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A few weeks ago we were able to welcome our first team from Dallas! One of the team members just so happened to be an old and dear friend from PNG we’ve all been so excited to see again, and she did not disappoint. They came to run a member care training course for Pioneer Bible personnel in the Pacific region on both creating a culture of care and debriefing critical incidences. We were able to extend the training to partner mission orgs like MAF and Wycliffe/SIL. It was not an easy five days talking about all things traumatic, but I feel much better equipped to receive people from the field who need some time and space to breathe after facing the various trials and tribulations that come with living on the mission field.

While Brian and I both participated in the course, we had a friend from church come watch the girls. She’s a teacher in between jobs so it was perfect!! They played dress up, worked on sewing projects, learned new games, hiked, and visited the library. The girls were pretty disappointed to get back to the normal routine after all their fun with Mrs Kirsty!! It was also a blessing to me as Kirsty (a member of my Bible study) has given me some really helpful feedback and guidance on homeschooling based on her time with them, most particularly for Gemma who will need a more unique approach to her academics. In PNG, I felt pretty isolated as a homeschooling mom and often felt like I was throwing spaghetti at the wall. I felt confident in the spaghetti sticking, but it’s still not a great feeling. What a difference to be here in community where there are older women able and willing to speak into our lives lovingly.

After the training we were able to take the team down to the Esplanade to see the Cairns Festival! We sent them up on the Ferris Wheel and watched the water show at the Lagoon (a public pool/beach you find all over Queensland in the beach towns). The girls activated their PNG skills in order to fix being behind all the tall adults, and I love it. Overall, a wonderful two weeks!!