We’re here!!….We’re here. Ok, we’re here. It still is not really believable most days. Although, truthfully, there really hasn’t been much time to dwell on or process the emotions that are coursing through us right now. Life just takes so much time here, I feel like by the time we finish eating and cleaning up one meal it’s time to start the next and now that our washer is working (it took a while) I have never ending amounts of clothing waiting to be washed and hung up on the line to dry. Then once dried by the hot sun, I pull them down and they feel…stiff as a board!
One of my friends described her freshly laundered towels as “crunchy” and I couldn’t explain it any better. On top of that, most of the food available here at the moment are of the locally grown variety and while that’s wonderful, food prep takes quite a bit of time itself. The veggies need to be washed – like really well – and peeled and chopped as we get them, which is every Monday and Thursday when the market at our gate is open.
Oh, yes, and let’s not forget that the trash needs to be sorted into about six different categories. Yikes, now I understand the need for “work maris,” or hired ladies from the community to help with household chores. I will be hiring one but I feel I should have a bit better grasp of the language before we do. In the meantime, I’m having fun pretending to be like one of the Amish characters I’ve read about in a few of the books I’ve read during my down time =).
Anyways, our house is a tremendous blessing – it’s so nice to finally have a place to call our own. It’s extremely spacious and we have a nice fenced in yard with a huge grass field just outside it. Our two closest neighbors have five and three kids and between us all that makes eleven kids! Kimi is one of only two girls so it’s a good thing God made her so tough, she’s going to have to keep up with all these boys! There is an exodus of children into yards at about nine o’clock every morning and Beau loves being able to spend so much time outside. Plus, he’s never slept so well in his life! Watching my kids enjoy life so much has definitely contributed to my excitement over being here. I feel extremely blessed at the moment…I think they call this the honeymoon phase.
The layout of the house also lends itself perfectly to setting up guest quarters. There are two rooms downstairs that will work great. Unfortunately, there is some work to do on the house and specifically the downstairs before we can use it to this end. Please pray as we figure out how to fix this place up not only for our own family but so that we can begin this other aspect of ministry here. In talking to people around, there is definitely a need for housing families that come in from the bush. Personally, I can’t wait to start inviting people over so please pray we figure out how to get this place fixed up soon!
- Happy 4th birthday to our buddy! Our first houseguests…
Joey Hahne says
Great hearing news from you all!!! May God work through you and may His love pour out through you to all around you.
Mary Nagle says
Oh, and happy birthday to Beau!
Mary Nagle says
Hi Erica and Brent! So glad to hear from you on your blog. I’m so glad that you have a roomy house, a yard for the kids and that Beau is sleeping well! Dick and I prayed for you this morning (before reading the blog), so it was exciting to learn that you are settling in and adjusting to life in PNG. Your bookmark is in my Bible, so I see your precious family as I open it in the mornings. I’m sorry we couldn’t be at your send-off at your parent’s, Erica. We were in Phoenix. Love your blog–I always look forward to reading it. Love you guys!
Mary
Krista Hahne says
Hi Erica! So glad that you made it safely to PNG and that your new home is a blessing to you. Ha ha, I can relate to crunchy laundry. We had that too until a dryer finally became feasible for us. Will pray that you adjust to the greater domestic demands and find wise ways to deal with them. With 3 little ones I’m sure your days are already sooo full. May God bless the honeymoon and what’s beyond as well! Krista Hahne
Cerissa Hanson says
We’re so excited for you guys!!