About That Time

So it's about that time. For me it's only seven days until I start my journey back home and I'm so excited, but at the same time sad to leave and end this incredible experience that the Lord has allowed me to have. These last couple of weeks have been really busy and probably the hardest I've had in PNG, but I'm learning so much. I feel like I've been just getting closer and closer to the Lord through the trials and and challenges I've had. God's been giving me such a hunger for His word, greater than I've ever had, and I just have this huge desire to understand and know more of it. And in that learn more of Him and what is pleasing to Him... So yeah.
I'm sorry I haven't really posted in a while, but I'm gonna try to get some stuff up ASAP. I'm so excited to come home to you, my wonderful friends and family. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you.

May the King of Glory bless you and keep you,
Robby

Out and Abau

Okay so these two videos are from yesterday when I went out to this village about four hours drive into the Central Province of Papua New Guinea. It's crazy roads and thick jungle...

Gnarly Spider

So I was just hangin out with some kids down at the Hostel when one of them walks up to me with this spider... They showed it to me and I got this video of it. They just played with it for a while and killed it when they got bored. This made me realize that I am a little girl...

A Quick Little Thought...

I've been spending some time here with Pastor Magi and this evening I had dinner at his house with his family. The thing I really see in him and a huge thing that I feel that God has really been showing me is just how huge loving people really is. I think that when we read our bibles and see how it says to love one another, that we often get this grand picture in our minds of us doing huge, amazing things and changing people lives right and left... But that's not what it looks like at all. Laying your life down for people is something that looks and seems so small to our naked human eyes, yet when we see through the eyes of God, the smallest, least things we do are what make us do such great things in peoples' hearts for His kingdom. That's what I see changing lives and saving them, not a love that's glamorous or that's seen by everyone important, but a love that's longsuffering and steadfast. I was talking with Carina and she was telling me how she loved how it says that if we give even a cup of water in His Name that we have a reward in heaven. It's so small to us, but so huge in the Kingdom of God. It's interesting how much humility and trust in God it takes to do such seemingly small things in His Name. Loving people is hard, yet mostly because we try to do it without Him with own capacity to do so... Philippians 2:13 says, "for it is God who works in you both to will and do His good pleasure." How awesome is our God that when we ask Him to enable us to love people or to just want the things He wants, He does it. That just blows my mind. God is so incredible that He gives us every tool that we need to do His work, but we still look at Him and speak to Him as if He's asking us to do this stuff on our own. There is such power and peace in knowing that it's up to Him to do it and make a way. Our part is just walking on the path that He set before us and being obedient to Him. It's pretty simple, but we find ways to make it complicated or just to mess up anyway. Thank You, Lord, that You are a God of limitless patience...

I love you and miss you all so much.
May God bless you and keep you,
Robby

(I'll try to get some new pics and whatnot up soon...)

People, Places, and Things...

This rooster lives at the Living Light Hostel where I am also staying. It never has a clue what the time is. It just screams all day and night. Three in the morning or four-thirty in the afternoon, it just walks around and screams. So I yell at it, throw rocks at it, and chase it away. I hate this stinkin bird, but it puts a smile on my face to know that one day it'll get eaten... Sorry animal lovers... Sidenote: I totally had Walabi for dinner last night.

This is Pastor Maria. She's in charge of Faith Club and Hope Kids. She has such a passion to show the love of Christ to children that don't really know love from anywhere else. I love serving with her because she really just lives her ministry. She even has taken in tons of kids, lives with, and takes care of them. Some of the kids that were in Hope Kids and Faith Club have grown up to be her main leaders now. It's just incredible to see the fruit of her ministries.

This is Pastor Magi. I went out to the bush with him to visit some villages where Living Light is planting churches. He's such an incredible man with a heart just to love God's people. Everywhere we went, everyone, I mean everyone, knew who he was. He just loves to serve and show the Lord to people.

This is me and a couple of guys at the most beautiful beach I've ever seen... I visited a village here with the the Living Light Church Planting team. It was incredible.

This is my first coconut. These guys just whip out their machete and chop a perfect hole in the top, about the size of a half-dollar, to drink out of. I was impressed...

Sweet sunburn that I got on a long drive with my arm out the window. I was pretty stoked on it...

Faith Club

I wanted to take some time and write about a ministry here at Living Light called Faith Club. It was actually the first ministry I got involved in when I arrived. I was so blown away by it and blessed to be a part of it. Basically the church has all of these kids and mothers come. The kids are either orphans, abandoned, or from broken and struggling homes. The church buses all of these kids and mothers in so that they can hear the word of God and get a good nutritious meal. For most of them, it's the only good meal they get all week. They have it on Tuesday and Thursday of every week and I go every chance that I get. There are separate services for the mothers and the children. It's so amazing to see these kids worship their Father in heaven Who sustains and comforts them. I've spoken for the children twice in the two weeks I've been here. I'm so amazed at how the Lord has used me to encourage them and tell them more about the God who cares for and loves them so much. While service is going the food is cooked, but the mother's get there at eight o'clock in the morning to begin preparing it. They toil all day to get on the bus, go to the market and get the food, take the bus back, prepare the food, gather firewood, cut the firewood, build a fire, and actually cook the food. Pretty gnarly... The food doesn't look that good, but it's specially made to be a good, well-balanced and nutritious meal. When it's over the children all line up to get their food first and when they're all served, the moms get theirs. I usually go and help serve the food. What really amazed and blessed me was that some of the kids help serve as well. These kids are just as hungry and in just as hard situations, yet they serve faithfully and gladness. I have a hard serving out my abundance let alone in my need. It really challenged me. I love spending time with these kids and I feel like I've already learned so much from my interactions with them. I know that God loves and cares for them so much. It's my goal and prayer they would see that in the love that I show them.

"Give me a J. Give me an E. Give me an S.
What about a U. Give me another S. What
does that spell?! JESUS!!!"

Aunt Jill

So my Aunt Jill passed away at around 4:oo am this morning. Thank you guys so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my family. This is just a huge sudden blow to all of us. So yeah... I'm about to work on a another post right now and I'll have it up ASAP. Love you all.