Life is worth celebrating...

I love how my husband described last night on Facebook:

"Life is worth celebrating. So when a young friend has a birthday, you invite the whole neighborhood and have a bash! We are so very thankful for our friends, neighbors, colleagues here who get to be our family while we are so far from our American families."

Praying over the birthday girl got the feasting started well.

My awesome friend, Roxanne, invited everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, around SITAG to come and celebrate her youngest child's eight years of life.



"The table becomes the hospital bed, the place of healing.  It becomes the place of relearning and reeducating, the place where value and love are communicated."  ~Shauna Niequist

Honiara Woman's Daybook

 Just for today...Monday, January 19

From the learning rooms...only three days of school this week so we can pack up the books for the village.  Sarah and Benjamin are finishing up Oliver Twist and their research projects, Katherine is learning about compound subjects and reviewing her times tables in math, and Olivia is studying countries in the Middle East and learning about genetically modified food in science.  So proud of my kids for their diligent school work!

On my bookshelf..."The Last Heathen:  Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia" by Charles Montgomery.  Don't let the title put you off, this is a must read for anyone coming to serve in Melanesia or just wanting a better understanding of the world in which we live.

Crafting in the kitchen...pumpkin pecan streusel breakfast braid.  Living in Honiara means we can bake to our heart's content (or at least as long as we can afford to buy the expensive baking ingredients).

Pondering these words...
"We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged.  Quite the contrary -- we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" 

Romans 5:3-5 The Message

A heart overflowing with gratefulness...for electricity.  Both Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, Honiara's power went off for 4-5 hours.  SITAG has a generator, but it's not working.  No electricity means no pump to get Honiara water into the houses, so the kids had to haul buckets of water and grab a cup for their showers.  I sat on the porch and enjoyed the view

and the breeze while I wrote letters and made myself be still and quiet.  I'm so thankful for electricity and the things that run on it (especially the fridge and the washing machine!).



One of my favorite things...this practical planner that I just found on a bloggy friend's page.  The planner doesn't really work for me here, I don't have carpets to vacuum, a dishwasher to unload, or a vehicle to clean, but I'm looking forward to using the beautiful pages to keep me on track when we return to the States.

Around the house...Saturday night one of our thoughtful SITAG colleagues hosted us for supper.  This freed us up to cook.  All day long. 

We had lots of hands to help, whether it was chopping onions, mixing banana bread, or washing dishes.  My sweet Sarah spent more time than any of us mixing and following recipes.  But now we are prepared to finish this week well and begin the next week in Marulaon a little more easily. 

Wearing out my knees in prayer...for the chaos of the future.  Would you please join me as we give everything we've got to live well in Marulaon Village while planning and preparing to return to the States in just a few months.

A few plans for the rest of the week...just packing up and getting on a boat early Sunday morning!

Full table, full hearts

"When the table is full, heavy with platters, wine glasses scattered, napkins twisted and crumpled, forks askew, dessert plates scattered with crumbs and icing, candles burning down low -- it's in those moments that I feel a deep sense of God's presence and happiness.  I feel honored to create a place around my table, a place for laughing and crying, for being seen and heard, for telling stories and creating memories."  ~Shauna Niequist, "Bread and Wine"

Thursday, our family got to be part of the welcoming committee for a SITAG team we don't get to see very often.  The wharf was packed!  For a little over a week, SITAG will be the home for twelve children between the ages of seven and fifteen.  This hardly ever happens, and we're so excited that the kids will have extra buddies, and so will we!

Last night, we enjoyed teaching this family how to play Pass the Pigs (which is extra funny here in the Solomon Islands where pigs are super valuable).

And then we enjoyed stuffed pumpkin served with a beautiful handmade ladle I found at a craft shop for just a few dollars.  What a sweet way to start the weekend, creating a place around the table for telling stories and creating memories and nourishing each other with good food and good fellowship.

It's a small world after all...

Aaron and I decided to combine a quick lunch date with some needed shopping yesterday.  It's been ages since we've gone out by ourselves, and school was almost finished for the day.  So, on the spur of the moment, we headed out the door.  And I'm so glad we did.  We thought it might be wise to do the shopping first and then eat lunch to miss the rush, so by the time we stepped into the restaurant, I was ravenous.  

I had walked up to the counter and began ordering my food when Aaron said in a whisper, "Joanna, I think that guy over there is David C____ ."  I didn't turn around, but I told him it couldn't be David, because we were in the Solomon Islands.  He repeated, "I really think it's David!  It looks just like him."  Keep in mind, we haven't seen David in almost twenty years.  We sang together in choir at Stetson University.  I placed my order, turned around, and said, "You are right - that IS David!"  So, we walked right up to him and asked, "Is your name David?"  And the rest of our time was spent catching up with this fun guy with a beautiful voice who played spades with us across Europe on choir tour so many years ago.  Wow!  Only God could have orchestrated this beautiful crossing of paths in the Solomon Islands.



Something fishy

Wycliffe has a new children's book out: 

"In this new book, kids meet Kate, a Wycliffe missionary kid, and her

friend, Mack. They're traveling around the world learning about languages,

cultures and countries. It's an awesome way to help expand kids' worldview

from a biblical perspective, and to teach them about the importance of

Bible translation. You can read more about the book here."

Our family got an e-mail asking if we would submit some recipes as an extra resource to go alongside the new children's book, which we thought was pretty cool since we have four kids who love to cook and eat Solomon Islands' food.  I thought I would share the recipe here.  Our family loves pumpkin stuffed with coconut cream, fish, and onions, and we are trying to measure ingredients to make it easy to replicate the recipe, no matter where you live.  When my friends taught me how to make it, we just "eye balled" everything, so now I'm having to backtrack and figure out how much to use.





Stuffed Pumpkin

(serves 8)

Ingredients:

Round pumpkin - about 5 lbs. and 8 inches in diameter

onions - two small or one large, depending on how much you like onion

garlic - one or two cloves, again depending on how much you like garlic

salt to taste - about 1 tsp.

Red snapper - between 4 and 5 lbs.

dry coconuts - 2

boiling water - 2 cups

Bake the fish uncovered in a 350 degree oven about 30 minutes, or until the flesh of the fish is opaque.  While the fish is baking, chop the onions and garlic, and sauté them in a nonstick skillet.  Set aside. 

Wash the outside of the pumpkin and cut a "lid" in the top (similar to how you would cut the top of a jack o' lantern).  Scoop the seeds out and save them for toasting, if desired.  Toasted pumpkin seeds make a very nice garnish for this soup.  When the fish is done, debone it and add the meat to the inside of the pumpkin.



Add the sauted onion and garlic to the inside of the pumpkin.

If you have a teenage boy at your house, give him a hammer and ask him to smash the two dry coconuts.  Or maybe you could borrow an enthusiastic boy if you don't have one of your own.  Pry the bits away from the shells.  Put the flesh of one dry coconut into the blender. 

Add one cup of boiling water and blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer or tea towel,  let this mixture cool or you will burn your hands on the next step.  Ask me how I know.  This is not how I make coconut milk in the Solomons.  I use a bush knife, a coconut scraper, and cold water, and I just pour the water in until it looks good.  I burned my hands all for the sake of science.  Just call our kitchen the "Solomon Island's Test Kitchen".  Take the shredded coconut and squeeze the milk out, handful by handful, through the strainer into the bowl.

Now, pause and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour the coconut milk back into the blender, add the second coconut and another cup of boiling water. Blend.  Using a large strainer or a tea towel to catch the coconut, pour the coconut milk into the pumpkin on top of the fish and onion mixture.  Squeeze every bit of liquid out of the shredded coconut.





The pumpkin should be almost full when you have finished squeezing.  You don't want it too full or the lid will make the filling overflow.  Add about a teaspoon of salt and stir the mixture inside the pumpkin.



Cook the pumpkin on a baking tray for about 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chunks of pumpkin and toasted, salted pumpkin seeds.  This is also yummy (and stretches to feed more people) served over rice.  If you want the soup thicker, use less water when you make the coconut milk.  The mixture will congeal into a delightful creamy middle.  Kind of like a big Cadbury Crème Egg.



Worms

 I love the flexibility of homeschool. 

Kids of different ages and grades gathered in SITAG's Educational Resource Center yesterday, some came for credit in biology, and some came just out of curiosity.



For this very small window of less than two weeks, our family and the precious Gebauer family are both in Honiara.



So, we took advantage of our time to together to have a little fun while we learned.



 The four older kids who are fulfilling the requirements for biology followed instructions beautifully, cutting and pinning and drawing the details of the worms insides in detail.

Don't let that face fool you, he was hamming it up for the camera.  They really had a good time.



So thankful for friends with whom we get to share life and learning!



Proposal-versary

Eighteen years ago, this amazing man walked in my door carrying a container of Yarnell's Rocky Road ice cream, got down on one knee, asked me to marry him while Wheel of Fortune blared in the background. 

I had been waiting for that question for years, so I didn't even have to think about the "YES!" that flew out of my mouth.  Our kids helped us celebrate last night by making a lovely chicken pot pie with a pastry heart on top and, of course, rocky road ice cream.

Thanks, beloved, for leading me on the adventure of a lifetime.  I would say "yes" all over again!

Rain Tank Adventures

We had just said "amen" and let go of each other's hands around the table when we heard a sound like somebody tipping over a washing machine.



Six sets of feet pounded down the concrete floor of the hallway to peer at the rain tank, our source of drinking water, which had just crumbled to the ground and dumped hundreds of gallons of water on the ground.  Here at SITAG, we are connected to Honiara's water supply, which is great for bathing and cleaning, but not for drinking.  Thankfully, no children were refilling bottles of drinking water when the structure collapsed.

And SITAG has plenty of tanks dedicated to drinking water, so we are in no danger of being thirsty.  Especially with rain every day since last Friday.  I love the rainy season!



This little guy poked his head out to see what all of the fuss was about.  He didn't realize that the crumbling concrete blocks had just demolished his favorite habitation underneath the rain tank.

Looks like a new rain tank will be at the top of SITAG's shopping list soon.  And it looks like my heart is extra grateful for plenty of clean drinking water (if you don't count the occasional wiggler swimming around) and for healthy, safe children.



Super Heroes

 Usually, when the phone rings at 12:30 a.m., you expect the worst.  But we were giddily expecting this phone call.  Our friends, the Gebauers, had been on the ship for more than twelve hours and they were pulling into Honiara's wharf.  We got to be the ones to pick them up! 

So, we quickly woke up the kids and piled into the vehicles.  Driving on the empty streets in the middle of the night was kind of a nice change from the daytime bumper to bumper traffic.

Ships were piled up at the wharf, and the Baruku was fourth in line.  Our friends had to climb through three ships, carrying their bags, hopping over the wide gaps in between each ship, and leaping over the huge sleeping pig and its poop, all while severely sleep deprived. 

Who needs a phone booth to prove your superhero status when you can run this obstacle course in your sleep?!?





Weekend Wonders

This weekend has been rainy and cool as a low pressure system sits and spins over the Solomon Islands, trying to decide if it's going to grow up and become a cyclone.  The coolness in the air is a balm to my soul.

Another sweet gift I've recently received?  Our thoughtful director did a surprise photo shoot with our kids and gave us the pictures as a Christmas present.  I love how our colleagues are the "aunts and uncles" to fill in for the ones we've left back in the States.

And God always knows when a certain book will help fill in my tired places.  Gayly just sent "Bread and Wine:  A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes" by Shauna Niequist.  I relate to the author in so many ways - things like how she loves to nurture people with good food, how to embrace all of the good things that God gives us, and how she is raising her kids.  Here's a peek into her mind, which echoes my own:

"I want my kids to learn firsthand and up close that different isn't bad, but instead that different is exciting and wonderful and worth taking the time to understand.  I want them to see themselves as bit players in a huge, sweeping, beautiful play, not as the main characters in the drama of our living room.  I want my kids to taste and smell and experience the biggest possible world, because every bite of it, every taste and texture and flavor, is delicious."

From our most recent newsletter...

Sarah drew this and hung it on the wall in her room

What we do know

Several weeks ago, Sarah came to Joanna telling her about a strange racing she had experienced with her heart. The episode was sudden and lasted only a short time, then went suddenly back to normal again. There was no connection with the fast heart beat and any activity Sarah was doing. Sarah said this event had happened maybe three times before, starting in May 2014. Joanna immediately went to work investigating possibilities and we began praying for wisdom for the best way to proceed.

We are abundantly thankful for some good friends who are also good doctors that God has placed in our lives. We have been advised that identifying what is happening with Sarah's heart will take some time and likely many tests. We were told to think months, not weeks. So, we are preparing ourselves for an unexpected return to the States to investigate the situation and identify exactly what Sarah will need.

We know is very little at this time. We have been advised to have some tests done in the coming months to identify what is happening with Sarah's heart.

What we don't know

Pending Sarah's condition, which is under close observation by our doctors, we are planning to stay in Solomon Islands long enough to make good on a few commitments we have made in the Spring. There is also much work that needs to be done in the translation project to establish a good communication system so that we can keep the momentum of the translation work moving forward even while we are in the States.

We do not know, at this point, an exact time for our return. It is a decision we will need to make very soon so that tickets can be purchased. Since we do not own a vehicle, we will need something for our time in the States. The indefiniteness of the length of our stay will make arrangements like this more interesting. We look forward to seeing how God will provide! We also are not sure in what part of the States we will settle. The ability to find quality care for Sarah and closeness of family are strong points in our considerations.

Lots of questions about the future: how you can pray

1. For our growing faith and trust in God- Sarah and Aaron were reading C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle when Sarah told us of her racing heart. One recurring theme in the book is our necessity to take the adventures Aslan gives us head on, no matter what. We want to face this adventure head on.
2. Wisdom- We want to live in the reality of Isaiah 30:15, 20-21. Or as the song lyrics say, “Where you go, I'll go, when you stay I'll stay, When you move, I'll move, I will follow”
3. For God to act clearly in His Providence- He has marvelous ways of bringing just the right people, places and thing together at just the right time to make all things wonderful, and all to His glory and praise!
4. Provision- We are aware that all of the uncertainties for the coming year are certainly going to come at a price. We know He is already at work in these provisions. Pray that we will have eyes to see and hearts of expectation to rejoice in every gift He gives.
   
   

Epiphany

Sarah started looking at recipes for a "Three Kings'/Epiphany" cake as soon as we returned to Honiara.  I just knew I had seen a recipe for Twelfth Night Cake in our Great Scandinavian Baking Book.  We looked and looked and couldn't find the recipe, then Sarah said, "Mama, did you mean Othello cake?"  I guess I mixed up my Shakespeare plays.



She made the Othello cake, and we looked forward to sharing it with company as we watched "Amahl and the Night Visitors", one of our favorite operas.  However, when we began looking for the video, just before our guests arrived, it was clear that we had left our copy in the village.  Having homes in multiple places means we are forever saying, "Where is the...?"  Followed by, "Oh, it's at the other house."  It's not as glamorous as it sounds!

Olivia was excited that she got found the almond in the cake, and we enjoyed the time with our very gracious guests who stayed to eat supper, even if there was no video to watch.