Praising God for relief from back pain!

Having prayed for rain on Sunday it sure did show up! We figure about two feet of it over a three day span! (this thanks to cyclone Azu, which was heading toward Vanuatu). The six new 2000 gallon tanks were ready to be inaugurated by Tuesday: by Thursday morning they held collectively some 12000 liters and that just from the gutters of the main building!

The rains cooled things down somewhat (to the mid twenties C), but the last two days we have had clear skies again and the temperature sitting around the 32-34C with high humidity.

The Choates hope to leave this weekend for their village. Their 'normal' ferry The Bikoi has been out of service and might be ready to sail again on Sunday. If not then they will have to sail on the 'Express', which is faster but they can not take any of their extra supplies with them...much to pray about...

We also worked on relocating a washer and a tub with its associated water supply. Together with Karen Hopping (an Aussie gal involved in literacy work) we went to Tong's: one of the larger hardware stores. It's not always possible to get the things you need or explain what you need...

 

We hope to make two lockable storage units for her literacy material and a book case as well out of three sheets of plywood.

Henk's back is almost back to normal: thank you for praying!

Glad I didn't have to climb the coconut tree! (one of the workers using a length of electrical wire)

Sunday morning, Feb. 20

Margreet is off to church...

Dedication of 12 infants

Worship team singers (pretty amazing!)

and I am propped up with a hot water bottle in my back. 

The major aches and pains have subsided for which I am thankful; looking forward to be able to sit comfortably again soon...

Psalm 50:15: “I want you to trust Me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you and you can give Me glory.”

 

Margreet did a lot more typing this week besides helping me with smaller projects: painting, plumbing, electrical and checking the antenna for the two way radio. 

The first three days I was pretty well restricted to twenty minutes of work and then flat on my back for half an hour, while Margreet went to fetch the needed supplies from the different workshops.

 

By seven it is dark outside and we tend to read and play games till about 9.30, then off to bed. It has been warm (31C) during the nights, but we sleep pretty well none the less.

On Friday morning we had an appointment with a physio therapist. The hour long treatment was nice but didn't result in a major improvement.

That evening we had a BBQ with the Unger family (they are from Fort St.John, BC). Afterward we played card games with the kids: even the almost four year old gets right in there, playing Dutch Blitz and UNO!

Saturday morning we had a great time at the beach! Friends from another organization (SWIM) were there and lent us their snorkeling equipment: just off the beach is a 60 year old shipwreck that is becoming a corral reef and a haven for fish of all sizes and color.

On the way back we stopped at a roadside 'restaurant' and had a delicious meal of chicken, rice and casawa (stringy, potato-ish yam) served on a palm leaf. While enjoying this treat we watched the local kids enjoying a rope swing...

In the afternoon we were blessed with an hour of refreshing rain (as well as this morning): very welcome indeed as our water supply had dwindled to about two days of restricted use.

Enjoy the weekend.

Black Friday...

Friday was the most challenging day I have encountered for a while. In the afternoon we were asked to help at a colleague's house and see what caused the water leaks in the ceiling and, earlier on, water shooting out of the overhang.

Henk decided that cutting a hole in the ceiling where the leak was, was the best starting point. As he started cutting he accidentally hit the hot water line. The result was a waterfall that just didn't stop. Julie, in whose home we were, was able to tell us where the turn off was for the main. Henk climbed on the roof and turned one tap off. It still didn't stop and Henk remembered that there was a hot water tank as well. He climbed up again. Then the water finally stopped.

Henk and I were totally soaked as we tried to bail as quickly as we could with two brooms.

We phoned for help and our neighbour and colleague Peter arrived on the scene. Henk and Peter fixed the cut line but never found the leak. They did find more water puddled on the ceiling boards (most likely from another older leak) and Peter got drenched when he was taking down part of the ceiling (which was somewhat hilarious); left the ceiling open until “further notice”.

In the mean time Henk had gone up and down the roof four times, having to twist his back very awkwardly getting from the water tank unto the roof..... This resulted in a very hurting back on Friday night and Saturday. (never realized what an acrobatic act one performs getting out of bed!)

Saturday morning we stopped at the Choates and had fun playing Settlers followed by a nice lunch.

Aaron Choate teaching Translation Principles

On Sunday we didn't want to miss going to church so we left at 9:10 for its 9:30 service. After one hour in the cramped pews, Henk had to leave because he was in too much pain. I took him home and returned later to pick up the couple we went with, from church.

Later in the afternoon other friends came and prayed with Henk.

Last night he slept very well, and this morning he felt a lot better.

Then as soon as we started walking up the steep hill towards the tool/supply workshop, we realized the difference between feeling and being well and knew that there was not a whole lot that would get done today.

We'll try again later in the morning: one hour of work and one hour of rest. In the meantime we enjoyed two Valentine muffins that Sarah Choate had made and delivered!

I find it difficult to observe this, but I must say, Henk's spirits have not been dampened one bit!

Henk and Patson trying to figure out 

a Chinese door handle/lock.

of sweat and showers...

Depending on what you are doing, you are either hot and sweaty or just plain sweaty. Henk hasn't worn a T-shirt yet as they are almost impossible to get off after a few hours of work!

This being the rainy season there is thankfully enough water for numerous showers, although if it has been cloudy during the day one can not necessarily expect hot water (a small drawback of solar heating!).

Our neighbours Peter and Diane invited us to attend church with them: we enjoyed the two and a half hour service very much. Beside an elderly gentleman we were the only whites in a congregation of some 1100 from many of the different islands, Fiji and an African family.

This week Margreet and I did more work on the new kitchen:

painting, 

building a back splash, 

installing a new faucet, 

rerun the cold water feed and 

installing an extra electrical socket and installing the drain pipe...

by Thursday afternoon it is pretty well all done except for a gas tabletop stove and the fridge. It is fun to be able to do these things together.

In between:

on Tuesday we took two vehicles to the airport to pick up four WA (Wycliffe Associates) construction guys: they will help with installing eight 2000 gallon tanks. These should help a lot in alleviating chronic water shortages. The city water system is getting old and tired and there can be weeks of no water at all.

Margreet spent Wednesday morning shopping for food supplies for the WAs for the next three weeks. 

One of the local workers, Max, was trying to lay out 100 meters of one inch plastic pipe..of course that's impossible to do by yourself, so Henk lent a hand (well, both hands and feet and back).

 It took two hours and buckets of sweat. In the end we had to cut it in two places after all....a real shame after all that hard work and of course the next morning we found out that the fittings needed are not available locally!

On Thursday morning Margreet and I made a 'house call'. The family that now lives in the apartment where we stayed two years ago had some minor mechanical problems, which we were able to fix swiftly. 

While Margreet was baking muffins and getting supper ready, Henk played basketball with six of the kids living on the centre...to give it a real handicap it was six against one!

.

Of dogs, garbage and other things...

The Solomons are made up of over 990 islands. 

What is the largest?

One of the things we had been looking forward to (kind of) was listening to the night time sound of the orchestra of New Quinea Singing Dogs. This is a breed that doesn't bark but howls and with different tones. Two years ago there could be as many as fifteen. One will start and others pick it up for maybe three minutes and then they stop all at once. So far we have only heard one and that sporadically; nobody seems to know where they have disappeared to.

Instead we were kept awake by a puppy (we think) that yelped continually for a day and a half! We went so far as to ask around for a spare CD player and some CDs to mask the sound.

Sniper

Sniper is one of the 'watchdogs' at the center: one of his bad habits is to pull out any garbage that he can reach out of the garbage cans. With leftover wood from the construction Henk built four stands for the drums: we'll have to see if it is going to be effective.

Henk by the garbage cans

Thankfully we hadn't quite ripped out everything from the to be demolished building: it was needed for sleeping accommodation and we quickly reconnected the light switches as it gets pretty dark after 6:30!

All sixteen participants for the Translation Principles workshop were able to make it: they represent eight language groups.

We started to install the salvaged kitchen counter tops and shelving in a larger bedroom to transform it into a kitchen/bedroom; another bedroom will serve as a living room. It means rerunning the plumbing and moving the washer out of the shower/bathroom to outside.

After a relaxed coffee break at the Choate's, Henk helped Benjamin with his grade 4 math (fractions)... it's all in a days work.

Margreet baking

Saturday morning: while I am typing this update, Margreet is making 'apple sauce' from a not quite ripe papaya and making bran muffins. She has to use more flour (it contains less gluten) and is getting re-acquainted with a gas oven. The fresh bananas are very sweet and make for a much sweeter banana loaf!

Bye for now.

Oh yes... the answer to the question above is    Guadalcanal

Sharing a late Christmas, Work, Cyclone too Close

The beach party on Saturday was good fun. The weather was lovely and the sea calm. Although perfect timing for us it was not a welcoming party but a belated Christmas party which included the five Solomon Island employees and their families. 

The sweet potatoes were done 'Moti' style: a fire is started and then stones piled on top. The yams go on top of the stones and are covered with burlap and banana leaves. Combined with the barbequed chicken wings made for a tasty meal.

Sunday was the last day of relaxing and started with a brunch at the Choate's home; after that not too much else, but reading and playing games. At five Henk played basketball and lots of tag games he had never heard of (like 'octopus' and crocodile') with six of the children living at the center.

On Monday we sat down with the center manager to go over the list of things to do. They are in two categories: high and low. As always a lot of smaller and larger jobs that nobody really has time for, but will need to get done sometime (sooner rather than later).

It started with a broken security light: of course it is mounted on a 15 foot pole. After backing up a pick up truck and lashing a 10 foot stepladder in the 'bed' it still took some doing to replace the light and fasten it properly. (duct tape to the rescue).

The little house that Margreet and I stayed at two years ago has finally lost the battle against the termites and will be demolished. We have started taking out all the still useful items like solid core doors, plumbing and fixtures.

Orchids

Margreet went shopping with Kathy Unger and became familiar again with the different stores and the local market.

Toward the late afternoon we started to feel the effects of a cyclone off the Australian coast. One branch hit the power line to the Choate's house so hard it snapped right at the peak of the roof, forty feet up in the air. Surprisingly the Solomon Electricity people showed up before it got too dark to see, but they couldn't help and left again. We ran the generator for two hours in order that the family could get enough water pumped up to their storage tank.

That night was quite stormy and lots of rain came down.

Tuesday morning saw Henk crawling through the attic with forty feet of wire and connectors; it took two hours to reconnect, but when the 'Power people' finally activated the transformer at five o'clock it all worked and power was restored to the house.

In the meantime Margreet has gone to the market to buy produce and groceries. Traffic getting there has become a lot busier! Just at our last stop to buy sweet potatoes it started pouring!!

Pouring rain.

Today Margreet's time was spent typing in Bible stories in the Lengo language.

This afternoon it was only 25 degrees, but it came with 100% humidity. Around five it finally started to clear up and we are looking forward to a cool and quiet night.

Till next time!

Arriving at Solomon Islands

Beautiful smiles of welcome.