It is 10:30 on a Friday night. the kids are down and the house is quiet except for the background noise of cars on the road and the murmur of kids audio stories still playing in the kids room. I had some chocolate slice ( an Australian cookie bar thing with coco and coconut I made today) and it is the perfect temperature with the cool breeze blowing through my louvered windows. Ah.. Peace... I have to savor it since daytime with 3 kids is fun and always an adventure but not too often is it really peaceful!
I am even thinking of watching a movie on my computer after I write this....funny how you can go from a big old flat screen tv and although you love it and its great you adjust just fine to a tiny little computer screen and forget there is a difference. Well I should talk for myself Josh is still trying to figure out how to get it here! I don't see that happening in our tiny little village house! Can you imagine.. always short on rent and grocery money but sporting a tv that takes up the whole living room (not a very big living room!) Funny stuff. Don't worry Kevin I don't see it happening any time soon! Your sports are safe, sorry Janel. Is it just me or is doing a work out video with one of those tvs like having a live instructor (life size!) Not the same I suppose since you can pause or just sit there starring in confusion and no one can bother you about it! Yeah much better than real life !
Just thinking of all of you right now and different things you have encouraged us with while we have been here. And might I add keep the prayers and scriptures and words coming we are needing them. Yeah we are trying not to wear ourselves thin, but it is hard to discern the line between balance and apathy.
The needs are real and desperate so it is hard, but we do have friends here that live a totally different life out of the village in the "white world" (my own verbiage) where we are able to relax. It feels very bizarre to spend the day with them frolicking in a pool at a resort then return to the village where we see hunger, abuse, poverty, neglect and sickness. I know it is not unique to this area but it is still real and hard just like it would be anywhere else you were face to face with it. I do see one positive thing though in being in both worlds, and that is to really bring the two together. I want to help these guys who are here (I go to an expat church) see the wide open mission field and life changing opportunities for service right in front of them. Most are here on Government contracts or for other lucrative jobs for a period of time. I would love to encourage the two worlds to meet more often. Please pray for that. I see need and abundance. Where is Robin Hood when you need him? I am looking forward to more mingling of the two groups as we are able to bring the needs to light and set up opportunities for them participate.
Josh seems to be doing great last I heard! Thanks for all the prayers. The mission team is loving it in Epi and the village is going all out for them with welcome feasts and all! He says at night you can see two different volcanoes erupting bright red into the black sky. Pretty cool. He will be back by boat (read cargo boat overloaded with people and stuff and no seats) on thursday. We look forward to it. The kids are doing surprisingly well. I know having my parents here helps! They are a great blessing! I am working my tail off on the immigration thing and running into problems all over the place since I live here, and there is no embassy here! I have to go to Papua New Guinea! Sydney turned me down and said I have to go where my district determines and PNG is it. He (the guy from PNG responsible for immigration) has already told us they will deny us until the child has spent two years in our custody, but that is wrong according to US law so I am very concerned about that. WOW that was a run on sentence. No use in fixing it now! We hear he will be replace in Sept as he is moving.. I hope so!
The ticket to get there alone not counting all the fees is around $1200! THe fees are crazy as well, so we will continue in walking in faith. we have made it for over 3 months with all our savings gone so I am sure the Lord will provide this as well. We do have a tax return that should be showing up in Colorado any day now and that will help! I am reallly enjoying my friend Lisa here who is also trying to adopt. Funny fact.. The statistics on the government websites that cover foreign adoption and immigration show a total of , get this, 1 adoption from Vanuatu in the history of our records. 1 and all of a sudden there is Lisa and I with our two little pikinini's (kiddos!) trying at the same time to get all the adoptions and citizenships legalized. No wonder they know nothing about it at the embassy! It has hardly been done before!
My parents are doing good and are a great source of wisdom and blessing for the base here and we are really enjoying them.
I think a bug just flew up my nose! TOO MANY BUGS! I now understand why the fly plague in the Bible really did suck!
Continuing on with that thought…They provide much needed administrative and organizational ministry support to help us not be so chaotic with so much going on and so little money to do it all with! I am so glad they are here and the base leaders are really enjoying them as well. We will be so sad to see them go in the end of Sept or beg of October... But we are using our return tickets to come home for the holidays. It will be about 10 months we have been gone and we will be able to bring more stuff back supply wise. We sure are enjoying the sun and fruits and veggies though! Blessings we sure appreciate all your prayers and words of wisdom. Thanks again!
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