PNG Life

It's hard to believe I've already been here for almost 3 weeks...time sure does fly!   Sorry about the lack of blog posts.  I will try to bring you up to date now.  However, today it wont really work to add pictures, so this post will be 100% words :)  I will try do a follow-up post in the near future with some pictures.  Now that all that has been said....story time!

On new year's eve I embarked on a very memorable journey.  My Uncle, some of my cousins, the caretakers from the compound, and I left the house bright and early at 7am to head up to the village of Awan so my uncle could share the gospel.  My cousins and I sat in the very back of the pick-up truck, and so we had no windows to get in the way of the beautiful view!  It was a bit of a bumpy ride...but I am getting use to that here. We had been driving for nearly 2 hours when we arrived at the river we were suppose to drive through (without a bridge :p).  Due to the amount of water and the fast moving water, it was not possible to cross.  We got back in the truck and drove a ways back, to an market where we waited until some people from the village had journeyed down to meet us and help us get up to their village.  Right before we started walking I put some water bottles in my bag, and since there wasn't enough room I had to take my bathing suit out and leave it in the vehicle (I later realized this was not a good idea at all :P).  We started walking down a small dirt road. Soon there was mud, and it wasn't just any kind of mud...it was the extra-slippery-and-very humbling-because-no-one-can avoid-falling type of mud.  There was also water on most of the path (between ankle-need deep).  There was no way of avoiding stepping in the mud/water because the path had gotten pretty narrow, about the width of one person. And there was tall grass (about shoulder height) on either side of the path. The grass had it's benefits though.  It made for something to hold on to (although it wasn't too firm).  The path was also quite rocky as well, and since the water was not clear it was very hard to prepare your feet for each step. When ever there was a muddy bottom without rocks for a patch it was a nice break for our feet.  Believe me when I say, I have never been more thankful for mud :p  After walking for quite some distance we finally arrived at the river. One thing I should add, this whole trip so far I have been wearing a fairly long skirt :p  We had to start wading into the river.  We walked for quite awhile (at least 1 km), until the point where the water was too deep and the current too strong, at which point we jumped into tubes and the nationals swam beside, guiding us along.  The tubes followed the current for awhile (which meant back tracking a bit).  We reach the other side of the river, at which point we waited for awhile, as the rest of our group still had to go in the tubes.  By this time we were all getting quite thirsty.  And I was beginning to resemble a very red tomato, due to sun exposure.  We continued walking on another very muddy path for a while yet until we, at long last, arrived in Awan.  By this time it was nearly 2 pm. (that's 7 hours of travels so far!).  We were greeted and then we all had a bit of water to drink.  One of the lovely women there offered me a skirt to wear.  I was very thankful for something dry!  Then they served us a very PNG meal.  We ate cooked bananas, some yam, and lots of other thing that grow in the ground (I'm horrible at remembering what they were all called :p).  We also had some cooked chicken and long green leafy things (again, I'm not good at naming the food).  All of the food was cooked in coconut water in clay pots over an open fire.  After we had eaten our fill, my uncle preached. And I helped look after the kids during this time.  Once my uncle had finished and we had said our goodbyes we set out again.  Some of the people from the village accompanied us again for the big walk.  On the way back we found a few short cuts, so we got to the river fairly quickly.  Since the current was now in our favor we were able to ride the tubes for a long way down the river.  We found a very nice fresh stream to cool down in and rinse off (the river was quite muddy so it felt nice to clean off somewhat).  Once everyone had caught up we kept walking. We didn't stay clean very long though...   we were very thankful when we arrive back at the truck.  The ride home was nice and it got dark part way so we enjoyed the dark, and a few distant flashes of lightning, made for quite the beautiful night.  Once we arrived at home we were quite ready to eat something for a late dinner.  And then we all had showers...and boy was I thankful to clean off!  Everyone was quite tired from the long day, and so they all went to bed.  However, I decided to stay up to ring in the new year.  I spent some time thanking God for his protection over the day....A lot of things could have so easily gone wrong, but God watched over us.  After that I enjoyed a very deep sleep.  We had a lovely service new years morning at church.  It was great to start off 2015 in this way!

I have been so blessed here already! I feel very welcomed in the church community, and I have met many new people. I have been getting use to life in the tropics.  And I am delighted by all the time i get to spend looking after my 2 month old cousin...and the rest of the kids too ;)  I am also very thankful for technology which enables me to see my family back home sometimes...it is indeed a blessing!

In closing, a verse from my favorite book in the whole wide world, the bible:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  ~Proverbs 3:5-6

I continue to rely on God's guidance for 2015, and look forward to where I will be led!