Resident missionaries make an impact

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Every day, the average human makes approximately 5,000 decisions, according to an article by New York Times. Those decisions may seem miniscule or repetitive, but they have the power to change your life.

Shawnda and Eric Brandell, visiting missionaries on Oklahoma Christian University’s campus this semester, have come to know the power of small decisions on a very personal basis.

“There were a lot of pieces that fell into place to get us to Vanuatu,” Eric said.

Vanuatu is a South Pacific nation comprised of 83 islands located 1,000 miles east of Australia and 1,000 miles north of New Zealand. The Mission Vanuatu website clarifies that while English and French are the official national languages, Bislama is the true language spoken and in addition to that, each island has it’s own unique dialect. With over 100 distinct languages, Vanuatu is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.

In 2000, Nancy Hartman, adjunct faculty member and missionary in residence, introduced the Brandells to her daughter, Heidi Hartman Picker, who had just returned from six weeks of mission work in Vanuatu.

“I think that was the first time they had heard of the place that only God knew would one day be their home,” Hartman said.

Shawnda and Eric had no idea that full-time mission work was in their future when they graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

“I taught for two years in Stillwater and Tulsa while Eric got a job as an accountant for Ernst & Young,” Shawnda said. “He decided that was not what he wanted to do with his life, prayed about it for months and then approached [me] with the idea of going to a Bible school program.”

The Brandells chose Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, Colo. because it was close to Shawnda’s family and they were familiar with the program.

“While we were there, we learned so much and ended up meeting our team while we were in school,” Eric said.

The team in Vanuatu is composed of Eric and Shawnda and their kids, Aaron and Cindy Baker and their kids and Mike Olson.

In 2004, they graduated from the Bible program at Bear Valley and by April of 2005, the team moved to Vanuatu. For the first six years, they lived in the capital city, Port Vila.

“It is definitely a developing country, but the capital city has grocery stores, resorts, hotels, cars, concrete block houses and modern amenities,” Shawnda said.

After their time in Port Vila, they moved to another island in Vanuatu called Malekula.

“Life in Malekula is quite different,” Eric said. “We live in a village of about 500 people … we use rain water and solar panels for our needs. It’s a bit like permanent camping with our outdoor toilet, outdoor shower and most of our village lives being spent outdoors.”

Hartman said the Brandells are doing great work in Vanuatu.

“Most people could not live the lifestyle they are living and enjoy it,” Hartman said. “Eric and Shawnda truly love the people and the country and have embraced the culture … God is working powerfully through them because of their faith and their sincere servant hearts.”

Full-time mission work has it’s own unique challenges and the Brandells are quick to admit that.

“Being away from family is probably the hardest thing about mission work,” Shawnda said. “Not having those familiar people and places around you to boost you when you are down is hard.”

For the Brandells, being a part of the daily lives of the people makes it all worthwhile.

“We have invested so much of our time, our tears, our family and ourselves into the lives of our loved ones in Vanuatu,” Shawnda said. “We have become a part of each other, we have seen lives changed – theirs and ours. That is why they are so special to us.”

Having that presence in the lives of the people of Vanuatu allows them to witness subtle changes that happen over time.

“Seeing people’s lives changed … is the single most rewarding part,” Shawnda said. “Knowing where someone is coming from and seeing their lives totally transformed by the power of the gospel is a huge blessing.”

Shawnda and Eric are currently on furlough and are acting as the visiting missionaries at Oklahoma Christian.

“We absolutely love being the visiting missionaries this semester,” Eric said. “It has been such a blessing for us … encouraging students to be involved and interested in missions.”

Eric is a part of several classes as a guest lecturer and Shawnda is involved in the Women in Missions class taught by Nancy Hartman.

“Our family tries to take opportunities to get to know students any chance we have,” Shawnda said. “We are passionate about mission work and being involved in God’s mission no matter where you live.”

That presence on campus has not gone unnoticed. Abby deSteiguer, a sophomore, met Shawnda through the Women in Missions class.

“Shawnda has been such an important part of class … she adds a lot of great insight because she is currently on the mission field,” deSteiguer said. “She is always joyful and she has made an effort to get to know us individually.”

deSteiguer said the Brandells are great living examples, particularly to students interested in mission work.

“Their presence on campus is so appreciated; they’ve been such a blessing to OC by contributing to the mission-mindedness of our school,” deSteiguer said. “Eric and Shawnda have great hearts and a passion that is visible to everyone that meets them.”

Hartman echoed deSteiguer’s sentiment.

“The Brandells have been exactly what we want visiting missionaries to be,” Hartman said. “They relate well to the students, have an amazing story to tell, and their passion for mission work is contagious … they are great examples and heroes of the faith and we are so blessed to know them and have them at OC for the semester.”

According to Shawnda, deciding to follow God’s plan for their family has blessed them in countless ways.

“We know God in a much more intimate way than we did before moving there,” Shawnda said of Vanuatu. “We learned through the hard times how to trust God better, how to rely solely on Him to provide for us.”

Their time as visiting missionaries ends in January when they head back to Vanuatu.

For more information on the work in Vanuatu or to follow the Brandell family on their journey, visit www.missionvanuatu.com or www.missionvanuatu.blogspot.com.