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.