It’s Christmastime in the City
As soon as I hear the opening strains of “Silver Bells” I’m transported back to the vestibule of Wild Woody’s discount store in Independence, Missouri. I was six, and dad would bring his electric guitar and play and sing while I rang the bell at The Salvation Army’s red kettle.
Dad’s velvet baritone voice and his smooth jazz chords would echo in that vast space as shoppers scurried in and out: Continue reading →
Changes are in the wind
Hi friends. We’ve enjoyed some much-needed rest and some relaxation with family and friends over these past several weeks. And we’ve had some excitement along the way! (See the photos for a sample.) Now, we’re starting the next leg of this journey God’s got planned out for us. Continue reading →
Land of the Unexpected
It’s finally lived up to its reputation. The phrase is almost trite. We heard it before we came, and we’ve heard it often during our nearly two years here. The nationals themselves use it frequently — it’s a badge of honor. “PNG, the land of the unexpected.
Not four weeks ago, we were called into the Chief Secretary’s office Continue reading →
Did we really just do that?

The Summer Mission Team from the US Central Territory: Christopher Irvine, Justin Johnson, Macy Theriot and Summer Koehler
Upon our return from the tiny mountain top village of Mukili, a 12-hour perilous drive in the northwest of Papua New Guinea, we shared the strange feeling of disbelief. We looked at each other and asked, “Did we really just do that?!”
It was our privilege to accompany the four young people from the US Central Territory’s Summer Mission Team Continue reading →
It’s on my ‘bucket list’ …
… so I made a little bucket. Sort of. It’s more of a funky bowl. But let me explain how it came to be.
I wrote last time about our travels to the highlands, and I referenced one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. The blog was getting long, and this deserved more space. Continue reading →
Well … I’ve been completely negligent! :)
Life is crazy busy, and we’ve had the privilege to travel, so I’ve neglected this blog for a while. It’s been since 1 April that I’ve posted – hey, I could claim it’s been a huge April Fool’s joke, right?
Nah – that probably wouldn’t fly. So let me just start with a bit of a travelogue.
On my daughter’s birthday (4 April) I took a drive Continue reading →
Spontaneous visit to the north coast
On a recent Thursday we were asked to travel to Lae, and Tuesday morning we were on a small jet scooting over the mountains to the north east coast of PNG. We were a little stressed to just suddenly drop everything Continue reading →
My Friday Morning Worship
It’s 8:30 on Friday morning. I’m standing at my computer in my office that overlooks the parking lot at THQ. Just across the way is the Roy Bungay Memorial Hall that serves as the meeting place for big events. On Friday mornings, the Boroko Primary School (what we would call K-8) holds an assembly for one of the grades. So it’s my privilege each week to enjoy hearing one form or another of a student led worship group singing praise songs. Continue reading →
We came back from lunch yesterday to discover a large parcel in our mail — it had a stack of cards from CBLI 2012.
I spent a few minutes reading each card, and it was such an encouragement to me. Some of the names I recognized, many I did not. Continue reading →
World AIDS Day
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious problem here in PNG, and it’s one of the main functions I got to address upon my arrival, with the setting up of a medical clinic and a testing/counseling facility to address most at risk populations (MARPs). It’s been quite an adventure starting from the ground up Continue reading →