March - April 1995

Dear Brethren and Friends;

Over 20 years ago (Feb '75) a young family left the shores of the USA fueled by a desire to share the Gospel with people in lands where the pure Gospel had never been preached. Their 'bark' was a 707 airplane which unloaded them in Nadi Fiji where they boarded a smaller plane which then landed in New Hebredies (now Vanuatu) and the Solomon Islands before the final destination of Papua New Guinea.

This family left to arrive to a new life, working in the Lord's vineyard in the then 'new' mission field of Papua New Guinea. The family: me with a fuller head of brown hair and no beard, a blond headed help meet; a bubbling young girl of four years; and a quiet, wee lad of not quite 2 years.

We are now: me, not much head hair but a white beard; a blond/silver headed help meet; a bubbling 24 year old (young married) who is working on her PhD degree in clinical psychology; and a quiet (sometimes), strapping young man who will turn 22 years old (young married) this month (May 10th). He is finishing his fourth year at Harding University.

Our aims and goals have not changed over the years. We still believe that the future of any work lies within the realm of utilizing the talents and abilities of the persons who have been converted within the various cultural groups. These are the primary reasons we have stayed in the field. The providing of printed materials to the church and the assisting of island brethren with training through Bible Colleges is paramount to the development of strong vibrant leadership in the Pacific churches.

I have for over 3 weeks been trying to get to the computer to write this newsletter. But everytime I try to start something else comes up. (In fact we just had a power outage and what I was writing was lost, so I had to start all over again.)

Right after the last newsletter our car and containers arrived from New Zealand. It was good to be able to have our own transport as well as our things. We were living in a small two bedroom house and thus only got out the basic necessities (clothes, towels, dishes, computers). Some of the boxes were moved into the missionary center main room as temporary storage so that I had room to shift around things in the containers. (Rats ate through some of the tupperware tops within days so I moved some boxes back to the container.)

Before our car arrived we were traveling to town and stores on the local buses. It was on one of these buses that I picked up a skin fungus that did a deal on my body. It looks and spreads like poison ivy. With the temperatures here in the 90's with high humidity I sweat copiously which helped it spread. (Treatment said to stay cool and dry, right!) By the time I got it under control it had spread up and down my whole right leg and arm and I had the appearance of the Pillsbury dough boy.

After I was able to get our own phones out of the containers we took the rental phone from the house back to the phone company, explaining that we had our own phone. That afternoon our phone went dead again. The next morning I went back to the phone office and they said that they thought we were leaving so they disconnected- they reconnected! My laptop computer had to be shipped back to New Zealand for repair, the logic board died again!

VISA PROBLEMS
When we arrived in PNG Kathy was on a 2 month tourist visa which meant she had to leave. We had scheduled time in Vanuatu with the brethren at their request to help them in their leadership development. We hoped to get Kathy's dependent visa at the same time so we left March 1st for Port Vila Vanuatu. "Hoped" was the operative word as when we returned in 5 weeks Kathy came back in on another 2 month tourist visa. We have since written a letter to the head of immigration here asking them to issue her visa without her having to go back out. We had been promised before we left that her visa would be sent within two weeks, to Vanuatu (it wasn't).

VANUATU TRIP
To get to Vanuatu we had to travel through the Solomon Islands. We wrote that we were coming to one of the Christians but the three days we were there we had NO contact with any of the Christians. We arrived in Port Vila on March 4th and were greeted by the Felix family and some of the other Christians from Eton village. We had shipped a small box from New Zealand with a 12 x l5 tent, some chairs, a small hand washing machine (Wonder Wash), a porta potty, a shower tent, an air bed w/air pump and pots and pans. This was the first time any missionary family has lived in the village with the brethren for more than a few days since the work began in 1981. (Please wait while I save this file.) This was Saturday. We slept in one of Morris' houses that night. The next day I preached on the theme for this trip "Yumi Kristen mas i gro" (As Christians we must grow). I was asked to speak on this theme because the overwhelming feeling was that they had not been growing as they should.

The box we had sent was waiting when we got to the village (30 miles outside Port Vila). I wish I had filmed the expressions on the faces as we opened the box and all of this stuff was unloaded. After services we set up the tent right behind Morris Felix's house as there was good shade and somewhat flat ground.

Monday was a holiday so we did not get into town until Tuesday. We dropped off Kathy's passport for her PNG visa (which never came) and then went shopping for a small stove, propane gas and food then back to the village.

When we say village we mean village: no electricity, kerosene lamps, hand wash clothes, water from rain run-off or water pipes when the village chief decided to run the generator for the pump, cooked on small two burner stove, shower: plastic bag heated in the sun and hung in the shower tent, toilet: porta potty in the tent or outhouse (but you could bet on multiple mosquito bites on exposed areas). The flies were just innumerable and we went through gallons of repellent for flies and mosquitoes. You were reminded real quick if you forget to put any repellent on. We are talking, all over, especially around your ears, nose and eyes. Health wise my fungus cleared up but I had a gem dandy of a sinus infection and a touch of malaria. Kathy started off with a urinary infection, then heat stroke and a touch of malaria. With no electricity and little wind the temperature was around 100 several days and the humidity was I know 200%. Both of us are OK, though my fungus came back (not as bad as the first time) and I am on medication. I lost a contact lens in the grass one morning when we moved the tent. I gave it up for lost but found it the next day just glancing over the spot, just in case.

Our Vanuatu trip was very rewarding in many ways and very taxing in other ways. We had numerous classes and discussions which were scheduled around their free time. We were meant to go pitch our tent at another village after the first two weeks, but Kathy had heat stroke the day we took the tent down so I repitched the tent and stayed there at Morris'. We did travel to Epao North Efate and Port Vila to speak with Christians there. We had some very lively question and answer times. Our teaching and talking was all in Bislama, the local Pidgin English. The brethren got to see us 24 hours a day and we saw and appreciated the toils and rigors of surviving in the village. (It takes so much more time to just live!) The roaming roosters liked to stand just outside the tent wall and crow in the morning. It sure got me up ! (And the rooster found out what rocks are for.)

We also came away with a determination to see that they get more teaching than what they are currently receiving (visiting missionaries every 3 or 4 months for a couple of days). This means finding support either for Steven Felix (who trained in New Zealand) or putting workers from Papua New Guinea into Vanuatu to help the Christians there. Since we came back to PNG I have talked with Melanesian Bible College staff about putting graduates in on a rotating basis with a family there full time.

We left Vanuatu April 9th back to PNG. (We stayed an extra week hoping that Kathy's visa would arrive, which it didn't.) We had a short stopover in Honiara, Solomon Islands but ended up staying 5 hours longer because the connecting plane had to return to PNG due to hydraulic problems. That put us late back into Port Moresby and the airlines put us up for the night. Monday morning we arrived back in Lae at 6.45 am.

Phil & Nancy had left so we began moving our things from the small house up into a larger three bedroom house where we will live until whenever. I was scheduled to begin teaching at Melanesian Bible College on the 18th so along with moving I was preparing my lessons for school. I was supposed to teach Galatians & Ephesians in 5 weeks. But I was able to convince the staff to let me teach Galatians this block and Ephesians/ Colossians next block. I am also teaching a Sunday morning Bible class for the English speakers. Kathy is teaching a two hour weekly course to the student wives. In addition to the day class next block I will be teaching the first night course in English for the Bible College. This will be for credit and if it goes well we will be having a night course every block.

Expenses are higher than expected and we really need our support level to increase at least 60% ($1,000). I am hoping to enlarge the office under the house to enclose the printing presses and build a secure toolshop. One of the containers is being converted into a library and an office for WBC work. The other container is being used for storage at present for the printing equipment. Both the office and the container (with library) will have to be air conditioned due to humidity.

PRAYERS NEEDED
Personal support and work funds. Workers support for Vanuatu. Bibles for WBS student requests. Continued healing. Funds to help in our resettlement: Building funds - $2,000. Air Conditioner funds - $1,500.

Thank you so much for your support. Please continue to remember us in your prayers.

In Christian service, your co-workers for the cause of Christ in the South Pacific,

the Huffs