Thursday, May 8

Yesterday, our SITAG family mustered in full support to help our family get on the ship.  After a lovely lunch provided by some of our colleagues, people began to show up to load the truck while the ice chests were loaded and Aaron and I sorted and packed the last few things.  One of our colleagues even swept the house and checked all of the drawers this morning.  He found many interesting things we would have left behind - like my pajamas!  I love the humility and the servant hearts that shine in SITAG whenever a family goes out to the village. 

We arrived at the wharf around 2:30 and began transferring cargo from the truck to the ship.  We got our favorite spot again, so we quickly spread mats and backpacks to hold our place. 

Sarah and one of her friends came with me to market to buy a few fresh fruits and veggies to take out to Marulaon.  Prices are still double since the floods washed away so many gardens, the pumpkins were triple what I expected, so I only bought one instead of the three I initially planned to buy.

After a quick stop for an ice coffee treat and the last nice bathroom for a while, the girls and I returned to the ship and visited with the others who were still there.  Around 5:00, more of our SITAG family began to trickle in, some of them with pizza and grape kool-aid, and some of them with banana smoothies.  We had a huge pizza party  and our entire Honiara SITAG family gathered around us to pray.  This was the first time they have ever prayed over our departure and our time in the village, so special! 

Finally, it was time for some tearful goodbyes because the ship was reaching its scheduled departure time, 6:00.  Two of these families we don't anticipate setting foot in the Solomon Islands again, so the parting was a little bit more difficult than usual. 

Around 7:00, the captain came over the loud speaker apologizing for the delay.  The Member of Parliament from the Russells was delivering ten rain tanks all around the Russells.  This happens in election years all the time!  And since this trip was the "short trip", the boat would take each tank directly to the each village.  Chief Leonard's sister, Kathleen, came up and greeted us, and we invited her to stay and visit.  She is one of two Lavukal families that we know who live in Honiara.  It was really good to chat with her, but we learned that her mom had died just before Easter.  Her mom was a twin, and the last of an amazing big set of siblings through whom most of our village can trace their family trees.  She was seventy-seven years old, the last person we know from our village that lived through WWII.

After Kathleen left, we continued our card game until the ship finally pulled out at 8:24.  We each got settled on our own little spot.  Katherine's spot had the most cushion because she slept on the bench.  I don't know how to explain what a trip on the Kosco is like.  It's one of those things you just have to experience.  I know that we have one of the nicest ships in the Solomon Islands and that it handles the waves really well and that it has a flushing toilet. I know that we aren't the only ones where the "Sol Brew" flows freely or where the lights stay on all night or where people are smoking just a few feet away.  I know that we had a beautiful evening with calm seas and that we had plenty of room and that the people around us were very friendly.  As we reached each village in the Russells, the Kosco unloaded whatever rain tanks and store supplies were headed for that destination.  The cargo went into a motor canoe with a forty horsepower engine and roared away for speedy delivery service.  
We woke up to a hazy morning, but it was still beautiful.  Since I didn't plan for us to be on the ship for breakfast, the banana bread and hard-boiled eggs I prepared ahead were deep in the ice chest under many, many boxes.  So, we pulled out the leftover pizza and enjoyed the "breakfast of champions". 

Kosco continued to unload rain tanks (picture looking into the hold with a few rain tanks) and we continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery that the Russells have to offer (picture of a village with a canoe in the water).

 

We finally pulled in front of Marulaon and enjoyed the delivery service of the Kosco ourselves.  Our stuff took two trips, so Aaron, Benjamin, and most of our boxes went first, and the girls and I came behind with the last few things.  I think we were in the house by noon.  We ate a quick lunch of bierrocks from our ice chest, and then we tackled unpacking boxes and cleaning up the dusty house.  Since Aaron was in Marulaon only six weeks ago, the house wasn't nearly as filthy as it usually is when we arrive.  We decided to push through the lack of sleep instead of taking a nap, and by 7:00, we were all snoozing in bed.  Thanks for all of the prayers for a smooth trip back to our home in Marulaon Village, and thank you, Lord, for smoothing the way in front of us!