Shawnda’s Journal (January 15th – February 14th)

Sunday, January 15th – Eric did a really good job teaching Bible class today. He taught on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage. Everyone was really interested and had lots of questions. We had lots of people there for worship. It wasn’t quite a full house, but it was a good crowd. Flexon, Fiona and Joanna weren’t there, but several others were. Alsen brought his brother, so that was encouraging. Yoland was there too. She seems to be doing pretty well.

This afternoon I worked on the tracts/DVDs on “How does the Bible say that the world is going to end?” I like being the “Tract Lady” for the team.

This evening Eric and I walked down to SeaView Takeaway and ate dinner. It was nice to get out and eat (even if it was just SeaView Takeaway). We also got to see Yoland and the girls she works with.

Tuesday, January 17th – I spent the morning working on the Bible study for Joanna and Fiona. We are going to study Galatians 5:19-24 (Deeds of the Flesh vs. Fruit of the Spirit). It’s so important for new Christians to understand this – our lives are evidence of who we are following. If we are following the Lord, we will be showing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. I think it will be a good study and beneficial.

Late this morning Melinda (from Eton) came to see Kaela. She was on her way back from a check up at the hospital and stopped by to visit. Cindy wanted to buy some things to send to some friends and we ended up walking to town. On the way Melinda’s mother, Jacqeline, joined us and we had a good visit.. When we got to town, we went separate ways- we went to shop and they went to an office where they had a certificate for Melinda for passing class 6. While we were in town we went to see Lissie, but she wasn’t working. We’ll have to choose a different time to see her.

This evening RoseHannah called and said that Janet was in the hospital and had just had a baby boy. (Janet is a Christian from Eton – Morris and Rebecca’s daughter – Steven’s sister). I was excited to hear that and surprised (since I didn’t even know she was pregnant!) I told RoseHannah that we’d go see her in the morning.

Wednesday, January 18th – This morning I went to study with Joanna and Fiona. It went really well. They were really attentive and interested. Sometimes it’s hard to study with Lolo (Joanna’s son) jabbering in the background, but we just deal with it. He is the cutest little boy and I love him. I think it went well anyway, despite the distractions. I reminded them about the fellowship that we have tomorrow at Steven’s house and they said that they definitely want to come. So, that’s good.

We went and saw Janet and her baby at the hospital. She was sleeping so we just looked at the baby and left our presents and told Kathy (her niece) that we would come back later to see her again. We then headed into town to see Lissie. We got to have a good visit with her and catch up on how she is doing. We both enjoy Lissie so much.

This afternoon I worked on Bible class a little. I made a few visuals, planned some Bible memorization activities, etc. It is so fun and exciting to be able to plan this for those older kids.

This evening we watched Kaela while Aaron and Cindy went to Etas. We always enjoy her. We ate, played on the porch, watched a little of the Cosby show DVD, played in the house and then read. She is such a sweet little girl.

Thursday, January 19th – I spent pretty much the entire day working on Bible class visuals and making games/activities for Bible class. It was such fun. By the end of the day I had a terrible “crick” in my neck, back and legs…I guess I am getting old! Oh well, it was worth it. I got a lot done and am feeling really ready to start this class.

This evening we had a fellowship at Steven’s. Gomon was the host, but had it at Steven’s house (due to rain and lack of space at his house). There was a large group there and we enjoyed the fellowship. It’s always good to see the brethren in the middle of the week to build each other up. We had a good time of prayer focused on the needs mentioned by those present (including the building project, new Christians, the studies going on in various places, and those who are sick). It was a good, encouraging time for all of us. After the time of prayer and singing, we ate and visited. Joanna and Fiona seemed to really enjoy themselves (which is a great encouragement) and seem to really enjoy the women. They are planning to come on Tuesdays when we start that up again. That will help build stronger relationships, which will be great.

Friday, January 20th – I helped Eric today with some things he needed done. I proofed some of his writing, finished the DVD stuffing (with tracts in envelopes for distribution) and filled out some paperwork to renew our work permits and residence permits.

This evening we had our team meal and then played cards for a while. We always have a good time together on team nights.

Saturday, January 21st – I relaxed today and worked on my scrapbook for a while. It was so fun to be able to do that. I haven’t worked on it in months and since I didn’t have anything pressing today, I decided to take some time and work on it again. Just like I thought, scrapbooking here will be done in spurts. But, that’s okay, I’ll enjoy the time when I can. I did my sister’s wedding and it brought back great memories of that day and my family.

Sunday, January 22nd – I was so pleased to see so many people there today. Of course there were many absent, but the crowd that was there was a good one. Joanna and Lolo came without Fiona and Flexon. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I pray that it will soon be better and that he can get his priorities back in the right place. Alsen and Daniel were there though. Patrick and Ruth (and Sophie) were in town this weekend. They came to stay with Mike and worship with us today. It’s good for them to be able to worship with other Christians when they can. They worship with just their family out at the farm, but they need the encouragement of other Christians too (especially because they will be going back to Tanna soon and will be worshipping alone there for an extended amount of time). It was good to visit with them again. Also, Leimawa and Pbles were there with some kids from Etas. Sam was working and Ruth was with her mother or father (didn’t understand which one) who is sick.

After worship we all sat around and talked for a while. Since the Christians from Etas are originally from Tanna, they had a great time talking with Patrick and Ruth (of course in their native language from Tanna). It’s good for them to have some other connections too.

We took Alsen home and were about to take Daniel home, but Eric asked if he wanted to come over and eat lunch and visit for a while. So, we got home, I made lunch, we ate and then played “Farkel” and cards for a while. It was good to have him over and have a casual visit. We both like Daniel so much.

This evening I finished a few pages in my scrapbook and then put away my supplies for a while until I have another “spurt” of time and can do it again. Who knows when that will be…but for now, I got my scrapbooking “fix.”

Monday, January 23rd – The guys got up and listened to the AFC playoff game (Denver/Pittsburg) this morning. We were sorry that they lost. It would have been neat for them to go on to the SuperBowl. I don’t think they’ve been there since Elway and it would have been a good step in the right direction. That’s okay. Maybe next year!

Cindy and I did our grocery shopping (as we do every Monday). We did our usual trip to the butcher and Rainbow Gardens, came home for lunch and then went to the grocery store and the market. It is always a several hour trip when we do all of that. But, it’s better than going every day. It would be such a hassle to go every day (especially with Kaela). Anyway, that’s the way we do it.

This afternoon there was an earthquake that was pretty big. I felt it coming on slowly (just a little tremor) and then it started shaking pretty hard (all of the doors and windows were rattling) and then it slowly faded out. The weirdest part was when it was fading out. It felt like the ground was swaying, almost like we were on a boat. It made me a little “seasick” there at the end. It was an unusual experience. We have little tremors fairly often around here but this is just the second big earthquake we’ve had since living here. The first one I was asleep during and it worked itself into my dream. This time I was awake and it was pretty interesting to be awake for the whole thing – to feel it coming and going. I can’t say I would want to have an earthquake every day or anything, but the kind we’ve been having here are kind of neat to experience.

Tuesday, January 24th – This morning we woke up to pretty heavy rain. It rained all day off and on. Off and on here is strange. It will completely stop and then all of a sudden start pouring. Then it will stop again and out of nowhere comes another downpour! It’s not fun to be caught out in it, that’s for sure.

This morning I did laundry and cleaned the house. That’s always hard work, especially when it’s so hot and humid (even in the morning). Then I worked on the Bible study for Fiona and Joanna for a couple of hours.

This afternoon I heard Kaela whining so I went and got her to give Cindy a small break. I was about to make cookies for Eric, so I thought Kaela could help me. She did really well. She stirred while I stirred and didn’t get it everywhere – she just mimicked what I did. It was adorable. Of course when I got the M&Ms out (I use them in place of chocolate chips a lot) she wanted to eat them. So, after she finished helping, I gave her a few for being such a good helper. She is such a precious little girl!

Daniel and Flexon came to eat and study. They are both dong pretty well. We found out that Flexon didn’t come on Sunday because he had a stomach virus of some sort. They studied the book of Luke. We invited them to stay and watch the Cosby show with us and the Mesas, but they wanted to get home since they hadn’t been home yet.

We invited Gomon and Ure’s family over to watch some episodes of “The Cosby Show” that we have on DVD. It’s such a funny show and their family always enjoys a good laugh. So, they came, we ate and visited for a while, gave Moses some cookies we’d made for his birthday and then started the DVDs. We all laughed and laughed and laughed. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it. After we were finished we sat around and talked some more and quoted some funny things from the show. We knew they would enjoy it – I’m glad Cindy had the idea.

Wednesday, January 25th – I studied with Joanna and Fiona this morning. We studied how we can grow in Christ. We studied the first part today (putting God first in your life) and next week we will study how we can grow by studying the Word and praying. They both seem to be doing well and want to grow.

This afternoon we had preaching in the park (PITP6) and handed out the DVDs from Mike Scott (scripturessay.com) with tracts about “What is Christ’s church?” It went really well. Fiona came with Eric and I after our study (Joanna stayed at home with Lolo b/c he needed to sleep). Flexon came on his lunch break and handed out tracts/DVDs, Shem came and talked with people and handed out tracts/DVDs, Morris came and preached. We all talked with a lot of people who were interested and everyone was excited to get the free DVDs. I met two ladies who were interested in studying and wanted us to come see where they live so that Eric and I can study with them and their family. We are planning to go tomorrow afternoon. Aaron and Cindy met a man who wanted them to come study with his family. Shem met some people who were interested in coming to worship. All in all it was a great success.

Thursday, January 26th – Today I worked on Bible class materials this morning, swept, and got the house ready for the fellowship tonight. At lunchtime we went and picked up Flexon so he could show us where this family lives (the ones we met yesterday at the park). We found their house with little problem because Katie (one of the women) saw us and pointed the house out to us. Although if Flexon hadn’t come with us I think we’d still be wandering around looking for the right place! Anyway, we met some of their family and set up a time for us to come next week and do a study. We are going Wednesday night and Eric will be teaching. It seems like a really good opportunity.

This evening we had the fellowship at our house. The Mesas came and Flexon, Fiona and Joanna too. We all had a great time singing. Then we spent almost two hours playing cards, talking and laughing. It was a really good fellowship. Again, I just wish more would take the opportunity to fellowship.

Friday, January 27th – This afternoon I went to volunteer at the hospital for the first time. It went really well. When I got there one of the nurses asked me to bathe a baby (literally no more than an hour old!). That took me about an hour to wash, dry, diaper, clothe and get the baby back to her mom. Then I helped with a few other things (made a bed, carried a baby back to her mother after a shot, etc). After that I just went and visited with the mothers. I saw this one young lady who I had actually met when Cindy and I went and helped with that little girl who was abandoned. This young lady (Priscilla) had twin girls and they are really small still. I asked if I could do anything for her and found out that she had been trying to do all of her laundry herself for the past three weeks. So, I took her clothes home and am going to wash them tomorrow and take them back to her. I went with her to the incubator room while she fed the babies (actually I fed one and she fed one b/c they are fed through a tube). Those two little girls do not get touched enough so I really encouraged her to touch and stroke their legs, arms and face while she was feeding them so that it would be more personal and so that it would stimulate their growth. I also said a prayer for her and her babies. That seemed to encourage her. I ended up spending about an hour with her in the incubator room. Then I headed home.

We had team night tonight, ate fajitas and played 8 to 1 and back.

Saturday, January 28th – I had a pretty lazy day today. I washed Priscilla’s clothes this morning and then spent some time working on the devo songs (changing them to Bislama). After lunch I went back to the hospital and took Priscilla her clothes, some magazines, and a baby name book. She was appreciative. I’ll go back one evening next week and volunteer again. I want to try to do it at least once a week.

The guys went to the villages this afternoon. Akisa came and spent the night with Cindy and me. We ate dinner, played some games and then watched a movie.

Sunday, January 29th – Cindy, Akisa and I got to Dumbea Hall a little early in case there were some visitors from Preaching in the Park. Ure, Gomon and their crew weren’t far behind us. Then Shem, Rose and Jonah came in a little later. Pretty close to 9:00 the kids started Bible class and we talked for a little while and then Shem taught the adult class. He taught on the church, who it belongs to and how we can be a part of it. It was geared more toward non-Christians, but that’s okay. We all need reminders. By the time class was over Morris, Rebecca and their grandson Steven were there. Several more came and joined us later. Alsen and Manu came in right before worship along with Christina (who Aaron and Cindy met at preaching in the park and studied with last Thursday afternoon). Flexon and Fiona came later too. It was a pretty good group, but we missed Steven and RoseHanna, Joanna, Yoland, Daniel, and Donnald. I don’t know where they were, but we missed them.

Monday, January 30th – I was busy today. This morning I did laundry, swept, cleaned and made some cookies. We walked to town this afternoon to meet Mike for lunch and then Aaron and Cindy came and met us after and we talked about their weekend in the villages. So, when we finished meeting, Cindy and I had our grocery shopping to do and some errands to run. We went to the market, went and saw Yoland at work, and then went to the supermarket. We then went to the butcher and chicken shop. On our way back, we heard a funny noise in the car, pulled over and found that we had a flat tire. Thankfully we had Mike’s phone in the car so we called Aaron and Eric and they came and changed it.

When we got home I felt like I’d been gone all day and I was tired. But I after I had cooled off Eric said he was going to run errands so I went with him. On the way home we stopped to see Flexon, Fiona, and Joanna. We had a good visit. They are such fun people. I really enjoy spending time with them.

Tuesday, January 31st - This morning I worked on the Bible study for Joanna and Fiona. It is to be the last one with just the three of us. After this we will be meeting with all of the ladies on Tuesday mornings for Ladies Bible class.

This evening I went and volunteered at the hospital again. It was good. I helped pass out dinner to all the mamas, helped in the room with the babies in incubators, and just talked to some mamas. They didn’t have too much for me to do, but always appreciate when I can just come and talk with the mamas even if that’s all I do. I talked to Priscilla some more and she is pretty discouraged because her babies aren’t growing. She has already been in the hospital for almost a month and the babies still weigh less now than when they were born (which is less than 2 kilos). They won’t release the babies until they are 2 kilos (which is roughly 4.4 pounds). I spent some time trying to encourage her and lift her spirits.

Wednesday, February 1st – I studied with Joanna and Fiona this morning. When we were about halfway through our study, a truck pulled up with Kalkut’s sister and Kalkut’s dad in it. So, we came to a stopping place and then said we’d finish next week. Thankfully this study had two parts to it and it was a natural stopping place. But, I knew it would be rude to sit there and finish the study while the family members just sat and waited. So, we postponed until next week.

This evening we went to Mele Maat to study with a family there. The family members have little houses all surrounding a common eating/cooking area. We studied in this open air, tin roof area. We took Kaela with us since Aaron and Cindy are at Etas. Since we are only gone for about 2 hours to Mele Maat, it’s better for her to come with us (so she can go to bed at the regular time). Anyway, when we got there they had just made some breadfruit lap-lap. I actually don’t mind it, it’s kind of sweet. They gave us two huge plates and Eric said we’d just share one. We ate almost the whole thing but couldn’t finish it. One of the ladies took it and finished it off. Then many of the family members (11 adults) gathered around the table and we all listened as Eric taught an overview of the Bible. When he was finished, there weren’t any questions, but they said that they enjoyed it and wanted us to come back next week. So, we are glad to have this opportunity. Beginning next week Flexon wants to go with us. He was planning to go tonight, but since his uncle was there, he needed to stay at the house.

Thursday, February 2nd – I spent the morning working on Bible class materials. We begin the class with Seselo and Noel on Sunday and I want everything to be ready to make that a special class for them.

I volunteered at the hospital again this afternoon for a couple of hours. Since there are nurses in training, most of the work that I could help with is handled by them (bathing the babies, making beds, etc) so mainly I helped in the room with premature babies and talked with the mamas. Sometimes I feel like I am not doing much, but at least I am getting opportunities to talk with a lot of women and encourage them. I get a lot of opportunities to talk about Christ’s church, why I’m here, and generally about the Bible. I would like to be able to be more useful to the nurses, but they seem to think that me talking with the mamas is a great help to them and I enjoy it too. Hopefully once the nurses in training go back to class work, I will be able to be a little more actively involved in caring for the babies, etc. But I will still be talking with the mamas as much as possible.

Friday, February 3rd – Eric and I walked to town to get a few things done. We mailed some things at the post office, went to the bank, paid bills, went to the market, and to a few stores. There were two cruise ships in town, but thankfully because it was still early, there weren’t too many people yet. By the time we started walking home though town was crawling with tourists. It’s okay and tourism is how many here make a living, but we try to avoid town when there are cruise ships in. Today we needed to do these things, so it wasn’t a big deal. It sure was hot though!

Cindy is sick and can’t really do anything today. She has stayed in bed most of the day. I feel so bad for her. She thinks she has an infection on her leg. Those infections are crazy. Mike said that when he had his infection that he literally felt like he had the worse case of the flu known to men. Cindy’s isn’t that bad thankfully, but she is not feeling well. Hopefully it will begin to get better tomorrow.

Eric went and spent the afternoon at Flexon’s because Kalkut was coming in (he works on a cruise ship and this is the last time he’ll be in Vila until his work is over in May). Anyway, Flexon asked Eric to come eat lunch with them and visit with Kalkut, so Eric went. He said he ate tons of lap-lap, but that it was actually not bad. He did get to visit with Kalkut and enjoyed that. Kalkut has expressed his desire to study more, but since he’s away on the cruise ship, he can’t. So, Eric took him a Bible and the first courses of the Bible Correspondence Course so that he could do them while he’s on the cruise ship.

This evening we had our team dinner without Cindy. It was weird not having her there, but she still felt really bad. We didn’t play games afterward so Eric and Mike watched the Rose Bowl (Eric’s dad recorded it and sent it to him). I worked on the computer.

Saturday, February 4th – We just got an email from Steve and Samantha Heinen (some friends from 29th and Yale in Tulsa) and they are coming over to see us this month! We are so excited that they are coming so soon. They had some time off this month and didn’t know when they would again, so they are taking advantage of it. They are a very mission minded couple and want to see what it’s like here, visit us, and meet and encourage the Christians here. We are looking forward to their visit.

I didn’t feel well this morning when I woke up b/c my throat was really sore. I think sleeping under a fan all the time has affected my sinuses. I took some medicine and hoped for the best. By the end of the day, the sore throat had gone down some, but my nose started to bother me.

This afternoon Ure and Akisa’s friend who gives massages came over and massaged me and Cindy. It was wonderful. This woman does not massage for a living, but since she knows how to do it, ladies in her area come see her all the time for massages. She doesn’t charge anything because she says that it is a gift and that she wants to share it to help other ladies. She said that anytime we needed her to call her and she’d come over. What a sweet lady! WE really enjoyed the massages – they were so relaxing.

Unfortunately, I had some work to do on Bible class stuff, which meant I was going to spend the afternoon and evening bent over the table. So, the effects of the massage wore off pretty quickly, but that’s okay. This preparation had to be done since Bible class starts tomorrow. And, I’m sure we’ll be getting another massage soon anyway.

Sunday, February 5th – I did not feel well when I woke up, but there was no way I was missing the first day of Bible class with Seselo and Noel. I took some medicine and by the time we left to go to Bible class I was actually feeling a little better. I was disappointed when we got there though b/c Seselo wasn’t back from his trip to Malekula yet and Noel wasn’t there. So, we’ll start next week. It’s actually alright b/c this month’s four lessons can be condensed into three.

Worship was nice. There is a group of Christians in Vila who live out at a farm (because the father and husbands work there). Because there are so many of them and they live far away, they don’t come meet with us. Instead they worship together out at the farm. Two of the young women from that family came to worship today. They said they want to start coming as much as they can. They said as soon as the new building is built out by the airport, they will all come b/c they can just walk from the farm. That will be so nice to have them with us all the time.

This afternoon was the monthly potluck lunch. It went really well. We enjoyed the fellowship with all of the Christians who were there and with the visitors too.

Eric and I walked into town to SeaView Takeaway this evening for dinner. I wasn’t too hungry, I was still not feeling well, but we had a nice visit. I always enjoy our one-on-one time and getting to talk about things happening in our lives. Just getting away for an hour and sitting down at SeaView and talking is great. We especially like it when we can do this on Sundays because we always have lots to discuss after worship but don’t always make the time at home.

Tuesday, February 7th – This morning Cindy and I went to Ladies Bible class. We picked up Joanna and Fiona and took them with us. They were ready to go when we got there and were excited about it. When we got there, no one was there yet, so we just sat down and talked for a while. Ure ended up calling and telling us that Seselo was sick and she needed to take him to the hospital today so she couldn’t come. RoseHannah came at about 10 till 12:00 and we started. We sang, each shared a scripture, and prayed together. Then we ate and talked until RoseHannah had to go back to work. I was glad to get back to having Ladies Bible class, but it was a little disappointing not to have everyone there.

I spent the rest of the afternoon getting the lesson done for Bible class on the 19th. Steve and Samantha will be here and we are going to Epau that Sunday, so I have asked Flexon to teach Seselo and Noel for me. He readily agreed b/c he wants to be involved in any way he can and he has had experience teaching kids before. Hopefully he will want to be involved on a regular basis. That would be great! He is also going to be teaching for me the 5 Sundays we are planning to be in the US in May/June.

I spent the evening volunteering at the hospital. I dished the food for all of the ladies in the maternity ward – that was interesting and a good way to help out. Both of the nurses were really busy, so they asked me if I would do it and of course I said, “yes.” It was a good way to get to visit with all of the mamas too. I always enjoy volunteering. I am really getting to know the nurses and some of the mamas that have been there for a while. I enjoy talking with the other mamas too, but they are usually only there for a couple of days, so I don’t get to see them too much. The good thing is that when I talk to a mama they almost always ask me what I am doing in Vanuatu, so that opens the door to talk about the Bible and that we are here to teach the Bible to anyone willing to learn. It hasn’t resulted in any studies yet, but I really think that it will one of these days. Also, even if it doesn’t result in a study, at least they see that I love the people of Vanuatu, am willing to serve them and that Christ’s church cares. Maybe these mamas will remember Christ’s church when they are ready to seek spiritual things.

Wednesday, February 8th – It was ridiculously hot today (actually it has been for the last few days – so hot we can’t sleep well at night). I just can’t believe how hot it is.

I studied with Joanna and Fiona for the last time (until they have a specific question that they want to study later). We studied how we can grow in our Christian lives through prayer. They are so sweet and special to me. I really enjoy spending time with them. I pray that they will grow up in their faith over the weeks and months and years to come. I see good potential in both of them.

We got some packages today! We love getting packages. A couple from Columbine sent us all some goodies, our good friends from Oklahoma (Ben and Tara) sent us some office supplies we asked for and some treats, and my parents and sister and brother-in-law sent my birthday presents and a “baby shower in a box.” It was so fun to open. They sent us the things we would need when we first got the baby (like bottles, a fitted sheet for the baby bed, bibs, etc.) The other things we can get later, but they sent the things we would need “right off the bat.” It was so fun! It really makes me even more excited to get our baby!

This afternoon we went to Mele Maat to study with Selena’s family. It was our second study and it went really well. There weren’t as many there tonight (and no men) so that was a little discouraging. But, the ones that were there listened and asked questions. Flexon went with us and he and Eric both answered questions. They said that they want us to come back every Wednesday. That is really encouraging. We left feeling very positive about it.

Thursday, February 9th – I worked on Bible class preparations for a little while this morning (to make sure I had it all ready for Sunday). I also got caught up on my journal and some computer things I needed to do.

Lissie came by this morning after her check up at the hospital. We talked for about an hour, then we went inside and ate lunch. Every time she comes, Cindy and I like to make her something to eat (she needs good food for that baby). Anyway, after lunch, I needed to hang laundry and a few other things. So, I started the “Cosby Show” and went to hang laundry. When I came back in she was asleep. She slept for at least an hour (maybe closer to two) but I was so glad that she got a good nap. She needs the rest. I am also glad she is comfortable enough to just sleep if she needs to. Anyway, while she was sleeping I got some things done (washed dishes, worked on the computer, etc.). She ended up leaving when I did. I went to volunteer and she went to catch a bus. I love Lissie and I miss her living close to us. But, I am always glad when she can stop by for a while and visit.

Then I went and volunteered at the hospital for a few hours this afternoon. I always enjoy that. I got to bathe another newborn today. I did much better this time since I had already done it once before. Then I just visited with some mamas the rest of the time I was there.

Friday, February 10th – We had our team meeting/dinner this evening and then played Monopoly afterwards. We always enjoy those times together. Mike won Monopoly this time, but we all had a good time playing.

Sunday, February 12th – Today is my 28th birthday! It doesn’t even seem like my birthday though. It’s a little strange.

This morning was my first class with Seselo and Noel. They are great kids and I enjoy teaching them. I think they really enjoyed class and will like having a class more suited to their age. I was a little worried that they might be overwhelmed by the things I would be asking them to do (memorization and “homework”) but they were actually excited about it. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me though, kids their age like a good challenge! :o) Anyway, class went really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Worship was nice and the video and discussion afterward went really well. I think people really enjoyed having the questions the week before and being familiar with the chapter before we watched the video. There was a good discussion.

This afternoon I just relaxed and enjoyed my day. I read some and just laid around. Then this evening we had a birthday dinner (poppy seed chicken – one of my favorites) and opened presents. It was a nice time. We watched my favorite movie (even the guys) – “Sweet Home Alabama”. I was impressed that the guys watched it (although I know they only did b/c it was my choice and my birthday) – but that’s okay. I’ll take it!

Monday, February 13th - I spent the morning sweeping and cleaning the bathroom. I don’t enjoy that, but it is one of the necessities of life!

Cindy and I went grocery shopping this afternoon. We had to pretty much go everywhere today, so it took a while. But, that’s okay. It’s just what we do on Mondays.

This afternoon I hung some pictures I have been meaning to hang for quite a while. I organized some things in the middle bedroom and worked in the kitchen. I made some cookies and then started dinner.

I did go take Priscilla her clothes that I washed for her, and when I got there both of her girls were sleeping close to her now (out of the incubators). I think they will be going home soon because both girls are really close to 2 kilos now. (Still small, but big enough to go home.) She was feeding one and the other one was crying so she asked me to feed that one while she fed the other one. Of course I didn’t have a problem with that! I love holding babies and helping however I can.

Tuesday, February 14th – Happy Valentine’s Day! We didn’t celebrate, although we did think about it being Valentine’s Day in the States. We had Ladies Bible class today and it was a good time. We found out that Joanna and Lolo have gone to Pentecost to stay with her mother for a few months (while Kalkut is gone) because her mother is sick. She told me she would be going, but didn’t know when. So, I was a little surprised to find out that she’d already gone. But, at least we know she’ll be back in a few months. Also, she took her Bible with her, so hopefully she will read and study it while she is away.

This evening I volunteered at the hospital again. I served food and just visited with some mamas. I always enjoy visiting with the mamas – especially because it allows me to share about why we are here and about the Lord’s church.