Oct 15-17, Port Moresby

While we were away Melanie celebrated her 17th birthday. That is the third birthday in a row of my kids that I wasn't there for. Yikes! 

She was pleased that we actually had gifts left behind for her, and Opa and Oma also spoiled her. So thankful for their love and care for their grandkids...especially while we were gallivanting on the other side of the world.

So thankful for this young lady!

On Sunday we worshiped in the 9 mile church. Meaning, it's 9 miles away from Port Moresby. It was a short drive and a very restful and relaxing day. And very hot and muggy.

We went to the adventure park near the bible college. Everything is so tidy!

We were a few weeks too early for the most stunning display of orchids, but there were already a number of beautiful display of orchids. There are hundreds of varieties.

They have a lot of birds as well. The bird of paradise is the national bird. It is a very shy bird which you probably would only hear when it is out in the wild, and never actually see. It took a while for it to come out and try the berries.

What long feathers! There were a lot of different kinds of birds. What an amazing Creator we have!

We also checked out the crocodile...which was absolutely motionless until the keeper sprayed him. He also petted him and kissed him, hoping we would give him a tip for his efforts. Personally I still think the crocodile is dangerous and wasn't interested in encouraging the keeper. It was hot and muggy at the park, and it was nice to get back to the college. Especially for Evelyn.

Matthew didn't seem to be bothered by the heat. He ran around and played with the boys, keeping up no problem.

If they were running around and playing, he was sure to be with them.

Philip and I went along for a tour at a settlement where there is a church plant. It is really shocking in what condition these people live. They are all packed together in such dirty surroundings with so little to their names. It is really hard to understand why they left their hometown and are living here...they don't seem to be getting richer by living near the capital city.

The trail to the church was steep and strewn with garbage.

Some of the homes are built on really steep sections of the hill. Sometimes the hill collapses a little and they have to rebuild.

Evelyn was happy staying behind and playing with Ruth. The two of them were thick as thieves.

Near the end of our trip we went out for dinner at the waterfront. It felt cooler next to the ocean. It was a lovely place to be.

There was a small play-set there for the kids, who enjoyed hanging out there while the food was being prepared.

Matthew had a lot of fun making friends and playing games. He will surely miss it! Once we get home, he will have to get back into the school books. He made use of every minute that he had!

Oct 12-14, Port Moresby

Another bright and early morning, and off we go to Port Moresby.

OK, it's hotter here than in Ukurumpa. We could feel it as soon as we got off the plane. So muggy. We put shorts on as soon as we could.

Walking through the bible college property.

I went to the mall and found a meriblouse for Evelyn. The meriblouses are so light and airy, perfect to wear when it's hot and muggy. Also they are so bright and colourful. :) Apparently Evelyn handles the heat in Port Moresby as well I do. She only took her meriblouse off to shower. Even her cotton shirt felt too hot.

We got to enjoy a relaxing day at a club. Hosted by the Mulders.

Complete with a pool to cool off in. Lovely temperature, good food, excellent company. :)

On Saturday we went up to a park where we could swim in the river. The drive up was really amazing. I remember going up here four years ago and walking the Kakoda Trail. Such a windy narrow road and absolutely stunning views.

The river was very refreshing...although it didn't look too clean.

Driving back down again was just as stunning. We found a house built on top of the cliffside. I wouldn't want to live there during a big earthquake! And we discussed the water being piped down to Port Moresby and the issues with the dam and the electricity...sometimes there is a disagreement about who has access to the river, and then the electricity may no longer be available. Also building the bridge can be problematic...you need to get the local people on board, and maybe they would like a bigger cut of the profits.

Oct 9-11, 2023 Ukurumpa

One morning I managed to get up early and visit the market that is held in Ukurumpa twice a week.

I didn't have very much local money (kina) so I had to limit my purchases. So many beautiful bilums and other handmade products.

The teen center wasn't open one morning. My poor bored children had to play games in Townsend. They survived, but only just.

We also had to pack up all our things and relocate to another house for our last night. I checked out the house with the other ladies. The kitchen was smaller, we weren't sure how to host a big dinner there.

Evelyn made some friends at the teen center.

Matthew did too!

At lunch time the kids got picked up and they ate at the conference center. They all prefer to sit in the open back, if they can find a spot.

We taught Allegra how to play go fish. And Evelyn and Allegra made up a very complicated card game of their own.

They had a great selection of games to play.

This one looked too complicated for me.

Taco cat goat cheese pizza was a lot of fun, and more up my alley.

I spent a bunch of time hanging out with the kids, because I had nothing else to do. Preparing dinner, even for fifty people, doesn't take much time...and since they weren't my recipes, I really only was useful for cutting vegetables and washing dishes. The kids were a lot of fun to hang out with. And the ladies who watched over them were nice to get to know.

Oct 8, 2023 Wantun

Bright and early, we head off to church at Wantun. It's more than 2 hours driving. It started cool and bumpy, and we soon headed down the mountains on a curvy road.

The middle section of our trip was over well maintained highway. Once we lost a lot of elevation, the temperature went up.

The hills and mountains were stunning.

For about the last hour, we got off the highway and started on the really bumpy road. We stopped for a minute to take photos.

What a beautiful country.

We finally rattled and bounced our way to the church. We had time to settle in...find the washroom (a very rustic pit toilet...bring your own toilet paper) and then sit down on the floor. There was a water spigot nearby, where I went and got my head wet to cool off. It was really getting hot by 11 am already.

We were the first ones to show up...and there were not as many people at church today because of a funeral that week. Death is a big deal and the mourning process takes a very long time...there is conflict between the culture and customs and what is biblically appropriate. The local pastor was disappointed that some of the members of the church felt pressured to be away from church today.

When the services were over (they were back to back with less than a minute break (we will now start the afternoon service...) we chatted with the people. Not many spoke English very well, but Jennifer made a friend with a girl who was eager to chat.

The kids all sat down under the mango tree. Apparently today wasn't really really hot, because on really really hot days church is held under the tree, where it is a little bit cooler.

All of the visitors were expected to sit at this mat and we were served a delicious lunch. All the local people watched us eat (and they are probably hungrier than we are) and then when we leave they enjoy what is left over. It is an honour to be served their best food, but I would have preferred to eat together with the people, and for them to give us what they would normally eat...I hope they didn't go hungry because we came to visit.

After eating we are on our way again...it's a long way back to Ukurumpa! We stop for a view once we get high up again. So very beautiful!

By the time we got back, it is dark and late. We were supposed to enjoy dinner with a missionary family...who were probably really friendly and nice. Only Philip stayed to enjoy their company...the rest of us managed to swallow a little bit of soup (which was probably delicious) and asked for a ride back to our "home". I was so happy to lay in bed. It'd been a very long and hot day after a really bad sleep.

Oct 4-7, 2023 Ukurumpa

Our home away from home was Townsend...it was a nice setup for a large group. Usually a large dinner was served here after the day of meetings. I helped the two ladies from Australia (also wives of board members) getting the food organized. They didn't need a lot of help, though.

When Jennifer and Evelyn finally woke up and ate breakfast, I walked them over to the Teen Center where all the missionary kids were hanging out during all the meetings that happened during the week.

There are so many brightly coloured houses, and the lawns and gardens are maintained immaculately. So beautiful!

The teen center had a gym, an area for eating or doing crafts, and an upstairs with tables where the kids played board games. They were babysat by three national ladies. So I could drop off my kids and go be useful in the kitchen at Townsend...if they needed me.

The walk to the conference meeting rooms was even further. Although Ukurumpa is not hot and humid like Port Moresby, it still is plenty hot walking in the full sun. Too hot for me! One day there were meetings with the national pastors and their wives, and the board members wives were also welcome to join. It was really interesting to be able to listen in to the meeting, and just listening for an hour or two to the national pastors and wives' challenges and joys was an amazing and humbling experience.

Evelyn went to read quietly in bed when things were too tiring for her to deal with. She was too tired, even for that.

The community of Ukurumpa is quite the base. It has it's own auto shop, it's own mill, farms and electricity. It is pretty much capable of running on its own, without any help.

Evelyn, Jennifer and Matthew settled in pretty quickly at the teen center. As soon as it was open for the day, they were eager to show up and play with the kids.

Matthew got invited to a soccer game one evening. I stopped by and watched for a while. He was really enjoying himself. He also appreciated the water that I had with me (I carried a liter with me everywhere and drank so so much water).

We had an earthquake on Oct 6, and then on Oct 7 we had several. We weren't in the epicenter, but at the epicenter at least two of them registered close to 7.0. We could certainly feel them, and once when we headed outside for safety, we could see the trees shaking. The quakes would build up in intensity and then slow down again. After so many small after (or fore?) shocks and some biggish quakes, I was feeling rather unsettled. I'd need to feel the walls or furniture to see if things were shaking in my vision, or in real life. Jennifer and Evelyn ended up spending the night squished in my room. We only had twin sized beds, so it was squishy...and we didn't sleep that well.