Wednesday, February 11

The old rusty tank finally emptied yesterday afternoon, but the tank was too hot to move until after church last night.  We can tell how full a metal rain tank is by the line of hot vs. cold.  The sun really heats up the metal above the water line, and the water serves as a great insulator against the heat and keeps the tank cool below the water line. 

As the sun began to dip behind the trees, several of our neighbors helped us take down the old metal tank and lift up the new plastic tank into the perfect spot to fill up pots and pans with clean water.  This morning after market, Ofoaen sent her work crew (husband, son, and various assorted male neighbors) to bring the old tank over to her house.  She is SO excited to get this tank (which we considered trash) to collect water to use for washing bodies and clothes.

Lots of people turned out to give advice to the guys trying to move the unwieldy rain tank.  Ofoaen's daughter, Naris, had to rescue the guys when they almost knocked over a clothesline with the big tank.  She held up the line so they could pass underneath.

Benjamin watched the whole process from the top of a cutnut tree where he was knocking down ripe nuts with a bamboo pole.  He also provided entertainment for our neighbors who were quick to tell him to hold on and not fall or to point out some nuts that he missed.

Our morning started with all of that excitement, but now we are back into our normal routine of Aaron meeting with Barnabas and Edwin for language learning, and the rest of us are immersed in school.