Even though we woke up to torrential rains yesterday, the Garber team spotted five poles and set three more. Last night God brought the Thomas team safely to Kudjip. The doors opened on the two vans and some men poured out while others stumbled out, no doubt weary from the second full day of travel. To say we’re thankful they’re here is grossly understated! Their pile of luggage trickled back into their rooms. Suitcases of tools were moved to the Maintenance Yard for safe keeping. Then they washed up for supper.
Our lights flickered gently throughout the evening, punctuating the reason for our presence here. Thankfully, they didn’t go out as we ate a hearty supper and then had a little orientation. Tom shared a bit about the culture and then the “tailboarding” began. Most linemen I know “tailboard” a job long before they pull on their gloves. After supper and orientation, several gathered around a site map and some construction drawings and began to discuss the scope of the job. No doubt they were longing to get their minds wrapped around the work and get started!
PNG is close the equator so daylight runs from around 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. At daylight today, Tom took the team around the site, explaining the work ahead. We gathered for breakfast and for the first time in the week we’ve been here, the lights went off in the morning instead of in the evening. By his headlamp, Gene led us in a short devotion reminding us that we work in the strength of the Lord, not our own strength. A good word for this particular day. Another good word, a reminder from Gerard to work safe, watch out for each other, stay sharp in this foreign jobsite. We prayed for safety, for a little guy back home named Keaton who just had open heart surgery at 3 yrs old, my dad’s eye surgery. We asked God to care for all the loved ones we left behind.
The men pulled on their boots, grabbed water bottles and sunblock and launched into their day leaving us ladies in the dimly lit kitchen to clean up and prepare for lunch without electricity. Working together in the kitchen, alone with my thoughts, I remembered the angry shouts I heard last night while lying in bed, then the woman’s cries that pierced my soul as they drifted up from the town below us… a baby crying.
Dr Dooley, the hospital administrator had briefly explained the history of this place to us. The “valley” here in the highlands was only discovered in the 1930’s. Sydney and Wanda Knox the first Nazarene missionaries began their work here in Kudjip in 1956-57. At that time, the people were quite primitive, still living very simply, with tribal traditions and deep superstitions. Remembering that was little more than 50 years ago gives some understanding to the difficulty of the work here. Women are still very subservient, marginal. Cultural thinking and superstitions are still deeply ingrained. The hospital treats several machete or bush knife injuries each week. They see an average of 3 rapes per week Yesterday Deb assisted in two surgeries at the hospital. One surgery was to repair tendons in the arm of a widow who had used her forearm as a shield against the bush knife hacks of another woman who held some offense against her. The other surgery was a radical hysterectomy for a young woman, necessary due to STD’s. Because she will not be able to have children, her usefulness in this culture is very limited, offering her a difficult future.
I’d like to say there are as many stories of hope and brighter futures here as there are sad stories, and there are many that I hope to share. But for now, the lights are back on. The men have an interruption (planned power outage) scheduled for 1:00 and they are beginning to gather for lunch. Duty calls.
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear all team members have arrived safely!
Please post a list of all I-TEC teams members in a future blog so we at home know who we are praying for. Really enjoyed the pictures on Sunday...great job Steph!