Preparation for SITAG's Conference

 

 

Some of our colleagues gathered together yesterday afternoon to help decorate the SITAG truck.

 

 

We wanted to welcome everybody flying into Henderson Field today.  Eleven people are flying to Honiara to attend SITAG's Conference, and six are coming by ship.

 

 

We split coconut leaves and stuck beautiful frangipani flowers on the spine of the leaves.

 
 

And we also curved the coconut branches over to frame the entrance to the truck.

 

 

Even though SITAG's Conference doesn't officially begin until Thursday night, we feel like it begins today!  The kids had a short day of school, and we left SITAG mid morning to drive to the airport to welcome the first batch of visitors from America.

 

 

Some of the visitors are back to serve as Conference pastor and encourager.  We can hardly believe they want to come back again after serving SITAG in 2009 and 2011.

 

 

Some of the visitors were stepping into their very first taste of the Solomon Islands as they came to serve our children during Conference.

 

 

A truckload of happy visitors and kids pulled out of the airport parking lot, and the kids got off to join the parents as we paused for a quick lunch

 

 

before returning to the airport to wait for the next airplane.  This plane was coming from Australia. Everybody we were welcoming was a familiar face to SITAG.  It was like waiting for family!

 

 

After an hour's delay (so glad we brought school books!), the plane finally landing amid darkening clouds.

 

 

We cheered and waved as each of our colleagues (I'm so glad we call them friends, too!) stepped off the plane.  Hard to believe that it's been two years since sweet Naomi lived with us.  It will be so nice to have her living so close by again! 

 

 

Then we all scurried down the steps to wait for everyone to clear customs.

 

 

While we waited, one of my adorable "nephews" found a butterfly that stayed perched on his hand for a while.

 

 

What a treat in the middle of the chaos!  We finally got all of the people and luggage into the SITAG vehicles.  Delightedly, Caroline also returned this afternoon, so we made a quick stop to pick her up. 

 

 

The clouds were gathering and moving our way rapidly, and I left a load of laundry drying on the line.  I pulled into SITAG just as the first drops splattered against the windshield, sped out the door and across several yards to begin yanking clothes off the line beside my amazing children (who had also just arrived in the truck).  Between my colleagues and my kids, we got the mattress and the clothes inside just as the deluge hit.  Whew -  Good teamwork!