Merry Christmas 2020!

We're so happy to be home in PNG! Quarantining was a bit rough, but once we got out and about and plugged back into our community and work/ministries here, it all just seemed so very RIGHT. I sure miss my family, who we were so blessed to live near for seven months, but there's a lot of family of Christ here! Everyone has been wonderfully welcoming! Our PNG friends had heard a rumor that we were dead, so the joy of some is greatly magnified by relief that we're actually all completely healthy. 😄

 The kids have adored school and were seriously sad when it ended for the semester. They keep asking how many days until they can go back! Gracie is now reading chapter books, Marcie is reading the Gospel of John from her pocket Bible, Will frequently snuggles down with a book (often Calvin and Hobbes or other silly stories), Seth seems to be wanting to read for the first time in his life, and David can read fine but just loves building LEGO instead. He makes some very unique creations! They all still play their group games and make-believe and run around outside with each other and with friends in the neighborhood and community. 

We're getting a kitten in January, Lord willing! Our other cat and kittens died during our absence. 😞The new kitty is darling, and her name is Callie. She's too little to leave her mom yet, so we go visit her.

 

Our family lit the Advent candle at church on Sunday. I took the opportunity to insist on a Christmas picture or three after the service. 😊 The girls' dresses are from Grandpadad - each girl cousin got one. 

(I got this dress and Isaac's shirt for $1.75 each at a local secondhand store. It's amazing the things we can find there!)

Last week, Gavin medevac'ed a woman who had been in labor for FIVE days. I cannot imagine! He's also flown to lots of language areas and reconnected with PNG friends and ministry partners there. He's been working for three different mission organizations, keeping really busy but loving it all. 

The kids love to pretend they're flying in the helicopter. It's a lot less expensive than the real thing!

I am back at work and loving nearly every minute of it. One nine-month-old patient last week was truly at death's door with a terrible, likely bacterial, respiratory infection. Her white blood and "band cell" counts were alarming (16,000 and 43%, respectively, for you medical people), so she was transported to the closest hospital and hopefully put on IV antibiotics while receiving oxygen to keep her alive. I think her mom had to walk a LONG way in from the bush to get her help! I prayed for her life to be saved, both here and now and, more importantly, in Eternity. 

Gracie with a friend's daughter, Tori. She was SO sweet and patient as the quints passed her around! I love seeing healthy and happy babies! Her wonderful mommy is such a dear woman and sweet friend. 

We're looking forward to Christmas with other dear friends, grateful for our many, many blessings, including YOU! The Lord richly bless and keep you in His love and care, at this time of year especially.

In His grip,

Carrie for us all

Jones' Clips - We Are Home!

Our Itinerary to PNG

 We are busy taking care of final details and packing, while trying to soak up as much family time as possible.  All are excited to be returning home, but saying goodbye to Carrie's family, who all live right nearby, is going to be hard. The young kids have had a great time getting to know their cousins better over these last several months, so they will be missed!

We hope to take off from Dallas/Ft. Worth airport tomorrow at 4:55PM. Lord-willing, about 50 hours later, we will be disembarking from our 3rd flight on Papua New Guinean soil!  Then a final flight up to our home in the Highlands, where we will begin a two week quarantine.  Here are more details on our itinerary (for simplicity, all times are in US Central Time):

• Depart Dallas/Ft. Worth: 1655  - Arrive Doha, Qatar: 0815 (about 15 ½ hours)
• 2 ½ hour layover in Doha
• Depart Doha: 1045  -                   Arrive Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 1810 (about 7 ½ hours)
• 16 hour layover - we are going to be able to rest in the transit hotel that is in the airport!
• Depart Kuala Lumpur: 12:05 -    Arrive Port Moresby, PNG: 1910.
• Depart Port Moresby: ~2100 -    Arrive Ukarumpa: 2230

We would appreciate your prayers for all the paperwork to be correct and acceptable for the transitions to be smooth, for our luggage to all arrive with us, for the kids to travel well and rest well.  But, most of all, that we would travel with the love of Christ evident in us and that we would handle the unexpected with grace!

Thank you all for your prayers and love!

Here is a picture of our family from last week (thanks to photographer Micah Trostle):

COVID Tests NEGATIVE!

All 8 of our COVID tests came back negative last night! We are so grateful to have the paperwork hurdles over with and we are ready to get on the airplane for PNG tomorrow afternoon! Please pray for some of the other families who were going to be heading back with us that have hit some bureaucratic roadblocks. We've had a few people ask about our itinerary.  I'll post that a little later.  Thank you for all your prayers!

Jones' Clips - 28 October 2020

Jones Update - 24 September

Jones Clips - September - While We Wait