“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”, (Matthew 28:19 ESV).
Throughout the centuries, many have suffered martyrdom in answer to this command of Christ. And none have stood more brave and true than the courageous men and women who accepted without question the call to share the good news of Jesus among the cannibalistic peoples of the South Pacific. These young missionaries accepted the challenge and faced the dangers of serving a heathen and hostile people who were a law unto themselves—who lived and died the only way they knew: without God and without hope.
Among the 80 some islands of the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Malekula was the most primitive, the most heathen, the most savage. There was no evidence of human love, but in its place disaffection and malice reigned. From the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, missionary pioneers faced the dangers, suffered the fevers, battled the elements, and gave their lives. Man-Eaters of Malekula is their story.
This colorful record gives the factual stories of these Christian heroes—C. H. Parker, Harold Carr, A. G. Stewart, Norman and Alma Wiles, Will and Louisa Smith, the Ross James and Don Nicholson families—and they are remembered here as honored examples of dedication, fortitude, and Christian courage.
Man-Eaters of Malekula is more than a mission story. It is a documented account of miracles, drama, tragedy and triumph in the rescue of thousands from the darkness of evil to the hope and healing found in the name of Jesus.