May 27, 2014
Dearest Friends and family
BACK HOME
One of the things that happens when we have to return to the states either for
medical treatment or fund raising we have to pack up most of the stuff and store
it in the containers. Here it is several months since we have been back and
I am still trying to find things I need. I am still having to do major maintenance
work on equipment also. The truck has a leaky power steering unit and I have
a new unit but I have no way to get the old pump off the bracket that holds
it to the motor so I have had Jason (who turned 41 years old this month, wow!)
trying to find a bracket for me so I can change out the power steering unit.
Everytime we want to go somewhere I have to fill up the reservoir (only if I
want the power steering to work some would say) . I was using new fluid but
have started putting a plastic bucket under the unit when we get home and then
straining the fluid that leaks out and putting it back into the reservoir. Cannot
help what leaks in town but I can catch it when we get home.
I have been using the motor bike to haul rocks and sand and twice I have had to replace the clutch because I have overloaded it. Juju and I went down to get a load of sand for cement work down at Stephen's beach and I burned out the clutch trying to get the bike load of sand out of the sand. I was walking home when Kathy came up the road with the truck (because I had been gone too long) so I used the truck to pull the bike out of the sand and had her tow me home. Juju and I unloaded the bike tray using a wheelbarrow and I replaced the clutch the next day. I am trying to learn - as the second clutch was the last spare I had.
I have finally rebuilt and kinda restored the donated Craftsman table saw that was damaged in the container we brought the truck over in a year ago. I brought back a new 240v motor for it but found out today when I tried to use it a 1/2 hp motor is not strong enough. It worked for about 5 minutes before overheating and shutting down. I was hoping to get it working as the motor on the small Ryobi table saw I bought in Fiji in 2007 quit on me last week. So far I have not been able to find a replacement motor for the Ryobi and will try and source another motor for the Craftsman next time we are in town. A new table saw in town (which was sold and there was not another, thankfully) costs $2800. Way too much for a Harbor Freight type table saw!
SCHOOL PROPERTY
We finally have the fence up on the school property. Steven had a crew put the
posts in and they strung the 5 lines of barbed wire I had bought. Looks good!
Here was the well being brought in at the school.
We have since found that the well keeps clogging up with limestone residue so the driller is supposed to come back next month and blow it out again. It that doesn't work we have been assured by the driller he will drill us another well. Our well at the house is still pumping beautiful water, howbeit a bit cloudy after heavy rains.
Hauling rocks
We have been hauling the rocks we have been taking out of the garden down to
the school and have been able to put in a new entrance for the school. We are
working on the temporary entrance fence right now.
As I said these are just SOME of the rocks we have been taking from the ground . We still have 5 times this amount still behind the garden. We might just make a stone wall entrance for the school.
New Chicken house
Juju and I build a chicken house with cement floor out behind our house this
month.
We have talked with the local chicken farm here (where I was able to get day old chicks last year) and they are having problems keeping enough stock for themselves, as they are trying to increase production, so we might have to import day old chicks from New Zealand. This time we will make sure we have enough chicken feed so we don't run out before the birds are ready to kill.
We are planning to start with 25 meat birds and we are still trying to source quail to raise because we have a lot of French people and French restaurants that would buy quail if the school can raise them. A very good source of income.
Garden
We have cleaned more ground with the rock mounds growing at the back of the
property.
This has allowed us to plant more beans, cantaloupe, pumpkin, peas, beets, Pak
choy, peanuts, spinach and other stuff. You will notice how much lower the gardens
are without the rocks.
Our tomatoes are finally starting to flower.
Our pumpkins do very
well on the stony ground.
We also have some papaya trees which produce large fruit
Right now we are getting beans, spring onions, the corn is growing well and
the cucumber plants putting out flowers. We are even getting capsicums from
plants we planted last November. We have three stocks of bananas growing out
now as well. The Lord is good!
We have been having strong winds with squally rains this month and cooler weather. In fact it got down to 70F twice this month and with high humidity and winds that is down right cool for us.
Health Wise
I still have lingering side effects (IC) from my prostate surgery last year
but I am learning to deal with them better and hope to be even better by the
end of the year. It gets real tiring trying to do physical work with a leg bag
(diapers soak up more sweat than the other liquid)! My blood pressure is lower
now that I don't have to go to the VA every other day. It was 108/57 last Sunday.
I still have sinus problems due to the high humidity and have to take medicine to keep the sinuses open, especially after the sun goes down when the humidity climbs even higher.
I cut my left hand last week (small nick) handling roofing iron (silly boy not wearing gloves) and the cuts became infected. I have been able to get them under control before the red infection lines went up my arm too far.
Teaching
Kathy and I along with Morris and Rebecca as well as some of the other Christians
were not able to go to the island combined worship a Etas this month so I spoke
that morning as well as two other Sunday's this month. I finished my series
on Discipleship this last Sunday.
The SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) had started broadcasting a TV channel here in Vanuatu. It can be seen in Port Vila but we cannot get it out in the village. They are spreading their propaganda thicker and thicker and many people like the colourful programs they broadcast which spews their doctrine. I have been asked to teach my series on SDA doctrine vs what the Bible says again. If one does not know the Bible the SDA doctrine can be VERY persuasive especially talking about "current events" and the return of Jesus to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem.
Kathy had been asked to speak at the Ladies' Day in Epau this past Saturday and was planning to speak on Prayer (from her notes from Larry MacKenzie's classes last month while here). On Friday afternoon, Janet came by to tell us that one of the older gentlemen from there was to go to hospital on Saturday for prostate surgery on Monday (today) so no one would be there. Don't know when they will meet again. That's life here. You just go with the flow. Will need to check on 76 year old Atel while in town tomorrow.
Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for us, supporting us and have contributed to our needs. God bless you! Thank you for your prayers!
Thank you Lord for healing and providing what we need!
Grace & Peace
Tobey & Kathy
Huff
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Contributions for the Huffs and the Bible school can be
sent to:
Huffs/Bible School
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2830 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
or
Jason Huff
2730 E 24th St
Joplin MO 64804