Abinun - Hello from PNG!

In Papua New Guinea!

​Thank you all for praying for us! We arrived safely and so far have had a full, productive 3 days here drinking from a firehose of information and culture!

​We nearly missed our flight to Madang! Because our flight was canceled, and the rebooking was complicated for them, we waited quite a long time at the check-in counter. As the time ticked away while they tried to sort things out, we were sure that we would not actually make it on the flight. However, 4 minutes before scheduled take off, they sorted it out and told us to run. Yes, run all the way down the breezeway to the domestic terminal, run through security (twice actually) and all the way to the gate, then outside down a long walkway to the plane. By God's grace, and maybe a little PNG culture, we actually made it on the plane!

​...however, our bags did not! We came out of the baggage claim (pictured above) with no luggage and were thankful for the advice passed along to us to have a few extra changes of clothes in our carry on! And we are also thankful that after 2 days we did finally receive our bags. 

Abinun!

This is an afternoon greeting in Tok Pisin (sounds like "happy noon" to us) that we have heard frequently as we have walked through town daily to see people.

Above is a picture of the market we went to the day we arrived. It was great to get an immediate taste of PNG culture, see the plethora of local fruits and veggies available here, and help us stay awake until bedtime and fight jetlag!

Logistics Coordinator

The guys had a meeting overviewing and discussing the logistics coordinator position that Frank will be stepping into.

Homeschooling

The ladies have been taking turns giving Jacklyn a taste of homeschooling in Madang. 
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One goal of our trip has been to get an idea of what is available to purchase locally so we can plan and pack more efficiently. In recent years, much more has become available in Madang and purchasing many things locally when we arrive will help save on packing and shipping costs stateside. So most afternoons we have made a trip into town to see and learn. Some places we have visited include the the market, the butchery, the grocery store, hardware stores and even a clothing store. Many things can be purchased here but certainly not everything. It's helpful to find out what would be most beneficial to ship across the ocean!

Off in the distance across the bay, you can see the Finisterre mountains. This is where we hope to send more church planting teams to bring the Gospel to the many unreached tribes.

Even though it's the end of dry season here, and not as green as normal, we have still enjoyed some of the beautiful flowers around.

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Thank you again for all your prayers - This trip has been a huge team effort and we are so grateful for each and every one of you who have helped us and prayed for our family during this season!

Our kids are doing well, and are being well loved on as we are away, but please continue to pray for all our hearts as we deeply miss each other.