Sweet Sabbath

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." Psalm 63:3-5

-new babies (my sister's first baby, Shannon Matthew, born at 9:48 last night)

-books for me to read from the Educational Resource Center (from Olivia)

-morning light bathing everything in its path with a rosy glow

-having enough water to rinse all of the shampoo out of my hair

-friends from Marulaon who unexpectedly drop in at SITAG

-apples and cheese (from Sarah)

-care packages from a sweet church in Tennessee

Motu Party

One of our goals while in Honiara is to continue with language learning. But another goal is continue to hone my cooking skills. So, we asked a friend if we could come over and practice on her motu.

We brought a huge fish, a watermelon, and some umalau, along with lots of coconut for scraping and milking.

Everybody helped!

When all of the food was on the stones and cooking, it was time to kick back in the hammock and relax.

Some watermelon seed spitting contests also kept us busy.

Then it was time to take off the stones,

and feast on the bounty.

Gotta love those Solomon Island plates...easy cleanup!

Fundraising - Solomon Islands Style

Last week while we were still in Marulaon (was it only last week?!?), we learned that one of the young ladies from Marulaon attended a school in Honiara that would be holding a fundraiser. Sarah Kiko is one of her aunties and George Hensey (or "chairman" as we all call him since he's the church district chairman) both came in and brought shellfish and crab to help make money at the fundraiser.

We've never seen fundraisers like the ones they have here. Each class in both the primary and secondary schools had a booth where they sold food that the parents prepared. There was rice and chicken and cassava pudding and fish and green coconuts and cake and lots more. The booth for our friends was the only one that had shellfish, so we hoped they would raise extra money. After the opening speech and prayer by the school board chairman, each booth opened for business.

We bought pudding, fish, watermelon, and green coconuts for our family to eat and to share with Sarah Kiko. We visited for a while with them and met a couple of other people from the Russells who live in Honiara. Then, Aaron had the great idea to buy lunch for each of the four ladies who work as staff for SITAG. In this culture, everything has to be fair - if you can't do it for everybody, you don't do it for anyone. We constantly have to guard against seeming to play favorites, yet being generous at the same time.

So, we bought some fish, pudding, and shellfish strung on a stick (both the halea and the bei were from the Russells!). We also discovered that the crab (kafol) was still alive and kicking, so we bought two to take home and enjoy later.

Yet another step outside the realm of the familiar as we attended our first fund raiser and everybody gawked at us. We had a blast, though, and hopefully cemented some relationships with Sarah Kiko and Chairman.

Progress Report

The new training center for SITAG flies toward completion! Wycliffe Associates are keeping this building running ahead of schedule.

Earlybird

Almost every morning, Katherine wakes up around 5:30. She sweetly bebops around and asks for her coffee. As I mixed up breakfast today, I found her asking for a refill of coffee. While she waited, she grabbed another cup and placed both over her ears, listening intently. Then, she removed one cup and listened again. She kept this up for several minutes - I love to watch her learn! God's design of little brains never fails to amaze me.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139: 13, 14

bye-bye

Honiara Womans' Daybook

Please visit Peggy who encourages us to record our days.

For today...Monday, May 10

Outside my window...bright sunshine drying the clothes on the line and giving the kids a beautiful afternoon in which to enjoy playing with friends

I am thinking...about the amazing lunch we enjoyed today with Nahna and Papa. The restaurant where we wanted to eat for lunch was closed, so we went to an "Oriental" place we had never tried before. One of the things we ordered some crab cooked with ginger and shallots, and I don't know why I expected the crab to be already taken out of its shell. Guess I still think like an American. When it arrived, it was our favorite kind from Marulaon (kaful), and it sat there whole in all of its glory (they had tapped it apart to make it easy to get to the meat). Yum, yum, yum!

Noticing that...Honiara feels like a luxury resort after living in the village, especially with internet access. I love catching up with everybody!

I am thankful for...the grader that came down our road today making tomorrow's walking path much easier to navigate

I am wearing...a new, blindingly white t-shirt (thanks, mama), and a Laura Ashley skirt with embroidered details that I found at a second-hand store here in Honiara for a little more than a dollar

I am reading...Victoria's March/April edition, a birthday present courtesy of a sweet friend in Kansas. What a treat!

I am hoping...and praying that we can find my curriculum notebook (containing twelve weeks of curriculum for three children - school for Honiara and things to prepare for our next trip to Marulaon)

Pondering these words...To want what we don't have is impatience, for one thing, and it is to mistrust God. Is He not in complete control of all circumstances, events, and conditions? If some are beyond His control, He is not God....Spiritual victories are won in the quiet acceptance of ordinary events, which are God's "bright servants", standing all around us. --Elisabeth Elliot

I am hearing...ceiling fans, kids playing games inside and outside

Around the house...still unpacking boxes and restocking the pantry

One of my favorite things...fresh strawberries. No such thing here in tropical Honiara, so I'm living vicariously through a friend in Texas.

A few plans for the rest of the week...take Nahna and Papa to the airport tomorrow, finish unpacking, take a new SITAG couple grocery shopping Wednesday morning, start back to school with the kinds

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...my beautiful flowers brought to me by my amazing husband for Mother's Day

Mother's Day

What Rules the World

by William Ross Wallace

They say that man is mighty,

He governs land and sea,

He wields a mighty sceptre

O'er lesser powers than he;

But a mighty power and stronger

Man from his throne has hurled,


For the hand that rocks that cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children." Proverbs 17:6

We're back in Honiara

Thanks for prayers for our journey back to Honiara. Monday morning, one of our friends let us know that he was arranging a party in Nahna and Papa's honor on Monday night - at our house! So, Monday night we welcomed fourteen people to the potluck underneath our house. They brought eggplant, suta (a certain type of shellfish) cooked with green papaya, motued umalau, and turtle. We cooked rice, eggplant, and potato salad made with umalau (which one of our friends loved so much he took home all of the leftovers). It was all delicious!

Tuesday morning, we were ready bright and early thanks to my amazing and organized husband. So we locked up the house and visited with our friends until the Bikoi came around 11. The Bikoi has added an extra stop just after Marulaon which bumps our trip up to about 7 hours, but it's still a quick trip in to Honiara. The sea was a little bit choppy, so our tummies were a little bit queasy, but none of us lost our lunch this time! Leku came back into Honiara, too, and we enjoyed some good visiting with her. We're supposed to meet her and Pogo (who has been living in Honiara) for ice cream at 11:00 on Wednesday morning.

We arrived in Honiara around 6:30, but we had to wait about 30 minutes to find a place to park the Bikoi. Finally, we pulled in to find lots of smiling SITAG faces waiting to help us unload and drive us back to SITAG. We enjoyed a sweet supper with the SITAG boss and wife around 8 p.m. and crawled into bed when we got back to the house. It was a long day but a good one!

Marulaon Woman's Daybook

For today...Monday, May 3

Outside my window...it's still dark and the rain and wind are blowing like crazy

I am thinking...that I wish I could stay in Marulaon, wonder if Aaron will leave me here?

I am thankful for...four healthy children, this time out in Marulaon we've had much more sickness than usual

From the kitchen...leftovers as we unplug and clean out the fridge today

I am wearing...pajamas on the porch

I am reading..."Pride and Prejudice", first time for me and I'm loving it!

I am hoping...and praying that my words and actions will be gracious as the stresses of moving mount

Pondering these words..."A missionary must be humble enough to be flexible." Elisabeth Elliot

Around the house...the smell of varnish, stacks of boxes,louvers closed to the rain

One of my favorite things...new babies, can't wait to see pics as soon as my sister's new little one arrives

A few plans for the rest of the week...packing and leaving Marulaon tomorrow, arriving in Honiara Tuesday night and unpacking, that's enough!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...my creative kids made a snowman in the freezer as it defrosted

Week in Photos

May Day

Song on a May Morning by John Milton

 

Now the bright morning star, Day's harbinger,

Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her

The flowery May, who from her green lap throws

The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.

Hail, Bounteous May, that doth inspire

Mirth, and youth, and warm desire;

Woods and groves are of they dressing,

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing;

Thus we salute thee with our early song,

And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

 

 

pink hibiscus from our yard