12 October 2011

09 October 2011
Our house here is nice, but it has no insulation in walls, floor or attic.  The PFR from Australia said they will try to insulate the attic with bats after the first of the year.  I imagine it will be r-11, but it should help alot with the cooliing.  Mom and I are becoming aclimatized day by day or maybe rather we are getting used to the heat and humidity.  The floor here is just like the cabin, 4 inch tongue and groove hardwood plank over floor beams.  Pres. Misatana's office is below our bedroom and we can see light through a crack here and there at night when his lights are on.  The interior walls are a similar t&g hardwood. except the kitchen and baths which have a finished or painted masonite product on the walls and ceramic tile on the floors.  For a 3rd world country it is very nice.  There are many comparable homes to this in the city, but in the poorer neighborhoods there are just very small huts made of native materials.
10 October 2011
The telecom repairman was just here and replaced our wireless modem.  I am using it now and it seems to work very well.  He said that they had installed ours and one other like it and had complaints from both of us so we got a different one.  He also said that we should be able to skype with the connection we have so we'll have to set up an appointment with one of you and try it soon.  We are excited to think that we might be able to skype.

12 October 2011


View from the Panatena grocery store parking lot

Our favorite grocery store is in the Panatena Mall.  The shops here are more American than any others that we have found and though we can't get many of the things we buy back home, some are available here.  Of course the prices are a bit high, but if you want something bad enough it is usually worth it.

12 October 2011
Yesterday we met with a member from Burns Creek Branch, John Seti Iromea.  He has rented an old Catholic church to us to hold our branch meetings in for the past while. 



John Seti's church building in Burns Creek

He evicted the Branch last Wednesday because the Church would not purchase land from him for a new building in his village.  He describes himself as the Chief and made threats toward the Church and leaders.  I have been negotiating with him to calm him down and we settled on paying him 3 additional months rent (October-December) and he signed an agreement that he would make no more threats or do any harm to the Church, it's members, missionaries, leaders or property.  He agreed and also agreed to attend church in the Honiara Branch this coming Sunday.

   



Driving thru the palm oil plantations

Our trip today to visit Brother Simon Dowden was an opportunity to drive north past Henderson Field and out thru the palm oil plantations. 




Looking down the palm oil rows

The rows of palm oil trees seemed to go on forever and covered hundreds and hundreds of acres.



Palm oil pods that have been harvested

Elder James, Simon Downden, Elder Mitchell, Sister Mitchell, Elder Perere, Elder Doun

Our visit to Brother Simon was rewarding as we walked about 1/4 mile through the jungle on a poorly traveled trail covered with fallen coconuts and cocoa shells until we came to a little opening that Brother Simon had cleared.  He had a small lean-to roof where he and his family stay until he can build a house from native materials.  He had a large garden planted in sweet potatoes and had been working hard.  It was a crude camp much like the pioneers must have had when they first arrived at their destinations.  Sister Mitchell thought that it was interesting that with almost no modern posessions he had a battery radio playing country music when we arrived.  It is far too remote for him to attend Church but he has a firm testimony and hopes to spread the gospel and build the church there were he lives.