he clock is ticking on my 90-day visa here in the Netherlands and it’s starting to look more likely that we’ll have to return to the UK in the middle of Feb rather than fly on to PNG. We were hoping to avoid an extra international move, but with all the uncertainty the pandemic has brought to travel we’ve learned to hold plans extra loosely (as I think most people have!).
We know many people have been praying for Menum, the young Kovol boy who became seriously sick after a head injury. He was treated at the hospital in Goroka, but unfortunately, he didn’t make it.
The NTM PNG medical clinic in Goroka is a huge support to us in the bush. Check this video out where Natalie talks about the role they have supporting the ministry among the Kovol people.
Reconciliation
Affirmation
Farewell
Think ahead.
Movement from one place to another is very quick. It will take less than 12 hours to go from the UK to the Netherlands, but transition is the process of emotionally arriving – and that can take longer.
Whatever we’re gaining by moving, we’re also leaving something behind, and there’s grief in losing it. We want to try to work through that grief, and not just deny it or bury it for it to cause problems later.
NTM PNG keeps producing nice encouraging videos of teams several years ahead of us. These are the things we’re looking forward to in Kovol!
Right now we’re in what I’ve come to think of as the purge, the getting rid of phase. We don’t have a definite luggage allowance for our intended flight to PNG yet, but from our early investigation of routes, it looks like it will be 3x 25kg suitcases and hand luggage.
All we can say is oops. We missed something.
Gerdine’s passport expires in December 2024. We didn’t think much of it, that’s a long time away after all – but as we’ve been getting the papers ready for returning to PNG we realise that since you always need 6 months left on a passport to use it for travel we’d only be in PNG for 1 1/2 years before needing to renew it.
NTM PNG are cranking out the videos. It’s fun to see lots of Kovol footage being used, but I actually enjoy seeing all the other places a lot more. It’s amazing to think about how many people God has worked in to form the network of different teams serving all over Papua New Guinea.
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 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.
NTM PNG just put out a new video. Right now our team is wrestling with how to spell and construct Kovol verbs, we’re deep in the weeds discussing grammar points. This video was an encouraging little reminder of where we’re going with all this.