Hello again :)
We are all back at base safely reunited with our fellow B2Bers.
Our last week we spent in Honiara staying at a Resthouse which was like a hostel. We worked in 2 churches sharing testimonies and teaching skits. We also had a day called Faith Day where we went out in teams and relied on God 100%. One team raised $1500 to send an islander to bible college and the other team had the opportunity to pray for the opposition party leader for the solomon government.
We spent this week debriefing mainly.
One night we got to stay in a Hotel!
I could write for hours about this week...but we all had different experiences and i feel it would be nicer for you to hear it from the team member you know :)
Thankyou all for your support and prayers!
We'll be home soon!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Update..Finally!
Hello Everyone!
First of all I want to thank you for your patience. We have been in Solomons for 33 days now and this has been our first chance for internet. We have been traveling around Malaita visiting a new village every week. I will give you a brief summary of each week, starting way back on June 6th.
WEEK 1: Honiara
We woke up early on June 6th and said our goodbyes before our school leaders, Kyle and Frida, drove us to the airport. We had no troubles there and before we knew it we were flying (on a fairly empty plane) over small tropical islands in the pacific. Although it was only a 2.5 hour flight, we were served a delicious meal of noodles and chicken. We landed safely in Honiara at 12:30 where we were greeted by an American Missionary named Dennis and our guide for our outreach, Moston. We piled into the bed of their pick-up truck and drove through the slums, waving continuously until we reached the YWAM base. It was here we had the chance to ease into the culture. We took a few trips into the city to do some last minute shopping and made friends with some children who live near the base. Their favourite games were Duck-Duck-Goose and catch and we played with them everyday. Thursday came too quickly for most of us. We were just getting into a routines with the children, but we needed to carry on to Malaita. We had arranged for a truck to drive us to the boat that morning at 7, but island-time and island rain kicked in and we resulted to running to a taxi-drivers house with our bags. He drove us quickly to try and catch our boat..but we missed it. Fortunately, Moston managed to get us "1st Class" tickets on a Christian boat called "Daystar" for no addition cost. 5 hours of constant bobbing on the ocean brought us to Auki (the main city in Malaita). We caught a truck and spent the next 4.5hours under a tarp in the back to bring us to our next destination.
WEEK 2: Aroma Bible College
We were really blessed to spend the week here amongst the trees. To me, Aroma felt like an oasis; beautifully structured cabins made of palm leaves just minutes from the beach. The shore was literally covered in shells...some as big as my head! (no exaggeration!) The reefs started as soon as we stepped in the water so we spent a few afternoons exploring the ocean. Every morning we walked from our cabins down the coral footpath to the outdoor dining hall where we accomplished a lot of bible reading between meals mainly of rice, sweet potatoes and slippery cabbage. Here, we got hooked on these coconut biscuits for breakfast-delicious! We had the opportunity to connect with the staff there and sit in on a few of their services before 100 students arrived for their 4 week program. We were shown how much the people of the Solomons fear God and respect him as Lord and King! It was really a learning experience for most of us as the western world tends to focus more on God's Fatherly characteristics. For this reason, we tailored our 2 lecture times to outline Gods love, mercy and grace. One day, we took a walk to the next village (Manakwa) to run a church service. We were lead into the church by a group of boys traditionally dressed that sang and danced. It seems everyone in Solomons sings loud and from their heart; there is nothing like entering a church listening to 5-10 part harmonies! We got to shake everyone's hand and have a swim in the river before heading back to Aroma. On the 15th, Moston's wife, Miriam, invited us to her village for dinner. Her Aunt and Uncle greeted us and presented us each with a handmade lei. We had a fantastic feast of bananas, cabbage, sweet potato, starfruit, rice and fresh prawns. Plus, they got us coconuts and that each had their own leaf-straw and cap! We ate on their porch with a perfect view of the ocean as they serenaded us with a ukulele! We also visited a family church in their community 2 consecutive nights where were shared our testimonies and skits and were given a handmade shell necklace. They invited us to stay with them if any of our plans fell through.
WEEK 3: Not Malu...
We had originally planned to spend this week in a village called Malu, but sure enough, our plans fell through so we did some rearranging. We spent 2 nights in Miriam's village in a small cabin where we were blessed with meals, fresh bananas and many coconuts. We spent time at the beach and doing laundry as well as preparing for ministry time in the future. On Sunday (the 19th) we walked to a town called Amaeus where we were welcomed with lemonade by a very memorable, blonde-haired, Pastor named Joseph. During this service, we encouraged people to obey God's calling for our lives. We are all called to evangelize, love others, obey the 10 commandments, serve and stay healthy. The service lasted 3 hours and they blessed us with a meal and fellowship time afterward.
At 4am on the 20th we were passengers on a coconut truck which drove us 3hours to the entrance to Mostons village, Onnon. We saddled up our bags and hiked 1.5hours down an extremely muddy path along the clearest river i have ever seen. Eventually, we arrived at a beautiful village on a hill that actually had fairly developed housing. We set up our bbbeds in the old clinic and we for a much needed swim in the river. This was a fairly relaxing week. It rained a lot as it is beginning rainy season here but it was a welcomed change from the intense heat we experienced the previous weeks. A few of our planned services were canceled last minute. The river flooded and therefore it was too deep for the people to cross the river to the church. However, we had a few great afternoons with the children (around 50!) playing soccer, singing songs, playing games, preforming skits and swimming in the river. One day, the boys took a trip into Auki to get bibles for the students at Aroma. Another afternoon, Moston's 6-year-old son, Jesse, went to climb a paw-paw tree next to our house. He climbed with no issues but had difficultly picking them off- so Jeff tried. As he climbed, the thin trunk bent under his weight and SNAP! He and half the tree were int eh bush. So hilarious! The little boys laughed hysterically shouting "the white-fella fell!" before the frantically tugged on his arm to get him up. Turns out, those bushes are filled with fire ants and Jeffs was covered in painful bites- but he survived :)
We were really blessed by traditionally-cooked meals in this village. We even got to try rooster! On the 24th we hiked to a near by village called Fulisisila to join them in their Anglican service. They prepared a feast for the entire congregation of rice, pork, casava and potatoes which they spread out on banana leaves on the ground. Jeff prayed over the megaphone and we all ate together in rows. Soon, rain came and everyone loaded up leaves and fled to the church for shelter. Our last day in Onnon was the 26th. We crossed the river to Uwaimela for a service loosly focused on being servant-hearted. They also blessed us with a large meal afterward and that night we had another feast from our hosts in Onnon.
We woke up at 430 to be ready for our canoes to take us downstream at 530. However, we departed just after 7 which proved to be a good thing as the sun was shining perfectly as we meandered down the river in our 10-person canoe. Moston was in another man-made canoe with our bags. After a 1.5hr canoe ride, we arrived at the road and took a truck to our new home-Buma.
WEEK 4: Buma
Buma. Oh, Buma-our home away from home. Before we left base, we received a word from someone that God would use us to shake foundations in the Solomons- that we would encourage people to step out in faith and go for God. I believe this came true in Buma. They taught us so much about what it means to love one another and I know I speak for the team when I say that we have never experienced so much love from strangers. When we first arrived in Buma, the sun was shining and it felt nice to be back on the beach with palm trees and shells. Buma is a very large village with close to 1600 people living together in community. They have many, many houses and a large church made of concrete. God provided us with a beautiful house-elevated with a wood frame and palm-leave walls and roof. Its amazing how much work goes into building such an intricate structure.
Each day, we made more connections with the community. We went on prayer walks, collected garbage and were given a really impressive schedule for our teaching times. They have quite the established youth program here with great vision. They have their own garden and beehives that bring in funds for them. We helped them plant peanuts and build bee-frames during the week. Each day we had a morning teaching for the youths which all went really well. We all had the chance to share our testimonies and a sermon. A few of the nights we had fellowship nights where we shared more topics that God had put on our heart. It seemed that Buma re-lit our spirits. There was something in the atmosphere here after our first prayer walk. God has big plans for this community and we were so blessed to play a part in that. The youths were really encouraged by our messages on leadership, stewardship, worship, missions, Gods Character and Nature and trust...and as a team we were encouraged as well! We had the opportunity to attend a Farewell ceremony for a bride in the village. When a couple gets married here in Solomons, the male pays a bride price for the female and the female leaves her village to live in her husbands village. It was neat to be a part of that celebration! Buma blessed us greatly with food--we had countless coconuts, bags of starfruit and beans, plantains, trays of sweet potatoes, traditionally cooked taro and yams and fresh caught fish! On our last sunday in the village, we purchased one of the pigs that roam the community. Marshall, Jeff and I went to catch the pig and with lots of help from the islanders we prepared it. They cooked some in a stew and some they put in bamboo which they layed in the fire. We also roasted some over the fire which we had marinated in soy sauce and garlic before. Our last day in Buma was definately a memorable one. The girls skipped and went to the beach with the children, Zack entertained a crowd with his Diabolo and the others spent time with the people from the community. The people here in Buma are the most generous and selfless people i have ever met. They have such a hunger for Gods word and were very happy to have us there to share with them. They showed their appreciation many times throughout the week, but particularly during our farewell dinner. We were given a table at the front of the crowded room that was covered in food (including our pig!). We were entertained by live music preformed by members of the community and the youth. The youth had written us a "Farewell Song" which they sang for us before they blessed us each with a shell-money necklace. We were also given shell pendants that are traditionally expensive family heirlooms passed on for generations. In addition, we were given even more jewelry from our personal friends and many hugs. The mothers union even had a few pieces they shared with us and asked us to join them in a few 'choreographed' songs. That night was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I can't even begin to describe how overwhelming it was to be appreciated in that sense. I'm sure you will hear MANY stories from your loved one on this team. Buma will always, ALWAYS be in our hearts...and the people we met there will always be in our prayers.
WEEK 5: Auki
Wow. Just like that, we are back in the city and tomorrow we leave for Honiara! This week we have been staying in a really amazing hotel in a great location. We have beds, showers, running water..and electricity! Its so strange! We have picked up garbage, gone on prayer walks, spoke at the prison and lead 3 church services. Yesterday morning we visited our friends in Buma to deliver bibles. Its was great to go back but we realized just how much we are going to miss eachother! They blessed us again with a meal and we all exchanged addresses so we can keep in contact. Tonight we are doing a youth program down the road and tomorrow we catch a boat at 2:00! Only 9 days left of outreach!
Thankyou for reading! I will post about Honiara when we return to base!
God Bless you all!
:D
First of all I want to thank you for your patience. We have been in Solomons for 33 days now and this has been our first chance for internet. We have been traveling around Malaita visiting a new village every week. I will give you a brief summary of each week, starting way back on June 6th.
WEEK 1: Honiara
We woke up early on June 6th and said our goodbyes before our school leaders, Kyle and Frida, drove us to the airport. We had no troubles there and before we knew it we were flying (on a fairly empty plane) over small tropical islands in the pacific. Although it was only a 2.5 hour flight, we were served a delicious meal of noodles and chicken. We landed safely in Honiara at 12:30 where we were greeted by an American Missionary named Dennis and our guide for our outreach, Moston. We piled into the bed of their pick-up truck and drove through the slums, waving continuously until we reached the YWAM base. It was here we had the chance to ease into the culture. We took a few trips into the city to do some last minute shopping and made friends with some children who live near the base. Their favourite games were Duck-Duck-Goose and catch and we played with them everyday. Thursday came too quickly for most of us. We were just getting into a routines with the children, but we needed to carry on to Malaita. We had arranged for a truck to drive us to the boat that morning at 7, but island-time and island rain kicked in and we resulted to running to a taxi-drivers house with our bags. He drove us quickly to try and catch our boat..but we missed it. Fortunately, Moston managed to get us "1st Class" tickets on a Christian boat called "Daystar" for no addition cost. 5 hours of constant bobbing on the ocean brought us to Auki (the main city in Malaita). We caught a truck and spent the next 4.5hours under a tarp in the back to bring us to our next destination.
WEEK 2: Aroma Bible College
We were really blessed to spend the week here amongst the trees. To me, Aroma felt like an oasis; beautifully structured cabins made of palm leaves just minutes from the beach. The shore was literally covered in shells...some as big as my head! (no exaggeration!) The reefs started as soon as we stepped in the water so we spent a few afternoons exploring the ocean. Every morning we walked from our cabins down the coral footpath to the outdoor dining hall where we accomplished a lot of bible reading between meals mainly of rice, sweet potatoes and slippery cabbage. Here, we got hooked on these coconut biscuits for breakfast-delicious! We had the opportunity to connect with the staff there and sit in on a few of their services before 100 students arrived for their 4 week program. We were shown how much the people of the Solomons fear God and respect him as Lord and King! It was really a learning experience for most of us as the western world tends to focus more on God's Fatherly characteristics. For this reason, we tailored our 2 lecture times to outline Gods love, mercy and grace. One day, we took a walk to the next village (Manakwa) to run a church service. We were lead into the church by a group of boys traditionally dressed that sang and danced. It seems everyone in Solomons sings loud and from their heart; there is nothing like entering a church listening to 5-10 part harmonies! We got to shake everyone's hand and have a swim in the river before heading back to Aroma. On the 15th, Moston's wife, Miriam, invited us to her village for dinner. Her Aunt and Uncle greeted us and presented us each with a handmade lei. We had a fantastic feast of bananas, cabbage, sweet potato, starfruit, rice and fresh prawns. Plus, they got us coconuts and that each had their own leaf-straw and cap! We ate on their porch with a perfect view of the ocean as they serenaded us with a ukulele! We also visited a family church in their community 2 consecutive nights where were shared our testimonies and skits and were given a handmade shell necklace. They invited us to stay with them if any of our plans fell through.
WEEK 3: Not Malu...
We had originally planned to spend this week in a village called Malu, but sure enough, our plans fell through so we did some rearranging. We spent 2 nights in Miriam's village in a small cabin where we were blessed with meals, fresh bananas and many coconuts. We spent time at the beach and doing laundry as well as preparing for ministry time in the future. On Sunday (the 19th) we walked to a town called Amaeus where we were welcomed with lemonade by a very memorable, blonde-haired, Pastor named Joseph. During this service, we encouraged people to obey God's calling for our lives. We are all called to evangelize, love others, obey the 10 commandments, serve and stay healthy. The service lasted 3 hours and they blessed us with a meal and fellowship time afterward.
At 4am on the 20th we were passengers on a coconut truck which drove us 3hours to the entrance to Mostons village, Onnon. We saddled up our bags and hiked 1.5hours down an extremely muddy path along the clearest river i have ever seen. Eventually, we arrived at a beautiful village on a hill that actually had fairly developed housing. We set up our bbbeds in the old clinic and we for a much needed swim in the river. This was a fairly relaxing week. It rained a lot as it is beginning rainy season here but it was a welcomed change from the intense heat we experienced the previous weeks. A few of our planned services were canceled last minute. The river flooded and therefore it was too deep for the people to cross the river to the church. However, we had a few great afternoons with the children (around 50!) playing soccer, singing songs, playing games, preforming skits and swimming in the river. One day, the boys took a trip into Auki to get bibles for the students at Aroma. Another afternoon, Moston's 6-year-old son, Jesse, went to climb a paw-paw tree next to our house. He climbed with no issues but had difficultly picking them off- so Jeff tried. As he climbed, the thin trunk bent under his weight and SNAP! He and half the tree were int eh bush. So hilarious! The little boys laughed hysterically shouting "the white-fella fell!" before the frantically tugged on his arm to get him up. Turns out, those bushes are filled with fire ants and Jeffs was covered in painful bites- but he survived :)
We were really blessed by traditionally-cooked meals in this village. We even got to try rooster! On the 24th we hiked to a near by village called Fulisisila to join them in their Anglican service. They prepared a feast for the entire congregation of rice, pork, casava and potatoes which they spread out on banana leaves on the ground. Jeff prayed over the megaphone and we all ate together in rows. Soon, rain came and everyone loaded up leaves and fled to the church for shelter. Our last day in Onnon was the 26th. We crossed the river to Uwaimela for a service loosly focused on being servant-hearted. They also blessed us with a large meal afterward and that night we had another feast from our hosts in Onnon.
We woke up at 430 to be ready for our canoes to take us downstream at 530. However, we departed just after 7 which proved to be a good thing as the sun was shining perfectly as we meandered down the river in our 10-person canoe. Moston was in another man-made canoe with our bags. After a 1.5hr canoe ride, we arrived at the road and took a truck to our new home-Buma.
WEEK 4: Buma
Buma. Oh, Buma-our home away from home. Before we left base, we received a word from someone that God would use us to shake foundations in the Solomons- that we would encourage people to step out in faith and go for God. I believe this came true in Buma. They taught us so much about what it means to love one another and I know I speak for the team when I say that we have never experienced so much love from strangers. When we first arrived in Buma, the sun was shining and it felt nice to be back on the beach with palm trees and shells. Buma is a very large village with close to 1600 people living together in community. They have many, many houses and a large church made of concrete. God provided us with a beautiful house-elevated with a wood frame and palm-leave walls and roof. Its amazing how much work goes into building such an intricate structure.
Each day, we made more connections with the community. We went on prayer walks, collected garbage and were given a really impressive schedule for our teaching times. They have quite the established youth program here with great vision. They have their own garden and beehives that bring in funds for them. We helped them plant peanuts and build bee-frames during the week. Each day we had a morning teaching for the youths which all went really well. We all had the chance to share our testimonies and a sermon. A few of the nights we had fellowship nights where we shared more topics that God had put on our heart. It seemed that Buma re-lit our spirits. There was something in the atmosphere here after our first prayer walk. God has big plans for this community and we were so blessed to play a part in that. The youths were really encouraged by our messages on leadership, stewardship, worship, missions, Gods Character and Nature and trust...and as a team we were encouraged as well! We had the opportunity to attend a Farewell ceremony for a bride in the village. When a couple gets married here in Solomons, the male pays a bride price for the female and the female leaves her village to live in her husbands village. It was neat to be a part of that celebration! Buma blessed us greatly with food--we had countless coconuts, bags of starfruit and beans, plantains, trays of sweet potatoes, traditionally cooked taro and yams and fresh caught fish! On our last sunday in the village, we purchased one of the pigs that roam the community. Marshall, Jeff and I went to catch the pig and with lots of help from the islanders we prepared it. They cooked some in a stew and some they put in bamboo which they layed in the fire. We also roasted some over the fire which we had marinated in soy sauce and garlic before. Our last day in Buma was definately a memorable one. The girls skipped and went to the beach with the children, Zack entertained a crowd with his Diabolo and the others spent time with the people from the community. The people here in Buma are the most generous and selfless people i have ever met. They have such a hunger for Gods word and were very happy to have us there to share with them. They showed their appreciation many times throughout the week, but particularly during our farewell dinner. We were given a table at the front of the crowded room that was covered in food (including our pig!). We were entertained by live music preformed by members of the community and the youth. The youth had written us a "Farewell Song" which they sang for us before they blessed us each with a shell-money necklace. We were also given shell pendants that are traditionally expensive family heirlooms passed on for generations. In addition, we were given even more jewelry from our personal friends and many hugs. The mothers union even had a few pieces they shared with us and asked us to join them in a few 'choreographed' songs. That night was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I can't even begin to describe how overwhelming it was to be appreciated in that sense. I'm sure you will hear MANY stories from your loved one on this team. Buma will always, ALWAYS be in our hearts...and the people we met there will always be in our prayers.
WEEK 5: Auki
Wow. Just like that, we are back in the city and tomorrow we leave for Honiara! This week we have been staying in a really amazing hotel in a great location. We have beds, showers, running water..and electricity! Its so strange! We have picked up garbage, gone on prayer walks, spoke at the prison and lead 3 church services. Yesterday morning we visited our friends in Buma to deliver bibles. Its was great to go back but we realized just how much we are going to miss eachother! They blessed us again with a meal and we all exchanged addresses so we can keep in contact. Tonight we are doing a youth program down the road and tomorrow we catch a boat at 2:00! Only 9 days left of outreach!
Thankyou for reading! I will post about Honiara when we return to base!
God Bless you all!
:D
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Last Day Base!
Hello everyone!
I'm Hannah (from Canada) and I will be updating you throughout our six week outreach to the Solomon Islands.
Our Team:
Jeff (USA)
Rebecca (Papua New Guinea)
Marshall (England)
Zack (Canada)
Tabea(Switzerland)
Leslie (USA)
and me, Hannah (Canada)
Tomorrow we leave at 630am for the Airport. We have a 3 hour flight to Honiara, the capital, where we will be staying for the first 5 days. Honiara is fairly developed and we plan to spend our time there doing childrens ministry and going to the local markets.
We dont know how often we will have Internet once we leave Honiara, but we will do our best to keep you updated!
:D
I'm Hannah (from Canada) and I will be updating you throughout our six week outreach to the Solomon Islands.
Our Team:
Jeff (USA)
Rebecca (Papua New Guinea)
Marshall (England)
Zack (Canada)
Tabea(Switzerland)
Leslie (USA)
and me, Hannah (Canada)
Tomorrow we leave at 630am for the Airport. We have a 3 hour flight to Honiara, the capital, where we will be staying for the first 5 days. Honiara is fairly developed and we plan to spend our time there doing childrens ministry and going to the local markets.
We dont know how often we will have Internet once we leave Honiara, but we will do our best to keep you updated!
:D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)