Riding in cars with boys.

I'll just start by saying that life in the Kumor household is absolutely hillarious. There is not a day that goes by that I'm not busting out laughing or trying not to laugh! I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband that doesn't take himself too seriously. Lately I am just completely loving the "father-son" talks. These include:
-a discussion of the anus and it's role in food excretion from the body.
-a lively discussion on all of the names for the man's "special part". (Which ended with them focusing on "tally wacker" as a good label.)
- Ben (excitedly, I might add) teaching Caleb the art of writing his name with urine in the snow.
- but most of all, I love that Ben is teaching Caleb that I am their "special lady". It's just so sweet, and makes being the only one on the girls team totally worth it!

Caleb is such a little sponge right now. It's amazing how much he is learning and retaining! I am loving his literal interpretation of everything though. Yesterday, Ben was bundling Caleb up to play in the snow and Caleb couldn't find his gloves. So, Ben says, "It's ok Caleb, I'll look for you". To which Caleb responds, "daddy, I'm right here!".
That reminded me of an interaction I had with him recently. I was taking him to the bathroom and he said "mommy, my pee is really yellow". I replied, "yeah, that means you need to drink more", to which he responded, "drink more pee pee?". LOVE IT!

As you can see, the littlest Kumor is learning from his father and brother as well. He always gives me this look like "are you kidding me mom" and I was fortunate enough to get it on camera. I know what you are thinking, he's too young to be mischevious- well, just check my earlier blog for my response to that. I have a feeling I am going to have an ornry bunch on my hands....and I'm gonna love every minute of it!











Check out Caleb's new video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SpxsV0SGq8

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

So, I was just thinking that I am really thankful for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with our dear friends, the Huebners, and Ben had the whole weekend off!! This year the Kumor family get-together was in a local elementary school gym. It was an absolute blast. Now, there was a time, not too long ago, where a "Kumor family gathering" brought on nausea and fear. I think it is a normal reaction for anyone whose significant other comes from a family with 7 children. That's a lot of people to win approval from! Five years later though, I have come to appreciate each of my in-laws and truly love to be around them! These Kumors are pretty cool people. Where else, at a family gathering, would you see nerf arrows being shot in every direction, footballs flying over your head, and husband and wife beating the tar out of each other with inflatable boxing gloves. Maybe more places than I think, but I am awfully thankful to be a part of a family- both on Ben's side and my own- that can just relax and have fun like that! (Christmas will be with my family at an indoor waterpark...how cool is that!)
This year Grandma Kumor came out from North Platte. She grabbed up Thane shortly after we got there and held him until we were ready to walk out the door. I think one of the coolest things as a mom has been seeing my children embraced into a family and loved dearly by their aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. It was definitely a happy Thanksgiving.

Life with baby...

Well, it's been a few weeks since I blogged, and I don't really know if I have anything to say- but I thought I would just start writing and see what brilliance my mind comes up with. The last blog was about labor, so I guess I will take it from there. Life with two children has been way better than I expected. I can be honest now and say that I expected to be screaming into pillows, pulling out hair, dealing with sibling rivalry, etc. Yet, none of the above has occurred. Things have been relatively quiet and pretty manageable. Thane is turning out to definitely be his daddy's boy though. He has a few traits that are unmistakeably Ben.

1) To say that he is gassy is an understatement. This kid has an astounding amount of gas and the volume level when it is released would make a grown man blush. There are times at night when I am getting ready to change him that I want to look around the room for the camera. It honestly sounds like there is a fart machine and I am on some prank television show.

2) He plots on me! This child only likes to urinate or defecate when his diaper is off. Sometimes I will try to trick him by opening his diaper and then closing it really fast when he starts to pee. The little booger will hold it though - even if I keep it closed for a minute or two- and will start again as soon as I think it is safe to remove it resulting in urine on my clothes, his clothes, the walls, etc. Now I have raised a boy, so yes, I did kind of expect this. Thane, however, also has the amazing ability (because of his powerful gas release) to produce projectile pooh. I first learned of this super power in the middle of the night- but I probably don't need to go into details here. I'm sure whatever you are picturing will suffice.

3) He only cries over food. (I'm not sure which one I should give an example here for- Ben or Thane.)

4) His big blue eyes melt my heart. (a collective awww was heard.)

"Labor: to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship."

Well, it's been awhile since I blogged and since both boys are sleeping I thought I would attempt to catch everyone up on the last weeks' happenings. Obviously, the labor was a success. Success is pretty easy with labor though because it can count as that by simply producing a baby. That being said, there were other things that I will not count as a success...mainly that little thing known as an epidural. Yeah, well, I'm getting ahead of myself there so I'll just start at the beginning. We checked into the hospital at about 7:30 am and were the third couple in line at the desk of people coming to be induced. I, of course, took this as a challenge and told Ben that I was determined to have my baby first! By 8:15 I was in bed, IV started and ready for action. When she strapped me up we realized that I was already having contractions- about 3 minutes apart. I felt them, of course, but had no idea that these were not even a fraction of what I would feel within the hour! At 8:30, my doctor came through and checked me. He leaned to the nurse and said, "she is about 5cm, why don't you hand me the hook and we'll break the water."

The nurse then said she would get anesthesia to come asap. Things started to pick up immediately and I started having some strong contractions. The picture to the right was probably taken at about 9 am and I believe I was using my "sprinkler breathing method" to overcome until anesthesia arrived. (For all of my pregnant friends- I should show you how to do this. I made it up my self and it is pretty awsome...and comic relief for the nurses.) By about 9:30 I was hunched over ready to receive my epidural. Of course he said the infamous "okay, here comes the bee sting"...followed by another.."okay, another bee sting"...followed by ANOTHER "okay, let's try this again, here's the bee sting". DANG TEACHING HOSPITALS! I should have known when two people came in and the woman instructed the man to "stay calm and remember everything I have taught you." (Just kidding, but she might as well have said that!) Meanwhile, I am learning what true contractions are. Yeah, NEVER FELT ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE!!!! That's right, I admit it. I used to be all defensive when people said things like "oh, you only had to push out a 3 pounder" or "you had the epidural before contractions even started." Even Ben's, "I've taken dumps bigger than 3 pounds." Yeah-I'm not defensive anymore. I had no clue what true labor pain was.

Anyway, that wouldn't have been so bad if it were the end of the story. I just kept telling myself, "the sticks aren't that bad- and there will be relief at the end of this". Ohhhh if I only knew. About 30 minutes later I was laying on my back with my legs and butt completely dead to me- but my abdomen was sharp as a tack....you know- the part of your body where all of the contractions are! So here I am, having contractions, but I couldn't shift to try and help the pain. I was grabbing the side railing of the bed trying to pull my body to one side or another to find some relief. I believe I kept my humor for about an hour- I'll have to check with Ben on that. (I have to admit, it was fun in between contractions to smack my butt because I couldn't feel a thing!) Anesthesia stayed in the room for about 2 hours trying to get things to work. At 11:30 though the nurse got the doctor in to check me because she thought I was ready to have the baby- and sure enough I had fully dilated in that time. At about 11:40 the docs were suited up and asked me to turn on my back to get ready to push. LO AND BEHOLD- what happens? The freakin epidural kicks in. Now I can't really feel the contractions that are supposed to signal when I will push. Go figure. :) Nathaniel Bruce Kumor was born at noon.

Okay, all that said, I may sound upset, but it is really just for humor's sake. Yes it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, but I just kept telling myself- "women do this all the time!" Why? I have no idea!...but they still do it. Everything went really quickly though and a couple hours of pain was completely worth it when they placed my baby on my chest immediately after he came out! Of course, he looked like a giant to me and at that moment I truly knew that Nathaniel and the whole pregnancy and labor experience was our "gift from God". I can't express how blessed we felt to have been able to experience things the way they are supposed to be! Nathaniel and me were able to go home from the hospital together two days later. Praise God!

Since then, things have been absolutely wonderful!! I LOVE having two boys at home- and Caleb loves his little brother! He is very protective of him as well. Whenever we have gone out to church or the doctor's office and people try to look at him, Caleb will pull down the shade so no one can see him. He loves holding him and is very gentle and attentive. Probably too attentive, but Thane doesn't seem to mind.

Oh yeah, I asked the nurse after I delievered. I was the first of the three couples to have my baby! Boo ya!

The day has arrived

Okay, so not today...but tomorrow. After 39 weeks of drama, I am being induced. Ben is absolutely thrilled but I have to admit I am a little nervous. I know I have been through this before, but there is something about expelling a human from my body that just seems unnatural/alienesque.

Maybe it is nerves, but I have nothing funny/insightful to say tonight. I do have to
state the obvious though. God is so good. We are so blessed and thankful to have made it this far.

I really don't know where he comes up with this stuff!

So, operation (insert Mike Myers voice) "Get out of my belly" has officially begun. I'm 37 weeks and 2 days which means Thane has fully cooked. No doughy baby this time. Inserted toothpick, came out clean. The only problem is that now that I am off of bed rest and running circles Nathaniel has decided he likes it in there. Go figure.

Now, I realize that I aspired to be 40 weeks and miserable...but what I didn't realize is that I would be able to experience the miserable starting at 36 weeks. So, okay, have your laughs, keep praying that he stays in there as many have informed me they are doing- but know that I am not just gonna lay there and take it. :)

Today we went to the zoo and had a blast. I just love seeing things through Caleb's eyes. He was so excited today that the Tiger had feet, a head, and eyes JUST LIKE HIM! Then tonight we went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. As we were pulling into the parking lot, Caleb informed us that he didn't want to walk with us. Ben asked "well, who do you want to walk with". Caleb replied that he wanted to walk with a naked lady. (We both of course bust out laughing- which was Caleb's original intent.) Ben then replies that if he can find a naked lady in Wal-Mart, then he is welcome to walk with her. I told him that was silly and people don't go to stores without clothes on so he couldn't walk with a naked lady. He then became upset and said that "daddy said I could". Then what does Ben do? Naturally he agrees with Caleb again and repeats that if he could find a naked lady in Wal-Mart then he could walk with her. I think we might have a discussion after Caleb goes to bed tonight. What if there really were a naked woman walking around in Wal-Mart. I don't think I would want my child walking with her. I guess I just don't know where Ben stands on this issue. Maybe this warrants another poll.

False alarms and bedtime

Well, three more days and I am considered full term. What can I say except I never would have believed it 9 weeks ago! I'm so thankful and truly blessed to have such a great support system. With all of my heart, thank you all for your prayers! I can't wait to bring home my giant baby!! Woohoo.

As you can see, Nathaniel's room is completely ready now. Complete with the typical name above the bed...just so if he wakes up confused he knows who he is. (It always works for me in my room.)

So, like I said in the title, this weekend we have had another false alarm. I think I have had every nurse on the OB floor at one time or another. We are all BFFs. It's funny because each time I go back, they give me a later marker to look for. At first it was, "call us when you have more than 6 contractions an hour." Then it went to "call us if they are every 5 minutes and it starts to go into your lower back." Next, which is why I went in last night, "call when they are every 3-5 minutes apart". (So, of course we went in because for three hours they were consistently less than 5 minutes apart.) Yet after a jog around the hospital and some tackle football my cervix didn't change. My instruction now is to come in if I hear crying coming from between my legs.

(To my dear friend Sheila who is dealing with something similar, I think we need to start an "irritable uterus" club as we have both been diagnosed with the same lovely condition.)

On another note, I am learning the joys of having a three year old. (No, Caleb isn't three yet, but I don't think he knows it.) The budding autonomy is a beautiful thing...except when it clashes with my desire to accomplish ANYTHING! One major discovery is that he can accomplish what he wants by making me laugh. I don't know how he comes up with the things he does. Case in point- our bedtime fiasco:

C: "Mom, I have to tell you something very important."

M: "Caleb, tell me in the morning, it is time for bed. Goodnight."

C: "Mom, it is very important."

M: Walks into room "Yes, Caleb?"

C "Mom, I need to relax in my easy chair and read the sports section."

M: (Keeping a straight face to the best of my ability) "Caleb, the paper comes in the morning, you can look at it then. Goodnight." Leaves room.

----A few minutes pass---

C: "Mom, I need to check my e-mail."

M: "Caleb, goodnight".

C: "Mom, I need a snack, my stomach is hungry"

--more dialogue leading to me letting him come into the kitchen and get a snack. I get him a cheese stick and sit with him while he "eats"---

C: "Mom, watch what I can do." He then proceeds to jam the cheese stick up his nose then pulls it out. "Look, I got a booger". He then, of course, proceeds to eat it.

--Caleb finishes his snack---

M: "Okay Caleb, now it is time to go lay down."

C: Runs into living room and grabs the phone on his way into his bedroom and yells "I have to call someone."

That, my friends occured 20 minutes ago. I can't help now but just sit and smile about the joy this kid brings into my life. Yes, he's a little booger, and it's interesting how daily life with him reminds me of the stories my mom told of me when I was young. So- sorry mom, for the pain in the butt moments- but admit it....I made you smile!!!

My dear, sweet,...pain in the butt

I know it is unclear as to who I am talking about from the title of this blog. In this case, I am talking about my dear, sweet, unborn child, Thane. So, this whole uncharted territory is turning out to be territory that is left off the map for a reason. My butt is killing me!! Then there is this silly nerve problem when I lay on my right side. Goodness gracious. All that said though- I'm smiling as I am able to sit here and complain about it. What fun to be a miserable pregnant woman. :)

I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything went well. Still no blood pressure problems. I haven't dilated any more than I was on Tuesday and he actually said things feel "firmer". *Blush* Why thank you doctor.

This leads me to my next discussion point. So, all of this running to the doctor, being checked, sent home, running back, la di dah, is a bit ridiculous. Especially being that I have contractions every 3-10 minutes on any given day. So, my thought is, "gee, I have a doctor right here at home, why doesn't he just check things out for me real quick so I don't have to do the full work up at the hospital". Sounds reasonable right? I mean it's not like he didn't JUST HAVE an OB rotation and "check" hundreds of cervixes out of wedlock. So why not within the safety of wedlock? Yes, my dear, sweet, pain in the butt... wait...that was about Thane....my dear, sweet, stubborn husband is completely unwilling. He says something about not checking me because he won't mix work and home and doesn't want to look at me as a patient. Now, before you make your judgement...it's not like I'm the only one thinking this way. My nurse from the other night is dating an anesthesiologist and she said that when she is pregnant she will MAKE him check her even if she has to lock him in a room. AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST! Come on now. It's time for the perks of sleeping with an M.D. Naturally I am making a poll for this subject. My dear friends Ben and Kate had a poll for a chandelier for goodness sake- I can have one for my cervix.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Well, here we are. I'm 34 weeks and 4 days. 6 weeks and 4 days post hospital stay. If you read Ben's blog, he mentioned that on Friday I had a doctor's appointment and I was starting to dialate. She instructed me to "take my bed rest a little more seriously". First of all, I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what she is talking about, but I guess I will humor her and try harder to relax more. I was given permission to be up and around for about an hour each day- but not much more than that. At this point I am praying for patience and sanity.

Yesterday I had three hours of contractions every 5-10 minutes, so I packed my hospital bags convinced that yesterday was the day. Things settled down in the evening though, and I haven't had many today- so I am starting with new resolve to just take it day by day. This is such a weird experience knowing that I could literally go any minute...but also a challenge to see how far I can go. (1 & 1/2 more weeks and Thane could possibly come home when I do!!) I'm not super comfortable- you know with the whole constant contractions and all- but I am really thankful that I have my experience with Caleb to remind me how wonderful it is that baby is still in my belly causing me such discomfort. :)

On another note, Thane's room is ready for him. I've decorated in frogs and it is adorable! We are all getting more and more excited to have a little baby around again. Caleb talks about being a big brother and how he will teach Thane to walk and talk and play trains. He also can't wait to show Thane Papua New Guinea- which Ben is trying to set up a family trip for again around April of 2010. I have to admit I am a little nervous about trekking out there again with two children, but I'm just gonna keep praying for peace, because I know that medical missions is important to Ben. (Not that it isn't for me- but at this point in my life, I don't really feel so useful as I am just taking care of my children, cooking, and cleaning.) Anyway, there's plenty of time to think about that later.

Taking it easy...

So recently there have been rumors flying that I have been walking around malls, going to parks, making trips to the library, hanging out at Wal-Mart, etc. Well, you know what? I'm not even going to dignify those rumors with a response. I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. That's right- that's me, not a stunt double, relaxing on the couch. Taking it nice and easy. So, there- I think that should satisfy those ugly rumors.

Things are going pretty well in the Kumor household. Ben is in a clinic rotation and the hours are amazing. He gets every weekend off, then only works until 12 or 1 most days. The last two weeks he has even gotten Tuesdays off as well. It has been heavenly. Today we took daddy to the Children's museum where Caleb was uber-excited to show his daddy everything. (Wait, did I say we?...I was home on the couch of course.) It is just so nice for them to have so much play time this month since we are preparing for some crazy changes next month. (Ben is sitting beside me whining because he thinks I made it sound like he doesn't work. I think it's a guilty conscience- but just to satisfy him...yes..he really does work...I think)

As far as the pregnancy goes. I still feel pretty good. I'm getting a little bit uncomfortable, but just that in itself makes me excited. By this point with Caleb he had been in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks! It is just so freaking awsome that the baby is still chilling in there....well chilling is not really the right word. He doesn't really punch and kick, he more like strikes poses. I think my child is into yoga. Either that or he is a male model. I guess I will just have to teach him that there is more to life than being "really really really ridiculously good looking."

Bed Rest- Stephanie Style

This past week has been a blast for the Kumor family. Naturally, I have toned things down due to this whole "bed rest" business, but we have found ways to have alot of fun with limited walking for mom. Last weekend the Airforce base put on "Sesame Street Live" for military families. It was alot of fun and best of all, FREE! Caleb really enjoyed it and he even got a hug from Cookie Monster. I only had to walk to the entrance and then got to sit and enjoy the show.

Yesterday was a nice little barbeque at Ben's sister's house- where Ben and his brother (Brent) waited on me hand and foot. Not bad at all. We also went to the park where Ben and Caleb sported matching outfits...I'll let you figure out who orchestrated that. (hint: it wasn't me)

Then today, Ben had the whole day free so we were able to go to the zoo as a family. Don't worry, we rented a wheelchair and bless Ben's heart he pushed me up, down, and around those hills all day! I heard him huffing and puffing, but there was no way he was even going to let me take three steps. Caleb had a blast running around all day. He would yell, "come on daddy, run with the wheelchair".....and of course he did. We found out that those things are definitely not built for speed as it would start wobbling until I was worried it would fall apart. That as well as almost being dumped out of the wheelchair three or four times was enough to almost put me in labor again....but we all had a blast.

We then went to see Caleb and my first IMAX movie...and it was even in 3D! Caleb did a great job and sat through the whole hour show. I was pretty proud of him...and he looked so darn cute with those big glasses. All in all, these past few weeks have gone by pretty fast.

As far as the whole pregnancy thing goes- last Thursday I went in to the hospital again because I was having around 10 contractions an hour...and no, I hadn't done anything but lay around on the couch that day. Anyway, they did a test called a fetal fibronectin. If interested you can read about it here. But basically, it was negative, so that put us at ease that the baby would not be born in the next week or two. (Ben might argue that it put me a little too much at ease...but hey..I'm a mover and a shaker....aka ADD. My body is quick to show me when I am doing too much though.) So yeah, almost 32 weeks now, and I should have at least another one in me according to this test. Woohoo. It is amazing how I can feel so uncomfortable/great at the same time. It has just been so cool feeling the baby move and actually feeling the little appendages sticking out. I am also sporting a new stretch mark. Praise the Lord! :) I can't count how many times I have said "I am so blessed" this weekend. I guess one more wont hurt. I AM SO BLESSED!!

Thankful

So, I wanted to write a new blog now that I'm feeling a little less emotional. Things are really going fine and I'm just counting each day that passes by as a blessing. It has also been great to see how well Caleb is taking this whole "bed rest" thing. He has been so understanding and will bring me toys to play with on the couch instead of whining that I can't crawl around on the floor and play like before. He says "Mommy, when Thane gets bigger and comes out you will be able to play on the floor again!" It's also slowed us down a little bit and given us more chances to talk. (Before I was determined to get out of the house once a day, which many times ended in frustration with him not moving fast enough or letting me get him ready.) Anyway, he's really been cracking me up lately and I wanted to share something he said yesterday. I took him to the potty when he woke up and this was the conversation that followed:

Caleb: "Mommy, look at my pee-pee. It is bright yellow"

Me: "Well, that means that you need to drink more"

Caleb: "Drink more pee-pee?"

haha. I love this kid! There is no one I would rather be stuck in the house with all day. :)

almost 30 weeks...

I've had many people over the last week say to me, "at least you have almost made it to 30 weeks", "that's great", "at least you know what to expect", and my favorite, "at least you don't have to be miserable walking around at 40 weeks". I don't take offense to these people, because obviously they have no idea what it means to have a premie, but to be honest, it kind of hurts. So I thought, well, why not put it out there what "knowing what to expect" entails.

- There is no bonding moment. Immediately after delivery the NICU staff takes the baby and does quick assessments. They hung Caleb over my face for one look and then they took him away. I didn't see him again until the next evening.
- It means looking at this poor little alienesque being in an incubator with wires and tubes everywhere and feeling like a complete failure. For the first week I cried everytime I saw him knowing that he should be warm and comfortable in my tummy still.
- Having a 30 weeker means walking out of the hospital empty. Empty abdomen- no feeling of life- and empty arms.
- Having a premie meant sitting next to the incubator those first weeks just watching the monitor, praying that his stats don't drop again because it is so scary when the nurse had to come over and rouse him.
-In the NICU you don't really have a baby. It felt like the nurse's baby that I was just visiting. You had to have permission and help to feed, bathe, or even hold the baby that you had created.

Obviously there is more, but these are the things that stick out in my mind. So why do I say all of this? Not for sympathy- that's not what I am looking for. People go through this every day- and if we were still in Papua New Guinea, I would have lost my child two weeks ago. I also don't feel sorry for what we went through, as God was there with us every single day! I just want people to realize how much all of this hurts to be facing the same situation again. I feel like a failure again and I don't need people telling me to look on the bright side when I KNOW that there is nothing bright about having a 30 weeker. Maybe instead people could have a little faith in me and for me, and help me look forward to 34. Maybe, by God's grace, I could even be miserable walking around at 40!

Home from the slammer

Well, what can I say. I'm just not good at this baby carrying business. My oven only stays cooking for around 29 weeks then it does an automatic shut off. Luckily we were able to reset everything but we just aren't sure how well my timer works. I guess we'll see....

I went into labor last Friday evening and finally went into the hospital at 3 a.m. They put me on magnesium to stop everything and gave me some steroid shots for the baby's lungs. Over the weekend, things calmed down and I got to come home on Tuesday. Poor Caleb was bounced around the whole time, but he seems to have survived in one piece.

One of the hardest things has been realizing that this is the last baby I will carry. We had decided from the get-go that if there were any problems that we would accept that this would be the last. It just doesn't seem fair to put these little lives in danger. God is teaching me though, just to be thankful for these little blessings I have and realize that He, in all of his wisdom, may have other plans for us or even future children through other means.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. It has meant alot to Ben and I.

27 weeks

Hey Everybody,

I thought I would just write a little update on the pregnancy and life here. So far I am feeling pretty good. I feel a little more healthy with this one than I did with Caleb (that is possibly due to all of the cake, ho-hos, etc. that I helped myself to during Caleb's pregnancy.) I have had some contractions, just like with Caleb...but am finding that lots of water and rest calm them down quickly. The doctor ran some tests to see if there was something that caused my preeclampsia with Caleb and I evidently tested positive for some sort of clotting disorder. ( I would tell more, but I don't really know any more.) So, anyway, he's having me take a baby asprin a day, so hopefully that will help keep this one in the cooker longer.

Caleb is doing great, and he is really excited about his brother. He talks about changing the poopy diapers, and how the baby will play trains with him. I know it will be quite an adjustment, but for the moment he is ready to be a big brother. We have joined a play group and Caleb is slowly getting used to being around other children. He is still scared of toddlers, but I see him being more and more assertive.

Ben has started his first real month of residency, OB. He really likes it and delivered his first baby on the first day. He also survived his first weekend of call. I'm really proud of him! Caleb has also adjusted his play signifying that he has noticed the change as well. He will say "Mommy, I have to go to the hospital because there is a sick lady and I need to help her feel better." He will then proceed to "drive off" on his little bike. He returns long enough to say he is home, and then goes through the whole process again. He does get so excited though when Ben walks in the door. He will yell, "Daddy!!! YAY!! Congratulations, daddy!" He sure does look up to him!

Overall we are doing really great. I love my boys and just feel so blessed!

Home sweet HOME!

Hey everybody! So, after a few months of being vagabonds, we are finally in our own home...not just our stuff...we are here too! For those of you who don't know, the day we were supposed to move into the home, there was a pretty bad storm in Omaha and a fallen tree ripped the power and cable lines from our house. Alot of Omaha was out of power for about 4 days. Anyway, we have been able to sleep in our home the last two nights and the cable guy just hooked us up with our internet. Not that I am going to blog tons more- I have found that being back in the states has produced little to write about. :) We sure do still miss Papua New Guinea, but we are getting back into the swing of things here. Ben has started his residency, but this month is mainly orientation- so it has been pretty GREAT hours. I have been feeling pretty good with my pregnancy, I just have to take it easy or the contrations start again. I'm determined to hold on this time and I think the little guy is going to cooperate.
Our new home phone is 402-884-6823. Give us a call, or come by and see the sweet new pad if any of you just happen to be driving thorough Nebraska....:)

Home sweet...wait, we don't have a home

Well, we have made it back into the States. I suppose I should have written that....oh....about 2 weeks ago, but hey, better late then never, right? We were greeted at the airport by my mom, dad, sister, and niece with posters and flowers- so that was nice. The plane rides were tolerable, but nothing that we want to attempt again in the near future. Since arriving home, we have packed up all of our belongings, moved them to Nebraska, and are (tomorrow) headed back towards Ohio for Ben's graduation.
It seems like it has been years since we were in New Guinea and we miss everyone there terribly. It's kind of a depressing thought knowing that we may never have the opportunity to return....although we are praying for the opposite. I don't know how to summarize what our time in New Guinea meant to us, but we have come back as changed people. I might try in a couple blogs, but I think I'll just hit the biggest issue for me in this one:
We were only in Papua New Guinea for 2 & 1/2 months, but it's like we completely forgot what it was like to be in the States. It sounds silly, but the first time I watched cable television, I just wanted to cry. When we see it every day, we have a tendency to become desensitized to what we are watching. Even with so called "family programming" like Dancing with the Stars. Having my little boy in the room while these women wear little more than bikinis and call them dresses just made me sad. How am I going to teach him to respect women when other women don't appear to want to be respected. (Believe me, before we left, I was a reality show junkie. Not the good ones, I might add- if there are any.) Anyway, I won't say anymore about this issue except the Lord really spoke to me the other night and I was completely convicted on this issue. I want the way I entertain myself and my family to be glorifying to the Lord. It's going to be harder here than it was in New Guinea just because of the overabundance of crap that our pop culture has to offer.
Anyway, all that being said, we are really enjoying spending this last month off as a family. We've been to the zoo a couple times and have just been having fun. Caleb keeps saying that he wants to go back to Papua New Guinea, but I don't think he realizes that we would have to sit through the plane rides again if we were to do that. He is loving seeing all of his grandparents though and they are all spoiling him with new trains and lots of hugs. As for me and Ben- we have been keeping busy with our Wii. We stayed up until about 4 the other day playing- which doesn't help with the whole getting our sleep patterns straight endeavor. We have to do it now though, before he is actually a grown up and can't play all the time anymore!

Another week, another life-threatening event

Well, we are starting our final week here at PNG, and I know alot of people will enjoy being able to quit holding their breath for our safety. Like I said last week, it seems like everywhere you want to go around here is a life-threatening journey. Even driving along the main road you run the risk of being stopped by gunned men and robbed. I won't tell these stories I have heard until I am safely home. :) (I do have to say I am awful proud of Judy, there were a group of men in the road yesterday and she just plowed by, ignoring their gestures for her to stop.) Anyway, back to the event- I was NOT involved this time. Ben and a group of guys went repelling into an unexplored cave. I felt uneasy the whole time they were planning this trip, but, around here, I guess you just can't live in fear. The morning they left, I was laying in bed and heard Ben call my name. It was so real that I yelled back, "what?" only to find upon looking around that he was not anywhere around. I was so sure that I heard him call me that I even looked out on the front porch to see if he was there. Immediately I felt a strong desire to just pray for the men. I won't give too many details because I know Ben is going to write a blog about the experience tonight, I will just say that the Lord was with them, kept them calm, and protected them! I don't know all of the technicalities, but a D-ring came loose as Ben was assending the cave- about 50 feet up. He was able to struggle in mid-air for about an hour and get it latched enough for him to continue up. After the second came up, the youngest of the guys couldn't reach the top, and we had to send some men from the base into the darkness to retrieve him (2 hours away). Needless to say, us wives were praying. A big group of native children who are close to the guy stuck down there ran all of the way from the hospital to the cave to make sure he would be okay. Then, upon his return, they were all singing outside of his house, "Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God can not do."

We spent Mother's Day with the same two guys and their families. We rode into town to church, then the Highlander hotel for a poolside meal and swim. The sermon was interesting, and the message different than what you would hear in the states. His emphasis was on creation and how woman was created to be a helper for the man, not property or under the man, but equal and important. It's interesting how much women do in this culture. They are actually viewed as the strong ones, because they do alot of hard labor and carry their children everywhere. You also won't see a man and woman holding hands. Men hold hands all of the time as a sign of friendship with other men, but since men are viewed as above women, even if married, they do not walk around holding hands. I'm sure Ben and we got some strange looks yesterday, but I was clinging to that man knowing I could have lost him the day before! It ended up being a great Mother's Day though as we relaxed then played in the pool.

Well, like I said, we have a week left and we sure are going to miss it here. I get teary-eyed when I think about it. We have made such great friends and I can only pray that God would allow us the opportunity to someday return. Caleb especially has really adapted and settled in. I know he will miss his new friends- especially Priscilla and Olivia. Olivia and him are both two and get along quite nicely if there are no toys involved- especially if the activity is simply throwing rocks or playing in the mud.

Computer problems

Just wanted to let you guys know- one of the hospital computers has a virus and has been seding out SPAM from the network. Sorry if you have gotten any from me. Anyway, if you have an aol adress, then I will be unable to write you from my e-mail until the problem is fixed. :(

Food and Fun

Another week that has just flown by here in PNG. It seems like we have been here forever, yet the time is just slipping away so fast. This weekend, we had a missionary potluck as missionaries came from all over the area. It was so yummy! (You know how at church pot-lucks, there is always that unidentifiable dish that you are afraid to touch? Well, they don't have those at these. Everything is made from scratch and tastes delicious!) We met some nice people from Wales that were translators for a community about 45 minutes away. These are the missionaries that just come to a tribe, learn the language, form relationships, and start teaching about the bible. Rachel, one of the wives was telling me about this process. (There are two couples there with their children.) She said they start with creation and go all of the way through the old testament before they even talk about Jesus and the resurrection. She said that if this is not all done systematically then the people have a tendency to just add what they learn into their own beliefs. The way they approach it, the people have a complete understanding before they get to the good news Jesus brought. She said that they know this is a 10-15 year commitment, but God has called them and they are ready to see it through. (They have been there 1 year.) I'm realizing more and more the amazing commitment that all of these families here have made. It's truly a God thing!



Caleb had a great time at the potluck- of course his favorite person was there- Priscilla. I don't know how we are going to leave her. Ben mentioned this in his blog, but Caleb is really coming out of his shell and learning to play with the other kids and trust other people. Prodded by the other missionary kids, he even asked Priscilla to marry him. (He asked Olivia too, who is more his age at 2 vs. 17, but she said no. I was talking to her mom this morning and we agreed it was a good thing, because we don't want to have to start worrying about bride price and planning a big mumu.) I also want to mention that Caleb is finally completely potty trained. I'm so proud of him, and he is so proud of his "productions"- if ya know what I mean. :) My little boy is growing up!





After the potluck, we had a joint missionary service (I will touch on that again in a minute) and then a group of us headed to a rock slide. (It is exactly that: a series of waterfalls where the rocks have been smoothed out and are used as waterslides.) I didn't think it would be that dangerous since the missionary children were going- including Olivia- the other two year old. Anyway, I am learning that everywhere you travel to around here is life-threatening! There are these silly little "bridges" you have to cross, things you have to jump over, crawl around, climb, etc. After about an hour walk covering about 4-5 miles, we made it there alive, and ended up having a pretty good time. Ben fell a couple times- each time taking a child with him- but I managed to stay on my feet. (See mom, I am being very careful!) I have started to feel the new little Kumor moving around which is pretty exciting, but also a reminder that I need to slow down a little bit...that and the fact that I was more worn out than the seven year old missionary kid on our walk home!






At the joint missionary service on Sunday, Ben and I were asked to share a bible scripture. We talked about what each others favorite verses were, and were surprised to find out that both of them centered around hope. Mine is Psalm 71:14 "But as for me I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." In verse 20 it goes on to say "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." I think the first few weeks I was here, I was discouraged for the people. I didn't think it was fair that we were able to call ourselves Christians, just the same as them. I thought that for some reason because of the hardships they endure they should have a stronger name. When I was reading through this passage though, I got to thinking about it more in depth. The issues that they face here are very much the same as we face in the States. They worry about rape, poverty, violence, disease, and infidelity. Sounds alot like things that have touched my life and the lives of friends in the U.S. Sure, we have alot more comforts and material things- but I am beginning to think those are more of a distraction than an advantage. The basic gist is that we are all living with the realities of a fallen world- and whether we are in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, or in the Suburbs in the United States- we have nothing if we don't have the hope that is offered to us through Jesus Christ....yet we have everything if we do have that hope!

We have two more weeks to go, and plan to just soak in as much as possible. It has been such a wonderful experience and we can't wait to come home and share more about it with you all!

I'll leave you with a Caleb quote- and yes, he came up with this all by himself- he starts kicking around rocks on the road and says "look mom, I'm rockin".

Our life in New Guinea

If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge....

I guess we all know now what my answer would be to that question- yes I would jump. Especially if a ten year old was challenging me. Due to the overwhelming responses of shock and horror at my recent jump from "suicide rock" I feel the need to react. The concern hasn't been for Ben, or the missionary children that jumped, but me, the pregnant woman. I would like to put this to rest right now- everywhere you read, the two activities approved for pregnant women are walking and swimming. I was well within my limits. Moe Moe the embryo (we've changed the name) responded that very day by ceasing to cause me nausea. Is it a coincidence that the event coincided with entering the second trimester? Probably, but I prefer to see it as an act of approval. I do hear your concerns though, and have decided to no longer jump off waterfalls. On the bright side, we have encountered an act from God. Our camera is actually in complete working order.
On a completely different note, I wanted to sit down and write about a new prayer request that is affecting the entire country. Almost three weeks ago, there was a major landslide about 30 minutes from Kudjip. Basically because of all of the rain, the side of a mountain fell off and sunk completely below the ground. The result was a ripple of land that completely destroyed about a mile stretch of the Highlands Highway, which is the main/only road servicing the highlands from the coast. The word floating around is that it will take about 6 months to get this fixed. This has had huge implications all over the country. One of the main issues is that groceries and diesel cannot be brought up. For example, we talked to a coffee plantation owner the other day in town. His problem is that he cannot drive around to the local growers to collect the coffee cherries. (Starbucks is actually one of his buyers). This is the only income that these local farmers have. (I'm sure Starbucks will still carry your Java, but these families won't be able to survive). Yesterday when we went into town there were cars lined up and clustered at the fuel stations. Many waited for hours, but only a few were able to get diesel.
The hospital here is also seeing the fallout from the landslide. Mainly, the supplies of medicine and oxygen will be affected, but also, people are just plain having trouble getting there. For transportation, there are PMV's (public motor vehicles) that move people from town to town, but the prices have gone up considerably and people just don't have money. The maids that work on the compound are having to walk about an hour to get here. The big push now is for the government to declare a state of emergency. They can't start working with heavy machinery yet because evidently the land is still moving, but if a state of emergency were declared, then (according to the plantation owner) troops could secure the area and they could build a pipeline to at least transport diesel across the landslide site. In the U.S. of course this would have been done within a week, but the corruption and general slow nature of the government is keeping this from happening. Anyway, as I look back at what I wrote, it is just so hard to put into words what is happening, but it is so sad for the people. I think the general consensus is that they are upset, sad, and completely frustrated- but they don't have a government that is really worried about public opinion, and they don't feel like anyone is working on their behalf. We do have someone who is bigger than the government and definitely cares though- would you all join us in praying that He would work in this situation?
I also learned something new about the culture the other day at our "toddler pool party". (Don't worry, no cliff jumping involved- and the only waterfall was from the hose finding it's way into a two year olds hands). The peoples lives are heavily influenced by their belief in evil spirits and the spirits of the dead. Evidently there was a case of a family who was convinced that their colicky baby was possessed by evil spirits. So much so, that they held it over the fire to scare away the spirits- then brought it into the hospital.(I have a feeling that social services would have been all over that in the states) Also, when an important member of a tribe dies, they automatically assume it is a curse from a rival tribe and will seek retaliation. These beliefs are prevalent in the non believing tribes, but also amongst Christians. I gathered that the missionaries are pretty frustrated about these beliefs, obviously, but don't know how to approach it in a way that they aren't immediately shut off as just being the "white people who just don't understand". So, yeah, just another thing to pray for- that God would give the missionaries wisdom in handling these deep rooted beliefs.
I think that's enough update for tonight. Thank you all for your letters and encouragement. We love hearing how everyone is doing!

Another in a series of unfortunate events

Hope you are all having a great weekend! We had quite an eventful one. For those of you who knew our plans, we visited suicide rock today. We returned almost in the same condition we left in. It was about a two mile walk/mud slosh/hop over ditch/climb, from our house, and yes, we took Caleb along with us. I was impressed with Ben- as he ended up carrying Caleb the whole way. "Suicide Rock" is basically a waterfall and at the base there is a deep area that you can jump down into. The current then takes you about 10 feet to a place where you can pull yourself out of the water. The water was moving pretty fast, so I had determined I wouldn't jump, but after the 10 year old son of the missionaries jumped- I knew I had to do it. Ben and I both survived, but the verdict is still out on our new camera. I was taking a picture of someone else jumping from the top with their camera when I turned and accidently knocked our camera off the cliff. One of the missionary kids, Sam, and Ben were already down stream, so they were able to retrieve it. We are praying for a miraculous recovery. :) (This is why I can't attach any cool pictures of the beautiful walk and waterfall)
Friday evening we had a game and dessert night with all of the missionaries. We had such an amazing time, and the more time we spend with these people (sorry to say this mom) the more we realize that we could do this sometime down the road. (Although I'm not sure Ben will bring me next time after losing money and ruining our camera. It seems I may be more of a risk then benefit.) Life is just so much simpler- not necessarily easier- just simpler. Families spend time together and really enjoy each other. The teenagers and kids were all right in there playing games with the adults. It just felt like the way things should be!
The native children have been hanging around a bit more lately. I gave some cookies out a couple of weeks ago and I think the word has spread. We don't really have much candy left, so I gave them a pack of gum the other day. I hope they know what to do with it. :) Oh well, I'm sure they will come up with something creative if they don't know. One of the little girls we have met, Lilly, came to our door the other night when I was trying to fix dinner. I sent Ben to answer it because I was tired, hungry, and frankly a little annoyed because I was not in the mood to hand out candy. Anyway, she asked Ben if she could see me so I begrudgingly washed my hands and went to the door...only to find her standing there with a bouqet of beautiful flowers that she had picked for me. Talk about a hit in the gut. When I was working in social work in the United States, I got really tired of the "gimme gimme, I'm entitled to everything I can get" attitude. This just reminded me how different the feeling is here.
I have also had time to sit and talk and make friends with a woman named Meti. She works in the garden behind our house and cleans many of the missionaries homes. (for about $0.66/hour) She is a wonderful Christian woman and, like a group of Nazarene nationals here, is trying to raise enough money to go come with the missionaries for general assembly in Orlando. (I don't really know how this is possible- but I'm guessing the Nazarene church has some kind of matching fund, or the missionaries are supplementing in some way.) She is incredibly excited about the opportunity to come to the U.S. Anyway, it started raining the other day, so we had the opportunity to just sit and talk on the front porch. She started telling me a little bit about her story. She has three teenagers at home and her husband left her last December and married another woman. She's having trouble supporting her family, and completing both his and her responsibilities, but then she said, amidst the tears, "but I know that God is with me." She literally has nothing. Yeah, just makes you think.
Ben had the opportunity this week to pray with a family that had lost a child. Basically the one-year-old girl, who was a twin, fell out of her bed (a bilam hooked like a hammock onto the wall) and died instantly. The mother went into shock and they brought her to the hospital. I'll let him tell more about it in his blog if he wants, but I know he thought it was a pretty amazing experience to be able to comfort them with prayer right there in the hospital. No questions asked.
To end on a positive note, Caleb has learned an awsome trick- he can throw up the "people's eyebrow" on command. Everyone is pretty amused by it here, so we look forward to being able to show off his newfound skill when we return. There is a picture on Ben's blog, but it just doesn't do it justice!
Alright, enough from me. I hope this finds everyone well. We sure are having a great time here, but we love hearing from you all!

more adventures

Hey Everybody,
Well, Ben did an ultrasound on me today (we just happened to be in the room and wanted to play around with the machine) and wouldn't ya know it- there's a baby in there. Cletus the fetus 2 was doing his little acrobatics and we saw the little heart going strong. I'm 11 weeks now, so we'll be seeing the little booger around Halloween. We've already informed Cletus that he/she is not wecome until that point. Just wanted you all to know.
We walked down to the river today. It was horribly muddy and I put on a good comedy for the natives as I sunk down in the mud past my ankles...with sandles on...holding Caleb. Yeah, they thought it was hillarious- but not one hand to help me out. Keep the laughs coming white girl! After much struggle, and mud flying up my dumb skirt I finally broke free. We were able to clean off in the brown river that smelled like poo...and I felt completely refreshed. We really did end up having a pretty good time. I felt very "natural" walking the mile back with mud stains.
One thing that has taken some getting used to is being the center of attention. The natives just think that white people, especially when they are two and crying, are just the most entertaining thing possible. There are always crowds following us. They are very friendly and always say a greeting, but after you walk past they start giggling. A missionary has told us that they just think it is funny that they are brave enough to talk to the "white skins". That aside, they are a very compassionate people. I forgot to mention that when I lost my wallet in town, I kind of broke down for a minute because Caleb was acting very "two" at the same moment. ("Two" is no longer a number, it is an adjective) Anyway, our watchman that was riding with us was in the back of the van started crying too. He kept saying sorry to me and felt so bad that this had happened. It was so sweet!
(Angie, you've already heard this, but I'm gonna pull some of what I wrote to you so I don't have to think about it too much again.) I do have some bad news, the baby in the picture that I sent last e-mail passed away. They have actually lost quite a few babies this past week. In fact, it is customary not to name kids until they are about a year old to make it "easier" to deal with a loss. Absolutely crazy. How blessed I was to have been born in the U.S. If we were here, even as missionaries, Caleb and I both probably wouldn't have made it. But, then, how horrible I feel for saying that when I hear moms wailing from the hospital after they have just lost a child. It's just so crazy! Like I have said before, I can't even wrap my mind around most things I see and hear.
I hate to end on that note, so I will just talk about the missionaries a little bit. They are such amazing people and have really given up so much to be here- yet at the same time they are so blessed in that there are so few of the distractions that we have in the U.S. It's so easy to focus on God and family here...and it really is beautiful. I know we will miss it. Alright, that's all for now. Hope you all are doing well! We miss everyone!! Love-
The Kumors

crazy pic

I know I mentioned the high infant mortality rate in another e-mail. There was a case the other night, however, of a little baby born at 27 weeks that is still hanging in there. Josh was on call and went to the hospital for this woman who was in labor. Him and the other doctor were talking close to the bed when they looked over and the baby had delivered on its own, with the sac and placenta still intact. I guess this is a pretty crazy thing. This is the picture they took directly after. You can see the baby's face smashed up against the sac. (Ben wanted me to add that the big "meaty looking thing" in the picture is the placenta.) Pray for this little one. Premies don't usually make it around here. (We were remembering the many times when Caleb was in the NICU and would have apneas. His moniters would all go off and a nurse would come and shake him, tap his feet, etc. to get him breathing again. The sad thing is that sometimes, babies here die because there are no oximiters or moniters that go off in the night when they stop breathing- so no one knows to stimulate them.)
On another note, we went to the market yesterday. I got my first taste of PNG crime when my wallet was lifted. It didn't have tons of money in it, but it did carry my visa bank card. The missionary told me that this is the best country to lose that in because they won't be able to figure out a way to use it. So we are on the look out for a little PNG boy with a red shirt- probably coming out of a store with LOTS of candy. :)
Tomorrow is Sarah and Josh's last day here with us. We will be sad to see them go. Time is truly flying here, but we are learning alot. I guess we feel like we have to take in as much as possible, and learn as much as we can- otherwise we have been horrible stewards of thousands of dollars. One thing I want to mention to all of you is the new hospital that is being built here. It is mostly funded by the Australian government and PNG people, but will carry the Nazarene name. The building project is in danger, however, because they don't have the funds to complete the sewer system. The missionaries use their furlows in the US to raise funds, but there are only so many people they can reach. All over the U.S. we build million dollar buidlings to improve upon the already adequate buildings we have, yet our Christian brothers across the world are happy to have a roof. The least we can do is remember to pray for them. God knows how this building will be completed.
I hope I don't strike any cords with the things I write, but this trip has just been so eye-opening. I have been a Nazarene all of my life, but knew nothing about this ministry here. This is the only Nazarene hospital in the world. Can we all who call ourselves Nazarenes just remember to pray for it?

Singaut long teksi i kam long mi

I realized that I haven't sat down to write for awhile, and after sitting through my first PNG service today at the Nazarene Bible College, I thought it was a good time. It's been 8 hours since we were released from the church service, but I still can't seem to wrap my mind around the experience. It was completely humbling/eye openeing. I'm going to try and put into words everything I felt, but I know I will fail to do the church any justice- so bear with me...It's better than nothing. :) From the moment we walked into the service, we were welcomed with warm smiles and hand shakes. People were genuinely happy to have us. Many of the songs were the same as you would hear in the states, just translated to tok pisin. (I think my favorite phrase that they use is "Papa God".) During the worship, the leader of music in an attempt to humble himself, sang with his back to the congregation and facing the cross. It was clear that no one on stage was looking for personal edification.
At the beginning of the service, two people came forward to give testimonies. (I'm not sure if this is something that happens regularly or not because I didn't understand what the pastor said before they came forward. Their testimonies were translated for us by the missionaries who brought us.) The man talked about how he used to fight all of the time. He was running around with nothing to do but cause trouble and was in a major argument with his brother. At that time, he was invited to church where a missionary from the hospital was preaching. He decided to give his life to God and now is studying to be a pastor at the Nazarene Bible College. He talked about how he had no joy when he was doing all of that running around- and now he has complete joy. The next person to talk was a woman. She talked about how she was living her life without peace, from the moment she woke up to the moment she laid down at night. Then Calvary found her and she now lives with peace. Joy and Peace. During both of the testimonies, my mind went to the other stories I have been hearing. Regarding the men, there are multiple cases a week in the hospital where meaningless fighting has led to serious injury. As for the women, the missionaries tell me that each and every woman on the compound have faced their own struggles. From domestic violence to the common occurance of losing children. (I'm losing count as to how many times Ben or Josh has come home to say that they lost a baby that day.) There is one woman who was kidnapped from her family and forced to marry a man many years her elder. She, however, has stuck by his side and become a strong Christian witness in their tribe. So when these people talk about peace and joy amidst their situations, it is certainly something that surpasses my understanding. It is not just a happy feeling that they get in church on Sunday that keeps them through the week. These are life changing concepts to them.
I think what moved me the most was when the pastor stood up at the end of the service and read Romans 10:14-15. He thanked the missionaries for their coming to Papua New Guinea. Then he started to cry and talked about how he would be lost without Calvary, but they took the time to bring it to sinners like him. The pastor of this church is a direct result of missionaries> mission budgets> our tithe. I saw it in action today, and even though the Nazarene church is far from perfect. (Very Far...hehe) I am proud to be a part of a denomination that believes in the great need for missions.

P.S. The subject line of this e-mail means "Please call a taxi for me". You never know when you will need to know that information. I hope it is life changing for you.

Easter in PNG

Happy Easter Everyone! Apenun!
We have had a beautiful and sunny Easter here in Papua New Guinea. There was a sunrise service this morning at one of the missionary homes at 6:30 a.m. I wasn't there, of course, but Ben said the sunrise was beautiful. We then had an Easter pot-luck at one of the missionaries homes. What great people we have here representing our faith. The more I get to know them, the more I know for sure that God hand selects these amazing people.
I wanted to write about a special event that occured last night. Our first tribal fight. At about 4 p.m. we started hearing loud shouts and cries coming from the market on the corner. (Not a market that we attend, or any of the missionaries really frequent becuase of the shady nature). Every once and awhile we would here a group of men break out in song then there were sounds of gunshots . We thought at first that a bride price had been named. This is what Sam (an MK) said last time we heard groups of people shouting. The shouting, however, sounded much more aggressive and unpleasant. The singing we heard was a victory song from one of the tribes, but as soon as they started singing, the other tribe came back with rocks full force. Pretty soon, we started seeing native workers that live on the compound crossing our yard and going to the back gate to see what was happening. That was when we knew this wasn't a normal occurance. We came to find out later that the hospital lies on land in between two tribes that are traditional enemies. The government gave the land to the Nazarene church to try and create a buffer zone. How lucky for us! This meant that we were in the middle of all of the action. If you know me, I was, of course, out with the camera trying to record some of the action. (I definitely get that from dad.) The shouting went on for about 3 hours, then at nightfall it suddenly stopped. Come to find out, there is an unwritten rule that the fighting stops at dark. Later, at dinner, we also found out that the gunshots we heard were the police trying to break up the fight. They, however, don't get too involved because they are scared as well of the large groups of people. Dr. Bennet informed us, however, that we are safe on the compound. He said that no one would do harm to the hospital because each tribe knows that it is the health care for the whole area, and whoever laid harm to it would enjoy the wrath of all of the other tribes within days of this vacinity. We were, however, all happy that the fighting did not pick up again on Easter Sunday morning.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. As you go to service today, remember these two tribes in prayer, that through the hospital more and more of them would come to know the Lord.

To market, to market, holy cow! Did I just see a fat pig?

Hello from PNG!
Yesterday we ventured into town for the market with one of the other missionary wives and it ended up (like most events here probably will be) something new and worth writing about.
Judy (doctor Bennett's wife) picked us up in the mission van at about 9 and we headed out of the mission....nothing abnormal. We drove up the lane a bit and Judy stopped again, opening the door and inviting in a native man holding a machete. "This is Simon," she said,"he will be our watchman today." Then we drove about 100 more yards and stopped at the gate to say a prayer for our safety. Remember the little fear I mentioned in the previous e-mail? Yeah, this didn't help.
During the 45 minute drive into Mt. Hagen I was still amazed at the number of people just walking or sitting along the roads. (We talked to one of the missionaries about this at dinner last night. Most of the people in this area have 0 annual income and are purely sustinence farmers. The men are in charge of planting and harvesting, but the women are in charge of maintaining, so after the planting, the men don't have much to do.) When we got into town I found it was much the same. There were people EVERYWHERE...and boy did we stick out. People are fascinated by Caleb and would just follow us wherever we went. He handled this very well for the shy boy that he is.
The first couple stores we went to were fairly modern. The main one was similar to a walmart. There were groceries on one side and then clothes, shoes, etc. on the other. Surprisingly, there are alot of the same brands we have in the U.S. However, those things are obviously more expensive than the foreign brands and most of them are old or expired. (I was excited to see that there were Fruit Loops, but upon bringing them home, found out they had expired last month....they kind of tasted like colored cardboard). Everyone was waving us to their isle and I felt bad having to choose.
After lunch, (at a modern hotel where Caleb got naked into the pool) we went to an open air market. The vegetables were beautiful and so inexpensive in comparison to the U.S. ( For example, I paid about $.10 for tomatoes and $.33 for a pile of potatoes) Again, there, everyone loved Caleb. He, of course, wanted to touch everything and the people would just give him whatever he was touching. I felt bad and wanted to pay, but Judy said they are more than happy to give to him and would be offended if I didn't take it. This made for a very heavy market bag for me. Thank goodness he didn't touch any watermelons or pinapples.
After the market, we headed home. The shopping took about 6 hours because of the crowds. Good thing I had some time on my hands. :)
I was amazed at how comfortable I felt by the end of the day. The people are so kind and generous. They are always smiling and wanting to shake hands. Judy said that they wondered at first where the people were that caused the problems, because everyone was so sweet. They found out, though, that it is the same people. They always come home by 4 p.m. because that is about when the drinking starts. Then, from there, it is just so easy for fights to break out when a machete is readily available if tempers flair. On they way back into the compound, Judy was showing us the line it is safe to walk to by ourselves. The women are seen as weak in this culture and easy targets for violence. Judy mentioned that her maid wears about 7 drawstring shorts under her skirt to help protect her from a rape. What police forces there are near the cities are in most cases full of corruption. We ate with a New Guinea native doctor that is doing a rotation at the hospital and he talked about the sad state that the country is in. New Guinea has such amazing resources, but is still an undeveloping nation solely because of corruption and theft among leadership and big issues involved with tribalism. That was another interesting thing about the hospital here. There are some interesting rules involving tribal warfare. Basically, the hospital will only treat one side of a tribal fight. When we asked how they choose, Dr. Bennet said whichever one gets there first. They won't treat the others then because they don't want to bring the violence onto the compound. They also make people pay higher fees if they are coming in for such things as tribal warfare or spousal abuse. There are many things they are able to do here that you would never get away with in the U.S. One last thing I wanted to mention is how the missionaries view Aids here. Evidently Papua New Guinea is in the same place that Africa was ten years ago with aids. They are working very hard on prevention so that it doesn't escalate to the same state. They view it however, as a tragedy, but opportunity. They are finally able to teach monogomy. Before, Judy said, because of their culture, they didn't understand why they had to only be with one person. Now, however, the missionaries can teach that if they have sex with numerous people or prostitutes then come home and be with their wives they could die. It is very effective. :)
I dont' say all of that to worry you, mom, or make it sound that I should be constantly scared, because I'm really not. I actually feel completely comfortable and Sara and Caleb and I took a long walk this morning around the compound. It is just that being here makes you realize how many people are in need of a peace in their lives. We were fortunate to be born in a country where we don't live in fear each day that we may be raped or be involved in tribal or domestic fights involving machetes. People in the US don't understand how much we need a Savior because we have other ways to give our lives meaning and importance- through our careers, our families, our posessions, you name it. There are so many distractions to us and compromises that are made in the church to make everyone feel comfortable and happy. It is such a gut-wrenching experience to see the other side. Just simple people with absolutley nothing who need peace, hope, and joy- and know that it can come from nothing they have. I know this is alot of religious talk, but you can't be here and eat with these missionaries, see the countryside, and talk to the people and not think about God every moment. I really like it.

Planes, planes, & more planes

After the LONGEST 24 hours of our lives, we have safely arrived to our exotic home in Kudjip. I will rehash the details later, but I am still sleep deprived and waiting expectantly for evening, so it's just too fresh to discuss right now.
Words can't describe how beautiful the scenery is. Outside our front door is a breathtaking view of the forest covered mountains and both the front and back windows display flowers out of a national geographic picture. Checkered throughout the countryside around us are little thatchet houses and a beautiful stream.
We are actually staying in a three bedroom house with our friends, Josh and Sarah. One of the missionary families left and the house was empty for us to use. It is in a little "campground like" setting with the other missionary houses and native workers from the hospital around. It is 300 times better than the accomodations I expected. We have a bathroom complete with shower and they have a pack and play set up for Caleb in his own room. We do have little ants, but that is far better than the giant spiders and snakes I pictured crawling through the house.
The missionaries already refer to themselves when talking to Caleb as "aunts and uncles" and one family had us over for lunch about an hour after we arrived. They are so welcoming towards us and I'm sure will watch out for us.
All of that being said, I still hold on to a few fears, mainly about safety. It is a different culture with tribal spats, domestic abuse involving machetes, and impoverished people living in a neverending cycle. Driving home from the airport, there were literally hundreds of people just sitting or walking in groups along the road, nothing to do. As I walked into our bedroom, though, I saw that there is a sign above our bed that reads, "Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's great pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32) It will be a great reminder to read that each night and morning. A sweet small whisper that we are doing this for the Lord, and this is what he calls Christians to do....no matter what may come, because we are eternally safe in His arms.
There is so much to say and we have only been here for 5 hours. I am too tired to keep sitting and typing though. We are trying to stay up until 7 at least so that we can get on the right schedule. Thank you for your prayers as we travelled...there were many times I felt God was working with Caleb especially. He really was a trooper and no matter how many planes we had been on, was always amazingly excited to get on the next. Again though- more about that later. I just can't bring myself to talk about planes. Ugh.
Yay, we made it!!!!! :) Love
Stephanie, Ben, and Caleb