June 23. 7:00 p.m. We went to bed early last night, somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30. I guess we were quite tired after getting up early yesterday mornig and also after a busy day. Up a bit before six this morning to finish packing and getting ready to go to town. It was a beautiful morning after all the clouds and wind and a little rain yesterday. The winds came up early this morning, and they were cold winds. But the sky was pretty blue.
After finishing up packing, I ate breakfast and had quiet time. Then I did the dishes and made the bed. Worked at the computer a short while, but had to get it packed up so things could be carried up to the airstrip. People came by early (before lotu) to carry our things up the hill.
Daddy had to go to the radio at 9:00 to see when New Tribes would be coming. They were going to Sindeni first (over near Marawaka), and would pick us up on the way back. They said they were fogged in in Goroka, but hoped to leave within a half hour. We should be at the airstrip around 10:30.
Since we had a little time to kill, I sorted out some prayers cards we had sitting around that I hadn’t gotten put into our photo albums yet. Looked through the albums for old ones of the same missionaries, and pulled them out. Put the new ones in their places. And found places for ones we hadn’t had before. It was good to get that done.
About 10:00 we left the house for the airstrip. Lotu was still going on so we tried to go by the church quietly. However, Miriam was sitting outside with little Judy, and Judy made sure we heard her say bye-bye. Miriam brought her over close to the path so we could shake her hand and say good-bye quietly.
It was a slow trek up the hill to the airstrip. The ground is very dry and lots of loose dirt, making it very slippery. My legs were hurting quite a bit too. But we didn’t have to hurry so that was good. We were thankful for a breeze to keep us cool. However, these dry season winds are really bad for my eyes.
Our stuff was at Tomas’s house, and we saw Tomas’s father sitting outside with Jokapet’s baby. (The baby is three months old now.) So we went and said hello to Tomas’s father. Then Jokapet and Sani came out of the house. We said hello to them, and we were going to go sit on a rock and change our shoes; but they went back inside and brought out chairs for us to sit on. We put the chairs over in the shade. There was freshly washed coffee laid out in the sun to dry. Between that and a sweaty face and the wind, my eyes got really itchy, and my nose was running incessantly. I used my handkerchief until it got too wet. Then went and found a pack of travel tissues in the suitcase.
10:30 came and went. It was going on 11:00, and Daddy decided to call the NTM hangar and make sure the plane was on its way somewhere. They said it was in Sindeni and had been on the ground there for a half hour. Should be in Owena in the next 15 to 30 minutes. He arrived in Owena around 11:15, and we were off for Goroka around 11:30. The air in the airplane blew on my neck and face too. I had remembered that it did last time we flew with NTM so I purposely took my sweater along. I covered my neck and part of my face with my sweater most of the way to town. We arrived in town close to noon. Saw that Hollands’ truck was there at the NTM hangar. Apparently Jennifer had brought it over. We were thankful that it was there. Jonam and Stephen were there at the hangar to get the money that had been sent out for their PMV to Okapa so they could walk back to Owena for school break.
After paying for the flight, we took off for CRMF. Got our stuff unloaded, went to post office, then to SVS for a meat pie (we were pretty hungry). Then we shopped until around 3:30. Went back to the house and did a bit of unpacking before going up to West Goroka for a while. It was still a bit crowded up there even though it was late afternoon. We thought it was quite crowded for a Wednesday. Schools are on holiday now so there will probably be school kids around town this week when we shop. Some of the trouble we run into usually comes from the kids. There was a man in New Century today, however, who tried to get Daddy to buy him something. Daddy told him “No,” but he kept hanging around. So Daddy went and told the workers, and they told the security guard. One of the security guards followed us around the store until we were done shopping.
It was about 5:30 when we got back to the house. Then we fixed sandwiches and had supper.
There must have been a lot of pollen or something around Goroka today too, because my eyes were really hurting this afternoon again. And the bright afternoon sun didn’t help any. As soon as I could, I found the ALJ and took some. It was a really bad allergy day.
After supper, I got my clothes unpacked and put away. Now I’m thankful for a little time to relax before the evening is over.
“1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3
Dad and Mom