FBC Missions

written 7/16/07
Today we went back to working on the two projects (the kitchen and the bathroom remodels). Both projects are on schedule and the team is confident that they will be completed to the satisfaction of the missionaries here. We do, however, recognize that prospects do not equal results. Please pray that the Lord will smooth our path before us and that the projects do get completed as we hope.

The missionaries here have amazing stories to relate to us. Some of those stories are about the history here. For instance, the bay at Honoria is called “Iron Bottom Sound” because of the number of ships that are sunken and resting in the bay. Many of those are a result of World War II, others are simply ships caught in storms and run aground.

Other stories center on their work here. Most of the missionaries spend weeks and sometimes months living in the villages on remote islands gathering language data and knowledge. The conditions are …native. They will not have running water or toilets. They will cook over open flame and in many cases live in thatched huts. Yet, amazingly, without fail we have sensed good attitudes, pleasant interactions, and gratitude for prayers and support.

We are humbled by their servant attitudes and actions. Please continue to pray for the Wycliffe team here in the Solomon Islands as they continue to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, through the Word of God to the people of the Solomon Islands.

Blessings,

The SI Team

Written 7/15/07

Blessed Lord’s Day to you,

We had a wonderful time of worship at the Central SSEC (South Seas Evangelical Church) this morning. The service was about 2 1/2 hours long with children’s stories, a youth dramatization of the Ray Boltz song “Thank you (for giving to the Lord)”, worship in song (we knew about 1/2 of the songs), preaching, and announcements.

The message was concerning the centrality of God’s Word to discerning truth and living holy lives (sound familiar?). The pastor traced the beginnings of the church, starting with the first missionaries who brought the gospel of Jesus and continued with those who have been instrumental in the continued spiritual health and formation of the SSEC association. He preached out of Colossians, chapter one, emphasizing the supremacy and centrality of Christ in the gospel message as He is revealed in the scriptures.

After the service was over we made a short stop at an open air market to buy vegetables and then went back to the house. After lunch we were given the privilege of helping to collate a publication for one of the local people groups. This booklet is about 150 pages long and it contains the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Colossians. It was a blessing to feel like we had a small part in bringing God’s word to a people group who do not have it in their own language. We are told we may have the opportunity to help with another booklet later this week.

Tomorrow, we begin anew on our two projects. We have turned the corner on the bathroom and are now constructing rather than demolishing. The kitchen remodel will be moving to the cabinetry phase very soon. Please pray that our time and efforts will be multiplied as we want to complete both projects before we leave. Sometimes materials are difficult to obtain and require many stops at different stores.

Thank you for your support in prayer,

Eric, for The SI Team

Written 7/12/07

Hello from the Islands,

Progress continues as we press on in the Solomons. The Bosma House (where we are remodeling a kitchen) is coming along nicely. The residents were a bit surprised to have part of a wall missing for more than a day, but the framing is done on the new wall and even though windows, cabinets and flooring need to be added, at least no one will fall out the second story should they happen to sleep walk into the kitchen.

At the West Kola house (where we are remodeling the bathroom), the cardinal rule of short-term teams has come into play: FLEXIBILITY! The old walls are down and the tiling has been removed, but in the process of doing those things we discovered tha the plumbing is falling apart. In a way it is god’s blessing because it would have been unfortunate to remodel and then have serious water issues! So our project there has been expanded and I am proud to say that our team and the missionaries have maintained a great attitude about it!

One thing we have learned about the social issues here is an addiction to a local nut. When this nut is ground up and when combined with other common items here, produces a narcotic effect. Apparently, there is a significant portion of the population that is addicted. The nut is called the beetle (pronounced beatle) nut and it leaves the user with a bright red mouth making those individuals easy to identify.

We are happy to report that each member of the team is doing well and we all are in good health.

The work here by the missionaries has impressed us all. As they continue to press forward in bringing the word of God to the people of the Solomons, may we contiue to lift them up in prayer (Ephesians 6:18).

Blessings,

Eric and Team

P.S. I am still working on getting a picture or two out to you!

(This post is from the SI team.)

Our first day on the job! Today we began two projects. We divided into two teams; the first team began the expansion of the kitchen in one of the houses. This expansion is on the second story of one of the missionary homes. This project involves building a veranda and moving a wall about three feet. After that we will have to move electrical and plumbing in order to reconfigure the kitchen.

The second project is the gutting and remodel of a bathroom in another missionary house. Today we knocked down cement walls and chipped off the existing tile. In the process of doing this we discovered a leak in the plumbing. The Hausslers indicated that they had been having problems with water pressure and apparently this was the cause. Tomorrow we will seek to level the floor with cement and begin the process of remodeling the bathroom.

After our work day was done, I had the privilege of meeting with a team of translators. This team consisted of two Wycliffe workers and two ministry workers form the Solomon Islands (these were nationals. They shared with me the arduous task of getting a New Testament published (four reviews and translation verification from English into the language and from the language back into English). I asked them for an example of a difficult concept to translate. They told me that abstract nouns like mercy or grace were difficult. To communicate the idea of grace they used a phrase “God’s big love.”

Dinner tonight was a potluck involving all the SITAG (Solomon Islands Translation Assistance Group) personnel currently here in Honiara. At any given time there are numerous numbers of personnel living out in the field, in the villages, learning the language. After six to twelve weeks they return to compile their work here in Honiara. At the potluck two individuals shared about ministry happenings. One person showed us the local newspaper that had agreed to publish a portion of the New Testament along with explanation and devotion weekly for a year! The item took up an entire page of the paper! I wonder if our local newspaper would be open to the same idea?

Blessings,

Eric for the Solomon Island Team

After four plane changes, numerous forms, and twenty-five hours of travel, we arrived in the capital of Honoria in the Solomon Islands at 6:30 p.m. on July 9th Eugene time, but 1:30 p.m. on July 10th Solomon Islands time. We “lost” a day when we crossed the international date line. We received a hero’s welcome when we arrived, OK so it wasn’t for us but rather for the victorious soccer team from the Solomons that happened to be on the same flight.

Bob Haussler met us at the airport with one of the Wycliffe translation team members also there to help us get our belongings to the compound where we will stay during our visit here. During our time here we will remodel two kitchens and a bathroom.

The weather is warm and humid, as one would expect of a tropical locale. Though it sounds appealing to vacatio in, the weather is a deterent as it drains our energy and requires massive amounts of water to maintain hydration. (Our first prayer request)

After surveying the work to be done, we are encouraged that we can be of useful service to this ministry. In addition, we were priviledged to meet a number of team members from Wycliffe and we are duly impressed with their spirits and work. (please pray that their work will be enhanced so that more may hear the gospel of Christ in their own language.)

We thank you for your prayers and support,

The S.I. team