VOLUME 7; NO. 3                                                                                         MARCH 1984

Dear Brethren;

Greeting in the name of the Lord

ANNIVERSARIES
During the month of January Kathy and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. On the 24th of February our family celebrated our 9th year of mission work. We celebrated by killing chickens and freezing them. (Some of us find it easy to celebrate.)

February also saw Kathy and I becoming parents to a teenager. Terasa turned 13 years old on the 20th. This school year she is attending the correspondence high school here in Goroka. She and another boy are the only ones on American correspondence. This frees Kathy to be able to do other work.

THE ADVENTURERS ADVENTURE
Kathy had been trying for some time to get me to take off a few days and get away from everything. Becky Mesa comes from an island off the New Britain Island and wanted to go back and see her family before she advanced too far along in her pregnancy. So, we decided to tag along and see her home place. (Kathy had traveled to Kimbe a couple of years ago but never made it to her island.) New Britain Island is under a volcano watch as they are predicting a blow-out within the month at Rabaul.

Hang on to your hat here we gooooooooo. We drove to Lae and boarded a small ship which would take us to Kimbe. (Flying was way too expensive.) We booked passage but they only had one class- "fight for it". Fight for space on the deck, fight for your share of the food, fight the cockroaches off. We found space on the aft-deck under a plywood awning. It rained the first night going out (we got wet, the awning leaked). The water tap for drinking was located by us (yes we got the run-off water around us everytime the boat keeled into the wind). The only other place to sit and sleep was downstairs with the toilets and the throw-uppers and wailing kids. Cockroaches were everywhere (even climbed in my ear).

We left Lae late Friday night and arrived in Kimbe 0230 on Sunday morning. We couldn't disembark because there was an oil palm tanker blocking the main wharf. Finally about 7:00 they ferried us to the beach using the boat's dinghy.

A Christian, Michael picked us up and shifted our cargo to his house. We worshiped with Michael, 11 Christians meeting in a brush arbor just behind his house. After worship we set up the tents in the backyard. That night it rained, the tents leaked, wet mom and dad and everything else. Being on the coast, fruit ants were everywhere also.

On Monday we tried to find boat transport out to Becky's island but found that all the boats were either broken down or elsewhere. Since we had come so far already we didn't want to return yet. The regular flights via Talair were booked up until Saturday. Because of the time factor we went ahead and chartered a flight for that afternoon rather than waiting. We were told to be at the airport which was 35 miles away by 1:00. We went back to Michael's and packed everything up and Michael had his truck take us to the airport. We got to the airport on time.
The plane we were due to travel on left just as we arrived. It was going on a short hop and would be right back. It got back at 4:00 pm. Rain was settling in but we took off anyway. We arrived at Bali (no rain there) at 5:00 pm and landed on their grass strip. Jab and Becky took off for the village to find transport for all our cargo. Her village was on the other side of the island.

Just as darkness was settling in Jab and the carriers arrived. We loaded everyone down but about half a mile up the road a truck from a coconut/cocoa plantation came to help carry the cargo. We loaded everything in the truck and Kathy and Terasa jumped on for the ride also. Jason and I walked with the carriers back to the village (about 4 miles in ink darkness, real fun!). Finally arrived and moved into an elevated house Becky's dad had built for us. (He moved in after we left.)

We were the first whiteskins to have slept in their village. We had quite a crowd to view us.

Tuesday morn- Wow ! What a night! Our air mattresses would have sure felt nice had they held the air. Within two hours of inflation our backsides were in full contact with the timber floors. (I wonder if Walmart-satisfaction guarantee applies to their 77¢ air mattresses, Nice thought!). By 9:00 we had had all the excitement we could handle for one day. That's right 9:00 AM! The village had a cement water tank which was fed from a spring up on the mountain. We took showers under the run-off pipe. Brrrrrrrr! Not too bad after you're numb! (Some of the kids stood around to see if I was white all over.)

Wednesday Kathy washed clothes at the tank. We hung them up on a line stretched between two coconut trees. Red ants (lots of them) also used the wire as a road between the trees. (Talk about ants in your pants.)

It was nice house they loaned us, only problem- it was built for midgets. I have three (count 'em) creases on the top of my head where I kept hitting my head on the beams. I'll probably walk around with a permanent stoop after this.

The village chickens roam free, that's OK. But why did they congregate under our house every morning to crow. They usually began about 4:00 am, before the moon even went down. Drove us crazier !

After losing a quart of blood to mosquitoes the first night Kathy and I set up the small tent inside our room in the house. The mosquitoes were something else. They came in like B-24's. By Friday they had learned to unzip the tent flap but I could hear them whispering and would lock the zippers down.

Even though we were on an island there were not any beaches so we didn't go to the seashore but once. I did stick my finger with a fish gill and ended up having the end of that finger decay off.

Sunday saw 37 in worship, under the house, six Christians. The village was mainly 7th Day Adventist so several questions arose as why we did things a certain way. Tuesday before we left on Weds a group of people from the 7th Day church came to ask us some questions. We had a lively discussion for about an hour. At that point they had nothing to come back with. The Word truly is sufficient!

Wednesday: Release Day!-with Bali Island being so cut off we felt like we were on a penal colony. No car this time to take our bags to the landing strip. Everybody helped carry. It was an hour's walk thru coconut/cocoa plantations and then a two hour wait for the plane. Sure was pretty to see.

We got back into Kimbe and found out that our ship to Lae was due to head out that afternoon. The trip back was on a different boat and much better. Cabins with A/C and mattresses (oh, sweet relief) and food prepared and served on a table.
Question: What did we do for the week in Bali? 1. watched grass grow; 2. watched clothes dry (& get wet in the afternoon rain); 3. see coconuts fall (just missed us while we laid on the grass); 4. view the trees making shade; 5. Watch ants march

Arrived back in Lae early Friday morning (17th). Took everybody out for breakfast of eggs and then last minute shopping before we drove back to Goroka. First thing I did was kiss my mattress. We took this trip to get away from it all. WE DID! Kathy was even glad to get back and let me get back to work. Saturday saw me in the thick of things-shoveling out the chicken coop. While we were gone a gang of men came in over the back fence and shot out muruk (emu) with arrows and hauled the carcass away.

The Thursday after we got back thieves stole the kids bikes from under the house after worship services. The police "just happened" (providence strikes again) to come down the street and see them. The bikes were recovered the thieves ran away.

Until next month your Servants,

the Huffs