Yesterday afternoon, Olivia, Katherine, Kiko and I drove over to visit some Lavukal friends, Kathleen and Augustine. God's beautiful timing meant that Olivia had quite a few of her friends available for an afternoon of catching up as several of these young ladies (three more who aren't in this picture) wait for a boat to take them to school on another island.
I haven't seen Kathleen's grandchildren (that's Iggy on the right!) in a very long time, and I got to hold her newest one, a cuddly little girl only five months old. This house is one of the very few Lavukal homes in Honiara, so they always open their doors for students and for family who are coming and going. I was excited to find a Lavukal friend at market this morning who was selling crabs, so I bought those and some other groceries to help feed all the extra mouths that stay at this Lavukal Bed and Breakfast. Olivia also shared peanut butter cookies that quickly disappeared.
Kiko and Kathleen's moms were twins, so they are "cousin sisters". In our matrilineal society, that means they function as sisters, so Iggy called Kiko tutua/grandmother. Both of these ladies have very large extended families, and they all look after each other. I love the focus on family and relationships here in Melanesia.
