We arrived mid-morning and introduced Edi to everybody before th
e kids whisked her off to play. The ladies and I went to Janet and Ezekiel's house to record the stories of the boy Jesus in the temple and the temptation of Adam and Eve, while the men stayed in the little shelter next to Janet's kitchen. Ezekiel's plans had changed, so he was available, and the translation committee chairman, Hiva, came over with us. Aaron got to have a much-needed meeting with the committee members from Karumulun. 
After I finished with the recordings, we visited some about a book written by a former SITAG member. This book, written in Pijin, is the story of a Solomon Island mother who is teaching her daughter about the changes she can expect in her body and how to glorify God with her body. Every time the mom makes a point, she doesn't point to her own thinking, but to the Bible as the source of information. We really need this book in Lavukaleve, and one of the Lavukal translators has crafted the first draft. This will be the next project for the women in our area. The more our neighbors can practice reading in their heart language, the more prepared they will be when the scriptures are finally translated.
After all of the meetings were finished, the ladies who made the recordings graciously prepared a lunch of fish and rice for our family and the translation committee chairman. Fish cooked in coconut milk is SO delicious! Because all of the women who met today have names that begin with "J", we joked that we should form some sort of singing or dancing group.
Edi made lots of little friends, and one of Ezekiel and Janet's grandchildren fell asleep on Edi's shoulder.
And another one of their grandchildren (they have thirteen so far) was a little bit frightened of me and would only peek around the post when I tried to take his picture.
We paddled back home mid-afternoon, and Aaron and I got right to work while the kids went out to play. Our stapler wasn't working well, so I ended up hand-sewing the spines on the little Bible story booklets. God continued to bless our day when I discovered that the man who had done the drawings for the story of creation was now a teacher at the local elementary school. And, he happened to be at his parents' house in Marulaon today! So, I gave him a copy of the story of temptation found in Genesis 3, and he promised to draw some pictures soon. He and another teacher also requested us to make copies for each of the students taking an exam next week at school. They provided a ream of paper to help. Each of the exams has been written by hand, including drawings for science. I can't even imagine writing out 16-20 tests by hand.
While I was out and about, I checked on the kids who were swimming and paddling around. I found my tender-hearted Benjamin rescuing a lizard from a canoe that had turned over and was full of water. He was swimming toward shore with the lizard propped on his hand while the canoe and paddle drifted away. So, Olivia and Katherine went to rescue the canoe!
Our day finished well, too. After church, I was visiting with Margaret, and as we walked back to the house in the dusk, I noticed that the moon was just rising blazing red over the horizon. I ran up to the house and interrupted the others who were singing, and we all stood in awe in the dark as the moon continue to come up.
1 comment:
What a beautiful day!
Post a Comment