all of this is to try to help and encourage
students and other staff in all the work they will be doing, but while
still keeping the focus on our training for ministry. During busy times
like this it is easy for us to drop the work of discipleship,
evangelism and teaching in order to do "urgent", practical tasks.
While we want to help in these other tasks, we cannot afford to lose
our focus at Talua because there are almost always activities like this
taking place and visitors staying at the College. So please pray that
we will continue to have time to prepare our classes well and to meet
with the students for mentoring. Pray that the students will continue
to value their learning from God's Word and keep this a priority.

Talua Sunday

2007-09-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was Talua Sunday and the students and staff from Talua
travelled to churches throughout Santo to lead services and preach. The
day went very well. We travelled to Narango and greatly enjoyed our
time in the Village. The service went well and it helped us to learn
more about village life and the issues people are facing. Give thanks
for the day and pray that God would continue to provide more teaching
and encouragement for people throughout Vanuatu.

This is the first week of normal classes. Glen is now teaching Hebrews
to 2nd and 4th year diploma students, Psalms to 2nd year certificate,
and Joshua- 1 Kings to 1st year diploma. Rachael is teaching the women
how to write and lead Bible studies. Please continue to pray for us in
our teaching and for the students.

We are also trying to continue with discipling/mentoring students. It
has been difficult because the formal mentoring times are regarded as
less important than many other College activities and so are often
cancelled. It is very hard to find time to meet with students in the
busy College program and with all of the extra events taking place.
Please pray that God would protect this time that we have with the
students and that it would be a real blessing to both us and the
students.

Lastly, a lot of people at Talua are suffering from a cold or flu that
is going around. It is not really serious, but enough to make everyone
feel tired and lethargic. Our family all have it, although it is only
mild. Please pray that God would restore everyone to full health
quickly.

The joys of Greek

2007-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Last week was very busy with the Greek intensive and a fundraiser on
Saturday. This next week will also be very busy as the Greek intensive
continues. The students doing Greek have been very enthusiastic! Almost
all the 2nd year diploma students began the course and no one has
stopped coming yet. They are very enthusiastic and really enjoying the
course. This is a great encouragement to Glen.

We have begun meeting with some of the students we are mentoring and
will try to begin meeting up with the rest during this week. Glen would
also like to begin meeting with a few 1st year diploma students in
preparation for next year when he is formally responsible for them.

Next Sunday is Talua Sunday, when the students and staff travel out to
different villages to lead the services. The teaching will be from Luke
15:1-10 on the lost sheep and the lost coin.

Rachael's classes went well on leading Bible Studies. She has the
normal struggle of working out how well she is communicating, but the
women seem to be responding well.

Thank you again for your prayers
Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew

Please Pray

• Pray that God would give us energy and sustain us during this busy
time.

• Give thanks that the students are enjoying Greek and working hard.
Pray that they would have wisdom as they decide whether to try to
continue with learning Greek, and that if they decide to do this that
God would give them motivation and discipline. Pray that the Greek they
learn, whether a little or a lot, would be used with humility and bring
benefit to the church in some way.
mentoring

• Pray that students would prepare well for Talua Sunday and preach
faithfully. Pray that people in the surrounding villages may be built
up in their faith in Christ and challenged to live holy lives. Pray
that those in the villages who don't know Christ would hear the Gospel
proclaimed clearly, and that God would work by his Spirit to bring some
of them to faith and repentance.

• Pray that God would help Rachael as she teaches the women in Bislama,
and pray that the women would have a desire to learn to read God's Word
better, to trust and obey it, and to teach it to others.

• A few of our family and many others at Talua have a cold. Some of us
also have upset stomachs (from the fundraiser). Please pray that God
would restore us to full health quickly so that we have strength to
serve him.

Start of Term 3

2007-09-01T02:34:00.000-07:00

We have had a good week of rest and then a week of preparation for
classes which start on Monday. This will be a very busy term. Glen had
a fairly late change of classes and so still has quite a lot of work to
do. For the first two weeks of term Glen will be teaching an intensive
Greek course to second year diploma students. He will also begin
teaching Joshua-1 Kings to first year diploma students. Rachael will be
teaching in the women's program on how to write and lead Bible studies.
Please pray for both of us in our preparation and teaching.

Mentoring will continue this term and we will write more later, but we
should begin again this week.

Glen's ordination has been postponed by the Presbytery because of some
minor issues, mainly that we want to make sure that there is clear
communication between the churches in Australia and Vanuatu regarding
the meaning of this ordination upon our return to Australia.
Postponing an ordination seems a big issue in Australia but it is not
really like that here. The things still need to be sorted out are
fairly minor, but please pray that it would all proceed smoothly from
here.

Time to rest awhile...

2007-08-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your continuing prayers. The annual lectures have now
finished and students are on a two week holiday. The lectures were very
helpful, addressing issues relating to how we do Christian ministry in
a changing cultural context. This was very helpful for the staff and
students in Vanuatu as the church struggles to work out what we must
hold tightly in order to be faithful, and what we need to let go of to
adapt to the changing situation in Vanuatu. Pray that the students and
staff would think deeply about what they have heard and let it affect
the way they do their ministry. Pray that God would keep the churches
in Vanuatu faithful and that they will resist the temptations to change
the Gospel or compromise with worldly things. Pray that as we do this
God would give us his perspective on the changes that are taking place
in society. Pray that he would enable us to change where necessary so
that the we can clearly proclaim Christ to the people of Vanuatu.

We will be having a rest over the next week! Pray that the staff and
students would have a good rest and come back both physically and
spiritually refreshed.

We also always appreciate your prayers for our own growth in holiness
and for us to trust fully in God as we live and work here.

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany & Matthew

Anglican Church destroyed in Earthquake

2007-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

There have been quite a lot of different things happening so we'll list
the main ones.

ANGLICAN CHURCH DESTROYED IN EARTHQUAKE
• We rejoice that there was not much damage from the earthquake on the
2nd August. We have only heard of serious damage to one building.
Unfortunately it was the brand new Anglican church in Luganville which
opened last year and had not quite finished being built. The walls
buckled making it unstable, so they had to dismantle the roof and knock
the walls down. It is now just a slab of concrete and some piles of
rubble... and there is no insurance here. Last week I spoke to the
minister there, a Talua graduate, and he was holding back tears as he
told me of the disappointment the congregation is feeling. He said he
is trying to give them hope through his preaching as they think about
rebuilding. Pray that God would give comfort and strength to the pastor
and congregation so that they will continue to preach the Gospel and
teach God's Word in Luganville. Pray also that God would provide them
with the emotional and spiritual strength and the resources they need
to begin rebuilding.

ORDINATION
The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu has approved my ordination on 2nd
September. (This ordination will be recognised in Vanuatu but not
Australia.) Glen will meet with the Presbytery Clerk before the event
to discuss what this will involve, including the commitment required
and the doctrinal and political issues. Please pray for these
discussions.

BUILDING WORK
An APWM workparty carried out further work on the new library, and
several NZ teams have been building a house for staff accommodation.
These buildings are part of the preparations for a degree course next
year. Give thanks for the progress of this building work and for the
preparations for the degree course.

ANNUAL LECTURES
Next week the Talua annual lectures will be held on the topic of church
growth. All the staff and students attend, and this year there will be
several visiting lecturers from New Zealand. Pray that the lectures
will be biblical and thought provoking. Pray that staff and students
will think carefully and critically about what they are hearing, and
then put it into practice in their own ministry in the Vanuatu context.

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
• Glen's big joy from two weeks ago was seeing God give assurance of
salvation to a student (Ronald) while we were studying Revelation 20 in
class! The students have already studied Romans but that didn't give
him assurance. This term we studied Hebrews and looked at the
confidence we have to come before the throne of God through Christ our
High Priest. But that didn't do it either. Then we looked at the
judgment scene in Revelation. The books were opened and everyone great
and small was judged by the works written in the books. But then there
is another book, the book of life, and everyone whose name was written
in this book was not thrown into the lake of burning sulfur with the
others. All his life he had been in deep fear that on the last day God
would cast him into hell, but through this passage God gave him
confidence of his righteousness before God through Christ and deep joy.
He couldn't wipe the smile off his face! Give thanks for Ronald's
clearer understanding of what Christ has done for him and for the joy
that this has brought to his life, and pray that these things would
become deeper and stronger in his life.

2008
• Pray for wisdom as we decide what commitments to take on for next
year.

With love from your brothers and sisters in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew

Exam week - our situation is easy!

2007-08-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

Talua is a lot quieter now as students are preparing to begin their
exams tomorrow. Please pray for the students as they do exams on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Bethany and Matthew have a small cold. It is not serious at this stage,
but Matthew is having trouble sleeping and it has made us all very
tired. Pray that they would be well again quickly and that we would be
able to have good rest at night. Pray too that we will have more chance
to rest a little over the next few weeks and also to work on some of
the major projects we want to do which were put aside during term time.

The earthquake caused a little damage in Luganville, such as cracks in
the road, buildings and the main bridge and loss of power, but there
does not seem to have been any serious damage or injury. At Talua there
are a few cracks in buildings and the water was out for about three
days, but that is all. We also continue to have a lot of rain, although
not as much as before. It is easy to start to feel negative about these
things or to complain, but then we read the news about millions of
people homeless in Asia and we realise that our sovereign God is
dealing very gently with us at Talua. We have not even come close to a
situation which forces us to rely upon God and not ourselves. Please
continue to pray for those throughout the world who are suffering at
the moment. We know that God is in control even of these things, and we
pray that he would work for good through all these events so that
people may come to know him and he may be glorified in all the earth.

We have another mentoring night on Friday (Glen with the men) and
Saturday (Rachael with the women). Pray it would be a good time
reflecting on God's word together and on how the term has been for each
person.

Earthquake!

2007-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

There was a fairly large earthquake (7.3) off the coast of Malekula,
Vanuatu early this morning. We thought we'd let you know we are okay in
case you hear about it and are concerned. It was the largest we have
experienced here, but there was no injury or damage at Talua that we
know of.

If you want to see more technical details have a look at:
http://www.gdacs.org/reports.asp?

eventType=EQ&ID=29157&system=asgard&location=VUT&alertlevel=Orange&glide
_no=&TsID=443&datetime=20070801

There are many students and staff from Malekula. We will let you know
if we hear of any serious injury or damage that occurred there.

One week before exams...

2007-07-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

This week is the last teaching week of term and things are beginning to
wind down. It is a great time for students to consolidate what they
have learnt, but it is easy for motivation to be dominated by the exam
rather than a desire for knowledge of God and obedience to him. Please
pray that the students would be disciplined and work hard during this
next week and during exams, and that they would keep focused on the
importance of what they are learning.

There was a public holiday last week and another one today, and these
have broken the continuity between lessons. It will be a challenge this
week to pick up the momentum and enthusiasm after the missed classes,
and then to finish the courses in a way that gives some sense of
completion. Please pray for all the staff as they teach this week.

Glen's lessons and goals during the week are as follows:
Certificate 1: Revelation 21-22 - This is a wonderful climax to the
course. Pray that the students would have a greater vision of the
wonderful things that God has in store for us, and that they will
desire to live now and carry out their ministry in a way that is
focused on God's glory both now and in the future.

Diploma 1, Knowledge of God - We will finish by looking at some of the
practical implications of God as Trinity. This is not as clear in my
thinking and I need to do a lot more thinking, reading and praying.
Please pray for me as I prepare this. I need lots of help!!!

Diploma 1, Pentateuch - We will finish the course with Deuteronomy,
which is a wonderful challenge about how we will respond to God. The
book calls for us to love God, trust him, fear him, obey him etc.
Moses knew the Israelites would fail because of their sinful hearts,
but the book also points us to Christ in many ways. It is fitting way
for us to end the course. Please pray that the message of Deuteronomy
would challenge and help us in our response to God.

The upcoming exams also bring stress for a lot of students, especially
those who find it hard to write in English. Please pray that God would
help these students with their study and comfort them in their fears.

Thank you again for your prayers. We know that God delights to answer
the prayers of his people!
Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew Connor

rain, Rain, RAIN!

2007-07-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

We have seen the sun for a only a few hours in total over the whole
last 3 weeks, and very little during the 3 weeks before that. There has
been a great deal of rain, the wettest we have seen during our time
here. It is the first time we have seen the ground totally saturated so
that there are small lakes forming all around the campus. We rejoice
in the rain but please pray that we would be patient when it feels
inconvenient, especially as the cloud means that we have had almost no
solar power over the past 6 weeks. We are having to ration our
electricity fairly carefully.

Rachael taught her last class for the term this morning and next week
her students will each present a song which fits with part of the
course. Glen will teach this week and part of next week. The following
week is exams. There is not really a general culture of hard study at
Talua. Please pray that the students would value the time leading up to
exams and study hard, not just to pass their courses but to learn
things that will help them in their Christian life and ministry.

Rachael has finally been able to speak individually with the women she
is mentoring. Each is really really keen to meet up each week to read
the bible and pray together (Susan, Esther and Katiri). This is really
encouraging and a fabulous opportunity to be thinking about spiritual
matters together. She stills needs to talk with Julie and Deli.

We are all in good health. The students who had malaria seem to have
recovered. Leila Williamson is now sick, possibly with malaria. Joshua
next door has mumps. Some lecturers have also missed classes with
sickness. Please continue to pray for health and healing, for trust in
God through sickness, and that the sickness not interrupt teaching or
learning at Talua.

Next Monday is Independence Day, a very important time in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu is still a Christian nation, but many are commenting that God
has less place in politics now. There is a desire for the nation to
grow economically and become more like Western nations, but the
Christian basis can easily be overlooked. Please pray that during
Independence Day celebrations people would reflect on the place of God
in the lives of individuals and the nation, and that we would have
opportunities to discuss these issues with students.

Yours in Christ,
Glen and Rachael Connor

Connor weekly prayer points 18th July 2007

2007-07-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Recently we have been reflecting on our need in a foreign context to pay more attention to our spiritual sustenance because we receive much less encouragement and teaching than we do in Australia. When you are experiencing isolation as a family from wider society, it is more important than ever that family relationships be strong and based on a deep relationship with God. Please uphold us in your prayers in this area.

The work party from APWM (mission partners) arrived at Talua on Tuesday morning and will stay for almost two weeks. Eight people will be working on the new library and two people will be involved in observing and helping with mission work in the bush and in Luganville. Glen may join in some of the mission trips, and we are hosting two members of the party.

Glen is continuing through the book of Revelation with his Certificate class and will begin looking at the Trinity soon with Diploma 1. He finds it very difficult to understand many of these things himself, and then difficult to work out the best way to teach and apply these things in an unfamiliar context. The plan with Diploma 1 is first to give a brief summary of the doctrine of the Trinity, but then to spend most of the time reading through the parts of John's Gospel which show us the relationship between the Father, Son and Spirit. Hopefully the students will find it easier to read what Jesus said and did to reveal his Father to us and so to understand who God is as Father, Son and Spirit, rather than discussing the ideas more abstractly or philosophically.

Rachael's course on women in the Old Testament is coming to an end. Yesterday we looked at the Exile, with particular reference to Ezekiel's wife and the temple and next week we'll be looking at the return to the land and how even though God's promises to his people have come true, sin is still spoiling everything. Each week we have looked at how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and next week we'll look at how Jesus solves this problem.

We continue to appreciate your prayer, knowing that God delights in answering the prayers of his people, however weak or feeble they may
seem in our eyes,

With love from your brothers and sisters in Christ,Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew

PRAYER• Pray that we would enjoy many times of rich blessing with God as we read his word and pray, including privately, as a family and with the wider community. Pray that God would use us as a family to bring spiritual and emotional support to one another.

• Pray that God would give safety to the workers building the new library and the mission group traveling in the bush. Pray that equipment and supplies needed for building the library would all be available and that there be no major setbacks. Pray that those involved in the mission trip will be challenged in their own lives, and that God would bring more people in isolated parts of Vanuatu and Luganville to know himself through this mission work.

• Pray that God would gives us wisdom and understanding as we prepare our lessons. Pray that the students we teach would continue to grow both intellectually and spiritually. Pray especially for Glen and the students as we look together at Revelation and the Bible's teaching about who God is as Father, Son and Spirit.

• Pray for students who are sick with the flu and malaria and for Esther in the mission program who had an operation last weekend in the Luganville Hospital, that God would give them a quick and safe recovery and that they would continue to trust and glorify him through their sickness.

Talua is busy and tired!

2007-07-08T20:35:00.001-07:00

Greetings,

It is still quite busy at Talua at the moment. During Open Day a work party of about 25 people from New Zealand arrived to help build a new staff house. They have been here for a week, hosted by staff and students, and most of the group left this morning. There is also a small group staying at Talua for a week and traveling into bush villages to study local languages which need Bible translation work. There are still quite a few other groups to come, and I think we will have people staying constantly until the middle of August. We also had a surprise visit by the Prime Minister and some MPs last Tuesday to Tata school (2km up the road). Talua were invited to attend and be part of the ceremonies and discussion. Preparations are beginning for Independence Day, a very significant celebration held at the end of July.

All of this activity has both positive and negative effects. The students and staff are all feeling quite tired from this activity and there is now some sickness starting to go around. Open Day was especially draining as many students stayed up through the night preparing food for all of the visitors. (There were a few hundred people who were staying at Talua, plus many others who came each day from their villages.) It is very difficult to keep students alert in class and we have also had to cancel quite a few mentoring times.

Overall, we rejoice at the many things that are happening. Talua is in a wonderful position to bring blessing to the surrounding area and to Vanuatu as a whole and we pray that God would work through these things which are happening.

PRAYER POINTS:
• Praise God for the safety we have had over the past few weeks through Open Day and the work party visit.
• Pray that students would be able to find time for rest and would enjoy good health.
• Pray for all the groups which are visiting Talua. Pray that they would have safe travel, that Talua would continue to be welcoming despite our tiredness, that the visitors would be challenged and grow by their visit to Talua, and that the work they do would help Talua and the churches here in their work of proclaiming and teaching the message of Christ.
• That Talua would have wisdom to decide which groups to receive and a focus on the kingdom of God so that we will be willing to continue supporting activities which help the wider church in Vanuatu and not just Talua.
• Pray that students would continue to learn and grow, and that the business at Talua would not hinder their training or spiritual growth.
• Pray that our family would continue to have sufficient rest and enjoy good health.

Open Day

2007-07-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.
It has been a very busy weekend with Open Day. Things started getting busy on Thursday night and only settled down Sunday night. Everyone is very tired today. Glen's mother returned home this morning. The next few days will be fairly quiet with classes and resting.

Thank you again for your prayers. Our phone is still not working so I cannot write more. I thought I would get this email out while I have the chance to send email.

Glen Connor

A fresh vision of God's sovereignty from his Word

2007-06-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

We are all well at the moment. Matthew's high temperatures only lasted for two days and he is healthy again now. Glen's mother is still with us and is helping out a great deal. We also celebrated Rachael's birthday last week and it was nice to have company for that.

** This weeks email is fairly long. If you don't have time to read it please skip to the prayer points which are short. **
** That is what this email is really for!!! **

Every now and then the same biblical idea turns up in many different places to challenge you afresh. In my classes this week it has been like that with the sovereignty and power of God. In "Knowledge of God" we have just finished reflecting on God as the ruler of the world, who provides what we need and is at work in all things. In "Pentateuch" we are continuing to work through Exodus and it has really struck me how Exodus 5-11 is hardly about the rescue of the Israelites at all! God had power to destroy Pharaoh in an instant and lead the people quickly out of Egypt, but he didn't. Instead, he deliberately hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he could demonstrate his power and show to both the Israelites and the Egyptians who he is. In these chapters the rescue of his people is clearly secondary to that primary aim of glorifying himself, although clearly he brings glory to himself by the way he rescues his people. So Exodus 5-11 is firstly about God showing his power and glory. Then in "Hebrews to Revelation" we have reached chapters 4 and 5 which are a majestic vision of God the King who is worthy of all honour and glory and power, and of the Lamb who was slain now sitting on the throne and who is worthy of all honour and glory and power. Finally, last night we listened to a sermon by John Piper on Romans 15:14-18 about how we glory in Christ Jesus because it is he who is working through us to prepare a people who are holy and obedient. This has been a wonderful reminder of how God is all powerful and is at work in all things. He is greater than we can ever comprehend and is worthy of all glory and honour.

Talua Open Day will be held this week so it is a busy time. On Friday and Saturday there will be a football and volleyball competition to raise money for Talua. This normally attracts quite a few people from the surrounding areas. Then on Sunday there will be a music festival with lots of different styles of music, centred around a Christian theme. The students are spending all of their free time this week getting organised.

Mentoring went well last Friday night. Glen read through Ephesians 2:1-10 with the men. When they were asked what they would say if they died and were standing before God and whether they thought that he would accept them, most of them were very uncertain. The answer most gave was that God knows how they have lived their lives, including both the good and bad things, and that he is the one who will make the decision based on that. They couldn't really be sure what he would say. One of them talked about how he believes in Christ and Christ has taken away his sin. We are finding this to be a big issue, probably like it is in most places in the world! People find it hard to understand and accept God's grace or that our salvation is secured by the work of Christ rather than by our own works. Please continue to pray that students at Talua would clearly understand the Good News of Jesus Christ so that they can proclaim it faithfully throughout Vanuatu.

Rachael met with five of the women on Saturday night, mostly wives of diploma 1 students. (This is a different group to the women she met with last time because a change has been made.) They were all very keen to talk about things and were more open than she has previously experienced. It was very encouraging for her and she will try to meet with the women individually, but will wait until after open day when they have some free time again. In class next week we'll be talking about King Solomon and how although he was the son of David and the King who ruled wisely, in the end he turned from God. We'll see how Jesus is wiser and greater King, the son of David who rules forever.

Yours in Christ,
Glen and Rachael Connor

P.S. The phones have been down for a few days so you may receive this email late. We are also sorry that we have not been very quick in replying to your emails. We are finding it difficult with the poor internet access. We receive no emails for a long time, and then suddenly the inbox has a huge number of unread emails that take us days to get through.

PRAYER POINTS:
• Praise and glorify God for his greatness, and for the work that he has done through us (i.e. through all of you there and all of us here) to make his Son known and to create a holy and obedient people.
• Pray that God would use open day to spread the knowledge of Christ in the areas around Talua, through the words and actions of the Talua staff.
• Pray that God would give the students a deep understanding of the love and mercy and grace of God, and that they would depend fully on Christ for their salvation. Pray that God would give Glen further opportunities to talk through this issue with the students.
• Pray for the women Rachael will meet with; Julie, Susan, Esther, Kajiri and Delly.
• Pray for the preparations for the degree program next year. Andy Williamson is doing most of this work and is finding it quite demanding. Over the next few months we are trying to finalise staff allocations and subject outlines, order books, make sure the right people are encouraged to apply, etc etc. Glen will probably teach some subjects in this program next year but details are still being finalised.

Visit from Glen's parents

2007-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

We are all well. The phone is still not connected and our email is fairly irregular, so sorry that we are not able to reply quickly to your emails.

We had a very enjoyable week with Glen's parents. It is over a year since we last saw each other and there was a lot of catching up to do. Glen's father returned to Australia today and his mother will stay for two more weeks.

Prayer Points
• Matthew has picked up a cold or something. He is having trouble feeding and sleeping and his temperature is up. Please pray that he will recover quickly and that Rachael will continue to get enough sleep. It is very helpful having Glen's mother here at this time.

• Please continue to pray for the six students Glen is mentoring, especially John, Jilivi, Songie and Kasai with whom Glen meets weekly. This week all six students will meet with Glen on Friday night and we will be discussing God's grace together. Please pray for the students to grasp more fully God's kindness to us in Christ, and to understand what it means for salvation to be based on the work of Christ by faith rather than our work. These are very difficult concepts to fully grasp. Pray also that the students would have assurance of God's forgiveness and deep joy.

• Glen is teaching Revelation to the second year certificate students. There are only two of them, so it has been a good chance to sit down and look carefully at the Bible together. Please pray that God would give us understanding of this difficult book and that we would be encouraged as we see more clearly the glory of the risen Christ and the work that he has done, is doing and will do in our world.

Thank you for your prayers, and thank you also to those of you who have sent us your prayer points.

Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew Connor

Sophie's friend Steve is sick : (

2007-06-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

God continues to bless us in many ways and things are going well overall. Classes are going well, and we finally have everything organised in the house.

This week Glen's parents will be staying with us. We haven't seen them for over a year so it will be good to spend some time together. Glen's father is not a Christian and so it will also be a difficult week for him as almost every activity at Talua is focused on God in some way.

Glen is really enjoying his 1st year diploma class. They are a very keen class who ask lots of questions and think carefully about what they are learning. This week we will begin looking at God's character, mainly by reading lots and lots of different stories and teachings from the Bible which are grouped together according to what they teach us about God. I am hoping we can see what God is like from all the things he has said and done, rather than looking at more abstract statements of the attributes of God.

In the Certificate class we finish off Hebrews and begin the book of Revelation, which will be quite a challenge. As there are only two students in this class, we are going to begin by just sitting down together and talking together about what the Bible says. I'll see how it goes this week before I decide how to continue.

The next door neighbour Steve has been in hospital over the last week with some sort of liver trouble. (Steve is the son of the secretary and the brother of Joshua, Bethany's little friend. Steve is a good friend of Sophie's and has lunch at our house most days.)

Please pray
• with thanks that God is protecting and providing for us.
• that Glen's parents would have a good week with us, and that God would use this week to show Glen's dad more of the reality of Christ so that he will come to repentance and faith.
• That students will enjoy studying the Bible, that they will learn a lot more about who God is and what he has done, and that these things will touch their hearts in a way that brings joy and obedience and willing service and godliness etc in their lives.
• For healing is Steve's body and that the doctors would make the right decisions about his treatment.

More about our classes and mentoring

2007-06-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It has been a good week. No big dramas and we are enjoying our work here. I'll go straight to the prayer points.
The prayer points are fairly long, but they will get shorter each week because we will only need to add new information instead of explaining everything.

Glen
• In knowledge of God we will continue to look at why we believe that the Bible is God's Word. Please pray that the students would believe this in a way that means they want to read and learn the Bible and base the whole of their lives upon what it says.

• In Pentateuch we are up to the promises to Abraham. Many of the students struggle with how the Old Testament fits with Jesus and the New Testament. Pray that reading Genesis would help them see more clearly how Christ fulfils the OT promises. Pray that they would see the importance of trusting in God's promises, no matter what obstacles or difficulties they may face in their lives which make the promises look impossible.

• Most of the Diploma 2 students are keen to meet each week, and I am very thankful for that. I suggested different ideas of what we could do together and let them choose. I will be meeting with Jilivi and John (separately) to show them how to write Bible Studies. Please pray that together we would be able to work out helpful ways to write Bible studies that will be helpful for people in villages in Vanuatu where many people are illiterate. Someone who is illiterate can hear and think about the Bible and discuss it with other Christians, but the skills and methods in leading something like this are different to what we normally expect of Bible Study leaders in Australia.

• I was rostered on to lead devotions last Thursday, on Romans 8:14-17. It is wonderful passage about how God has put his Spirit in us and made us his children. Give thanks that I was able to prepare it in Bislama. I have always struggled to do this, but am now beginning to find it easier. Pray also that the students would think about the wonderful privilege it is to be children of God.

Rachael
• Rachael is enjoying here Monday morning OT overview class, but finding it very hard because the women are very quiet in class. She has spoken to other lecturers and it seems that this is true in their classes too, but it makes it difficult to know how much they are following of her Bislama. Please pray that Rachael would be able to teach clearly and that the women would be able to understand. Pray also that they women would have confidence to speak with Rachael about what they are learning, both for their sake and to give Rachael feedback.

• Rachael will be looking after some of the women this year. She met with them formally last Saturday, but only one of the five came, possibly because of a mix up. Pray that Rachael would be able to catch up with these women individually before the next meeting at the end of this month, and that they would have helpful conversations. The women are often quite shy around staff, especially expatriates, so please pray that they would be able to talk openly with Rachael.

Sophie, Bethany & Matthew
• Each Wednesday is "Kids Prayer Warriors" when the children spend about an hour singing and praying. We give thanks that Sophie is absolutely loving this.
• We always appreciate prayer for good health for the children, and that they will grow up to know and love our Saviour!

Other
• Give thanks that Sheila has returned to College and is well, and that Jon Parkes ulcer is now healing well.

Yours in Christ,
Glen and Rachael

Our classes this term

2007-05-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Things continue to go well for us and we are finding everything much more manageable than last year. Glen has still not had to attend any meetings, which is totally different to last year and gives a lot more time for other things. The girls both had a cold this week and woke up a lot in the night with coughing and blocked noses, but we found it okay because we aren't stressed and tired. Overall, we have a lot to give thanks for in our new situation.

Some things to pray for over the next week:

• Friday 25th May we meet (met) with the six students we will be pastorally responsible for. Glen would then like to meet with each of them individually next week to get to know them a little better and to organise what they will do together through the term. Please pray that this would all happen with no hindrances and that Glen would be able to discuss with each student what would be helpful to do together through the term. (Glen has plans and ideas, but would like to discuss it with the students and work out what is most helpful for each because they will all be from different backgrounds and at different stages in their Christian lives.)

• Glen is teaching Knowledge of God and Pentateuch to Diploma 1 students and so he has 8 hours each week of face to face time. It gives time for a lot of very good discussion. One issue which came up last week was whether we can be saved through looking at creation alone, or whether we need Christ to be saved. This is a difficult issue because the students' recent ancestors are in this situation, and maybe even their own village or nearby villages. We had some really helpful discussion about the Bible's teaching. Please pray that the students will think through the implications of the seriousness of human sin and what it means for salvation to come only through Christ, and that this would give them a zeal to take the good news of Jesus Christ to those in Vanuatu who have still never heard.

• Over the next two weeks in Knowledge of God we will be looking at why we believe the Bible is God's Word and what this means. Please pray that the students would have a trust in God's Word such that they want to read it and base their lives on it.

• Next Monday in her "Women in the Old Testament (OT overview)" course, Rachael will be teaching the women about Eve. Pray that they would have a good discussion about womanhood and about the nature of sin. Please also pray that Rachael would communicate effectively, especially with women who have had a very low level of education.

Thank you again for your prayers,
Glen and Rachael

Ready for start of term

2007-05-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,
We are all ready for the start of term tomorrow morning. Please pray for us both as we teach, particularly Rachael who will be teaching in Bislama. Glen is really looking forward to his classes this term. For the first few weeks he will be teaching Genesis to Diploma 1, the authority of the Bible to diploma 1, and the book of Hebrews to Certificate 2.

The girls have both had quite bad flu this week and Sophie has a painful ear infection. Please pray that they would recover quickly and that they would sleep well despite being sick.

We are very thankful that Matthew has been sleeping very well. The heat and humidity do not seem to be causing him any discomfort.

Jon Parkes returned today and his tropical ulcer has begun to heal. It will take a long time, but the doctors are happy that healing has begun and it is heading in the right direction.

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers,
Yours in Christ,
Glen, Rachael, Sophie, Bethany and Matthew Connor

P.S. A short word of explanation...
While back in Australia we were encouraged and challenged that many people have been praying for us every week. We decided that we should make more effort to send weekly prayer points to help people in their prayers and so that people can see how God is answering their prayer. We will explain this in the next toktok, but we decided to start the weekly prayer points straight away and send them to family and friends we know have been praying for us regularly.

Arrived Safely

2007-05-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We have arrived safely at Talua and are settling in well so far. The house is set up now, and we have a small solar panel and battery which gives us a little power during the day. We are very content in our new place. We are also both glad that our Bislama (language) is not too bad after the four months away.

This week will be a mixture of preparing classes for the start of term next monday, talking with students and staff, and a little more work on the house such as fixing the 12V lights, repairing flyscreens to keep out the mosquitoes, and setting up the vegetable garden.

Our health has been fine so far, but I guess one week is not very long! Sophie and Bethany have minor heat rash, which has sores from where they have scratched it. Bethany also has worms. But you expect things like these and they are very minor really. Matthew has started to settle into his new situation and is now sleeping a lot better than when we first arrived. We give thanks to God for this because it makes a big difference to how we feel about life generally. Tiredness has a very big impact on emotional levels!

Jon Parkes, the English teacher and bursar from NZ, has a tropical ulcer on his foot which is quite serious. He is in NZ for three weeks to get it checked and help it to recover. The healing process will probably take months. His return to NZ is also difficult for his family who are still at Talua. Jon has been very busy and now, when they have finally reached the holidays, he has had to spend the time away from his family.
A diploma 2 student named Sheila has had serious stomach pains and has gone to hospital in Vila.
We would appreciate prayer for these two people.

We will try to email weekly but it will be a little uncertain until the phone is connected probably late in May or early in June.

Thank you for your ongoing thoughts and prayers,
Yours in Christ,
Glen and Rachael Connor

Summary of prayer points:
• Give thanks that we arrived safely and that setting up went well.
• Give thanks that our language is going well, and pray that we will continue to improve in our grasp of the language and culture so that we will be better able to help and encourage people here.
• Continue to pray for Glen as he prepares to teach Pentateuch, Hebrews-Revelation, and a doctrine course on the knowledge of God.
• Continue to pray for Rachael as she prepares to teach an Old Testament overview in the Women's Program beginning next week.
• Give thanks for our good health, and pray that this would continue.
• Pray for healing for Jon Parkes and for Sheila. Pray for Jon's wife Vivienne and the children who are at Talua for three weeks without Jon.