Paul's PNG Mission Trip - Ep 14

[pandrews]

(October 1st, 2010)

What to write about this month? The airstrip work? It's still going
amidst equipment failures, weather conditions, lack of work force and
motivation issues. The new house construction? It continues in a
"Fox-trot" pattern, never really going forward but things are still
happening. Or the medical evacuation by helicopter of a worker who
fell
off the roof and cracked a vertebrae? Oh, you want the medical
story...
here it comes...

Jeff is our construction manager for the new house project and, while
he
has training as a carpenter, he always seems to put his own PNG spin
onto his construction methods. For example: why extend a rafter with
a
notched butt joint with a couple short boards on each side for added
strength when you can just tack on meters of lumber haphazardly to
which
ever side is more convenient at the time. This (among other things)
is
the essence of the PNG way: not whatever's easier or faster, but
whatever comes to mind this minute. This is usually preceded by many
minutes (hours?) of discussion among themselves reinforcing whatever
under-thought decision is about to take place.

His help varies from day to day, but at best it includes people who
are
able to hammer nails about fifty percent of the time and appear to be
learning from their mistakes. They are certainly skilled at surviving
in the PNG jungle, but western building methods and tools are somewhat
alien. Not an easy feat to build a house with under-qualified
laborers,
inadequate materials, and hazardous conditions.

One of the major issues has been the tin roof (referred to as
"copper"). The copper has gone on and off the house a number of
times,
and each time the number of holes in it increases. Not what you like
to
see in a material that is supposed to keep the rain off your head.
The
last time it was all up, Jeff, Alex, and Marcus were all standing on
two
pieces of copper that had only one nail in them. For some reason Alex
and Marcus decided that the nail shouldn't remain in place, removed
it,
and proceeded to fall 20 feet to the ground and Jeff (standing on the
other end of the copper) was lifted into the air and had time to leap
to
the existing roof. Alex landed on the floor supports with his bare
feet
(only a hand full of people here in the bush wear shoes) and Marcus a
little farther out landed on the ground and quickly belly crawled out
of
the way of the falling copper which nearly landed on him.

It's at this point that I was called over to help out as Marcus was
unable to move and complained of severe back pain. Alex was unhurt
despite his landing on a quite unforgiving surface. Less than an arms
length (well, my arm) away from where they both fell was an old
gnarled
tree stump with its pointed roots aimed straight up. Seeing the
"landing zone" and a mentally saying quick word of thanks for it not
being any worse than a hurt back, we determined that Marcus needed
medical help beyond what we could give him at Kaiam. A short time
later
with both radios working overtime, we got a hold of Anton back in
Mambis
and three days later a chopper swooped in with Dr. Rodney to assess
Marcus and take him back to Mambis where an X-Ray showed a single
cracked vertebrae. Bed rest and painkillers are the order of
business.

We all have said it before, but there are certainly times where it is
quite apparent that the Guardian Angels looking out for us are working
overtime.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all
your
ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot
against a stone." Psalm 91:11-12.

Whether you take these verses literally or metaphorically, it's good
to
know that God has our back... ;-)

Paul