When life gives you pineapples...

 

 

What do you do when there's been a little mix-up with the market list and too many pineapples come home?  You make sauce for roasted pineapple-caramel sundaes!

 

 

 

And then you sit down to a quick mini-date with your amazing husband to watch an old episode of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" generously loaned by a SITAG colleague.

Selwyn College Graduation

 

When Aaron called from the Kosco to tell me he was almost back to Honiara, he mentioned that Chief Leonard was also on the boat.  We love this guy and his family!  Leonard was coming back to Honiara to attend his oldest son's graduation from Form 6 at a very prestigious school, Selwyn College.  Jerold hopes to go on to attend a university in another country, and eventually he wants to complete medical school so he can come back and serve in his home country.

 

 

We jumped at the chance to go and support this family.  Sarah has a friend from Marulaon who also attends Selwyn and just finished Form 2, so it was a double blessing to be able to attend the ceremonies.  Most students in the Solomons only complete Standard 6 (like 6th grade in North America),  so this day was extra special.

 

We left the house around 8 o'clock and picked up Chief Leonard in town before we drove all the way around the tip of Guadalcanal to the school.  Aaron, our amazing chauffeur, expertly dodged the potholes as he drove through the absolutely beautiful scenery around the edge of the island.  From the back seat, I commented that I was glad he was driving so I could enjoy looking out the window!

 

We brought our kimita, a woven mat, and spread it out on the ground for the kids.  One of the hardest things about living here is that we get treated like "big men" almost all of the time.  Plastic chairs immediately appeared for Aaron and me.  We accepted, but I tried to stretch my legs often to give Chief Leonard the opportunity to sit down in a chair.

 



 

The graduation ceremonies honored the students who had completed Forms 3, 5, 6, & 7 as well as the top three students in each subject in each grade.  Harris received honors for a 1st and a 2nd place.

 

Jerold will take his exams in early November.  If he passes, he will be able to attend Selwyn College for Form 7 and continue to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.  School fees go up every year, and this family has three boys in school and two children still at home.

Chief Leonard was a proud daddy as he posed with Jerold and some of Jerold's friends.  Refreshments were offered in three different venues:  graduating students and families, other students and families, and the honored guests that had been sitting on the platform.  We were invited to attend the "honored guests" refreshments in the library.  Aaron tried to decline, but we ended up in the library, anyway!  During the refreshment break, we got to spend time visiting with the archbishop of the Church of Melanesia, which is great because two-thirds of the Lavukal are a part of that church.

 

 

We finally began the drive home in the rain, and it began to get dark outside as Katherine fell asleep on my lap. We dropped Chief Leonard off at his sister's house, then gratefully stopped at the bottom of Cemetery Hill  for some Solomon "fast food":  cassava, fish, and chicken cooked on a hot griddle over an open fire.  Yum!  We finally pulled into the driveway about 6:30, quickly ate supper, showered, and fell into bed.  So thankful that we discovered the opportunity to attend this graduation and to experience this sweet day.

It's 9:45 p.m. here, and Aaron just called.  He and Benjamin are approaching Honiara on the Kosco, so we are going to go pile in the truck and pick them up.  You've never seen such excited girls...

This just in...

I called the Kosco's office and discovered that the ship should arrive at Marulaon Village around 12:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. Central time) which puts my guys arriving in Honiara around 7 or 8 tonight.  This trip has reminded us to be flexible and hold plans loosely!  We're really looking forward to the family being together again.  We make a good team!

Honiara Woman's Daybook

Just for Today...Tuesday, October 8

 

Outside my window...cloudy and rainy, so my clothes are hanging on the porch instead of outside.

 

From the learning rooms...a lighter few day because Benjamin is in the village.  I only sent math, science, and Bible with him, so that's what the girls are doing while he is away.

 

I am hearing... "The Top 100 Masterpieces of Classical Music:  1685-1928"  These CDs have made our listening tests so much easier! 

 

Noticing that...my Katherine is so very thoughtful.  Naomi and Sarah are good influences on her.  They bring me flowers, so Katherine has made me a vase to hold the flowers she picks for me

 

One of my favorite things...these beautiful drinking glasses.  Wonder how well they would travel to the Solomon Islands?

 

Crafting in the kitchen...trying to eat up leftovers.  With my two hungry guys gone, we aren't going through food nearly as quickly.  Naomi has been sweet to invite us over twice for supper.

 

A few plans for the rest of the week...SITAG team meeting tomorrow afternoon, hopefully picking up Aaron and Benjamin tomorrow, a Children's Education Committee meeting on Friday afternoon, and the big Fly Solomons races on Sunday

 

A peek into my corner of the world...a couple of days ago, my kids enjoyed helping Caroline make lavalavas as a fundraiser.

 



Aunties are for...

...impromptu Sunday afternoon drives for ice cream!

 

Eleven of us girls crammed into one small vehicle.

 

First the little girls chose their flavors,

then the big girls.

 

I was just thankful to be an honorary "girl" for the day to experience the joy of the afternoon.  Thanks, Auntie Karen!

 





Sweet Sabbath

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will mediate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.  Your ways, O God, are holy.  What god is so great as our God?  You are the god who performs miracles, you display your power among the peoples." 

Psalm 77:11-14

 

 

Got my guys down to the wharf last night, with a little help from Naomi and her dad.  So thankful for their friendship and for their physical help.

Our kids acted like they were just on a boat yesterday.  Hauling cargo over the gap between the wharf and the ship.  Thankful for willing hearts, strong bodies, and no fear in my children.

This is where Aaron and Benjamin planned to spend the night.  On a crowded ship, they found a small space under the stairs to unroll their mats and settle down for the anticipated ten hour boat ride.

 



Yet another thing for which to be thankful?  All smiles.  Not one tear or whine when I said it was time to go home and go to bed.  Not from the girls or the boys.  Aaron called the house around 9:20 and said the ship was getting to pull out.

 



And then church this morning.  We rode down the hill with Naomi, her dad, and one of the lovely national families that work at SITAG.  When it was time for the New Testament reading, I looked over to see Naomi's dad pull out his Gela portions of the New Testament.  I about cried and hurriedly sneaked my camera out of my purse, thankful I had brought it.  One day, the Lavukal will be able to pull out their New Testament, written in their heart language.

In just a few minutes, I'll be taking Benjamin and Aaron down to the wharf to catch the Kosco.  They should leave around nine p.m. here, (5:00 a.m. CDST).  The plan is for them to replace the dead batteries in our village home, get the electrical system working, set up the radio antenna, test the village e-mail and radio, and replace the screens on the house.  Then we'll be ready for the whole family to return to the village at the end of October.  We would appreciate your prayers for the Choate guys.  They hope to return to Honiara late Wednesday night, if the ship stays on schedule.

Delighting in Changes

"We delight in the beauty of a butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."  ~ Author Unknown

 

 

During Conference, Naomi discovered a gaudy caterpillar on a bush just outside our front door.  The next day, we found a bright yellow chrysalis and another caterpillar.

 

We got to watch the second caterpillar as it spun its new home with false eyes, and we stared fascinated every morning as the yellow chrysalis slowly turned into a shiny gold.

 



Between my camera and Naomi's, we were able to photograph almost every stage of development of this amazing insect.

 



A few days ago, the shiny chrysalis begin to develop black lines.

 



And this morning when we returned from our exercise, Katherine found a beautiful butterfly had emerged from the first chrysalis!  Does anyone know what kind it is?

 



 

Praying that this insect will be a reminder to me that the changes God encourages in my life are slowly making me into his beautiful creation.

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty!

A big thank you to each of you who sent a card to celebrate Aaron's 40th birthday today.  He had seven cards to open! 

Even today was a "normal" day, we did manage to squeeze in some fun.  During our weekly SITAG team meeting, we went through two gallons of vanilla ice cream and many cans of root beer as we served root beer floats to every grown up and kid that wanted one.  (Did you know that many Australians don't care much for root beer?  We invited people to bring a different soft drink if they would rather have something besides root beer.)



Instead of a birthday cake, Aaron requested chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies. 





Our head baker was happy to oblige for her favorite guy.



Naomi invited us down for supper to celebrate, and we stuck a candle in Aaron's cookie before we sang to this amazing man that God has allowed me to share so much of my life with.

Gela Guys

We are delighting in Naomi and her dad staying in the Solomons for a few weeks.  Not only do we think they are really fun, amazing people, but we are also getting to watch a little bit of the consulting and checking process as they check I & II Peter and Jude this week.

 

Naomi and I drove into town this morning to do some grocery shopping.  As we were making multiple trips to the car to drop off our fresh produce from Honiara's Central Market, I suddenly realized that we had all of the food we needed for a motu (cooking with hot stones) party:  a big fish, pumpkin greens, dry coconuts, and potatoes.  The only extra supply we needed was firewood.  When Naomi and I meet back in the market, I asked her if she would be interested in throwing a small feast for the Gela team that night.  She was thrilled, even knowing how much work it would take.  As soon as we got all of our groceries unloaded, we began the process of preparing the food and the fire, and by seven o'clock, we were all enjoying a delicious feast in celebration of the completion of I Peter.

Lavukaleve Review Answers

Here are the correct answers:

 

 

 Uvikola vofulune.  (I'm plucking cassava.)  This verb works for plucking Chinese cabbage or for plucking your eyebrows, too!

 

 

(Liss, you had me laughing about hot dogs attached to shooting stars!)

 

 

Manioko okwine.  (I'm cooking papaya.)

 

 

Leus elauva!  (Go sweep the trash!)

 



Ui ehatariva!  (Cut the food!)

 



 

Lisa and Margaret, you were the closest with half of your guesses correct!  I'll get your purses in the mail as soon as I can.  Thanks for playing along!

Sweet Sabbath

"Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it.  Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.  Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.  Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.  Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.  Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.  Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality." 

Romans 12:9-13 (The Message)

 

 

We love celebrating birthdays and spending time with our SITAG family, "good friends who love deeply".  This afternoon, our house looked a lot like the house in Pat Hutchins funny picture book, "The Doorbell Rang".  I was too busy having fun to take pictures.

 

 

People just kept dropping by for a chat, and it didn't take long for every crumb of Sarah's chocolate chip cheesecake to disappear.  We ended up with a full table, full tummies, and full hearts.