So... about all that has happened in the last three weeks...

After four months in the bush, our kids have been cherishing time with friends as well as other special things like riding bikes.

A Whirlwind

In our last post, we asked you all to be praying with us about what we could do to support our partners as they were preparing to leave for America to seek resolution for their medical situation. After consulting with them and others here on the field, we felt like it was important for us to come out of the bush to be together as a team for their last week in the country. We could literally bore you with all of the associated details, but we’d rather leave you willing to read our future updates… Suffice it to say, we have been living for three weeks at our Goroka HQ, mixing up our normal routine of language study and homeschool with the spiciness of eye appointments, dentist visits, bicycle wrecks, caring for friends, and ice cream.

Hanging on the helipad – am I about to get my ear canal cleaned out?

Curses, Foiled Again…

As we have been out, it has given me (Nate), a chance to go back through the more than 1800 recordings that I have at one point or other thought it important enough to keep on my trusty Olympus. There are some real gems hidden in there;

·         Like the time the guy says plainly several times (while watching me sit down) “Don’t sit there, it’s wet, here is a log.” Only to hear myself in high definition stereo respond “Don’t worry about me, I want to be treated just like…oooooh.”

·         Like the time the guys have to repeat a short phrase for me 7 times (literally) and I still get it wrong.

·         Like the time that I have to ask for repetition a few times in a row because the guy’s pig decides to squeal at exactly the crucial moment in every recording…

Still there is a bunch of good information in the recordings that I need to be reminded of (or need to get somebody to say again – this time without a mouthful of food…), so I’m keeping notes about each of the recordings that I keep. When I say notes, I basically put the filename down in my notebook with maybe a word or two about the subject, speaker, and situation (sometimes I can combine all three of these items with a succinct ‘HUH?’). This next week I’ll be spending time in seeking out Pal people who are living as squatters in or near Madang and we’ll be going over as many of my questions as we can.

Praying

Without a doubt you can be praying with us for:

·         Our partners – they are still waiting for an MRI and other information before a diagnosis can be made.

·         Our family – lots of ups and downs and new things and different responsibilities makes for unsettledness and weariness.

·         Our Pal friends – trying to understand all of the ins and outs of the situation through a grid that doesn’t have the right holes lands them in some very hard places.

·         Our support team – there are many departments on the field right now that are staffed at 50%. It seems that there is more to do that can possibly be done by the team we have here.

·         Our adopted country – with a coup attempt a few weeks ago, major corruption in government, rumors of black market arms etc, we are asking the Lord for speed as we see the openness of the country potentially fading.

Thanks a bunch for hanging with us.

Nate

Posted via email from PNG Time