Posted by Jeri on Today
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 (2 weeks ago)
Our January – February Newsletter is now ready to download:
Jan - Feb Ford Family Newsletter (23)
Posted by Jeri on February 16, 2010 (4 weeks ago)
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?
Posted by Craig on January 26, 2010
I thought you might be interested in reading my post over at Money Help For Christians. It is a post on the rich and poor. In the post I talk about an interview I did with seven people from Alotau.
Posted by Craig on January 4, 2010
Our November – December 2009 Ford Family Newsletter is ready to download:
Nov - Dec 2009 Newsletter (68)
Posted by Craig on January 3, 2010
All in all, it has been a magnificent year. Thankfully, I can say that about many years of my life. Reflecting on days, months, and years allows us to see God’s work and the many blessings we have.
Here are some of our favorite memories from 2009:
-January: We attended (Craig officiated) the Ponifasio and Kirarata weddings – the first two Christian couples we’ve witnessed getting married since we moved here in 2006.
- February: Building a bunk bed was a great way for Craig and I to spend time together, and the kids love it!
- March: We found out that we were going to get internet at our house in a few months. This was incredible news, considering we didn’t even have electricity or running water when we first moved into our new house in May of 2007. (We have both now, of course!)
- April: We had our annual church Easter Camp, and then departed for furlough earlier than expected because of possible pregnancy complications.
- May: We had a wonderful time in Canada with Craig’s family – a holiday in Collingwood, trip to the Toronto Zoo, and spent LOTS of time at Art and Ruby’s house just waiting and waiting for baby #3 to arrive. Our family also took a vacation together to Quebec. Caleb learned to say, “Bonjour”, Hannah and Caleb had their first sleepover together, and even got to touch real snow.
- June: Thankfully, there were never pregnancy complications as suspected, and we were given another little blessing – Elizabeth Ruby – on June 18th. She stole our hearts from the beginning and is a beautiful addition to our family. My mother and youngest sister got to come to Canada at her birth. Craig also started his Christian personal finance blog (www.moneyhelpforchristians.com).
- July: We traveled to the Wyoming/Colorado area to visit my family. The weekend away to Denver with my family was a highlight – eating at Casa Bonita and going to the Denver Zoo. We celebrated Hannah and Caleb’s birthday with family. I got to meet one of my nieces, Lindsey, for the first time.
- August: We spent the month in Houston, TX with our overseeing congregation, the Church of Christ in Champions. We were welcomed, encouraged, and fed and fed and fed some more. We love the church family there and are grateful for their support.
- September: We spent a week in Wollongong, Australia with Jason and Nicole Whaley on our way back to PNG. They endured our jetlagged bodies and were gracious hosts. After being gone for a third of the year, we arrived back home. There’s no place like home. Craig’s Dad visited us for a few days this month. Elizabeth giggled her first real giggle!
- October: We just continued to get resettled and adjusted to a new schedule. Hannah started preschool once a week with her friend, Rochelle.
- November: A campaign group from Texas came. We enjoyed having them here for 10 days. Caleb successfully potty trained!
- December: Our weekend getaway was a highlight. Christmas was also a special time for our family. Hannah and Caleb were excited to sleep in their annual Christmas fort on Christmas Eve.
We look forward to another wonderful year ahead.
Happy New Year to you!
What are some of your favorite memories from 2009?
Posted by Jeri on December 19, 2009
We took a getaway this weekend to a place in Ulumani Village called Treetops Lodge. It’s about 1 1/2 hours drive from our house in Alotau – mainly due to the bumps in the road. This place is across the bay from where we live. It was such a great weekend for our family. Being in the middle of the jungle with a beach nearby and nobody to bother you is truly an amazing feeling.
Here is the view from our little guesthouse, which has power (from a generator) and even hot, running water – unlike many guesthouses around.
We enjoyed some hiking, though the mountain is very steep by the guesthouse. When you drive up the mountain, it feels like the truck is just going to tip over backwards! We enjoyed some of the many rivers around the area. Here’s Hannah playing near a small waterfall in the river.
We came to Treetops last year, but neither Hannah nor Caleb remember it. Here they are when they first saw the veranda of the house.
Time at Waga Waga Beach was one of the highlights. The beach is shaded by beautiful trees. There is a shipwreck there which makes for a great snorkeling adventure. Hannah really wanted to try snorkeling…
…But I think we’ll have to get some gear that’s just a little bit smaller for her.
Caleb loved getting “crocodile rides” from his Daddy.
Hiking was exciting, even for 6-month-old Elizabeth!
Though it’s hard for us to imagine having a white Christmas, we sure are enjoying our tropical hoildays!
Posted by Craig on December 12, 2009
We wish you a Merry Christmas! You can download a copy of our Christmas card to you below.
Christmas Greetings (94)
Brother and Sister Kisses
Sister and Sister Kisses
Who really has the upper hand here??
My Little Readers – Even Elizabeth has a book!!
My Three Little Blessings 
Elizabeth likes to play with the comb after I do her hair.
In addition to full-time ministry, he continues to write for his blog, Money Help for Christians. (http://moneyhelpforchristians.com) 
Can you find me?
