Dream Team

These are the men and woman that I get to work with every day, they help to make my day so much easier. Let me introduce them to you, I will go from left to right: Agisa is our Programmer, he sets up Matt's and my flights for the week, he is a hard worker and a great friend. Agisa and his wife head up the youth program here and he also is helping with Bible translation work for his village. Nawi is our Traffic Officer, every morning he is getting weather for Matt and I and gets our manifest done up for each of our flights and makes sure that our planes are fueled and loaded, ready to go. Myself in the middle. Uddy is next, he is our Ground Crew. Uddy was one of our agents out in the bush and wanted to work for MAF. He volunteered at our base in Kiunga for several months showing up early everyday, working hard to help out, this did not go unnoticed and is now an employee of MAF. Last but not least is Rose, she is our Base Manager. She is newest addition to our Dream Team here, but is not new to MAF. She has come to us from another base. She too is a hard worker and pleasure to have around. She has really been able to get things ship shape at the Kiunga base. It is a pleasure to work with this team everyday.

Resourceful Women

If you read the last blog entry I mentioned Salome Hoey, she really made an impression on me!  What a women!  She was truly a pioneer here in PNG.  When we stopped in and had a lay over  in Mogulu in her humble kitchen I could have chatted  all afternoon.  As Salome busied herself getting a lunch on the table and pulled a loaf of bread out of the bread maker I asked her where they get their power and how she used to do her baking, when she had all of her children out in the bush.  She explained that now they get their power from a little hydro electric damn when there is enough water flowing in the river and when there is not power she falls back on the wood stove or little gas oven that she used to use.  She then went on to explain how she used to bake her bread.                                                                                                                         

Salome shared that she brought some bread pans with her to PNG back in the 70's but said that they had quickly worn out, so she did what any pioneering women would do, used what was available.  She discovered that aircraft oil cans worked really well for bread tins!  This one had not been used in a while but was pulled out of a trunk where it had been tucked away should it need to be recalled into service.  She said they made great round loaves and the cans never wore out!

Oh, the things we can discover when we think outside the box
(or in this case the tin)!
Mel from the Marshes

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

Jungle Feet

Look at those nasty toes!  And believe it or not they are pretty clean in this shot.  I don't think they will ever be the same. Stained toe nails, dirt ground so far in it can't find its way back out, and missing toe nails ( 3 have fallen off now, not to sure what that is all about)?  And he wears shoes, can you imagine what they would look like if he didn't?  Maybe it is a sign he is getting his feet firmly planted, if he stands in one place to long they just may take root.

Ah, but look at that face that goes with the feet!   Definitely why I'm so forgiving of those feet, that is until I see them sliding into a clean, fresh, crisp set of sheets!  

Mel for the Marshes

6 Kina Ride

Yesterday the boys and I set out on another adventure, taking the PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) to Kiunga, the nearest town to us.  Now PMV's come in many shapes and sizes.  There are  buses, vans, trucks with covered boxes, big flat bed trucks with open boxes, small trucks with open boxes All are privately owned and maintained, so style and service varies greatly.  This is why I chose to go with my friend Roana, who knows a little bit more about who to ride with and what to do (I have heard some of her horor stories).  We ended up lucking out and were able to catch a nice bus into town, just as well, I am sure my stomach would not have coped to well sitting side ways in the back of a truck.  As it was when we arrived I was feeling not quite right.  Most would say that Western Province is flat.  I disagree!  They obviously have not driven across the prairies.  This road is a little bit comparable to a roller coaster in its form and how they 'ride' on it.  Admittedly it is probably one of the better roads in the country as it was built and is maintained by a major mining company here in the province.  We were able to hop on the bus just up from our house and made stops all along the way to pick-up and drop off passengers. 
Interestingly when you ask someone here how far it is to another destination they will not tell you how many kilometers it is or how long it will take to drive or walk there, they will tell you how many kina it costs to get there.  Our trip to Kiunga was a 6 kina ride and took about 45minutes.  Along the way we picked up people who were headed to the market in Kiunga for the day to sell produce from their gardens.  These people must pay for there seat as well as a space for their market bags.  Thankfully the bus did not fill up to much and we weren't required to play sardines!
Once in Kiunga, we walked around checking out the shops, most of which have the exact same 'stuff ' in them.  Visiting the market was inspirational for the boys. They were able to dream about the big fish they were going to catch with their newly purchased fish hooks.  Some of the fish were outside being sold, and obviously fresh, with some still trying to breath, but most of the meat was in a separate building.  Kaleb was all gung-ho to go in and have a look until he got close to the door and discovered "it stinks in there"!
We had a good morning in town and were ready to head for home shortly after lunch.  This took us back to a lot where the PMVs stop to pick up passengers to wait for a bus.  And wait and wait and wait.  Nothing is planned, nothing is scheduled, you just wait, have patience, and trust that one will come along soon (or so we were learning).
Then came that heavenly sound, that makes my heart sing and brings Jay home, an airplane flying overhead!  Quickly we made a call out to the MAF base in Kiunga (there are not many places left in the world that don't have cell service) to find out if Jay was headed home or if he was going out for another round.  Thankfully he was headed home and had room for us!  Our trip home cost a little more than 6 kina, but was well worth the ride!
Mel for the Marshes

Telefomin Toffee

On our round about trip home from Mt Hagen last week, we flew into Telefomin, another of MAF's remote bases.  Unlike Rumginae this base is up in the mountains.  We made a stop here so that we could pick up  MFJ ( also fondly known as Juliet, I tease Jay about having another girl on the side).  We made the trip on a twin otter along with a mechanic, who came along to fix the plane so that we could fly it home.

 

The otter that we flew in on, just getting ready to taxi out of Telefomin and carry on with the rest of its program for the day

On our stop in Tele we had the chance to meet Toffee, a MAF families pet tree Kangaroo.  He was pretty neat.  He loves attention and hops along after the kids where ever they go.  He likes to sit in your lap and have a cuddle.  Only one problem as Carter discovered, he also likes to poop.

Carter having a cuddle with Toffee.  Now there is one more pet on the list that the boys would like to acquire.

Upon arriving in Telefomin we were unsure if we would make it home that day, but we were able to take off after lunch and make it home.  We spent a long time circling up getting enough altitude to get over the mountains and find a hole through the clouds, once over it was a quick descent down down down to our hot and sticky lowlands home.  

Mel for the Marshes