First Contact

October 15, 2016

Jill's Instagram:

Birthday presents aren't always this cool! Sometimes we have to settle for some cheaply made toys from town...but when you just came back from furlough and can bring Walmart's Sam Walton's truck legos...that's pretty cool!

Wantakia cuties #WANTAKIAcuties

Olivia took her first standardized test today in the tribe, while Lael monitored her. Olivia is too young to know that these tests are not fun!! #WANTAKIAhomeschool #reachwantakia

Yesterday, we hiked a total of 6 hours to visit another village in Wantakia. There are 9 villages in all, and we want to make sure that we tell them that we came here for them too! Our men have visited most of them, but it's important the women know too!! #reachWANTAKIA #NEWTRIBES

Happy birthday BJ! You are an amazing husband and daddy! So thankful the Lord brought us together on the beaches of Florida 10 years ago!
I &hearts;️ you so much! Still can't wait to grow old with you! #BJill

Happy birthday BJ! You are an amazing husband and daddy! So thankful the Lord brought us together on the beaches of Florida 10 years ago! I ♥️ you so much! Still can't wait to grow old with you! #BJill

Happy birthday to this big boy!! 🎈

This picture will probably be shown at her wedding rehearsal dinner! She loves her daddy!! And those chubby cheeks on her tiny body!! 💕

This day is officially here!! Graham is playing by himself with Legos! It helps that it's an airplane. He just looks so cute down there in the floor playing!!

Happy Valentines Day, from the middle of nowhere!

I'm in love with this man! He makes living this crazy life fun! When the language day is done, it's so nice to sit down and have a cup of tea and coffee together! "It's always better when we're together!" #BJill #reachWANTAKIA

Lael's Instagram:

Rynn has been really sad that she won’t be the littlest sister anymore. Like really concerned. But after seeing her play so sweetly with my friend’s baby girl, I think she’s going to warm up to the job of big sister just fine! Now she has transitioned to kissing my belly every day! #becauseshesrynn #shellalwaysbemybaby #triballife

Cooking some corn in the fire with Maven! This is what snack time looks like for kids in the tribe. Our girls have learned too, that culturally you should always share your snack with other kids that are around. If you pull out your cracker in front of 10 kids, you might just get a tiny piece! #triballife

Happy Halloween 🎃 from the Crabtrees! Just a couple of cutie ballerinas, a crazy cat lady and an oversized kitty cat! (None of these costumes were far from the truth...) Had fun eating pizza, dirt cake, and trick or treating room to room in the Sanders’ house! #holidaysinthetribe

Our cell tower was down for a week, but life goes on out here in Pinji. This last week we helped our neighbors a little bit as they cut grass and built a roof for their new house. On the last day we joined them as they cooked and shared food for everyone who helped work. I was proud to see Jack sitting with a group of men, trying to tell the story of Moses and the Red Sea. They were hanging on his every word, especially the older men who don’t know any of the trade language and only understand Wantakian! It’s good to see progress as we get closer to learning this language! #triballife #reachwantakia

Our Rynnie is 5 today! But she wishes she was still 4 because she doesn’t want to get old 😂 This girl is a little comedian, clever as can be and sneaky too, always thinking outside of the box, quick to get angry, quicker to forgive and smile again, sensitive as can be, messy in all things, my sweet snuggler. She loves her friends, dirt, bugs, animals, candy, and frozen vegetables. She is a mess of a girl who brings joy into the lives of all who know her! We love our Rynnie mouse! #becauseshesrynn

Kicking the ball around down at the field in our village! (That is until the girls decided they’d rather be horses...) Sometimes it makes me sad when I think of how our kids won’t get to be a part of traditional American sports teams. It was such a big part of growing up for me and I loved it! Especially because Nora is so athletic, I know she would do amazing in any sport she chose. But then I remember how many other privileges there are to raising our kids here...they really do get to experience some incredible things. American sports is a small sacrifice to get to do what we do. #worthit #butshewouldbethebestontheteam #stillworthit #reachwantakia

Nora has been asking for her own bark cape lately. “Bark capes” are something our people wear, that drape down off their heads as protection from sun and rain, and to sit on top of on the ground. They wear them everywhere, all the time! And just like they sound, they are made out of beaten tree bark! Today some people were selling kid sized bark capes in our village (for the first time I’ve seen!) and Nora was so excited to get one. All the ladies were thrilled that she got one too, if you can’t tell! #wantakiastyle #tribalraincoat #pinjimeristret #becauseshesnora

After an amazing week out in town for our area conference, it’s so good to be back home in the village, visiting good friends. #home #triballife

BJ's Instagram:

When Jill is out all afternoon learning language, I get to round in the village with these little minions! They make it much more fun! #reachwantakia

I never get tired of living in this amazing place. It will be even more beautiful when the knowledge of the Lord covers it, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 #reachwantakia

Oh yeah baby, this is Saturday in the tribe. There's no Netflix, but we're definitely chillin. #thisisPNG #reachwantakia @frilljanks

Every Wednesday night (after chitlins are sleepin) we have team prayer time on the Hambrice's deck. This is just one of the many times we get together throughout the week, but this one is specifically to PRAY about everything and to encourage each other. #reachwantakia #praytogetherstaytogether @frilljanks @jhambrice @jackcrab @laelbcrabtree

We are so unified we go out to the village in the same get-up👯&zwj;♂️. So glad to be doing this with @jackcrab | #reachwantakia #thisisPNG

We are so unified we go out to the village in the same get-up👯‍♂️. So glad to be doing this with @jackcrab | #reachwantakia #thisisPNG

This is what Jill does when she's not language learning, cooking, or being an awesome wife. She's a multitasker. And we are officially back to the grind of #CLA #reachwantakia #thisisPNG @frilljanks

We made it to Goroka town, PNG. We are finally over jet lag and we have a few more days before we head back to Wantakia. Our team will finally be reunited! #thisisPNG #reachwantakia @frilljanks

9 of 10 💼 packed and ready to go. Sunday is coming quickly! #thisaintnopng is almost over @frilljanks | #reachwantakia 🚕✈️🚁⛺️👨‍💻👍

I have to leave my bros in 7 days. 7 days. Wow. #thisaintnopng

Last date in America! Had an awesome in fayettechill, and it even snowed! #thisaintnopng #bjill @frilljanks

Jack's Instagram

For the past few months we’ve been teaching these three guys all of the Bible lessons to check them before we teach the entire village. Praise the Lord with us, yesterday they heard about the resurrection and have trusted in Jesus the Helper! Through more than 50 lessons they heard that in God’s eyes there are only two clans: His and the Enemy’s. They heard God’s entire story and after hearing the resurrection and then Peter’s sermon on Pentecost they all clearly gave a testimony like this, “Hey, I’m from Adam, and I used to be in Satan’s clan. I was separated from God because of my sin and there was nothing I could do to help myself. But God promised to send a helper to take the punishment for my sins, and that Helper was Jesus. He took the entire punishment. He did the work. My only work is to say that it’s true about Jesus and what he did! That’s what I’m saying! Because of Jesus the Helper, God has taken me out of The Enemy’s clan and placed me inside His clan. Now I’m joined with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit forever!” After giving their testimony they stood up, erased their name from Satan’s clan, and write it in God’s clan! Praise the Lord with is for these new brothers in Christ! Pray that when we’re able to teach the entire village soon, more will come and hear and trust! #teachWANTAKIA #reachWANTAKIA

After checking John 3&6 with my friend, I had the privilege of sitting in while @jhambrice taught Bible lessons with our small group of three guys. We’re teaching them to make sure the lessons sound smooth and clear before we teach the entire village. Please be praying for these three guys: Keko, Taapuman, and Yadaasi. They’ve been such a huge help! #reachwantakia #urgencyplusexcellence

Playing down at the field, while some crazy clouds played overhead!

Took the girls on a sunset daddy-daughter hike!

Went to visit our friends before we flew out to town yesterday. Love these girls! #sunsetontheairstrip

So proud of @laelbcrabtree right now! She had a 4-hour long language evaluation yesterday and killed it! She jumped up three levels to Capable-Mid...which means she’s one tiny level away from finishing this language study. She’s been working so hard studying language, meeting with her Wantakian friends, homeschooling our girls, and chasing a toddler! A huge thanks to our awesome language consultants! So glad to be part of an awesome PNG team! #soproud #reachwantakia

#berriesplusdust

@frilljanks has been doing a great job drilling these students on their syllables! #ittakesateam #readwantakia #reachwantakia

Now our students are in the first primer, which means that yesterday they learned their first letters and read their first story in their language! @laelbcrabtree was able to swing by and help as everyone transitioned from writing on training paper to writing in a real notebook. It was a big day! Keep praying for these students! #readwantakia to #reachwantakia photocred @beejsanders

Last week all the students finished pre-literacy where they learned image recognition, that we read from left to right and top to bottom, and they practiced writing every letter in their alphabet. They did a great job! This week we started the first primer! #readwantakia to #reachwantakia

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