Diary of My Trip to PNG #1

March 29th, (written Saturday in PNG)

Win, trying to keep both boys going in the same direction...

We made it to PNG! Wednesday we were scheduled to fly out at 7, so we left home at around 4:30AM. We got everything ready and boarded the plane and were ready to go, when the pilot said we'd have to get back off due to a flat tire. We ended up leaving at 12:30, which turned out ok, because both boys got some sleep after eating some complimentary pizza while we were waiting for the tire to be flown in from another state!! (Surely there's a better way!) It was a rough wait. The boys were trying to go everywhere and Win's aunt came with us, so we had lots of baggage to carry around with us. At one point, I was ready to go back home and just forget the whole "crazy" idea. (Looking back, it was crazy.) We finally made it to LA and then found our shuttle to go to our car rental. We went around a bit and ate at a buffet. I was glad to get back to the airport and get everything situated.We got there and thought everything was fine, but then they were having trouble with Win's passport and his aunt's transit visa. Then after that was settled they didn't know if our luggage went through to Port Moresby, or if it was there in LA. For some reason the people at baggage weren't answering, so poor Win had to go all the way down past all the terminals to the Delta line and try to see if he could see any of our luggage. He found all his aunt's luggage. By the time he got back with that (he had to take a taxi to make it in time), it was time to board, and we still had to go all the way back down to the terminal with our carry-ons... and the boys... and an elderly lady...

LA highway from the view of the plane

(His phone wasn't working which made things more complicated.) I was already exhausted and we hadn't even gotten to the long flight yet. We had a lot of people praying for us though. The long flight was the best flight we had had so far.We got a large aisle area and the boys slept a lot. (Praise the Lord for that.) We had about a 15 hour flight then landed at Brisbane. We left in the night from LA, then went "through the night," so landed in the morning, which was easier to adjust to, because it was like an extra-long night.We flew out a few hours later and had about a 3 hour flight to POM (Port Moresby). That flight was ok because there weren't a lot of people so we could move around a bit. Jabin slept almost the whole flight. We arrived to a very hot and humid Friday afternoon. Julianne, Lucy, and Jenny came and picked us up at the airport. The airport didn't have air conditioning, which was surprising because I thought it would since it's in the capital city... :)

This little guy sat on our laps almost the entire time...

Jabin, getting a window seat view

First Thoughts About My Trip to the Other Side of the World

It's finally official! We are going to Papua New Guinea for six weeks. We thought and prayed about it for several months, then we got lots of snow, which meant a little extra income for us. It will be my first time out of the country, besides a quick day- trip to Canada. It will also be my first memorable flight. All of these firsts will be shared with my children. I'm looking forward to seeing their reactions to everything, as well as my own. There are a lot of things to prepare for packing- wise, but also in my thoughts and expectations. I've heard so many stories and seen pictures/videos that I feel I know what to expect, but I know seeing things myself, in person, will be different. I'm worried about meeting all the family and tribesmen, but excited to see the people Win talks about and the places. I'm looking forward to it. Someone mentioned that I will be changed when I come home. I hope so. I hope I realize what I have and what I don't need; what makes me truly happy and what just adds stress to my life. I hope I see my real self, away from all the distractions of this Western society. I hope I am a blessing to those I meet and not just a spoiled American. I'm looking forward to six weeks without technology, for all of us.  I'm so thankful for this amazing opportunity. I pray that God uses me during these six weeks and works in my life to bring me closer to Him.

A New Commandment ~Love

John 13:34-35 

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This past week at our house church service we talked about church growth. We mentioned the different types of growth (in number and spiritual) that we see, and why, or why not, there may not be more. It has started some thoughts of my own need in this area. We talked about how the love we have for the person that we love the least, is the amount that we actually love Jesus. It's easy to blame other people, or see where they could be doing better, but my actions, or inaction, can't be blamed on anyone else; either I'm doing it, or I'm not. Am I loving the "unlovable" (annoying, unresponsive, or unhelpful) person? Am I taking time to talk with them and see them, or just bypassing them for friends who are like me? Do we see people like Jesus sees them?

In our church situation, some people have taken advantage of us as individuals, without realizing, or respecting, the responsibilities we have in our own lives and expect us to drop everything and help them, when they want it and with what they want, without a real commitment to us or an interest in following God. Some people are just looking for a handout, which is where things get confusing sometimes, in deciding how and who to help. We are finding though, that there are some people who have really started to be faithful and committed to our local church body, but we see that sometimes it is hard to include them now, because we have already built strong connections with those that have been committed. I think this happens in many smaller churches. We always need to be reminded to reach out to people and love them. When we do this, they will see Jesus' love and that is what will draw them, not the church service or anything else; the love. I've heard this all my life, but it is always good to review and remember what my responsibilities are.

Jesus gave so many examples of this love during His life here on earth. Here are just a few of these instances: healing the sick; receiving Zacchaeus (who was hated by the people); forgiving the woman caught in adultery (who was to be stoned); allowing the "sinful" woman to wash his feet; receiving the little children (who were thought unimportant and a bother); and then later, the ultimate picture of real love, dying for unworthy, rebellious people. It makes our little discomfort seems so silly, just thinking about these acts of love. How hard is it to sit down and appreciate someone, for who God made them to be?

I'm so thankful that He loves me so much that He willingly died for me and forgave my sins and now cares for me each day. May God help us to reach out and serve others (love them), the way He wants us to and the way He does for us.  

Toddler Play Day

This week I had a toddler get-together with a couple of friends. We all wanted to let our kids play together and also have the company ourselves. I invited several people to come, but this time only two other ladies were able to come. They both have little girls (22 months and 18 months). We started with letting the kids explore and play "together," which wasn't really together, but in the same area, and then ate lunch. We had all the littles sitting together; they were so cute! After we got done eating, I brought in a tub of snow and we were going to attempt to paint the snow.  The kids were so curious as to why I was bringing it inside. My boys immediately started trying to get their hands in it. :) We got some medicine droppers and used colored water to paint the snow. It was neat, but very challenging because the children were still so young, they didn't quite understand how to do it and what they were doing. So they wanted to dump it, or spill the water, etc. Ian just wanted to eat it, which was fine, except it got all over the floor. Jabin tried to do it fast and squirted it straight across the snow onto another girl's shirt... etc. Whew! I'm not sure how the teachers of toddler classes do anything with so many children!! We only had 4 toddlers and it got a little crazy.  Jabin loved to dig in the snow with his little shovel and tried to make a snowman with it. I should have brought some in before, when it was too cold to go out. Now it is getting warmer outside, so the snow is melting... which is GREAT!!

 I brought out a little farm sensory box, but they didn't really play with that. The little ones just threw it all out. Hahaha. So much for trying to plan something fun to do. Jabin liked it, but the little ones just wanted to go, go, go. No sitting down for them! So, overall it was fun, but I think my expectations were too high. :) They just wanted to do their own thing! Maybe next time I'll have some older ones come and try again. :)

Encourage One Another... Build Each Other Up

These past few weeks I have been feeling very alone. I have been "stuck" at home since we've been sick and the weather hasn't been good. We've pretty much been doing the same general things everyday. Sometimes I just need a break from the routine. I have also been feeling like Jabin needs to be able to play with other children and needs to make some friends. That's a little bit hard when you live in a big city and don't know many people. Recently, we had family pictures taken. The lady who took them has 2 children, a toddler and a newborn. She lives a few streets over from us and so with doing that we've had some contact. So I went to pick up my pictures and so we decided to let the boys play together awhile. It was so nice to just be able to sit and talk. It was nice to give and take advice and encouragement. Sometimes it's just nice to hear someone is going through the same things that you are, without pretending to have all the answers or being "super mom." It was so refreshing! Talking about the challenges, but also the joys of being a mom. I'm so glad to have had this time to make a new friend and hopefully we'll be able to get together again. (The boys played together too, so that was good... haha!)

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,  just as in fact you are doing."

Potty-Training 101 ~No Turning Back

Yesterday was a BIG day for our family... Jabin officially started using the toilet! He's used it before but not regularly. We aren't turning back now. No more diapers!!! I wasn't ready to take the plunge, despite him being ready, or seemingly ready, for awhile, but finally got the energy and determination I needed. It is definitely as time consuming as I thought it would be, but it is going pretty well. I used the techniques of the book "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" by Nathan Azrin. The general idea is to allow and teach the child to do each step themselves. I don't think I fully followed the process, because he hasn't quite gotten that he needs to go to the toilet by himself when he feels the urge, but he is learning and has had a really good day today, with actually going when I take him to the toilet. He used his potty chair yesterday and spent a lot of time sitting. This morning when he woke up, I set him on the toilet and he went right away, so we just used the toilet the rest of the day. He usually goes if we go out of the bathroom, otherwise sometimes we are distracting. We are using training pants and plain underwear with a plastic cover over it. It has been working well. The training pants absorb more liquid when he does have an accident vs. the plain underwear. So far we haven't had any really messy accidents... crossing my fingers and hoping I can stay focused... :) I'm sure it will happen. I try to take him about every 30-35 minutes, but sometimes I am busy doing something and forget. You really have to think about how much he's eating and drinking and try to gauge when he may need to go. I will probably use pull-ups when we go out somewhere, just so it will be easier to change if he goes without letting us know. The method starts with teaching a doll or bear how to use the potty. You do that several times, praising them for dry pants and showing disapproval for wet pants. After your child understands the steps, you practice with them several times and several consecutive hours you spend with them, giving them drinks and helping them learn to go in the potty. When they have an accident they have to go for practice runs, again. Practice, practice, practice! That's what we are doing now. I am hoping to be able to spend another morning doing it, because our session yesterday was probably not quite enough. It is hard when there are other people around, like an 18-month old... :)

Money Vs. Time

 Lately I've heard several friends talking about wishing that they had a clothesline outside. I have a clothesline in the backyard. I've used it multiple times, but not every time I do laundry. Today was a nice day, so I decided to use it as I won't have many more opportunities this year. As I hung each piece of clothing, I thought about the time and money that I was using and saving. I like to hang my laundry sometimes, just to feel like I can survive without something (the dryer); to try to experience the workload of the women who have gone before me; to prepare for a lifestyle I may soon face by living in another part of the world. I don't come anywhere near the workload of the pioneer women, but I wonder did they have things that they wanted to spend time doing that they couldn't because they were busy doing the everyday chores? ? For those of us living in the Western world, where things are very easy, it really seems to be a matter of priorities in some of these areas. Do you spend extra time hanging each piece of clothing to dry and then take each one down, or throw them in the dryer for a few dollars a month and have time to do other things? I love making things cheaply and think that it is a wiser use of the money that God has given. For instance, sometimes I make my own wipe solution and laundry soap. I feel like I really save a lot of money by doing those things, so I spend the time to do them. However, in one way or another, something is being spent. I know the balance of time and money will be different for each person, but I wonder if anyone else has wondered, is it really worth it to save a few pennies here and there, for the time that I am spending on a job?