You are here: Home -> Carver Jnr's (Richard & Andrea) -> Dec 2011 Newsletter

Richard & Andrea Carver

December 2011 Newsletter:

• For previous news, visit the News Archives

Altar Call at the Conference in Mendi

Dear friends,

Wow! Hasn't time flown! It's hard to believe Christmas is around the corner. That means that I haven't given a family update for almost a year, so I'll briefly recap the whole 2011 year.

We left for a break in New Zealand in late November 2010. The whole family was very debilitated after a tough and stressful, non-stop year. Richard had a very bad cough which he could not shake, so bad in fact that he broke a rib coughing so hard. He pressed on with work though, working without rest almost a month, short of breath and weakened with his cough, to get the new mission house as close to finish as possible before we left for our New Zealand break. We spent a few days in Australia on our way to New Zealand to do some fun things with the kids, but actually none of us really enjoyed it. Rich had this horrible cough and pain in the side, and the 3 kids all were stricken with diahorrea. It broke my heart to see Tim missing out on the fun rides and activities because he was so sick and couldn't venture too far from a toilet at any time. And to top it all off, when we arrived in New Zealand, I developed what was suspected to be shingles which left me in a lot of pain over a few weeks. So we badly needed the time off to recuperate.

We had a great time with Richard's parents in New Zealand for Christmas 2010. We were able to be with them for some time and was able to take a few road trips around the North Island. Hannah learned to walk while we were there and say a few more words, like Nanny and Peepaa (Grandpa).

Celebrating Hannah's 2nd Birthday

We celebrated Hannah's second Birthday on July 24. Rich made a "Fimbles" cake for her, which is her favourite DVD character. I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how much she changes. Now she is running around and loves being in PNG. Hannah enjoys riding in the car with the window down waving to everyone she sees and saying "bye bye". She is quite the celeb!!!!! Our next phase for Hannah is potty training, so hopefully all goes well. We had success with her going into a "big bed". It was quite an adjustment with her being able to get herself up and walk into our room!

We were very happy to have Richard's parents with us for the months of July, August and September. Richard and his Dad were very busy with doing maintenance work on the new mission house property. There was a considerable amount of finishing work to be done after the last occupant left in March. Also, they were busy doing a few renovations to the Mission House in town, getting it ready for the arrival of Bro & Sis Pai. I am so grateful that both Rich and his Dad are great craftsmen and know how to fix and create just about anything.

Can you believe it? Fairy Floss in PNG! Tim eating Fairy Floss at the PNG Independence Day celebrations at school, with Nanny Carver and Sister Pai in the background.

Laura is already in the middle of grade 5 and is doing well.She is loving her new teacher. Her favorite subjects are Math, Science and Bible. She is getting excellent grades. While in New Zealand she learned to play the Ukelele and plays New Zealand's National Anthem as well as Beethoven pieces. She often serenades with some songs she has learned.

Tim also is doing well in his school grades. He is in grade 1 now. Tim enjoys Science and Art. The teacher has to sometimes remind Tim to pay attention but otherwise he is doing well; I think Tim would rather be playing outside in the dirt and riding his bike. Tim spends most of his time drawing. He loves to draw all sorts of pictures and loves to color. He is quite the artist. We are always trying to find color pencils for him to use.

Hannah is growing fast. She can now talk a few words in a sentence. She loves to spend her time outdoors, looking at bugs and spiders. She is not afraid to pick them up. Much to Tim's despair she will squeeze the bugs she finds to death! She can be very mischievous and needs to be watched at all times! But she is the sweetest girl who loves to give everyone kisses and waves to people in the town. When she leaves the store she will wave and say bye to everyone. We recently got a little kitten, the kids called him Luigi, Hannah absolutely loves him, she will hold it and squeeze it and the poor little thing just tolerates the abuse.

Enjoying a Sausage Sizzle outside

The children are getting excited about Christmas coming. We have a few boxes of goodies coming from Nanny Carver that will go under the tree. We will be spending Christmas in Papua New Guinea by ourselves this year. It's always a difficult time to be away from family. Fortunately this year we have some good friends coming over for Christmas dinner. Their children attend the same school as Laura and Tim.

The children and I would like to thank you all for you wonderful support and prayers without which living in PNG would not be possible.

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Until next time,

NOTE: You can be informed whenever a new newsletter is available by subscribing to our website and newsletter updates service.