Weekend in Ipaiyu

Last weekend,  I had an opportunity to hike to a village called Ipaiyu with Sarah Glover, and our friend Lynn.  We stayed with her family in their home Saturday night. We started our journey around 11:15 on Saturday and arrived around 3:15 at our destination.  The hike left me breathless in more ways than one ;)  The scenery in PNG is absolutely beautiful, it never ceases to amaze me!  The 4 hour trip was so worth it once we got there!! Ipaiyu has the most beautiful view I've seen since being here.  By the time we arrived it was about time to begin dinner preparations.  So Sarah and I joined in, with peeling the caocao, and straightening the greens.  For all 9 of us that were in the bush hut to eat, it took a lot of food!  Before we ate, I leaned over to ask Sarah what I should do if I couldn't eat it all, but she said it was perfectly acceptable to hand your food to someone else.  I was surprised to find myself looking at the bottom of my bowl.  I ate all of it!  The food was very delicious, and I was really hungry after hiking all afternoon.  After dinner Sarah, Lynn, and I played UNO for awhile, but bedtime is always early here in PNG so I started going downhill around 8. We slept on the bamboo thatched floor, all 9 of us, surrounding the fire pit.  The next morning, I woke up to someone getting the fire started, and a pig snorting underneath the house.  :)  I then went out to the ridge, and watched the most amazing sunrise I have ever seen.  It was such a great moment.  Just me, and my Savior (and Skippy the dog).  I felt like I was right in the middle of heaven.  The clouds were eye level, and the yellow sun coming over the blue mountains made the prettiest picture!  I went back to the bush hut in awe of our Creator!  I wish I could truly put into words how wonderful this place is!  While preparing breakfast, we all shared our testimonies with one another.  Lynn and Sarah in pigin, and mine in English with Sarah translating for both sides.  Lynn then shared her mother's testimony with us.  To see the way God has worked in this family's life is truly amazing!  Their story is one I will never forget, and I'm sure will continue to impact me even after I get back.  At church, we sat under a tarp outside, as Bro. John taught on Jesus as a young boy in the temple.  Sarah translated for me as I watched everyone soak the story up like a sponge.  Church really is one of my favorite things here.  It is such a huge reminder of God's love for us in sending his Son to die for the whole world! Not just my comfort zone in Tennessee!  Watching these people learn about and worship the same God I worship at home is a humbling experience. I pray I never forget it. When church was over we hiked an hour back to Kanabea and rode the mule the rest of the way home.  This was an adventure I'll never forget.  I'm thankful I had such a wonderful opportunity!

I think yesterday has been my favorite day so far.  Mrs. Lena, Rachel, Ashley, and I took the braces that were brought over for Benjamin to his home.  Lots of prayers were prayed during the ride over, that they would fit him perfectly and wouldn't cause him any pain.  When we arrived he was playing his guitar.  My heart immediatley started to swell when I recognized the tune, "I Surrender All!"  We then started putting the braces on him and making sure everything fit just right.  They did.  All the glory to God!  It was now time to stand him up, and see if he would be able to walk in them.  Up he went, on his feet for the first time in who knows how long! Wow! What a contagious smile from him!  Then his first steps in years! :) I wish I could describe the happiness I felt watching the joy spread all over his face as he took one step, then two, then three.  He made it all around the bush hut!  We were all cheering him on, and praising God for His goodness!  My cup was overflowing by this point!  He prayed before we left, another thanks to God, his Saviour, his King.  This man truly walks with God, and now he can physically!  By the time we made it back to the mule, a terential down-pour had started, but I don't think any one of us cared!!  We were soaked, but so full of joy we laughed for about the first 10 minutes just getting drenched!  It felt like happy tears from heaven following us all the way home :)   Such a great day!!

Hey everyone!!

Lots has happened since I last updated, so I'll try not to write a novel even though I probably could. :) I'll stick with some of the high lights!

God has really been showing me how He provides absolutely everything, and how I am nothing without Him. We hear Phillipians 4:13 a lot "I can do all things through Christ", which is a great verse, but the opposite in John 15:5 rings true for me! "for without me ye can do nothing" It's so easy in America to "think" we can get by in life, and find ourselves not relying on God for anything at all, but here you realize how much you need Him in absolutely everything you do! On the way to a fellowship last Friday night, a lady told us how they had gone all day without food so she and her husband prayed for food, and the next morning someone gave them money to buy some! Mrs. Lena has ordered baby milk that has yet to arrive here, but God has provided for us in the mean while. The morning after we gave the last can away, I read in my bible how Jesus fed the 5,000, and then on to where He is the Bread of Life!! Then tonight pastor James preached from the same text! I don't think that was a coincidence! If he can feed 5,000 people with just a hand full of bread and fish, just think what He has in store for the "itty bitty babies in His hand!" He has a plan for them, and I know He'll provide while we wait for the milk, but please pray that it will get here soon!

We've seen so many things over the past week! We've pulled broken bones into place, we've dressed burns, given shots, laughed, cried, smiled (a lot)! Yesterday, I felt like my heart was being tugged all over the place. One minute we were smiling with a couple who brought in their first baby. They were beaming, and you could tell the mama was so excited about her new baby! Here, for the husband to act the same way, isn't the norm. Usually they aren't so happy! So to see this new father looking at his baby that way, touched our hearts! The next minute we were helping another father, whose wife had just died after giving birth to their new child a couple days ago. The custom here is to let the baby die with the mother, but this dad had other plans! Praise God! He needed milk so we gave him what we had along with vitamins! I couldn't help but see a picture of God and how he loves us through this man and his new baby. When all the world around, would have left us to die, He loved us. He came and wrapped us up in His arms and said I'll take care of you! How great is our God?!

Tuesday, Mrs. Cherith took Ariel and I to visit with the bible school wives. We sat with Paimuri for a little while, while she attempted to teach me some Kamea words...bless her for that, ;) I enjoyed our time though! Hopefully I can catch on to some while I'm here! We then went to see Mrs. Dalla. She took us to her cook house and let us "straighten the greens" with her! She invited me back to help her prepare a full PNG meal with her sometime while I'm here! I can't wait to go back! :)

Oh the excitement! Today Ashley and I manned the clinic alone while everyone was in a team meeting for about 45 minutes. It was quite an adrenaline rush, having only been working in the clinic a week and a half now! Thankfully we didn't have any real emergencies :) I'm glad we got the experience :) I would be so happy/content if this is what the rest of my life looked like! I cannot wait to see God in my tomorrow!

Today, we go to see Benjamin again! I am looking forward to this visit very much! I've only met this man once, but he made such an impact on me! Keep praying for him, and his mother and father, Luke and Elizabeth, who aren't saved (Ben is though:)! This weekend, Sarah is taking Ashley and I to Ipaiyu. Saturday night we'll be sleeping in a bush hut, and then going to church on Sunday! Awe to the some!! I am excited about this experience! I'm sure I'll have interesting tales to tell when we're back ;)