Surveying in the Village

Yesterday we surveyed 7 families in the little village hamlet.
Explaining about how the bio-gas works and doing the survey can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on how much the family wants to talk. I think more than half of the participants had a serious eye problem and cooked over open fires, which is an interesting find and hopefully will help me show the health benefits of switching to bio-gas.
We also prayed over several families, especially those with eye issues.
Unfortunately there are no eye doctors in Samoa, so there is no one to properly treat these issues unless a mission team comes.

I've been having fun playing with the kids while my translator administers parts of the survey. A three-year-old kept boy wanting me to tickle his feet when we were at his fale (open-air house) and then when we returned after lunch he got excited and said "My palagi (white
person) is here!" Someone also brought me their baby to hold for the first time yesterday. I taught a group of brothers how to act like you are eating someone up and they thought it was hilarious and promptly started "eating" my arms, hair and ears. You can see groups of boys in this area giving each other wheelbarrow rides and playing makeshift cricket throughout the day. We are finished surveying in this area now, but I enjoyed it. Everyone calls me by name now (Samoan name that is) and the kids run up to me. Luckily we walk to the shop there occasionally.

Things to pray for: the surveying will continue at a good pace next week.

Title: On the Base and Dance Crews

Currently we have a man on the base visiting from Thailand, Ekk. He is here because of connections to the bio-gas system. He creates all kinds of things, including machines that turn plastic, charcoal and wood into gas, a way to run cars on leftover cooking oil, and something to do with coconut oil and energy. This week the boys have help him build something that makes charcoal and a miniature bio-gas system that is all in a barrel. Not sure what he will come up with next.

A group of people on the base, including Emily, are preparing to go to Fiji and Vanuatu on mission outreach. They are taking the biogas to both places and going to a tribe in the Vanuatu jungle (literally cutting through the jungle with machetes) that has not been reached by the Gospel. They will be leaving as soon as they receive their funding. We are having a prayer chain so 2 people are praying 24 hours/day for that and for their trip.

The past 2 Friday nights have been filled with dance crews. Last Friday it was the "Best Samoan Christian Dance Crew" semifinals by the sea wall in Apia and last night it was "Samoa's Top 5 Dance Crews" concert. As many of you know I love dancing, so this has been very enjoyable. Last night, there were a couple of dances that had traditional Polynesian mixed in, which I really like especially because it has some Tahitian mixed in which I used to do. There were also a couple of "fafafine"numbers, which is what the Samoans call cross dressers. I was surprised at the number of cross dressers here, it is culturally appropriate as far as I've heard.

Things to pray for: Ekk, that he will see the Spirit of the Lord here and wonder; for the team's physical strength, safety, mission fees, the team leader, and against spiritual warfare.