Novewmber 18. The Lord gave us another warm, dry day. I decided this morning that I would start going through some things that we have stored away and seeing what we can get rid of. After breakfast and quiet time, I folded and put away the clothes we washed yesterday, and then started sorting through one of our drums. In the mean time, SIL came in to bring cargo for the people and take out coffee. Daddy went up to the airstrip to talk to the pilot. He asked the pilot if there was any word about the US Ambassador coming to Aiyura any time soon. “Oh, yes, I just heard that she is coming tomorrow and will be leaving on Thursday. But you have to make an appointment to meet with her. So you can call and see if they have space for you. If so, I can take you out on the last flight today.”
So Daddy came back down to the house to give me the news. He tried and tried to call but couldn’t get through. When Jason came back, Daddy went up and told him that he couldn’t get through. Jason tried to call too, but couldn’t get anyone. So after he got back to the hangar, he called for us, and they said they had room. He called Daddy to let him know, and then Daddy called the guest house to see if they had room for us.
In the mean time, we started packing a few things so we would be ready. After his third flight in here, we sent our things up to the airstrip, expecting him to be back shortly. However, Daddy noticed that when Jason took off, the plane had a problem with the wind, and we suspected he would not be back to get us. Jason called in a little while to say that there was a big down draft which almost made him have an accident, and that he would not be back. So we called for our things to be brought back from the airstrip. Daddy had to call the guest house again and let them know that we would not be there today. SIL will try to come in and get us around noon tomorrow.
During my sit down time today, I did more crocheting and worked on the PNG history/geography course. This afternoon, I tried to send the quarterly newsletter off to the girls for printing; but there was too much mail coming in, way more than our Digicel could handle. We will have to wait until Christy removes the big one that is stopping us from sending and receiving our e-mails.
“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
November 19. Going on 8:30 p.m. Just got back from the Littlefield’s home where we enjoyed a supper of salad and taco soup with tortilla chips. Enjoyed getting to know Mike and Tippy and their four little girls Kayla, Eleona, Hope, and Noelle.
This morning we got up, not in any need to hurry, as far as we knew. The plane wouldn’t be coming in to get us until around noon. Most everything was packed anyway as we only had to take out a few things to use last night.
Lotu started late, around 7:30. Amos preached on the first 18 verses of Acts 11. I was having a hard time sitting in the meeting room as I was really having a lot of joint and muscle pain this morning. So after a short while, I went and sat in the recliner. About 8:00 the phone rang. SIL had called Jonathan to let him know they would be in Owena about 8:30. We had to hurry after all. We packed up the computer, got a couple of the young people to carry our cargo up to the airstrip, closed up the house, and headed up to the airstrip ourselves. The plane arrived around 8:50. There were five other passengers besides ourselves, and Mike added coffee to fill the plane to its maximum weight. All that took quite a bit of time. After takeoff, it was only a ten-minute flight to Aiyura. The SIL bus picked us up there and took us to the guest house, where we met Philip and Okja, a Korean couple who are currently overseeing the guest house. They are American citizens now, however, having lived in the US since 1971. And Okja is 71 years old.
After lunch, we had a nap. I was really thankful for a good nap, and my back didn’t hurt at all. After nap, we went to the store. Most everything is VERY expensive here now so we only bought a few things.
At 5:30 we had an appointment with the American consul, Emily King. We thought someone said that the person coming would be the US Ambassador, but she is the consul who is under the Ambassador. She said we did not have to come see her personally in order to renew our passports. So we would not have had to go to Moresby. So we are glad we didn’t go. We could have just mailed in the application. But since we are here, she will take them with her. We did not have the application form needed, but the SIL director said we can pick one up in his office in the morning, and we can also get passport pictures made at the print shop. Emily will be leaving mid-morning tomorrow so we need to try to get all that done before she goes.
Then we’ll have the rest of tomorrow to just do whatever, as our flight back to Owena isn’t until Friday morning.
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
November 20. Neither of us slept very well last night in this narrow bed. We’ve been spoiled by having a wide bed, I guess. We were both up by 5:30 this morning. It was a dark and foggy morning, and was cloudy and cool most of the morning. This afternoon, most of the clouds were gone, and it was a lovely, sunny afternoon.
We enjoyed getting to know Emily and Hicks a little bit at breakfast time. A little while after breakfast, the director, Paul, brought passport applications up to us, and we got those filled out. The only thing lacking was pictures. Hicks took our pictures and thinks he can get them printed and made into passport size pictures when they get back to Moresby. Then Daddy and I took a walk down to the print shop to see about getting passport pictures made there. They could do them, but it would take several days, and the cost was more than we really wanted to pay unless we really had to. On the way back up from the print shop, we stopped at the store kai (food) bar and got an ice cream cone.
For lunch, Okja made pizza.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to go for another walk. This time we went “around the block.” It turned out to be a fairly long block, with the road twisting and turning this way and that. It was good for us to get out though. Along the way, the big toe on my left foot started feeling like something sharp was poking into it. I stopped and checked my sock, thinking there might be a little piece of stick in it, but didn’t find anything. My toe kept getting pricked so finally stopped again and took my shoe off to see if something would dump out. Nothing did so I turned the shoe over to see if I had stepped on something that went through the sole. Saw a little something that I grabbed hold of; pulled out a thorn about one inch long. No wonder my toe felt like something sharp was stabbing it!
This evening, pilot Jason Brewer came and picked us up around 5:30 to take us to his house for supper. His 11-year old son, Dillon, was with him. He was a very nice, polite boy. When we got to the house, we met Jason’s wife, Jamie, and his two daughters, Morgan (7) and Mallory (4). We enjoyed getting to know Jason’s family.
“29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 19:29,30)