Fresh Perspective

Numbers shouldn’t define who we are.  In nursing school we were often talked to about knowing the patient name, not just their room number.  Yet numbers have crept into the very depth of my soul.  We are a family of SIX.  We have FOUR boys.  We have now been missionaries for FIVE years.  We will soon be married for TWENTY years.  Numbers remind us of passing time and changing seasons.  As only THREE people sat at our dinner table tonight, I thought maybe you would enjoy an update on this summer season we are in.  Currently our TWO airplanes cannot fly.  Please pray about that.  While this has been discouraging, I have admired what Gary has been doing with his on ground time.  SEVEN HUNDRED PLUS truck loads of gravel have been added to our grass runway so that when it rains it is not so soft and muddy.  Also a drainage ditch is being added.  This has been a huge project to manage and have vision for.  Also Gary ...

“We just had all the kinks worked out and our system down (this took several weeks) when Mandy became very ill.  Her husband was out of town, so this added to our concern for her.  In less than 24 hours she was diagnosed with malaria, however, things began to look more despairing when Mandy did not improve even after finishing all the malaria medicine”.     The town of Sentani has almost no street signs.  As long as the store or place you are going to are on the main street,or near major land marks……. it’s not to hard to find where you want to go.  We describe things by certain restaurants, by bridges and main intersecting roads.  However once you turn off the main road and especially if you need to find someone’s house, it can quickly become confusing and difficult.   What appears to be only a few houses from the main street can turn into mazes of homes, with narrow streets and deep ditches, that are not very nice to try and turn around in...

My concentration was shattered at language school this Friday a.m., as a text pinged in from Darron.  "Fever.  Respirations 42.  Having to lie down." As my language teacher explained the meaning of new words and expounded on the topic of the week, Alcohol, my mind struggled to stay focused.  I was out of Pulsa, in other words I had run out of money on my phone allowing me to text or call.  My mind was willing and praying that Andrew would hurry and do this chore for me. Meanwhile the clock ticked.  I tried to focus on the discussion at hand.  Selly was telling me about all the different ways alcohol can be made locally here.  From the coconut tree to rats, baby deer and a few other special ingredients.  Augh!!!!  Really?  It's called "cap tikus". We read a whole article about it.   An hour and 15 minutes into language school, I couldn't focus anymore   What if Darron needed me to go get him?  He was 1.5 hours aw...