Wow – time sure flies! I always have such great intentions of getting more blogs posts up. Alas, our days are pretty filled up and we don’t get onto the computer very often. Anyways, we’re having a lovely day. A few chores this morning (laundry, kitchen cleaning, bread making, food prep, etc.), a nap this afternoon and then a Jay took the kids to the beach while I enjoyed a few quiet hours at home. We had a great Christmas Eve dinner with Mike and Ruth up at ‘the big house’ (aka the real house), let the kids open up one gift and then ushered them off to bed where Jack (even as I type this) is singing out ‘jingle bells’ to his sleeping sisters. He did sleep for a few hours this afternoon… hopefully he’ll drift off soon. J
So as our day ends yours begins. We wishing you all a wonderful few days as you celebrate the love of God for us with your families and friends. John 3:16 & 17 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Love to you all,
Jay, Krista, Mya, Jack & Lena
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Merry Christmas?
Hi everyone! Well, it’s certainly strange to think of Christmas and snow at home. We’ve heard about the ‘snow emergency’ – sounds intense! The weather here is nice but super hot today – 33 degrees and 70 % humidity. Both extremes, I guess. The kids are super excited to play in the snow when we get home – oh to be a kid again, hey? It must be pretty beautiful.
Jay’s been busy getting a big project underway – starting to finish the lower level of the ‘big house’ into usable housing space. When he was here in 2007 they worked on tiling the floor and framing some interior walls. Now he’s framing in the tub/shower unit (talk about luxury compared to our outdoor stall shower!) and getting ready to plumb the bathrooms. Then walls can go up, etc. Lots of other things need to get done to help to prepare the space to become a home.
It’s been so nice to have him around throughout the day. We get to have breakfast together EVERY SINGLE DAY! This really is such a treat because at home he’s usually out of the house shortly after 6am. Then he has lunch with us and the kids get to take water and snacks over to him throughout the day. We’ve all been enjoying it!
I’m learning how to cook and bake here. Everything takes longer and is more difficult – either some of the ingredients are missing so you have to substitute or the humidity doesn’t co-operate or something… I’ve made a few great meals and few messes! I’m a bit sad that cookies don’t work here very well – the butter melts right away (it’s impossible to roll out) and then the cookies just stay too soft. On the other hand, I can ‘rise’ a batch of bread in about 40 minutes!! It’s amazing.
We learned how to scrape a coconut the ‘real’ way today. So fun – now we have LOTS of fresh shredded coconut. The kids enjoyed it to and Mr. Daniel made fun coconut shell masks for them afterwards. I think we’ll be eating a lot more coconut at home.
We’re imagining all of you celebrating and enjoying all of the Christmas traditions we have in Canada – food, festivities, decorations, music, smells, building snowmen (Mya), etc. There is a strand of snowmen mini lights around one window in our cabin and we have a small Christmas tree on our kitchen table. Jay is being creative and we have a 3 foot snowman named Oatmeal (I’m not sure) on our sleeping cabin porch and a star above our kitchen cabin door. While we’re enjoying a ‘simpler’ season here we trust that you’re having a great time together. May these words penetrate our hearts as we seek to give God the glory in all of our joy and merrymaking.
Jay’s been busy getting a big project underway – starting to finish the lower level of the ‘big house’ into usable housing space. When he was here in 2007 they worked on tiling the floor and framing some interior walls. Now he’s framing in the tub/shower unit (talk about luxury compared to our outdoor stall shower!) and getting ready to plumb the bathrooms. Then walls can go up, etc. Lots of other things need to get done to help to prepare the space to become a home.
It’s been so nice to have him around throughout the day. We get to have breakfast together EVERY SINGLE DAY! This really is such a treat because at home he’s usually out of the house shortly after 6am. Then he has lunch with us and the kids get to take water and snacks over to him throughout the day. We’ve all been enjoying it!
I’m learning how to cook and bake here. Everything takes longer and is more difficult – either some of the ingredients are missing so you have to substitute or the humidity doesn’t co-operate or something… I’ve made a few great meals and few messes! I’m a bit sad that cookies don’t work here very well – the butter melts right away (it’s impossible to roll out) and then the cookies just stay too soft. On the other hand, I can ‘rise’ a batch of bread in about 40 minutes!! It’s amazing.
We learned how to scrape a coconut the ‘real’ way today. So fun – now we have LOTS of fresh shredded coconut. The kids enjoyed it to and Mr. Daniel made fun coconut shell masks for them afterwards. I think we’ll be eating a lot more coconut at home.
We’re imagining all of you celebrating and enjoying all of the Christmas traditions we have in Canada – food, festivities, decorations, music, smells, building snowmen (Mya), etc. There is a strand of snowmen mini lights around one window in our cabin and we have a small Christmas tree on our kitchen table. Jay is being creative and we have a 3 foot snowman named Oatmeal (I’m not sure) on our sleeping cabin porch and a star above our kitchen cabin door. While we’re enjoying a ‘simpler’ season here we trust that you’re having a great time together. May these words penetrate our hearts as we seek to give God the glory in all of our joy and merrymaking.
Luke 2: 11 ‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.’
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It's true. It's SUPER hot here. I heard there was snow in Port Sydney?
Wow. A SUPER hot day today. We were all a bit out of sorts. I got some laundry washed this morning in the old ringer tub, rinsed in the sink and then hand wrung and out to dry on the line behind our kitchen cabin, did a bit of ‘school’ done up in the air conditioned office and then walked over to the market where we bought some cucumbers (for lunch) and some potatoes and beans. I saw what looked like an 11 or 12 month old baby girl munching on a handful of peanuts. It looked so funny because she had a fist full and was shoving them into her mouth whole and then cracking them with her teeth (?) and spitting out the shells. Seems that Jack had at least part of it right! J After lunch we had a bit of a siesta on the porch and then played in the little plastic kiddie pool that we found in a store in town. Dinner together and then to bed! Oh – and Mya and I made some banana bread today too. Yummy. There are so many different types of bananas here – kind of like our varieties of apples. I used a few different kinds in the bread – one which was an orangey colour. Those ones didn’t mash very well it looked like there were chunks of peaches in our bread. Orange bananas are so good. It will be hard to eat a ‘Canadian’ banana again!
Jay’s been finishing up a kitchen that will be flown into the jungle piece by piece. We’ll be heading in (as a family) so that Jay can install it once it’s all there – sometime in January. Should be interesting. Since we’ve been here they’ve also milled three loads of lumber for a missionaries house – about an hour drive away.
Praying for patience and love for us all tomorrow. More smiles and fewer grumpers running around.
Side note - please excuse my poor spelling and grammar – this laptop keyboard is small and I’m very sleepy. Thank you.
Krista
Jay’s been finishing up a kitchen that will be flown into the jungle piece by piece. We’ll be heading in (as a family) so that Jay can install it once it’s all there – sometime in January. Should be interesting. Since we’ve been here they’ve also milled three loads of lumber for a missionaries house – about an hour drive away.
Praying for patience and love for us all tomorrow. More smiles and fewer grumpers running around.
Side note - please excuse my poor spelling and grammar – this laptop keyboard is small and I’m very sleepy. Thank you.
Krista
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Day Number ?
I actually have lost count of the days now. We had a good day today – overcast and rainy so it was quite comfortable for us. Walked with the kids to the small market about a block away and bought them a few peanuts. Jack gave all of the nationals – and his sisters - a good laugh when he shoved a peanut shell and all into his mouth and started crunching away. He was actually enjoying it but I made him spit it out and picked out the peanut pieces for him. :) People are very friendly and love to watch us. Occasionally we’ve made a small baby cry as they maybe have never seen a white skinned person before. Our kids are warming up to being stared at and touched and are learning to smile politely and not comment audibly on the smells/sights (which are many!).
It’s certainly fair to say that we’ve begun to adjust to life here. It always takes at least a few weeks to start to settle in somewhere. The kids have insatiable appetites. Not sure if it’s the heat or maybe the absence of snacking and dessert type foods. It’s crazy! We’re also becoming accustomed to the absence of hot water. Even in this heat a cold shower is a bit shocking when you first get in – especially for the kids! Especially shocking when you discover you’re sharing the space with ant eating geckos. Have so far shared the shower with many ants, gecko’s and cockroaches. Well, only one cockroach. I made Jay go in and kill it before I re-entered.
We spent an evening last week with the New Tribes missionaries again to celebrate American Thanksgiving – complete with pumpkin pie and football! It was nice. We’ve been enjoying the incredible hospitality of Mike and Ruth (our hosts) and the kids just LOVE them. It was neat the other night to sit around and talk of home as they are originally from Port Sydney as well. The missionaries who are here are so amazing. I’ve really been trying to understand how they can give up everything and make sacrifices that seem so huge to me to be here. Missing relatives and friends, churches, communities, comforts, familiarities. Yes, the palm trees are beautiful but seriously – a lot of what we see isn’t. And yet they are so humble and gracious and thankful. So passionate to share Christ with the people here. People who desperately need the gospel and have never heard. I’ve been reading through Mark as that is what Kaj has been preaching on at our church in Muskoka. Stuck on Mark 10:29. “Jesus said ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first.’” Trying to really get it. I certainly don’t think we all need to leave home and embark on overseas missions. I am wondering how my ‘normal’ life fits into this. What have I sacrificed for the sake of Jesus Christ and His gospel? What would my ‘normal’ life look like if I was willing to sacrifice in this radical way? I’m thinking that it comes down to (at least in part) where my priorities in life lie. What’s on my list of important things to do? I think my list might look a bit different from now on…
It’s certainly fair to say that we’ve begun to adjust to life here. It always takes at least a few weeks to start to settle in somewhere. The kids have insatiable appetites. Not sure if it’s the heat or maybe the absence of snacking and dessert type foods. It’s crazy! We’re also becoming accustomed to the absence of hot water. Even in this heat a cold shower is a bit shocking when you first get in – especially for the kids! Especially shocking when you discover you’re sharing the space with ant eating geckos. Have so far shared the shower with many ants, gecko’s and cockroaches. Well, only one cockroach. I made Jay go in and kill it before I re-entered.
We spent an evening last week with the New Tribes missionaries again to celebrate American Thanksgiving – complete with pumpkin pie and football! It was nice. We’ve been enjoying the incredible hospitality of Mike and Ruth (our hosts) and the kids just LOVE them. It was neat the other night to sit around and talk of home as they are originally from Port Sydney as well. The missionaries who are here are so amazing. I’ve really been trying to understand how they can give up everything and make sacrifices that seem so huge to me to be here. Missing relatives and friends, churches, communities, comforts, familiarities. Yes, the palm trees are beautiful but seriously – a lot of what we see isn’t. And yet they are so humble and gracious and thankful. So passionate to share Christ with the people here. People who desperately need the gospel and have never heard. I’ve been reading through Mark as that is what Kaj has been preaching on at our church in Muskoka. Stuck on Mark 10:29. “Jesus said ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first.’” Trying to really get it. I certainly don’t think we all need to leave home and embark on overseas missions. I am wondering how my ‘normal’ life fits into this. What have I sacrificed for the sake of Jesus Christ and His gospel? What would my ‘normal’ life look like if I was willing to sacrifice in this radical way? I’m thinking that it comes down to (at least in part) where my priorities in life lie. What’s on my list of important things to do? I think my list might look a bit different from now on…
Saturday, November 21, 2009
A Great Sunday
We had a great Sunday today but missed you Harvest family! We worshipped this morning with the New Tribes Mission folks and the kids enjoyed meeting some kids their own age and playing on some playground equipment. Had a nice lunch and a quiet afternoon. It's been overcast today and when we were swimming I had my first PNG goosebumps! Major event. :)
Thinking of you all back at home and so appreciate the comments and emails you send. We miss you. It's hard not to be homesick even though we're adjusting well.
Going to have a light supper of leftovers and fresh Po Po (papaya) and then head to bed. Gearing up for a busy week.
Love to you all,
Krista, Jay and kids
Thinking of you all back at home and so appreciate the comments and emails you send. We miss you. It's hard not to be homesick even though we're adjusting well.
Going to have a light supper of leftovers and fresh Po Po (papaya) and then head to bed. Gearing up for a busy week.
Love to you all,
Krista, Jay and kids
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day #8
Yes I'm counting and hopefully I'll get more creative as time goes on.
Wow. I so meant to update this thing before now. Our trip was great - thank you to everyone who was praying for us. We knew you were! Our first few days were interesting - trying to readjust our day/night schedule and also getting used to the crazy heat. A few heat rashes later we're doing much better! Jack was sick with a fever for a few days but is becoming his usual investigative self. The girls are having a great time and really enjoying each other. We haven't met many national kids for them to befriend but will soon. The kids all sleep in a triple bunk bed (pictures to come) and think it's pretty fun. It's getting harder to keep Mya and Lena quiet before bed (as they adjust to the time difference and can manage to giggle enough to keep eachother awake). Jack is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. :) Jay and I are usually to bed soon after the kids but slowly we're able to stay up a bit later and have an 'evening'.
Well. We've eaten our first crocodile (no kidding and it was delicious!) and swam in the ocean. We're enjoying SO MUCH fresh fruit (we've been through 2 pineapples, 2 papayas and 3 bunches of bananas already - YUM) and veggies. We're starting to recognize the geiko's that inhabit our kitchen cabin in the evening. We're enjoying Mike and Ruth's hospitality immensly and are beginning to 'live' on our own - cooking, shopping, laundry, school, etc. Jay's begun working with 'the boy's' - Mike's 4 national workers and even taken his first trip into the bush for a load of wood - walnut and kwila. Things don't smell as funny any more. :) I'd say we're beginning to settle in.
Thanks everyone for your prayers. Without them we know this would have been much more difficult. We covet them still - for safety, for health and for clarity of mind in what and how we're accomplishing day to day.
Congrats Eric and Linsey on Caden's arrival. Wish we were there to meet him now! Eric - Jack kept 'seeing you' at the Hong Kong airport. :) Miss all of you at home and at church. Thinking of you guys as you're getting into that prayer study. Wish we were doing it with you. Small group - don't eat too many apple benieghts without us!
Love to you all and thank you each one for your words of encouragement. :)
Krista and Jay
Wow. I so meant to update this thing before now. Our trip was great - thank you to everyone who was praying for us. We knew you were! Our first few days were interesting - trying to readjust our day/night schedule and also getting used to the crazy heat. A few heat rashes later we're doing much better! Jack was sick with a fever for a few days but is becoming his usual investigative self. The girls are having a great time and really enjoying each other. We haven't met many national kids for them to befriend but will soon. The kids all sleep in a triple bunk bed (pictures to come) and think it's pretty fun. It's getting harder to keep Mya and Lena quiet before bed (as they adjust to the time difference and can manage to giggle enough to keep eachother awake). Jack is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. :) Jay and I are usually to bed soon after the kids but slowly we're able to stay up a bit later and have an 'evening'.
Well. We've eaten our first crocodile (no kidding and it was delicious!) and swam in the ocean. We're enjoying SO MUCH fresh fruit (we've been through 2 pineapples, 2 papayas and 3 bunches of bananas already - YUM) and veggies. We're starting to recognize the geiko's that inhabit our kitchen cabin in the evening. We're enjoying Mike and Ruth's hospitality immensly and are beginning to 'live' on our own - cooking, shopping, laundry, school, etc. Jay's begun working with 'the boy's' - Mike's 4 national workers and even taken his first trip into the bush for a load of wood - walnut and kwila. Things don't smell as funny any more. :) I'd say we're beginning to settle in.
Thanks everyone for your prayers. Without them we know this would have been much more difficult. We covet them still - for safety, for health and for clarity of mind in what and how we're accomplishing day to day.
Congrats Eric and Linsey on Caden's arrival. Wish we were there to meet him now! Eric - Jack kept 'seeing you' at the Hong Kong airport. :) Miss all of you at home and at church. Thinking of you guys as you're getting into that prayer study. Wish we were doing it with you. Small group - don't eat too many apple benieghts without us!
Love to you all and thank you each one for your words of encouragement. :)
Krista and Jay
Saturday, November 7, 2009
One more sleep!!!
Wow. We leave tomorrow (Sunday, Nov 8th) to go down to the airport and catch our 12:15 AM flight to Hong Kong, the first leg of our journey. This inaugural flight - 15 hours! - should be interesting. From there we head to PNG and arrive sometime Tuesday evening Ontario time. We been overwhelmed with love and support from all of you - praying with us, making this financially possible, visiting, sending care packages and meals for us, etc. We look forward to updating you and hearing about all of the exciting things that God is doing here in our absence. Please keep praying and also keep us up to date on what's up with all of you - we'll miss you and we love you!
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