Houghton's trip update

WOW.  I have been blown away by the amount of e-mails, fb messages, etc. that I have been getting concerning Hought's trip.  We are humbed daily by the grace that He lavishes on us moment by moment and the mercy that falls on us in moments of weakness and stupidity. :)  And even now I am so dumbfounded by the grace He covers me with through YOU our amazing support team.  We cannot do anything in and of ourselves and it has been such a tremendous gift you to give hand in ways that cannot be expressed!
I have felt SO at peace these last few days!  I have been sleeping soundly (well as soundly as a mom of three can! :) ) and have been thouroughly enjoying the company of my kids, my God, and my friends and family here in Vanuatu and around the world.
All this to say a HUGE thank you!!!!

We were told by some missionaries close by where H will be treking that Digecel (the mobile company that we use here in Vanuatu) doesn't work in the Mascilines and Malekula.  So I was really bummed that I wouldn't be able to talk to H here and there and hear about his trip etc.
BUT, because God is so gracious, Hought has been able to call 4 times!!!!!!!  He arrived without TOO much trouble (4 hour late plane and water coming over the boat in waves) to the Mascilines, which are a small group of islands off the south coast of the large island of Malekula.  He stayed there with a large group of men from all over Vanuatu while a conference was going on until today.  He will be leaving (as last I heard) today by boat to head to the South West Bay of Malekula.  His work is going really quickly and he is getting quite an arrangement of words from these incredible languages.
I wish I could remember the word that meant "ankle" it was hilariously hard to reproduce for my mouth... and a little tricky for him to reproduce to make sure he was transcribing (or writing it out) right.  Needless to say, his mind is going a hundred miles an hour, and God has been good to give him strength these last few days.

I hope to get some calls from him while he is treking through Malekula, but I am not sure if his phone will get service.  So I am grateful for the calls in the last couple days and will wait to update you more when I know more.

Thanks for the prayer!  The answers have been so tangible to me!

Gretchen

A trip to Malekula

Houghton has taken off to the island of Malekula to do a survey of the languages and peoples there.  He was asked to make this survey on behalf of SIL (one of the most influential Bible translation groups around the world) and H was ready and willing to take the trip.  This will be the first survey trip that H has been on where he won't have a teammate with him.  He will be traveling with a local man who is from Malekula.  The two of them will cover a lot of distance by plane, boat, and foot.
Hought will be gone until Sept 13, the day before Gwen turns 4!!! :)

Please pray with us for:

His health - He is still recovering from his bought with malaria (?) that struck him almost 2 months ago
His saftey - as with any trip and trek, things can happen!
His work - Hought will be noticing the gap where a teammate would fill in.... Pray that he would be able to think through things and work clearly without the added bonus of another mind to throw ideas with and against

For me and the kids' health - I always worry that something major will happen while the NURSE is away. :)  Pray that we would have an uneventful time without H as far as our health goes! :)
For me and the kids' saftey - Unfortunatly Port Vila is not a safe city.  Especially where our house is located.  Pray that we would feel safe at night with out the man in the house. :)
For me and the kids' work - WOW any moms out there would know that when dad is away, the daily norm is harder.  Pray that I would keep a positive attitude with the kids and that we would enjoy our time together.
For me - I ALWAYS miss H terribly when he is away and I let my mind wander instead of casting any worry and anxiety on Him.  Pray that I would rest in the Comforter throughout the weeks he will be away.

Thanks guys.  Cannot do this without your prayer!!!!