Autumn in PNG....

The other day we were asked to take a local family to the hospital, that had flown out from a tribe. It seems their baby fell into a fire and was severely burned. We were in town that day so we picked them up and drove them over to the "house sick". The father's pidgin must not have been too good as he was having problems getting to the right area. That feeling of helplessness was overwhelming as we could see the look of concern in the parents eyes and we couldn't communicate clearly what we needed. We thank God someone finally understood the severity of the situation and got us to the right room where they instantly admitted the family. We haven't heard yet how the baby is doing but we will be praying for the family, especially since they haven't heard the Gospel yet. Sometimes it is so frustrating not being able to talk to these people but we know that it is a process God is bringing us through and we will be able to communicate clearly soon.Rainy season is approaching and we are starting to get a fair bit of rain in the evenings. We know how important the rain is but it also means more mosquitos, warmer temperatures and higher humidity. Right after a rain, especially when the sun is shining, we feel like we are in a scooby doo cartoon and we could cut holes in the air it is so thick. We do miss the changing seasons and the beautiful fall colors. That is just part of life in the tropics and we feel privileged to be here. Below are some pictures from the time the kids were home. Don't forget to check out our pictures we have uploaded to our facebook albums, you can see them by clicking HERE and HERE.

The first picture is when the kids flew down to Madang, the man in the back is a teacher and dorm coordinator in Lapilo. I guess that is a cure for air sickness. The second and third pictures are from when we went out to an island for an afternoon to snorkel and water ski. Meghan got stung by a jelly fish while snorkeling so she stayed on the beach under the umbrella while Matthew skied. It was a beautiful island that we can see from our home. We cherish the time we got to spend having fun with kids, now we are back to full time language/culture study while they are away at school.