Putting Down Roots

Putting Down Roots
Originally uploaded by kudatestest

It has been three weeks to the day since we left California - not too long to become acclimated to another world (especially when one of the weeks was taken up with travel and the other was over taken by illness!). We are now officially unpacked and settled in. Tomorrow we will have our official language study kick-off and the following day we'll spend the morning in one of the neighboring villages, "storying" (as visiting or "shooting the breeze" is called here) with new friends and tentatively mangling our first few phrases of Tok Pigin, the trade language of Papua New Guinea.

Some sweet surprises from our time so far:
-coral and lovely shells in the roads and in the gravel - our kids have started "collections".
-Noah figured out how to ride a two-wheeler bike this week as the soft grass allowed him to fall without fear.
-Nate and I have needed a blanket to ward off the chill each night so far!
-Late one afternoon last week, Nate dug up a small patch of ground by our front steps and we planted a garden. This might not sound earth-shattering to most of you, but our transient lives have not been conducive to gardening over the past five years! We were all excited and Noah has eagerly taken on the job of "chief waterer".

Gardening is an entirely new entity here. With awe I recieved clippings from dozens of healthy plants from a beautiful garden here on the center. "Cut off the leaves, push the sticks into the ground, and water them daily," I was told. "They'll put down roots and flourish before you know it!" We duly cut, pushed, and watered, and now only my common sense is keeping me from uncovering the stalks daily to see if there are any roots in evidence yet!

Speaking of putting down roots, it was a difficult week for me as we have all been adjusting to a new climate, culture, and routine as a family. Not once but multiple times this week I had to retreat to the Lord in the midst of a busy day as I came to the end of myself and my own abilities.

One quiet evening as I helped Noah water, I looked at our pathetic little sticks in the ground and identified with them! We have been transplanted, and like the plants, our "fruit" and even our adornment of leaves has been cut off. As my gardening friend told me, "You can keep the leaves on the clippings, but it just slows down the rooting process as they draw energy away." Am I putting down roots, seeking the Lord for His living water here? Or am I allowing my energy and hope to be sapped by discontentment and a longing for what we've left behind? Seeing God's natural laws at work in creation duplicated in my spiritual life left me in awe.

I'm putting down roots - and the stripping-away process of our transition is pushing me towards my Living Water, my Redeemer, my Savior. What a privilege to know Him - and to have a part in the job of making Him known among all peoples! Thank you for praying for us and sending us out. We are here because of your labor on our behalf.