As I type this update I am being sarenaded by a symphony of thousands of rain drops dancing on the metal roof over my head! This is an unusual sound because this area of PNG has not seen rain at all in the last 2 months. The rain barrels which supply the water for the missionaries have been critically low, limiting every use of water. From showers to dishes to toilets...everything has been on highest restrictions.
This rain came very quickly about 2 hours ago. I was on the airstrip grading away when I saw a lightning bolt. A few drops of rain hit the muffler stack and instantly turned to steam and blew away in the wind. As more drops fell the dry dirt turned to a thick mud and began to adhere itself to every part of the tractor. My tracks began to spin, preventing me from getting a good grip on the land. The blade would retain half of it's load after I pushed a pile across the field. I continued to press on, enjoying the wetness of the rain on my skin, knowing what an answer to prayer it was. I started to sing very loudly while making a bigger and bigger mess of the area that I was working in.
It was then that I noticed Jon standing on the hill in his Super Cool Yellow Rain Suit. Now a note about this rain suit: It's DRY season. Who wastes space in a suitcase with a full rain suit when you are going to an area that is experiencing a drought? Well... Jon does, apparently! There he was, standing on the hill in his Super Cool Yellow Rain Suit, with an umbrella! Now a note about the umbrella...IT WAS LIGHTNING! Who stands in the rain in a Super Cool Yellow Rain Suit with an umbrella in *lightning*? Well...Jon does, apparently! I watched as he made his way down to my mud hole and I wondered what he thought he was going to accomplish in the thick mud.
Well like a good brother he wanted to make sure that I was ok. We decided after a few more lightning strikes that perhaps I was the biggest idiot of all. You see, unlike a car driving through a lightning storm, a bulldozer has no rubber insulating it from the ground. Which means I was driving the biggest lightning rod in the area! Now Jon's umbrella and rain suit paled in comparison to my wonderful display of brilliance!
It was at this point that we decided to head back up to the house. So Jon jummped on the dozer and stood next to me (yes we know you aren't supposed to do that...but hey it's PNG...no OSHA!)
Now 3 things to keep in mind;
1) It had been raining for about 45 minutes and
2) the drive up to the house is about a 45 degree slope.
3) remember how I said the mud was sticking to my tracks and making it difficult to get a grip? I'm sure you can guess what happened! We did make it up to the house, but made quite a mess in the process.
Well one good thing that may come of this rain - besides the water in the rain barrels - may be putting out some of the random fires that the nationals start on the side of the hills.
The other day we were standing on the end of the airstrip working on fence posts when one of the national men walked up with a smoldering stick. He walked over to a pile of dry brush - now keep in mind that we're in a dry season - he stuck the smoldering stick into it, quickly starting a small fire. Well you know what happens to a fire in dry season. The fire quickly became a roaring brush fire on the side of the mountain! Jon and I were shocked and made some comment to that effect. Everyone else, including the missionaries, simply ignored the fire and went about working on the fence. We're like..."hey there's a big huge fire...like right there...don't you see it? AHH!" They all kept working. We couldn't believe it. Eventually the fire died out. We were told that this is a regular occurance as the nationals are trying to burn off the old vegitation to make way for good crops in the coming rainy season. Sinse that time I have seen the same thing happen 4 other times! Apparently they are pretty confortable with the idea of having roaring fires right next to their grass and wood huts... I'm just not too sure about this!
We did get much accomplished on the airstrip today before the rain came. Still more dirt to move,
but little by little, inch by inch, the landscape of the airstrip is slowly changing.
We still covet your prayers,
Jon and Thomas
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BTW: I have ordered a photo of Jon in the Super Cool Yellow Rain Suit. Talk about blackmail material...
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