Posted by Jeri on May 5, 2010
Besides being stared at and sticking out like a sore thumb, I’ve decided that cooking and grocery shopping are my biggest challenges on the mission field.
When I first moved to Alotau, PNG, it’s like I suddenly forgot how to cook. I had no idea even where to begin. When I went to the shops here, everything was packaged completely different and it was hard for me to identify something as simple as sugar.
Thankfully, I have wonderful teammates. Diane Reese took me shopping and showed me the basic things I could buy at each store. She was so sweet and went as far as writing out a few recipes that I could find all the ingredients for here. That made things much easier.
But, even after 4 years here, I still get frustrated with the entire process. Each week, I make a menu. Now, when I make my menu, I know good and well that I won’t find some of the things I’ve planned in my menu when I go shopping. With that knowledge, it is so hard to start my shopping adventure with a good attitude. But I’m working on it.
It’s amazing what you CAN’T get sometimes – like the time I couldn’t find baking soda for a couple of months or when the shops wouldn’t have chicken until the next week.
Sometimes I decide that I need to spice things up a bit and add a few new things to our meal repertoire. So I get out my cookbooks and start reading. It’s so fun until I realize that nearly every recipe calls for a box of this or a can of that. We can get a box of this or a can of that sometimes, but I’m not usually willing to pay the price. After my cookbook experience, I’m generally back to square one again. Yes, it’s very frustrating to me.
I recognize in myself that sometimes I think the grass is greener on the other side, but I’m pretty sure that I’m right about this one. It is much easier to cook in North America.
That said, I won’t ever be able to replace the amazing fruits we get at the fresh market here – papaya, pineapple, mango, pomelo, bananas galore, and much more. If you’re really into organic produce, you should consider moving here. Our greens even have holes from insects. Our produce definitely doesn’t look fake like it does in North America.
11 Lessons I’ve Learned:
1. Impulse shop. Yes, that’s what I said. Impulse and Jeri don’t even belong in the same sentence, but that’s what I’ve learned to do here. If I don’t buy it when I see it, it just may not be there the next time. And, that’s a recipe for heartbreak when I go back to the store to get that yummy ice cream I saw and it’s not there the next time.
2. Improvise. There are very few times I can find things like lettuce in the shops. So, if I’m planning tacos, I know that I have to be prepared to improvise. That might mean tacos with just meat and cheese or tacos with potatoes. It’s also difficult to find many spices here. But I’ve learned that even poppy seed chicken tastes just fine without the poppy seeds.
3. Bake your own bread. There are two bakeries in town. I have issues with both of them. One has terrible bread. It’s so thin that it tears when you try putting soft butter on it. The other isn’t much better and never even has bread at the bakery when I go to buy it. (I think I’ve written about that before!) Anyway, I’ve learned to make some delicious dinner rolls. And I’ve been able to memorize lots of Bible verses during the kneading process!
4. Serve it over rice. When all else fails, mix something up and put it over rice.
5. Eat out once in a while. I hate spending money on food, but when I’m feeling especially frustrated about cooking, I have learned to take up Craig’s offer of eating out periodically.
6. Fish is good. I grew up fishing and eating trout. I liked to catch it, but I hated eating it. Living on the bay here has afforded us lots of opportunity to eat fish. Mackerel has become our family favorite. The kids love it. They always say, “More chicken, please.”
7. There’s more to breakfast than cereal. We don’t buy cereal here, mostly because of its cost. I sometimes make my own granola (thanks to Craig’s mom for helping me develop a recipe that actually works here!). The first time I served granola, Hannah said (with a disgusting look on her face), “Why are you putting milk on that?!?” I guess it’s all what you’re used to! So, we generally have something like pancakes, toast, eggs, muffins, fruit, or French toast.
8. Limit the use of dishes when cooking. When you know you have to wash all the dishes by hand, using as few dishes as possible is to your benefit. I’m a pro at serving meals right from the pan, so don’t expect anything fancy if you happen to drop by for a meal!
9. You can make pizza anywhere. For the past (almost) 10 years, we’ve been making homemade pizza once a week. In the States, we always put pepperoni and cheese on our pizza. Here, we found some pepperoni salami, but I have never liked the taste. Instead, we often put ground beef or pork seasoned with Italian seasoning. And, fresh pineapple is always delicious, too. Basically, whatever we can get is what gets put on our pizza.
10. If it’s discounted, it’s expired, but it might still be okay. The only time they discount stuff in the grocery stores here is when it’s about to expire. I’ve learned to NEVER buy expired frozen vegetables – YUCK! However, things like cheese or juice are generally okay. In fact, that’s the only time we have juice is when it’s discounted.
11. We won’t starve. Even though I don’t always enjoy planning meals, I usually enjoy cooking them. And, we always have plenty to eat.
I thank God for his bountiful blessings, no matter where in the world we live.
Posted by Craig on May 3, 2010
Our most recent newsletter is now available for downloading:
PNG Newsletter March - April 2010 (89)
Thanks so much for being a part of our work here in PNG.
Posted by Craig on April 16, 2010
Are you (or anyone you know) going on a short term mission trip this summer?
Short term mission trips are a great way to 1) help other people, and 2) grow spiritually. Having been on a few short term mission trips myself, I can vouch for the lessons they are capable of teaching.
If you are planning a trip and need some help, you should check out our Short Term Missions Handbook ebook that we released last month. It is loaded with practical advice on everything from preparing for the field to the adjustment of returning back home. One of the most helpful parts is the section about short term missions fundraising.
I hope you’ll check it out and let us know if it was helpful to you!
Posted by Jeri on April 9, 2010
The Hellos
We are saying hello to lots of new things in our house, especially with 9-month-old Elizabeth.
Hello, scrunch face! If you were around us when Hannah was this age, you’ll remember that she made the exact same face. So funny!
Hello, teeth! She’s got two on the bottom now.
Hello, mobility! Elizabeth is almost a crawler. She can certainly get around – even though she doesn’t quite crawl yet. Let the baby proofing begin!
This girl is just too cute for her own good. I had to include this picture! By the way, we do dress her – sometimes. 
This is the outfit my children have worn most often as babies. It’s much cooler this way, and it sure saves on laundry!!
Hello, Bookworm! For as active as Caleb is, he sure loves to read. He’s enjoying Your Big Backyard magazine. Thanks to the Chitwoods in Houston for subscribing to it for us. Hannah and Caleb love those magazines! (I like them, too.)
Now for the Good-byes
You know you are a missionary if you are used to saying good-bye. It seems like it’s a part of life. We say good-bye to our friends in PNG when we leave for furlough. We say good-bye to our friends and family when we leave North America from a furlough. And we say good-bye to our teammates when they go on their furloughs.
This week, our teammates, Marcus & Diane Reese and their 4 lovely girls, left for furlough. Before they left, we had a party to celebrate Hannah and Rochelle’s preschool accomplishments. Diane and I have been taking turns teaching them once a week and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rochelle, Hannah (with a sticker on her nose), and Caleb had a great time at the party.
Here are the girls with their graduation hats, made by Rochelle’s big sister. (Caleb was an honorary classmate.)
Diane Reese and Loopie Williams (our teammates) enjoyed watching the kiddos. What a great party it was – popcorn, chocolate cake, and kool-aid (thanks to the Logsdons in OK!) We shared some fun moments before the Reeses had to leave.
Hannah and Rochelle shared one last hug at the airport. We’ll miss you, Rochelle! Looking forward to saying hello again in 3 months.
Posted by Jeri on March 26, 2010
Our dog had 10 puppies about 6 weeks ago. We had 3 die, so we’re left with 7 cute ones still. It’s been a ton of work (for me!), but the kids have LOVED having the puppies. I didn’t realize there were so many life lessons to be learned with puppies around. It’s been a great experience. Hannah has especially gone out of her way to look after the pups. (We’re hoping to give the pups away soon.)
I’m not so sure the puppies like when Caleb carries them, but he has fun doing it!
Hannah likes carrying the puppies like a baby.
Gotta’ love this boy!! We’re guessing he has an “otter” type personality, but maybe we’ll have him take a personality test in a few years to confirm that.
Elizabeth always enjoys baths. Look at those big eyes!!
When I ask Caleb to smile, this is what he does.
Hannah’s Silly Face (I love her dimple!)
Once a week, Hannah has preschool with her friend, Rochelle. Last week we studied the letter Z. We made a zither together and they had lots of fun playing it and singing. Rochelle is going on furlough in about 2 weeks. We will sure miss her!
Elizabeth is starting to enjoy all kinds of foods. She really loves bananas – it’s a good thing since we have a lot of those around here. She also really likes papaya, avocado, and carrots. She almost always manages to get food in her head full of hair.
I wish you could hear all of them laughing when I took this picture of Craig giving them horsey rides! (No, I didn’t get video…) Elizabeth is cracking up!
My precious family!
I never knew that I’d have one of those “stair-step” families. But here they are: Hannah – age 4 1/2, Caleb – 2 1/2, and Elizabeth – 9 months.
Posted by Jeri on March 11, 2010
I feel like I haven’t written a post for a while. I was thinking that there’s really nothing exciting to write about. Then I decided I could at least write about every-day-kinds-of-things that are happening. And there’s always room for pictures, right?
First off, let me mention that I often neglect to tell people about the interesting, beautiful, and fascinating creatures we get to see sometimes living here in PNG. My children are fascinated by all the praying mantises, huge moths and spiders, beautiful butterflies and birds, and so on… Our most recent excitement (besides the 10 pups our dog delivered) was this tree frog that was on the banister of our steps. It looked almost fake to me. It slept there and then escaped during the night, I guess. But I just had to take its picture. We see all kinds of toads, but this was my first time to see one of these!
Most of my days are spent playing with the kids at home. It’s a good thing we like each other so much!
Brother and Sister Kisses
Sister and Sister Kisses
Who really has the upper hand here??
Hannah and Caleb are such great playmates. Here they are playing in their shared bedroom.
I try to keep my children entertained by playing outside, painting, swinging, reading, telling stories, and letting them ‘help’ me clean and cook.
Hannah and Caleb recently helped me make some cookies. This is a recipe for Aggression Cookies. They’re great for toddlers and preschoolers! (Hannah wasn’t so sure about getting her hands all dirty.)
I’m always amazed and thankful for how well my children play together. Many times when I’m cooking supper or am busy with something else, they occupy themselves just fine. Tonight it was really quiet while I was doing supper dishes, so I thought I better check and see what was going on. But this is what I saw when I went and checked on them.
My Little Readers – Even Elizabeth has a book!!
I know I say it all the time, but I just can’t thank God enough for my family. Having these three children teaches me so much. I feel so blessed to have them.
My Three Little Blessings
Elizabeth will be nine months old in about a week. Unbelievable! Seems like she was just born. She has a crazy amount of hair. I actually have to comb it every day and put it in a ponytail. Otherwise, it gets in her eyes. We officially have two more teeth in this house. She cut her two middle bottom teeth last week. She’s not at all interested in crawling still. Why crawl when everyone comes to you?
Elizabeth likes to play with the comb after I do her hair.
Just when I thought she couldn’t get any cuter …. Look at all that hair!
I am also incredibly blessed to have Craig as my husband and best friend. We get to spend time together most evenings after the kids go to bed. We often take walks around our yard at night, talking and talking – something we’ve done for as long as we’ve known each other.
He amazes me with all of the things he does. He’s recently started up a computer class for 4 young ladies so they can learn basic computer skills, which is something that most don’t have the opportunity to learn here. He’s also been doing leadership training for the men of the church once a month. It seems to be really beneficial for them.
In addition to full-time ministry, he continues to write for his blog, Money Help for Christians. (http://moneyhelpforchristians.com)
Craig and I are pleased to finally be finished with an eBook called Short Term Missions Handbook that we co-authored. If you’re taking a Short Term Mission trip this summer or know someone who is, check it out! It ended up being a much bigger project than we expected, but it was a great experience for us.
Recently, I coordinated a Ladies’ Day for church. We had 18 women there. It was a refreshing day, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Esther taught a lesson on prayer by telling stories from her life. We played games, ate lots of food, sang, and had so much fun together.
Can you find me?
So that’s what’s been going on in the Ford Family lately. Anything exciting happening in your family that you’d like to share??
Posted by Craig on February 28, 2010
Our January – February Newsletter is now ready to download:
Jan - Feb Ford Family Newsletter (121)
Posted by Jeri on February 16, 2010
Today I had a lot of fun chatting with Hannah. She was helping me make our homemade tortillas, which the whole family loves. It’s a shame they’re so time-intensive, except for the fact that I got to spend time with Hannah while we made them today. It sure is a lot more fun doing work with someone else.
She is getting old enough that we can actually carry on a decent conversation now. We chat while we do dishes, bake, drive in the truck, and garden. I don’t even have to ask all the questions. While we were rolling out our tortilla dough, we had this conversation:
Hannah: What was your job before?
Me: You mean, before I had kids?
Hannah: Yeah.
Me: I was a teacher. (I’ve told her that a hundred times, but I guess she wanted to hear it again.)
Hannah: So you had to teach every day?
Me: Well, just Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Hannah: (with a devastated look and tone of voice) You mean the kids didn’t get to have a Family Day?
Me: (fumbling around for the right words) Well, I’m sure they could have a Family Day on Saturday or something. But, … well, ummmmmmm… lots of people in America probably don’t even have a Family Day because they’re too busy.
Hannah: (stunned silence)
In that moment, I was reminded why we are so blessed to live here in PNG at this point in our lives. Every Friday we have “Family Day”. It’s one of Craig’s ‘weekend’ days, since he works on Sundays. We spend the day as a family.
Some of our favorite Family Day traditions include: a family walk (which we do many other days of the week as well), a picnic (sandwiches or leftovers) on the porch for lunch, homemade pizza and coke (our only pop for the week!) while we watch a movie for supper.
This may not sound all that exciting to you, but it’s a BIG deal to us and to the kids, especially. If we even try to change something they remind us of what we usually do.
I’d like to think that we are building a strong family because of this and other activities we do together. We want our family to know that we are important to each other. I hope we can continue these traditions as our children get older.
It made me get a little nervous thinking about how things will change when Hannah starts schooling. How will we find time together as a family? It just makes me wonder how families in North America survive. We have such a slow pace of life here because we don’t go out in the evenings and we don’t have the hectic schedule that most people in North America do. For that, I am very grateful.
How do you find time to spend with your family, especially when you have school-aged children? What kinds of things do you do together?
Posted by Jeri on February 7, 2010
Living in the tropics has its perks. Living in an un-commercialized tropical place is even better. Selfishly, sometimes I’m glad PNG is so far away from everything else. There are some incredible places here you can go and be away from it all.
Hannah on the boat.
Elizabeth is napping in a bilum, a string bag made for carrying things.
Our mission team did just that this weekend. Our three families (Williamses, Reeses, and Fords) jumped onboard Leslie Williams’s boat and headed to Doini Island – about 1.5 hours from Alotau. The boat ride there was a bit rough and a few of our group endured seasickness. From Craig’s perspective, “Everyone needs a puking buddy, right?” But it was well worth it.
Everyone is excited to be off the boat!
We stayed at a guesthouse on the island – all 14 of us (8 of those being children – ages 10 and under!). We had a great time at the guesthouse, which had two double beds and four sets of bunk beds. It was perfect for our team! It was equipped with a full kitchen, so we were able to make our own breakfast and lunches there. We treated ourselves to a fancy dinner at the restaurant on Friday night. The meat was particularly delicious. I would’ve never known I was eating lamb until someone spilled the beans. The guesthouse had a huge veranda where the adults often sat and chatted while the kids used the bunks as a jungle gym. It was like one giant sleepover. All 8 kids were nestled in their beds shortly after 9:00 Friday night, while visions of waves and seashells danced in their heads. The adults enjoyed some good laughs and stories after that. I had no idea that Marcus and Diane could dance the jitterbug!
Pictured above: Leslie & Loopie Williams, Marcus & Diane, Faith Reese
Our little island beauties – Baylee, Rochelle, Hannah, and Hadassah
Caleb enjoying the bunk beds
The kids loved hearing Auntie Loopie’s stories before bedtime.
The island has white sandy beaches, as opposed to the rocky beaches we have near Alotau. The kids were especially thrilled to play in the sand and the ocean. They swam and collected seashells and swam some more. We also got to do some deep sea fishing. Leslie and Loopie are big fishermen, so they helped us out. Hannah Reese (age 10) was thrilled to catch her first fish – a huge mackerel! The fishing trip didn’t last much over an hour and a half on Saturday morning, considering we had a 5 year old, two 4 year olds, a 2 year old, and a 7 month old, as well as seasick 32 and 7 year olds on board for the adventure.
The beautiful beach at Doini Island
Craig helping Hannah Reese reel in her catch. It’s hard work catching a mackerel that weighs 7 kilos!
After we got our feet on solid ground, we took a trailer ride to some Skull Caves on the island. The view along the way was magnificent. Apparently some groups in PNG bury their dead upright. Some skulls have been collected and you can view them after a short hike up to this cave. It was interesting and educational, to say the least. Caleb kept asking me, “Do they have sharp teeth?” (That’s the same question he asks about sharks and other animals.)
The Skull Caves
We didn’t know if we’d be able to leave in the afternoon on Saturday because the sea was a bit rough. We waited for a while, then decided that the entire missionary team shouldn’t miss church on Sunday. We all ate ginger (which supposedly keeps seasickness at bay), then climbed onboard. Thankfully, not a single person got sick on the way back. To top it all off, we got to see a HUGE group of dolphins. They just kept jumping and playing all around our boat. If you’ve never seen a pod of dolphins in the wild, it is an amazing experience. If you’ve never seen a group of children see a pod of dolphins in the wild, it is even more amazing.
I wish I were a better photographer. This is the best picture I got of our dolphin experience.
So, 5 fish caught, lots of insect bites itching, and gobs of memories later, we are all safely back in Alotau … just waiting to plan our next adventure together.
Posted by Jeri on January 27, 2010
We are so happy that Caleb is up and running (and jumping) again. He was really sick with malaria a couple of weeks ago. While his immune system was weak, he ended up with an awful tropical ulcer on his leg. After 10 days of amoxicillin and a round of malaria treatment, he seems to be doing great. We thank God for healing him, and for the good health we generally have in our family.
He is enjoying being a big and little brother. Stuck in the middle of two sisters is a special thing. He and Hannah are quite good playmates. Caleb also loves playing with Elizabeth. Here he is putting Daddy’s hat on her.
Elizabeth doesn’t seem to mind too much. She continues to be such a good-natured baby. Since she’s very attached to me, it’s been hard to leave her with a sitter, however. She is definitely more content in our own home with her own family than when we leave her with someone else.
At just seven months old, she can already wear ponytails! That is simply amazing, especially considering her big bro and sis were basically bald for their first few months of life.
Here she is sporting her first set of ponytails! Caleb’s first reaction was, “She looks like a rabbit!” But later he said, “She looks cute, Mommy!”
Hannah is such an incredible helper around the house. She can entertain her little brother and sister easily when I’m trying to get something done. Her energy and excitement is contagious. When Caleb was sick, she was especially helpful. I even caught her doing dishes for me at one point. When I told her I’d probably have to hold Caleb a lot one day, she was so worried and wondered how I would get everything done. What a responsible 4 1/2 year old!
Hannah will start school in August. It’s so hard to believe. Just today she was reading and creating all kinds of “at” words for me with our alphabet magnets. She’ll be reading everything before we know it.
Aren’t children such a blessing to have? What do your children do that makes you smile?
