Home

Yes...if you haven't heard you have been under a rock. We are home from our trip safe and sound. Its been nearly a months since we returned and yet its seems a lifetime ago that we were in PNG. I mourn the fact that it does seem so distant and that I am back to being a full blooded American. I seem to be loosing my sensitivity to all. Steve agreed with me as we were sitting in Costco last night on our date night having pizza (I might add we can both eat for $5) that it feels miles away. We also agreed that we will never be the same people that came home as the ones that left. For this I am grateful. Yes grateful that that we will never be the same, but more grateful that we AGREED! (this sometimes can be a rare occurrence in the Ericson household).

 When we came home it was a hard adjustment seeing as 2 girls were living in our home, had moved things around and had put clothes in my dresser. It seemed as if I wasn't home. Such an odd feeling that you pay the mortgage on this house but its not yours. After a week or two and being unpacked...OKAY I'll admit it. I still have one suitcase that is still packed...our home began to feel comfortable again and I settled back into my daily routine of laundry, dishes, cooking, diapers, working etc. Its been nice to see all our friends and family while being home.

 Steve decided that he was going to put forth much effort to spend as much time with his Grandma as he could. He has devoted most Monday's to going and seeing her or at least calling her and checking in. He was reminded this week how special she is as she was admitted to Good Samaritan hospital for having low Sodium. After 7 days she was discharged home in stable condition. I'm so very thankful that the Lord has put this on Steve's heart to spend time with Mary Lou as he defiantly is a Grandma's boy :)

 We were also greeted by some nice weather upon our arrival in WA. Gracie was able to play outside and eat popsicles. Now that we are back to rain she goes to the back door and so kindly knocks on the door and says outside. Poor thing, she so desperately wants to run around in the grass and chase the dog and do kid things. I can't wait until summer comes...Generally July 5th in WA.

A few pictures since being home...

Gracie at the Tulip festival

Steve, Mary Lou, Myself, and Gracie

Mothers Day photo 2012

Mothers Day photo 2011

Really....9 more full days!

Well sorry it has been so long since I have posted on our blog. On the 14th we were getting ready to head to Goroka for a 3 day trip to spend with our friends the Sisson's.

We had a great time and were able to really see into the heart of the mission "To every tribe". It was very relaxing and Gracie got to spend 3 full days with 5 other kids. She had a blast.
We took public PNG transportation to Goroka which was an adventure in itself. Its a large van that holds 15 people. They picked us up in the morning at our house and we filled up heading to the closest town of Kainantu. Once there most passangers got off the van and then we rode around the main strip with someone yelling Goroka loudly looking to fill the van back up . This took nearly an hour before we were full and ready to head to our destination. Goroka was about 2.5 hours away from where we were so it was a tight trip with Gracie in our lap. (Lets just say it was less enjoyable than an airplane ride). Gracie did however go sit on a National ladies lap in front of us and fall asleep for maybe 45 minutes. This was a nice break until she awoke with complete startlement because she didn't know where she was and who she was with. She let out a huge cry and promptly came back to mommy and daddy.

While in Goroka Steve was able to help the construction team some, and throw around the hammer a bit. The Sisson's are building a new home and have had a wide arrange of people here to help. While Gracie and I tried to help cook for the team that was there. In the evenings we played games and asked all kinds of questions about their orginization. Steve and I were both sad to come back to Ukarumpa after a joyus and fun time in Goroka. Plus the bed there was much more comfrotable!!!

Since then Steve has been teaching CPR like crazy. He had a class on the 24th, 26th, 28th, and 30th. I do think that most of the people that wanted to have training were able to make it and that he was a blessing to this community. PTL

I got a chance to go out into the village last week and give medical care with some of the nationals. It was interesting and I got to give some injections and dress some wounds. They do things very differenlty and unfortunatly with the amount of people waiting to be seen and the language barrier I wasn't able to ask why they did what they did. For example; they give sub-qutanious injecitons right under the skin like you would put a wheel in for a TB test. When I gave a sub-q shot I thought the PNG nurse was going to have a heart attack. He did not know what I was doing. I tried to do it the way he did the next time but it is actually much harder to do on a squirmey new born. I got the job done but it was not pretty. I thank the Lord for this experience and have been so blessed to see what good care we get in the states.

Gracie just turned 18 months this last week. She is finally a year and a half and is running like a crazy lady. I sat down and typed out the words she says on a daily basis and she was somewhere around 35 words that she can articulate appropriately and not just copy what we ar saying. It is amazing how much she has changed since we have gotten here. I was telling my mom that most days I put her hair in a poney tail now that it is long enough, her hair has lightened drastically and is a pretty dish water blonde which just makes her blue eyes pop out even more. Its been such a joy to be a parent that is around so much while being here and even though Gracie is still a Daddy's girl she is much more of a Mama's girl then when we came! YEHAW! I love it.

I did decied however, that I don't think that I want to be a full time stay at home mom. This was a supprise to me as this was my thought heading to PNG. I really enjoy working and I could not ask for a better job then the one I have; it is so flexable and really I work as much and as often as I want. I do enjoy seeing all my favorite girls at work and spending time with them. Caring for people has become a passion and i don't want to loose that - Plus all the work to be come a nurse.

Thanks for listening to my short update on how we are doing. We have 9 more days in Ukarumpa. We will then fly out on the 11th of April - your 10th as we are a day ahead, and spend the night in Port Morsby, PNG. The 12th we will fly to Australia and then to New Zealand. There we will spend 3 nights and board a plane late the 15th and fly to SFO. In SFO we will have approximatley a 7 hour lay over and then fly home to SEA arriving 10 pm on the 15th.

- Please pray for our travels as we prepare to spend many days with lots of changes. We ask for safety as well as easy transition for Gracie.

- Please pray that our last 9 days here will be fruitful and that his will would be completed.

- Please pray for our National friends here in PNG as leaving them will be the hardest part about coming home.

Thank You for all your continued support as we have been in PNG. I say this because I am not sure if this will be my last post from this country. I think that all 3 of us will be coming back to America as changed people and can't wait to share our stories and pictures. GET READY I HAVE AT LEAST 700 PICTURES!!!

xoxo,
Becky

Bilum

Well since we still have this loaner computer I thought I would give you a little more infomration about PNG.

Today I thought I would introduce a bag called a Bilum (Pronounced Bee-lum). This is a common bag in PNG. Most people cary one here and use it as a women would use a purse. It has been very helpful for Steve because he seems to loose less things :) and most men cary one so its not something against culture like it would be in America.

The Bilum is often given as a gift to visitors whom one respects and have made a friendship with. The idea makes me think of a friendship necklace that we would have as children where one girl wears half of the heart necklace and the other girl wears the other half. Same type of meaning.

The Bilum takes quite a bit of time to make, women must first purchase yarn and then must roll it to make it stronger. You then would crochet it together which can take several weeks to months depending upon the size of the bag and how skilled the women would be.

I was teasing Steve that I have traded my Luis Vuitton bag for a knit bag :)

I thought that I would add a description of a Bilum from Wikipedia. Now please remember the source in that it is a general description and that anyone can post on this site so its not hard fast information, but seems to be a good general description after reading it.

A bilum is a string bag made by hand in Papua New Guinea. The bag can be made by a process known as string looping or by crocheting. Traditionally, the string used was hand-made, normally from plant materials. Now, however, many people who can afford to do so make their bilums from store bought yarn and string.

Bilums are used to carry a wide range of items, from shopping goods in large bilums to personal items in purse-sized varieties. Mothers often carry their babies in bilums.

Whilst the traditional method of making bilums using woven plant reeds is still widely spread across Papua New Guinea, many villagers are now finding it easier to use wool-based yarns to make their bags. This allows a greater diversity of color schemes to be incorporated into the making of the bilums, and as a result they are more highly sought after, due to their highly visible and different patterns and color combinations.

Local men usually prefer to use long handle styles so they can be worn over the shoulder, freeing their arms for more important issues, like carrying important bush knives or to grab onto things while hiking mountains. Women often prefer the short handled versions that they can sling across their foreheads to carry greater loads, such as babies and/or large quantities of foodstuff (yams/potatoes/kau-kau etc.)

We have seen several women even white skins carrying their small children in these larger bags. Think of a baby in a hammock. There are several places around center that have hooks so that you can hang your child up and let them continue to sleep after walking to your desination. Its kind of a cool thing. These large Bilums are generally about $120 Kina or $60 USD because of the amount of yarn and time it takes to make them.

Feel free to google the Bilum and leave any comments you might have about the bags :)

Much Love
Becky

Ammenities

Hmmm where to start. Well I'm back after loosing our computer. If you haven't heard becasue you are not a member of facebook our Mac has offically died. It won't even boot up. Its a sad day, and I am hoping that we are able to get all our pictures off of the computer. That would be good since I have taken over 600 pictures so far. But other then that it has been a fairly similar week. Therefore I wanted to paint you a picture of what life is like here in PNG.

We live in a small community of several hundred homes that has a meeting house used for most gatherings, a store that is the size of a large 7-11, a post office that serves us well, and a clinic that meets the needs of all us white skins as well as serves the national community. The town sits at nearly 5,000 feet meaning that there is little humitity and has much cooler temperatures then the lowlands that are usually in the high 90's. We are connected by dirt roads that are full of rocks and are dusty if it hasn't rained for a while but otherwise are muddy. The homes here are well kept as many people hire natinoals to work for them for very inexpensive. Because of the rain and heat the grass grows nicely and looks fresh and inviting to play on. The town is on a hilly piece of property that means most places you get to walk uphill both ways :). Homes here are very reasonably priced between 10k and 50k but cars are another story. Therefore most of the cars are old (If anyone from Cascade reads this I have seen several cars that remind me of Eli Johnson's brown car that he had twice hehe)Someone told us when we first got here that cars don't die here they just get new owners. This was coming from a family that was driving a van from the 80's with a dindgy white paint job and a cow skull attached to the front of the roof of the van.

All this discription to say that this town is called Little America. Meaning that most people here are very blessed. We all have a stove that works, a refridgerator that runs, and a washing machine that keeps us from going down to the river to wash our clothes. My favorite ammenity is the SHOWER. Oh how I love a warm, acutally, hot shower.

The nationals that live in the villages are not as privilaged to have these ammenities. They live in usually a one room hut that is very nicely built but does not have electricity. They must collect water to drink from rain. They wash every morning in the cold river to get clean, they have no way to perserve food such as a refirdgerator so meat is not often eaten, and their clothes are all washed by hand in the river and hung to dry.

To live here takes all day. Working in the garden, bathing, washing clothes, and feeding your family is so time consuming for a national family I'm not sure how they have time to do anything but sustain life.

As I'm sure its not custom but we have gotten to the place in our relationship where our hosue Mary takes a shower or "wash,wash" every day after working here before she goes home becuase she just hates getting up at 6am to go down to the river to take a freezing bath. I am very blessed by Anna and this is the least I can do to show her how much I care for her.

There are many other things that PNG has that the national people are not able to enjoy due to the lack of finances. For example PNG loves coke! We have learned that most people from PNG would pick coke over any other drink. It has been a great way for us to meet people and invite them over for a "cupa" <--- Cupa is a Austrailan term. You invite someone over for a cupa. A cupa tea, a cupa coffee, a cupa coke. I like the term so when I get home you might here me invite you over for a cupa :) Back to my point...Coke has become expensive here and is not enjoyed by many nationals. It is almost 4 kina or 2 USD for a small 16oz bottle. When you think that you make 2.5k an hour a national would have to work 2 hours for a small bottle of coke. Steve and I have been able to use coke as a ministry to nationals by shairing a bottle of coke. I don't think I will ever look at coke in the same manner and really have a new respect and desire to drink it than I have ever had before.


Food has also been another form of ministry for us. Our house mary says that often she goes home (from work) with a hungry stomach that aches for food but is so thankful that she goes home from our home with a full stomach and a greatful heart. I see that many white skins are burdend by the need to feed nationals, but so many of them are hungry and desiring food that it only seems fair to share when you have much and they have little. It has been a wonderful privilage to bless the natinoals with something so small as food and feel the warmth of their big smiles when their stomach is content.

Speaking of food I thought I would talk about the national diet some. The national diet pretty much consists of what you can grow in the ground. Cow-Cow is sweet potato, peanuts, carrots, lettuce, tomato, bananas, pineapple, green beans, brocholli to give you an idea of the diet. It is a very healthy diet but you often have to eat alot to make you full. Meaning that you need to grow alot of food to satisfy your hunger. Only to lead back to why living here is so hard.

I hope that this painted a small picture of what it is like to live in PNG as a white skin or as a National. But I am sure that when we return home that pictures will paint the 1,000 words that I have left out.

Please pray for Steve and I as we head to Garoka this week. This is where we will be spending time with To every tribe and the Sisson family. We are really hoping that the Lord will lead us and reveal much to us at this time. I know that after this next week we will both be ready to head home as our work in PNG will have come to a close. We ask that you pray specifically for travel mercies as well as an open heart.

Much Love Becky

Women in PNG

Hi again! Today is another beautiful day here in PNG. Its about 82 degrees in the house with a light cross breeze that keeps it very comfortable. I was thinking that I would like to blog some more about our trip but didn’t have much to say about our time here as not much has changed. So I thought I would give a perspective of what life is like to live as a women in PNG.

I think that in America for the most part women are valued. There are many women that want to be treated as equals, but in my opinion we aren’t equal to men and I don’t want to pretend that I am. Instead we have different attributes that make us just as valuable, but not equal. In the Ericosn house there are blue jobs, pink jobs, and purple jobs. A blue job is a job that is performed by Steve and primarily Steve (never say only). Pink jobs are Becky jobs, and purple jobs are for either. For example changing the oil in the car is a blue job. Yes I could learn how to do it, and sure if I wanted to be just like one of the guys I would. Hmmm, but I don’t want to or have the need to be the same as Steve. The Lord made me good at different things and I am pleased to leave that messy and time-consuming job up to my husband. Now make sure all you ladies take this with a grain of salt. If you have a desire to change the oil in the car go for it I’m sure your spouse would love that, but then that would be a gift that the Lord gave you, that I didn’t get. ☺

I say all this to point out the fact that women have many different qualities that allow them a way in which to serve their family. This is where men and women become a valuable part of the family by using their different talents. PNG women live very contrasting lives.

Just as I was getting ready to put Gracie down for her nap, it was the second time in 2 days that a husband came to “sell” his wife. When we moved into the new house it was assumed that we would need help inside and out. Therefore husbands are out scouting work for the wife or wives rather then looking to pour out their own blood and sweat for the income. It is assumed that all the inside chores as well as weeding/gardening is for the women to do. At the same time the women are expected to continue with all of the home chores such as cooking and taking care of the children. Women are expected to chop fire wood and kindling. It is the wife’s job to till the garden, plant the seeds, harvest the food. (Men are to dig the irrigation) It seems women deal with polygamy. When approached about having some work done around the house (like yard work) one man said he had many women to work. Our house mary’s husband left her 3 years ago for another women. Now I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen in America as it has become much more prevalent, but here it is a way of life, and back home it as least as seen as a shameful act.

It is also true that here white women are not treated with the same value. I use the word value here instead of equality because we are not made the same but should be respected. In one of our first days in PNG a women whom I have come to greatly respect, Martha Hinton, told me that if you want a man that is working for you to do a specific task you must tell them that your husband said so. I was so taken back by this. I am paying this person and he won’t do what I ask? Only if my husband wants it done? No way, this can’t be. Not until we had a man come work in our yard did I find this to be true. I had fed this particular gentleman maybe 5 times in the last two weeks and yet he still had not learned my name. When he came to work at 8 am I was told that he expected breakfast, a snack at 10 and lunch. I was also told what he would do around the yard to clean up. Wait aren’t I the employer? Don’t I make the terms? Aren’t I handing over the dough? This was a very humbling experience for me as I had to swallow my pride and realize that I wasn’t in America, and the culture here is very different. This was not a “dig” at me, but what all women deal with while living in PNG. To take a submissive role, work hard, and follow instructions.

I hope that this brief description of what it is like to be a women in PNG reminds us American women that we are not equal to men, just as one women is not equal to another, but that we are valued and well taken care of. That many of us are nurtured and encouraged rather that expected and that we have a wonderful opportunity to be a witness to our family by serving them with grateful hearts.

Rise and Shine

This morning Steve and I woke up with a great sense of peace.

So I say THANK YOU! There have obviously been many prayers on our behalf in the last day.

We began our day with blueberry pancakes. Then showers/baths
We continued down to the horse paddocks and Gracie went for another pony ride as well as a ride in a cart like the Amish would use.
We came home and Gracie is now napping and Steve is off to the PNG Prison to help with their ministry.
Tonight we will have a short date while seeing the play Sherlock Holm and Gracie hopefully does well with babysitting. Definitely a challenge for the babysitter to get her to not cry.

Anyway I don't have too much to update on but I thought I would let you all know that our hearts are in a much happier place today and we are grateful for you all.

Becky

United as one

As I sit here at the computer its 9 am and I am groggily sipping my cup of coffee while Gracie runs circles around the house as though she got to the pot of coffee before I even woke up.

I thought that I would be able to blog about my experience as if I was writing in a journal. In which a way to express myself and look back at my experience and see where I came from and how much I have grown. But as I type I realize that there are just some things that you can’t tell the whole world. I can however make requests.

So my blog today is a request.

Steve and I stayed up until 2 am last night talking about our thoughts and intentions, our passions and our hearts desire. (This is why I am groggy at 9am, Gracie woke up at 7!). As we sat last night we realized at this point our hearts are in two very different spots and have never really had to overcome something like this before.

So I ask for you to pray. Pray that the Lord would unite our hearts. That he would give us similar passions and desires for our life. Pray that we would not have feelings of resentment or fear, but that we would live our last month here with certainty and gratitude.

I also ask that as you read this not to take it as though Steve and I are not enjoying our time here. We have come to a real appreciation and love for the country and its people.

Please also pray that Steve would be able to give CPR certifications. We found out this morning that there is a form you must fill out to teach overseas and it takes 6 weeks to process. He specifically asked about this before we left and was not told about this form until this morning. He has already given his word that he would certify the clinic employees and we pray that he could do this in good conscious. We have also spent nearly $1,000 of our money for him to have gone through this class to be able to certify people so I pray that our money would not have been used in vein.

On a brighter note we got to go to Amumu this last Wednesday. Amumu is the roasting of a pig and vegetables under the ground like they would do in Hawaii when you think of a Lu’au. This was a fun experience and we were so excited to be invited.

I was also presented with an opportunity to go for a helicopter ride, but with much regret I had to decline as I had already made a previous engagement; such a disappointment. As you can see, since I am blogging about it!

Last Sunday after service Steve got to go paragliding, and for some reason I felt some envy well up within me. I so wanted to go, but of course someone had to stay with the baby. The main guy that does the paragliding does have a tandem (wing I guess you would call it?) and I hope to be able to go before we leave.

Tonight we will be having our friends the Pennington family over for dinner. Ryan (The husband) grew up in Gig Harbor through Jr. High and they have a little girl about 11 months older than Gracie, these girls have so much fun together. The Penningtons also have a 6 month old son. Anyway we met Ryan on the plan our first day coming into Ukarumpa and have found their friendship invaluable while here.

Tomorrow we have someone coming to baby sit Gracie while we get a chance to go see the play that the HS is putting on. Sherlock Holms. I am so excited as this would not be something that Steve would agree to do if we were back in the states. Although….I did get him to take myself and our moms to see Mary Poppins last year in Seattle! (Don’t tell him I said that ☺

Please know that my heart misses you all. If you read this blog your have been a vital and important part of our lives. We love to hear from each and every one of you and to know that you are praying for us helps so much. So please don’t be shy to leave a message it is a blessing to us!

Love Becky, Steve and Gracie

35 days and counting

It is Saturday Feburary 25th, 2012 at about noon here in PNG. The sun is shining and for the first time while living here I slept late. This morning reminded me of they days prior to Gracie. Ten o’clock rolled around before I crept out of bed groggily looking for my family.

Steve made us breakfast. Blueberry pancakes, and the best part is…That he is cleaning up while I sit here in front of the bay windows blogging.

Gracie is out in the front yard playing…Hmmm you ask?? Playing, Yup that’s right I had to learn to relax a little, therefore she is out side by herself, playing. I was originally out there with her but she was brining dirt/mud over to me and spreading it on my pants so rather than tell her she couldn’t play in the mud, I left her out there alone. ☺

This week seemed to fly by. We are officially almost half way done with our trip. We have been out of the US for 35 out of our 81 days. It was today, one month ago that we reached PNG on January 25th. Although the first several weeks seemed to have taken months to pass our last 2 weeks have flown by. For those of you who were asking we have 47 more sleeps in PNG and 3 more sleeps in New Zealand so 50 more days.

I have begun working at the clinic. This last Thursday was an eye opener. As a nurse here you work with Americans/Australians/Kiwis/Koreans basically anyone that is part of SIL. The Doctors however take call working with PNG nationals to give care to the people of PNG. Right now there are 2 doctors here Dr. Jeff and Dr. Helen. Every other day they are available to help give care to the hundred or so people that wait outside the clinic hoping that they got here early enough to be seen that day. The SIL clinic and the UHC (Ukarumpa Health Clinic) are in different buildings and the two do not mix. At first this was very disappointing to me as I can take care of white people that speak English at home! But after some thought and prayer the Lord helped me to realize that this is good too. For one I do not Tok Pisin. I can’t communicate and take a good history of their illness if I don’t’ speak the language. Second the Dr’s here are so awesome that they involve you anyway! Dr. Jeff pulled me in on Thursday to watch an ultrasound of a 50 year old whose liver was HUGE. She unfortunately had large amounts of tumor in her liver and spleen and Dr. Jeff had to tell and her daughter that she only had maybe several months to live. The average age here is much shorter then America 50-60 is old is a long life here. I think in part the hard work and sun take years off of their life. Anyway this was a sad day to realize that many of the Nationals come to the clinic too late and if they had been seen earlier they many may not have had the finances anyway.

Next week I will be traveling to the Primary school with another nurse to do eye exams on all the students there. It will probably be a three-day job since we both only work half days 8am-12pm. I know rough right? Ukarumpa only has daycare in the AM so most mom’s only work then. I will be there on Tuesday and Friday. Gracie will be dropped of in the morning and she has learned that it isn’t so bad. But we know it isn’t nearly as fun as going to Grammy and Papa’s house.

Yesterday we spent time walking out to our House Mary’s village. We took a little over 150 pictures of her family. She is one of 7 but there were only 4 brothers and sisters there and their children and it was still a HUGE family. They were so excited for us to come and we were so blessed by the experience. Now I will need to find a way to print the pictures and hopefully laminate them so that they will be safe for her family. My plan is to print perhaps maybe the best 15-20 pictures several times for each of the families to own. It was important for me to capture many pictures of her mother as she is in her 60’s they think (Many people don’t know when they were born) and is probably reaching the end of her life. We alos got a few pictures of a bunch of black skin children and Gracie sticking out like a sore thumb! So cute!!
- Thanks Dad for the spare camera battery it has come in handy!

I hope this blog finds you well. Perhaps we can send some of our sun home as we are in need of rain here for the gardens and for drinking water. Want to trade? How did I know you would? We had a small amount of rain last night but that was the first rain for almost 2 weeks.

Love you all greatly.

xoxo,

~Becky

Update from Ukarumpa

Good afternoon from PNG.

This afternoon Steve is now taking a cat nap and Gracie has fallen asleep on the floor near me even though she just recently woke up form a 2 hour nap.

Today was Gracie’s first day in daycare in her entire life. Steve said she whaled when he left her, but when I went to pick her up she was dazed and tired. I’m not quite sure if she played hard or if she cried the whole time. The ladies at the daycare said she was fine after daddy left her sight. I pray that this is true.

The reason Gracie was in daycare was because this was my first week working as a nurse in PNG. Originally I thought I would work, then I thought they wouldn’t need me, then again finally it was decided that I would work Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8-12 seeing as that is when daycare is open, (half days).

This last weekend we were able to get out of the gate and I was able to see a little bit of what PNG is really like. It really is a beautiful country lush and green, warm and colorful. We went to Yaunke dam where we had a nice picnic lunch and were able to swim for several hours. This was very enjoyable and we were glad that we went (and I got lots of pictures of Gracie naked swimming in a brown lake).
It was then time for our valentine’s dinner, which was much joy. The 11th grade class set up a room on center to be like a restaurant. The class worked by waiting the tables and cooking the food. It was very well decorated and had my wedding pictures of those that have been here for a while.

Last night we went to a friend of ours that is a National but works for BTA (Bible Translation Association) They were very sweet and made us a home made dinner PNG style. WE ate on the floor and had many different types of potatoes, fruit, chicken and veggies; most of which they grew themselves. Because the wife is employed by BTA they have housing and a steady income. This is unusual in PNG. Since we have been here many people have asked to work for us. While it is not expensive to hire them one only has so many jobs. The PNG people often see white skins as a mode to receive something because we are very wealthy compared to them. So this friendship we have made that we have made as equals is very nice and refreshing. Also not very common here, so we are so blessed to have them to dinner tonight.

Other than this we have continued to be welcomed and have had several dinners/lunches by various families that have been all so wonderful in their own way.

Please continue to pray for us as we have 7 more weeks in PNG
- Please pray that we will continue to seek what the Lord has in store for us
- That we would be a blessing to those that are here
- Our skills would be beneficial and helpful while we are in Ukarumpa
- That when we travel to Garoka next month that the Lord would watch over us and keep us safe.

We love you all very much and are blessed to have the support from home as we are in this far off place. As I enjoy my time here more and more each day, I can’t help but be excited to reunite with our friends and family in April!

xoxo
~Becky

Enough about me

I have been using this blog as a journal to tell you all my thoughts and feelings along the way. To share the ups and downs of living in a third world country and having limited friend and family contact. So you have been able to see deep into my emotions and reliance on God. But I have yet to talk much about Steve and Gracie and how they are doing on this trip so today’s blog will be devoted to updates on both of them.

STEVE
Yup you guessed it LOVES it here. He thrives on meeting new people and interacting with the nationals. He feels a real sense of connection with the people and usually bring someone home new each day. He has made several good friends and brothers in the Lord while we have been here.

Yesterday he met a fellow named Powell. He originally worked as security in Ukarumpa but has since married a national women that is involved in translating and has begun a farm and a coffee plantation. We will be going to dinner at their house next Monday for an authentic PNG meal. (Side note we eat much like American’s so I am excited to eat some traditional food and see what it is like, but thankful I can cook like home on a regular basis). Powell is also 27 years old and is not like the normal National. He speaks English well and it seems like you could drop him in America and he would fit right in.

Steve is also planning on getting involved in the Prison ministry here. He is very eager to go out and meet these men and women that often have life transformations while stuck in a small cell. The prisoners get very little food while interned here so the missionaries that go often bring fruit and vegetables. The Nationals call it their freedom food. They go every other Saturday so I think Steve will be going not this upcoming week but 2 weeks after that.

Steve has been busy every day doing escape plans fore each of the major buildings as well as teaching first aid and CPR. Yesterday he was assigned a classroom for the rest of our stay and will be teaching a rotating class of First Aid and CPR each morning for 3 hours. Anyone and everyone will be able to come and is encouraged by the director of Wycliffe.

Tonight Gracie and I will go watch Steve play a type of street hokey with out skates but inside. I cannot remember the name of the game but he plans to meet his friend Powell down at the teen center and with many other people from Ukarumpa and play. The way it was described was like the Swedish version of Bandi, so Steve was saying he has good blood for hokey but is not good himself. He also has been playing Ultimate Frisbee every Sunday and comes home exhausted from running for 3 hours straight. I’m sure he would like to go play Soccer on Saturday’s but I claimed that time to go to Zumba.

Please keep Steve in your prayers as well as he has much joy and excitement while here. I have a feeling he will morn the time here once we come home and he goes back to the usual routine of his daily job. Please pray that he will transition back home well and that he will find a type of outreach/discipleship that he will be able to be involved in back at home.

GRACIE
She also LOVES it here. Well for the first thing she gets to play outside every day in the sun and run around. When we first got here she wouldn’t touch the grass with her feet but now bolts as soon as the door opens. She is very happy that her parents are around every day. Mama is always here and Dada comes home every night. This is a huge luxury here for her in the fact the she often has both of us around.

She has been spending a lot of time with a girl named Kate. Kate is 10 and moved here from Tennessee when she was 5. Her parents originally came to be host parents. The Browns would be a home for teens that stayed back in Ukarumpa to go to school while their parents went to villages to do translation work. Because of the cost of food here in PNG the Brown family would need to raise $2.000 more a MONTH to stay, so they will be heading back to the US in June. They have had up to 17 children in their home at one time, 5 of witch are their own, but now only have 7. The Browns also believe in reformed theology and Charley Brown (No joke, that is his name) is in charge of Sunday school here. We are often able to see videos of John Piper or similar preachers that are very encouraging.

Gracie also LOVES the bananas here. They are so dense and creamy. Nothing like what we get in the states and they are so inexpensive. She often has 3 or more bananas in one day. Although I would be concerned about being constipated we have not run into that problem so I let her eat them freely. She is now able to open the refrigerator and pull one out, and brings it to me to open. I can not believe how big my girl is getting. I may have to put a lock on the refrigerator door once we get home.
I have also been making juice. It is so overpriced that it is much cheaper to make your own. Yesterday I simmered several dozen cherry guava and made a concentrate, then added some fresh squeezed lemon and boiled a pot of water added sugar and then the concentrate and we had juice or Muli as they call it here. Gracie cannot seem to get enough and often drinks at least two sippy cups worth a day. We are officially done with bottles. She no longer is drinking milk from a bottle anymore. Unfortunately she isn’t really drinking milk at all but often has water or Muli.

Cloth diapering is going very well. The first several days we leaked every time she went to the bathroom but now we maybe have one accident a day where I don’t change her fast enough and she is so well hydrated that she pee’s more then the diaper is capable of holding. Otherwise we have been using one disposable diaper while sleeping and cloth during the day. I purchased diaper liners before we left home and they have been AWESOME. I would completely recommend them to anyone who is thinking of doing cloth diapering. You place the liner in the diaper and it catches the solid waste. You can then toss the liner in the toilet and flush it (unless you have septic – like they do here). But it has been great even with loose and watery stools. Since I invested so much money in these diapers before we came I might just use them when we are around the house once we come back to the states. Other than the washing they are not really that much more work then disposables.

Now that I have officially bored all of you to tears, I will leave you with my encouragement of the day! This book was given to us by Steve’s dear friend Jake before we left and has a daily devotion by Charles Spurgeon. He ended his devotion today with a quote:

“Trials make the promise sweet,
Trials give new life to prayer,
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low and keep me there.”

Love this. What an encouragement!
Love you all and keeping you in our prayers and we venture on!

xoxo
~Becky