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
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
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
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
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
FInally!
Finally a great day in PNG!
Steve and I woke up this morning getting ready for our big move! We packed most of our stuff yesterday and was ready to start the process by 8 am.
Anna our house mary came and cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned our old place so that I didn't have to do anything other then help Steve and take care of Gracie.
After 3.5 hours of moving...(we had to carry everything by hand up a hill to our new house, including all our food) it was time for lunch and it was a good one with our new friend Anna.
Our new house is full of windows that overlook these great green hills. We have a view of a village that is being built and you can watch nationals making huts as we would call them with branches, and mud, like what you would see on Survivor but much more elaborate. We also have tons of bushes that have cherry guavas growing on them and they are so good. We have tons of pineapple bushes (I always thought they grew in trees), and a papaya tree.
I can't help but feel my moral uplifted already. When wondering why I felt so much more comfortable today I started to realize that although clean our Translator lodge was more like a uncomfortable hotel room. Hotel rooms are temporary, you come stay for a week or two and then head home. I was never in the mind set of staying, it just felt like I was waiting to pack back up. Today as I unpacked I though how blessed I was to stay here. We have two comfortable couches and two recliners. You never realize how much one enjoys their furniture until you have some really uncomfortable stuff. I never felt like I could relax in our old place because there was no real place to do so. We have a huge tub...like one at home, and Gracie took a great bath tonight that wasn't in brown water because we have 2 rain tanks so all the water comes from rain water them rather than the river. We also have a hot water heater!! No more COLD showers! WOO HOO!!!
I also did Zumba for the first time today. There is an instructor here, she travels and teaches Zumba at missionary towns around the world. I never thought I could get into it but boy was it fun! I was sweating up a storm by the end (maybe because it was humid today) but never the less it felt great to exercise and not have the baby all day. Just a little time to myself was WONDERFUL :) She teaches the class Tuesday and Saturday through the end of March so I think that I will have to become a regular. I was talking to a lady named Kelly and we decided it was like a bad cheerleading practice. :) Not that I was ever a cheerleader I will never admit to that ;)
Finally tonight we made it down to a Wycliff Associates (all the support staff for the translators) pot luck. It was perfect because I had no plans for dinner so I made a quick batch of snicker-doodle cookies (that everyone loved) and we headed down for a great meal and lots of good conversation.
I expected a fight from Gracie tonight as I thought she would be distraught over her new room but she waved at me as I left and said bye-bye and I haven't heard from her since. She definitely likes all the room here and has been running around getting into everything. Ohhhh and guess what I have a laundry dryer! This is not meant for daily use, however, it is for when the sun goes away at noon and your laundry is still damp you can throw them in and not have to wait a whole day to put them back out and start drying your clothes again.
Thank you for your continued prayers. I have definitely felt the love and support from our Lord leading me through.
Happy Valentines day from PNG :) (Its 3am your time)
PS. We do have valentines plans for Saturday. Steve is taking me "out" to dinner, and we have found a babysitter for Gracie!
Love Becky
Steve and I woke up this morning getting ready for our big move! We packed most of our stuff yesterday and was ready to start the process by 8 am.
Anna our house mary came and cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned our old place so that I didn't have to do anything other then help Steve and take care of Gracie.
After 3.5 hours of moving...(we had to carry everything by hand up a hill to our new house, including all our food) it was time for lunch and it was a good one with our new friend Anna.
Our new house is full of windows that overlook these great green hills. We have a view of a village that is being built and you can watch nationals making huts as we would call them with branches, and mud, like what you would see on Survivor but much more elaborate. We also have tons of bushes that have cherry guavas growing on them and they are so good. We have tons of pineapple bushes (I always thought they grew in trees), and a papaya tree.
I can't help but feel my moral uplifted already. When wondering why I felt so much more comfortable today I started to realize that although clean our Translator lodge was more like a uncomfortable hotel room. Hotel rooms are temporary, you come stay for a week or two and then head home. I was never in the mind set of staying, it just felt like I was waiting to pack back up. Today as I unpacked I though how blessed I was to stay here. We have two comfortable couches and two recliners. You never realize how much one enjoys their furniture until you have some really uncomfortable stuff. I never felt like I could relax in our old place because there was no real place to do so. We have a huge tub...like one at home, and Gracie took a great bath tonight that wasn't in brown water because we have 2 rain tanks so all the water comes from rain water them rather than the river. We also have a hot water heater!! No more COLD showers! WOO HOO!!!
I also did Zumba for the first time today. There is an instructor here, she travels and teaches Zumba at missionary towns around the world. I never thought I could get into it but boy was it fun! I was sweating up a storm by the end (maybe because it was humid today) but never the less it felt great to exercise and not have the baby all day. Just a little time to myself was WONDERFUL :) She teaches the class Tuesday and Saturday through the end of March so I think that I will have to become a regular. I was talking to a lady named Kelly and we decided it was like a bad cheerleading practice. :) Not that I was ever a cheerleader I will never admit to that ;)
Finally tonight we made it down to a Wycliff Associates (all the support staff for the translators) pot luck. It was perfect because I had no plans for dinner so I made a quick batch of snicker-doodle cookies (that everyone loved) and we headed down for a great meal and lots of good conversation.
I expected a fight from Gracie tonight as I thought she would be distraught over her new room but she waved at me as I left and said bye-bye and I haven't heard from her since. She definitely likes all the room here and has been running around getting into everything. Ohhhh and guess what I have a laundry dryer! This is not meant for daily use, however, it is for when the sun goes away at noon and your laundry is still damp you can throw them in and not have to wait a whole day to put them back out and start drying your clothes again.
Thank you for your continued prayers. I have definitely felt the love and support from our Lord leading me through.
Happy Valentines day from PNG :) (Its 3am your time)
PS. We do have valentines plans for Saturday. Steve is taking me "out" to dinner, and we have found a babysitter for Gracie!
Love Becky
Monday, February 13, 2012
We are Moving!
Let me start by saying that the duplex that we live in does not like me. I have been having major allergy problems which I normally do not get. I constantly want to rip out my right eyeball...thats right, I plan on keeping the left one. I sneeze maybe 20-30 times a day and am stuffed up in the evening (whenever we go into our bedroom). I do believe the culprit is MOLD. PNG is a warm place that is wet all the time. Perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Ewwww
That lead to a conversation Steve had with a family that was leaving for furlough today (Monday). Well they either need to rent out their house or will have to pay their mortgage here and in Korea. Steve was telling them about my allergies and we all decided that a move was in order. The dad Mr. Park said that we were and answer to his prayers. WOW I don't think I have ever been an answer to anyone's prayers. What an amazing feeling to know that God is using me to help others. I am so excited to move into this 4 bedroom house that is so much comfortable for us and the same price rent!!
We got the keys to the house today but not until 5:30 so we will be moving tomorrow. It feels like a house that should be in Arizona. Great big windows overlooking the lush green rolling hills, tile floors throughout. The best part is that it has a water filter so hopefully that will fix my stomach issues.
I had quite the day today. First my allergies were driving me crazy so I took some benadryl and was knocked out for hours, probably slept 2-3 hours this afternoon. Then when I woke up I fed Gracie and we were getting ready to walk to the store when it began to sprinkle. By the time I ran back and got 3 loads of laundry inside it was a down pour. So I was racing back down the steps to get the bucket of close pins and fell backwards. At least Gracie was on my front side in the ergo. Well It knocked the wind out of me and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs with bruises on my leg and back. Then tonight I burned myself on a cookie sheet. Well with all that in mind the most important part was that I still have a good attitude. Yesterday or the day before I would have crawled back in bed and not gotten out. But today I just kept plugging along trying to keep a positive attitude.
I must say that packing up our duplex today was slightly hard. I am ready to come home and it was a reminder that we have 2 more full months left in Uhkarumpa. But that does mean that we have been here for 3 weeks and although I have had many ups and downs the Lord has sustained me through it all. Each morning I wake up and ask for the grace to make it through another day. I keep waiting to wake up and love it here but it has yet to happen.
Steve has made a friend that is a native to PNG. He works for SIL (Summer institute of Linguistics) and his wife died in 2007. He has 4 children ranging from the age of 5th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade, and preschool. Kevin walks 2 hours from his village to work. He works straight from 8 am to 4pm (not even a lunch break) then walks 2 hours back home to only cook dinner and take care of his family. Steve invited Kevin and his children to dinner so our prayer is that they can come before we leave. Please keep Kevin in your prayers as he struggles to supply for his family. But continues to work hard! It continues to amaze me the work ethic that people of this country have. I don't know very many Americans that would work for $1.25 an hour and be thankful for the opportunity. What an amazing testimony these people have.
Last night Steve and I had tacos for dinner and boy were they good! I made home made flour tortillas for the first time. I remember my mom doing it once or twice as a child but never payed attention. Well they were sooo easy and WAY better then ones you would buy in the states!
In case anyone would like to try here is the recipe.
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbs of either oil or shortening
Mix 3 ingredients together
Then add one cup of Hot water and kneed until no dough sticks to the bowl
(I had to add a little more water, then I added too much so had to add more flour)
Next you roll them into egg sized balls and let them sit for 15 minutes
Finally you roll them out with a rolling pin the size of a salad plate and fry them on a dry (no oil needed) frying pan. 2 minutes on the first side 1 minute on the second side.
These are delish I will definitely be making them again! Please let me know if you make them and how they turned out. Your husband will approve guarantee it. The question is, whether you want to do it the first time because you won't want to buy store bought tortillas ever again :)
Well more adventures from PNG to come but I have an antsy one year old in my lap that needs to play so we will talk soon!
Love xoxo,
Becky
That lead to a conversation Steve had with a family that was leaving for furlough today (Monday). Well they either need to rent out their house or will have to pay their mortgage here and in Korea. Steve was telling them about my allergies and we all decided that a move was in order. The dad Mr. Park said that we were and answer to his prayers. WOW I don't think I have ever been an answer to anyone's prayers. What an amazing feeling to know that God is using me to help others. I am so excited to move into this 4 bedroom house that is so much comfortable for us and the same price rent!!
We got the keys to the house today but not until 5:30 so we will be moving tomorrow. It feels like a house that should be in Arizona. Great big windows overlooking the lush green rolling hills, tile floors throughout. The best part is that it has a water filter so hopefully that will fix my stomach issues.
I had quite the day today. First my allergies were driving me crazy so I took some benadryl and was knocked out for hours, probably slept 2-3 hours this afternoon. Then when I woke up I fed Gracie and we were getting ready to walk to the store when it began to sprinkle. By the time I ran back and got 3 loads of laundry inside it was a down pour. So I was racing back down the steps to get the bucket of close pins and fell backwards. At least Gracie was on my front side in the ergo. Well It knocked the wind out of me and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs with bruises on my leg and back. Then tonight I burned myself on a cookie sheet. Well with all that in mind the most important part was that I still have a good attitude. Yesterday or the day before I would have crawled back in bed and not gotten out. But today I just kept plugging along trying to keep a positive attitude.
I must say that packing up our duplex today was slightly hard. I am ready to come home and it was a reminder that we have 2 more full months left in Uhkarumpa. But that does mean that we have been here for 3 weeks and although I have had many ups and downs the Lord has sustained me through it all. Each morning I wake up and ask for the grace to make it through another day. I keep waiting to wake up and love it here but it has yet to happen.
Steve has made a friend that is a native to PNG. He works for SIL (Summer institute of Linguistics) and his wife died in 2007. He has 4 children ranging from the age of 5th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade, and preschool. Kevin walks 2 hours from his village to work. He works straight from 8 am to 4pm (not even a lunch break) then walks 2 hours back home to only cook dinner and take care of his family. Steve invited Kevin and his children to dinner so our prayer is that they can come before we leave. Please keep Kevin in your prayers as he struggles to supply for his family. But continues to work hard! It continues to amaze me the work ethic that people of this country have. I don't know very many Americans that would work for $1.25 an hour and be thankful for the opportunity. What an amazing testimony these people have.
Last night Steve and I had tacos for dinner and boy were they good! I made home made flour tortillas for the first time. I remember my mom doing it once or twice as a child but never payed attention. Well they were sooo easy and WAY better then ones you would buy in the states!
In case anyone would like to try here is the recipe.
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbs of either oil or shortening
Mix 3 ingredients together
Then add one cup of Hot water and kneed until no dough sticks to the bowl
(I had to add a little more water, then I added too much so had to add more flour)
Next you roll them into egg sized balls and let them sit for 15 minutes
Finally you roll them out with a rolling pin the size of a salad plate and fry them on a dry (no oil needed) frying pan. 2 minutes on the first side 1 minute on the second side.
These are delish I will definitely be making them again! Please let me know if you make them and how they turned out. Your husband will approve guarantee it. The question is, whether you want to do it the first time because you won't want to buy store bought tortillas ever again :)
Well more adventures from PNG to come but I have an antsy one year old in my lap that needs to play so we will talk soon!
Love xoxo,
Becky
Friday, February 10, 2012
Good morning PNG!
Mornin to all those back home. Its about 9 am here and Saturday. While its 3pm on Friday your time. Did you want to know how Saturday was going to go? Its going to be a nice relaxing day. Time to sleep in...Pick up the house a little spent time with your family, the normal drill. :) Or maybe thats how our Saturday has gone the hour I have been awake.
I had an interesting experience this week. We recently hired someone that would be called a House Mary this week. She comes in and cleans, does minimal cooking and will take care of your children when you need to leave for any reason. Its amazing how close this comes to resemble the book "The Help". Some of these ladies walk 2 hours to be at work for $1.25 an hour. So for 4 hours of work we pay 10 Kina which is 5 USD. It is expected that you feed them snack and a cup of tea but that seems so minimal for what services they provide you. Our new House Mary's name or Haus Mari in Tok Pisin (the PNG language) is Anna and she is very sweet and lives near by so it only takes her 20 minutes to walk. I can't help feel for these ladies who are so eager to work and not asking for any handouts. If only American's could get the concept that you have to work to get money and food. Go figure.
On other news Steve returned from Madang on Wednesday with a new respect and love for the Nationals are like here. He has some great pictures of the bus getting stuck and maybe a 50-75 nationals watching or helping get the van off a rock. He also got to visit Wycliffe's POC (Pacific Orientation Course). If we were to come for longer than a year to PNG we would spend 3 months learning the language and how to live in a village. They also spend 5 weeks doing village living to better understand how people survive and what it takes. He meet some amazing people there that shared how they ended up in PNG and what they thought the Lord had in store for them.
Steve also got to do some fun things. He went snorkeling and said it was the warmest water he had ever been in. Warmer than Hawaii, and the fish were just as pretty. He also got to go cliff jumping into the ocean with some native boys...I was wondering why he had a sopping pair of wet underwear when he got home, glad it wasn't because he had an accident. :)
All and all I would say that Steve had a great time and learned a lot from the men he traveled with. Thank you for your prayers as he was gone. We were all well taken care of by our heavenly father.
We do have dates for going to Garoka. We will be gone between March 17 and the 21st so please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go to meet the Sisson family that I spoke about in a past blog and see what their mission is all about.
We love you all and will hopefully keep you posted on our blog. More to come in later days. Off to feed the kid and husband breakfast!
xoxo
Becky
Gracie is on my lap and would like to write you all a message: Here is what she has to say..
asdfghjkNJJJJjjmfjhhxxvvbw56 mkklml nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnv x
\gfg
Thanks for listening
I had an interesting experience this week. We recently hired someone that would be called a House Mary this week. She comes in and cleans, does minimal cooking and will take care of your children when you need to leave for any reason. Its amazing how close this comes to resemble the book "The Help". Some of these ladies walk 2 hours to be at work for $1.25 an hour. So for 4 hours of work we pay 10 Kina which is 5 USD. It is expected that you feed them snack and a cup of tea but that seems so minimal for what services they provide you. Our new House Mary's name or Haus Mari in Tok Pisin (the PNG language) is Anna and she is very sweet and lives near by so it only takes her 20 minutes to walk. I can't help feel for these ladies who are so eager to work and not asking for any handouts. If only American's could get the concept that you have to work to get money and food. Go figure.
On other news Steve returned from Madang on Wednesday with a new respect and love for the Nationals are like here. He has some great pictures of the bus getting stuck and maybe a 50-75 nationals watching or helping get the van off a rock. He also got to visit Wycliffe's POC (Pacific Orientation Course). If we were to come for longer than a year to PNG we would spend 3 months learning the language and how to live in a village. They also spend 5 weeks doing village living to better understand how people survive and what it takes. He meet some amazing people there that shared how they ended up in PNG and what they thought the Lord had in store for them.
Steve also got to do some fun things. He went snorkeling and said it was the warmest water he had ever been in. Warmer than Hawaii, and the fish were just as pretty. He also got to go cliff jumping into the ocean with some native boys...I was wondering why he had a sopping pair of wet underwear when he got home, glad it wasn't because he had an accident. :)
All and all I would say that Steve had a great time and learned a lot from the men he traveled with. Thank you for your prayers as he was gone. We were all well taken care of by our heavenly father.
We do have dates for going to Garoka. We will be gone between March 17 and the 21st so please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go to meet the Sisson family that I spoke about in a past blog and see what their mission is all about.
We love you all and will hopefully keep you posted on our blog. More to come in later days. Off to feed the kid and husband breakfast!
xoxo
Becky
Gracie is on my lap and would like to write you all a message: Here is what she has to say..
asdfghjkNJJJJjjmfjhhxxvvbw56 mkklml nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnv x
\gfg
Thanks for listening
Monday, February 6, 2012
Another nap Another blog
It is amazing how strong I have felt the last 24 hours when you have no crutch to stand upon except for God.
Its about 1 pm here and Gracie and I have already had a full day with more to come.
- We began our morning by snuggling in bed and watching Curious George. (My favorite thing to do in the morning SNUGLE)
- We then went for our play date across the center so probably ½ mile and Gracie played with a girl named Chloe who is 2.5 and by the end of our time Gracie had warmed up and was playing
- We went to teatime. I didn’t know I was in England?? haha Tea is very cultural here and there were many new and familiar faces there. This was enjoyable but short lived as 1 year olds only can watch you drink tea and talk for so long
- We then went and had Gracie’s blood re-drawn from when she was sick to ensure you WBC were back to normal. This seemed to take a long time as the lady was a National and slow at the process. Gracie SCREAMED for almost 5 minutes. Which was the hardest part.
- But then we went to the grocery store, and in front of the store there is a place called the Ki Bar. That has some pre made hot food. So Gracie and I had French Fries (Or Chips as they would call them here) for lunch as a treat since her poke was fairly traumatic.
- Tonight we will go to a potluck or as us Church XP members say a Pot Providence because there is no such thing as luck ☺
On my walk home I was contemplating how life would be like without Steve. I know this seems kind of a distressing question but could always be a possibility, as we do not know when we will be taken from this earth. For the first time in my lifetime I felt strong enough that I though that I could carry on with the grace of God if this were to ever happen.
If I had described myself a week ago I would have said that I was a sheltered, timid person that didn’t like change (Unless around friends then I can be loud and obnoxious but not in new situations). Well guess what that does not work in PNG. If your timid you have no friends and change well I don’t think there can be too much more change than this.
I expected to grow and change as we spent time here in PNG but it is amazing how the Lord works in your heart to give you strength and courage that you would have never imagined and strips everything you would consider comforting to bring you closer to Him and be reliant on Him.
~xoxo Becky
Its about 1 pm here and Gracie and I have already had a full day with more to come.
- We began our morning by snuggling in bed and watching Curious George. (My favorite thing to do in the morning SNUGLE)
- We then went for our play date across the center so probably ½ mile and Gracie played with a girl named Chloe who is 2.5 and by the end of our time Gracie had warmed up and was playing
- We went to teatime. I didn’t know I was in England?? haha Tea is very cultural here and there were many new and familiar faces there. This was enjoyable but short lived as 1 year olds only can watch you drink tea and talk for so long
- We then went and had Gracie’s blood re-drawn from when she was sick to ensure you WBC were back to normal. This seemed to take a long time as the lady was a National and slow at the process. Gracie SCREAMED for almost 5 minutes. Which was the hardest part.
- But then we went to the grocery store, and in front of the store there is a place called the Ki Bar. That has some pre made hot food. So Gracie and I had French Fries (Or Chips as they would call them here) for lunch as a treat since her poke was fairly traumatic.
- Tonight we will go to a potluck or as us Church XP members say a Pot Providence because there is no such thing as luck ☺
On my walk home I was contemplating how life would be like without Steve. I know this seems kind of a distressing question but could always be a possibility, as we do not know when we will be taken from this earth. For the first time in my lifetime I felt strong enough that I though that I could carry on with the grace of God if this were to ever happen.
If I had described myself a week ago I would have said that I was a sheltered, timid person that didn’t like change (Unless around friends then I can be loud and obnoxious but not in new situations). Well guess what that does not work in PNG. If your timid you have no friends and change well I don’t think there can be too much more change than this.
I expected to grow and change as we spent time here in PNG but it is amazing how the Lord works in your heart to give you strength and courage that you would have never imagined and strips everything you would consider comforting to bring you closer to Him and be reliant on Him.
~xoxo Becky
Steve's safe and sound
Just a quick note. It is 8:30 am here and I wanted you all to know that Steve made it safely to Madang yesterday and will be flying home tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers and support yesterday as he was traveling.
In other new's my mom has agreed to post some of the pictures on our blog. So please stay tuned for pictures from PNG!
~Becky
In other new's my mom has agreed to post some of the pictures on our blog. So please stay tuned for pictures from PNG!
~Becky
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Amazing Grace
Today I sit and write to all my family and friends while Gracie takes her second nap for the day. I am taking this time because Steve has left for Madang and will not return until Wednesday. I hope that I will hear from him sometime via email or phone but realistically things are not that easy here.
This morning started by getting up and making my favorite husband and favorite daughter German pancakes. This has become a stable here in PNG seeing it takes 2 cup flour, 2 eggs and some milk and a pinch of salt. Making it an inexpensive meal to make and they both love it. As we ate we waited for the guys to drive up and come pick up Steve. With each car passing I got more anxious and thought why did I agree to Steve leaving Gracie and I in a third world country without any friends or family to support us while he’s gone. I can’t believe this is happening. And then they pulled up we waved good-bye and he was gone. My heart was saddened that I was alone, that I had a huge responsibility of taking care of a one year old in this place I’m not accustomed too and that I was alone, oh ya did I say I was left alone?
After putting Gracie down for a morning nap around 10 I decided to take a shower and get ready as we did have a lunch date today, with a lovely older couple named Tom and Marilyn Kelley who have been so gracious to us while we have been her and have really taken good care of us. After showering the phone rang and a young couple our age was calling to invite us to dinner tomorrow. I had to decline explaining that Steve was gone, so instead we will have a play date tomorrow and dinner on Wednesday upon Steve’s return.
We then went for lunch and upon returning Gracie and I played on the swing and then took a walk to the store, which I had yet to do by myself. I have always gone with Steve or sent him with a list while he was in “center” (The middle of town). Walking back home the Lord was with me. I had this amazing sense of peace as if he was walking next to me, that I wasn’t alone, and that he would give me strength to carry on these 3 months while in PNG. I am so thankful for this day he has given me, and the ability to press on and grow in my relationship with my savior as well as a mother and a wife.
Please continue to keep Steve and I in your prayers as things begin to look up in our life in PNG we still will have many obstacles to overcome.
- Please pray for safety for Steve as he travels
- Please pray for our reliance to be our Father and not ourselves
- Please pray that we would be used mightily of God while here
- Please pray that God would guide our hearts to make wise decisions.
We were blessed to meet the Sisson family yesterday. They are a family that lives outside of Garoka that works with a missionary group called “To every tribe” and we had been talking with the director of the group about meeting while in PNG. This providential meeting was great because we got a chance to spend some time having them for lunch yesterday and their 3 children before traveling to Garoka and staying with them in their home. They have traveled between Ukarumpa and Garoka (About a 2 hour car drive) over 70 times in the last year and agreed that they would possibly be able to pick us up and bring us back, which would be huge answered pray to not be traveling by ourselves on the roads of PNG by ourselves. This trip should happen some time in early to mid March. Our lunch with this family was a much-needed encouragement and we were very blessed to spend time with them.
As Steve and I have discussed in the two weeks we have been here, many strangers have had us over for dinner. Who does that in the US? No one? Why is that? Why don’t we as Christians invest in others that we don’t know? Why are we the same as unbelievers? This is something the Lord has placed deeply on my heart. To reach out, out of love to those we live around and those we don’t know and show them the warmth and love of Christ through a meal. Someone having a genuine investment in me has changed my life in amazing ways and I hope to come home and have the same investment in others.
Hope that his blog isn’t too boring and that you were able to read through it and be encouraged. Please remember…
- You have a dishwasher!
- You have a clothes dryer!
- You have a car!
It’s a good day!
PS. I would like to thank Sarah Franklin as I listen to the CD she gave us before we left and enjoy tremendously as it is the only music that we have.
I would also like to congratulate Adam and Kelsey Baydo on the birth of their little girl Aubrey on 1/28/12! Such an amazing blessing and we can’t wait to see and meet her when we return home!
Again love you all
xoxo ~Becky
This morning started by getting up and making my favorite husband and favorite daughter German pancakes. This has become a stable here in PNG seeing it takes 2 cup flour, 2 eggs and some milk and a pinch of salt. Making it an inexpensive meal to make and they both love it. As we ate we waited for the guys to drive up and come pick up Steve. With each car passing I got more anxious and thought why did I agree to Steve leaving Gracie and I in a third world country without any friends or family to support us while he’s gone. I can’t believe this is happening. And then they pulled up we waved good-bye and he was gone. My heart was saddened that I was alone, that I had a huge responsibility of taking care of a one year old in this place I’m not accustomed too and that I was alone, oh ya did I say I was left alone?
After putting Gracie down for a morning nap around 10 I decided to take a shower and get ready as we did have a lunch date today, with a lovely older couple named Tom and Marilyn Kelley who have been so gracious to us while we have been her and have really taken good care of us. After showering the phone rang and a young couple our age was calling to invite us to dinner tomorrow. I had to decline explaining that Steve was gone, so instead we will have a play date tomorrow and dinner on Wednesday upon Steve’s return.
We then went for lunch and upon returning Gracie and I played on the swing and then took a walk to the store, which I had yet to do by myself. I have always gone with Steve or sent him with a list while he was in “center” (The middle of town). Walking back home the Lord was with me. I had this amazing sense of peace as if he was walking next to me, that I wasn’t alone, and that he would give me strength to carry on these 3 months while in PNG. I am so thankful for this day he has given me, and the ability to press on and grow in my relationship with my savior as well as a mother and a wife.
Please continue to keep Steve and I in your prayers as things begin to look up in our life in PNG we still will have many obstacles to overcome.
- Please pray for safety for Steve as he travels
- Please pray for our reliance to be our Father and not ourselves
- Please pray that we would be used mightily of God while here
- Please pray that God would guide our hearts to make wise decisions.
We were blessed to meet the Sisson family yesterday. They are a family that lives outside of Garoka that works with a missionary group called “To every tribe” and we had been talking with the director of the group about meeting while in PNG. This providential meeting was great because we got a chance to spend some time having them for lunch yesterday and their 3 children before traveling to Garoka and staying with them in their home. They have traveled between Ukarumpa and Garoka (About a 2 hour car drive) over 70 times in the last year and agreed that they would possibly be able to pick us up and bring us back, which would be huge answered pray to not be traveling by ourselves on the roads of PNG by ourselves. This trip should happen some time in early to mid March. Our lunch with this family was a much-needed encouragement and we were very blessed to spend time with them.
As Steve and I have discussed in the two weeks we have been here, many strangers have had us over for dinner. Who does that in the US? No one? Why is that? Why don’t we as Christians invest in others that we don’t know? Why are we the same as unbelievers? This is something the Lord has placed deeply on my heart. To reach out, out of love to those we live around and those we don’t know and show them the warmth and love of Christ through a meal. Someone having a genuine investment in me has changed my life in amazing ways and I hope to come home and have the same investment in others.
Hope that his blog isn’t too boring and that you were able to read through it and be encouraged. Please remember…
- You have a dishwasher!
- You have a clothes dryer!
- You have a car!
It’s a good day!
PS. I would like to thank Sarah Franklin as I listen to the CD she gave us before we left and enjoy tremendously as it is the only music that we have.
I would also like to congratulate Adam and Kelsey Baydo on the birth of their little girl Aubrey on 1/28/12! Such an amazing blessing and we can’t wait to see and meet her when we return home!
Again love you all
xoxo ~Becky
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Another day in Ukarumpa
Hi all! I just wanted to thank you for the prayers, we finally received Gracie's bag about an hour ago! With everything in tact!
We have been so blessed to have this answered prayer and ask that you would continue to pray for us as we venture on.
Some highlights of the last few days...
- Chasing a Gecko out of the bathroom with a broom
- Having a small kitten less than a week old find its way into the house
- Bright sun shinning days
- Enjoying my laundry (I know right) It is kind of relaxing to go out and hang it up and smell it and bring it down in the sun.
- A electric tea kettle that is always hot and boils in less than a minute! Who knew?? Us Americans are missing out
- Dreaming of home :)
- Email correspondence with those we love
- Steve keeping busy teaching 9th grade class CPR/First Aid, and doing fire escape plans for all of the major buildings.
- Steve booking his flight back from Madang, He leaves on Monday The 6th-8th. Please keep him in your prays for Travel mercies.
- Having Steve come home for lunch during the day (less than 10 minute walking commute, and 1hr lunch times)
- Amazing Pineapple with homemade yogurt!
- Organic Veggies and Fruits
- Finding a bug named a rhinoceros beetle, go ahead google it after you read this!
- Beating Steve at golf (card game)
- Going to bed around 9pm at night and waking refreshed at 7ish
- Getting Gracie's suitcase back
-Picnics in the front lawn
- Swinging at the park, our side yard
- Gracie learning to walk in grass
- More Bananas then you can eat
~Thinking of you all and praying for you nightly as we continue to live on the other side of this thing we call the world!
We have been so blessed to have this answered prayer and ask that you would continue to pray for us as we venture on.
Some highlights of the last few days...
- Chasing a Gecko out of the bathroom with a broom
- Having a small kitten less than a week old find its way into the house
- Bright sun shinning days
- Enjoying my laundry (I know right) It is kind of relaxing to go out and hang it up and smell it and bring it down in the sun.
- A electric tea kettle that is always hot and boils in less than a minute! Who knew?? Us Americans are missing out
- Dreaming of home :)
- Email correspondence with those we love
- Steve keeping busy teaching 9th grade class CPR/First Aid, and doing fire escape plans for all of the major buildings.
- Steve booking his flight back from Madang, He leaves on Monday The 6th-8th. Please keep him in your prays for Travel mercies.
- Having Steve come home for lunch during the day (less than 10 minute walking commute, and 1hr lunch times)
- Amazing Pineapple with homemade yogurt!
- Organic Veggies and Fruits
- Finding a bug named a rhinoceros beetle, go ahead google it after you read this!
- Beating Steve at golf (card game)
- Going to bed around 9pm at night and waking refreshed at 7ish
- Getting Gracie's suitcase back
-Picnics in the front lawn
- Swinging at the park, our side yard
- Gracie learning to walk in grass
- More Bananas then you can eat
~Thinking of you all and praying for you nightly as we continue to live on the other side of this thing we call the world!
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