A day in the village

At about 5:30am, my eyes pop open. Usually this is due to the sounds of the village up and about around us. Light shines through the holes in the woven bamboo walls, illuminating the room like a disco ball. It isn't long before James wakes up, talking to himself. I can just make out his silhouette through the gossamer of my mosquito net, his blue mosquito net, and the mesh of the pack and play. He's sitting up, playing with his octopus.
Jacob and I untuck the mosquito net on our respective sides from between the 4" foam mattress and the linoleum sheet we had laid out to keep the bugs from crawling up between the rustic planks of our hardwood floor and into our mattress. I change out of my pj shorts and into a skirt before tossing the shorts under the protection of my mosquito net so a spider doesn't take up residence in them during the day.
Jacob is changing James' diaper. This temporary setting isn't ideal for washing cloth diapers, so we switched to disposables, using an empty pocket diaper as a cover to protect it from the grueling wear and tear James inflicts on it.
I make James a bottle. He's weaned but still taking formula and has made the switch to cold formula, which is lovely because its a hassle to get a fire or the stove going each time he's hungry.
The Berkey filter The Rising gave us provides "indoor plumbing" (as long as we keep refilling it with enough time for it to filter). I lay James on his back on the linoleum we have laid out in our living room (? They call it a veranda but with three windows and a door, it seems like a room to me) and give him his bottle.
Jacob takes a days worth of diapers and a bucket out to the outhouse to dump before returning to fiddle with the kerosene stove and get coffee started.
I tidy upstairs. After night falls, there's not enough light to bother with prep dishes or personal dishes that lasted past dusk. I pass dirty dishes through the window whose left half opens into the hauskuk, the room designated for cooking and washing dishes. There really isn't enough room to do prep as well so I do that upstairs and pass things ready for the heat down through the window.
We enjoy our coffee upstairs with James running around playing. The wasfamili is happier when he's not playing outside and its nice to have a good excuse to have some time for ourselves.
At some point, we're brought breakfast from our wasfamili's fire. The reciprocity culture here says we should bring something back but we don't make breakfast so we'll worry about that at lunch.
When James gets fussy, we go outside to let him play in the dirt. It's usually 7:30-8ish. Then its time to decide what to do with the day. Usually its too late to join people who are planning on trekking a long distance, which I'm ok with.
Sometimes we go to where the men are making thatching and Jacob helps.
Once we went to a garden close by and helped with planting yams. Today there's supposed to be a reconciliation feast we want to see. Sometimes its just a day to catch up on dishes or laundry or on writing.
Around 9, James starts to get sleepy. I'll put him in a bilum and give him a bottle to soothe him into sleep. The women normally walk the babies around until they sleep but I'm not strong enough to walk around with this chunky kid.
If we're at the house, we'll hang him in our living room, right in the center of the cross breeze. Jacob will pick up all his toys and I'll sweep the room with a bush broom that looks like a witchs broom without the stick.
If we're out, we'll find a tree or post to hang him on and shade him with an umbrella if need be.
His morning nap normally doesn't last an hour.
Before you know it, it's time to start lunch. I go upstairs to prep and let James run around with his toys.
Jacob goes down to make sure at least the dishes we need for this meal are clean and he passes me kitchen utensils as I need them.
We normally cook an abundance, enough for ourselves, our wasfamili, people we want to develop relationships with, and anyone who's around when we come out to share.
Cooking so much over a single burner means we're often in a race to finish before James afternoon nap, anywhere between 12:30-2. If James' wassister is at the house, she'll often come and take him, entertaining him while we cook. If we don't finish cooking by his nap time, we won't be able to rest while he sleeps.
After James' afternoon nap, normally between an hour or two, our son is lost to us as all the village children are back at their homes and just love to hold a white baby.
We try to start thinking about dinner at 4. If we're not finished by 6, well find ourselves cooking in the dark. Our lanterns are less than impressive and we don't have a big enough solar charger to use our phones on something as frivolous as light.
5:30 is an excellent time to go visiting and if dinner is done we can bring food to our friends, thus building relationships.
6:30-7 James starts getting tired and reappears out of the night. We give him a bottle before changing his diaper and putting him to bed.
Now if we were good, we would go outside and talk around the fire from 7-10. But normally we're exhausted, the heat of the day sapping all our energy, with the heat radiating down from the tin roof making it impossible to sleep that portion of the day away. And normally, as early as 7, the only people around the fire are our wasfamili who aren't the most stimulating conversationalists.
So we sit inside, enjoying some time just us. Catching up on writing if need be. When we get too sore sitting on wooden stools or the wooden floor, we move into the bedroom.


After getting tucked back into our mosquito net, we put a handful of skittles between us and enjoy a snack while chatting before we turn in for the night.

Christmas Wish List

Christmas Wish List
I guess it's starting to near that time. The questions been asked: What would you like in a Christmas Care Package?
Which is kinda a confusing question, because I'm thinking, "Care package items? Or Christmas items?" I think there's a nuance there...
So I made a list that includes both!


Snyders Pretzels Original
French's Yellow Mustard
Starbucks Latte Via (Jacob likes mochas, I like white mochas, cinnamon dolce, and peppermint mocha, specifically peppermint white mocha but i don't think they make the via form of that.)
Hot Cocoa mix (Jacob likes dark chocolates. I like milk and white chocolate. We both like mint, sea salt, orange, raspberry )
Silica gel packets (You can buy these but even the ones that come in bags or shoeboxes are nice to toss in our spice jars to keep the moisture out.)
Taco seasoning (we normally buy it in 23oz containers because we use so much of it)
Italian seasoning
Grill shakers Garlic Seasoning (we can normally only find this at Sprouts).
Sleepytime Vanilla Tea
Bavarian Blackberry Tea (We think the brand is Lipton..?)
Goldfish for James
Peppermints (rounds, stirring sticks, canes, we're not picky)
Orange extract
Peppermint extract
Candy (Reese cups, skittle, starburst)
Beef jerky (peppered or teriyaki) (If you claim this on the mailing slip or leave it where it can be seen in an inspection, it will be stolen. Everybody loves beef jerky)


Tortilla press
LED battery operated mounted light (bonus points for a remote)
Latest seasons of Once Upon a Time, Forever, Bones, Arrow, Flash, Gotham, the 100 (I don't know how overlap could be avoided except by sending iTunes cards)
Kindle gift cards are always nice. Jacob wants to start getting James some Dr. Suess books
And as always, coffee mugs are loved. (the wish list can be found on my Pinterest. I would post a link but internet in the bush is finnicky... My username is ElizabethVahey! ...i think)


You can send packages to
Pioneer Bible Translators
C/o Jacob and Elizabeth Smith
Box 997
Madang 511
Papua New Guinea


It takes about a month for packages to arrive. Possibly longer as people start going on holiday.


These packages will receive a fair deal of rough treatment so go overboard on the packing tape so everything makes it. Once the integrity of the box is compromised, it's all downhill from there.


Thank you all so much for taking care of us. Through financial gifts, prayer support,  and even your likes and comments on Facebook that remind us that we're not alone, we really appreciate you.