KONOMALA

the TRIP home

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us over this last month as we’ve transitioned back to the U.S. The trip home went well. There were no major delays or jet lag issues to deal with, and God gave us grace to get through the long trip without any public meltdowns or sickness … always a constant prayer conversation on those trips!

We spent our first couple of weeks visiting family in FL. That made for a nice and gentle transition to winter time in America, and it was a wonderful time being together with Grampa & Gramma after years of being apart.

Now, we’re pretty used to long road trips in PNG (to buy supplies), and those trips are always pretty grueling. The girls could hardly believe how fast the hours were just flying by as we traveled north to PA. They would ask about specific time/geography markers that they know from PNG, and we kept answering that we were already past that point in the trip.
Minds BLOWN

We probably heard dozens of comments about how nice the roads were or how comfortable the car was. Us adults had constant wow-moments too; American road trips are so nice.
No potholes, no pigs, no pedestrians, no collapsed bridges … bathrooms everywhere, perfect temperature, lots to look at on the road … so nice

Time at home

Now we’re settling into life in Pennsylvania. It’s been an adjustment for sure to figure out the calendar-lifestyle again. It’s kind of like those funny videos of people jumping onto a speeding treadmill.

It’s been great to re-connect with so many friends and family over the last weeks. Now we’re trying to adjust to what “normal” life should look like for us during this season. It’s a little different than the monotonous & slow paced life of PNG.

We’re excited to purposefully build more deeply into some relationships here in PA. So often we all tend to isolate ourselves and avoid the deeper (sometimes uncomfortable) levels of friendships. We’ve definitely seen that tendency come to the surface as we’ve been physically isolated in PNG. Our flesh actually takes advantage and keeps pushing us further into that way of life. Definitely not how God designed it. God’s Spirit never leads us to isolation and independence. Living within God’s design of dependence & community is so much better.

the Church

Keep praying for the church back in Konomala. We’ve heard from them a few times since leaving, and it seems that they’re still doing well. We know how intense the battle can be as Satan attempts to destroy what God is doing. There are times when it can feel blatant, but much of the time he’s deceptively subtle. He will use anything possible to derail growth and dependence: old patterns of life, comfort, busyness, subtle discouragement & frustration, conflict, money, health … obviously the list could be long.

We got to chat with our good friend, Michael, the other day. He has been taking the lead on helping the church walk through the book of Colossians while we’re gone. One of the themes that came out of our conversation was how faithful and gracious God is to teach and care for us regardless of the circumstances. Whether we’re all together in PNG or we’re scattered around the world, He has not left us alone. He is faithfully revealing things in our hearts that need brought into the light, and He is graciously present amidst the mess … bringing us closer to Himself.

Keep Praying

Pray that the church in Konomala would continue to grow together in knowing Jesus more & experiencing His new life in them. Pray especially for Michael & Rena as they are stepping forward into the line of fire and helping others within the church.

Pray that our time in America would be marked by a growing dependence & deeper knowledge of our good Father. Pray that we would recognize where He wants to work in us and humbly allow Him to do so.

Pray for the Hodgdons as they prepare to go back to Konomala in May. Pray that they would continue to experience more of Jesus’ life as they step back into a different context and daily life. Pray that God would give wisdom & grace as they re-integrate with the church and continue discipling.