It has now been seven months since Steve and Gerdine Stanley with Oscar returned to the UK.
A lot has happened. They have recovered from a very stressful, uncertain return journey, wound down from high-stress bush living, settled Oscar into a nursery, given a dozen or so presentations on the work in Kovol (mostly over Zoom), seen the birth of healthy twins, and cleared the backlog of work on the Kovol language they wanted to do.
The to-do list Steve made back in January is much depleted, the remaining tasks are blocked (like waiting for visa applications to return), and since it has been eight months since their last conversation in the Kovol language, there’s not really anything more that would be beneficial language wise.
When they are out in Kovol they miss their friends, family, and the ease, comfort, privacy, and stability of life at home, but at home, they miss their calling and interacting with Kovol friends.
Steve and Gerdine still have another four months in the UK until they spend a little time in the Netherlands before returning to PNG with nine-month-old babies. (That is going to be a tough journey! The bigger the girls are the better!).
The arrival of the summer holidays and the end of Covid restrictions has given them a great opportunity to enjoy things with Oscar. As they visit with people, they are so encouraged to see their little boy grow more and more comfortable in social situations.
Alice and Millie are drinking, sleeping, and chatting away. Both are above average in weight and they are starting to see their distinct personalities come out.
Steve and Gerdine’s direct involvement with ministry in Kovol has petered out, but by keeping their family healthy, happy and ready to be a blessing when they do get back they are indirectly staying involved.
All in all, they are blessed, happy, and itching to get back to work in Kovol early in 2022.
They would appreciate your prayers.