September 27. The Lord gave us a rainy morning, so Daddy got the fire going in the wood stove. Enjoyed my Sunday morning tea and my pancake breakfast. After I had quiet time and did some crocheting, Daddy and I encouraged our hearts in the Lord through singing some of the old hymns, sharing the word together, and praying. I wrote an e-mail to our two wonderful daughters. Due to the rainy weather, we didn’t get to go out walking today as we usually do on Sunday mornings. This afternoon, I changed the picture on my desktop and then shortened two of the curtain panels on the kitchen window so they don’t hang behind the microwave. Will do the other two panels another day so they will be the same size. This evening, I studied over the music lesson for tomorrow’s class. Also Matthew came to talk about tearing the meeting room down and putting up a new wall where they will end with tearing it down. “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” Isaiah 14:9 Lord, help me to be wise and prudent that I may understand and know and walk in the ways of the Lord.
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September 25. What a busy day! Started washing the clothes while my breakfast (oatmeal) was cooking. Did all the extra things today — linens, towel, etc. that Bryan used, my jacket, laundry bag, rags, hand towels that were left in the hamper, a few other little things. Judy came shortly and swept all the floors as they had not been swept after Bryan and the men finished the work of installing the solar. She finished sweeping the floors about the same time I finished washing clothes so she helped me hang them out. When that job was done, Judy sorted, washed, and cut up greens to be cooked for dinner, and I had a sit-down break. Then I showed her how to heat water in the microwave for a cup of coffee. She enjoyed her snack of coffee and ginger nut cookies before she and I set up the schoolroom, ready for back-to-school on Monday. Then I told her “one more job” and sent her out to burn the trash. In the meantime, I remembered that she still needed to refill the washing machine and the buckets, ready for washing clothes again tomorrow morning. So she did that job after burning the trash. After Judy left, I started dinner. Carrots to peel and cut up first. Then start the carrots and greens cooking. Put a pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti noodles. Cut up onion and browned it with the meat. Added the spaghetti sauce, and soon dinner was ready. After dinner, a welcome nap. And during nap, a storm came up like yesterday, but no thunder and lightning like yesterday. Strong winds, however. And the water supply got very dirty. But Daddy, with good foresight, had filled an extra bucket with clean water ahead of time. So all the buckets are full of clean water and ready for use when needed. After I got up from nap, Daddy and I put up a curtain between the kitchen and laundry room to try to keep some of the cold air out of the kitchen. Then I cleaned the whole refrigerator, according to instructions, washing with warm soapy water, rinsing with just warm water, and wiping it all dry. Just before I’d finished, Sunny came with part of a stalk of bananas. September 26. Praise the Lord for a lovely day. A storm came over about mid-afternoon, dropped a few drops of rain, and then passed on. I was delighted to be able to have a smoothie this morning, the first smoothie I’ve had since leaving the US last year January. After quiet time, I folded the clothes so the laundry basket would be free for Judy to use when doing laundry. Judy came after lotu and washed clothes. Before she finished hanging them out, her father came to help moved the fridge into place so we could start operating it. So I went out and helped her finish up hanging clothes. Daddy and I had already rolled the freezer off the piece of plywood. Then Amos and Judy moved the fridge out of the way so we could put the plywood in place for the fridge. Then they moved the fridge onto the plywood, and Daddy plugged it in. Amos also went up on the roof to check the roofing iron as it and the solar panel had been lifted up and down by the stormy winds the past couple days. He found that one piece of roofing iron had been loosened up and hadn’t been nailed back down. So he nailed that down, and things seemed much better when the strong winds blew this afternoon. Later in the morning, I worked on finding some Bible verses for culture class. Nuanda came right around noon to see Daddy for a bit. We had expected GBC men to come say they would be tearing down the meeting room today or soon, but they didn’t come. And Daddy only noticed three men at the meeting. There was no sign of Daniel and family. It really looked like Daniel’s salvation was real this time, but after only a year, he is already falling back into the world. Makes me think of the seed that fell among thorns, and was choked with the pleasures of this life and brought forth no fruit to perfection. Another sad thing is the spirit worship that took place on the other side of the river while we were gone. One of the men brought in a geologist to check for gold. Lots of people were called to come down and bring food for a party. Nuanda said they took a chicken and singed it in the fire. Then they cut off its head and waved the chicken all around, putting blood all over stones here and there and calling out for the spirits of the ancestors to watch over their ground and help them to find where the gold is. He said that there were professing believers among those who went. He is not sure who they were, but is preparing a message for tomorrow on following the ways of the heathen and worshipping spirits. After Nuanda left, we warmed up our dinner and ate. By then the fridge was cold enough for food so we unloaded the freezer and put everything in the fridge, plus the eggs and fresh produce that were in the cupboard. Then we rolled the freezer over to the wall behind the wood stove until Philemon is ready to finish buying it. He made a down payment yesterday. It is so nice not to have to try to remember to take non-freezer items out of the freezer, as we did part of the time the freezer was running, and also remember to put them back in before they are out too long. After nap, I washed my hair. Then I proofread the next culture lesson, printed a copy for myself, made blanks for the students to fill in, and printed copies for the students. September 23. It has been a busy day. Laundry needed to be done early this morning. Not long after breakfast, we went out to do the last-minute shopping. It was after 11:00 when we returned to the flat. Packed up a couple freezer boxes to put in the freezer here; but then Wilson showed up and offered to help Lewis take cargo over to the hangar. So the boxes of freezer items went to the hangar freezer for the night. While Daddy was gone to the hangar, I warmed up my dinner and ate. Daddy had his dinner when he got back. I had a nap and then worked on packing so we can be ready to go early in the morning. There is a bi-election coming up tomorrow, too, and the voting will take place across the street in the park starting at 7:00 so we want to be out of here as soon as we can before the crowd gets too big. Daddy was busy all day too, going here and there, making phone calls, etc. This evening I did dishes, a little more packing, crocheting. We also listened to a message from Madison Baptist. September 24. Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy today. Truly His mercies are new every morning. We were up early to finish packing up and getting ready for our flight back home. Nuanda reported a lovely dry season, fog-free morning in Owena, and we were able to take off from Goroka a little after 8:00. We were thankful to get home early and get all unpacked and get food put away. Also dusted off the desk areas in the office before setting up our computers. In the afternoon, we put away the blankets that Bryan had used, deflated and put away the air mattress, and put the bed linens in the wash; and straightened up the spare bathroom and put things away that we had locked in there while we were gone. I even had time to sit down and crochet for about a half hour. About mid-afternoon, the skies began to grow dark; the winds became strong and gusty; there was thunder and lightning; and before long, the Lord opened up the heavens and poured down torrents of rain. It rained for quite a while before the storm clouds passed over and the weather turned calm and peaceful once more. September 21. The morning was spent shopping. Looked at fridges, microwaves, and coffee makers at Brian Bell. Ordered lunch-to-go at Papindo Café and had an early lunch when we got back to the flat. That way I had time for a little nap before we headed out to Lapilo. The roads going out to Lapilo have a lot of really bad areas so the ride was not very comfortable. The dentist was a young lady named Sheena, born in Hong Kong, but later moved to Canada and took her dental training in the US. She has been in PNG five years, working under Samaritan’s Purse. The tooth on the top right that lost the filling, or perhaps was broken, either needed to have a root canal or be pulled because what was left was broken. The last bottom molar on the left side had a hole in it and needed to be filled. We opted for pulling the broken tooth as root canal would have taken an hour, and I would have had to come back to have the other tooth done. Also the root canal would have been quite a bit more costly. Daddy went to the NTM store and bought a few items while I was having the dental work done. After we got home, I did a little crocheting while I was waiting for the anesthesia to wear off so I could eat something. Also there was still bleeding where the tooth was extracted although it wasn’t bleeding much. I did use up all the gauze pads that Sheena gave me to put on the area where the tooth was extracted. This evening, I did dishes, made corrections that we’ve found so far in our proofreading of Romans. September 22. Praise the Lord for allowing me a fairly good sleep last night! I went to bed a bit early, concerned that I might get blood on my pillow or on the sheet; but the bleeding must have stopped sometime after I lay down, as it wasn’t bleeding when I awoke a couple hours later. I was thankful to be able to eat and enjoy the food a bit more normally today. After breakfast, Daddy went out for some hardware items and inner tubes. Stopped at Brian Bell to order the microwave and fridge, but Naigani wasn’t there. Would go back later. While he was gone, I stitched string rope through the large bilum (string bag) to keep it from stretching too much with a load in it. After he came back, we both went out shopping. First stop—Seng Da. Hmmm! No parking space. Wait until later. On to Goroka Stationery where Daddy got his coffee maker. Then to Bintangor for a few items. On to YuYu for yarn (out of most of the common colors), nails, bathroom spray (a mild body perfume actually), half case of cooking oil, and two cases of Indomie noodles. Home for lunch. After lunch—nap. Ahhh! How welcome that was! Daddy was up and gone out shopping again before I got up. I wrote in my journal and then started supper—chicken stew this evening so veggies to prepare (carrots, napa cabbage, and onions) and chicken to cut up. And when Daddy got back from shopping with a small bag of flour, I made dumplin’s for the stew. Also helped Daddy pack a box and tape up some poly pipe. After supper, I got some pictures ready to send C&C and then sent them. Did up the day’s dishes. Then relaxed for the evening. Here are some pictures from the installation of the solar power system. Praise the Lord for answering prayer and providing this for Mom and Dad.
September 16. PNG Independence Day. Bryan and the four helpers are still working, however. Today he attached the breaker box, and put up a light in the laundry room, After breakfast and quiet time, Daddy and I made a shopping list. Daddy had Mike, Wan, and Amos move the new generator to the other side of the generator shed so the exhaust could go out the hole on that side. I cleaned everything out of the old school cupboard with the drop-down drawer, and then Wan and Mike took it down. While they were dismantling it, I cleaned out the corner cupboard that has the Sunday school stuff. What a mess! Rats had dirtied so much stuff and chewed up a lot of paper and plastic. I put all the Sunday school supplies in the bottom and locked it. Put the few items from the other cupboard in the top and left it unlocked. Finished getting updates ready to send to C&C for mailing. Put several files on flash drive so I could transfer information to Daddy’s computer and get e-mails written and ready for him to send when he gets to town. Bryan spent a lot of time in the laundry room and kitchen area today installing new lights and power points (outlets) and adding light switches for both new and old lights. He worked from about 8:00 until after 6:00, taking only a short break for an early afternoon meal. Then he went out again for supper in the evening after the work was done. Because he was working in the kitchen, I had to wait until he was done before fixing supper so we had a bit late supper and dishes got done later too. So the evening went very fast. This evening, as I was trying to get food out of the tooth that seemed to be chipped, part of tooth (or maybe filling) came out, and then there was a big hole in the tooth. Apparently I have lost the filling (and have been losing the filling) and that’s why I’d been having trouble with tooth pain. So now we need to try to find a dentist who can refill the tooth or do whatever needs to be done. September 17. Judy came a little after 6:00 this morning to do laundry. No generator to get her up this morning. She had to get up on her own. Praise the Lord for how well the solar is working already. Today just Tomas, Wan, and Mike are helping. This morning, Mike and Tomas helped do a lot of the wiring for the lights and switches for the rest of the house. Wan helped on the floor. By 2:00 this afternoon, they had all the work done and the lights and power points (outlets) all in working order. How good God is to provide this source of power for us! Then we all stood near the work station and took pictures of each other and the three who helped Bryan today. Daddy made a number of phone calls to try to get me a dental appointment. No flights available with SIL. Praise the Lord, he was able to make an appointment at NTM for Monday afternoon so I will go out with Daddy and Bryan on MAF tomorrow. Daddy and I were busy most of the rest of the day and evening packing for town. September 14. Foggy most of the morning again, but warm. Nice sunshine in the afternoon. Praise God for His blessings and for strength today for cleaning. After breakfast and quiet time, I cleaned the desk tops in the schoolroom where Bryan will be staying. Daddy started sweeping the floor. Then Dallas and Elise came to visit, and Dalista too. I held my hand out to Dalista to shake her hand and she put ten toea into my hand. She wanted a lollipop. I gave her a lollipop and gave her back the ten toea, telling her to put it in the offering. It was good to see Dallas up and around. He said he was able to go to church yesterday morning, but he is still not very strong. Praise the Lord for answering prayer, and that he is on the mend. After the Dallas family left, Daddy finished sweeping the floor. Then he inflated the air mattress for Bryan to use. And I got busy washing the other set of window louvres in the schoolroom (had done two before) and the set of louvres in the spare bathroom. Then I washed windows in our bathroom, the laundry room, and the kitchen. How much better they look! By the time I finished that job, it was 11:30. Warmed up food for an early dinner as we were expecting Nuanda to come at noon and help work on the toilet. It got to be later than 12:30 and he still hadn’t come so Daddy went for a nap while I stayed up and watched. But Nuanda still didn’t come so I went for my nap and Daddy started working on the toilet. When I got up, I helped him. He put glue all around the rubber pieces that he added, but we still don’t know if it is going to hold without leaking. We will see tomorrow afternoon when the water is turned back on. Threw together three tortillas just before supper time — one for tonight and one for each of the next two nights. Usually make a whole batch, but didn’t need to be on my feet much longer today. This evening, I got journal notes ready to send to C&C. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3 O Lord, teach me to be wise. September 15. This morning, there was more work for us to do while waiting for the plane to come — burn the trash, do a bit of cleaning in the laundry room, clean the toilet in the spare bathroom, put more air in the air mattress and make up the bed, clean up the mess from the rat that bled when Daddy clobbered it last night after it got caught on the glue trap, etc. For sit down time, I worked on the September update and completed that late this afternoon. The plane arrived late morning with Bryan and the solar equipment; and he, with appointed helpers, worked almost non-stop from 11:00 a.m. until well after dark, except for a short supper break at Amos’s house. He only stopped for a short meal break when dinner was ready at Amos’s house. Amos and Mike were chosen to help on the roof; and Wan and Timothy were the ground crew. When the roof work was done, however, they all worked in the house. A number of other men hung around to watch and learn, and some of them helped too. Since Philemon was hanging around, we asked him to take some pictures. Fixed kaukau and pumpkin for Daddy’s and my supper. After supper, I made some yeast rolls for Bryan to have for breakfast. By early evening, the installation of the batteries was complete and working. Then Bryan went down to Amos’s house again for more to eat and stayed until time for Daddy to turn off the generator. We are thankful that he seems to be getting along well with his helpers. |
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