Marulaon Daybook

For Today...Monday, March 28

Outside my window...the kino blooming like crazy, new Chinese cabbage and bell pepper plants growing big in pots on the porch and awaiting transplanting, pineapple tops waiting for me to plant them, my basil is turning brown and succumbing to the aphids

I am thinking...about the beautiful red siviroko birds that were fighting over the kino blooms yesterday as I hung out laundry to dry.  Their brilliant red plumage stood out vividly against the white blooms.

I am wearing...I always laugh at this one!  In the village, my clothes are inevitably loose, stained, sweaty, stinky, and mismatched.  I fit right in with my neighbors!

I am praying for...Aaron's big seven village tour to the East Russells on Wednesday

I am going...to meet with Margaret today for a language learning session

From the learning rooms...celebrating letter L with Katherine, Ancient China, Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt as we hang out in the "thousands BC" for a little while

I am thankful for...my three year old who hears the Bible text read in Pijin in church, turns to the correct page in her picture Bible, looks up at her Daddy, and grins

I am remembering...the irises that should be blooming soon in the courtyard of our sending church in Memphis

From the kitchen...granola for breakfast, curried lentils, pumpkin leaves, and fresh pineapple for lunch, leftovers for supper.  Sarah, Katherine and I made lollipops for letter L week, too.

I am reading..."Her Mother's Hope" and "Her Daughter's Dream" both by Francine Rivers, on loan from a SITAG friend

I am hoping...to have some quiet evenings so we can sleep well again.  Enough sleep makes such a difference in my day.

I am creating...more snowflake stitches.  It's a big tablecloth!

On my mind...trying to carve out a little one on one time with each of the kids. 

Noticing that...we have some new baby pumpkins on our vines – finally

Pondering these words..."They travel lightly whom God's grace carries."  Thomas a Kempis

I am hearing...the wind chimes on this breezy day, the lunch dishes being washed, kids chattering and anticipating eating the lollipops

Around the house...gingersnaps that just came out of the oven to take to Margaret as a thank you and six lemons that we bought at market.  They are the first lemons we've seen in the Solomons, and just in time for letter L week. 

One of my favorite things...ten year old boys that get so dirty playing that you could grow flowers in the crease of their neck.

A few plans for the rest of the week...language learning with Margaret this afternoon, harvesting the rest of the umalau close to the house with Eta tomorrow morning, Aaron going to the East Russells on Wednesday, learning how to copra on Thursday (we're in group four, so that's our day!), and silently weeding with the community for penance on Friday

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...snowflake stitches on the tablecloth

Thursday, March 24
Today, Eta came and helped me harvest about half of the umalau close to the house.  Eileen and her daughter Naris asked if they could come cut some of the vines to plant in their gardens.  Eta and I weeded the ubikola (cassava), dug the holes to plant the new umalau, and dug up two huge bowls of umalau.  I sent some home with her early and asked her to come back late in the afternoon to plant the new vines.  Around 5 p.m., she returned, and the two of us cut the ends of the umalau vines and shoved them into the newly dug mounds.  It still amazes me that they grow so well!

Saturday, March 26
Last night, a group from Louna in the East Russells came to present a drama of the history of the Lavukal.  They also presented custom dancing and singing.  For supper, each family in the village sent some food to provide for the group, and we sent a bowl of umalau motued with rumit (thick coconut cream).  Sarah, Benjamin, and Olivia asked if they could go.  So, Katherine and I stayed home while the others went about 9 p.m.  Aaron brought the kids home around 11 p.m. and went back to enjoy the rest of the show.  He finally came home around 1:30 a.m. because he couldn't stay awake any longer, and the show ended about the time he crawled in bed! 

Sunday, March 27
The new District Priest came to Marulaon today. He led communion and initiated some church discipline, then after church he held a program about tithing.  Our kids were thankful that the service only lasted three hours.  They have certainly adjusted to the length of the services here!  After the service, the "big men" gathered to eat breakfast with the priest, so we sent lelenga (cassava pudding) made with our own ubikola with Aaron as our contribution to the breakfast.  We also sent some lelenga to Grace who lives on the point and to Daisy since they both said they were too tired yesterday to make lelenga! 

After the breakfast, the community held a meeting to discuss many things, one of them being the selection of Marulaon's nomination for a Bible translator.  Each of the communities was supposed to nominate someone from their community and bring it before the Translation Committee last February.  This didn't happen, so Aaron held another meeting a couple of weeks ago, and it still didn't happen.  Now, Aaron is traveling to each of the village and explaining the process in person and asking each community to send in the name of their nominee.  He went to Baison last week, and this week, he will travel over to the East Russells to speak with several villages.  He is enjoying building relationships with lots of people, but finding the petrol, canoe, engine, and driver is a headache!  Marulaon has nominated Janet, Chief Leonard's wife, to be a translator.  She is a busy mother of five, but she is full of energy and knowledge about her language.  Aaron finally got home about 3:30, ready to rest for a while.  However, Ezekiel dropped by and the two of them discussed the upcoming trip to the East Russells.  God continues to grace my husband with stamina!

The Garden

Wednesday, March 23

Aaron left about 2:30 yesterday afternoon to walk the two miles to Baison with Hiva and Ezekiel.  They made the trek because no one from this village showed up to the most recent translation committee meeting.  After Evening Prayer, the men met with the community to explain the translator selection process.  Instead of returning home on foot through the bush, the three guys returned by motor canoe after waiting for the almost full moon to rise so they could see where they were going.  Aaron got home around 10 o'clock.

Marulaon Daybook

For Today... Monday, March 21

Outside my window...the sun hasn 't come up yet, but the moon is setting and streaming through my window.  The stars are slowly being blotted out by a huge bank of clouds, and I anticipate rain soon.  What a great way to start the day!

I am thinking...that I am so glad I got up on time this morning.  My three girls were all up by 5:45.

I am wearing...a blue v-necked t-shirt, a black skirt, and black dangly earrings

I am praying for...my husband as he picks up the pace and visits the villages who didn't send representatives to the most recent meeting and for my children to deal with some character issues while they (both the kids and the issues) are still small

I am going...to try again to make peanut butter cookies in a barrel oven

From the learning rooms...Hammurabi's code, Benjamin starting Singapore 5B, Olivia learning about similes, celebrating Spring with some fun crafts

I am thankful for...e-mail.  It's still working!  Even though I can't moderate comments from the village, I can respond to e-mail.  Feel free to drop me a very short note at joanna underscore choate at sil dot org.

I am remembering...twenty one years ago this week, holding Aaron's hand for the first time in the movie theater while watching "Hunt for Red October"

From the kitchen...muffins, yogurt, and papaya for breakfast, chili and cornbread for lunch, and leftovers for supper

I am reading..."In the Company of Others" by Jan Karon

I am hoping...that several long-awaited boxes show up in Honiara soon.

I am creating...lots of white snowflake stitches on red gingham, still.

On my mind...the new Translation Center being dedicated in Honiara today.  Thanks again to all of you who sent white pillowcases to help furnish the bedrooms!

Noticing that...it's getting harder and harder to add verses to our passage from Colossians.

Pondering these words..."The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction....A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.  Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Proverbs 16:21, 23, 24

I am hearing...my 12 volt fan and the wind starting to pick up.

Around the house...loads of bananas.  Between market Saturday and gifts from friends, we'll be making lots of banana cake this week.

One of my favorite things...watching the sun rise.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Aaron going to Baison tomorrow with Ezekiel and the new translation committee chairman, George Hiva;  Wednesday morning trying to make cookies with Kiko and Grace, finishing the umalau harvest close to the house and planting new umalau to be ready for the next time we come out to Marulaon

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...the amazing, huge almost full moon as it rose last night.  We were in church when it first came up all golden, but we caught it soon after it began its journey across the sky.  WOW!

Sweet Sabbath

Lod ngotalu la ena mima eoko
Foia iru raine eluluri mea heo
O tunae ga e ena tuna
Ngolar ga e ema

Lord, your word inspires us
And it daily guides us;
We, its truth believing,
Are your light receiving.

A sampling from our thankful list on the chalkboard:
-1st day of Spring (Sarah)
-pizza with American pizza sauce (Aaron)
-friendly geckos (Sarah)
-rain last night (Joanna)
-full moon (Sarah)
-new toothbrushes (Benjamin)
-shower bags (Aaron)
-white citrus shower gel (Joanna)
-good friends (Sarah)
-chocolate hamantashen (Joanna)

Chocolate Hamantashen

(from "Queen of the Castle" by Lynn Bowen Walker)

In a large mixing bowl, beat:
1 1/3 cups butter
with mixer on high speed until butter is softened. 

Add:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
and beat until thoroughly combined. 

Mix in:
1 1/2 cups more flour (may want to do this by hand as the dough is quite stiff at this point). 
Divide dough in two, cover with plastic wrap, smush into flat disks, and chill until easy to handle, perhaps a couple of hours or as long as a couple of days.  When ready to bake, mix together for filling:
1/2 cup of a thick jam
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Set filling aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator.  Roll out one disk at a time on floured surface, to 1/4 inch thick.  (Keep flouring the rolling pin and your work surface if the dough sticks.)  Using a two-to-three-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles.  Place two inches apart on wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  Plop 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the jam/chocolate chip filling into the center of cookie.   Lift up three edges of the dough round and fold toward center, pinching the three outer points together tightly so not much jam is showing.  (Here's where they should look like three-cornered hats.)  Reroll scraps and continue until all dough is used.  Bake at 350 degrees for eleven to fourteen minutes.

Saturday, March 19

As long as I've known my amazing husband, he has recharged by spending time alone.  He just isn't a people person.  For example, he learns language best by studying his notes, where I learn better by going out and visiting with my friends.  He has learned to adjust since going into full-time ministry, even fooling some of our friends.  Yesterday, Aaron left the house about 6:45 for morning prayer and came home for a bowl of granola about 8:30.  Then, he quickly left again to attend a farewell gathering with lots of singing and dancing.  He came home for lunch, and we were just finishing when Ezekiel showed up to visit a little before 1 p.m.  Aaron and Ezekiel talked for more than four hours - shooting the breeze and discussing Bible translation for the Lavukal.  As soon as evening prayer finished, Moses came by to ask for some nails.  Aaron had recently been looking for him to discuss some things about translation, so the two sat on the porch for a while.  When Aaron came back in, I told him I was surprised he wasn't mute with all of the talking and interacting with people he had done.  I'm so proud of him!

Today, we enjoyed a market with great variety.  Lots of bananas showed up.  I guess my comments about not having any bananas to make banana cake finally caused some action!  When I came back to the house, Fosta was sitting at the bottom of the steps with Katherine, Benjamin, and Sarah playing "market" or "elav" as Katherine calls it.  Elav is the word for "how much".  Fosta was holding Katherine's baby doll in her lava-lava.  It was so cute! 

I looked down the hill and saw Dawa, Naris' husband, holding their new baby.  They were in the ila (hammock) together and playing so sweetly.  I love to see daddies interacting with their children.

Since gas for our oven (gas also fuels the fridge) is so expensive and not refillable here in Marulaon, we try to bake with a full oven whenever possible.  This morning, Sarah and I made banana cake for the neighbors, a couple of loaves of banana bread for us, bierrocks for lunch, and granola bars.  Sarah also mixed up a batch of chocolate Hamantashen to let the dough chill for Purim tomorrow.  Now, I'm getting ready to put the lelenga together and get all smoky in my outside kitchen.  We'll enjoy sharing the lelenga tomorrow after church.

Thursday, March 17

I went down to Kiko and her sister Grace's kitchen this afternoon to try baking peanut butter cookies (with some of our precious butter).  Kiko began the fire like a motu, with hard wood and dry coconut shells to make it nice and hot.  She built the fire in a small portion of an old barrel that she always uses for her motu.  We traded phrases in English and Lavukaleve as we waited for the fire to die down. 

I learned that it's rude to tell honored guests to "come eat" (euiba).  You have to say, "Come look at the food" (eleba), instead.  When the sisters thought the fire was ready, they put a small piece of roofing copper on top of the fire and placed the cookie sheet on top.  They covered the barrel with it's lid and placed more fire on top.  Within a minute, Kiko checked the cookies and announced they had burned.  We decided to try again after the fire had cooled down and little more, and the second batch was a little less burned.  The last batch was almost perfect, just a little too brown on bottom after only four minutes in the "oven".  We decided to try again next Wednesday morning and tweak the fire a little bit more to create the perfect batch of cookies.  But now I know how to say something has burned (hoieb)!

Wednesday, March 16

Our yard still isn't back in good shape yet, especially around the fence, so I asked Leku to come and help today.  In addition to weeding, she helped us harvest some umalau for potato soup and plant some green beans, too.  We dug up the umalau in the field close to the house that had been dug up by a pig last September and then left to reseed itself.  Leku found the hugest umalau I've ever seen!

Umalau and Sarah

Tuesday, March 15

Marulaon hasn't had any petrol (gasoline) since we arrived.  Aaron brought some from Honiara for the translation committee, and we also have a reserve for ourselves as a part of our emergency plan in case we need to evacuate quickly.  The nearest place to buy petrol right now is Pipisala, a village on the Russells' biggest island.  It's not too far away, but the petrol sells for $115 (about US $15) a gallon.  It normally sells for $100 a gallon here in Marulaon.  We've already been asked for petrol for a priest who ran out of petrol before he reached his destination.  Last night, a young boy came and asked for petrol to run his family's generator.  We don't have enough petrol for Aaron to be the "village businessman", as the men who sell petrol are called.  We don't sell anything, since we value our visas and hope to stay in the Solomons for a very long time.  Please pray for wisdom for us to know the best way to use the translation committee's petrol and to use our own.

Marulaon Daybook

For Today...Monday, March 14

Outside my window...the cyclone has passed, the sky is blue, and the winds are calm; lots of blooms on our melon and pumpkin vines

I am thinking...about the different kinds of things that come through the laundry.  This morning, it was lentils.  Benjamin busted a home-made bean bag on his bed, and I washed his sheets today.

I am praying for...the rescue efforts in Japan

I am going...to dig up some more umalau this week to make soup

From the learning rooms...Mesopotamia, Professor Noggin's Ancient Civilizations game (we love it!), cohesion & adhesion (Sarah and Benjamin), weather (Olivia and Katherine); Sarah - quickly finishing up Teaching Textbooks 7, active voice vs. passive voice, Benjamin - finding unknown angles, similes, learning the five parts of the friendly letter, Olivia - renaming over several place values, capitalization, Katherine - letter K, learning about appropriate clothes for different types of weather (it's kinda hard to explain cold weather to her!)

I am thankful for...the prayers of people around the world on our behalf

I am remembering...going to see the daffodils on Wye Mountain in Arkansas

From the kitchen...apple puff pancake for breakfast, cornbread and black-eyed peas with the last of the summer sausage my parents brought for lunch, and precious carrot sticks accompanied by cheese and crackers for supper

I am reading..."Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon 

I am hoping...that the soreness in my right ear isn't an indication of a forthcoming earache, they seem to plague me here in Marulaon

I am creating...lots of snowflake stitches on a red gingham tablecloth.

On my mind...my sister and her baby traveling down to visit family this week and how much I wish I could be there

Noticing that...many of our neighbors took advantage of the high copra prices while we were gone to purchase small solar panels to run a light or two at night

I am hearing..."St. John's Passion" by J.S. Bach

Around the house...the few Easter decorations we brought are out now, pulling out the pastel colors wherever I can to pretend that Spring is just around the corner

One of my favorite things...starting the day with a clean kitchen and a quiet house that slowly eases into the day with soft music and the whispers of Colossians being memorized

A few plans for the rest of the week...still have to clean all of the school books and shelves (probably our least favorite task upon arrival), meeting with the three sisters (Kiko, Grace, and Daisy) to exchange English lessons for Lavukaleve lessons)

A picture thought I am sharing with you...my three girls in headbands that came in a box from my college roommate

A True Lent

by Robert Herrick
Is this a fast, to keep
    The larder lean,
        And clean
From fat of veals and sheep?
Is it to quit the dish
    Of flesh, yet still
        To fill
The platter high with fish?
Is it to fast an hour,
    Or Ragg'd to go,
        Or show
A downcast look and sour?
No:  'tis a fast to dole
    Thy sheaf of wheat
        And meat
Unto the hungry soul.
It is to fast from strife,
    From old debate
        And hate;
To circumcise thy life.
To show a heart grief-rent
    To starve thy sin;
        Not bin:
And that's to keep thy Lent.