Advent Weekend Wonders

Saturday Dec 17 & Sunday Dec 18

"When you hear music that pierces your spirit, thank God for the gift of music. When you witness generosity that reminds you of the deep goodness of humanity, thank God for the way he created us. When you feel a profound sense of beauty, thank God for it. When the faces of your children or your parents shock you with the love you feel for them, thank God. When the traditions and smells and sounds of Christmas that you love and wait for all year long overwhelm you and you think, I love this world we live in, thank God for those things." ~Shauna Niequist

With only a little more than a week left in Marulaon Village, Aaron and I have been discussing the food situation. Our topic: sorting through perishables and non-perishables and making a plan to be good stewards of what we have. This trip, more than ever before, we've enjoyed an abundance of starch at the market. Cooking bananas, cassava, and local potatoes have shown up almost every market. But protein has been scarce. And I crave protein. This weekend, as I sat and visited with some of my friends near the shore, one of Katherine's friends (prompted by her grandmother, Ofoaen, I'm pretty sure!) brought me a big fish that had just been caught on the way from Honiara to Marulaon. I got my fill of delicious, fresh protein.

Not only are we beginning to tackle packing this weekend, but we are also scrambling to try and finish some house maintenance. The tropics fight hard to destroy everything. It was time once again to replace the screens on the side of the house that faces the ocean.

This time, Aaron enjoyed the help of a right-hand man. Benjamin is beginning to take on the mantle of manhood. In a few days, my son will celebrate his 16th birthday. And I'm so proud of the man he is becoming and the choices he is making.

God always knows the desires of our hearts. My kids have asked for cuddly pets as long as I can remember, but with our constant moving back and forth, and with the way animals are usually treated here in the Solomon Islands, a pet just hasn't been an option. A kitten showed up on our porch a few days ago, and it has delighted our family! We know the owner, and she is aware that the kitten is at our house. We've asked to enjoy the kitten until we leave next week. A sweet gift bringing lots of laughs in the midst of a full week!