Black Saturday

We here in Ukarumpa had our own little post-Thanksgiving shopping—complete with line outside the front door of our store.  Yes, there is only one store so choices are limited and thus shopping is pretty easy.  Easy, but not entirely painless since prices reflect the cost of getting such things as Legos, scented candles, art supplies and gardening tools to our remote location.  But even if you don’t plan to make any purchases, it’s still a fun social event.  I confess I spent most of my time at a picnic table with a friend, a cup of coffee and a homemade biscotti.  Even Santa stopped by to hand out candy to all the good little (and big) children!

A Little Welcome

Welcoming new colleagues and helping them adjust to life on our center is another ministry opportunity here in Ukarumpa.  It’s the “Fellowship Family’s” responsibility to make sure new arrivals know how to find reliable house help, how to buy produce at the market, how to connect to internet, and how to make sure the water coming out of their faucet is safe to drink.  Re-training yourself to do things we take for granted back in the US can make the learning curve pretty steep at first.  But having someone nearby to field questions can make those first few days a little less stressful.

For the past year, we’ve been eagerly praying for our friends, the Littlefields, as they progressed through training, partnership development, and the Pacific Orientation Course (POC).  Then all of a sudden during the final weeks of POC, the littlest of the Littlefields broke her leg and had to be medically evacuated with her mom to the clinic here in Ukarumpa—and only a few days before her birthday too.  It wasn’t the most ideal way to spend a birthday, but we we count it a privilege to have helped her celebrate, and help her family as settle into their new home.

Carnival

We’re back in PNG and our trip to Australia already seems like a distant memory.  We’re readjusting to life without paved roads, shopping centers and McDonalds.  But it’s good to be “home” among friends, and back to a regular schedule with home-cooked meals.  (Remind me in a few weeks that I said that latter part.)  And fortunately, we made it back in time for the biggest social event of the year—Carnival!

Every October/November the high school students from Ukarumpa International School put on a carnival to raise money for a local ministry.  It’s pretty amazing the activities the students put together especially considering we’re in the middle of the PNG bush.  Claire and Isaiah enjoyed watching teachers get submerged in the dunk tank, riding on the muscle-powered Ferris wheel, navigating their way through a maze, surprising a friend with a gift from “The Secret Admirer’s Booth”, and jumping in a real, live bouncy castle.

Of course, Mom’s favorite part is the food—a barbecued chicken sandwich, corn and mashed potatoes.  Yum!  The best part:  I didn’t have to make it myself!

Photo by C Koens.