Secret Garden

Ok, so it wasn't really a secret garden. I just couldn't think of a great title, and thought it might make you interested to read. Today we went by to meet a Chinese couple who is keeping a house while the owner is away. They live in a house just around the corner in the same village that we do. We pulled up to the house, and got out. It was such an amazing sight when we found them out back. They have only been keeping the house for about 2 months, and had already started a huge garden. We wished so bad that Kinzie and Matt could have been with us at this moment because they have started their own garden this year. The couple had planted many different things: sugar cane, papayas, pineapple, taro, bread fruit, oranges, bananas, pumpkin, onions, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, and many different flowers. They had also tilled some land that they were about to plant some more things in. They had borrowed a tiller for a few days, but the only other tools they had was a machete (spelling?) and a hoe. Wow, I could not believe that they did all of that work in so little of time, and with only those couple of tools. That is all they do though. The garden is how they support themselves, and you can tell that they enjoy it and work so so hard. The man was so happy to meet us, and showed us all of the different things growing. Him or his wife didn't speak English very well. He used his machete and just chopped us off 3 huge things of sugar cane. He also gave us onions and cucumbers. He then got a fresh pineapple for us. I have to say that it is very beautiful and I could just smell deliciousness whenever I was near it. Don't worry we haven't tasted these things yet because we've been busy, but we definitely will let you know once we do. The wife was pregnant and her baby is due this month and she was still working in the garden. Marci and I hope to spend some time with them one afternoon. God does provide! The garden is the only income the couple has.They were so satisfied and happy with what they had, and I know people always say this whenever they visit poorer countries, but it was so true. They were so satisfied and happy with what they had and what they were doing. In the United States we're always striving for that certain status, and always wanting more. I am truly moved by their lifestyle and hope, pray and think that mine should model and be more like theirs. Not just being focused on myself. What a great example they are for me.

We visited Putela ( paralyzed man we talked about in a past post), and sang him the Samoan song we learned, and he said that we would record it next time we were there. Today his daughter Emmie and wife were at the house. They sat with us and we all talked. It was really neat again to listen to David and Putela as they read the bible in Samoan and then translated it into English. Marci and I tried to read along in Samoan, it was really difficult though. We got about 2 words right out of every 20. I told him that I wanted to try reading next time. He then asked Emmie to sing us the song that had been written for one of their close friends that had died. Putela played while Emmie sang. Emmie was really close to this person, and did not want to sing at first, but then she did. She sang the song in Samoan and it was so sweet and a very genuine heart felt song. You could see the tears in her eyes and her mothers as she sang the song. Next week she is going to come to our Tuesday activity so that is really exciting.

Tonight at supper Marci was in charge of making some potatoes from a mix. And we all know of how Marci and I are great cooks. We'll just say that the potatoes turned out as a kind of soup looking thing. We both got a good kick out of it.

I pray that God will continue to open my eyes to new ideas here. We are just so blessed to be here.

P.S. No the picture of the bananas is not upside down. That's how they grow.