Shawnda's thoughts

So here’s a few thoughts from my womanly point of view...

Adjusting:
We are starting to get adjusted to our new life in the village. Man, it really is a different life, but we’re enjoying it thus far. I haven't yet experienced any "culture shock" and I thought I would. I figured it would be harder to get used to living here than it was to get used to living in Vila at first. But, I think since we've lived in Vanuatu and spent time in villages before, we kind of knew what to expect? I don't know....that's just my guess. Anyway, the things I thought would be hard haven't proven that difficult. Except washing clothes by hand...I do it at least twice a week and it takes me a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours just to get them washed and rinsed. Then another 15 minutes to get them hung. Takes up a big chunk of the morning, but I try to think of creative way to keep the kids occupied while I do it. That's probably the hardest thing for me personally - it's physically exhausting. But, I can't complain (I shouldn't anyway) - the lovely ladies here do it all the time and have never had the blessing of using a washing machine! :o) Anyway, so that's probably the hardest thing for me. Cooking has been much easier than I expected. I enjoy trying to come up with creative ways to use local food anyway, so it's kinda fun. It's time consuming and a little hot, but it's just how it is.

Cooking:
It helps that Eric has gone above and beyond to add things that will make my life easier. He built a counter with shelves underneath in the "kitchen" and put shelves up above the counter for the pots/pans, plates, cups, etc. He also brings in a full water jug (about 25L with a little spigot in the bottom) every morning and uses ratchet straps to keep it suspended over the sink so that I can have "running water" in my kitchen for cooking and washing dishes. That has made a HUGE difference. Plus, it allows us to wash our hands under running water and that really helps.

I have a two burner gas stove and it's been working just fine. I've already used my "dutch oven" (a large aluminum cooking pot that I've put sand in the bottom of and then heat up on the stovetop and stick the cake pan or cookie sheet on top of the sand and cover it and bake). I've already made several cakes - apple cake recipe using naus (a local fruit similar to an apple) and a chocolate one too. I’ve also made hamburger buns a couple of times and banana cookies and kumala (sweet potato) cookies. As far as fresh meat goes, we figured out that with one block of ice in the cooler, we can have three days of fresh meat...which leaves only 4 for canned meat. Not bad...much better than we expected actually. And if any of you keep up with our previous updates through the years you know that we do weekly fajita nights with the mission team. Well, Eric and I have decided that there’s no reason we can’t still have those in the village. So, one of the fresh meat nights will be reserved for fajitas. (We just had them today...yummm-o! - makes those tinned meat days more bearable!)

Oh, and people have been beyond generous with us from their gardens......corn on the cob, cucumbers, green beans, snake beans, papaya, bananas, kumala, manioc, taro, etc. We have an abundance of fresh produce now and I enjoy figuring out what to make with it.

The kids:
Well, let's just say that transition is never smooth for our kids. They have both had a little bit of a hard time adjusting. Titus most of all...but we expected that. For one thing, there's a whole different set of rules than what we have in town (out of necessity). Like they can't walk on their beds (they are on the ground - their feet are filthy!), they can't have food in the house, we eat on the ground, so they have a hard time not touching their feet or the ground, etc and we have to constantly stay on them about that. We don't want them getting worm or something! They also can't change clothes during the day - with me handwashing everything, I say one set of clothes a day is plenty! :o) They also don't have an endless supply of snacks, juice or toys here like they do in Vila (and they don't have a ton of toys compared to other Western kids even then) but here they each have a couple of things and that's it. They are having to learn to make their own fun...which they aren't great at yet, but they'll learn. I do have several more things hidden away to bring out a little at a time but I definitely didn't want it all out at once. Most kids here have 0 toys, so the few my kids have are still a lot compared to the other kids. But, being half Western/half Vanuatu raised....they have a little of both worlds. :o) The other thing that's hard for them is the constant attention/touching that people here give them. They are used to a little personal space. Thankfully they have been around Vanuatu and had people staring/touching them their entire lives...but it's a new experience here b/c we live among the people instead of just visiting. Especially b/c most people here know them but they don't know most people. When we walk anywhere it's like a parade...but we're kinda used to that. If I hadn't lived in Vanuatu for almost 6 years already, I think it would drive me nuts, but it's just how it is. :o) After two weeks though, I am beginning to see a difference in both kids. They are getting more used to living here and are starting to enjoy the slower pace and small pleasures of life. I really think it’s going to prove to be a wonderful experience for both of them (all of us!).

The Christians:
Being here and seeing the sincere and solid faith of these Christians is a breath of fresh air!  I'm telling you, the Christians here just "get it.” Their worship is so pure and heartfelt...no going through the motions. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine being in the 1st century and worshiping with the early church in Rome or Thessalonica or Ephesus. That's how pure and unaffected by the religious world they are. When Alsen shared before the Lord's supper on Sunday, I thought....this is probably exactly what the Christians in the first century did before they took the Lord's supper. He talked all about why Christ came, how He died, how He rose from the dead, and how we can have life through Him. It wasn't just a speech either, it was straight from his heart because the blood of Christ is so real...he knows he's been saved by that blood. I could just imagine the 1st century Christians reminding each other of this each time they met to worship God. "This is why we're here....this is the whole reason we worship. Don't think about the persecution we suffer, think about Christ and His amazing sacrifice!" It's just a breath of fresh air to be among these young Christians who absolutely, without a doubt get the fact that their life is hidden in Christ. That before they obeyed the gospel they were on their way to hell and that now they are washed with the blood of Christ and walking in the light on their way to Heaven. What a blessing.

The ladies:
There are 5 ladies in the congregation here and I am really enjoying getting to know them. We had a ladies fellowship yesterday and it was wonderful to have that laid back time with them. Along with just visiting, we talked about ways to reach out to our friends and family members, and how we can help each other grow. It was so encouraging. They are amazing ladies and I really look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.

I think that’s it for now. I could probably ramble on for pages and pages about any number of things, but I’ll stop for now and let you all take a breath. Whew!