Long Time, No Update!

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry that is has been so long since the last newsletter! Time seems to fly by here and before I realize it, months have passed without an update! Let me get you caught up on our lives since before Christmas!

Back in mid-December, the Dooley family went back to the USA for furlough. Allison Dooley was one of my students so my school is down to 5 students until April when the Dooley’s return. While they are gone, they asked us if we would be willing to house/cat/dog sit for them. We have been living at their house, about half a mile away from our house, for a little over a month now. It has been a good experience overall and we enjoy being closer to our friends (and my former roommate), Jordan and Rachel Thompson.

Christmas caused a little homesickness (especially for Amy) and definitely had a different feel for us. While we did have a tree decorated, stockings hung by the chimney, and Christmas music playing, the 70-80 degree weather kind of offset the mood. The missionaries here enjoy making Christmas a fun time though including the annual Christmas party, the children’s Christmas program at church, and the Christmas Eve, Eve party. Amy and I chose not to give presents to each other since there isn’t much here that we really want but a box from our church in Maine and some presents from some of the missionaries still made Christmas morning exciting.

We have had some enjoyable visitors recently at Kudjip. For about a month over Christmas the Radcliffe’s daughter, son-in-law, and their twin daughters came to visit. It was especially fun for me since they were both friends of mine while growing up at Kudjip and I enjoyed seeing them again. Just recently, we were visited by Bruce and Carolyn Blowers, former missionaries to Papua New Guinea. Bruce was one of the very first Nazarene missionaries to Papua New Guinea and it was a blessing to all of us to share with them while they were here. There is almost always a medical student or resident visiting the hospital for a number of weeks. There is one here currently who Amy and I have really enjoyed having here. His name is Daniel and he is a resident from New Zealand. Sadly, his time here comes to an end this Friday but we have enjoyed the weeks he has been here.

When school started up again after the New Year, the younger school, at which Amy was teaching math, handwriting, and spelling, only had 2 students. The Dooley’s are on furlough and another missionary family, the Kerr’s, were reassigned leaving the school mostly empty. For that reason, Amy was no longer needed to help teach. While it seemed like she might not have anything to do, it turned out to be a blessing because it finally gave Amy the free time to insert herself into the hospital. Officially, she is not allowed to work as a nurse at the hospital but she can find areas to help as long as she doesn’t have to sign off on any paperwork.

She has really been enjoying her time in the hospital this last month. On Tuesday and Thursday she assists Dr. Jim Radcliffe in surgery. Monday and Wednesday she spends her time in the Maternity Ward of the hospital delivering babies and assisting with anything they need. Friday morning she assists Dr. Andy Bennett in the club foot clinic. She was so excited yesterday because she felt like a real nurse again!

About a month ago I got a chance to explore a cave in the mountains. Four of us from the mission and 3 Papua New Guinean guides led us about 4 hours into the mountains to a cave. The area looked like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park and was an amazing looking rainforest. We crawled down a cave that had a small stream flowing into it and began a half hour trip into the cave. Right near the entrance of the cave was a 15 foot waterfall that we had to climb down. We had brought rope with us specifically for that reason. Without the use of safety equipment or helmets, this trip was quite exciting and a little scary. Each of us was equipped with a headlamp but walking/crawling through a foot of water and guano made the journey even more exciting. We were told that the cave is normally covered in bats but on our trip, we only found one. It was definitely the most adventurous thing I have ever done.

Well, that about catches you up on our lives over the past couple months! The high school is going strong into the 2nd semester and they are all starting to work really hard on Bible Quizzing so they can head to the world quiz in Illinois this summer. Thank you those of you who contributed to our Christmas box! Your gifts are highly valued and appreciated!

Some Prayer Requests:

-2 days ago, Amy’s grandfather passed away. We knew when we left Maine that there was a good possibility we wouldn’t see him again but it doesn’t make it easier. Pray for Amy as she deals with this while being separated from her family.

-The PNG government has been having some major issues over the past couple months. Pray for them and for the national elections coming up this summer.

-The hospital is still in a staff shortage and could use your prayers for more funding or staff.

-Pray for us over the next couple of months as we begin thinking/talking about next year and the possibility of staying a 2nd year.

Thanks so much for your prayers and for being interested in our lives! If you live in Maine, we may be speaking at the District NMI convention happening April 27-30 via Skype.

God Bless,

Stephen and Amy