Back in Vanuatu

      Well, its almost been 3 weeks with our feet back on the green green Vanuatu ground.  Our bodies are starting to acclimate to the time difference, climate difference, and cultural differences.  I say time difference not because there is an actual difference between Port Vila time and Melbourne time but because we are waking up SO MUCH stinkin earlier and going to bed so much earlier as well!  :)  The sun is UP UP UP by 6 AM and down by 6:30 PM so it tends to change our daily time habits somewhat.  Addy is the first to rise (usually even before Houghton which is at 5:30 AM) and she mostly just sticks to herself for an hour playing quietly in her room.  Then she decides she has played long enough and will either come and wake up mom or wakes up her sister to THEN wake up mom. :)  Keeps me young... HA!  Si is usually the last to crawl out of bed by 7:00.  So our mornings happen really quickly (or is it slowly).
        Si does school in the AM for about 1 hour.  He is learning his alphabet and numbers (reading them). He LOVES his school so I am SO grateful for that!  It is relitivly fun ECEPT that I HATE HATE HATE whoever decided that "C" sounds like a "K" when put into most words... I mean REALLY!!!!!!! I have to say here that in Bislama there is NO "C" in their Alphabet.  I think they have the right idea!  However, if I ever want Si to go to school anywhere else... "C" it is.  Dumb. ;)
    The girls do pretty well while we "do school".  Gwen is very eager to "do school" as well so she participates in some of what we are doing.  She will catch on fast I think.  Addy would MUCH rather be outside eating some foreign object off the ground or tearing apart geckos.  Yep, she is NOT a girly girl. Ha ha.  Although she does enjoy coming and destroying some of Si's school work when he isn't looking.  So she does get involved. :)
    Houghton goes for a swim in the ocean every morning at 6:30 and has seen  Stone fish (deadly), and coral snakes ( also deadly) on his swims.  Yep, pretty sure you will NEVER catch ME out there! I am scared of TROUT in our rivers back home!  Too bad it is one of the best scuba diving and snorkling destinations in the world.  I will enjoy it all from the sand thank you very much!  Our teammate Jim saw a shark last month!! Can you say "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"?
    Well, all that nonsense aside (ha, yeah right), we have been pleasantly surprised at how much our brains held on to our Bislama.  Although it sometimes feels like my brain just oozed out of my ear and I cant remember ANY language for the most part, the right language comes out of my mouth when I need it to.  I have SO far to go in my language learning though.  And as some trips out into the bush are in our not so distant future, I definitely feel the pressure to get out and talk!
    We are living on the same property that we lived on last time we were in Vanuatu so that has again proven to be a blessing as we have friendships here that we can continue to develop and we are comfortable with how to get around in this neighborhood.
    Well, I think that sometime in the coming weeks we will get our tentitive schedule out so you can be knowing what we are up to and know how to pray for us as situations arise.
    Thanks for hanging in there with us!

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Back in Vanuatu

Camping trip to Wilsons Prom in Victoria, Australia

Houghton takes Gretchen to Sydney