PS MELTING IN MALAITA

A FEW MORE PICTURES we want to add to our trip to Malaita to rebuild the Fauabu Urgent Care Clinic there.

During our week working on the Fauabu Urgent Care Clinic Elder Mitchell called Nathan Bata to be the 1st counselor in the Fauabu Branch Presidency.  He was interviewed and called on the property of the Fauabu Anglican Church so it seemed fitting to take this picture to document the occasion.  Nathan is a great young man with a good wife and little girl.  He has been a member of the Church for 6 months.

Elder Mitchell and Barnabas Iro who was interviewed and called as the second counselor in the Fauabu Branch Presidency also on the grounds of the Anglican Church.  Barnabas is also a great young man who is married and has 2 young children.  He was baptised exactly 2 weeks before he was sustained and set apart to serve in the Branch Presidency.  He was a Jehovah's Witness prior to his conversion.  We have never heard a stronger testimony than he bore in Sacrament meeting after he was sustained.

Elder Mitchell interviewing Deven, a young Elder in the Fauabu Branch, to serve as Elders President before Church meetings on Sunday.

Nathan Bata, his wife and little girl after he was set apart as 1st counselor in the Branch Presidency



Barnabas Iro, his wife and three little boys in the bush chapel at Fauabu, Malaita after he was set apart to serve as the 2nd counselor to the Branch President.

Nathan Bata, Pres. Peter Rimou, Barnabas Iro, Deven, Pres. Mitchell, Pres. Misitana in the Fauabu Branch bush chapel after Sacrament meeting just before leaving to catch the boat in Auki



This tree is called a Christmas Tree because it has these beautiful red blooms that come on in November and last through January every year.  They line the streets in many areas including downtown Honiara.



Beautiful flowers on what we think is a weed along the road from Fauabu to Auki



Auki's market is busy even at 7 am each morning and fruits, vegetables and fish are available from the locals who display their products.

Auki harbor at sunset

Sunset over Auki, Malaita harbour from near our hotel.

The Discovery 360 catamaran.  Our comfortable ride back home and the best boat for the trip.

Bush houses on the beach at Auki harbor as we leave for Honiara Sunday afternoon.



Leaving Auki behind in the wake of the 360 after a long, hot, tiring, and rewarding week.

 

 

Along the way home the boat pulled right up on the beach at a little town on Florida Island.  There was no wharf just beautiful white sand.



 



Along the way our boat cut it's engines and this dugout canoe came along side and let the lady in it come on board.

Our little Malaitan friend we met on the boat home. She reminded us of Sarah.  Very smart, talkative, and friendly.

Her name is Ailyala.

As we arrived at Honiara it was nearly dark and raining steadily.  Because all of our Elders were in Papua New Guinea we needed to catch a taxi back to our house on Kola Ridge.  There are always 50 to 100 taxis at the wharf, but not this night, so we decided to walk up to the main road through town to catch one.  This was about 300 yards through mud, gravel and muck with all of our luggage and raining still.  Elder Mitchell was sure he could hail a taxi, but 8 or 10 went by without stopping until one finally stopped.  We got in soaked to the skin, but grateful for a ride back home out of the rain.

The Humanitarian Project to rebuild the Fauabu Urgent Care Clinic in cooperation with Father Michael Irotoa and his Anglican parish has to be one of the highlights of our lives not just of our Mission.  It was extremely hot, humid, tiring and trying, but we have never felt more useful and more blest with anything we have ever done in our lives.  We truly came to love not only our brothers and sisters in the gospel, but our Anglican brothers and sisters as well.  They are not only good people, but great people who love the Lord and serve him in the best way they know how.

We love our "Adventure Mission".  What a blessing to be able to serve the Lord and his people here in the Solomon Islands.

Before

After