Not Forgotten

(Jan. 2009 4 minutes)

During our last Bible distribution in Vanuatu this fall, we began a baseball ministry for the youth in the capital city of Port Vila. We were given brand new baseball uniforms and gloves, balls, and bats, by a generous church congregation in Canada. We prayed to God that He would send the youth and the baseball would be a success. My new friends and youth workers, Eric and James, two Ni-Vanuatu young men, wanted to assist me in this new outreach.

After we prayed, we put on the uniforms and went out into the field. Then suddenly the young people started to come. As they came, we gave each one a uniform, baseball cap and glove. Before we knew it, we had two full teams and fun was had by all. These youth (mostly boys and a few girls) were very athletic and caught on quickly to this new game. Most had never played baseball before but you’d never know it to watch them, throwing & catching the ball with amazing accuracy and finesse. When we took a break to rest and have a drink of water, I told them all a Bible story.

The blue uniforms had printed on them (in Bislama) ‘Team blong Josua’ and the red ones ‘Team blong Moses’. So fittingly the first two stories were about Joshua and Moses. Over the next weeks we continued with the baseball games and the Bible stories. The local media learned of our activities and came out to interview and film us. Our group even made it onto television and our pictures were printed into the local newspaper showing action shots of the team playing.

The baseball ministry was spaced between Bible distribution, prison ministry and showing the ‘Jesus’ film wherever we could. November 29, 2008 was my last game with my new friends as the following Wednesday I was flying home to Canada. The other parts of our mission had been accomplished except for one last Bible distribution to take place the next day on the island of Nguna. I had promised to give the baseball players a Bislama Bible this last day, so I asked who would like one. All the boys said they would like one, except for one who explained that he already owned one. A man who was carefully watching us play that last day also came up to me saying that he had been in the hospital and was now recuperating before going back to his island of Malekula. He asked, ‘Could I have a Bible, please?’ I said,’ Yes’. He quickly added, ‘One for my wife too?’ ‘Of course,’ I agreed.

I explained that I would quickly catch a bus, to go and get the Bibles. I would return with 11 Bibles; one each for the man and his wife and the 9 boys who had asked for one. As I walked away I could here a small voice coming from one of the players, ‘Dave, I will take one please’. It was little Martha, our good friend who we have known for years. I had not asked her if she would like one, because I assumed she already had one. I said, ‘Martha you would like one too?’ ‘Yes please’. ‘You don’t have one? ‘No’, came the humble reply. I said, ‘Yes then you shall have one too’. As I hurried away to get the Bibles I reflected on how it is possible to overlook the ones that are closest to us.

Everyone was waiting as I returned. They all received, the precious Word of God. And little Martha later commented to her grandmother that she wanted to start reading the Bible for the first time in Bislama.

My heart was full that day as each child took their turn to personally thank us for their great gift with warm handshakes and with beautiful smiles.

What could be better than to give the gift of Eternal Hope.

Written by: Dave Dever

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