Honiara Woman's Daybook

Just for today...Monday, January 5

From the learning rooms...we started back to school last week.  Sarah, Benjamin, and Olivia are hard at work on research papers, and we only have a few weeks left with the internet available.
 

On my bookshelf..."Every Bitter Thing is Sweet" by Sara Hagerty.  Thanks, Gayly, for continuing to build my library of books here in the Solomon Islands!
 

Cooking in the kitchen...some Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch cookies made with Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (yay for care packages!).  We have two meetings this afternoon, and the cookies will help liven everything up.  Supper will be in the crockpot since Aaron and I will leave just after lunch.

  

One of my favorite things...books that special people have given me over the years.  I love it when people write in the front cover of a book, handwriting is such a personal thing.  These books are now on my shelf here in the Solomon Islands, and my kids are enjoying them.

Wearing out my knees in prayer...for our kids' visas to be renewed.  Aaron and I are finally approved!
 

Pondering these words..."Adoration makes walking with God more than just reacting to a series of externals.  Adoration calls the circumstances, no matter how high or low, into proper submission in our hearts.  Adoration roots us in a reality that no amount of pain and no amount of blessing can shake.  Adoration steadies us.  It repatterns our thinking.  It centers our lives around a God-man instead of forever trying to make sense of the God-man through the lenses of our circumstances.  Adoration aligns us under Him.  This is the place where life is found."  ~Sara Hagerty
 

A few plans for the rest of the week...a couple of meetings this afternoon, an Epiphany gathering to watch "Amahl and the Night Visitors" tomorrow night, beginning village shopping
 

 A peek into my corner of the world...Katherine found one of our favorite caterpillars and snapped a picture of it near our front porch.  We expect this little fellow to spin a beautiful golden home soon.



Weekend Wonders

 "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."  Psalm 40:5

SITAG's director called yesterday morning.  She asked if anybody wanted to accompany her family on a trip over to Savo Island.  I really waffled back and forth.  I longed for a day at home to catch up on my long to-do list, but at the same time, I wanted to be a "yes" mom who makes memories with her kids.  I only have two more years with all of them at home.

By last night, we decided that the kids and I would go on the trip, and Aaron would stay home to get some much needed introvert time.  This morning, we were at the top of the hill a little before 7:00, ready to hop in the truck that would take us out to the end of Guadalcanal.  Our SITAG group numbered five adults and five kids, so the tour provided two canoes for our 45-minute ride from Visale over to Sunset Lodge.

Here's a description of the hike we took, from the Welkam Solomons website:

"The second volcano tour is more intensive and is a three hour round trip in addition to the fifteen minute canoe ride to get there. Be prepared for a hike! The walk commences in wide dry riverbeds where lava once flowed, causing the edges to be lined with steep cliff faces.

As you move further up the volcano, the journey continues through untouched rainforest that is many centuries old. There are sections of the trek where you are required to clamber up slippery slopes with the sandy clay giving way underneath and also plenty of sloshing through rushing water.

To add to the adventure, you will also need to navigate rocky outcrops, which have falls a few metres into the hot water pools below. Take plenty of water, as the walk can be fairly humid due to the steam as you near the summit and stand in the crater of the volcano."

What you can't see in the picture of Olivia and the waterfall?  The handmade ladder with rickety rungs you have to climb if you want to keep going.  I told our guides, cousins named Joel and John, it was just like climbing the ladder on the Kosco.  The guides were absolutely fabulous.  If we had been in the States, we would have signed all sorts of waivers about heat stroke, boiling water, creepy-crawlies, etc.  But these cousins offered their knowledge and their helping hands to each one of us.  One time, we paused for a water break, and the guides were quick to point out some leaves that would make us itch if we touched them.



Another time, I saw one of the guides quickly pick Katherine up and move her from his right to his left.  When I glanced to his right, I discovered the other guide smashing an eight inch long centipede with a big rock.  Joel and John had their eyes wide open!  The water in the stream got warmer and warmer as we climbed.  At one point, Katherine slipped and her foot went into the surprisingly warm water, and the guides offered to piggy-back for her the rest of the trail. 

Although she told me that she wouldn't be "lively" anymore, she was a trooper and continued the hike on her own two feet after we poured some cold water on her foot and returned her sock and shoe to their rightful place.  As we neared the top, the ground became yellow and hot and the lush vegetation disappeared.  The stench of sulfur filled our nostrils, and the air became ever more hot and humid.

Katherine and Olivia decided they had enough after hiking for more than an hour and a half, so I stayed with them, just short of the end of the trail. 



You can't tell in this picture, but the water in this little hollow of rock is boiling.  Amazing.  God must have had so much fun when he made Savo!  The group turned around and made our long way down the trail.  Gratefully, we sat down in the canoes as we wove through the dolphin filled water on the way back to Sunset Lodge.  Our hosts had a late lunch waiting for us, and we happily refueled and rehydrated our bodies. 

 

After lunch, we lay around in the hammocks while we waited for the canoe to be ready for those going to swim with the dolphins.  This trip is the first time our family has ever played "tourist" in the Solomon Islands, so it felt a little bit weird.  But, my friend Mary Isabella from Marulaon is actually from Savo, and her sister runs the resort.  I enjoyed meeting new faces and hugging familiar necks, too, like Jenny, Mary Isabella's oldest daughter, who now works at the resort.  Benjamin and Olivia went with a few others to swim unsuccessfully with the dolphins, but they still had a great time.



I knew Katherine was tired because she fell asleep on the canoe ride across the ocean.  I watched her little head bob and slipped my hand underneath her face just before she came down on the side of the boat.  She lay in my lap and dozed on the truck ride from Visale to Honiara.  We finally got home around 6:30, and my sweet husband had supper ready and waiting for us.  He enjoyed his introvert recharging day, and the rest of us enjoyed some sweet time with colleagues as we played and reveled in God's creation.

Thanks, Ann!

Before I get back to "real time" posts, I have to thank my friend, Ann, who keeps the blog up and running while we are in the village. 

Two kindred spirits - December 2012

She waits for my tiny pictures to arrive, one by one, since each shrunken picture takes about twenty minutes to send through the village radio e-mail (on the days when the system is working!).  On top of her load as a home-schooling mother, pastor's wife, and Senior Editor of HEDUA (Home Educating Family Association), she takes the time to encourage and help me, especially when we are in Marulaon Village. 

Thursday, December 25



The shepherds behold

Him promised of old

By angles attended, by prophets foretold.

The wise men adore,

And bring him their store,

The rich are permitted to follow the poor.

To the inn they repair,

To see the young heir:

The inn is a palace; for Jesus is there.

Who now would be great

And not rather wait

On Jesus, their Lord, in his humble estate?



Like him would I be!

My Master I see

In a stable! -- a stable shall satisfy me.

With him I reside;

The manger shall hide

Mine honour:  the manger shall bury my pride.

~Charles Wesley

What a sweet Christmas morning!  Candy canes (what a treat!) provided by friends and family in the States, extra "family" to share, sing, worship and celebrate alongside us, secrets that a colleague had been keeping (with help from Edi and our children),

the gift of a good night's rest after an exhausting boat ride, our traditional waffles alongside the delicious cinnamon rolls provided by our director, Sarah's beautiful handmade gifts, Olivia's gift of baby doll clothes for the stuffed animal that was still in Katherine's backpack.





After our bellies, hearts, and spirits were full, we turned out attentions to finding the missing backpack and getting our friends on their plane.  We wouldn't have chosen for them to leave on Christmas Day (neither would they), but we trust that God's timing is always perfect, even when airlines are squabbling.



Aaron and the three younger kids drove down to the wharf to try and locate somebody on the ship.  On Christmas Day.  The rest of us stayed at the house and made sure that everything fit into the suitcases and didn't go over the allotted weight.  By the way that Aaron raced into the driveway just a little while later, we knew he had good news.  The bag was found - and everything was still inside!  Somebody had discovered Katherine's backpack and turned it into the clerk's office.  Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers this way.  We will be making cookies as a thank you for the Kosco's crew!



Too soon, we were driving to the airport and checking in.  I love our little airport.  You can check in, give the employees your luggage, and walk right out the door. 

We walked over to a small memorial garden, planted for the many men and women from many countries who gave their time and energy, and sometimes their lives, to defend the Solomon Islands in WWII.



The garden was peaceful and cool in the heat of the day. 

Katherine found a little green friend that made her giggle as it walked on her hand.



One more picture, one more hug, one more "See you next time!"  We had no idea how God would knit our hearts together when we met more than twenty years ago in Stetson University's School of Music.



Our paths have certainly gone different directions, but we're so thankful He has allowed our paths to cross over and over again.

Wednesday, December 24

We were up dark and early and preparing to leave Marulaon around 7:30.  The sounds of Morning Prayer drifted through the air.  About 6:45, Belza, one of our drivers, came over and told us that during church everybody could hear the Kosco passing by the other end of our island.

So, once again, we shifted into NOW mode, and hustled down to the shore.  Aaron, Benjamin, and most of our things went first while the rest of us waited for Chief Leonard and his motor canoe to arrive.  You know who your true friends are by who helps you load the boat - Margaret Rasol and Daisy were the faithful few who showed up.  In a way, I'm glad that we longer have a huge going away party every time we leave the village because it means that our friends trust that we are coming back again soon.



Chief Leonard sped us along, around the corner of Marulaon Village, past the little strip of white sand where Brennan proposed to Edi, past Fly Harbor school with the new girl's dorm, and around the corner where we saw the Kosco already churning out of port on its way to Yandina.





The ship's captain saw us and called out on the loudspeaker for us to go ahead and approach, and we saw the foaming white water in front of the ship decrease.  Chief Leonard drove us around to the side of the boat and the ladder dropped down.  We took one look at the broken rung and decided to go around to the other side about the same time that the captain told us to go around to the other side to load.  I'm not scared to climb up the side of the ship, but I'm not stupid, either!



The ship was fairly empty because most people have gone out to their villages for Christmas and few are going back to Honiara on Christmas Eve.  We found a space to spread out underneath a bright green tarp that was ripping into pieces.





I still find it hard to believe that Jason and Kayla were willing to go through all of this uncertainty and stress that we experience every time we go back and forth.  They were so flexible and such a big help, and, as always, our kids were awesome, too.  No matter how exhausted everybody is (and ship day always wears me out), my four treasures choose to embrace this adventure and serve as a good example to their Mama.



About an hour later, we arrived at Yandina, and Aaron went ashore to see what kinds of food were at market.  He found an amazing array of delicious food and bought us green coconuts, bananas, pineapples, kora (like scalloped potatoes), and suta on a stick. 

As the ship pulled away from the wharf, one of the guys on board tossed coins onto the wharf for a green coconut.  One of the people at the market tossed the coconut, but it slammed into the side of the ship (which kept going).  So another green coconut was tossed.  This one sailed to middle of the ship, fell through the bright green tarp, and landed on my crossed ankles, which broke the coconut's fall and saved it from smashing.



One of the things our friends weren't used to seeing was a live pig brought on board in Yandina.  The pig was laid right in front of the doorway that led to the bathroom.  So, Kayla jumped right out of her comfort zone when she needed to make a "comfort stop" and step over the huge mama pig.



The eight-hour trip was full of singing, laughing, reading, visiting.  God gave us smooth seas and cloudy skies - the perfect combination.  And he gave us friends to share the journey.  Friends who just jumped into life with us and became the brother & sister/uncle & aunt to help ease the sting of being far away from our blood family this time of year.



Amidst sprinkles, we pulled into Honiara earlier than anticipated.  No space at the wharf on Christmas Eve echoed no room in the inn.  So, the Kosco parked next to the Fair Glory, and we began the long process of moving our cargo from one pile to another.

From one side of the Kosco to the other side, from the Kosco up to the deck of the Fair Glory, from the Fair Glory to the wharf, from the wharf to the truck.  Each pile needed a guard, and each box and bundle needed somebody to carry it.  So, we all spread out, the eight of us and our two SITAG colleagues who came to pick us up, an everybody had a job to do among the throng of people.

When we finally had the truck loaded, I realized that Jason and Kayla had just enough time to go over to Honiara's beautiful central market, one of my favorite places.  So, Aaron, the kids, and our two colleagues headed back up to SITAG in the truck with the cargo, and Jason, Kayla, and I drove over to the market to do a little bit of souvenir shopping.

God's timing is always so perfect.  At that point in time, all I wanted was a big, green coconut.  I was SO thirsty and sweaty.  That coconut hit the spot.  Then, while we were looking at earrings, my friend, Grace, married to a man from Marulon walked up and hugged my neck.  She was headed back to her village to see her parents for Christmas.  A few minutes later, as I was buying some passion fruit, I heard, "Kunuhanin meahobea!" (good afternoon), and I looked up into the face of a woman from the Russells.  I can handle market chatter in Lavukaleve (barely!), and straight from the village the words were fresh in my mind.  So, I got my passion fruit and renewed an old acquaintance, too.



We got back up to SITAG and found boxes unpacked, a Christmas tree already lit up, and a marvelous supper provided by a colleague.  The one dark spot on an otherwise marvelous day was that we couldn't find Katherine's backpack.  Her bag has Sarah's Christmas present from Katherine in it, some books, some baby dolls, some of Katherine's clothes, and my computer. 

So, after singing Christmas carols together, we went to bed with prayers for a safe retrieval of the backpack as a Christmas present.

Welcome 2015

I forget that not everybody eats black-eyed peas to celebrate the New Year.  Some of my American colleagues have blank looks on their faces when I mentioned that we would be making a black-eyed pea salad for our family's New Year's celebration.



A morning to sleep in and space enjoy a nice long quiet time with the Lord got the year started right, and a family game of Carcassonne kept the momentum going.  Especially when Mama won the game!



God was so faithful to lead us through the ups and downs of 2014, and we're looking forward to following Him in 2015, whatever the year brings!  Now we're off to enjoy some snacks and games with another SITAG family this afternoon...

Tuesday, December 23

When we woke up this morning, the plan for the day was work a little, play a little, get ready for the boat tomorrow.  Yesterday, we finished cooking and closed up the kitchen, super thankful for the small, propane powered refrigerator we have to keep all of that food from spoiling until we get on the boat.  I spent much of the day delivering things to friends: leftover unpopped popcorn, empty air-tight containers, laundry detergent, onions, and fish hooks.  It's important in this Melanesian culture to maintain relationships well, and it's important to me, too, to have time to say goodbye and hug necks before we leave.



 When we checked our e-mail, we received an update from our director informing us that the Kosco office was now predicting the ship's arrival at 4:00 p.m. TODAY instead of tomorrow.  That sounded a little bit strange to us, but we kicked everything into high gear just in case.  We also started asking neighbors lots of questions about what they had heard from the ship or on the radio, and we began sending lots of e-mails to colleagues asking for updates and confirmation.

The Kosco used to come right to Marulaon, but we've heard rumors that some people in our village offended the boat's crew, so the Kosco now stops at a village about twenty minutes away.  Our neighbors began telling us that the ship wouldn't be in the Russell Islands until tomorrow morning, but we hadn't heard anything definite from Honiara, so a little bit before 4:00, Aaron made the decision to load up the canoes with our things just in case the ship really did come.  So, we quickly turned off the fridge, stripped the beds so we could wash the sheets in Honiara, gave away the pineapple, papaya, and pumpkin I had saved for supper, and began hauling everything down the hill while Aaron went to talk to the owners of the motor canoes.  No time for showers or a change of clothes, we were getting on that boat stinky and sweaty!

Friends helped us carry everything down the hill, Olivia grabbed little Muna, who was happy as long as she got her sugar cane.  We were ready to drive away when I realized it was 4:30, time for SITAG's radio sched, so I ran up the hill, unlocked the house, and turned on the radio to chat.  I discovered that the ship wasn't coming today!  Our colleague told us that the updated arrival time was between 8:00 and 9:00 tomorrow morning.  So, our wonderful Marulaon friends offered to cover one canoe with our bags still in it, and the rest of our luggage was carted to a friend's house to stay on the porch overnight.

We carried our backpacks back up to the house, scrounged for sheets and towels to make it through the next sixteen hours, turned the fridge back on, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.  Jason and Kayla were troopers through the whole ordeal.  Now we could get a good night's sleep at home instead of trying to sleep on the ship.  God's timing is always perfect!