Back in America: On the Road

Mama Opa and friends, serving the mumu

Our transition to the US has begun! On June 19^th, our family departed Papua New Guinea for the last time. As you know from earlier blog posts, we have followed God's leading to a new role, teaching in the World Arts department at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, Texas (more on that in the next post). Those last days in Ukarumpa were filled with great times with dear friends. The last day in our beloved home, our PNG mom prepared a traditional feast for us and many of our friends. Called a “mumu,” it involves digging a hole in the ground, filling it with heated rocks, then filling it further with potatoes, sweet potatoes, chicken, pumpkin, and greens. The hole is covered for several hours while the heat from the stones cooks all the food. Then the food is uncovered, put in serving bowls, and the feasting begins. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon sharing food together in our yard and chatting with good friends who have been like family to us for so many years. It's hard to leave a place that has been home for over 12 years, but we were glad to have meaningful times with friends and to leave our jobs in good hands. 
 

Boarding the plane to leave Ukarumpa

From Ukarumpa, we spent one night in Port Moresby, where we visited the Parliament House (PNG's most famous building) with a friend from the Bible Translation Association of PNG, and we shared a meal with a fellow ethnomusicologist who has been a true friend over the years. Then we traveled on to Brisbane, Australia, for a few days of vacation. It was wonderful to unwind with just our family, enjoying museums, movies, restaurants, the Brisbane observation wheel, and just strolling through the beautiful downtown.

Our route then took us from Brisbane to Honolulu, where we spent just a few minutes rushing to our next flight to Seattle. In Seattle we spent a couple of days reunited with Joyce's family—including meeting a new brother-in-law, a niece, and a nephew for the first time! It was a fantastic way to reenter our home country!

Then we flew to Illinois, where we were based for about a month with my parents. Our time in Illinois included side trips to Missouri for a Coulter family reunion, and over to Ohio to visit our Riverwood Community Chapel family. We loved the warm welcome in Illinois not only from my family but also from the congregations of Grace Church in Morton and Grace Church in Normal.

But lest we become too settled in one place, on July 27, we left Illinois to begin a long road trip to the Northwest and, eventually, down to Dallas. Our family loves road trips—seeing the natural beauty of the US, enjoying visits with old friends and family along the way, and listening to music and audio dramas together in the minivan. This trip brought us to amazing sights such as: Mount Rushmore; Devils Tower; Boulevard Park in Bellingham, Washington; the Peace Arch between Washington and British Columbia; Sunrise Point at Mount Rainier; the Space Needle; the Oregon Coast; Arches National Park; and even an enlightening visit to the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico. We had opportunities to speak with hundreds of people and several church congregations. And, most importantly, wonderful times with family members in the Northwest. After several thousand miles of driving, we were all glad to see Texas and eventually, wearily, pull into our driveway in Dallas. It was 78 days of homelessness, and for all the incredible things we were able to see and do this summer, we are now glad to finally have a home again, and to begin school and work in our new life in Dallas. 

Here are some pictures of us at some of the amazing places we visited on the road this summer: (for more photos, follow our Flickr albums) 

the Gateway Arch in St. Louis

Mount Rushmore

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

a hike up Table Mountain, overlooking Mount Shuksan (in the Mount Baker Wilderness, Washington)

Deception Pass, Washington

sunset at Boulevard Park, Bellingham Bay, Washington

the Peace Arch between the US (Washington) and Canada (British Columbia)

the Space Needle, Seattle

the view of Mount Rainier from Sunrise Point

the view of Mount Shasta from Lassen Volcanic Park

Arches National Park, Utah

serious research going on at the International UFO Museum and Research Center, Roswell, NM

To all of you who hosted us or spent time with us this summer: thank you! You have encouraged us greatly and helped us slowly become the people we need to be in America. Many of you reading this have supported us financially for years, and we can never thank you enough. Thank you for your continued support, and for understanding our transition so well. It means a lot to us when you tell us that this move makes perfect sense, and that you're with us all the way.

In my next post, I'll write about our life in Dallas so far: what our schedule and responsibilities will be, what our needs are, and how you can pray for us in the unbelievable number of details involved in moving and setting up a home and life in a new city.