A send off party from our friends at CHS

We had a great time this evening at a potluck send-off hosted by our dear friends at Christian Heritage School! There was great food and all my favorite desserts. We had great connections with lots of friends that Ruth and I have made over the years here.

Plus, there was also a special one-time performance of a special song by the teachers of the school! We've posted it on our blog for your entertainment. What a blessing to have such encouraging friends!

Ruth's List of FAQ's

Ruth has been collecting a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that I thought would make a nice blog post. These questions touch on some of the challenges we’ve faced in the process of preparing for our time in PNG with Wycliffe, and also just answer general questions that have come up along the way. So for posterity and for the curios:

Ruth’s Frequently Asked Questions

about Papua New Guinea

(note: answers reflect what we “think” we know and may turn out to be wrong J)

Q: Will you be able to drive?
A: Yes, we think so. I’ve heard that you can rent a van or vehicle of some sort. You can drive to Kainantu which is on the order of a half hour away and has some shops and I even heard a rumor there is a cafe or something there that you can go to for Sunday lunch. The coastal cities of Lae and Madang are like 3 and 5 hours away respectively. 

Q: What kind of training or preparation will you get before you are stationed at your job?
A: There is a training course called POC (Pacific Orientation Course, formerly called Jungle Camp)

Immigration Department Approval

Just heard that the immigration department in PNG gave their approval. So now we can finally send in all the paperwork we've been collecting for our Visa application! It turned out to be a bit of work to get all the vaccinations, blood work, and doctor approvals. Just doing a final check to make sure it’s all in order and then we’ll send it off to the PNG Embassy in Washington DC.

Work Permit Is In!

Awesome news! We received word that our work permit was approved by the labor department in Papua New Guinea. Now we just need to wait for the immigration department to give their approval, and we can send in our PNG Visa application to their embassy in Washington DC.

Ruth has been putting together a list of Frequently Asked Questions that I think would be fun for us to make into a blog entry. So be on the lookout for that coming soon!

New Blade Meets Nerves and Tendons... Blade Wins!

Well, one little mistake is all it takes sometimes. I was finishing up some work on a remodeling project. As the counter tops were coming together, There was a little piece of trim that needed to be cut back an inch. Out comes the utility knife and I stark cutting it back. I was just about through and gave it one last hard slice. At that same moment my left hand moved into just the right position so that when the piece came loose, my left pinky finger caught the blade on the down swing!

Oops! I've found that when I hurt myself badly, I usually have about 60 seconds before I start to feel a little queasy. So I folded my finger back onto my hand and walked swiftly to the kitchen and ran it under some water. After looking at it, I decided that I should go to the ER to get it stitched up. Ruth was in Seattle at a Children's Ministry Conference so I called for Meliah to round up the kids in the van so we could all go in together.

Total It Up Program

The better part of last week I spent with several Bible translators and Wycliffe representatives at a 5-day course titled Total It Up (TIU). The purpose of this program is to give aspiring translators a taste of what's involved in Bible translation.

The Bible translated into a person's hear language is essential for personal spiritual growth and is the foundation of the church. Without the Bible, we have no basis for worshiping the God of creation and learning about God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Responding to the Call

New Horizons Community Church has been our church home for about the last 12 years. About 4 years ago, I recommitted my life to the Lord, and this time I was really serious. I finally understood at a heart level the design for family that God planned for us. While I'll never be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, my life is slowly changing, step-by-step, to better reflect God's glory as I live in obedience to Him. And a big part of living in obedience for us, has been prayerfully listening to God's direction for our lives individually.

The news! We believe God has asked us to commit to moving to Papua New Guinea for 12 months to serve there as missionary supporters in the town of Ukarumpa. I was given an opportunity to share about the process we've been going through on a Sunday morning at church. Here is the link to listen to the story.