Subject: Funds enough
The Lord has been great and the Lord has been good! Praise the Lord.
At the present time the funds we have in the account here and those funds we
know that are still in the pipeline of banking & mail should be
sufficient for the needs that we have and will have to finish out the
Disaster Relief work here in PNG.The main factors which determined this are:
(1) the depreciation of the local money against the US dollar means we were
able to get more local money for the funds we had. Prices have not risen
yet and therefore our money goes further (25%).
(2) the government has finally gotten serious about the problem and relief
supplies are getting to areas which we thought we would have to providealso.
(3) rains have returned and continue to be experienced throughout the
country. The local people are finding an abundance of leaf crops, corn,
peas, beans etc to eat. Yams are starting to be available. (small but will
be bigger in the months to come) Rice is still be distributed by the
government. Even the government is cutting back because too many of the
relief supplies have been sold and otherwise not been used properly. Some
the areas are off-limits due to tribal fighting and lawlessness.
(4) because of the government finally working and rains returning the need
for food assistance for a further 5 months has been lessened to 2-3 months.
Melanesian Bible School started up last Monday with 28 students. With
moves in the wind that Kathy and I might be leaving Papua New Guinea by the
middle of this year, I seek to complete as much of the Disaster Relief as
possible. We are holding $2000 which was given especially for
re-livestocking in the Waria Valley when they have sufficient garden
production for themselves and livestock. We will be shipping in chickens
and breeder pigs. This was the area which lost everything in the initial
disaster. Hopefully we can do this within 60 days.
PORT MORESBY
We returned to Port Moresby on Thursday November 30 for our final two weeks
in Papua New Guinea. For a little over 2 months we had been on an emotional
roller coaster with a lot of highs and now it was time to begin our descent.
Our plane was late but we were met at the airport and taken to the property
at Vai Vai Avenue. But what a change for us. We had lived with a Papuan
couple before but they had moved. We found ourselves with no transportation
(or very limited), no telephone and almost bound to the property. We had
almost no cooking utensils, no dishes, no cleaning supplies, and were coming
to the end of our funds. However, we scrounged a few things, bought a few
things and tried to make our last 2 weeks as profitable as possible.
The day we arrived, the church at Hanuabada (English) had a prayer memorial
service for our friend and theirs, Jim Williams. Jim had planned to spend 3
months in early 1998 with them and they were in shock. We continued to meet
with the brethren in Port Moresby while we were there and had opportunities
for several good discussions regarding the future of the work in Port
Moresby and the Papuan side of Papua New Guinea.
It was difficult saying goodby to Joel and I know it was difficult for him
too. We were ready though to return to Canada and to begin making plans for
our future. We want to thank each one who has contributed to a very
challenging, rewarding and inspirational time of working for the Lord in
Papua New Guinea. May God's blessing rest upon each of you as you continue
in your own challenging time of working with Him.
EXCERPTS FROM ELIZABETH
The last two weeks in Port Moresby were the most stressful for me.We ended
up on the church property alone and the conditions were way beneath my
standards. The daily power cuts were very inconvenient to say the least.
They lasted up to 4 hours and always seemed to come at a bad time. I used
bottles of disinfectant and household cleaners. We did all the windows,
nearly all of the walls and the kitchen cupboards. It started to feel
almost homey by the time Joel arrived. He is a real joy to us and a
pleasure to be around. He took us out to eat at a ritzy hotel (our
Christmas present). We gave him his presents before we left. It was a sad
day for all of us when we entered the international travel lounge.
RETURN TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PART 3)
RETURN TO MADANG
Excerpts From Elizabeth:
We had planned for a week in Madang but ended up with only one
day so we had to make the best of it. I had forgotten how beautiful it
was and in some ways it is even better than it was before. There were very
few loiterers, many of the businesses were run by local people and many of
the people were well dressed. We did some sight seeing, visiting some old
haunts and enjoyed eating at a couple of lodges. We were impressed with the
condition of the houses and grounds. The ocean was impressive, as usual,
and the flowers were more than stunning. We ended the day by eating with
Phil and Nancy (a fellow Canadian). She and I had a terrific visit catching
up on family, friends and the work.
RETURN TO MT. HAGEN
We left Madang Thursday morning and had to fly to Nadzab (Lae)
and then on to Mt. Hagen as there was no direct flight that day. The
plane was late out of Nadzab so we were an extra 2 ˝ hours getting on our
way. When we arrived in Hagen, Susan met us and gave us the keys for Andy's
house. Needless to say, it was quite a welcome both at the airport and when
we arrived at the property at Poiment.
When we got unpacked, we found the keys to the apartment where we were
going to be staying and moved our things in. Later that evening, Andy,
Catharine & Celina Scott and our grandson, Joel, arrived from Lae.They had
been in the Waria Valley but we had timed our arrival so we would all reach
Hagen the same day. That evening two evangelists that had worked with me
(Kaupa and Mark Poia) came to visit. One of the things about our tour in
Mt. Hagen has been the fact that it has probably been the most emotional of
all. Andy had set up a rough schedule for the time we were to be with them
and tried to take us (or me) on as many patrols as possible. He wanted me
to go to places where we had been before and introduce us to people in these
places. It seemed strange going back to some of these places as my memory
was not too good. But when we started meeting people and driving over old
roads, memories started flooding back. The first Sunday we went to South
Chimbu and met with the church at Drima. The church there is doing well and
we met John Genna and family as well as five other evangelists who are
working in that area. At each congregation where we worshiped, they asked
me to speak and to teach a men's class, while Elizabeth taught a women's
class. I have spent much of my time talking about the need for their need
for continuing in their faithfulness, staying close to God and allowing His
Spirit work through them, and the need for them to prepare to become elders
and deacons so that the work in Papua New Guinea can truly grow in
a spiritual way as well as physically. On our return from Drima, we
stopped in Kundiawa and visited the church there and talked with the
evangelist for a short period of time. That night, we met with part of
the church in Mt. Hagen at the home of John and Mori. Each week, Catharine
had literacy classes in Mati, and I went with them part of the time to meet
the people and also to go on to coffee plantations near there where we had
preached before. We went to Nunga and met Goia Robert and his family, then
on the Kimil and met Jeffrey
(previously Erigul) and his family. At each place, we were welcomed
profusely. Wednesday morning, we left for the Enga province and visited
Waipi and Wabag. Arriving at Waipi, we found Lane's cousin who took us
about 8 miles farther and we found Lane who really was happy to see us. He
directed us back to Waipi and when we returned there, we found his father,
Tundu, who was also really glad to see us. On our return through Wabag, we
met Melpai (whom we had known before in Hagen). He works for the Lands
Department and had been transferred to Wabag. Because of the famine
throughout P.N.G., money had come in to provide food for some of the
Christians. While Andy was delivering needed food to various parts of the
country, I remained in Mt. Hagen and met with various men of the
congregation from time to time to encourage them to be of one mind, to
remain faithful to God, to support their families and to continue to reach
out to the lost as they had opportunity.The second weekend, Andy and family
went to Goroka and Elizabeth and I remained in Mt. Hagen. That Sunday, I
taught the men's class and spoke to the congregation. Again some old faces
appeared and we had a great time ‘storying' and showing pictures of our
family. Since they were gone Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday, it gave
us some time to spend with some of our friends here on the property. The
next weekend, Andy had tentatively set for us to go to Tunda in the Southern
Highlands but apparently I was not showing too much
enthusiasm for that so we changed our plans. We decided to go to
Kumokoko instead on Saturday and then to Minj on Sunday. Both days were
very emotional. Kumokoko was the first place where we went on patrol when
we first came to PNG. Our first stop was at the grave of my very close
friend, Tine. The next was at the grave of Ra, who had worked for us in
Lae. Both of these had become evangelists at one time and had remained
faithful to the Lord. Then I met Ra's mother, who remembered me, and it was
a difficult time for both of us. The next encounter was with Dewo, another
good student from our school in Lae. Then I met Tine's mother and she also
remembered me. The group wanted to get together for worship and asked me to
speak. It was very difficult to do so and then right at the end, one of the
evangelists from there, Gerel, appeared. To say that this was an emotional
day is really great understatement. Then on Sunday, we all went to Minj for
morning worship at the home of Doxa and Elizabeth (dear friends from
before). Doxa was there but Elizabeth was away in Lae for the birth of a
grandchild. While there we also went to Tribal Tops (another lodge where we
used to stay)for coffee and chips. We will be leaving Hagen for Port
Moresby on Thursday and then plan to leave Port Moresby on Dec. 4, staying
over one night in Sydney and then home to Toronto on Dec. 5. Our final
report regarding our two weeks in Port Moresby will be done after we return
to Port Colborne in Ontario. As far as I know, we will be out of e-mail
contact after Thursday until we return home.
Excerpts from Elizabeth:
On arrival in Mt. Hagen, I was asked to teach ‘Marriage' classes. Since I
didn't bring any of my notes, I had to reconstruct my lessons.
These classes were taught in the evening while I taught the book of
Philippians in the morning. I had my notes from Lae so that really
helped me a lot. The women were really terrific and responded well. I even
had one husband who thanked me twice. I had intended to write a marriage
manual before we left 11 years ago so from my notes and class participation,
I'm working on that manual. My former house girl, Margaret, has cancer and
we have taken meals to her quite regularly. The first time I saw her, she
noticed me first and began crying profusely. It is not wise for me to visit
her alone and the path is very steep and treacherous so I haven't gone as
often as I would have liked. We provided her with a new blanket and a used
sweater. Another joy that I have had is visiting with our old friends and
having them in for meals. They remember so many things that
we did for them and continually thank us for that. In our spare time, we
try and visit with many of the Christians on the compound.
Regarding our personal life, we enjoy eating with the Scotts. I have tried
to share in the work, especially with the cooking. I have tried to make my
favorite meals and Catharine does the same. I've made a
lot of lemon sherbet which we all enjoy and I try to give it out to
Christians on the compound. We came prepared to give out clothes and I did
not have enough so I am giving my personal clothes away which I can easily
replace at home. The affirmation that we have received from the people of
Papua New Guinea has been overwhelming because often we felt that our labor
was in vain. We have many children in Lord who have remained faithful and
have taught their families. Our prayer is that they may continue to remain
faithful as they have in the past. Our prayer is that you, our readers, may
also remain faithful to the Lord. May God's blessing rest
upon you until we meet again.
RETURN TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PART 2)
RETURN TO LAE
We arrived in Lae (Nadzab airport) on Monday the 29th and were met by
Tobey Huff. Tobey filled us in on a lot of details during our drive to town
(40 km). We stayed in Joe Cannon's old house which is currently being used
by Rose Cobb (but she had been in the U.S. until the last 2 days). Gasi met
us with garlands and it was a great time of rejoicing as we began meeting
old friends as well as new ones.
It took us a little time to get our bearings but soon were able to
travel about freely as memories returned. Of course there have been many
physical changes to Lae but we discovered many well know landmarks.
Each day, I tried to visit the chapel sessions of Melanesian Bible
College and spoke one morning to them. Then the last 2 days I taught one of
their classes and it turned out that I taught their last class for the 1997
year.
We began teaching the Wednesday night bible classes at Boundary Road
with Elizabeth teaching the women while I had the men. We were in Lae for 4
Sundays - the first Sunday we went to Tent City, the second Sunday we went
to Bundi Kemp, the third Sunday we went to Boundary Road and the fourth
Sunday we went to West Taraka. I was asked to preach in the morning at each
place.
While in Lae, two visitors (a deacon and an elder) arrived from the
Highland Street church in Memphis. We also had two men from Cairns visit on
their way from Madang to Wau. We had an opportunity to visit briefly with
the first two but more extensively with the two men from Cairns.
One of the highlights of our time in Lae was our reunion with our
grandson, Joel. He was in and out of Lae but we hope to see more of him in
Mt. Hagen and Port Moresby. We have enjoyed our visits with all of the
missionaries here in Lae.
Another highlight of our stay here is to find so many that are
hungering and thirsting for God's Word. We have both had opportunities for
teaching classes as well as doing counselling (both separately and
together). Neither the missionaries or the nationals have someone older to
talk to to help them when they have problems. They have used us for that
purpose and we have seen a renewing of hope, a refocus of priorities and
goals, and a return to dependence upon God for their daily struggle.
It has been a wonderful time of reunion meeting with faithful children
in the gospel, sharing in the grief of departed ones and having a mutual
feeling for those who have turned away from God and for those who still have
not come to Him in obedience.
We have enjoyed being on e-mail regularly and being able to hear from
home. We are thankful to the missionaries here who have shared with us. We
are overwhelmed with God's goodness in bringing us back to those we lovein
Papua New Guinea.
EXCERPTS FROM ELIZABETH
Our stay in Lae has been quite different from Port Moresby. We had
lived in Lae before and knew a lot of people so we were able to fit in quite
readily.
My work included teaching, counselling and hostessing. A number of the
Christians drop in to "story" and I either give them a hot or cold
drink or sherbet which I make from fruit from the market and from milk/cream
from a dairy six miles away.
We have appreciated e-mail from Canada and U.S. I especially
appreciated hearing about our 12th and 13th granddaughters.
The tropics are both lush and beautiful. We fave fallen in love with
Papua New Guinea all over again. We did some touring around town but never
eem to have a lot of spare time. Food from both stores and the market has
skyrocketd we resorted to the wholesalers because it saves a bit.
I particularly have enjoyed freedom from pain (back and neck). This is
due to the tropical sunlight/heat & the quinnine in the chlorquin.
We feel richly blessed to be able to serve in any small way we can
over here. God has blessed us beyond measure and we trust He has done the
same for you. May you find refuge in Him anbd security in His promises.
NEXT STOP - MADANG (very short), THEN ON TO MT. HAGEN FOR 3 WEEKS.
We leave Lae for Madang tomorrow morning early (Wednesday) and will be there
for one day & then leave for Hagen on thursday and will be there for 3 weeks
or thereabouts.
Tobey & Kathy Huff
P.O. Box 409
Lae, M.P.
Papua New Guinea
Ph/Fax: (675) 472 1264