From February 12

Just a few things for thich I'm thanking the Lord today:

-plenty of bananas from market yesterday

-the loan of Naomi's camera (again) until we can get a new battery charger for our camera

-nine, count 'em, nine parcels of fish that showed up at our door today after church, all from different families in our village (I forsee some tuna salad in the near future!)

-Kosko and the friends at SITAG who are willing to send us the things we need

-babies peeing on me, because it means that they and their moms are comfortable enough to let me walk around holding the precious children of Marulaon

From February 10

“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”

Hosea 10:12

When I began re-reading through the Bible chronologically this year, I was struck at how many people had soft hearts and responding quickly to the Lord when they were young. Abraham responded in faith and obedience, yet later lied about his wife (twice!), and took matters into his own hands when a baby didn't appear fast enough. As a young woman, Rebekah quickly agreed to follow Abraham's servant to her new home, yet as a mother of adult sons, she conspired to deceive her husband. Miriam trusted God to take care of her baby brother floating in the water, but years later added her voice to the complaining Israelites against Moses and brought God's wrath upon herself manifested through leprosy.

“Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” Proverbs 28:14

Last summer when several young men and women came to help with SITAG's conference, I realized how crusty my own heart had gotten. Like a pond that slowly freezes from the edges, my heart showed signs of becoming hard. Four of the five were children of Bible translators in the Solomon Islands. Their hearts responded quickly to the Lord, and their lives glowed with a vibrant walk with Him. SITAG's Conference fed me with good teaching from God's Word, sweet fellowship, and times to focus in prayer and worship with our SITAG colleagues. After Conference, our family jumped into a hectic pace of back and forth from village to Honiara, and once again I felt my heart began to grow icy around the edges. Arrrrrgh!

“Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman, that my being may be a tilled field, the roots of grace spreading far and wide, until thou alone art seen in me, thy beauty golden like summer harvest, they fruitfulness as autumn plenty.” from “Valley of Vision”

In the day to day survival of living in a village deep in another culture, I struggle. But I love living here, maybe because life in Marulaon keeps me so aware of my inadequacies.

From February 8

Last night, one of our neighbors came to our door to tell us that Aaron had borrowed a cell phone and called them.  He requested that we give some petrol to the driver of a motor canoe first thing this morning so the canoe could come pick them up.  As soon as the bell for morning prayer rang, I lugged the petrol down the hill in hopes that Aaron would make it back from his workshop early today!

While in Honiara, one of our SITAG friends gave us a great poster of fish in the area.  For language learning today, I took the poster and walked around the village asking the names of each of the fish in Lavukaleve.  Red Snapper has no other name besides "snappa" - I found that fascinating.  I also learned how to ask "What's your favorite fish?"  The Lavukal don't use a word for favorite, they use the word for "think high" or "praise", the same word they use for praising God.

I went to check on the kids and found them motuing kino/cutnut while their friends' dad worked on making a canoe beside them.  They played, and I worked on my fish poster until we saw a tiny motor canoe far out in the distance heading toward Marulaon.  Sure enough, it was Aaron coming back home to us.  So nice to have our whole family together again.

From February 6

For Today...Monday, February 6

Outside my window...rain, rain, rain, but rain brings cooler temperatures

I am thinking...and praying for my grandmother since I just heard an e-mail from my dad read over the radio about her being in the hospital

From the learning rooms...we've finally made it into the 1500s! Olivia (Singapore 4A) and Katherine (Singapore Earlybird B) are starting new math books this week.

I am thankful for...my hard working kids picking up the slack while their daddy is away. They are remembering to turn the solar panels, carry up buckets of water, burn the trash, and still staying on top of their school assignments.

From the kitchen...enjoying some mixes from care packages to make things easy today while Aaron is in another village: blueberry muffins for breakfast, tortilla soup for lunch, and tuna salad and crackers tonight

I am reading... and really enjoying “Laura Bush: Spoken From theHeart” by Laura Bush on loan from a SITAG friend

I am hoping...for a break from this cyclone warning so I can finish the recordings of this round of Bible stories

I am creating...lists of things I want to make sure we bring back from the States for our house in Marulaon. It includes things like a replacement copy of the Berenstein Bears science book used in Sonlight's preschool curriculum, pyrex dishes (9 x 13, 8 x 11, and 8 x 8), and new solar shower bags.

I am hearing...the rain pounding on the tin roof.

Around the house...clothes hanging underneath the house trying to get dry; Magellen, Vasco da Gama, Raphael, and Michelangelo have been added to our wall of fame in the hallway

One of my favorite things...all six of us at home together.

Pondering these words... “I can imagine a couple of ways to make horses want to drink. One would be to run them hard. Push them to run faster or climb higher or go farther than they are comfortable and when you stop at water, they will want to drink. Another way I can think of is to feed them something bitter, maybe salt. Anyone who licks a big block of salt will want a long, cool drink of water....What if the circumstances in your life that push you out of your comfort zone or try your abilities are actually divinely ordained events to make you thirsty?...Only when you have been pushed beyond the limits do you stop and drink deeply.” Valarie Fish, “Get Real” (emphasis added)

A few plans for the rest of the week...hopefully recording the Bible story about the birth of Jesus, Aaron returning on Wednesday

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...still no working camera

Four Hour Protection

Even though my deoderant currently claims "4 hour protection", it obviously hasn't been tested in the tropics.  One hour is about as good as it gets!

Honiara Woman's Daybook

For Today...Monday, April 9

Outside my window...it's still mostly dark, but clouds are piled up above the Gela islands and a red streak runs across the top of them.  It's beautiful!  I tried to take pictures, but my camera keeps focusing on the window screen.

I am thinking...about the car seat regulations in the States and the need to make sure we comply.

From the learning rooms...we're finished with the school year!  I'm so proud of my kids for all of their hard work to finish before we left the village.

I am thankful for...my leg being healthy enough for me to participate in the fun run this morning 

From the kitchen...SITAG brunch this morning and lasagna tonight for supper

I am wearing...shorts and a t-shirt for the fun run.  After being out in the village where ladies only wear skirts, I feel almost naked wearing shorts!

I am reading..."Sex and the Supremacy of Christ" edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor

I am hoping...and praying that God provides a house for us in Arkansas VERY SOON!  We would love for the house to be near one of the colleges so Aaron and I could walk to a practice room with our cellos.  Sarah is praying for two bathrooms, too.

I am hearing...the roosters crowing and the crickets chirping

Around the house...my yummy candle made in our home state of Arkansas

I am pondering these words..."Knowing all that God promises to be for us in Christ both now and for endless ages to come, with ever increasing joy, frees us from the compulsion that we must avoid pain and maximize comfort in this world."  John Piper

One of my favorite things...my new mug from my friend, Ava

I am learning...from my friend Joy's blog.  She is processing through culture shock in America after spending three years in Papua New Guinea.

I am looking forward to...drinking milk out of a jug instead of reconstituted from powder.  But I'm especially thankful for powdered milk which keeps so well in the village.

Noticing that...deworming meds that taste like chocolate make the whole process easier!

A few plans for the rest of the week...SITAG brunch this morning, Benjamin and I participating in another 5K fun run at the same time, another session with the Larsens this morning (whew!  busy day), beginning to sort and pack for the States, two birthday celebrations with SITAG families on consecutive nights, another session with the Larsens on Thursday morning, meeting with the SITAG director for our annual review and our village debrief towards the end of the week, team meeting on Wednesday afternoon, and a meeting with the Larsens for just Aaron and me with the time yet to be determined.  I really don't like to be this busy!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...I've snuck back to this post to include a picture of me and my exercise buddy in the fun run this morning coming up the big hill along with thousands of other people!  Can you see us?

From February 4

Aaron forgot to set the alarm last night, so we didn't wake up until the light disturbed our sleep a little before six. I was happy to see some sunshine and started washing our sheets before breakfast. Market was good, no green beans or any kind of leafy greens, but loads of pineapples! It's always good to visit with my neighbors, too. My kids are so great to ferry the food up the hill and bring down any empty jars or bowls to return. This morning, they were a little impatient for me to come home so we could take the kora/scalloped sweet potatoes out of the kitchen for breakfast, so they finally came down to market and asked if they could go ahead and get the tray. The ladies at market were thrilled that we made their kind of food. Kiko said she wasn't feeling well, so I delivered a dish of kora to her house. I also took some to Foamela and Nako, two of Ofain's girls, as a thank you for the banana leaves that they brought to line the tray, and I pulled out a small plate for Eta, who was coming to help me work in the yard today.

As we worked on morning chores, we could hear coconut trees falling between our house and the soccer field as some of our neighbors cut the trees to make space for a new house. It's pretty spectacular to hear the crack and the crashing of these tall trees loaded with coconuts on top. The rain began to pour in buckets and the wind began to blow so hard that we had to close the bottom louvers to keep inside the house from getting soaked. We had set aside today to spend extra time with Aaron, so as soon as the chores were finished, we began to play a game of hearts. We hadn't played very long before Ezekiel dropped by, even in the pouring rain. He was soaked, so I offered him some hot coffee and kora. Aaron offered him a dry shirt. Ezekiel accepted my offer, but he turned down Aaron. Ezekiel was so wet that he didn't even want to sit down on the cane furniture on the porch. Aaron finally convinced him that it was okay. While Aaron was talking with Ezekiel, Katherine and Olivia took advantage of a break in the rain to go down to play with their friends, and Sarah, Benjamin and I enjoyed some personal reading. The rain continued to pour and the wind continued to blow. I've always loved rain and wind, and I have great memories of sitting on the porch swing as a child, book in hand, while the rain and wind blew around me.

Eta came by, and we decided that if the rain stopped, she could come back and work in the yard, but if not to just wait until Monday. Katherine and Olivia came up after a while, and a bunch of children happily played Uno underneath the house for a while. I knew it wouldn't take long before they made it outside and played in the rain, and they amused themselves for a couple of hours running around in the rain. The rain and wind has continued all day long, and, as I type, it's getting dark, and the bell for Evening Prayer has just rung...

From February 3

We finally got some sun today! This is the first trip we haven't had to carefully conserve water, but this time we are carefully conserving electricity.

Since somebody from another village brought some really nice umalau/sweet potatoes to market on Wednesday, we decided to make kora/scalloped potatoes tonight instead of lelenga/cassava pudding tomorrow to give us more time to spend with Aaron before he leaves on Sunday afternoon. We had several different children come with sores this afternoon while we worked on the kora. One of them had sliced his right index finger diagonally across from base to tip with a knife on Monday, but didn't come for a band-aid until today. He had used the traditional leaf, which was great. But then he left it on so that it was caked in the oozing sore by the time he came to us. I had a really hard time getting his finger clean, but I finally got him bandaged up. Another little boy came just as I was taking the kora down to put underneath the hot stones in our outside kitchen. We had a crowd of about fifteen kids watching Aaron doctor this little boy all clustered at the bottom of our steps. When they saw me coming down, they said, “Lelenga!”. I corrected them and said, “Kora!”, whereupon I heard oohs and aahs and they all followed me to my kitchen where they watched Benjamin and me prepare the oven and cover the Kora with leaves and copra sacks. 

I could hear the peanut gallery making comments behind me, and some of the kids scurried over to the side of the kitchen so they could peek up through the gaps in the wall. I stuck my kuma/bamboo tongs out the cracks to play with them. Anytime I turned around, the kids disappeared, but as soon as I turned my back to work, they reappeared at the doorway. We finally got the kora settled for the night and came back to the house. Within just a few minutes the sun went behind dark clouds and another downpour started. Glad we finished when we did.

The small bell rang about 7:30 calling all of the Sunday School kids to come for singing. Since our kids' lights go out around then, they stayed in bed. The bell rang again a little after eight when not enough kids showed up, and they finally started singing around 8:30. They sang and sang and sang, their little voices belting out, “God, inu hobeam, hobeam...Nana inu hobeam, hobeam...Jisas inu hobeam, hobeam” (God, You are good, Holy Spirit, you are good, Jesus, you are good). As much as I enjoy hearing children sing praises to God, I was thankful when they finally finished a little bit before ten. When they let out, several of them came by our house quite loudly, and a small group of them with a flashlight huddled just under our bedroom window talking. Aaron said he could just catch that they were talking about us crazy “white-skins” sleeping that early in the night!

From February 2

Lots more wind and rain today, no still no recording with Kiko and Skita. After school, Sarah played SkipBo under the house with quite a few kids watching. I came down to plant back the faluk/slippery cabbage in the beds we used for Chinese cabbage last time we were in Marulaon. No more Chinese cabbage will be going in that bed until we get back at the end of 2013, but our neighbors can enjoy the hassle-free greens while we are back in the States.

When the kids came in from playing, Sarah told us that one of her friends, Rose, was unwilling to go down and play with the other kids because a man who practices magic had just come back. The kids usually play in the open area next to his house and Rose didn't want to be near his house. This is the same man we've received warning about in the past. Rose said that some of his magic looks like a flying fox.

From January 31

The rain and wind are blowing so hard we had to cancel Skita and Kiko coming to record the story of Jesus's birth. I love the cooler temperatures and the sound of the rain.

This morning, Aaron went down to find a canoe to take him out to the Bikoi. When he went out to the Bikoi over the weekend, he couldn't find one of the bags, so he had to go look for it this morning. He left somewhere between nine and ten and didn't come back until after noon. I couldn't figure out why he'd been gone so long until he gave us the story of his morning. When he had gone down, he found a canoe and a couple of guys getting ready to go, so Aaron just hopped in the canoe with them. They told him that they were headed to Karumalun, so he joined them and went to talk with Ezekiel. He'd been meaning to somehow make his way over to Ezekiel's anyway, and since we don't have a canoe right now, the timing was perfect. The canoe left Karumalun just in time to catch the Bikoi, so Aaron hopped aboard and found our bag. The label had come off, so nobody knew where the bag belonged. We were so happy to get all of the books that the translators had prepared in Lavukaleve.

From January 30

The day started cloudy, so I went to find Nancy and Janet to tell them to come if the rain and wind held off. Eventually, the weather let up enough for us to make the recording. I was so excited! The ladies read so well, and I'm so thankful they are willing to give their time. They snacked on banana cake and coffee during the cloudbursts. When they got ready to leave, they asked for laundry powder, so I filled two quart sized ziplock bags for them, hoping it was enough. They explained that with all of the rain we've had lately, they've had extra clothes to wash with the kids getting so dirty. When I brought the bags out to the porch, they both exclaimed, “Vutiv!” (so much), and I was thankful I had filled the bags up. Laundry soap is an expensive luxury here.

While we made the recordings, Eta came and built more fences around my faluk/slippery cabbage. After the drunken stomping Friday night, and after watching kids just walk through my greens, I wanted a little bit extra something to deter traffic. Eta agreed that a fence would be just fine, so she worked for a couple of hours cutting bamboo poles and tying them into place. Before Janet and Nancy came, I helped Eta dig with the pickax to soften the ground and to remove some roots. When the rain really started pouring, though, she shooed me back to the house before I got wetter. Katherine stayed down the whole time and had a blast helping Eta and getting soaked.

From January 28

We heard music going until dawn and my faluk/slippery cabbage got trampled during the night, confirming that we didn't miss much at the party last night. After market, Benjamin, Sylvester, and Susie (the little girl with the burned hand) tromped off to the garden. We found Naris and two of her kids already out in the garden gathering things for making lelenga. My garden is actually a part of Naris' that her family shared with me, so three sides of my garden are bordered by Naris' garden, and one side is bordered by Sylvester's garden. Benjamin and I hacked through overgrown uvikola and found lots that had been uprooted and spoiled while we were in Honiara. The pineapples that my mama planted around the edge of my garden in December 2010 are really growing well. My neighbors will enjoy eating their fruit next year while we are back in the States. Sylvester worked in her garden, and came to join us when I asked her to come and show me how much uvikola she needed. As we were sorting the uvikola, she asked me who took care of my garden. I sheepishly said, “Me.” She replied that a bunch of women should come and help me clean up my garden.

When we returned to the house, the whole family pitched in to make lelenga and to bake two birthday cakes. Margo has two children whose birthdays are only days apart, so she requested that we make birthday cakes for the combined birthday celebration tonight. Olivia made a lemon cake, Benjamin made a chocolate cake, and Sarah made the icing and decorated the cakes. When I took down the first cake, late in the afternoon, Margo gave me a nice fish in exchange for the cake. Quite a few people were in the outdoor kitchen cooking and listening to the radio, and “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie...” was playing. I sang all of the way back up the hill!

I swung by George Hensi and Nancy's house, and Hensi said that he would take Aaron spearfishing tonight if the weather was good. It's been threatening to rain all afternoon. Aaron brought materials to make a spear gun and is eager to try it out.

After Evening Prayer, I was snuggling and reading with Katherine when I heard a knock at the door. A few minutes later, Aaron came in bringing a big tray filled with umalau/sweet potato, faluk/slippery cabbage, and a little bit of chicken. Margo had brought even more to say thanks.

After we turned out the lights, Aaron went to find Hensi to discover if the fishing trip was on or off and to arrange transport to get some things off the Bikoi around three in the morning. Hensi chose to cancel the fishing trip, and it was a good thing. We had more big storms with heavy wind and rain. The alarm went off at 2:30 so Aaron could go wake up the guys driving the canoe out to the Bikoi. The ship finally arrived around 3:30, and by the time Aaron lugged everything off the ship and up the hill, it was 4:30. The bells for Sunday morning communion and the District Priest's farewell began bonging a few feet from our window just after five.

From January 27

The big day of celebration began with lots of early bell banging to wake up everybody for communion and morning prayer. The kids started school as soon as they had finished their “Jesus Time” because they wanted to be able to go down to the feast and eat with their friends. Around 11 o'clock, the bell rang for people to begin to take their food and themselves down to the feast. I took out the kora and tried to cut it into slices, but it was still too warm and fell apart. I ran over Nancy's house (Chairman Hensi's wife) and asked her what to do, and she said I could just take the whole tray down with a spoon. Our camera battery died just as the feast was beginning, and we discovered that the battery charger isn't working, but there is just no way to describe a feast here. Poles were stuck in the ground and more poles were laid on top and covered with banana leaves to create several long tables. Parcels of food, halves of fish, spoonfuls of rice, and chunks of pig filled the tables. Everybody staked out their favorite spot and waved flies away with their hands or small branches. At the “big man” table, there were bowls of rice, but everybody just uses their hands to eat. Our kids love it! A list of names was read out to qualify people for the “big man” table, including leaders of the community. Our family was included on the list, so I asked Kiko if there was any way we could get out of it. She told me that it was an honor and that we should just accept it. The kids begged to eat with their friends, and Kiko said that would be okay.

After the food was blessed, everybody grabbed whatever they could hold and sat down to eat. Eating was followed by speeches and presentations of bags of rice to the District Priest and a man from Marulaon who had helped finance the celebration. Then we were dismissed until the evening festivities began.

I walked to the store to buy some tea and sugar as a small gift for the family to use this evening. On the way, I visited with some friends whose little girl had burned her hand. I promised to come back and doctor her hand later. The little girl's mama, Sylvester, also mentioned that she didn't have any more uvikola/cassava to make lelenga for the District Priest's farewell tour on Sunday. I invited her to come with me to the garden and take some of my uvikola. The full sun of the morning was quickly being covered up by dark clouds approaching from the East, so I went to move the clothes underneath the house. The full sun has been nice for the batteries, but the things I just planted could use a good rain.

Later, I walked down to find Susie, the little girl with the burned hand. I found her on the steps of one of the two little stores here in Marulaon. After I got her hand fixed up, the lady who runs the store, Margo, asked me to take a look at her daughter's leg. The little girl had weepy sores all over her ankle and the top of her right foot. I asked if I could take her daughter up to my house so I could wash her foot well. We have a great brand of antibacterial soap here that does wonders for sores. I washed her foot well and made a big bandage out of some gauze liberally dosed with antibacterial ointment and took her back down to her mom, along with some soap for her mom to continue to wash the sores. I returned to the house and had just begun to take clothes off the line when Mary Edith came hustling up the hill and in an agitated voice explained that a knife had just fallen on her baby's head. Would I be willing to bandage it? Her husband came close behind her carrying the baby and holding leaves on the cut. We love the leaves they have here, Aaron had benefited from their medicinal properties many times. Thankfully, the bleeding had already stopped. Aaron and I worked together with the flustered parents and very calm baby. We grabbed our hair cutting scissors and asked the dad to cut the baby's hair so the bandage would stick. His hands were shaking so much we were afraid he was going to cut the baby's skin! Baby Morris was so still and quiet and good until we began to try and tape the gauze to his head. Then Aaron just laid the baby on his lap, and the little one settled down all comfy while we finished taking care of the wound. Whew!

After Evening Prayer, we waited and listened a while to know when to go down for the rest of the festivities. They were supposed to start around six or seven, Solomon Time. At eight-thirty, we decided to stay home, so we turned off the lights. Of course, the music began right after we turned off the lights!