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It has been four weeks since our team of 8 returned from Papua New Guinea, and in the last month I’ve had some time to think over our trip. So much happened that it’s still hard to quantify it. How can you synthesize such a big life experience? We saw so much, heard so many new sounds and smelled more then our fair share of “interesting” things. But how can you convey all that through type? I don’t think I can do it justice.
For my wife and me, the trip has brought more questions into our lives than answers. What do we do now? What is the best use of our lives? Are we ready for whatever God has planned for us? Hopefully in the upcoming months God will reveal to us some of the answers to these things. Until then I guess all we can do is pray and wait.
Here is a list of some of the things we saw, heard, thought and learned while in Papua New Guinea:
- Selfishness is never something you simply outgrow.
- God is probably less concerned about the things I will do for Him in the future and more concerned with where my heart is in the present.
- Missionaries are normal people.
- Sunscreen and bug spray are two Exposure Trip must-haves.
- My desire for a “normal life” stands as one of the biggest roadblocks to my family serving overseas as career missionaries.
- If you live in Papua New Guinea you'd better like sweet potatoes.
- Having a Bible in my own language is something I take for granted.
- No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to shoot a bow and arrow as well as they do.
- Everyone responds differently to coming back home. The best thing we can do for them is to genuinely care, and to not let them get away with telling us their trip was simply “good.”
- Passion fruit. You either love it or hate it.
- Learning to listen to God is a worthwhile endeavor, and one I need to intentionally focus on more often.
- The gospel, pure, simple and unadulterated, changes lives.
- Prayer times in foreign languages reveal that God is not American, but omniscient, and He is able and willing to commune with every person in every language. How incredible!
- The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
- Toyota Land Cruisers are awesome and should be the vehicle of choice for every family, especially if there is a chance for flooding or a river crossing.
- There is remarkable strength in a gentle and joyful person.
- Hanging clothes on a line to dry is the least expensive form of therapy.
Thank you to all who were thinking of us, supporting us and praying for us while we were away. Please continue to pray for everyone on the team as we all try to figure out our next steps.
To hear more about our time in Papua New Guinea and the things that have happened since, come to the Stories of Mission night. It’s on Friday, August 14 at 7:30pm at The Well North Campus. And yes, there will be dessert. Dessert and missions. What more could you ask for?