Fresh Perspective

I don’t have time to tell you all our great stories, but wanted to let you all know that we are alive and well after our “mission trip”. It is late now and we must crash as our boat leaves for Sorong at 6:45 a.m. and then we we fly onto Bali. Our trip has been both relaxing and very full.  Is that possible?  We have many beautiful memories and pictures.  I will share in time. Please pray for our health as the mosquitoes there were very aggressive.  Despite trying to be “safe”, I know we were all bit numerous times.  Also, Andrews retainers did not show up so we are hoping this will get addressed in Bali.  Please pray about that also. Nathaniel is very relieved that we will now be eating food that is more aligned with his American taste buds.  As he put it while eating village food, “I would rather eat airplane food!”  To which we all had a good chuckle.  He will get his fill of airplane food these next 4 days. ;  ) We will see many of you soon.  We can’t wait!

Frequently Darron will tell me, “I wish you could travel with me.”  Smirk.  Be careful what you wish for dear. ; ) While I know that Darron is thrilled that we have come along.  It hasn’t been without some extra stress and challenges.  Distraction, maybe?  Concern, perhaps?  Pleasure, no doubt.  Frustration, probably.  Cost, for sure.  Companionship, at times.  Separation, 3 days now.  Communication issues, always in Papua when he is travelling (he is in one location with bad cell coverage and I am in another).  Awww….but that is family life isn’t it?  Not always a bowl full of cherries or whipped cream on top of the ice cream (drool). Day 5, of family mission trip in Papua, is proving to be a challenge.  Nathaniel has a fever still.  Cycling.  Achy body. The older boys hike up the mountain this morning to talk with me and check on Nathaniel.  I tell them  I am confused what to do.  I want to come, but if Nathaniel has a virus, I don’t want to spread it to all the local malnouris

Sunday morning we spent some relaxing time snorkeling, enjoying the incredible water and visiting with Max (owner of Papua Diving) at his other resort.  Max has a real vision for research, and improving the local environment for the Papuan people and providing work and ways they can have more positive outcomes.  One of his goals is to train people from Sentani to build the long boats there.  Improving their means of transportation, but also providing income in Sentani.  On this journey a man joined our team (whom Darron had helped to select) and he started training on Sunday. Wading over to Max’s other resort. Max in his office.   By 11:00 a.m. Nathaniel was complaining of his head hurting.  We walked back to our Eco lodge and the thermometer proved that a fever was brewing.  It quickly climbed to 102.  I wondered if it was a virus, dehydration or malaria?  Several hours later Darron and the rest of the Boyd boys return from their visit with Max, I know that I needed to just s

Getting a family of four boys out the door and ready to jet across the world is really enough of an adventure in and of itself.   Would the passports be ready in time (exit and reentry visa’s)?  They arrived 36 hours prior to departure.  Would the texts and phone call’s stop coming in regard to sick missionaries?  In the end, I had to ignore my phone and turn down a flight interior to assess a 80 year old visitor who had a mini stroke.  She had travelled there with her husband to be part of the dedication of a newly translated version of the Bible.  In the midst of packing we discovered our aggressive female eclectic parrot had a baby male. Will the baby do well with us gone?  And so many goodbyes to so many dear friends, even though it is just “for the summer”.  The hardest goodbye was to Jan.  When will we see her again?  We will always be indebted to Jan and Bob for helping us to settle so well in Papua.  If it were not for their love and concern and care for us during that first ye

As student missionaries in the 90’s (Philippines) Darron and I learned 100’s of invaluable lessons that parents, textbooks, and everyday life simply cannot teach.  One of those lessons was:  if you are somewhere in the world (far from home) enjoy it.  See it.  Experience it.  You may not be able to return.  So we have a bucket list of things we would like to do in Indonesia while we are here.  On that list is to go to Raja Ampat.  The 4 Islands of the kings.  This location is here in Papua, up in the birds head.  It is known for the best diving in the world. While we are not suffering by any means.  Raising 4 boys on a mission salary does make one look at their shoe strings and say, “Yep, I can get one of us or maybe two of us to Raja Ampat but 6 of us?”  To move 6 people around is not a cheap feat.  So the idea developed that maybe we could go and do “missions” in Raja Ampat.  Honestly, once we had decided this….I would embarrassingly blush, cover my mouth, hang my head and say, “We