For many of you who haven't heard, we are going through a bit of a transition right now.  We came over to Papua New Guinea to work with a program called Interface with New Tribes Mission. We had planned on staying with our ministry for 5 years until it was time for our girls to graduate and go back to the states, God had other plans though.  Within our first year of being on the field it was apparent that God was doing some major things.  He was not only working in our hearts as we were experiencing a whole new way of life, living, etc. but he was showing us that it is not about a location where we serve Him, it is us allowing God to grow us no matter where we are at!  With that being said we were told a while back that it was looking like Interface may change locations taking it to another region within PNG.  Just when my girls and I were starting to settle and feel like we were home!  I have had many tears over this as it is not easy to move when your starting to feel comfortable.  I keep reminding myself that God used many people in the bible to relocate to different regions all for His Glory and he continued to bless them and He himself was glorified.  I think that is the Key to it all, that we would not put ourselves on a pedestal and make it all about us but keep the focus where it needs to be, On Him.  Well, we are officially moving, but staying in the Highlands of PNG.  Travis took a ministry position within New Tribes at another facility (about 25 miles from here) where he will head up/coordinate tribal bush builds.  He is very excited about this new role where he gets the opportunity to go into remote locations and help new missionaries build their future homes!  I will be for the first few months getting settled in our new location, house set up, etc.  I will then have a future ministry that will be similar to what I am doing now, working in the finance dept. Our girls will still be able to attend their same school so they won't have to have another transition there.  I wanted to include some pictures of this huge process of pulling out of this location.  This facility is quite large and it has been a process to get everything lined up as to where it should go within the mission as well as pack our personal items up!

Coming for the first load!

We started with the kitchen first

It was a process to box everything up and organize for shipping out to other facilities in the mission.

The guys did the heavy stuff like moving the big stoves.

This is a picture of the dinning hall where the kids also played their basketball.

Me with the staff and their kids busy at work.

Yes we even put the kiddos to work!

Brooke and Sierra helping with the spices.

Travis had the German guys and his national friend Jeremiah helping him move the big stove.

Praying it all goes well!

ITF work shop

Travis preparing for the first container to be moved out.

Pete driving the tractor

Travis and the guys discussing how it should be done.

This is a typical day for Travis, even while he is working he continues to work out issues on the phone as well!

I think they did it!

Bobbi Scholl helping pack things up in the office

Julie Koop my office buddy!

Lesley Doerksen helping with a little filing!

Me busy counting.

We went through our medicine cupboard and I found this neck brace! I thought it might help out on the ITF Road!!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I have blogged!  It's a new year now and as I look back on 2012 I am amazed at all we have experienced.  Never did I think growing up that I would become a missionary, move to a foreign land and learn another language.  I don't like creepy crawly bugs, snakes, spiders, being dirty, living like your camping, eating unfamiliar foods, etc. but things didn't happen over night. God knew I was going to be a work in progress! LOL When we finally decided to take the leap of faith and go to PNG we had a peace about going but many "unknowns" started filling my head. Nothing could or can prepare you fully until you just trust and go.  God did not allow me to know more before coming over because this is where He was going to work on me.  Many times when I look back on my life I think...if I had know this before hand I would not have gone, but that is the great thing about walking with the Lord because He knows what you need and when you need it. We often miss out on the very thing God wants to teach us because of fear or stubbornness. I would not trade 2012 for the world and I am excited to see what 2013 holds. Travis and I are still in our language learning and will be until we leave.  It has been neat to see progress but we are not at a teaching level so we continue to push forward as we would like to have more in depth conversations with our village friends. We have had a lot of rain lately and although it is good for the gardens it has been to much at one time.  Many of the people are loosing their gardens, all their hard work and only source of food is being washed away. There are many people in our village who depend on their gardens not only for food but to sell at market and make money to buy other things they need. Please pray as we face this together with them and help each other out. Today we are going to work in our garden and see if we can salvage any food we planted to give to those who lost theirs. We are also dealing with a huge tree that fell over in our back yard due to all the rain. It not only was uprooted but when if fell over it broke a fence and landed in one of our village friends gardens taking out several of his banana trees. Travis and the guys started cutting it up a few days ago but Thomas (one of the German interns) cut his leg with his machete knife and so he was taken to the Dr. to get stitched up.  There never seems to be a dull moment here but that is ok, I think it is what keeps us going!

Fun PNG Pics!

These pics have been taken over the last few months of life here in PNG.

We don't get many of these beautiful sunsets, but this one was Amazing!

This bug was eating my bananas

We have many of these triangle looking spiders here

These guys seem to like my bananas!

Father daughter talks, love it!

My cat had kittens this month and I got to watch her have them, it was amazing!

All tuckered out!

Sibling rivalry already

All the ladies here at ITF had the 3 German guys over for cooking lessons. This was my turn teaching them.

Great job guys!

A friend of mine in the village brought me her child to see if I could help him.  After one look I told her he needed to go to the "house sick" Dr.

Funky green bug

 

The Gimi Tribe

Some of you may be aware of the prayer request we had about going into the Gimi tribe this month.  Well things fell into place for us to go and so Oct. 3rd we flew in by Helicopter.  This was an experience for me (Nikki) because as much as I don't like to fly, I really enjoyed the helicopter ride!  It only took us 15 minutes to arrive.  I hear that if the roads are dry enough, you can go by car but it takes 5 hours to get there.  It was pretty cool to see all the people coming up the mountain to greet us when the helicopter landed.  After getting unpacked and settled in to our tribal guest house we went out to story with the Gimi people.  They were so excited to see us and could not figure out if I was Travis' daughter or not, ha ha.  Lynne the missionary to the Gimi had to tell them that I was his wife and they all laughed.  I have to say that this trip was very good and very challenging!  I want to start off with the good things I experienced. I met 3 really neat Christian girls about my girls ages and these girls were so funny with staring at me and touching my skin and hair and telling me my skin was soft and my hair too!  Lynne the missionary to the Gimi had taught them to play UNO and so one day I asked her if I could play it with the kids, well after that day everyday became UNO day and all the kids in the village would come up and watch us play.  Another day I took some little animals and dinosaurs outside and layed them out and then asked the kids to point to the animal and I would give them the English name for it.  This became a great way for me to work on my Pisin as well, so we were all learning. Travis enjoyed his time as well with different guys who took him around the mountain. So now to the challenging time of my Gimi trip. Many thoughts went through my head while I was there and I hope to share them in a very real way that I experienced them.  Some of this may sound harsh and disappointing as I say it, but this is how I was feeling at the time and I want to be real with you all.  I was looking forward to seeing a new area of Papua New Guinea and a tribe with believers.  I always heard that when you go into a tribe with believers you can see such a difference in the way they think and treat you.  Well, this was my expectation going in.  I knew the living conditions would be rougher than I have experienced here at Interface so I was ready for that but I was not ready for seeing some of the believers the way I did.  At first I thought wow these people are different, they are more friendly and reach out to you more than our village up from us, and then after spending a few more days with them I noticed similar behaviors in them.  This culture here is one of manipulation and deception.  We are dealing with an animistic culture and this is how they operate. Actually when you think about it, sin is the same way even acted out in our culture.  Well, after awhile I became uneasy with them and started seeing through the "acts of kindness" when more and more "askings" came and though I felt like I was giving and giving things to them it didn't seem like enough to some.  I was already burnt out by the people in our village because of all the steeling that they had done to us; taking not only Travis' shoes but coming back for mine and the girls.  Now, all of our good shoes were gone never to be seen again and then they stole Trav's bush knife.  I was ready to see a change in these believers in Gimi but I felt the same with them.  After spending a nice evening with them eating food and fellowshiping, Travis and I would go back home talk about our time with them and the next morning would come and I would hear something they would say that would be upsetting or one lady would come ask me for stuff all the time and even when I would give things like my soap, a scrub brush, towels, sweat pants, skirts, shirts, etc. she would still ask me for money.  I was wore out and told Travis I was done with these people.  I know this sounds harsh but I felt used. I felt that they really didn't care if we were there to share our testimonies with them and love them, that they were just interested in getting stuff from us.  I remember sitting and crying to Travis and telling him that I just didn't have it in me to Love these people.  Then it hit me!  It Had To Be God!!!!!  I don't have it in me and no one does for that matter, it had to be God that died on the cross because none of us would for people who spit and hurl insults, manipulate and deceive you.  It gave me a new appreciation for what God did for me and you because it has to be His love in me to Love these people the way He would Love them.  The other thing God taught me was that even believers have the flesh and can choose to operate in it, me included!  This culture is tough to live in and I think I see sin more blatantly here where it's just out in the open then when we were back in the States.  Cultures play a huge part in the way we see things but God's Word shows us Truth and this is where we need to operate.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to go with Lynne White into the Gimi tribe even though my expectations were different.  God spoke to me there and I was grateful for it.  Thanks for all who prayed in this decision for us to go in and the finances for it.
Below are some of our pics from the Gimi tribe.

This is taken from the Helicopter right as we are getting ready to land.

Our ride!

Travis just getting off the Helicopter and meeting the Gimi's

This was when I was teaching the kids about the animals

Travis and I with the Gimi gang...and pig.

Nikki with friends helping prepare food for our mumu

Our favorite UNO time!

A few of the Christian girls who braided my hair

Travis and I eating dinner inside one of the believers home

Rita made this bilum for me

A Glimpse Into My Life

Birds chirping, dogs barking, cat meowing, light shining into the bedroom window.  Alarm goes off, it's 6:00 am and I slowly roll out of bed.  I drag myself to the kitchen to start making lunches for the girls day at school, then I grab some toast and lather it with peanut butter sometimes putting a few banana slices on top. Laundry is overflowing, I start the washing machine. Dishes fill the sink.  I heat the water on the stove for washing them, and hurry my girls off to school. My hair is a wreck, I'm still in my pj's and I have strong coffee breath. I head towards my bedroom looking down at the folded clothes that still need to be put away. I throw on a shirt and skirt and head to the bathroom for a much needed makeover. I hear a tap at my door and someone calling my name. I head to the door with eyeliner on one eye and my hair pulled back. My village friend has come to visit me.  We story outside for awhile and then I hear a beep, my clothes are done.  I fill up the laundry basket and head towards the clothes line.  The sun is covered by clouds, I think to myself...I wonder if it's going to rain?  I continue hanging up clothes but I'm beckoned by the ring of my phone.  I hurry inside to answer and no one is there. Traces of mud and crumbs catch my eye on the floor so I start sweeping.  At last a few minutes to sit and relax, just me and God.  Barking, barking, my dog alerts me someone is here to see me. Another friend from the village has come to visit Travis. I story a little and my stomach sings out. 12:00 it's time for lunch!  I look to see if I have leftovers or meat thawed out...nothing.  Looks like it's going to be peanut butter and jelly again. Table is set, Travis and I enjoy our PBJ's we talk about our day and find a few moments to check emails. Phone rings, dogs bark, tapping at the door.  Time to get back to work. Dishes in the sink as I close the door behind me. Praying it doesn't rain as I walk up the hill to do office work. Internet is down, computer is froze and I hear rain tapping on the roof. Down the hill I go, my cat welcomes me as she rubs her back across my legs. Laundry basket full, clothes are damp as I set them on the dryer. I glance at the time 3:45 pm I anxiously await until 4:00 when the generator turns on. I hear a truck, the girls are back from school. Hungry and tired they collapse on the couch, book bags on the floor. It's 4:00, I throw the clothes in the dryer and hear my kids calling out "what's for snack."  Nothing is made, I slab some peanut butter on graham crackers and call it good. The door shuts and I see my girls hurrying off to play with their friends. A mud clot catches my eye and I grab the broom. What's for dinner? I glance in the fridge tortillas, left over meat....Tacos! It's 6:00 the door opens and Travis walks in. The table is set, Sierra prays and we pass the food around as we share about our day. Dishes in sink and on counter, Brookes night for washing. Sierra starts her homework, Travis relaxes, I scrape remaining food into a tupperware bowl. The sound of a clarinet comes from Sierra's room and Brooke begins practicing her flute. Travis is checking email, internet is slow. Sierra hollers to her dad, it's a math question so I thank God he is able to help her. I sit on the couch checking emails and I hear the shower. It's 9:00 and the girls are off to bed, my eyes growing heavier and heavier I look over at Travis and he is asleep in the chair. Lights go off, dog barks and a new day begins!

An Hour Unexpected?

"If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into." You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Luke 12:39-40

Recently while Travis and I were away for a softball tournament for Sierra, we came back to find that all of Travis' shoes had been stolen.  We have this enclosed shelf outside with a lock on it and we keep some of our muddy shoes in it.  It is shocking to come back home and find out that someone has stolen something from you.  Most of his shoes were older ones but nevertheless, it was still upsetting.  During this time, I was reminded of the things we hold on to so tightly.  It is easy to say that we don't think we hold on to this or that, but then when it is taken away we see what is really at the core of our hearts.  Stealing is wrong because God said so, but I tend to make it about me and that it was an offense against us.  Everything belongs to God, nothing is ours but what God has given to us.  All this to say that the offense was not against us but against God.  I was reminded while reading a devotion this week that we are not our own, we were bought with a price and there will be a day when we will least expect it, (like when the shoes were stolen) that the Son of God will come.  Will you be ready?  Will I be ready?  Let us live each day ready and waiting for our Glorified state with the Lord!