Heading Out

Well, it's been another busy week. The Smiths, the senior missionaries here, returned on Tuesday via helicopter. They had chartered two flights that day and the second flight brought the rest of the boxes I had shipped ahead and a very large water tank, somewhere around 10,000 liters. It was too large to fit in the helicopter, so it was tied underneath. It was quite the sight when it arrived. It will be a huge blessing. As I mentioned before, all the water we use for drinking, bathing, laundry, and cooking comes from rain that we collect in water tanks. During the dry season, we depend on the water that we collected during rainy season. With 9-12 missionaries planning to be here during dry season this year, this will be a huge help.

 

Friday, we had another adventure. (Something about Fridays:-) A man came to our gate saying that a lady had fallen and badly cut her leg. Most of the men of the village were gone to a big rugby game in another village, so no one was able to bring her to us. Erick (the short term nurse) and I packed a backpack with stuff we thought that we might need, and followed the man to where she was. It was quite a hike up and over a mountain, than about halfway down into the valley. It took us about an hour to get there. The lady did indeed have quite an injury, and it took a couple hours to sew up the cut. By the time we finished, about 30 people had gathered to watch. So Erick took advantage of the situation, and preached the gospel to all who had gathered. What an opportunity! Of course, then we had to walk back home:-) Someone gave us a bundle of sugar cane, so a national guy came along to carry that for us and accompanied us home.

 

Tomorrow morning (Monday), I am leaving to go to Aibai. GFA, my mission agency, has another medical work there, and I want to spend a month there learning things on how to run a clinic and how to treat some of the diseases here. Aibai is about a 10-12 hour hike from here. Lord willing, I will go halfway tomorrow, sleep at a national pastor's home, then finish the trip on Tuesday. A national couple from our church is going with me. Silas is one of our preacher boys, and Alice is my clinic helper. I needed someone to walk with me, and thought it would be helpful for Alice to see this clinic in operation as well. Please pray for a safe trip and a profitable time there.