Sept. 19, 2019
Because of bad weather our second flight with the rest of the cargo has yet to come in to Bu’u. It was scheduled for 2 weeks after we flew in, but that flight was cancelled due to bad weather. Except for 2 days before and after our flight (praise the Lord!) it has been continuous drizzling rain and dense fog to the ground. So depressing not to have any sunshine week after week. During these fog times there is not even enough light from the sun for food to grow in the Angave gardens, the plants just sit there and do nothing. Everyone is hungry, huddling in their huts, only venturing out to the gardens to harvest what they can as quickly as possible
Our house in the fog
Our solar power is holding out! Thanks to support partners, we finally have enough panels on the roof to be able to survive during a lengthy time of dense overcast and fog. It’s true we’re limping through—Ray turns off the fridge every night, so we’ve lost some veggies due to condensation as the fridge fluctuates between cold and warm; but the good news is, the stuff in the freezer stays frozen!
Every day we are using all the power the panels put into the battery bank, but we haven’t once gone into low (emergency) mode. We’re both using our computers hours each day, and I’m able to do a load of laundry every other day, the power seems to be there for us to carry on like this indefinitely. We are so thankful for having those extra panels on the roof!
Anyway, our second flight was re-scheduled for tomorrow, so we’ve been praying that the Lord will send good weather to dry the strip and so the plane will be able to land. Got up this morning to fairly clear skies, no fog, and no clouds on the mountain ridges. At 7:20 sunshine actually hit the house for the first time in weeks! I know because I was having my personal devotion time in the bedroom, and sunshine was pouring through the windows; but by the time I came out at 8:30 for the daily workers’ meeting in our yard, fog had already reached the lower section of our property, and within minutes the house itself was engulfed. Then half an hour later the fog had completely disappeared, and we had another hour of sunshine before it closed in again.
Fog on the bottom of the airstrip
Ray taught on Nicodemus to the workers this morning—2 women and 4 men who have never shown any interest in the Gospel, along with others who had come for various reasons. Even though Ray encourages remarks, re-phrasing, and questions, they all listened without comment today. We always hold the hope that this will be the day His word breaks into their hard hearts.
After the meeting, I set up our landlord’s son to peel and cut up the sweet potato we feed our dogs. Two other boys wanted to weed the large pots I’m trying to grow palms in, I traded salt and soap for 3 pieces of firewood, bought one bagful of sweet potato, then went inside to cook a soft-boiled egg to give to the mother of a non-thriving baby I’m treating.
Back in the yard, Jordan has come with a deep cut on his finger. I use steri-strips to close the wound, cover it with Neosporin ointment on a gauze pad, and wind conforming (slightly elastic) bandage over that. Wounds will heal well within 2-3 days if we can get them closed up quickly enough; most of the people don’t come as soon as they get cut, so we continually combat the mindset that tells them, Don’t go for treatment until the wound hurts and is infected!
After finishing up with Jordan I put in a load of laundry to soak until I run it through when power is at peak, just after noon. Now the fog is gone again, but so is the sun, there is just thick overcast.
I have barely half an hour to work on the first draft of Ephesians before the workers’ tea-time break at 10:30. I’m halfway through chapter 5. I will have Matthew, Philippians, and Ephesians ready for working on second drafts with a translation assistant by the middle of next week.