big steps

January 13, 2017

I haven’t written in the last few months, but there has been so much going on! Josh and I have been really, really, really busy. No, really. :-) NTMA has been working really hard at getting the flight program back on track, a process that has been going on for a couple of years now. […]

conflicting christmas

December 30, 2015

It seems that my life has been and will continue to be marked by constantly conflicting emotions. I knew that having holidays overseas would be hard; and I knew that the first one would be the hardest. I also knew that they would be some of the most beautiful if I let them. I dove […]

a png thanksgiving

December 3, 2015

Surprising as this might be to some people, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday… and it’s not celebrated anywhere else in the world. In Papua New Guinea, it’s just a normal Thursday. I simultaneously really enjoyed and had a hard time this year. Those traditions that you grew up with, created, or want to start […]

grocery shopping, lessons in hoarding

October 27, 2015

Cooking can be a stressful thing in any country and culture. However, there usually helps or shortcuts to make it just a titch easier. There are packets, powders, cans, and pre-sliced everything. If you run out of something or decide at the last minute you want something else, you can pop into any store or […]

learning

October 14, 2015

This has been another week of learning for us in the Land of the Unexpected. Bugs are a normal part of daily life. Suppose you leave something out overnight; ants. Put your fruit in a bowl so it looks pretty and is easy to get; ants. Forget to bring in your laundry before the moona […]

when drain plugs make you cry

September 10, 2015

I have always tried to write about the easy and the hard things about being a missionary, instead of shying away and showing only the Instagram-worthy moments of my life. Without a doubt, the hardest part about being a foreign missionary is leaving loved ones behind. But there is something that I didn’t know would […]

hodgepodge

July 30, 2015

Thank you for your outpouring of love after my last post! Those hard days are hard, but wonderful when they come… but they do pass. I feel like I’ve settled here now, that this is home, and I love it. Here’s my hodgepodge sort of list of an update about what we’ve been up to […]

jet lag journey; part 2

July 18, 2015

This is the first time that I’ve had internet since we got here, so this blog post is a week late. I’ve been writing and saving them on my computer, so there is plenty of stuff to share about. I’ll try not to post them all at once. Last I wrote Josh and I were […]

erin’s expectations

June 30, 2015

This is the week y’all! The week of packing, hugging, cleaning, hugging, tears, hugging, suitcases, hugging, carry-ons, and hugging. We leave for Papua New Guinea this week. I’ve been encouraged not to pack any expectations in my suitcase; to leave them all on this side of airport security, and not bring any with me. It […]

spiritual gift: packing

June 26, 2015

My husband is a packer. No, you don’t understand. He is a packer. It’s his spiritual gift or something. Whenever we move – which has been a lot in our 4 years of marriage – I don’t pack, it’s neither something I enjoy, nor my spiritual gift or super power. I clean and pile things […]