Off to Santo island

Tomorrow morning I fly to Santo island north of here. Santo is where our team spent the bulk of our time on our survey trip last year. I was invited to attend a translation workshop up at what we've heard is the one, accredited Bible school in Vanuatu, called Talua College. Ross and Lyndal Webb, directors for Wycliffe/SIL here in Vanuatu are heading the workshop (but typically are my upstairs neighbors). Mainly they invited me to kindly not leave me alone in the building for the week, but also as an opportunity to practice Bislama and get more of a taste of translation work. The full workshop will be Bislama and I will be staying in the girls' dorm with all the Ni-Vanuatu girls. I'm excited but nervous for the opportunity. I'm excited for the time to meet and have quality time with Ni-Van girls, to help with anything I'm able in the workshop, and to be able to sit in on the teaching, not to mention all the Bislama learning time! I'm nervous about unknowns and about being "on" all day and night with Bislama. Please pray that my brain is able to process everything, that I am a help rather than in the way, and that I am an encouragement and godly friend to new people I meet! I'll post pictures and updates when I return, Lord-willing.

For the workshop, I'm to bring my own sleeping mat and mosquito net. Bathrooms are separate but I'm expecting pretty rustic accommodations in general. Lyndal and Ross stay in a guest house and she said they've had to shut their bedroom door there at night so they can sleep over the noise of the rats in the kitchen! Students meals include bread and tea for breakfast and rice, papaya, and canned meat for lunch and supper every day. That makes life predictable doesn't it? Lyndal said I was probably welcome to eat with staff so hopefully their fare includes vegetables. :)

Speaking of vegetables, just for fun I took some shots of what are called long beans here. Gretchen told me today that she saw a woman at the market with one as long as her BODY! Wow, now that's a long bean. Inside it's like if you let all the slimy stuff in a pumpkin dry a bit and get spongy. You peel them (this one is peeled already), cut them open, scrape out the insides, then cut them up and put them in whatever dish you are cooking. I added it to spaghetti sauce. They are a bit tart but pretty good.

I tried to add some pics from weaving mats with Magreth and Jen but internet is funny tonight so I'll post that later. I think I did finally fix the smilebox in my post earlier this month so try it again. It at least played every picture for me this time, if slow. If it's still not working, let me know and I'll use something other than Smilebox. Finally, be praying for guys on my team - Houghton, Jim and Brad. They left on a boat tonight for Ambrym island (up north too) for a week to do some survey). Ambrym is always referred to here as the island with the strongest kastom (custom) magic.

Earthquakes

There's been 2 earthquakes that I've known about and felt since I've been here. One was in September sometime and the other just a few days ago. Vanuatu is right on a plate so gets them constantly. Check out this link for recent ones in the South Pacific. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/S_Pacific.php Vanuatu is at about -15 latitude on this map and about 195 longitude. Saturday evening at about 8:45PM there was an earthquake a few seconds long that shook the metal overhang (like a carport) just below my window, banging it into my bedroom wall. After I moved in here, I checked out where the easiest place would be to break into my apartment. Jumping onto this overhang would allow just a few steps walk to be right at my window so I was convinced that someone had done this. A part of the yard raises up so it's flush with the overhang so it wouldn't take an athletic person to just step from the grass to the overhang. Anyway, I shined my flashlight out but just got reflection off the window. After some personal debate, I went upstairs and woke up Ross and Lyndal (they go to bed early, like I should be doing every night) and asked if they'd help me check it out. They asked if I'd just felt the earthquake so I felt pretty sheepish, telling them that must have been the source of the banging overhang. Ross still was very nice and checked around outside. They were both very sweet about the whole interruption and I was embarrased, but thank goodness for no intruders. :) In looking online, I can't even find the earthquake I felt so I have no idea what the magnitude was, but it was short and not very strong. Houghton and Gretchen didn't even feel it, much like I'm sure there have been lots of other earthquakes here that I haven't felt. If you hear of earthquakes here, don't worry, we're probably ok unless it hits international news!

An Anniversary Tribute

As of this October, my parents have been married for 33 years - wow! Praise God for His faithfulness to them in granting them grace to extend to each other in their marriage to keep it strong and growing over all these years. Congratulations mom and dad, and thanks for your example of a godly marriage pointing to the mystery of Christ and His relationship with the Church. Love you. (And thanks Kathy for this great recent shot of them!)

Magreth's family, singing, and other odds and ends

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Farewell, my friends

Man, I'm already having to say goodbye's here and I've only lived in Vanuatu 2 months. Pete and Liz, my next door neighbors, head back home to Australia tomorrow. They've served as support staff with SIL for about 1 1/2 years now. Liz has been a great friend and she and Pete are fantastic comic relief within shouting distance across the hall. It's been super fun to get to know them and fellowship with them. We've had lots of conversations in doorways and in the hallway as well as chatting time over tea or food. Liz introduced me to exercise class which has been a fun place to of course get exercise, but also learn to Bislama and make Ni-Vanuatu friends. She and Pete brought me in on their secret favorite dive of a little Chinese take-away place with cheap but good food. They've patiently repeated back the good 20% of everything they say that I can't understand. They've taught me all sorts of weird Aussie phrases and words that I can't remember now but I'm sure I'll need to be able to use appropriately next year. (I know, I know - you guys are going to be indignant that I called Aussie-anything weird but I figure with all the American-bashing, it's only fair to dish it back out on my own blog...) :) It's been real - it's been fun - I will miss you guys! God's grace and wisdom be yours. (Oh, and that'll be $10.00 for the extra publicity given you on my blog... Feel free to wait and pay me when we see you in Sydney in December.) :)

October newsletter

Jones and Kenner families arrive to complete our team!