My New Toy For Playing In The Sun

     I have mentioned before that I love a bargain!  I have been researching Solar Sun Ovens for a few months now.  In PNG, the LP gas is quite expensive and I was looking for ways to save money on the cooking bill without giving up cooking whole chickens, breads, casseroles, etc and using up all the gas to cook these foods.  These ovens are quite expensive (well, at least to me they are since it's "just a box"!)  I tried bidding on Ebay a few times for one, but I am always out bid.  I got the bright idea of calling up Sun Ovens International, Inc.  I explained that I wanted to take one to Papua New Guinea, a third world country, and use it there.  I asked if they would be willing to give me a discount for taking one to the tropics.  I figured, it can't hurt to ask!  The manager reduced the price for me by about $100.00!  I was so excited!  Now, if you buy it direct through their company site you will pay more for the oven than just buying through an authorized dealer.  But, I still came away with an amazing deal!

Unpacking the oven!

     I was thrilled when UPS rang the doorbell (I love UPS!) and delivered my new toy!  I was going to try it out right away, but the Spring rain has kept me from testing it out, until today!  Most people know that PNG is a rain forest and might be wondering how I will be able to use it with all the rain they receive.  Well, where we will be living it usually shines bright in the morning and afternoon...and then around 3:00 pm the rains come.  You can use it on cloudy days, partially cloudy, and with wispy clouds.  Sounds fun, huh?

     You can make almost anything in it, except for fried foods...but, I really don't need fried food!  I bought special little dark pans and pots to fit in it.  I also bought special dehydrating racks. That will save another eight or more hours on the electricity bill not running a dehydrating machine!  Another awesome savings!  Hmm...thinking of all the other possibilities of solar panels and solar equipment!

     I gathered up my two youngest boys and we did a lesson on Solar cooking today.  Check out the process!   It was 42* outside and slightly breezy with scattered clouds.

Toll house chocolate chip cookies

Gather ingredients!

Get your self a crazy cowboy helper (notice the bolo tie with no collared shirt?)

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly!

Set up your oven

Position it pointing into the sun...checking for shadows!

Oven is preheated...Put in your cookies

Yum!  Can't wait!

Almost done...oven temp is 350*

Applause!
 Perfect cookies!
  Slightly crunchy on the outside and still  soft and delicious in the middle!

Gather tasters!  Gabe and Spencer!

Taste tester #3...Delana...she liked it!

Taste tester #4, Hadley (its her first chocolate chip cookie!)

     This is a fun oven to use!  Everyone enjoyed the treat and I only used a small amount of electricity for mixing!  How cool is that!   I'm happy to know it works.  Now, I am really looking forward to creating some delicious meals in the jungles of PNG!  

How do you spell R-E-L-I-E-F?

     It is all finalized!  The kids and I have our passports in hand with the beautiful, yellow visa sticker in them!  We are now cleared to live and travel back and forth (if we want) out of the country!  I am super excited to have this major step completed and out of the way!  We had two months to spare and not even a hiccup or anything went wrong!  Wes' company paid and did most of all the leg work for us, which I am very thankful for.  Back in 2002, when we were preparing to leave for a year stay in PNG (we did 9 months total) the visa process was a horrible experience!  It was full of drama...hmm, there was stolen money, lost papers, high priced middle men, hijacked passports, and talk of getting lawyers and state Senators involved!  It is a fun story to tell now but, wow, it was not fun then.  How do you spell r-e-l-i-e-f?  Why its spelled...VISA APPROVED!

     I also know another way to spell relief.  Its spelled...MASSAGE, FEVERFEW, MEDICINE and PRAYER!

     A week and half ago I believe I hurt my back while packing up the kitchen.  I don't recall "hurting" it, but I assume I strained it.  I was walking into Lowes to pick up more packing tape and all of a sudden I had shooting pain that radiated around my kidneys and shoot up my back!  Every step was painful, but I figured it was from hours of bending over cardboard boxes that morning and afternoon.  By the evening I had a severe migraine as well!  I think it was brought on by the pain.  I used to have migraines all the time, but my friend, Mrs. Aldridge introduced the herb Feverfew to me and it helped prevent an attack for about 10 years.

     I was disappointed because this all started on the first evening of our Bible conference and I wasn't going to miss it since this would be the last conference for a long time!  I took some migraine medicine, drank lots of water and put a smile on my face everyday so no one would know I was feeling horrible.  The headache lasted 8 days!  I finally called my mom, Joyce Rasmussen, 5 days into the migraine begging for a massage and relief from the pain.  She is a certified massage therapist.  She happily came and did a three hour trigger point massage in the evening and then did a three hour massage the next day!  Mrs. Aldridge also rushed over more doses of fresh Feverfew as well!  I felt spoiled by all the love and help in trying to get rid of the pain.  Its terrible to go to sleep and wake up with blurry vision and a throbbing headache.  But, with all the amazing treatments and prayer the headache finally dissipated!  Relief is also spelled...PAIN FREE!

     Needless to say, I did not get much packing done in those 8 days!  But, I am now going to go full throttle again!  I can't wait until I spell relief another way.  Soon, I will spell it, FINISHED!

Letting Go

         I've been going through ups and downs this past week with my emotions!  I would love to tell you that I am tough and never cry.  I would be lying to you (just ask my friend Linda who wrote a poem about my tears!).  I started to become overwhelmed with all the projects that need to be accomplished before leaving.  I was feeling discouraged and down in the dumps. Despair was starting to creep up into my heart.  Its an ugly thing when we start to feel sorry for ourselves!  Just when I thought I would give way to screaming, Wes called through on Skype!  He has a way of calming my "what ifs" and "I can't do it" attitude.  I bawled.

      I told him how I was struggling with letting go.  Letting go of furniture, toys, clothes, and all kinds of other miscellaneous things (like letting go of leaving America, my family, etc)  Wes would be proud of me that I have been selling, selling and doing more selling, but I get annoyed with myself for getting choked up over stupid things!  I am even more sentimental with family heritage stuff, especially when it comes to pictures, baby items, and heirlooms (although I don't have many).  I cried when I lovingly wrapped up some items in bubble wrap and marked the box with my children's names.  I could not help but think that the next time I would see those items would be when I possibly pass it onto my future daughter-in-laws.  My mother-in-law did the same thing so many years before (getting ready to leave for PNG) and I was the future recipient of some of her beautiful possessions!  Wes encouraged me and I felt a little more life creep back into my body.

     I was going through my jewelry box later that evening and I found my class ring from years ago.  I read the inscription I had put on the band.  It said, "Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  That's right!  I was neglecting to let God strengthen me!  I needed to give all my worries and emotions back to Him (can you tell I struggle with this in my life?)!

     God helped strengthen me through my friend, Juanita, the next morning.  She called me up and rescued me from the chaos of packing.  We spent the entire morning and afternoon out eating and shopping!  I had so much fun with her.  I'm so thankful for friends that will help "strengthen" me and put a smile back on my face!

     So, today I am back at making decisions about our things, but with a better attitude!  I've decided that this life purging session is actually good for myself and our family!  With every item that leaves the house, I feel a little lighter and less weighed down by my worldly possessions.  I have set up the dining room as "command central".  This is where the heart of all the sorting and packing is happening!  Closets and drawers are being emptied and put in here.  It is chaotic to say the least!  I do have one room in the house where I find comfort (and ice cream)...that room would be my new lovely kitchen!  I feel at peace in there.  This place makes me happy when I go and get a drink of water!  Its the ONLY room in the whole house that is not being torn apart.  Please continue to pray that I will stay focused and not let my emotions try to take over me again!  I have been blessed with so many families who have made a commitment to pray for us...and for that I am truly thankful!

Deals and Steals

     I'm a bargain hunter.  I'm always on the prowl for a good deal.  I hate to pay full price for anything, but, I do find myself sometimes succumbing to that price tag on an item!  It seems as we prepare to leave the "deals" to be had are quite hard to find.  So, when I do find something I'm giddy as a school girl on the playground with her girlfriends!

     My recent "steal" was at the Habitat For Humanity store.  The store can be a bit overwhelming...looking at all the old junky sinks, mismatched tile, and thirty year old cabinets can make one yearn for the bright lights of Lowes.  But, I know if you look hard enough and go often you can find hidden treasures there.  My break came last Monday when I went in and found two white fiberglass shower stalls, BRAND NEW!  The price was amazing!  I also found a corner soaker fiberglass tub (barely used) in excellent condition...it didn't look anything like the other one sitting by it that could have been in my great grandmothers bathroom!

     The fun part of the story is when a friend went to pick them up this past Saturday.  I guess, whoever quoted me the price on these items quoted each shower about $250.00 less than what the actual price was!  Did I mention I got a "steal"?  Anyways, the manager became "unglued", but, because my friend had the  receipt and my name was on the shower stalls...they had to give them to me!  What a blessing!  I saved over $500.00 and even more if you count that I didn't buy them at the home store!
 

Do I need this book? Nope!
Dad, Wes, and his brothers are all awesome at this!

You may be wondering why in the world I'm buying showers and sinks--Well, my best friend said he made the decision to build us a home!  A HOME!!  I told him I was going to be happy in the 460 sq. ft place on Brad's property, but he said he wanted something more comfortable for us.  I'm thrilled to pieces!  So, Grandpa Wells has been putting together designs and he is cutting wood on his sawmill this week for the house!  My job is to find some of the major expensive items here in the states and get them ready to be loaded onto the ocean container to be shipped.  If we find used items we will not be charged duty.  We are going to build the house as we "go"...meaning, when we have the funds to complete a section at a time.

     Now, I find myself addicted to Craigslist (yes, I'm on the hunt!), at least that is what my computer thinks...since it's always pre-guessing where I want to go!

The kindness of a child

     I am thankful for the children at our home church (Treasure Valley Baptist Church).  Last night my little kids received small gifts from Brooklyn who choose my kids for one of her missionary projects! I gave the boys their presents when we got home and they were jumping off the wall with excitement that someone would give them something.  Cameron asked, "why did she do this?" and I said, "because you are going to the mission field with mom and dad and you are going to be like a missionary kid and she wanted to do something kind for you".  Cameron (my oldest) responded with wide eyes and started jumping and exclaiming, "I have always wanted to be a missionary kid!"  My mommy's heart just swelled in awe at that instant.  I am thankful that Cam has such a tender heart towards missions.  His prayer is that he will one day be a missionary in Papua New Guinea when he grows up.  Wouldn't that be awesome if the Wells family name could go on for generations (if the Lord tarries) in the work of our Lord?

Departure Date

        We have our tickets in hand and plan on leaving May 23.  We found the best deals for this date while avoiding the price hike for the start of summer.  We are going to treat the kids to Disneyland in LA and then we head out of country May 27th.  We have an 8 day layover in Fiji, then we will arrive in PNG on June 5, spend the night in Port Moresby and then arrive in Mt. Hagen June 6.  Which will be June 5 for my friends in the States.  We are looking forward to a family vacation after spending (by that time) so long apart!

      Wes will be flying home a week or two prior to this to help pack up the ocean container.  I'm thankful for that!!  My job is to get everything packed, labeled, given a value and get it all lodged onto a customs form for PNG to have a look...mostly so we can be charged duty.  Bummer on that part.  Wes will then get everything packed into crates (because crates stack and you get them packed tight) so we get the most out of the space on the container.  Then, we will gather all the help we can get and get it all loaded onto the truck/container!

     Packing is really a one man job I have found.  Every item needs to be put into a category: Bring, Storage, Sell, or Donate.  If I was moving across state I would definitely get all my girlfriends together and we would just start stuffing boxes, no big deal.  But, to have to decide on every pen, pencil and paper...yikes!  

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for us as we continue forward.

Please also pray for my kids as I pack up their things.  The two littlest don't really understand why we are doing this again (its only been 18 months since we did this last!)

Please pray for my sanity!  Which, thankfully is still intact.  

Dreams Do Come True

     It has been 27 days since Wes left for PNG.  I remember the last time we spent 6 month apart...  Wes was finishing up flight school in California and I was packing up our sold home in Kuna,Idaho, working full time as a nurse (to support him and hold down the fort), and had a two year old.  Now, I am laughing because it feels like I am reliving that experience...but, now I am a full time mommy to three boys, home schooling the middle one, packing, and working out rental details of the farm house.  But, the major difference this time is I feel less stressed from years ago!  Wes bought me my first very own computer for Christmas.  He immediately installed Skype so we could keep in better communication while he is gone.  I LOVE SKYPE!!!  This is amazing technology.  I have been privileged to talk with Wes at least a couple times of day since its also loaded onto his phone as well.  I love being able to see his handsome face and hear his soothing voice!  We discuss all the details together, which makes making the decision process and the stress seem more bearable if not adventurous.

I came across this poem I had written for Wes on his completion from flight school some years back while packing up recently and I thought I would share it with all my friends.  My husbands dreams have come true!

Dreams Do Come True

Twenty months ago we started this journey

With the thought that we might hurry.

In our haste to complete the race

God decided to change the pace.

If we had known what trials lay ahead

We may have remained doing construction instead.

But every situation happened for a reason

And God lead you away from freeze-n.

There in California you excelled with your skills

While you diligently pedaled up the hills.

You dared to make your dream come true

And as your wife, I am so proud of you!

Now, when you take your helicopter into the sky

Please remember the days gone by.

Our adventure of flying has really just begun

And sometimes I wonder what will come.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow,

Happiness, joy, or sorrow,

When God is in it

The sky is the limit! 

~Tammy Wells -2005~