As our time in Canada draws to what we originally thought would be a close, we are still patiently waiting for all of the paperwork needed to take Ezra with us to Papua New Guinea. Everything has gone slower than we originally expected, which means we have already delayed our flights by two weeks. We are hopeful that we won't have to change them again, which seems promising since we just heard that the immigration office gave a deadline for processing Ezra's visa about a week from now! We will continue to pray that everything comes through in time for us to leave Canada in three weeks. It is time to start ordering the last things we need, buying the last pieces of clothing for the kids, and start weighing everything to make sure it will fit in three suitcases!
As we start to mentally prepare for a new beginning in PNG again, here is another section from one of our presentation which reflects on our first beginning in the country:
Our senses are overwhelmed with new sights, sounds, and smells when we arrive in PNG after more than 20 hours of flying. We notice all of the beautiful flowers that naturally grow in the tropical climate contrasted with the dusty, bumpy streets littered with trash. We feel many eyes as we walk down the streets, with many calling out "Morning! Good day! Baby! Baby!" We are extra cautious about protecting our belongings as we navigate our way through the crowds lining the streets, especially when ladies come up to squeeze our baby's cheeks or shake her hand or even try to pick her up. Going to the market is an exciting experience, though we still have a lot to learn. When we soak our vegetables in salt water, we are usually greeted with swarms of earwigs, worms, and other bugs who are desperately trying to escape the salt water. "Brandon! There's one there! On the wall! On the cupboard! Up by the ceiling!" Shopping is one long math game as we try to get quicker at mental calculations: "34 kina is how many dollars? Is this really expensive, or a normal price?" Driving requires our utmost attention as we get used to not only driving on the other side of the road, but also to the people who cross anytime and anywhere and the vehicles that drive a wide range of speeds -- and sometimes stop with no warning.
In those first few days, our senses were in overdrive. Everything was new, everything was different, and we realized that we had a lot to learn.
