Home - in Armstrong!

We got home yesterday around 3 /3:30 -- if I remember...  After we had been picked up at the airport at 7 a.m. our friends drove us to their home in Langley where we had coffee and toast, (and a shower :-) - then we drove home. Just before Merritt Henk was struggling to keep awake and I drove the rest of the way home.

Now it is a matter of: what needs doing first? I have a hair cut due at 11 a.m. which gives me time to start laundry. EVERYthing we took is damp and icky, so that all needs to be washed/rinsed and dried well.

Henk called earlier in the morning from the office to ask, if I could bake whatever I felt like since all the office supplies were totally finished.

Then of course I need groceries... I guess we ARE back...

I still feel in a daze after so many days of travel, but I am sure in a few days soul and spirit will "unite".

margreet

from Esther Penner, National Volunteer Coordinator

(This is a response to the letter sent by the Director of SITAG which was posted here March 14.)

Greetings,

It is good to receive such positive affirmation on the Canadian volunteers taking on volunteer work projects

in places like the Solomon Islands. I am happy to hear the DenOudstens were a blessing and help to your

ministry. I am sure Henk and Margreet were also blessed for the opportunity to serve.

Shalom!

Esther Penner, National Volunteer Coordinator

Wycliffe Canada Personnel Department

613.823.8882

Personal insight from the Choates

(Editorial ad-lib;  I received, on March 21, a note from the Choates - see their blog which is listed on the left - and am sharing it here because it gives insight from some of the people most affected by the work of Henk and Margreet.)

We so enjoyed getting to know Henk and Margreet when they came in 2009.  Henk joined me in putting the house together to make it ready in the village for our family.  And this time what a treat to have Margreet come and help and see all the places too.  So many of the things they did for us were not complicated, major undertakings, etc.  but they will add order and beauty to our home and thus help us to work much better over the long term.

God bless

Aaron and Joanna Choate, and kids

Sent Monday March 21 (in Australia!)

We are in Brisbane with Lynne and Eileen, friends we have known since the
early '90's. It has been nice to just relax for a few days in good company
and enjoy the sites of this part of Australia. In between rain storms we
have even seen a bit of sunshine!

Eileen is also leaving today, flying to Southern Sudan for a 4 week period
as a translation consultant helping several language groups who are
working on their NT translations.


Sunday we went to their church - a morning service and an evening service.
During the evening service we had a chance to talk about some of our work
in the Solomons.

We are leaving on the 3:30 A.M. (Ed. Ad-lib; that will be Tuesday in Australia and 10:30 a. m. Monday in Armstrong!) shuttle bus which takes us to the domestic
airport in Brisbane, then on to Sydney to the international airport to fly
to Vancouver.

It has been quite a journey -- and it is almost over. The time has gone
very quickly. As you have read our blog, I hope you have seen yet another
glimpse of God's steady faithfulness!!!

Just as we were preparing to leave for the airport in Honiara, we checked
our email one last time.
This is what it said.

“Hello,

We had an unusually long ante-natal clinic today, finishing at 5-30pm rather
than lunch-time, but the staff were delighted that the toilets flushed all
day - not heard of before! So thank you again for your effort which is
already appreciated.

Glad that you both got seats & hope you like the photos attached.

Love from Jenny & Graham
Helena Goldie Hospital
PO Box 166, Munda
Western Province
Solomon Islands”

Or read the latest entry, March 19, on the link to graham and jenny on our blog.

Thank you for your prayers and being part of our team!!

Until we meet, trusting God for an uneventful safe flight to Vancouver.

Margreet and Henk DenOudsten

March 15th, 2011

Arriving back in Honiara we finally heard more about the devastating earthquake(s) in Japan. This is what unfolded on our end in Munda, W Province.

Friday March 11th, just after having finished dinner in the home of Graham and Jenny Longbottom (the British doctors we were visiting in Munda) Graham got a call from the British High Commissioner in Honiara telling them about the tsunami warning.

It was quickly decided that the 70 bed hospital should be evacuated to the church building two km away and on higher grounds.  It all went quite smoothly partially due to the early warning.

At 10:30 in the middle of evacuating patients, Dr. Jenny told us that the tsunami warning had been canceled, so we went home to bed with our back packs “on standby”. Then just an hour later Dr. Jenny knocked on our door to let us know it had been a false alarm, that we needed to come back to the church. Just after midnight after trying very hard to get some sleep on the hard and narrow pews, Dr. Jenny came and said we could go back to our house. Margreet and I moved back to our house at 12.30am, while all the patients stayed till six in the morning when everyone could be moved back to the hospital in daylight. You can imagine, this was not a “planned” event!! To become part of this, was an interesting and challenging thought.

 (picture: one of the few times one is allowed to sleep in church!)

We had arrived that Friday afternoon and had already been to the next 'town' to purchase a 1200 liter water tank and associated hardware.

Upa (the maintenance man at the Helena Goldie Hospital) had arranged for three guys to help dig out a steel frame and 'replant' it for the new water tank. In the meantime we replaced gutters and did some much needed painting.

Water is a major issue for any hospital and when pumps start breaking down it becomes crucial to have some form of water storage capacity. Although there are quite a number of storage tanks around the complex they aren't used efficiently and half the gutters are in need of minor or major repair.

On Monday morning Upa and Henk spent three hours trying to repair the two broken down pumps: one electric and the other petrol. We were able to do some repairs, but there was no socket to remove the spark plug...so Upa went off on his bicycle to find his friend the electrician in the next village...it reminds us so much of Africa!

On Monday March 14^th we were at the Munda airport at two although the flight was only scheduled to arrive at four.

Having a ticket is no assurance that one can get on. Seating is limited and it also depends on which aircraft is being flown that day. Henk didn't have a seat till an Islander was asked (told) to get off and fly the next day. (We flew in a Twin Otter, 19(!) passengers and the pilot and co-pilot.)

To read more about the interesting and challenging lives of

Dr. Graham and Jenny Longbottom you can go to their blog:

grahamandjenny.co.uk

In Honiara the Unger family was there to pick us up from the airport and after feeding us a nice light supper we went “home” to our apartment, unpack, do a quick load of dirty very damp laundry, take a long warm shower, and go to bed.

We have three more days here: a lot of small jobs still and most likely some airport runs as well. Next week will be the official opening of the new training center and quite a few visitors will be arriving for that event.

We are grateful once again for safety and health – not to be taken for granted!!!  

Thank you for your continued prayers.

"Thank You"

March 14, 2011 

Dear Pastor Bunio and folks at First Baptist Church Armstrong,

Just a short note to say thank you very much for sending Henk & Margreet to
us again here in the Solomon Islands. It is very helpful to us to have
people come occasionally who are willing and able to just pitch in and meet
whatever needs we have.

They have played a part in the ministry of Bible translation in the Solomons
and so have you by sending them to us. I pray that God will bless you and
the DenOudstens for your service. May His Word be sweet to you and enrich
your lives.

God Bless,
Jan Gossner
Director
Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group

All that water...

We are back in Honiara! After the Choates announced (by radio) their safe arrival home in the Russell Islands, we made arrangements to be with them for two days of intense work. It became obvious that neither the Bikoi I nor the Express were going that direction.

Thankfully the Kosco did and we traveled on that ferry Sunday the fifth. This ship doesn't go all the way to their village, but docked at Yandina after five hours of sailing. Aaron had to charter one of the three local 'canoes' to come and get us.

 

For most of the 45 minutes one can travel at relative high speeds, but in between are some spots where one has to be very careful not to hit any of the coral outcrops that can easily tear open the fiberglass bottom of a canoe!

The next two days we all worked very hard at assembling Henk's three precut wardrobes, two kitchen cabinets, plumbing (in the house and on the roof), sewing, going to the garden and being introduced to the neighbors. We even had time to play some games with the kids!

Tuesday mid- afternoon it started to rain, which turned into a deluge (very noisy on a metal roof!) We were extremely thankful that it stopped an hour before we had to set out in the open canoe for the return trip early Wednesday morning leaving the house at 5:30 a.m.

On both legs of the trip we were invited to stay in the wheelhouse! Coming back we did run into some heavy swell, but as a precaution having taken Gravol it didn't bother us and we arrived safe and sound. A taxi took us to the center and we were home at two o'clock.

Thank you for your prayers concerning our health and safe travels!

Message...

Dear Friends of the DenOudstens,

On Sunday morning I took Henk & Margreet down to the wharf to catch a ship out to the Russell Islands.  As of my radio sked this afternoon (Monday the 7^th) I found out that they arrived safe and sound after a four hour trip.  They had smooth seas, cloudy skies, but no rain.  They have previously asked me to pass this news along to you.  They will spend a couple of days with the Choate family there in the Russell Islands and then they will return to Honiara sometime on Wednesday. 

Sincerely,

Andy Pierce

Deputy Director


Editor's ad-lib

So we have a better idea where Henk and Margreet are I found a map to share here.

I believe the distance covered in the four hours is approximately 30 miles.

 

Comings and goings...

 

As we had mentioned in our previous update the Choates' were scheduled to leave this past Sunday, but the ferry was still in repairs. Through prayer and Aaron's persistence they were able to travel Wednesday night on the Bikoi II. This is really a cargo ship, but the 'boss man' in the head office finally allowed the whole gang to travel on it. Hence a lot of activity during the morning as all their food, school material and last but not least the 2000 gallon water storage tank were put on two trucks. The storage tank is a donation of one of their churches and an 'in memory of'' donation and will be used by the village.

We had radio contact with them this afternoon and they arrived safely at 4.30AM.

Margreet and I will travel there this coming Sunday to help with some plumbing problems and putting the wardrobes together (and who knows what else). Lord willing we'll return to Honiara on the Wednesday.

Henk finishing a literacy box.

 We had eleven people for dinner on the first; one of them was Jim Mudge, who works in the Western Provinces (Munda) and is in the SI to do checking of an Old Testament translation. . (Just as they were leaving our apartment the electricity went off, and it was PITCH dark for a few minutes, until the generator kicked in.)

We are contemplating a four day trip that way and do some work at the local hospital there, it will depend partly on our return trip from the Russells and how tired we will be.

Margreet has continued her typing in the Lengo language. Sister Hilda is the main translator in this project while Paul Unger is helping in the checking...

 
We drove Bruce and JoAnn Halverson (team leaders of the construction crew) to the airport on Tuesday; while there we met a Dutch priest who has been in the Solomons for 49 years!

He did mention that a few things had changed...!

Margreet will need to do some more cooking the next couple of days as we are looking after the two remaining fellows (Jim and Don). They will be returning home next Tuesday.

Paul Minter is a translation consultant and is here for a week: there are a few Islanders (from three languages) that he is consulting with. Because of this extra group Margreet and I had to reinstall part of the plumbing in the small living quarters that is slated for demolition in a few months due to termites that have totally invaded it...

Editor's ad-lib -

Reading of the destruction caused by termites but having never seen even one to my knowledge, I did a little net searching.  Being only the size of an ant, but so capable of destroying buildings, oh my, I hope they never come close to my home :)