Update from Marulaon

Aaron made a weekend trip out to the Russells to distribute trial editions of Matthew, and WOW did he have some stories to tell about God's provision and direction.

I've asked him to write down his experiences and look forward to recording God's faithfulness here soon. In just a few days, if everything goes according to plan (which it often doesn't), Aaron will be home, and we'll get to hear about his adventures face to face.

A Taste of Home

On Fridays, I make the rounds to my local farmers, including Rozark Hills for freshly roaszted coffee. On my most recent trip, I noticed they had single origin coffee from Papua New Guinea. Our son-in-law grew up in the heart of coffee growing Goroka.

I asked where the coffee was grown, and the answer was "In Papua New Guinea, near Indonesia." I explained that we had lived in PNG for a little while and that our son had grown up there, so I was curious if the coffee had come from Goroka. I went back into the large room filled with green coffee beans awaiting roasting, the woman working led me to the bag from PNG and sure enough, it was from Goroka. Then she told me they give away the empty coffee bags! Now I have a secret project to give to Connor :)

 

Planting Beans and Harvesting Bok Choy

The free package of baby bok choy that Baker Creek Seeds included with my order created a beautiful opportunity to spend time with my favorite preschoolers.

The little package produced enough plants to fill up a raised bed, so Marin, Elliot, and their beautiful mama, Lauren, came to help Katherine and me harvest the cabbage.

Both of the little ones were so careful, it was clear that their parents are training them to be comfortable outside in the garden.

I had been soaking the bush beans, so after we tossed all of the cute little cabbages into the basket, 

we poked holes in the ground and dropped a couple of seeds into each hole.

The cabbage cooked down so much that Katherine and I only got a few bites each, 

but I anticipate sharing our beans with this sweet family in a couple of months.

I love seeing through the lens of preschoolers. When I sent pictures of me cooking the cabbage, Marin was amazed at how much the greens cooked down.

Then her little brain connected the dots, and she said, "It does make sense because spinach disappears when you cook it!"

Sweet Sabbath

  "One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. When we center our lives on the idol, we become dependent on it. If our counterfeit god is threatened in any way, our response is complete panic." 

~Tim Keller, "Counterfeit Gods"

Sometimes, the smallest things surprise me by the grip they can take on my life. I might as well buy a little gold statue and call them what they are, idols! Most recently, I realized my little seedlings have been growing little roots into my heart while they expanded into their pots. I wouldn't have become aware, but Katherine helped open my eyes when she accidently backed the van over several trays of tomato and pepper seedlings sunning in the driveway.

My response shocked me. Why was I so upset about plants? Because I had invested money and time and energy for the last three months, and that investment had just been crushed. The upcoming plant sale might be threatened. The Lord graciously revealed my heart. He also provided many other sources of joy in which I had no way to take credit. These beautiful yellow irises were gifts from my friend, Lauren, several years ago. 

Babies and Spring

This time of year, babies seem to be everywhere! At church, one of the families just had a new baby, and the signup sheet to bring meals filled up quickly. My mom lost her beloved Roxie last year, and she was finally ready for a new puppy. Sassy and Katherine hit it off on their very first meeting. Puppies, really babies of any kind, bring so much joy!

The long beans are sprouting, creating cute little baby plants. These slow growers will thrive in the heat and humidity of late summer as they climb the trellis. At least we don't have to worry about the pesky parrots eating the beans out of the pods like we do in the Solomon Islands.

It's time to plant the first round of bush beans in the ground, so I'm soaking them overnight. I'm trying some new varieties, and I have some joyful little helpers coming to assist me :)

Spring Blossoms and Berries

My favorite time of year is here! Spring always dazzles me with its flowers and sunshine and FRUIT! Local strawberries have no equal. I hope to gorge on fresh strawberries and freeze and dehydrate the rest, bring on the flats and flats of berries :)

Katherine joined the other homeschooled students in our county for a Spring Formal. She also made cream puffs with a mixture of homemade chocolate pudding and whipped cream filling to share at the after party. She's turning into quite the chef!

Our apple tree is full of blossoms this year. We're hopeful that the torrentia downpours for three days didn't prevent pollination at a crucial time so we can harvest a bounty of Arkansas Black apples in October.

 

Update from the Solomon Islands

Aaron is certainly enjoying the view from his apartment in Honiara. It's the highest on our branch's property, has a huge veranda, cathches the breeze, and gets beautiful sunrises AND sunsets.

The team has been putting in long hours to finish the group checking of Matthew. They hope to take trial editions out to the villages in time for Palm Sunday and Holy Week, make any needed changes, and finally finish checking with a consultant within the next few months.

Aaron has also been helping the team with any IT problems they may be having and teaching them how to keep their equipment in the best shape possible. Prayers appreciated for the trip out to the Russell Islands as Aaron reconnects with Marulaon Village and distributes trial editions of Matthew.

Setting Goals

 As I'm slowly gaining energy and stamina, I'm beginning to step outside my comfort zone more and more. I'm setting some small goals in a variety of places. My personality likes charts, graphs, small step to success, etc. One of my favorite social media accounts that helps me with goal setting is thejustinmecham. His PDFs set me up for success.

1) My first goal is to get back to the sewing machine. I've not touched it in years! While I was looking at patterns, I stumbled across this one for cancer patients. My jaw hit the ground, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that the people who create patterns would consider the needs of cancer patients with all of the poking and prodding they endure. This isn't the pattern I bought, the big reveal will come later :)

2) I'm giving my students the opportunity to participate in an April practice challenge, and that served as the kickstart I needed for my own practice. I haven't had a thumb callous in a very long time, so my first goal is to rebuild that callous and the muscles that thumb position needs to be strong and safe. My second goal is a certain number of practice minutes a week. I'm starting small and hoping to grow!

3) The third thing I'm doing right now to nudge me out of my comfort zone is participating in a plant sale. My buddy from Shaky K Farm invited me to join her this weekend. I won't have the hundreds and hundreds of seedlings the she will offer, but I will have a beautiful variety of sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes that I grew from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds.

Pyromania

Our burn ban was finally lifted after we got some rain,

and Katherine, my village girl, needed to make a fire to feed her pyromania.

 

Our Sunday afternoon routine during the school year includes Arkansas Youth Symphony Orchestra rehearsal. Aaron and I thrived in this program, and watching Katherine and some of my other students make music with this group brings me joy.

While she is rehearsing, it's time for "Coffee and Calendar". While Aaron is back in the Solomon Islands, I have a solo date :) I'm grateful for gift cards to purchase my weekly cortado and for the little corner booth at our favorite Barnes and Noble.

 

Sweet Sabbath

"The limit is set by the weekly work pause that breaks the production cycle. And those who participate in it break the anxiety cycle. They are invited to awareness that life does not consist in frantic production and consumption that reduces everyone else to threat and competitor.

And as the work stoppage permits a waning of anxiety, so energy is redeployed to the neighborhood. The odd insistence of the God of Sinai is to counter anxious productivity with committed neighborliness. The latter practice does not produce so much, but it creates an environment of security and respect and dignity that redifines the human project." 

~Walter Brueggman, "Sabbath as Resistance"

I never considered "committed neighborliness" as an antidote to "anxious productivity". But the act of taking flowers to Grandma and sitting with her for an afternoon does slow me down. And hosting a game night for friends who live a couple of blocks away takes my energy from other things and redeploys it to my neighborhood. Those activities also refresh me in ways I can't explain.

Update from the Solomon Islands

Aaron's second week was spent in Honiara working with the Lavukal students who are currently training to join the team. In addition to the classes they are taking at Islands Bible Ministries, Aaron is teaching them how to create a back translation and helping them to become more fluent in reading their heart language, Lavukaleve.

Relationships are one of the most important things to Solomon Islanders. When Aaron was at the market, one of the ladies from whom we've bought fruits and veggies recognized him. She asked how long he had been back in town and how Sarah was doing.

We're grateful that Aaron's time in Honiara overlapped with several of our colleagues who also work remotely most of the time. In this picture, Taylor, Aaron, and John represent close to 100 years of experience as translation advisors. We're humbled to serve alongside people who have given so many years of quiet, faithful service to Bible translation in the Solomon Islands.

More Wedding Bells

Tis the season when our kids and their friends are getting married. We were honored to be invited to a wedding of some of our adopted kiddos. 

Elisa and Aaron stayed with us during Fall Break several years ago, and Elisa returned the following year. We've been watching these MKs grow in their relationship and cheering them on each step of the way.

Katherine and I made the road trip to NW Arkansas and met Olivia (an added bonus!) at the wedding.

The wedding fell on our 35th hand-holding-versary, so I wore Aaron's wedding ring. He doesn't wear it when he's in the Solomon Islands, a turtle shell ring takes the place of this gold band. We've celebrated in various ways over the years, and our kids all know the story.

What a treasure to celebrate the next chapter of this couple's life!

The next day, we got to spend some time with Olivia and Conor. We took a picnic lunch and explored the Rookery Trail at Lake Sequoyah Park.

Connor, who knows all the things about reptiles, found a cute little snake and taught us some fun facts.

I'm so thankful we got to make this quick trip! Hanging out with my young adults doesn't happen nearly as often as I would like, so every opportunity is a delight. 

Dynamic Duo

Katherine and I haven't slowed down since Aaron left America, we've found a good rhythm even with our very different body clocks. One afternoon, we went to Grandma's house to join one of my cello students who also runs a lawn care business. My dad also joined us with his chainsaw in hand.

We picked up sticks and fallen trees and cleared the way for the guys on the riding lawnmowers to clean up. Her yard looked great after a couple of dusty hours!

The days have been warm enough that we enjoy supper on the porch whenever we are both at home. Between her evening ceramics classes at ASU Beebe and my cello students, our paths are always crisscrossing.

And He's Off!

A few days after I returned from the orchestra trip, we put Aaron on a plane to fly back to the Solomon Islands. 

His first week was full of meetings upon meetings, thanks to overlapping with several other visitors. I think Aaron was trying to make us jealous with the pictures of fish and all of the beautiful fruits and veggies at market.

He walks almost everywhere he goes, probably because it's faster and cheaper than driving :)