Goodbye from Afar

On 25 July, my maternal grandfather died.  With his rapidly declining health, we knew it was coming but somehow part of me kept hoping that he’d recover and allow me to see him again…in a year or so?  Sigh….

Saying “goodbye” from halfway around the world is a bit surreal.  Nothing changes in my life here to mark that he was here with us one day…but today he is gone.  I find that I’m most sorry for myself.  Is that wrong?  That I can’t celebrate his life with the rest of the family, and mourn the empty spot he leaves.

Actually, I think I began mourning 2 years ago when I said my final goodbye to in person.  We had just spent a wonderful month on the family homestead helping out and reconnecting with friends and family in the area.  We spent a lot of time sitting on that swing set talking and reminiscing.

And when it came time to leave, Grandpa asked us again why we had to go all the way to Papua New Guinea.  Did we like it better over there?

“No, Grandpa, home is always best, but the people of Papua New Guinea need to read the Bible in their own language.”  We hugged and said we’d be back in 3 years.  Grandpa commented that he didn’t think he’d be around when we came back.  I protested mildly that I hoped it wouldn’t be true…but I think we both knew he was probably right.

You were right, Grandpa.  But I thank God for all the wonderful memories and time spent with you.  You will be greatly missed!

First Day of Home School

 

Claire, barely able to contain her excitement to begin the first day of school, leaps out of bed at the break of dawn.  <insert dripping sarcasm>

 

 

 

The caramel apple cinnamon rolls Mommy made to celebrate the beginning of what we hope is another great year of learning together.  (Can’t forget the obligatory mug of Milo to wash down the anti-malarial meds….)

 

 

Claire’s math workbook assures her that “Math is a blast”!  (See the picture of the space shuttle launch pad on the left page.)  Somehow, I don’t think Claire is convinced.

 

 

 

Wow!  This lefty has amazing penmanship!  Keep working hard, Isaiah!  When you finish that copy work, you can have 5 minutes on the swing.

Upside-Down Refrigerators and Other Mental Drains

We’ve recently moved into this beautiful home.  I hesitate to even call it a move because we didn’t change states or countries…just transporting stuff from one house to another.  OK so maybe that’s moving, but as far as moves go, it was pretty easy. 

That is…until we got unpacked and I was reminded how much I usually function on autopilot during the day.  Repeatedly searching under the kitchen sink for the rubbish bin.  Groping uselessly on the wrong side of a doorway for a light switch.  Staring idiotically at the inside of the refrigerator because you can’t find the ice cubes.  (My opinion of freezer-bottom refrigerators has temporarily soured.)

Every transition requires re-learning those tasks we used to do “automatically”, and thus consumes an exhausting amount of brain power.  So although the house is excellent and I’m very sure I’ll love living here as much as the rest of my family, I’m still in the midst of my mini culture-shock.  Hey!  I just celebrated my 40th birthday and you know the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Be patient with me and when I spend an excessive amount of time on my new verandah drinking tea, remember that the key to thriving during transition is to focus on the positive and keep a thankful attitude.  And I am very thankful for this positively gorgeous view!  <wink>

Kodiak #4

In January, I mentioned how God had provided for a fourth Kodiak to serve in Papua New Guinea two years before we anticipated being able to purchase it.  That aircraft arrived here in Papua New Guinea on 4 June.

Its journey began in Kansas, where ferry tanks were installed in the cabin of the aircraft so it could carry enough fuel to make the long flight across the Pacific Ocean.  Then after a layover on the west coast, its solo pilot flew it to Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and on to Port Moresby—Papua New Guinea’s capital.  One of our own pilots flew it the rest of the way home where we were eagerly watching and waving from the ground as it made a “victory lap” around our mission center.

What an awesome thing it was to watch God bring together all the people necessary to build, fund, and transport this tool to this country.  On Thursday (13 June) the members of our branch gathered together to thank God for his provision, and to dedicate this aircraft to the Lord’s service.

As soon as we receive its PNG Certificate of Airworthiness and Certificate of Registration, (expected by the end of the month) this aircraft will join our existing fleet and continue to support Bible translation in Papua New Guinea. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  --Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

*Photo of aircraft dedication by B. Ingle

They Did It!

Another amazing school year comes to a close, and Claire and Isaiah proudly show off their Sonlight “You Did It” certificates.  They’ll be moving up to Grade 4 and Grade 2 respectively in July.

What did they like best about home schooling this year?

Claire--

• Learning to write in cursive
• Reading “Clara and the Book Wagon” and “The Secret Valley” to Mittens (our cat)
• Learning about ancient Egypt and Rome
• Watching Sonlight science videos
• Listening to Daddy read all nine of the “Little House on the Prairie” books at bedtime

Isaiah--

• Watching Sonlight math and science videos
• Reading “Little Bear” and “Balto”
• Listening to Mommy read “Detectives in Togas”
• Learning about outer space and the planets in our solar system.
• Riding my bike when other kids are in school

What don’t they like about home schooling?

• Math (especially subtracting and dividing)
• Copy work (Isaiah)
• Mommy making them do school work when they’d rather play

Hmmm…well congratulations, Claire and Isaiah!  You’ve done great!

Permanent Flexibility?

Leaning on the door frame, I watched Claire warming up with the other girls in her beginner’s ballet class.  As they stretched, I observed their varying degrees of flexibility.  Some girls could easily rest their heads on their knees and others struggled to touch their toes.  I mused that I’d definitely be one of the latter group.  Well that’s what happens when you get older, I rationalized.  Moments later the girls’ teacher (who has about 2 decades on me, give-or-take) demonstrated proper posture while executing the stretch perfectly.  <jaw drops>

That kind of flexibility must take years of pushing muscles to their limit in order to keep them supple and pliable.  I find, however, that the older I get the more I say, “I’m sore in places I didn't even realize I had muscles!”  We all know what happens when we try an physical activity that we haven’t done in awhile.  The next day our muscles remind us that they need time to be retrained and, for goodness sake, take it easy next time!

SO, if I know it takes time and hard work to keep muscles flexible, why am I surprised that…

• Planning meals around what you can find at the grocery store, not by what you want to eat…
• And being just moments away from a medical crisis that requires you fly to another country to get help...
• And having the finance office open from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and the post office from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, making it impossible to visit both places in one trip even though they’re across the street from each other...
• And longing for sunshine during months of steady rain, only to start praying for rain (and drinking water) again after a 3-week dry spell…
• And having no choice about what shampoo the family is using that week and coping with the fallout thereof…
• And dealing with the mini-crisis, paperwork and last-minute travel that a forgotten expiration date in a passport can cause…
• And relearning to wash dishes with or without liquid dish soap…

…make me emotionally weary?

This month marks the halfway point of our time here in PNG, and I find myself wondering if I have the stamina to make it another 18 months.  Then I feel guilty because one quick look around reminds me that I have it pretty good and definitely no reason to complain.  So I keep looking for the day when I wake up with a permanently flexible attitude—one that allows me to naturally adapt to change and not feel pain in the alteration.

It’s an unrealistic expectation, of course.  I wasn’t made to work that way, so I shouldn’t be ashamed that so much “stretching” might wear me down.  Flexibility is a key to survival when you’re living overseas.  Actually, it’s handy in marriage, parenthood, home schooling, the workplace and just LIFE in general.  We get too easily set in our ways, and sometimes forget that things CAN be done differently, or we WILL survive without such-and-such.  Sometimes change hurts in ways we never expected.

BUT maybe it can be a good pain.  A pain that reminds us we have muscles that need to be used…especially that “dependence upon Christ alone” muscle that gets weak when we feel like we’re finally in control.  So what’s been stretching your flexibility these days?

Do-It-Yourself Waterslide

Claire’s writing assignment for today was to make a poster to advertise a fictious event.  She chose to promote a waterslide party--which reminded me of a very cool pastime the kids enjoy on the odd Saturday.

Someone had the very ingenious idea to dig a trench down a hill and line it with thick plastic.  A garden hose sprays water down the slide and the kids land in a pool of (brown and muddy) water at the bottom.  As you can see it’s the wettest and wildest ride in Ukarumpa!