tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-191534752024-01-31T00:36:42.337-08:00Dustin, Sarah, Abby, and LexiUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-53770902833502394662012-10-21T13:28:00.001-07:002012-10-21T13:28:20.164-07:00Are Missionaries Underhanded?<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Are Missionaries Underhanded?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I used to have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that what we are trying to do as missionaries is just a little underhanded. It seems that we come with our airplanes and our medicines and our money and our technology, and we tell these stone-age people, “you can have all of this, but you must accept our God as well.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When Wycliffe Bible Translators enter a country, they often enter with the blessing of the Department of Education. At first suspicious, the government comes to understand that they are highly trained academics whose goal is not to destroy, but to develop and encourage the native culture to flourish through creating a written language and teaching literacy... NO STRINGS ATTACHED.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Why do we do this? Because we are Christians. That is why we bring not only literacy, but all of the blessings we have. What many of us have missed is that although we are waiting for Jesus’ second coming, when the Kingdom of Heaven will visibly conquer earth, the Kingdom of Heaven is in a very real sense already here, among us. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></i><b><i>“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” -Matthew 11:12</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Kingdom advances as the blessings of it move through the world, carried by the followers of Jesus. Did you know that public hospitals were originally a completely Christian idea, often staffed by nuns and funded by churches? How much culture and history would have survived the Dark Ages had it not been for the light of accedemia carefully guarded by the monastics? Did you know that “Sunday School” was the original public education system, started in industrial-era England to teach orphans literacy?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In our day and age we continue to bring the Kingdom of God to the poorest people on earth with safe transportation, medical services, literacy, and I.T. Very few people groups will turn down these things, because they can see the blessings they bring. Some cultures, where revenge-killing or polygamy are part of their traditions, have seen that accepting “Christian morals” brings blessings.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #000000;"> </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But we aren’t moralists, and we aren’t saved by being moral. Our focus isn’t on laws or rules, because no matter how good we are, we can never live up to our own consciences. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #001320;">The greatest blessing we can offer is</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> freedom from the universal guilt of wrongdoing. We can only get rid of our guilt by believing the good news that Jesus died to make us right with God and others, and trusting Him with our guilt rather than trying to pay for it by obeying this or that rule. It’s a free offer of freedom! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wherever we go we offer all the blessings we have. We don’t force medicine on someone, and we don’t force them to “convert” either. In fact, we believe that the only One who can change a heart is God. It’s not our job! We simply bring what we have and offer it to them. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In some instances, they accept only the material blessings, and in others, whole families are transformed by a true change of heart. Either way, we have done the work we were sent to do: we have offered the blessings of the Kingdom of God to them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the end, our greatest goal is to bring glory to God, and this is what we will have done. When the Kingdom comes completely, some from every people group will have come to believe, as it says in Revelation 7 (below). They will joyfully worship before God’s throne. But the rest will also give glory to God. With wails of grief (Rev. 1:7), they will be compelled to say, “the kingdom was among us, freely offered, and we rejected it. We were wrong. Glory be to God!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-Revelation 7:9-10</i></b></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-26990127536238426662012-10-21T13:19:00.002-07:002012-10-21T13:19:26.486-07:00Service at Sunset<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-76572581813989204082012-08-24T22:22:00.000-07:002012-08-24T22:23:08.767-07:00Radford's Newsletter Dear Friends and Family,
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<br>Attached is our latest newsletter. With some big things just around the corner, we're asking all of you who follow Jesus to pray, and the rest of you to follow along and see what happens. If you would prefer a copy in plain text or even in the mail, please let me know. If you would like to be removed from this e-mailing list, contact me, and my apologies in advance.
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<br>Prayer Answered: Just as I was getting ready to send this, I received a phone call that the training plane is ready several days earlier than expected!
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<br>Yours,
<br>-Dustin RadfordUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-47015815108446988032010-12-18T00:48:00.000-08:002010-12-18T00:48:40.132-08:00Christmas 2010 Video/LetterMerry Christmas! Here is a link to a little video I put together... Thanks to our neighbor John for recording and editing the great audio.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkIT5fv4iMY">Radfords Christmas 2010</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-92042262568052326902010-12-13T16:08:00.000-08:002010-12-13T16:08:20.986-08:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4e4d; font-family: 'Bradley Hand ITC TT';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4e4d; font-family: 'Bradley Hand ITC TT';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><div style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4e4d; font-family: 'Bradley Hand ITC TT';"><br />
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<div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear Friends and Family,</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Merry Christmas! We’ve been so blessed this year and hope you have, too.</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Abby is growing fast. She turned four, started Preschool, and is learning to read. She tries to read everything! The other day she was watching me work on the computer and asked, “What does Google mean?” </span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I rebuilt my first VW engine over the summer, which, unfortunately seized up at 2,000 miles and is now back apart for my second rebuild. I got to do a lot of flying for work this summer and now exceed the minimum qualifications for most missionary aviation agencies.</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sarah stayed busy at home filling 3 freezers and all of our canning jars with tasty things, and being a mom and wife.</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The most exciting news of the year is that we are expecting a sister for Abby at the end of April. Abby is looking forward to having a sister, but is a bit unsure about sharing her room. She is also worried that the baby will eat her toys!</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall it’s been a year of growth for each of us personally and together as a family. We are thankful for so many blessings and especially for Jesus, our greatest blessing. May you be filled with wonder and thanksgiving for your many blessings as we celebrate His birth together.</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sincerely yours,</span></span></div><div style="color: #4d4e4d; font: 12.0px 'Bradley Hand ITC TT'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dustin, Sarah, and Abby</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-54087945964244219332010-01-25T22:45:00.001-08:002010-01-25T22:45:28.872-08:00PNG trip video!Hi all!<div><br></div><div>After a very long time, I have finally compiled a "highlights" video of our trip to PNG. We will be presenting it at church (Canby Alliance) on Feb 14th, then doing a longer presentation Wednesday, Feb 17th. Mark your calendars! ;-) Seriously though, I hope you enjoy the video.</div><div><br></div><div>-Dustin</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUTtOwanoE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUTtOwanoE</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-29592528178783363312010-01-25T14:59:00.000-08:002010-01-25T15:19:35.538-08:00PNG pics<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzUgvdCAbc4IgOpQcXv0tbrt-lYVFcdckle1JywE-rkihMnDYCGvYG7C88KERcG8Rugc6ie-VyUtb0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-70691093643535637422009-12-21T16:25:00.000-08:002009-12-21T17:14:27.569-08:00Merry Christmas!<div>Christmas seems to have snuck up on us this year. I guess that's not surprising since we were on the other side of the world for 2 months, and didn't return until just a few weeks ago. We are doing things much simpler this year - fewer decorations, no lights outside, not going overboard with gifts. While those things are nice, it feels good to simplify (and also to know that there won't be near as much stuff to clean up!). It's so easy to get caught up in all the "stuff". Life was very simple when we were in Papua New Guinea. There were so few distractions that you couldn't help but get to know people better than you might in a different setting. That's something we want to try to continue here. It won't be as easy, but it will definitely be worthwhile. Anyway, back to Christmas......</div><div><br /></div><div>We finally managed to get our tree decorated on Saturday. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQlfax00xdxweFTleugeoDtK28_d89rab4wJeq_c_dlr7ImXGp6icwlGzVERa31ov4YDps4V6Wy37JKXDk2YZgcUBSrGDPOXVXm9IX3I7ZzZBZeQlxSJsCRY0qrVQp6sT8LHT/s1600-h/IMG_3790.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30lB5VCEwGSPT46X5AsPnAA73kEE50SJq0odcCf2Uk8Su3Goz0Uuvy0oxIl3p6sHJfcwpclymMUOcnqMeSAAe2YAl7j_nMpuRGPrzwC14C9WAd6l_U5tEPFQ4U9Uucrsmb96b/s1600-h/IMG_3786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30lB5VCEwGSPT46X5AsPnAA73kEE50SJq0odcCf2Uk8Su3Goz0Uuvy0oxIl3p6sHJfcwpclymMUOcnqMeSAAe2YAl7j_nMpuRGPrzwC14C9WAd6l_U5tEPFQ4U9Uucrsmb96b/s320/IMG_3786.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417852140400850962" /></a><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQlfax00xdxweFTleugeoDtK28_d89rab4wJeq_c_dlr7ImXGp6icwlGzVERa31ov4YDps4V6Wy37JKXDk2YZgcUBSrGDPOXVXm9IX3I7ZzZBZeQlxSJsCRY0qrVQp6sT8LHT/s1600-h/IMG_3790.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQlfax00xdxweFTleugeoDtK28_d89rab4wJeq_c_dlr7ImXGp6icwlGzVERa31ov4YDps4V6Wy37JKXDk2YZgcUBSrGDPOXVXm9IX3I7ZzZBZeQlxSJsCRY0qrVQp6sT8LHT/s320/IMG_3790.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417852154809532850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIALxS_8hpy3gyo7ee573fRXkfwZc2kKS5XJJVnYgoYm4v37i7ml1Td9GZ-8X9utijHpxb-9JtQxC15xDoknRGVxmfIFWJLPWhNzTbkNyOs8rzfP6hGXBkW080Tqy7UIISZMr1/s1600-h/IMG_3799.jpg"></a></div><div>On Sunday Abby was in her first Christmas program. The kids recited a poem and sang a song. She did very well, and we received several comments about her performance that morning. Having been placed directly under a microphone, and not being shy, it was no surprise everyone heard her loud and clear! You can see that the video starts shaking because Dustin is laughing.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU5748_miu0ColR7lLcrrABR5iySsC8XvoVIZ8QT5COCTb0QZhZdGJOZB5hGsEiNUnWFPmZfuCz4CjB7uAyyQAm5BFiQ_hlUcRqSfG8Euq0YrNMeHZamHJWHuHski-MWWbg-W/s1600-h/IMG_3793.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU5748_miu0ColR7lLcrrABR5iySsC8XvoVIZ8QT5COCTb0QZhZdGJOZB5hGsEiNUnWFPmZfuCz4CjB7uAyyQAm5BFiQ_hlUcRqSfG8Euq0YrNMeHZamHJWHuHski-MWWbg-W/s320/IMG_3793.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417851121722297442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIALxS_8hpy3gyo7ee573fRXkfwZc2kKS5XJJVnYgoYm4v37i7ml1Td9GZ-8X9utijHpxb-9JtQxC15xDoknRGVxmfIFWJLPWhNzTbkNyOs8rzfP6hGXBkW080Tqy7UIISZMr1/s1600-h/IMG_3799.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: right;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIALxS_8hpy3gyo7ee573fRXkfwZc2kKS5XJJVnYgoYm4v37i7ml1Td9GZ-8X9utijHpxb-9JtQxC15xDoknRGVxmfIFWJLPWhNzTbkNyOs8rzfP6hGXBkW080Tqy7UIISZMr1/s320/IMG_3799.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417852133828623090" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-uHhfhpWDxzJjP4b3luvAkviE9JyU2CTlGxERTYp7bdOijiYq3Nk2hYqJdjxhmSjoXNTVFwSREVo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNV8mFu3wfSJrMopl_qV0UPwqj_BuEg-9aT9MuISzjzRHaPAKueggZKCWaJdBYkNpgHyfwMPLsoKGxfwM6KhJufoWKFidp7xgxuH7iyW-EI35BN1O00DEPl_yT2FIsOc8cVsB/s1600-h/IMG_3707.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNV8mFu3wfSJrMopl_qV0UPwqj_BuEg-9aT9MuISzjzRHaPAKueggZKCWaJdBYkNpgHyfwMPLsoKGxfwM6KhJufoWKFidp7xgxuH7iyW-EI35BN1O00DEPl_yT2FIsOc8cVsB/s320/IMG_3707.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417852124028167874" /></a>We will have Christmas dinner with my family, and then my sister and her family will be staying with us for a few days. Abby is very excited to see her cousins again! It's been over a year since we visited them in North Dakota. We plan to take lots of pictures and try to post them here.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as pictures from our trip, we have LOTS, so it may be a while before we can get them organized and in a good format to post here.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Merry Christmas!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU5748_miu0ColR7lLcrrABR5iySsC8XvoVIZ8QT5COCTb0QZhZdGJOZB5hGsEiNUnWFPmZfuCz4CjB7uAyyQAm5BFiQ_hlUcRqSfG8Euq0YrNMeHZamHJWHuHski-MWWbg-W/s1600-h/IMG_3793.JPG"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-33865699810006469552009-11-22T18:02:00.000-08:002009-12-21T17:37:48.431-08:00PNG... Wrapping up<div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Dear Friends and Family,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I'm sorry it's been so long since we have been able to write to you. The short explanation is that our computer has finally, after two months of trouble, succumbed to hardware failure. We are glad that the hard-drive appears to be undamaged, so we haven't lost everything on it. In some ways the failure is a relief, as the intermittent problems caused a lot of stress, and now at least things are settled. As strange as it may seem, a computer seems to be even more necessary here than back home in the States. We are very thankful that we have been given another computer to use while we are here, although it is an older system. Please pray that we will have wisdom to know how to deal with this situation when we return home. Because of this, we haven't been able to complete a newsletter for some time, and now that our computer is completely out of commission, the work that had been done is inaccessible.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The last month has been eventful. I have stayed busy at the hangar with all sorts of projects. For the last two weeks another mechanic and I have been working on a rather involved repair to a Cessna 206 wing which was damaged several months ago. We replaced almost all of the parts in the outer half of the wing with new ones; riveting on new spars, skins, leading edge, rib, and stringers. By the time we leave the wing should be painted and back on the airplane, hopefully completely rigged and possibly even flying. When the airplane is serviceable it will be transferred to a missionary pastor and pilot who is beginning work in an otherwise inaccessible area.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sarah has been staying busy as well. Along with the full-time work of a third-world wife and mommy, she has begun working in the linguistics department three mornings each week. Her job consists mostly of formatting and quality checking completed Bible translations for inclusion in a database-type website. While Sarah works, Abby enjoys going to the daycare here, where she gets a lot of good interaction with other kids.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Other than the routine of daily life and work, we have had some opportunities to get out and see Papua New Guinea outside of the center. I had the chance to go out to a nearby village with one of our friends and show the movie "The End of the Spear" in their church. Although the church building is visible from where we live, the twenty-minute drive was far from smooth, and electricity was provided by a portable generator. We went with prayers for protection from an infamous outlaw who was rumored to be in the area at that time. Due to these rumors, we decided to avoid driving at night, and instead stayed with one of the church leaders in a "bush house." For those of you who picture missionaries living in grass huts... that is an accurate picture in this case.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We also had an opportunity to visit the city of Lae, accurately self-proclaimed "pothole capital of the world." We enjoyed seeing what things are like down on the coast, and staying at the SIL guesthouse there. At these tropical latitudes the lower elevations are very hot and humid, so we really appreciated the swimming pool, especially Abby, who got to "swim" on her own with floatation "wings." On the way we also got to visit some translators in their "village house."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This weekend has been busy as well. Friday night we enjoyed a community production of the world-famous "Fiddler on the Roof" musical. When you live literally in the middle of nowhere, a bit of entertainment every once in a while is almost necessary to sanity, and everyone can be involved. Sarah and I actually spent an hour or two helping with the set construction. It differed from any other production I've been to, in that before they began the director came on-stage and prayed for the production and for the protection of our homes while we were there... there have been one or two break-ins and thefts each week recently it seems. Anyway, the talent and creativity that went into it paid off... it was an amazing evening.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Saturday morning I went on a new adventure, taking my first ride on a "PMV" (Public Motor Vehicle), which is the main form of transportation for Papua New Guineans. I went to the local center of Kainantu with a national friend from the hangar, Philip. Our ride there was in the back of a large flat-bed truck known as a "Dyno." As it was quite full (I counted 41) we rode sitting on the edge of the low railings. I was a bit worried about falling out, but arrived without incident. We spent the morning wandering through the various shops, most of which are owned and operated by asians and carry essentially identical inventories of food staples and cheaply produced electronics. One exception is the Christian book-store, where I bought a map of the country and large PNG flag. After a snack of heavily-breaded deep-fried sausage, we waited about two hours ("PNG time" I was told) for another PMV, this time a fully-loaded van, to take us back home.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Much more has happened in the last month, but most of those stories will have to wait until we get back. It's hard to believe that in only a little over a week we will be "moving out..." Two months have gone by so fast! Our time here has been everything we hoped it would be. We have learned so much and been able to serve in ways we had never expected. When we get back we will certainly have a lot to think about and pray about!</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We will be flying out the morning of December 2nd to the PNG capital of Port Moresby, where we will wait most of the day for our evening flight out to Cairns. We are glad to have two nights in Cairns, at Treetops Lodge again, where we will be able to spend a little time with some friends who will be leaving here this weekend for pregnancy leave. Since before we even left the U.S. Sarah has been looking forward to holding a Koala, and so we will be planning to make a visit to an Australian zoo during our brief stay as well.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When we leave Cairns, it will be the beginning of the longest traveling time on the entire trip... We will go approximately 6 hours from Cairns to Auckland, where we will only have an hour before embarking on the 13-hour trip to San Francisco. After a three hour layover we are off to Portland, where we will almost certainly arrive completely exhausted. Twenty-four hours of travel with only brief stops, and against the time zones, is not something we are looking forward to.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Please pray for us as we pack up and say our goodbyes, and especially while we are traveling. Also, thank you for praying for Abby and her issues with obedience. It seems that prayer has been answered. Please pray for Abby as last night she came down with a croup sort of a cough and breathing trouble. Although this morning she seems to be feeling better, she still has the cough, and none of us got a lot of rest.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We are looking forward to seeing all of you soon! Thank you for your continued prayers. Please feel free to send e-mails... we would love to hear how all of you are.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">May you be blessed as you work to bring glory to God,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">-Dustin, Sarah, and Abby</p> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-66511633709771126062009-10-21T05:50:00.000-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.431-08:00Two Weeks In Ukarumpa...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp0XBefFWnv9R-UdmT8O2t0s7NBtRzI_UXUfGHWWvqaZd6ml4OuS1V2FRoKUGK1ZKO8ASrILPKd559EPBjMWi6ymn2sOKrR6semzM6nlfP-smC9i_quKmsBUXXJ5zlTW1RKlg/s1600-h/Newsletter+%236+Page+1-741718.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp0XBefFWnv9R-UdmT8O2t0s7NBtRzI_UXUfGHWWvqaZd6ml4OuS1V2FRoKUGK1ZKO8ASrILPKd559EPBjMWi6ymn2sOKrR6semzM6nlfP-smC9i_quKmsBUXXJ5zlTW1RKlg/s320/Newsletter+%236+Page+1-741718.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395036591804660946" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxk_PdHH3XdieQwbpLQD-MADOrSU2ipbv6bUlrp30J5eeLFFrKcGAI7hYZUkL1jd_G6KjwaWm1pWjGmZD4i7SKP3vU2BBusfG9-qpeZwuOFum8zlOMGIJRuAptJZ5Btu99aQk/s1600-h/Newsletter+%236+Page+2-743288.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxk_PdHH3XdieQwbpLQD-MADOrSU2ipbv6bUlrp30J5eeLFFrKcGAI7hYZUkL1jd_G6KjwaWm1pWjGmZD4i7SKP3vU2BBusfG9-qpeZwuOFum8zlOMGIJRuAptJZ5Btu99aQk/s320/Newsletter+%236+Page+2-743288.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395036597301724274" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkowDmgQ7WdXPXQZGOjn1K3Imd3LCLIEFRas8Wl49_MWIuht2qTPJHNKYrQKxRwimuB_Uwrov6PwzWNmtiOvMGMUTNSvOLHAxLe0D7x1m47Zn6pwEq_hGxIIobgGDAmbnb89V/s1600-h/Newsletter+%236+Page+3-744889.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkowDmgQ7WdXPXQZGOjn1K3Imd3LCLIEFRas8Wl49_MWIuht2qTPJHNKYrQKxRwimuB_Uwrov6PwzWNmtiOvMGMUTNSvOLHAxLe0D7x1m47Zn6pwEq_hGxIIobgGDAmbnb89V/s320/Newsletter+%236+Page+3-744889.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395036607847030562" /></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-45363183973619830832009-10-21T05:32:00.000-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.432-08:00Dustin's Journal<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Dustin’s Journal, Full Text</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial">Dustin's Journal, Full Text...</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Wed, Oct 7th, 8:25PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>What a day! We finally got on the Kodiak and got rolling (after the pilot forgot to remove the chocks). There was no seat for Abby- she sat on my lap. Before we rotated she was asleep, and slept for about half the flight.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It was incredible... seeing trees that only grow in jungles, and villages of grass huts, and mountainsides of hand-tilled gardens. We landed on the dirt strip, and were finally "home."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Janine Lyninger and our fellowship family, Scott and Sarah Carey, were there to meet us at the airport and help get us moved in to Translator Lodge 3A. It is a duplex, with no one currently on the other side, and probably as large or even larger than our house in Canby.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Newcomers in Ukarumpa are assigned a “Fellowship Family” (in our case Scott and Sarah Carey) who take care of them and help them get oriented. Residents also signed up to have us over for lunches and dinners for the first three days, which was a very welcome rest!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We had Kristen Brewer (Jeff Brewer is in aviation) stop in with peanut-butter bread and say hi. Everyone is so nice! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We finally got settled, and then it was time for dinner with Dave and Melissa Raube and their 7 (!) kids. What a fun circus! We rattled over to their house in the Carey's Hilux over the steep and potholed dirt roads. This place is beautiful though, with tropical birds singing, everything green and growing, and a perfect breeze in the 70 degree weather. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>At the Raube's Melissa was making tortilla chips... deep frying tortillas she cut in stacks with scissors. The tortillas had been made earlier by a "house mauri." We had a delicious meal of white-sauce enchiladas and chips and salsa to the accompaniment of stories about the outlaws and gun-fights that go on round-about, punctuated by half a dozen distant gunshots at irregular intervals. (just as I was brushing my teeth I heard three more on this side of the compound). Apparently no one is too much bothered by this.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>While we waited for brownies there was a major brownout. Candles were lit, but unfortunately an accident with one of the kids landed the nearly-done brownies in the bottom of the oven... so we had just ice-cream (which was quite good anyway). </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Abby had got a scare from something one of the boys told her while they were playing in the other room, but finally recovered after the lights came back on.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Abby has already started making friends, and I think we're all going to like it here.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 5:00 PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">What a delightful time we've had. I don't know how better to describe it. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So much has happened since Thursday that I can barely remember details. We had lunch with our fellowship family, Scott and Sarah Carey. She was in linguistics before they got married, and helps out one day each week with translators. He is head of the math department at the high school. They have two kids around Abby's age. They were kind enough to loan us some toys.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We took the computer in to CTS also. They had some trouble with it, as we had, and changed out the memory chips. They thought they had solved the problem... however, it seems that something else is amiss, as it is locking up when it gets hot... and it does get hot.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Thursday evening we had dinner with Julianne Spencer and her friends Benji and Esther. Julianne does survey work... very adventurous stuff. She's the one whose photos we used on our newsletter, and friends with Kristy from San Diego. He place was very clean and modern. It seems that whatever sort of home you would have back "home" you could also have here. We had a fun time.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Benji and his wife are newly married. He grew up in Ukarumpa, and she is also a MK... as are many of the people here. He is the "youth pastor" so to speak.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Friday morning we went to the market with Scott. It was interesting, and reminded me a lot of Africa... but bargaining is not a part of the culture here. We got a few veggies... the selection is incredible!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We stopped by housing, finance, and CTS on the way back, then went down to get some much-needed groceries at the store. It was the last opportunity, as they are closed for the weekend.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">At lunchtime we had a very long walk over to the home of Christopher Clark and family. It's funny, we've had enchiladas for two dinners, and we had tacos for lunch at their house.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Christopher is a pilot, and after lunch I went with him up to the hangar, where I got a mini-orientation and actually got my hands dirty pretty quickly. I will be back there full time on Monday. There is certainly plenty that needs done there.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I left early, at 3, and picked up our computer. We had a little time to send a brief e-mail to parents before heading off to dinner at Michael and Sarah Johnson's house... just as long a walk as lunch if we hadn't hitched a ride halfway with Raubes.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We had a great time with them. They have two girls just a bit older than Abby, and an older boy. It was nice to be able to commiserate about parenting a bit. They also had James (pilot) and his wife Natalie over. We had a great time, and it was sad to have to walk home, but the girls were all getting tired.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Today was very exciting as well. I got up early and went on a "joyride" with MAF pilot Remi W. to Sangapi on a medical evacuation. They have a clinic there, the condition of which would horrify any westerner, but which is much better than nothing. A national lady was evacuated for an ectopic pregnancy to Madang. It’s an amazing feeling to think that what you’ve done has saved a life. Had Remi refused to work on Saturday, she most likely would have died.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Continued Monday, Oct 12, 2009, 8:30PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I actually got to do a lot of the flying, and it was challenging stuff. The flight from Aiyura to Sangapi wasn’t gorgeous, flying around and over broken/scattered clouds over the sea of green mountains, through passes, and over incredibly high ridges. The cramped quarters of the runway would give any pilot either wonderful dreams or nightmares. I got to do all the flying until the last few hundred feet. The Robertson droop-aileron/flap mod brought the airplane down slow. As we came over the end of the runway I was very honestly momentarily afraid that we were going to catch the main wheels on the edge. We must have touched down no more than twenty feet onto it. The airplane was slowed and stopped before we had gone more than 300 feet.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We picked up the woman, her husband, and their young daughter, I would say three years old. She was hysterical about being on the airplane, but (as Remi predicted) as soon as the engine started she quieted. He let me do the takeoff and climb out, over a ridge that I would never have guessed we could have out-climbed. In fact, I did all of the flying, even to the landing in Madang, although he had his hands on the controls as well.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After the family went away in an ambulance, and the plane had been refueled as necessary from a 55-gallon (200 liter) drum, Remi took me on a tour of Madang. It is a favorite vacation spot for missionaries, and he showed me all of the favorite places to go. Although it is hot and humid, it is not nearly as bad as Port Moresby, and the coastline is beautiful. The water is crystal clear. I can see why it would be a nice change from Ukarumpa once in a while.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We took off about 11AM and headed back toward Ukarumpa. Thanks to Bergmans, I had a little idea of how the Garmin 430 works. It was absolutely necessary for our flights. We put the turbocharger to good use (absolutely necessary in this part of the world), climbing and climbing, trying to go over the clouds VFR. We ended up in a valley of clouds, several times having to pass through them briefly. As we climbed to 12,000 feet over the passes, the Garmin showed a terrain warning... mountains beside us that high!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Finally we found a hole, and squeaked through, down toward Aiyura Airport. We did a straight-in approach, not approved by SIL, dropping down full flaps and side-slip over the mountain at the end of the runway, and I landed, flaring high, and coming down in what would have been a poor 180 landing, but was salvaged by a bit of extra power and the tricycle landing gear. I’ll blame the landing on the visual oddity of the uphill runway. What a great time!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">When I got back to the house, Sarah and Abby had been to a “neighborhood” yard sale at the top of the hill, and Abby had a “new” princess dress. Almost immediately the phone rang. It was Dave and Melissa Raube, offering to take us on a shopping trip to Kainantu. Kainantu is the “big city” for Papua New Guineans in this area. We went to a well-stocked supermarket where they were going to get bread and toilet paper, and then enjoyed shopping in some second-hand stores. The stores buy bales of clothing from Europe or Australia, divide them up, and sell them. Much of the clothing is high-quality good name-brand clothing with nothing wrong with it at all, although some is stained or damaged. I picked up another tee-shirt and long-sleeve button-down, and Sarah got a hat for Abby. The Raubes were looking for a “costume” for Dave, who is playing a Russian in the upcoming community production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Sarah cooked her first dinner here that night - tuna casserole.... mmmm.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Sunday morning we all got up bright and early to wait until church... It doesn’t start until 10:45. It was a pretty nice morning until about half-way through the service, when it began pouring rain in buckets. It’s been soggy ever since, and the laundry Sarah did Saturday afternoon is still not dry.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The service was interesting. Apparently people in the community rotate through a sort of council which picks leaders for worship and the message. Ever week it is different. This Sunday it was a Lutheran who led worship, and the songs were all hymns I love, and the prayer and scripture readings very scripted and liturgical. The speaker was an older Australian fellow. We sat in the back, where the families with children sit (there is no “children’s church”), so it was a bit noisy and hard to hear. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We slogged through the mud back home to take the dripping clothes off the line, and moped about all afternoon. The computer was most certainly on the fritz, but I was making a valiant attempt to get our newsletter finished, and finally did. It seemed that we had only a certain amount of time to use the computer before it would fail, then we had to wait until it cooled down before we could use it again. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">In the afternoon I took a walk back to the meeting house through the mud to get my Bible, which I’d forgotten. Unfortunately, it was locked, but I took the opportunity to take a tour around the perimeter of the center. It was a long way! I had no idea how big this place was, and was also surprised by how winded I got, much due I think to the mile-high altitude.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After dark I slogged again through the rain, and caught the last part of the evening goings-on at the meeting-house. It was a report by a couple who recently finished a Bible translation. Very honest... goods and bads. Encouraging in that as well as in the good which came of it all.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Today was my first full day at the hangar. I caught a ride on a little motorcycle-driven cart thing that one of the mechanics, Dan, drives to work. The potholed road is insane. We started off the morning with a Monday devotions and prayer time. Next I was given most of the remaining orientation by the new shop foreman, a fellow who can’t be much older than me by the name of Paul. He seems a nice guy, and easy to get along with. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I got to go home for lunch, which I enjoyed briefly. Sarah hasn’t been feeling too well today. When I got back to the hangar I spent much of the afternoon reading ops manuals. They seem a lot like part 135 manuals back home, except they cover every possible aspect of what happens in the Aviation department. Fortunately, Paul came and rescued me by sending me to find out what was leaking on the 206 I’d helped look at Friday. It didn’t look to us like it had been leaking anymore at all, but there was another squawk to work on, which was a failed engine fire probe. I’ve never seen before, two OAT-type probes, one on the inside of each cowl-flap hole. Good idea, I guess. By the end of the day I was still working on repairing it, as apparently we didn’t have any new ones in stock, and the problem appeared to be insulation chaffed off the wires.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">When I got back home I was just in time for the CTS technician, Loren, to show up, bringing back our computer with the report that although he’d removed a likely-faulty printer driver (I don’t doubt it), he couldn’t make it crash. We hooked it up, and in about an hour it crashed again. Sarah suggested that it could be the dial-up modem. I unplugged it and restarted the computer. So far, more or less glitch-free except for a pause from I-Tunes.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Well, it is getting late. Apparently we are beginning to finally adjust to the time. I slept all night last night, and now I’m up after 9 and still feeling all right.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Sunday, Oct 18th, 2009, 3:00PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It’s been a busy week. As far as work goes,I spent the first couple days in orientation, reading operations manuals and learning what everyone does. I did a few odd jobs, and then got to help with the inspection of an M.A.F. 206. It was the same one that I had gone to Sangapi in. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The only notable exception was on Thursday. Thursday morning I was up by 5:30. The “P2” bus was outside the door at 6AM to take me and several others to the hangar. (Officially the Aviation bus, but called “P2” because all of the aircraft registration numbers in PNG start with “P2”). By 7:30 a group of mostly pilots had got the Kodiak and a 206 loaded and ready to go. By “loaded” I mean that I loaded about 1000 pounds of sandbags into the Kodiak. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We were going down into the Ramu valley, just 10 minutes away, to Gusap airstrip, a former WW2 base. The strip is used for training, and on this trip we were going to be testing the performance of the Kodiak. Using laser range-finders, radios, and survey and photography equipment, those of us on the ground recorded the distances and angles for takeoffs and landings with the Kodiak loaded to its maximum weight and then empty. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Gusap is at 1400’... Ukarumpa is at 5100’. What a difference! By noon the tropical sun was beating down on us, and even with a considerable breeze the heat was becoming almost unbearable. Humidity must have been about 100%. Although I enjoyed the trip and the chance to do something new, I was glad to climb back into the 206 for the trip to Ukarumpa. The cool breeze at Aiyura was delightful. I’m really happy that I can be involved in readying the first-ever Kodiak in use in missions work, in a small way helping to usher in a new era in missionary aviaiton.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">At home, Sarah has been feeling sick since Monday. She hasn’t had trouble eating, but her tummy has been hurting, and she hasn’t felt up to going much of anywhere. As a result, I was up early one morning for a trip to the market, and then took two hours for lunch so I could make it to the grocery store and to pick up our computer (yet again) from CTS. Sarah started boiling all of our drinking water, but at this altitude it has to be boiled for 20 minutes before it is safe. Fortunately, one of the guys from the hangar loaned us a filter, which we started using Saturday morning. Today she thinks she may be feeling slightly better... I sure hope so. If she is sick for this entire trip, it may put a definite slant on the “test.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Speaking of the computer... It seems that a “work-around” solution has been found. It is unclear why the computer heats up so badly, but overheating has definitely been found to be the problem. Apparently there is a firmware upgrade (hopefully we can get next week) that increases fan speeds. I have some doubts that even that will fix the problem. However, the computer guys installed a temperature monitor program and a program which allows the cooling fan speeds to be adjusted manually. With this combination we have been able to keep it cool enough to be usable, although it’s frustrating that it won’t “just work.”</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Friday night was “hamburger night.” The teens on center put on “hamburger night” most Fridays to raise money, and it is the only opportunity for a family to get a chance have someone else do the cooking. Since Sarah was feeling ill anyway, we took advantage of it. Unfortunately, Burgerville beats the food hands-down... but the nearest Burgerville is half a world away, so we were thankful for what we got. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After Abby was in bed I walked up the hill to a new friend’s home and spent the evening with a helicopter pilot, a village translator, and an on-center translator administrator playing board games. We played two rounds of a complicated little game called “Puerto Rico.” It had hundreds of tiny parts, which I love. It was a lot of fun.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Saturday we went to the center library. It is only “regularly” open for a couple hours Saturday afternoons. It’s not big, the books are beat-up, and the card catalog isn’t very good, but we did borrow a few books. Many of the paperback books don’t even get “checked out,” but are simply labeled as belonging to the library, and expected to be returned when you finish with them. Since it gets dark about 7:00, and there’s no where to go anyway, the books will be a wonderful evening entertainment.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Tuesday, 20 Oct. 2009, 10:53 PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Just a quick note... I’m glad to say Sarah seems to be feeling better. She’s not completely back to 100%, but certainly a lot better than she was. The computer, now that we’ve got ADSL hooked up, is quite fast enough to get things done on, although not nearly as fast as in Canby.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Yesterday we had dinner with Tom and Marilyn Kelley, and this evening we enjoyed the Wycliffe Associates weekly potluck. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I’ve got to ride to work and back with Steve Parker in his “buggy” the last couple days... what a blast! The P2 bus seems to average no more than 25mph, while the buggy feels like at least 50mph on the muddy/dirt road. On the way home today (in the rain) Steve let me drive, which was an absolute blast! The little motorcycle-powered two-seater is designed for racing, and the air shocks and grippy tires, along with the light design, make it the fastest thing around.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Working on the Islander today and yesterday.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Wednesday, 21 Oct. 2009, 7:25 PM</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">More work on the Islander today. It looks like Sarah is back to feeling like her normal self, and I feel like I’m successfully fighting off the remains of a sore throat. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 10.0px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The bulk jet fuel tank is almost empty up at the runway. They have been trying to get fuel for a week or so, without success. Today they finally got fuel, although it was in 55-gallon drums. They opened the back of the truck and backed it up to the storage building, then stacked two very large aircraft tires behind it, followed by two smaller tires, then a number of others in a single layer. They rolled the 28 drums to the back of the truck, then with a “plop” and “whoosh” out of the truck and onto the tires. It was quite a job, but now at least we have enough jet fuel for the next couple weeks. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-69168528499954309132009-10-10T23:16:00.000-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.432-08:00The Journey to Ukarumpa...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYVBA3S-ElSPMBL5hg3aIaxsoi5R1w8TtVQCMPd6WNwkICu8lwZqCIrMnTQOBEHv1V7fzckG5JFrjQ1KCzh4WlJIlLYGyp3TRnphslP8JsB8YWPQGajnGk-SIYT2SiO1Xx4Uh/s1600-h/Newsletter+%235+Page+1-768255.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYVBA3S-ElSPMBL5hg3aIaxsoi5R1w8TtVQCMPd6WNwkICu8lwZqCIrMnTQOBEHv1V7fzckG5JFrjQ1KCzh4WlJIlLYGyp3TRnphslP8JsB8YWPQGajnGk-SIYT2SiO1Xx4Uh/s320/Newsletter+%235+Page+1-768255.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391264865215204546" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiofFhBl3hzbULmFT2SMxBZK7Dh5d5ICyR98oxAk2dndwBTWkYXrl_u-BGFdImSQN-PvAYroFkSbHtAksuPLnENjzU9BH-BBrjQj4rnyrH3vFSzkuc0tlvFYvhWubnuohrbth/s1600-h/Newsletter+%235+Page+2-770402.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiofFhBl3hzbULmFT2SMxBZK7Dh5d5ICyR98oxAk2dndwBTWkYXrl_u-BGFdImSQN-PvAYroFkSbHtAksuPLnENjzU9BH-BBrjQj4rnyrH3vFSzkuc0tlvFYvhWubnuohrbth/s320/Newsletter+%235+Page+2-770402.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391264874549743842" /></a></p>The Radfords<br>Papua New Guinea<p>WITH WYCLIFFE/JAARS<br>Newsletter #5 Oct. 10, 2009<p>Dear Friends and Family,<p>We've been in Ukarumpa just over 72 hours now, and our first three <br>days have been wonderful. Getting here was another story...<br> Abby grinned at us nervously as the engines came up to full power on <br>her first "big airplane" ride. Before Portland was out of sight she <br>was engrossed in a new coloring book, and by the time we got to Los <br>Angeles she had decided that flying was no more exciting than riding <br>in a car.<br>We watched our last sunset in the states through the orange haze of <br>the southern California sky, and tried to satisfy our growling <br>stomachs with overpriced airport hamburgers. We were very relieved to <br>board the well-appointed Air New Zealand 747 bound for Auckland.<br>As good as they were, the in-flight food and entertainment grew <br>tedious as the hours slowly dragged by. Cramped into the hard seats, <br>we tried in vain to get more than a few minutes of fitful sleep. What <br>a blessing it was to be able to check into our room early, finally <br>crawling into our beds after almost 22 hours on the move. Cramped and <br>seat-sore, we closed our burning eyes and let the ache in our heads <br>fade gratefully into sleep.<br>We slept the morning away, and made a brief foray out of the hotel in <br>the afternoon. With such limited time and money, the glimpses of <br>beautiful green hills we had seen from the airplane were as <br>informative about the country as our bus-ride to the local shopping <br>center.<br>The cold rain continued to fall from clouds hidden in the pre-dawn <br>darkness as we left our hotel the next morning for our flight to <br>northern Australia. The flight was more than five hours, long enough <br>that it began to blur into the memory of the previous flight. We <br>finally descended into Cairns over blue water and beautiful white-sand <br>beaches glaring in the hot morning sun, and took a taxi to the <br>missionary haven of Tree Tops Lodge.<br>The Hotel is joint-owned by Wycliffe (SIL) and Missionary Aviation <br>Fellowship. Once one of two top-rated hotels in Cairns, it had fallen <br>into disrepair before, through a series of providentially-guided <br>events, it was purchased by the missions agencies. The renovated <br>grounds are now a comfortable and affordable place where missionaries <br>can come when they need medical care, are expecting a baby, or are <br>traveling through on their way to a furlough.<br>We enjoyed our day there, although the facts that our ATM cards didn't <br>work and we were low on cash were stressful, especially since food is <br>so expensive. Add this to the fact that our computer began acting <br>strangely on the last flight, and we really needed the relaxation of a <br>splash in the saltwater swimming pool.<br>At 4:30 AM we were back in a taxi headed for the airport. <br>Fortunately, the flight from Cairns to Port Moresby was only two <br>hours, as the planes were getting smaller in stages, and it was <br>beginning to feel cramped. We got off the plane our first impression <br>of Papua New Guinea was 105 degree temperatures and unbelievable <br>humidity.<br>We spent our first half and hour waiting in a line at passport <br>control, not moving at all. Finally whatever problem they were having <br>was cleared up and we moved through. In the stifling heat we made our <br>way to the exit, where we waited for someone who would pick us up and <br>take us to the MAF hangar where we would board the last airplane. We <br>waited and waited, and finally the helpful local at the service desk <br>helped me place a phone call to contact our expected ride. By the <br>time he arrived, most of the New Guineans were quite concerned from <br>us. I can't help noting contrast, compared to the western way of <br>ultra-individualism.<br>As it turned out, there was no rush. Originally we were scheduled to <br>fly to Ukarumpa on a Beech King-Air, but were then re-scheduled for a <br>Cessna 206. At the last minute, plans were changed once again, and we <br>got to be part of the second or third load of passengers to fly in the <br>sparkling new Kodiak! What a thrill! Unfortunately, sweating for <br>another hour or so while we waited for the pilot to get some sort of <br>check-out in the new plane was less than thrilling.<br>Finally we were in the air for our last flight to Ukarumpa. The <br>blazing coastlands receded behind us to be replaced by the precipitous <br>heights of jungle-green mountains. We dodged tall white cumulous <br>clouds and after less than an hour and a half descended past villages <br>of grass huts onto the dirt runway of Aiyura Airport. We were "home" <br>at last...<br>Dear Friends and Family,<p>To contact us:<br><a href="mailto:d-s.radford@sil.org.pg">d-s.radford@sil.org.pg</a><br>011 675 737 4214<p>Please Pray!<br> The main reason you haven't heard from us before now is that we have <br>had a lot of trouble with our computer since we arrived. Not only <br>does this make it more difficult to communicate, but it adds <br>considerable stress to our lives. Please pray that the technical team <br>here will be able to find the problem, and that it will be something <br>which can be fixed easily and without much cost.<br> <p><br>A lot more has happened since we arrived, and there just hasn't been <br>time to write about it yet. Contingent on having a functioning <br>computer, we're looking forward to writing about our most recent <br>happenings:<p>What our home is like<br>Meeting other missionaries<br>Going to market.<br>The med-evac flight Dustin participated in<br>Our trip to Kainantu.<br>...and other adventures!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-12568592200778617302009-10-03T11:55:00.001-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.433-08:00Leaving today!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuVp7f85XSkpYS-m4pPwU_cC0hT6YULrKS8rRk0innLTIsaJRscJFqUIwbZNdibWwKkZeqqY3fG119G0ykTnN_gCnAohx9C0czitWhukHVe2kgtU37ipRkF6VlAN9HA28rWew/s1600-h/Newsletter+%234-752976.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuVp7f85XSkpYS-m4pPwU_cC0hT6YULrKS8rRk0innLTIsaJRscJFqUIwbZNdibWwKkZeqqY3fG119G0ykTnN_gCnAohx9C0czitWhukHVe2kgtU37ipRkF6VlAN9HA28rWew/s320/Newsletter+%234-752976.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388449450871515218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjOBYyH_HJm072tD671LR77XBW4KS7CYYG1vezk8w0DW0c_qc-91whRDAfpNhZndQZhD_Iko1YD0D54M2iAGOk53xAtOfHjZ2vEVSuG6HYs8UM1W9Um-rtq8IueCRNUJRop-Q/s1600-h/Newsletter+%234+Page+2-755394.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjOBYyH_HJm072tD671LR77XBW4KS7CYYG1vezk8w0DW0c_qc-91whRDAfpNhZndQZhD_Iko1YD0D54M2iAGOk53xAtOfHjZ2vEVSuG6HYs8UM1W9Um-rtq8IueCRNUJRop-Q/s320/Newsletter+%234+Page+2-755394.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388449457235360994" /></a></p>Dear Friends and Family,<p>The last few items are being checked off of my list, and only a few <br>hours remain until we board the first plane to begin the next phase of <br>the adventure that will certainly change our lives for not only the <br>next two months, but forever.<br> We will be in flight for a total of almost 24 hours. With our <br>layovers, the trip will take three full days.<p>Please pray for our physical health<p>Pray that we will have safe flights<p>Pray that we will not become over-stressed during the trip<p>Pray that our home will be safe while we are gone<p>Pray that there are no problems with customs or flight connections<p>Pray that we will be able to sleep on the airplane<p>The Last Crazy Week<br>It seems like the last week has been unusually stressful and hectic. <br>Sunday evening we had a computer hardware glitch, requiring an <br>overnight shipment of a new hard-drive and complete re-installation of <br>everything on the computer (done Thursday night). On Monday I came <br>down with an odd rash accompanied by fatigue that lasted until <br>Thursday. Abby complained of a "hurting tummy" Monday evening. I had <br>meetings from after work until 9pm the first three nights of the <br>week. Thursday we found out that our house-sitters may not be able to <br>be here as planned. It almost seemed as if when something could go <br>wrong, it did.<br> Maybe the Enemy doesn't want us to go. Maybe God is giving our faith <br>a chance to grow. Whatever the reason for all of these things, we <br>found ourselves leaning on God for our strength, and feeling the power <br>of your prayers supporting us. We are all feeling healthy now, and a <br>blood test confirmed that I don't have something awful that will be <br>haunting us as we go. The computer appears to be working normally. <br>All of the packing is done, and the very long list is whittled down to <br>the last few things.<br> One thing we would like prayer for is our house-sitters. Their <br>brother was unexpectedly diagnosed with an aggressive form of <br>leukemia. Please pray for him, and for their family, as they go <br>through this difficult time.<br> As a result, they don't know when they will be able to stay here, and <br>have come up with some other options for themselves in case we find <br>someone else to do it. If you know someone who would be interested in <br>house-sitting, please e-mail us as soon as possible.<br> Please pray that our trip would be blessed in every way. We thank <br>all of you! Without you and the many ways you have been a blessing to <br>us, this trip wouldn't be possible.<br> Look for our next update when we get to Ukarumpa!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-12719046160203193022009-09-20T18:19:00.001-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.434-08:00Quick Update 9-20-09<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrKposJ5d-0nqsaXd6UZqvIxVnW0rgjZXv4PbgNUx00grIUXjdSxRM-NJGqOMqqxoqRVhrJ0b_l-M5qrXZuviLTp3oNuMb3LBfVEjxnepqSu86BObxXbH0zFfnEVPO083YSyR/s1600-h/Quick+Update+9-20-09-756026.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrKposJ5d-0nqsaXd6UZqvIxVnW0rgjZXv4PbgNUx00grIUXjdSxRM-NJGqOMqqxoqRVhrJ0b_l-M5qrXZuviLTp3oNuMb3LBfVEjxnepqSu86BObxXbH0zFfnEVPO083YSyR/s320/Quick+Update+9-20-09-756026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383724138902592546" /></a></p>September 20, 2009<p>Papua New Guinea<p>The Radfords<br>WITH WYCLIFFE/JAARS<p>Thank You!<p>Dear Friends and Family,<br>Just a quick note to let you know we have reached our financial <br>support goal. All of our trip expenses have now been covered! Thank <br>you to everyone who has supported us both financially and in prayer.<br>We now have less than two weeks before we leave, and while all the <br>major arrangements have been made, there are still quite a few last- <br>minute details. We will be keeping our blog up to date and sending <br>newsletters regularly.<br>We'll be departing the evening of Oct. 3rd, and should arrive in <br>Ukarumpa Oct. 6th. May our Lord bless and keep you.<p><br>What Will We Be Doing in PNG?<br>Dustin expects to spend most of his time working as a mechanic in the <br>hangar. However, he hopes to ride along when possible and perhaps do <br>field repairs if needed. He most likely won't be piloting because of <br>the unique training required.<br>Sarah will be available to help out wherever needed, but has been told <br>she will have her hands full caring for Abby and keeping house in <br>third-world conditions.<p><br>Our blog: <a href="http://dustinandsarah.blogspot.com">http://dustinandsarah.blogspot.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-17129292783019771512009-09-10T07:48:00.001-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.434-08:00Papua New Guinea, Newsletter #2<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYVsIqDmluZgsOd8VLT0sXzZrbi-SxI5vsDlqWzOdNsD8Wml3EBzWsvZZg8-HoqxUIgPhaFzAPRefUVAgKJx_J_0GUO8DVyq3evBNPvzP1y67zAGguXjs6tzSafPeo1fDZmIw/s1600-h/Newsletter1+Page1+JPG+MED-706420.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYVsIqDmluZgsOd8VLT0sXzZrbi-SxI5vsDlqWzOdNsD8Wml3EBzWsvZZg8-HoqxUIgPhaFzAPRefUVAgKJx_J_0GUO8DVyq3evBNPvzP1y67zAGguXjs6tzSafPeo1fDZmIw/s320/Newsletter1+Page1+JPG+MED-706420.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379850723957854978" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI-gxAzNWwpuYO5ymcbbZyc8XOc8vo2r8gJ4wAKHuo0dxLjJt1qsR5Ly0HxJ205jW_VGZ9pZ7clGeAsyMe49hUqDJyGhGjheEMxb7Bqp208QiEoV2K_OS1mhRlTN5EqJqczZp/s1600-h/Newsletter1+Page+2+MED-709150.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI-gxAzNWwpuYO5ymcbbZyc8XOc8vo2r8gJ4wAKHuo0dxLjJt1qsR5Ly0HxJ205jW_VGZ9pZ7clGeAsyMe49hUqDJyGhGjheEMxb7Bqp208QiEoV2K_OS1mhRlTN5EqJqczZp/s320/Newsletter1+Page+2+MED-709150.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379850737389408370" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVFH25EUbK-3MgDHL3_dqTpTPiP0gXJ0Fpa4gBEULs1lNMzMwkOK4USoemgcylquevyPb08hb01OHy80SXz9fZJPVUwrikqCqeU8pTA1RKc0ZQ-y6L1-Y3r_TsL9W-oO4HN4v/s1600-h/Newsletter1+Page+3+MED-711606.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVFH25EUbK-3MgDHL3_dqTpTPiP0gXJ0Fpa4gBEULs1lNMzMwkOK4USoemgcylquevyPb08hb01OHy80SXz9fZJPVUwrikqCqeU8pTA1RKc0ZQ-y6L1-Y3r_TsL9W-oO4HN4v/s320/Newsletter1+Page+3+MED-711606.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379850744472119730" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr07YbTI6QJTcEkEqV5d8hMcGV0loSOX77iEDTibypbgPDnojCJ2A3rc9JYvMgsZTS8H31ZEnwQ7hyWWeKQjkvAvs1QIoPjnsMv911CNNzUu-O-FozWGWw0gh2sY3BZ6_aCNpQ/s1600-h/Newsletter1+Mailer+Page-715630.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr07YbTI6QJTcEkEqV5d8hMcGV0loSOX77iEDTibypbgPDnojCJ2A3rc9JYvMgsZTS8H31ZEnwQ7hyWWeKQjkvAvs1QIoPjnsMv911CNNzUu-O-FozWGWw0gh2sY3BZ6_aCNpQ/s320/Newsletter1+Mailer+Page-715630.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379850763997194002" /></a></p>Dear Friends and Family,<p>Here is Newsletter #2 in .JPG format. If you prefer the plain text <br>version, it is at the bottom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-84787813006438148142009-09-10T07:26:00.001-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.435-08:00Papua New Guinea, Newsletter #2Monday, September 7th, 2009<br>Dear Friends and Family,<br>Four weeks from today we should be getting off the last airplane at <br>Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea. For the months of October and November <br>Ukarumpa will be home.<br> At times during the last month life has seemed overwhelming. Sarah <br>was ill for several weeks. The garden is producing more than there is <br>time to harvest - including weeds. Abby has been growing a very <br>determined mind of her own. Our computer hard-drive crashed. I've <br>been given new responsibilities at work, sometimes resulting in longer <br>hours. We got our immunization shots. Abby had her third birthday, <br>and Sarah her 30th. On top of all of this, planning the details and <br>preparations for a two-month trip to a third-world country has been <br>difficult, to say the least.<br> Through these things, God has been faithful. Perhaps He is preparing <br>us to learn ever more deeply that "with men this is impossible; but <br>with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26.) His blessings are <br>so many. He's been blessing us through the teaching and fellowship of <br>our wonderful church here. He's blessed us with highly-recommended <br>prospective couple to house-sit our home. He's blessed us with a <br>loving family and good friends. He blessed me with a good job and <br>bosses who understand and have even encouraged this trip. He's given <br>us trials, but with them He's given us the grace to grow more like Him.<br> He's also blessed us financially. As you can see from the graph at <br>the top of the page, the gifts we have received amount to just over <br>$100 more than our expenditures so far.* Our airline tickets, <br>immunizations, and required insurance -the most significant parts of <br>our expenses- have been taken care of. "Cast your cares upon Him, for <br>He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7.) Our Lord has provided just what we <br>need, and at just the right time.<br> About half of the expenses remaining on the graph are to cover the <br>cost of maintaining our home while we are gone and for living expenses <br>during the time between our return and the first paycheck. Although <br>they are necessary, we would not have these expenses if we were going <br>to stay overseas as career missionaries.<br> We are so thankful to those of you who have given to us, and to our <br>God who has blessed you with the will and ability to give. Although I <br>have believed that He would provide for us, I have always had in the <br>back of my mind a "backup plan." I feel like the man who said "Lord, <br>I believe... help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24.) Already He has <br>provided enough that my "backup plan" is unnecessary. As I think <br>about it, I realize I've subconsciously said to God, "I think if I try <br>really hard I've got this almost taken care of... could you chip in a <br>token amount so we can claim that this is Your will?" He is taking my <br>pride and crushing it under His grace. He is saying to me, "My grace <br>is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness!"<br>(2 Corinthians 12:9)<br> The most important thing we can ask for is prayer support. Your <br>prayers for us are what will keep us going when we are too exhausted <br>to pray for ourselves. We really would like any of you who are <br>willing to let us know that you will be praying for us daily while we <br>are gone. Just as we keep a list of financial supporters, we also <br>keep a list of those who support us in prayer. Please, pray for us!<br> Specifically, we would like prayer for peace about travelling. We <br>are in need of extra wisdom to parent Abby as she grows and develops <br>her own personality. We expect the flight to be stressful for Sarah <br>and I, but with Abby on board it could be even more difficult. Please <br>pray that the time would go by quickly and that we would have the <br>grace and patience to deal with any "bumps in the road" in a way that <br>would bring glory to God.<br> We will be meeting with our prospective house-sitters in person for <br>the first time on Monday, Sept. 14th. Please pray that they would be <br>just what we need, and that we can have peace about our home while we <br>are gone.<br> Please pray that we would be wise about our preparations and the <br>decisions that we make before we go, and that God would prepare the <br>way for us where we are going. Also, that we would have greater faith <br>in Him. Pray that we would not have "the spirit of fear; but of <br>power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7.)<br> Please pray that God will use us to bless those we are going to <br>serve, and that the good news about His Son will be spread to the most <br>remote regions of the jungles. Lastly, pray for us in whatever way He <br>leads you.<p>Thank you, and may you be blessed as you do the work you have been <br>given,<br>-Dustin, Sarah, and Abby<p>*The day after I wrote this, a check for $1500 arrived in our <br>mailbox! Praise our Lord! We are getting very close to meeting all <br>of our ministry-related expenses with gifts alone!<p><p>On the Job<br>I am glad to say that recently I have been able to begin dusting off <br>my flying skills and putting them to use! Although I had been flying <br>more at my current job than before (on average about 3-4 hours per <br>month), in the last few weeks I've been able to fly considerably <br>more. It was a blessing in disguise when our "second" of three pilots <br>moved on to a small commuter airline, and I was trained to take his <br>place. As a result, my current total flight hours are up over 500. <br>Although this meets the minimum requirements of some mission aviation <br>agencies, I hope to have around 1500 before considering our career <br>move overseas. Now that I'm flying more, that time will be shorter, <br>and we will be ready to make missions a "career" and not just a <br>"trip." I am still responsible for aircraft maintenance and repair <br>and all of the odd hangar jobs that I enjoy so much as well. Please <br>pray for my safety and efficiency as a pilot, and that I won't be worn <br>down by the extra work load.<p>Kodiak Update<br>The Wycliffe Quest Kodiak, #11, has finalized plans for its trip from <br>Waxhaw, North Carolina to Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea. This incredible <br>airplane will greatly increase the abilities of the aviation <br>department there to meet the needs of Bible translators and <br>missionaries in remote areas. Not only was is specifically designed <br>for missions work with back-country short-field capabilities and a <br>generous payload, but it also uses readily available jet fuel. This <br>means that missionaries will no longer have to rely completely on a <br>tenuous and expensive supply of aviation gasoline, and the aging and <br>heavily used Cessna 206 airplanes which use it.<br> I was recently able to see Kodiak #8, which belongs to Missionary <br>Aviation Fellowship, as it made a local stop while on tour before <br>going overseas (photo above). Interestingly, it will be based on the <br>other end of the island from where we will be, in Papua, Indonesia.<br> Kodiak #11, with Wycliffe, will be leaving Waxhaw on September 11th, <br>and if things go as planned, will arrive in Papua New Guinea September <br>21st. They will be flying by way of Alaska. Please pray for the <br>final inspections and approvals, for the pilots (one of whom I worked <br>with in Africa!), and for a successful journey. I am very excited to <br>see this special airplane being put into service for the first time <br>while we are there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-60354328253965815222009-08-01T22:56:00.000-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.436-08:00Preparations ContinueDear Friends and Family,<p>We have been busy this week with more preparations and are getting <br>more excited by the day. Nine weeks from now, to the day, we will be <br>getting on the airplane at PDX for our 3-day journey to the highlands <br>of PNG (Papua New Guinea)!<p>Today we began making reservations for places to stay in-transit to <br>PNG. We are planning to stay at a wonderful accommodation co-owned by <br>Wycliffe and Missionary Aviation Fellowship during our layovers in <br>Australia which is known as Tree Tops Lodge. They have an interesting <br>story about how they got started at their website. We are also <br>looking for a place to get some sleep in Auckland, New Zealand. If <br>any of you have some tips on a nice and affordable place close to the <br>airport, we are still looking. After the thirteen-hour flight there, <br>we will more than likely need nothing more than beds.<p>I also filled out all 18 pages of the Australian transit visa <br>applications today. Whew! And those are only good for 72 hours or <br>less! I'm glad we aren't planning a permanent move there! After <br>getting another round of passport photos, those will be in the mail. <br>We aren't expecting any trouble with them, but it always makes me <br>nervous to put our three passports in the mailbox.<p>We are also getting ready to share at our church about our trip. It <br>is exciting to let everyone know what we are doing, and how God is <br>working.<p>These preparations seem so mundane until we really think about what we <br>are doing. We receive regular newsletters from Wycliffe Associates, <br>the major support structure for Wycliffe. (Recently the water supply <br>to Ukarumpa was completely shut off for almost a week... that's where <br>we're going! Imagine what you would do if the water at your house <br>suddenly quit flowing for a week. No showering, no flushing <br>toilets... the compound which normally uses almost 60,000 gallons a <br>day was down to the small amount of water they are able to store on- <br>site. A local land-owner hired men to damage the supply pipes which <br>are on public land, and then these pipes were guarded by men with bows <br>and arrows until police intervened!<p>On the other side of the coin, serial number eight of the new Quest <br>Kodiak airplane is on its way to PNG, and expected to arrive in <br>September! I am very excited to be there as this plane is being <br>brought on line to begin replacing the Cessna 206 piston aircraft, for <br>which fuel is becoming unavailable. Check out their website for more <br>information on this wonderful aircraft, designed with missionary <br>aviation as its primary objective.<p>As you can see from these two stories the missionaries we are going to <br>support are living with hardships and using every resource available <br>to spread the Good News. They are on the front lines, literally. We <br>are really looking forward to joining them! Please continue to pray <br>as we continue preparing.<p>Thank you,<br>-Dustin, Sarah, and Abby<p>Note: If you check back on a regular basis, you can see daily updates <br>about the small things happening being posted to the right under <br>"Current Status:"<p>Related websites:<p><a href="http://www.treetopslodgecairns.maf.org.au">http://www.treetopslodgecairns.maf.org.au</a><p><a href="http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/">http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/</a><p><a href="http://questaircraft.com">http://questaircraft.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-84584570472202395012009-07-26T22:43:00.000-07:002009-12-21T17:37:48.436-08:00Ukarumpa, Here We Come!Dear Friends and Family,<div><br />It is hard for us to believe that in nine weeks we will be on our way<br />to the other side of the planet! Last week we bought our airline<br />tickets. A month ago we got our medical clearances and a passport for<br />Abby. Almost a year ago I contacted Wycliffe about "volunteer<br />opportunities" while randomly browsing the internet. Fifteen years<br />ago I asked God what He wanted me to do with my life, and He showed me<br />missionary aviation.<br /><br /></div><div>Since I was in high school I have felt a calling to missionary<br />aviation. I've spent the intervening years in training and<br />preparation to go someday as a "career" missionary pilot. This<br />means providing critical support to missionaries in otherwise<br />inaccessible areas by the use of airplanes and helicopters. Our<br />family has a few more years before we will be ready to make that step,<br />but now is the time for a "test run." In the same way you don't launch<br />an airplane without a test run on the ground, you don't launch a<br />family into a third world country without knowing they are properly<br />prepared. We have prepared as well as possible for the "career" move,<br />but before we're committed, there might be a few adjustments to make.<br />The purpose of this trip is to find out what those adjustments should<br />be.<br /><br /></div><div>The island of New Guinea is the first large land mass north of<br />Australia, roughly the size of California. The eastern half of the<br />island, as well as many smaller islands in the area, make up the<br />country of Papua New Guinea. We will be serving there for two months<br />at the Wycliffe Bible Translators hub of Ukarumpa, where nearly a<br />thousand missionaries work in every field needed to support the work<br />of Bible translation. There are schools, a grocery store, printing<br />presses, housing, computer stations, a vehicle maintenance base, and<br />many other specialized facilities and workers. We will be there<br />working in the aviation department.<br /><br /></div><div>We will be leaving Portland, Oregon for Ukarumpa via Los Angeles,<br />Auckland, Cairns, and Port Moresby on October 3rd, and returning via a<br />similarly circuitous route December 4th. I estimate that we will be in<br />flight for about 24 hours both there and back, and that we will be in<br />transit three days each way!<br /><br /></div><div>Life there will be different in many ways. Although we are told<br />there will be many modern conveniences such as running water,<br />electricity, and even internet access, there are a lot of things we<br />won't have that we are used to. Routine activities like grocery<br />shopping, getting mail, and making a phone call may involve completely<br />foreign concepts which we will have to master. The most important<br />things to grasp will involve our interactions with nationals and other<br />missionaries. Language, culture, and subconscious habits will likely<br />provide many learning opportunities. However, facing these<br />difficulties now, and being able to spend some time processing and<br />readying ourselves to deal with them for not just months, but for a<br />lifetime, is the entire point of this trip.<br /><br /></div><div>Although we strongly feel that this is the next step in following the<br />plan God has laid out for us, we don't understand how He is planning<br />to fund it. The airline tickets alone cost $4,300! In addition, we<br />will need about $7,000 for other travel and living expenses while we<br />are there, to pay our bills here while we are gone, and to get us<br />through to the first pay check after we return. Realistically we need<br />to have $11,300 in our bank account before we leave. That's a lot of<br />money for you or me, but it's as easy for our God to provide $10,000<br />as it is for Him to provide $10. We've been saving money for a long<br />time; considering a down payment on a house, a retirement account, and<br />creating a safety net fund. We are willing to put all of the money we<br />have saved, down to the last cent, if need be, into this trip... but<br />we still won't have enough.<br /><br /></div><div>Our Boss is the Lord Jesus. If the Boss sends you on a business trip,<br />He pays for it, one way or another. We are looking forward to seeing<br />the ways that He will provide. It will be an amazing time of growth<br />for our faith in Him. This letter may be one of the things He uses to<br />do that. If you would like to donate money, there is a tax-deductible<br />account set up with Wycliffe. The specific information is at the<br />bottom of this letter. We thank you for following the leading of the<br />One we thank for all things. He will provide.<br /><br /></div><div>Last of all, I can't ask strongly enough, pray for us! There will<br />very likely be physical dangers, stresses within our family, illness,<br />financial struggles, spiritual attacks, personality conflicts, and<br />worse to deal with while we are there. More than anything else, we<br />need you to pray for us while we are gone. We are planning to send<br />regular e-mail updates to all who are interested in which we can share<br />specific requests for prayer, but overall, please pray that our trip<br />will be blessed. Pray that we will be able to see how we need to learn<br />and change to be effective servants, and that this trip will be a time<br />of growth in every way. Pray for protection from the dangers listed<br />above. Pray that we will be used to further the important work of<br />translating God's Word into new languages. Pray however our Lord leads<br />you to. If you are willing to commit to pray for us every day from<br />October 3th to December 4th, please let us know. It will be<br />encouraging just to know that someone is on their knees before the<br />Father for us.<br /><br /></div><div>If you would like to donate money feel free to give to us directly. <br />However, if you would like a receipt for tax purposes, we have an<br />account set up with Wycliffe which we will be using during our trip.<br /><br /></div><div>Our personal fund code is: 8773.<br /><br /></div><div>Contributions can be mailed to the address below. It's important to<br />add the fund code only to the memo line, and include a separate sheet<br />of paper with our name and the fund code in the envelope. If our name<br />is on the check, it will not be viewed as a charitable contribution by<br />the IRS.<p>Checks can be mailed to:<br />Wycliffe Associates<br />PO Box 2000<br />Orange CA 92859</p><p>Those wishing to make a contributions using a credit or debit card<br />should contact Judie Hess in the Orange, CA office - 800-843-9673.</p><p>Our current contact information is:<br />Dustin and Sarah Radford<br />661 NW 4th Ave.<br />Canby, OR 97013<br />503-266-6603</p><p>e-mail: <a href="mailto:djrmoose@gmail.com">djrmoose@gmail.com</a></p><p>We hope to send regular e-mails about our progress. If you have<br />received this letter via e-mail, you are on the list already. If you<br />would like to be removed, please let me know.</p><p>blog: <a href="http://dustinandsarah.blogspot.com/">http://dustinandsarah.blogspot.com/</a></p><p>The e-mails will also be duplicated on our blog, and hopefully we will<br />be able to include some photos and other information there as well. <br />If you are interested in more information about Wycliffe, JAARS,<br />Ukarumpa, or Papua New Guinea (PNG), please see the links on our<br />blog. We are also on Facebook, and welcome phone calls or letters.</p><p>While we are in Ukarumpa, you will be able to send mail to us at:</p><p>Dustin and Sarah Radford<br />PO Box 169<br />Ukarumpa, EHP 444<br />Papua New Guinea</p><p>Airmail letters from the US take 12-14 days to reach Ukarumpa.<br />We may have a phone while we are there, but we do not know what the<br />number will be, or if it will be practical to receive phone calls from<br />the U.S. We may also be using a different e-mail address. Although<br />we don't know all of the specifics, and don't have access to it yet,<br />it will most likely be: <a href="mailto:d-s.radford@ukanet.net">d-s.radford@ukanet.net</a></p><p>Thank you, and may you be blessed as you do the work that our Lord has<br />set before you.</p><p>-Dustin, Sarah, and Abby Radford</p><p>P.S. - Before we leave, we would like to find someone to take care of<br />our home while we are gone. If you are interested in house-sitting<br />for two months or know someone who may be, please let us know.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-16024292525934699652009-01-12T14:54:00.000-08:002009-12-21T17:38:21.461-08:00Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!I guess it's been a while. Due to some serious uploading issues, I don't have any new pictures here. However, off to the left, at the top of our favorite links, you can see one called OUR PICTURE ALBUMS. That is a link to our Shutterfly site. It has pictures from the trip Abby and I took to North Dakota, and a bunch of Christmas pictures. It also has some older pictures. <div><br /></div><div>December was pretty crazy around here. Dustin remodeled the bathroom the first weekend. It ended up taking much longer than one day (as he had planned). Luckily, we were only without a toilet for one day. He tore out the carpet and replaced it with tile. He also replaced the toilet, cabinets, and molding. What a huge job! It looks much better now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dustin and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on December 13th. We actually left Abby for 2 nights!! We didn't go very far (downtown Portland), but we had a lot of fun. By the time we headed home, the snow had started. There were cars all over the side of the road! It was a slow trip, but we made it home safely. We then celebrated Christmas with Dustin's parents, since they had been up here watching Abby. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was more snow throughout the week, so Abby and I dug out a really old sled we found in the garage. Talk about fast! That thing can move! A few days later, all three of us spent the afternoon sledding. Abby had a blast! By Christmas Eve, we had 14 inches of snow. It was great fun, but hard getting around, even with chains on the car. We spent Christmas at my aunt's house in Brooks. The roads were fairly clear, but we almost couldn't get out of our parking space! We spent the afternoon eating and opening presents, and Abby got to take apart the gingerbread house they had made. </div><div><br /></div><div>We rang in the new year at Dustin's aunt's house in Clackamas. She had a cheese party. We didn't plan to stay all evening, but we were still there when the new year began. Abby was still awake and having fun, but she fell asleep within minutes of getting in the car. </div><div><br /></div><div>We've been taking life easy since then. Abby was sick last week and she still isn't sleeping well. I'm starting to feel a bit sick, myself. Today definitely felt like a Monday! I'm hoping to start updating this blog more often, but no guarantees. I know I've said that before, and it just hasn't worked out. Oh well, Happy Monday!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-35529139263611154992008-10-31T14:54:00.000-07:002008-10-31T16:02:40.060-07:00Catching Up<div style="text-align: left;">It was a busy summer and I didn't manage to keep up with blogging, so here are some pictures of the highlights.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In June, Abby went to the zoo for the first time. We spent several hours there, and she loved it!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KJwxlat2UhQ6V4h0NIaYX8y9xQzobGAy4RXS-fpDCyGQgMY9WsRMkkXKmi9T8pN22QJbaPr8pApAZ7niyCVFh2LjpApTskldIFblpsJAFrlTrxHPYmpTUtKY566XggZNpLGh/s1600-h/June.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KJwxlat2UhQ6V4h0NIaYX8y9xQzobGAy4RXS-fpDCyGQgMY9WsRMkkXKmi9T8pN22QJbaPr8pApAZ7niyCVFh2LjpApTskldIFblpsJAFrlTrxHPYmpTUtKY566XggZNpLGh/s320/June.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263451450111528482" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She also received her first major haircut (from me). It turned out a lot shorter than I expected.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqxQV9uatWxkY_E8OxWubYI0qvs4zK3mSkpBtjo7UUoeWq-5fENU18_F-YB67x9AmS4SXsmT9uz7S-OYyWiq7W67v4Hrr97UnhyJDeMSK8e8xBOMO8jUaZzpAcfphf_I1BZLu/s1600-h/June2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqxQV9uatWxkY_E8OxWubYI0qvs4zK3mSkpBtjo7UUoeWq-5fENU18_F-YB67x9AmS4SXsmT9uz7S-OYyWiq7W67v4Hrr97UnhyJDeMSK8e8xBOMO8jUaZzpAcfphf_I1BZLu/s320/June2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263451443962345698" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In July, she started stacking everything she saw.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhClXvqYHPepIXgGDtPkWY9T-aT7f-aNGFKW0MIgjmKvte0f69WCDECz3k-nZ7bLmYMtlST3549-tu6UtCCyKmlJ-VRr5GSg0Z0gGD8fnXGzPPu_AV0V0FtJcj-Zo0qhOPjz0u/s1600-h/July.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhClXvqYHPepIXgGDtPkWY9T-aT7f-aNGFKW0MIgjmKvte0f69WCDECz3k-nZ7bLmYMtlST3549-tu6UtCCyKmlJ-VRr5GSg0Z0gGD8fnXGzPPu_AV0V0FtJcj-Zo0qhOPjz0u/s320/July.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263451439455941154" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We also discovered a cool free water park in Wilsonville. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkHoQ43AabvpTSDUseHyM64N_KG5G7XCI8BexBGUmhefV53FNeXU5y_YTszCOkTpqtDABUpAUKyx2g_Np20QQXYbiV66Ki5EZJssvd-rqx3JANO1pUEnAhHutcWikHMEj1opU/s1600-h/July2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkHoQ43AabvpTSDUseHyM64N_KG5G7XCI8BexBGUmhefV53FNeXU5y_YTszCOkTpqtDABUpAUKyx2g_Np20QQXYbiV66Ki5EZJssvd-rqx3JANO1pUEnAhHutcWikHMEj1opU/s320/July2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263451434315382466" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In August we went on a church camping trip. It would have been great, except for all the rain and the freezing cold nights!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLsECFlnKUYcKF8Zi_EF4BKk_IZb-L4ON5_orNRApX1drBetQdDkRb9MjpNbbGFxHnfE1hrG-eqY19ms5LCvThuZSml5LKgCbs6ILWnnNagTThHeYLMxwHqL6Qs-TaMieKZ7k/s1600-h/August.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLsECFlnKUYcKF8Zi_EF4BKk_IZb-L4ON5_orNRApX1drBetQdDkRb9MjpNbbGFxHnfE1hrG-eqY19ms5LCvThuZSml5LKgCbs6ILWnnNagTThHeYLMxwHqL6Qs-TaMieKZ7k/s320/August.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263450448534740546" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is Abby just before her first airplane ride (piloted by her dad). When we got in the air she wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but by the time we got back down she was giggling. When asked if she had fun she said yes, but when asked if she wanted to go again she quickly said no!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A2jTtLCfnsaYeX2VOqDlLfL4bKF2MM0woAgRIEC3LhN4cDT_QkNSRFbdYkZpC3-ELcnkNfaX6gG6-tHZoOPOMA4CvAgafvzX7VL9NIKFyOM_EdpppCjkEtDMZthIJQNdLU3I/s1600-h/August2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A2jTtLCfnsaYeX2VOqDlLfL4bKF2MM0woAgRIEC3LhN4cDT_QkNSRFbdYkZpC3-ELcnkNfaX6gG6-tHZoOPOMA4CvAgafvzX7VL9NIKFyOM_EdpppCjkEtDMZthIJQNdLU3I/s320/August2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263450443048665122" /></a><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Abby's second birthday was August 20th. Instead of having several different parties with different sides of the family, we decided to have one big party at our house. Dustin and I spent several hours making the cake. It was supposed to be fairy wings, but it looked just like a butterfly!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ljfU6bJ-U8p1KdTQ8usa90ilUPKaUQO9oGV1HmzunhrVkgblQb543nH5bPiZ0fN4Ou8cf4PK0rLL5CA7un-lrM5R9eQdgnCAup_HR8e9f7GDc75QjX2QkPcSEdrljTuh-OYm/s1600-h/August3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ljfU6bJ-U8p1KdTQ8usa90ilUPKaUQO9oGV1HmzunhrVkgblQb543nH5bPiZ0fN4Ou8cf4PK0rLL5CA7un-lrM5R9eQdgnCAup_HR8e9f7GDc75QjX2QkPcSEdrljTuh-OYm/s320/August3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263450440480923058" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Not much happened in September, and when it did we didn't have the camera. We spent one afternoon picking prunes. We picked 90 pounds, but had to throw out about 6 because a dog came and peed in our box! I also managed to fall out of a tree but no damage was done. All of our September pictures are of Dustin and Abby being their usual odd selves. Like father like daughter, right? </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEmy8pFfa2QrkUi4mPKk7GCVe-Ng_bq6B7KA_Ae6p5-7iO9IOgApuFuQDMsVUBv9lykDwUVs7FDvQ4i9WOWBJFyZO3X2sVg6uZ3AkloW8I97OfNPW_1DAhbJ7zqjnbIjJSdJr/s1600-h/September.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEmy8pFfa2QrkUi4mPKk7GCVe-Ng_bq6B7KA_Ae6p5-7iO9IOgApuFuQDMsVUBv9lykDwUVs7FDvQ4i9WOWBJFyZO3X2sVg6uZ3AkloW8I97OfNPW_1DAhbJ7zqjnbIjJSdJr/s320/September.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263449835262104882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUNMo8gL81PnqzK0B3TM8iYC43_brdB7mw6B1kyseDpkRABX2e013cI0_qR1xmDKDRXziSOOFrQG1vADSCnGrRQtDKlOPlrZ85M0dxcUFznq_du9Ora1uTHS94TKnh4LbUIax/s1600-h/September2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUNMo8gL81PnqzK0B3TM8iYC43_brdB7mw6B1kyseDpkRABX2e013cI0_qR1xmDKDRXziSOOFrQG1vADSCnGrRQtDKlOPlrZ85M0dxcUFznq_du9Ora1uTHS94TKnh4LbUIax/s320/September2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263449823902481314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Oo2QGV1VBH3qV4gKuBtfSW4BDXveyy6K6Kq_agN_FgCIN-v9uAcvlc31sBGs2QUIYjK88ikgSdwILzTskOSOgCWfNLO9FdrH_oHgglcS2b2skDJssYReMyrKeHBiYrQVyZ1j/s1600-h/September3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Oo2QGV1VBH3qV4gKuBtfSW4BDXveyy6K6Kq_agN_FgCIN-v9uAcvlc31sBGs2QUIYjK88ikgSdwILzTskOSOgCWfNLO9FdrH_oHgglcS2b2skDJssYReMyrKeHBiYrQVyZ1j/s320/September3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263449807929872642" /></a><br /></div><div>In between all of these happenings was a lot of gardening, canning, and dehydrating! I'll be doing a separate post for October because it was a big month for Abby and me.<br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-72586968598059486782008-09-15T21:59:00.001-07:002008-09-15T21:59:55.335-07:00Dustin Radford is changing his e-mail address!Hi all!<br>Please note that I've changed my e-mail address to <a href="mailto:djrmoose@gmail.com">djrmoose@gmail.com</a>!<br>Thanks!<br>-DustinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-2256272109365467432008-05-01T07:58:00.000-07:002008-05-01T08:03:42.022-07:00Faith Stimulus<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -</span>Matthew 6:19-21<br /><br />Most of us will soon receive a check in the mail from the U.S. government.<span style=""> </span>A lot of people are already planning how they will spend it, and some have even already spent it!<span style=""> </span>The great majority are using that money to buy something they’ve been wanting…<span style=""> </span>a new TV, some home improvements, exercise equipment…<span style=""> </span>the list is endless.<span style=""> </span>Whatever they may buy, I confidently assume that 99% of people are spending that money on their own wants and desires, perhaps masked thinly as “needs.”<span style=""> </span>Few of us actually need this unexpected windfall to meet regular expenses or necessary emergencies. <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p>A few days ago the blog “Desiring God” inspired me with this idea.<span style=""> </span>If you are a follower of Jesus, I challenge you to use the entire sum of money you will receive as “economic stimulus” for God’s glory.<span style=""> </span>Donate it to an orphanage, buy meals for the homeless, send it to a missionary, or buy Bibles with it and hand them out door to door.<span style=""> </span>“Store up treasures in heaven.”<span style=""> </span>It’s an investment that can’t go wrong.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p>Above and beyond the praise our Lord will receive from the beneficiaries of your giving, you will most likely have a more personal chance to bring Him glory.<span style=""> </span>Within the next few months the question, “What are you spending your check on?” will become a hot topic around water coolers and in break rooms across the country.<span style=""> </span>This may be a chance for opening the door to share your faith with someone who would never listen otherwise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->This is an opportunity for you to show your freedom from the love of money and materialism.<span style=""> </span>I have been thinking of the people who will read this, and how each one of you will react.<span style=""> </span>If you have a platform, a pulpit, or a blog, (and I know some of you do) I<span style=""> </span>ask you to encourage others as well.<span style=""> </span>Give glory to God!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-51338544604964169612008-04-24T12:39:00.000-07:002008-04-24T13:50:25.489-07:00Time flies...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPf7ycrhPdfdTqsFAveDuDRnDGx1yx8KuIRwtsjwsYrgspeiyDswG3DRibY21Cdj8_3NKvaAKOhXPLjEgIAGTDL-0PUxyKraLvVaI1D33aOlKmGAmJclm3Nhx7HDrDLW_andd/s1600-h/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPf7ycrhPdfdTqsFAveDuDRnDGx1yx8KuIRwtsjwsYrgspeiyDswG3DRibY21Cdj8_3NKvaAKOhXPLjEgIAGTDL-0PUxyKraLvVaI1D33aOlKmGAmJclm3Nhx7HDrDLW_andd/s320/IMG_1295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192900971776254002" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />We have gotten settled here in Canby, and really enjoy the town. There is a park down the street, and the library is a little further. There is even a grocery store within walking distance. Dustin enjoys the shorter commute. It only takes about 6 minutes for him to get to work.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BtTgnXTRyO4QKESTYzkSTh8SGbipPj0SywLftKRI4uSGasSr6VLr78Z8YsNejtuXZn8-mssee8BxNpOrvF0oRsDK5yI04NhMgTkTYaXXGKZSP547-VJhOemlfjrjIOTEGo8j/s1600-h/IMG_0469.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BtTgnXTRyO4QKESTYzkSTh8SGbipPj0SywLftKRI4uSGasSr6VLr78Z8YsNejtuXZn8-mssee8BxNpOrvF0oRsDK5yI04NhMgTkTYaXXGKZSP547-VJhOemlfjrjIOTEGo8j/s320/IMG_0469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192904652563226722" border="0" /></a><br />Abby is now 20 months old and speaking in full sentences. Sometimes it almost seems as if you can carry on a real conversation with her. I can't believe our baby is now a toddler. The only quiet time around here is when she sleeps. We recently moved her into a toddler bed and she loves it; she has actually started napping again! She really enjoys playing outside in the dirt. Ladybugs and worms fascinate her, and one day I caught her stretching a worm like a rubber band. She asked about eating it, but luckily she didn't try. Abby also enjoys helping in the garden with the planting and weeding. However, she is going through a phase where she loves to sit on everything, so we have quite a few smashed flowers.<br /><br />Our garden area is much larger this year. We also have some berries, grapes, and fruit trees. At the rate we're going, we may finish the first round of weeding by the end of summer!<br /><br />We went to the tulip festival in Woodburn a few w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqAuRkQetKVI8ShskEwunb2vdAEstRmvnbcBO8zhPlen2OOwiOdBHV1HA4Dr5L2x0htql9XCUrcJp8IacBDytAOftZInG_jKRDaK0KiivNAWQZTtu0NN2zMP7kru8CUW223dK/s1600-h/IMG_0360.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqAuRkQetKVI8ShskEwunb2vdAEstRmvnbcBO8zhPlen2OOwiOdBHV1HA4Dr5L2x0htql9XCUrcJp8IacBDytAOftZInG_jKRDaK0KiivNAWQZTtu0NN2zMP7kru8CUW223dK/s320/IMG_0360.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192915398571401330" border="0" /></a>eeks ago. If you've never gone, I recommend it. Especially if you have kids. There is a huge area for kids to play, with slides and inflatable bouncing things. There is also a cow train you can ride on to see the tulips. It was an incredibly bumpy ride, but lots of fun. Abby had a great time. She went down the big slide several times, climbing up the ladder by herself. By the time we left, she was so exhausted that she dozed on Dustin's shoulders on the way to the car.<br /><br />We are starting to think about camping. Abby is big enough that we won't be able to sleep in the bus like we did last year, so we'll have to try a tent. It should be an interesting experience. If we get enough practice, we should have it down by the time our church camp-out happens in August!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-24900535208763613352007-12-31T19:16:00.000-08:002007-12-31T20:35:45.348-08:00Happy New Year!We have been busily packing up our belongings. In a few short weeks we will be moving to Canby to be closer to Dustin's job. We found a cozy little house with a BIG garden. It should be perfect for the next 6-8 months or so until we (hopefully) buy a house. Since we will be gone next week, we basically have to have everything packed this week so we can move the weekend of the 12th. I have to say, I'm getting weary of all the moving. The good news is that we've gotten pretty good at it!<br />Christmas was both fun and busy. My parents, my Grandma, and Dustin's parents were all here for several days. We also hosted the family Christmas party for my side of the family the weekend before Christmas. Abby had a blast opening presents. The sound of paper ripping made her squeal. She also reveled in the constant attention from all the grandparents. To everyone's delight she began saying grandma and grandpa. It took a few days to get her back to the usual schedule after everyone left!<br />Tomorrow is 2008! Once upon a time, I would spend New Year's Eve coming up with resolutions. They were usually similar from year to year, and despite my best intentions, they would only last a few weeks. Since I have found that to be a waste of time, I decided that I will spend this New Year's Eve being thankful for all the blessings in the previous year.<br />We are all healthy. We have a wonderful place to live. Dustin has the perfect job with great employers. We've made some good friends through a church group and a play group. God has met all of our needs, even if we didn't realize it at the time. Abby is growing into a happy, independent little girl. I could go on, but I don't want to bore you. The point is that we've been blessed, and I'm thankful for it.<br />Happy New Year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19153475.post-87543811701966613622007-11-18T16:42:00.000-08:002007-12-31T20:36:17.887-08:00A New Job and a Sermon<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I got in the mood to write today, so I thought I'd fill you in on the recent big news here. While I'm at it, I might get in a short sermon on the end. Missionary pilots need to practice that, you know... ;-)<br /><br />Today is Sunday. I love Sundays. They are a little taste of the rest we will have in heaven. There is plenty of work to do while we're still here, though. I have felt for a long time that a big part of the work I have to do here involves flying airplanes. I've been very happy with the job I've had for the last year here in Troutdale working on airplanes, and have spent a lot of time recently studying in hopes of becoming a flight instructor. That is the way most professional pilots move into work which requires more experience. One day at work several weeks ago, a pilot/mechanic who I have worked with in the past came in and told us about a new job he was taking. I mentioned that I was studying to become an instructor. He reminded me that he had told me several times in the past about the job which he had used to transition to being a professional pilot. They really need a mechanic right now, he said.<br /><br />I didn't sleep very well that night. Although I'd known about the job for some time, it suddenly "clicked" with me that it might be exactly the right job for me. Maybe it just hadn't been the right time before... I didn't wait long to call. Yes, they needed a mechanic, and yes, as a pilot I could possibly do some flying as well. The company is called Bergman Photographic Services, and they use a fleet of five diverse airplanes for aerial photography. The next Saturday I went to their office in Sellwood and we spent several hours talking. I took home an employee handbook to peruse, and told my boss about the possibility on Monday. Last Wednesday I took the day off of work and drove to Sellwood again. From there I went with one of the brothers who own the business to Aurora, where they have a new hangar which houses that half of the operation. I went along on a maintenance flight which was also a kind of evaluation of my abilities. It went well. We shook hands that evening and the next day I officially "gave notice" at my current job. <br /><br />I'm pretty excited. Both the maintenance and the flying will be excellent experience which will mesh almost perfectly with the goal of missionary aviation. I will begin working for them at the beginning of December, and will move right into the on-staff mechanic position which has been vacant for the last year. I will also begin training for the type of flying they do, beginning in their Cessna 180 and hopefully eventually working my way into flying nearly full-time in all of their airplanes. These include a J-3 Cub, Cessna 210, Cessna 310 (twin), and a turboprop Commander.<br /><br />Since the job is in Aurora, we will need to move soon to avoid many hours of commuting. Although we all love the house we are in now, we are enthusiastically looking for a new place. Sarah is pleased with the developments, although no one really enjoys the idea of packing boxes!<br /><br />Also, happy ThanksGiving! I am so thankful for so many things! May you realize the many things you have to thank God for also.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Once again I have to say I love Sundays. This morning we listened to a sermon on the subject of "Heaven." It wasn't the best sermon I've ever heard. In fact, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">it was a bit of an odd juxtaposition, as the sermon covered some of the possible "physical" aspects of heaven: "streets paved with gold," precious stones, "endless light," and "no more sea." I found my attention wandering. Although we're all a bit attached to this world, our culture of materialism seemed to have insinuated itself very incongruously into this sermon. It was not that the sermon was technically inaccurate so much as that the emphasis was misplaced diametrically from where it belonged. As we all know from so many celebrities' lives, one can live a tortured hell of an existence while living in a place with "streets paved with gold."</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> In fact, if happiness has anything to do with wealth, our society should be literally "the happiest place on earth."<br /><br />We were visiting a church we don't usually attend, so I don't know if the worship after the sermon is the normal order during their services, but it couldn't have been more appropriate. The songs were powerful... Not "I Have a Mansion" or some other foolishness continuing to compare heaven to the marred beauties of this earth, but true worship of God and his greatness, an expression of our love for Him, and a desire to see His glory. As the lethargy in the room lifted, I felt like those few minutes of worship were a far clearer foresight of heaven than the preaching had offered. I thought of the fact that for all of time and beyond there rises around the throne of God the refrain of "Holy... Holy... Holy..." and that I was, in my poor way, joining that song.<br /><br />This is why I love Sundays. I felt a rest then... A rest in the exhilaration of giving praise with heart and mind which is accepted by a sovereign God, but which can never begin to be enough. I thought of heaven. I thought of being at rest... being truly at home. I've never felt quite at rest here. I've moved a lot. The Bible mentions that we are "strangers" and, in fact "aliens" in this world. We don't belong. No matter if we spend our lives building a home to live in, and root our feet firmly in the soil of this earth, we can NOT stay, and we can NOT take it with us when we go. NOTHING. Even if we still have memories of this world, they will be like the misty memories of a half-remembered dream, fading as quickly as morning fog before the heat of a blazing sun. Only once have I wanted to "go home" and had a picture of a place on this earth in my mind. After backpacking across Europe and being on the move almost constantly for six months, never having a place to rest for long, I longed to return to my family in Oregon. I was tired in a sense far beyond the physical. There was such a relief of rest when I finally walked through that doorway again and into "my room." I imagine this is only the slightest inkling of what it must be like to finally pass the threshold of "death" and really and truly go Home. It will be an endless rest from being a wandering stranger for the years of this terrestrial journey. <br /><br /></span>Until then... there is work to do. Give Thanks!<br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />-Dustin<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1