Laura Aijian Revelation 5:9-10 
I‘m back at Interface now, and our first summer program has begun. It is in a more remote location than where I was for my language and culture study. The first couple weeks here I worked on some menu preparation and scheduling for the kitchen. Beth (the kitchen manager) and I went out into the village and handed schedules to the ladies I will be working with. It was fun to get to know them more and meet some of their families. The village is literally right next to our campus, so it is just takes a ten-minute walk/hike to go around. I enjoyed using my pidgin a little and getting to know the ladies I am serving with. Later in the week I did more prep in the kitchen for the program, which included cleaning and making items from scratch like brown sugar, granola, sauces and syrups, and chips out of banana, tapiok, and kaukau for both summer programs (this is an all day project). 
Last week many of the stores in town were closed, and we were not able to do our regular supply run. Beth and I went around the village and got local produce from local farms. It was quite a sight to see. We walked up to every adult and listed off veggies that we needed. Some people would bring us 2 pineapples, some people would bring a pumpkin, and others would bring a bunch of each! It was quite the experience. The stores are open again, so we were able to get our meat order and the rest of the veggies in time.
I am really enjoying learning about local produce and culinary tradition. It is such a joy to be able to get creative and have fun and then share it with people around me. 
There are 8 singles on staff here at Interface, and we have formed a little family. I trade off cooking one main meal a day for them during non-programs times. I love it because every day we get together over a meal and enjoy each other’s company. Plus we have consistent recipe testers who never get sick of eating!
During my move back out here, I found out that a fire broke out in Santa Barbara (my home town). It was hard to be away from my family while they were all evacuated and wondering what was going to burn. However, I did get an amusing email from my mother describing how they had become a “menagerie.” They were camped out at our good friends house with 11 adults (including 2 exchange students), 1 baby, 4 horses, 4 dogs, 2 cats, 30 baby chicks, 9 vehicles and a horse trailer. 
I can just imagine the chaos that ensued! In this process I lost my car that was stored at a friend’s home. My prayers go out to all who lost their homes in the fire. I am grateful that my family and friends are all safe and that the community came together and served one another.
So now we have launched full-swing into our summer program. It is so exciting to have the students here. The campus is alive with activity and the fires are burning in the kitchen! We are cooking for around 30 people for now, and that number will probably double in the next session. I can’t wait to get to know these students better and see what the Lord is doing in their lives. It will be a very intense 6 weeks for them, and I pray that they Lord breaks through barriers and expands their vision of him. 
They will have many opportunities to experience missions work and see what the Lord is doing here on the field first hand. I have the opportunity to work with 3 alumni from last year’s program as well as 12 women from surrounding villages. Our job is to keep the students well fed and ready to get as much as they can from their time here. The staff has many opportunities to connect with the students one-on-one as well, which is a wonderful time to share testimonies and encourage them in spiritual growth.
