Teatime

I just came into possession of a book called “If Teacups Could Talk: sharing a cup of kindness with treasured friends” by Emilie Barnes

As I leafed through, admiring the beautiful illustrations by Sandy Lynam Clough, reading bits here and there, many memories were brought to mind.

As a little girl I enjoyed playing tea party. I still have my dolls china tea set in storage in America. It is white with pink and blue flowers. As I grew older many more fond memories and attachments to people came via tea. Curling up with a steaming mug and a good book is still one of my favorite activities.

From the time I was in about 5^th grade through college, I attended an annual “Christmas tea” hosted by a friend’s mother. It is such a delightful event, and she is such a gracious hostess; in order to accommodate the women and girls who attend, there are tables set through-out the house and three sittings! I was so very pleased to be able to attend for the first time in several years when were in America on furlough in 2015.

The first present Evan ever bought me was a mug, a boxed selection of quality teas and a fuzzy blanket. On a visit to Evan’s brother in Seattle, he took us to a tea shop where we were served several cups of throat-scalding, but very good, tea out of jars and drawers and given a lesson in which tea gave what flavors and properties to the drinker. 

One of the presents I brought back from my trip to Russia was a traditional glass and metal tea cup for my father. He and I share a love for tea.

A search for replacement Tupperware popsicle molds on ebay ended with me in possession of some lovely cups which I enjoy using:

I came across one seller who also was selling a beautiful set of blue and white tea cups produced by Staffordshire engravings. The thing that caught my eye was that the birds on the cups are birds of paradise, the national bird of Papua New Guinea. The price was reasonable, but in calculating how much it would take to ship to PNG, plus the molds I decided I couldn’t buy them. In communicating with the seller about shipping for the molds (I was having her mail them to my mom who would ship them on), I complimented her on the cups and told her we were missionaries in PNG where the birds on them are found in many varieties. She quickly replied that she wanted to send them to me as a blessing and asked for an address. A couple of months later I was a very proud owner, and indeed blessed by the kindness of a stranger.

I have been able to continue a tea-loving legacy in my boys…though they are only allowed mostly herbal teas like chamomile at the moment; Liam in particular has been drawn to the ritual of tea drinking and “tea time”. Those blue and white cups I told you about? They are his favorite to drink out of.

One of his favorite things to do while visiting his grandparents (my parents) was prepare a tray with tea and toast to bring to Granddad in bed in the morning. Last school year, in social studies, they learned about the UK, and at the end of the unit, Liam took great pride in carefully dressing for their special “real UK tea party” served and explained by women in our community from the UK. His hospitable nature is drawn to the social care of teatime.

Here in PNG, where spending time on developing relationships is of paramount importance, it makes sense that “tea-break” is still an observed time of the day. 10 AM and 3 PM every workday. In many cultures, to eat and drink with someone is a profound step in acceptance. Jesus uses this ritual many times as an object lesson in showing God’s love to others.

I have heard many people comment that they hear the best stories and grow closer to their co-workers over their tea-breaks. In our multi-cultural environment, where the number one reason for missionaries leaving the field is inter-personal conflict, I hope the tea-breaks never stop.

When I am having a tough time, or just want to visit, going and having a cup of tea with a friend…even if she tidies up her kitchen while we sip and chat, is refreshing and comforting. In the evening, when Evan sets the kettle boiling and asks if I would like a cup, I feel the warm glow of love and companionship from that one question.

So, raise your cups (even if they contain something other than tea) in salute to this special pastime and maybe even throw a special party and create some memories when International Tea Day rolls around on December 15^th.

The Hardest Little Things

“It’s the little things…” She said. A friend and I were talking about holidays recently and the conversation drifted slightly in another direction as she asked me, “Don’t you find it’s the little things that you miss the most?”

She went on to say “ I mean, I do miss my family at Christmas time, birthdays and all that…but when it’s big things like that, I feel like I can sort of prepare myself. But sometimes you can be blindsided when you remember something suddenly.”

She went to give the example of how she, her sister and mom would have their annual tradition of going out for breakfast and shopping on Black Friday in the US. She was reminded of this as she was standing outside the gate to our center’s store waiting for it to open for our version of Black Friday. It is the one time that the store is open on a Saturday. There are seasonal items, specially ordered, on display, the store is decorated and there is Christmas music playing.

She said she almost cried standing there, remembering and being sad to miss out by doing what God has called her to.

We all have those little things…and much like the question “Where are you from?” the longer you live and work overseas the more difficult it becomes to answer… "What is hardest about living there?”

One Question we get asked especially by folks really interested in our lives during furlough is: “What is the hardest thing about living there.”

The answer shifts, sometimes daily.

I can tell you something that, for me, is always hard. That twinge my heart makes and brings a lump to my throat, and sets my eyes glistening…

When I see memories on facebook pop up reminding me of memories our kids have shared with cousins, and grandparents…

It does make me sad that my kids miss out on birthdays, and holidays with family…but what I feel is more of a sacrifice in our obedience to God are the camping trips, woodworking projects with Granddad, swimming in their cousin’s pool, growing up with their cousins…

Thanksgiving at Oregon coast with Liz's family

Snow with cousins in Portland

Swinging with Granddad

Getting ready for a canoe ride with Granddad

Riding bike with uncle Jonathan

Playdough with Sasa (grandma Rodman)

Christmas cookies with Grandma Debbie

video games with cousins at Thanksgiving

Snuggling with uncle Justin's dogs..Billy and....

Lucy

Beach trip with Evan's family

Trip to the redwoods with Grandpa Robin just a few months after Liam was born

Grandpa Robin entertaining Liam on a long car ride after a camping trip together

It is certainly little sacrifice, little suffering in comparison to many. But it is still sacrifice and still suffering and I have to pray each day for the willingness to continue under God’s will. In doing so, it breaks my heart a little…but it also strengthens it as we draw closer to Him and the finish line.

Quick update from Larson family

Prayer and Praise:

This past week has been an encouragement as we cross paths with other like-minded and motivated people.  We have met several who have a vision for meeting local needs in conjunction with the traditional missionaries’ translation, literacy and evangelical work. 

One person we met, I’ll call him Greg (because that’s his name), came to serve for a short time with another mission and decided to return to do research into Business As Mission and coffee roasting.  One of the projects on my back burner is to build a coffee huller so that local growers can add value to their crop and transport more value per load to the wholesale buyers.  This could overlap very well with the work Greg is researching.  Greg happened to cross paths (if you believe in coincidence), with the Papua New Guinean man with whom we started down this Business As Mission road.  He literally crossed paths with him in the road in front of his house.

In the same conversation I was invited to explore the micro-hydro project in a village where the locals are already working on other community development projects.  In that village specialization is developing on its own without outsiders saying, “You should be doing this…”  Local ownership is paramount for the sustainability of any project.  And specialization is a giant step in the process of developing a community.  For instance, one person mills timber but pays someone else to build his house.  Traditionally, everybody does everything and there is little or no expertise because there is no time for it.  The next day I was invited to another village to assess their site.

A couple of days ago we attended a talk given by a man, Bruce French, who started working in agriculture in PNG over fifty years ago.  His life’s work has been how to address nutritional issues with local plants rather than imports.  

Here is his website and database (which is truly astonishing):  Food plants international

In PNG the ground is so fertile you can poke a dry stick in the dirt and it will sprout leaves.  But malnutrition is still an issue due to imported trash food and lost knowledge of local nutritional plants. 

We seem to be on the crest of a wave of people from all over asking, “How do I live as a Christian in this world in a practical way?  What practical difference can I make and not just say ‘stay warm and well-fed?’  What knowledge or experience do I have that can be used as an expression of God’s love in this world?”

While working on these things I am still acting as Assistant Manager at the Auto Shop in Ukarumpa. 

Please pray for:

·         Appropriate goal setting; keep our goals in line with the Lord and not just follow an idea.

·         Wisdom when to strive forward on a plan and when to wait on the Lord’s direction.

·         Continued prayer for Liz’s energy and pain level.

Larson Newsletter September 2017

Newsletter August 2017

Newsletter June 2017

I go, i kam

The title of this blog comes from a phrase in tok pisin (aka Melanesian pidgin – the language we most use to communicate here) which can be translated as “Going and coming” or “going back and forth”

Living in Ukarumpa, we live in a place that is both settled/permanent and transient. There are families like ours who live and work in Ukarumpa full-time. Other families, such as two who are in our Bible study, live part of their lives in the village where they are doing translation work. A final group of people are the short-term workers, who come for 1 or 2 years and then return to their passport country, sometimes they come back, sometimes they don’t. The community is constantly in flux as new people arrive in the country and others leave, either to return again or not. Those who leave on furlough sometimes, unexpectedly, end up not returning for various reasons.

A few weeks ago I got the privilege of sending off on furlough, a family that is very close to ours here in Ukarumpa. They will be gone for 10 months and then God willing, they will return to us who will in the meantime miss them very much. This is the first time their two youngest children have ever been to America. They were born in the Philippines and PNG respectively). Then the following week we said goodbye to another very close family. They will hopefully returning in about a year.

A crowd to say goodbye. We will miss the Albright family very much as they are close friends...we don't know where we will be spending Christmas day this year as we have always spent it with them every year we have been in PNG. Jim and Michelle were MK's in the Phillippines and have great perspective to give on missionary living.

Little ones contemplating their exciting plane ride

Clare is Andrew's wife and my very good friend. She is from the UK
and Evan says he can always tell when I have been hanging out with her lots
as my pattern of speech and inflection changes to be more"British". 

Amazing to get smiles out of these guys. Andrew is a small engines mechanic and indepesible at the autoshop. He is also an awesome friend who keeps us laughing. He is an American MK raised in Peru. He has served in PNG for over 10 years. 

It is a tradition and a way of easing the pain of saying goodbye to go to the airstrip with your friends and wave them off.

It is way more fun to go there when they return. Or you are having people come visit.

Grandparents [Liz's mom and dad] come to visit in 2014 - Liam went straight for them...Julien was more interested in trying to get a plane ride (:

We are still learning the value of “saying goodbye well”. For us, this means when you say goodbye, you don’t know if you will ever see this person on earth again, even if plans say you will. So, you try to hold that relationship somewhat loosely, while cherishing it.

Liam still talks about a friend he made in preschool, who was from Sweden, here on a short-term mission with his family. We talk sometimes about maybe visiting one day. But the reality is that we may never see him or his family this side of heaven again. This is the case with at least a 1/3 of the friends we make on the field or in passport countries.

One of the benefits is that there is always a “new kid” at school and at work, so the children and the adults are more aware and more welcoming than our more insular passport countries can be.

There are of course the possible “downsides” that we as parents to third-culture-kids need to watch for and help guide our kids through these transitions as they come. Sometimes kids who grow up in environments such as ours can have struggles when moving between cultures in growing friendships and maintaining ties to family. Fortunately, now more than ever before there is information and people who are experienced in ministering to the parents and the kids themselves and more and more parents are cognizant of the need to shepherd their kids through concepts of grieving, transition, and all sorts of cultural/worldview mind-shifts that are becoming ever more relevant in our shrinking world. Technological advances in recent years for video calls, texting internationally, blogging and so forth have helped, but has also put pressures on missionaries and their families to keep up with everyone “back home” and keep everyone informed as well.

I suppose the main point I would like to make here is that one of the things that makes this community special and wonderful can also be a major stressor in our lives, and one that doesn’t really get easier or let up. We are constantly saying goodbye. But that means we are also frequently saying hello. Pray that we that while we can continue to say goodbye well, we can also say “Welcome, we’re glad you’re here” just as well.