Little lives, big impact

It is the people I meet and get to know who have the most impact on me in the Solomon's.

Margaret

Yesterday I said goodbye to a young girl I had met at the hospital school only a few weeks ago. Margaret is about 10 years old, (although she looks much younger) and has been at the hospital for over 18 months. From what I understand, she broke her leg and needed it operated on. Because her family comes from a remote village on the island of Malata, they all travelled to the hospital for her operation. They stayed for quite a while, waiting for her leg to heal, but a visiting surgeon from Australia discovered that the first operation had not been done properly. So Margaret had another operation to fix her broken leg. Eighteen months in a hospital seems like an awfully long time, but it gave Margaret the chance to attend school for the first time. She is a bright child, with a beautiful smile, but I'm sad to say she will not be going to school when she gets home. The walk to school is too long for her.

So I went into the hospital yesterday with my camera and took some photos of Margaret with her teachers. Then Geoff and I found a place to get the photos developed and we went straight back and gave them to Margaret. She was very pleased to have some pictures to help her remember her teachers. I wished I could do so much more for her than just a few photos - I wanted to send her home with books and learning materials, but resources are so scare, it simply wasn't possible.

Ivan

Ivan lives next door to the SWIM base. He has albinism (his skin has no pigmentation), and he suffers terribly from sunburn. Geoff says whenever teams from Australia leave to go back home, they always give their left over suncream to Ivan. He has been given hats and sunglasses, but he doesn't wear them very often. No one else does, and I guess he doesn't want to be any more different than he already is.

Ivan is clinically blind, (although you would never know it when you see him running around with the other boys playing soccer), and the local school has simply refused to let him go there. So Ivan has never been to school yet. Machi is trying to work something out for Ivan at another school.

Lucy

Lucy is Ivan's sister. I have been treating her eyes for conjunctivitis, and have grown very fond of her. She is so sweet. Each week I give her a book to take home and read, then she brings it back (on base fellowship night) and we swap it for another one. I wish I had hundreds of books to give out to everyone!

Bemuta Village

Today we had the privilege of visiting Bemuta Village. Machi has been running a KYB seminar this week with some of the ladies in the village, and Geoff thought it would be nice for us to come along and see what life is like in a village (it has always been his favourite part of his trips in the past).

We drove for about an hour, through enormous palm plantations (from which they harvest palm oil for things like cooking, palmolive soap/shampoo, etc) and up a little bit into the mountains. The first thing we saw when we arrived was the village church. I was surprised at how nice everything looked - beautiful gardens,well maintained leaf huts and manicured grass around the church.

Millie and Elora standing outside the church. In villages, church is held every night, as well as on Sunday!

We went for a walk to the river, which gave us a chance to see what the village was like. I noticed lovely flower gardens (with beautiful butterflies), leaf huts of various shapes and sizes, narrow dirt tracks winding everywhere, scrawny dogs, chickens grazing, vegetable gardens smoldering fires, washing hung out in doorways and windows, and everywhere we went people smiled and said hello. The village had what looked like a communal area, as well as a soccer field (level and well maintained considering they 'mow' it with bush knives every week) and a 'netball court' (more like a mud pit with rings at either side). We followed a narrow trail down to the river - a beautiful clear, fast running river where the washing and cleaning all took place. Geoff assured the girls we could come back later for a swim with the kids.

Lots of little hands to hold.

We joined in with the ladies for a few songs, and of course it was a pleasure to be a part of such beautiful singing. Then we were asked to do an 'item', so our whole family stood up and sang 'Blessed Be Your Name'. Sadly we kept forgetting the words to the verses, but no one seemed to mind. We followed that with the kids song "He Died Upon The Cross', which both kids and parents all enjoyed, and I was pleased at the good attitude our girls were showing by being willing to stand up in front of total strangers and sing about Jesus positively. I guess they are getting a little used to it, because it seems to happen quite a bit!

After getting all hot and sweaty singing out the front of the church, we grabbed our swimmers and headed for the river. Geoff assured me that kids would appear from everywhere and join in the fun, and he was right! As we walked through the village, kids appeared out of nowhere and ran down to the river. By the time we got there, half the kids had completely stripped off and were making their way over to the log (which went from one side of the river to the other).

Our girls were a little hesitant to get in. The ground was covered in rocks and slippery mud and it didn't look easy to get in. It was beautiful to watch, however, as the local kids took our girls' hands and helped them in. In fact, the kids never left our girls' sides for the rest of the day!

Playing in the river was SO MUCH FUN! The log (which moved if someone jumped on the end) was great to sit on, dive off, and generally have heaps of fun on.

Sophie spent lots of time playing in the sand, collecting tadpoles and little crayfish (ura).

There are so many things to write about, but there's no time tonight. Suffice to say, I feel we are very privileged to experience such wonderful people and places. Even if our girls don't fully appreciate it, I certainly do!

Food, food, glorious food!

I consider myself to be an average cook - nothing the likes of those on Master Chef, and I was wondering how we would go preparing food and eating in the Solomon's for three months.

After three weeks, I'm happy to say it hasn't all been bad! We have had quite a few successful meals and despite the disasters (like the gluggiest rice I have EVER eaten - oh I miss my rice cooker) things are not looking too bad.

When we first arrived there was no food in the house, apart from a jug of freshly made bush lime juice (of which we all loved!) We had bought some bread at a shop on the way from the airport, so we had sandwiches for dinner, using peanut butter, nutella and vegemite (brought from home). No one complained, but I knew we had to improve on that one as the days progressed!

The next day Geoff boldly took us to the markets, where we bought a selection of fresh fruit and vegies. We came home with a bundle of long (50cm) thin beans, some small green capsicums (they are all tiny, and we couldn't see any red ones), some beautiful purple eggplant, shallots and a bunch of green stuff a bit like spinach. There were many other lettuce type things at the markets, and heaps of sweet potato and casava.

So these vegies became the staples for our dinners. Since then I have found carrots (at the expensive shop, but I don't mind) and also snake beans.

The light green vegie at the front is snake bean. It is long (70cm) and fairly thin. I peel it, slice the whole thing in half long ways, scrape out the seeds and stuff on the inside, then slice and chop what is left. It fries up nicely with the other vegies and takes on the flavour of whatever dish it goes in.

Star fruit - so beautiful to look at! It tastes a bit like a nashi.

This fruit is called a pomelo. It is a bit like an orange, but not as sweet or juicy. It's the size of a rockmelon, with VERY thick skin and pith. Brianna loves pomelo.

My first attempt at a banana cake - doesn't look great, but tasted delicious! Note the bush limes in the background. There are a few lime trees here, and the girls come in with fresh limes nearly every day - perfect for bush lime juice - a refreshing drink at dinner time.

Since the first few days we have found lots of different things to use in cooking. I've been making lots of biscuits and muffins for the girls to take to school, etc, although there is no choc chips here - a real staple of mine at home! We even made pizza bases from scratch using yeast and flour - delicious. Elora made the comment that they tasted just like normal!

Cooking takes a little longer here though, and we have to remember to boil the kettle before we wash up so we have some hot water!

Busy weekend

We started practising the musical this weekend, with our first practise on Friday night during normal youth group, followed by a practise on Saturday afternoon, and then Sunday afternoon after church. Because we are only here for another 8 weeks or so, it is great to have so many practises so close together.

I wasn't sure how the musical thing would go over with the young people (about 30 + people, ranging in age from 13 to over 30). As far as anyone knows, a musical has never been done in the Solomon's before. But everyone seems (as far as I can tell) to be quite excited, and willing to come along to all the practises.

We spent the first two practises learning some of the songs, and then yesterday we held auditions for anyone who wanted to try out for a solo part. Melanesian culture is very communal, and nearly all the singing is done together too, so having to sing on their own was extremely nerve racking. I did my best to encourage everyone to close their eyes, pretend we weren't there, and sing to God! I reminded them all that their voices are some of the most beautiful I have heard. So one by one, with great amounts of encouragement, people got up to sing. It was a big deal, and almost everyone sang very softly, being so nervous, but I was thrilled to see so many people giving it a go. I think everyone wanted to, but they were too shy. Two girls came up to me when we were finished and asked if they could sing to just me - it was too hard for them in front of everyone else.

A young Australian couple who are volunteers here for a year (and go to our church here) came along yesterday. R leads worship at her church back home, and has offered to work with the soloists while I work with the actors, which is great. I'm sure the whole thing will come together and I'm thankful for the opportunity the musical brings to get to know some of the youth from this church.

Geoff is working with the musicians each week too, so that hopefully they will be able to do the music for the performances. We are looking to see if we can borrow a base guitar, electric guitar and drums, maybe from another church, we're not sure yet.

Geoff and James on Tuesday night practise at our place. James plays the keyboard at church, using a battery because there is no power. He has to take it to a shop to have it charged every few weeks.

So that's what we'll be doing for most weekends till we leave. Busy, but fun!

Flying Solo and Finding Nemo

I'm learning plenty of new things here and doing things I wouldn't normally do.

I'm pleased to say I successfully drove ON MY OWN for the first time yesterday! I know that doesn't sound very challenging, (I have been driving on my own since '92) but those who know me will know how I hate driving in new places where I don't know where I'm going! So yesterday I had to take a ten year old boy to the doctors. This came about because on Wednesday night there is 'Base Fellowship' here. Everyone who lives on base, and all the neighbours are invited for an evening service of singing, preaching and prayer. One family came with two children suffering from 'red eye' as they call it (conjunctivitis). We brought along some Bleph 10 from Australia, so I offered to give it to them. Machi suggested I keep the drops and treat them, so every day, morning and night, R brought her children to our place and I treated their eyes. J's eyes were so bad though, and after a few days I felt he needed stronger meds. So Machi rang the doctors and let them know I was coming. When I went to pick J up, a man asked to be dropped at the hospital (which mildly freaked me out, because it is FURTHER down the road), but I gave myself a pep talk and took him too! Needless to say, everything was fine, although when I got to the doctors they couldn't find J's card, so I had to fill out all his details! We just managed the best we could!

Another first for me is eating Spam. I said I never would, (in fact the word almost makes me gag) but life IS different over here, and it was heavily disguised on a delicious home made pizza! I haven't resorted to slicing it and eating it for lunch just yet!

We've been making up powdered milk every night for breakfast the following day. There is no fresh milk available in the Solomon Islands. The last time I had powdered milk was when I was growing up, and I remember the taste being strong and significantly different. But now it's really not that bad. Machi suggested we put a couple of drops of vanilla in - just makes it a little sweeter. The girls haven't noticed anything different about the milk, and I find it only tastes different for the first mouthful of breakfast, and after that it's great. So well done to NZ powdered milk!

We had a beautiful morning at Benegi Beach today. There is a shipwreck only metres from the shore, now rusted and overgrown with coral, and brimming with the most spectacular fish. When we arrived there this morning, the sea was glassy and perfect for snorkelling. SWIM owns a bag of snorkelling gear, which we shared amongst our group (12 of us), and I couldn't wait to get in. I had so much fun, and saw many brightly coloured fish - we even saw a pair of clown fish in their anemone home. (Machi has seen bags full of little fish caught and exported for people's salt water aquariums). The kids all had a turn with varying success, but all enjoyed themselves.

We arrived in the morning, the best time of the day, although Machi said today was the best she had seen it!

The wind picked up a little, but conditions were still great.

Elora and Mikey played a lot in the shade.

Unfortunately we came home quite burnt. We thoroughly applied suncream (Banana Boat) this morning, but forgot to put it on again before we left to come home. We all sat in the back of the truck and got fried all the way home. Now I feel very bad for the kids, and have sent them to bed covered in every sort of soothing spray I have.

We've all suffered in varying degrees from some sort of tummy bug this week. Brianna and I have had it the worst, but we're hoping it is now over. There is a possibility our anti-malaria tablets could be making us sick, so I am experimenting with that one at the moment. It could just be something we have to live with for the next little while.

Apart from that, the kids are all enjoying themselves and seem to be settled into life over here. Millie has already asked if we can come back someday! (I think Millie has actually adjusted the best - she has dealt with all the new experiences almost seamlessly.)

As I type this, Geoff and I are sitting in the cool verandah, with a little fan blowing directly on us. We are about to head for bed (which is no where near as cool), and will be serenaded by the Kiribati people across the road. They are a fairly large group who tend to be a little noisy at times. Tonight their singing sounds beautiful, but hopefully they won't go ALL night!

School for the Deaf

Yesterday we took a trip out to the School for the Deaf. It was a beautiful drive which took us through jungle, past thousands of extremely tall coconut trees, over creeks (which all flood during the wet season), and along the scenic coast. The roads were in good condition, so we arrived there in a little over an hour.

We were greeted by Brother George, a Catholic man in his late sixties. What an amazing person he is! He has dedicated his whole life to helping those less fortunate than himself. After being told to retire at aged 65 due to diabetes, he begged to be given a piece of land so he could set up a place for those who are deaf. He was given some land 2 and a half years ago, and has set about, with VERY LITTLE money, building it up. George and about 10 students who are deaf spent the first year clearing the land and building the huts and church you can see in the photos. They started school last year, and the number of students has grown to 44 this year, including 12 girls.

There are way too many stories for me to record on this blog, but what I must say is that I found the morning out there very moving. The students there range in age from 14 to over 30 and have come from very difficult environments. Some students come from remote villages and thought that they were the only deaf person in the world. Most have never been to school and didn't know how to sign before they came. To see the group of students really thriving and so full of hope was a real highlight for me.

When we first arrived, we were taken into the church/school room, and seated out the front, in a long row, facing everyone. Slightly less imitating each time it happens, but still not fun (especially with all four (tired) girls on display!) Anyway, we were welcomed and George gave us a brief history of the place. We were introduced to the head boy and girl - voted by all the students, and told about the subjects they learn at school - Maths, English, sign language, life skills, wood work, etc.

You can see George standing up in the white shirt, speaking, with Angela interpreting (she is from NZ and will be there for almost a year).

We were then asked to inspect the seven huts where everyone sleeps and choose the tidiest one, as part of the running competition they have. Winners have a meal out once a month! Everyone was very proud to show us their rooms and gardens. The rooms were very small, with up to 8 in each one. Many students slept on thin straw mats on the ground, but no one was complaining. Their rooms were decorated with pictures, bible verses, posters, etc and their gardens were beautiful. The winning group for us was a girls room - they each had a garden in the shape of the letter of their names!


The students were very curious about Elora's glasses - having never seen a small child wearing glasses before. Everyone nodded with new understanding when we explained that her eyes needed help to see properly. Brianna impressed the students with her ability to sign the alphabet (thanks Mrs Ross!), and we all wished we could sign more than thank you!

Then we were given a tour of the rest of the grounds, which included a small house for George, a workshed and a half finished girls quarters (overlooking the most beautiful, tropical coastline). In September there is a short term mission group coming from QLD, organised by SWIM, who will be staying there for two weeks to help with building , etc. We'll still be here then, so we might get to have another visit.

By this time, we were very hot and tired, and the girls were dying to have a swim. We were taken back to the church, again sat out the front, and treated to some beautiful performances.

The girls danced

The boys danced too

Then everyone sang for us. I really could have cried my eyes out as we were blessed by them sharing their love for God in song. Everyone's faces were beaming, and George was understandably proud.

We then had time for a quick drink break before going home. The girls hobbled over the pebbles to get into the water (the rocks/coral were apparently from a huge cyclone in 1996). The coastline is so beautiful - lined with coconut trees (that you can't sit under in case a coconut falls and hits you), and there are lots of islands along the horizon.

Our first family photo since coming here.

Early morning read

I spied a beautiful moment this morning. Geoff did the early morning (7:20am) school run in the truck, and while he was out, Elora grabbed one of the books we brought along and 'read' it to two of the local kids. I happened to see them through the office window when I was cleaning up.


I had my first malaria blood test today - happy to say it came back negative! Just a tummy infection of some sort that I picked up soon after arriving here. I kept fairly quiet today, drank LOTS of water, and had a sleep. Hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow - we are planning on driving out to visit a school for the Deaf and I would be disappointed to miss out.

After a great day at school yesterday, Brianna wasn't so happy today. She said she was VERY tired, and apparently spent the whole afternoon in the office. Admittedly she is finding it hard to get to sleep each night, and we have to get up at 6:15am to be ready for school. I guess the heat, etc. is taking its toll. The twins though, are still loving school and are very positive.

School time (pt 2)

My heart is full of praise to God!
The girls all had a wonderful day at school today and are looking forward to tomorrow.

The kids were very friendly and they and the teachers made them feel very welcome. Brianna's teacher previously taught at the international school and speaks excellent English, as does the teacher in Millie and Sophie's class.

After hearing many positive comments from Bri, I asked if there were ANY negative things, and the only thing she could think of was having a headache - due to the heat! So thanks to God for answering our prayers.

Hot and sweaty, but very happy!

The girls came down from their classroom this afternoon hand in hand with their new friends. I just HAD to ask them for a photo!

School time

Yesterday we took the girls to Emmaus Christian School for a look before starting them today. I was extremely impressed. It is only a small school, but is very well run, and I think the girls will be really happy there. We have decided to only send Bri, Sophie and Amelia, and will keep Elora at home - I don't feel like pushing her with too many new things. Miliie and Sophie couldn't wait to start today, but Brianna was very anxious. We assured her we would be praying for her all day (as will others), and after many tears last night, she bravely went off to school this morning to give it a go. We were told to be there before 8am (they are trying to encourage punctuality and didn't want the white kids setting a bad example!), and will pick them up at 2pm. I think the girls will be exhausted by the end of this week !

Sophie and Millie fitted right in!

After a visit to the school yesterday, we then took the girls to the hospital school. Armed with Geoff's guitar, we walked through the hospital to the little classroom, which is right next to the water. There were no kids around when we got there, but they were soon located and shyly sat down to listen to us sing a few songs.

This classroom was built by SWIM, and painted just last year by an Australian volunteer.

Our girls were great and really got into it, singing 10, 9, 8; Remember; I Praise You; and No Matter Where You Are. Then the kids sang a few songs for us, which was gorgeous! Then we all walked to the Orthopedic ward. The children all wanted to hold our hands, carry the guitar, etc. I turned around to see Geoff walking behind me with two little boys (no more than 2 yrs old), each reaching up holding his hands. It really doesn't take long to have these kids melt your heart!
I was a bit embarrassed to sing in the ward, but Helen, one of the teachers said it would be fine, so we stood on one side and Geoff introduced us. It didn't take long before people appeared from everywhere to listen to our singing (which was pretty ordinary compared to the beautiful singing I have heard from the locals!) At least we provided some brief amusement and a bit of a distraction to the otherwise boring time in hospital for the kids there.

Weekend catch-up

Oh, the new experiences keep piling up! The internet was down all weekend, so I have a bit to catch up on.

FRIDAY: I had my first visit to the hospital school. It is a small room built and run by SWIM, and is a bright, colourful oasis in amongst much suffering. I can't write about that yet. There are three local teachers who are responsible for providing the children who are at the hospital with school work. This includes patients and brothers and sisters of patients, because sometimes the whole family will travel from another province or island, and stay at the hospital for however long it takes (one girl has been there over 18 months). My task is to encourage the teachers (none of whom are trained) and help them with lesson ideas, etc. They work in three areas of the hospital - the school room, and two other wards, where the children are on their beds. I am looking forward to throwing myself into this task, and consider it a privilege to be able to help in any way. It is hard though, comparing how little they have with what is on offer in Australia.

Whilst I was at the hospital, Geoff and the girls loaded the blue truck with children's wooden desks and chairs (donated from someone in AUS or NZ) and then in the afternoon took them down to the wharf at Honiara to be put on a ship for Gizo in Western Province. Geoff had to negotiate a price for the cargo to be delivered, so his pigin musn't be too bad, because Machi said he got a good price!


SATURDAY: I spent the morning cooking muffins, biscuits and cake. I'm getting quite good at adapting recipes to suit the ingredients I have, although the biscuits were more like rocks this time! I've put the muffins in the freezer for the girls to take some to school each day. On that note, we have been told the girls can go to a small Christian school called Emmaus (the one Ian Pennicook was talking about at church!) We will visit there tomorrow morning.

Another trip to the markets - something that has to be done most days - no such thing as a two week shop over here! Sophie, Millie and Elora went along and were treated with an icecream afterwards!

Geoff and Machi took all the girls out to the Disability Centre and I enjoyed a lovely quiet afternoon by myself! I did a few pages on my xbook photo album - very enjoyable!

We finished off the day with a trip to the local beach. Kevin and Machi drove this time, so the truck was loaded with heaps of kids, all hitching a ride. Machi casually asked one of the kids if they had lice, to which they nodded yes. Then Machi informed me nearly all the kids have lice, and it is virtually impossible to erradicate. She said when they get to the 'ten finger itch' she usually treats their hair which brings it to a 'managable' level. So as I watched my girls bumping along in the truck, head to head with all the other kids, I reminded myself that this too was part of 'going with the flow'!

SUNDAY: Today we went to a different church, because Kevin was preaching there. It was in a beautiful building - one that has taken many years to build. There were about 300 people, with men sitting on one side and women on the other. It went for nearly three hours and I was glad that this time I brought something for the three younger girls to do during the sermon!

Once again I loved the singing - everyone gets into it so much - it is such a meaningful thing to be a part of and I find it very moving. At this particular church, they have a 'choir' item each week. I knew it would be a long service when we had four different 'choirs' sing today! Machi told me later she went there once and they had 8 'choirs'! The one I loved today was six old ladies, all in their seventies, stand out the front and sing a beautiful song in their kustom language. The joy of the Lord shone on their faces and I knew God was pleased with their offering of praise!

It was suprisingly cool inside the church, despite the heat outside.

I also love the praying. Each time the leader talks about what we will pray about, (eg. pray for the preacher as he teaches from God's word) and then everyone prays out loud at the same time. It is very hard for your mind to wander during the prayer when you are praying aloud!

One more thing that I love is the Solomon way of welcoming. Lots of people came up to us, both before, during and after the service, and shook our hands, saying hello. Not just Geoff and I, but all the girls too. And people were doing that to everyone, not just the new white people. It was like everyone on the church was on the welcoming roster! There is no way you could not feel welcomed!

Truck ride home from church - very hot and sunny. The four girls continue to be quite a spectacle riding around in the Solomon way. Lots of smiles and waves from people everywhere.

After a long morning at church (sitting on wooden benches) we were all hot and hungry. We came back to the SWIM base and enjoyed a special birthday morning tea for Mikey (K & M's grandson), who turned three during the week. Then we went to Honiara Hotel for a swim in their pool - a rare treat over here. We all enjoyed the coolness, which came at the cost of a few expensive drinks (definitely worth it!)

So we are almost at the end of our second week, and are really enjoying ourselves.
The week ahead is shaping up to be quite busy:

We'll visit the Emmaus Christian School tomorrow (the girls have started calling it Solomon Highlands Christian School, just like their own school back home, because this school IS up the mountain!)
We also plan to visit the hospital school tomorrow with the girls and sing a few songs with the kids. Then I'll go by myself throughout the week.
Geoff is doing one week of intensive maths tutoring with three yr 6 students every afternoon this week. Next week all yr 6 students sit three exams, and you need to pass at least two before you are allowed into high school.
Geoff is also planning on beginning some music ministry this week in the prisons (one day a week I think). Geoff's cousin Michael is involved with prison ministry over here, so he has organised it.
This Thursday we are going for a drive (about 1 1/2 hours) to visit a school for the Deaf, run by Brother George.
We are starting musical practises this week with the youth group. Machi asked us to bring over 'Friends Forever', an old 80's musical which she thought would be great to do over here (thanks L for tracking it down for us!) We only have about 8 weeks max to put it together, so we're hoping it can be done. First pracitse is Friday night, followed by Sat arvo and Sunday after church.

So there are our plans, but we'll see what God has in store for us!

Thankyou to everyone who has left comments for us - I find it incredibly encouraging to know we have so many friends and family who are interested enough in us to read this blog!