The Maid of the Mist

Millie trying to keep her hair out of her eyes.

Niagara Falls from the boat.

Falls family photo.

Here is a view of some of the falls... just to give you an idea of how big it really is, see those blue dots in the bottom left of the photo? Those are people.

Nori at a lookout point.

Enjoying the view.

We were super hungry after our long day so we went off to eat dinner at The Griffon.

Hands down, this was the best meal of our trip... wish i was writing this from one of their tables now. mmmmmmm!

* We are home. We got back a few days ago from the Awesome trip. After Ohio Kristi's phone died and John was having trouble just getting online, so sorry the trip posts just stopped so abruptly! So we are picking up where we left off so we can all enjoy that last week together :)

Upper Sandusky is nowhere near Sandusky

Next we were off for Upper Sandusky OH to visit Grandma Gloria and Capt. Dave Sir.

Nori caught the first fish. After that Banner liked to cut and bait the hooks, Amanda did the fish catching, and Nori will take them off the hook.

The cousins at dinner together.

Seth was sad Nori and Grammy ate all the garlic toast!

There was an amazing park right down the street from Capt. Dave and Grandma Gloria's house we went to a few times and even had a picnic after church there on Sunday.

Group photo: Millie, Kristi, Grammy, Uncle Steve, Amanda, Banner, Nori, and Seth.

Capt Dave with the kiddos.

Much ado in Ada (a.k.a. Hanging with the Fetrows)

Meet the Fetrows! Well, we did back in January at our first Wycliffe training, and God ignited a fast friendship. They are soon to be on their way to parts of Mexico that you probably have never heard of, so please add them to your prayers!

We never could decide what this robot's intended use might have been, but it made a great prop.

David, Banner, and Olivia stare and wonder whether there are more fish or ducks.

It's hard to say whether the fish were so big from discarded bread scraps, or if they picked off a duck every once in a while and divided it amongst themselves.

The Fetrows called these "Darth Swans" which I thought was appropriate when they rushed in to attack me right after I took this picture.

Apparently it's a thing in Ohio to "dig a pond". Much like an in-ground pool, you add chemicals to keep them clean and have a pump and all. We have seen many of these in Ohio so far and a good many are just as blue as this one. It's truly a strange and wonderfully fun anomaly.

Did I mention that there is no pool liner? We found some clay under our feet which made for even more magical fun. I'm sad to report though that the water did not taste like blue Kool-Aid.

Our first wind turbines... Mesmerizing!

Just like home - my children are treating the herb garden like it's a buffet of green goodness. 

Story time with Kristi always draws a crowd. 

Luke and Nori preparing for some battle that apparently spans both time and space.

"I'd just like to see you call me 'girly' again!"

Our Board of Directors ;)

Possibly the world's coolest merry-go-round. 

Happy, happy, happy!

Awwwww!

If you can identify this moth, then we will name it after you. 

The Creation Museum etc.

Making new friends.

Kristi joyfully strolling along, unaware that a pterodactyl is eyeing her for a snack.

So how many of you can say that you've touched a dinosaur fossil without being kicked out of the museum?

Kids in the Garden of Eden

Yes, in the Garden of Eden dinosaurs and humans would sit down for a meal together and share strange melons.

Fortunately there was a little black rail that separated us from this guy.

So they had this insectatarium (yes, that might not be a word) with some of the freakiest little things that God designed. I found this wasp to be most terrifying. To give you some idea of scale, the red & black bees to the bottom left are about the size of your typical honey bee or yellow jacket. I'm just praying that these aren't native to Papua New Guinea, but they probably are.

Ridiculously large butterfly like the ones in PNG.

Look, we are already in PNG!

Yeah, not really :( but hopefully soon :)

Banner recovers after he was goofing off and fell into the carnivorous plant bog. I had to hide my laughter because I had a similar experience as a young lad. Yup, that's my boy!

This giant 50 ft. Jesus blesses I-75 near between Cincinnati and Dayton. Apparently, it replaced an even bigger Jesus that got struck by lightning (am I the only one that thinks that's strange?).

A Mammoth Day

Millie had the luxury of being carried much of the time (up and down over 600 steps for 2 hours), so any flat, wide, and safe stretches were a joy to child and parents alike.

I'm not sure what this was, maybe singing songs about spelunking and saltpeter mining.

Did I mention that you can't use your flash? Sadly, no picture could do this justice. God is truly the greatest artist!

We had an awesome opportunity to meet some of John's extended family in Bowling Green. Thanks for a wonderful dinner Sharon, Denise, Ashley, and very new Baby Annabelle! 

My Old Kentucky Home

Apparently, John gave money to erect this obelisk back in 1981.

Millie enjoying fort life.

Perks of going to do history field trip first thing on a Sunday morning... We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves!

While we were in the area we swung by my old school... Everything seemed so much smaller than I remembered it to be.

We got to visit with the Browns today and go to community group with them... They were amazing hosts, such a blessing to us on the start of our trip!

Made it to Kentucky!

Note: Be sure to take car pics early in the trip when spirits are high.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel: the magic (and remarkably long) portal between Tennessee and Kentucky.

Kristi moved quick to snap a photo of the water tower and it wasn't until afterwards that she noticed the KFC. It's hard to call it a coincidence when they are on every corner.

Giant hand photo opp, how could we resist?

Wire dragon. Need I say more?

And a wire bull too, with more funny faces :-0

You'd think that after 7 hours in the car we wouldn't be looking for a place to sit down.

In any case, we hope you enjoy! More to come... 

Packing in North Carolina

Yes, we are packing for our move, in September, out to the JAARS center in Waxhaw. But that packing has been set on hold... right now we are packing for a two week tour of the Eastern US! We will be visiting with friends, family, and strangers – all potential partners in our Wycliffe ministry. Plus, we just finished studying the American Revolution so we will be mixing some exciting field trips in along the way!  We thought you might like to go too (vicariously that is, sorry the van is full to the brim). So here we go, first stop Berea, KY.

Pastor Tim

It's always a blow when someone you care for tells you they are sick. Feels like someone sucker punched you in the stomach. We felt this way one day last week when we woke up. There was an email waiting for us in our inbox letting us know that our Pastor, and friend, Tim Cox was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). We were aware something was going on with his health and there had been a slew of tests and doctors visits. We had been praying, and now we know what we have been praying about.

IPF is ugly; it sets your body to attack it's own lungs. Your body becomes your own worst enemy. The only hope for Tim's body is a lung transplant.

It is a rare thing to meet a man who radiates God's joy like Tim does. His light is infectious, it's clear that God has turned him on like a floodlight!

Please join us in prayer for our friend and his family. Join us as we lean into God for our friends. They have a long and bumpy ride ahead of them. Lets walk with them and lift them up as they go. Follow his journey in his own words at http://letsgojournal.com

A Remarkable Life

My aunt, Bonnie Haigler, went home to be with her Savior this week. I want to say that she prepared me well for this event: She had been battling cancer for some time, which gave us time; she savored every moment that she could spend with her family and friends, despite distances and probably pain; and she was ready to see Jesus, like really ready! But still I've got something of a hole left.

Some of my earliest memories of Aunt Bonnie were when she (and my Uncle Larry) took me and my sister in as kids when my mother was battling cancer. I was like 5 or 6 at the time and got my own foam mattress in the corner of their bedroom for more than a year. I always felt like this was my own special place (because she had a way of making you feel special!), but the truth is that she took in and took care of countless family members, friends, and strangers over the years. And to my dismay, I found out at her funeral that there were many others that also had the honor of sleeping on her bedroom floor. Ha, I should've known!

Bonnie (front) with my mother, Carol (ca. late 70's I think)

I learned a lot of practical things from Aunt Bonnie when I was growing up. Well, at least now that I'm a parent they seem practical, at the time they were frustrating. For instance, we had to hold on to the handrail when we walked down the stairs. This wasn't necessarily for our safety on the world's steepest stairs that my uncle built, but really so we wouldn't touch her wallpaper and get it dirty. Aunt Bonnie also had two containers for ice in the freezer: one for her, and one for the rest of us. Despite the fact that my aunt was blind, somehow she knew when your hand was touching her ice. It must have given off a different frequency or something. There was also a constant sugar ration in effect, especially when it came to cereal, which was ironic given the sweetness of the fruit tea. Now that I think about it, I should have poured the fruit tea on my cereal. For those of you that have no idea what fruit tea is, I am truly sorry for your loss.

Aunt Bonnie never had band-aids in the house, which I always thought was strange since she lived on a farm with animals and barbed wire fences and Uncle Larry's numerous barns full of rusty whatnots, but she believed that fresh air and scabs were better.  Did I mention that she required me and a few of my male cousins to sit down to pee? This one goes back to her precious wallpaper again. Unfortunately, I can't dispute that it was yellow and peeling off the wall next to the toilet. I also had my mouth washed out with a bar of soap once; yes, that was Aunt Bonnie too, and once was all that it took. 

A trip to Biltmore that I wish I remembered....

Most importantly though, she taught me what it meant to walk with the Lord.

I don't think that anyone could ever say that being blind is an advantage, but Aunt Bonnie used it to her advantage.  She told me her secret once when I asked her about how she managed to walk around so well when she couldn't see. She said that she prayed before every step and just trusted God with the rest.  In fact I have heard a lot of people say in the last week that they didn't even know that she was blind when they first met her. I guess that shouldn't have surprised me since she was always cooking lunches and dinners for the masses of family and friends that just couldn't stay away from her hospitality. I'm still not sure how she pulled that off, but I'm sure that there was also prayer involved when she reached for a hot pan in the oven. Now don't get me wrong here, because we all need Jesus for every breath and everything in between, but I believe her real advantage was that she needed Jesus to be her eyes. I think that she took full advantage of His offer to help her see, and then when she didn't need Him for that in any given moment, she would just be still and keep talking to Him.

I can't even tell you the countless times that Aunt Bonnie pointed me back to Jesus.  She was a spiritual giant in my life, but she was also honest and real. I asked her once how she managed to get up so early every morning to spend time with the Lord. She told me that the first few weeks she fell asleep while she was praying, which I just couldn't believe! But she kept showing up; and God showed up and was patient with her. She taught me that it doesn't have to be perfect, I just need to keep coming back and seeking the Lord. Even when I was away at college she wrote me regularly, and for a while she called me every week to pray over the phone. She was always ready to answer you with the Word of God that she meditated on continually. She was always consistently there for me as if I was her own son.  My mother, her sister, is surely thanking her now in Heaven for the love and care that she gave to me and my sister.  When I got married she embraced my wife and loved her like a daughter. When I had children, she had more grandchildren, and she cherished them. I feel the hole that she has left, but I guess even more I am overwhelmed by the legacy of trusting Jesus that was her example.

Nori and Aunt Bonnie

Thank you Aunt Bonnie for living your life for Christ and not for yourself — for all to see.

2 Timothy 4:6-8  For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

I had to throw this one in because it's such a cool photo. Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Larry Haigler are on the left end; next to them are my mother, Carol, and dad, John M. Craig; I don't know the people in the middle or right end, but second in from the right are my grandparents, Nana and Papa (Ruby and John R. Craig)

Why?

Since John and I have started telling people about this new call God has for us, people have been asking us a lot of questions. Some of the most challenging revolve around the word "WHY?"

WHY move your family to the other side of the world?
WHY are you leaving a job you love, and a community of people who love you?
WHY are you taking your kids to live in a jungle surrounded by people who look, act, and talk differently then you do?

WHY....

Our dear friends, the Kejrs, are in the same spot we are. They too are about to move their young family of five to the other side of the world. One of their recent responses to the "Why" question was so beautifully stated, I wanted to share it with you:

"In fact, what we're doing really doesn't make sense unless you believe that Jesus deserves the worship of every people, every tribe, and every language in the entire world.  Frankly the cost is too high if we do it for any other reason.  The cost is high for our parents, siblings, extended family, and friends who love us dearly and will miss seeing us on a regular basis.  The cost is high for our kids as they grow up dealing with so many transitions.  The cost is high for those of you who are sacrificially giving to our ministry.  The list could go on...but you get the point.

So we keep asking ourselves...Is it worth it?  YES, because the cost was very high for our Savior Jesus Christ and the cost is high for those who die apart from knowing Him."

So this is WHY we are going, because how could we not? In PNG alone there are more than 840 languages spoken, and over 400 of those are still waiting to hear God speak their own language! We want to be a part of making that number zero. Zero people groups without God in their mother tongue. The possibility of that happening in our children's lifetime is real! I urge you, if you haven't already, to join the team. Partner with this mission financially and through prayer, make us your feet to bring the Good News to those still waiting in PNG.

On June 8th something amazing happened! The Arop-Lokep people, a tribe in Papua New Guinea, dedicated their New Testament. After many many years of hard work their translation is complete! Here is a short video of the celebration. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Playing Catch Up

We have had the gift of having some pretty amazing moments with dear friends and family this past month. These are the people who make us better people, and we are so thankful God put them in our lives! Here is just a snap shot of what we've been up to with them and then some just with our crazy selves!

This is Really Happening!

It's real. It's true. It's really happening. We are about to move across the world because God told us to go to PNG...

Some days this doesn't feel true.

It's the days we spend absorbed in school. Writing poems like the revolutionary poet, Phillis Wheatley, or learning the parts of a flower. 
It's the days we ride our bikes in the neighborhood with friends, and our children's laughter dances on the breeze.
It's the days when it's so simple to just reach out and connect with dear friends to share in their joy of new life, or their pain in loss.
It's the days when John heads off to another day of work and he stops by the store to just pick up a few things on the way home.
It's the days at church where you are sucked into the sermon and you feel the comfort of being in the body of Christ.

But, It's real. It's true. It's really happening. We are about to move across the world because God told us to go to PNG...

Some days it feel so true, it makes us catch our breath.

It's the days we spend emptying out a room of our home, giving every bit of it away, because we won't be taking those things with us.
It's the days we get up extra early in the AM so we can Skype friends in PNG before they head off to bed, and can only see them in an abstract painting sort of way.
It's the days we come home from shopping with a car full of bug tents, water purifiers, backpacks, rain coats, hiking shoes etc. etc. etc.
It's the days I wipe my daughter's tears because she just figured out that even though she will have new friends to meet in the trees each day in PNG, her current friends won't be those people.
It's the days we are surprised and blown away by our friends' generosity, as they selflessly partner with us, sending us to where God called us but farther from them.

Yes, It's real. It's true. It's really happening. We are about to move across the world because God told us to go to PNG...

Two Years with Millie

Millie turned 2 today. It's crazy to think there was a time when I told John how content I was with having only two kids, that we had been so blessed already. But John thought someone was missing, and he was right... It was our Millie! For me there has never been a stronger taste of God's deep and personal love for me than through the gift of my children. These sweet happy years!

I hope you enjoy walking through the last 2 years with us :)

Sleeping in Ukarumpa

God is good! Our friends, the Ernandes family, made it to Ukarumpa on Tuesday. As I write this they are enjoying their first nights sleep,

in their new home,

in a real bed,

for the first time since January!

Ukarumpa is the Mission Center they will be stationed at while in PNG. (same as us)

They have completed their three month Pacific Orientation Course, that included a 4 week stay in a local village. Here are some photos they shared with us of their time there. We wanted to share these with you as it might be a small glimpse into what life will be like for us so soon! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

If you want to learn more about the Ernandes family and their journey, go to www.facebook.com/ErnandesFamilyPapuaNewGuinea

Stephanie and Gabriele helping get ready for a celebration (like Thanksgiving) of the first taro that you pull out of your new garden for the year.

Their home in the village.

Gabriele, Wasmama (watch mama), and Stephanie bring back food from the garden in their bilum bags. The belum is used to carry all sorts of things from food to babies, and you carry it on your head!

James helping with a building project.

Stephanie and James the last night in the village, covered in gifts made for them by all their new friends. Do you think you would look so good after 4 weeks in the jungle? Look at God's joy radiate!

Stephanie, James, and Ethan in the truck on the way to their new home in Ukarumpa!

Our Tribal Village

We love to play dress-up and pretend in our house. You never know who you might meet when you come to visit: George Washington, Mary the mother of Jesus, Prince Caspian, Pocahontas, Templeton the rat, and Ma and Pa Ingalls are just a few that frequent here. Lately there has been a tribal village set up in our living room. I asked Nori to tell me about it today, and this is what she did...

Our Tribal Village
by Miss Nori Craig

In our village we are called the Wanchum people.

In our village, we wear stickers on our face, not paint.
In our village we live in a tent made of chairs and a blanket.
In our village we have a cat named Sniffy Lickers who brings us mice to stew for dinner.
In our village we cook beanbags for breakfast.
In our village we go night-night at least 20 times a day.

In our village we need the Bible in our own language.
In our village we want to be with Jesus.
In our village there is a missionary named Nina.
In our village Nina is learning our language to make an alphabet.

In our village the children love to hear Nina tell them about Jesus.

So how did you lose your teeth?

We were visiting some old family friends on Tuesday night. All the kids were running and playing outside. Our friends have the best yard for playing in, they even have a cargo net from a Navy ship strung between trees for playing on — super cool. The adults were sitting around the table catching up when Nori burst into the room with blood on her face. She was beaming! With a bloody smile she held out her hand and dropped a small white tooth in my hand. Apparently she was at the bottom of a pile up outside and it got knocked out. Now let me say it was loose before, we have 5 or now 4 loose teeth, but it was not close to being ready to come out... hence all the blood. She was tickled about it, because she knew she could trade it for a silver dollar.

To date, this is her third baby tooth out. The first one she wouldn't let us touch, and she ended up eating it with her dinner. The second one she pulled out herself, and now the third was taken by a knee. Who knew losing your baby teeth could be such risky business... and be such a joyful occasion!
 

Nori at age 1, when said tooth just came in.

Camp Oak Hill Wedding

Off we go, right down memory lane. We are attending a Camp Oak Hill Reunion this weekend in Raleigh. John worked there for a number of years through college, and then when we met he was the Program Director, so he has a lot of fun memories of this place! For me the best memory of Camp Oak Hill, and why it will always hold a special place in my heart, is our wedding. To date I believe it is still the only wedding ever held there. So on this "flashback Friday", we will go back almost 10 years ago, to one of the best life-changing decisions I ever made!

John and the fellas.

Kristi and the gals, umbrellas turned out to be a good idea with tropical depression Gaston visiting.

With Chris Bristow after the wedding... note how wet John is :)

it stopped raining when i started to walk down the aisle.

The rest of the night was beautiful... only wish we had been able to keep the reception outside too!

Cutting the cake... that we got none of!

Off to the Village

Meet our dear friends the Ernandes family (James, Stephanie, Gabriele, and Ethan). We love them! God had a very special friendship in mind when he brought us together. When we met they had just finished getting 100% of their partnership team in place and were training at JAARS till it was time for them to leave for Papua New Guinea in Jan of 2014. We had just started the application process for Wycliffe with great anticipation of God providing financial and prayer partners so we could leave for PNG in Jan 2015. They had just walked through everything this next year was to hold for us. What a gift God just dropped in our lap!
 

We had them over for lunch after church the first time we met. We were excited to hear their story. The wisdom and information shared would have been a gift all on its own, but that day God wanted to give us more. He gave us family. That day they came for lunch, and ended up staying for dinner too! When they finally started for home, we were all wishing that we could visit longer! After that we pretty much spent every Sunday together up until that last day when they boarded the plane taking them across the world to PNG.

Now they are in the middle of the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) — a three month rigorous language, culture, and survival training on the coast of Papua New Guinea. Everyone must go through this course before heading to their various assignments on the island. We have been captivated as we have watched them (via the Internet) immerse themselves in this new world — a world we are headed for in a mere 10 months!!!!!!!

The hut on the right is actually their home in the village and the hut on the left is their kitchen.

Yesterday, they left the POC training center, and for the next 4 weeks will live on their own in one of the tribal villages. These 4 weeks they will be completely cut off from the outside world, helping them to understand the people we have been called to love, serve, and bring God's Word to. Please pray for them. Pray that God will show up in big ways for them. Pray for protection, peace, and endurance. But mostly pray that they walk out of this knowing and giving God's love even more fully.

A Translation Story at EnterMission

We were so excited and humbled this last week to have A Translation Story shown at Wycliffe USA's weekly EnterMission service!

EnterMission is a weekly gathering for Wycliffe staff at the headquarters in Orlando every Wednesday, but also streamed live for staff around the world.  It's a time that encourages unity among a global organization and increases awareness of what's going on with Bible translation worldwide.

This EnterMission was extra special for us too because our trainers and teachers from our 2-week January training (see post Equip Training...) led the service.  It was great to get to see them again, even if it was just on our computer screen.  Our kids especially loved seeing their teachers and hearing their voices again; that was really sweet!

It has been joyous to see other people get excited about A Translation Story.  We felt like it was special from the beginning, but then we are a little biased.  We just hope that God can use it mightily to further His work of reaching all language groups with His Word.  So please feel free to share it and share it again!