First Two Weeks--The Other View

Jeff has brought you up to date on a number of events in the first two weeks after our return to PNG. I think I'd add in my two cents worth on the changes I need to make to the move.

There are many "housekeeping changes." Bread needs (or is it kneads?) to be baked and yogurt made to help add good bacteria to the digestive system. Dishes must be washed by hand. The clothes are washed in a washer, but hung on the line and brought in (hopefully) before rain comes.

A garden is a necessity because fresh fruits and vegetables are a drive away (and everyone worldwide know that petrol is expensive and that time is even more valuable).

The roads are still abysmal. We had been told they surely would be paved by the time we got back. And robbery is still a fact of life (though we personally were not robbed when we were in Hagen last week).

The electricity and water for toilets may flow or it may not. It is especially embarrassing to have one's toilet not flush when guests visit.

Those are the negative things, but there are a number of positive things to be said for life here.

The people are very friendly, especially if an outsider makes the effort to speak Tok Pisin. We've lost count of the number of enthusiastic welcomes we have received since returning.

There's time to bake bread and make yogurt because we don't have a television. At least at our new house, we have hot water to wash the dishes. (Now we don't have to boil water and carry it to wherever we need it hot.)

As to a garden, this year has been a fair one even for starting a garden in dry season. It has rained four times already in the last two weeks, and it looks like number five is on its way. That's enough water to keep the plants going after transplanting them from the (watered every day by hand) nursery box outside the kitchen window.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold outside our college gate on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A trip there yesterday turned up some cucumbers, lettuce, choko (a tasty green), tomatoes, yellow beans, bananas, pineapples, peanuts, and a few other things. Those are useful, but sometimes one wants more variety.

A trip to Banz (half and hour's drive) or Hagen (over an hour away) are not always possible. Jeff has to drive because I don't have a license here. Gasoline costs four and a half kina a liter. That's roughly US $6.50 per gallon. What is it there now? We usually plan a trip to Hagen once a month.

As we were driving over the rough road recently, I was glad to see the improvements that have been made in the last months we have been gone. Deep barrets (ditches) lined with concrete and enormous drainage pipes with rock reinforcements have been put in place to carry the torrential rain runoff. Local people are being employed to procure rock, and the income spurs the economy of the whole area. Once paving is finished, these preparations will insure that the roads last longer.

But the flowers and herbs that still grow in my garden from when I planted them last year made me think this week. The number of vivid colors in the plants is so fascinating here! I can make flower arrangements with different color themes just from the prolific plants around our house.

We get to watch the contented cows and view the high mountains around us. The willy wagtails and the tarangaus soar on the winds. Yes, it is a lovely place here. Guess, just as if I lived in any place, I need to remember Jesus' words:

Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves? ' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34

" Yes, Lord. You are right. Please look out for our family and friends at home too..."