Wild and Crazy

Last Tuesday, I looked at my amazing husband and pitched a wild and crazy idea.  The kids and I would make a quick trip into Honiara to see the amazing Coombe family and to celebrate with them the completion of the Gela New Testament after so many years of hard work, faithfulness, and sacrifice.  Part of the crazy was the fact that the boat was supposed to come on Tuesday night and part of the crazy was that SITAG housing was full due to the influx of visitors for the dedication.

Surprise!  Sarah greets Naomi at the airport with a hug.

 

Aaron supported me, his wife who had gone slightly off her rocker.  Maybe it was the heat that was getting to me.  Maybe it was the rat that we didn't seem to like the poison or the fish we left in the trap.  Sarah said the rat was vegetarian because he loved to eat the pumpkin seeds I left out or the tomatoes that were sitting on the cabinet overnight.  Whatever it was, we stayed up late Tuesday night, cooking ahead and preparing shopping lists and talking on the radio with our amazing SITAG colleagues who made a way for us to have comfy beds on which to lay our heads when we arrived.

SITAG's truck about to drive off to the wharf to load the Gela New Testaments onto the boat

And it's been a whirlwind few days.  The ship was much later than anticipated, but that gave us a day trip instead of an overnight trip.  Our SITAG colleagues flexed and picked us up late Wednesday night and even brought us some fresh food from one of the roadside stands.  We got to surprise Naomi at the airport and holler and hug necks when the team of visitors arrived.  I was able to do some shopping in Honiara to get a few of the things we had forgotten in the hustle and bustle of leaving for the village.  The kids and I got to work in the ERC alongside an amazingly organized colleague who is getting our library into shape.  And I fought UUPlus from this side (again with knowledgeable colleagues by my side), singing out on the radio and trying to encourage the teams in the village as we all spent hours just trying to connect with the outside world.

"See-you-laters" We love this sweet couple so much!

And now the whirlwind is about to slow down.  In the morning, a huge group of people will leave on a ship bound for Gela to celebrate God's grace in bringing His word to people in their heart language.  And my own children and I will once again get on the trusty Kosco and head back to Aaron in Marulaon Village where we are working toward getting scripture translated into Lavukaleve.  Some day, we will be the ones hosting friends and family as we celebrate a New Testament dedication.  Until then, we are faithful with our two loaves and five fish as we offer up the little we possess to the Lord.