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As we finish another year of hosting in the Cockatoo Perch, we’re reflecting on how it went and how it can be improved. One of our favourite places to go with guests (or advise them to visit) is Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure. It’s part zoo, part farm, and all fun! If ever you come for a visit, we’ll make sure to get you there to experience the wacky and ridiculous and ferocious wildlife of this wacky and ridiculous and ferocious country. If you look closely in the picture above, you’ll see Hagrid the crocodile lurking with the girls (the littlest a guest from Madang) watching the snake show. The pictures below were taken by Gemma on one of our many visits with “downstairs friends,” and somehow she captured each creepy crawly in a way that makes me laugh (rather than run!).

Looking back on all the visitors we’ve had downstairs has us feeling a bit sad the year is behind us instead of ahead of us. We’ve met some wonderful people (including kids) that we never would have encountered without the space; people from South Africa, New Zealand, other parts of Australia, Finland, and many from the US. It continues to be a blessing to us and to those who come through. Being in the season of Thanksgiving and the early days of Advent, we can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for this hosting ministry and the wonderful relationships we now have due to it.

One family called it the “wood between the worlds” and nothing anyone could say about it demonstrates better that our prayers for the space are being answered (and Narnia references will always capture our hearts). When we worked in Madang we needed a refuge away from our chosen country and our passport country. A place to heal and just be. A wood between the worlds. Praise God with us for the chance to be a part of providing that for others!