NTM

I knew when we moved to PNG that a great deal of our time would be spent learning and trying to understand the culture of the people here.  What I didn’t expect was that we would also have to learn about the cultures of the other missionaries here.  We have a very diverse group here that includes Canadians, Germans, Australians, Irish, English, Koreans and many more that we haven’t even met yet!  Can you believe that they are not all like us?  There are certain words that we would say without hesitation that have quite a different meaning say in Australia or England.  Our manerisms are different too.  I can be loud at times and that is look at by various nationalities as very rude – I guess I will be appologizing a lot!  And yes, with some of the nationalities there is quite a language barrier.  But hey, I enjoy new things.  All this to say that in the last 5 months we have learned a great deal about PNG and many more countries!

Every year our center holds a mumu at Christmas to express our gratitude to our national workers.  There is so much food it is crazy (just like back home) but it is cooked a bit different.  First a hole is dug, then stones are put in a very hot fire.  Once the stones have heated sufficiently, they are put in the hole.  Then the stones are covered with banana leaves and the food starts to go in in layers.  We happened to have a whole pig cut in various pieces, chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, onion, tapiok, pumkin, corn and at least 8 different kinds of greens.  Then it is all covered with more banana leaves & piled with damp dirt that makes a huge mound.  The last ingredient is to add about 25 galllons of water & then close that last hole.  It looks like a giant ant mound.  It is then left to cook/steam for about 4 hours.  After that the entire process is reversed and food is divided amongst all present.  There are large bowls placed around the food & filled with a little of everthing.  We scored big time & got the heart of the pig!  I know, doesn’t sound like much of a treat but it was delicious!!  We even got to try the tongue which was also quite good.  We all sat around, on the ground and enjoyed this feast together.  It was a very special time for us to participate in a cultural staple in this area with the folks who work here and their families.

The blak bokis or fruit bat in English.  This creature would be great in any Halloween show.  His claws are nearly an inch long as he hangs upside down on our stalk of bananas.  His wing span is an easy 24 inches but Tim is determined to find out for sure.  He plans to catch one and cook it – apparently this is a common practice here!  Just the sound of him coming in for a landing (whoop-whoop-whoop) is enough to make you shiver!  Then when he lands and gets settled, his head swivels to look at you with those beady red eyes.  What a sight!

Everyone knows how hard it was for us to leave our dogs and cat but God was ready to provide some new friends for us.  No, we haven’t adopted them, they belong to our neighbors.  They have been great to have around though.  When Tim has been gone they both sleep on the front porch!  Now if we could just get rid of those fleas…

This is what we have been waiting for and it is all we expected and more.  The country itself is beautiful and the people we will be working with and around are too.  There are so many new things that we have already experienced and we have only been here a week.  What a priviledge it is to serve God in such a unique way.

What do you do your last 2 weeks in the United States?  Well, a lot of list making, calls, checking details, packing, list making, say goodbye, unpacking, mailing stuff, storing stuff, packing again!  It seems that we have been working toward this for a while so you would think we would be ready.  This is an incredibly exciting time for us though as we make our final preparations.  We are also so glad that there are so many people praying us through this time as well.  God’s timing is perfect!

…so for the "in-between time" until our paperwork is complete we will be living with Tim’s mom.  What a blessing to have family who are willing to put up with us and a dog and cat!!  There have been some delays with Kirsten’s paperwork so we cannot make any final departure plans yet.  Part of that time will be spent slimming down our belongings even more as we plan to leave for PNG hopefully by the end of August.  We will get to spend some time in FL as well as TN visiting friends and family as we wait so none of the "in-between time" will be wasted.  Thank you for the prayers as we wait!

Hannah will get to do things that she has never done while with us.  The first night she got to sleep in a hotel not a boarding facility.  (I asked mom not to let her order room service so hopefully she didn’t have a large bill.)  For the next week or so she will stay with Kirsten’s mom and sister in MO until the new owners are prepared to take her.  There she will get to spend her days her favorite way – chasing squirrels!  She will be living on a farm soon with cows, a pond and 2 other brittanys.  We will miss her greatly but what fun she will be having!

We are happy to share that Hannah our 9 yr old Brittney has been adopted by a wonderful couple in Missouri.  These fine folks have a farm with two other Brittneys and a cat.  Hannah will get to chase critters and get in a pond to her hearts content – what could be better?

     The concern closest to our hearts right now is finding homes for our "hairy children" Hannah and Spooky.  This dog and cat have been a part of our family almost from birth and are very special to both of us.  Please pray with us that they will be placed in loving homes soon.