After months of saving and hoarding birthday monies, the Wilson family was ready for their first ever family vacation! After being back in PNG for a little over a year, it was time for a little change (read: enjoy some first-world-culture). So we packed our swimsuits and headed out to Cairns, Australia. We’d been there before but never with a 2 and 3 year old. So our expectations were set pretty low. And boy, are we glad we did that. We had no idea what was in store for us.
Goat cheese…doesn’t seem that dangerous to most of us. And in the past, Paul has been able to eat it. Not anymore. He broke out over most of his body in a red rash. (Wanna see a picture?) Also at that time the kids got sick and Andrea got strep throat! So with all that going on, we decided to delay our return to PNG to make sure we were all on the mend.
Paul was finally referred to a dermatologist and it was determined that, yep, “you have atopic eczema from an allergic reaction.” We have heard those words before. (I guess we were glad to not hear “flesh-eating bacteria or virus.”)
Our vacation-extension had it’s good and not so good-points. Unfortunately we had to move two more times. (We were staying at a missionary guesthouse and they were booked up for a few days.) And did we mention that Cairns is a tourist town ($$$)? But thankfully the Aussie dollar is weaker than the US, so that was convenient. Plus as we all began to recover, we were then able to do more of the family-vacationing things that we originally wanted to do. In the 25 days we were there, we went to 16 different playgrounds….and many of those multiple times. Cairns has a ton of free playgrounds and water parks. We also got to see crocodiles, koalas and lots of butterflies. We squeezed in trips to McDonalds for 50 cent cones and meals at a café that catered exactly to Paul’s diet. (Read: Not fast food). We were also able to enjoy cooking in our rooms… which saved us a lot of money.
So now we have our memories, photos and….oh….the medical bills to pay off. 🙂 Here are a few more good memories to share:
- Free high-speed internet. (Yeah for good Skype calls).
- Andrea being able to get some shopping done alone.
- Water parks, water slides, lagoons and the ocean.
- Our first date night in a LONG TIME. No, we didn’t leave the kids alone in the hotel. A visiting NTM co-worker looked after them. (Thanks Thompsons)
- Thrift-store shopping finds!
- Real milk, watermelon, red bell peppers, ice cream, almond flour, health food stores, farmers markets….
- Spending time together as a family. (After we returned to PNG, Joshua would cry every time Paul left for work in the morning). While this vacation wasn’t what we expected, we really had a great time together!!!
Kodiak Learns Patience
We mentioned in our last update that our first Kodiak has arrived in PNG. Before we can fly it in country, it first must be inspected by the PNG aviation authorities. So on top of their normal work load (what is “normal”?) the team here has been busy preparing for this. We have just heard that Nov 17-19 the inspectors will come.
So a lot of work needs to happened before (and then after) this inspection. As you can see from this picture, Paul is currently working on the main mast of our helicopter. Behind him sits the Kodiak… “patiently” waiting it’s turn.
Praise & Prayer Requests
- Praise — Many of you have been praying….and we are excited to report that many Tangguat have placed their faith in Jesus!
- Praise — Paul has recovered from his allergic “episode” in Australia but still continues to have itchy and irritated skin.
- Pray — For the NTM Aviation team as we prepare the Kodiak for inspection in November.
- Pray — For wisdom as we look to sell our C-90 and some Cessna’s.
- Pray — RAIN!! PNG is suffering it’s worst drought since 1997. Many gardens are failing resulting in folks suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.
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