Family Breaks Taboo to Embrace Christians
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu • It’s always exciting for Hope Pacific Mission’s Nathan and Jennifer Thomas when they open a new Christian school. But with their new school on Pentecost Island, they got unexpected news that made the joy even sweeter. The island is home to a number of “custom” villages that reject Western influence and hold tightly to the old, traditional ways. This includes culture, dress, economics, and even religion (animism). Many such villages are strictly closed to outsiders, and they can be especially hard to reach with the gospel.
Hope Pacific Mission’s schools are open and welcoming to all, so the Thomases were delighted when three students enrolled from a nearby custom village. “What an honor that their first school experience will be with us,” the couple shared. “Would you pray with us for our teachers as they show these new students the love of Christ daily in their classroom?”
“His name will be the hope of all the world.”
—Matthew 12:21 NLT