CATCHING YOU UP

Hello All!   Blessings to you, and THANK YOU for keeping up with our Blog! :-)  We have returned safely from our cultural immersion retreat in Dusin, and have SO MUCH to share with you. Being "unplugged" for a week created all sorts of time for Rachel and me to spend quality time with the Highlanders and get a decent grip on the Tok Pidgin language - BUT - it means all my detailed journaling of our experiences has piled up!  While I hope to share much of our adventures via this medium, if you would like the full 10 pages of journaling notes please e-mail me at EMHenderson24@gmail.com. 

Meeting God in the Highlands

(PART 1)

In a seemingly divine move, the near constant cloud cover separated to reveal the Dusin airstrip. The pilots had informed me we might not make it to Dusin today should they not have a window of clear visibility. But here we were in steep descent toward a green blade of grass tossed upon the peak of dark jungle mountains. A crowd was gathered for the occasion, and my wave and smile was returned in force. What an AMAZING view! My joy with breathing in the crisp clean air at roughly 5,500 feet was put on stand-by as I assisted with unloading our cargo - much more than seemed necessary for just a week in the bush.



We and our bags were conveyed away from the airstrip by Pastor Thompson smiling ear to ear, who would be our village/church host and occasional language tutor for our stay. The Nazarene guest house sits adjacent to the airstrip, so we didn't have far to walk. It was a moderately sized ranch-style building, certainly luxurious by local standards, which I found reminiscent of a hunting lodge - tidy, outfitted and lovingly worn by countless past missionaries, a slightly smoky/musty smell, central wood stove inside, porch swing out front, and a generator shed out back - it was perfect. 



The perpetrators of this rugged retreat (thank you Kudjip Hospital staffers!) had provided a thorough manual for how to run the house - generator power, water from rain collecting tanks, propane stove, and wood stove. While Rachel set to organizing the kitchen, I took on these manly man tasks, and found myself wanting in the generator-knowledge department. In retrospect, the manual's directions make perfect sense - but not for this newbie. After breaking a sweat cranking the engine over with every combination of the various switches, I was joined by a couple PNG men who quickly sorted me out and got the old diesel beast roaring. Lest the good Lord allow me to overheat in my labors, He provided a chilling downpour to accompany my remaining outdoor tasks - and I've never felt more alive. After years of feeling cooped up in the perfectly sanitized fluorescent world of medical training, I am set FREE at last! 

  

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The Lord’s favor is rolled out before us.

Prayers for safe travel are answered.

All bags arrived without complication or damage.

A new family in the Body welcomes us in warm embrace.

A new front door opens to clean and quaint quarters, 

especially prepared for our arrival.

Blue sky, bright sun, fresh scents, and a new horizon 

complement the joy in our spirits.

If we do not Praise Him, the rocks will cry out – 

so Hallelujah! We are home.

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