CALLED to Papua New Guinea

This morning on the Pediatric Ward I was blessed to joyfully discharge a large number of my patients, including this giggly little guy (pictured above). When his mother looked at this picture of her sweet boy between me and the Jesus mural she declared Jesus has worked in me to care for her son. Praise the Lord! This moment was captured just minutes before I grieved signing a death certificate for an infant that just yesterday occupied the next bed. What a roller coaster of emotions! Welcome to every day at Kudjip Hospital - no matter how many wins we enjoy, the crushing losses are a daily reminder of the fragility of life and our proximity to eternity. Just last week after I celebrated the recovery of our paralyzed spinal TB boy being discharged home (pictured below taking steps!), I later diagnosed two terminal cancers (liver and pancreatic) in the Outpatient Clinic. These two men were not much older than myself and they won’t live to see the end of this year. Being on call that...

 ... an update from Rachel  It is an absolute joy to be back at Kudjip and reconnect with all of our family here, both missionaries and Papua New Guinean.  Distance and time fade away as we pick up friendships right where we left off the last time we served here.  Pennie & Solomon have adjusted well, and never cease to amaze me with their ability to hop across several time zones and jump into another culture with reckless abandon (literally).  It has been interesting to experience this trip through their eyes, because they have memories of the last time we served here and recognize quite a few faces and places.  Although I anticipated a bit of homesickness from them, there has been little to none.  Pennie & Solomon seem to grasp that our friends here are the soldiers on the front line, serving tirelessly and selflessly…and we are the reserve forces, providing additional reinforcement when needed, and always supporting the mission … both abroad ...

There wells up in me a deep gladness, a fulfillment of promise, a joy unspeakable, a wholeness of being present in God’s calling. My spirit which has been so thirsty for this place and these people, now drinks deeply, savoring each moment. I do not walk, but float around Kudjip Station, a silly grin on my face greeting all the hospital staff in Jesus’ name, shaking every offered hand, stopping to rejoice and reunite with this beautiful Family of God. I feel a burden to remember every name and face, but peace in the same moment knowing their love extends beyond my failing memory. There’s a spirit of expectation in these moments of reunion, my own hope to know and love and serve them well in the short time I have here, and their hope an earnest reflection, a desire to be seen and loved, and to connect as family, as wantok. I rejoice now in realizing Rachel and I have been similarly embraced by so many of our missionary brothers and sisters - appreciative we are here, welcoming us into Fa...

Praise the Lord, we have returned safely to Papua New Guinea! Dear Readers and Supporters all, Never has our travel half way around the world been smoother! Every leg of the journey we felt the peace and presence of the Lord - even with multiple flight delays causing many of our travel companions great frustration, our built-in layover times meant we never felt rushed or frazzled. And for the first time ever the airline in Port Moresby didn't require us to pay extra baggage fees. It's a modern miracle! Haha After close to 40 hours in travel and only a few hours of sleep Uncle Don and his fantastic curled mustache greeted us at Mount Hagen airport and all our luggage was blessedly accounted for. The wonderfully familiar sights, sounds, and smells of the Highlands revived all our sleep deprived senses, and we kept the windows down for our drive to Kudjip Station until the land wept in joy for our return - OK, it down poured, but it was beautiful! The rain stopped by the time we a...