Dear family & friends,
We are back in Guam for a few more days. Below is an account of some of the happenings during our time in Chuuk. Rachel has posted some pictures on
Picasa.
We're enjoying a little rest before our long journey home. Our flight is scheduled to leave Guam on Monday.
God bless,
Lisa & family
Arrival on Paata (Tues., Jan. 25) - by Rachel
This morning dawned with the familiar sound of roosters and the echoing notes of tropical birds. Today is the day we will make the last leg of our journey to our island. The waves are high, and it was decided we should take just the essentials so we won't overload the boat.
(Later) We spent the morning sorting and re-arranging luggage for the 1.5-hour boat ride, while Uncle Roger & Aunt Amy finished up some last-minute shopping in town. When we arrived at the dock, we had just unloaded all our luggage from the van when one of the proverbial tropical downpours broke overhead. Throwing a tarp over our luggage, we dove for cover under the eaves of a nearby cookhouse. Sheets of water poured out of the sky and thundered over the eves. I watched in delight... It has been a long time since I have seen REAL rain! A local lady sitting beside me commented that the rain was good as it would help calm the waves. I was thankful to hear that, as the swells looked quite large compared to our little boat.
As quickly as it came, the rainstorm stopped, and we went back to work loading the boat. After saying a prayer and making sure we were all equipped with life jackets, Uncle Roger started the motor and we rode out into the waves. Salty spray flew into our faces as we picked up speed. Even though we were riding with the waves instead of against them, the ride proved to be exciting. As we went farther and farther from shore the waves grew until they were 5 feet high. Once or twice a large wave came sideways at us, and, to my inexperienced eyes, it looked like our little boat would surely overturn. But Uncle Roger was watching, and navigated away just in time. With the wave now behind us, our little boat, like a large bodyboard, was propelled forward with thrilling speed. The verse in Isaiah that says the Lord "maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters," flashed into my mind, and the worry that had begun to seep into my heart melted away. From then on it was an enjoyable adventure...
We sat together, ducking the salty showers, soaking up the sunshine, and talking about memories, and before we knew it we were flying across the glassy surface of the water in the sheltered horseshoe of islands around Paata. One by one, familiar villages came into view... Sopota, Nukof, Epin, Pokocho... Etiamar was next! We watched eagerly, and at last caught a glimpse of our old house high up on the vibrant green mountainside. The noise of the boat engine quieted and we entered the cool depths of the long winding mangrove channel.
The mangrove channel has always been my favorite part of this ride. A narrow, winding path of glassy water cuts through a jungle of mangrove trunks and hanging roots overarched by a cathedral of vibrant green leaves, backlit by the late afternoon sun. The clear notes of birds echo from the canopy of hanging foliage, creating a mysterious jungley atmosphere.
At last, we emerged into a clearing and quietly pulled to a stop at the local dock. Quiet-- but not for long! We were quickly spotted by children playing in the school yard, and they erupted into the excited bedlam only village children can make. Little feet flew like windmills as they ran down the causeway to the dock, and we were soon surrounded by a crowd of small, upturned faces and large, questioning eyes. Most of the children hadn’t even been born when we left twelve years before.
It was awhile before we finally began the 1/4-mile hike up the hill to our old house. We were mobbed by old friends, their faces beaming and eyes brimming, all wanting to shake our hands and catch up on the last 12 years of our lives.
At last we began the hike up the old, familiar trail, surrounded by a crowd of curious children and old friends. But we couldn't pass by without greeting all our old neighbors! :). There was the neighbor who ran all the way up the hill to our house one dark night when we were in danger. And there was the lady who always waved at us as we passed her house, greeting us again.
At last we reached the top, and rounded the bend to see our old yard, crowded with still more friends who had been waiting for us. After more animated greetings, they settled down on the grass and sang songs of thanksgiving at the ear-splitting pitch to which few but Chuukese can attain. What a welcome! To such isolated people, seeing a friend after so long is incredibly meaningful. We are praying we can use this tender spot in their hearts to turn their eyes to heaven and something better.
After a bountiful potluck supper, in which we enjoyed many of the local foods we hadn't tasted for so many years, we settled down under our mosquito nets and fell asleep listening to the night birds and chuckling geckos-- long-forgotten sounds of the island.
(The following was written Sun., Feb. 13, 2011 - by Lisa)
It's our last day on Paata. God has been working, in ways that we can see, and we believe also in ways we cannot see.
Health Work in Sopota (Thurs., Jan. 27)
Just after lunch, on the Thursday after we arrived, we headed off by boat for Sopota, the Catholic village on Paata, to do a health lecture. A little before lunch I had started feeling weak and tired--almost feverish. I thought it was my imagination, and that Satan was trying to throw in a monkey wrench. When we arrived at Sopota, the mayor of Paata greeted us heartily; he remembered us from before. The people were engaged as Aunt Amy translated for Rachel and my lecture on cleanliness. Sopota is probably the dirtiest village on Paata, so it was especially exciting to see the light dawn on their faces. Afterwards, Seth Ferrell, one of the missionary nurses here, taught Rachel and me how to check blood pressure and blood sugar. Mom helped his wife Jen, also a nurse, do consultations and distribute vitamins and meds. It was a good learning experience for us.
Dysentery! (Jan. 27-30)
The exhaustion still hadn't left me by the time we returned to Neiwarung, and when I finally checked my temperature, it was over 100F. That night's sleep was fitful; both Dad and Rachel also developed fevers. Dad's and mine rose over 104F. Mom was spared the sickness, though she has suffered with a cough the whole time we've been here. We were unable to go to church that first weekend. The other missionaries kindly filled the many responsibilities we had been scheduled for. We recovered with God's blessing, charcoal, lots of coconut water, and doubly-filtered water. We think it was dysentery. Later Dad found that the water filter had not been filtering the brown stream water at all. Thankfully, Mom had still been drinking water that we brought from town, so that is why she was spared.
Visiting... (Jan. 31-Feb. 3)
The next week was filled with visits to old friends, many of whom had fallen away. Miraculously, God gave us the ability to speak in Chuukese with them, and we could see God working on hearts. I believe God gave us the gift of tongues for this time. I noticed personally that I had difficulty speaking, but occasionally, especially when speaking on spiritual subjects, I was able to speak quite freely in Chuukese. Everyone, including ourselves, has been amazed at how well we remember the language. We thank God for enabling us to speak uninhibited.
Ach Ach (Feb. 4-6)
On Friday, the whole missionary team headed off to go camping for the weekend on Ach Ach, a group of three tiny uninhabited islands on the edge of Chuuk Lagoon. We chose the middle island for our camping spot. It happened to be my birthday, and it was a special treat to be able to go to our favorite getaway island.
On Sabbath we enjoyed singing, visiting with family, reading, watching the waves lap at the sandy shores, and exploring interesting things on the island. We all gathered together on the western tip of the island to watch the Sabbath fade away with the brilliance of a tropical flower. The ocean breezes kept any mosquitos away.
Every sunrise seemed to bring a tropical downpour that would leave sunshine in its trail after a little while. Sunday morning breakfast included freshly cooked breadfruit, thanks to the expertise of the Sabas family, Paata Mission's newest missionaries. They are Philippino and are skilled in living in primitive tropical conditions. We enjoyed wading to one of the neighboring islands and collecting shells under a torrential downpour. To warm up, decided to go snorkeling. We spotted many beautiful fish, coral, anemones, and shells. Some of us even saw black tipped reef sharks multiple times.
Week of Prayer (Feb. 7-11)
The next week was the week of prayer for the school. Rachel and I presented each morning, using the principles laid out in the book
Steps to Christ as a framework. We wished it could have been translated since the kids understand English only at the level of a 3-4 year old. Our greatest challenge was to find the simplest way to express the concepts. Equally challenging was trying to hold their attention. They have an extremely short attention span and become unruly very quickly. We prayed hard and did our best to make it simple and interesting; I believe the Lord will bless our inexperienced efforts. There were a few little faces who remained focused for the most part and seemed to be interested in the many stories and illustrations. We pray that God will nurture whatever seeds were planted in their hearts.
This was our last full week on Paata, and we went visiting some more. We also went to Chukuram, a village on the neighboring island of Polle. We did some blood pressure checks and Seth presented a power point lecture on diabetes, which was very well received. It was another good educational opportunity for Rachel and me.
Revival (Feb. 11-12)
On Friday and Sabbath was the revival for Paata church. Friday night vespers was a testimony time. On Sabbath, Dad presented five steps for revival as found in the Bible story of the revival in Jehoida's time. It was very good and many people said it was already helping them in their Christian walk.
(Written Thurs., Feb. 17- by Lisa)
The Last Few Days (Feb. 14-15)On Monday morning as we carried our last load of luggage down the slippery mountain trail, Mouse, the neighbor, called out to us that his wife had just had her baby five minutes before! How special it was to see the bright-eyed little one before we left. As I guessed, they named the little girl Teresa. Dad also has a couple Chuukese namesakes, from when we lived here before.
The ocean was calm for our return trip. We were glad for this because our boat was heavily loaded and we were going into the waves. As we passed by many villages on the shores of the islands, I asked God how He intends for these dark areas to be illuminated with truth. There is so much more work to do, and so little time! I believe the answer is the promised Holy Spirit. May He accomplish His work in our hearts that we may become more useful channels of truth to the purposeless souls everywhere who are waiting on the shores of eternity for what they know not.
After sorting and packing our luggage, we were very ready for our flight out on Tuesday. The filth and derelict conditions of the main island only increased our eagerness to be in a land where cleanliness is valued. As we lifted off the airstrip, we were torn between feelings of missing our dear family and friends there, and feelings of relief.
During our stay in Chuuk, we were again deeply impressed with the difficulty of this particular mission field. There are daily difficulties that call for only the wisdom God can give; physical demands of living in the tropics; and spiritual battles because Satan does not want to give those people up. Please pray for God to strengthen the missionaries physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I wondered as we crossed the edge of the lagoon, Will we ever return? As Dad expressed it, it seems like a chapter in our life that has been left open is being closed. It seems, to our finite vision, that this has been our last time to visit Chuuk. We continue to thank God for clearly opening this opportunity to return to Chuuk. Thank you for your prayers throughout this trip. He has worked, in ways that we can see, and in ways we cannot see.
Our dear next-door “grandma” when we lived in Paata 
