In a few days, our family will celebrate being in Papua New Guinea for six months! Here are some of the text messages I sent to my sister, giving you an idea of what life has been like here in our little corner of the world.

12/13/2021
We just got the internet working!
A guy took a two-day trip to get here, and he is living here for a couple of days while he figures out what is wrong with our satellite internet!
I guess that is why the internet is expensive here?

12/14/2021
Man! I wish you could visit! Life is so simple and beautiful here! And we can see our children changing in positive ways—because of their friends and the environment, I guess.

12/21/2021 I am trying to figure out how to get outside and keep a clean house. Cleaning is a full-time job, with termites and their dust, geckos and their droppings, extremely industrious spiders—and children with muddy and grassy feet!
Enjoy your house that stays clean! It is a blessing I never appreciated.
12/27/2021
You know, I wish I could be with you and visit Mom and Dad, but most of all, this Christmas, I have been missing electricity and my freezer and appliances!
We had a nice Christmas meal with the Ericksons last night and called the grandparents. Still, I don’t feel like it is Christmas when I am sweating, and it is 90 degrees.
I think the children were satisfied with the presents they got. When nobody else around them has toys or gets presents, they feel pretty good to get anything.

01/21/2022
Pray for Jason. He has a fever, chills and a headache. And here, if you get a fever, you assume it’s malaria.

01/23/2022
Jason turned a corner last night! He is talking now, and his temperature is normal. He said it was the worst thing he had ever experienced. I am glad the medicine seems to have worked.
And I see now that it’s the middle of the night for you—sorry! I will message you more later.

02/09/2022
A big gecko just dropped from the ceiling onto my shoulder! I screamed, and the children ran out to the living room to laugh at me.

03/02/2022
So on our way to Port Moresby, we got stuck in Mount Hagen overnight. It is actually chilly here, so we got to wear jackets and sleep under duvets—and we had hot showers! The first time since we left Port Moresby. It was amazing!
I did not realize how much I missed being cozy. It was a respite from the constant heat. I cannot complain, though. We just read a book about the missionary Mary Slessor, so I have been reminded that our circumstances are comparatively posh! God is increasing my stamina.

05/01/2022
(Back in the village)
When you see this, please pray for me! I need courage because our septic tank just backed up last night, making life so much harder than it was—and if we cannot fix it ourselves, it could be two months before we can flush a toilet. I am kind of wishing I could just live a normal life in the U.S. again.
It is hard to see the bright side at the moment. I guess regular PNG life will seem easy after this, though.
Glad Jason is not discouraged, and the children are not phased. I probably need to surrender this.

05/02/2022
Rejoice with me! We have DRAINAGE! Jason and a couple of others dug out the pipe and found the end was blocked. They cleared it out, and all is well. I feel like I am walking on clouds. Showers. Flushing toilets. I can even let the water go down the sink drains.

This morning I read, “Peace I leave with you . . . Let not your hearts be troubled.” God gives me peace, and I have to choose to keep it. So I was choosing peace when God helped us solve the problem. Funny how that works.

Guess it is all part of my education.

Some aspects of life have been hard in ways we never imagined, but God has been very near. May God bless you where you are as you meet the challenges unique to your part of His vineyard.

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