December Update

Caleb and Aunt Jen

Our picnic on Picnic Island

Hannah and Grandma make a sand castle together

Hannah on Christmas morning

Making Christmas cookies!

Daddy and Caleb

Grandpa and Caleb

December came and went so quickly. Not having internet access at our house makes it difficult for me to keep up with this blog. But we’re doing the best we can. We don’t have phone lines at our house and don’t anticipate having any for years!

Some exciting things happened in the month of December:

First, Craig turned 30 on the 21^st! We celebrated with pumpkin pie in the afternoon and enjoyed a buffet at the Masurina Lodge for supper.

My parents and youngest sister, Jen, were supposed to arrive on the 20^th, but their flight from Port Moresby (the capital city) was canceled. They had a warm welcome (literally) to PNG – the “Land of the Unexpected”. They flew in at 6 a.m. on the 21^st instead. It was great to have them here for a couple of weeks. We filled those two weeks with all kinds of activities. We showed them around Alotau, went to a resort for a day, kayaked, took a boat trip and stayed in a guest house with no electricity, picnicked on Picnic Island (a small, uninhabited island), snorkeled, collected seashells, played lots of games (Thanks for Perudo, Philip and Andrea!), ate lots of fish… it was such a great time. My sister, Jen, is terribly afraid of spiders. You think everything is big in Texas? You should visit PNG!! I think Jen went home realizing that those minute spiders in Wyoming are nothing.

We were able to enjoy a Christmas potluck/party at church on December 23. It was a fish fry, accompanied by many other local foods. Unfortunately, my oven stopped working that day and I couldn’t bake my cake. (Our PNG friends LOVE cake and I always make one for the potlucks.) Fortunately, I had done all of my other Christmas baking the day before. As I write this (Jan. 12) my oven is still not working. We’re still working on finding someone who knows how to fix it in Alotau. Thankfully, my stovetop is still up and running. J

Christmastime in PNG is always different than in Cheyenne, Wyoming or Beamsville, Ontario! For example…

• Our Christmas meal included shrimp and yellow fin tuna.
• We went swimming on Boxing Day - outdoors.
• A cup of cold water tastes much better than hot chocolate.
• Short-sleeved shirts and sandals are worn instead of coats and boots.

. . . But they still play the song, “White Christmas” in the shops!! (We just have to use our imaginations.)

Thank you to everyone who sent us special packages and letters over the holidays. We appreciate your thoughtfulness. May God bless you in 2008.