Jordan's Latest Project

PNG has a "rural registrar program" that involves Papua New Guinean doctors traveling around to different hospitals, learning as much as they can from each one (I'm not sure of the details).  But I know that several of those doctors come to Kudjip for some of their training.  A few of those doctors have families and require a house larger than what we could provide...cue Jordan!  This is the "Rural Registrar House, also known as the "Mountain House."  To be used by visiting PNG doctors and their families.  So far, Jordan, a crew of about 4 guys, 2 Work and Witness teams, and several other part-time laborers have had their hand in building this house.

Husband brag time:

It's really quite impressive to see Jordan be able to take a few drawings of a house floor plan and turn it into an actual, real, standing house!  What a super talented man I married!!

The house isn't finished yet, so expect more pics to come!

Voting in Kudjip

July 4th, 2012 marked election day for the province of Jiwaka.  

I was fortunate enough to have a front row seat, since they set up a voting area right outside of maintenance. Everything seemed to go very smoothly with very little fighting, bribery, or corruption (which I'm told is not always the case at other voting areas).  

This was the bus of voting officials and armed forces who came to monitor the voting in the area.  Only a few had to stay in Kudjip, the rest were sent out to neighboring villages.

This is how you vote:

1.) Stand in "line" a LONG time.

2.) Enter the secured voting area and receive a ballot.

3.) Stand in line some more.

4.) Go up to the "voting booth" (the desk surrounded with cardboard) and mark your ballot.

5.) Turn in your ballot.  DONE!

There are separate lines for men and women...I'm not sure why.

This is the list of candidates along with their pictures.  These were posted around the outside of the voting area as well as inside the voting "booth."

The "line."  If you don't require any personal space, then PNG is the place for you!!

To make sure that people only vote once, you have to get your fingernail marked with some sort of permanent, extremely difficult to remove nail polish like substance.  

Voila!  It's like the "I VOTED" stickers you get in America...just a little longer lasting! :)

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y...that is Rachel's battle cry!!!

I know...I had vowed to never attempt tortillas again, BUT I did!  AND I  came out VICTORIOUS!!!!  Take that, Tortilla!!  They turned out beautifully round and well cooked!!  Jordan walked in the kitchen and the first thing he said was "WOW, did YOU make those??"  

It turns out the trick is to use hot hot water and never let them stick to the counter.  Now I want to have tacos for every meal!!  (well, not really.)  

YUM!!!

Out of the mouths of children...

I had the privilege, this last semester, of teaching the elementary missionary kids.  Attending the school, we had Lexi (a kindergartner), Jorina (a kindergartner from our neighboring Swiss mission station), Olivia (1st grade), Emma (2nd grade), Jerome (3rd grade, also from the EBC Swiss mission), Emma (5th grade), and Lydia (7th grade).  While secondary education is absolutely more in my comfort zone, I realized there are several perks to teaching the little kiddos.  One of my favorite parts of teaching these little guys is that they pretty much say exactly what they are thinking...which can occasionally make for some funny quotes!  I wrote down a few and thought I'd share.

Emma: In my story I'm not married but I have kids.
Jerome: How can you have kids?
Emma: I adopt them.
Jerome: Why aren't you married?
Emma:  Because it's GROSS!!

Lexi: Emma, you said you were going to be nice to me today!
Emma: Lexi, I didn't mean literally!!

Jerome: That's okay.  They (the kindergartners) are just babies, they need the day off.
Emma: But when we were babies we NEVER got a day off!!

Lexi's Prayer:
"Please bless Hurley.  Help him not to get get sick.  And Aunt Rachel better not be feeding him tuna! Amen."

(Reminder: Jerome is from Switzerland and English is his 3rd language)
Emma: Please stop that Jerome!  You are driving me nuts!
Jerome: What does that mean,"You are dried peanuts?"

Jorina's Prayer (almost everyday...I never had the heart to correct her):
"Please help the people in the hospital and the doctors to go well"

Emma: Haven't you ever heard of, "Do unto others as you...do unto them?"

Lexi's Prayer:
"And please bless the bat that died and bless the bats that are still alive and bless the butterflies and help them not to die or get their wings broke. Amen.

Emma: But I can't use my best handwriting all the time because then it won't be special anymore!

Jerome (after learning about personification): So then, what is animalfication?

Me: Emma, you don't like pickles!?!?
Emma: It's because I'm a sensitive young lady.

Lexi's Prayer: 
"Lord, help the rats in the Dooley's attic to get stuck and die."

Jilinga Church Opening

Jordan and I were recently invited to attend a church opening in Jilinga, PNG.  

The new church has a great story...it was built right in the middle of an area where people were know to fight, do drugs, and make a very strong homemade alcohol.  Now the area is completely different and people have been changed by God's amazing transforming power!

Before the service, everyone was busy preparing a feast!  My favorite part of this picture is the man in the back holding up raw pig parts!  Love it!

Just a few more pieces of pig to throw on there...then this mumu is ready to start cookin!

Jordan the Giant!

This was the tent that was set up for the service.  Since there is no road that goes up to the top of this large hill.  The entire tent had to be carried up my hand.

The girl next to me, in the lime green and black top, was also named Rachel!

My buddy, Lucas Kumi Nolly...or I like to refer to him as LUUUUUUU-KAS!!

All the people standing in white were getting baptized that day!

Isn't this little boy adorable!  Look at that teeny tie!!

We always appreciate a well built bridge!

First Annual Kudjip Auction

This is the first ever auction that took place outside of Maintenance.  There were exciting things like towels, dishes, pots pans, blankets...AND there were boring things like roofing iron, pieces of plywood, and old gutters.  

Grace was in charge of the money.  When the sun got too hot, she sat under this box.  I think we are going to buy her an umbrella for Christmas!  

Jordan, the muscle behind this operation!

Baru (the man in the red hat) was the auctioneer.  He did a great job.  When he got the final bid he would bang the tire hub with a steel hammer and yell SOLD...very exciting!

Rasta Meri!

Ever since I watched the version of Cinderella with Brandi in it, I've wanted to have a million tiny braids in my hair.  I wasn't sure it was even possible with my type of hair, until one day, Flora (my friend I work with in Maintenance) told me it would be easy to add extension to my hair in the form of small braids.  That's when the adventure began...
It took HOURS!!  I'm not sure how many but we had to break it up over several days.  Flora told me about half way through that I had a lot more hair than she thought I did!  I have a lot of hair...who knew?  While there were several times that my bum was screaming "I can't sit on this wood floor any longer!!", we actually had a great time of fellowship.  I learned a lot about what it's like to be a single woman in this country.  Some days, Flora would bring her cousin, who is a teacher at the school down the road.  It was interesting for us to compare notes on our teaching experiences.
Finally, she finished and I wore it proudly for a little over a month, even though I knew it looked ridiculous.  I'm glad I had the opportunity and I love how Flora and my friendship has grown, but I'll never do that to my hair again!  Loved it, but never again!