More Unexpected Treats...

Singing "Nganavu Ana"

Sunday morning, our family got to share a little bit about life in the Solomon Islands as a missionary kid.  We had a great audience of Kindergarteners through 4th graders during children's church.

 



Playing a game with coconut shells

 

Our first unexpected treat of the day when we got to spend time with a Wycliffe Associate (have I mentioned how much we LOVE Wycliffe Associates?!?) that we met on our trip to Indiana in March.  Ted is in Dallas for a few weeks and cheered us on while we spoke to the kids at church, and then we got to spend some time with him as he shared lunch with us.

 

Our last unexpected treat of the weekend came in the form of miscommunication.  I love how God works!  Ever since our field trip to Scasta Farm got canceled Friday because of the rain, we've been trying to connect with the owners to pick up the produce we ordered.

 

 

When we realized that we were failing to communicate and that our original meeting was probably not going to happen, we decided to drive on down to the farm (and continue to pray earnestly) to see if we could pick up our order.  God had abundance in mind.



 I called, left messages and sent e-mails during the entire drive, and finally we pulled up in front of the house.  I cautiously approached the gate and called out to the owner several times.  Finally, I saw her peek her head from around the back of the house and grin in response to me.  How gracious she and her husband were!

 

A killdeer nest in the middle of the carrot patch

Not only were we able to pick up our yummy, fresh, organic produce, but we stayed for over an hour walking around, meeting the animals, and admiring the gardens.  As we watched the gorgeous sunset and visited with this generous couple, I was just overwhelmed at the way God had orchestrated everything so perfectly.  I never get tired of His unexpected treats!

Summer has arrived in DFW!  Yesterday afternoon, we enjoyed not one, but two pool parties and cook outs.  The first one, unexpected, with our sweet friends who live in Kentucky,



and the second one a birthday party celebrating one of my 3rd graders from church.



Unexpected treats...

 

A few days ago we received an e-mail with an unexpected surprise.  One of our SITAG colleagues who is home in Canada on furlough was coming to Dallas!  So, last night we enjoyed catching up with him and looking at pictures of his family enjoying the snow.

 

Our dessert chef-in-residence made us some yummy almond-cornmeal strawberry shortcakes with the strawberries we picked earlier this week.

 



 

This morning, we picked up some non-perishable food items to drop off at the post office (since we don't have a mailbox) for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

 

And we received another unexpected treat this morning.  Dear friends are in Dallas, and could we join them for a little bit?  Flexibility is our middle name, so we're walking out the door now...



Shipping in the Solomons

 

 

Shipping in the Solomon Islands is always changing.  When we began our term, the Bikoi was the best ship for our family.

 

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Later, it became very unreliable, and we switched to the "new" Kosko

 

 

We've been blessed to have really great options (only 7 hours and fairly reliable) to be able to travel to Marulaon Village, but in the year that we've been gone, much has changed.  Our family has the easiest travel route, by far.  I woke up to an e-mail this morning from a friend trying to get out to her village:

 

We were originally scheduled to take the LC Phoenix on 2 May, but they missed their trip to S & E Malaita on the 25th of April so that's where they went on the 2nd, moving the W. Malaita trip to the 9th.  When Ron [her husband] went to get tickets on Monday, they told him the engine was no good and that they would go "next week."  I called on Tuesday and they said W. Malaita was scheduled for the 16th.  Wednesday's Solomon Star ad said all trips are canceled until further notice.  So who knows.  We called the Baruku office right away on Monday, but they were headed to the slipway for 3 weeks of work and won't be going out again until June.  Also, they have a new route, going from Honiara to Auki and then down the coast.  That adds LOTS of people and cargo and 6 - 8 hours to the 16 - 26 hours the trip used to take.  Still no good solutions to shipping, that's for sure.

 

The Bikoi family of ships is looking pretty sad these days, usually tied up together off the end of the wharf between Pt. Cruz and the market.

 

 

Transportation is a HUGE issue for all ex-pat and national translation workers.  Will you please pray about transportation in the Solomon Islands?  In just a few months, it will be our family trying to get back to the village.

Language Isolates

The language we serve, Lavualeve, is one of a handful of language isolates in the Solomon Islands.  Touo is another.  Please check out this article about what God is doing through a young man who speaks Touo. 

 

My favorite quote:  "When I considered this length of time [20-30 years]," Wilfred says, "I realised that my father can't finish it.  So I am training in advance to prepare to be a Bible translator and finish the job."

Strawberry Picking and Celebrating a Birthday

Yesterday, we took advantage of the beautiful day and drove over to Gnismer Farms to pick strawberries.



The farm staff had just picked some rhubarb (which I've never cooked, maybe because I'm from the South?), so we grabbed some for a culinary adventure.



We made a rhubarb cake from The Great Holiday Baking Book to celebrate Julie's birthday.



After supper, we made room in our tummies by playing a little football,



 then we celebrated with this "iron sharpens iron" family.  We've been able to pile together a whole lot of memory making in just a short time, and we're so grateful!

 

Weekend Wonders, Part 2 (More cherries on top!)

 

Thanks to our SITAG friends, who again came to celebrate with us, we have pictures of the beautiful way Sunday morning began:  Aaron and I played hand bells in church for the last time this furlough.  God gifted me personally with some of my favorite songs to ring and sing at the same time.

 



My parents drove in just in time for the service, so we had two sets of grandparents, our SITAG friends, and a whole church family to celebrate along with us.

 



Aaron has been able to baptize all four of our children!

 



Waiting in the wings...

 



Love these wet grins!



 

Our homemade cart still provides us with lots of fun, especially when we have kids around.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch (Sarah made cheesecake again!) and sweet fellowship after church.

 

 

 So thankful for the grandparents who made the long drive to Texas to share this special weekend with us.

 

 God gave us a sundae of rich experiences this weekend, and He piled on whipped cream and sprinkles and nuts and cherries...

 

 

Weekend Wonders, Part 1

 

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!  Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!  Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!...Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" 

Psalm 66:1-3, 5

The Southwest Children's Chorus held it's end of the year concert Saturday night.  Aaron's mom and dad #2 drove all day to cheer the kids on,



and our SITAG friends (who really feel like family) came, too.



The kids sang beautifully.  God knew how much participating in the world of music again would refill us.  He created us and has given us the opportunity to be trained as musicians.  We have to set this part of us aside when we go to the Solomon Islands.

 

 

Recognize that handsome cellist?  Aaron got two last minute e-mails last week and played in a recital Friday afternoon and in the kids' concert this weekend. 



The cherry on top?  My awesome, hardworking, amazing kids each brought home an award.  What a gift to be able to participate in this choir during our furlough!

It's Off!

Yesterday, Aaron, Olivia and Benjamin combined our boxes with two other families to make a big shipment to the Solomon Islands.

 



 

Please pray for everything to safely make its way across the Pacific Ocean over the next few months.

 

Great work, team Choate!