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Brian is almost home from his last international trip for the year. He’s been in Fiji at a meeting for Bible translation organizations working in the Pacific and followed that up by visiting a pastor working in a nearby village. He enjoyed his time with the pastor and his family immensely, but we’re all glad to stop saying hello and goodbye for a bit. Here on the homefront the girls have been thoroughly enjoying Gary, the neighborhood peacock. In the picture, he is right next to our bedroom windows, but he travels far and wide in our little neck of the woods. We can hear his call when he’s a fair distance away, but it’s such fun when he comes to be with us for a bit.

The girls have been nonstop playing and bushwalking behind our house with their friends from up the road. Not gonna lie, being here has stretched my parenting muscles. I’m trying to let the birds fly a bit on their own, but it’s still a challenge for me after all those years in Madang where, by default, they didn’t stray far on their own. That being said, it’s such a joy to see them come back with bright eyes and cheeks having conquered the rough terrain. It’s easy to see parenting as one-sided, but it’s simply not. I’m constantly being refined by it and learning new areas that need work. Moving to a country where there is so much more freedom came at a good time developmentally for our whole family. So! Here’s to many more hikes and forays into the world without me.