TERRY and TAMI MORSE
WBF Missionaries to
FRENCH POLYNESIA
August
1, 2010
Dear
Friends,
Here in the French Territory of Polynesia, the coolest month has just
passed, July. Slowly the days are
getting longer and warmer. Soon the
sun will be directly overhead, and 5 minutes of exposure will blister the skin.
At least for people as light skinned as we.
The work has taken a few steps backward.
Mauri and Tevai, some time ago, became angry with me and do not come to
service. André and Rosalie are
quarrelling, and she refuses to come.
Although she professes salvation, I do not think she is saved.
Poyo is coming, but Frederic has fallen aside for the moment.
He refuses to marry his “wife”, a common state here in the islands,
and that has hindered of course his growth spiritually.
Bernard and his family on Huahine visited Tahiti on vacation, but he did
not come to services either. That
all is disappointing, but we are finding out that in this island culture does
not lead to commitment. People seem
genuinely saved, but they do not commit to moving beyond that initial stage of
the Christian life. It is a common
problem in dealing with people in this part of the world, as life is “laid
back” but does make it frustrating.
We are planning, if I can find a hall to rent, a chalk drawing here in
Taravao in September. I have
checked into returning to Huahine at the end of September, or maybe October, to
do the same. Our focus right now is
threefold : the church at Papeete, visitation here in Taravao and Papeete, and
the outreach of the chalk drawings.
The government looks like it might change again.
Since 2005, they have voted out the president and voted in another every
six months it seems. The problem is
that it is always the same three men. One,
named Flosse, has even spent time in prison, but they are talking about him
being president again. They tried
to pass a law saying he could not hold office, but it failed.
One of the others is for independence from France, which would never
work. But the changes see new
officials appointed to different posts, and that affects many people.
In any regard, the country is broke and strikes are often staged by the
workers. Only God knows what is to
happen, but the need for salvation remains the same among the people!
We pray for you. Thank you
for your prayers for us. We cannot
continue without your help and praise the Lord for your faithfulness.
In
Christ, Terry and Tami Morse,
French Polynesia
PS.
Just a note: We have lived
in this apartment for a month now, and frankly, it is a blessing to have it. I
did not realize how much living on the boat weighed on us.
Now, I do not worry when I leave if a wind picks up, threatening the
mooring lines, or springing a leak, dealing with the leaks when it rains, or
having enough water on board. We
have hot water now, no mold (we
battle still with our clothes and possessions smelling like the boat), a washing
machine that works all the time because the wave action does not stop the
cycles, no need to run the generator 6 hours a day to recharge the batteries,
checking the batteries daily, and much more.
Most likely this sounds like a cop out, but frankly, I feel as if I have
been freed from prison! We have a
car now, where before we took the dinghy to shore, walked to the bus and then
rode it to where ever we were going. The
ministry was very limited. As I
mentioned in our last newsletter, I could not do both ; the boat ministry and
church planting. I guess at 54 I am
realizing more and more my limitations. Then
too, with Tobijah remaining in the states for his last year of schooling and not
here to help, I could not handle it alone.
It requires too much physical strength for a woman, even one as capable
as Tami…. The wind is kicking up strongly outside the window of the apartment
right now and I don’t have to go outside, check the lines and secure
everything! Well, it was an
interesting experience all the same. But
we are both glad it is behind us. However,
a young couple could come and do it!