This is my first post from an actual computer! I've been updating via my smartphone that gets wireless - feels weird and awesome to be able to actually type.

I thought i'd give a logistical update since my last few have been a little vague and sensory-filled, haha.

Typical day right now:
I get up about 6:30 (when the sun rises), usually have about an hour to myself...to read, watch the sunrise, wash-up, etc. (Tomorrow Lee has decided he's gonna start his exercise routine up in the conference room, and I think some of us are going to join! Should be fun.)
We have family devos at 7:30 - getting ready to go through the book of Philippians right now, each taking a chunk to lead on. We eat breakfast around 8:15, 8:20...hang out together, all crowding around one big table. We are becoming family, in the truest sense of the word. It's so fun to all live together. I just love them. I can't believe this is only the end of our second week together...(and already the end of our second week! Time is funny.)
Right now our mornings and afternoons have been pretty flexible during the day because the festival starts next week - it's been a lot of shopping trips around town...to the market, little side shops for food and miscellaneous stuff...just stocking up for our month here in Honiara. This has given us a lot of chances to interact and story with people - so awesome. Again, I can't reiterate how much I love these people. They are the most friendly and welcoming...you ask one question in Pijin and it just opens up the door for hours of conversation. If they had their way and there was time it would be hours (which is awesome), haha. I'm learning a lot about openness and trust from these people. They're breaking down these walls in myself - I'm learning by osmosis how to trust and be open with my team, my new family. It's pretty awesome. Challenging at times, but so good for me I think. Already so rewarding.

We've also been doing a lot of language and culture learning as a team - practicing Pijin nonstop. Today, we sat down and talked in a small group for about an hour straight in just Pijin. So fun! Our whole team is really starting to get the hang of it.

It's also been fun to meet Solomon Islanders who know my parents and knew me/met me as a small girl  - (Mom, Rosina says hi! I also met Joseph today who knows you Dad!) It's cool to "story" with them and have long conversations in Pijin now as an adult. I'm starting to think in Pijin...it's happening. It's taking over, haha. I just love it! I want to only speak Pijin.

We usually eat dinner around 5 or 6 (or later...Solomon time nao ya :) and do more team stuff - debriefing from the day or hanging out with games and other family stuff. We've been fortunate to have dinner with two missionary families here this week - Uncle James and Aunt Karen (a family that was here when I grew up here! They've come back...so cool to all be back together), and the Pierces! The Pierces have the cutest children, Joshua and Anna. Babies/kids just make everyone happy :) It's been neat to fellowship with them and learn from them.

Tomorrow we have a mini-storytelling workshop and we'll work on our presentation for FOPA. Sunday we'll go to church at St. Barnabas, and the plan is to go for a swim that afternoon (I'm excited, to say the least), and Monday we head out to the island of Malaita for the first week of the festival! We'll be staying with host families in the village - so excited for village life, and so excited to create art alongside these people!
Just a simple glance around and it makes me chuckle. I can't believe I'm here.

There's just so much I want to write! I feel as though each post is only skimming the surface of what is happening and how I'm feeling. Not sure if it's even a true "update", but I feel as though I could talk for hours about each experience, each feeling. I hate feeling limited to a couple of minutes on the computer...but I think it'll help me remember the little details later.

Here's a verse from the Bible in Pijin I've been working to memorize line by line:

"Tingting blong yufala hemi kamap strong moa bikos yufala joen wetem Kraes an hemi lavem yufala. Yufala stapgud tugeta wetem Holi Spirit, an yufala kaen an filsore long olketa pipol. So mi askem yufala fo falom diskaen wei wea hemi save mekem mi hapi go moa. Yufala evriwan mas stap wanmaen nomoa an yufala mas lavem yufala evriwan, an laef an tingting blong yufala hemi mas wankaen nomoa. Yufala mas no tingim yufala seleva nomoa an no trae fo haemapem yufala seleva. Bat yufala mas hambol an tingim olketa nara pipol olsem olketa nao gudfala winim yufala. An yufala mas no tingting long wanem hemi gud fo yufala seleva nomoa, bat yufala mas tingting long wanem nao hemi gud fo nara pipol." -Filipae 2:1-4

(English translation :)

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." -Philippians 2:1-4

Love and miss you all!