Honiara Woman's Daybook

 Just for today...Tuesday, April 14

From the learning rooms...we're down to the last bits and pieces of the school year.  So proud of my kids for adding a subject here and there so they can finish early next week.  They have maintained high quality work throughout the entire school year, and I'm so proud of them!

Crafting in the kitchen...Katherine read about shoo-fly pie and found a recipe to make one.  So she and her sweet big sister cooked one up this afternoon since it's Katherine's night to be the head chef at our house.

Pondering these words...In this great day when most women wave banners of authenticity about our pasts, we crouch back from honesty about our presents.  Well tell you all about our broken places of yesterday but don't dare admit the limitations of our today.  All the while the acid of overactivity eats holes in our souls.  And from those holes leaks the cry of unfulfilled calling that never quite happened.  We said yes to so much that we missed what I call our "Best Yes" assignments - simply because we didn't heed the warning of the whispers within that subtle space.  ~Lisa Terkeurst 

This is something I know will hit me in the face when we return to the States in just a few weeks.  I don't want the acid of overactivity to eat holes in my soul.  I want to listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

On my bookshelf..."The Best Yes:  Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands" by Lisa TerKeurst

A few plans for the rest of the week...picking up Aaron in the morning, making a few trips to welcome SITAG families coming in (six families in the space of five days!), and beginning the packing in earnest since our master packing will be home.

A peek into my corner of the world...rainy afternoons equal a house full of kids, and these are some of my favorite kids!

Update on Aaron's trip

Just copying what I posted on Facebook.  Only God could orchestrate this:

 

Just got off the phone with Aaron, and God has really been answering prayers for this trip. After more than a week of calling and texting people in our language group (the cell phone signal is often weak or disabled), Aaron hadn't heard back from anybody. The original plan was to get off at the first stop and meet the translators, work hard for 24 hours, then go by motor canoe to our village to finish painting our house with used motor oil as a termite deterrent, and finally to visit another village with literacy material. On the ship yesterday, Aaron decided to go to "Plan B", so he purchased the ticket to take him all the way to our village. When he got off to help somebody at the first stop, he turned around and found our translation committee chairman and the entire Lavukal translation team! Back to "Plan A". They worked hard till midnight last night and all day today, finishing up the work on key terms. Aaron is now headed over to our village by motor canoe. In addition, the chief of the village that wants the literacy material was on the ship yesterday, so Aaron was able to work out the details for a visit tomorrow! HUGE thanks to everybody who has been praying for this short and intense trip - keep it up.

Sweet Sabbath

Our whole family went to Honiara's Central Market yesterday.  It's one of my favorite places in the whole country!  We are always finding new foods, and this time we discovered some softball sized "apple melons".  The lady who sold them to us offered to cut one up and let us taste right there on the spot.  Katherine and Olivia were the first to try, and their eyes lit up.

"It tastes like honey dew melon!" was the first thing out of Olivia's mouth.  So we bought four to make a special breakfast for Aaron this morning before he left on the Kosco.  I just scooped out the large seed cavity, spooned in yogurt, and topped it with honey roasted pecans as a treat.

 



After breakfast, we were running late, but the ship was still fairly empty when we arrived.  The Kosco was parked next to a fishing ship lined with baskets of fishing line.

 

 

We're not sure how they managed to keep the lines and hooks from getting tangled up, but our whole family was fascinated.

 



On the upper deck of the fishing ship, the nets and buoys were piled together.  Part of me thinks it would be very interesting to go out to sea with this crew and observe.  The other part of me is very thankful that I don't have to get on a ship again for a while.

 

We could just see a member of the crew eating his breakfast with chopsticks!

This cutie pie and her family stood next to us for a while.  They are going farther west than Aaron, and the two little girls were eating chips for breakfast.

Finally, we all gave Aaron hugs and made a plan to chat on the radio this evening.  Would you be willing to pray for his trip?  He hasn't been able to get in touch with anybody from the Russell Islands by cell phone.  We always struggle with communication, but usually we can get in touch with somebody.

 



Aaron ended up changing his plans, he'll go to Marulaon first to finish painting the house with used motor oil as a deterrent to termites.  He'll also try to get over to Karumulun (Ezekiel's village) to give some literacy material and encouragement to people there.  He hopes to be able to set up an intense workshop with the translators during the second half of his stay, and then return home to Honiara on Wednesday.  A quick trip, jammed packed,  but if anybody can do it, my Aaron can!

These are a few of my favorite things...

-signs that indicate we are packing and sorting for our departure THREE WEEKS from today

-Kids Bowl Free (we just signed up!)

-encouragement for my Third Culture Kids and an article about transition written by a TCK

-Beautiful ribbon bookmark from Edi that brings color and joy into our lives

-this great tool for Living Out the Five Love Languages at Home

Better late than never...

 I found a lovely card from a sweet Texan waiting for me when I returned to Honiara.

She wrote something about a new semester, so I glanced at the top of the letter to see when she had written it:   August 17, 2014.  The envelope has four different postmarks on the back, and some are in Spanish! 

I love snail mail, no matter how long it takes to get here.  Better late than never!

Broken

Since our return to the Solomons almost two years ago, Aaron and I have learned a lot about relationships through watching other people and especially as we've worked through relationships with our children and with each other.  Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Broken" reminded me that the first half of the equation was remembering that each of us are broken & imperfect:

The first waffle out of our stove top waffle maker
always fall apart

"We don't have to pretend about it
We don't have to keep acting like we're all okay
If we lift our lives to the cross
We'll see some reality

That we're all broken
And we all have a Savior"

But I think a bigger piece of that equation is that Satan loves to destroy our relationship with the Lord.  And what better way to do that than to break our relationship with other people?

Aaron's Easter Egg, he redeemed the brokenness and
made a Venn diagram on his egg!

When my relationship with Aaron isn't going smoothly, I have to remind myself that my true fight isn't against my husband.  It's against the destroyer, the enemy.

"Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.  Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.  Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.  Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'"  Psalm 35:1-3



Katherine's special necklace from the village,
broken the first day we returned to Honiara

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  Ephesians 6:12

"What if this battle...isn't the curse we've always thought it to be?  What if it's actually the very thing, if brought under control, that can lead us to a better understanding of God?  What if we could actually get to the place where we thanked God for letting us face this battle because of the rich treasures we discovered on the battlefield?"  ~Lisa TerKerust



Plastic breaks easily here in
the hot and humid tropics

When I'm frustrated with one of my kids, I have to stop and remind myself, "My kids aren't the enemy.  Satan is the enemy."  That thought changes my whole perspective.  Instead of fighting against somebody I love, I appeal to God to help me fight against the true enemy.  I become the Good Samaritan, the "Hurt Healer" instead of one of the "bad guys" hiding beside the road who actually aids the enemy in the battle. 

"Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.  With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies."  Psalm 60:11-12

Honiara Woman's Daybook

Just for today...Easter Monday, April 6

Outside my window...a new view!  Every time we return to SITAG, we have to stay in whatever house is available.  This time we are staying in the newest accommodations, a big building built and dedicated by Wycliffe Associates in 2010.  It' made to house three families.  We have the largest unit with a huge fridge!  I'm going to be spoiled rotten in the next few weeks.

From the learning rooms...Week 34!  Three more weeks of school left.  I'm so proud of my hard working kids who have hardly had a break (except to move back and forth from village to Honiara).  We will certainly enjoy our summer break!

On my bookshelf..."The Teenage Brain:  A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults"  by Frances E. Jensen.  I saw this book in the Brisbane airport on the way down to the wedding a couple of weeks ago and really wanted to buy it.  When I finished the book I brought and found that I still thought that Jensen's book was a good idea, I purchased it as we walked through the Brisbane airport on the way home.  So far, it's great!  And Jensen seems to have some great parenting skills as well.

Crafting in the kitchen...for our family, Easter means coconut cake.  I've been making my great-grandmother's coconut cake for every Easter since I got married.  That is, I used to.  Until Sarah took over.  This year, she decided to compare recipes:  my great-grandmother's vs. Willow Bird Baking's coconut cake.

Nana's cake is more meringue and sweet, Willow Bird's cake is more custardy and creamy.  I have to admit, I like creamy better than whipped egg whites.  Maybe making two cakes every year will become our new tradition!

Pondering these words..."He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries.  Instead, He allows soil and weather and animals, an the muscles, minds and wills of men to co-operate in the execution of His will."  ~C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things..."pick your own" farms.  I've already got a list of places I want to visit when we return to the States.

A few plans for the rest of the week...we have an Easter Monday meal at the SITAG director's house today.  Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays here.  I think this will be our last somewhat "normal" week because Aaron will leave for Marulaon on Sunday and the packing will intensify as we near our departure date.

A peek into my corner of the world...the lunar eclipse occurred on Saturday night for us.  We didn't stay up for the whole thing, because midnight is way too late for our crew.  But we enjoyed hanging out on the porch and watching the fun begin.

Easter in Honiara

 

"Adorable Redeemer, thou who wast lifted up upon a cross art ascended to highest heaven.  Thou, who as Man of sorrows wast crowned with thorns, art now as Lord of life wreathed with glory.



Beating the pecans to represent Jesus' broken body in our
Resurrection Cookies last night



Once, no shame more deep than thine, no agony more bitter, no death more cruel.  Now, no exaltation more high, no life more glorious, no advocate more effective.

 

6:00 a.m., Honiara Easter sunrise

Thou art in the triumph car leading captive thine enemies behind thee.  What more could be done than thou hast done!  Thy death is my life, thy resurrection my peace, thy ascension my hope, thy prayers my comfort."  ~from "The Valley of Vision"

Together...



"The family that prays together, stays together."

So true.  But we've also found this to be true:  "The family that plays together, stays together."



And although "The family that cooks together, stays together," 



isn't rhyming or catchy,



it works for our family.



No matter where we live, cooking anchors family traditions for us.





Spending time in the kitchen is one more cord to draw us closer together.



Amid the constant chaos and transition, we're thankful for every little thing that God uses to make the Choate Team stronger.



Maundy Thursday

"But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."  Ephesians 2:13

The last several weeks have been full of transition, and Lent, Holy Week, and Easter have totally fallen off my radar.



So, I'm attempting to salvage the next few days in simple, gentle ways:  Making hot cross buns to share with SITAG employees & Lavukal friends living in Honiara, cobbling a playlist of music (everything from Bach's Passions to Casting Crowns) to help us focus on God's gift of Jesus,



continuing our devotional and singing time in the evenings, and enjoying sweet books and scripture readings that point us to Christ and his sacrifice on our behalf (and some "just for fun" books, too).

Reunited

Sarah and I arrived safely in Honiara this afternoon after a very smooth day of traveling.  We left this morning with temperatures in the mid-40s and arrived to temperatures around 90 and super humid, but it was so good to be home.

And my romantic husband and sweet kids made my day even better with their welcome signs.  Team Choate is finally reunited!



Heading Home

 We've weighed our bags and packed our breakfast for in the morning.

 

I'm drinking my afternoon cup of decaf coffee from my favorite kookaburra mug provided by my gracious hostess,

 

because at 3:30 in the morning, we'll be leaving this lovely home and heading back to the Solomon Islands to reunite Team Choate.  We've enjoyed our stay here in Australia, our time has been full of sweet experiences and celebrations.  But it's time to go home...

Wedding Day!

Sarah spent the night with the ladies' half of the bridal party, and I rode down with Naomi's family early Saturday morning. 

 



 

I learned that Australian brides traditionally get ready away from the church and then ride to church in a car decorated with a white ribbon.  When we pulled up, the groomsmen were putting the finishing touches on the car to take Naomi to the church.

 

The ladies were just about ready to go, and they were all so beautiful, shining from the inside beauty that God put into each one.

 



Naomi wore a bluebird pin that belonged to her grandmother - something old, borrowed, and blue!

 

Naomi glowed all day long.

 



A little issue of no car keys delayed the bridal party for a few minutes, but the best man realized the problem and came screeching up to rescue the ladies with the key to the car.

 



Naomi and Matt signed the marriage license in front of the congregation.

 

The father of the bride and the father of the groom each prayed for the couple.

 



 

After the wedding, some luscious food was served,

 



and then the bridal party drove over to a lovely park to begin a full afternoon of picture taking.

 



 

A brand-new baby got passed around and made everybody smile.  He was absolutely precious.

 

The bridal party continued on to a new location for more pictures while the rest of us went back to the church to clean up and get the building ready for Sunday.

 



 

 The amazing ladies at the church had almost finished cleaning up by the time we arrived, so we were able to drive over to the reception site and begin setting up there.

 

 God really blessed throughout the whole day.  Even in the midst of the busy schedule,

 

 

I saw lots of smiles, and we had time for sweet visits and card games, too.

 

Naomi and Matt arrived and we celebrated them again at the reception.  This time, they danced with no blindfolds.  This marriage is more than either of them could have asked for or imagined, and we are so excited for them.

 



 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.  Amen!"  Eph. 3:20-21