Past Adventures
We spent 7 years living in Papua New Guinea working with a religious non-profit. Five of those years were spent deep in a jungle swamp, living among a remote, isolated tribal group. These are some of the posts that we wrote from that context!
The Final Countdown
The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting crisp and cool, all around us the harvest is coming in…yup, it looks like it’s time to freak out. Usually, October in Upstate NY would have us changing out our summer clothes and preparing for winter, but this year...
My Bladder
You probably haven’t considered this before, but tribal missionaries nowadays are often required to have very large bladders. I mean seriously HUGE bladders. And they have to be durable too. You certainly don’t want to experience leakage out in the bush! Well, I...
The Art Of Deception
As its members work alongside each other, every ministry team will eventually run into a bit of turbulence. It’s just the way of things. We’re people, and we have rough edges. Disagreements, confrontations, hurt feelings, poor communication, it’s all part and parcel...
A Speed Bump On The Road To Preparation
I tend to be a planner. It’s just the way I’m wired, I guess. I like to think things through, weigh different options, come to well thought-out conclusions. I also tend to be a daydreamer – a combination that sometimes drives Rochelle a little nuts. (Like last week,...
Hey Baby
Two weeks ago today, our family celebrated a fairly momentous occasion. You may have already heard about it in the news. That’s right, July 1st….was Canada Day!* (Oh yeah, and we had a baby.) You read that correctly, our number three bouncing baby boy has arrived safe...
You Can Take The Missionary Out Of The Jungle…
Do you remember at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when all the adventures were over and the four hobbits were finally able to return back to their homes in the Shire? Do you remember that scene where they all sat down together in that little country pub,...
Our 39-Hour Saturday
So, here’s a little riddle for you: A family gets on a plane at 10:00 AM on Saturday and travels for 15 hours straight. They get off the plane at 8:00 AM Saturday morning. How is this possible? The answer: Black magic. (Just kidding!) The real answer: The plane’s...
Bush-Building 101
If you ever find yourself attempting to build a home for you and your family in a remote jungle environment, you will most likely be faced with making the following decision: “Will I buy the wood to build my house and then ship it in to my location, or will I cut it...
A Different Sort of Askim (request)
Here’s a conversation that I had with an elderly man last week. He belongs to a dialect right next to the language group we’re living in right now. My friend translated my pidgin (the trade language) into this older fellow’s language for me, because the guy didn’t...