Hospital Outreach July 31, 2008

This last Sunday I felt like I got a taste of the compassion God has for His people.  Our church does a regular outreach at the Madang hospital.  We bring food and juice and the worship team and feed the people in the hospital.

The hospital is everything you think a third world hospital could be.  They don’t (can’t afford) feed their patients or give them anything to drink.  Often times they don’t have simple medication or blood so people are left to die, without simple everyday medicine and food that our hospitals in America have in plently.

My heart broke and I started to cry when one of our youth went into the malaria ward and brought out all the mothers and their baby’s that have malaria.  I got to pray and talk with many of them.  You’ll see more pics soon but I just got this one and thought I would post it.  The mother’s name is Judy with her baby girl who has malaria and they have been being treated here for 2 weeks. 

The unknown ward really broke my heart.  One boy that I prayed with and brought food to is slowly dying of an unknown disease.  He says his family was cursed by the local witch doctor.  He is 18 years old and looks like he’s 10.  He has lost so much weight he is only bones.  His fingers and toes have turned black and are shriveling up and so the dr.’s have started cutting them off.

My friend (and translator) Benita and I prayed and talked with him and his family.  We told him our God is bigger than any witch dr.  I really believe God is going to heal him and make it a testimony.  Benita and I went back 2 days ago and He looked allot better in his face.  Happy, joyful.  Excited to see the “white skin meri” he said.  I brought him some biscuits and we prayed again.  His name is Seth.  His family lives 4 hours away so his mother and sister sleep on the hospital floor and take care of him. 

I got to pray for a man named Raphael.  An older gentleman that had fallen from a coconut tree and broken his arm.  He goes to a foursquare church in a village about 7 hours south.  He has no one.  And no food or water.  I told him, Bikpela God em likiam yu (God loves you) and that we were here to show him His love.

This place breaks my heart, the children dying of TB, the AIDS patients, the hurt and broken that only get worse because they have no food or water.  I know I can only do so much, but I have trust and faith in my God who can do miricles and who loves every person.

28 years July 22, 2008

Hi friends and moms,

  So yesterday (actually today in USA) I celebrated my 28th Birthday.

I was sure I was going to wake up sad, you know missing friends and family.  Instead I was surprised to wake up excited with an unexplained joy.  Not because its my birthday, but because of where I was.  God has gone above and beyond all that I have asked for in my life.  Not to sound too cheesy but I was so blessed, humbled and grateful to God that on my birthday, I was here, in Papua New Guinea.  Doing what I know He’s designed for me to do. 

I love reading in my journal from a year ago, where I was, what I was praying about and such.  Seeing all my prayers answered and finally being here, where generation have gone before me and now I get to following in the footsteps, but also tred new ones of my own. 

There is a deep satisfaction that I feel here, not because I’m perfect (just look at my house or read my journal), not because its perfect here, believe me.  But because I know that I’m doing what I’m suppose to for His Glory.

Every year I ask God for something on my birthday, this year I asked Him for more of His Holy Spirit in my life.  I want to go deeper, stronger, and emptier (is that a word?) than I’ve ever been. 

Paul took me to 4 diffrent beaches for my birthday, it was so special to play with my boys, in this lush, rugged land.  I love it.

Thank you Jesus for a great Birthday! He is so faithful, His joy is my strength.

July 18, 2008

Its offical friends, my son is now Papua New Guinean.  Today him and his friends Pei Pie (left, Rhoda, and Junior) found a lizard.  Mason was out of his mind excited, as were all the kids.  They played outside with it for over half and hour, then I heard my son yell out, “Mama, I killed the lizard.” Truth be told it was an accident, they were all playing to rough with it.  They stood outside for over an hour taking turns throwing the dead lizard up in the air and catching it.  Then if that wasn’t enough, Mason came running in shouting, “they’re cooking the lizar.” Yep, his friend and him decided to cook the lizard over the open fire behind our apartment (open fires are everywhere here.) Just so you know mom, I didn’t let Mason eat it. 

July 18, 2008

 Sorry to all my faithful readers (my two moms) these pics and stories are going to be repeated on our family blog.  It will be talked abou in our next newsletter but I couldn’t wait.

Saturday our church and youth group here in Madang did an outreach to a settlement area close by.  Many of our church members live in this settlement area and so there was allot of excitement to show the community the love of God. 

   The outreach primarily to feed. I think the craziest thing here is for a church to feed 300 people in PNG it takes hours of hard work.  You can’t just go to the Costco and get bread or frozen chicken and put food together.  The woman here gather together early in the morning and will cook over an open fire for up to 8 hours to prepare.

     I had just received some packages of balloons (thanks Monica and mom) and I brought them all with me to the settlement.  I started blowing them up and handing them out to 3 or 4 kids.  Within a half our there were over 100 pikinini’s (children) with balloons.  These children have nothing some of them don’t have clothing, but them came out in force to get a balloon, eat and hear the music and testimonies. 

    This picture below is not a good picture but this young boy really tugged at my heart.  He was so hungry he just held his plate and shoveled the food inside his mouth.  He was obviously malnuritoused by looking at his face enflated stomach. He barley smiled and showed no sign of joy, but quickly ran up for second helping, then third.  I can hardly wait to go back to the settlement to feed him again.

 

Feeding the Hungry July 18, 2008

The day of the outreach, Paul and I decided to leave Ezra home with Wena (pregnant bible school student), and take Mason to the settlement outreach.  Since it was held in a field with all the church youth we felt it would be safe and good for Mason to help and see the need.  Mason had so much fun and made friends with almost every child (over 100).  He handed out balloons and helped me find kids who didn’t get one but were to shy.

    Now, like a good little missionary, I knew all the food we prepared was for the settlement people, so I made Mason a big dinner and brought along a sandwich, carrots and bottle water, so he wouldn’t want any food.  But when he saw all of his new friends eating and getting food he begged me for food like the kids were getting.  It was so funny, watching him stand in a huge line patiently waiting for his plate of rice and chicken.  All the youth laughed at him as they served him food with his friends.  Then he was so happy to sit and eat with all the other children. 

   I wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t finish his food, but my heart broke when I realized several children were staring at his half eaten plate.  All of them had finished eating their food and since they were still hungry asked me what if they could have the food Mason didn’t eat. 

   In August we are going back to the settlement for another feeding outreach, Mason and I can’t wait!!

 

Kids eating in Settlement July 18, 2008

Mason and I had so much fun sitting with the settlement children while they ate their food.  Most of these children were, if at all barely dressed.  They were so excited to eat and even more excited to talk with a “white skin meri”.  Its amazing to me how many people here have never spoken to a white person before, let alone a woman and her child.  Mason and I played and talked and shared Mason’s carrots and sandwich with them.  The whole time we were at the outreach I kept remembering that scripture when Jesus asks Peter, “do you love me?”, Peter answers, “yes” and Jesus says, “then feed/love my sheep”.  I kept thinking how much Jesus loves these people and these children.