Diary of A Missionary's Wife Part 1

The following are entries from my diary while we were in Malakula -


April 12

"On the way there, the driver, Ronnie Tony, stopped to get us some fruit. He cracked it against the tree trunk and it turned out to be cocoa beans inside. We sucked the slimy juice off each bean and threw it out the window. It was divine!! It tasted like nature's Jolly Rancher. I asked the driver if a tree would grow where we threw the seed and he said it would. I teased him that I was planting and it sure was hard work. He thought that was funny."



April 13

"I spent most of the day in the preschool with Betty, the teacher. The children were so cute, but, of course, a bit shy with this funny looking white woman watching them say their ABC's.

Later on, Nathan and I went by ourselves to tour the village. We passed Betty, along with several other women, making mats. They insisted I learn, but I was embarrassed at how slowly I braided the dried leaves.

After we finished working on the mats, Betty took Nathan and I proudly showed off her village. From the plant they use as a sponge to scrub their dirty dishes (pictured below), to the complete process of how they dry and roast cocoa beans to sale."