The Pinero family left Melbourne 2/3/97 to take up residence in Vanuatu. They will be targeting the French speaking people of the island of Espiritu Santos ( or just Santo ), but will also be learning the trade language ( Bislama ). The family will be stationed in Luganville, and Phillippe will be making treks into the interior to contact tribal groups ( some Pygmy-like tribes ). The Pineros were also in New Caledonia for some time this is what they had to say about it.

NEW CALEDONIA 12 YEARS

I praise God for the opportunity to serve all these years in New Caledonia. We arrived in 1984, and almost straight away started meetings in our home. Gille Ukeiwe was one of our first converts. We were suprised when we found out that Gille's father was the President of Congress of New Caledonia. The church grew rapidly and many souls were saved. The Lord kept us safe during the civil war in 1984, but the work of the Lord grew even more. We had many trips to the island of Lifou. At one meeting we saw over 40 young adults receive the Lord. The church in Noumea became autonomous and we moved up bush to a place called Moindou. The Lord provided us with accommodation in the way of an old fort on 40 acres with a large farmhouse. We used this place for many church camps, often with over 200 campers at one time. A bible college was started in the tribe of Mou on the east coast. There are now 21 national pastors working in 61 different tribal groups.

The Pinero family settled in Luganville when they arrived in 1997. Luganville is Espiritu Santo's largest town. Phillippe was pastoring the local church in Luganville, till early 1999. they are also involved in Bible school and camping ministries.

Philippe reaches the island interior by travelling by four wheel drive, horse, or foot.

They aslo reach other islands by boat..

VANUATU ( Formerly New Hebrides ), a group of about 12 islands and about 70 islets. Extending for approximately 860,000 sq km (533,000 sq mi), 12,336 sq km (7,650 sq mi) of dry land in the southwestern pacific. Port Vila is located about 1900km (1180mi) northeast of Australia. The islands range in topography from towering volcanic cones to others covered in dense rainforest to yet others which are raised coral islands with wide beaches and deep natural harbours.

Flag of Vanuatu More than half the residents live on the islands of Efate (the site of Vila, the capital), Espiritu Santo (the largest island), malekula, and Tanna. The people of Vanuatu, a name which means 'Land Eternal', are predominantly Melanesian and speak Bislama, a 'Pidgin' English. Melanesian people born in Vanuatu are known as Ni Vanuatu. The Ni Vanuatu have populated these islands for centuries and with more than 115 distinctly different cultures and languages still thriving there, Vanuatu is recognised as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

Because the islands are mountainous in the interior, most inhabitants live on the coastal plains and practice substance agriculture. Commercial plantations produce copra, cocoa and coffee for export, and fishing and meat production are also export oriented. Vanuatu has no direct taxation and is becoming a banking centre. Touism is also important to the ecconomy, which was damaged by a severe hurricane in 1987.

NI-VANUATU - THE NATIVE PEOPLE OF VANUATU Vanuatu's fractured terrain has produced an extremely diverse collection of cultures and more than 115 indigenous languages, isolated from each other by sea or impassable mountains. The indigenous population is an assemblage of Melanesian - the black people of the Western Pacific with links to Papuans and Australian Aborigines - Polynesian, the lighter skinned people of the eastern Pacific, and varying degrees in between. While Bislama is a linguistically unifying factor, English and more commonly French are also spoken.

Although the country is predominantly Christian affiliated, traditional beliefs hold sway over much of the populace and there are still many untouched tribes with in the interior of the islands. Missionaries have been successful presenting the Gospel to people who already had strong beliefs, although, the Ni-Vanuatu world is still inhabited by spirits and demons and traditional dances and ceremonies still play a major role in villagers' lives, with participants acting out the roles of mythical figures or their ancestors. Magic stones carved from pumice are part of Vanuatu's hidden life and are generally not on display. The Ni-Vanuatu pride themselves on their musical instruments which are traditionally used in ceremonies.

ESPIRITU SANTO is Vanuatu's largest island, 4010 km2 in size and is fascinating in its diversity. Santo has Vanuatu's highest mountains; Mt Tabwemasana, over 1700 m., rises out of dense vegetation covering an entire chain which runs along the full length of the island on the western side. The southern and eastern parts of the island are quite flat, covered with plantations and fine grounds for cattle grazing. Due to its size and its mountains, Santo has the greatest expanses of original rainforest home to interesting birds and beautiful orchids. Huge Kauri trees still grow in the southwest mountain forests.