Spring Break!

Last week was Spring Break. While we don't technically have Spring here, it was still a nice vacation and a good time to get other stuff done that I have been wanting to do. The evenings were filled with a busy social schedule: Tuesday was a fundraiser for the kids quizzing trip; Wednesday night we had dinner with the visiting General Superintendent; Thursday was prayer meeting; Friday we had a Super Bowl party since we finally got the DVD of the game; and Saturday was a pizza potluck for all the missionaries.

Kids Serving Tacos for their Fundraiser

For something fun to do over Spring Break, we decided to take the kids into town to swim at the hotel there. It was a fun day together but despite applying sun screen twice, we all paid for our trip with painful shoulders and backs the next day.

The kids enjoying some pizza by the pool. From left to right, Ethan Myers (8th grade), Jessica Myers (Junior), Quinton Schmelzenbach (Junior), Lydia Radcliffe (7th grade), Josiah Radcliffe (Sophomore)

Trying to stack 4 high. If you look close, you can see me under the water trying to lift them all up. We never quite got it.

 To close out Spring Break, we went with Dr. Jim Radcliffe and his family to a remote church on Sunday. The road we travelled on was the most "bush" road I have ever driven on (and that is saying something!) While the road wasn't the muddiest or the bumpyest, it was more grass than road. Through the 1.5 hour trip into the bush we took our 4 wheel drive Land Cruser up a mountain, forded 3 rivers with no bridges, crossed a scary wooden bridge, and went down into a valley to the church. The wooden bridge we crossed (see picture below) didn't exist a few days earlier. The members of the church came out and built it for us before we got there and we were the first vehicle to ever test it out.

The service itself was really good and the people were wonderful. Dr. Jim played his trumpet and it was the first time anyone in the church had heard one before. I personally was very impressed with how organized the pastor of that church was. Organization is not a typical quality you find in Papua New Guinea so to see a pastor out in the bush who had actually had a schedule printed for the next month's worth of services was impressive. Because of how beautiful that village was and how impressed I was with the church, I am wanting to plan a hike there. I would hike to the village, stay 2 nights with the people to get to know them, then hike back.

As you know if you read my previous posts, our Regional Director, Verne Ward was recently elected to be the Global Mission Director. That means that we now have an openning for the RD position. We have been asked to make recommendations of names to be voted on to fill the position so if any of you want to be the next RD of Asia-Pacific let me know! But seriously, pray for our region as we make this transition and that the right person will be elected.

Enjoy the pictures of our trip last Sunday!

God Bless!

Near the start of the road where we first put the vehicle into 4 wheel drive.

The road going up the mountain, if you can call it a road.

One view from on top of the mountain

Another view from on top of the mountain.

The bridge that was built just for us.

The view of the mountains from the village

Amy and Dr. Imelda posing with some local boys.







Pastor Robert playing a recording of the Bible.

Lydia playing her ukelele by the river.