Jan 4 & 5

Saturday, January 4

Three nights in a row, groups have roamed around the village, singing, dancing, banging pots and pans.  I can hardly think straight because I'm so tired.  Lord, please give me love for the people around me. 

Sunday, January 5

We haven't paddled over to Karumulun since we left for fulough, and today seemed like the perfect time to go.  We borrowed a canoe and reciprocated with a bag of rice, an onion, a bottle of curry powder, and a big jar of dry mince/TVP.  Hiva went with us to help steer the canoe and because he is chairman of the Translation Committee.  Everybody paddled.  Even Katherine.  So our little fiberglass canoe fairly flew over the glassy ocean.  

When we pulled up on shore, we found a large group of women and children in the midst of “sing-roll”,  the banging, singing, and dancing that characterizes this time of year.  They greeted us by throwing water on us – tuwetting us – the traditional New Year's greeting!

Our first stop was to Chief Raymond's house to drop off some lelenga and tell him thank you for holding my medicine the day the Bilikiki came by Karumulun.  I asked when they expected the diving ship to return next, thinking that it would be next week or the week after next.  But instead, I heard that the Bilikiki wasn't expected until March or April.  Wow.  God's timing sure is good to bring the ship to us exactly when we needed that medicine. 

Katherine, Olivia, and I took one of our pineapples over to the District Priest's house and met his new baby boy.  He is a cutie!  Then the rest of the group caught up with us and we met Ezekiel coming toward us.  His house is at the very end of the village, so we all walked over together.  

My big kids found some other kids and begin to play games while Aaron sat down for a business meeting and Katherine and I watched Janet (Ezekiel's wife) make bread to cook over hot stones.

Katherine even helped build the fire and layer the stones on top. 

While Aaron talked about linguistics and the upcoming year's program for the translation, Janet and I sat and talked about how we met our husbands, where each of her eight kids are right now, and gardens.  Two hours flew by!  

Ezekiel walked us back to the canoe, and before we paddled off, he splashed water on each of our backs and wished us a Happy New Year.  When we returned to Marulaon, several people commented that we were paddling so fast it looked like we were using an engine.  I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow.