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We just finished our 4th full day in PNG! We are adjusting and settling in a little more each day, but it's a process and we need God's grace in each moment. Today we were able to set up our internet and so we wanted to give everyone a quick update that we made it!  For those of you who are on our video update list - we will still try hard to send out a video in the next couple weeks. But for now, here are a few snippets of our time so far: Cairns, Australia was a sweet opportunity for some much needed quality family time, as well as a very helpful time to recover from all the craziness of leaving the States, recover from jetlag, and process some of the pieces of this transition. We were so thankful - and we had a lot of fun! The picture below is of a Golden Orb spider that lived just up the way from the apartment we stayed in at the missionary guest house in Cairns.  We stayed a night in Port Moresby because our final flight was canceled. The kids were happy because they were excited to stay in a hotel and swim in the pool. And they all had great attitudes when we found out that the pool was closed for the day. All of these things are normal life in PNG - the land of the unexpected! (although you might as well expect the final flight to be canceled!)  Thankfully, all our bags made it to Madang ...eventually! Our teammates, the Twomblys, had a place prepared for us. We're settling in now - unpacking, organizing and making it feel like home.  There are lots of tiny ants in our house. The lizards are inside too, but they earn their keep by eating the bugs. Our hot water is solar heated, so if the day is too cloudy, there is no hot water. We've had a few cloudy days so we are all learning to wash dishes in cold water and take cold showers! The kids are getting eaten up by new bugs. Logan continues to have most of his bites turn into blisters. We have to be much more vigilant here to keep them covered to prevent infection. Everyone is feeling a bit off with stomach aches and headaches as we start the long process of acclimating to a new environment and new germs. The Twomblys have been very kind, hospitable and generous. They are caring for us well as we settle in. Our children have made a great connection with their children and they have all been having a wonderful time together.  Thank you to everyone who helped us get this far. It's surreal to be here. We miss you all dearly!
*We can still text from our US numbers - as well as WhatsApp and Signal!* With six years since the last time we visited Florida, a trip to the other corner of America was long overdue! We are so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to spend most of the month of January with our Florida family and church. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us during our travels and preparations.
(With long flights and overseas travel ahead of us, we took every opportunity to practice on this trip!) Florida was a great time to reconnect with friends from Frank’s childhood and church. The first Sunday we were there, a Sunday school class organized a potluck and an opportunity for Frank to share pictures, videos and stories as well as answer questions about PNG. We were encouraged and blessed by their thoughtfulness and intentionality to organize, set up, and engage with our ministry. On the following Sunday, Frank was given the privilege to preach for the Sunday morning service. It was an honor and blessing to have the opportunity to share as well as be sent off by the church in prayer.
 Helping Nanu cut down the banana tree! During our trip, we also had lots of wonderful quality time with Frank’s parents. We were thankful for their generosity and hospitality, and for all the sweet memories that were made! As we get closer to leaving the country, we feel the specialness of time with family even more acutely and thank the Lord for a sweet time!
Now that we are back in Spokane, we are taking the next steps towards our move. The biggest task occupying Frank’s attention recently has been applying for his PNG work permit. Yes, it gets more real every day! Other next steps include additional support raising, fixing up our home to rent, and preparing and packing for our move. In April, we plan to head to Arizona for a month of final missionary training, more family time and church reconnecting. Please continue to pray for us in this season that we would keep our focus on the Lord in whatever He has for us each day. Pray for our kids as they process new layers of transition and also try to keep focused on their schooling in the midst of all that's going on. Pray that this would be a season of growth for each of them and that God would reveal Himself to them in new ways. Many of you who are supporting us financially have asked when is the time to do a switch from Proclaim to FinisTerre. It’s time!
Here are two simple steps for the transition:
We are grateful for each one of you - Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support along our journey.  Praise the Lord for a wonderful and productive trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG)! Thank you for your prayers as we traveled apart from our kids. Everything went smoothly and we are grateful for so many servants of Christ both here in the states and in PNG who have invested in us to make this trip flow smoothly and benefit our family greatly as we prepare to move there in the months ahead. Thank you to all of you who have invested! We have tremendously enjoyed our last few days together as a family reconnecting with our kids. By far, the hardest part of our trip was leaving our kids for so long and traveling so very far away! And by far, the sweetest part of our trip has been the gift of wonderful families who have cared for and loved on our kids so very well in our absence. God is kind and the body of Christ is a wonderful blessing in our lives.  Here are the missionaries who hosted us in Madang. One of these families is wrapping up a short term trip and will return to the States very soon. They will oversee our final training in Arizona. Another family is praying about joining Team Madang long term. It looks like we will either have one or two families to team up with for the ministry in Madang. One of the goals of our trip was to build relationships with our teammates. This was accomplished above and beyond what we expected! We are so thankful for the time we had to get to know these families and very much enjoyed the sweet fellowship with each one. One family, the Twomblys, just moved to Madang a few months ago. They will serve as field director and lead the outreach ministry in Madang. They just put out a great 5 minute update video that shows much of the area! What Will our Ministry in Madang Look Like?What will our Ministry in Madang look like? The role we plan to fill on Team Madang is "Logistics Coordinator". Basically, we want to do everything we can to support tribal church planting in the Finisterre mountains, and church outreach in Madang. Practically, this looks like overseeing items such as government documents, finances, base/vehicle maintenance, guards on base, supply buying, coordinating travels/housing, etc. The driving question behind all this will be, "What can we do to keep our church planters encouraged and focused?" Every step of their journey, we're excited to help any way we can. Watch a clip of driving through Madang.
Here is the church that our teammates are currently attending. They described it as a church "where there is sometimes a clear gospel preached", which is unique from other churches in Madang. Generally, animism is still deeply intertwined into any understanding of the Bible. A version of the prosperity gospel is also rampant with many believing that if they act like a Christian, they'll be able to manipulate God to get what they want - just like they do with all the other spirits. Watch clips from our church visit. Market/Stores in Town We visited the market a couple times as well as all the stores in town to get a feel for what is generally available for us to purchase once we arrive. This was very helpful for us to get an idea of the things we need to bring when we move. The market and grocery stores were very helpful for us to know what foods Jacklyn will be able to eat while we are there. As far as food goes, it looks like it will be very manageable! Unfortunately, there are quite a few other migraine triggers there that we did encounter and we are thinking through what that will look like and how we can work through those to manage well in a long term setting. Watch clips from our market visit.
On Saturday, we drove from Madang to the village of Bahor. We we spent time visiting with a man who was rebuilding his home and explained the process. His house is built on stilts, like most houses in PNG. "Everything grows in PNG!" We have heard this said many different times over the years, but we actually saw this in the supports on his house. He had cut up bamboo poles to brace the main beams, and with one end buried for stability, they had grown roots and sprouted once again! We also walked down to their beach through all the villager's gardens - it was neat to see how they garden. At first glance, the land looks a little wild and overgrown, but it's actually all mapped out and tended carefully! Watch clips of our trip to Bahor village.
As we continue to prepare for our move overseas, we are even more confident of how much we need the body of Christ to make it all possible. Cross-cultural missions belongs to the whole church, not just the missionary! We depend on the body of Christ to make what we do possible! Thank you for all your prayers, financial gifts, and practical help invested into our family for this trip and over the years that have brought us to this point!   Finisterre Mountains off in the distance |
The Ruscios
Sending, supporting and encouraging church planters living up in the Finisterre Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Archives
June 2024
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