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