Fresh Perspective

I’m stealing a book title, “Wild at Heart”, for this blog post.  Perhaps you have read it?  The gist of the book is that every man is “wild at heart”, longing for adventure and a challenge.  At least that is what I remember Darron telling me when he read the book.  I didn’t find it necessary to read the book…..I already knew I was married to a man who was/is “wild at heart”.  You can only imagine that Darron was not disappointed when his job description got changed a few weeks ago.  Now instead of being a “city” evangelist to Papua, he is the “Global Evangelist” to Papua.  Which basically equals that he is now at liberty to spend time travelling into the unreached interior.  Mobilizing pastors, student missionaries and lay people to go into the mountains.  Following up on work that is already started.  Inspiring new ideas.  Honestly when he accepted the call to come to Papua, this is what he thought he was going to be doing.  H...

At last the Roberts received a diagnosis for Lucy that made sense…..drum roll please…..Botulism.  Lucy was seen eating a dead chicken that had been buried, so the chicken probably had dirt that was a great breeding ground for the bacteria, Botulism.  Where did this diagnosis come from?  From a vet friend in the United States.  This is how we get answers to many of our medical/vet questions.  We email friends, and friends of friends around the world to find solutions and answers!  Especially when local diagnosis’s, like hip dysplasia, doesn’t  line up. : )   So Lucy is now walking and her bark is almost back to full strength.  She is skin and bones, but alive!  Now that is one lucky dog.  Blessed and prayed for, too.  

Our family was invited to attend the aviation Christmas party a few weeks ago.  It would prove to be a fun evening with a gift exchange, games, food, etc.  I was asked to bring potato salad.  Indonesia people love this American food.  The table was filled with bountiful food.  Some of the dishes are:  Fried eggs, with a sauce and peas on top.  Dark greens cooked in some sort of coconut/seasoning combination.  Stir Fry.  Rice.  Gluten in peanut sauce.  A white bread roll filled with coconut and brown sugar.  Noodles.  Water melon.  Indonesian chips.  Yum! While we waited for the program to start the children found  and played with a beetle, complete with incredible pinchers that kept grabbing the boys clothes. We played a version of pass the parcel.  To give it a more interesting twist we had the children unwrap each layer wearing oven mitts.  This proved to be quite challenging.  As each ...

School is out!  We all are drinking in the wonder of weeks without schedule and routine, only to be thankful when they will return.  We decided to go Friday for a short trip to the beach.  All the boys wanted to take the dogs.  Finally by 1 p.m. the parents (who’s to do lists are always way too long) were ready.  As Andrew put it, “The drive to the beach is one of my favorite drives in Papua”.  It is scenic twisting along jungle and places that were mined, and spots where World War II marked it’s reminder of it’s daunting presence in history.  To add to the variety of views was a 4-5 mile stretch that had little Christmas music stands that had been constructed.  Many within just 1/4 mile of each other.  Each unique and ready to blare Christmas tunes.  We decided to try a new beach to us.  Known for its quiet ways and rocks/verses sand.  With dogs in tow we thought rocks might make for easier clean up factor then sand. ...

The week before last, it was the talk of the week.  When will Gary be here?  Has he left yet?  Are the conditions favorable?  Have the papers been cleared in the Philippines?  Did he get the plane fixed?  How long will he stay?  It is no small task to ferry a twin engine plane from the States to here and then on to the Philippines.  Yet between Bob Roberts (Dad), Eric and Gary (sons to Bob) they have ferried 4 planes across the Pacific.  More planes they have taken across the Atlantic. Last Friday evening, the boys and I joined the crowd that gathered at the Sentani runway to welcome in Gary in the twin engine plane.  I found myself caught up in the excitement as his plane taxied in.  Jan (his Mom) is standing at the edge of the runway waving him in.  His brother, Eric, is the one to climb up on the plane and pull out stuff that is packed in around Gary so that he can get out.  Then to see his tall frame emerge from the t...

My mind was in high gear.  Trying to focus on instructions given.  Being cautious of having steady hands and not letting my nerves get the best of me.  Those mind wires in flashes of seconds drummed up images of sewing with my mother.  Then my husbands’ mother who sews items like they came out of the store or a magazine.  How I dislike sewing, but that the present task is fun and challenging.  Remember Ruth, ‘wrap around twice, grab end and pull through crossing over.  Now wrap once, grab end and pull through crossing over in opposite direction.  Repeat’.  Then I remember when Darron confessed to me after we were married how at one point in his teen years he made a “What I want in a wife, list”.  “When I get married, I want a wife who can sew and play the piano”.  Or so he thought…… Then he met me!  ha-ha Now, I can sew.  My mother taught me well.  I can hear here laughing all the way from South Carolina to Papua....

I know many of you are waiting for updates on the unfolding drama at our home.  From kid with Malaria to wounded husband to paralyzed dog.  Thank you as always for your words of encouragement and prayers. Someone asked, “Who had Malaria first?”  It was Darron, shortly upon our return from furlough.  So Aubrey is our families second case.  Which honestly speaking I don’t think is too bad considering we live in a land laden with malaria. Some people are very susceptible (one of my friends has had it 43 times in approximately 10 or 11 years) and some people seem to be naturally resistant as another of my friends just had her first case after living here 21 years.  I am only just beginning to understand this mosquito born disease.  The cycles.  The different types.  The resistance.  The meds that work and the meds that don’t.  The tests available.  The wide range of symptoms.  I have yet, much to learn about it.  Aubrey ...

We were out the door by 7:50 a.m., adrenaline flying in at least 3 out of 6 of us.  Today (Sunday) was to be the first drama performance of our drama group.  Also, it was my scheduled week to be on the praise team for the church for missionaries.  One of my heart desires when we moved to Indonesia was that I could find a group that would allow me to sing praise songs with them.  In August that prayer was answered.  Our praise team consists of 4 vocalist and a variety of instruments (mainly high school students), it has been wonderfully refreshing to me.  We are one of 6 groups, so the rotation is not too demanding or taxing.  I found myself nervous for the guys performing.  I am so learning with them, as I have done extremely little with drama before…..other than watch it and love it.  Their first skit went off as planned.  It had a pointed message and was received well.  Then they had to wait about 20 minutes until it was time to ...

*written December 2nd I find it fascinating how much culture and weather puts you in the mood or not in the mood for certain events.  Take Christmas for example.  With palm trees waving and sweat dropping, it hardly “feels” like Christmas time.  When you enter the stores you may see an occasional Christmas tree and a few ornaments and tinsel for sale that look worse then what the Dollar Store has to offer, but other then that….it just seems like any other time of the year.  No Christmas music is playing in the stores.  I am forgetting that soon little bamboo hut like stands  will be built at strategic locations near each neighborhood and Christmas music will be blared from these for weeks at a time.  The selection of music is quite limited.  Unfortunately, the tunes will become dreaded noise starting early in the morning and lulling us to sleep each night.  We are not bombarded with advertisements to buy this toy, shirt, perfume, food, or el...

What comes to your mind when you think what a “typical” Thanksgiving should be?  Instantly, I have images of tables laden with pies, and rolls, and potato dishes and stuffing, etc. etc.  Family gathered.  Thankful moments/memories shared.  Cool weather.  Cheerful warm fires.  It amazes me how core those feeling reside.  Often in America, we were very non traditional.  I usually worked, lured by the time- and- a- half pay.  Leaving the guys to set up the tree.  Then usually by the weekend, we would all gather at the Boyd’s house, on the farm, in Cookeville.  My parents, were fine to miss getting together…..perhaps those English roots made Thanksgiving not seem such a core holiday?  (I’ll have to ask them). So this holiday found us with Darron out of town at mandatory year end meetings and boys out of school (which was an unusual treat, as American Holidays are usually not observed).  Aubrey and Andrew had connived with the...