Village House: Building Up the Deaf MInistry (Matt)

Matt's crew with Nathalie and Foretin (black/blue) in center.

How do you build a house in Papua New Guinea, in a village that has no power?  Most people would say "I wouldn't!"; which is what I wanted to say at times.
We started this project over a year ago, taking over after the first builder left.  I can only guess why.
Situm is a village not too far outside Lae, one of PNG's bigger "cities"; which is why Nathalie and Foretin want to be here. They are a deaf married couple who have settled here to work with and have a ministry to the deaf in Lae, and as far as they can reach into the remote places of PNG.  Nathalie is Swedish, but for Foretin, this is home. He grew up in this village, exploring the jungle and playing around the river.

Even though it's close to Lae, Situm is hard to get to.  The roads are rough and you must go through a river to get in and out (see pictures in last year's blog "Where There Is No Bridge"). We tried to time this trip between rainy seasons and with God's help, were able to manage the river.  It came up one or two nights but we had no need to cross then.

We brought in two portable generators; one for back up.  We ended up using both and ran the backup until it nearly ran out of gas on the day we were leaving. We had everything else packed up, and we planed boards for them to use inside later. We had completed almost everything we came to do and finished the last board moments before the gas ran out.

Bradford

Kevin

Can you find the gutter guy?

This woman is carrying maybe 30 coconuts, plus bananas. Women here work the gardens and carry unbelievable loads!

 Local River Mangies

Lord of the Flies!

Solar hot water - no electricity needed

We equipped the house with gutters to catch rain water, along with 3 water tanks, solar hot water, a shower, and kitchen sink - all electricity-free!

Josua

Home base and mess hall

When things were hard and tools were breaking, I was reminded why we came to Papua New Guinea. I was here to build for people who were here to minister to others.  I am here to build because I can. Nathalie and Foretin are here to fill a role that only they can.
 Deaf people have so many skills that many of us do not have. They can feel a vibration in the floor and know which direction it came from, just like we can tell the direction of sound.  My crew loved learning sign language and being a part of this project.

After working 11 hours a day for nearly two weeks, bathing in the river at 8 pm each night, and eating village food, I was ready to go home. Village food is usually boiled: a variety of boiled potatoes and tubers, boiled bananas, boiled leaves from a variety of plants, plus rice. Sometimes boiled eggs. I was so thankful there were a couple hot meals prepared for us every day, but when Laura had lasagna in the oven when I got home, it was the the best lasagna I've ever had!

Nana and Papa's Visit

Looking back, it seems impossible that Matt's parents, Bruce and Carolyn, were actually here in Papua New Guinea with us. It's like we blinked, they were here...then we blinked again, and they were gone! It's hard to put into words what is was like to have people we love and miss so much, here with us. To have Brianna and Grayson make memories with them again was amazing, especially Grayson who often has a hard time even remembering the U.S. and our friends back home.

That's one of the hardest parts and biggest sacrifices for me...knowing my kids are missing out on getting to know their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and my own friends. But, we're so thankful for the short time we had with Nana and Papa! Here's the story in pictures...

Waiting at aviation for their plane to arrive. Can you tell we were excited?

They've made it...5 days and 5 flights after they left home!

The kids enjoyed some special gifts from Nana and Papa and other family in the States. Papa was quite impressed that Grayson could put his new Lego truck together! He's growing up!

Nana got lots of cuddles in while she was here!

Brianna, reading to Nana.

This turned out to be quite a challenging game of Memory!

Going to the market, bright and early!

After a week at home in the Highlands, we headed to hot Madang Province to visit our old stomping grounds from our first 4 months in Papua New Guinea. We were so excited to show Nana and Papa a different side of PNG!

Papa and the pilot, finding our way to Madang.

We enjoyed being able to go out to eat while we were in Madang Town. A restaurant...what a treat!

Grayson ran over to show Papa the room that we called "home" for several months during our Pacific Orientation Course last year. He remembered right where it was!

Beautiful Brianna, sitting on the coral reef outside the Guesthouse we stayed in. The day before, she hit her head during an unexpected jolt in the car and we thought she was going to need stitches! Unfortunately, the hospital was closed for the day...so...we made a make-shift butterfly band-aid out of tape. Good to go!

We had a great time exploring the coral reefs and swimming in the ocean together. This is such a wild, beautiful country!

 

Our last day together was spent visiting our village, Surumarang, where we had lived for 5 weeks. We hadn't seen our wasfemili (host family) and friends there for almost a year! It was surreal to have Matt's parents sitting in our little village house, sharing a meal of kaukau (like potatoes) and boiled fish.

Matt's dad, Bruce, meeting the chief of the village, also named Bruce! They really hit it off!

Here I am translating the conversation between Matt's parents and the chief and other members of the village.

There's nothing quite as refreshing after a long, hot day than a kulau (green coconut). Jacob, the man passing them out, had just climbed a 50 foot tree to cut them down for us.

Before we knew it, it was already time for Nana and Papa to head back home. No amount of time with them here would have been long enough!

It's always hard to say good-bye!

We praise God for health and safety for Matt's parents while they were traveling and while they were here with us! We thank Him for making it possible for them to come and we feel encouraged as we continue our time serving here.

"Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4b-5

Wheels of Ukarumpa (Matt)

Our New Ride! Half Truck. Half Van. All Unique.  Imported from Japan years ago. It maybe the only one in PNG. What is written on the side? I think it probably says "Road Dragon"!

Old Land Cruisers!

Andrew Koen's special! "Ai gris" (Eye Grease) When you want something you don't have.

Vehicle that shouldn't be running, but is. Plenty of these vans.

PMV Public Transportation- This is why our Truck has a window guard!

What is this? I'm told their first vehicle was a 4wd but it was destroyed by the shipping company, or actually may have fallen off the ship and went in the ocean. This is what the company sent them as a replacement. Impractical? Completely, but arguably the sweetest looking ride at Ukarumpa. 0-30(center speed limit) kilometers/hr in under 2 seconds, if the road has no ruts deeper than 4 inches.

 The vehicles of Ukarumpa are as unique as this land. Most are kept running well past their expiration date. This is just a smattering of them.

Toyota Land Cruiser- Best Ride In PNG

Smith's Ride

Love this one!

Honorable mention: Although I've not seen it drive yet, it does run.

Auto shop truck hauling a submarine?  For the story check out http://pngandrew.blogspot.com 

Center Fire Truck.