Our little joey

This coming January we’ll be heading south to Cairns, Australia (pronounced “cans”) to welcome our beautiful second born into the world! I’m feeling all the same emotions I felt when we found out about Ray, just muted a bit. I stay mentally and physically tapped out keeping Ray alive, so it’s not until the end […]

Swallowed by a fish

What was it like to be in the belly of a fish? I’ve wondered that ever since I was old enough to comprehend the story of Jonah, and I still wonder. The reality of it is simply gross. There must have been slime and stench. And what did he live on for those days? Did […]

Clouds

I’ve been hoping to avoid the inevitable forever. Hoping I would be special enough or strong enough or happy enough to never feel it. The pull of America. The distaste for PNG. The general discontent that eventually happens to people living away from their home country. My discontent exploded on me when I wasn’t aware […]

Deferred love

The verdict on the dog decision isn’t a yes or a no. It’s the worst kind of verdict: wait. About two weeks ago we went up to the highlands to visit some friends and see the dentist. Our trip ended up reminding us of dog owning headaches. At the mission station people have many dogs […]

Cats, dogs, birds… and decisions

We’re thinking about getting a guard dog. The pros and cons of dog ownership in PNG have been waging a war in my head ever since we started entertaining the idea. During our first term we house/pet-sat for dear friends while they were on furlough. Their collection of animals included an outdoor dog, an indoor […]