Snuggle Buggle

You've heard about Snuggle Buggle. He's featured here before. He's actually not a bug, at all. He's a rhino, with a stuffed head and a limp body. When Theresa was... I don't know 7 or 8 months or so, she was going through, what the books called "separation anxiety". The book recommended providing her with something to cuddle when you left her in her bed, so that she wouldn't be so upset and still go to sleep. You see, until that time, she had been happy to go to sleep without me around. Then all of a sudden... literally, suddenly, she cried and cried and cried when I left the room.

So I carefully inspected the choice of dolls and stuffed animals before me. There's the jingly white doll girl. No thanks, sorry. Not the right colour for us. The white dog. He would get too dirty to quick. The knitted doll... my creative side thought she wasn't quite cute enough... terrible I know. But the little French Snuggle Buggle... well, not only was he small and compact, he was blue (I'm not really into the whole girl=pink, boy = blue thing. Theresa looks good in blue dresses.), wouldn't get to dirty, and looked kind of cuddly in a limp sort of way.

So Snuggle Buggle became the one.

Actually, the only one. She gives the odd cuddle here and there to another toy, but really, nothign compares with her S.B. as her dad affectionately calls him.

If Theresa had it her way, S.B. would follow her everywhere, although, like all dollies ( as the Solomon Islanders call him), he is eventually dumped on the ground for something else.

However, I don't want her to become this thumb sucking three year old with an awful blue, well, actually, brown by then, rag attached to the crook of her arm. So some or most of the time, when Theresa is awake, Snuggle Buggle stays tucked right in the corner of the bed where she can't quite reach him. But that's ok. He does come to Church with us, which makes Theresa promptly suck her thumb, holding on tight to her friend.

Anyway, the cute thing that happened with S. B. today is this:

You see, S. B. came in a set with a towel and a face cloth. The face cloth picture of him is green, but on the towel, there's this cute image of Snuggle Buggle. When Theresa saw her towel hanging in the bathroom today, she recognised her favourite friend.

I thought it was so cute. And evidence of how much she is growing up and understanding things now.

But, she won't for a long long time to come, be too grown up for her Snuggle Buggle.

Sunday Church

Church for us here takes place in a simple leaf house. There are no walls. I'm glad there are no walls - the wind blows through and cools things down. The base is concrete and there are hard wooden planks that rest on two concrete blocks stacked under each end of the plank. There is no back rest. I always try to get there early (well, on time, actually - 10am, when it starts) and then i might get a seat (there are four) with a pillar behind me to rest my back. But alas, I'm usually too late and some elderly person has bet me to it. It's probably better that way. I'm young, though I'm not particularly tough and sitting on a plank is hard yakka.

We always arrive a sweaty mess from the 15 minute walk. But Sunday was worse. Last week we followed the road the whole way, but then Laki, who always follows us to church, fought with every single dog along the way! Ok, avoid the road.

This week we took the short cut... which is technically shorter, and when we first started going to this church was shorter and more pleasant. Now it is rather overgrown. By over grown, I mean the grass was 30cm taller than Jair in some places. Honestly we need to bring a machete with us, but we didn't so Jair had to use the umbrella instead. You could see that maybe some time in the past someone had walked the track. Some places however, showed no evidence of civilisation.

So we arrived not only sweaty, but scratched, and our clothes were drenched from wading through wet grass. But that's ok. Anything goes, here.

We arrived after 10am, which is when church starts, and as usual, church hadn't started yet. But that's ok, it was raining and when it rains everything takes longer, I mean, even longer than usual island time.

Eventually church started. I'm not sure when. It doesn't really matter. Church started when everyone arrived.

As I said, Laki follows us to church. It doesn't often rain, so he's happy to sit underneath one of the two cars that comes to church. But under the car was rather wet - in fact, it started flooding up with water - it became a lake. At first Laki was happy to wonder around, fight with the dog who lives nearby (Laki won) etc etc. But ten minutes into the sermon I noticed Laki sitting inside next to the visiting Pastor's wife! I was mortified and motioned to Jair to expel the dog!

Jair tried, and then Laki decided scamper behind the pastor at the stage area. Imagine our horror for a few moments, would you. Not only us, but a few other people, much to my chagrin, are trying to hiss Laki away. Then the visiting pastor stops in his tracks and says, "don't worry about the dog. The dog is ok there. Dogs were with us on the ark. He's ok."

The heat in the Solomons already makes me look red and blushed - this made me even more so! Thankfully Laki then decided to lay quietly underneath a bush behind the stage - technically outside of the building, but then with no walls, the boundaries are a bit sketchy. He stayed there for most of the rest of the service.

Then after church finished - around 1:20pm (it started some time after 10, you remember), we had our light refreshments. The previous week it was announced that we would have light refreshments. The guy said, "Let me just explain what we mean by light refreshments..." I'm eagerly listening to his definition. "It just means bring whatever you want. If you want to cook rice and bring it, then that's ok. If you want to motu cassava pudding, that's fine. If you want to bring some juice. Anything. Whatever you want to make, you bring for our light refreshments." HA!

So, light refreshments was a rather heavy meal. I brought cake - to me, that is a light refreshment. Not so in this culture, but they all loved the cake. It's not something Solomon Islanders often eat.

Someone was explaining, while we waited 1/2 an hour for the light refreshments to be prepared and brought to the table, that if they said, "we're going to have a big lunch!" and in the end all that people brought were a few loaves of bread, then they would feel a lot of shame (much the same way I felt about Laki's presence in church...) but if they said, "we're just have a little bit of food, nothing much", and a feast is laid before us, then we'll be happy and content and the shared hospitality will be a good thing.

After our "light refreshments" (it was now after 2pm), we walked home, taking the road this time. Laki got distracted as soon as we got out of the drive way but eventually he found his way back because he was home for dinner.

Anyway, I thought the whole experience of going to church was amusing - I mean, coming from our orderly, tidy and perfect oriented culture, it was a crazy service! But, we met with God's people and we worshipped God and were fed from His word. And what a joyous thing to be surrounded by people who love God just like you do.

Let it Flow!

I can't help but share with you my excitement about getting running hot water for our washing machine. We're lucky enough to have an automatic washing machine (thanks to the previous Deed Misionaries, Jack and Trudi, at SWIM), as opposed to having a twin tub (ARGH Hate Twin Tubs) or washing by hand (which is ok when you're in the village and doing the whole simple thing, but for every day life is rather tough work on your back, or as the word is in Pijin, backside.

So we're blessed... Blessed that we can turn the washing machine on at night (only at night because that's when we have enough power thanks to the generator) and throw the clothes in and take the clean and wet stuff out 40 or so minutes later.

But for Theresa's stinky nappies... and actually, our stinky clothes (it is hot here, ok, you sweat "like a bush pig" as Jair says) a bit of hot water to wash the water in does alot to get them cleaned. Hot water only comes from one tap in our house - the cold tap in the shower. We have on our roof (again, thanks to Jack and Trudi) this black piping which the water sits in and then heats up. So between 10am and 4pm on a sunny day, you can have hot hot hot water. So in the past I would carry 20 litre buckets of hot water from the shower to the washing machine (which is in the dining room... some people complain to us when they come over for dinner that they don't like eating their dinner in the laundry.). It was heavy work.

But now, thanks to our plumber, Jair ( I know, he's amazing... he does everything!), we now have hot water also plumbed to the tap that pours straight into the washing machine. YAY!

I was so excited I took a photo to show you. It's fantastic. And so much easier on my backside, as they say in Pijin.

In other news, the two new apprentice mechanics, Frank and John (another John) started today. When Paul arrives back from his sojourn in NZ, he will be training them most of the time, under the eye of Jair. But Jair's been showing them the ropes so far.

Also Theresa is rather lonely without her cousins in NZ with whom she had a wonderful time. She mopes around looking for people to play with, or talk to or even just look at. She doesn't want to play with her toys unless someone's with her. She's not a very good only chid, but she does have her faithful snuggle buggle... who is looking dirtier and rattier by the day.

So right now, as I'm cooking dinner, I have to try keep her occupied, otherwise she will occupy herself by opening cupboards she's not supposed to etc. So she's got her snuggle buggle, and some crayons... although I think she did more eating of the crayons than drawing... oh well, it is close to dinner after all.

Bon Appétit for me.

Snuggle Buggle is French, by the way, thanks to Jair's Tante Corrie and Oom Claude who live in France.

Monday Morning

Ok, this is the official start of the working week since we've been back. As all Monday Mornings, it was a tough one, but thankfully, because of my job description, I just get to be Theresa's mommy and play with her etc. I love my job.

Every Monday, SWIM Base starts the day by having staff devotions. All of us gather in the Leaf House, we sing, then someone leads devotions, then we pray together and get into a new week.

Today Jair led the devotions - on encouragement. Not surprising, considering all the encouraging words Rev Peter Moelker had to say at Family Camp. But, Jair certainly has hit the ground running, here at SWIM. Straight into things.

When Theresa was in bed (note, not sleeping. She doesn't like napping now that we're back at home and there is no ceiling so she can hear everything!), I had a chance to finally answer some emails that had been taking me way to long to reply to.

Jair installed a new washing machine for the Transit House, sprayed for mosquitoes (keep away the malaria!!), and did some mechanical work - working on three of the SWIM or Bethesda Disability Centre vehicles.

This is John Aba...

He wants to do a pre-trade course in mechanics this year at Kaotave Rural Training Centre (RTC). So Jair has set him to work, helping out with pulling bits off vehicles etc. John is keen as to learn more about cars. We love it when people are keen!

Sadly, the principal of Kaotave RTC hasn't returned back from his holidays yet (rather typical - many teachers haven't returned yet) and so courses and enrolments for the year can't yet be initiated. So, John's waiting around till the guy comes back and things can get started.

John's been living at SWIM for almost a year now. He spots Jair (and vice versa) in the SWIM Gym... which reminds me, after making our afternoon fruit smoothy (recipe - banana, paw paw, pineapple, ice cubes), Jair and John did some weights in the SWIM Gym. Membership is free when you live here ;)

And that was Monday.

The trip back home

On Thursday, we made the long trip home - starting at 4am when we got out of bed, till 3pm when we were back in our rather musty smelling house. I think our house must always smell musty, but it's only when we return from the beautiful smelling west, that we notice that our home is musty. In fact, the first thing I noticed when we arrived in Australia for the beginning of our holiday was.... how nice everything smelled. Even the airport smelt nice.

Anyway. Theresa is daddy's little girl. So when it comes to flying, if we want her to fall asleep, Daddy's got to hold her. She fell asleep on her Daddy on the flight from Auckland to Brisbane. We left Auckland airport at 7am. And arrived in Brisbane airport at 7:40am... local time. But the flight took 3 hours or so. Brisbane is 3 hours behind Auckland. So here we are, feeling like it's 10am, and ravenously famished because we ate breakfast at 6am in the airport. So we ate, our last taste of "fast food" for a year or so, although we're not sad to be saying goodbye to that.

Theresa was so tired by the time we boarded the plane to Honiara, that she fell asleep before we even took off!

And she had a double sleep - she went through two sleep cycles, which is great! Usually on a plane she becomes fully alert as she goes through the changes of a sleep cycle. So we were stoked that she slept a while. Jair gently put her down onto the seat in between us to sleep. (there were about 30 people on the plane, so we didn't have to squash.) It looks like she was running in her dreams...

Every other time we've landed in honiara, we fly over the island quickly and then come in from the sea to land. But this time, as a change, we flew in slowly over the length of half the island and then flew over Honiara town before landing. So that was fun, seeing Honiara from the air. I think this is SWIM base:

- near the sea and near a river nestled in the jungle.

After we got through customs, Kevin met us to take us back to the base. They now charge $10 to park at the airport! That came in with the New Year.

We jumped on the back of the truck and bumped along the gravel road (which thankfully, has been repaired so isn't as bad as it used to be) back home to the musty homeliness of our place on SWIM base, Lungga.

We're back, and it's nice to be home and start to get settled back into normal life. We're a bit homesick, and praying for grace for the year ahead, but we know that we are right where God wants us to be.

In the Solomon Islands.

the last five weeks

As usual, in our NZ holidays, we haven't been regularly posting blogs... so I'm going to give you an overview of the last five weeks in NZ in one post.

We had lots of family time - with our parents/brothers/sisters etc.

We also had lots of holiday time camping and it was neat to develop good memories with Theresa in our family Kombi.

While the weather was usually (and apparently unseasonally, but it could just be a NZ thing) rainy, we did get a few good sunny beach days to relax in the white sand.

Had lots of fun at family camp. The studies were great - Thanks Pastors Tim and Peter. We were greatly encouraged by them and the fellowship with brothers and sisters. The cooks made the best camp pizza in the world... hmmm cream cheese. I still can't stop laughing from the Leenders' family skit. Martin and Moana and their 6.5 kids did an excellent job of portraying the common view of homeschooling. You had to be there, and next year you have to be there. Anyway, I especially enjoyed all the opportunities to dress up. I (Lauretta) came first in the Op Shop Catwalk. It was a blast, getting into a Audrey Hepburn style dress and putting my hair in a beehive. The kiwifruit chocolate that I won was also magnificent.

I couldn't resist getting into a different outfit for the 60s dinner.

Theresa, meanwhile, had a great time with both Omas and while she can't yet say that beloved name, she knows who they are (and her Opas of course, but Opas are usually a bit scary for 1 year olds).

We caught up with James and Paul in the Hawkes Bay. They're in NZ getting tractor operating experience. Jair hung out with them at BJ wreckers for a few days. I thought the weather was cold here, but evidently, they thought it was even colder!

Theresa's milestones in the last 5 weeks: Well, apart from meeting a whole lot of new people, sleeping in weird places again, she has got two new teeth, can run, walk backwards, can say "doh" (her term for DOG, includes lion statues) and has figured out her own safe way of getting down stairs - sliding on her bum, one step at a time.

So, that was the last five weeks. We've had a wonderful holiday and are feeling ready to go back to the Solomon Islands, although, no doubt in a month or so, we'll be feeling like we need to go on holiday again... But God's grace sustains us wherever we are, doesn't it.

One thing I have discovered on my sojourn to NZ, which is really quite a serious matter... you can buy marinated feta! Does anyone understand the implications of this? That means that someone could send feta to the Solomon Islands and it would arrive in a healthy, safe condition to be consumed by... well, me, I suppose. I would be a glad recipient ;) I do have a fetish for feta after all!

Walk your.... dog

We have come across something curious in our travels.

In NZ, people walk their dogs.

In Australia, people walk their wombats.