Saturday, May 26, 2012

Can you make me 6 uteruses?!?!

Well as a continuation to my previous post I'll update you all on our trip to Madang with Ann and anything else we've been doing since she's been out.  We headed to the ocean city of Madang for 1 week.  We spent 4 nights in our NTM guesthouse and 3 nights at the Jais Aben Resort.  It was a wonderful time of relaxation and just visiting.  We did a lot of swimming while at the resort in both the swimming pools and the ocean.  The kids loved the small beach area at Jais Aben and even though there are some dangers to be aware of (ie. stone fish), we were able to truly enjoy it!  Clinton & I did some snorkeling and I must say that I almost panicked a few times.  Looking under the water and seeing the coral freaked me out a bit but after I got used to it I really enjoyed it!  The coral and the fish we saw were so amazing...my favorite was the electric blue starfish.  Our second day of snorkeling we got stung by jellyfish though we didn't know what had happened until we got out of the water and saw all the jellyfish in the shallow end.  I was a little concerned but we took some benadryl and a few hours later we were a-ok! :)  Even Ann put on the goggles and stuck her face in the water in the shallow end to see some of the fish.  And if you know Ann, you know that was a huge feat for her! :)  The weather was extremely hot and humid (too much so for my taste) but we kept the air conditioning on most of the time and so we were quite comfortable.
The airplane we flew in and out on was quite small, though the ride was surprisingly smooth!  The aerial view was fantastic to see the mountains and the valleys and the tribal locations.
Ann has been busy cooking us all our favorite meals and basically just spoiling us all rotten!  The kids are constantly hanging on her or sitting on her or playing with her...and she doesn't seem to mind! :)  How we've missed grandma!  Tayah wants to keep her until we go back to Canada next summer.  Aowyn has practically lived on grandma's hip since she got here and I'm not sure she'll remember how to walk once grandma goes home! :) 
Tayah has been homeschooled this year and the kindergarten teacher invited her into the class for 3 days one week to experience the classroom  and prepare her a bit for next year grade 1 as she will be going to school.  Tayah loved the experience though she did complain of the long days (will she ever need some time to adjust to full days in grade 1!).  She had to do some testing to see if she was ready for grade 1 and she did really well.
This past week I "inherited" another  ministry here on center.  I am now the "bossman" for the mission barrel.  The  mission barrel is a room where missionaries can drop off items that they no longer need or want (ie. clothes, electronics, household items, etc.- kind of like a selfhelp).  All missionaries are allowed to visit the mission barrel at any time and take whatever items they want, no cost.  It's a wonderful blessing to many out here and Clinton & I have used it many times.  Our kids love visiting the mission barrel to hunt for new treasures (toys).  Now I am in charge of organizing the new items that come in.  So far it's been fun! (though quite time consuming at times).
Now for the story that inspired my title for this blog... :)
I was asking one of my national friends if she would make a few bilums (crochet bags) for my mother-in-law to bring home for her grandchildren.  Instead of saying "...bilum long pikini..." (bilum FOR children), I said, "...bilum bilong pikini..." (which means uterus!).  I had just asked her if she would make me 6 uteruses!  I realized my mistake almost immediately and we both laughed for quite awhile over my language mistake :).
We have also taken Ann to the market here in Goroka and it was so muddy that day that we had very muddy feet for the rest of our time shopping.  I believe it constitutes a cultural experience! :)
Our visit with Ann has been so fantastic, and unfortunately the time is coming to an end in just under 2 weeks.  We're all really going to miss her...sniff sniff!
Well I should sign this post off as well, thank you for reading and following our journey and adventures out here in PNG.  Blessings to you all! 





Love, Clinton & Rolanda

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