VOLUME 1, NO. 7 AUG 1978

DEAR BRETHREN:

SOME MONTHS IN OUR LABORS HERE THE TIME PASSES QUlCKLY BUT NOT MANY NEWSWORTHY THINGS OCCUR. THIS MONTH BEGAN ON SUCH A NOTE AND.

......... STOP PRESS .........NEWS BULLITIN.....

JOHN WALLACE AND I WITH OUR WIVES DROVE TO LAE TO ATTEND AN AUCTION AUG 5. WE BOUGHT TWO MORE BUSES FOR OUR WORK IN GOROKA WHILE THERE. WE HAD PREVIOUSLY ARRANGED AN OVERDRAFT WITH THE BANK HERE IN GOROKA FOR $3,000 BUT WE GOT TWO FOR $4050. BEFORE IT TOOK US UP TO TWO HOURS TO PICK UP FOR WORSHIP lN MY CAR AND ONE BUS, WE NOW HAVE THE CAPACITY OF OVER 150 PER PICKUP. PLEASE PRAY FOR US FOR THE FUNDS TO PAY OFF THIS OVERDRAFT. WE HAVE BORROWED $1500 FROM OUR HOUSE FUND THERE IN THE STATES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK WE'D HAVE NEED OF THOSE FUNDS BEFORE OCT/NOV. THIS NEEDS TO BE REPAID.

ON THE TRIP BACK FROM LAE TO GOROKA (188 MILES, 5 HOURS ) WE HAD ONE FLAT, THE MUFFLER FELL OFF ONE OF THE BUSES AND WE BROKE A BRAKE LINE ON ONE (WE FINALLY CRIMPED THE TUBING AND RESTORED BRAKES TO THREE WHEELS). OVERALL A PRETTY UNEVENTFUL TRIP BACK.

AFTER MINOR REPAIRS AND $210 WE REGISTERED ONE BUS AND PUT IT ON A ROUTE. THE OTHER IS DRIVING BUT WE HAVEN'T MADE THE BENCHES FOR THE BACK YET. (ALMOST DONE THOUGH !)

SO ON WEDS NIGHT TAKE HOME AFTER CHURCH AUG 16: SINCE THE GRAY BUS ISN'T ON THE ROUTE YET I USE MY CAR AND TAKE A LOAD HOME TO COUNCIL COMPOUND AND GLEN WITH THE BLUE BUS AND LANCE WITH THE WHITE BUS TAKE LOADS TO PLANTATION ( A COFFEE ESTATE 5 MILES FROM TOWN WHERE WE HAVE SEVERAL CHRISTIANS AND OVER 50 RIDE THE BUSES). AS I ARRIVE BACK TO CARRY ANOTHER LOAD OF RIDERS TO COUNCIL I NOTICE A POLICE VAN AND GLEN WITH THE BLUE BUS PACKED AROUND ABOUT WITH PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH BUILDING. IT WASN'T VISIONS OF SUGARS PLUMS DANCING AROUND IN MY HEAD AS I DROVE UP. WORD WAS " LANCE HAS ROLLED THE WHOLE BUS WITH A LOAD OF CHILDREN DOWN AT PLANTATION."

THE CULTURE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA ROTATES ON AN AXIS CALLED "PAY BACK". AN EYE FOR AN EYE , A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. WITH THIS IN MIND JOHN AND I ALONG WITH JOE REYNOLDS (WHO IS VISITING FROM WOLFFORTH TEXAS) SPED OUT TO PLANTATION. UPON OUR ARRIVAL WE FOUND THAT THE POLICE HAD ALREADY ARRIVED AND HAD RESTORED ORDER. LANCE HAD LOST BRAKES ON A LONG HILL, TRIED BUT FAILED TO DOWN SHIFT AND HAD RUN THRU A FENCE AND UP AN EMBANKMENT TILTING THE BUS ON ITS SIDE WHERE IT ROLLED OVER ONCE AND ENDED UP ON ITS SIDE. IT ROLLED INTO 2' THICK FRESHLY PLOWED GROUND THUS CUSHIONING THE ROLL . NO ONE WAS KILLED (contrary to earlier reports which put the bus at a total loss and everyone killed). BUT SEVERAL ENDED UP WITH GASHES AND ONE WITH A BROKEN ARM. LANCE WAS SHAKEN UP AND ONLV SUFFERED INJURIES AFTER BEING MANHANDLED BY ANGRV VILLAGERS FROM THE AREA WHO HAD WITNESSEO THE WHOLE ESCAPADE. THEY BEGAN HITTING LANCE WITH STICKS, STOLE HIS GLASSIES, WATCH AND WALLET (who ever heard of a single fellow having money in the middle of a month, they got no money) BEFORE A COUPLE OF MEN FINALLY WHISKEDHIM AWAY. THE ONE'S DOING THE ATTACKING HADN'T EVEN CHECKED TO SEE IT THE CHILDREN WERE ALRIGHT, THEY JUST BEGAN ON LANCE BECAUSE THEV FIGURED SOMEONE JUST HAD T0 BE DEAD. THIS IS THE ONE THING WHICH FRIGHTENS ME, THE 'HERD' INSTINCT WHICH IS EVER PRESENT. WHEN ALONE OR IN SMALL GROUPS THE PEOPLE ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHEN YOU HAVE THEM TOGETHER IN LARGE GROUPS. SMALL THINGS WHICH TO US A INSIGNIFICANT ARE LARGE OVERPOWERING RALLYING CAUSES TO THESE PEOPLE. I'M NOT SAVING THE ACCIDENT WAS INSIGNIFICANT BUT YOU AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN REJOICING THAT NO ONE WAS KILLED WHILE THESE PEOPLE MORE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT "PAY-BACK". BY GOD'S GRACE AND HIS LOVE THESE PEOPLE CAN OVERCOME. PRAY WITH US FOR THEM! THE BUS ONLY SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE. THE LUGGAGE RACK ON TOP HELPED. THE FRONT END NEEDED POUNDING OUT WHERE IT WENT THROUGH THE FENCE AND TWO SIDE WINDOWS AND THE BACK WINDOWS WERE BROKEN. TWO SEATS WERE STOLEN WHEN THE BUS ROLLED AND THEY FELL OUT ON THE GROUND. THE LORD REALLY LOOKED AFTER US AS HE ALWAYS DOES.

BANANA TREES HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH PRAYER. BANANA TREES PUT FORTH FRUIT BUT IT IS SOMETIME BEFORE THE BANANAS ARE READY FOR HARVEST. JUST AS OUR PRAYERS HAVE FRUIT BUT IT ISN'T ALWAYS QUICK TO HARVEST. TWO YEARS AGO WE FOUND A METAL HOUSE IN CHIMBU WHICH WAS JUST SUITED FOR OUR NEEDS AND WE BEGAN PRAYING ABOUT IT. LAST WEEK WORD WAS RECEIVED OF THE FRUIT READY FOR HARVEST. THE METAL HOUSE IN CHIMBU HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE TO US FOR $4500. JUST THREE DAVS BEFORE WE HAD RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL HER IN GOROKA TO BUILT USING THE METAL HOUSE AS A BASE (IF WE COULD ACQUIRE IT). BOY HAS THE LORD REALLY BLESSED US!!!!

WE ARE NOW HURRYING AND SCURRYING AROUND GETTING QUOTES FROM THE VARIOUS CONTRACTORS HERE IN GOROKA TO PUT IN OUR FOUNDATION FOR THE HOUSE(12 foot steel poles upon which our house will sit over an existing 2 bedroom house where Lance and Glen live.), AND TO PUT IN THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS REPORT WE WILL HAVE ALREADV DISMANTLED THE METAL HOUSE AND MOVED IT DOWN TO GOROKA TO RE-ESTABLISH THERE. EARLIER IN THIS REPORT WE SAID WE BORROWED $1500 FROM THE HOUSE FUND EARLIER IN THE MONTH TO HELP PAY FOR THE NEW BUSES. WE HAD FAITH WE WOULD GET THE HOUSE BUT THE FRUIT RIPENED SOONER THAN WE EXPECTED So WE ARE SHORT IN THE FUND. WE NEED TO REPLENISH THESE MONIES PLUS MONIES ARE NEEDED TO RENOVATE THE INTERIOR. THE HOUSE IS 24' by 48', 3 BD. IT HAS BEEN VACANT 3 YRS, ALL CABINETS, DOORS, WINDOW GLASS, SINKS AND ANYTHING MOVEABLE HAS LONG SINCE BEEN STOLEN (IT HAS BEEN USED BY LOCAL GOATS AS A DUMPING GROUND). LORD WILLING WE SHOULD HAVE THE HOUSE UP AND MOVED INTO BY DEC. WE HOPE TO BUY,MOVE AND RENOVATE THE HOUSE FOR $10,000. WE LACK SOME $7,000 NECESSARY SO THE ELDERS AT NORTHSIDE ARE BORROWING THE NEEDED FUNDS WHICH WE WILL PAY BACK AS FUNDS BECOME AVAILABLE. PRAISE BE TO GOD, HE IS SO WONDERFUL !!!!!

IF YOU WISH TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US IN OUR NEEDS PLEASE SEND YOUR FUNDS MARKED::
"HOUSE" OR "BUS" NEW GUINEA MISSION WORK
C/O NORTHSIOE CHURCH OF CHRIST 2510 HIGHWAY 62
JEFFERSONVILLE INDIANA 47130

WELL I GUESS IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT WHEN YOU WORK FOR THE LORD THE WORK ISN'T "HO-HUM".

GOD BLESS

THE HUFFS

P.S. OUR DOG EVEN FOUND TIME TO HAVE 8 PUPPIES THIS MONTH
NEXT MONTH: THE GOROKA SHOW & HELLO 30.