The Gari Family

John Gari is a national friend of ours. Jordan met John while he was working on a construction project and John was hired as a day laborer. John, and his wife Acada have, four boys…the youngest boy (who is about 1 month old) is one of Jordan’s many namesakes (ok, he only has two, but sure seems like a lot when you only have a half of a namesake!). I, however, find comfort in the fact that had baby Jordan been a girl, her name would have been Rachel…*sigh* so close!!

We recently had the whole family over for pizza (which they either loved OR did a great job pretending like they loved it!) and then visited them at their place just across the river. They are such a sweet family. They live in a bush house and eat whatever they can grow in their garden…like most Papua New Guineans. John often comes to visit, and frequently tells me that he is so sorry he can’t bring me any food from the garden because it’s dry season and things aren’t growing well. It’s so humbling to be told they feel bad that they (who have so little!) don’t have more to give us (who have so much!!).

Enduwa Kombuglu / Mt. Wilhelm

At 14,793 ft Mt. Wilhelm or Enduwa Kombuglu is the tallest peak in Papua New Guinea. Myself with a group of 12 missionaries made the 4 hour drive to the base of the mountain on a Friday morning. When we drove as far as the roads would take us we had some lunch and began the 3 hour hike to base camp. Upon arrival at base camp we relaxed for a bit in the small cabin there at the edge of a lake and had some dinner. Most people went to sleep but I just couldn't sleep so I stayed awake with the guides, PNG nationals, and talked. The women wanted to sing me a song in their tribal language. Their tribal language is far beyond me so I didn't understand the song, exept for one word. The song included my name, but they didn't remember my name so they all sung "Rambo." I laughed and shook my head, most of the time the Rambo stuff is just silly, but this was actually pretty funny. Since they had sung me a traditional song of theirs they wanted me to sing some traditional songs from America. So I thought for a while, and sang "She'll be comin' round the mountain," and they wanted another so I sang "Take me out to the ball game" (root for the Cubies version), and they wanted another but 2 was enough. Sorry, back to the whole Wilhelm thing. So I eventual got to bed and we all got up around 4am the next morning. We got some breakfast and split up into 3 groups with a guide in each group and headed out in the dark to conquer PNG, so to speak. As we hiked the groups began to separate. My group consisted of Scott Riggins, a missionary at Kudjip who is very fit, Apa, a good national friend of mine, myself, and our guide.

Before we left Kudjip I told Rachel that I wanted to be in a group where I was not the slowest, and I certainly failed. Of course the guide was in good shape, Scott was doing just fine, and when I was sucking wind and my legs were burning I looked over at Apa and he wasn't even breathing hard. "I asked him "Apa are you tired at all?" Apa replied, "Oh no bro I'm not tired, but I can see that you are getting tired so I will pray for you." I appreciated the prayer, but I told Apa "If I ask you again if your tired, tell me that you are, even if you are doing fine, OK?" So in ten minutes or so I asked Apa "so are you tired yet?" and of course he replied, "no bro I am doing fine." Can't get upset with a guy for being honest.

So we were the first group to make it to the top, and eventually every group made it up. When we reached the summit we were in a cloud and couldn't see very far. But the wind was moving those clouds around so fast that there would be breaks in the sea of white for a few minutes at a time. During those breaks we enjoyed some breathtaking views that the camera just fails to relay.

We all made it down the mountain safely and made it back to our vehicles. That night we stayed in the cook house of one of our guides and the following morning headed back home.

All together it was a great trip that will be remembered as a highlight of my time here in PNG. It was great fun to be able share the experience with Apa, who makes everything a little more fun. It took a good deal of effort to get my big self up the mountain but it was well worth it.



















Pic labels; Top left(Apa and I, Rachel knitted Apa a bright green hat so couldn't loose him) Top Right(Me on top of Wilhelm, Glad its all downhill from here) Mid Left (Apa about halfway to summit, Apa didn't have long pants so he borrowed some of mine, he rolled them up 8 times and needed a belt) Mid Right (the whole group at base camp) Bottom Left (The guides, Willie the guy with his hands up, has been to the top around 50 times) Bottom Right (The Bridge with 2 boards, we crossed a lot of bridges but this one only had two boards so we went slowly)

Apa Update

You may have read our last post about our friend Apa. The last few years of his life have not been easy, but they tell an incredible story of faithfulness and redemption.

Becoming good friends with Apa and hearing his story has been a great blessing to my life. As the previous post stated, Apa used to lead a life of crime. Throughout the valley everyone knew the infamous name of Apa due to his intimidation and violence. I never knew Apa when he was so feared, and it is hard for me to imagine the kind hearted man I know now to have had such a violent reputation.

Through a near death experience Apa gave his life to the Lord and never looked back. Though he has the body of an NFL linebacker he doesn't seem to intimidate anyone. His heart has truly changed.

In the last post Apa had just lost his job as a security guard because of lies that his ex-wife had spread. Apa should have gotten his job back but there were to many complications. I am happy to report that Apa got a better paying job, with better hours working with the mission station maintenance (where I currently spend my days). Though Apa isn't skilled he makes a great laborer, carrying twice as much as I could and working twice as hard as most other guys.

Several months ago some of Apa's relatives took control of Apa's land and in the process burned down his homes, burned all of his possessions, killed his mother, and buried her where Apa could never find her to morn her death. In a conversation not long after this had happened Apa told me that he really wanted to go kill the people who had done this to him, he wanted to follow his instincts from his previous life. But he told me that even though he wanted to go kill, Jesus wanted him to forgive. That his homes, his land, his coffee gardens, and all of his possessions were just that, possessions. That the most important thing was that he continue to follow Jesus. The thing that hit me the hardest was when Apa told me he was tempted to forget he was a Christian for a few days so he could seek revenge, and then return back to faith and ask forgiveness. He ultimately resisted that temptation, but really made me think.

As Apa tells it, "My life is so much greater now that I have given my life to Jesus, I am very sorry for the things I used to do but I do not like to think about those things. God has a plan for me and that makes me very happy, I am people's friend now, and not their enemy."

Since Apa was not able to pay the bride price, his wife's parents took her back which broke up the marriage. Things are still the same today, he is able to pay the bride price, but she is not interested in going back. This has left Apa a single father. His children are staying with relatives of to keep them away from the feud here, and his youngest son, Bobby, stays here on the station with him.

Through all of this Apa stays optimistic. Optimistic for the plans God has for his future, and for as Apa says "forever in heaven with Jesus."

Apa would like to save up enough money to go to bible college and become a pastor. This would be a long hard path of study for him since he does not have the proper education to go strait into bible classes. But we are doing our best to encourage him to become a pastor. His testimony, passion, and faith will surely make him a great preacher and spiritual leader.

PMV

The Public Motor Vehicle, or PMV, is almost every Papua New Guinean's form of transportation. A PMV is simply a private owned van, truck, or bus that drives to and from local villages and towns. To qualify your vehicle as a PMV you simply show the right people that you have a form of transportation and a drivers license and your off. It seems like a quick vehicle safety inspection wouldn't be to much trouble for the authorities, and it would certainly give me greater peace of mind when riding in one.

There are several types of PMV's. There is the luxurious Coaster bus which seats 20 or so comfortably, is usually holding 35. There is also the van that seats 12 comfortably but will hold up to 25. Lastly there is my favorite, the PMV Dyna. A Dyna is a common term for a large truck with a small cab and a long flat bed. These Dyna PMV's will hold as many people as you can stuff onto the bed, sometimes standing room only.
The fair for a PMV ride averages out to around 5 cents per kilometer. Though much less comfortable and less convenient, it is much cheaper to take a PMV than take your own car and pay for the fuel. This is mostly because the driver of the PMV is paying for the fuel himself so he is trying to stuff as many bodies into the vehicle as possible.

Trying to get a PMV, more specifically the right PMV can be difficult. Most places we go to get a PMV, there are several waiting for passengers and they are all going different places. Sometimes there is a man hanging out the side yelling where the PMV is headed, but some times they just assume you know where they are going. The man yelling out the side is always speaking very quickly, repeating the destination so fast that it takes me a bit to understand what he is saying. During the time I am processing the info the man hanging out the side always looks at me like I'm an idiot. Example, a lot of PMV's go to a large town nearby called Hagen or Hagen town. The man hanging outside the PMV going to Hagen will say something like "hagetonhagetonhagetonhageton" in less than a second, and somehow I am supposed to decipher what that means.

My favorite part about the PMV's is that the owners like to label or name them. Names like Peace Maker, Fun Bus, Round About, Hugs and Kisses, or Nancy. But the greatest PMV name of all has to be the infamous "Lek Nogut" which means "bad leg" or when talking about a vehicle it would mean "bad wheel." I don't think I want to get into a PMV with a self proclaimed bad wheel. Later I learned that the driver of Lek Nogut had a bum leg and named his ride the same as his disability.

Rachel and the Giant Lau Lau

Lau Lau: Large, crunchy fruit similar to the malay apple. Well flavored, although having a subtle sweet taste. Native to Papua New Guinea and some South Pacific Islands.

My definition of a Lau Lau: A fruit that looks like it would taste good and has the texture of an apple. However, expecting a delicious apple flavor only leads to disappointment. Expecting more of a radish flavor would be more appropriate for this nasty little fruit! :)

Today we went to a bush church and after the service I was talking to a bunch of young girls. As I was talking, I started to fix my ponytail and saw all of them starring at my hair in awe! So, I took my hair down and let them play with it! They all wanted to feel it but were trying to be as gentle as
possible! It was so cute!

Playing "Baby Jesus"

We have the most adorable little neighbor kids, Aden and Wiley Riggins. The other day they came to the door and asked if Uncle Jordan and I would like to come play "Baby Jesus" with them. Apparently, they needed a Mary and Joseph and Jordan and I fit the description.

Between our houses there is a small dip in the ground where the grass is always a little longer. This is, of course, the manger. Lawn chairs are pulled off the Riggin's porch and are used as the sheep. There must be a shepherd, a Mary, a Joseph, and a baby Jesus...occasionally there is also a baby Noah (Aden and Wiley's baby brother) thrown into the mix. If, for some reason, there are not enough people, it's common for each person to be two or three of the characters at once.

The game is played like this...the person playing baby Jesus rolls around in the "manger." The shepherd sits near the "sheep" and Mary and Joseph sit near the "manger." Then we all switch roles! It's great fun!! We love our neighbors!!