Paul's PNG Mission Trip - Ep 09
1 view
Skip to first unread message
pandrews
Jan 24, 2011, 7:05:59 AM1/24/11
to Paul's PNG Mission Trip
(May 1st, 2010)
After three days of traveling, 110 miles of air travel, and 40 miles
of
canoe travel I have arrived at Kaiam, Papua New Guinea to work on the
infamous landing strip. The conditions here are a very strange mix of
two worlds. Our house and the health center have solar power to
operate
radios and a few 12 Volt appliances (with one power inverter), a
portable DVD player, a computer, two cameras, one cell phone (no cell
reception), two chainsaws, two tractors, two small generators, and a
handful of flashlights is the extent of the technology of the western
world. The rest of the location uses bush knives, axes, and a mix of
western clothes and traditional lap-laps in their daily lives.
The people here are certainly aware of the outside world, but it
doesn't
play into their normal lives as many of them have to make an eight
hour
hike to get to Kaiam from their own homes to work on the airstrip
(staying for a week or more at a time) and the closest other airstrip
is
where we landed and came upstream from Munduku.
Houses here differ in construction from the houses in Mambis, but are
also made of local materials. For example, the 'large' house we live
in
is a small three room beam and pole construction building with sago
bark
floors, firewood walls, and sago palm roof. The two built in bunk
beds
have two inch foam pads for matrices and mosquito nets for a
relatively
bug free night's sleep as you are able to see through the gaps in the
walls of the building directly into the next room or outside (even
directly onto the ground two feet below the loosely tied down floor).
This house was constructed in approximately ten days about three years
ago, and given the wet and warm climate, the decomposition of the
materials has become apparent and a new structure is soon to be under
construction across the strip next to the health center.
The airstrip is currently about half complete and now that there are
two
tractors here (unfortunately with one currently running due to a
bearing
failure) the construction should progress fairly quickly. As we are
supposed to be entering the dry season we should be more able to move
dirt in the coming months. However, we still experience significant
rain events most nights which are evaporated every day from the direct
sunlight that shines down, which also means that it is extremely warm
and humid every day. So much so that I find it quite difficult to be
out in the sunlight in the middle of the day and usually drink at
least
three liters of water a day. Fortunately, it's a short five minute
walk
down to the cool river water where we do our laundry and washing,
which
makes a refreshing break to the day.
All told, I'm amazed that people choose, and do, live here. It's
repressively hot and the prevalence of stinging insects gives one
pause. However, there are no poisonous snakes or dangerous spiders
(the
odd triancula, but they're not as poisonous as a brown recluse (hobo
spider)) and food is fairly prevelent in the form of sac-sac (mashed
sago pulp), taro, bananas, and cumu (green leafy plant that is similar
to spinach after cooking). The balance that seems to be found here
between surviving and caring for God's creation makes me wonder if
this
was more in line with what God had in mind when He said "inhabit the
earth and subdue it". Even now as I write this email, there is a
butterfly fanning it's wings on my pant leg. There is amazing variety
of creation that can be seen simply by sitting on the porch while
escaping the heat of the day. Usually I find that my camera, while
seldom out of the reach of my fingertips, is much too far away to
capture another type of butterfly, or dragonfly, or gecko that goes
scurrying past me. Even the diversity within the hymenoptera is
stunning as just today I've seen about six different species of wasp
ranging from smaller to a house fly to the size of my thumb. And I
was
persuaded to venture down to a group of locals that had captured a
young
tree kangaroo just to show me this morning. It's fur was amazingly
soft
and the people got a kick out of seeing me so excited to let it chew
on
my finger for a little while.
Today I have seen more of God's creation than most Americans probably
see in a week, and I only got bit by three mosquitoes. ;-)
Paul Andrews
http://zloof.blogspot.com/
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=14786
After three days of traveling, 110 miles of air travel, and 40 miles
of
canoe travel I have arrived at Kaiam, Papua New Guinea to work on the
infamous landing strip. The conditions here are a very strange mix of
two worlds. Our house and the health center have solar power to
operate
radios and a few 12 Volt appliances (with one power inverter), a
portable DVD player, a computer, two cameras, one cell phone (no cell
reception), two chainsaws, two tractors, two small generators, and a
handful of flashlights is the extent of the technology of the western
world. The rest of the location uses bush knives, axes, and a mix of
western clothes and traditional lap-laps in their daily lives.
The people here are certainly aware of the outside world, but it
doesn't
play into their normal lives as many of them have to make an eight
hour
hike to get to Kaiam from their own homes to work on the airstrip
(staying for a week or more at a time) and the closest other airstrip
is
where we landed and came upstream from Munduku.
Houses here differ in construction from the houses in Mambis, but are
also made of local materials. For example, the 'large' house we live
in
is a small three room beam and pole construction building with sago
bark
floors, firewood walls, and sago palm roof. The two built in bunk
beds
have two inch foam pads for matrices and mosquito nets for a
relatively
bug free night's sleep as you are able to see through the gaps in the
walls of the building directly into the next room or outside (even
directly onto the ground two feet below the loosely tied down floor).
This house was constructed in approximately ten days about three years
ago, and given the wet and warm climate, the decomposition of the
materials has become apparent and a new structure is soon to be under
construction across the strip next to the health center.
The airstrip is currently about half complete and now that there are
two
tractors here (unfortunately with one currently running due to a
bearing
failure) the construction should progress fairly quickly. As we are
supposed to be entering the dry season we should be more able to move
dirt in the coming months. However, we still experience significant
rain events most nights which are evaporated every day from the direct
sunlight that shines down, which also means that it is extremely warm
and humid every day. So much so that I find it quite difficult to be
out in the sunlight in the middle of the day and usually drink at
least
three liters of water a day. Fortunately, it's a short five minute
walk
down to the cool river water where we do our laundry and washing,
which
makes a refreshing break to the day.
All told, I'm amazed that people choose, and do, live here. It's
repressively hot and the prevalence of stinging insects gives one
pause. However, there are no poisonous snakes or dangerous spiders
(the
odd triancula, but they're not as poisonous as a brown recluse (hobo
spider)) and food is fairly prevelent in the form of sac-sac (mashed
sago pulp), taro, bananas, and cumu (green leafy plant that is similar
to spinach after cooking). The balance that seems to be found here
between surviving and caring for God's creation makes me wonder if
this
was more in line with what God had in mind when He said "inhabit the
earth and subdue it". Even now as I write this email, there is a
butterfly fanning it's wings on my pant leg. There is amazing variety
of creation that can be seen simply by sitting on the porch while
escaping the heat of the day. Usually I find that my camera, while
seldom out of the reach of my fingertips, is much too far away to
capture another type of butterfly, or dragonfly, or gecko that goes
scurrying past me. Even the diversity within the hymenoptera is
stunning as just today I've seen about six different species of wasp
ranging from smaller to a house fly to the size of my thumb. And I
was
persuaded to venture down to a group of locals that had captured a
young
tree kangaroo just to show me this morning. It's fur was amazingly
soft
and the people got a kick out of seeing me so excited to let it chew
on
my finger for a little while.
Today I have seen more of God's creation than most Americans probably
see in a week, and I only got bit by three mosquitoes. ;-)
Paul Andrews
http://zloof.blogspot.com/
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=14786
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages