loving vicariously

As you may know (possibly not), my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and my two amazing and perfect nephews live in Papua New Guinea. They have given up all they had here to do things like feed and clothe orphans from the slums, provide basic first aid (no joke - the PNG home remedy for a headache is a series of careful cuts with a machete, so you can imagine how revolutionary a little Advil is), run a Bible college, care for people in hospitals and medical clinics, share the gospel and the love of God, and basically do anything they can to serve the people of this tiny, impoverished, beautiful island nation.

They've been in Papua New Guinea since February of 2008. The last time I saw them, they looked like this:

And the boys, the precious night before they left:

A special trip to Disneyland with Mason

Ezra, trying (unsuccessfully) to take a picture of Nemo on my cell phone

Now, the boys look like this:

As you can see, a lot has changed.

Still handsome and happy as ever. :)

It's a hard thing for me to write about, because the missing them goes so deep. It started, somehow, before they left, but it's grown stronger over the last few months, probably because we have been preparing to send my husband's parents (the pastors of our church) and a small team to PNG to help Paul and Carina with the work they're doing. By the time you read this, they'll have just arrived. As difficult as it was to see my precious sister-in-law and her family move to one of the more remote parts of the world...well, somehow, it is equally difficult to send others to see them when you can't. It's hard not to selfishly think of all the giggles and the cuddles and the cups of tea we could be sharing, to imagine my own happy reunion, and that I'm partaking too in the joy that comes from serving others, together.

You see, I'm jealous.

But I'm also grateful. Grateful for the work that Paul and Carina do. Grateful for the opportunity to send love through these others, and many presents. Not just presents for my family, but for the people of their new nation. Things I take for granted, but that are priceless treasures to them: shoes, clothes, chapstick. It has a way of putting life into perspective, doesn't it? And so I'm grateful for all that I have, and all that I can give. Grateful, too, for the things that keep me here, for now--school, a job, the wedding of a dear friend. Even in its bittersweetness, my life is full of indescribable gifts.

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This post is linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped, a tradition hosted by the lovely Emily at Chatting at the Sky in which she invites her readers to appreciate small, wonderful things. It's about finding something special in the ordinary things around you, and pressing the pause button in order to reflect on it, to take it in. Here's the link to today, unwrapped.