Build Trip 6

Cassidy • November 17, 2023

Build Trip 5 was successful! While it was a bit crazy to head into the village only eight days after arriving in country, it went smoothly for the guys and smoothly for us back in Madang. Thankful that Bryan is willing to do hard things with Zach to get us into the village soon! And thankful that his wife is willing to do the hard work of life on her own here so he can go and help! Here are some pictures of the week:

Zach got to introduce Bryan to the people we love and got to reconnect with many.

Enjoying time with some of our dearest friends:

Zach and Bryan installed all of the solar panels for the office, installed the lights and outlets, and ran the wiring all back to the main brain of it all.

The only missing piece was the breaker box. So the lights work and the outlets should be functional as soon as the breaker box is installed!

The village installed the outer walls while we were gone, so those were pinned in the final places, interior walls were installed, and even some cabinets.

Also, super exciting: On November 2nd, the men broke ground on our house! Bryan got the four corner posts in the ground and was able to use those to measure for all the rest of the exterior ones.

Back at home we celebrated Halloween. Thanks to the beautiful Kerra, we did more than just our usual one-house trick-or-treating: she helped the kids make spooky themed pizzas and they watched Charlie Brown. But here are the pictures of the costumes:

A greaser, homeless man, Hawaiian girl, and mummy.

A jellyfish, ballerina, and dragon.

We got settled in to our new normal:

Homeschool for the boys.

Preschool (blanket time) for Annie:

These last 13 days back, one major project was cutting and welding the rest of the exterior posts for our new house. They cut them to size and then welded tabs on so they can be attached to cross-bracing.

This morning we said "goodbye" again to our husbands as they head back to Mawerero for another trip. 

They are hoping to finalize the plumbing and electric on the office, move internet and power over to there (the fridge and freezer), and then get as far as possible with emptying and gutting the Mitchells' old house.

So thankful for Kombuk and Bryan!

In God's kindness, the Mitchell house's electrical system worked after the earthquake and we have been able to charge power tools, use the fridge, and run the internet all 13 months since then. BUT... when the men landed today they found that that system is now dead. This is the trip where we were going to move all electrical to the office anyway, so now there is extra motivation.


Please pray for easy transitions: moving a DC fridge and freezer system, laying satellite internet cables to a new spot... sometimes it is just a matter of FINDING the piece we need among all the piles in that old house.

Please pray for good weather so items can be moved without getting wet.

Please pray for good relationships with those in the village. Zach will be hiring some people to help him, Bryan, or Kombuk.

Please pray for safety and health for them and for us back in Madang.

And please pray that we can all be joyful as we serve God and not ourselves in all of this. His plans may be different than ours and we want to wholly submit to Him.


Thank you to everyone who gives prayer, money, and encouragement to us as we work to see God's name praised in the Finisterre mountains.

Christmas with the Demarests

By Cassidy • December 23, 2024
We were thankful to host one of our pastors and his wives, Scott and Sarah Demarest, for five days this month. We got to do our Christmas activities and advent readings with them each day and had such a sweet time with them.  (Since they TOOK most of the pictures, they are absent from many...). Gingerbread cookies instead of sugar cookies this year, which was the right choice. Why haven't I been doing this all along?!

The Death of a Baby

By Cassidy • December 8, 2024
Sepla came to our door two days ago asking for an egg. Her baby boy was very sick and she needed the leaders to pray over an egg so they could confess any wrong they had done, eat it, and Alfons could be released from the sickness. Zach explained to her that this practice is not from God, and therefore has no power. He got Eki and the two of them went to Sepla's house to pray to God that her baby might get well. Sepla is a good example of the syncretistic thinking prevalent here. She attends church faithfully, but she holds on to many animistic beliefs. A very imbedded core belief is that sickness can be caused by the bad thoughts of a wronged person, or in some cases: a sorcerer who is actually intent on evil. Sadly, Alfons died yesterday afternoon. The leaders asked Zach to speak at their vigil in the evening and he shared two things. First, he read from Psalm 139 and explained that Alfons lived exactly the number of days that God had decided. God is in control of life and death. Second, he shared the story of David and Bathsheba's baby dying in 2 Samuel 12. There, the Lord is in control of everything. He is the one who passes over David's sin and gives the child a sickness. God is the one to whom David prays while the baby is alive and worships when he dies. Zach pointed out at the end that David says that someday he will go to him, but his baby boy will not return to him. From this text, Zach explained that Alfons' spirit isn't wandering around on the earth! David believes the child is in heaven where someday David will be. Zach said he believes Alfons is in heaven, not because he was good, but because God is merciful. What we also need to consider, Zach explained, is if WE will someday be with God. He shared the gospel with them and encouraged them to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Some of those attending last night, like Sepla's husband Bui, never attend Zach's teaching and therefore didn't know this good news. Please pray for Sepla and her husband Bui.

Annie Turns Three

By Cassidy • November 24, 2024
This girl is three today! We celebrated with cake and presents and phone calls. Sadly, she had a tummy bug, so she spent much of the day heading back to bed to rest, but true to character, she was a happy girl nonetheless.

Scott Maxwell and Uriah Come to Visit

By Cassidy • November 24, 2024
As you may have read in our email update, we were able to host Scott Maxwell and Uriah earlier this month!

A Hike to the Pig House

By Oliver • October 25, 2024
This is Oliver and I am writing my first blog. Today Jude and I went on a hike with my dad's language helper, Giye, and his sons. We hiked from our house to Giye's pig house. A pig house is a second hut they build to look after their pigs.

Oliver Finishing the Bible

By Cassidy • October 24, 2024
When our boys learned to read, we encouraged them with the words of our pastor: "Now you can hear from God yourself!" Learning to read means we can read God's Word, the Bible. What's why we need a strong literacy program here in the village! Oliver began reading the Bible right after his sixth birthday: February 2020, with a Bible given to him by his Aunt Sandy. In these 4 and a half years, he has plodded well, and on the 18th of October, 2024 he read the last chapter of Revelation! This is cause for celebration in our family. He had picked out a new Bible in the US and we gifted that to him and ate cake. The next morning, he began his second reading through the Bible. How different his understanding of Genesis must be at ten years old versus six!

Ruscios' Visit

By Cassidy • October 9, 2024
Our mission organization, FinisTerre, recently sent a new family to do ministry in Madang. The Ruscios only arrived in PNG in July, so they are just starting to learn PNG culture and the trade language. As part of their orientation, they came up to stay in the bush for a week. We SO enjoyed getting to know them. Frank and Jacklyn have three boys and a girl, so it was a fun week for our kids, too! Eki gave them a proper welcome:

Back to the Village

By Cassidy • August 18, 2024
We have been back in the village for almost a month now! It has been a season of adjusting physically (cloth diapers, cooking, laundry...!) and relationally, doing the final unpacking/minor projects, and getting back to work. We are well, we are grateful, and we are moving forward with ministry! Here are some pictures. Jude and Oliver recruited some old friends to build a little shelter:

Ellie Turns One + Update

By Cassidy • June 29, 2024
Much has happened in the last two months. Zach, Bryan Twombly, and Brett Stuart flew to the village in May for Zach's LAST build trip. They finished plumbing, painted the whole house, finished cabinets, and moved all our personal bins and furniture inside.

Jude is 12 + Update

By Cassidy • April 5, 2024
Happy birthday to Jude! Jude is the man. Quite literally. Our first born officially no longer qualifies for children’s fares on airlines or anywhere else such discounts are offered. He is certainly growing—now a towering 1,486mm (that’s 4 feet 10.5 inches for those not in the metric world). Jude does everything at full speed. He reacts quick to situations (too quick at times). And his reactions are big, be it big joy or big disappointment. He reads at blinding speeds and seems to finish a book a day. His consumption of food has started to rival his dad’s. He loves spice and lots of it — he’ll add buffalo or sriracha sauce to just about anything. He loves salt, butter, tacos, dessert, and dreaming about American fast food. Jude is a lover of people and adventure. He is quick to make friends with anyone his age, and usually leads the charge in whatever shenanigans they set their mind to. He notices when people are happy or hurting and intuitively knows how to sympathize. He has embraced life next the ocean with all the exploring, fishing, and snorkeling it has to offer. Jude is also growing in wisdom. He reads the Bible every morning and thinks deeply about eternal things. It has been so exciting to see the Lord growing Jude in his faith and repentance — especially as Jude faces the challenges of living overseas with a greater understanding of the costs. We love this buddy!
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