What Could Go Wrong

I didn't put a question mark at the end of that title because it was not a question. I am actually telling you in this post all the things that can go wrong right before you go out of the tribe on your first furlough (I feel like a real missionary now. I am going on furlough. Real missionaries have furloughs)

Anyway, here goes. Flights and plans to get a language check and to get help repairing your tractor can get pushed further and further back until two families come into your tribe at one time the week before you leave. One family unfortunately has to stay at your house. Unfortunate for them because you have already packed up tons of stuff and your house looks like Gypsies live there ("Christian Gypsies" to quote my mother). 

Not only that, but you find that your shower has been leaking and have to take it apart along with half of your bedroom and are putting everything back together as your company comes in…"Hi, welcome to our home. This will be your room. Just wait one second while we put the walls back on."

You realize that you are very low on food and have just enough to feed your family until you leave so you place an order to get some nice things flown in so you won't be a terrible hostess, seem horribly inhospitable and lose your "Southern Lady" card. 

That food never comes in. You have a mild anxiety attack cry a little then your husband comes in gives you a hug and you realize it is time to take your language test. 

On top of all that you have a very itchy contact dermatitis on your arms and legs and some of the spots have become infected and you are now fighting cellulitis in your foot (again!) Then a spider bites you sometime in the night and makes a huge painful sore on your finger which also quickly becomes infected sending red streaks down your right hand. Now you are digging through the tub you packed all your medicine in to try and find the antibiotics you need. 

Big Sigh. 

The language test actually goes well and both of the missionary wives who have come to visit are amazing ladies who brought food and treats and encouraging hugs. They did crafts with my kids and washed all my dishes and their five (all together) boys joined easily into this team full of girls! It ended up being a very busy but very fun time and God somehow kept my pantry with just enough food just like he did with those baskets of bread and fish. 

I am now typing this on my last night in Hewa and trying to wrap my brain around not being here for the next nine months. It is weird and scary, but exciting at the same time. Hmmm, this seems familiar. I think you could pretty much wrap up my life in those three words all the time. 

Weird. Scary. Exciting. 

That is all. 

American Dream(s)

We are now about six weeks away from returning to America for our nine month furlough. I haven't really been thinking much about it because I have been so overwhelmed with all I have to do here to get ready…finish homeschool with Lucy and Mattie, pack up my house so that the spiders do not wrap everything we own in their webs while we are gone, and the most nerve wracking things of all - have a language test. Yep. I am stressed.

While I am not actively thinking about America and the plethora of good things that lie in wait for me there, subconsciously I must be getting very excited about certain things that I have not experienced in three years, because I keep having dreams that I am in America. You'd think they would be dreams about fun or fancy things that one can only find in the land of abundance, but no, they are mostly dreams about me standing in different grocery store aisles getting excited about buying random food. So far the list of things I am happily looking at in these dreams are:

1. String cheese

2. Whales crackers (the cheap-o, knock off version of Goldfish. Seriously? I am not even dreaming about name brands here?)

3. The entire cereal aisle

4. Dr. Pepper

5. Milk

6. Grapes

I have even had dreams about standing in the candy aisle at a gas station excited over what kind of candy bar I will pick. How pathetic is that? I have dreams about American gas stations?!?! That just goes to show you that the products available in a simple American convince store are still better than the largest supermarket I have been in here in PNG. 

I did have one dream about going to the movies with my husband. But that dream ended with us just staring at all the movies available on the marquee and getting really excited. I didn't even go in the theatre in my dream. That's messed up. 

So there you go. That's what this missionary is dreaming about from home. I think I have already established the fact that I am weird in this blog, so this really shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you. 

Thanks for understanding,

The Tribal Weirdo