Month: December 2022

Back in the USA

/ john & brena / 3 Comments

After some late drama before leaving Papua New Guinea, John and I (Brena) had an enjoyable week of travel through Australia (visiting friends and sightseeing) before we arrived in Dallas, Texas on November 10th.

The drama: The afternoon before we left Ukarumpa John was on top of the carport roof washing the outside walls of our house. He accidentally stepped on a fiberglass skylight panel, fell through, and hit his head on the concrete floor. The first thing he remembers is walking out of the x-ray room at the clinic and wondering how he got there! After several hours of assessment, the doctor gave John permission to fly out the next morning. The side of his head was swollen for about a week and his shoulders are still sore, but we’re so thankful he is alright and that God allowed us to leave on schedule.

Since we landed in Texas, it’s been a whirlwind of activity: a visit from our son Grant and his wife Sara, a visit with John’s brother, sister-in-law, and some of their kids, my sister Beth and I flying to Minot North Dakota to pick up the van we will use during our home assignment, the long (four day) but fun drive back to Dallas, John in Seed Company meetings that whole week, Luke arriving from Virginia for a week, Grant and Sara arriving for Thanksgiving, spending Thanksgiving day with some of the Andrews, and recently moving over to a mobile home on the Wycliffe center in Dallas where we’ll be for a couple of months.

Both John and I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and in culture shock, but I am reminding myself that this is typical of being in transition. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get much easier with practice 😊. But as I shared on Thanksgiving, I’m thankful John is alive and that God got us through all the work of leaving Ukarumpa. And now as we have moved again and are getting settled, I am reminded to take one day at a time, to remember God’s love for me, and be thankful for all the many gifts He’s already poured out on us. Thank you for praying and we would appreciate you continuing to do that.

Below is a gallery of pictures from the past few weeks. The pictures and text are small, but just click on them and they’ll enlarge!

John being assessed at the clinic the afternoon before we left Ukarumpa.
We needed to overnight in the capitol city on our way out and enjoyed catching up with our good friends, the Nicholsons.
It was fun to see past Ukarumpa friends, the Vanderduys, in Brisbane and enjoy their hospitality.
John and I spent a couple of days in Sydney, Australia for a little R & R. It was so fun to rest, be with each other, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
One of our many walks was to the Opera House where we attended a musical. What fun!
We enjoyed lots of good food and coffee!
Since Grant and Sara live in Houston, TX now, they were able to come up the weekend we arrived. So good to see them!
Sara got to meet Uncle Bill and Aunt Janelle…
…and some of Grant’s cousins.
Beth and I beginning our big road trip adventure with an early morning flight to Minot, ND.
We picked up a van from the Semchenkos, owners of Grace Corp. They buy and fix up used Dodge vans to rent to missionaries.
On our trip down south, Beth and I stayed in some very quaint places.
The highlight of our trip was spending a day in the little town of DeSmet, SD, the setting of 5 of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.
It was super cold and snowing, but worth every minute to be able to see the historic stores, houses, and even Silver Lake!
The other highlight for me was a spontaneous stop in Pahuska, OK, the home of Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman.
I loved her beauttful and inviting coffee shop.
Here we are celebrating John’s birthday with some of the Andrews and our son, Luke.
It was so good to see Luke and hear how he is enjoying his first year at Liberty University in Virginia.
It was fun to have Thanksgiving with more of the Andrews family…
…plus Grant and Sara again!
The mobile home we just moved into.

PRAYER:

  • Praise God that John wasn’t hurt worse in his fall and that we were able to leave Ukarumpa when planned.
  • Praise God for a good week in Australia and that we’ve already been able to see a lot of family since arriving in the States.
  • Praise God for a safe and fun road trip from ND to TX and that God provided a reliable van for us to use during our home assignment.
  • Pray for our continued adjustment back to life in America

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

*NEW ADDRESS: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington TX 76017

*NEW PHONE NUMBERS: John (682) 364-4015; Brena (682) 364-4009

WEB ADDRESS FOR PARTNERSHIP:

https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/Bruners

MAILING ADDRESS FOR PARTNERSHIP:

send gifts to: Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862 (The check should be made payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators and include a note that says preference for the ministry of John and Brena Bruner)