December . . . the beginning of summer?

. . . I know it's a little weird but it's true here. Well, it actually doesn't feel like it being so close to the equator. The weather is basically warm and dryish or warm and wet. I missed autumn back in Washington with the leaves falling and the trees becoming bare. But, as God made it, leaves do fall in PNG but just not all of them in a short period of time. They are replaced as they fall. I even picked up a yellow leaf the other day and just looked at it and at that moment I felt that God had given me a remembrance of something I enjoy. He is close at all times and He is the master of my feelings as well.
Currently we are in the wet season and it has lived up to its label. The other night it rained an inch and a half overnight. There's something soothing about going to sleep to the sound of rain on our metal roof. We are getting a lot of practice doing it.
We are nearing the end of Term 2 at school and the excitement of finishing is beginning to emerge. High schoolers are burning the midnight oil as they enter the finals week with many projects and tests looming. At the primary campus the kids are getting excited for a lengthy break beginning December 18th. They know Term 3 doesn't begin until January 30th. Sorry to those of you young people who are jealous right now. The reason is that it gives time for kids whose parents are in the bush (in the village away from Ukarumpa) to join them for an extended time. I thought when we came that the two week break between 1st Term and 2nd Term was a long time. Fortunately, we have things to do. Kristina is going to be joining us here for about two weeks. We are so excited! Then, when she heads back to the states the four of us will have a two week break. Next, we will be heading to Mt. Hagen on a sports-focused outreach. Na bihain, mi tupela go long Madang long wanpela miting long PBT. (The two of us, Sharon and I, will be going to Madang to a PBT meeting.) School starts shortly after that. You might think that life would slow down on the other side of the world for us but God made us doers I guess.
We hope this blog entry finds you thankful for God's rich blessings and looking forward to sharing them with others.