All Part of the Body of Christ

Waking up at the Mapang house we leisurely went about getting ready for the day by repacking and sorting through bags, AGAIN!!!  Ruth was still in a lot of pain and not being able to move side to side well and knowing that yet another plane ride was looming ahead.  God knew what we needed when we needed it.  He sent a couple that was starting their trek state side after being missionaries for many years with a different organization.  The lady’s name was Penny. Penny and Ruth talked about life and stuff and got to know each other over breakfast. Penny noticed Ruth was rubbing her neck and asked if she could rub it for her.  Ruth quickly said yes!  She was able to get one of the many knots out of the neck/shoulder area as they talked about scripture etc. and being a missionary.  We saw Penny as an angel sent by God.

With the pain down to an almost manageable level we finished going through bags and waited for the driver to come take us to the airport.  Driving on the other side of the road is an experience in and of itself.  When arriving at the Port Moresby airport we were escorted by security to and through the airport.   That isn’t a bad thing, it makes one feel safer and they spoke enough broken English to help guide us through where we needed to go.  Sitting and waiting for our flight we tried to relax and get use to the smells and sights around us and not melt from the humidity and the air conditioning that barely sputtered out of the machine. 

Our flight was delayed!  But again, God’s fingerprints were all over that situation.  We were sitting there just talking amongst ourselves and another “white skin” approached us. He was wearing a Wycliffe Associations shirt.  He asked what we were doing in PNG. It turned out that he was the new Program Manager for Wycliffe Associates in Ukarumpa! He was traveling to Madang for a few weeks to do some instruction at POC but he will be back in Ukarumpa  in the middle of August.  He was able to give us some pointers and some information and answer some questions.    It was a really neat connection time and we wouldn’t have met him if we hadn’t had our flight delayed. He boarded his plane, and then soon after, we boarded ours.  

Ruth took some more ibuprofen to get through the flight (she was popping them like candy).  The flight was much like a Spokane to Seattle flight, short and sweet.   And short enough that the neck pain didn’t get excruciating.   On every flight the girls have been such troopers!  On take-off and landing it became a game to put arms up like you were riding on a roller coaster, especially for Anna and Kiery. 

The girls taking a few minutes to enjoy the playground at the Mapang house in Port Moresby

Waiting for our vehicle to take us to the Port Moresby Domestic Airport. Luggage in the background.

Waiting in the Port Moresby Airport for our last flight in this Journey

The girls, and especially Meliah, have been great about looking out for each other and stepping up and helping as needed.  As parents we are very proud of our daughters and how at times, they inspire us to hang in there and keep moving forward.