I Finally Made it to Ukarumpa!

So I wrote this Wednesday, but haven't put it up yet:

My trip here:

·      drive to Chicago: 2.5 hours

·      time before flight 1.5 hours

·      fly to LA: 3:40

·      layover in LA: 5 hours

·      Flight to Brisbane: 13:10

·      Layover in Brisbane: 1.5 hours

·      Flight to Port Moresby: delayed half hour; 3 hours

·      Wait in line to get visa

·      Wait for luggage

·      File a claim for my luggage that never made it

·      Go through customs

·      Drive to MFA hanger

·      Miss my flight and wait 4 hours for another

·      Nearly not make it to Ukarumpa due to weather conditions

·      Arrive safely and happiy

That’s a lot, huh? It was a long trip, but I did make it and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It rained a bit my first day and a half here, but today is bright and clear.

My first night I arrived shortly after 5:30 pm Monday and then went to dinner with the survey team, which I am now a part of around 6:30.  There are 7 or 8 of us working on the survey team. It was nice to get to meet everyone all at once and good to learn that I will actually NOT be the most sarcastic person here, even without trying to suppress it. =]

I went to sleep around 10:15 my first night here since I only got around 4 hours on the plane(s). I got up around 8:30, just in time for a scheduled power outage. I wanted to begin my orientation, but really really wanted to shower first, so I waited. It was only supposed to take about an hour, but wound up taking more like and hour and a half. I spent the interim talking in broken English to the house Mary, Kitty. She also had things to do that needed power, so she switched to sweeping and chatting with me.

After a quick shower, I met up with a woman named Deborah who showed me around the town and helped me take care of things like finances and my computer, and showed me where the store is and where I’d be working. She and I had tea late in the afternoon and I really enjoyed getting to know her better. She’s hilarious and a bit of a firecracker.

I am living with two other girls, one who has been here a while, and another who got here the same day as me and is staying for 5 weeks. It’s nice to have company, since I can’t walk around alone after the sun goes down, and we split things like energy costs and cooking.

I actually went to bed at 9:30 last night, as my body is still trying to adjust to the 15 hour time difference. Today I got up early and went to market, which happens Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Nationals set up and sell fruits and veggies from their gardens. Some also sell things like bilums, which are bags for carrying things, and woodcarvings.

I began working today and am enjoying it. I am working on writing up People Profiles, which I’ll explain in another post. But for now, I have to get back to work.

Today:

My luggage made it here yesterday, which is great. I got my own bilum at market today, and am about to head off to work for the day. I'll try to write in more detail and maybe post some pictures this weekend when I have more time.

Papua New Guinea

Hey all! So this is where I'm going to be blogging about my trip! I leave in 9 days!

There's a TON to get done in the mean time and a lot of people I want to see before I leave, so I'm sure I'll be quite busy.

My parents and I will drive to Chicago where they will drop me off. I will then fly to LA and from there to Brisbane, Australia. From there to Port Moresby, PNG and then I'll be taking a tiny tiny plane to Ukarumpa, which is my final destination.

Please keep my trip in your prayers, that the final details will come together smoothly and that I won't have any problems with my flights (I'm terrified that I'll miss a flight and be screwed). I've never flown totally alone before, so I'm a bit nervous about that. I love flying, but all of the details suck.

Why How Quickly You Run the Race Doesn't Really Matter

My friend Murphy died this past August in a motorcycle accident.
It was really sudden and, of course, completely unexpected. And it still hurts sometimes.


Murphy and I met in grade school and a lot of my best childhood memories involve her. She always had a way of making everyone feel loved and included. 


Every time I work out, I wind up thinking about her because it reminds me of one of the many amazing things she did to change my life. 


I don't remember exactly how old we were, but it was in grade school some time. My class was running the mile for P.E. and my little, asthmatic self (though we didn't I had asthma at the time) was having a hard time and was getting discouraged. I wanted to start walking or just give up entirely, but Murphy was there to help me along. Instead of getting the best time she could have gotten, she slowed down to run with me. She ran by my side the whole time, encouraging me. I ran my first ever under 10 minute mile that day.


I didn't have the will or desire to run faster or continue on my own, but Murphy was there to help me, just like she always was. It wasn't the biggest gesture, but it changed my life. 


Next time you encounter someone who's struggling with something, no matter how small, remember that the simplest of actions can make a world of difference. 

Truth with a Capital "T"

Autumn holds boundless beauty and many Truths. They are everywhere.

I came to the realization today that death is just as beautiful as life if you look at it from the right perspective. The gold and red, crinkling leaves that cling desperately to the trees are beautiful. The ones already fallen and browning are also beautiful - holes and all. Amid these dying beauties were flowers in full bloom: pink and red near the prayer chapel and purple (again) on the pathway toward Wengatz. Just as the blossoming flowers were beautiful in their vividness of life, the leaves were beautiful in their dying. That is what we are called to: beauty in life and death.

I sat on a large rock next to the purple flowers. I just sat and appreciated the beauty. It was effortless to fall more deeply in love with my Creator when I simply took a moment to slow down, to be still. Sure, when I was walking I saw the beauty, too, but there was not as much peace, hope, and reassurance in it as there was when I let it overwhelm and encompass me. We must do that: let God's glory overwhelm and change us. If we stopped long enough to gaze at His glory and beauty, no other response would be possible.

We can accomplish a lasting beauty of life and death, but not on our own. We must be still. We must seek God. We must seek Him first. It is the dying that is beautiful in us. Dying to ourselves so that Christ may live in us. We, as the leaves, become most beautiful as we die.

Blessed

When I say that I'm blessed, most people don't think about softball, but today, as it often has, softball has blessed me. Or, to put it more accurately, I have been blessed by God with the ability and opportunity to play softball.

My team dominated tonight, but that's not the point. There are actually two points.

Today, my coach made me lead-off batter. We got smashed twice last week, so he changed up the batting order a bit, and I was first because I have 1. the best batting average (over 80%) and 2. I have the highest percentage of time spent on base. I was blown away. My team is full of great players, but here Jerry was telling the team how good I am. I was honoured, but the pressure was on me like you wouldn't believe. I've always hated being lead-off batter, even if it's just an inning, but the whole game? To put it lightly, I was nervous. However, I stepped up to the plate and smashed the first pitch into the outfield. I proved myself worth of the spot for the rest of the game. (This is also not the point.) The point is this: a certain verse popped into my head when coach pulled me aside to tell me that I'd be leading off.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." - Luke 12:48

I have been given a lot of talent in sports, and therefore a lot is expected of me, but that's not my main job on the team. My main job is to glorify God. A majourity of my teammates are not Christians, so it is my job to be different, to reflect God. If I can earn their respect as a player, I also earn their respect as a person, and they are more likely to take into account the things that I say. God has given me the talent, and now I must use it for His glory.

A little bit of extra wisdom: Do not let fear stop you. When much is entrusted to you, it's only natural to have some apprehension, but don't let that keep you from going out and doing what needs to be done. After all, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31

Point 2. I got to talk a bit about faith with one of the girls on my team tonight. I did not get to share very much, but now I know more of what she believes. I have been given an amazing opportunity to pour into this girl's life. It was great that she was honest with me. The real blessing tonight was that I got to begin something important with this girl. I am so lucky that God will allow me (me, of all people!) to use something as insignificant as a game of softball to do His work. We are blessed to bless others, even if our blessings seem outside of the realm of His work.