November 13. The Lord gave us another lovely day today. This morning all four of the men came—Amos, Mike, Dallas, and Wan—and got quite a bit accomplished in the new schoolroom. First they finished bordering the wall in the back corner south. Then Amos and Mike worked on making shelves in the front corner south. They got quite a bit done, but have some to go yet. Dallas and Wan worked on a desk for the teacher and finished that before they left work around 1:00. Praise the Lord for His help in finishing up the newsletter today. Also made corrections for the book of Acts, both in the computer and on Daddy’s copy. Last of all, I revised the shopping list and started highlighting what we need for this shopping trip. This evening, Daddy helped me get a complete list in order for him to take to town.. November 14. 8:00 p.m. Let’s see if I can recall the events of the day. Sometimes the brain slows down by this hour of the evening. The first part of the morning is usually easy to remember as it is pretty much routine. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the morning starts with lemon drink, Bible reading, smoothie (if we have bananas), prayer, crocheting, a small panful of cooked cereal. Sunny came and washed clothes, swept the floors, and had a cup of coffee. I put a clean sheet on the bed and made the bed up. Then I worked on e-mails for Daddy to send in town. Blew up the newsletter first and proofread it and made a couple corrections. Put that in an e-mail with a short note for C&C. Second e-mail was a list of acknowledgments for October support so Christy can add those to the corresponding newsletters. A little before dinner time, I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate coffee. This afternoon, I got two weeks of journal notes ready to put in another e-mail for C&C.* Also Mailin came to visit for a while. She has come over here to stay with her parents as she is expecting her fourth child any time now. She has her three boys with her, ages 2,4, and 5. It was good to talk with her. She shared how the Lord helped her to show kindness to her co-wife, and how the co-wife has become more pleasant to be with and the two of them get along well. The co-wife has a little girl of her own and helps Mailin a lot with the three boys. Mailin would like so much to see her husband and co-wife saved. Her husband has left them for a while and gone to Moresby to work. This evening, I transferred photos to the computer and edited them somewhat. This computer does not have a good picture editor. *For some reason, I do not have a copy of those journal notes, which are probably the ones from Nov. 2nd to Nov. 8th. November 15. The Lord gave us a warm, dry season day. Praise the Lord for answered prayer again for the mission students trek to Kairaba. This evening we hear thunder off in the distance. We are praying for good weather for Daddy’s flight to town on Tuesday also. We went out for our walk somewhat early this morning as the day was already warming up, and we didn’t want to wait until it got too hot to walk. After our walk, I wrote an e-mail with birthday wishes to Connie H. Then I made the bed and folded the clothes. And afterward, I got a couple more e-mails ready to go to C&C—one with journal notes and one with pictures; an e-mail for Mandy G and one for Amy. Then I started fixing up a picture I want to use for SKMS (Soldia bilong Kraist Misinari Skul) logo. (Missionary school logo) The time went by so quickly, I was surprised to see that it was already 12:00 when I looked up. I quit work on the picture fixing for now and went to fix dinner. Made the little bit of leftover uxai and rice into rice patties for our dinner, and there was a little bit of leftover greens to go with it. After nap, I washed my hair, printed out copies of the Gospel of John for Daddy and me to proofread (after he gets back from town), and did a couple more rows of crocheting. Had done two or three rows in the morning also.
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November 11. It was a cold night and a foggy morning. By the time Judy was ready to hang out clothes, however, the sun was ready to shine down on the clothes and help them dry. Only Mike came to work this morning. Daddy had Mike help pull the stove out so we could hook up the power cord to the power supply. Now we won’t need to use matches to light the burners. They can be lit using the switch. That will be a blessing. Then Mike moved the two battery lights from the kitchen and bedroom where they were no longer being used. One is now in the storage closet and the other in the spare bathroom. The one in the spare bathroom doesn’t work again, however. He checked the power and the power is coming all the way to the light fixture so there is something wrong with the fixture again. It looks like Daddy will need to get another light fixture. Taqita was gone up the mountain to work in the garden so Orpah was with Mike. She behaved herself very well for the three hours or so that Mike was here. I gave her a teddy bear to hold, and she carried the foldable footstool around so she could sit on it near her dad as he worked. Wan came late in the morning but had time to nail pieces of ooqdi (a type of wood) above the entry room wall on the outside to keep out the wind and rain. (The wall had not been cut to go all the way to the top.) Mike helped with that job as he was just finishing up the other jobs when Wan came. I spent a couple hours trying to write a happy birthday e-mail to Cilla. There were a number of interruptions to answer questions about Daddy’s and Mike’s work, to get things they needed, and to answer the door. Finally finished the e-mail; and praise the Lord, it sent out this afternoon in spite of the fact that a couple other e-mails are trying to come in. After that, I went out and brought in the clothes that were already dry. After dinner, we brought the rest of the clothes in. Before nap was over, we were getting some rain so I was thankful that all the clothes got dry. “3)….our Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” Galatians 1:3-4 Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving Yourself for my sins and for delivering me from this present evil world. (And how evil it is!) And thank You, my Heavenly Father, that this was Your will, and that Your Son was obedient to Your will. November 12. The day started out damp and dreary and dense with fog; but by mid-morning, God had rolled away the fog and given us sunshine. The rest of the day was warm and pleasant. The morning’s routine included a lemon soda drink, Bible reading, a smoothie, prayer time, crocheting, a small panful of rice cereal, making the bed, and folding yesterday’s laundry. Then I got a quick outline ready for Daddy to use for helping the students to learn how to make an outline for teaching a Bible verse. He would lead them through the steps and work with them on developing the outline. Last job of the morning was making bread – flat, thin rounds of yeast bread, since Daddy had finished the last of the town bread yesterday. I think our yeast must be getting old as the bread didn’t appear to be rising. By the time it needed to be cooked (late afternoon), however, it had puffed up sufficiently. Had a little time to start on the newsletter before dinner, and then had a little extra time, as SIL came just before noon and Daddy went up to the airstrip to see the pilot. This afternoon, I continued work on the newsletter and nearly finished it. So thankful for the Lord’s help. November 9. A lovely morning of sunshine. Went outside for only a few minutes mid-morning as there was a cool breeze blowing and I’m still battling a cold. Was thankful to be feeling somewhat better today. Mostly the nose is a nuisance as it won’t quit dripping or sneezing. We were thankful that the Lord sent bananas our way early this morning. I was prepared to just have popo and currant syrup on my pancakes, but was delighted to be able to have a banana too. After breakfast and quiet time and a little time to crochet, most of the rest of the day was spent trying to get the notes organized for the October progress report. It was such a crazy month, it was hard to know what to include and how. Finally finished that late this afternoon. I did take time out late morning to prepare a pot of rice and some uxai for dinner. We had a little bit of casserole left over, but not quite enough for a meal for two so added a bit of uxai and rice to our plates. Later, I added tuna to the rice and put it away for the next few days. There is plenty of uxai left for a few days also. In our music class, we have been studying rock music and CCM and the demoralizing effect they have on a person. We can see right here in Owena how Satan is using it to destroy the lives of the young people. It is very sobering and I urge the parents to teach their children what they are learning. November 10. We seem to have a new breed of rats around—more aggressive, more active, more destructive. Nothing seems to stop them, except death, we guess. They just keep coming, one right after the other. As soon as one passes off the scene, another one comes. We assume they’re dying anyway—after three nights of poison, a rat is usually done for. They make all kinds of rat-cket, chew on things, race all over the house, knock things over, and even steal things. They’re just small rats, but they don’t just steal little things. The bottle lid that we used to put the rat poison in went missing. A rag that was on the floor to catch water from leaks when it rains went missing. Who knows what else? Enjoyed my morning lemon drink and Bible reading. Then a smoothie and prayer time and crochet time. I was just about to go and fix some rice cereal for the rest of my breakfast when Nuanda came along. He had some papers he needed photocopied for some business related to the health center. But he also stayed and talked quite a while, so it was late before I got to the kitchen to fix cereal. Since the rice cereal takes longer to cook, I decided to have oatmeal instead. After that, it was time to burn the trash. Then the bed had to be made before I finally got to the computer. Proofread the progress report, transferred the October pages to the word file, and then put it on a flash drive to attach to an e-mail in the ACER. From the ACER, I put the September bank statement in a word file and copied it to a flash drive to go into the HP so I can print out a copy. Attached the progress report to an e-mail for Pastor Ogle and got as far as the salutation when I realized it was already 11:30. I wanted to fix a pumpkin for dinner as we only had rice and uxai. Went to get the pumpkin out of the cupboard, but had a hard time because of all the bananas in the way. Decided to do some rearranging so it would be easier to get to things I need, and that ended up being a bigger job than I expected. Then Kaipo came to the door with cucumbers and popo, and I was called to go check them over and see what was good. So it was already close to noon before I got started preparing the pumpkin. It was just a small one and easy to prepare so by 12:15 it was on cooking and was done within ten minutes. So we got ready to eat. Daddy warmed up a plateful of rice and uxai. I ate some pumpkin and them warmed up a plateful of rice and uxai. This afternoon while Daddy was teaching his first couple classes, I got a short e-mail written to Pastor Ogle, had a fruit snack, and filled the washing machine so it is ready for Judy to wash clothes in the morning. October 30. Chilly and damp all day today. Daddy let the fire go out late morning, but had to get it going again late afternoon. After breakfast and Bible reading, praying and crocheting, I got busy proofreading the next three outreach lessons, translating just a couple verses for one of the lessons, then printing them, getting the pictures ready for printing and printing those also. That took most of the morning in between going back and forth to the entry room to give any needed advice to the men who were working in there. We are thankful that they got the frame up for the wall for the new schoolroom. Wan did more patching up on the roof too. The ladies and children worked outside, doing more weeding and making the yard look nice. The children were excited to have earned their lollipops today. This afternoon, I finished up the Revelation lesson I’d been working on. Praise the Lord for His help with that! “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” II Corinthians 1:20 Not one of God’s promises has ever failed, or will ever fail. What a comfort to know that we can rest wholly upon His word. October 31. Praise God for a non-rainy day. And we continue to pray for good weather for the weekend for the outreach team in Kairaba. All three families left today to sleep there for the night and preach the word tomorrow. Sunny came again and washed clothes and swept floors. After Bible reading time, I made a smoothie for part of my breakfast. Then I had prayer time and crocheted. After that, I cooked some oatmeal for the rest of my breakfast. Then Daddy and I went outside for a while. Afterward, I changed my desktop and lock screen picture and got up the Revelation file so I could proofread the next lesson that the class will be needing and have it ready to print out. Later I started another new lesson. Went out and brought most of the clothes in before dinner, and Daddy got the rest in after dinner. This afternoon I cut Daddy’s hair. Tonka came just before I finished so I asked him to wait a few minutes. He brought some shelled peanuts and wanted cooking oil and salt, and a couple lollies for the two children. I also gave him the story card about the Bible—whose word it is and how it came to us. He started reading it right away. Oh, that he might understand the Word and be saved! This evening, Ephraim Sakias brought his phone to be charged, and we were able to talk with him for a while. It was good to see him. Hadn’t seen him for a long time. He had been in Moresby for the past five years, but got really sick and was sent up to Goroka. He went to Kudjip where he got good treatment, and he also got herbs medicine from Wenera. He is doing much better now. He said he will go back to Moresby for a few months to take care of some business and get his severance pay. Then he’ll come back to be with his family and help take care of his father. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 November 1. A new month. A chilly morning but soon to warm up. Clear blue skies, the warmth of the sunshine, and a refreshing breeze made for a pleasant walk mid-morning. After making our pancake breakfast and reading my Bible, I was thankful for time to sit down and pray and crochet. Only eight more rows to go on the afghan and that one will be finished. I usually take time for two rows a day. Am thankful for the Lord’s help with that project. It will be a graduation gift for one mission student family. Will try to make one for each family and perhaps one, or something else, for Judy. It was a blessing to find encouragement this morning in reading II Corinthians chapter 4. Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not. (verse 1) God has given us a ministry and mercy to be faithful to the ministry and not faint. Some days it is hard not to faint. There are some who oppose God’s work who continue to come and try different ways to get us to give in to their demands. They give no rest. 7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. (verses 7 and 8) Praise God the power is not of us, but of God. We have no power of ourselves, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Therefore when we are troubled, we are not distressed; when we are perplexed, we are not in despair. 15) For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (verses 15-18) The ministry we have been given and the mercy and power to fulfill that ministry are for the sake of those to whom we minister, as well as for Christ’s sake. His abundant grace results in thanksgiving and an abundant glory to God. Therefore we don’t faint because our inward man is renewed each day. We can count our short time of affliction to be a light thing and to result in even greater glory. We must keep our sights on eternal things and not on the temporal. After our walk, and we took quite a long walk today, I worked on a Revelation lesson. Then Daddy and I had our worship time together. It was so uplifting to sing the old hymns, share things from the word, and pray together. Then it was time for dinner—leftover soup to warm up and enjoy. Then nap time, followed by washing hair, and then working more on the Revelation lesson. I get so caught up in the lessons that I don’t realize how quickly the time is going by. Next things I knew, it was supper time. October 28. After lotu at Liberty, Judy came to wash clothes. I was busy crocheting and praying. A little while later, the other school students came to work. Wan came as well. Wan and Mike worked inside the entry room and on the roof. They took the rest of the silver paper down first and there was a big puddle of water in it. No wonder water was leaking in. There was a low place in the roof, and there were places where it had not been nailed properly or had not been nailed at all. The roof had dips in it where puddles had collected on top. They worked on repairing the roof, and it appears that they got the leaks and dips taken care of. Then they put some things under the house that were taking up space in there and moved some other things around so they are ready to start building a wall for the schoolroom which we plan to move into that part of the house. The rest of the crew worked outside, cleaning up the yard and taking away rubbish, weeding, thinning out some flower areas that were getting overcrowded, raking, cleaning out the ditch on the west side of the house. After writing a letter of reference for Maura, I went out for a while, too, to get some sunshine and trim some flowers that had dead leaves and stems. This afternoon, I wrote an e-mail to C&C and attached the journal notes, but Daddy couldn’t get it to send. So this evening, I divided it up, and put the journal notes in an e-mail by themselves. They always seem to give a problem when I attach them to an e-mail with a message. “57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 Another of my favorite portions of Scripture. Praise God that we are victors through our Lord Jesus Christ! The promise of the resurrection and the knowledge that our labor is not in vain in the Lord should certainly spur us on to be stedfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the Lord’s work. October 29. It was a fire-in-the-wood-stove morning. Billows of fog, with clouds overshadowing the world as well. Half of my morning was spent in the kitchen, with Bible reading first and prayer time while breakfast was cooking and more later while I was crocheting. Bible reading this morning was the last chapter of I Corinthians with admonition to “13) Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14) Let all your things be done with charity.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Also a reminder that “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” 1 Corinthians 16:22 And encouragement that “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” 1 Corinthians 16:23 Amen! Praise God for His grace! His grace to help me stand fast in the faith. His grace to help me not to quit. His grace to help me be strong. His grace to help me do all things with charity. And his grace to help me tell others how to love the Lord Jesus Christ and escape the wrath of God. First kitchen “job” this morning was to make a smoothie for my breakfast. After that had been consumed, I made a very small batch of granola pancakes and ate a couple of those. Then I got busy putting ingredients together for soup so the soup would have time to cook and then cool down a bit so some of it could be blended for our dinner. A little soup mix, some chicken bouillon, fennel powder, and butter in the bottom of the pan plus water, one kaukau (that’s what was left in the cupboard), three yams, a pumpkin, two onions, seasonings, carrot powder and moringa leaf powder. Was thankful for sit-down time after that—prayed while crocheting another couple rows on the afghan. Then had a cup of coffee before making the bed and working on a Revelation lesson. Spent more time on the Revelation lesson this afternoon. We praise the Lord for answered prayer for Dallas and that he is feeling much better since taking the parasite and malaria treatments. “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.” Zephaniah 2:3 An admonition for the people of Israel; but can it be applied to those in America who are meek and have been faithful to follow God’s judgments and ordinances? How long will God withhold his anger from our wicked land? May those who seek righteousness and meekness be hid in the day of His anger. October 26. Breakfast and Bible reading came first this morning. Then prayer time and crocheting. After that I looked over my music lesson for today. Then I did a little walking around the house to get exercise for my legs. Daddy wanted to go out for a while so we went outside around the yard. Shortly Wan came along, however, so Daddy went back in to show Wan where the biggest leak was that needed to be patched up. I stayed out a bit longer. When I came inside, I found the info from JAARS to send to Christy and also got journal notes ready to send to Connie. Then I got out some frozen peas to cook for dinner when Andrew and Esther and their young son Jesi came for a visit. It had been a long time since we’d seen them. They said they’d been praying for us. This afternoon, I set up a 2021 calendar, and this evening, I got it printed out. All the students were here for class today. We are so thankful for all that they are learning and applying to their lives. I felt quite sad today as I taught the lesson on rock music to the class and had a new awareness of its danger and how Satan is beginning to use that music to destroy the lives of the young people here. October 27. After breakfast, quiet time, and crocheting this morning, I got busy at the computer searching for verses to go with the culture lesson on religion. By 10:00, I was good and ready for a break from sitting and using my eyes so Daddy and I went for a walk up the airstrip. The men were out there working on the fence and were just about ready to start putting the barbed wire around. After I came back, I sorted and washed greens before getting back to the computer. Just had a short time at the computer before cutting up the greens with some onions and getting them ready to be cooked. Came and did a little more verse searching, but I never did hear the pressure cooker get up to pressure. “We’re probably out of gas,” Daddy suggested. Sure enough—no flame under the pot. Too late to change the tank and get the greens cooked now. We’ll just go ahead and warm up our rice along with some leftover peas. I’ll mix my peas with my rice and add a little cheese and mix it with a little mayonnaise, mustard, and curry powder. So we ate our dinner, and afterward Daddy changed the bottled gas tank. Then we had our nap; and after nap, I cooked the greens. Then I finished up searching for verses and got copies of that page printed out so it would be ready for class. We didn’t use it today, however. We finished up the lesson section and will look at verses next time. The students had lots of interesting culture points today. There are several places that they considered holy ground (and some still do). One place is in the woods south of the village; another is somewhere along the small river west of the village and also a marshy place nearby; and another is at the big river Lamari. Women were never allowed to sleep at any of these places, but the place at the Lamari is no longer considered holy. When the young men were initiated, their initiation clothing and the bamboo flutes were considered holy. Women were not allowed to see the boys in their initiation clothing until a certain amount of time had passed. Then the boys’ faces, arms, and legs, would be painted; and the mothers would say, “Who are you? Are you my son?” When the initiated boys walked along the trail, if they came to a knoll or bend in the trail, they would make a lot of noise. That way, if a woman was coming along the trail from the other direction, the woman could turn and hide her face until the boy passed by. They also had a type of love spell in which a man would put nettle leaves in front of a lady’s door and pour water on them. Even though the woman did not see the man who did it, she would somehow become enamored with him. This was also used in a bad way by a man who wanted to take a married woman away from her husband. They also believed in a type of reincarnation, and some still do. If a child was born and they saw that his face was a perfect image of a father or grandfather who had died, they would say that that person had come back to life again. Also if a man was dying, and his son hadn’t taken good care of him before he died, he would tell the son that he would come back to haunt him. When a child was born that gave the parents a lot of trouble, they would say that was the father who had come back to trouble his son. I told them about the people in Indonesia who would wear the skull of a mother around their neck or use it as a pillow as a means of protection. They all said that they are afraid of the bones of dead people. “17) Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19) The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 One of my favorite portions of Scripture. I’m always thankful for the reminder that our rejoicing does not depend on circumstances. It is always in the Lord and His salvation. He will always be my strength and my victory. Note: We got a message on a contact form asking about the need for Mom and Dad to get the rest of their wall built. That need has been taking care of. Thank you very much for asking. We tried to respond to the message but were having difficulty doing that. So, I put my sister's email address on the sidebar of the blog under Mom and Dad's profile information. You should be able to just click on that and send an email. That might make it easier for us to answer any questions. Thanks so much!
October 16. Drizzly this morning so Daddy started a fire. After several layers of fog went through, God warmed up the earth with sunshine. He sent us rain again starting mid-afternoon. Amos, Mike, and Wan worked on the porch this morning and finished getting the limbum on the floor and the roof on. Work will be continued next week. I worked on elder/deacon lessons, set up Acts for printing and then printed it, made corrections in Romans through II Corinthians, put together a new journal booklet. I also filled up the washing machine this afternoon since Judy didn’t come around to do that. She also wasn’t here for classes, but Amos and Mata didn’t seem to know why. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well and was sleeping. (She wasn’t feeling well, and she was sleeping.) October 17. The first couple hours of the morning were quite foggy, but then blue sky and sunshine appeared. Clouds and rain came back mid-afternoon. Judy came to work about 8:15—washed clothes., swept floors, and shelled peas. We were thankful for nice weather to dry the clothes before the afternoon rains came. I did some crocheting after breakfast and quiet time. Spent most of my computer time today working on Revelation lessons. We also had some visitors today. Nuka and Oyaqava came for a brief visit and to see if we had a blanket or something for Oyaqava to take to Marivo and use for his sister’s burial. She had been sick for some time and passed away the night before last. They said she was saved and had actually gotten up and come over to Liberty for lotu this past Sunday. Later in the afternoon, Yanahdo came and wanted to have the Scriptures read to her and have me pray for her. October 18. Praise the Lord for answered prayer and giving us a dry and sunny day. The men went on outreach to Kairaba this morning so we prayed for the Lord to keep the weather good for them to go and return. I slept in until about 6:30 this morning, the first time I’ve slept in for a while. My body seems to want to wake up about 5:45 these days, now that the world gets bright earlier in the morning. After breakfast and Bible reading, I prayed and made the bed and folded clothes. Prayed some more while I was crocheting. Then Daddy and I went out for a walk. Learned from Marava that another of Oyaqava’s sisters (Luke and Julian’s mother) died last night. She too had been sick for a while. The family will cry again tonight in Marivo and bury that woman’s body tomorrow. Then they will cry here tomorrow night and bury the other body the next day. When we returned from our walk, I worked on a Revelation lesson for a while. Then Daddy and I had our lotu time. How we enjoyed singing the old hymns! Two of the hymns we sang today were about the blood—”Saved by the Blood” and “Nor Silver Nor Gold.” What a blessing and thrill to the heart to sing them! After that, we proofread a couple more chapters of Acts and then had time for prayer. This afternoon, I finished a section of the Revelation lesson and started on the next section. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 Not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus. Glory, I’m saved! October 14. It was pretty quiet here this morning until after lotu. Then Judy came to do laundry, the men came to work on the front veranda, and Wan came to work on the roof. Dallas didn’t do much work as he is feeling sick again, but he was happy to get out in the sunshine where he could be warm. He brought his and Elise’s health books and the pills that had been given them so we could see what their treatments had been and what the diagnoses were. Elise had bronchial pneumonia, but there was no diagnosis written down for Dallas. We got to thinking later, however, that there was no mention of malaria treatment either; and they almost always treat people for malaria. I remember how weak I was years ago when I had chronic malaria, until after we discovered the supplement ParaFactors (no longer made now). This morning, I proofread the story cards, added a Bible verse, and printed out two pages of the first story. Spent most of the rest of the morning and afternoon proofreading the next three outreach lessons, translating verses from Numbers to add in, printing out the lessons, fixing the pictures that go with them, and printing out the pictures. Dallas was not here for classes this afternoon. This evening Repeka came to get Philemon’s laptop. When I went to the door, she hugged me and cried on my shoulder. I feel so sorry for the wives of these men as they are deprived of the fellowship and encouragement they need. She also asked if I would like some popo and some uxai*, and, of course, I would. So after she took the laptop home, she brought down a couple popo and a bunch of uxai. She got some yarn in exchange for the food. *Uxai is a long vegetable that looks somewhat like lemongrass. It has husks that can be peeled like corn. The “meat” of the uxai is somewhat mealy, and the taste is somewhat reminiscent of corn but hard to describe to one who hasn’t tasted it. It is a very delicious vegetable. October 15. The morning was warm and sunny, but rainy season came back in the afternoon and evening. Amos went up early this morning to try to make the water pipe joint more secure so that neither the water pressure nor the people can keep pulling it apart, and so that Daddy or Amos don’t have to run up there several times a day (or in the dark in the rain like Daddy did last night) and put it back together. Erick came early this morning too and took all the poles away from the porch area, the ones that the men had set aside for the porch work. He put them all on the ground a ways away from the house. Also started taking limbum* off the foundation and taking nails out of it. So when Amos, Dallas, and Mike came to work, they decided they would work all day today and finish the job. They didn’t quite get the porch done because of the rain, but they did get all of the old foundation taken down and set aside limbum and poles that they will be needing. So there was no school this afternoon as they men used the time to get as much work done as they could. Today I wrote an e-mail to C&C, revised and printed out a new attendance sheet for school, worked a bit on the elder-deacon lessons (finished that just before supper), did some cleaning, folded and put away clothes, visited a while with Paqo, answered the door a few times, and I don’t remember what else. *Limbum - a type of wood that can be made into nice boards and is good for flooring October 12. It has been a very different sort of day. The weather was very pleasant, and the day warmed up quickly. George came early to cut firewood. “M” came twice to try to convince Daddy to give him what he wants. He will not leave us alone, and says we need to get together and talk so that we can become of one mind. What he means by that is so that Daddy and I can be of the same mind that he is. Daddy brought that up to him, and he did not deny it. That is his whole plan—to get us to agree to give him whatever he wants. He just wearies us with his much talking. (I can't share the details here, but please be much in prayer regarding this situation. Thanks!) The students all came to school, and we were happy to see them. They are a bright spot in our day. About an hour and a half, however, was spent just sharing burdens and discussing how the Devil is coming at us from every angle and hindering the progress of the missionary training program. There is the problem with GBC, particularly “M”. Mike and Dallas both have illnesses that weaken their bodies. Mike and Dallas’s are also facing other trials in their lives. The work on the house was left unfinished and the property in a mess. We hadn’t had any water for three days. We also talked about the coming elections in the US and the awful spiritual condition of our country. We talked about having LIBC help with some of the work that needs to be done on the house, and much of it has needed it for some time. In the end, here is what the men decided. They want to do the work that needs to be done, and they want this to be a part of their training and want us to teach them things they don’t know (well, there’s a lot we don’t know too). So they would like to work mornings and have school from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. as long as needed. After some discussion on that proposition, we agreed to that. So after some time spent in prayer, the men went to work on their first task—cleaning out the water pipe so the water would flow freely again. They had to dig up the pipeline that was about a foot underground between the top of the airstrip and the middle where it joins just before turning to come to our house. They didn’t dig out the whole things, but certain spots so they could keep checking the progress of their work. They took a long thin piece of bamboo and kept shoving it into the pipe until they were able to push out all the dirt that was clogging up the pipeline. Then at the places where they had cut the pipe, they took strands of rubber from an old inner tube and fastened the pipe back together before putting it back underground. It took about three and a half hours to finish the job. We are so thankful for fresh, running water again. Before Mike went up to help, he cut some grass on top of the knoll behind the house so the ladies could clean out the ditch there. They also cleaned out the one down below it. After that they were ready for a rest and something to eat before coming back to school at 3:00. After our discussion this morning, I understood why the Lord didn’t allow the e-mail with updates go out yesterday. I felt very strongly that we should share with people how the enemy seems to be attacking the work here so that they can be in fervent prayer for us to stand strong in the Lord. Daddy agreed so I sat down to rewrite the update and soon had a new one ready. This afternoon, I had a new e-mail ready to go to C&C with the new updates attached. Also wrote another email. Daddy was able to send both of those right out late this afternoon. Praise the Lord! This afternoon, I also got journal notes together and ready to send to Christy and Connie, paid George for his work since Daddy was in class, made egg salad for our supper sandwiches, ate half my supper before teaching my class and the rest afterward, took the garbage out, washed the dishes. Am I tired tonight? Yes! Everyone else was tired too. We’re thankful that we can find our strength in the Lord. This evening, Nuanda sent a text (he is in town) to see how we are doing and if the men finished the work on the house. Also Wenera called this evening and talked for about a half hour. He seemed like he was hungry for fellowship. We praise the Lord that he is growing spiritually and striving to serve the Lord. He needs much prayer to remain strong.in a wicked world. October 13. A very clear night and 53º this morning with clear blue skies. Looks like we are back to some dry season weather for a few days. The day warmed up quickly and got quite warm before noon. Judy came early this morning and filled up the washing machine so she can wash clothes tomorrow morning. Taqita came and peeled potatoes for me—the were so small it would have taken me forever. Amos and Mike came early and started work on the front veranda, and Dallas joined them a little bit later. The wives prepared food for the men to eat about mid-morning. Then they came back and worked until close to 1:00. They got quite a bit done and will work on it again tomorrow if they have time after lotu. After my quiet time, I got an e-mail ready to go to C&C with updates for e-mailing. Then I was hungry and remembered I had only had a smoothie for breakfast so warmed up a couple banana muffins to eat. Then I fixed up some photos that I had transferred to the computer several days ago. Diced up all the little potatoes and put them in some water in the big pressure cooker. Peeled and diced up carrots. Cut up a few small onions. Added lentils, butter, chicken bouillon. Diced up the chicken fillet, browned it in some oil and added it to the pot. Added seasonings, carrot powder, moringa leaf powder, and more water. And at last at 11:30, I got the soup on to boil. It took twenty-five minutes to get up to pressure, and since everything had been cut up small, I only pressured it for five minutes. Then I let it cool down a bit before letting the pressure down so we could eat dinner. It was hot in the kitchen at noon, but I still enjoyed the soup. After nap, there was time for a drink and fruit snack before the students came for school. Besides teaching culture class, I worked on the elder-deacon lessons. Daddy had his supper while I was teaching, and I had mine afterward. Later I got the journal notes into an e-mail to be sent to C&C. Philemon came while I was teaching and paid the rest of the money to buy the freezer. Tomas and Titus were with him to carry it back to his house. Philemon wants to buy lamb flaps and sell them. |
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