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Missing worshipping with our Jericho Ridge family. Thinking of all of our partner churches and the ways in which the past months have drastically adjusted the way they are able to operate and reach people. Amazed at the ways churches have continued to find ways to reach out and share God's love with the people in their midst, whether that be in person, or through a screen.
Continuing to pray for the JRCC worshipping community as well as all of our other partner churches. We miss these people dearly.
#mccarthysinpng #sendthemccarthys #PartnerChurch #worshiptogether
I can remember that night so very clearly. It was our first night staying in a PNG village. Our kids, especially Elliott, were still reeling from all of the change of the past 4 or so weeks and we had the chance to stay with our was femili (our gaurdian family) in a local village. We loved this family and are so thankful to them for their time, their grace, their patience and their gentleness with us as they taught us the language and allowed us to practice our very broken Tok Pisin.
I remember putting the kids to bed that night and then going back outside to chat with our friends and I remember it taking forever for them to fall asleep and Elliott waking up crying at around 11pm saying that his face felt like it was on fire.
We weren't sure what he was talking about and we couldn't see anything wrong with him. We tried to calm him and headed to bed, assuming that it would be a long night. A few hours into sleeping under our mosquito net - the same one Elliott was sleeping under - my face also started to feel uncomfortably hot. It turns out that, even though we had aired the nets that one of the mosquito nets hadn't been aired out sufficiently and, as such, the chemical that is used on these nets to treat them and help them ward off mosquitos was making our faces feel like they were on fire.
This poor, sweet boy wasn't making things up when he was telling us how he felt. He wasn't being over the top or ridiculous. He was just communicating. This sweet 3 year old.
And our sweet boy did a lot of 'communicating' over the course of our first weeks in PNG. It wasn't always easy for us to handle. We were just struggling to deal with all of the changes ourselves but I still feel bad about not recognizing the intensity of the change that our kids underwent by moving to a completely new country, with a completely new culture, far away from anything that resembled home.
Regardless of my inadequacies, I am thankful that, even when I didn't hear their cries, that God did. I am thankful that, even when I didn't understand their pain, that God did. I am thankful that, even when I didn't have the capacity to walk them gently through a transition I didn't even understand, that God did and I am thankful that, day after day, I have a new opportunity to listen to them and hear what is happening in their hearts. More than that, I am thankful that, even when I fail to do this perfectly (which is inevitable), that God will cover me with His righteousness and continue to hold my kids in His very capable hands.
So, today, I thank God, even for the difficult nights - those unforgettable moments that highlight my own parental and human weakness because they are memories that shove me back to the loving arms of a God who always understands the cries of my heart, the hearts of my children and the hearts of the youth we are here to serve.
May we all, always take our 'face on fire' moments to the God who understands perfectly, who loves us fiercely and who will protect us powerfully, even in the midst of the pain. Praise God that we have a perfect high priest who understands every single struggle and praise God that we have an opportunity to point the youth here to this wonderful truth, among so many others.
Please check out this request from my mom on behalf of my dad! Thank you so much for continuing to pray for my dad's recovery!
With love and thanks,
Anita
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Wondering if anyone has a recumbent exercise bike that includes upper body workout hanging around in their basement lonely and sad that they would be willing to loan us
Jim’s first outpatient physiotherapist appointment is strongly suggesting we get one to ensure Jim continues to improve
If you can help out or have suggestions on where we might find a reconditioned machine we are all ears
Remembering back to our training here in PNG, near Madang and thinking of some of the people who really made a huge difference in the lives of our kids during that time. So thankful for them and for those not shown here who really took the time to get to know our kids and show them love during a time of tremendous change and upheaval. We are continuously grateful for the ways God showed up during that challenging time for us and for our kids and we know that He used these and others not shown to show us that love and to remind us that we were not alone.
#mccarthysinpng #mccarthysinmadang #pocmemories #handsandfeetofjesus #goodfriends
This is an absolutely beautiful country and we are so privileged to call it our second home. Here are just a few shots from over the years here.
#beautifulpng #PNG #sendthemccarthys #mccarthysinpng #servingthroughteaching #bibletranslation #uissc
We are the blue dot and the red flag is where the earthquake was at about 5:30 tonight - really close! This one hit just as some youth were showing up to our house for a hang out and we were getting our meal ready for the potluck. Fries were in the deep fryer, kids were playing LEGO and I was just coming out of the bathroom. I stood in the hall and held something on the wall so that it wouldn't fall and we tried to calmly tell our kids to get away from the shelves, rather than try to save any LEGO sets from falling 🙂 (I also glanced down the hall to check and may have checked to see if my beautiful Artbyjoel masterpiece was still hanging 🙂 ).
It was truly one of the longest ones we've felt here with little warning as there were no tremors beforehand and, with all of us being in different rooms throughout the house, it felt hard to decide if we should just get out of the house or stay inside and just make sure things didn't fall. Definitely not my favourite feeling but glad that this one didn't wake us up in the middle of the night!
The last big earthquake here broke one of our water tanks and we haven't checked ours yet but we think it's fine. All is well and we would love your prayers for any closer to the epicentre who might have been affected. Thank you friends!
Transitions. Transitions is one of those 'buzz' words in missions and a word that, to be honest, I sometimes get tired of hearing. I think that my main aversion to this word is that it is not a word that is reserved for missionaries so I feel the need to explain that fact anytime I might find myself using it. It is a reality for those who are moving often, no matter what the reasons, and certainly not just for missionaries but it is a very real thing anytime you uproot your family and move somewhere brand new or experience any sort of major change. [ 539 more words ]
sendthemccarthys.com/mccarthys-musings/transitions/
sendthemccarthys.com
A transition, while sometimes painful, is just a chance to let God peel away the layers of protection that we have knowingly or unknowingly placed around our hearts so that He can remind us, loving...Yesterday, the 35 high schoolers from Ukarumpa International School Secondary Campus, along with a number of adult sponsors, set out to bunk at the Training Centre (just on the edge of our centre) and spend three days digging into God's word. There have been games, speakers, discussion groups, free time and so much more. Countless opportunities for students to spend time thinking about who God is to them and to hopefully hear what He's saying to their hearts. Leaders have poured out their time. Colleagues of ours have poured out their energy into planning this weekend in the absence of a youth director (the new youth director has been working SO hard to make it back to PNG from Canada and will hopefully be here in a week or more plus quarantine time, Lord willing!). Members of our community have volunteered their time to lead the students in worship & training centre kitchen staff have poured love into the making of numerous meals for the students.
Would you pray that this last full day of Encounter would be meaningful and impactful in the lives of these young men and women?
Thank you, friends!
(Jon is helping with security this weekend as well as being a sponsor and discussion group leader. Please pray for him and the other security volunteers that work various day and night shifts to provide security for the weekend. Thank you!)
Socially distanced graduations have been a reality for so many this year - all around the globe and, here in Ukarumpa, it was no different. We had one student who had to leave quickly in the midst of the pandemic, another 4 who had enough time for the parents to plan a mini outdoor socially distant graduation before they left and a final socially distant graduation in June with live streaming, thanks to some better-than-usual cell service, for those who were still left in Ukarumpa months after the pandemic hit.
We are continuing to pray for these students as some of them settle into college life - whether virtual or in person and some of them are stuck here, unable to return to their home countries or move on to their next plans due to travel difficulties and limited airline routes.
We know God has plans for each and every one of their lives and we are honoured to be walking alongside them in prayer.
Would you join us in praying for the Grads of 2020 - the ones from Ukarumpa International School as well as the Grads of 2020 from all over the world who have had a shared experience of strangeness in 2020!
Thank you friends.
#classof2020 #sendthemccarthys #mccarthysinpng #socialdistancing #nohuggingisnofun #goodbyesareevenharderwithouthugs #servingthroughteaching #supportingbibletranslation #PNG #Wycliffe
You can take Jon out of Canada but you can't take the cheesy grin off of Jon 🙂 This is Jon's classic 'you can put me in photos but you can't control my smile' pose as he's pictured here with the group of guys that he and a good friend meet with week after week. A number of the students in this group are not here at the moment and some are missing from the photo but it's a privilege for him to meet with these guys each week and chat about God, pray with them, and be a Godly example in their lives.
We are also thankful for the opportunity to work alongside fellow colleagues who are here supporting Bible translation in their own ways. Jon's co-leader is a translator and it has been a privilege getting to know their family and their kids over this past year.
Please pray for the students here in PNG. Please pray that their faith would be real and firmly rooted in God's word so that they will be able to continue to grow in their faith long after they leave this place and head out into the world.
Thank you, friends!
#sendthemccarthys #mccarthysinpng #communitygroups #Ukarumpa #lovingyouth #servingtogether #discipleship #supportingbibletranslation
If you would like to become a monthly or one-time partner in this ministry, we'd invite you to visit this page: bit.ly/supportmccarthys. If you'd like to sign up to receive our newsletters, you can find out how to do that by visiting our website: www.sendthemccarthys.com
One of the things we love about serving at Ukarumpa International School is the opportunity we have to interact with students in many different venues - as teachers, outside of school as community group leaders and sometimes even playing sports with them. No one has invited me (Anita) to play basketball but that's ok 🙂 I"m pretty happy leaving these interactions to Jon!
#mccarthysinpng #sendthemccarthys #servingthroughteaching #servingthroughsports #uissc #ukarumpainternationalschool #png #wycliffe #supportingBibletranslation
