You may well ask what fundraiser and for whom and where..
It happened Sunday November 14th at First Baptist Church, Armstrong BC;
two chili and bun luncheons were held to help us (Henk and Margreet
Denoudsten) to go on a two months mission trip to be of help to members of
Wycliffe Bible Translators working in the Solomon Islands.
Thank you to those that provided ground beef, dozens of delicious buns and
lots of cookies for dessert. A big thank you to the ones that help set
up, prepared the chili and cleaned up and a special thanks to all of you
who devoured nine ice cream buckets of chili and most of the buns and
cookies., and donated a thousand dollars toward our expenses!
Our bags are not packed yet, but we are booked to leave Vancouver on
January 23rd and returning on March 22nd. 2011. Our tentative itinerary
includes travel to some of the more distant islands.
Plans can change from hour to hour as we experienced when we were in
Honiara in 2009. Our to-do list had already drastically and dramatically
changed by the time we reached the SITAG center, coming from the airport.
SITAG stands for Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group.
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| Elden and Karen Martin - helpers in the kitchen. |
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| Del and Sharon Israelson - our 'right hands'! |
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| I (Margreet) served lots of chili. |
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| I (Henk) spoke about our mission. |
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| Some of those who came for the second serving. |
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| Steve and Leanna Thiessen knew just how to serve themselves some chili! |
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Norm and Donna Nielson, FAIR leaders in Guelph, Ontario were here and encouraged us in our mission as well as others to become involved where God would have them.(The following posts are copied from the previous two years missions and are not archived as we would like.) |
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February 23, 2010Chad travels #7The sun is just poking its fiery ball over the horizon, when we start loading the Land cruiser with all the supplies we need or think we need for our trip to the Kera people. The party: Jackie, the translator, who has not been able to visit the area since 2006, Victor the print shop manager (who is Kera), his mother and Margreet and I. Among the items that need loading this Saturday morning: three mattresses, two solar panels, a large battery, food and more food. After prayer we are indeed off at 7 AM. The trip goes well, but it still takes almost seven hours to cover the 320km. Just before our final destination we drop off Victor's mom. The last 10 km are a bit more challenging, as there is no more road left. We find a spot to drive through a small stream and reach the village of Koupor. There is a welcoming committee at Jackie's compound. After many greetings we are quickly set up in our room. Victor and I are able to look over the system right away, giving us an idea of what we'll face in the coming days. We always enjoy village church services, the singing and the rhythms. The message was good as well. (in Kera, translated into French). We were very well looked after: boule (a thick porridge made of maize , and a sauce with pieces of chicken). One makes a ball of the maize and dips it in the sauce, preferably without burning ones fingers. Before and after the meal the host or one of the family will go around with a plastic kettle of water and soap so everyone can wash their hands. (Although we had our own filtered water at hand we quite often drank from the communal jug of water.) Margreet and I both enjoy 'boule' but it is heavy to digest and after a few meals we had to explain that our Canadian stomachs weren't quite Chadian enough yet to eat so much of the meals. We did start that Sunday afternoon already by getting the new battery going and took the solar panels off the roof.  Monday was a very busy day working and visiting. After we had hoisted the four solar panels back on the roof we realized that it wasn't quite working as well as we had seen it work before: so down it came again with us checking every panel separately. Tightened screws and rerouting wires seems to have done the trick. Back up it went; by this time it is getting too late in the day to fully check the system but we give it a 'clean bill of health'. Tuesday morning and we are up and about packing the vehicle for our departure. Beside the hard work we have had ample time to visit with the Kera people, which was very enjoyable! Driving out of Koupor one can imagine that the area becomes inaccessible. Most is a flood plain and the ground consists of black clay, barely manageable on foot when wet. We do make good time after we have a nice breakfast of rice and chicken at a pastor's house in Fianga: the first town after leaving the Kera area. At 2:30 we are back at the center. Friday, being Mohammed's birthday, there are no internal flights and we are scheduled to fly East on Thursday (6:30AM). Not quite sure for how long but most likely for about a week. We are told that there is good internet access due to the large UN presence in and around Abeche. We do thank you for your prayers and emails! Enjoy the weather! Love, Henk and Margreet henkden@sunwave.net |
February 19, 2010 Chad Travels #6 "Fresh from the oven..." Early this morning we woke up to the running of water right under our window. Had a pipe burst...? I looked and I saw a dark shadow taking a "shower" with the garden hose.... presumably one of the night guards.... After breakfast Henk went to the shop here at the center to make some adjustments to a few carpentry pieces that need to be installed in the SIL Arabic office, about 5 minutes drive through "challenging" traffic! In the meantime I did our laundry, hung it up outside on the lines dripping wet, and knowing that in about 3 hours from now it will be completely dry. Laundry needed to get done, because we go through at least two changes due to the extremely high temperature which is actually way too soon for this time of year. When you look at the weather chart in our blog, it is accurate: 42 C and sunny skies! (We close our windows at 10 a.m. and open them again at about 8 p.m. to keep the night's "coolness" inside.) Henk did play a bit of soccer in the evening with some of the children....after that a third shower was welcome! Our city routine will dramatically change as Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. we will go on our next road trip. Jacqui whose project is with the Kera (Koupor) in the south west asked us to come along with her to sort out her solar electricity problems and challenges. New panels and batteries have been purchased along with all kind of bits and pieces that go with that, as well as some foam mattresses we'll be using on the ground in one of the huts we can use. Jacqui told us that the people there are very poor, however, they will probably want to feed us with their staple of "boule et sauce aux feuilles". Since our arrival has been announced alrerady, the local authority of that region, the Sous-Prefect invited us already for a meal and of course, we accepted. The 320 km will take us 8 hours; Jacqui hasn't been on these roads since 2006 and has been told that the roads haven't been maintained.... We should be back on Tuesday with all the work that needs doing done. Jacqui is one of the teachers on a course that starts Wednesday. We will let you know then how our trip went and more about our next destination to the east, Abeche, where we won't have to drive to, but fly to:-) Thank you for your emails, your prayers and all different ways you are partners with us to improve the lives of the people who have committed themselves to teach people to read and write and translate the Scriptures. With our love, Henk & Margreet henkden@sunwave.net |
February 14, 2010 Chad travels #5 We left off waiting for the 'chaud' to be made. Simeon did a good job mixing it for us: one has to be careful mixing as it becomes very hot with the chemical reaction. Never having done it before I assumed that it would be like painting, but that is not the case. While I was applying the whitewash Margreet was painting the door and two windows. Instead of glass, metal louvers are used that open and close just like the glass ones. Sunday morning we packed and left for Bitkine. It was only 60 kms away and we arrived in good time to settled in and even do some work. This after we actually found the house as it is hidden behind a hill. Djimet is the Chadian caretaker while the two translators are in the capitol. There was a fair amount of work to be done. Installing four lighting arrestors meant also running extra wires for grounding purposes. A copper rod needed to be hammered into the ground: we had visions of spending half a day trying to dig a hole into very rocky soil... imagine our surprise when it took only ten minutes of pounding to get it three feet down! Installing extra lights and switches isn't an arduous job but having Margreet around to help with stringing the wiring and handing the right tools and connectors is a great help. We had lunch with a Swiss couple; they are working with the local church in establishing a trade school which will be attached to their primary and secondary school: a large vision and a welcome one as there is not much of anything produced locally and unemployment runs at 80%.  Three days later all had been accomplished and we moved to Tchelme, twenty minutes down the road for our next project. Here we needed to install a controller and replace broken light switches. This controller has digital readouts for the main criteria: power coming from the solar panels, power consumption and battery functions. This was very helpful as it became clear that one of the panels needed to be added to the system that was dedicated to running the fridge.The house is situated outside the village and therefore quiet, except for the pigeons that roost on the roof and start making noises when the sun gets up. Every morning and evening there is a steady stream of women heading for the local well a hundred meters past the house.  After cleaning away a multitude of cobwebs we whitewashed the two bedrooms (we feel like pros after two times). The evening before we left we were invited by the Chadian family that looks after the house and life in a large compound close by. We had asked Adoum, the Chadian translator, to find us two French speaking locals to travel with us to the capitol. Eight o'clock Saturday morning we were ready to go. We thought that our trip would be short lived: most seasonal streams have a cemented 'floor' instead of a bridge. These are marked by whitewashed cement pillars. Approaching the second one of these (there are tens of them) the vehicle lurched and Margreet and I braced for the impact of the post hitting the side of the vehicle... nothing happened!! Someone remarked later that there most likely is an angel flying around with the Hi Lux's imprint! We were very happy to have had the Hi Lux to drive. The couple that we switched vehicles with blew a tire and when they wanted to use one of the two spare inner tubes found them both defective; the battery died on them as well! The rest of the 300 km trip went smoothly, if that is the word that comes to mind when you have been shaken and bounced around. I did get a fine at the only police check as I couldn't produce my original drivers license and a triangle reflector was missing. 6000 CFAS sounds like a lot but is something like C$15. We reached the centre at 2.30, surviving the mad traffic in town, sand traps, washboard, cows, donkeys, camels, people, motorbikes and overloaded lorries.  We were able to have an hour with John and Pam Hollman: Margreet worked as John's secretary in Nairobi and they took over 'our' house when we left in '97. We have been in regular contact with them but hadn't seen them since. Meeting up with them was the reason that we returned to the capitol on the 13th. Although there are three more trips planned for us we hope to be able to keep 'our place' here so we don't have to run around with all our stuff. The last three weeks have been taxing for Margreet as she had to get used to new kitchens three times and figuring out how to feed us.  We have been very diligent watching for scorpions and snakes, but haven't had to kill any yet. Thank you for your prayers (to the surprise of the Wycliffe folks here we are healthy and well: Henk did have to start using his belt to keep up his pants). With our love,Henk and Margreet |
 February 5, 2010 Chadian Adventure #4 Hello everyone, Last year while in the Solomon's it was not as hot but a lot more humid and it was nice to be able to wear shorts and some type of light top. Here we have to 'dress to the hilts'. Margreet wears a long dress and a head scarf while I wear long pants, runners (no flip-flops) and a dress shirt. We have been doing a lot of walking back and forth between the three different locations. Everything has been going quite smoothly. I did have to replace six battery clamps as the first ones broke very easily. Working on the tin roofs installing the panels was not too much fun; especially when I had to replace two panels as they were not outputting enough and needed to be replaced with one larger panel. Had to make sure that they are tight down, well and proper, as the wind picks up during the night and actually starts howling through the trees! We were thankful that we had city water when we arrived, but that convenience stopped last Monday. Last night we were invited by one of the Chadians working at FAPLG (Chadian group that promotes literacy). We had a lovely meal of Boule, mango, rice and beans, bread and wild honey. Our French is holding up but it would be nice to be more fluent. We have started painting metal doors, metal window slats and frames. We are waiting for the white wash to be made: apparently this takes twelve hours to do it properly. We hope to leave Sunday for Bitkine and beyond. This might be our last update till we reach the capitol, Lord willing on the 13th. We have no radio and have no idea what is happening in the outside world....which is not that bad. Greetings, Henk and Margreet |
January 30, 2010 Chadian Adventure #3 Dear friends,It is Saturday morning - sunny and blue sky.... When we checked the temperature yesterday afternoon, it was 43 C outside in the shade and 36 C inside. It doesn't cool off much during the night until about 4 a.m. when it becomes quite pleasant at 24 C. At night the "trick" is to take a quick shower (lukewarm), jump into bed and pray you'll fall asleep quickly in spite of the heat, barking dogs and the hot foam mattress!!! (Did I mention we don't have A/C or fans??) The office of SIL here in Mongo is the regional one called "the Guera Regional Office". An off shoot of SIL is its literacy program which is totally run by the Chadians. The abbreviation is FAPLG - I'll spare you the French....Henk and I spent most of our time at the latter to reinstall wiring, plugs, sockets and fluorescent lights. I feel like an apprentice as I help Henk; handing tools, pulling wires etc. It becomes crucial when he has to crawl into the attic and I need to stay on the ground to follow orders. We have also done a lot of rewiring in the main SIL office. Another new small office was built which still needs all the wiring and then the walls need whitewashing. The mason has not yet returned to do the final realignment of the door so until that is done, the whitewashing will have to wait, but we can go ahead with the rest. As of today, all the expatriate SIL folks have left for Ndjamena to attend their annual Branch Conference. We are very happy to have the office manager still here, whose name is Simeon and who has excellent French (and Chad Arabic :-) Since he is off today and Sunday, I am using his computer to write this update. Fortunately it has an English keyboard instead of a French! The little guesthouse we use is small and limited in kitchen facilities. We have been hosted by the SIL people for all the main meals over the past week. This week and next it will be up to me to create some meals that are nourishing enough for us to keep going. One of the Chadian ladies here did go to the market for me to get me some basic produce that is in season: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and onions. Eggs are easy to get so we will eat those too. Meat is a bit challenging, but the lady can get it for me – I have no idea for how long that will need cooking..... Bread can be bought too, but only in the market and not close by. As far as "wildlife" is concerned we hear goats, donkeys (many!!!), the occasional cow and sometimes birds. So far all we see in the insect department are spiders. We have been cautioned that scorpions are hiding in dark places.. And we are told to kill them immediately and not leave them running.... Henk and I drink a LOT of water -- every 5 minutes we need to drink some from our insulated water bottles that we brought from Canada -- what bliss to have cold water for part of the day. We are fortunate to have access to a fridge in a different building. When it is so hot, luke water just doesn't cut it. Thank you for your prayers -- daily challenges can only be faced as we seek and depend on God's Wisdom. We will not have access to our regular emailbox until we return to Ndjamena which we expect to be around February 15th. From here, we have two more locations to go to which are nearby. Our next project is just half a block away where a translation team lives. It needs installment of new solar panels, more light fixtures and some painting. Until next time, Love, Henk & Margreet |
January 27, 2010 Chadian Adventure #2 We have been forced to join the cellphone crowd...there are two competing systems here, if you want to do email etc you use Tigo, but to reach someone by phone you use Zain. We have our Netbook with us; unfortunately it won't allow us to hook up to the internet via the cellphone. Of course this was all in preparation for our trip to Mongo. After waiting for the print shop to deliver a trunk full of primers we set out at 9.30 Monday morning. We were happy to have David (he is the Chadian center manager) with us. There were a few hair raising moments getting out of town as there is lots of everything and everyone on the road. We were driving a Land Cruiser and that was helpful navigating the washboard and stretches of soft sand. When we return in some three weeks I will be driving a Hilux and we'll be in for a much rougher ride and a longer trip. We had enough time to stop at two locations where we will be doing some electrical (solar) work and a short visit with David's parents. We arrived at four, somewhat road weary. The SIL personnel here are in various stages of packing; some are leaving today (Wednesday) while others will leave on Friday. By that time we will be the only white faces around. In the mean time Margreet and I have been hard at work removing 12V light fixtures. These will be replaced with 240V models as everything will be run through an inverter (details just for you techies). The challenge will be to find all the 12V wiring and the things attached to it. The only fresh items that are available food wise are lettuce, tomatoes and papaya (not quite ripe though), so it will be a challenge for Margreet to think of meals to cook. Not having a fridge is challenging but we can use one in another house on the compound. Signing off for now.  |
January 22, 2010 Chadian Adventure part 1. We have had quite the week. The whole trip could have been in jeopardy if we would have hit the moose that decided to cross the road...we got to a sliding stop some 10 feet from its bulk. We did have great weather driving to Vancouver (well, actually Langley) where we stayed with our good friends Fred and Edel. Edel took us to the airport the next day, after we returned from having coffee with Bob and Jo Hiebert in Abbotsford. We decided to go to the airport early as we had no idea how much time was needed going through security. It turned out to be a breeze and we thought actually more casual than previous times. The flight to London was uneventful, as was the long layover at Heathrow. Thankfully Ethiopian Air wasn't fully booked and we were able to change seats as the seats were not very wide and totally no legroom. Our lay over in Addis stretched from four hours to almost seven. It was a much more roomy flight to Ndjamena. There was a large group of pilgrims returning from Mecca on board and because of that quite a bit of other peoples luggage was left behind, as well as ours. We were very thankful to retrieve them this afternoon! As a result we were unable to continue to Abeche by plane. There are no seats available on the Saturday flight and the decision was made that we would drive to Mongo on Monday or Tuesday. This is a good seven hour journey (roughly 400 km). It is very dusty here and it does get hot during the day, but at night it cools off into the high teens. The group here is quite a cultural mix: German, Swiss, Sweden, Scotland, Britain, New Zealand, France, Canada and USA. We were picked up at the airport by Ruth, an oldtimer whom we have known since 1980! All of you have a nice weekend, Love , Henk and Margreet. |
| January 15, 2010 Margreet and I are travelling to Chad, leaving Vancouver on the 19th of January. We will be volunteering with Wycliffe Bible Translators for two months. Travelling to different locations we will be involved in repair, maintenance and small building projects. I will have my hands full with PV solar systems and a few generators as well. The day after arriving in the capitol we'll fly east to the town of Abeche. After the weekend we'll be driven some 500 km to Mongo where we'll spend two weeks. We hope to be able to send you all a weekly update. |
2009
DenOudstens on Solomon Islands
Synopsis #6 March 14, 2009
We have returned safely from our trip to the Russell Islands.
Margreet took the three of us to the ferry at 8am Sunday morning. Although the ship was filling up rapidly there was still room for us and all our stuff. Policy is to take along a life jacket and an emergency beacon.
Margreet took the three of us to the ferry at 8am Sunday morning. Although the ship was filling up rapidly there was still room for us and all our stuff. Policy is to take along a life jacket and an emergency beacon.
The sea was calm and the six-hour trip went fast enough. Every day we are amazed by the friendliness of the people. Even on the ferry all went smoothly. One has to take care not to step on sleeping children and babies: they can be found on every bit of free floor space.
As we had to wade ashore Henk had to quickly take off his shoes and socks. On the coral beach we were warmly welcomed by pretty well the whole village and received leis around our necks. It was somewhat painful to walk across the coral to the house on bare feet!
We were able to accomplish all the things on our to-do list. Tim and Aaron met with the translation committee. Henk checked out the batteries used for the solar system. (These unfortunately need replacing). Tim and Henk were able to get the propane fridge and stove to work. We first had to clean out the mess that a resident rat had made over the years.
We hope to return in ten days time to finish the plumbing: installing two forty gallon tanks on the roof and all the piping involved in getting water inside the house. Kitchen sink and taps and a shower and sink. Henk was able to install the tank for the toilet, which of course still needs to be filled manually.
It was a bit of an anxious wait for the return of the Bikoi. It arrived on schedule at 10 in the evening. Thankfully it had stopped raining an hour before and we boarded under a full moon. We found enough room on the upper deck to unroll our ‘foamies’ and catnap for the next six hours. Arriving at the dock in Honiara I expected a mad rush of people disembarking, but especially the families stayed on board to wait for sunrise. A taxi took us back to the center and I woke up Margreet at 4.30am.
Meanwhile the crew here in Honiara has made progress on The Loft’s kitchen island and installing railings for the steps. The Dorm is being transformed with walls and ceilings being boarded up.
On Thursday Aaron and Henk started hunting for the parts they will need for the next island trip. Halfway through we noticed the front tire of our vehicle getting flatter and flatter. With the help of some bystanders Henk was able to change the tire, while Aaron did some shopping at the market.
As far as plumbing hardware goes: there is quite a lot available but there are also quite a few times that we were told “items have sold out”
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Friday March thirteenth we (Margreet and Henk) were doing some shopping when we realized that the passenger’s side window couldn’t be raised anymore. We curtailed our shopping, but did have time to have a nice cup of coffee at The Lime Lounge. Upon our return to the center Henk spent four hours trying to repair the window. At least for now it is almost completely closed and can not be lowered.
Margreet meanwhile had a pretty busy week as well. Babysitting one night, taking some ladies grocery and market shopping on Wednesday morning and in between, the ‘normal’ office things of keyboarding and cash box.
We appreciate your emails and your continued prayers for safety and good health!
Until next time,
Henk and Margreet DenOudsten
Honiara, Solomon Islands
(The following email was sent to First Baptist Church Monday, March 09, 2009)
Dear Friends of Henk and Margreet at First Baptist Church in Armstrong
Just thought that I should write you a quick note to thank you so much for making it possible for Henk and Margreet to visit us here in the Solomon
Islands. They have been a blessing to us since they got off the plane. As an example, a few days after they arrived, the wife of our construction
supervisor slipped and fell and fractured her hip. Because it could not treated here, the couple had to be evacuated to Australia. Margreet looked after the patient until they were evacuated, and Henk just stepped in and took over supervision of our building project like he had been here for years.
Both have continued to help in numerous ways since then. We admire the breadth of their skills, as well as their enthusiasm and flexibility. They refuse to give me their passports because they know I would lock them in the safe so they cannot ever leave here.
Thank you and may God bless you for your generosity in these difficult times.
Grace and peace
Greg Conwell
Director,Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group
PO Box 986, Honiara
Solomon Islands
Tel office 677-23646
Tel home 677-22441
Synopsis #5 March 7
To ‘flump’: to fall heavily. A great word for us Scrabble and Upwords players. When a heavy door flumps on you, that is not a good thing. This happened last week to Karen, our literacy coordinator and two days ago she flew to Brisbane for further check ups as she still had headaches and a sore neck/back.
Margreet and I suggested that we move into her little house and free up some needed extra beds.
So it has happened that we moved to the center itself. Our new abode is the size of a single wide mobile. There is cold running water, but not advisable to use for drinking or brushing teeth.
The telecom guys were back today and the internet is actually accessible. For the past weeks people had to come to ‘our’ previous house to do their email.
It has been a little cooler this week: a lot of rain still coming down and it is mostly overcast. We woke up this morning (March 7th) to a blue sky! We spent two hours doing shopping, mostly for the Wycliffe Associates team that has been arriving over these past days. The five of them will start putting up fence posts this coming week.
Tuesday night we took Andy and Julie to the ferry (think an oversized fishing boat, with all the smells and some extra rats). They will be gone to their language area for three weeks. An amazing assortment of items had to come along: lumber, life jackets, canned food, gas bottle, computer and clothing. It all had to be heaved over the railing onto the deck where they were staking out a place to rest. On the other end it will all have to be loaded on a truck, driven across the island and reloaded into a canoe. We have had radio contact in the meantime: they have arrived safely.
Margreet, as seen above, has been busy keyboarding the parables of Jesus in Taihara, one of the local languages. Because Andy’s not around, Margreet will be keeping track of the cash box and other financial duties in the office. (Payroll for the employees she won’t have to do!)
Henk and crew were almost finished with the steps, when they realized there was not enough headroom and the whole contraption had to be moved half a meter.
Progress is being made on The Dorm. Henk installed electrical outlets and the three younger crew members are installing the 4x8 sheets of board starting with the ceilings.
The Choates are hoping to move there soon (with their four children) to restart a translation project. Our little advance team will establish contacts and try to find out what is needed to make the house that they will live in livable again. It has been empty for a few years now as the previous team had to leave for a medical emergency.
If the ferry sticks to its schedule we should be back Wednesday at 4AM.
Synopsis #4 February 28
The good thing about the rainy season is that when it does rain the temperature drops to around 24-27C. The drawback is that it can really come down. While you were having a blizzard we got 4cm of the wet stuff in an hour with 19cm the previous day. The soil here is like a big sponge and the roads (at least the ones that don’t have blacktop) can handle it easily.
This week has been a bit on the hectic side.
Henk and crew were able to finish The Loft in time for Bruce and JoAnn’s return on Tuesday. The only thing remaining is the outside stairways. It was all in place, when we realized there was not enough headroom clearance with the verandah itself. Now they are in the process of moving the whole structure over one foot.
The two week long workshop on Hebrews/Psalms finished this week. Nine participants were able to make it to the workshop. The ferry service between the islands works, but is not very reliable. Some of the translators will have a difficult time returning to their villages.
Our three-bedroom apartment is a lot fuller with the arrival of a couple and a single. They are here to do a survey on the transportation needs for the translation teams and how they can best be met. Andy and Julie Pierce, our neighbors, will take 22 hours to get to their translation project. This includes a ferry, a ride on a truck and another ride in a canoe, this if all goes smoothly. Now imagine trying to do this with four young children…
Henk was going to join two others this weekend to have a look see at the work that needs doing before their family can return to the village. Unfortunately this ship will visit five ports and return to Honiara the same day. There is another sailing scheduled for this coming weekend March the eight, which supposedly will give us the time we need.
Finally we (Henk and crew) were able to start work on the downstairs of another house. It is a ‘diamond in the rough’, but it has three good-sized bedrooms and will be converted into a dormitory for the national translators when they come for workshops etc. Two people have been working all week on smoothing out the concrete floors and installing new outside doors. We would like to start on building a kitchen next week.
This coming week we anticipate the arrival of five volunteers (all of them happen to be Canadians!) who will be helping building a fence; that is if we can get the ‘transfer of property papers’ signed and registered in time. Don’t worry: there is a long list of other, smaller, jobs just in case.
Just to give you some idea of the prices here: cheese C$16/kg, 10 eggs for $4.50. a litre of milk C$3, a small cucumber C$2, C$1 for a medium sized onion. Diesel is C$1.30/liter. (Our currency here is in Solomon Dollars: S$6.= C$1.-)
Saturday afternoon we visited SWIM (Short term Work In Missions) - an outreach of the Christian Reformed Church of Australia. Their vision is to establish a vocational school for disabled adults. A Canadian couple from Edmonton is there for a 3 month period.
A couple of days ago Henk got an insect (mosquito?) bite which developed into an infection. Right now Henk’s leg is looking a lot better: a friend gave us some double strength antibiotic ointment. Likely due to the high humidity, it takes a lot longer than at home to heal.
Thank you for your love, concern, emails and prayers!
Love,
Henk and Margreet
Synopsis #3 February 21
What does one do to have some excitement at the beach? One finds a stuck in the mud pick up truck!
After having been to the market and shops to get next week’s groceries we decided to check out ‘the sandy beach’ this Saturday. The above picture kind of emphasizes that the word ‘sandy’ is a bit of an overstatement. We did have a nice relaxing time: the water is around the 28C.
Thankfully it has been a sunny day. Although it is the rainy season the rains were less dramatic than the week before, still it is smart to have an umbrella with you.
Margreet has done more burning of old records and reorganizing old files. Henk and his crew have made steady progress on ‘The Loft’. It should become livable in the next few days, which is a good thing as Bruce and JoAnn hope to return from Brisbane on Tuesday. Margreet will shift her focus then to helping them get settled in.
Yesterday (20th) the downstairs of one duplex was vacated by its owners. Henk will spend the next three weeks or so fixing it up and reconfiguring it to be used as visiting translators housing. This Tuesday will also see the arrival of three Wycliffe colleagues who will be staying with us for some time.
The effects of the unusually heavy rains of three weeks ago are still noticeable at the market. Lettuce for example is still $5 (6 Solomon Island dollars to 1 Canadian), but instead of three small heads one gets only one head of lettuce. A handful of green beans went from $5 to $8.
We are able to buy fresh whole wheat bread (if you are at the bakery at the right time!). There is a choice of yams, lentils, rice, green beans and a wide variety of fruits: papaya, avocado, mango, bananas, lemons, star fruit.
White flour has disappeared off the shelves, so Margreet will have to slow down on her baking.
Unlike African countries taxis drive very slow here (25-30km/h) which can be somewhat frustrating trying to keep your distance: there are quite a few of them as well. It takes us 10 minutes to cover the two-km to the office, where we normally are from 8 till 12 and 1 to 5 from Monday through Friday.
It is good to be here and help meet some of the needs. Thank you for being partners with us in this adventure!! A BIG thank you to those who have written to us via email!
Solomon Islands Synopsis#2 February 14 Although it is quite nice on the deck off the living room, we are both inside on this beautiful sunny Saturday. The no-see-ums are still out in force at three thirty in the afternoon and quite hungry. Today is Valentine’s Day and this morning we set out to swim at “Stony Beach” which is the closest to town and apparently quite different from the ‘sandy beach’ which is about 6 km beyond town. We arrived there just before noon, meeting up with colleagues.
For our lunch we got a bbq-ed piece of chicken, some rice, a slice of cucumber and two fried bananas at a roadside stand.There was a choice of chicken or tuna fish and it was served on a banana leaf. It was finger licking good, which was a good thing as our fingers were the utensils of choice.
In the morning Margreet and I together with Andy and Julie – our downstairs neighbors-went downtown for our weekly shopping: the Bulk store, Aus Mart and the open fruit and vegetable market. Did you know that Aussies aren’t familiar with mustard and it is very hard to find here?
We mentioned JoAnn last time. She has been airlifted to Brisbane last Monday. An MRI scan has revealed two hair line cracks in her pelvis. Time will have to do the healing. Since Bruce, her husband, has gone with her Henk has been ‘in charge’ of the project.
Thankfully Patson, the cabinetmaker returned the next morning. It had taken him this long to be able to get passage on one of the ferries. Can you imagine having to wait two months to get off Vancouver Island after visiting your relatives for Christmas?
Thankfully Patson, the cabinetmaker returned the next morning. It had taken him this long to be able to get passage on one of the ferries. Can you imagine having to wait two months to get off Vancouver Island after visiting your relatives for Christmas?
Progress has been made on The Loft and we are getting down to the small stuff like window boxes and cabinet doors. Going to the hardware store is normally time consuming especially if one needs lumber. It is amazing how many decisions need to be made in every aspect of the building. Do we use nails or screws; dove tail the drawers or not, what to use for the fronts of them? This morning there were four workers pouring concrete as a foundation for the stairs that lead up to the verandah. This coming week I’ll have to make the decision how to fabricate the stairs themselves.
In this all I am thankful that I can just wear shorts and a T-shirt. As you can tell from the Honiara Weather Info, it is very hot and humid. (When we lived in and later worked for short periods in Africa I rarely wore shorts because there it is culturally not acceptable as compared to here for men it is the norm.)
Margreet was kept busy for a few days helping JoAnn: typing emails for her, bathing her and cooking dinner for five people (and shopping for that: where is Askews when you need it?). After JoAnn was airlifted Margreet has been going through filing cabinets full of ‘ancient’ history. Memos, letters and annual reports dating back to 1979! Margreet’s Wycliffe background makes it easier for her to determine what is essential to keep and what can be burned. This coming week the financial records need to be thinned out and M. will actually have a barrel to burn it in!
In the evening our bedtime has slowly shifted from 8.30 to 9.30 or even 10 o’clock. Last Wednesday we played a game of Settlers with the neighbors. We did bring Rummikub and Upwords with us and play that regularly.
A translation workshop (Psalms) is starting this weekend; pray that all participants will arrive on time. (mainly by ship, from different islands)
Drop us a line; thank you for your prayers.
Henk and Margreet
henkden@sunwave.net
The following pictures will lead almost to Margreet and Henk's doorstep!
Solomon Islands Synopsis #1 February 5th, 2009 Dear friends,
It has just rained a little bit for the first time today. There seems to be a drying trend developing and people are happy with this. Apparently it has been raining heavily every day for the past two weeks. Although The Islands get a lot of rain this has been abnormal and has caused flooding, loss of lives and destruction of fields and bridges. The bundles of fresh produce for sale on the market have already become smaller.
We had a good trip getting here, compact snow on part of the ‘Coq’ and being in a holding pattern over Honiara for an hour as a rainstorm was making the runway all but invisible. Thankfully we did not have to return to Vanuatu and were able to land by skimming over the waves at maybe 30-50 feet.
We are staying in the upper part of a duplex. We have it for ourselves right now, but that will change in the near future. The translation center is 3 km down the road and we have the use of a van, which we share with our neighbors Julie and Andy. It didn’t take long to get used to driving on the left side of the road.
Henk has been busy already with installing electrical outlets and such, crawling into attics. The person that started building the cabinets for a new addition hasn’t been seen since Christmas and Henk has been hard at work making drawers and sanding down the cabinets. There is a bit of a deadline as a workshop starts next week and the space is needed for that.
Margreet had been asked to do filing and scanning of language material before it all gets too moldy.
This assignment changed drastically as JoAnn, the wife of the Wycliffe Associates Construction coordinator, fell and not only got some nasty bruises, but also strained her back. She has been told by the physiotherapist to stay flat on her back as much as possible for at least a week. She helps her husband and does a lot of the emailing etc. to stay in contact with the WA volunteers. Margreet has again taken up her role as personal assistant typing and photocopying and other needed errands . We, well Margreet mainly of course, will also look after their evening meals.
There is only a handful of people here at SITAG (Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group) and the task is so huge. We again feel privileged to be part of it and thank you for your prayer and financial support.
With love,
Henk & Margreet DenOudsten
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