Becky's PNG experiences

Blog change

2011-09-17T21:50:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends and Family, I have been completely caught up in life, work and wedding planning. I hope you are watching the countdown:) Our wedding day is getting closer. I think you probably have also noticed that I haven't been blogging. But, my dear fiance' has....so, I am going to make life easier and join his blog: mattinpng.com. So, from now on, you can get stories and pictures about our life on his site. This will be our joint blog from now on...(new design to come) God bless, thanks for following what has been happening in PNG over the last few years. Love, Becky

Grandma Hilton- a life well lived for Christ

2011-08-01T22:55:00.000-05:00

My dearest grandma, Gerry Hilton-Glidewell died July 14th, 2011. She had been struggling with her ovarian cancer for over a year. I was saddened that I couldn't be home to share in the grief of her passing with my family. However, I was so blessed to know that she was with Christ, in Heaven, whole-new-full of joy. She was with her Savior! I was able to write a letter that was read during the celebration of life service. I did my best to capture her sweet spirit, her giving and servant's heart, and her love for Jesus. Her biggest desire was that every child that she touched would come to know Christ. She served for over 40 years with Child Evangelism Fellowship and taught Sunday School (among other ministries) at her church for over 50 years. Now that is serious dedication. She did it with joy and with passion. I will miss her dearly, but am so grateful for her life, her love, and her legacy. Someday I will see her again, when I join her in God's kingdom. I love you grandma!!

Radcliffe kids get baptized

2011-08-01T22:47:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, our station shared a lovely gathering to watch the Radcliffe children get baptized. Priscilla, who is 19, had never been baptized before and wanted to do it in PNG before heading back to college. Josiah and Lydia were in agreement that they should do it as a family. Jim and Kathy were absolutely beaming as their kids one at a time shared their testimoies and some life verses. Then Harmon shared about the meaning of baptism. What a beautiful picture of us trusting in Christ who died, was buried and was raised to life for our salvation! These three students were willing to proclaim to the world that they are believers in Jesus Christ and want to follow him all their days. After the short service where we sang a few songs, we headed to the river. Pastors Harmon and Philip baptized the kids. Then we greeted them afterwards and enjoyed the amazing creation surrounding us. It was a special afternoon.

Matt's weekend visit

2011-07-30T22:38:00.000-05:00

This last weekend, Matt was able to come out to Kudjip to visit. It has been great that he can stay two doors down at the Chapman's. Since we have to follow the rules, we have at times become creative in what we do. This actually was a posed picture, but Matt didn't want to sit outside anymore, so he kept his feet out the door and laid on the floor while I cooked us lunch! It was pretty funny. Later we worked in the yard. This is our first project together. We are recycling some unnecessary fence from one part of the yard to make a dog fence for Vida when they move out to Kudjip. It was fun to work on something together, and it was outside, so we didn't have to take turns being indoors! haha.

Diagnosis-goiter

2011-07-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

This older woman came in with a complaint of a cough, but I couldn't miss the huge thyroid mass on her neck. We have referred her for surgery for what appears to be a benign goiter (overgrowth of her thyroid gland).

New Doctor-Imelda

2011-07-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

We are so pleased to have Dr. Imelda Assiago join us on staff at Kudjip hospital! (on the left) She is from Port Moresby and has been a part of the rural medicine program. Steph had us over for dinner with Maggie, another rural registrar, who is here doing a surgery rotation. She has a trial period with us and if all goes well, we will offer her a 6 year contract for her to work with us. We already love her and hope that God's will is that she stays on. We believe it would be a great step towards nationalizing our hospital someday. What better way to reach PNG than through it's own people. Welcome Mel!!

Car i klostu pundaun

2011-07-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

Our car was close to rolling over...(ok not really, but it felt a bit like that). A group of us were heading to town, and we decided to pick up on of the group directly at her house. Well, in doing so, we got a bit close to the flower garden and fell into the ditch between the path and the flowers. Thankfully we were able to recruit a bunch of maintenance men and college of nursing boys to help pull us out!

The Bennett's are back!

2011-07-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

After a four month furlough/vacation stent in America, we are thrilled to have our sweet Andy and Judy back on station!! I joined Randy, Joani and the kids for dinner one night to welcome them back. We are so thankful for them and all that they do on station. We missed Andy in clinic and doing talipes (club foot ministry), and Judy with her hospitality gifts and storeroom managing. Not to mention, they are just plain nice to be around. Welcome back friends (or should I say grandma and grandpa-as they just had their first grandchild born a few weeks ago-baby Andy).

Peds ward girls

2011-07-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

I have so enjoyed taking care of my pediatric patients. Each day I start with a smile seeing these precious little ones. Princina was one of my favorites. She had pretty bad pneumonia on arrival, but improved quickly, which was a blessing. One day I came and she had on this little dark blue hat. She so reminded me of one of the Strawberry Shortcake characters, I just couldn't resist her photo. And take a look at those eyelashes-wow. What we wouldn't do for those! I also have enjoyed taking care of my twin girls-Marshella and Tas. (Tas has the O2 on). These little twin girls were preemies and keep struggling with recurrent pneumonias. Just as one get better, the other gets sick again. So we have had a cycle of admission and discharge about 4 times now. Please pray for their complete healing! I am grateful for their sweet mother her seems very content and trusts God for their health.

Dinner with Steph

2011-07-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

It is always a pleasure to have friends over for dinner. Matt and I had Steph over a few days ago. We had a nice time of catching up and sharing all that had been going on in our lives. We shared about our engagement and plans and she shared about her sister's kids and upcoming ministry trips/furlough. Hope we can do it again soon!

Engagement week-Esplanade

2011-07-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we finally decided to have a more restful day. We just enjoyed sleeping in a bit and have a leisurely time of shopping in Cairns. We walked along the Esplanade, which is the waterfront area in Cairns. They have made it so nice for tourists, with side walks, parks, even a huge outdoor pool. Then Matt and I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant! It was so nice to enjoy tortilla chips that were fresh! haha. We had a wonderful trip, and I know I will never forget my engagement week. Not to mention the blessings of being able to spend time with Matt' s family and to be in a western culture for a time. The next morning I flew home back to PNG. Thankful for the time I had away and for such a godly man in my life. God is good, he provides more than we could ask or imagine.

Engagement week-Green Island

2011-07-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

The day after going inland, we headed to the water. This time to Greenn Island. We met up with the whole family at the marina. This is the view we had at night on my engagement day, so beautiful with all the boats! So, Katie, Alex, Kim, Steve, Matt and I got on our boat with a group and headed on about an hour ride out to the Great Barrier Reef. We landed on this little island called Green Island. It was a cold ride, but lovely scenery. Then the island itself was very well maintained. They have made it a resort complete with boardwalks, restaurants and all. We headed straight for the beach. It was so nice to sunbathe and snorkel. We finally saw some great fish! Some were huge, greater than a foot long, and others were tiny. Seeing the amazing diversity and colors just reminds me how great God is! We enjoyed our day out there and were glad that even Matt's parents got in on the snorkelling! Katie and Alex swam with sea turtles! It was a really great outing. One we hope to do again!!

Engagement week-Atherton Tablelands

2011-07-16T22:47:00.001-05:00

The following day, we were excited to finally meet up with Matt's sister, Katie, and her fiance' Alex. They joined us for a day outing to the Atherton Tablelands. We drove up the hill past Kuranda, and on to Mareeba. This is where MAF has a hangar, about 60km from Cairns, and where Matt worked last year for a month. It is a peaceful area. We got a tour from the boss, and met some of his co-workers, which was special. Right next door, there is a place called Warbirds. It is a museum where they have restored some old WWII fighter planes, that you can actually fly in (for a big price). Instead, we were able to view them up close, and even go inside a few. It was very interesting, and I know especially that Matt and his dad, Steve, enjoyed it. Following that, we headed a little further inland and went to another small museum. Then we found the Memorial park for the different Australia battalions that had trained/served in WWII. Matt's grandfather was here, and we found his battalion's memorial. It was quite emotional thinking about their service and sacrifice both in Australia and in PNG. Later in the afternoon we found where his battalion had based. It was really a lovely farm area, and I was grateful we could go there for Matt's family's sake. Then we accidently took the long way back home, on the super windy road, but oh well, we enjoyed the scenery and eventually got back to Tree Tops. That night we enjoyed Thai food take out-yum!

Engagement week-Cairns/Kuranda

2011-07-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

The morning after Matt and I got engaged, we celebrated by calling our parents, siblings, and grandmothers. I am so grateful that I was able to share with my grandma my good news before her passing, what a blessing. Then that day, Matt, myself, and his parents went to a lovely place called Kuranda. It is a village just outside of Cairns. You get there by taking a skyrail up the mountain to the rainforest-like area. They have boardwalks up there where you walk between majestic trees, overlooking the canyon below. We had great views of Barron Falls. It was quite stunning. Then we spent a few hours in the little town. Mostly we enjoyed the food, not as much the shopping in the trinket shops, but still interesting to look around. Then we had a very enjoyable trip back down the mountain, on the scenic railway. It was built with sweat and tears before the war. It was quite an interesting ride and such lovely views of Cairns. We had a really nice day.

Engagement week-MAF conference

2011-07-13T21:39:00.001-05:00

Just a few days before Matt proposed to me, we headed off for the start of our trip. We went to Madang with the Mission Aviation Fellowship Conference. This is their yearly gathering of all the staff in PNG to fellowship, worship together, relax, and renew friendships. I was so blessed to be able to go. I was on call Thursday night, but finished my rounds quickly Friday morning. Then I rushed to the airport. There, I boarded the twin otter plane to fly down with a group. It was a beautiful flight over the valleys of PNG. We even passed Mt. Wilhelm, the tallest peak in the country. Finally we arrived to balmy, beautiful Madang. We stayed at Jais Aben, a resort hotel. During the 3 1/2 day retreat, we enjoyed meals together, wonderful worship-led by other missionaries, amazing views of the ocean, and great teaching. Pastor Phil came up from Cairns to lead us for the retreat. I was able to meet about 75 new people. That was really nice to meet and get to know more of the MAF family around PNG. We also were able to snorkel (well sort of, we had a storm and it was pretty muddy, but still fun). Swim, play games, and just rest. It was a wonderful time, and we hope they will do retreat there again next year!

Engagement!!

2011-07-11T02:03:00.000-05:00

It is with sheer joy that I share with you all that I am engaged to Matthew Preece! He is a wonderful, honest, kind, and godly man. I am so thankful for him!!

Matt had asked me months ago to go with him to the MAF conference with his mission and then join his family for a short vacation in Cairns, Australia. I had an idea that we might get engaged while we were gone, but I was still surprised and felt so special that he asked. I said yes of course! We are grateful for so many people who have supported us over the years and for your love and prayers. Matt wrote a lovely blog about the details. So I will let you read it from this link: http://mattinpng.com/2011/07/12/mi-markem-em-pinis/

My friends visit Gettysburg

2011-06-17T00:37:00.001-05:00

Megan Nash, (Erin's twin), her husband Joe, and her family, went to Gettysburg recently with Dr. Leibert, my residency program director and his wife Jan, and her 8th graders. I was just wishing I could have been there to share the experience. Miss you guys. Love, Becky

New South Wales "Blues"

2011-06-16T00:42:00.000-05:00

Each year in Australia, there is an all-star series of 3 games of Rugby league. It is called "State of Origin". In this game, two teams play, the Blues from New South Wales (Sydney), and the Maroons, from Queensland. This last Wednesday, Matt and I were able to watch game 2 together on TV at the Chapman's house. We watched it with the Chapman's and about 5 other national friends. In Game 1, the Maroons won in the last few minutes which made Mike and Diane happy. Game 2 we watched in suspense to see if the Blues could even it up. To the delight of Matt and I, they did! They played hard and fast and beat the Maroons with a good margin. Now it is up to game 3 to decide the champions. I probably will wear Matt's jersey again and root for his home team. Go Blues!

MAF ministry outreach

2011-06-12T00:36:00.000-05:00

Matt and I got to do our first ministry together with MAF. He has a nice blog about it, so check it out here: http://mattinpng.com/2011/06/12/kimininga-youth-outreach/

Lunch at Rondon with friends

2011-06-11T00:22:00.000-05:00

It isn't too often that we get the opportunity to head up the hill to Rondon Ridge. It is a beautiful view from their over the city of Hagen. There is a nice hotel and restaurant there. This last weekend, a group of us went up together. It was fun because we got to say farewell to Pamela. She has been our faithful xray technician and teacher for the last 3 months. We also got to celebrate Tiffani's birthday, on her actual day. Another long time missionary that was back for a few weeks, had her birthday only 2 days before, so we celebrated with Carol too. We also had Mike, our sweet rheumatologist, Harmon and Cindy-our field strategy coordinators, Tim and Karla, Steph, me, and Matt. What a fun group! We truly enjoyed the beautiful day, the flowers, the fish pond, the orchid garden, and the view. We also had a lovely meal of baramundi fish, which was a nice change. We were even surprised to find that they had fixed the road a bit so we wouldn't fall off the cliff on our drive down the hill! What a fun outing.

Alt family furlough

2011-06-10T00:18:00.000-05:00

John and Christine Alt and their four children, have been missionaries in PNG for about 12 years. In fact, John and Christine met here and got married. They are a Swiss family that lives about 15 minutes away at Kugark station. John has done many things including coordinating pastors, running the station, and preaching around the area and at our English lotu. Christine started as a school teacher and then went into full time work at home. The older girls, Lorena and Chiara have been students at Kudjip and in my music class. Levin is just in kindergarten and now Leandro has joined the family. He is nearly 2 years old. They are a wonderful family. They leave this month for a year furlough in Switzerland. When they return, they are unclear as to weather they will be returning to Kugark or reassigned to another PNG location. Please be in prayer for this sweet family as they transition and continue to serve God where he calls. We will surely miss them!!

? Severe pityriasis

2011-06-08T00:14:00.000-05:00

This poor young woman has a pretty bad skin disease. She came to me with her entire trunk and back covered in scaling, itchy, mildly tender papules and plaques. It did start with one lesion, although that was on her chest. I noticed what seems to be a "christmas tree" pattern, so I decided to call this severe pityriasis rosea. Not being a dermatologist and without a biopsy or even KOH, this was a guess. Hopefully my treatment will help her out. For my medical friends, any thoughts? I can send you a closer picture if you want. Please pray for quick resolution to these lesions. (HIV negative, VDRL n/r, normal white count)

Mississippi Work and Witness Team

2011-06-07T00:07:00.001-05:00

We are so priveleged to host many work and witness teams throughout each year. Mike and Diane Chapman do all the coordinating. Well, this particular team was called the Mississippi team, but they were really from all over. There ended up being quite a mix of folks. There were a few construction or lay workers that helped lay the foundation for a new staff housing. Then there were a few ladies, doing cooking, and Judy, who used to be a nurse that helped a bit in the hospital. There were also a number of young ladies, from 13-19. Ashley, is a little girl who is a missionary kid. What a sweetie! She was willing to do whatever was asked. I know she helped at the work site, gave out supplies at the hospital and helped in the kitchen. She wants to do missions when she is older. I also was pleased to be able to teach Morgan, a young nursing student. She shadowed me in clinic for about a week. She was also so thrilled to see something, she would say, " I have only read about this in books!". Her enthusiasm was contagious! We had a cute encounter with little Immanuel. He was being shy and hiding behind his mom. Finally I said what is wrong, and he said, "mi laikim em"...which basically means he loves her! too cute! So finally we got him to shake Morgan's hand, he was pretty enamoured with her. It was nice to have them all and you just never know how they touched us, our national friends, patients, or how God touched them through the experience.

Matlyn

2011-06-04T00:03:00.002-05:00

This little girl is named Matlyn. She has had tuberculosis of her neck lymph node for a few months. She is getting better, praise God. I just thought she was so darling, so I had to post her picture. I am grateful to have patient like her, where I can just watch and see God's healing hand...what a privelege

Tim and Karla for dinner

2011-06-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was blessed to share a meal with Tim and Karla Duele, my neighbor's. They are from Tacoma Washington, so we share some Pacific NW background. It has been a joy to be their next door neighbor's. They have already hosted me multiple times, so it was good to switch and have them for dinner. They are serving here for as long as God leads. They have left behind a married daughter in Japan, who is a teacher and another daughter in Seattle who is a nurse. Please pray for their ministry to the Kudjip and Melanesia Fields.

The Aussie Bible

2011-06-02T23:55:00.001-05:00

I recently read this book. It was great. What it is, is a paraphrase of the Gospel written by an Australian guy, in the "great outback" vernacular. Matt does say some of these phrases, but many were much more rural or older terms. Still, it was a cultural experience to read. I think my favorite passage was from Matthew, when Mary visits Elizabeth. She says, "good onya Mary, you're God's number one Sheila!"..." when I heard your cooyee at the door, the baby in the oven kicked me harder than a bloke on the footy field"....too funny! It may be a bit silly, but I think God can speak to us in different ways, and sometimes he speaks to us exactly how we understand, culture, accents, and all!

Crouch's farewell

2011-06-01T23:50:00.001-05:00

We have thoroughly enjoyed Mark and Esther Crouch and little Anna. They left Sunday morning, and headed back to America for Mark to complete his residency. The McCoy's I know will miss them, since they have known the Crouch family since Mark was a baby. Also I love this pic of Mark shaking Raymond's hand--I love how God brings cultures together in Christ! Please keep praying for them as they are seeking God's will for the future, and praying about full time missions.

Dinner with the ladies

2011-05-26T04:20:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I hosted, with Erin's help, the ladies from the "other end of station". Becky Morsch, Pamela, and Steph. They are all roommates. It had been a long time since I had had Becky and Steph over. Pamela is volunteering for a few months and so I had never hosted her before. They are all so fun. We had a nice meal of lasagna, salad and bread. Then we shared a hot fudge sundae cake I made--yum! I love having my sisters in Christ over for dinner. What a blessing.

Cute baby on pediatrics

2011-05-26T04:12:00.000-05:00

I have really been enjoying my time on pediatrics. While I do see mostly diarrhea and pneumonia, I enjoy the time with the kids, the fast recoveries, and the sweet moms. This little girl was so cute, she of course, was smiling right before the photos, but is still cute. She had pneumonia and was going home that day.

Tiffani with a cute clinic baby

2011-05-25T04:39:00.001-05:00

Tiffani is with us for 6 weeks. She is a PA student. It has been really fun to watch her learn each day, as almost every experience is new for her. It has been a bit overwhelming too, as I can remember how I felt when I first came. But, when you have a sweet baby come to clinic, it sort of gives you a respite between challenges. This was a good way to finish the day on Monday.

Liklik wasmeri

2011-05-24T03:58:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I was again visiting in town. Brad and Nikolai have been such sweet hosts. Well, their daughter, Cherith, who is 3, asked if Matt and I wanted to play playdough with her. How could we resist? She is such a cutie. Besides, we laughed, we are allowed to hang out inside together since we have a little "wasmeri". (ok not really, her parents were there too, but it was pretty funny nonetheless).

Matt's haircut appointment

2011-05-23T04:06:00.001-05:00

Things in PNG are never as easy as things in America or Australia. The simple act of wanting to get your hair cut can be quite a challenge. First, you have to know where the salon is located. Then you ask if the worker is there, "no she is on holiday and we don't know when she will be back". Then you try another location, "we are too busy come another day". Finally you remember seeing a sign for a salon in a building you have never been in before. You go in, see about 25 ladies and one man. You ask can anyone cut a white person's hair. Stares come at you, and finally the young man says he can try. You want your hair cut so badly that you are willing to take the risk. Thankfully, it turns out that he could cut straight hair. He says he practiced in Port Morseby and has cut Asian and Indian hair before. Also, it is a blessing because the young hairdresser is new to the area, and actually is a christian that has gone once to Matt's church. God knew exactly where we needed to go that day, and in the end, it was a real blessing. A divine appointment. Hopefully we will see Biru again at church and can encourage him as he has no family in the area. Oh, and the haircut was really nice too.

Susie's newfound salvation

2011-05-22T04:14:00.000-05:00

I was so thrilled the other day to have Susie come into my clinic room. Well, actually at first, I was really sad. She is a lady from the nearby town that has breast cancer. She was ashamed to come and so waited for a year. Finally the growth was bothering her so she came to talk about it. I was disturbed that she had fairly advanced disease. Then I said, are you a christian? She bluntly said no. Ok, I said, let's talk about that. So I quickly went and got two tracts I wanted to use to share with her. She was so open to hear what I had to say. She kept saying "yes, yes", to all of the things I was sharing. Her heart was ready. I prayed with her and I knew that she wanted to believe but didn't know how. I asked Chaplain Lucy to come talk and counsel her more. I explained the situation and shared how I was feeling that she was ready. After a few minutes of counselling, I saw Lucy again. What happened I asked? She said that not only did she believe, but she also said, that she understood that her life was in God's hands, and that he could do with her as she wished. Save her physically or not, she still believed! Wow, I was elated. God woos us until we believe that his love is unconditional and that he wants to save us! Praise God it is nothing we have to do but have faith. Susie left the clinic a new woman, healed from the inside. Praise God! John 3:16 "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life"

Crouch's for dinner

2011-05-22T04:02:00.001-05:00

We are always so blessed at Kudjip with our many volunteers that come into our lives. The current volunteers are no exception. Mark and Esther Crouch, along with their daughter Anna, have been a joy to have as neighbor's. Also, Mark has been a great help at clinic, and in the ER. He is learning a lot and I hope this will not be the last time they are here. Tiffani, a PA student, originally from Kansas, arrive the same day Erin and I were hosting the Crouch's. So we had her over too. She is a sweet young woman, and I found out, that her and I have done the same missions trip to the Dominican Republic with Dr. Sadiq. What a small world. (i probably met her mother, who goes every year but I'm not sure since it was 6 years ago). So we had a great dinner. They even made me pose for the dinner table photo, since I make everyone else pose all the time. (it is a family tradition!)

Matt uses his cooking skills

2011-05-19T02:57:00.000-05:00

This last weekend I was on call on Saturday. Matt and I have been visiting each other on the weekends, so he came out to Kudjip to visit. But since I was tied up at the hospital on and off all day, Matt cooked for me. (of course, he was inside by himself and then when I arrived back and needed inside, he would go outside so i could go inside--haha). He was a real sweetheart making me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He made french toast, homemade bread which became yummy sandwiches for lunch, and a nice indian chicken and rice dish for dinner. I was very impressed by his willingness and his capabilities in cooking. It really made my day so much more pleasant. Thanks Matt!

3 circles

2011-05-18T02:46:00.003-05:00

At Kudjip we have what we call "circle time". This is the gathering for a volunteer or a missionary going on home assignment, as they are about to leave. We gather at the "circle" in front of the old hospital. Grab hands, say our thanks to the person, pray for them, and then hug and say our farewells. At that, they load up into the vehicle and we all wave goodbye (with both hands straight up in the air--this is the most proper way to way at the circle--haha), and the kids throw flowers at the vehicle. We wave until they are out of sight. It is a nice tradition, that really blessed me the first time I ever visited Kudjip. Well, this last weekend, we had 3 circles in a row! Saturday we said goodbye to the Pringles. We will surely miss Scott's service on obstetrics, and Tyronza's great cooking/hospitality/teaching/store room work/etc! The good news is, they are already looking at returning next year for another 3month stent! Hurray! So, that made the goodbye's a bit easier to say "see you next year", instead. On Sunday morning, we sent off the Myer's family to home assignment. I feel like I have barely been able to catch up with them, since I have only been back 5 weeks and they are going to be gone for 4 months. But, I guess it will make their return even sweeter the end of August. Susan has "scaled out" her duties as director of medical services, Jeff has put on hold his varied tasks of radio, construction, english lotu, etc. And Jessica and Ethan are thankful it is summer break!!:) They will mostly be based near their hometown in Ohio, and will be speaking there. The kids will be going to a national youth convention this summer too, so they are thrilled about that. We will miss them. Monday morning we hugged and said goodbye to Linda. She came to serve at the College of Nursing, teaching the tutors and students. She made a huge impact on them and really helped with curriculum, strategic thinking, etc. Plus she was a lot of fun and definitely a free spirit. She was sporting her gifts from the students, a PNG meriblouse and a pretty bilum. She heads through Australia on her way back to Hawaii, where she lives. We do hope she can come back again, and Lord willing, she will. We have been touched by these lives and hope they feel loved and appreciated in return.

Anna's 2nd birthday party

2011-05-17T02:42:00.000-05:00

It is always a joy to have new friends on station. This month, we are blessed to have Mark and Esther Crouch with their darling little girl, Anna. She turned 2 years old on Friday. So we had a birthday party celebration. We started out at the park for hobo dinners and s'mores over the fire. Then we went to the McCoy's porch, where they decorated it nicely for her. We sang to her (although she wasn't too thrilled about sitting through the 5 birthday songs), and then had cupcakes. After that she opened presents. She is such a little doll, and was a really sweet girl on her birthday. Happy birthday Anna!

Pizza night with the Pringles

2011-05-16T05:25:00.001-05:00

Last week before the 3 farewells, the Pringles invited all of station over to the Barnabus house for a pizza night. Each family was to bring a pizza and a dessert. So as you can imagine, there was no shortage of food!:) We had a really nice evening, and I think almost every family made it. Pam and Steph were enjoying a night not on call for once. My neighbors, Tim and Karla and Jordan and Rachel, also had a great time. It was nice to be with the Myer's too before they left for home assignment, as I haven't had too much interaction with them (except for Susan) since being back. After the pizza fellowship time, many stayed for prayer meeting. We had a great time sharing our praises and thanks for the service of the 3 families heading out in the few days afterward. Also it was good to pray and lift up our needs. I think the Barnabus house has definitely fulfilled it's name--it is a place of encouragement for all.

Urgent prayer request-Sandy

2011-05-15T06:14:00.000-05:00

Please pray for my little patient Sandy. She is a little girl about 8 years old that has a brain abscess. She was admitted to the hospital over a month ago. About 10 days ago, we had a breakthrough, this little rag-doll of a girl, started to talk again! However, on Saturday she started having fevers again and seizing. She now has nearly continuous shakes ("guria"). I think her abscess has grown again and is really causing her little body to work hard to fight it off. I am pretty concerned that she is going to die. Her parents Ruth and Smith stay with her nearly constantly. They are very sweet people and are believers. They allowed me to take their picture so that I could post it and ask for your prayers. Please lift us this young girl tonight and pray for healing, restoration, and peace. Pray also that God would give me wisdom as I treat her. Thank you for praying---"the prayers of the righteous man are powerful and effective".

ER docs

2011-05-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

Oftentimes when volunteers come, they get to do lots of procedures they wouldn't normally do. Sometimes, the procedures are things they have never done before. Mark, as a resident, is especially excited about learning new things, and has been busy in the ER each day, draining abscesses, tapping fluid off of the abdomen or the lungs (this patient has TB--note the bloody fluid), doing ultrasounds, and reducing and casting fractures. Dr. Mike, has been a rheumatologist for years. I am sure he has probably done casts before, but not like PNG, where you do one almost everyday. He has been a real servant, helping in any way that he can. We are always so thrilled when we have volunteers because they really do make a difference, and hopefully they leave Kudjip changed for all the experiences they have had.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

Who ever heard of celebrating Mexico's independence day in Papua New Guinea? Well, since I love mexican food, I thought, why not??:) I invited my friend Vero--from the surgical team, over along with her family. I made homemade tortillas and put together tacos and burritos, spanish rice and beans for dinner. Then of coures, I threw in chocolate cupcakes for dessert. It was a really fun evening. Especially since all the food was new to them. They all really liked the sour cream and guacomole except for the little guys. I taught the kids how to fold their burritos and which way to hold their tacos. (that didn't work out so well!). We shared how we were doing and prayed together too. I did attempt a group game, but the little boys-Zephaniah and Zechariah, were too wound up. Karina and Ann-Mala and even their babysitter, Roselyn, really liked the "king of the jungle" game. but, in the end it was easier to just talk. I was blessed to have them over and hope I can do it again, but maybe we will eat something they are more used to next time.

3rd culture courtship

2011-05-11T22:42:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend Matt for a couple of months now. He is Australian, I am American. And, of course, we live in PNG. This presents some new features to dating and courting that you might be curious about. First, of course, we want to honor the culture that we live in. Therefore, we are willing to forego some of the normal activities we would do living in a western society. That said, here are the basics of 3rd culture courting. #1--you either sit outside in a neutral place or you have a chaperon. (Mike and Diane graciously had us over for dinner one night as you can see). It would be inappropriate to be in the house together alone because that could be perceived as doing inappropriate activities for single people. I think that with a history of polygamy, many men had their own house and the wives had their own houses, so there was only one reason you would be together in the house....#2--you don't show affection in public. So, when seen together, there is an appropriate amount of distance between you. (this picture was taken at English lotu-church with the other missionaries, so we still sat together, but no hand holding for example). Traditionally, men show affection to their male friends in public and vice-versa with women. But their isn't cross gender affection. This is changing slowly so that I have seen some married couples hold hands in public. Regardless, we are dating, so we can't be perceived the same as a married couple. #3--you shouldn't be seen driving in a car alone together, with a few minor exceptions of getting groceries once you are in town. (basically this falls under the chaperon category...even being in a car together suggests you had opportunity for inappropriate behavior).

As you can see, the normal things you might do in America--go out to dinner, watch a movie sitting on the couch, even making a meal together, are partly taboo. So, we have become creative. I even made Matt my "wok boi"(work boy), one day peeling potatoes on the porch while I was inside cooking. We eat with others and sit outside. It isn't that bad, just different. Please pray for us as we continue to invest time into our relationship with one another and that we would be a good witnesses to our national neighbors.

First day for the First years

2011-05-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Monday marked a special day for the College of Nursing students. It was their very first day in the hospital-ever! They were all a bit nervous, but they did fine. I was really pleased to see their enthusiasm and willingness to learn. I had this group of 5 with me. Nellie, Gibson, Charity, Joylynn, and Pauline. Mark, on the other side of the ward had a few students too. (but most got away before the picture). They both asked questions and answered some. It was a good morning for teahcing. I hope they felt welcomed and needed. Please pray for them that they would learn well the skills they need to be the best nurse they can be. They have 3 years to go still, and I hope that I can be a part of making their experience better.

Chasing Butterflies

2011-05-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

We are blessed to have another family on station for the month. Mark, Esther and little Anna, have joined us from Tulsa. Mark is a resident at In His Image. His father is the director there. Actually their family and the McCoy's have known each other for years. Well, this sunday, after church, it was really cute to watch Anna play. She found a beautiful butterfly. It had red and yellow on it and a vibrant blue body. She saw it on the ground (her being that much closer to the ground helped), but also because she has the eyes to see things like that. Well, anyways, she was fascinated. But, a bit afraid, so she had her dad hold the butterfly. She did think about touching it, and finally did with her one little finger. It was really cute. We are, like I said, very blessed to have them!

Dinner at the Barnabus house/Jordan's farewell circle

2011-05-03T03:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I was invited along with a few others to join for dinner at the Barnabus house, our volunteer quarters. Tyronza cooked us a feast of pork roast, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, asparagus, and cake with your choice of 3 kinds of ice cream! I know we all left stuffed! She and her husband Scott, an ob/gyn have been here nearly three months. We looked at their pictures, which was really great, especially since Tyronza has been able to document all sorts of activities around station and beyond, they were beautiful. Mike Bible (what a missionary name, i love it), has been here a few weeks of his 3months with us. He is a rheumatologist, and has helped us a lot with various joint injections for our patients. Jordan, is a med student that left today. So that was the real reason for dinner, to farewell our new friend who arrived 6 weeks ago. He is off to start an emergency residency in Denver. I know he will be a great doctor, he was an excellent student. Not only was he smart, but he was also fun and really compassionate with his patients. This morning then we had our circle farewell for him. He will be missed by our station. But we will keep praying for him and maybe someday he will be back.

New Life--"against all odds"

2011-05-03T03:54:00.002-05:00

A baby was born at our hospital yesterday. Erin wrote a lovely blog about this baby titled "against all odds". Here is the link to read her inspiring story.
http://erininpng.blogspot.com/2011/05/against-all-odds.html

May English lotu and potluck

2011-05-03T02:51:00.005-05:00

We love our gatherings! Well, each month we have an english church service with any of the local missionaries welcome to come. Every other month, we have a potluck first then church. This happened to be the potluck month. We had a perfect day, warm, clear skies. We were able to really enjoy the new and improved "haus win" (shelter). It was complete with a second row of bences under shade and a grill to cook out on! A large group was there, and it was fun to fellowship with all. Including seeing some New Tribes friends i haven't seen since I returned, and little Mekelle with her too cute pig tails! Harmon dedicated the area again and prayed that it would truly be a place of unity. Then it was time for the service to start. We sang a few songs and then were treated to the MK's special items. Lydia quoted all of Psalms 90-quite impressive. Then the little kids, under Kathy's direction sang a hymn, it was really cute. After that, the high schooler's had a "band". Josiah played the trumpet, Jessica sang, Ethan on guitar, Lydia on yukelele, and Allison on piano. It was really great! Finally Geoff from CLTC shared from Psalms 100. "Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth". He went word by word and shared the root meanings and the context. It was wonderful, so rich in meaning and touched me. I also got a good laugh when he shared a story about me injecting his arm with lidocaine to clean a wound and all the pain he felt, but he had to be brave(sorry about that!). It was a great service, probably one of the most meaningful to me in a while. It is so good when brothers and sisters come together in unity! I was really blessed by the day.

Go team 6!

2011-05-02T02:47:00.000-05:00

Dr. Susan and Dr. Scott, our administrators, have recently come up with a new idea to help boost moral around the hospital. They are calling it "TEAMS"--together encouraging all members. So, the staff of the hospital has been split up into various teams. I am on team 6, the ER/OPD staff. This team includes one from business off, 4 clerks, 2 cleaners, one pharmacy, some nurses and HEO's, and me. To get us started off on the right foot, Iinvited my team over to my house for cookies and fellowship. I started with prayer, then I asked each to say where they are from and how long they have worked at Kudjip. We had a wide spread from 3 months to over 30 years! Quite the mix. Then we shared a few things we have noticed that others have done well. We also left it open for discussion of what we could do better, but mostly wanted it to be a time of encouragement. I think all were happy. We meet again soon and it will be fun to get to know each of them better. Go team 6!!

Daren and Mia

2011-05-01T02:42:00.000-05:00

Daren is a sweet little boy that I take care of quite a bit in clinic. His grandmother, Mia, is one of our faithful employees. I recently found out she has worked in the pharmacy for 32 years!!!!!! Wow! Well, last time I saw Daren, he was pretty short and dealing with his chronic heart condition. While I was gone, he not only grew a few inches, but was seen by a cardiologist from the states. He suggested taking him off two of his long time medications to see how he would do. I was thrilled to see that he is doing great, is less short of breath, has more energy, and is all around super cute! Another praise is that according to Dr. Kirk, he may be a candidate for heart repair surgery when he is about 15 years old. So in the meanwhile we will follow him and keep praying for God to touch him. It is sweet patients like Daren that really make me smile in the middle of a busy clinic day.

Dinner with friends

2011-04-30T02:39:00.000-05:00

The other weekend at Kudjip, I hosted some friends for dinner. I actually attempted to make a "real meal". I made chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cabbage salad and even chocolate cake! It was pretty good, but much more fun was the company. Jordan and Rachel, my neighbors (and hosts for Matt), Matt and Erin. Afterwards the power went out for over an hour and so we played settler's by candlelight. Then Erin got a good idea and hung her head lamp from the lightbulb. It worked pretty well, so we had a spotlight on our game. It was a fun evening.

at the car wash

2011-04-29T02:33:00.000-05:00

Taking a walk the other day with some friends, we noticed a car being washed. This is what you might call the local full service car wash....the river! I guess that is what you do when you don't have another source of running water and certainly no hose.

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

Christ the Lord is risen today! Amen, hallelujah! Aren't we so glad that we serve a living,loving God, able to save us!?!! I was once again moved by the great sacrifice of our savior Jesus Christ. Being God in the flesh, he willingly suffered, died, was buried, but rose again on the third day! It is because of his sacrifice that we are made new, not just for our earthly lives, but for all eternity.

This year for Easter, we had a four day weekend. We started the festitivies with a special Passover feast on Thursday night. Harmon and Cindy had the entire mission community over to their house. About 40 of us squeezed in around tables on the floor and sat on pillows. We ate lamb, bitter herbs, sweet fruit, and unleavened bread. We drank a cup of juice- the fruit of the vine. It was so thrilling to hear the traditions of the Jewish people being read aloud and then hearing the way that Christ has fulfilled each one. He is the bread that is broken, he is the cup that is poured out for many. It was really a special time.

Friday, the missionaries, under Kathy's leading, led the Good Friday service. Mike started out with a solo, "were you there?". Bill and Jim did two trumpet duets. The choir sang a couple of songs and did a responsive reading. Then I sang "the Old Rugged Cross" acapella. After that, there was a prayer and Harmon spoke. He reminded us that the things of this world should not impress us. But rather the things of eternity. He also shared how the world was completely changed from Friday to Sunday. The old order of things had passed, the curtain was torn open, and we now had all things new. Hope, life, salvation, through Christ. It was a wonderful service.

Saturday was a relaxing day. Matt was able to be at Kudjip staying with the Thompson's. The two of us plus Karla, went on a nice hike to the Catholic mission. It is such a beautiful view from their, the other side of the ravine. You can see all of station and the Kanye river below. I love being up their near the clouds with the cross, it is absolutely gorgeous. Saturday night I hosted Rachel, Jordan, Erin and Matt for dinner. I made a big meal since it was almost easter. Then we played settler's. Erin won of course:)

Sunday I was on call. It wasn't how I would prefer to have spent the day, but I know that Jesus would have been the one to offer to work that day. In the end it wasn't a bad day. I was busy, but part of that was because of my fellowship times. I started with rounds and ER. I made it to church in time for communion. this was nice, since we don't do it very often here. Then back to the ER. Lunch was shared with the McCoy's, Thompson's, Erin, Matt and I. We even had ham! It was really lovely. We were able to share the afternoon with a bunch more of our neighbors on the porch. Then it was back to the hospital for one of two c-sections that I did. Thankfully they both went really well. Matt and I had dinner with the Radcliffe's and then I had a bit more hospital work. I even drug Matt along and he observed the second c-section. I know it was a new experience for him!

Monday became my day of rest. It was really nice to relax and reflect on all that Christ has done. What he accomplished 2000 years ago, still applies today! We can trust in his atoning work on the cross and be made new! If you are already a believer, I would encourage you to thank God again today for what he has done. If you aren't, would you consider thinking about what we just celebrated? It is much more than easter eggs and candy, it is rebirth and salvation through Jesus!

Happy Easter everyone! Christ is Risen indeed!

New team members

2011-04-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

A lot has changed in the last four months on the mission station. I returned to find that I had new neighbors! Kudjip has been blessed to have some new short and long term missionaries with us. Pamela (in the pic with the Radcliffe's) is an xray tech from South Africa. She is here for a few months. This is actually her 4th trip to PNG but the first time I have been here at the same time as her. She is good friends with Becky and Steph so that is a blessing to them too. Tim and Karla are from Seattle. They live right next door to me now. Tim is doing maintenance-plus, and Karla is working some in the lab and some in the field office. They are both energetic and fun to be around. Linda is staying with the Chapman's. She used to live in Alaska and they have mutual friends. She has been a true blessing as she has served at the College of Nursing doing teaching, helping and working on curriculum. She also is very adventurous and loves to play games. The Goosens are an active young family. We have had a quieter station without the Riggin's boys, so we are really thankful for them coming to PNG. Joani will be part time accounting and part time mom and Randy will be doing IT and part time dad. I think their job sharing will work well and we are thankful for their help already. Scott and Tyronza are from the states and are volunteers. He is an ob/gyn and has been a tremendous help taking ob call most nights of the week! Well, as you can see, we are truly blessed with all of our help here on station. It definitely feels like home, but it is also great to meet new people and have them join our family.

I'm back!

2011-04-13T20:55:00.004-05:00

Well, after four months of being in America, I have arrived back in PNG! First of all, I have to testify to God's goodness in bringing this about. I had been praying about future opportunities for about a year prior to the end of my two year service with World Medical Mission. I had looked into various organizations and hospitals. To make a long story short, I felt that those other options were closed doors for now. I also had a tremendously positive response from WMM that welcomed me to go back for another year to serve at Kudjip. In the meanwhile, the Lord brought a very special man into my life, Matthew Preece. He is a missionary with Missions Aviation just 45minutes down the road from our hospital. We are now courting and seeking the Lord's will for our future. So, all this to say--God is good! I had a great time at home and will miss my family, but know that God has truly opened the way for me to return and provided for my needs. I left the states April 2nd and started my long journey. I actually went through Canada on my way to Sydney. Once in Sydney, I spent 48 hours with Matt's family. They were gracious hosts! I got to see the sights and get to know them a bit. They were really sweet. Then it was on the road again and another 12 hours of travel to Mt. Hagen. Matt and his roommate Timon met me at the airport and took me to the Ballin's house. They hosted me for the first two days. It was nice to catch up with them and it allowed me to get my "town duties" out of the way and collect my luggage which arrived days after me! Finally it was back to Kudjip station!! I was greeted with so many smiles and hugs, it was really overwhelming. Erin hosted me and Matt for dinner friday. Saturday, the McCoy's had us. Sunday Matt went back to town and I got to have some more time with my mission family. That night the Radcliffe's had myself and the other ladies-Steph, Becky1, and Pamela for dinner. It was really nice. Monday I started back to work. I was really nervous about starting again after my break, but it really was like riding a bike! I am currently on pediatrics ward. I love taking care of the little kids and seeing them smile when they are better. I am getting adjusted to the time zone and back to my mission-life. It is a blessing to be back and I want to thank each and everyone of you who pray for me and have supported me so I could return. God is good all the time isn't He?!?!

Return to PNG

2011-03-10T13:00:00.006-06:00

Dear Friends, Well after a few month hiatus from my blog, I will be starting up again. That is because I am returning to Papua New Guinea!! I leave America April 2nd and will start up my work and ministry again at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital. It has been a wonderful time being home with family and friends. I also am excited about the upcoming opportunities to share what God is doing in my life at a few churches and small groups. Take a look at my latest newsletter for more information. God bless, Becky (click on the picture)

more Christmas pics

2011-01-09T22:41:00.003-06:00

David and Amanda's reception

2010-12-27T19:09:00.000-06:00

My mom's best friend Eileen's oldest son just got married. David and Amanda actually went to high school together but never dated til now. Amanda is a sweetheart and we were really happy for them both. We enjoyed sharing dinner, cake, a slide show and then Steve and I serendaded them.

Christmas pics 2010

2010-12-26T22:35:00.000-06:00

Besides our lovely Christmas gatherings, we also had a few blasts from the past. My sister and other donned my grandpa's world war II uniform, and grandma shared pics of my her and her kids, including my mom (5 yo in this pic) from when they were young. It was really a fun time.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T19:20:00.001-06:00

Christmas is always a whilrwind of activity around our house This year I celebrated four Christmas gatherings. The first was with my grandma Wallace and 51 total relatives and friends! It was a crazy full house but good to see cousins I haven't seen in years. I was also thankful to see Grandma up and around since last year she had broken her neck in a car wreck. The second get together was at my dad's house. We were thrilled to know that Grandpa Matsler was going to be there. So we had a great evening with our pizza dinner, presents and sharing pictures. The third was our traditional Christmas eve at Grandma Hilton (Glidewell) house. We had my uncle and aunt and Noah and his wife Tena. Also of course my brother,sister and families. We had clam chowder like usual, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, read the Christmas story and then opened presents. The newest tradition is a gift exchange we do where you can steal or pick a new present. It was hilarious. Finally Christmas day was at mom's house. We started with stockings and the kid's things in the morning. Then grandma, Lee, Aaron, Lea and girls joined for a full Turkey dinner. Yum! After that we opened presents and had a great day. What a blessing to share all of this wonderful family time. But mostly I am so grateful that God was willing to give us the very best gift of all time--himself in human form! Thank you God that Jesus is the reason for the season and we can celebrate him.

Winter at the beach

2010-12-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

The week of Christmas, I went to visit my grandma Wallace. The morning after seeing her, I took the kids to the beach. They love it rain or shine, cold or not. So even in the 40 degree weather, they took off their shoes and played in the water! I thought they were crazy, but it was really beautiful.

Visit to PA to see Erin and Megan

2010-12-22T18:56:00.000-06:00

It was a real joy to have the opportunity to go visit two of my best friends in Pennsylvania. Megan and her husband Joe live there with their 3 boys. We were in residency together. At that time, they had just had little Luke. Now they also have Graham and Eli. It was so fun to play with the boys. Erin is Megan's twin and has been my colleague in PNG for the last two years. She was home on furlough for the last 3months. We planned to see their new (to me)house, play in the snow (I haven't done that for years), go to church with them, and we also saw a wonderful production of "A Musical Christmas Carol". It was in downtown Pittsburgh and was really great. Thanks friends for a great weekend!

Heirlooms

2010-12-20T18:53:00.000-06:00

My grandma was so sweet the other day and gave me two special rings. The larger one is from California, where my grandfather bought it for her. The diamond ring is a re-setting of her original wedding ring diamonds. I was so pleased to receive them and will treasure them.

Hi tech parents

2010-12-18T18:51:00.000-06:00

I had to laugh because my parents both just got the latest touch phones with blue tooth ear pieces. Aren't they cute??

Monica

2010-12-17T18:48:00.000-06:00

It was a blessing to see my friend Monica, her husband of Leighton and new baby William. We were able to chat at church and then have lunch the next day. It was especially great because now she lives 4 hours away from our home.

Ladies tea

2010-12-16T18:46:00.000-06:00

My sister and I enjoyed a church ladies tea with our good friend Marcia. It was fun to get dolled up, eat desserts and snacks and sing Christmas songs.

Debi's fashion show

2010-12-15T18:36:00.001-06:00

My step-mom had the fun chance to model at a local clothing store. So we made a day of it and went to the mall, ate lunch and watched the fashion show.

A Christmas Carol

2010-12-10T23:52:00.000-06:00

My uncle's church put on a production of "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens. They did a great job. i joined my grandma and Lee, and my newleywed cousin Noah and his wife Tena. We watched Gordon as he was Mr. Fezziwig, and the undertaker later on in the program. The whole cast did a great job. They also had carolers that did a beautiful job and reminded us of the true meaning of christmas. It was a fun evening. I especially liked seeing Uncle Gordon in a top hat!

YMCA basketball

2010-12-10T23:49:00.000-06:00

Both Drayden and Jadah have started YMCA basketball this winter. They are so cute to watch! Drayden at 8 1/2 years old is getting pretty good and figuring out the game. He even made two baskets and some rebounds. But he also is a good sportsman, cheering for whomever made a basket. Jadah at 7, is just starting to learn the game. But, I think she is enjoying it, and likes to play with the other kids. She also has a great attitude and cheers on her teammates. Go little Blazers go!

Visiting Grandma in December

2010-12-09T23:39:00.000-06:00

It has been such a joy since being home to visit my grandma. She has ovarian cancer, but praise God is doing quite well for the circumstances and is in good spirits. She has been keeping herself busy as usual. She is going through things in her house, sorting, putting together puzzles, playing games, and hosting many many visitors as they stop in. The other day Tami, my sister and I, went over there. We had a great time chatting and playing scrabble--I lost miserably. Then grandma showed me my grandpa's WWII uniform, from when he was a sergeant. I asked if I could try it on. He was a fairly small framed man, so i could barely get the jacket on! But, it was pretty special to see and remember him. Then we shared lunch and looked at Christmas presents and enjoyed ourselves. It was a great day.

Goodbye-hello

2010-12-08T23:31:00.000-06:00

One of the hardest days since coming to New Guinea, was the day I said goodbye. I had a lot of emotions built up over the 2 years of serving there. I love those people that i have lived and worked and served with. They have taught me much and invested in my life. I will miss them dearly. I also was emotional from a very busy week and from packing! Whew, i finished on time and fit most of my stuff into 2 bags! On the other hand, I had these emotions of excitement to see my family! So, after my lovely circle---filled with many many folks from station, both national and ex-pat, I loaded in the car with Judy. She waited with me til I boarded. Then I started my nearly 2 day journey home (although it was only one day on the calendar since I crossed the date line!)...I flew Mt. Hagen to Port Moresby, Hong Kong to San Francisco, and finally Portland. There my mom and my sister's kids met me and drove me home. Finally I arrived, too tired to do much of anything but fall into bed. The next day I was able to see my grandma (who is doing great, praise God!), my dad, Debi and William, and my brother and his family. It was a sweet reunion to my sad farewell. but, I do hope to return, and sooner rather than later. Please be in prayer for this transition time, as I am seeking what God has for me. Thanks friends, your prayers mean more than you know!

Christmas progam 2010

2010-12-07T23:19:00.001-06:00

I was again in charge of the christmas program at Kudjip. It was for the MK kids to present to the local missionaries. I had 9 kids that i taught weekly at the school and then 5 others that were from a local area and from the high school that joined in. This year the theme was "the Messiah has come". I was very excited to include Simeon and Anna at the temple. They were one of the first people to recognize who Jesus was--the anointed one, the savior, the Christ! We had a manger with Mary and Joseph, the temple, and my sunday school kids learning about Israels' longing for the Messiah, and our realization that Jesus is our Messiah! The kids did a great job, plus they were cute as could be! We sang some carols, played a bell song, had some solos, and even had an adult choir song. I ended up the program by singing a solo-"I believe". It was fun and I believe it really brough glory to Jesus!

Dinner with the McCoy's

2010-12-06T23:17:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, I enjoyed fellowship with Bill and Marsha McCoy for dinner. My friend Matt also joined us. We had her specialty--chicken enchiladas! (to be fair, anything she makes is fabulous!). It was a delicious meal and then we ended the night with stories of her grandkis-which i love to hear, and putting up a few Christmas decorations with them. Thanks neighbors!

My very merry un-staying party

2010-12-05T23:07:00.000-06:00

My sweet missionary family at Kudjip threw me a "very merry un-staying party" at the Barnabus haus. Otherwise known as a mad-hatter's tea party! I had seen a cute garden party in a magazine probably a year ago for a tea party where everyone wore fun hats, but i never thought i would get around to doing it. So, instead, my friends gave me a party! I was delighted! They had done a fantastic job of decorating in theme...including a looking glass, cards, tea cups, cupcakes, half red-white painted roses, and signs saying "this way, up" etc. It was really darling. Then the fun started when we arrived in our hats. I had a fun large brim hat that got changed out for a tiara later. My favorites though had to be the Queen of Hearts-aka Steph, and TweedleDum-aka Dave Kerr. They were perfect! We enjoyed tea and cakes, a silly game of moving cotton balls across the room with our noses!, and funny stories. Later Dr. Bill read me the most wonderful letter he had written me. I cried BEFORE he started to read it and practically sobbed through it! Others shared heartfelt stories and memories, and they presented me with a bilum necklace. It was beautiful. After the party some of us stayed to watch Alice in Wonderland. It was a great party. Thanks Hospitality for your creativity and love! To my Kudjip family, THANK YOU for EVERYTHING, you are the best!

Last day of work

2010-12-05T23:03:00.000-06:00

Friday was my last day of work in the clinic and hospital. I have been on B-ward, internal medicine ward for a majority of my time of service at Kudjip. So the nurses and students were very sad to see me go. I had a nice morning, where with each patient on the ward, I explained i was leaving, prayed with them and said goodbye. Then the nurses, CHW's (community health workers-like a nurses assistant), and students gathered for a picture. At the end of the day, Sister Georgina, along with a few others came to my clinic room and presented me with a bilum (bag) to take along as a remembrance of them. They were so sweet, thanking me for my service and my teaching.

Dinner with the Myers, Beck and Steph

2010-12-04T22:54:00.000-06:00

Stephanie and Becky1 hosted me at their home with the Myer's. It was my favorite meal--lasagna:) We enjoyed food and fun, surrounded by Steph's lovely Christmas around the world decor. Thanks y'all for dinner.

I-cee eye team

2010-12-04T22:52:00.000-06:00

We had an eye team come this week from Australia. It was exciting to see them checking hundreds of people for glasses, and we even had a few eye emergencies that we were able to refer to them. Thanks for coming Bob and team!

Reni

2010-12-03T21:42:00.000-06:00

For the last two months we have been blessed to have Reni with us at Kudjip. She is a young Swiss nurse that is being introduced to medicine in PNG. She lived with us on station during the week and then went to the swiss station for the weekend. Here she is with Dr. Andy, Missy, and a patient describing an xray. We were grateful for her willing and humble spirit. She jumped in to learn and encouraged our nurses, especially those on maternity.

Dinner with the Dooley's

2010-12-02T22:43:00.000-06:00

The second night of my last week was dinner with the Dooley's. Scott and Gail and their girls have been such a joy to me. They keep me entertained and are so giving. We also enjoyed the meal with the McCoy's and our newest volunteer-Dave "the phone guy" Loyd. He has come from Australia to fix our phone lines (hurray). It was a blessing to have a meal with them.

My last call

2010-12-02T22:25:00.000-06:00

My last call on the schedule was on Monday. Things were going fine until they called me at 2am for a woman having trouble delivering her baby. I tried to coach her and help her through, but it wasn't to be, so I called for a c-section. I had just recently done two c-sections by myself, so I told Scott I would try to do this one alone with Scott at the ready. I was doing fine but then had bleeding I couldn't stop. I called him in right away, and he was able to stop the bleeding (by ligating the uterine artery!)...but praise God she ended up doing ok. Unfortunately for us, by the time we finished it was 6am! So, needless to say, I was pretty sleepy the next day at work. But I pushed through and we finished at a decent time. I also want to thank Vero, my sweet scrub tech for her friendship and help in the surgery!

My shortest patient

2010-12-02T21:23:00.000-06:00

The other day in clinic I was surprised to see this cute little old lady that was barely taller than most of my little peds patients. So i asked if I could have her picture. I guess that is why they call me the "longpela dokta"--the tall doctor.

Farewell dinner with the Chapmans

2010-12-01T22:23:00.000-06:00

Mike and Diane hosted me for dinner with our friends Kevin and Leslie Kerrigan. This being my last week at Kudjip before heading home, it was fun to have a last quality time of fellowship with them.

Des Moines alums meet around the world

2010-12-01T21:28:00.002-06:00

After Missy and I realized we were from the same school, we thought this picture was classic...."Des Moines alumni meet on the other side of the world to serve in a missions hospital." We did a twin c-section together and had a healthy mom and baby boy and a baby girl. It was a great experience.

Missy--alum buddy

2010-12-01T21:14:00.000-06:00

Missy arrived to serve a month as a volunteer, and we found out that she and I both graduated from Des Moines Univeristy! (our medical school). It was really great to catch up about the school, professors we had and hangout places we both went to. So it was a great blessing to have her at Kudjip, bringing somenews of home. Not to mention that she was a sweet girl, a great resident, and someone who loved Jesus.

MAF friends

2010-11-30T22:09:00.000-06:00

Brad and Nikolai Ballin and their two girls are my good friends from MAF-missions aviation. They were so gracious and hosted me at their home. Nikolai first came to PNG in 2002 as a teacher at Kudjip, so we share stories about "our station". It was a joy to spend some quality time with them, and especially their sweet babies Cherith and Mikelle. They are free entertainment. Cherith kept singing "Hosanna in the highest", and Mikelle who is a little one does a funny little thing called "tighten muscle", where she flexes all of her limbs at the same time...it is pretty hilarious from this little peanut of a girl. Thanks friends for a great weekend!

Bible Faith Orphanage

2010-11-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

During the weekend, my friend Matt, took me to an amazing and shocking place-Bible Faith Orphanage. There is an incredible woman named Aunty Rosa that works part time for Missions Aviation and also runs this orphanage out of the front of her home. She daily feeds and provides for over one hundred children. Most are true orphans but a few are nearly orphans, with a mother dying of aids, for example. Each day they come and receive two scones and hot tea for their meal for the day. Twice a week she provides rice and tin meat to have some protein and more calories. She also has received donations from private gifts to help pay for last year 66 kid's school fees. I was blown away by the poverty of these children. They live in these shacks if they are lucky. Some find shelter in chicken coops, scraping for food. But Aunty Rosa doesn't only give food for the body, she also gives food for the soul. She teaches the kids how to take care of themselves and tells them about Jesus. I left with a new respect for her work and was inspired to get involved. Matt has a link on his blog to read more about the kids and soon there will be an "orphans list", so you can know how to get involved yourself if you wish to. http://mattinpng.com/category/bible-faith-orphanage/

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T21:35:00.000-06:00

This year, we did our best to celebrate Thanksgiving in a country that doesn't have that holiday. So, since a majority of us are Americans, we had 3 groups that gathered together to share the feast. I was invited to join at the Bennett's house. They also had Jordan and Rachel, her parents Gary and Joyce, and our friends from MAF--Nikolai and her girls, and Janae and her kids. (they were visiting Kudjip while their pilot husbands were at a conference for the week). We had "turkey"--chicken baked and slices like turkey (and tasted like it if you put gravy on it), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salads, sides and pies, so we certainly were not deprived! We also had a few sweet traditions from the Bennett home. We sang "Come ye thankful people come", and shared 3 kernels of thanksgiving before we ate. It was a lovely time of fellowship. I can truly say that God has again given me more things to be thankful for than I ever deserve. I have wonderful families-here at Kudjip and at home, my health, my grandmother, my patients that I have served and loved, my school kids I taught music to, and of course my salvation. God is so good.

Weekend in Hagen

2010-11-22T13:05:00.002-06:00

I have recently become friends with some MAF missionaries. Brad and Nikolai Ballin and their girls, I have known for a bit, but now I have also met Matt Preece and his roommate Timon. Well, Nikolai invited a few of us ladies to come out to Hagen for the weekend. They were gracious enough to host us. First we headed into town and met at the golf course. There are a few things like that around that definitely don't seem third world. It is quite a lovely place, so we decided to walk around and enjoy a mini picnic out there. Later we went into town, got some groceries and had lunch together altogether at the Ballin's. We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and then we all helped prepare pizza for dinner at the guy's house. It was a really good meal followed by cheesecake, so we were stuffed! Then we watched a movie on their projector with surround sound. It was just like a movie theater! Sunday morning we all went to Matt's church. It just so happened that we arrived on a special service morning. They were celebrating the early London missionary society missionaries that first came to PNG. They arrive in the 1870's and had quite a difficult time. Some were lost to malaria, others killed by hostile natives, afraid of these outsiders. Finally God answered their prayers and some nationals literally stood in the gap between them and the local warriors saying they wanted the missionaries to stay. After that God allowed them influence into these people's lives and many got saved. What made it even more poignant was that some of the descendants of those tribesmen were the ones at church today. What a legacy! God has such wonderful plans for people...he desires that every people, tribe, language and tongue be present in this throne room to worship together someday. It was a really moving service. After that we had sunday dinner and headed back out to Kudjip. I was really glad that Steph and Missy could come. Steph and I both enjoyed a trip off station. And during the weekend I found out that Missy went to my medical school--Des Moines University!!! In fact, she is mentored by Dr. Steele, our Christian Medical and Dental Association faculty, the same as when I was there!!! Praise God, she said it is going well, including now a yearly overseas mission trip!! Also, it was really great to get to know Matt a little better and his roommate Timon. Thanks again everyone for a fun weekend. This was our first "young adult gathering" we have had since I have been here, and Nikolai and I have talked about it for a year! Good food, good fun, and good fellowship, what more could you ask for?

Kerrigan's at Kudjip

2010-11-19T13:02:00.000-06:00

Kevin and Leslie Kerrigan have been at Kudjip before. They are long time missionaries, mostly doing short term stents regularly each year. This time they are with us for a little more than two months. They are a huge blessing as Kevin is a surgeon and covering for Dr. Jim's second have of furlough. Leslie is a nurse and right there with him charting and helping with patients. She definitely keeps busy. She even squeezes in lots of hospitality while she is here. On Sunday she had me, Steph and Becky for lunch. That was a special treat. It was also really interesting hearing some stories about other places they have served, like Rwanda last year. (which they said was surprisingly peaceful and safe). Thanks for blessing us again Kerrigan's!

Elizabeth's circle

2010-11-18T12:57:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth has been with us for a month. She is a 3rd year internal medicine resident from the Northeast. What a joy she has been to work with. She jumped in with both feet, trying her best to speak Pidgin, even on day one, and joining in on all of our activities. She even brought a costume with her for our Harvest party. I also appreciated her laughter and smile at work. She was quick to laugh at herself and loved trying new things. It was really a blessing to have her with us. I have a suspicion she might make it back here someday for another trip since PNG has been in her heart and mind since 7th grade when she told her teacher she was gonna be a missionary there someday! Isn't that a wonderful story? God doesn't forget our hearts desires, he fulfills them. Please pray for her as she finsihes up her training and looks for work. She might even get a job out in Portland, since she has been wanting to move to the west coast!

Geneva's farewll party

2010-11-16T12:49:00.000-06:00

Dr. Geneva Silvernail, is leaving PNG and heading for her next position as vice presidnet of Asbury college, the Florida campus, in just a few weeks. So, the missionaries from Kudjip and Ninge (Bible College) got together and hosted a farewell party. We decided to go with a PNG theme, since we wanted to give her a kundu drum as her going away present. She has been an amazing example, mentor, friend, college president, etc. The list is quite long. In fact, during the party, Rosie did a darling skit about being Santa's helper and looking at her "good list" and her "bad list". The good list was so long, and quite impressive (all the while, most of us have had no idea she had done so much, she was quite humble), and the "bad list" only had one thing===she heaped burning coals on the heads of those who threatened her by giving them chocolate chip cookies (true story!). Andy and Judy also shared the fun skit of "lost in translation" where the visitng evangelist using so many idioms the people are completely confused. It was really funny. Steph and Becky M. did a cute skit about what you receive in packages in PNG and the scary thing is, all the "bad" things were real items received by someone on station at some point--including used tea bags! Dave shared some accolades about his boss and Steph and I did a drama to the song "Thank you for giving to the Lord". That one got us all a bit teary-eyed. Finally we celebrated with her gift and cake, made in the shape of her drum! Rachel that was quite impressive! All in all it was a sweet afternoon and we hope that we blessed our dear friend whom we will miss terribly! Please be in prayer for her transition and for the huge need for a new president at the Bible college. They have big shoes to fill and a challenge ahead of them! But God is gracious and we know he will provide!

The Faulkner five

2010-11-14T12:45:00.000-06:00

The Faulkner family is now complete...four have become five, and mom is well enough to be in the picture (although she balked a bit at having her picture taken). It was fun to see them in clinic. Piper is a sweet baby and her big sisters and parents are extremely proud! Belinda came in to have her staples removed and I couldn't help myself, i exclaimed..."look how clean you are!",...since a lot of my new mom's are afraid to wash over their incision site, it can be quite dirty the week after when they come for their wound check. Ironically, I put on a glove to take hers out and sometimes I don't with my other patients!

Cecilia

2010-11-12T12:41:00.000-06:00

Cecilia is one of my chronic asthmatic patients. The first time I saw her she had been off of her medications for a while and very extremely short of breath. I was able to get her some steroids and other treatments, and right away she started to feel better. The following visit she arrive with some fruit from her garden. She was so grateful for my help. I told her it was because I cared about her and was glad to do it. But, she persisted in bringing some nearly everytime she followed up in clinic. She became a precious patient, one that brightens your day. Not only because you know she is doing better, but also because of her contagious smile and love for Jesus. This was the last time I took care of her and it was sad to say that her next follow up will be after I have left.

Shadrach

2010-11-09T03:08:00.002-06:00

This is baby Mercy's big brother. He really wanted his picture taken after I took his little sister's. And why not, he had just had a haircut and is as cute as can be. He is an active little neighbor, all boy, you often hear him playing some kind of PNG version of cowboys and indians, it is pretty funny. I hear he also helps out with his younger siblings too.

Margi had a baby!

2010-11-08T03:00:00.000-06:00

Wow, time flies. When I arrived in PNG, Margi was my language tutor. The other day I saw her at the market and realized that it had been a while since I had seen her, because she was definitely expecting soon. When I went to work on monday morning a few weeks after that visit, there she was, heading home with her beautiful new baby boy, George! What a little doll. I am so grateful for strong beleiving families like Margi's that helped me, encouraged me, and prayed for me, these last two years! Congrats friend!

Elizabeth

2010-11-06T02:57:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth is a 3rd year internal medicine resident from the States. She has been with us for a few weeks and will do a month here with us. She actually knew all about me before coming because she had found my blog! Isn't it a small world?? She is just a delight to have around. She is very positive, willing to learn, and has jumped right in to learning pidgin. I love hearing her through the walls and she slowly makes her way through the interview, but then she laughs and the patient doesn't mind that her doctor speaks slowly...it is the universal language of love and caring! We have been blessed to have her.

It's a girl--Piper Claire Faulkner

2010-11-05T03:03:00.000-05:00

My friends from Texas, Mark and Belinda are now a family of 5! Their newest addition, Piper was born on friday. Dr. Andy did the repeat c-section. Judy was kind enough to have the girls during the day. Then we all got together (minus Belinda) for dinner. I decided that since I had a few birthday napkins, we would make it fun and call it Piper's zero birthday party. I even put candles on the brownies and we sang the traditional Kudjip 5-songs to her. Bradley and Erin blew out the candles for us. After that, Mark went back to be Belinda's watchman on the ward, and I hosted the girls overnight. They were so sweet. We made baby cards with some stickers and markers I had. Then we watched some of Stuart Little, played a bit, and then I sang them a song before bed (they said that is what their mom does, so I had to of course!). It was a really fun evening, and I am thrilled for them. Piper is a healthy little one at 8 lbs, 7oz, 20+ inches long. Belinda is thankful that daddy can have a turn holding her now!

Baby Mercy Donna

2010-11-04T02:52:00.000-05:00

I was so excited the other day to see my new little neighbor, baby Mercy Donna, outside her house. Her "bubu" grandma, was holding her. This is a little girl of one of our nurses. She has the most darling children, and I saw hello to them all the time. Well,when this little one was born, she had a congential pneumothorax! (ie her lung dropped at birth for some reason). It was really scary to see her fighting for breaths, her chest heaving and her mom worried sick but unable to care for her as she was recovering from a c-section. I had to do something that was really scary, I had to do a needle decompression of the pneumo. Basically, I find the right spot, put the needle in and pull out some of the air trapped in the space between the lung and the chest wall to try to allow for more breathing room. It helped. She calmed down some, but being only one day old and at the time, no surgeon available to consider a chest tube, I transferred her to Hagen. I prayed daily for this little one and asked that God be gracious. Well, thanks be to God who always hears our prayers and answers!! This time with a beautiful miracle of a healthy child!!! She is now about one month old and really darling. She already looks just like the rest of the family. Thank you Lord!

Harvest Party

2010-10-31T02:37:00.001-05:00

Each year, we have hosted a Harvest party the end of October. You don't have to ask me twice to be involved, since wearing a costume and eating sweets sounds like a great time to me! This year, Rachel and I were in charge of games. We played a game called In and Out, where you have to join a group with the number called. If you match up, like musical chairs...you are IN, if not, then you are out. It was pretty cute. We also redid the popsicle sucking game...seeing who can down their cube the fastest without chewing...guess who has the most hot air and won that one??haha). Later we tossed water balloons, carved a pumpkin, and then played lap-stack. This game ended up hilarious, as the guys thought it was funny to be sitting on each others lap as you moved around the circle. We thoroughly enjoyed everyone's creative costumes: from pumpkins to security guards, to indians, fairies, and puppies. There was even a skiing accident victim (with real casts on), an american flag, a cowboy, and a pajama lady. Here you see the Faulkner family, i thought Belinda was so cute as a fishbowl. I went as Peaches the clown, with my good friend PNG Smurf--ie Steph. Bill was his dad, Al McCoy the tree trimmer. I especially liked his added mustache later:) Jessica and Susan were lab technicians, which doubled as a science experiment for class, that was a real dissected fish! Rachel was one of the cutest 80's girls, complete with hand made leg warmers! Judy, as always, outdid us all, with her "late for her own wedding" costume. It was a really fun evening of entertainment and fellowship.

Graham and Elaine's prayer mtg circle time

2010-10-29T02:33:00.000-05:00

Since our dear friends the Wetzig's were heading out at 6am the next morning, we decided, for all parties involved, having circle time the night before was a good idea! It was quite fitting actually, as the Wetzig's are both prayer warriors, and faithfully attend our gatherings. After our normal prayer time, they brought cake, we shared a few thanks and a special prayer of blessing for them as they head off. They will be heading back to Australia after a few days in Madang and in the Solomons to see their daughter. Next year they are in Nepal for 5 months (maybe I will join them for a month, you never know), and then will return here early 2012. I know we will miss them and look forward to seeing them again.

The Wetzig's for dinner-again

2010-10-27T03:28:00.000-05:00

I am already sad thinking that my friends Graham and Elaine are heading out. They have been here nearly 3 months this time at Kudjip. Graham has been holding down the fort in the surgery department, taking call every night for surgery. Elaine is a jill of all trades, being "frau washer woman", prayer warrior, head of prayer meeting, child entertainer, meri bung speaker, etc. She will do whatever is needed of her. They are a real blessing, because they obviously love Jesus and what they are doing, and are really outgoing and fun. I enjoyed another nice meal with them and we shared a lot of stories and pictures. They head out for Madang for a few days before heading home to Australia. Their next destination is Nepal in March for 5 months. So please be praying for their rest in between and next missions location. They will return here next year!