Just a few more days until we start our journey. We will be traveling for about a week before we arrive at our new village home, 2 days and a night on the first ship, 3 or 4 nights in hotel in the nearest large city, one more 6 hour trip on a “fast boat” to the coast, and then a dump truck ride into our village. While in the large city we will need to do all of our supply buying (groceries, toiletries, and other household needs) for the next 6 weeks.
Adjustments
Once we arrive we will have many adjustments to make as a family. I thought this letter, written by our co-workers daughter, Amy McDole, really said it all. So I asked her it I could share parts of it with you;
I have my own machete and me and my friends go “hete kau” which
means getting firewood. We go swimming like every day. Oh,, and now
I wash my clothes and Alan and Stacia’s clothes too. We have a ton of water
sources here. Next to our house there is a spring and a creek. I usually
wash clothes at the little waterfall we have next to this huge river. I am
learning to swim and for a floatie I use a oil gallon (jerry can) with a top.
Like everyone knows how to swim here but a lot of kids still use gallons.
Sometimes I go “hama/hisi sayur tu yanang rokoro” which means finding
vegetables with my friends. They love playing jump rope and kasti and I
taught them hide and seek the local way. But I don’t play kasti with them
cause they hit super hard and they play a little different than in North Sulawesi.
Oh yah they also play soccer with me. My mom say they regard us as family
because we are living with them and have been for a long time. So me or
Stacia or Alan can’t marry any of them because we are related. And everyone
in this village is related. And it is like impossible for u to come here
every month because the road is very bad and it is 20 miles +.
As you can see our kids will be experiencing many changes and we would really appreciate your prayers for their adjustment.
Prayer requests
Please Pray for our safe travels, I can’t claim to be “easygoing” when it comes to being out of my element and out of control 🙂 so please pray that I will be calm and easygoing, or at least able to fake it enough that our kids enjoy the trip and consider it to be an adventure.
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 ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) They are home for a quick visit with her and the rest of the family while she is still able to speak. Pray for their time with her and their safe travels back to Asia Pacific.
Please pray for our communication needs. We have not been able to buy the satellite Internet system we would ultimately like to get. In the meantime we are hoping to be able to occasionally download emails using a cell phone on the coast. Please pray that this actually works out 🙂 We will have regular radio contact (daily) with our co-workers here in North Sulawesi and I have given a friend here access to my facebook account and the names of family members so even if we don’t have email we will still be checked-up on, but it would sure be nice to be able to send out occasional updates and answer emails!
Please continue to pray for the finances for this move, we are seeing the Lord meet our needs in so many unusual ways and we know that He will continue to do so. We even found out we might have public electricity soon! the lines are run and we are number 54 on the waiting list! What an amazing blessing that will be.
A few final notes
As we talk about the isolation and the lack of communication, many people have shared concerns about the wisdom of taking our children to a remote tribal location. I Just wanted to explain that while it will be difficult to communicate to those of you in America, we will be in contact with our leadership here several times a week and have plans in place in case we needed to get to help in a hurry. There is also a small hospital on the coast that could help us with basic first aid needs. That being said we also feel strongly that this is the Lord’s will for us at this time and there is no safer place for us to be than in the center of HIS will. We are doing all we can to be safe and keep our kids safe while at the same time being obedient to Christ.
We always love getting your personal emails but at least for a while while we figure out our communications issues it would be helpful to us if you would not forward any forwarded emails to us (jokes etc.) and also if you would ask before sending any especially large files or pictures. But PLEASE, PLEASE continue sending personal notes, and emails, they are such an encouragement to us!
We are so thankful for you prayers, support and encouragement.
In His grace;
Greg and Pam Berglund
Nate (12) Hannah (10) Grace (8) Katie (6) Caleb (3)