We've finished the science experiments, packed up the books, cleaned out the fridge, frozen the grains to kill any bugs, counted out the packages of ground beef allotted for our stay, gathered the translation tools, and started the "on the ship basket".

 

watching the "rain" form as the water condenses under the ice

 

The basket will hold ginger to suck when the sea gets to rolling; my new book, Kate Moore's "The Radium Girls"; lots of water bottles for the long, hot day; toilet paper ('cause you have to bring your own!); sunscreen; and those pesky last minute little things that always pop up when you are trying to walk out the door at 6:00 a.m. 

Packing...

It's been quiet here on the blog this week because our house hasn't been quiet!  Sarah has made sure we still have beauty around us by keeping fresh frangipani blossoms in almost every room.  Their pungent aroma helps battle against the chaos.

Sweet Sabbath

"If focusing on our diminishing items leads to envy, what would happen if we focused on the unending items?  If awareness of what we don't have creates jealousy, is it possible that an awareness of our abundance will lead to contentment?  ~Max Lucado

Sarah was looking over my shoulder at my Instagram account the other day, and she commented on how fancy our normal life looks when you just put on a filter on the picture.  That led us to a discussion of contentment, looking at life through the lens of reality, and not being caught up in the illusion that everybody else has greener grass.

Aware of our abundance this weekend...

- Friendship that crosses cultural boundaries.

- A husband who has the wisdom to listen to the Holy Spirit say, "We should stay in Honiara an extra week."

- A daughter who loves to make things beautiful, including her mama's hair

- A God who makes the electricity go off during the funeral so we can't hear the electric keyboard that was covering up the voices.  Just when the choir is breaking into gorgeous harmony and switching into lyrics in their heart language.  Pure worship.

-Adopted family who bring comfort into our grief this weekend.

Our hearts are still raw.  Wednesday afternoon, the word quickly flew around SITAG that our friend and colleague, David, was rapidly declining at the hospital.  In the wee hours of the morning Thursday, David went to be with the Lord that he loved so much.  In the midst of the grief and in wanting to fully support our SITAG and BTLP SI families, we have decided to delay our return to the village by a week.

 

 

David Tago

1967-2016

 

In 2013 David and his wife Ribeka completed their studies at the Christian Leaders Training College in Papua New Guinea.  David obtained his BA in Biblical Studies, while Ribeka received a BA in Mission Studies.  When they returned to the Solomon Islands, David and Ribeka began to oversee the translation work of the Old Testament in their own language as part of the Isles of the Sea translation group.

 

In 2014 David was selected to lead Bible Translation and Literacy Partnership, Solomon Islands (BTLP SI).  He worked hard to promote the importance of Bible translation in the languages of the Solomon Islands as well as to present the realities of the Solomon Island translators to partner organisations. (from the memorial service program)

Shaped up for the tasks God has for us

 

"If God ordains new circumstances and we choose to resist, manipulate, or withdraw, we are no longer trusting in our sovereign God."  ~Melanie Davis Porter

 

Resist, manipulate, or withdraw.  I feel the pull of those three options, especially when I'm living overseas.  And none of them are healthy choices.  My "read the Bible in a year" daily Bible readings had me going through 2 Timothy recently, where I found this timely and true reminder:

 

"...Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers - why, you took in the sacred scriptures with your mother's milk!  There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another - showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way.  Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." 

2 Timothy 3:14-17 MSG

Busy, busy, dreadfully busy...

I'm feeling my Veggie Tales these days.  This week has been busy. 

 

 

But in a good way.  We're surrounded by some amazing people here, and we are so grateful for the opportunities to be able to spend time with them.

 

So this afternoon, we loaded up the vehicle full of people, suitcases, and schoolbooks, swung by a little hole-in-the-wall shop for fish and chips, and drove some colleagues out to the airport.

 

 

We bounced kids on horsey knees and laughed and did pre-calculus and celebrated thirty years of marriage until it was time for our friends to board the plane.

 

And yesterday morning, I went on a little field trip with a colleague to visit the Kastom Gaden Association.



I had hoped they would have some tomato and bell pepper seedlings to take out to the village next week, but all they had available at this time was herbs and lettuce.  So, we will enjoy what we were able to buy and look forward to our next trip.

 

And we really are packing.  With school finishing up today, the bookshelves will soon be empty.  The grains have all been frozen and put into rat-resistant buckets, and we're revving into higher gears.  Because Sunday is fast approaching!

Honestly, our kids have been dreading this day.  The day we begin reading "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. 

 

 

 

But...introduce a lovely recording (complete with British accent) of this classic by LibriVox, add afternoon tea with ginger scones, and the whole atmosphere changes from dismay to celebration!

Sunday Swim

 

So grateful for a chance to rest and play on a Sunday afternoon.

 

Especially with some of our favorite people!

Reading Aloud

When the mess of lunch is cleaned up, and everybody's bellies have been nourished, then it's time to nourish our minds with good books.  I love how Katherine's drawing captured my weary legs propped up on the coffee table. 

 

 

Over the years, the time of day has changed to meet the needs of our family, we no longer have a baby that needs a quiet house to take a nap. The anchor of reading aloud still helps hold our family together, no matter where we are living.  

A little night music...

 

"Everyone comes to the table as equals, as human beings who are in need of connection and nourishment.  We give and receive food and our stories become channels through which our souls touch one another."  ~Grace P. Cho

 

Two of the hardest things for me while living overseas are 1) being so far away from our families and 2) missing the musical performance opportunities we enjoy in America.  Both of those things I put on the altar every single day.  But God, in His sweet way of lavishing grace on us, has surrounded us with adopted family here at SITAG and given us some options to make music together.

Tonight, a few of our colleagues joined us for a small recital, just to hear what the kids had been working on for the last month here in Honiara. 

How many adults do you know that would give up their Friday night to come hear a beginning cellist?  Or to sing in a trio from Mendelssohn's Elijah?

 I'm super proud of our kids' hard work in keeping their music going, even when the circumstances are less than ideal.  And our audience was so very gracious.

We thanked them with the currency of food:  soup and salad and Sarah's homemade rolls slathered in garlic butter.

And they paid us right back with a high exchange rate in the currency of laughter and the sweet knitting of hearts.



"Sacred and surprising things happen when we gather around a table and share food made with love and by our own hands."  ~Shauna Niequist

Bible Week in Honiara

 

 

SITAG has a table at the "Bible Week" celebrations this week, and each of us here in Honiara have signed up for an opportunity to talk to people about God's Word in their heart language.

 

The big language map of the Solomon Islands drew in some people, and the recordings of the Bible in different languages attracted others.

 

We had some great visits with people about topics like using old language words with deep meaning in the Bible translations as one older gentleman pondered the balance of using those old words that only have meaning for his generation but not for the younger generation because of language change.

Several hard copies of Bible sold, but it was also exciting to watch our tech-savvy colleague give people the Pijin Bible on their phone!

 

Revisiting Contentment

“A willing acceptance of all that God assigns and a glad surrender of all that I am and have constitute the key to receiving the gift of a quiet heart. Whenever I have balked, the quietness goes. It is restored, and life immeasurably simplified, when I have trusted and obeyed.” ~Elisabeth Elliot

 

Living cross-culturally means I'll never quite understand my neighbors, and they will never quite understand me. I pray that God will fill me with His love for the people around me and give me insight into their way of life. At the same time, I pray that I will choose thanksgiving and contentment in the place God has planted me.

 

Honiara Woman's Daybook

 

Just for today...Monday, October 24

 

Pondering these words..."Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers...."  Phil. 4:6 MSG

I am hearing...Sarah practicing voice.  I love listening to her voice slowly mature and look forward to her being able to study with a real teacher again when we return to America.

 

On my nightstand..."Made in America" by Bill Bryson.  I bought it in the airport in Brisbane, and it's fascinating!

Crafting in the kitchen...we tried Willow Bird's Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding this weekend, and it was fabulous.  Certainly hit the "We Miss Autumn" spot!

 

A peek inside my world...our family and a few SITAG friends participated in the G'Day Solomons Fun Run Saturday morning.

 

 

 

We had a beautiful view for the race!

 

From the learning rooms...Katherine is learning about decimals, Olivia is racing through world history in the mid-1800s, Sarah and Benjamin are finishing up government as we come to the end of the semester next week.

 

One of my favorite things...listening to Katherine read out loud to me, especially when we're snuggling.

 

Outside my window...this was the scene over the weekend. 

 

 

SITAG decorated a float for the parade that opened Bible Week here in Honiara.

John 3:16 was printed in every language in the Solomons that has a translation,

and the blank pages represented languages, like Lavukaleve, that don't have scripture yet.

 

We didn't go to the parade and the opening ceremonies, but the SITAG employees won first prize with their float!  Super proud of them and all of their hard work.  We love our employees, they are the ones who really keep things running smoothly around here.