Land of the “Unexpected”
PNG is known as the “Land of the Unexpected,” when in fact life in general can be that way, especially on the mission field. What do you generally do in order to plan on a trip to the grocery store, the bank, to see a doctor, or to even pick up car parts? Well, here it means packing for a few days in preparation for a 4-5 hour drive to get to those places. That is what happened to us this week. On Wednesday night we packed up to head to Lae early on Thursday morning planning on staying through Sunday. Luther had been asked to preach at Liberty Baptist Church. We planned on heading back to Wau after services that afternoon. So at 7am we were on the road, venturing out for the long, bumpy road ahead where you rarely get out of second gear most of the trip. But remember this road to Lae is only about 50 miles total. It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Bulolo, but it was a struggle to get there due to the Toyota not having much power. It seems that there was a problem with the fuel filter–water in the fuel maybe? Anyway, we arrive in Bulolo and the problem just seemed to get worse instead of better. Luther wanted to go somewhere safe to check it out, so we went back to the Bulolo airstrip and sat there about 1 1/2 hours while some men came over and helped him. They bled the lines and the car was a bit better, so we decided to return to Wau. Did The Lord direct us away from going to Lae for some reason we could not see? In Proverbs 16:9 it says, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but The Lord directeth his steps.” Once we left Bulolo and got onto the back forestry road, the truck began running smoothly, but we continued home arriving safely. We unpacked and Luther decided he would return to Lae on Saturday for the Sunday service there. Well, as planned, Luther left this morning at 6am and arrived in Bulolo to find a tree had fallen across the main road. Well, that happens some times, and he thought nothing about it. He turned the truck and decided to go through the back road to get into Bulolo and continue that way. About half way there the way was again blocked by another fallen tree. At that time he saw some church members of Bulolo Baptist Church and talked with them only to find out there was a big tribal fight going on between two clans. Luther saw men running past with their bush knives and other weapons. As he had no idea how long this would continue, he returned to Wau again knowing he would not make the services in Lae as planned. Life seems to be like this–we make plans and then we leave those plans in the Lord’s hands. If a door shuts, we wait for the timing to be right to try again. We thank God for His guidance in our day to day...
Possible Vehicle Located
How many years have we been praying and asking everyone to pray with us in locating a better used vehicle? Seems like forever but really only about 4 years. Well, The Lord has opened the door through another missionary that is leaving the field headed back to the States. As of yet I have not seen the vehicle, but have talked with the owner and next week I plan on going to see it myself. It is a Toyota Hylux Double cab truck. Just the type of vehicle that we have been praying to purchase. We are trusting The Lord to supply the remaining needed funds for this vehicle. When purchased, we would need an additional $10,000, which we will have to borrow. We know that many have said they were going to help with the vehicle fund, so if anyone is impressed to do so, we would greatly appreciate this. We truly fill that The Lord has placed the vehicle in our path for such a time as...
Happy Birthday PNG!
Today, September 16, is Independence Day in Papua New Guinea. Today they celebrate 38 years as an independent nation. May it continue in the freedoms set forth in the years ahead. God bless PNG!
Christmas in August
When we arrived back in Wau on August 15, we had 6 months of mail waiting for us. All of our Christmas cards arrived after we left Wau in the middle of January. What a joy to read each one and to know you were thinking of us in a special way! Even though we are late in saying this, we wanted to thank each of you for taking the time to send us a Christmas greeting in 2012!
Welcome back to PNG
Life as a missionary wife sounds exciting, but sometimes it can be frustrating. One thing I have tried to learn, is to live moment by moment with those unexpected bumps in the road. Let me explain. First we returned to Wau just to begin unpacking. Not just suitcases we brought from the USA, but our whole house, which by the way I packed up in 4 days before we left in January. I hid stuff so well I couldn’t remember where they were located! I also packed 80% of it dirty! Of course there was 6 months of dust and bug droppings to clean first. The first night we went to bed on sheets that had not been changed in 6 months! The next morning I went to make the bed to see that geckos had been using our bed as well! YUK! Sheets were washed that day! Then a few days later I decide that Luther might like something besides sandwiches or eggs, so I pull out two containers of frozen spaghetti before going to school. At lunch I ran home to put it to simmer to realize I have one sauce and one pumpkin! So I pull another sauce out and manage a decent meal. But now I have thawed pumpkin to work with. Fine! August the 29 was our 42 Anniversary, so Luther would get pumpkin pies for a treat. I began making the pie dough, and lo and behold, there are weevils in the flour! Great, at least they are dead. (The flour has been in the freezer since the day it was bought.) so I remove what I can, mix it quickly and figure no one will know! But when I rolled the dough, I could see them again. Well, we have lived here in Wau for 33 years, so I removed what I could see on the surface, placed them into pie pans, filled and cooked. By the way, they were delicious and the crust was so flaky! Speaking of bumps, on Tuesday, I went to see the Tia’s and on the way back I took a short cut between the fence and garden–not a good idea! I stepped on a hidden root and took a fall. Skinned knee, elbow and pulled tendon in one foot. It didn’t seem too bad at first, but then when I got to school I heard it pop! I have spent the last two days with it elevated and making like a rabbit when up. Seems less swollen today and I am praising the Lord that nothing broke! Of course it would have been nice if there hadn’t been witnesses to my “grace in action!” Doing better, and I am in suspense to see what new and exciting things await this missionary wife! Thanks for your prayers for us...