Another Week in the Life and Adventures of John and Hilda!

It’s hard to believe that we only have 2 weeks left before we board the plane for home.
Last Sunday we went to a bush church…Tuning Church of the Nazarene. Michael, a security guard for the compound, went with us and served as our guide. Dr. Erin Meir, also, went with us and upon returning home stayed for dinner. We started out on a paved road…then it went to stones, dirt and mud, a portion of the road reminded us of out trip to Mondomil…forded a river and kept going.

As we drove through the gate we were greeted warmly by children who were waiting for us. As I walked into the church, it was dark…no electricity. I noticed benches on one side and none on the other…it ended up the men sat on the benches and the women on the floor. Although the women are often thought to be less than the men, this is the first time that Jeff and Susan have seen this. The service was excellent …God’s presence was very real…the singing went on for fifty minutes. They had a young man, who played the guitar, as worship leader. As I sat there, I wished that I had had a tape recorder with me to record the music. He was very good! Jeffrey brought the message in pidgin and John and I did a duet in English. Susan gave them a synopsis of the song before we sang. The people were very responsive! As we left, they gave us nearly a bushel of vegetables which was shared among the Myers, Dr. Erin and Michael. On the way home we stopped at the Bible College to give the Swesey’s and Thrasher’s their Christmas gifts. They were in Australia for Christmas. We were a hungry bunch when we arrived home and were ready for the dinner that Jeffrey had put in the crock pot.
It’s been a very busy week trying to accomplish much before our time is up to leave for home.
We had company in for dinner on Wednesday and attended prayer meeting on Thursday. Jeffrey didn’t get to go because doors could not be closed due to being painted that day and were not dry yet, rain and humidity can make drying a slow process. Before going to bed the Lord answered prayer and we were able to close the doors for the night without sticking.
Friday a youth group came in from Goroka doing an in country mission trip. Karen Comstock was organizer of the group and along with Jeff and Susan led them on a tour of the compound.
We left Saturday at 9:00 AM for Mt. Hagen, mainly for souvenirs. It has been the only opportunity to do that so Jeffrey took that opportunity, also, to get a few supplies and items for his project. One of our first stops was the “Potato Trading LTD” for potatoes. You can see the man weighing the potatoes. We finished our shopping then went to the “Highlander” for lunch and swimming for the children. On our way home we stopped at the Bible College to see the Radio Director’s new house but he wasn’t home so will have to try again, radio Ministry will be having the dedication service Feb 1 just before we leave on Saturday. It isn’t quite finished but Pastor

Daniel has resigned his church to go full time as Director of Radio Ministry. We arrived home around 4:30 PM…unloaded our goodies…Jeffrey went to play basketball…had a bite to eat and the men were off to watch the recorded Ohio State National Title game at the Radcliffe’s. The children, Susan and I did the dishes then watched a recorded program on TV.

Until next week,
Blessings,
John and Hilda