• Vanuatu sun, surf and smiles

Joy and family at the Vanuatu Corps annual picnic, with Darry Crowden (far left) and Major Bindy Lupis (centre, in hat), National Response Manager, Salvation Army Emergency Services.

Just 30 minutes outside Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, is the beautiful Etmat Bay and Club Hippique, the venue for the second annual Salvation Army Vanuatu Corps picnic.

“Horses grazed in the shade of a canopy of trees along the beach, a fire was lit to roast bananas to accompany the fresh baguette, sausage and onion sandwiches. And in idyllic conditions with blue, clear water, sky and sunshine, we prayed, sang songs, talked, and swam together. Only metres away, a dugong played in the shallows and entertained us,” said Daryl Crowden, General Manager Emergency, Aid and Development.

“The Salvation Army Vanuatu, led by Lilyrose George and her group of passionate women leaders, is a small but dynamic and inclusive fellowship.”

Daryl described how, last month, a young Santo man, vaguely known to one of the team members, showed up in town and needed somewhere to stay while studying economics at the National University of Vanuatu. Space was made at The Salvation Army’s 21 Jump Street facility, and the young man has joined the Jump Street family and corps. The man’s family joined him at the picnic.

Earlier this year, a young mum from an outer island was in Port Vila to receive health care for her baby, who had been diagnosed with heart issues. “Lilyrose and the team met her at the hospital during their weekly visitation and gave her a home base at 21 Jump Street,” said Daryl. “Sadly, two months later, the little baby died – at home and with his new family – and the young mum asked Lilyrose to conduct the funeral and ‘give her baby to Jesus’.

“No matter who you are, which island you’re from, or what your story is, you’ll be welcomed among the family at the vibrant, inclusive and passionate Salvation Army Vanuatu (21 Jump Street).”

Daryl added that, as the cruise ships return to the island almost eight months after a devastating earthquake, the tourist industry and the island’s economy are picking up, and the markets in the CBD have reopened.

“The country needs you to come visit,” he shares, “and when you’re in town, why not visit Lilyrose and her crew in 21 Jump Street, Tagabe – two minutes from the airport.”