Sunday, July 13

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."  Colossians 3:23

After attending church and sharing several plates of lelenga with our neighbors, it was time for laundry.  Our clothes are really sweaty and REALLY stinky by the end of the day, so we don't like to skip a day of washing clothes.  Katherine and Olivia did a great job of singing and pretending to be a washing machine while they worked. 

Katherine really enjoys playing in the water, although most people around here don't use the ocean for a playground.  It's more useful as a toilet and trash removal system.  Therefore, we carefully follow the tides and only swim at low tide when the water is pulling away from the shore!

While she swam, Aaron sat on the shore and studied.  He kept an eye on Katherine while getting in some good introvert time.

Olivia helped watch a little one (one of Marulaon's many twins) while his mama worked.  Olivia's big heart is compassionate toward all living things:  babies, plants, and especially animals.

Sarah has joined Marulaon's young ladies' soccer team.  They practiced for several hours today, and I went out and cheered them on for a little while.  I've been appointed the team mom, so I brought out some cold kool-aid to give them a little bit of refreshment in the heat of the day.

When I returned to the house, I found Katherine and Olivia playing with a group of girls in the shade of our house.  They were smart to find shade on this blazing hot and sunny day!

These girls are spunky and all in between Katherine and Olivia's age.  I love watching the girls, my own and my neighbor's girls, blossom as their personalities pop!

They played game after game until it was time for my children to come in and shower before church. 

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, working and playing wholeheartedly for the Lord!

Rain & Sunshine

Good afternoon, Choate friends!

Thanks to your prayers, Marulaon saw two afternoons of really good rain. Of course, there is always that struggle between rain and sunshine. Much rain means full tanks but low batteries due to lack of sunshine. So, while you are thanking God for the rain, please continue to pray for that good balance between rain and sunshine that will keep the tanks full and the batteries charged!

~Ann

Saturday, July 12

The Kosco came on Thursday morning, and we experienced Christmas in July.  Not only did we receive our much needed gas cylinder (yay for a tiny emergency backup cylinder!), but several of our colleagues included sweet notes and treats, and Gayly sent new copra bags to replace the ones that caught on fire while she was here.

Yesterday, we got about five minutes of light rain, so we moved the clothes underneath the house to dry.  But the rest of the day was hot and sunny.  I was thankful to see a small parcel of green beans at market this morning, as well as some tiny capsicum (bell pepper), bananas, and papaya.  As an extra treat, one of the ladies brought peanuts!

As soon as the kids started eating the peanuts, Katherine broke one apart and started looking at it to find all that parts.  She's become very interested in all things seeds and flowers since she started reading about them in science.  I pulled out a couple of extra books, "A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds" by Jean Richards and "How a Seed Grows" by Helene J. Jordan.

Then she found several seeds that had already sprouted, and she was even more delighted!  Now we have four peanuts planted in an old ice cream container on our porch waiting to grow and be transplanted after we get some rain.

Wednesday, July 9

Today was a little bit of a "down in the dumps" day.  Our radio/e-mail didn't work for the majority of the day, our gas cylinder (think propane thank, it runs the fridge and the oven) ran out, and the front two rain tanks ran dry.  It's so easy to be discouraged because of our surroundings.  Then I think about my neighbors who don't have a fridge or an oven, nor do they have e-mail, and they, too, depend on our family's one remaining tank for water. Perspective. Thanks, Lord.

Lately, I've been interacting a lot with the single mothers here in Marulaon.  I can quickly count ten single mamas who have either recently had babies or who are currently pregnant in Marulaon alone.  That's a huge number for our tiny little village.  My cultural eyes have been searching to find how these mamas and their little ones fit into the family structure here, and I always thought that they were absorbed with little ill effect.  But lately, I've been hearing from them how hard it is.  I don't know yet if the Lord is softening my heart and opening my ears to DO anything, or just to be a shoulder to cry on, a gentle reminder of God's ways, and an encouraging prayer partner.

Tuesday, July 8

Yesterday, I went to Sylvester's to take her some onions as a thank you for the clam shells she gave us.   

We chatted for a while, and she asked if I had any more of the big cans with plastic lid (the tins that our dehydrated fruits and veggies come in) so she could store her dried havu.

I walked quickly back up the hill to grab a can for her, and when I returned, she asked if I had ever eaten shark.  Her husband accidentally caught a shark when he was fishing for his son's visit, but the son's ship didn't make the trip because of engine trouble (good ol' Bikoi).  So, she had extra shark.  Some, she had boiled with limes and lime leaves, and some she had cooked on the hot stones.  So, she gave us some of both so we could see which one we liked better.  We liked both!

Marulaon Woman's Daybook

Just for today...Monday, July 7

Outside my window...lines of people waiting to get water out of our rain tanks. 

From the learning rooms...no school today because it's Solomon Island Independence Day.  But we did do a microscope experiment looking at well water that had been sitting in jars for several days.

  The jar with the powdered egg was so much fun to observe with all of the squiggly life inside! 

On my bookshelf...The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

From the kitchen...the kids asked for Solomon Islands food that we sometimes take to potlucks here, white rice mixed with canned tuna and Chinese cabbage.

One of my favorite things...my bookmark from Katherine.

A heart of thankfulness...for the ladies who were on my porch just a few minutes ago measuring their feet.  I'll be buying sports shoes for the ladies' Marulaon soccer team when we go back to Honiara.  Sarah has started playing with them, so I'm happy to help out.

Pondering these words... “The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.  He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.”  (Psalm 135:6-7)  We still really need some rain.  Lots and lots and lots of rain.

A peek into my corner of the world...this little one, a recent transplant to Marulaon, has taken a liking to me.  Any time I walk over to his house, he RUNS to greet me and gives me a huge hug around my legs! 

Sunday, July 6 - Sweet Sabbath

Most everyone has heard the story of how Jesus multiplied one boy's lunch of a few loaves and a couple of fish into something big enough to feed a massive crowd.  I believe God is calling us, like the boy, to smallness -- to give what we have in thankfulness and let Him to do the miraculous multiplication.  ~Kristen Welch

Hiva came by this afternoon to chat with Aaron and to check up on the programs and plans of the Lavukal Translation Committee and the Lavukal Translators. 
 
While they were chatting, I left to go visit with my friend, Sylvester.  Sunday afternoon is a great time to find people at home.  Sylvester told me that her son, who goes to school in Honiara, was expected to hop on the Bikoi tonight and arrive in Marulaon tomorrow.  So, her husband had been fishing to provide a welcome feast.  She also had a bag of haleav (some type of clam) shells, which she promptly gave to me.  She is so generous!

I knew that if I was the only one opening these shells, I'd still be working on it at midnight.  So I quickly went and found Leku and enlisted her to come up to the house to help me.  She brought a friend, and Katherine and Olivia helped, too.

Katherine turned out to be really quick at getting those little critters out of their shells, and she earned high praise from our helping friends. 

With the stresses of not enough water in our language area, I'm finding the "dross" of my soul coming up to the surface.  Yuck.

If I'm feeling out of control, I've probably embraced the lie that what I want is more important than glorifying God in every situation of life.  God gave us our emotions as a barometer -- something to alert us that there might be something off in our surroundings or our hearts -- but He didn't give them to us to rule our lives, or dictate our behavior.  He wants to rule our lives.  ~Brooke McGlothlin

Just living here makes me feel out of control.  Add a lack of rain and the uncertainty of living in a culture where time is not a value, and I struggle to give what little I have in thankfulness.  I have to pray for God's extra doses of love for the people around me.  Because Psalm 145:10-12 really is where I want to be:

All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you.  They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your might acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Friday, July 4

 
The kids opted to have school today and take off next Monday on Solomon Islands Independence Day.  But we still had fun celebrating our passport country's special day!  Gayly brought paper goods to help us during the patriotic months of June and July, and we saved some of our ground beef rations to make hamburgers today. 

Gayly also brought some pre-cooked bacon with her.  I had never tried it before, but it made our cheeseburgers extra special (picture of Katherine licking her fingers) alongside the Pringles we had saved from a care package and our dill pickle spears!

Thursday, July 3

We're using "Homeschool Family Fitness" by Bruce Whitney, Ph.D. this year for our PE curriculum, and we're having a blast!

Wednesday, July 2

Katherine explored the flowers in our yard today using the magnifying glass.

While she marveled at the petals, sepals, stamen, and pistils that God created, I marveled at the six-year-old eyelashes and at her delight of first-time discovery.

Marulaon Woman’s Daybook

Just for today...Monday, June 30

Outside my window...wing bean vines finally crawling up their supports.  I planted them two months ago, but with the lack of rain they have been slow to grow.

From the learning rooms...Sarah & Benjamin will set up an experiment to grow some fresh water organisms.  We don't have a pond, so the well will have to do! 

On my bookshelf...Rhinestone Jesus:  Saying yes to God when sparkly, safe faith is no longer enough by Kristen Welch, another gift from my thoughtful friend, Gayly.  She knows how much I love books and that I miss my library and my Barnes and Noble.

One of my favorite things...the curls framing Sarah's face

I am hearing...long lines of people at the rain tanks in front of our house.

A heart of thankfulness...for people who take the time to stay connected with us out in a remote village setting.

Around the house...our favorite granola bars in a container on the cabinet, sheets that really need to be washed when we have enough water, and tomato seedlings growing on the front porch.

Pondering these words..."When you're running a race, you can sprint because the race only lasts a short time.  But when you sprint day in and day out, you use up what God has supplied for emergencies."  ~Mimi Wilson

A few plans for the rest of the week...Aaron was gone all day fishing on Saturday, and yesterday he attended a Translation Committee meeting in Nono village and didn't return until after the kids were in bed.  Thankfully, the rest of this week looks pretty "normal" and quiet.

A peek into my corner of the world...next door, a puppy running off with the treasure of a recently scraped coconut shell

Sunday, June 29

Weekend Wonders

I'm convinced God cares less about how much we accomplish in life - the "great things" we do in His name - than He does about how we respond to the daily things He allows us to experience.  ~Brooke McGlothlin

Faithful.  That's what we are striving for.  Even though most days it feels like we only have one little talent that God has given us, we're not burying that thing!  This weekend, Aaron and Benjamin went fishing with a friend out deeper than I've ever fished before.  They were gone most of the day Saturday, and returned about 4:00 p.m. with a big, fat NOTHING!!! 

My guys didn't excel on their fishing trip, but our friend John Wells did.  He pulled in another big, red beauty.  And he gave us the fish.  Because it's all about relationships.  And he was going fishing again that night.

While the guys were fishing, Sarah was making a chocolate birthday cake for a three-year-old.  She's so faithful to bless others with her gift of cooking.  We took the cake over after church this morning and received a plate of cassava pudding made with banana in exchange.  On the way back home, I noticed how faithful God had been to help our newly planted cassava grow, even with no rain.

And when I took some of our cassava pudding to John Wells and his family as a thank you, I discovered that God had been faithful to him, too.  He caught seven more fish in the night.  You know, the sea was rough, so he didn't catch much!

Even when I feel powerless against all of the little stressors, and I want to not be faithful, just for today, even when I don't think I can crawl out of bed one more morning or learn one more Lavukaleve word or make the rain tank increase by just one inch (because, really, I am powerless to do ALL of those things!), I'm reminded of Asa's prayer:

"Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.  Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this army.  O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."

Friday, June 27

"Laughing Tomatoes" by Francisco X. Alarcon
in our backyard
we plant
tomatoes
the happiest
of all
vegetables
with joy
they grow round
with flavor

laughing
they change
to red
turning
their wire-framed
bushes
into
Christmas trees
in spring