Side Trip

Yesterday I got back from my side trip. It was a lot of fun even though it was not quite what I expected. God opend the clouds for us to get into the
village, then He didn't open them again until it was time
to leave the village. I think the rain made the trip more
of an adventure.

Okay from the beginning. On Friday we flew into
the village. I was on the first flight in. It was really
cool, because I got to sit in the co-pilot seat. We took a
Sesna 206. For those who don't know that is a small
airplane. When I got out of the plane there were a bunch
of villagers just standing there staring at us. They
didn't say anything. It was kinda awkward. Robert and
Nicole Westervelt were also there to meet us. They are the
missionaries working in the tribe. We took our stuff to
the house which was conviently located right next to the
airstrip. After unpacking I went out to meet the next
flight. While I was waiting I saw a baby cassowary (emu
like bird) that someone was keeping as a pet. That was
really neat.

Friday evening we went to Bible Study with the believers.
It was neat even though I did not understand any of it.
After dinner we visited with Robert and Nicole.

Saturday we went on a hike to a ridge which was about 45
minutes away. It was definitely an adventure. The mud made
it difficult to go up and down the hills. I only fell
twice. Also there were several spots were single logs were
used as bridges. One was going down hill so I just slid
down on my bottom. Needless to say my skirt was a little
muddy when I got back. By the time I got to the ridge I
was exhausted, but glad I made it. Everybody but Doug (my
teamleader), myself, and Jorome the missionaries 3yr old
son, continued on another 1 1/2 to the river. The three of
us headed back to the house. The hike back was a lot of
fun. Jorome kept hiding in the grass trying to scare us.
One time he actually did. I also got to see many different
types of butterflies. I think that was God's way of
rewarding me for my perserverance. It was cool.

Sunday we went to church with the believers. We sang songs
in Tok Pisin and the Tok Ples (local language). That was
really cool. Then one guy read the passage and taught on
it. Once again I had little idea of what he was saying
because he taught in Tok Ples. He did welcome us in Pidgin
though. After the preaching we sang more songs and had
communion. That was neat. I'll post pictures and a video
of the church service when I get home.

After church on Sunday it was raining pretty hard, so we
looked around the house for something to do. The
missionaries who use to live in the house were from
Belgium so most of the books were in Flemmish. We found a
Monopoly game in one of the drawers. We got it out to play
and found it was in Flemmish too! Simon, a german, decided
he could decipher the cards, so we played. There we were
in PNG playing a Flemmish Monopoly game with Americans and
a German. Only on the mission field would such a combo go
unnoticed. Our game ended when we were invited to play
soccer in the rain. We think Simon was winning. I didn't
play soccer but I watched a little bit. It looked like
everyone was having fun.

Monday we went on a small hike to visit some believers who
lived about halfway up the mountain. That was a lot of
fun. Of course it rained part of the time, but by now it
didn't bother me. The scenery there is really beautiful.
These people are lucky to live in such a gorgeous place.
Of course their lives are really hard, because it takes a
lot of work to live there.

After dinner every night we would visit with Robert and
Nicole and their three kids. They are the most amazing
missionary couple I have met. They've been through alot in
the last 10 years they've been in the tribe. Nicole says
that it's been worth it all, because she knows that they
are in God's will. Also now they are seeing the fruit as
their village is reaching out to the surrounding villages,
spreading the gospel. By the way Robert and Nicole are
from the Netherlands. It was really neat to get to know
them. I learned a lot sitting in those evening meetings.
Well I should go finish packing. We leave the Interface
campus at 7:30 tomorrow morning. I'm really sad to leave
this place, and all my new friends that I've made. At the
same time I'm really excited to see all my friends and
family, and to share about my trip with my supporting
churches. This is my last post from PNG. I may post again
in Singapore, if not I'll post when I get back to the
States.

So mi tok long yupela "lukim yupela behain" long PNG.