Update and Build Trip 8 - Orland Team

Cassidy • January 10, 2024

The last build trip was a success, thank you to all of you who prayed and asked us about it! Bryan, Zach, and Kombuk were able to completely demolish the second house, which was their primary goal. In addition, they were able to store and organize the building materials and household items, and they were able to finish all the girding beams and floor joists on our new home.


Starting with the solar panels on the roof:

... then the roofing, and then wall by wall:

... then organizing all this wood and metal and beginning work on the floor.

Partway through their trip, we sent an extra helicopter up to the village to drop off plywood. Here is a truck I hired and the guys loading it on:

Work on the foundation interrupted by the extra heli:

They sent the heli back out with some bulky items we don't have space for (since we are going from two houses to one):

Spending time with people, strengthening relationships, reminding them of our purpose in rebuilding - so we can keep teaching them the good news.

Bryan and Kombuk, along with some village helpers, finished all of the girding beams and floor joists!

Back in Madang, we kept on with our advent activities and school:

In the southern hemisphere, slip n slide can be a Christmas activity!

After three trips in two months, Bryan and Zach sorely needed a rest. We had a few weeks of break and celebrated Christmas. Pictures of that time:

Our coffee date (my mom's Christmas gift to us):

Christmas morning:

Christmas dinner with the Twomblys:

Ellie still growing up:

Swimming outside:

Bryan trying to show Zach how wonderful fishing is (it did not work):

Fixing screens on the property:

...and lots of prep for the next build trip.

As for current events, today build trip number 8 began! On Sunday, three guys arrived from a supporting church in Orland, California and this morning they flew into the village. They hope to strengthen the bearers, brace the corner posts, put down a plywood floor, frame all the walls, put up roofing, make some sort of roof cap, and wrap the whole house in plastic. If these things happen quickly, they will begin to frame and hang doors and windows and/or build steps to our front door.


We are thankful to have these guys here to help! One of the men, John, is a professional carpenter and came twice in 2015/2016 to help build the first houses. So sweet how he uses his specific skills to support God's work in the Finisterres.


Here are some pictures of the last couple days:

Prepping our cross-bracing, third-world-country style. Kyle helping John bash the metal flat and then Oliver is helping Warren (in the background) drill holes for the bolts.

John made friends with Annie:

Kyle the amazing pianist encouraging all our young piano players:

Ready to leave this morning:

Please pray alongside us again for this trip! Lots of the same requests as before: that these guys would be efficient and safe and not get sick, that relationships with the guys in the village would be smooth and encouraging, that tools would work and every bolt/nail/piece of wood/etc they need would be on hand. And our ultimate goal is that God would be honored in this one trip, in our house building, and in our whole work.

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!

Build Trip 10

By Cassidy • March 11, 2024
Thank you for praying for trip 9. The team from Countryside in TX were able to do so much! It was not only productive, but spiritually encouraging to have those guys visit and help.

Build Trip 9 - Countryside Team

By Cassidy • February 6, 2024
Thank you to all who had prayed for the last build trip! With the three guys from Orland, the floor, frame, and roof were finished on our new house:

Oliver is Ten!

By Cassidy • January 21, 2024
Double digits for this guy! Oliver brings so much laughter and beauty to our lives. He is the family funny man, with so many jokes, humorous anecdotes, and a contagious laugh. He also takes after his grandpa Bruce with his love of art, music, film, and all things beautiful. He is learning to play the piano, edit photos, and loves to draw and color. And while reading is not his favorite, he loves a good story. He enjoys people and becomes fast friends with whomever is around, whether we're in a city or jungle. He loves junk food, knives, screaming at the top of his lungs, pestering his sister, climbing trees, swimming in the ocean, and finding new ways to be Jude's best friend and worst enemy (Tom Sawyer would be proud of this kid). We're proud of him too. His actual birthday was low-key since his dad was on a building trip with friends from Orland, but he did want to go to Eden with the Twombly family:

Update and Build Trip 8 - Orland Team

By Cassidy • January 10, 2024
The last build trip was a success, thank you to all of you who prayed and asked us about it! Bryan, Zach, and Kombuk were able to completely demolish the second house, which was their primary goal. In addition, they were able to store and organize the building materials and household items, and they were able to finish all the girding beams and floor joists on our new home. Starting with the solar panels on the roof:
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