Day 2 and more beautiful tropical weather. We put on our crocs and headed up to Fokona Village with our buses getting us there most of the way (lack of road rules and left-hand drive only causing a few minor heart attacks). David, an elder of the Fokona church prayed with us before we set off for the walk to the village itself. He prayed for his Church as the mother church which had established the daughter church up the hill. As we trekked along we were greeted with lots of "hallos" and smiles from people on the track, and from their houses. The ingenuity of the building methods and materials the locals employed in their homes were often amazed at.  As we approached the village we were startled by a loud noise. A rather alarming apparition appeared before us and rather threateningly questioned our right to enter his village. We felt that maybe a sacrificial offering was needed and a quick consensus resulted in Gary Hauser being pushed forward. He was offered a machete and enthusiastically hacked his way through the makeshift fence.  We found the village and school children waiting for us with handmade crouton leaf leis and their school welcome song.  Our first day of building saw us complete the framing of the four walls and the laying of the verandah floor. Some of the local men joined in to help and together we made an awesome team. Only injury was to Gary, but he was willing to suffer a burnt finger for the cause!  |
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