Cupcake Fail and Rotting Rats

November 27, 2015

It’s 9:00pm, I just walked my coworker home just in case the drunk guys out on the trail between our houses were still there. It turns out they had moved on and she was able to walk to her house under the light of the full moon by herself, letting herself into her house in […]

Poison Man to Pastor

November 8, 2015

In some parts of the world they are referred to as sorcerers or witch doctors, here they are known as poison men. Men who can, through the use of incantations and potions, cast spells to either help, harm, or even kill other people. Kiung was one of them. He used to be sought out my […]

Freezing and Burning, all in PNG

September 28, 2015

It was the first time for me to be in a village in Papua New Guinea over 7,000 feet in elevation. At 5:30 in the morning, just as the darkness begins to slowly give way to another day, I stepped away from the wood burning stove in the missionary’s home and walked outside into the […]

Sweat and Cappuccino

May 24, 2015

It was 6:30 on Saturday morning and the sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains in the East. With clear skies, and the temperature already at 85 degrees, it was shaping up to be another steamy tropical day. I set out in my flip-flops down the pitted graveled road winding down the coastline, […]

There is no school bus here

April 9, 2015

I’m back in the tribe now, for a few days. Half way through our two months of travel before we are able to return home to the village on a more permanent basis again. The meetings in South Asia with missionaries and leaders from several countries went great and the 2 workshops held in another […]

Leaving the Tribe

March 20, 2015

We left the tribe. It involved a four hour boat trip over rough and stormy waters, a plane trip to the capital city, a visit to the embassy, and a separating of the family to different countries. We have spent years doing translation, literacy, and Bible teaching. They are the main 3 things we are […]

Not a Super Hero

March 1, 2015

When I was growing up some of my buddies dreamed of someday being in the NBA mimicking the skills of Michael Jordan. Others planned on playing professional baseball along side the likes of Oral Hershiser. And though I had my share of fantasy winning buzzer shot baskets, more of the “when I grow up” dreams […]

Reading Between the Clans

February 23, 2015

The program and curriculum had been designed for Patpatar adults who were unable to read and write, but that didn’t seem to matter. Now truckloads of the most highly educated folks in Patpatar were arriving to attend the week long training workshop. A month earlier, I had been visiting with the local elementary teacher. We […]

Fourth Quarter Finale

December 31, 2014

2014 was quite the year. We had our moments abroad traveling by car on the dusty roads of Africa, hiking up mountains to remote villages in Papua New Guinea, crossing open seas in a small banana boat, and gazing down on passing islands from a helicopter. But most of our time was spent in our […]