Conference Season!

Hey all, just wanted to give you a quick update...

* The IEW conference went really well! It was a lot of work, but very rewarding for all of us. The missionaries attending told us that they were able to get so much done while here. One guy told us they finished translating the book of Mark! He came up to our group to thank us for all we did behind the scenes to enable them to get that done. Wow. I got a little choked up by that... to be part of his ministry for a couple of weeks so that he could translate part of the Bible into a previously unknown language. In the midst of working in a hot kitchen, making a zillion photo copies, and running around making phone calls it's easy to forget why I'm here. It was very cool to have that reminder.

* We have another conference this weekend - a "Cultural Awareness Retreat" for new missionaries who arrived on the field in the last few months. This is very cool for me because I know almost everyone coming. In fact, 6 of them were in FL with me for Pre-Field Orientation back in June. REUNION! Plus, I'm going to be doing the Welcome Speech presentation thingy. Funny how I used to be terrified to get in front of a group to speak. I think speaking in front of the church so often this past year has helped to cure me of that.

* And speaking of God stretching me... He continues to push me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis here. I've been given some leadership-type responsibilities (aka "opportunities"). It's not that I'm a terrible leader, I'm just more of a people-pleaser so I don't like to tell my peeps what to do. Turns out that I'm not too bad at delegating. Meh, who knew? We work together on most things, but when the boys joked about being my slaves I assured them that we are all slaves together for Jesus! :o)

* I don't have any new pics to attach this time, but I'll give you this fun one from a few weeks ago. This is my PNG family - Beth, The Germans (Jonny, Tobi & Andy) and Adi (Danny & Tammy's little girl). We were all supposed to be making funny faces, but not everyone cooperated.
* This quick update is getting long, but just wanted to share this story with you. Today I was busy running around - as usual - preparing for the conference. Adi came out and yelled "Hi Miss Nicky, wanna play?" I feel bad because she asks me this all the time and I'm always busy. I noticed that she had squirt gun. She mentioned that she had another one. Hm. I needed to run up to the workshop to talk to the guys about some mattresses that had to be moved around. So I suggested we fill up those water guns, go to the workshop together, and wage war on the boys. We walked casually into the workshop with our pistols behind our backs, then I counted "1-2-3" and we attacked. The boys went running and grabbed a hose. Uh oh, didn't see that coming. The battle only lasted about 5 minutes, but it was good fun to be kids again for even a short time in the middle of accomplishing our "to do" lists.

Be free,... simple, a child. But be a sturdy child, who fears nothing, who speaks out frankly, who lets himself be led, who is carried in the arms; in a word, one who knows nothing, can do nothing, can anticipate and change nothing, but who has a freedom and a strength forbidden to the great. This childhood baffles the wise, and God Himself speaks by the mouth of such children.
~ Francois Fenelon