Why are we here?

Because we serve an AWESOME and LIVING God!!

"Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be

the slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees!"

-Addison Road

I have had the honor of being involved in helping our teens study for Bible Quizzing...specifically, the book of Hebrews.

These are things that I've learned...or was reminded of:

Jesus is AWESOME!

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."  Hebrews 1:3

HE PROVIDED PURIFICATION FOR SINS!!!  Did you get that part?  That's HUGE!!

God RULES!

"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."  Hebrews 2: 10

Yep, EVERYTHING exists for and through God.  Sometimes I get confused and think it's all about me...turns out it's not!!  :)

This is FOR REAL!

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" Hebrews 10:26-27

YIKES!  You don't hear that verse much in Sunday School!  But in all seriousness, you have a choice...you can accept the salvation God offers through His Son -OR- you can reject it.

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."  Hebrews 10: 35-36

Keep on keeping on!!  

Apa's Computer Lessons

Remember Apa?  He's a good friend of ours whose is a living testimony of the grace of God completely changing the direction of a life!
Apa has many dreams and aspirations, yet is still unclear as to the direction God would like to take his life.  So, while he patiently waits, he thought that it would be beneficial to learn some computer skills.  Like most Papua New Guineans...he knew nothing!  I really mean nuh-thing!!  If you have the skills to open this blog and read it you are leaps and bounds ahead of what Apa knew how to do on a computer!
So, Jordan offered to teach him how to use the computer.  Now, every Monday evening, Apa comes over and Jordan teaches him the basics of the computer.  So far, his mouse skills have improved a TON, he can open a Word document, and save a Word document, and I think Jordan may have finally convinced him that he can't "break" the computer just by clicking on the wrong thing.  At the moment he is working on improving his typing skills...which is more difficult for him since he only has a few fingers on each hand.
Apa never ceases to amaze us with his fervent commitment to follow Jesus.  And is currently a great example of a person waiting on God's timing, while passionately serving the Lord right where he is while he waits.

Trip to the "MALL"

There are times when I feel like I wear the same thing everyday.  I felt like this when I lived in the States too, but I'm pretty sure it's almost true here in PNG!
Every once in a while, I need a shopping trip with the other ladies!  SO...we head down to the "rot bung" (literally: the place where the roads meet).  It's fabulous!!

Used clothes get shipped here from Australia in giant bundles.  People buy those bundles and then set up little stations where they lay out all the clothes to sell individually.  The "nice" items get laid out on a tarp or hung on barbed wire while the things that may be a little stained get put in a pile on the ground.  It takes some patience and determination but you can usually find a treasure or two!

First Annual Kudjip 5K Fun Run

I was looking through our old pictures and realized that I never blogged about our Kudjip 5K.  I figured I would go ahead and blog about it now even though it happened a while ago.  

Stephen and Amy Hollenberg (Stephen in the MK high school teacher and Amy is a nurse) organized a 5K Fun Run for everyone in Kudjip who wanted to participate.  Jordan and I chose to participate by being security and a time recorder (which was the clear choice for me since I would have renamed it the Five Kilometers of Pure Torture Run).  All types came out to participate on that sunny Saturday!  They wore numbers and everything...SO official! 

 My favorite participant was Bon (Apa's oldest son), who dreams of running in the Olympics someday.  While he usually runs barefoot, Apa thought it was important, since he was running off station on a road that may contain broken glass and such, that he wore shoes.  Unfortunately, all Bon had was boots...so he ran the whole 5 kilometers in his boots and a sweatshirt.  He did really well too!

Post for Jacob

This post is for my brother, Jacob, who faithfully checks our blog...or so he says...and then gives me grief about not blogging as much as we should!  :)

Just in case you check today Jakie...this one is for you!  Have a wonderful day!  I miss you a ton!  Study hard!

Oh, and this is a picture of a pineapple in our garden.  I'm pretty proud of it because my pictures usually NEVER turn out very well, but I like this one.

and the VICTORY goes to....

...the TORTILLA!

I've always been taught to be a good sport.  I would never want to be called a sore-loser.  This is why I must admit my defeat to my worthy adversary...the tortilla.
After many battles, private lessons, many calls to the Judy-Bennett-Tortilla Hotline, and several different recipe attempts, it is clear that the tortilla came out on top!  Yes, it hurts to admit defeat to this "holder of taco-y goodness,"  but I must admit my weaknesses, wave the white flag, and move on with my life.

Well done, tortilla!  You put up a great fight!  Perhaps, someday I'll request a re-match...but today is not that day!  

Set Me Free!

About a year ago, Jordan and I had the honor of being invited to a bush church that was the home church of one of friend of ours who works in maintenance.  Jordan was asked to preach and decided to go with a sermon about Zacchaeus.  I feel ashamed now, but at the time I thought that it was a silly childish sermon topic...more like a story you would tell in Sunday School, not as a sermon.  The theme of the message was about how Zacchaeus was a tax collector, a sinner, and generally viewed as a very bad person by most people, and yet Jesus was willing to go to his house and offer him salvation.  At the end of the story, Luke 19: 10 says "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." 

After the message, the pastor offered a time for people to come to the front and share.  Several people stood up and talked about how they felt God convicting them to go out and share with those people they may have avoided before, the "Zacchaeuses" of their village.  

THEN a much older lady stood up and walked to the front.  She spoke in her tribal language so the lady next to me had to translate...and immediately what she was saying caught my attention.  Apparently, this lady had been involved in "witchcraft" in her village for many many years.  Her specialty was performing abortions for girls in the village.  

In the last few years, she realized how wrong the things she had been involved in really were.  She had spent so many years in bondage and darkness and now all she wanted was to be set free!!  When we got there that Sunday, she had been going to church for a few months, searching for the answer.  She heard about Jesus, how much He loved her, and the forgiveness that He offered her BUT she also assumed that the things she had done and the places she had been were just too horrible.  Jesus could never love someone as wretched as her...UNTIL the day the Lord gave Jordan His message about Zacchaeus to share with this little bush church.  Somehow, while Jordan was sharing about Jesus coming to SEEK and SAVE the LOST, God wrapped His arms around this lady and convinced her that His SON had come to die for HER sins!  That He alone was enough to set her free!  On that day, she gave her life to the Lord!

and THAT is why we're here!  Because of God's amazing saving grace!  

"Do you want to be free?

Lift your chains,

I hold the key!

All power in Heaven and Earth belong to Me!"

-Casting Crowns

Recently, we went back to this church and were blessed to see this lady again and to witness the joy that shines from her now!