Email from Drew

Hey y'all. We are at the Mullins right row. It is Sunday morning,and we are just sitting around about to eat breakfast. We drove around once we got here yesterday and saw the area. This meeting is 4 of the churches here getting together. Bro. Ted said it has been going good. We got here right after the service ended on Saturday and met the people. Today after Bro. Dick preaches there is a baptism.
   
We went to the high school for the RI class Thursday and when we got there they had already let school out so the kids could get home for Easter! So, we walked back outside and there was a ton of people,
several teenagers, at the intersection waiting for a bus and selling stuff and Bro. Dick just preached there. We walked and passed out some more tracts and then came back home. A man gave me an ax head made out
of stone. Its what they used to use to cut wood.

I have tried some of the food here. Tapiok was pretty good. It is the root of a plant. Also I had Lau Lau. It is this little red fruit, and it was not so good! I have had kui mui (greens) which is whatever kind of greens they can get with noodles over rice. I liked that pretty good. The other fruit is good. Pineapples are amazing. They have three different kinds of bananas.
   
Well I will go!

-Drew

Easter Sunday

When I think of Easter, some of the first things that come to mind are egg hunts (Collin stealing the golden egg!!! We have video proof!), families getting together, chocolate bunnies, and of course the resurrection story.  

Being here in PNG has given me a different view of Easter Sunday.  There was no egg hunt here, and even if there was, I'm pretty sure there would be no five dollar golden egg.  Most of my family is still in the states. (All but one as a matter of fact).   And chocolate is extremely scarce over here, so definitely no chocolate bunnies. The only thing that remains of a "normal Easter" is the resurrection.  But when I think about it, that really is the entire reason we celebrate Easter.  Of course, families and traditions are fine in their place, but I think that in America, we are too focused on lunch, when our focus should be on Christ coming up from the grave and what that did for us.  

This morning, I was able to go with Bro. John Allen (Bro. Matt's dad) to the village of Ipaiyu, and Bro. John gave a mini-sermon about the resurrection. It was amazing to watch people who were hanging on every word, many because this was there first time to ever hear this story.  When Bro. John got to the crucifixion, and began talking about how Christ suffered for our sins, Nathaniel, the translator for Bro. John, was barely able to get the story out because he was crying and choking up.  When I looked out across the crowd of forty who had assembled, many heads were hanging, and almost all of the adults were wiping tears from their eyes.  It made me really re-examine my view of the resurrection.  All these people had no other place to be, and were so consumed in the words coming from Bro. John, it made me ashamed for how lightly I take the story of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.  

The next sermon, given by Nathaniel, was about Christ giving us bread and living water.  I really didn't get much of the message, but Bro. John translated the main points.  The service, which lasted over three and a half hours, ended and we found out that three people had been saved, all during Bro. John's message.  We have always heard the saying "Familiarity breeds contempt", but it really sinks in when it's seen from a fresh perspective.  

If I got anything this morning that I wanted to share with everyone back home, especially before Easter services, it would be to take a fresh look at the entire resurrection story.  Just think about it as if you have never heard the story before, and I know it will mean more, and be much more of a blessing to you. I can say from experience that it was for me this morning!

-Connor

Powerless Prayers

I have been one two mission trips in my life. This one (of course) and, as many of you know, one to Germany. There are many similar things that I got from these two very different places that I could tell you. But nothing stands out as  closely related than the praying I have heard done in both places. 

In Germany, there was a heavy-set man in Brother Lawerence's church who prayed multiple times I believe while we where there, but I believe it was the Wednesday night before we left that he prayed a prayer that broke the hearts of most of the teens on that trip . . . and we only understood ONE phrase. "Danka shön". It means "thank you very much". Maybe I will be unable to paint the picture with my words as to how special his prayer was, but I do hope you understand. When he began to pray, he would open up with "Father God, danka shön" and then pause for a noticeably long period of time. Then he would start thanking God for many different things, none of which I could understand, but I knew that phrase "danka shön"! Over and over again he thanked God. Tears started to trickle down my face as I realized just how un-thankful I was, embarrassed before the Lord during his prayer. Later I talked with some of the others who said the pretty much the same thing. 

That was back if August, and now, I'm on the other side of the world in the opposite direction and I find that I was moved by a prayer said here. I have heard many people pray while here and not everyone has the same effect. Now, I know that prayers are for God and not for man, but haven't you ever heard a prayer that did something for you personally? The other evening we were sitting in church on a Wednesday night and one of the Bible students was praying after Pastor James asked him to. It never had struck me this way before, but as the man was praying he kept saying a phrase over and over again - "Papa God". Over and over he said it. Papa God. It means "Father God", but it had a very personal feeling to it. I know it's not supposed to be this way, but too many times in my life I have been guilty of just "going through the motions" of praying. My words, having no feeling behind them, just said from my lips and not the heart. Sometimes I wonder what the reasons for this might be. I don't want my prayers to be so repetitious. I believe that these two things that I previously mentioned have quite a bit to do with it! As for the first, I am way too un-thankful for all the unbelievable blessings God has given me. My church, my family, my friends, my life! The small abilities that He has given me. The parents that want me and my siblings to do what God wants. Everything!!!  If I were more thankful for what God has given me, I might find my prayers reflect it more. And as for second idea that I mentioned, if I considered God as my Father rather than as someone to call on in times of need or someone to try to appease with ritualistic ramblings, I might find Him more likely to answer and speak to me. A father wants to have a good standing relationship with his son. He wants to bless him. He wants to help him! God is the best father a person could ever have and He is our, as born-again believers, heavenly Father. If I will see prayers as more of a relationship, rather than a requirement, then I know my prayers will become sweet times of fellowship rather than something done in while falling off asleep. 

These thoughts have been running through my head for the last week for so and I just thought I would share them with you. It is one of the many thing God has shown me on this trip. I know it's not your typical post for this trip, but it was something I felt like would be a blessing.

-Collin

Good bartering, weird gossiping, and wood cutting

The last few days have been interesting to say the least! On Tuesday, Bro. Matt dropped me off in Komako to meet up with preacher Jack and Jason Ottosen. After the slick trek up to Jason's place, I set up my spot on the floor of the cook house and decided to call it a night. I have had a bad cough that has gotten worse over the past few days and it really is hurting my endurance on hiking. Anyway, after I felt a little better, Jason and I walked down to market back on the airstrip. He, like he did with Connor, gave me a few Toiya (1/100th of a kina or a penny) and told me see what I could get with it. I think I did really well! For the equivalent of 15 US cents, I got four bananas and two oranges. I was really excited till I realized that those were gonna last me about five minutes. They were very good and sweet. I guess cause they are grown right here is part of it. Jack got a avocado that was great. All in all, I really liked the PNG food!

While we were at market, we ran into the province leader guy (forgot the official name) who asked Jason how long I planned to stay before I left for Iquiyu. He looked at me strange and then asked him what he was talking about (all this time I am oblivious about what they are saying). Then he told Jason that he had heard that I had come to go to Iquiyu (a 2 hour hike from Komako) as a missionary. Jason then asked me if I wanted to go to Iquiyu and went on to explain everything that was said. Evidently some gossips where just trying to figure out why the new "white guy" was there! It was well circulated, because the next day I was sitting on a pile of logs waiting on Jason to get back from refilling the water cans and an elderly man came over to talk with me. As we talked, he said he was headed to Iquiyu and wanted to know if I was coming. Through broken pigin, I tried to explain that I wasn't going to Iquiyu and that I was just visiting Jason. Evidently he didn't understand me very well because, if I understood him right, he started telling me a story about how that he and one other person over in Iquiyu are the only ones that "believe". He said if I come with him, I could help him by starting a strong church and get more saved. I was really taken back by all this. Who started the rumor of me going to Iquiyu? How did it happen to circulate so quickly? Very strange. As all this was running through my head, the elderly man got up and shook my hand bye and said he was leaving for Iquiyu, but to please come soon. A very strange and sad story. 

On Thursday, Jason and I started out early for the "fica forest". We hiked straight up a interminable mountain to get to where the trees where. For all those wondering why we didn't cut trees a little closer, Komako is part of the beginning of the "grass plains", and he doesn't have enough trees near him. So we walked up the nasty, muddy, slick-as-snot mountain trail and the nationals hauled the sawmill up on poles. I have no clue how they can get that thing up there! They are dissembling it into four sections, but still, it took a helicopter at full weight with it to get it to Komako! Serious team work there! Jason and I went with London (first convert of Komako) and Jack before the guys brought up the sawmill and we started cutting wood. I could not believe that I have been cutting trees and splitting wood for a whole winter and now just when I think I am gonna be getting away from doing it, I find myself on the backside of the planet with a chainsaw in the middle of nowhere hacking down "fica" trees. And that kind of wood is harder than unseasoned red oak to cut!!! It is miserable! It was neat though how God worked. Jason has only worked a chainsaw a few times and Jack was not the best person to work one so I happened to be able to teach Jason how to use one. We had trouble when we first opened it (it is a brand new chainsaw) with the oil not running out. Then we had problems with just keeping it running! Finally, Jason figured it out and we were able to cut for almost 5 hours on Thursday! We wanted to get the area surrounding where the sawmill will be cut so that the nationals won't drop one of these massive trees on it! The locals all threw their comments in (without being requested to) on how to cut or where it was gonna fall. After one or two trees Jason looked at me and just said "what do ya think?" I told him where to cut it and then marked where it was gonna fall. Some of the nationals were convinced it was not gonna go in that direction, but when the tree fell, it was within a arms reach of my guess. After that I became the "official cutting consultant". We really got a lot done in the few hours we worked. All in all we had a profitable few days over in Komako and memories were made that I will not soon forget!

One more quick story before I finish. I mentioned above a man by the name of London. He was the first convert from Komako. He would make the 12 hour hike from Komako to Kotidonga every Sunday for services. At the time, Jack was in the Bible school as a student. When Jack graduated he decided to go to Komako. Jason Ottosen was also praying about Komako when he found out Jack was going to come here and Jason felt like it was confirmation from God. As Jack and Jason made the hikes and flights to Komako, London became a faithful helper and constant friend. He would faithfully witness and invite the locals to church for Jason and was always there for the services. He was so happy to finally be getting a church! But a few months ago, London's wife contracted a strange blister on her cheek that spread rapidly to here whole face. The pressure from the blister actually crushed her eyes in their sockets. She died within a week. News slowly made its way over the mountain to Kotidonga where Jason left immediately for Komako. At the same time, London was coming to Kotidonga to stay. The people from Komako had blamed him for the death of his wife. He was thought to have made her sick by going to Kotidonga for church with the white people. So he decided to leave Komako for good and move to Kotidonga. But Jason met him half way there and when London saw him, he broke down in tears. Jason talked with him for a little while and soon both of them where going to Komako where he has been a faithful witness for Christ and constant friend to Jason. I was truly blessed to get to take the trip out to Komako and will not forget it for quite a while!

Me and London

Pictures from Connor

  A sink and faucet that I helped Andrew put in.

 the ceiling of the bathroom

  All the ceilings had to be dropped down about two inches, so we are putting up strips to nail the ceiling to.

 what a ceiling looks like after we get done with it

The "apartment" where Collin and I are staying. We are both in the last room on the left.

An email from Drew

Hello y'all this is Drew.

Everything is going good. We have been going out and passing out a lot of tracts. Bro. Dick said to tell y'all my arms look like a lobster. I've gotten sun burn on my arms and neck.

I preached Sunday School this morning at Pilgrims Baptist Church, and I preached the afternoon service here at Damascus road. I preached on Psalms chapter 1. That's the third time I've preached here in PNG
so far.

At church this morning a man told me if I came back as a missionary he would give me a piece of land and they would build me a house. He is the one that gave the church its land. Praise the Lord!

Also, we had a really good time. A man that hasn't been coming came with us this morning and again tonight. He told Bro. Dick he was saved.

I went on another hike the other day with two men who live close by. They took me down to the river. We crossed over this old bridge and went up the side of the mountain a little ways.

Keep praying for us. Long Lookim Bian ...or something like that! haha
-Drew

Sunday in Ipaiyu

Today, (Sunday) Bro. Matt, Pastor James, Bro. Jon and I loaded up in the Toyota to go to Ipaiyu. It was just one of those mornings for Bro. Jon! He wanted to be gone by 7 AM which we were close to doing, but when we got about 10 minutes from home, the truck completely stopped! We lost all power to the engine and had to get underneath to try and figure out the problem. Turns out it was a fuel filter that had clogged. He did his best to get the filter unclogged and we went back to the house to grab another filter for the truck. At this point Mrs. Lena got out because she knew we were late to services and didn't want to hold us up on the trail. After the filter was successfully replaced, we loaded back up to head out against the second time. In Bro. Jon's hurry to leave, he didn't pay attention the the empty fuel tanks off to the left and HAMMERED them with the side of the truck. After we inspected the damage and hopped back into the back of the truck, we re-re-restarted to leave. Now we are a hour behind and I get told we are gonna make it up on the hike . . . . I mean run . . . on the trail. So we started back to the airstrip (the last part of the road the truck can drive on). Bro. Matt and I noticed the back tire looked very flat. Bro. Jon said they were fine and don't worry about it and he was not gonna stop for anything else! It turned out he was right, but the tires were low on air!

When we got to Kanabea, we got out of the truck and started the 45 minute hike into the bush. It wasn't bad and I got some really cool pictures and videos from it! In two spots there is a stream that runs down the mountain and across the trail. We had to jump from boulder to boulder to get across and on the return trip Bro. Jon videoed me crossing! It looks scary but it wasn't too bad. Maybe when we get home I can load that video on here!

Services at Ipaiyu where awesome! They were planning on having a baptism today so they had several visitors who had come for the services due to that. After the services, Pastor James evidently asked for a show of hands for anyone who want to get saved. When it was all said and done, 4 people got saved!!! It really was a great day. Then we all went over to the "bathing hole" and 17 people got baptized. Pastor James did the dunking and he had some trouble with about three or four of them. One guy didn't go under fully and when he came up Pastor said it wasn't right! He preceded to grab some dirt and just "sprinkle" him with it and then explain that because Christ was buried and rose again he had to go all the way under to show the true picture of His death. The man was ok with it and got a second submerging. During the whole baptism, Pastor presented the Gospel to the villagers who gathered around as well as the folks up on the road who stopped to watch. Prior to returning home, I met a lady whom Faith spent the night with there in Ipaiyu. I also got my first "PNG food" here. Kau ka was actually a lot better than I was expecting. Maybe I am just saying that because tomorrow I am going with Jason to Komako! I am looking forward to it and hope to really get to be a blessing as well as receive one.

Just as a update on yesterday, we had the day off!!! It was the first Saturday I can remember in a long time I didn't have to split wood or mow grass. We were told that because Sunday is normally a long days work, the resting day comes on Saturday. I told Matt he was a Seventh-day Adventist! He just laughed. To start the day, I sent out several emails to friends just touching base and saying hey. We are having a wonderful time here, but we do miss our friends and constantly think about y'all. We also got to go swimming yesterday (I know it is a little cold for that back in the states!).  The girls took us to their swimming hole and man was it cold! Ariel and Hannah were used to the miserable water but I never got used to it! After the arctic plunge, we all went back to the house for the treat of the week - a movie! Hannah "demanded" we watch a Star Wars since we haven't ever sent it before. As Ariel was cleaning the disc, she got out a Star Wars book and was schooling Connor on who was who in the movies. It really was quite comical. After the show, we walked over to "Papa John" Allen's place and had (no, not pizza) spaghetti. It was REALLY good. After that, we hit the hay for today's sake. 

Back on Friday we picked up Connor and Jason, I finally got to fly some, and we had Hannah's birthday party! The whole TTMK team came over to the Allen's place for supper and it was a really cool evening. After tacos (Hannah's favorite food - I love this kid!!!) we held flashlights and Hannah opened her presents. It was neat to watch all the team together. They truly are a family God has placed together. 

Those are the major events of the previous few days. The minor ones would be I smashed my thumb, cut my hand, cut it again, cut it in the first place again, Connor got nicknamed "Goober" and I got nicknamed "Goose" (they have a dog named Maverick if you can make the connection). Our first week in PNG is almost coming to a close, but we are still excited about the things to come.

-Collin

Church

 Pastor Jack preaching.

A couple of the kids from church.

The church singing "I Surrender All"

Pictures from Connor! (Trip to Komako)

 Me eating sugar cane.

 My first true bush meal. Greens, field corn avocado, and kau kau, and taro.

 Marita tubes waiting to be cooked. 

 Jason taking pictures of kids, and showing them what they look like. 

The hut where Jason and I stayed. 

 The trail to the hut.

 Where we get our fresh water.

 Marking the corner posts of the house. 

 Marking the posts between the corner posts.

 The finished "wood shed" that was completed the morning we left. 

Pictures from Collin!

 

Bro. John & Ben in language school which I got to sit in on.

 Welcome to "Allen Town"! 

From left to right: 

Bro. John Allen's home, (behind his) the guesthouse, Bro. Matt's home, (the one with a large porch) the clinic. 

 Pastor James, pastor of Kotidonga baptist church. In the background Mrs. Rachel, Mrs. Becky and the girls duel it out in a vicious game of "Dutch Blitz"

Excerpts from Bro. Dick

Drew is doing well.  I am sick as a dog  and puke every time I think of what Drew did. (just kidding about sick and puking; Superman has an image to uphold you know).  Yesterday morning I went into the bathroom which Drew and I share and brushed my teeth.  MY TOOTHBRUSH WAS WET!!!!!!!!!!!  His was dry.  Brother since his suitcase was lost and is still out there somewhere (probably in some national's house now being enjoyed by the guy that works in baggage at Air Nuigini haha) I have been sharing my clothes, shoes with him.  We share the same bathroom.  But NOT THE SAME TOOTHBRUSH  ugh!!!  What is Jim teaching those teens up there in that class of his.  One body, one mouth?  I Cor 12 Get real.  I saw a picture of the inside of his suitcase.  It was filled with toothbrushes.  Too bad that his luggage was lost.
     
      Right now Drew is up at the church helping pastor Vincent hang some 4mm plywood on the inside walls of the church or suppose to be doing that; I haven't heard any hammer pounding in the last hour; probably up there sleeping or sitting around telling war stories.  The people have really taken to him. 

Monday his flight was an hour late and without his luggage.  They had some plane trouble in Brisbane and the airlines had to put them up overnight there.  I am thinking his luggage may have been lost there but who knows.
     
Tuesday he and I went down to the river and crossed it and came back.  It is a rather steep climb.  It is  raining almost daily and most nights so the trail was slippery but we managed with two legs, a walking stick, and holding on with the other hand.  The river was high and running full at probably 35-40 miles an hour.  There is a metal, swinging bridge that you cross that sways sideways as you cross.  With the water running under you it can be dizzy crossing if you look down at the water but he managed well.  I had to stop four or five times on the way up.  I thought he beat me badly but later at night I got up to go to the bathroom at 8:20 pm and his light was off in his bedroom.  HA the old man out lasted the youth.  I was quite pleased lying in bed.  Before he arrived I had turned my Superman shirt inside out so that the big "S"was on the inside.  I think I will turn it back out to the outside.

Thursday went to RI class.  Drew gave his testimony and preached on the Prodigal son; did a good job.  No one got saved; it seems it comes in spurts; last week 10 got saved.  But the seed was planted.

 He says he is loving it over here.  We are doing fine suppose he doesn't use my toothbrush anymore.  Turn the cheek once; but look out the second time.  haha  See ya.

Vincent took Drew down the mountain again today with another man. Crossed another type of bridge.  Drew took many pictures and several video's of the walk.  This was Drew's second bush walk; sunny today so the path was drier except where the tree canopy covered the path.

Thank Cornerstone for their giving for making this trip possible.  Drew prays for the teens calling many by name in our family devotions at night.

- Bro. Dick

Hey y'all...

Hello y'all, this is Drew.

Everything here is going good. Yesterday was a great day. We didn't have anything going on until the afternoon RI class so I left that morning and met up with pastor Vincent that lives next door. He took me all over and I met a lot of people. Some took me into their huts and showed me their pigs. I took a lot of pictures too. They love it when you take their picture. After that I came home and we ate lunch. Then we headed out and caught a bus (these Toyota vans that drive around) to the RI class. This is on Thursdays. The high school lets anyone come in and sing and teach. The Mormons, Catholics, Lutherans, Seventh Day Adventist, and others come. We had a packed out classroom of high school students. Bro. Dick led a song and then let me preach. I preached on the prodigal son and it's picture of salvation. Bro. Dick came up after me and preached too. It was a blessing and the students seemed to enjoy it. We left there and started walking down the road passing out tracts. Pastor Vincent was with us and John. John is a 10th grader who leads up devotions for the boys. Most of the students live at the high school during the week because they have to walk back home which would be miles. John is doing a good job by witnessing to then.

    Any ways, we headed down the road passing out tracts and people were holding out their hands to get one. If we came upon a group of people, Bro. Dick would stop and preach for about five minutes. People would gather around and listen intently.

    It has rained a lot so we hope that will slow down.

-Drew

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle..."

Tuesday

I got up at 4:00 AM to leave for the airstrip to fly out by dawn. Jason Ottosen and I got dropped off in the village of Komako, where he is building a house. I could see the house from the airstrip, but it was still a twenty minute hike up a hill.  The elevation really shows on any form of physical activities, especially hiking. Bro. Jason said that I would be exhausted by the time we got there, and I thought he didn't know what he was talking about.  Turns out he did.  We we finally arrived at the cook house where we would be staying, I was entirely out of breath.  Bro. Jason just laughed and went on.  Right after we got our stuff placed in the hut/house, a lady came by with some bananas and some kau kau (a vegetable like a sweet potato, but no marshmallows or brown sugar). Jason translated for me and told me that she said she had walked over an hour and a half to bring this food because she heard that Jason was coming.  Later, we went to market, where all the village people bring their stuff they have to sell and sit it out on a blanket or the ground and try to sell it.  Jason and I had a contest to see who could buy the most with four Kina (K4), which is equivalent to around two American dollars.  Lets just say I need to work on my bartering skills. Jason was able to get a stick of sugar cane, a pineapple, a couple avocado, and some bananas all for only K4. I only got six banana's, but I only spent forty cents. I had to deal with the language barrier. (I also wasn't sure if any of the other food was clean enough to trust eating.) We walked back to the cook house and Asylia, the native pastor's wife, cooked my first authentic village meal.  We had kau kau (pronounced "cow cow") , field corn, two types of greens, taro, and cooking bananas.  The kau kau was surprisingly not that bad, and the corn was ok, but taro and greens were not good at all. I also tried sugar cane for the first time. You have to bite and shuck the outside, and chew the inside, all the while trying not to soak yourself in sugar water. I soaked a shirt with the juice and it turned to a sticky substance that reminded me of syrup. That night we got ready for bed and Jack, the native pastor, got out Uno cards. I soon found out the natives are very competitive.  Finally we got to bed around eight that night, and I drifted right off to sleep.

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning we found out that a rat had been in our hut the night before, and that really freaked me out!!! We tried several times, but never could catch the rat, which made an unwelcome entrance every night.  We got to go later that day and watch an elderly man make marita, a traditional PNG dish.  This is the only food that the men still make, and women are not allowed to even be around while they make it. I have no idea why, but it is considered a very masculine thing. The man cut up the fruit, crammed it down into bamboo, then cooked it over a fire.  Later, he squished it up (with his dirty hands!!), and that is what everyone dipped their food in. They gave us a special bowl before everyone started dipping, and I tasted it.  It wasn't as bad as Jason had told me it would be, but it is definitely a one time event.  That afternoon, we went to a "mu mu", a feast in Pidgin, because they finished the roof to Jason's wood shed.  It started to rain, so we moved inside where I tried most everything I hadn't, and then Jason and I had spaghetti cooked over an open fire. It was the best spaghetti I think I've ever eaten. Right after we ate, I had my first experience bathing in a river. It was more like get wet while wearing your clothes and try to get all the mud off you in the river. Jason stood guard at the road, so thankfully I didn't have an audience. We got back to the house and all the clothes dried before we had to turn in for bed.


Thursday

Jason gave a Pigin devotion this morning, and he translated the main points for me.  He was teaching about being a good servant, and used the passage where Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Then, we went out and marked post for Pastor Jack's house, which Jason is also paying for.  We got the corner posts marked and squared, and then marked all the post between.  That took most of the morning, and then it began to pour rain, so we had to go inside and sit for the rest of the day.  I took a nap, because I had been waking up around four every morning thanks to jet lag and the mouse.  Later, when I woke up, Jason was giving a man a file for his machete. The man was so thankful for it, because now he wouldn't have to spend time finding something to sharpen his machete with.  The man said thank you no less than thirty times.  It was such an humbling experience for me, because this man was nearly moved to tears with thankfulness for a file.  That was basically it for the rest of the day.

Friday

This morning, we woke up and had bananas for breakfast. Matt came and picked us up around eight, and we got back to "civilization". It's not real civilization, but after being in the bush, it's close enough for me!

I am so glad I agreed to go with Jason, because even though it was in some ways not fun, it was a great experience for me, and opened my eyes to how blessed I truly am. Those people have almost nothing but the shirt on their back and their machete.  It made me so happy and proud to be an American, and I cannot tell you how many times I have thanked God for that since I have been here!

Flying in PNG

While it is not the main reason I am here, flying is of course a very big part of my trip. It is a lot different flying here in PNG for multiple reasons. One is, of course, the mountains. Mountain flying is quite a bit more dangerous than regular flying due to the fact that wind currents are sporadic and gust can vary by 50 mph. Rain and clouds tend to obscure the mountains and can "sock in" a runway for days. High altitudes make it harder on the aircraft to perform and climb which is never a good thing but especially with jagged rocks hanging around. (Maybe I shouldn't be telling everybody all of the cons). Jungles never do make for soft landings, especially dense, wooded rainforest. To fly over here alone, you have to take an orientation class in the same aircraft you plan on flying in. In this class, a veteran jungle pilot will be instructing on the right (and life extending) way to fly in the jungle.

Ok, now on to stuff y'all actually care about! Everyday we fly we try to be at the runway prior to sunrise so we can preflight the plane and be ready to go on first light. Depending on the weather, we try to fly up to about 11:30 or so. Then the clouds just become to unpredictable and we don't want to be sleeping somewhere else so we call it a day.  Bro. Matt plans on taking me with him every time he can on a flight. During these flights I am just watching, listening, and jotting any question down mentally for later. I haven't flown for any substantial amount of time yet simply because the longest leg of we have flown, save the trip from Morseby, was 15 minutes. On one of the "flights" we made we took off, climbed 100 feet, and set up for landing!!! It lasted 4 minutes just be cause we had to circle around down to the grass strip. So right now, I'm not really flying, just getting to fly! But tomorrow Bro. Matt has to make some trips and I think one of them is fairly long. On longer flights I will sometimes have the chance of doing all the hands on stuff after leveling from takeoff. I don't really get to log any of this time sense I am not a PNG pilot but just Matt's letting me fly and showing me some different things in PNG is awesome! I am okay to fly here only in the sense that on paper, Matt is the one who is flying. He is the pilot in command yet I am allowed to pilot the plane. So many things work differently over here than I was expecting, but I am already picking up on them, with Bro. Matt's help!

The airstrips here are relatively short compared to runways in the states, but when Matt took me to the "shortest" runway I was a little ticked. It was only about 1,000 feet long which is 200 shorter than my grass strip. I told Bro. Matt about it and he said that it sounded like perfect practice for PNG. 

Well, I gotta run now. We have a pretty full schedule of flying today including picking up Connor and Jason from their place as well as some others. I am sure Connor will have plenty to write about as soon as he gets the chance! Today is Hannah Allen's birthday, so this afternoon when we get back, the TTMK team is gonna get together for a little party thing. Hope y'all are having a great afternoon.

-Collin

Collin

As you probably have heard we all have finally arrived safe and sound in PNG. Drew made it to the Harrelson's place but still doesn't have his luggage. Connor and I arrived safely here in Kotidonga on Monday and he left with Bro. Jason Ottosen to help build Jason's home on the other side of the river. It is a 12 hour walk to his place but only a 7 minute flight! I have been amazed at just how much time Bro. Matt can save with the plane. I was able to see Connor today when I was flying with Bro. Matt. He looked a little tired but said he felt fine and has been having a good time with Bro. Jason. They had a rat get into their food supply last night and they have plans on catching it tonight. I didn't tell Connor that there are over 50 different kinds of rats here . . . and that some of them weight over 3 pounds! We will be going to pick them up Friday and bring them back to Kotidonga. Connor was a little winded when he got to the airplane (the building is a 30 minute walk from the airstrip) and he said that the trail was still a little wet when he was hurrying down to see us. As he turned around, I could see why! His whole backside was muddy from a fall that must have resembled a water coaster!

Yesterday I wasn't able to fly with Bro. Matt due to extra people showing up that needed a ride so I waited back with the "expert weather man" Ben. Ben is a Bible school student who will be graduating next year in January. He understands English well enough for us to converse. We hit it off good and now he is always coming up and saying "awi" or "kafina" (hello). He has introduced me to several of the Kameans and Kotidongans. (Just as a side note right here, Kanabea is where Bro. Matt keeps his plane and Kotidonga is where they live. He is working on a airstrip closer to his home but till it's finished he will be leaving his plane out at Kanabea.) I really look forward to getting to be better friends with Ben . . . especially if he keeps forecasting good weather!

We are leaving out every morning that we fly between 5:00 and 5:30 so Bro. Matt can preflight the plane before daybreak and be off the ground by first light. It is about a 45 minute ride on a "good" PNG road in a Kawasaki Mule. This was this morning's scenes. 

We had a very good day and Bro. Matt completed 7 legs on flying before we knocked of for the day. One of the airports we landed at was a short runway (only 1100 feet) with a dogleg in it! It was quite the interesting landing strip. 

On the way home from Kanabea airstrip we stopped on a ridge so Bro. Matt could send some SMS and calls to others about logistics of the next few days. While we set there a few kids walked up and after we shook hands I had the opportunity to get a quick picture with them before we headed home. 

We had services tonight that went really good, even though I had no clue what they were hearing. Andrew (one of the TTMK guys) preached. I'll be blunt and say it's different, but it was neat to watch those folks hearing preaching in their own language. I think one of the little guys thinks that I color in my Bible from the different color underlining I have in it! After church we had Mrs. Becky's dad's chili and were gonna get an easy rest of the night off but I guess there is just no telling what is gonna happen over here! 

We were eating and Brother John came in and said that some one had broken his arm. Evidently a boy was chopping wood and slipped, fell, and pinned his arm under his body! Tomorrow he has to make the 2 hour walk to Kamea for some more help but Mrs. Lena and Mrs. Rachel (Andrews wife who is a helper in the clinic) splint it up good enough for the night.

I think tomorrow we are not flying, but rather I may spend the day with Brother John Allen working on tok pigin. It is amazing how much English is intertwined with pigin and how quickly you can begin to "comprehend" it. I would say understand because right after they say it I couldn't repeat it, but I knew what was said. Not in every case of course, but surprising how many times it happens! Well it's been a long day and I need some sleep so Gut nait! 

-Collin

Drew

Hello y'all this is Drew.

This morning we went to town and spent most of the day there. First we went to the mechanic and Bro. Dick got his truck serviced. That took a while and after that we went to town and I stayed in and watched the truck. The pidgin most people speak is hard to understand. I can understand Bro. Dick pretty good and the people that speak clearly.

Anyway, we ran some errands and now we are back home. Church here starts at five so we will be heading out here in a little while.

Still no sign of my luggage. The woman in Mount Hagen is supposed to call us tomorrow so hopefully it will get here by the end of this week. We are going to Pastor Vincent's church tonight. He and the church live right beside us here.

Tomorrow I am preaching to the RI class of high school student. Hopefully someone will get saved. I am preaching on the prodigal son. After that we may do some other ministry work, I'm not sure.

I will talk to y'all later, Drew.

(Obviously, these blog updates are still emails his parents forward to me (Kelley). This will be how we'll hear from Drew during this trip because of the internet service.)

An email from Bro. Dick Harrelson!

Hello,
    Took Drew down the mountain on a bush walk.  Went down to the bottom of the mountain and crossed the river and then climbed back up.  It was muddy and slippery.  I had to stop and rest four or five times.  Drew went up that mountain like a walk in the park.  Don't think he opened his mouth to breathe.  Can you imagine that.  Climbed a mountain breathing through his nose.  I told him it was 17 y/o verses 62 y/o.  He beat me badly.  There must be a sin somewhere in the Bible about that.  His suitcase still hasn't come; will check again at the airport tomorrow.  Brother, this is serious; extremely serious.  My butterfingers are in that bag.
      Drew gave his testimony at Bible school today.  The students took right to him; they are very appreciative that someone would come over here and visit them.  It is a big deal with them.  He will preach at the high school Thursday at RI class; this is in English.  It has already been a blessing to have him here.
-Dick

An email from Drew

Hey y'all this is Drew.

Everything is going great over here. Today we had Bible school and I got to meet several people. They are great men and women and it was a blessing. I was able to understand some of the pidgin Bro. Dick was teaching in. At the end I gave my testimony and Bro. Dick translated. They all loved it and said amen. These people have great hearts. They also are very excited to see a white man. I took pictures of people and they all love it. I can't send pictures but I am going to send Kelley something to put on the blog.

After Bible school we came back and ate lunch (Mrs.Cindy is a great cook) and then we walked down to the river. It was very steep and these boys got me a walking stick. The land is beautiful.

I got to meet a man that said he remembers when Japan dropped bombs on the airport here in WW2. He said he was the first person to start this village here. A man named Supai told me he would take me and show me the village where he lives and show me around. He is in the Bible school.

We are going to town tomorrow and then going to church where Pastor Vincent is the preacher. He lives close to us here. There is much more I could say but I will stop. I will write y'all again and Bro. Dick said I can call tomorrow while his truck is getting serviced. It will be around five-thirty or six.
-Drew

(This is another email Drew wrote his parents....as you probably gathered. I never got anything for the blog, so we'll just keep waiting for that. :) -Kelley)

It begins....Mt. Hagen edition

Hey y'all this is Drew. Everything has gone good so far other than the luggage loss. Hopefully it will arrive in Mt. Hagen in the next day or so. I am already enjoying it and can't wait to see what all is going to happen. I will write y'all again sometime soon.

(This was the email he sent his parents - hopefully he'll write something for here soon as well.)

And so it begins....Kotidanga

Today, we got up at 4 AM to leave the hotel to go to the airport to make our flight to Port Morsbey. We made it to Morsbey safely, and then Drew split up from Collin and me. Just as we were leaving, Drew was talking to a man about finding his luggage and the man thought that he had actually seen Drew's bag at the airport already, so they were going off to search for it. I do not know if they ever did find it, but we all pray that they did for Drew's sake.

We flew an hour-and-a-half with Bro. Matt to a village close to his, and then got on his Mule to ride another hour to Kotidanga, Matt's village.  We were given a tour by Andrew, a young man who is here helping Matt.

Tomorrow, I am leaving with Bro. Jason Ottosen to go help him build his house in one of the neighboring villages.  We leave at 5 AM to drive the hour back to the plane for the trip. The entire flight will take only four and a half minutes, but if we had to hike, it would take over twelve hours.  I will be staying with him for four days helping him to build his house before Matt comes back and picks us up on Friday.  Collin or Drew will have to keep you updated because they do not have internet in the bush.  I appreciate everyone's prayers for us while we are here.  I hope I have a great report when I get back.

-Connor

BBQ lamb, weird accents, and 11 hours in the airport

                                                                              

We had our flight canceled last night due to lack of organization on the crews part as well as mechanical failure (which ended up getting fixed). We were put up in a hotel which charged $30 (AUD) so we didn't have away to contact. We were shuttled out of the airport last night before I could send an email out letting all know. We are Lord willing departing at 7:00 this morning. Sorry for any inconvenience.
-Collin

Post title credit goes to Drew. :)

Once they land in Port Moresby, Collin and Connor have to hurry through customs and  exchanging their money into Kina to catch their flight with Matt Allen into Kotidanga.

Please pray that they arrive safely and all goes smoothly. Drew's luggage was lost somewhere between Nashville and Port Moresby, so please pray he gets it before he has to fly out to Mt. Hagen. He has the clothes on his back and the Sperry's on his feet - not much good for hiking! He's also going to have to figure out how to get to Mt. Hagen and the only pidgeon he knows is Bible verses.

Soon, the flying will be over (kind of) and the missionary work will begin!   

Delay in Brisbane

We finally made it to our last change over... only to find out the plane has "mechanical problems". Please pray that it will be resolved ASAP. We were supposed to leave at noon local time and we are approaching 3 now because of the issues. If it is unable to be corrected, we are going to have to take the flight incoming from PNG which doesn't arrive until 6. Please, pray that we will be able to depart soon so we can get settled down in Morseby. Thank y'all!

Tired in New Zealand

The boys are now on their way from New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia. After the 13 hour flight, we can assume getting on another airplane was not #1 on their list of fun things to do.

After the longest flight they've ever taken, this is all the information we get:

Subject: Hello from kiwi land!

Hey. We made it safe to NZ. We should be in PNG in 9 hours or so weather permitting. It is hazy and foggy here right now though. Here's another picture of the guys. Collin

This was just all they could muster.

It looks like they're beginning to wear down, but they're on the last legs of this journey - just a few more flights until they reach their destination!

L.A.!

  

The three boys from tiny-town, Tennessee labeled L.A. "Hollyweird".

 

Right now they are in the air headed toward New Zealand with several hours left on their flight.

Thank you!

  Before we board and leave out from LA, I wanted to personally thank all of Cornerstone via this blog for being such a giving church to be able to send Collin, Drew, and myself to help these missionaries. I know that many of you work hard, grueling hours every day and put some of that money into the offering to support this type of endeavor. I am extremely excited for this opportunity, and know that it will be an eye-opening trip that I will remember for the rest of my life! On behalf of all three of us, I sincerely thank each and every one of you!!!

  
  I will try to put something on the blog as often as possible, but the Internet connection in PNG is notorious for being undependable at best. Hopefully, it will be good enough for me to be able to give everyone an update several times a week. I hope everyone enjoys and is encouraged by what is going on in our lives while in PNG. 

~Connor

First Stop: Dallas!

 On the way to Dallas

 Brothers! 

Classic older brother/younger brother picture :) Also a classic Connor/Collin picture. ;)

A "snack" before the flight to LA.

They're Off!

Flying off like Superman!

 

Waiting at the Nashville airport. Be safe, guys! 

 

(P.S. This is Kelley posting, I'll be keeping this blog up-to-date whenever they don't. :) )

"Desires of Thy Heart"

When I was younger, I can remember have those "childhood dreams" of who I wanted to be or of what I wanted to do. Many of those wishes where just that . . . wishes. But some, by the grace of God, have been allowed to become a reality. 

One of those dreams of mine was of flight. What kid growing up didn't want to be able to fly? Through circumstances that only God was capable of directing, that desire was granted, and now at 19, God has allowed me to obtain my pilots license.

The second desire I had as a kid was more than a desire I believe . . . it felt like a call. Since the age of 12 I have prayed about God's call on my life into His ministry and specifically into missions in Papua New Guinea. I don't really know where I started hearing about PNG, I think it was probably the many missionaries that we support in our church that are going there. A few years have passed since then but God continues to let me meet people going there and continues to drop his "handfuls of purpose", keeping me praying about what His will is. For sake of time I will not go into any details of these. Now in a few days, I will be going to PNG with a couple of my best friends, Connor (my brother) and Drew Hamlet. God has granted another one of those childhood desires. For about three weeks we will be helping the Allens (aviation missionaries in the Gulf Province) and Harrelsons (missionaries in Mt. Hagen). Through this trip, We want to be a blessing to the missionaries and help them, but it is my personal "desire" to pray while I there that God might give me His answer as to whether or not PNG is in His future for me. Thank you all for the prayers that are being said for the three of us even right now before we leave. 

And what if PNG isn't God's will? Then in His time He will continue to guide me to the area that He has me prepared for. There is one desire that I haven't mentioned. The biggest one of all . . . I truly want my desires to be God's desires. So if He desires me to stay in Cornerstone and just be a good church member, I'm okay with that. Should He desire me to be in Papua New Guinea (or any other place for that matter), I am okay with that too!  One of my favorite quotes is "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you". 

Psalms 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." I don't know how much delight I bring the Lord, but I am so very thankful for His grace to allow my desires and also to make this trip to happen. May lives be changed forever for good and may God's will be done on this missions trip. Thank you all once again for the prayers!

Collin