Hey everyone.
Just an update to let you know that we arrived safely home on Thursday evening. We have been catching up on deprivation of both sleep and American food products. We will be writing a letter shortly to summarize our experiences, difficulties, and successes in PNG as well as all of the things God has accomplished. Thank you for partnering with us through your prayers, support, and interest in our trip.
God Bless,
-C.R.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Greetings from the SIL Mission Base at Ukarumpa in the PNG Highlands.
The temperature here is between 60 and 75 degrees and there are NO bugs whatsoever. I am absolutely loving the change in climate.
We have been traveling for the past few days. On Wednesday, we left our Samban village friends. They all escorted us to the airstrip and lined the edges of it to bid us farewell. All of the people we had met and helped were very sad to see us go. I think I shook over 100 hands in less than 15 minutes. It was sort of sad to leave, but I was really tired of the constant bombardment of humidity and bugs. When we arrived in the town of Madang, it seemed like a giant metropolis. I was surprised to find myself admiring the stores and shops (all of which seemed sort of unimpressive when we arrived back in June). Our little cottage was a great change from our downstairs room with mosquito nets.
On Thursday, we left Madang for Ukarumpa and spent all afternoon (4.5 hours) driving through the Madang mountains, through the Ramu Valley, and then up into the PNG Highlands. The drive was incredibly beautiful - with scenic outlooks around every bend. The mountains have a sort of Jurassic feel to them - sharp abrupt peaks, totally covered in thick jungle flora. I found myself expecting to see a Tryceratops flying overhead or a T-Rex devouring a cow along the side of the road. In about 2 hours we went from sea level up into 4,000 ft mountains. I put my hand out the window and was able to noticeably feel the temperature dropping as we ascended.
The highland people are known for their gardening. They plant extensive gardens on the steep hills, and their fruits and vegetables are awesome. This morning for breakfast I ate at least 6 cups of freshly cut strawberries.
Today (Friday) we traveled 2 hours south to the town of Goroka (known for having the best weather in the world). We walked around the open markets and into a few stores. Once again, the landscape on the trip was unbelievably gorgeous. The neat houses with thatched roofs perched on hillsides surrounded by colorful flowers and lucious green gardens.
We will be here in Ukarumpa until Monday when we head back to Madang. We will stay in Madang until Saturday - at which point we will leave for Port Moresby, spend the night in a hotel, and leave for Australia on Sunday.
Prayer needs at this point are mostly for traveling safety. The mountain roads (considered "highways" by PNG standards) are riddled with potholes and there are many places where portions of the road have simply slid down the mountain. This makes traveling rough on the stomach, and the kids get sort of restless on long trips.
Overall though, Ukarampa is a great change and we are really enjoying the more relaxed schedule.
Thank you all for your prayers!
-C.R.
The temperature here is between 60 and 75 degrees and there are NO bugs whatsoever. I am absolutely loving the change in climate.
We have been traveling for the past few days. On Wednesday, we left our Samban village friends. They all escorted us to the airstrip and lined the edges of it to bid us farewell. All of the people we had met and helped were very sad to see us go. I think I shook over 100 hands in less than 15 minutes. It was sort of sad to leave, but I was really tired of the constant bombardment of humidity and bugs. When we arrived in the town of Madang, it seemed like a giant metropolis. I was surprised to find myself admiring the stores and shops (all of which seemed sort of unimpressive when we arrived back in June). Our little cottage was a great change from our downstairs room with mosquito nets.
On Thursday, we left Madang for Ukarumpa and spent all afternoon (4.5 hours) driving through the Madang mountains, through the Ramu Valley, and then up into the PNG Highlands. The drive was incredibly beautiful - with scenic outlooks around every bend. The mountains have a sort of Jurassic feel to them - sharp abrupt peaks, totally covered in thick jungle flora. I found myself expecting to see a Tryceratops flying overhead or a T-Rex devouring a cow along the side of the road. In about 2 hours we went from sea level up into 4,000 ft mountains. I put my hand out the window and was able to noticeably feel the temperature dropping as we ascended.
The highland people are known for their gardening. They plant extensive gardens on the steep hills, and their fruits and vegetables are awesome. This morning for breakfast I ate at least 6 cups of freshly cut strawberries.
Today (Friday) we traveled 2 hours south to the town of Goroka (known for having the best weather in the world). We walked around the open markets and into a few stores. Once again, the landscape on the trip was unbelievably gorgeous. The neat houses with thatched roofs perched on hillsides surrounded by colorful flowers and lucious green gardens.
We will be here in Ukarumpa until Monday when we head back to Madang. We will stay in Madang until Saturday - at which point we will leave for Port Moresby, spend the night in a hotel, and leave for Australia on Sunday.
Prayer needs at this point are mostly for traveling safety. The mountain roads (considered "highways" by PNG standards) are riddled with potholes and there are many places where portions of the road have simply slid down the mountain. This makes traveling rough on the stomach, and the kids get sort of restless on long trips.
Overall though, Ukarampa is a great change and we are really enjoying the more relaxed schedule.
Thank you all for your prayers!
-C.R.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Hey!
Here's a little bit of info about what we've been up to and how we spent our 4th of July.
The past few days have been pretty relaxed. A few tasks here and there - moving some petroleum, cleaning, fixing a few motors, etc. Luckily, it has been a little cooler here for the past few days. As I sit here on Sunday morning, it is only 73 degrees, so that has been a relief.
Yesterday was the 4th of July. We sat around and read for a while, then hung out around the house in the afternoon. At 4:00, Jesse was having his first practice with his soccer guys and they wanted to have some races on the airstrip. He took out the 50m measuring tape and roped out 100m and 200m distances. After jogging a mile, we lined up at the 100m start. Unfortunately, it had dumped rain about an hour before - several inches in less than 90 minutes - so the grass was extremely slick. This was a definite advantage to the village guys - all of whom were 18-25 and had been running in bare feet for their entire lives. My first 10 meters were terrible, almost the whole soccer team was out in front of me, but then I started passing people until it was just me and a guy about 5 meters in front of me. I gained quickly and steadily on him and by the time we crossed the finish line I was right on him. He probably eeked me out by a foot or so, but I think I earned some respect. They told Jesse that "He's pretty fast for a white man." I took that as a compliment haha. We got some pictures and video too.
Lea and I both wore our red, white, and blue for the holiday. My outfit was topped off by a blue bandana and a white and red "Vote for Pedro" hat. I looked somewhat ridiculous.
Hope all is well, we are off to our last church service soon.
Love you all and see you in less than 3 weeks!!!
-C.R.
Here's a little bit of info about what we've been up to and how we spent our 4th of July.
The past few days have been pretty relaxed. A few tasks here and there - moving some petroleum, cleaning, fixing a few motors, etc. Luckily, it has been a little cooler here for the past few days. As I sit here on Sunday morning, it is only 73 degrees, so that has been a relief.
Yesterday was the 4th of July. We sat around and read for a while, then hung out around the house in the afternoon. At 4:00, Jesse was having his first practice with his soccer guys and they wanted to have some races on the airstrip. He took out the 50m measuring tape and roped out 100m and 200m distances. After jogging a mile, we lined up at the 100m start. Unfortunately, it had dumped rain about an hour before - several inches in less than 90 minutes - so the grass was extremely slick. This was a definite advantage to the village guys - all of whom were 18-25 and had been running in bare feet for their entire lives. My first 10 meters were terrible, almost the whole soccer team was out in front of me, but then I started passing people until it was just me and a guy about 5 meters in front of me. I gained quickly and steadily on him and by the time we crossed the finish line I was right on him. He probably eeked me out by a foot or so, but I think I earned some respect. They told Jesse that "He's pretty fast for a white man." I took that as a compliment haha. We got some pictures and video too.
Lea and I both wore our red, white, and blue for the holiday. My outfit was topped off by a blue bandana and a white and red "Vote for Pedro" hat. I looked somewhat ridiculous.
Hope all is well, we are off to our last church service soon.
Love you all and see you in less than 3 weeks!!!
-C.R.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hey guys!
Things have been (comparatively) chill around here for the past few days. Lea and Karie have been painting the house and I got dragged into helping them for a while since Jesse isn't here to give me jobs. I worked on the school building, a big wall and some shelves. I had a small crew of teenage villagers helping me so I took the role of foreman and we got the job done. I was sitting here writing this post and I saw the 80 year old school teacher (who has been asking for the wall and shelves for years) go into the school house and inspect the wall - he got a big grin on his face. So that's cool.
It rained here yesterday afternoon, so Lea and I just sat on the porch swing and talked to some of the village boys. Donovan is 9 years old and he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He also said that he will not want to come around our house after we leave because it will make him so sad. It is gonna be tough to leave them.
The villagers still suspect that Lea and I are either dating or married. We have tried to disprove this rumor, but I am standing next to Lea in every picture of our family we brought. The fact that my older brother's wife is in the most recent picture does not help either. The reason they think we are a couple is because brothers and sisters do not talk or joke around with each other. Lea and I have just been ourselves - teasing each other, joking, and making fun of things. The ones that believe we are siblings however, are taking note of our relationship. When I got back from my milling trip, I put my arm around Lea and asked her how she was doing. No big deal for us. But several of the villagers noticed and told Karie that, "When he got back, he put his arm around her to make sure she was okay. She was fine, but he wanted to make sure." So Karie said that people are taking note of how we treat each other and that we are being a good example.
Please keep praying for Jesse - I'm sure he is still grieving for his grandfather. Before he left he told me that he would really miss talking to his grandpa because "he was just such a wise man." I can tell he really respected him and that he is mourning for him.
On a happier note, we had macaroni and cheese for dinner last night. It was SO American.
-C.R.
Things have been (comparatively) chill around here for the past few days. Lea and Karie have been painting the house and I got dragged into helping them for a while since Jesse isn't here to give me jobs. I worked on the school building, a big wall and some shelves. I had a small crew of teenage villagers helping me so I took the role of foreman and we got the job done. I was sitting here writing this post and I saw the 80 year old school teacher (who has been asking for the wall and shelves for years) go into the school house and inspect the wall - he got a big grin on his face. So that's cool.
It rained here yesterday afternoon, so Lea and I just sat on the porch swing and talked to some of the village boys. Donovan is 9 years old and he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He also said that he will not want to come around our house after we leave because it will make him so sad. It is gonna be tough to leave them.
The villagers still suspect that Lea and I are either dating or married. We have tried to disprove this rumor, but I am standing next to Lea in every picture of our family we brought. The fact that my older brother's wife is in the most recent picture does not help either. The reason they think we are a couple is because brothers and sisters do not talk or joke around with each other. Lea and I have just been ourselves - teasing each other, joking, and making fun of things. The ones that believe we are siblings however, are taking note of our relationship. When I got back from my milling trip, I put my arm around Lea and asked her how she was doing. No big deal for us. But several of the villagers noticed and told Karie that, "When he got back, he put his arm around her to make sure she was okay. She was fine, but he wanted to make sure." So Karie said that people are taking note of how we treat each other and that we are being a good example.
Please keep praying for Jesse - I'm sure he is still grieving for his grandfather. Before he left he told me that he would really miss talking to his grandpa because "he was just such a wise man." I can tell he really respected him and that he is mourning for him.
On a happier note, we had macaroni and cheese for dinner last night. It was SO American.
-C.R.
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