International Literacy Day

by Martha


International Literacy Day is held each year on the 8th of September. Here in the Solomon Islands it is being celebrated this week. This morning a large group of literacy students marched to the central market behind the police band.

This woman was carrying this card which says in Pijin: “Literacy helps me to read my Bible, cooking recipes, notices and to understand prayer books.” Women like this are what makes our ministry here sweet!

Update on Timmy

by Martha

Timmy and his mom made it to Honiara from the provincial capital, Kirakira on Saturday. (The hospital never came through with the air fare so we had to pay for their trip.) This was their first trip on an airplane so they were very excited about that! They were taken to the hospital here by ambulance that was waiting for them at the airport, but later told to go home for the weekend as nothing would happen before Monday morning anyway.

In the meantime, Timmy’s dad boarded a ship in the village on Friday afternoon. That ship had actually just come from Honiara, so he had to board while he had the chance and ride the ship along it’s entire route. He is due in to town Tuesday morning. Do the math – that’s a lot of hours on a small ship!

Today Timmy and Judy went to the hospital where Timmy’s arm was x-rayed. The good news is that it is only broken in one place, not three as they were told earlier. Tomorrow morning he goes back to the hospital to be put under anesthesia so the arm can be set.

It’s been a busy day as we had to get the girls off to school, Judy and Timmy to the hospital, an International Literacy Day program at the Central Market and then we hosted a lunch meeting with the director of the Bible Society of the South Pacific to discuss the publication/launch of the Pijin Bible next July. Whew! It’s been a crazy day.

Pray for Timmy

by Martha

Imagine having your two year old child fall and break his arm. Now imagine that you live in a remote village where it takes at least 3 hours to get to the provincial hospital by sea in a motorboat. If that’s not bad enough, picture yourself sitting in the hospital for 5 days waiting to get sent to the capital city to get the fracture treated.

That’s exactly the situation with our dear national friends on the island of Makira. Timmy – Tim’s name sake, fell on Sunday and broke his arm. The provincial hospital should have sent Timmy and his mom here to Honiara, but there is no money in the hospital account. The hospital is suggesting they catch a ship due to leave the province on Sunday and will arrive here on Monday.

Tomorrow we will try to book a ticket on the plane for Timmy and his mom to fly in on Saturday. Please pray that we will be able to get tickets for them. Pray for Timmy as they wait. His hand is beginning to become swollen.

It wasn’t malaria

by Martha

Just an update. Emily was home a couple of days with a headache, sore throat and slight fever but is on the mend. It wasn’t malaria. I never really developed any more symptoms and have been feeling fine. Thanks for praying!

Does she or doesn’t she?

by Martha

On Sunday night, Emily said she wasn’t feeling well and headed to bed early. Monday morning she woke up saying she felt like she had a fever – but she didn’t. She stayed home from school and felt sick most of the day and by evening did have a fever. At 2:00 am she woke up with a 102 degree fever and a sore throat.

There is a flu going around town and it is probably what Emily has. However whenever someone has a fever here, malaria is always a possibility. A sore throat sometimes accompanies malaria. To determine if it is malaria, a blood slide has to be taken, preferably when the patient is at the fever stage. At 2 am, that is hard to get.

I’m feeling a bit off too – which in this case is probably good news, because it is more probably that Emily and I both have the flu. We’ll watch and see what happens to determine if a blood slide is needed.

If Emily does have malaria, generally it is not a serious issue if is treated.