Tomorrow morning Greg will be heading off to the Malukus to prepare for our move later this month. He will travel by boat to a larger city with a majority of our household goods, Solar panels etc. While there he will shop for a clothes washer and small freezer and a few other things we will need. Then he will head to the village where he will hook up solar panels, a generator and lights and fix the bathroom (it is much like an outhouse now, and he will install an American style toilet and close it in enough that his wife isn’t totally freaked out 🙂 Once he gets home we will have about 2 weeks to wrap things up before we go as a family at the end of February.
Some random thoughts
We have had a very eventful opening to the new year. Katie, age 6, came down with Dengue fever this last weekend and ended up in the hospital for 3 nights with 106 degree fevers. We are very thankful that she had a mild case, and is recovering nicely. We were reminded, though, that life can be fleeting and we are not guaranteed tomorrow. It is what we do with the days we have to glorify Him that is important.
Here are the lyrics to a Casting Crowns song that really says it all;
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are
– WHO AM I LYRICS – CASTING CROWNS
Praises
First of all we are so thankful for how quickly Katie has bounced back from her bout with Dengue. We are also so thankful for all of you who prayed for us, and for the nice clean hospital and the wonderful medical care she received.
We have been praying for a way to communicate until we save up enough for the $5000 satellite Internet system we need and we have been blessed much more than we could have imagined in that area. Pam’s sister donated an iphone that has email capabilities and we hope to be able to use it to check email down at the coast once or twice a week.
We are continuing to see many of our needs for this move met. We have received many special gifts from you towards travel expenses, electrical, and communication needs, and household furnishings. Greg’s parents had some canning jars from their time in the tribe that they were able to send over to us. We are able to temporarily borrow a generator and two solar panels until we are able to buy our own. A team mate was able to take several of our trunks as far as the nearest city last month, which was a real help to us. We love seeing the ways God works out the little details in totally unexpected ways. We want to thank each of you who have made special sacrifices to partner with us in reaching the Buru people.
Prayer requests
Please Pray for Greg’s travels. The weather has been very rainy lately, and the waves have been especially rough. Pray for an uneventful boat trip and that he will be able to get the things done that he needs to during this “pre-move trip.”
Please pray for our co-workers, The McDoles. Paul’s mother, who was an NTM missionary for many years here in Asia Pacific, is suffering from ASL (Lou Gehrig’s disease) They are going home for a quick visit with her and the rest of the family while she is still able to speak. Pray that their travel plans will come together nicely and that they will have a special time together with family despite the difficult circumstances.
Please pray for Katie’s full recovery. Dengue can take a long time to recover from and we are praying that her recovery will continue as it has been with out any setbacks.
Pray for all the little details. There are so many things to think about when you are going to be “off the grid” for 3 months. Please pray that we will be able to plan and prepare for all the things we need to all the while continuing to do the other things that need to be done each day.
In His grace;
Greg and Pam Berglund
Nate (12) Hannah (10) Grace (8) Katie (6) Caleb (3)