VOLUME 8; NO.3                                                                          MARCH 1985

Dear Brethren;

Greetings in the name of the Lord

10th ANNIVERSARY IN PNG WORK
This past month marked the end of 10 years that we have been involved with the PNG work. As I looked through the newsletters in our first years it makes me tired thinking of what running around we did then. In 1975 our family was involved in patrols into new areas where the church now exists. As you look at the picture on the front try to visualize Terasa as only 4 years old and Jason just 1 1/2 years old. Many things have happened that we thank the Lord for and thank Him for allowing us to be involved in this work. I think back on the patrol into the Rokamunda area in 1978 with Joe Cannon and wonder where I came up with the energy to clop through those rain forests and swamp at 12,000 feet..

I think back how that in 1976 Andy Scott and I bought a mimeograph machine with which I printed a sermon outline book of Joe Cannon's. We have never looked back since. Of course we are saddened as to the number of brethren whom we taught who are no longer faithful to the Lord. But we rejoice with the number who are still faithfully serving the Lord. Gee, 10 years is so long yet so short.

I used to pray that the Lord would use me up in His service but didn't realize He would do it at such a fast pace.

LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD

As mentioned in last month's letter we went to New Zealand for a holiday the last two weeks of January and the first week of February. New Zealand is one beautiful country. (Muy bonita, mom!) Our family and the David Lock family from Lae went together. We flew straight from Port Moresby, the capitol of PNG, to Auckland. Air Niugini flew us on their Boeing 707. The flight was uneventful until the last 150 miles into New Zealand. From that point on they made up for the previous loss of excitement. We hit turbulence and the plane "free-fell" about 50 feet a couple of times and then decided to vibrate all over the sky. The airport was experiencing wind gusts over 50 mph when we landed and so we hit on one set of tires, then rocket down to the other side, dippy-doed all (I mean all) over the runway before plopping down on the front landing gear and finally screeched to a halt. (I understand that it was one of their better landings!) Good ol terra firma. Now I know why the Pope kisses the ground everywhere he lands, he has the same crew.

Of course first things being first, we unloaded in the motel and had a taxi take us downtown to McDonalds. It cost us $18 NZ ($7US) round trip but it sure were good (who said I couldn't eat three quarter pounders.) Our mouths were watering for good ol' milk shakes but guess what was broken down, no not the pie warmer, the shake machine. We thought (problem #1, we thought) that after we ate we could walk around and maybe even shop a little before returning to the motel. Wrong ! The stores in NZ all close at 5:00 pm except for Friday when they stay open till 9:00 pm. Wow ! No wonder the Kiwi economy is in bad shape. The union won't let the stores stay open to get the shopper's money. So back to the motel for an early start on the morrow.

Second being second, David and I located all the golf courses in Auckland and tried to figure out how many we could play during our few days in Auckland. We played a course called Titirangi which is supposed to one of the top courses in New Zealand. As we are both members here in PNG we were allowed (they saw us coming) to play the course. I lost 9 golf balls on that course. When they say rough they mean rough, about 150 feet tall. I had been trying to correct a slice I had developed. Forget it! I tried hitting over gullies, through trees and the only saving factor was that there were no water hazards.

To cut a long story short I lost over 20 golfs balls on the six courses I played. Anybody for tennis?

After a couple of days in Auckland the Locks headed for a town on the coast where they had friends and we headed for Napier on the other side of the Island. We spent a night in hot springs country. We stayed in Rotorua (better known by the locals as ROTTENRUA). The whole area for miles around is a thermal activity area. The pungent fumes released in the area reminded us a lot of Sulphur Okla. The main difference is the water tastes good in NZ, the smell is still phewy! The motel where we stayed had a hot room utilizing the steam heat for drying of washing.

From Rotorua we drove to Napier, located on the eastern coast of the North Island. We had seen a video tape in PNG which was taken in Napier of a model train layout. The layout had been done by one man and he had over 5,000 hours labor in it. It was an exact model of the town of Napier. It was amazing. We spent the weekend in Napier. We bought sheep skins and did a lot of window shopping. Sunday we worshiped with the brethren there in Napier.

When we arrived in NZ their fruit season was just beginning. There were apples, peaches, watermelon etc. in. abundance at fruit stands all along the road. We really loaded up on these fresh fruits. From Napier we drove down to Wellington where we had friends living who we had gotten to know in PNG. They were running a hotel for the telephone company school. As school was not in session they provided room and board for us. After a couple of days David and his family arrived and stayed with us also. The girls went shopping and David and I played a number of golf courses. One golf course we played was experiencing over 50 mph winds while we we on it. Whoppee!

From Wellington we had to take a ferry boat across the water separating the North and South Island. From Picton (where the ferry landed) we drove on down to Christchurch. On the way we drove through a storm with over 80 mph wind gusts. New Zealand was experiencing what they call 'freshing' southerly winds. The weather, except for the occasional storm was nice. It was summer there. We worshiped with the brethren there in Christchurch. From Christchurch the Locks and our family traveled together (sperate cars but together) back across the straits on the ferry and through to Auckland where we caught our return flight back to PNG. We got behind a sheep truck and got sheep poo all over our car.

As the Air Niugini 707 had been phased out of service (our arrival was one of the last) we had to travel back to PNG via Australia. David and his family traveled straight back to PNG while we spent a few days in Sydney visiting with the Dwight Rampley who we had known from Sunset School of Preaching. You can have Sydney (just send me a quarter pounder from time to time). That city has more people than in all of PNG, even all of New Zealand. Too much for me! While in Sydney we worshiped with the brethren in Blacktown where Dwight is working. It is a small world. This is the congregation where Sam Kirkpatrick was converted and came from before his labor in PNG. (They said to say HI! Sam.

It sure was good to get away for a few weeks but it was nice getting back to home.

SUNDRY ITEMS OF INTEREST
Aussies are weird! McDonalds was selling an item called "Pineapple and Beef". That's right you could get a piece of pineapple right there on top of your hamburger. We managed to visit as many of the McDonalds and Pizza Huts as we could find through out our trip in New Zealand and Australia.

One of the reasons that we had to get out of PNG was that we were in the middle of rainy season there in Goroka and all of us had a bit of "cabin fever". We didn't have much rain in New Zealand. While we were gone Jab said they had some beautiful weather. But guess what it did upon our return and has continued even through today? Yep, it's raining.

This past month the town of Goroka has really moved into the 20th century. We have a regular garbage truck now. You know the kind. that compresses the garbage when the men dump it in the back. The truck is 20th century but the workers are still 19th century. Sure they throw the rubbish in the back but then they pack it in with their hands until there isn't any room left and then they compress it mechanically. You should see the crowds that gather around when they do compress it.

Total printing this month was only 7,000 sheets. We are collating and binding the song books.

Your servants for the cross,

the huffs