Posey's Path

Pre-Christmas Activities

2011-12-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

December is a very full month here on our center. I kind of forgot how busy things are here after a year back in the States. We started on the 2nd of December with the jr. and sr. high drama. They presented The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and did a great job! Then on the 3rd we held our annual Christmas Festival - where the gym is turned into a "mall". Each class, 7th through 12th, sells something and then individuals also have tables of goods to purchase.

The 4th was Sunday and then we had school Monday through Friday, which is enough activity on its own, but we seem to throw in dress up days just to make things more chaotic. So my dear friend Carmen decided that we should display the 12 Days of Christmas.

I was 5 golden rings. Here we all are - quite a crew.

Then the evening of the 9th was the school Christmas concert. The elementary students sang and acted. They did a great job, as did the music teachers.

The high school students sang and played their instruments. They all did a tremendous job!

The following day was the staff Christmas party. We held a progressive dinner times 4 - meaning that 4 houses hosted appetizers, 4 housed hosted soup or salad and 4 houses hosted the main dish. Then we all gathered for dessert at the end. We had a Sunday and 3 more days of school, that were filled with projects due and tests to be taken. Then on Thursday we had our class Christmas party. So here was my class on the last day of term 2.

Now that break is in full swing there will be more Christmas celebrations to come!!

Belated Madang Birthday Post

2011-11-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

I can describe my birthday trip to Madang in alliterations... Sun, Snorkeling, Shopping and Silly and then Fun, Friends, and Food. We took a few days to sit in the SUN and read. We had two traditional book readers and two Kindle readers. Nice to be balanced.

We made sure we had some tme to SNORKEL. Such amazing things can be found underwater. We enjoyed the sea stars as well as a sting ray - lots of clown fish and coral. We tried to get our little DVD player hooked up to the TV in the evening, but since the remotes had 'walked' away from the resort we never could switch over to AV and so we ended up watching some TV on the little 6 inch screen.

One day we met up with some friends that live in Madang and they took us into town to do some SHOPPING. We were able to go to a nice Brian Bell and find some things that we can't find in Goroka. Of course we had pay to fly them up to Goroka, but when you are shopping deprived it all seems okay.

FOOD is a must in the middle of a shopping day. We found a great place to have lunch and to visit. Fish and Chips all around!!

One of our days was filled with rain. It started raining around 3 am and kept raining until 3 pm. We weren't going to let that get us down. So we went out and played in the rain. The lovely ladies that took this picture had to think we were SILLY!

We spent the rest of our rainy day playing cards. We played 16 hands of Hand and Foot. This way we got to be partners with each person and play individually. We were a bit sick of Hand and Foot by the end of this day.

All in all the best part of our trip had to be the FRIENDS! We had a great time relaxing together. FUN is a pretty boring word to sum up our time, but it was FUN!

Thanks Carmen (in teal), Kristin (flowered top) and Robyn (in pink) for a great four days!!

Birthday Bash

2011-10-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

The years that I am in PNG, I try to celebrate my birthday with my good friend Becky. Becky and I share the birthday of October 3 (as do so many others!). This year Becky and I had a pinochle party. Our parties are really an excuse to have yummy food and hang out with friends.

Throughout the evening we change partners. We play four hands with one person and then change partners and tables. Here I am playing with my friends Peggy (tan sweater), Pat (blue top) and Carmen (black sweatshirt). Below is Becky (left) playing with Robyn, Shriley and Melanie (clockwise around the table.)

There was a third table in the kitchen where you find Terri (grey sweatshirt), Emily, Kristin, and Renee (clockwise).

Becky was the winner of the night, which seemed very appropriate. She hadn't won a pinochle party before and it was her birthday celebration.

Such a fun night!! Friends, food, gifts, and pinochle. I really had a great night with some wonderful ladies.

Field Trip!!

2011-09-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

My grade 4/5 class took a field trip the last day of term. We have been studying Papua New Guinea history this last term and learned that one of the main exports is coffee. We live in a valley that grows lots of coffee and has a number of coffee factories, so we went to tour the New Guinea Highlands Coffee.

My students were good listeners, asked some good questions, and learned a lot about coffee. Mr. Dave, the company's manager, was our guide and teacher.
After the beginning presentation, all the kids had the opportunity to try the coffee. Thankfully their teacher didn't have to try any.

Parker has inherited his dad's love for coffee.

Best friends sharing a cuppa.

After our coffee tasting we went on a tour of the factory. This loft was full of bags of coffee beans.

The coffee is shipped all over the world. We learned that Germany and the US are the main purchasers from this company.

This was the 'cup room' - where coffee beans are roasted and tested to insure consistant quality of the beans.

The students were interested in the roasting process.

This is a vat of beans. Then they travel from here to be checked and bagged for transport.

Here is where the beans end up - bagged and stacked.

And here we are at the end of the tour. We had a great time and learned lots.

PNG Independence

2011-09-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

PNG Independence is celebrated by our school in style. This year I am helping out with our student council group and Independence Day is our biggest fundraiser. I baked and "decorated" a cake for our cake walk. It was pretty late at night and this smilely face cake is all I could come up with.
The next morning, Sept. 16th - Independence Day - we began with a pie auction. Some pretty yummy items up for bid.

At NCA we have a unique twist on the "kissing booth". We send kisses - lip shaped suckers and a rubber stamped lip print. It is a very popular booth, and a lot of fun to deliver little bits of encouragement.

One of our other booths was the stocks. You could pay to put your friends in the stocks and then throw wet sponges at them. I had two students send me a "kiss" and two other students put me in the stocks. I think I prefer the "kiss".

Here is a shot of our cake walk. It is the most popular booth at the our celebration. Most PNG citizens don't have an oven and so the chance to win a cake is a big draw.

It is awfully fun to award a cake to the winner!! Here is our student council president showing off the cakes.

August Prayer Letter

2011-09-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

School: NCA has begun!

Finally August 3rd arrived and we got to start school. I had been waiting for so long to be back into the classroom and I was thrilled to get started. I am teaching grades 4 and 5 again this year. Right now there are 15 students—8 fourth graders and 7 fifth graders. The class is currently made up of 2 Australians, 2 Germans, 1 Canadian and 10 Americans. Of course most of them know little about living in their home countries. They are great kids and I have been enjoying getting to know them over these first three weeks.

This part of the school year is a little bit difficult. Everyone is trying to learn new routines in my class as well as in music, art and PE. We will all get them down soon. The work load is a bit of a jump from 3rd grade to 4th grade, but they are all doing well.

This first term is shorter than usual because we postponed the beginning of school as we waited for some of our teachers to arrive. Just last week we found out that there is a new national holiday this Friday and so we have lost yet another day. I am not sure how we will get all this term 1 information digested, but I am sure my students are up to it. Plus it will make term 2 seem like a piece of cake. Please be praying for both students and teachers as we try to learn/teach all that God would have of us this term.

Tribal Update (excerpt from Gary and Esther Smith’s letter)

A couple weeks ago some religious leaders threatened some of our tribal missionaries. Though things looked a bit concerning this was the outcome..

This morning after a not so good night sleep I looked outside and saw men walking around our houses to protect us. Then the plane came in with the NTM leaders and left to go get the police men. We all met together and prayed and reminded each other to respond as Christ would respond.

The police arrived at the same time as the delegation. So we gave the floor to the religious leaders and they accused us of all kinds of falsehood and they said we had to leave and gave us a 2 month deadline to get out. The police men then gave us (around 120 people) the floor and they listened to testimony after testimony of how God has changed their lives and that Jesus is the only way to God. I literally cried as a listened to them give God all the glory. The police man had to stop people as hand after hand went up wanting to give testimony!

After these men heard the testimonies one man proposed that we can stay until we finish the translation. They literally changed their demand and said, “We never said they had to leave.” The testimony of God’s working in the lives of these people silenced them! So they even apologized to us and we shook hands. Our houses are still standing and we are safe, but more importantly our faith is stronger!

We are excited to hear of the faith in the Lord that is developing in our new brothers in Christ.

Praise/Prayer Points
• Praise for the many believers in the remote areas of PNG who are growing in Christ.
• Pray for my dear class as we continue to grow academically and spiritually.
• Praise that our 3rd grade teacher has her entry visa. Pray that she will be able to arrive in the next few weeks.

Joanie's Birthday!!

2011-08-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

Even when Joanie isn't in PNG we still celebrate her birthday in style. Second-handing is one of her favorite pasttimes in Goroka. Don't you miss this? Here are Pat, Stuart, and Matt checking out with their finds.

Even your husband went second-handing. No wrist slitting that I saw. Here are Robyn, Dana and Kristin.

You know you are my dear friend if I will go into the second-hand store AND get my picture taken just for this blog post!

And we couldn't leave out your lovely daughter. Here are Stephanie, Matt (again), Carmen, Jenny and there she is Hayley. We love you and hope you have as much fun as we did on your special day. Happy Birthday!!!

July Prayer Letter

2011-08-02T02:22:00.000-07:00

“Summer” time = VBS
For many of you summer means a change of weather, camping, and Vacation Bible School! In Papua New Guinea we don’t have much of a change in weather (though this year is challenging that a bit). We don’t do any camping, but we did have Vacation Bible school this year. A couple ladies here on center headed up VBS this year with materials sent from one of their home churches. We had singing, Bible lessons, snacks, crafts and games. There were about 35 missionary children from our center and others nearby that came to our four day VBS. I had the privilege of organizing and leading crafts. I loved having each of the four age groups for 20 minutes at a time and helping them with their craft.

The kids seemed to love the opportunity to have a structured learning and play time during the long school break. We don’t have local parks or extended family to visit so the 7 or 8 weeks of school break can seem long. This helped break up our break and reinforced Biblical truths of God’s power, His presence, and His truthfulness.

School!!
The beginning of school has me all excited! I have had lots of time to prepare and I am ready to begin. However, we have had to postpone the beginning of school this year in hopes that a few of our teachers will arrive on time. School was to start on July 27 and now we are beginning on Aug. 3. This week long extension has allowed 3 of our staff members to arrive before school starts. Our grade 3 teacher will not be able to be here at the beginning, but we hope that she will arrive just a couple weeks late. Please continue to pray for her entry visa to come through soon.
This year I will begin the year with just 15 students in grades 4 and 5. It is the fewest students I have had in a class since 2002! I will work my way up to 20 students by January as families have had to delay due to finances, furloughs, and other family issues. Please pray for my class as we welcome students throughout the year.

Hannah Update
Hannah has had some ups and downs this month. She was very weak at one point and in severe pain. She went up to the hospital and found out that her gall bladder needed to be removed, but after an exploratory surgery they decided that it could wait until she was a little stronger and the gall bladder was not as inflamed. Please pray for her and her family as the surgery is scheduled for July 27.

Praise/Prayer Points
• Praise that many of our teachers have arrived and are getting ready for school to begin on Aug. 3rd.
• Pray for Hannah’s surgery on the July 27th.
• Pray for our 3rd grade teacher as she is still awaiting her entry visa. Pray that she will be able to arrive soon after school starts.

June 2011 Update - Gail's Greetings

2011-06-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

My PNG Home…
May 28th I arrived in Papua New Guinea after 11 months of home assignment. I loved being in the US with my family, friends and churches, but I also loved “coming home” to the family that the Lord has given me here in PNG.

I made it in time to be involved with 6th Grade Promotion. This group of students were my students in grades 3, 4, and 5. They are very dear to my heart and I was so happy to share their special day.

Then the next day was our high school graduation. It is a huge celebration here. More work goes into NCA’s grad than into most weddings. This is the final good-bye these students have before they head back to their home countries. I had the privilege of teaching these students when they were 6th graders and have watched them grow up into young adults. Such a joy it is to see them following the Lord and seeking Him for guidance.

Graduation evening is a time that we say goodbye to not only the seniors but those going on home assignment. I was able to spend time with some dear friends, many of whom will be in the US for the summer or for the next year.

What’s Next…
Now that graduation is over and many people have left, what do I do? I will be getting ready for the next school year. School begins July 28th and we hope to have a bunch of new teachers. Over the next few weeks I will be setting up my house, preparing my classroom, setting up some of the new peoples’ houses, working on our school accreditation tasks and visiting with those that are left here at Lapilo. I am looking forward to being back in the classroom. It has been a year without teaching and I am ready to teach again! Setting up my house is always fun. I love to organize things and I have plenty to sort though. Then there is the job of setting up some of the new teachers’ houses and praying for their arrival. There is work to be done at school for our accreditation so I will help with that and finally… I will hopefully be an encouragement to those that are still here at Lapilo over the long break.

Hannah Update…
I recently read that Hannah’s blood counts are improving and if she continues, there is a chance that she will be able to move back home at the end of June. Hannah’s body has switched to her sister’s blood type, which is a sign that the transplant is working. It has been hard on the D’Arcy family to be apart all this time, so please pray that Hannah will be well enough to be away from the hospital so that she and her mom can return home.

Praise and Prayer Points…
• Praise that I had a safe trip back to PNG and had a wonderful time reconnecting with friends.
• Pray that Hannah may return home at the end of the month.
• Pray for the new teachers that will be coming to PNG next month - for their visas and the goodbyes that have to be said.

NCA Graduation

2011-06-05T04:09:00.000-07:00

Graduation at Numonohi Christian Academy (NCA) is a whole evening of celebration. We take pictures before, during, and after Grad. Here is my dear friend Joanie. Her son Cooper is one of the 11 graduates this year.

I got a picture taken with the graduate himself, but it was taken by the graduation photographers and I don't have it yet. Jacqueline and Hayley are Cooper's sisters (Jacqueline flew back for his graduation this year). So good to see the whole family.
Here is a blurry pic of Cooper and his friend Joash walking in. Cooper is on the right. I taught both these guys in 6th grade.

Here are the stage and the graduates. They all sat on comfy couches during the ceremony.

And the graduating class of 2011!!

After graduation we take more pictures of good friends. Here is my friend Carmen and me.

We especially like to take pictures of our dear friends that are leaving for home assignment. Here I am with my "nieces" Rachel and Emily. Sure going to miss these girls!

And finally some of my girlfriends. It was fun to be together at graduation and to celebrate our students. Too bad we couldn't all look in the same direction at the same time.

6th Grade Promotion

2011-06-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

I got back to PNG in time to celebrate with some of my former students. These 6th graders were my students for 3 years - grades 3, 4, and 5. It was fun to hear some of them share their testimonies. They are truly growing up!

The 6th graders had a special reception after the promotion ceremony.

I taught all except the girl in the orange dress, though I have know that girl since she was 4. So I felt pretty close to all of these lovely kids.
After the reception I was able to join them for a trip to town. We went in for lunch and some fun and games... Here they are jumping rope.

There was lots of swimming and even an opportunity to throw their 6th grade teacher into the pool. So glad it was him and not me.

2011-05-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Gail's Greetings
May Prayer Letter

Highlights of Home Assignment...
Nearly 11 months ago I arrived in Seattle from Papua New Guinea. I was met by my sister and her kids which began a string of great memories with my family. From 4th of July to camping, birthdays to holidays, shopping trips to baseball games, all have created a slideshow of memories. I am so thankful for a sister, brother and parents that value family and have made time together a priority this year while I am home. They have even put up with my need for family pictures.

This time of home assignment has also allowed me to reconnect with great friends. I have done road trips around the Pacific Northwest. I flew out to both the north and south of the East Coast to see supporters and friends and make new friends. I have been able to spend time in Oregon at my home church, share with my Friday Harbor church, and still spend quite a bit of time in Wenatchee, even sharing what God is doing in PNG with a new congregation. I was able to get items together to ship to PNG and recently heard that they have arrived after 4 months of travel.

Now I am down to just a few days until I leave for Papua New Guinea. I have loved my time here, but now I am ready to head back to the ministry God has called me to. I love teaching our missionary kids and being involved in their lives. I am really looking forward to attending graduation, where 6 of the graduates were in my 6th grade class back in 2004-05. What a joy it is to have watched them grow up.

After the craziness of graduation and saying goodbye to all the many people that will be leaving for home assignment, I will be able to set up my house and classroom, do some projects for the school and spend some time with people that aren’t leaving our center. I will also be looking forward to the return of friends and arrival of new coworkers.
Please pray for me as I say goodbye to family, travel a very long distance and then settle back in my PNG home. Thank you for being a part of my life. Your partnership has made it possible for me to serve the Lord and assist in reaching unreached people. You are a blessing!

Hannah Update...
In the May 18th update from the D’Arcy family they wrote this about Hannah…”Her blood counts seem to have plateaued at their current levels. In general we need all of them to go higher. She has gained 2 pounds over the past few weeks which is going the right direction now, again she needs to gain quite a bit more. Hannah began physical therapy last week. She goes twice a week to get some focused physical rehab.”

Hannah was able to go home for her sister’s graduation which was a huge blessing for her even though visitors were to be limited.

“We just found out that Hannah is eligible for a managed care insurance program from the state after her she reaches the maximum benefit through our private insurance this year. This is a real praise & answer to prayer because we were denied this coverage last year. Thanks for praying about this for us. This is a really long road and so many of you have been walking right along with us and praying us through, we can’t thank you enough.”

March Prayer Letter

2011-03-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Gail’s Greetings
March 2011
Assisting in Church Planting by Ministering

to Missionary Kids in Papua New Guinea

Prayer and Praise Points
• Praise that I have been able to purchase my return tickets for the end of May to PNG!
• Pray for Hannah D’Arcy’s health and for strength for the whole D’Arcy family
• Pray for the Smiths and the Dinangat believers as they continue to grow in Christ.

Tribal Church Planting Update
This is an excerpt from the recent prayer letter of Gary and Esther Smith, missionaries in the Madang region of PNG...
“Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire.?”
Acts 19:18-19

Charis (Smith’s daughter) and I (Gary) hiked (3.5 hrs) to the neighboring village to visit and encourage the new believers. They are currently teaching through the book of Acts. Every week 2 bible teachers make this trek to continue this teaching. They take the lessons we taught them a while back here in our village and teach them up there. As I sat there and listened to these two young men teach and explain the scriptures I literally fought back the tears. It’s like watching a miracle before my eyes, God changing these people from the inside out!

Then another miracle unfolded before us. As they taught the new believers through the above story that took place in Ephesus, the main village leader (Areke – pictured) just after this story, teaching still going on, walks over to his house and comes back with a little bag. After the teaching time he gets up and shows everyone his bag of tricks (literally!) and burns them in front of everyone! He said that the things in this bag represent idolatry and wants nothing more to do with them. The man I was sitting next to had tears in his eyes and hung his head. It was amazing to witness. Worth every step up and down those mountains to get there.

As Charis and I hiked home (another 3 hours!) we had plenty of time to talk. She shared that she too was amazed and challenged to lay aside every weight that encumbers us. The Apostle John had it so right, that there is no greater joy that to see your children walking in truth! My very own children and the children of God here in Dinangat that we get the distinct privilege of serving.

Keep Praying for the D’Arcys
Thank you so much for your prayers for Hannah and her family. Hannah has been back in the hospital for a while now. She went in with a high fever and then had surgery to check on the infection in her sinuses. Her fever went down some and then she started her chemo regimen for the second transplant. Her sister Meagan is also in the hospital now. She had her central line put in today and so she and Hannah are ready to begin the transplant tomorrow.
Hannah has had some negative effects from the chemo and so that is a little discouraging. Keep praying for the whole family as they walk through this process

Gail’s Life
Just wanted to let you know that I am doing well. I have been traveling around a bit. I had a wonderful time in Friday Harbor and now am back in Wenatchee. I get the opportunity to share what God has been doing in PNG with Calvary Crossroads this weekend. Then I head out to Georgia and Florida to visit friends, supporters and the NTM headquarters. I have been so thankful for the many ways God has provided for me over these last few weeks.

February Prayer Letter 2011

2011-02-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Gail's Greetings
Assisting in Church Planting by
Ministering to Missionary Kids
in Papua New Guinea

Praise/Prayer Points

Praise that I have been able to purchase my return tickets to PNG!
Pray for Hannah D’Arcy’s health and for strength for the whole D’Arcy family
Pray for the Akolet people and the missionaries in that tribal location.

NEWS ABOUT HANNAH

After I sent out last month’s prayer letter I got a few inquiries about how Hannah D’Arcy was doing. It touched my heart to have you all praying for my dear friend. I hadn’t heard much news during the month of January, but soon after I wrote you, I started getting updates…

Feb.7…This is Hannah. Today I went to the clinic for a checkup thingy and my platelet count and red-blood cell count are really low! It is kinda discouraging that they aren't doing good like my white-blood cell count …

Feb 9... (also from Hannah) Today I also had a CBC done and my platelets actually came up!!!! Thanks sooo much for all you guys that prayed. My red blood cell count is still very low.

Feb 15...Hannah had her biopsy yesterday without too much trouble... Today we met the doctor to go over the biopsy results... Hannah is producing white blood cells fine, but is not producing platelets or red blood cells like she needs to.
At this point the doctors are working with some medicines to see if they can help her body right this situation. The D’Arcys continue to wait. The latest update...

Feb 22...(from Hannah’s dad) Even though we’re waiting to see if the medication will yield any progress, the doctor is preparing for the next step; another stem cell transplant from Meagan (sister). If this is needed Meagan will be able to donate the stem cells from her peripheral blood through a process called pheresis. In much the same way a kidney dialysis is done; Meagan’s blood would be taken out of one vein, the stem cells are filtered out, and then the rest of the blood is returned to Meagan through another vein. This would be seen as a boost to the original transplant, not another full-blown transplant like before. It would however involve Hannah having to take some more chemotherapy.
Please continue to lift this family up in prayer. Hannah and her mom are living 3 hours from the rest of the family.

AKOLET UPDATE...

This is an excerpt from Adam and Julie Martin, who are at week 8 of teaching “Creation to Christ.”..

We've done 42 lessons. 28 are still to go. It's like we've been preparing all season for the BIG GAME, and now that we're over halfway into it, we're getting tired, our spirits are lagging. If only we had some real spirited coach to get all fired up and give us an inspiring pep talk to rally us as we're sitting, sweaty and exhausted and discouraged, in the locker room. Oh wait, we do have a Coach, and He is rather "Spirited" you might say. We've just got to keep our eyes on him.

This week was mostly the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. And that feeling of wandering came over us as well, tempting us to lose sight of the goal. To say there were no real highlights from this past week wouldn't be true. We had conversations with many individuals that show yet again that some people are really tracking. That's awesome!

Other people just still seem to be "going through the motions" - attending the meetings semi-regularly but not really seeming to be impacted by the truth that's presented each day.

Please continue to lift of this team of missionaries as they persevere through these long weeks of teaching. May the Lord continue to work in the hearts of the hearers and lead them to an understanding of their Savior.

New England

2010-11-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

After my time in Buffalo, I returned to New England. This time I flew into Boston and my bag, "Louie" and I met up with Bridget. We saw Boston on foot, which is fine, but it is a bit weird to drag a roll bag up and down cobble streets. Here we were at a Holocaust memorial. It was very moving to see all the numbers of people that were in concentration camps.

Each glass panel is full of these numbers and there are about 6 towers full of these numbers.
A shot of downtown Boston. I loved this city and would have enjoyed more time to explore.

Boston...

Had to walk the Freedom Trail and see the Paul Revere statue.

The Old North Church

I had my first cannoli from Mike's Pastry. Oh so good...

Bridget and I met up with her friends Troy and Joyce (now my friends also) and drove to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We had a great time exploring this small town. Lots of fun shopping and amazing eating.

We drove out to York, Maine the next day and I touched the Atlantic. I just love the ocean whether it is on the east or west of the US.

Bridget was attempting to get a pic of me touching the water, but it started rolling in quickly and I didn't want to get soaked. So here I am running back to shore as the tide comes in.

Here is Nubble lighthouse. It is my first Maine lighthouse. Now I only saw one on this trip, but there will have to be other trips to Maine in my future, because I just love it.

Here are Bridget, Joyce and Troy at the lighthouse.

The waves were wild the day we were there and so beautiful to me.

Gail, Joyce and Troy enjoying an afternoon "snack". I had a lobster roll. This way I got both my lighthouse and lobster checked off my Maine to-do list.

We spent two days in New Hampshire and Maine. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Bridget and Troy and Joyce. We came back to Connecticut on Sunday night and then Monday morning I woke up to this sight out Bridget's window. I was happy I didn't have to travel anywhere that day, but Bridget didn't get to share my excitement since she had to commute to school.

Buffalo

2010-11-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

One of the first nights after I arrived in Buffalo, my friend Rhonda and I went out for cider and donuts at Tim Hortons. I have heard about Tim Hortons for a long time from my Canadian friends, and now see the draw.

Here Rhonda and I are taking our own picture. Just happy to be hanging out together.
Rhonda, her daughter Faith, her parents, and I all took a day trip to Niagara Falls. On our walk we found some birds to feed.

Here Rhonda and I are at the Falls.

A love rainbow.

Here I am with Rhonda and Faith.

And a lovely fall day with crunchy leaves on the ground.

A double rainbow shot.

All in all my time with Rhonda was great! I had Buffalo wings for the first time and was able to spend a lot of time catching up with my dear friend.

Connecticut

2010-11-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

On October 9th I flew into Hartford, Connecticut to visit my friend Bridget. The first full day was spent touring her quaint town of Essex. It reminded me so much of one of my favorite shows of all time - Gilmore Girls.

Bridget and I had cocoa since neither of us likes coffee. We had a lovely fall day to enjoy and crunched leaves as we walked.

This is the park directly across the road from Bridget's apartment. Such a love view.

I had to take a picture of the "posies" sign since I am known as "Miss Posey" at times.

Here I am at Mystic, Connecticut. It is a little touristy coastal town.

Loved this view of the water.

And of course a lovely view of the fall leaves.

Here is my first East Coast lighthouse. I believe this is in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Hong Kong Disney

2010-06-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Emily, Hannah, and I outside our hotel before we headed to the Disney Park.

This is the entrance to the park...

Hannah driving closely behind Emily and me.

Hannah and I on the Jungle Cruise.

Emily and Hannah being Emily and Hannah.

Cinderella's carousel.
Here I am as Minnie - for Joanie...

Bye PNG; Hello Hong Kong

2010-06-21T18:47:00.001-07:00

A sunset from my porch in PNG. My friend Carmen was bragging about sunsets in Montana, but this wasn't too bad either.

Another cockroach adventure. However Hong Kong cockroaches are so much smaller than PNG ones. Plus we only saw one, not millions. It did remind us of our missing friend Carmen.

Here Hannah, Emily and I treated ourselves to real icecream! Mickey icecream!

Soon we head to the Disney park here in Hong Kong. More pictures to follow.

Happy Mis'sippi Birthday, Emily!!

2010-04-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily will be celebrating her 28th birthday this week and since life is a bit crazy around here right now, we had her party the weekend before her actual birthday. It was a birthday bash like none I have ever seen. I guess it is because I haven't been to Mississippi before, or anywhere in the south. Emily was born and raised in Mississippi. However these southern friends of hers in PNG are a bit interesting.

Emily seemed to have a great time talking about home and fittin' right in. There were some great costumes, wonderful food (like fried pickles?) and fun fellowship. As I have said before - we make our own fun!

Happy Birthday, Emily!!

Easter

2010-04-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Easter preparations began the day before. Kristen, Becky and I peeled, sliced and fried potato chips. We had decided to do kebobs for Easter along with potato, pasta and Jello salads. We also wanted potato chips. We were going to do kaukau (sweet potato) chips, but there were no orange kaukau in Goroka. (That is just unheard of since it is the staple food for PNG).

Emily was also around to make rolls for her Easter celebration. You will have to ask her what she was doing with the bread machine paddle and why it wasn’t under the ingredients she had loaded into the bread machine? All this made for a much longer process.

Easter Sunday came and Burlesons, Hoskins, Part of the Greenlaws and I gathered at the Nielsens for our meal. We were 20 people and we had enough food for many more. We had a great time of fellowshipping.

Of course we had a traditional Easter egg hunt. The Burleson boys and Noah Greenlaw hid the eggs and all the little ones hunted.

Trying to Be Like My Brother!

2010-02-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

So my brother has been doing "product reviews" and I just couldn't pass this one up. Being in a third world country you find many knock-offs. This was a new one for me. Some friends brought these back from town tonight for me. We all got a good laugh out of it.

As for the taste? Be happy you all have Doritos!

Looking Back - Thanksgiving and Christmas

2010-01-13T01:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, since we don't get Thanksgiving off. Mary and I worked at making rolls and mashed potatoes. I got together with my friends: Carmen, Emily, Dave and Mary Hedeen, the Burleson family, the Nielsen family, and the Bowers family. We had quite a spread.
Here are the kids all looking annoyed, but trying to be respectful. They are good sports.
Here we move to Christmas. Again we were at the Bowers: Emily, both Hedeen families, Phil and Fiona Emery, the Bowers and the Nielsens for a little while.

Fellowship over our Christmas meal...

More fellowship and leftovers...

Skittles waiting for her share...

Christmas Pics

2009-12-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would post a couple random pictures from Christmas. I will have to get pictures from others of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So until then here are a couple pictures of the season. Below is a nativity scene that my dear friend Emily put in my fish tank. For a couple years she has wanted to put one of my many nativity scenes in the tank and this year I said okay, but the ones I could think about putting in the tank all floated. So she made her own...

One fun activity of Christmas is making sugar cookie Christmas trees. The girls made a tree to take home and one to give to someone else. It was fun to see them decorate them and then to watch them give them to someone else. (Around the table...Rachel in red, Emily, Cara, and Katie)

The Last Couple Weeks

2009-12-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

Well, this is an exciting evening at my house. Emily and Carmen come over with their laptops and the three of us sit watching a movie or TV show while catching up on emails, Facebook, or other computer tasks. We all love the wireless!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving I had a decorating party. Dave and Mary, friends from Dallas, OR, were here as well as Emily and Carmen. Emily has decorated with me for 3 years now. Here she is next to one of my favorite nativity sets. She thinks they look cold since they are blue, so she has placed them on a white "snow" cloth and the packing pieces are snowballs. I have to admit that the packing pieces somehow disappeared.
Here are Carmen and Mary decorating the tree. Having Carmen help this year was a great addition. Her height comes in handy when stringing lights, hanging pictures, wrapping garland, and so much more.

Dave accomplished a task that has not happened at my house before. I brought outside lights over with me in 2002 or 2004 and they have never been up. The lights hadn't even been used since Christmas of 1999 back at Camp Tapawingo. Anyway, Dave strung them up outside and they worked!

Then this past weekend was our Christmas Festival. It is our day to shop. Basically it is a bazaar held in our gym, but we like to think of it as the mall. Emily, Carmen and I were decked out with our Christmas bilas (decoration) and shopped all evening, but took a break to get dinner from the junior class. Very similar to a food court.

Rachel's Birthday

2009-11-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

The very loud, silly kindergartners. Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Pin the tail on the pony.
Kristen organized a scavenger hunt.

Rachel and me with her pony pillow.

Kristen had planned a craft for the girls and they all had a good time decorating with foam shapes.

Nothin' Like a Group Picture

2009-11-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

This is our Numonohi Christian Academy Elementary Division photo. Those are a lot of kids to get organized and make smile - at the beginning of their recess, but it was fun.

Halloween

2009-11-13T20:31:00.000-08:00

Rarely do I get to carve pumpkins anymore. Something about growing up and not having kids, but this year neither of those things hindered my friend Joanie and me from getting into the spirit of thing.

Don't be scared, those are PNG pumpkins. They aren't orange on the outside, but they smell like pumpkins, taste like pumpkins and act like pumpkins - especially when being carved.
On Halloween night I made sugar cookies with some friends. Here are Cara and Katie frosting cookies.
Nathan and Andrew frosting cookies.

And Andrew, Carmen, Cara and Katie all frosting cookies. Kyle and Michael joined in on the cookie making, but alluded pictures, somehow.

Madang 2009

2009-10-14T02:53:00.001-07:00

Another Madang trip. I just love it there - sun, ocean, pool, food and great friends! This year Emily, (Me), Carmen, and Hannah all took off for Madang. We stayed at my favorite place - Jais Aben and had a couple days of relaxing. One day our friends the Claasens picked us up and took us to another resort called Malolo. We had fun on the black sand beach, swimming in the amazingly warm water and hanging out with friends.

On our way back we ended up with both driver-side tires blown. God's hand of protection and Nate's skillful driving - lead us to the side of the road instead of flipping over the bridge we had clipped.
Thankfully our friends were just behind us in a truck and we got to ride to the NTM base in the back of the truck, instead of waiting on the side of the road.

Another highlight for us was cockroach killing. This happened in the evenings while we watched a movie or played cards. Carmen has a great squeal and Emily and Hannah are quite lively as they go on their hunting expeditions.

Emily and Hannah showing off the weapons of chioce.

Our final and strangest event of Madang was the tsunami warning that was issued for all of PNG. There had been a large earthquake on Vanuatu so official warning went out. The resort where we were staying began their precautions. The warning was officially called off, but lots of planning had already been put into place. It was an experience to remember.

My Birthday

2009-10-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

The Lord has blessed me with some amazing coworkers that are also my dear friends. I was able to celebrate with so many of them on my birthday. My friend Joanie is here in the picture with me. She made a special chocolate cheese cake for Becky and me.

Becky and I started our celebration with grilled hamburgers, many yummy salads, and kaukau chips. I didn't get good pictures of everyone present but here we have Carmen, Emily, Hannah, Carrie and Pat (Joe is next to her, but out of the picture). After our dinner we piled into Karl and Kristen's house - they sure are good sports to let all of us in. I guess we numbered 21 by then. Carrie had made some wonderful cupcakes and a beautiful cake. My dear little friends had a hard time keeping away from those lovely treats!
I am not sure a party is complete without Dana sticking his fingers up his nose. We probably wouldn't recognize him in pictures.

Becky and I had mounds of presents to open and it is always fun to open presents with a friend.

After presents we went outside with our dessert for a camp fire. Scott and his boys had been working on it, so it was going well by the time we all joined them. We had a great night to be out and the generator didn't even kick on until we were nearly done with our evening.

It was a great birthday celebration. I sure appreciate all those that helped put it together. You are so dear!

Break time fun!

2009-10-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

One fun break time activity is our temporary hair dye. Emily and I did this last year and we loved it. It makes us feel wild and crazy, even if we aren't. The dye only last for 8 washes and we only do streaks. Anyway, this year we got a few others involved. Here I am with Becky. Since our birthday was the next day, it was a must that she join in the fun.
Here Emily and I have roped a very hesitant Carmen in for some dye. I think she had fun eventually.

And my upstair's neighbor joined in the fun too. Pat came and got one strip of orangish-red in her hair.

Birthday Fun

2009-09-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristen had a birthday and so we celebrated! We had a birthday brunch at my house. As with all good ladies gatherings in PNG, we started talking about food, ventured to other topics and came back to food. Usually this includes the food items we miss most from our home countries. We had lots of fun. Hopefully Kristen did too.

Back: Me, Michelle, LeAnna, Kristen, Joanie, Meredith.

Front: Rhesa, Becky

Almost a week later my friend Neil had his birhtday and so more celebrating was needed. Everyone had a great meal at the Mandarin followed by wonderful cheesecake that Becky had made.

Back: Emily, Karl, Kristen, Carmen, Joanie, Dana, Scott, Terri. Front: Me, Becky, Neil

Independence Day

2009-09-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

September 16th is Papua New Guinea’s Independence Day. It is a pretty fun day around here. Our whole missionary community gathers together along with our national friends to celebrate. The morning begins with home-made doughnuts, the national anthem, and the flag raising. We have our own parade led by all the kids that want to decorate their bicycles. Each class in grades 7-12 runs booths of games and activities. The grade 11 students sell lunch and other snacks throughout the day. It is a great community day. This year I made the rounds to all the booths with my two great friends: Carmen and Emily. They are a bit more competitive and daring than I am, but I take the pictures

The Couch

2009-05-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

Well I have a new couch. It came from America

so it was one of the longest deliveries on record,

but it got here is good condition and is just want I wanted.

It goes perfectly with my carpet and I like moving away from the all blue house I had.

So here I am with my new couch, happy as can be.

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

May Day

2009-05-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

This morning my class had a great time assembling and delivering May Day Baskets. There is a bit of hesitancy in sending 25 kids all over the center without supervision, but they do great each year. They were so excited to deliver 26 baskets that I didn't want to stop them for a picture before they left. So we got our class picture afterwards. Aren't they a great looking bunch?

This might be a more realistic picture of their character.

The Chuck E Cheese Birthday

2009-04-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures seemed to be uploading today so I thougth I would try to catch up on the blog. I mentioned on Facebook that we were having a Chuck E Cheese birthday party for my friend Emily. This happened on Apirl 19 to celebrate Em's Day on the 21st. Well here's the proof...

Emily and the kids that were at the party.

The pizza choices.

Guest...

Emily and the Hamamas Meri!

Friday

2009-02-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

I doubt anyone even checks my blog anymore since it has been forever since I have posted, but I thought I would try to get back in the habit. I rarely have anything too exciting to blog about, so I have to decided to blog about everyday things.

Yesterday was the beginning to our Medieval Festival stained-glass window making. Of course we make the "windows" out of construction paper, tissue paper and tape, but it is fun. Supervising 24 kids making these windows is a bit exhausting, but we survive.

My day ended with a 3 month belated birthday party for my grade 1 friend Emily. She turned 7 three months ago and decided to celebrate it yesterday. It was lots of fun.

Well I have tired to upload pictures for over a half an hour and nothing has uploaded. This is one of the joys of living in a 3rd world country. Mom suggested to send the pics to Brad and have him, upload them, but we'll see.

Madang 2008

2008-10-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

This year I traveled to Madang before my birthday and had a great few days of rest. On Friday 5 of us went down on our mission plane and stayed at Jais Aben. We did a little shopping Friday morning in town and then stayed out at the resort the rest of the time. We swam, snorkeled, played cards and visited. It was just relaxing.

Waiting for our ride after shopping in town. We waited on that wall for nearly an hour, but we eventually got picked up.On Monday 3 of our friends joined us that had been doing a VBS program for the Madang regional conference. So for the last 2 days we had five ladies in one room! It was a bit tight but it was really wonderful to spend time with these good friends.

Paul M, Hannah, Paul W, Moses, Me, Emily, Katie and Andrea

Paul W, Andrea, Emily, Me, Moses, Hannah and Katie

Shopping in Goroka - An Adventure Like None Other

2008-09-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

Shopping takes on a whole new meaning when shopping in Papua New Guinea

So it all begins by getting up the nerve to ask someone to drive you into town. Of course it is nearly a whole day event so the person you ask has to give up their day to do this for you. So I emailed a friend of mine, and figured it was a long shot because there were no vans available and it was pretty late notice, so I figured he had plans. However, at 5 pm the night before our proposed shopping day he called, and said that he got a van from his department so we could go, however, he was going to stay in the van and at the Bird to work on his sermon prep for Oct. 5. I “argued” with him a bit about the whole trip since it sounded like he really had other things to do, but he insisted it would all work out.

So in the morning at 9 am 4 girls went into town with Paul driving us. We stopped at Brian Bell, our most western style store, and got a couple things. I got a handle for my broom and some kebob skewers. Next we went next door to the old Papindos and found a few things. I found some shirts for my brother’s boys for Christmas. Then we piled into the van and headed to “down town”. Paul dropped us off at the store farthest away from the Bird so that we could then just walk back. This store is called SVS and we got some fabric, food, and other little random things we could find. One of the ladies got some great picture frames. Never have I seen such nice frames here. Then we went across the street to the pharmacy, well actually two. I found some stocking stuffer gifts and was able to get a phone card for my cell phone. We were going to go into one store that once had sugar free cookies and pick some up for another friend, but there was a large mob of people outside that store and I didn’t feel too comfortable going in there. So we figured the cookies were not that important. We decided that we would head back to the Bird, use the bathroom and get some lunch. We had a nice meal at the hotel and visited over lunch. Then we went back out across the road to Bintangor, a grocery store, and got a few items, including cash back on our credit cards. We came back to the Bird and loaded up the van to head back home. However we had one more stop to make at the new Papindos and did our last shopping there.

We made it back home just after 2 pm and felt like we had a very successful day. However once I got all my packages in, I realized that at least half the items I bought need to be washed before I use them. You always feel a bit grimy after being in town. We all talked today about how fun it is "back home" to shop and not feel the need for a shower when you get home.

All in all it was a fun day and I really did feel like I got so much that I needed. I haven’t been shopping in town since before the school term started. So that has been 8 weeks.

School had begun!

2008-08-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

School began over two weeks ago. It took me over two weeks to get a class picture. I took my camera to school each day, and yet we would be so busy that I would forget to take a class shot. Thankfully on Friday I remembered. We did have two students that had been visiting for 2weeks and Friday was their last day. That did give me some motivation. So here are my 24 students and our two visiting ones. Keep us in your prayers as we grow together as a class. Some of these kids have never been in school before and this is a big change for them; many of the others have had me as a teacher for a year already and may become bored.

4th of July!

2008-07-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Even in PNG we need to have a 4th of July celebration. It may not look just like the USA style celebration, but we did have food, friends and fun! Even a few fireworks and a real fire. 14 people were at my house for the evening. It was a great way to fill the void of not being in Wenatchee for the 4th.

Here are the barbeque guys - Moses, Paul Wilson, and Matt

A table full of friends...Paul Wilson, Paul McKnight, Callum, Amy, Lesley, and Andrea peeking over Erika's head

Yes, even I was there. Here are baby Amy, Erika and I.

Of course there had to be dessert! American flag cheesecake, apple pie and chocolate bars.

And finally a bonire and a snowball fight? Yes we had a ton of paper to burn and so it turned into a "snowball" fight as we attempted to get the paper in the fire.

Have I Mentioned That I Hate Goodbyes?

2008-06-20T22:32:00.001-07:00

The hardest part of being a missionary is saying godbye to family. I love my family and every time I head back to PNG I think it is going to kill me to say goodbye. We all have come to the understanding that going to airport to say goodbye is no fun.

Well only second to saying goodbye to family is saying goodbye to friends that have become like family over the years. This year I say goodbye to 5 families that have become my family away from family. Usually you say goodbye to one or two each year, but 5 is pretty severe.

First I said goodbye to my friend Gayle and her family. They are leaving and not planning to return after 13 year on the field.

Then I said goodbye to the Bowers, who have been my family for the last 4 years, celebrating holidays together. Saying goodbye to Joanie was a horrible process and all the pictures we took of the two of us are on her camera. That wasn't smart.

The third goodbye was to the Burleson family. Neil and Becky are great friends and their kids have such a special place in my heart.

Only two more goodbyes to go. I guess I will make it. I know the Lord gives grace and I have needed an extra amount. How blessed I am to have these dear friends!

Last Day of School

2008-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

June 4 was the last day of our school year. The grade 3.4 class ended the year with a party. We celebrated the "summer" birthdays and had an all around great time. Here are the birthday kids. The two on the far left were even celebrating their birthdays on that specific day! We played pictionary with little white boards and markers, which was a bigger hit than you might think.
This is our class on the last day. Karina had left a couple months ago and Jesse was in PE at this time. Laura, our faithful TA, joined us for the party. About 7 of these kids will be on furlough next year, but the rest get to have me as a teacher once again. We will be the grade 4.5 class!
This day ended with graduation. I had lots of fun watching my first grade 5 class graduate. This picture is of them in their formal attire after the ceremony.

Going Away Brunch

2008-05-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

My blog posts seem to be "going away" or "birthday" reportings. I guess that is what we do. We celebrate birthdays and we say goodbye. Of course we have our ministries in there somewhere.

We are actually beginning our 'saying goodbye' season. Each year we have a mass exodus of missionaries who are going on furlough or have finished their time in PNG. John and Anna are some of the first to go.

Emily, Matt, Andrea, Anna and John

Moses, Paul and the back of Erika's head (I was sitting on the couch near Erika ,but someone had to take the picture.)

Happy May Day

2008-05-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Happy May Day!

I love this day. How I would love to stop by your houses and secretly deliver flowers to all of you. Instead I had my class make May Day Baskets out of paper and they delivered them to 23 people and offices around our centre. The kids had a great time and hopefully they encouraged some people along the way.

Pajama Pinochle Party

2008-04-26T23:24:00.001-07:00

More creating your own fun around here. Every few months we have a pinochle party where there are 12 or 16 people invited and we spend the evening playing pinochle. Everyone gets a number and then plays about 28 hands. We change partners and keep track of our scores as we move throughout the evening.

Well at the last pinochle party some of the ladies thought it would be fun to have a 'Ladies Only' pinochle party and come in pajamas. So that is what we did. We had a great evening laughing, visiting, eating, and being comfortable. We gathered at 6 pm and finished 7 rounds at 10:30 pm.

Here is the group of ladies that were present.

Top row: Becky, Andrea, Erika, Pat, Anna, Me.

Bottom row: Jenny, Emily, Christin, Gayle, Susan and Joanie.

Emily's Birthday in the Wonderful Land of Oz

2008-04-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

So Emily (and her roommate Andrea) love to dress up,

make fools of themselves and make everyone else join them.

(okay, so it wasn't as bad as I am making it sound.

we actually had a lot of fun, even if we looked ridiculous.)

The Three Witches: I was Glenda, the good witch,

Emily was the Wicked Witch of the East

and Andrea was the Wicked Witch of the West.

Anna as the Apple Tree - she even threw her apples like the mean one in the story.
Moses came as one of the Flying Monkeys - quiet but scary!

Erika was one of the Yellow Brick Roads and Joanie was the Scarecrow!

Paul was the Wizard of Oz - always saying something about the man behind the curtain.

And here we are. the great group of characters from the Wizard of Oz.

A most memorable evening. Hope you had a great time Emily!

Birthday for Terri

2008-04-16T04:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Birhtday Terri!

We hope you had a great day.

We sure did! Thanks for sharing your day with us!!
Gayle, Gail, Joanie, Susan, Becky, Terri

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

He is Risen, Indeed!

This year I spent Easter with my very dear friends Terri and Becky and their families.

Neil and Becky Burleson hail from the great state of Texas

Scott and Terri Sasaki are from the greater state of Washington!

We had a great meal, an Easter egg hunt, the Easter story and lot of visiting....

A great day was had by all. I am so thankful for these families.

They are my family away from family.

Easter Evening

2008-03-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

A few of us went out for dinner on Easter evening. We went to Pacific Gardens and had a great meal. Emily's mom, Jane, is visiting and so we are going to all sorts of places. In this picture we have Jane, Me, Moses, Matt, and Erika. Emily is taking the picture.

As I have said earlier we have to make our own fun here in PNG. Emily is such a trend setter. This evening leaning back for pictures seemed to be the rage. So Emily and her mom started it and then...

Moses joinging in...
Matt not being left out...

Erika taking a turn...

My turn....

Matt coming up with other entertaining activities...

Emily not being outdone...

Party Time!

2008-03-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

A night of birthday celebration. We picked a day in the middle and celebrated both Evie's and Lina's birthdays. Evie turned 23 and Lina turned 22. Nothing like making some of us feel old.
Here are Lina and Evie blowing out their candles. Lina is facing the camera and Evie's back is to the camera. (Natalie is in the background taking a picture.)

John, Anna and Paul with their sticky notes on their heads. This is one of our games - we guess who is on our foreheads by asking yes and no questions. Yes, you have to make your own fun in Papua New Guinea.

Here I am looking away and Andrea laughing. Matt's nose even got in there.

Emily, Erika and Evie (the three Es) looking a bit mischievous. Not unusual!

Grade 7 Outing

2008-03-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well sometime at the end of February we had a grade 7 outing. It was lots of fun. I have been a 7th grade advisor this year along with my friend Emily and Dave and Michelle Pierce. 7th graders are a hoot. We worked a lot together this year, but this time we got to play together.

We started with a camp fire and a hot dog roast. Then we spent the evening hangin' out, doing a treasure hunt, and watching movies. The next day we went to the Bird for a swim and some pizza. What a great group of kids!

Christmas Day Memories

2007-12-30T04:32:00.001-08:00

I have not been very good at blogging these days, but once I did one, then I wanted to do more. So I think I will go back and share a bit about Christmas. This year I was able to do my traditional PNG Christmas activities. I went down to Bowers for breakfast and presents on Christmas morning. We had a great time reading the Christmas story and opening gifts. There was a little time between when we finished with gifts and our planned dinner. So I ran home and called my family. Thankfully we had a good connection.

Our dinner was full of friends, food and fun. This year there were the Bowers (5), Askews (5), Martens (2), Paul, Burlesons (6) and me. We didn't get a group picture, which we are kicking ourselves about, but we had fun. We had enough food for a couple Christmas dinners....

After we ate went took a little walk to sing Happy Birhtday to a neighbor. Yes, her birthday is Christmas Day...

After that it was time for the Christmas story. The kids moved the nativity scene pieces as Dana read. All the rest of us stopped him if we had a Christmas carol to sing that went along with that part of the story.

Finally it was time for pie and then an afternoon and evening of games and movies.

Quilting during Break

2007-12-29T05:34:00.001-08:00

Joanie and I have been collecting PNG fabrics for over two years for quillows (quilts that fold up into a pillow pouch, so that it is a quilt and a pillow). The first one we are making is for Joanie's daughter, Jacqueline, who will be graduating in June. Today we finished the top and Joanie started quilting on it.

We are certain Jacqueline will love it. It holds many memories from growing up as a missionary kid. It is very PNG!

Class Christmas Party

2007-12-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

A few moms organized the party for me and made an extra special day for the kids. They started the party by decorating Christmas sugar cookies.
Then we had our gift exchange...

Each of the kids got to paint their own ornament and then were sent home with a frame ornament with their very own picture in it.

After that is was time for food!! There was an amazing amount of food and the even more amazing part was that there was not much left at the end. I heard many families say that their kids didn't eat lunch that day.

At the end we watched Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. All in all it was the best Christmas party held in Miss Posenjak's class, thanks to the moms that came in and organized it. What a great job they did!!!

Silliness at Grandma's 95 Birthday Party

2007-10-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

Grandma celebrated her 95th birthday on the 13th of October with her three children. Mom sent me this picture and commented on how Uncle Ron now has a mustache. I wondered if he was competing with Uncle Paul. And then I commented on how glad I was that Mom and Grandma did not join in and grow mustaches.
Of course Mom and Uncle Ron had to do something about my little comment. Aren't they cute?

The October 3rd Birthday Bash

2007-10-08T03:06:00.000-07:00

Well for the last three years my friend Becky and I have celebrated our birthdays in Madang. This year we could not make the trip so our friends brought Madang to us. We had a wonderful afternoon!
Joanie and Becky decorated and organized a wonderful luncheon.

Brithday girl number 1 - Becky

Number 2 birhtday girl...

Our Mandang "ocean". Pretty silly, but very fun.

The hostesses of the wonderful birhtday celebration. Thanks so much ladies!!!

PNG Independence Day!

2007-09-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

Our band starts the day with a march...

Then they play the PNG national anthem...

Our parade is next, including a local drum band, little kids on decorated bikes, individuals in golf carts and buggies, then the class floats...

And the rest of the day is full of games and activities. It was a good day. The sun was out so things got a bit warm but all in all the day was fun.

Staff Retreat

2007-09-02T02:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had our second annual staff retreat. It is so much fun to hang out with our coworkers. As teachers we spend the day with students and don't get much time to interact with each other.

We had some great professional development sessions. One was about how to prepare our MKs to enter a world that doesn't have a biblical worldview. The other one was about personalities and how to use the knowledge of each other personalities to communicate better. Here are a couple pictures of the activities.

We also had lots of fun playing games and eating amazing meals. We were so thankful for the hospitality of Interface.

First Day of School

2007-08-07T03:44:00.001-07:00

Today we started school at Numonohi Christian Academy. We started two weeks late but we started none the less. I am back in the classroom after two years of administration. I love being in the classroom so that isn't a hardship. I am teaching grades 3 and 4 which is a bit different than teaching grades 5 and 6. So I am learning right along with the students. I am still the elementary principal, which has been juggling act. I am missing 5 students for various reasons (hopefully they will arrive soon) and have one visitor. We had a great day and I am looking forward to going back tomorrow. I hope the kids are too.

Here we are...

This is my view all day....

Just sitting there all ready to learn....

Oh how studious they are...

A Picture for My Sis

2007-08-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

My blog posts are never as exciting as my siblings because I don't have any cute kids to take pictures of an publish. I guess I have lots of "kids" since I am at a mission school, but you know what I mean. So I was talking with Carol today about blog posts and she said again - remember we want pictures of you too. Well it is hard to take pictures of yourself and sometimes kind of weird to ask people to take pictures of you, but here goes...

This is a picture from dinner this evening. Starting on the left we have Emily, me, Paul, Vince and Carrie. Vince is a visitor and we were going out for dinner as a farewell. It was nice to get off base and see a bit of different scenery.

Here is another picture, not of me, but it was an interesting PNG shot. We were riding behind this truck as we went to the airport one day. I believe it is a picture of the election ballots coming in. I like the security with the man riding on top of the ballot boxes.

Slumber Party ? Sleep Over ? Almost All Nighter?

2007-07-21T22:05:00.001-07:00

One of the extra fun things that is included in my life at our school base is that I get to see the students in many areas of their lives. Last Wednesday night there was a grade 7-12 sleep over in the teen lounge. It was pretty fun for me since many of those girls were ones I have taught over the years. It is great to see them growing up.

Now I am not sure why it is called a sleep over since no one really wanted to sleep. We started at 9:30 pm,but really it wasn't until 10 pm that all the girls arrived. We watched 2 movies with a bit of a toilet problem in between the two movies, but all in all it was fun. The last movie ended at 2:15 and most of the girls were ready to turn in. There were a few wide awake girls that weren't too excited that I told them that it was time to quite down. Anyway, most everyone was asleep around 3 am.

The girls seemed to be able to sleep in a little bit but I was up by 6 am. So I left at 6:30 and started my day. I was a bit in a daze for the first couple hours of my day, but eventually I was back on track.

This was a good evening of memories.

Haircut Adventure

2007-07-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

Well as some of you may know, everyday routines are not the same in PNG. Yesterday was "Haircut Day". It took about a week and a half to plan but we got it worked out. Barb wanted to get a haircut and so she found a time when our dear friend Jana could cut hair - Wed July 18 from 9 to noon. Then she proceeded to find another 4 people that also wanted a cut. A van had to be booked, a man needed to be found to drive and off we went.

The drive is now only about 30 minutes on a bumpy road. It used to be 45 minutes on a VERY bumpy road, so we were happy for the improvements. We all took turns sitting in the chair and getting our own time to be pampered.

Here is my good friend Joanie getting her cut. Anyway, we were actually done by 11 am but we planned to stay out there for lunch and so waited an hour and a half reading and visiting. We had lunch, visited with the students that were at the ITF center and then headed back home just before 2. I think we made it home by 2:30! I guess you could say that my haircut appointment was from 8:20 am to 2:30 pm. Everything takes a bit longer here.

Dinner at the Mandarin

2007-07-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

5 O'clock rolls around and my friend Becky calls and says "Mandarin?" Usually she says it with lots of enthusiam, but tonight her husband Neil was the excited one and she was a little hesitant since she had already started dinner. Within minutes Becky too was excited. It is so nice that my good friends, the Burlesons, let me tag along with them for dinner out. Tonight we were the only ones in the restaurant and the food was good.

We always see to have a good time laughing and carrying on. The kids have grown up so much now that we don't even have the fun of counting how many items fall on the floor. Such a great evening! Thanks guys!

Home Again, Home Again

2007-07-11T00:37:00.001-07:00

I am back in PNG and most things are put away. Here is my living room....a little crooked in the picture but not that way in real life.

My nieces and nephews wall...

The kitchen, even have some pictures on the fridge from my friends here...

My bedroom, still a couple piles of things to put away there...

Last is the spare room/office/sewing room/guest room - it has become the catch all. Still a bit of work to be done here...

Just thought I would give you a little tour of my house. Next I will have to take the camera to the school and show you what I am doing down there.

Waiting in PNG

2007-07-07T00:22:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Port Moresby with plenty of time to catch the 9:45 am flight. However 9:45 came and went and soon I was still sitting in the airport at 5 pm. I met up with a few co-workers so, thankfully, I had some company for my long wait. Just after 5 pm we were told the flight would be cancelled and we could come back in the morning.

A couple scenes from the airport

We eventually were given vouchers for a hotel in town for rooms and food. We were checked in fairly efficiently and then were shown our rooms. My room was the most interesting by far. There was some trash on the floor, no towels and no toilet seat. The man who showed us the room said he would be right back with a towel and a toilet seat. I guess I should have thought to bring one with me. Thankfully they switched me to a room across the breezeway, yet still near my traveling companions. How I wish I would have thought to take a picture of that room!

Goodbye to Posenjaks

2007-06-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Another hard goodbye was to my brother's family. I really enjoyed living in Wenatchee for part of my furlough. It allowed me time to get to know Brad's boys. I don't even want to think about how much they will grow and change before I get back to see them.

Goodbye to the Smiths

2007-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I decided that my goodbye to the Smiths would be better if I stayed for a couple days and we made some memories. Well we did have a good time at Northwest Trek and hanging out around the house, but goodbyes just aren't fun any way you look at them. This was only the first of many.

Farewell to Oregon

2007-06-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

The second week in June hosted my farewell tour. I drove down to Oregon to meet up with a variety of friends along I5 and my college friends in central Oregon. It was great to see everyone and catch up a bit. The trip ended with some dear friends from college.

Weekend with the Girls

2007-05-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend was lots of fun and activity here in Wenatchee. My nieces were in town and with them came lots of energy. Emma is 4 days from being 4 and Jessie is 16 months. We had special meals, good visits in the car during long trips, adventures to the park, good play times with cousins, and lots of fun around the house.

My Grandmother is now living with my parents in Wenatchee and so she too enjoyed going on the adventures this weekend, also. My Grandma is such a good sport. It is something else to watch my 94 year old, 79 pound Grandma crawl into the back seat of the Jeep and sit between two large car seats. (She is the only one that will fit back there.) She also entertained Emma for quite a while playing a hide and seek game. They would hide a certain toy for the other to find. The trick here is that my Grandma can't see and is very hard of hearing. They both enjoyed themselves immensely.

I loved making memories with these two little girls and my Grandma. The weekend was full of those moments that I knew I would be thankful for when I return to Papua New Guinea.

Family time

2007-05-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by. I can't believe I have just 6 weeks left before I head back to PNG. I am working on getting in as much family time as possible.

This past week I was able to spend 3 days with Carol and her family. It has been fun getting to know the kids again. I feel pretty well connected to Ryan and Jake, never spending as much time with them as I would like, but I feel pretty connected. The younger ones are harder since I am "new" to them each time I come home. So spending some time getting to know Emma has been fun.

Emma, Jessie and I got to have an "adventure" to the park one morning while the boys did school. Then we went on another "adventure" to Costco with Carol. I love making memories with all my nieces and nephews. Something for me to hold on to when I am separated from them for so long.

Girls Weekend

2007-05-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Mom, Carol and I got away for a very special weekend at the beginning of May. The three of us went to Warm Beach Camp for a ladies retreat. Just having those two days all to ourselves was a treat. We enjoyed wonderful messages by Elizabeth George and good food from the camp staff. We also found time to get some shopping in, Carol did the ropes course and we visited. Definitely a weekend I will remember and cherish. Thanks Mama and Carol!

Generations of Teachers

2007-04-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of connecting with another former fifth grader from Faith Christian School. Betsey, a girl from my first fifth grade class at Faith, is now a junior at Corban College. Corban College, formerly Western Baptist College, is the college I attended and graduated from many years ago. Betsey is taking a math class and her professor is one of my favorite professors from Western Baptist, Claudia.

So Betsey invited me to come have breakfast with her at the campus and then go to Claudia's class. Such a sweet reunion, both from college and from my years at Faith! We had a fun time in class and visiting afterward. At the end of the class I found out that there was another one of my students from Faith at Corban and got to go to chapel with both girls.

I have always been a little sad that I have moved so much and feel that I have lost contact with my former students because I don't stay in one place. Over these last couple months I have been blessed with running into many of my former students. How fun it is to see what God is doing in their lives as many of them are growing in Him.

The CO-MO Trip - Missouri

2007-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I was getting a bit tired by this stage of the trip since I took only one picture. It is a good one, but still 5 days and only one picture? This is a picture of good friends that I have met in PNG over the years.

I spent my time in Missouri at the New Tribes Mission Training Center. It was good to be there, meet up with old friends, meet some new ones and visit the Missionary Kid Education Center. Missouri was not as hot and humid as it is known for, but it was a bit of a shock to leave Denver in snow and arrive 2 hours later in 70 degree weather. I enjoyed the sun and the people. However at the end of my two week adventure, I was happy to be heading back to the west coast.

The CO-MO Trip - Colorado Springs

2007-03-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

After Kate and Rochelle left for the airport my friend Julie arrived and picked me up for another adventure. We took off for Boulder and the Celestial Seasonings Factory. We got to wear crazy hair nets and learned more about tea than we really ever needed to know, but the tour was excellent.

I spent 3 days with Julie relaxing and reminiscing about PNG. We took in a movie and saw the sights of Colorado Springs, including the Garden of the Gods. We encountered all sorts of weather: sun, rain, wind, and snow.

CO-MO Trip - Denver

2007-03-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

So after Fort Collins I headed to Denver where I caught up with two very close friends from Western Baptist College (now Corban College). We had three days of chatting, walking, eating and shopping. Can you have a better weekend? We laughed, made fun of each other and remembered good times. We visited museums by going through their gift shops, stood by statues, and found chocolate around each corner. We look forward to getting together again this summer along with friends that couldn't make it to Denver.

The CO-MO Trip - Fort Collins

2007-03-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well I am in Fort Collins, Colorado. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here. I am visiting my friend Tina and her family (pictures will follow when I get home). This evening I was able to attend Tina's small group (Bible study group). I was so blessed as the folks shared what the Lord rescued them from. One person talked about thinking of all the people that have been touched or ministered to because the Lord saved you. It was encouraging to reflect on God's purpose in rescuing me. Though I can't see the whole picture I can parts of God's plan for my life. I went to share with this group about Papua New Guinea, but I came away very blessed.

Tina and I have had lots of time to talk about old times and what is going on in our lives. I have enjoyed getting to know her 1 and a half year old. She is a precious little girl who has lots of energy. Tomorrow I head to Denver for the weekend to meet up with some other college friends.

Time with the Smiths

2007-03-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

What a blessing to be with family! I have been so thankful for the opportunities I have had over the last couple months to be with my family. I got to spend about 5 days with the Smiths over the last two weeks. I had a good time celebrating Carol's birthday (a little late), shopping, reading to Emma and Jake, having Ryan beat me in Phase 10 Dice, watching movies with Carol and Toby and holding little Jessie.

One of the fun things for me was to take the three oldest kids to Target. A totally different experience for someone who is used to going places by herself. We looked at all kinds of things and made some fun purchases. I did get some good natured ribbing since I am not as familiar with Redmond as Ryan is, but we made it just fine. The quote of the day was "I am not lost, just made a wrong turn!"

Mom and Dad came one day and brought a load of things that I forgot in Wenatchee. How spoiled am I. My parents do so much for me. I am very thankful.

Carol, the kids and I took a morning and went to visit our Grandma in Seattle. It was good to see Grandma and I am pretty sure she liked having the kids around for a bit. On our way back to Carol's we stopped at the "bunny park". I am told there are lots of bunnies there but they were in hiding when we stopped by. I don't blame them because it was cold. Anyway, we watched the couple bunnies we could find and then called it a day.

Prayer Opportunity

2007-02-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the Annual Prayer Retreat for my church in Dallas. This retreat, focusing on prayer, started about the time I left for PNG the first time. It was such a blessing to be part of the weekend. We had about 70 adults and teens attend.

The time of prayer was wonderful. We were able to praise the Lord and pray for the needs of the church. Another missionary that Faith supports was in attendance and it was great to hear what the Lord is doing in his ministry. I had a great time reconnecting with friends from the church.

Settled Again

2007-02-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well I have moved yet again. Packing and relocating is seeming normal. The one good thing is that I have very little fluff in my life. I have just the things I need and don't hang on to too much that isn't necessary.

I am thankful to be in Dallas for a little while. I am looking foward to getting to know the people at my church and reconnecting with friends in this area.

I had a great opportunity today to share with the students at Faith Chrsitian School, my former school. I shared about Papua New Guinea - the country, the people and the missionaries. It was great to be back working with kids.

Reading and the Family

2007-01-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was so blessed to be in Wenatchee with my immediate family. Everyone was there all 14 of us now. We gathered to celebrate Spencer's birth. We celebrated Spencer's birth as well as Jessie's first birthday. It was also a great time just to be together.

I had lots of opportunities to hold little ones, read books and even attempt to learn chess. I guess my favorite is cuddling up with one or two of the nieces or nephews and read a good book. This last week and next week is the Reading Festival at Numonohi Christian Academy in PNG. As I read to my nieces and nephews I wondered how all the students were doing with their reading goals.

Many times I am tempted to be dissatisfied with having my life torn between two places so far and separate from each other. Really I need to be thankful for the blessing I have - being connected to so many different people from all over the world. I am getting ready to move down to Oregon and will be reconnecting with yet another section of the people that have touched my life. I look forward to visiting the school I taught at before going to PNG as well as the church and many friends.

A New Nephew

2007-01-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

On Sunday January 21st a special little boy came into this world. We have been looking forward to Spencer's arrival for so long that it seemed like Christmas all over again. Lindsey, my sister-in-law delivered a beautiful baby boy at 8 am. Spencer and Lindsey are both doing very well and have been home for over a day now.

I am really thankful that I was able to be here. I have missed the last two births by being in Papua New Guinea, so it was really fun to be living in the same town. I was able to see him Sunday afternoon and twice on Monday. I may even go over again today.

US vs. PNG - Produce

2007-01-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Wow! I wish I could keep track of all the things that are so different from one country to another. I was grocery shopping with my mom this afternoon and stood in awe of the produce section. Everything was so clean from the floor to the fruit, and the shelves to the vegetables. Items were stacked neatly, with clear pricing and even a bit of spray at times coming from hidden locations.

It isn't that we don't get good produce in the highlands of PNG but more on how it is presented. In Goroka we buy lovely lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, pineapples, avocados, broccoli, strawberries, and so much more for very reasonable prices, cheap actually. However these items are strewn about on plastic in the muddy ground of the "market". The fruit and vegetables are rinsed with contaminated water from the typhoid infested river near by so that they have a nice, shinny look. This is to appeal to us and encourage us to buy them. Well once you bleach the fruits and veggies at home then they seem very much like the ones you get in your local supermarket.

Christmas with My "Real" Family

2006-12-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2006 is a great memory now. I am so thankful that I was able to be home with my family this year. It has been 3 years and 2 Christmases since I was home, and this year has been a great blessing.

I arrived in Seattle on the 15th and spent the weekend with my whole immediate family. My nieces and nephews are so much bigger and grown up since last I saw them. One didn't even exist last time I was at home. There is always a bit of a culture shock for me when I come home, but it is well worth it to be with my family.

I had a week of Christmas shopping and preparing for our Christmas Eve celebration. Christmas Eve Day, Mom, Dad, Carol and family, Brad and family and I attended church together to watch Carol's boys in their Christmas presentation. It was great to all worship the Lord together. We then spent the afternoon watching the Seahawks and eating. In the evening we did all our traditional Christmas activities. I felt so blessed by my wonderful family and the opportunity I had to be home.

Christmas Day my parents and I spent the day with my dear Grandmother who is 94 and still living on her own. We did some projects for her and had a relaxing day. Every time I come home and get to spend time with my Grandma I am so thankful. Making the most of every day given.

Looking Forward to Coming "Home"

2006-12-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends

Thank you so much for your prayers. Many of you have written notes of encouragement and given financial toward this early home assignment. I am excited to see you so soon. To be honest there are lots of unknowns with coming back to the States. Thankfully the “knowns”, friends, family and God’s faithfulness, are still constant.

I leave Goroka in just four days and have two overnights on my journey home, one in Port Moresby and one in Singapore. I will be arriving in Seattle on the 15th of Dec. It is nice to get home in time for Christmas. It has been 3 years since I spent Christmas with my family. I am looking forward to it very much.

After Christmas is when so much is unknown in my mind. The desire of my heart is to spent time with all my churches, supporters and friends. I wish I could be living in two or more places at once. I am trying to wait on the Lord for direction, but waiting can be hard at times.

Back on the PNG side of the world much is happening. There are a couple tribal missionary teams that are presenting the Gospel for the first time. The tribal people are beginning to understand their need for a savior and are seeing the sacrifice Christ has made for them. This is long awaited Good News for the people; pray that they will respond to God’s gift of grace for them.

Life at Lapilo, the school base, is very busy. We are wrapping up our second term this week. We have 3 days of school and then will head into a 4 week break. We have had our Christmas Craft Festival and the Christmas Concert. There are department Christmas parties going on from now until Christmas and everyone, except me, has decorated for the Christmas season.

Last night at the Christmas Concert one student sang a beautiful solo of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”. It is a funny song to sing in PNG since everyday this week we have had temperatures in the 90s or above. Now with those high temperatures we have had cold morning where we all feel like we are freezing. One morning this week the temperature dropped around the lowest we ever get, 55 degrees. As I was shivering, I realized that is probably a high temp for where I am heading in the next couple days. I haven’t had a winter in 3 years. I am not sure I am ready for this. J

I usually send out a Christmas letter but this year with my traveling home and tying loose ends up here in PNG, I won’t be able to get a letter to you before Christmas. I will send a “New Year” letter and let you know where I will be and what I will be doing. I do hope to visit you over the next six months. If you would like me to speak at your church please contact me. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you as you seek to serve Him.