Detour!

On our way home, back to Rumginae, at last.  After waiting in Hagen for several days for a plane to be available to take back, we arrived out at the airport on Saturday morning just waiting on the final go ahead and our bags to be loaded, Jason came in with the all famous MAF words, "there has been a change in plans!" I was getting ready to hear that we would not have the plane after all, but it turned out we needed to do a medivac on our way home.  That meant a longer day, but that is alright, that is why we are here.  Into the plane we all piled with all of our bags loaded and set the heading to Mogulu.  After about an hour flight we touched down in Mogulu.  This is not where the sick patient was, only where Jay would have to leave the boys and I and all of our baggage in order to head into Yehebi.   Yehebi is only just a five minute flight from Mogulu but because it is a shorter strip with a ridge on one side and a cliff on the other Jason has a heavy weight penalty taking off there.  This means we could have all flown in with him but he would have had to leave us there.  Leaving us at Mogulu with the promise to return shortly he took off to pick up the patient

As the boys and I waited we recieved a treat.  In Mogulu there is a couple, the Hoey's, who have been working in PNG for over 40 years and what a testimony they have to share.  They are the ones who invested many many sweaty hours back in the seventy's to build the airstrip in Mogulu.   While they do not live in PNG full time anymore they come up every year still to help out with the church and other projects that need doing.  Currently they are spear heading the building of a new hospital.  Instead of the usual treat that Jay receives when he land in Mogulu; a big glass of ice cold lemonade, biscuits (cookies) and bananas, we were invited up to the house to enjoy some fresh bread and the fixings.  While I did not indulge, (thought it might be wise as I still do not travel to well in these little planes) my boys certainly enjoyed!  Instead I enjoyed the company and listening to Mrs Hoeys stories.  Oh boy! could I learn a lot from her.

We heard the plane on it's way back long before we had enough time to chat, but back down to the plane we headed.  Jay had picked up a sick little girl and her mom and now we needed to quickly reload everything that had been off loaded and get on our way.   Forty five minutes after taking off out of Mogulu we were touching down in Rumginae and home again.

This is the strip in Mogulu, nice and straight and flat and long, after a whole lot of dirt had been moved. MAF is still benefiting from the work invested many years ago. 

Tom and Salome Hoey still looking great with more energy than I feel I have some days, although she says they are starting to slow down a little.

This is the little girl Rosie, who we brought back with us.  From the info the Dr's where given over the radio it sounded like she was struggling with a severe ear infection but upon arriving here they discovered that the infection was actually in her brain.  They had the correct treatment for her here (ever amazed at what our little hospital has available).  However she did not respond well to the treatment, as Dr Daniel said some don't, and I am very sad to say that she did not pull through. 
You can pray with us for her family and for the Dr's who are continually being stretched.
Mel from the Marshes

Mammoth Moth

We thought of you Dea when we saw this one!!  There are some very big winged things here!  Jay called me up to the MAF shed one morning to get a look at this guy.  Amazing how big the moth was, and then it started to fly.  It looked pretty clumsy trying to stay up in the air, but maybe it had just spent the night fighting off bats as it also looked a little tattered.

One of our favorite pass times in the evening is checking out all of the critters that come and congregate on our screen.  You see in the evening as it is getting dark we turn on a light outside, the bug light, so that all of the moths, beetles and other critters are attracted to that light instead of the one in the house.  This means we get all kinds of great bug specimen landing on our screens.  A myriad of moths, big bumbling beetles, swarms of flying ants and critters like praying mantis and stick bugs all come to bask in the glow of the bug light.  This also bringing plenty of geckos to come feed at the twilight smorg, so as we eat our supper we have entertainment watching the geckos trying to catch theirs.  

I have yet to see a gecko big enough to take on the mammoth moth and win, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't try! 

Mel for the Marshes