It is starting to feel alot like Christmas...

Tim and friend Noah L. playing with other friends in the village.

 

It is COLD! (75° F last night)

I know, I know, most people are ready to break out the shorts and t-shirt when it gets to 75° , but we were breaking out the extra blankets. Remember we live in an environment where most of the time, if no fans are going, we tend to ‘glisten’ (Elizabeth’s word for it) to the point that we have to towel off the floor behind us. The cold is exciting for us – it is a little taste of ‘home’ for Christmas. (Ok, we are really not that desperate, but a little cold does go a long way towards enjoying that cup of hot cocoa….)

It is CRUNCH TIME.

With about 6 weeks to go before our move in to Pal, our to-do lists seem to just keep growing. We’ll be working to sort and pack the house here, finish making beds/cabinets for our bush house, buy the last bits of building materials, plan and purchase supplies for 2-3 months of living in the bush, and continue to work to orient two new families here. That and planning to give ample space and time for our family to celebrate Christmas… pray for organization and health!

Changes are coming…

We really want to say again to you all how incredibly thankful we are to be part of a larger team – all of your care for us has been overwhelming. Please know that we so appreciate all of you and all that you are doing. We hope to keep up communication with you as we move to the bush even though we will have no internet access. Here are the things that you should know about contacting us:

·         We will be receiving email over a HF radio modem which on a good day gets 1/10 of a Kb per second.

·         All of the NTM bush missionaries in PNG share the bandwidth  - and there are days, even weeks, when there is no access.

·         Please write us… but keep in mind, emails with attachments larger than 20 Kb will not be available to us.

·         Our mailing address is still the same here in Madang – we’ll get the mail once every couple of months with our supplies.

Keep us in your prayers.

We know that what is ahead of us will stretch and challenge us beyond our own abilities. Could you pray for us and (at the same time) rejoice with us that God is sufficient for all that is to come. (Isn’t that what Christmas is about anyway – God’s own strength accomplishing His purpose?)

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas,

The Claasens

Posted via email from PNG Time