Last Day on the Island

Well today was the final day on the island. Last night after my email, the guys went to the house boy. The house boy is a place in each village where the men go each evening to talk and some sleep in the house boy. We stayed until 11pm and some of us headed for home. Aaron, Chad, Jimmy, & Jared decided to spend the night in the house boy. They arrived home at 6:00 this morning. They have some great stories and even some video of the evening.

Today we finished a number of projects. I was able to get 2 coats of epoxy primer on the boat. Chuck was the exterminator guy and sprayed the houses for termites (a very real problem here). Chad relocated an overhang on a door. John & Jared finished some louver work. The ladies helped get Aaron’s house sealed up for the next few months. At about 12:30 we made our way to the village. The people had been preparing all day for our visit, since we were the honored guests. It was a traditional Moo Moo – which is a feast, a celebration, or a special meal (often at funerals). Aaron bought a pig and Butch bought a pig ($100 US) and we invited the whole village to join our celebration. We had pig, rice, yams, sweet potatoes, and Karo. The food was delicious and we all enjoyed ourselves. The people said that we eat too slow. Aaron explained to the people that we have come from America to help them. He explained that we have heard the “God talk” and that we desire for them to be able to hear it as well. That was why we came. The people applauded and were very happy to have us. It was a sobering experience for us all, but one that helps us see the need and the work in PNG.

Our plan is to load the boat at 5:00 am and be on the seas at 5:30 am. We would covet your prayers as the seas have been very rough the last 2 days. If the seas are the same tomorrow, we will wait until we have calm seas. We love our families and look forward to getting home, but we want to arrive safely – so we will not take any unnecessary risks. God has protected us each step of the way and we are grateful that we have ended this trip with no major health issues or injuries. The next time I will be able to contact anyone will be by phone late Friday morning US time. I will be calling Jean and she can update the prayer list and the blog to let you know when we safely arrive in Australia. Thanks for your prayers.

The 2007 Mission Team