30 on the 30th

I just realized that reading past blog entries is a great way to reflect and reminisce. Last week I hit another milestone in my life with my 30th birthday, and I guess that’s why I was feeling a bit nostalgic and skimmed over a few of the entries from the past year. It brought back a lot of memories, as well as a range of emotions as I‘re-lived’ the experiences of the past months. It was also really neat to see how the children changed and grew, not only by the photos, but also in the things they’re doing and saying.

Our second entry on the blog was about my 29th birthday—celebrated in Lae, on a very hot day, of course. The highlight was a morning walk on the beautiful grounds of the Lae Golf Course. How different this year’s birthday was in comparison! Just a tad colder and not too humid—-it was below zero, after all! But it was celebrated with enough family and friends to warm our hearts and home!

It was special to celebrate with a couple of the little, but significant, people in my life! Here’s Allie Buist and I celebrating our birthdays…together we turned 35 this year!



And here is Lucas (the son of Ian’s brother, Tim and wife, Elissa). He turned 1 on the 30th! I remember when he was born last year, and we really felt how far away we were in not being able to meet him right away and cuddle him in our arms, like you love to do with a newborn. But then the Lord blessed us with getting to know him in PNG this past year, and the icing on the cake, you could say, was celebrating with him in person this year!



I ended my 29th birthday blog praising God for another birthday and saying that I would strive to follow Him faithfully the coming year. As I think back, I know there have been times when in my stubborn pride I’ve tried to take the lead and go my own way. Other times I’ve stumbled and fallen as I tried to race along the path. But in His grace and love, He’s always picked me up and showed me His way again. And because of this grace and by His power, I can strive to follow Him again this year, wherever He may lead. Especially with Ian still not completely well and our future plans uncertain, we need to completely surrender and trust and follow. So easy to say, but really hard to do sometimes.
In His strength, we take it one step at a time.