You may have noticed not much blogging activity from us recently. That’s because we don’t want our ReachKovol blog to be filled with our adventures here in the UK. We know people are praying for us though so we want to start posting a little more frequently now that we’re out of the hectic newborn phase.
When we arrived back in the UK in January we entered during a national lockdown and got a taste of what life has been like. Even the libraries were closed! In April our twins were born; queue exhaustion and sleep deprivation for the next 4 months.
We’re pulling out of that level of intensity (though twin babies at 6 months old are still tough!) and covid restrictions have mostly lifted so we’re able to start enjoying the UK.
Not only that but we were able to travel to the Netherlands to spend 10 days there to introduce Alice and Millie to Gerdine’s family.
To sum up the Netherlands in a short list:
bicycles, mild cheese, brick roads, Max Verstappen, earthy smells, small cups of coffee, sunshine, apple syrup, chocolate sprinkles, fairgrounds, large windows and ice cream.
With the rent on our flat ending at the beginning of December, we’ve decided to travel to the Netherlands in November to spend Christmas there before returning to PNG in January. We’re hoping at 9 months old Alice and Millie will be manageable on the long, long flight back. International travel is still very uncertain and we’re not very excited about plunging back into the stress of the constantly changing travel situation, but we are excited to reconnect with our Kovol friends and continue language study.
Our language recordings and notes are getting a little stale; we’re looking forward to learning new things and rubbing shoulders with the incredible Kovol people and their unique language.
Juggling bush life, 3 children, and language learning is sure to challenge us to our limits. It’s hard to imagine how we’ll get anything done when we look at how busy we are right now with the twins in a much easier situation than bush living, but the Lord will give us strength!
Our remaining time in the UK has us seeing a few more people and has a few more dental appointments (Gerdine gets a crown put on her implant next week), but is mostly our making the most of a relatively stable schedule to invest in our children before the travel starts again.
We’re happy here, and we’re enjoying the blessings of the developed world: healthcare, privacy, ease and comfort, childcare and educational opportunities, fun activities and places, and varied, rich and fatty food.
At the same time, we’re looking forward to getting back and ‘getting back to work. This time around Oscar knows what playgrounds, McDonald’s, streaming video, and schools are though. He’s super excited to see his best friend Louis again but we wonder if digging in the mud by the stream will hold the same appeal as it did a year ago 🙂
I guess it’s another opportunity for faith:
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15
and that “It’s more blessed to give than to receive”.
Change and transitions are funny things. We’ve been through it before and it was always OK before – but they never seem to get easier; if anything it seems to get harder!
We’ve still got some time to get ready and mentally prepare.
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1 Comment
Colette Harding · 02/10/2021 at 9:54 pm
Maybe you could do with talking to Gavin and Carrie Jones, pilot and medical worker down at the Wycliffe base. They came back with their QUINTUPLETS back in 2013. If you look at their blog posts, there’s a few great photos back in early 2013 of their pushchair that had 5 babies one after the other in a long row. I’ll send it by Fb messenger. and the blog link. Of course it was different for them being on a base and not out in the bush like you’ll be. Praying for you all as you start your preparations to go back.