My address

My address here is:

Melissa Yoder
P.O. Box 1 (349)
Ukarumpa, EHP 444
Papua New Guinea

How to eat a passionfruit

 Have you ever wondered how to each a passion fruit? Well, I'm here to give you a little demonstration! I've even provided pictures of the process. I can almost bet that by the end of this blog post, your mouth will be watering for one! :)

 

Step one: Choose the right passion fruit. It must be a bit firm, but can cave in easily to the touch. This one looks good...

 Step Two: Poke holes all around the middle of the fruit, making a cut through the outer layer with your thumbnail.

 Step Three: Peel off the outer shell on the bottom half of the passion fruit.

 Check out what it looks like inside!

 Step Four: Suck the yummy, gooey stuff out of the middle!

 Step Five: Keep sucking!

Getting a bit messy!

 Step Six: There's still some left! Keep going!

 

Step Seven: All done! Time to find another one!

Introducing Riggs!

I'd like to introduce you to a member of my household named Riggs. My roommates and I are keeping track of Riggs while his owners (Doctor Jeff and his family) are away from Ukarumpa. At first, you might not think that Riggs is a lovable pet, as he is prone to be less than friendly to anyone he does not know. Actually, this large German Shepherd does exactly what he is meant to do: keep our house safe!

Papua New Guineans and many "white skins" do not really like dogs. In fact, many of our friends and neighbors are leery of Riggs even from a distance or on a leash. We have trouble getting people to come to our house if they know Riggs is loose in the yard. I can't say that I blame them. I used to feel the same way about dogs. But not Riggs. He's made a spot for himself in my heart and here's why...

First of all, Riggs is a built-in piece of exercise equipment! Who needs a treadmill when you can walk/jog with a German Shepherd for 45 mins. every day? Even when Rebekah and I trade off the walking responsibilities each day, he still keeps us running!

Second, having a dog has been teaching me about my own relationship with the Lord. Watching "The Dog Whisperer," Rebekah and I have learned that dogs must be in a state of "calm submission" in order to be balanced, happy, and willing to obey. Dog owners must learn how to keep their pet's attention by making sounds and/or touching them in such a way as to say, "Hey! Don't pay attention to that! Stay focused!"

Isn't it the same with the Lord? I easily get tense and worried about many things but the Lord desires that I remain in a state of "calm submission" to the Holy Spirit. All too often I am like Riggs. I am distracted by all the sights and sounds (and smells!) of the world around me when I should be trotting happily close to my Savior's side. Sometimes the Lord must break my attention from whatever it is that I'm fixated on, whether by a gentle Word, a "nudge," or something stronger. I hope that over the years of walking with my Savior that I will learn to trot happily next to Him in calm submission.

My New House

"Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive until now, so that we may find joy in what has just come to us." – Jewish blessing

After a whirlwind of preparations and many precious goodbyes with friends and family, I am pleased to announce that I have arrived in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea! This new chapter in my life has started and I am settling in nicely. If you have a minute, I’d like to introduce you to some important parts of my life here. If you have other questions, please ask!

My Home: As I wrote in my last post, I am living with two young women, Rebekah Drew and Rachel Stanton. Rebekah has purchased an adorable Finnish-style house and has graciously asked Rachel and I to live with her. This is a huge blessing as single people often have to move around from place to place, wherever there is room. This way I can stay put as long as I need!

Here are some interesting things about our house…

Here’s where I get to remember all of you! I brought many pictures of friends and family and I look at them and pray for you every day. Miss you all!

In Finland, many houses have a neat feature that allows dishes to air dry out of view. After we wash our dishes, we set them above the sink and out of the way until they dry. I love this part of our house!

 Laundry takes MUCH longer than it did in the States. We do have a washing machine (which takes about 2 and a half hours for a cycle!) and then our dryer is pictured above. It took me almost 30 mins to hang these few items up. I guess I need some practice.

My housemate, Rebekah, is a wonderfully talented pianist. I get to hear her play all sorts of songs at random points throughout the evening. Although the only instrument I can play is the radio, I am happy to appreciate the music Rebekah can create!

Here is my first attempt at cooking (with the help of Rebekah!). I was very pleased with our veggie pizza...and it even tasted great!! You are all invited to come for dinner some time. :)

Security…our house has an alarm system and electricity running through our windows so that no one tampers with them. Unfortunately, break ins happen often here so anything we can do to deter “raskols” is wise. We make sure all of our valuables are put away out of sight whenever we are not home or are sleeping because the bad people are after our stuff, not us. Some people have even slept through a break in. As in the States, our confidence is in our Heavenly Protector, not our security systems or forethought. Of course, prayers for protection are always welcome!

In my next post, I will introduce you to another part of our security system named Riggs. Stay tuned for more…