The year in review (part 2)June: A coworker, along with a couple who help run a missions training program in Australia came see our ministry and visit the Moi people group. We enjoyed hanging out with them and showing them the Land the Lord has provided for a base here!  The weekly bible lessons continue on!   July: Shem is sick again. More fevers and sleepless nights.  Lots of time in the neighborhood walking with the kids. These kids showed us how to open coconuts with nothing but their teeth!  Rainy season is no joke! It rained so much the local market flooded.  Landscaping the land for the base is put on hold because of so much rain! No land work can be done because of the mud. We had some more visitors from Australia who are currently in training to come work in Indonesia! We took them out on the boat to see the Whale Sharks. Nathan had a Birthday and 2 days later Noah turned 4 years old and enjoyed swimming with his first whale shark!    Vacation! Bali is an incredible blessing to us. It is in country so it is more affordable for us to fly there, but it has so many comforts of home like restaurants with western food and English is freely spoken. Attire is relaxed and there is much less attention drawn to us since there are so many tourists. We had a WONDERFUL break! Nathan got to swim in an ocean 5K and placed second in his age group! Eating Shark meat during Shark week!  Exciting times as some friends from the Moi people group leave to attend Missionary training school on another island! Timotius and his wife Mutadi, along with Bubabo are now several months into their missions training!!! SO exciting! August: Preschool begins for Noah! I started teaching Noah along with two other 4 year olds preschool twice a week at the MAF base. Noah loved learning alongside Elyse and Jayden!    A group of coworkers from another city flew to our town to visit and see the whale sharks. We never tire of taking people out to see the gentle giants! It really has become a side ministry to take coworkers out to be refreshed by God’s amazing ocean and his incredible whale sharks. Noah was so happy to see his friend Leo.        I was insanely excited to meet one of my best friends in Bali for a few days! Nathan was gracious enough to stay with the kids for a few days so I could reconnect with Candace. It was a blast! The MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) families, along with us and a few other expat families that serve in the area put on a “missions night” for the community. We invited all the Leaders of each church in town along with some prominent business people to come hear about what each of our families are doing here. It was a huge success and many people came. It was great to give clarity to everyone of why we are here and how we desire to work alongside them. The man who gave us the land for a base passed away. We went to his funeral.  In the middle of the mass of people is the open coffin. September: A baby named Obar was evacuated from a Moi village after he fell into a fire and was severely burned. We was attended in another city and then flown to us for follow up care. Nathan went daily, bringing a local nurse to help clean the horrible burn wounds and administer his medicine but he didn't end up making it. It was a REALLY rough thing to see happen. We were heartbroken. This is the third baby these young parents have lost. It was an emotional few days attending the burial and watching the parents grieve.     Some supporters of ours came to Papua and we were able to meet up with them in our old city, Sentani. My aunt also happened to be in Papua doing a check up on her village’s translation project (she has served in Papua for over 35 years!) so we got to hang out with her for a few days too! My Birthday was on Sep 20th and it was fun to see my good friend Delvin and some others again! Bummer though, Shem got sick again while we were there.    October: Nathan left for a 2 week long conference on another island! It was a LONG two weeks without him but we survived! Nathan learned how to create phone Apps for Bible translations that the local people here can use. So cool! Photos below are just regular sights around town. We visited my friend Dora to see her sister’s new baby! Dora has become a great friend over the last year. We like hanging out at her house or she will often drop by to say hi. Noah and Shem like to play with all her cute nieces and nephews.     November: Nathan left again on an almost 2 week trip to sail a boat to its new ministry location. He had a blast and once again, we survived while he was gone! Below is the group he sailed with.  Nathan returned from his trip just in time for Shem's 2nd Birthday!    Happy Thanksgiving!  We had the privilege to pass out Operation Christmas Child boxes in a village not far from us. It was super fun to see the kids receive such a special gift!     December: Merry Christmas! This month has been full of Christmas services at different churches and homes. We look forward to what God will do in the year to come! 
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The year in review (part 1)     
February: Noah started preschool at a local Indonesian school. I went with him each day as he adjusted. (He attended for about a month and then we took him out since it wasn't working with our schedules and going every school day was too much. We hope to start him again a few days a week soon!) SUPPLY! Our house doubles as a supply room for all the orders we get from our missionary teams interior! This is a small load compared to most! Nathan is always busy with supply.  I was blessed to attend a THRIVE women’s retreat in Malaysia with my friend Kari! It was a wonderful break from the ordinary and exciting to be in a big city with modern luxuries like subway and Ikea!!! Fellowshipping with other women in ministry was very encouraging. Going to the wedding of a business owner and friend's daughter. The only time the boys have worn long sleeves and pants here, EVER! The wedding was in the evening but we still sweated our faces off. At least they looked cute!   Nathan’s second trip was to another island for a networking conference where he connected with many churches and other missions organizations in this country. He was only gone 4 days this time! March: Nathan started teaching a young adults group the Chronological Bible Lessons each week along with our coworker Andersen and a family from MAF. The picture only shows a few of those who attended. April: HAPPY EASTER!  Lots of neighborhood walks where we buy interesting food and fruit! We always create some sort of "parade" with all the kids following us. I often buy my veggies from this veggie cart. She brings fresh produce right to my street daily and reminds me of Java with her accent.  A prominent man in the community offered to give us a huge piece of land for our new mission base! This was a surprising and incredible blessing. Mr. Yap desires to see the people of Papua progress in education and in the Lord.  View from the land  Mr. Yap is in the blue May: Flew to the mountains to visit the Moi, one of the main villages we support from town, Daboto. We brought some local pastors with us who baptized believers and recognized elders under their denomination. Had an amazing time fellowshipping with the church there and hanging out with our coworkers the Crocketts. What a special time to see the believers standing strong there! Many who we tend to in town are from this village so it was fun to see some familiar faces.   We travelled to another city to attend our regional missions conference! Right on cue, Shem got hand foot and mouth virus and had to be kept out of child care. It made an exhausting few days of trying to enjoy conference but also care for a sick boy. We did really enjoy our time and were encouraged at the end. It was great seeing old friends and coworkers and Noah loved being in the kids program and playing with his buddy Leo. I got to catch up with my good friend Delvin!     I attended a one day medical workshop where I learned some medical basics like how to suture and put in an IV. TO BE CONTINUED!
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AuthorBurris Family, living in Asia Pacific Archives
April 2019
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