One week old

Yes, it's a bit chilly over here.
Not too much longer, though, and we'll all be sweatin it out again in Indo.

Oh, so tired. How is it that he sleeps so well during the day and feels like "yuckin" it up at night. Ethan and Kim and I have had a couple of heart to hearts already in the middle of the night. Bleary are the eyes!

Already a spiritual man!

First bath at home - in the kitchen sink.

All hands on deck for the bath. What could be more fun than bathing your baby brother?

Ethan's quieter side

The Day of Ethan's Birth

On Monday morning, at 4:30, Kim nudged me awake and whispered that it might be time. I jumped into action. It's been a bit chilly as autumn has settled upon us in the southern hemisphere, so I grabbed an empty juice bottle, filled it with hot water, and stuck it by my feet.

Ah. Now I'm a bit more comfortable. OK Kim, now what. Oh yeah, write down the contraction times.

By 6:30, we were headed out the door for King Edward Memorial Hospital. I marvel at the way Kim can be so prepared. Yes, I know that every expecting mom is told to have a bag ready, but not only did she have her bag ready, she also had the other three kids ready with a bag, snacks for dad, and breakfast to go!

Kim waited in triage for assessment. The kids and I ate donuts while watching Good Morning Australia.

Like I said, she's on the ball!

At 9:30, Kim was admitted and I called up a friend to come and get the kids.

For the past three deliveries, Kim's been the trooper and had all of them naturally - without any pain killer, because they didn't have it in Indo. This time, however, she used laughing gas. She started out laughing at about 10:00am (and those of you who know Kim that whenever she's in pain, she usually doesn't cry, but she laughs - so you can imagine. The midwives loved her) . . . but by 11:00am, she wasn't laughing any more. It didn't really take the pain away, just kind of distracted her.

At 12:00pm, his heart rate dropped significantly. The midwives went into action, moving Kim from side to side. The doctor came in and they broke her waters, which got his heart rate back up to normal. And then at 1:02pm, after 15 minutes of pushing, Ethan graced us with his presence.

Anu and Kelly were the mid-wives who were with us for the entire labor and delivery. We had heard that the midwife program in Western Australia is the best in all of Australia (and one of the best in the world), and now we can agree from experience. Anu is actually in training, and she is the one that delivered Ethan.

At 5:30pm, Kim was moved to her room for the night. The handiwork of God all around us - Ethan in our arms and the sun setting over Perth. Just beyond the ridge is the Indian Ocean.


Waking up the grandparents back in the USA to tell them the good news. I guess Kim could have taken this picture, but for some reason, she was busy. So I snapped this of myself in the mirror.

At 6:00pm, the kids eagerly joined us to meet Ethan for the first time on this side of the womb.

Aidan got the first hold. He's our little otter - always lookin for fun - and especially with his brother. He broke into tears because he wanted to be with Ethan over night.

Brienzi - the perfect older sister. God has uniquely gifted her with a sensitive and caring heart. She will be a big help for mom.

Delaney is no longer the little baby, but the doting sister. She said she may even give up her blanket for him! That would be a miracle.

Uncle Roger. How could we have managed without all the help here in Perth? Roger sacrificed his day to have the kids at his house even though his wife was in Singapore . . . of course, they had to work for their room and board, helping him paint the house.

And now, we're 6.

Psalm 127

3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

Ethan Judson Duffy

Praise the Lord for his goodness to us this day.

We are delighted to announce the birth of:

Ethan Judson Duffy

born on Monday, April 21 2008

1:02pm in Perth, WA.
Weight: 7.8lbs
Length: 21in

Mum and bub slept the night at King Edward Hospital (if you can call it sleeping) and will come home today. They both did a great job!

Behind the name:

Ethan – steadfastness, firmness - for the Lord has directed us “to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thess 3:5)

Steadfastness in the New Testament has a beautiful meaning especially connected to what Kim and Ethan and all of us have gone through over the past nine months. In Greek, it is "hupomoneh": the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances - ‘endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ’ 1 Th 1.3.

Judson – Adoniram Judson – one of the first m’s from America and gave his life so that the gospel would go forth to the unreached of Burma.

Also, Judson is a derivative of Judah – “one who praises God”
Throughout this pregnancy, Kim heard from the Lord about many things. One of them concerned the purpose of having twins and losing one of them – so that one will be praising God in his presence now and one will be praising him on earth right now.


Thank you all for you prayers, encouragement, care, and concern. Your walking alongside of us in this journey has helped us remain steadfast and praising the Lord - - - Ethan Judson!

Prayer

This is what I'd like to create for people to know details for prayer.

Hospital Tour

We just returned from touring the hospital tonight. We made an appointment and joined a group to get the official escort around. Even though we've been through this three times before, it's like we're learning things for the first time. It sure helps to know what the process looks like at King Edward - admission, triage ward, delivery rooms, post delivery wards.

Kim has now passed the 37 week mark, which, if I understand what everyone is telling me, means that if Kim delivers now, she's no longer considered pre-term. Wow! Praise the Lord for His watchful care over this little guy.

Almost 37 weeks

Kim's blood sugar level was a little high with her blood test last week, so she had to go back to King "Eddie" Hospital this morning for a more thorough blood test (2 hours). It could be nothing, and most likely is. Probably too many donuts the night before! ("But I didn't have any donuts," Kim protests in the background. OK, maybe it was the chocolate Easter eggs. The doctor said that clinically, everything looks fine, but they need to run this test in order to make sure Kim does not have gestational diabetes.

The lab said they would call this afternoon if it showed diabetes. So far, the phone has been silent!

Meanwhile, Kim's got the checklist of items we need for our "mobile nursery." Even if we're currently nomads, the mother's instinct to prepare for the bubs (sorry, the Aussie lingo is catching on) arrival remains strong. After the test we took off for the stores and now Kim's busy cleaning our borrowed "pram" which will double as the bubs bed. Nesting at it's best!

Not your normal weekend

This weekend marks two very important milestones in our family.

It was eleven years ago on Saturday (12th April 1997) that Kim and I were married in Anoka, MN. So yesterday, we were able to get away for the afternoon as the kids hung out with Gloria (the PA for the pastor of Subi Church and she also was the first to help us get situated in Perth four weeks ago today). We drove down the coast - only about twenty minutes - to the harbor at Freemantle. The weather was delightfully warm. We ate lunch outside and reminisced about the past 11 years. So far we've had anniversaries in Hawaii, Bali, Washington, D.C., Hastings, MN, Malang, and Perth. Not bad, eh!

As we drove home, the sun was beginning to descend, but we couldn't hang around for a romantic sunset. We had to get the kids. So we hightailed it to Gloria's house, packed them into the car, and quickly turned around to enjoy it all together.

On the deck of the Carriage House where we had ice cream in the park.

With the camera on the fence post, we barely got the family picture at sunset.

Dad, trying to be a fancy photographer and catch a Kodak moment. OK, now Brienzi, stand right at the edge of the ocean and look wistfully out into the sea.

Now, the other milestone. Exactly one year after our wedding, on the night of our one year anniversary, we were in the air, traveling from Hawaii, and landing in Bali, Indonesia (14th April 1998). So that means that on Monday, we will be have been working in Indonesia for ten years! This probably calls for celebration and a little reflection too! But right now, Kim's saying, "How much longer are you going to be?" Guess I'll save the reflections for later.

Field Trip

What's a visit to this great island continent without getting a chance to see koalas and kangaroos and other marsupials and birds, like the kookaburra sitting on the old gum tree! So this week, we made it over to Caversham Wildlife Park for a real life science lesson.

We were able to get up close and personal with many of the animals. Do you know that Koala bears only eat eucalyptus leaves? Because these leaves contain very little energy, Koala's survive by spending most of their days sleeping - 20 hours a day to be exact. Hmmm. I wonder if Kim's been eating eucalyptus leaves . . . just kidding sweetheart. What's that? Yes, I know you're great with child.

In the kangaroo feeding area, there were dozens of kangaroos, and some with joeys too. At first reluctant, the kids were thrilled to stroke them and grab handfuls of food to feed them. Just stay out of a foot race with them, though. They are fast!

Of course, not to be left out, Delaney had to get up close to one of the cutest little "roos".



On the far side of cute (depending on your persective, I guess) is the wombat. This big guy reminds me of the R.O.U.S.s on Princess Bride. (I'll give a free subscription to our blog to the first who can give me the correct meaning to R.O.U.S. :). This guy is "Big Bub" and when Kim saw him she said, "He looks like I feel!" I wonder if he sleeps a lot too!

While we were having a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly (a rare thing in Australia. Many don't like peanut butter, preferring Vegemite instead), we heard familiar voices coming down the path. Looking up, and out of the blue, friends of ours from another island in Indo who happened to be vacationing in Perth, were visiting Caversham at the same time. It was another divine appointment. The Basha family spent a year in our town learning language before moving last year. The kids were really sad to see them go, and hadn't seen them for almost a year. Also, Brienzi, Aidan, and Delaney have been a little home sick here in Perth, missing their friends back in Indo, and this was the perfect medicine.

Divine Appointments

Sometimes, the reasons why God has placed you in a certain situation are not abundantly clear. Yes, our sudden departure from Indonesia was specifically for taking care of Kim and the baby. That in and of itself is a great reason. Yet, what else did/does God have "up his sleeve." To be honest, with how He orchestrated this whole move, we've waited with eager expectation to see what other reasons He had for us jetting to Perth. I'd like to share with you one way God is using us.

Let me give you a little back story. Several months ago, a colleague within our organization emailed me and wanted to know more about our language school and learning center. J and his wife had already served one term on the island of S, learning language and beginning preparations to move into another region of S. They were going to be the first ones with our org in this town and didn't have a visa platform and were looking for options. After several back and forths between myself, Pak Harun (the representative from the foundation that sponsors our visas), and Joshua, we all began moving forward with opening another language school (they'll be teaching English and it may be something like the learning center we've started, or it could go off in a completely different direction. Whatever best suits their situation).

J and his family are now working through the process of moving to this town to work among the R people. They have a building rented for the school, a local rep who has been interviewed and hired by Pak Harun, and letters filed with the Department of Education requesting permission to open a new school. Both Pak Harun and I have been delighted that we are playing a small part in helping to reach another group of people with the gospel of JC.

So what does this have to do with Perth. Well, during the week leading up to our move to Perth, J contacted me and let me know that he had a contact in Perth who might be able to help us. Jill Birt and her church have been helping build a network of churches in Australia who are adopting and supporting the outreach to the R people.

Jill is the m director and children's program director at their church. What a
great combination, eh? Bet there will be some m's among those kids!

Yesterday, we were blessed to have Jill drop by our house for a cuppa and swap ministry stories. As it turns out, Jill, her husband Peter and two boys had been m's in Indonesia for ten years - back in the late 70s I think. (Actually, Jill gave birth to their second son 6 weeks early in the middle of a jungle village - now that's pioneer work! It was a hairy experience, she said, but God protected them . . . and their son will soon be 26). They were training Dayak Christians in East Kalimantan to be leaders in the growing local church. After their ministry in Indo, they spent some time in the Philippines and then have been pastoring in Perth since then.

Several years ago, Jill led an effort to adopt the R on the island of S. Now she's getting her masters in anthropology and journalism, so she can write about people groups in a way that ignites people to want to reach them with the gospel. She's been researching the R people, even living in an R village for extended periods of time, building relationships with them, showing the love of Jesus to them, and gaining valuable insight for the field workers on how to communicate with the R.

For our part, we had the opportunity to share about the learning center, the history behind our language school, and how we've been able to help J. Jill has invited us to share with her network about the learning center and even give it a go at mobilizing more to go. Who knows what may come of it, but a month ago, this meeting would have been unimagineable. God always has something "up his sleeve" for why we're doing what we're doing.

Caption this!

I have a few more pictures to post, but don't have time to get them up right now. So just in case I don't get back to it tonight, I'll leave you with this picture to ponder. Any one want to try putting a caption to this one?

36 Weeks

Yesterday, Kim reached another milestone. She is now 36 weeks. This little guy should now be nearing six pounds and around 20 inches long. She goes in on Friday for another check up.

Kim's been moving into the hospital prep mode, getting ready for labor and delivery . . . and her 24 hours in the hospital. Seriously, unlike our experiences in the past, where Kim had about 3 days in the hospital both in the US and in Indonesia, she'll have only 1 here. I haven't been able to figure out if that is because of the lack of rooms (Australia is having a baby boom. Everywhere we go, there are pregnant mothers waddling around) or because it's just the way they do things here. Oh, and another difference for us, I won't be able to spend the night in the hospital with Kim, which is what I've been able to do with the first three. This is probably okay, though, as I need to take care of B, A, and D anyway. So, if all goes well, it will be a quick in and out.

Modern Parables

While you're passing through our blog, have you ever heard of or seen these modern day parable movies. I think I've embedded a clip of one of them above, via You Tube. Just trying it out. If you haven't already, check it out. From what I'm reading, they could be good for family devotions, small groups, Sunday School. I thought they looked great and that they would be a great teaching tool. I'll have to look into it when we get back into the US next year. You can check out the web site here or read a quick review of it here.

Kim and Junior

Now that I've had some time to see and think about what I've been posting, it's dawned on me that I haven't given an update on Kim and the baby.

Umm - Patrick, isn't that why you're in Perth to begin with? Well, - um, yeah! That's right.

This is actually a huge answer to prayer. We went to the doctor at the King Edward Hospital last Friday for Kim's first official appointment. It took a little longer than expected to actually see the doctor. Our appointment was 8:20am. We arrived at an early 8:00am and realized, with a line of other pregnant ladies in front of us, that 8:20 is not the appointment time, just a general time slot. As we walked in, a sign read, "Waiting time may be 3 hours." At first, we thought there's no way, we're here early. Sure enough, it wasn't quite three hours, but Kim didn't see the doctor until 10:20.

So it appears that we're learning a new culture all over again.

Umm - Patrick. The report. What was it? - Oh yeah. Right.

The great news is that Kim has been downgraded from high risk for preterm labor to low risk. She's now at 35 weeks, the little guy is at the right stage of growth, and all signs point to a healthy delivery in . . . well, sometime soon.

Having said that, this has still been one long pregnancy for Kim. A marathon of sorts. Her body is tired. Her emotions are strained. She's very ready to get beyond the labor and delivery. Keep praying for God to strengthen her in this final lap.

We're trying to keep her preoccupied. Fortunately, she's doing home school with Brienzi. There are also a myriad of parks in Perth. In our neighborhood alone, there are around 14. They are beautiful and a very refreshing place to drop in on.

Before we left Indonesia, as Kim struggled with worry over the possibility of a preterm delivery, Kim clung to Psalm 18:19 - "He brought me into a wide open space; he rescued me, because he delighted in me." Going from overcrowded Java (160 million) to wide open Western Australia (1.3 million) seems to be one way God brought this verse to reality for Kim. One of the countless little miracles He has produced for us in the last few weeks.

Now On Line

Last night Ray and Caran came over to our house and Ray brought a neat little internet gadget. He had just signed up with a new internet provider that uses a wireless modem that kind of runs like a cell phone (though you can't take it with you, it has to stay in your house). He is graciously letting us use it while we're in Perth, and he'll continue on with his old provider until we leave. We even get a phone with the deal. Amazing how God provides!