Permanent Guests...

I want to dedicate this post to the permanent guests who share our house with us. You could call them flatmates, in fact, and some of them are very flat. Now don't be misunderstood to think they're humans. Far from it. We share our house with a number of... well, creatures. I'll introduce them one by one.

First there's the big spider that lives in our book shelf. Sorry, I didn't manage to get a picture of him as he darts away into corners. Let me assure you that he is big (well, HUGE by Kiwi standards). He's probably about 7 or 8 cm long. But he doesn't bite and I don't think he's poisonous. He doesn't really stick around when he sees us, so he's fine living in the bookshelf. I suspect that he'll be very educated by the time he's finished with us.

Speaking of creatures that don't stick around, we have a whole tribe of another type of creature. I'll lump them all in one category together. They're geckoes. It rhymes with echoes and that certainly testifies to the fact that they make a lot of noise. The dictionary describes them as nocturnal creatures (although they're not entirely nocturnal in our house...) who are highly vocalised lizards. They have adhesive pads for feet which help them stick to things so they pretty much hang out on the walls, on the ceiling; they flit around, not worried about falling. I'd need climbing gear if I did what they do!

Now it seems we have a number of different types. Firstly there's the shiny, browney kind of ones. Their skin looks (I haven't yet touched one) shiny and is kind of brown with spots. Sometimes they've got little green stripes on them. They're quite nice looking; actually, and you'll find the big ones outside a lot. But the small ones scurry around our house during the day time, climbing through the mountainous (to them) article of clothing on the floor to get out of our sight. I have never managed to catch them on camera in our house during the day time, but I've put a photo of one of them sunbathing by a tree. That's what they like to do all day and perhaps that's why they're so tanned.

Then there's the sickly looking ones who come out quite a lot at night. They're kind of light brown/green/grey looking. A lot more pale and not at all pleasant to look at. But like all geckoes, they're terrified of us so they don't bother us... except the one I killed. It was an accident, I promise! I was devastated but this is the story about the murder of one ugly looking gecko. At night I went to shut the wooden door (the screen door was shut as always) and I heard this blood curdling screech (ok, just a screech, the blood curdling was for effect...) and I thought "oh dear, what's this" and one of these ugly geckoes scampered up the door to the frame and then up the wall to the ceiling where it went, I think, to recover from this traumatic experience. So I apologised profusely (no, seriously, I did. "I'm sorry, Mr Gecko. I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there... send me the medical bill." Quite serious, you know.) And then I went to carry on with whatever I was doing, reading or something. And before I went to bed I went to get a glass of water from the kitchen and lo and behold I saw this gecko lying face up staring at the ceiling on the ground. I was aghast. Obviously, I squashed its internal organs and it died and fell down the 5 metre drop from ceiling to floor. Poor thing.

Needless to say I've been very, very careful about shutting doors recently.

Then there's the third type. The only way I can describe them is by saying they're albino geckoes. They are kind of pinky white colour and have red eyes, so I think they're a breed of albinos. They're just like the ugly ones except even uglier and like the ugly ones they stay away from us (especially, I think, when they hear about our murderous ways...)

Now I've included a picture of an ugly one for your delight. Just so you know, I took this photo with a zoom from a few meters away because it had convulsions when I went up close with a camera.

Then there's the third creature, which unlike the other two sorts, is actually really nice. We have a dog. Well, each of the houses at the base have a dog so we were assigned one, but I think he's really nice. He's still quite young and has quite a heart warming story attached to him. During a flood last year, he was swept down here from who knows where and one of the children found him. So he was affectionately named "Laki" (Pijin spelling). So since he's so new and didn't have a proper house, he has been assigned to us. We decided at once that we didn't want him to be an ugly, flea ridden mutt like the other ones so we bought a flea collar (we could only find cat ones with a bell.... I took the bell off as it wasn't manly enough for him) and have made an attempt to train him. He now comes, sits, lies down, he's getting the hang of shaking hands and he can kind of leash walk a bit.

For some reason, he doesn't know how to fetch. And I don't mean I can't get him to bring the stick back. I can't get him to run after the stick at all. He just looks at me throwing it and then walks away. I try to model it, but that doesn't work. I even try to attach food to it, but that's hopeless. When I throw a ball, he's terrified. I'm pretty much at my brain's end about how to get him to fetch. He doesn't have any hunting instinct in him when it comes to sticks (he fights with other dogs quickly enough.)

So, anyway. That's our dog Laki and even though he's a bit too stupid to fetch (yet...), we still think he's pretty special.

red taped container

It's saturday (afternoon already!!). I'm sitting poised to tell you the container story. The desk fan is whirring blowing away the heat and the concerns. Our container arrived on Wednesday... where do I start with the story. Being an English teacher, let me just tell you the main theme of this story - waiting and red tape. I must say though, I had very little to do with the container business, except unpacking our boxes into our house (yay I've got books in my bookshelf!!). So actually, I'm going to do a copy and paste job with Jair's version of the story....

"Its been a whirlwind week of learning the logistics and prossecess of the infamous SI port authorities. The soffrana ship arrived on wednesday and by mid-morning the container was already unloaded on the wharf. After almost a full day at the port office we only needed a 1 stamp to go that was to clear the clothes. They needed fumigation coz they were 2nd hand... Well in the numerous containers that have come to SWIM this has never happened. And I was anxious in a good way to just
unload and be done with the port etc. Well they decided to let the clothes go and it seemed all good.

But then they got hooked up on the ute. It said "used vehicle" and they were sure it was for personal use. I assured them it was for SWIM but they needed it in writing that it was donated. So Lauretta typed a letter and I signed it and went to the wharfs and were assured that first thing it would be ok for us to unload first thing the next morning. So Thursday boasted a fine day and we were all keen and ready... Well i could just keep telling you about the hick ups, but ill just say that it was 2.15pm when we entered the wharf!

After looking for abit we located the red container but to our suprise it had 3 padlocks instead of two! aargghh! ok so some more time lapsed; then we had a polite customs officer lady peering into the container with the full list of stuff. So we then learned that the place shut at 3.30 and had to pay penalty if over that! So I sent 1 of us 6 unloaders to hire a forklift! We were only allowed people with special wharf passes and they cost abit so we chose 6. Even vehicles had to have wharf passes,
so we used our mazda truck and we had a pass for our holden rodeo ute but its water pump decided to copy the Niagra falls and dump its coolant. That was just on the tuesday! so we were down to one beasty 'ole faithful truck. Sorry bout the side track...

Yep, so the forklift arrived in suprisingly qwick time and we threw the slasher and tractor body and wheels on and mattresses on and were at the exit gate at 3.35! If we were wearing capes you would have thought it was a superman convention...! BUT we somehow got the paperwork all cleared without a jolly 'PTL' (Permit To Land not Praise The Lord). Apparently the clothes needed a PTL because they needed fumigation! I thought that problem had already been ironed out. mmm Ok so it was back to the offices and some more waiting... Thankfully the offices were open till 4.30 and we got it
sorted just in time. (If they were in the middle of a signature at 4.29 and it ticked over to 4.30, they would have put the pen down and bailed!)
The gate security let us out and we were back at SWIM by 5.15! The truck overheated as we pulled into SWIM. All good. We managed to use a huge big large 'forklift' from OMEX nextdoor (forklift - as in its wheels the size of a small car and they use it to pick up trees and stuff... So we lifted the slasher and tractor off the truck and we thought we would be smart and put the wheels of the tractor on while it was dangling like a soft toy in mid air... but in our haste to make sure that we grabbed the wheels and hubs from the container, we kinda forgot the wheel nuts... mmm so we put it on blocks. No stress.

Next morning (Friday) we were up and keen as a fried bean and in the 'ol faithful truck. I put a couple of liters of oil in her then a few liters of water - hopefully that should fix it! We got to the container and set out to find our polite customs lady (we didnt want to be allocated a strict or picky person ) and we continued the unpacking! The rain cooled us down initially but then it cleared just as.....THE BEASTY HILUX emerged!!!! YAHOO!! yep I had cheese on my face non-stop! I worked quickly to put the frontal bits back on while the crew unloaded the bulkhead stuff and the rest of the tractor gear. We couldn't take any of the packing wood with us coz it had been tainted by kiwis so the container looked a mess with lots of polystyrene and wood and chip board. We went to the exit gate and had same PTL problem, this time with the hilux. It was still full to its eyeballs with gear and slasher on the back etc. We had time on our side today so I wasn't concerned. A PTL office person came down and after a littlebit of 'story', I followed her to the office, payed the fumigation fee of $100 SI and got the PTL. Mmm. I don't know how we got the PTL both times without the spraying factor but i wasn't about to question it!

So it got all unpacked at SWIM. A crew of 5 of us worked steadily on the tractor and we went for a lap around some dried mud
for the first time at 5.30! A good day's effort!"

So that's Jair's story about his adventure with unpacking the container. The goods were in remarkable condition. It is a blessing to get these little bits and pieces we packed a while ago and have the familiarity of books and stuff like that (although I'm not sure why we didn't pack any chocolate...). Getting our stuff makes us realise, however, how little we actually need it. Sure I'm happy to get some books and 3 jars of vegemite (why did I pack that again?), but they're things we hold on to loosely. The people we are with are phenomenally more important and we would hate for our possessions to separate us from them.

So, we're thankful for the blessing of this container and thankful to others for whatever contribution they made to get this jolly red banana smelling container here, but in the end, we know that God's other blessings, our friends and family here in the Solomons, you and each other are worth so much more to us.

So if another container ever comes again from kiwi land, I vote to pack you guys in it!

off to prison

Well, this week we had quite an experience going to the prison to do Crossroads prison ministry work. There are two prisons that we visit - the main prison in Honiara which is full security, and then a prison farm in the country. It was the first time I (Lauretta writing here) had ever been to a high security prison so it was a bit scary - high walls everywhere with the barbed wire on top and numerous gates with ominous sounding locks you have to pass through.

We go to the Honiara prison to deliver correspondence Bible courses done with CBI. There are a number of different wings in the prison that we go into, collect their completed booklets, hand out the new ones, talk with them and pray with them.
The part we like best is the long term unit. The guys who are in there are there for a while and they have such a strong grasp of the hope they have in Jesus. They have little else to hope in for their future so they keenly look forward to heaven. We sing with them and their singing is amazing - beautiful deep, loud voices, harmonising with each other. It is a blessing to be able to fellowship with them.

One guy was asking us if he could have more lessons and the guy who took us retorted, "what, are you going to be released soon, or something?" They all laughed at that as there is little likelihood of that happening. But the guy just smiled and said, "I'm going to the King soon!" It was a poignant reminder of how all of us may well be going to meet the King very soon. The thing is, for these guys in the prison, it's a daily reminder, where as we tend to forget it quite quickly as we settle into life here on earth.

We are really keen to have small fellowship services with all the CBI inmates - this way, we could meet together, sing together, hear a message and they could get encouragement from meeting with other believers. And it would also have the added bonus for us of saving time in collecting and distributing work. Please pray that the way would be made possible for us to be able to start these small fellowship services.

The other prison we go to is a lot more relaxed. We go there on a Friday afternoon, distribute their work, and then hang out, play volleyball, soccer (in 30 plus degrees!!) and just talk with them a bit. On the half hour trip home, we stop in the river for a quick swim to cool off. It's a nice way to end the week.

On other matters, the guys here have been working really hard and now all the fences are up, so it's a lot more secure here now. A lot of the mud has been heaped up into piles and now grass is starting grow in its place. So it's becoming beautiful here again.

Survived the First Week!

Well, it's actually been more than a week now, but our internet wasn't working so this post is a few days late. But the truth remains that we have survived the first official week here and have come out the otherside with a cheerful disposition.

This first week has been really busy. A big part of it has been moving mud, fixing fences and cars, learning all sorts of new things about our role. In many ways, we've become "boss" in different departments to different people - but we're the ones still learning the ropes and people look up to us for direction! Needless to say, we rely heavily on them for direction, information, advice and encouragement. The people we work with here are very friendly and willing to help us.

One highlight has been the trip to Tetere prison farm on Friday. It's a half hour drive there and then you chat to the prisoners who do CBI Bible studies about their work. Usually you play a game of soccer with them afterwards as well, but we didn't do that this time. In fact it was a very quick visit this time - we quickly got introduced and quickly met them and then left again.

After we left we went for a bit of a drive and that was absolutely delightful (apart from the drunken guys who looked a bit suspicious!). We drove through a Palm oil plantation and then up this huge mountainous area to the gold mine. The gold mine is currently out of action, but it was great to look down at it and see all these little villages nestled in the jungle, houses clumped together in a group with little paths joining them. It was rather inspiring looking out from the back of the truck to the left at the jungle all around us. To the right we had a sweeping view of the plains with Palm trees in neat rows and then in the distance the sea and then even further out another large island.

You get such a sense of freedom when you're riding on the back of a truck, hooning down a bumpy gravel road, dust puffing in circles behind you and nothing but wind in your face and your own laughter in your ear. This is the usual mode of transport and it personifies happiness.

On the way back from our drive, we found a spot in the river to swim in. This was our first swim here in the Solomon Islands. It was lovely and cool and refreshing. When we were about to leave some rather tipsy locals came to demand compensation for us swimming in their river. We told them we were from SWIM and then they were ok with that. Phew. Then we chatted to them for a while and went on our way.

Unfortunately for you, we didn't have our camera on us, so none of these beautiful sights are documented for you - you'll just have to come over and see them sometime!! I did take a photo of the view from our kitchen while I was making dinner. Enjoy. I think you'll see some more sunset shots in the future!!

Love J&L

here and muddy!

It's saturday afternoon and we've been here for a full twenty four hours now. We are still amazed with how God worked out every little detail to get us here. Not only was there a flood, but we only got copies of our visas on Thursday night at 9:28. It was a bit uncertain for a while, but we are here.

And muddy!

There was a cyclone in the more mountainous part of this island and then all the water runs down the rivers and eventually literally through SWIM. Not only did it wipe out vegies and some chickens and break down walls, it left a whole lot of mud. Check out the pictures! At first we just had to get used to getting muddy feet all the time. Everytime we went inside we had to clean our feet again. But now, today, it hasn't rained much so the mud is drying out, making it a little bit easier for us to walk on - at least, our feet stay a bit cleaner.

So we have our work cut out for us for the next few weeks. Some of the cars and the generator were filled with water so they don't work. Jair's going to be very busy fixing them and he longs for the time when the tools, hilux and tractor will be here!

Apart from that, we're settling in well, trying to learn pijin, forming relationships and sorting out our house. We ate some bananas grown here at the base yesterday and they were delicious. I have never tasted a better banana. We're looking forward to getting into more local, fresh fruit...

just about to leave...

So, hi. This is our very first post on our very first blog site. Welcome. Haere mai. Halo! You are a privileged guest and we are honoured to have you visit our spot!

So, we've spent the last two and a bit weeks in Melbourne at a Transition Training course run by Missions Internlink. The course has been great! The weather's been a bit weird.

Lauretta's one big bit of advice if you ever consider travelling to Melbourne (which is more of a necessity than a desire... ;) TAKE A PAIR OF JEANS!!! What I would give for my jeans on those cold days after you've hit the high of 40+ degrees.

Tomorrow our course finishes, we hang around Melbourne for a bit, navigate the train system (which is actually quite fun) and then stay in a hotel for a night before leaving for Brisbane early Friday morning. Hopefully, we'll be in the Solomon Islands by Friday afternoon... We'll let you know how it all goes!

Take care,

Jair and Lauretta

Easter trip...

All is steady on the home front. We've had a normal kind of week here except that things are a little busy with Easter coming up.

The church which we attend is sending a group to Su'u school for the weekend to do some tiling in the chapel floor and organise some activities and services. So, we decided to join them for the weekend. We've never really been out of Honiara so we're a bit nervous about the trip, but excited about getting out and seeing a new place. Su'u is on Malaita island whereas we live on Guadalcanal island. We're also keen to spend time with some of the young adults from our trip who are going there too.

Su'u school is a boarding school run kind of like a state-integrated school in NZ. This means that the government funds it but it is run under the umbrella of the SSEC church group. Jair's dad went to Su'u quite a few times in the 90s for mission trips doing building works. So there's a bit of a connection there for us.

Unfortunately, we have heard that Su'u is somewhat dilapidated. Apparently there are rats everywhere, food shortages, run down buildings. This all makes for a very interesting weekend I'm sure! Everyone tells us that the river there is very nice to swim in.

We're organising a bit of an Easter drama; it's fairly low key, we're probably having our one and only practise this evening. But it will be spectacular in a Lauretta sort of way. Well, what I mean by that is that this is a country of limited resources, but I've got some tricks up my sleeve (well, actually I'm wearing a singlet because even though it's only 9am it's already very warm). So hopefully the drama will get the message across. Even more, we pray that God may use the drama, and our witness and work there for the whole weekend, to work in the hearts of the students and teachers.

We need to be at the wharf around 5am tomorrow morning. The ship leaves at 6:30. Hopefully the water is calm and we have a pleasant swift 2-3 hour boat ride. We get to Su'u on Good Friday and I think the plan is to get straight to work. We'll have a Good Friday service with the school on Friday (duh...) evening and work on Saturday, play sports Saturday afternoon (so the plan goes...), have two church services on Sunday, including one where we do this second drama, and I've got no idea what we're doing on Monday. Probably more work. We need to be at the wharf I think again at 5am on Tuesday morning so that we can be back in Honiara at 7:30am just in the nick of time to go to work!

So those are our Easter plans... We'll let you know next week what actually happened!! Please pray for us, for safety, for blessing on the ministry there and for the relationships that will be formed and built in the group.

Parting photo? We have a pet crab. Or rather, we had a pet crab. I haven't seen him for a while, but at one stage he had made his home in Laki's water bowl... I think someone might have eaten him...

This is Karen, the less than skillful hairdresser I mentioned last week. She is photographed with her "pet rat". As you can see she's a little vicious to her pets... She bought this glue stuff, put it on cardboard with some bait and the rat came to eat it, got stuck and died. So she's happy that her leaf house is rat free!

As far as I'm aware, there are no rats in our house although there are things that creep around on top of the roof. Sometimes it's this bird (the security men tell us). It sounds like a jolly pelican or something, something big. In any case, we'll see plenty of rats this weekend! Maybe I should get out my flute, do the old pied piper trick...