As you probably well know, it was no small decision for us to return to PNG. I am not saying that choosing to stay stateside would have been any easier or any less of a decision – any choice would have been a big decision – and God led us to make the big decision to return to Papua New Guinea. It had long been our desire to return, but we knew it had to be done in God’s will and in His timing. And finally, in early April, he led us to return to His work in PNG.
So, now that we are back, how are things going for us? How are we feeling about the big decision we made? In a word (albeit a horrible word I should never use in a post), peachy. A few days after we arrived, Maggie and I were sitting around a small campfire in the evening and chatting as our children hunted fireflies. “How are you feeling about being back?” I asked her. “At peace,” she replied. “At peace.” And I echoed that sentiment exactly. We are at peace. We believe that God wants us here, and He has a purpose for us here.
The grind has started again, but we are enjoying it. Maggie is homeschooling and trying to find time around that to aid in the translation work. Her health issues have not gone away, but God is giving her strength for each day and joy for the work she is doing and the life she is living. I am translating, revising Bible lessons, and traveling. I flew to another NTM center in this country earlier this week and attended a short seminar there for two days. Next week I have the privilege of flying into the Pal tribe and spending two days among my Pal brothers and sisters in Christ.