Vanuatu people are "lazy..."

"...the people of this country 'are lazy and are happy to be spoon-fed by Australia and New Zealand.'" [Vanuatu Daily Post, 21 August 2007]

These are the words of Root Crop Adviser with Department of Agriculture, Dr Vicent Lebott. According to Dr Lebott, ni-Vanuatus are happy as they are and do not like to work hard.

This is a very strong statement, perhaps, but it makes us think again. Not that I totally believe that this statement is true, but that it is good food for thought. Consider these questions: Why is it that the ni-Vanuatu finds it harder to get a loan from any of the commercial bank than a foreign investor? Why was the Vanuatu development Bank closed? Why do many ni-Vanuatu sell their land, and use the money to buy a four-wheel, air-conditioned, double-cabin Toyota? Why is it that the so-called 'un-employed' ni-Vanuatu thinks s/he can make more money by picking fruits in New Zealand? Why does Vanuatu have to dedicate an year to 'custom economy'? Why are there so many so-called SPRs in the two towns of Vila and Luganville when there is so much 'dark bush'?

Is Dr Lebott wrong to call the ni-Van lazy, or is he just stating a fact that the ni-Van just doesn't want to hear? And if Dr Lebott is right, what could be a reasonable response from a responsible ni-Vanuatu man or woman?

Or is 'lazy' the wrong word? The Oxford dictionary defines lazy as: unwilling to work or be active; doing as little as possible; showing a lack of effort or care; moving slowly. Other synonyms include: idle, sluggish, slothful. These all sound like someone with a high dose of their own green gold - kava. About laziness, the bible says in 2 Thes.3:10, that 'if any one is not willing to work , neither let him eat.' That's something a ni-Vanuatu father would NOT do to a lazy son. Proverbs 19:15, says "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." Eccl. 10:18 says, "By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through."

But the hardest of them all to swallow is, "But if any provideth not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." [1 Tim.5:8]. And we call Vanuatu a 'Christian' country? And then call the Chinese hardworking businessman an 'unbeliever? According to the Christians' manual in 1 Tim.5:8, shouldn't this be the other way around?

jack

Salvation at what age?

Barna Research, the largest religious polling agency in the U.S. found that the overwhelming percentage of those who are saved have experienced salvation before reaching their 14th birthday. The table below shows the findings:

Age range	% who experience salvation within that age range
5 to 13 years	32%
14 to 18 years	4%
over 19 years	6%

Even though this research was done in the US, maybe the same result would be true for any other people group. This finding shows that a vast majority of those who are saved experience the conversion during childhood - before the age of 14. A person who is unsaved at the age of 14 only has 10% chance of being 'saved' later in life.

This finding poses the following question: Should evangelism be concentrated on children?
This data challenges the widely-held belief that the teenage years (13-19 years) are the prime years for evangelistic activity. And also, most church efforts today to evangelise the unsaved is directed at adults is not effective because this is an age group which is relatively resistant to the message. The answer then is that more evangelical programs should be directed at children and the youth.

This finding should inspire the Church to shift the majority of its efforts and resources to: giving more quality training to youth leaders and workers of youth organisations; allocating a greater % of the church budget to the youth programs. Then release the children and the youth to evangelize their own generation, while we give them our greatest support!

Jesus said of children, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven", and Solomon the wisest man who ever lived said of children, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

[Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_savy.htm]