HoveyServinGod

Since 2019, we have started a collection of the butterflies and moths of Papua New Guinea.  We try to put a date on it and the name of who contributed it to the collection.  We dry out the specimens and press them inside a book and finally, we laminate them.  We have learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t…..generally, moths are too big to go through the laminator.  Their bodies don’t flatten enough to make it through.  We’ve had a couple mishaps… Anyways, this past week, I was walking along the balcony at school and saw a large, bluish creature fluttering near the ground.  It was after Kindergarten was over and lunch was nearly finished.  So, I yelled to Moriah to bring me her lunch container.  She burst out of the Kindy classroom door, and we celebrated with excitement after capturing our addition to the growing collection.  We were so excited, in fact, that when Gunner walked past to put away his lunch box, we stopped him to show him.   As I proudly displayed my &qu

Makia Baptism I recently went to another missionary’s home and was chatting with the Mom in the family.  She, too, is a Mom of “littles.”  Although, her “littles” are smaller than mine.  As I sat and we conversed about a variety of things, a sign on her wall caught my eye.  Very simply it said, “The dream is real …(emphasis added)”  I had to ponder it for a minute, and I felt like I was missing a piece of the story.  So?  I asked the question….”Hey, does that sign on your wall have a story?  It’s really intriguing.” “Why, yes, it does have a story…when my husband, daughter and I arrived on the field, there were some veteran missionaries that were leaving the field.   She came over and gave it to me as a gift one evening and shared that when the going gets rough that it had served her and her family as an important reminder.   THIS hardship.   THESE trials.   THIS sickness.   THESE differences of opinion.   THEY are all part of the package of ‘the dream’ we pursued…the dream we prayed f

When I first landed in a foreign country in 2009 to do missions, my teammate and I had a flannel graph.  It seemed outdated to me when we brought it then, but to a third world country?  It made SUCH a difference to have a visual for the students to help them imagine the Bible Stories we were sharing.  It really helped the kiddos engage in the story and encounter Jesus in a more realistic way. Recently, I had a friend ask me if I would like a set of flannel graph to use for ministry.   I declined because in this “high-tech age” we live in, I thought it would be irrelevant.   However, I agreed to check with my friends to see if anyone was interested.   Quite honestly?   I was less than hopeful that anyone would even consider it because to me it not only seemed outdated but now it seemed ancient.   To my utter surprise, there was a friend that jumped at the opportunity when I shared it with her as a possibility.   “Really?” I thought in disbelief.   I agreed to gather the materials fr

small…was the size of the town of Owatonna (pop. approx. 25,000+). BIG…that was the city of Santiago, Chile (pop. approx. 8,0000,000+). small…was the amount of belief I had when we started pursuing missions.   BIG…that was the God who brought us to the Southern Hemisphere and then around the World to the Eastern Hemisphere too (Papua New Guinea)! small…was the installation of an outhouse toilet on the church property where we serve. BIG…that was the impact for our little girl struggling with using a pit toilet (aka a hole in the ground). small...was the size of our little girl and the loose tooth she had. BIG...was the smile on her face when it finally came out! small…was our son when he decided to surrender his life unto Jesus. BIG…that will be the impact he could have if he chooses to follow Christ lifelong. small…was the stone in David’s sling shot.   BIG…that was David’s God behind the stone. small…was the baby Jesus lying in a manger.   BIG…that was the God who sent