SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION
International – Papua New Guinea / Malawi Africa
P.O. Box 60150 Ndirande Bt. 6 Blantyre Malawi /
P.O. Box 233 – Mt Hagen (WHP) Papua New Guinea
Tanggi Mission Station – North Koroba, Hela Province, PNG
Missionary / Evangelist: Peter A. Halliman
Email: panagioite04@gmail.com / Website: sgbm-malawi-africa.com
Date: 16th July 2020
Dear Pastor, Church, & All Supporters;
Continued from Part Ten (10)… This is Part Eleven (11) in the series.
Mark 5:19 — Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Psalm 66:16 — Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Day Eleven — 30th April 2020 (Thursday)
The day started early — still dark at 05:00 hrs — but people were already stirring and anxious to break camp. The energy could be felt; it had been several days since any of us had seen home as we know it to be.
My coffee was ready. I had some pig meat fried up and together with rice this would be my breakfast and would sustain me until I reached home.
The backpacks were packed, checked, and rechecked. The medic pack is one of those packs that stays near me, and of course I carry my own smaller pack which still has a fair bit of weight — up to two litres of water, other personal items, etc.
By first light we were in motion and said our farewells to those we would leave behind. Still we had some sixty-three people going back to the Tanggi mission station area.
Through the morning hours we set off at a brisk hike. It was not long before we were ascending the first mountain — the biggest and steepest, topping out near eight thousand feet elevation.
Being the last day and last leg of the hike, journey, and mission patrol, we were all anxious to get home — none more than I. I encouraged all to maintain a stiff hike.
We did not take a break until we arrived at the first river, located between the first and second mountain. I was ready for the break. Being cold mountain water, it is refreshing to wash one’s face and head. The metal plates used to reconstruct the left side of my face many years ago when I was stoned — the biblical kind of stoning — will heat up under body heat combined with the climate heat. I must keep a handkerchief handy and when I can, keep it wet with water from mountain streams along the hikes.
With the second mountain in front of us we pushed on. The sun was up, the cool of the morning hours had long passed, and we were now into the heat of the day.
The second mountain was behind us and we all stopped at its top for a lunch break. I was really only interested in keeping hydrated, but did take some time to eat some peanuts and honey.
The boost gave me enough energy to push on. I had one thought in mind: it would be good to take my bath in my own home and to sleep in my own bed tonight.
The last mountain seemed to give way to the appetite for just getting home. With the descent in view and finally coming to a point where we could see the mission station, it was as though all the miles behind us faded away and we all forgot the many hours and miles we had travelled in the past days.
Muddy, tired, hot, and sweaty, I finally arrived at the house. One by one, the people who had assisted dropped off the packs and went on to their respective homes. It was 13:30 hrs when I arrived home.
The domestic chores started straight away: all the dirty laundry, emptying of backpacks, some items to be put away. Preparation for washing, cleaning, and sorting the gear was under way.
First I had my bath water heated. Though I take a bucket bath, it is in the privacy of my own home — and that makes all the difference. Having bathed and fitted out with clean clothes, I enjoyed a good cup of hot tea.
As I sat in the house reflecting over the past days, hours, and miles that the LORD had led us through and back, I rejoiced to know the LORD indeed was Sovereign and had planned from before the foundations of the world that this group of people would be found, a new church would be established, they would have their own pastor, and a new work would begin.
For eleven days I had slept in a sleeping bag — sometimes in a tent, sometimes in a bush house. Now I took a rest on my own bed. Nice.
Evening came. The domestic chores still to be done, I cooked a simple meal and called it a day. It was good to be home, good to sit at a table, and good to sit in a proper chair. I retired early and thanked the LORD for bringing me home once again.
Day Twelve — 1st May 2020 (Friday)
With a good night’s sleep, I was wakened to the cock crowing. It was nice to be home and to rise without the talking and noise of the villagers. Understand something: they know nothing about personal space or quietness, nothing about timetables or a routine — to them it is anything goes, whenever, wherever.
I enjoyed my coffee and breakfast at a table, and I enjoyed my quiet morning hours and a morning hot bath just because I could.
Washing clothes and backpacks were on the to-do list for today. It takes a lot of scrubbing to get the body odour out from the fabric of the packs. There is a locally made soap here, very near the old-fashioned lye soap — I use it for many things, including bathing in the bush. It will clean where laundry detergent will not, and with an old-fashioned scrub brush and some elbow grease there isn’t much that will not come clean.
There were four of us engaged in the cleaning, and with everything being washed and rinsed by hand it takes some time. I will make a comment here for whatever it is worth: if you have to carry your own water in a bucket, you will be sure to use the water wisely. If you have to hand-wash your clothes, you will be careful what you wear, when you wear it, and how you treat your clothes. If you have to hang them out, you will be sensitive to time and weather. If you have to iron, fold, and put them away, you will appreciate what you have and NOT complain when someone graces you with a new garment.
Though the day was busy and somewhat hard, and I was still getting over the past eleven days, it was still good to be home. The LORD graced us with good weather, and before the afternoon hours most of the clothes and items were washed, dried, and taken indoors.
The evening was once again upon us — no fast food, no take-aways, no ordering out, no driving to the local diner. We are the local diner: if you don’t cook, you don’t eat. That simple.
The life here is much as it was in biblical days, and even in the USA many years back. One would have to go back to the 1800s or early 1900s in America to see life as it still is here.
People say nowadays, “Well, I am just too busy” — exactly, emphasis on “too.” No home life for many, no home structure, no family time, no time for much of anything except what one wants to do.
Until our next report, may our LORD keep each of you, thanking each of you for your prayers and sacrificial giving. I could not do what I do without your help.
In His Name,
Missionary Peter A. Halliman