August 2026, originally sent as I was flying from Sydney, Australia to Port Moresby!
It’s hard to sum up the last four months in a concise way, so of course I’ll use the visual method below.
I just visited a Bucee’s for the first time . . . somehow that ended up on my trip back to PNG (Thanks Linn!) . . . and I noticed a shirt. I probably would have bought it, if there was any space at all left in my carry-on. On the front it said In every season.
This back and forth life is beautiful, and at the same time it is hard. There are always goodbyes and people to miss. And yet there are so many wonderful people I’ve had the opportunity to connect with from all over the world. In this season I’ve been able to reconnect with several of them and also with my family and friends from home. It’s always a gift. But then there are the goodbyes again, and I don’t think they get any easier, not really.
And here I go on my way back. Only three flights to go and something like 32 hours.
On the back, the shirt said: In every season I will praise Him. Psalm 34:1
On my way home in April, I visited my friends from Indiana, the Hoods, in Tanzania. They led me through a special retreat time, and I was able to spend sweet time with their family where they serve guiding Tanzanian pastors and missionaries in a time of Sabbath rest and learning to abide in the Lord.
I also went to Germany where I was able to meet up with my friend Sibylle and visit the Ethnos Germany headquarters. Then we, along with a few other ladies who have served in Papua New Guinea, took a special trip to the Netherlands where we went to the tulip festival! I was also able to see a few other PNG friends that I haven’t seen in awhile.
Then Sibylle and I went on to Northern Ireland where we received the grand tour! It was so beautiful and we were taken care of so well by our friends the McKnights and the Wilsons.
And then I was home! Just in time for my church’s mission focus event. It was super fun to be able to be a part of that and get to share a bit about how to care for missionaries.
After that came all the joys of the summer time. Game nights, bike rides, camping, time with my pit crew, reunions with long-time friends, a 5k at the zoo, sushi, birthday celebrations, trivia with my parents, sharing at church alongside other Ethnos missionaries, meals on the back porch, visits with the many generous people that support me, breakfast at the Cozy Cottage, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day. And of course all the family time I love! Family vacation, games, strawberry picking, a guitar recital, a 50 year celebration, soccer and volleyball games, sleepovers, ice cream, pedicures and much, much more!
With all of the fun, I had times of rest and reflection and reading and retreat as well. As you can see, my summer was very full of good things! Praise the Lord!
| What’s next? When I arrive in Papua New Guinea, I’ll take 5-7 days to re-set up my house. Thankfully I’ll still be in the same place. I’ll start hosting Bible Study on September 1st, so I’ll hopefully be settled by then! There are some changes coming up to my ministry role, and I imagine those discussions will start shortly after I get settled in. Please pray for me, that I would trust the Lord to fulfill His purposes for me, trust that He will be in control of the changes that are coming, that He will be with me in them and that even change can lead to growth and to good things. |