Chicken PIlau

When I was so sick and Aaron was in the village, Olivia made Chicken Pilau for supper one night.  Super easy, inexpensive, delicious, and feeds a crowd (or makes lots of leftovers)!  So many wins with this recipe.  This is also a great recipe for the kid to be the head chef and the parent to be the sous chef.

Chicken Pilau

(adapted from More With Less Cookbook)

Serves 8

Combine in large kettle:

1 3-4 lb. frying chicken, cut up (or an equivalent bag of your favorite chicken parts to fit your budget)

2 quarts water

1 clove garlic (you know my motto, always more garlic)

1 tsp. salt

Sauté in small skillet:

3 Tbsp. oil

2 onions, minced

Add to chicken and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Add:

2 1/2 cups brown rice

1 cup dehydrated shoestring carrots or 2 cups of diced carrots

Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.  Remove chicken to a platter.  Stir into rice:

1 1/2 cup raisins (not my girls' favorite, so sometimes I omit)

1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

"The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?... I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."  

Psalm 27:1, 13, 14

Our family just started reading "A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble".  With all of the uncertainties created by the virus, Psalm 27 is the perfect way to begin our day together as we eat breakfast, filling our tummies and our spirits.

They have been a terrible two years -- and yet I have a queer feeling of thankfulness for them -- as if they had brought me something very precious, with all their pain.  I wouldn't want to go back and be the girl I was two years ago, not even if I could....And still," -- Rilla gave a little apologetic laugh, "I don't want to suffer any more -- not even for the sake of more soul growth.  At the end of two more years I might look back and be thankful for the development they had brought me, too; but I don't want it now."  ~L.M. Montgomery, "Rilla of Ingleside"

Olivia and I just finished reading the entire Anne of Green Gables series, and this section where Rilla talks about her experiences during WWI made me think about the current COVID situation.

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, you faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."  James 1:2-4 MSG

We wouldn't have picked our current situation, but we are making the most of it, stewarding each day as it comes, doing our best to keep our choices faithful and our hearts soft as God does His work in us.  Aaron continues to work on the translation project and to leave the results up to the Lord.  The girls and I continue to practice music, hone our minds with school, care for our bodies with good food and exercise, and nurture those around us.  The goal that we all seek?  "Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed," even when we agree with Rilla that we wouldn't have chosen this particular path.

Solo Trip to Marulaon

"These flexible thinkers enjoy taking an unconventional approach to many aspects of life. They often seek out unlikely paths, mixing willingness to experiment with personal creativity." ~16personalities   

If you look up my hubby's INTP personality, these are some of the first words you will read.  His flexibility and personal creativity make him the perfect candidate to assemble all of the constantly changing pieces of the village puzzle into something productive and meaningful.  His trip last week including changing ships at the last minute, waiting for a drum of petrol that finally arrived on the day before he left, tracking down motor canoes to replace the ones that should have shown up, discerning stewardship of time vs. money, all while navigating different personalities and cross-cultural situations.  In eight days.

The Lavukaleve Translation Team continues to inch its way through Matthew in preparation for a consultant check.  Aaron also made some good contacts with people in the other communities and in higher levels of the church organizational network.  And he worked on completing our sparse inventory from our unexpected and hurried departure.  His quick trip was fruitful, and we're so thankful for the team of people around the world that supports and encourages this translation project.

Marriage Monday - Kissaversary Edition

It all started when the first human on earth decided to name his wife after a hazardous chemical reaction.  After having just been introduced to the only other human being on earth, he says, "She shall be called ishshah - woman, because she was taken out of ish - man."  Ish and ishshah.  I assume that though they have a certain ring to them, these won't be topping your list of names for future kids.  Even so, they paint a picture about marriage that answers many of our modern questions.  To start, both words are derived from the root word and Hebrew character esh, which mean fire.  This means the original word picture we have for the relationship between a man and a woman is an all-consuming, tireless in nature, potentially hazard-creating fire.  And though this picture lends itself to the modern concept of heated romance or passionate love, the Bible consistently points to a different purpose of fire.  Fire happens to be one of the Bible's primary metaphors for purification and personal development.

~Tyler Ward, "Marriage Rebranded"

We don't have any Hershey's kisses to help us celebrate this year, but after thirty years of smooching we're still telling the story and celebrating the passionate and purifying fire of our relationship.

Sweet Sabbath

"A true community is something you'll have to fight for.  You'll have to fight to get one, and you'll have to fight to keep it afloat.  But you fight for it as you bail out a life raft during a storm at sea.  You want this thing to work.  You need this thing to work....This is the reason those small house fellowships trive in other countries:  they need each other.  There are no other options."  ~John Eldredge, "Waking the Dead"

Soooo...last week didn't go quite as planned.  Not for Aaron, who is Mr. Flexibility, and not for the girls left at home.  I'll save Aaron's story for another time, but my week consisted of fighting Giardia critters and watching my girls and my SITAG colleagues pick up all of the pieces.  Olivia cooked and kept laundry going while I was bedridden, my teammates picked up extra produce at the market and checked on me regularly.  Ten pounds and five meds later, I'm feeling much better.  The girls and I went out to celebrate yesterday morning.  We celebrated their endurance, my recovery, and our community.  In addition, Aaron finally made it home this evening.  One more reason to celebrate.

He's Off!

We finally got this guy on a boat last night.  Not the Kosco, the Penzella.  Friday morning, Aaron found a sign on the Kosco's door announcing a departure of noon on Saturday.  But when he drove down to the wharf Saturday morning to double check, he discovered that the Kosco wasn't leaving until Tuesday night.  Thankfully, he found a new-to-us ship, the Penzella, planning to go out to the Russells on Saturday night.  So, Mr. Flexible changed the program.

The little boat already overflowed with people when we arrived.  The girls and I didn't stay for very long, just put Aaron and his cargo on the ship, took a couple of pics, and drove home.

And when we got home, I discovered two things.  1)  Aaron had the house keys in his pocket.  On the boat.  Thankfully, we were able to find a door that had been accidently left unlocked so we could go the round-about way through another apartment.  2)  My husband and friend of so many years set the coffee pot before he left.  All I had to do this morning was flip a switch.  That's true love.

Favorite Friday Five

1) We were supposed to be in Australia now, visiting all sorts of doctors and getting school supplies from my mom who was bringing a suitcase full of things we ordered.  New planners are also waiting for us.  With no snail mail coming or going from the Solomon Islands, and no flights coming or going anytime soon, I need to make an extension to my current planner.  I found free printables, including undated daily planner pages, on the Day Designer website, and they will have to tide me over until the world rebounds a little bit from this crazy virus.

2)  I confess, neither Aaron nor I are as organized as we want to be, especially when it comes to our budget.  We recently discovered everydollar.com to help keep us communicating with each other well and to encourage us to steward our financial resources well.  Three homes means three budgets, but I'm excited about the flexibility and ease this tool provides for us!

3) A new-to-me encouraging blog by Kaitlyn Bouchillon inspires with book lists, more lovely printables, and wise words based on God's Word.

4) For my birthday and Mother's Day combined, Aaron gifted me with a Strengths Finder evaluation. I'm super excited to have another tool in my toolbox!

5)  Bagels are one of my favorite breakfasts.  We can't buy them here, but we can make them!  Sarah shared a recipe she recently made, and we created a bagel factory.  The first batch was ugly, but we plan to try again with a variety of additions.

God's calendar

When you read, "All the days ordained for me were written in [God's] book before one of them came to be," think "God knows my calendar and God knows me."  The world translated ordained is the same word as that used in Genesis when it says God fashioned or formed man out of the earth.  It's not just that he knows our days in terms of how many, but it's the idea of being uniquely fashioned.  We have a divine design that reminds us we're tailormade by God for his glory and our good.  He sees the end from the beginning, and he uniquely gifted you and me for our special contribution. 

 ~Chip Ingram, "Finding God When You Need Him Most"

Aaron has been trying to get back out to the village for several weeks, but the boats just aren't cooperating on our timetable!  That means I still get my walking buddy each morning.  A couple of ships are suggesting they might possibly maybe go out to the Russells on Saturday.  I need the sweet, constant refrain of "God knows my calendar, and God knows me."

Apple Torte Blackforest Style

We've really loved trying new recipes in the homes of our German colleagues.  Recently, we enjoyed learning how to make an Apple Torte in a Blackforest style.  

Apple Torte Blackforest Style
Preparation: 50 min
Baking: 30 min
Cooking: 5 min
Refrigeration: 3 hours

Ingredients for sponge:
4 eggs, 1 pinch salt, 200g sugar, 80g flour, 80g cornstarch, 2 tb baking powder, 30g cocoa powder

For filling:
5 apples, 500 ml apple juice, 3 tb sugar, 1 pk vanilla pudding powder or apprx. 5 tb custard powder,
500g whipping cream, 2 tb vanilla sugar (or regular sugar with 2 drops vanilla flavour)
For coat: 250g whipping cream, 1 tb vanilla sugar, 1 apple, 2 tb lemon juice, 2 tb chocolate
shavings

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat egg whites with 4 tb water, salt
and sugar until stiff peaks. Mix yolks and gently fold in to beaten egg whites. Mix flour, baking
powder, cornstarch and cocoa powder, sift and gently fold in. Pour into non-greased spring form
pan (Ø 26 cm) (I always cover the bottom with baking paper). Bake in the middle of the oven for
about 30 min.

2. Wash the apples, peel, core and cube them. Mix 450 ml of apple juice and sugar, simmer apples
and juice for about 5 min. Mix pudding powder or custard powder with the rest of the juice, mix in
and bring to boil. Let cool. Whip cream with vanilla sugar until stiff. Slice sponge into three layers.
Put bottom layer on a cake stand and surround with torte ring. Pour half of the apple compote on the
bottom layer and half of the whipped cream. Put middle layer on top. Pour rest of the apple compote
and cream on top. Cover with top layer. Refrigerate for three hours.

3. Whip cream with vanilla sugar. Coat cake with cream. Core apple and slice thin. Sprinkle with
lemon juice and pat dry a little bit. Decorate cake with chocolate shavings and apple slices

Change of Plans

When Aaron went down to the wharf this morning, he couldn't find the Penzella.  This ship is a new one to us, but the crew told Aaron it would be leaving on Tuesday evening to go to the Russells.  Evidently, the boat needed repairs!  But he did hear some rumors that a couple of other ships might be going our direction this coming weekend.  He called me with an update, then walked around the wharf to find one of those ships.

He found the Kosco and learned that the boat plans to leave on Wednesday night.  Sometimes it feels like we are being jerked around.  First Tuesday, then Saturday, then Wednesday.  My husband is the best at flexibility, and I'm doing the best I can to make sure he has the supplies he needs for a week-long solo trip out to Marulaon. 

Weekend Wonders

"In our always-connected digital world, many of us have become accustomed to the idea that we are the architects of our days.  We make our appointments and set our schedules, all the while kvetching that we're just too busy.  Our overscheduled lives proclaim to the world and ourselves that, really, we're super indispensable people....I'd like to suggest that our watches and DayTimers and Google calendars are not the measure of our worth.  We who belong to Jesus understand (at least in our heads) that we are not our own.  Our eternal God has given us this slice of eternity, right here and now, in which to live for and with him."  

~Michelle VanLoon, "Moments and Days:  How our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith"

This is not how we thought we'd be spending the week.  Our calendars said we had flights booked to Brisbane last Thursday and eye appointments on Friday.  I was supposed to be spending Mother's Day with my mom in Australia.  But when I look back at how last week unfolded, I see some other sweet memories that showed up instead.  On Monday, we observed "May the 4th" with an epic light saber battle and Princess Leia hair dos. 

Wednesday at lunch, SITAG held a pizza party to celebrate the six Honiara May birthdays.  So many different fun kinds of pizza as the moms somehow found time in their busy mornings to bake around small children and school and laundry and all of the many other things clamoring for attention.  The mamas around here amaze me with their energy and joy.  Celebrating all of the different personalities that God created was so much fun!

Aaron attended an all day Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, and we attempted to hold a porch watch party for the Flower Moon on Thursday evening.  The Chinese Chicken Wraps were delicious, but the clouds disappointed us as they hid the moonrise.  Olivia and Katherine finished up Week 4 in their school curriculum on Friday.  And yesterday, my girls attended one of their SITAG "cousins" birthday party.  When Aaron went to the wharf to check on ships bound for the Russells, he found the Kosco filling its hold with an anticipated departure of Tuesday night.  So, he's hoping for a solo trip this coming week.  Although we often act as if we are the "architects of our days", we're constantly reminded that God has some sweet things in store for us that we didn't plan or anticipate.

Protein Power

When we're shopping for protein in Honiara, we expect to pay twice as much as we would in our hometown in Arkansas.  Eggs, nuts, ground beef, cheese, beans, peanut butter, chicken...everything costs double. I'm a girl who loves her protein.

However, if an item is past its expiration date, especially cheese and beans, it goes on sale and feels like a huge victory!  And we recently found a couple of bags of dried white beans on the sale table.  This week, I've had fun looking up recipes, and the first one we tried was the delicious Italian White Bean and Sausage Stew.  Olivia cooks on Friday nights, and she has chosen to make Tuscan Chicken and Beans.

Marriage Monday

In the balance of this one-flesh union, as husband and wife cleave and nurture each other and their children, they simultaneously reverberate this nurturing capacity to others.  

~Rosaria Butterfield, "The Gospel Comes With a House Key"

There is a God who works on humanity's behalf.  He is the Homemaker who keeps his people, and he will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:3-4).  The Lord is always about the housekeeping:  in our families, in out churches, in our cities, and in the world.

~Jen Pollock Michel, "Keeping Place"

This is our prayer, that our marriage would imitate our Homemaker, the One who reverberates with a nurturing capacity.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  

Ephesians 5:1-2

While it certainly requires more work to empathize with those whose journeys differ from our own, it isn't impossible.  It simply requires our effort and a real desire to learn.  We may have to look more carefully, expand our worldview, open our ears and homes and hearts, but we can empathize with others, regardless of our differences. 

~Lauren Casper, "Loving Well in a Broken World: Discover the Hidden Power of Empathy"

One of my favorite things about living and working in the Solomon Islands?  Rubbing shoulders with people whose passports originate in a variety of countries.  Not only do we get to share life with people who call the Solomon Islands home, but we also weave our lives together with those who call Australia, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand home.  We learn so much as we share meals, stumble over cultural differences, ask for forgiveness, raise kids together, and repeatedly say, "What is this like in your home?"  We grownups are slow, but my third culture kids slide into an easy understanding as we "open our ears and homes and hearts".