Our little "Derksen zoo" is in a constant ebb and flow of comings and goings it seems. Rex the rooster and Clover the hen were stolen one night, out of their locked cage, after having them less than a week. Then, last weekend (after Arianna's birthday party) we sadly said goodbye to our delightful pet tree kangaroo, Toffee.
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| Scott and Toffee |
Toffee liked to hop along behind the kids, following them all around the yard. He was very cuddly and loved attention, so we all miss him. (We think he might have eaten some noxious grass or weeds that made him sick.)
This weekend someone showed up at our door with a baby cuscus (sort of like a possum). A hunter had shot the mother and found this little one in her pouch. At first it wasn't eating much (I don't think it was weaned yet) but it has started drinking milk now and eating some fruit, so we'll see what happens.
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| Arianna cuddling the baby cuscus |
Our cat Casey gets a little annoyed at all the new residents, including two fluffy orange kittens the girls got recently, named Aslan and Poppy. But I think he's resigned himself to the fact that he will have to share the spotlight here in the "Derksen Zoo"!
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| The girls' new kittens Aslan and Poppy |
Though our pets haven't all faired too well, we are thankful to report that we are all healthy and doing well. Dale has been trying to shake a cold for a few weeks now, but nothing too serious. He is also preparing to do additional studying, training and testing so he can fly as captain on the Twin Otter -- so that's always a bit stressful.
Summer is a time for birthdays in our house. In June Callum turned 4 and together we made a cake in the shape of an airplane, of course, with colorful Smarties for windows.
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| Callum's 4th Birthday |
July was Arianna's birthday which was celebrated with a green turtle-shaped cake, by request, which is her favorite animal at the moment.
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| Arianna's 7th Birthday |
Amy's birthday is coming up in August and she is requesting a cake in the shape of a shark. Hmmmmm....
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| The Tele gang heading off to Hagen for conference |
July was also when the MAF conference was held at the main MAF base in Mt. Hagen. We were so blessed by the encouragement and challenge from our speaker -- Phil Bignill, a pastor from Cairns, Australia who comes for this conference annually.
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| Adult sessions at the MAF conference held in Mt. Hagen |
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| Amy catching a water balloon at the outdoor picnic held at nearby Kudjip |
It was lovely to catch up with other MAF families we hadn't seen since we moved to Telefomin and some we hadn't met at all. We returned home after the weekend, tired but refreshed.
