Date: 7/23/04
Location: Ukarumpa, East Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Tuesday night, everything was packed, so I didn't get to write in my journal. Carl and Pat seemed somewhat stressed on Tuesday trying to get everything ready. It didn't help that they had to prioritize what they were bringing with them because Julie and I added weight towards the plane's weight limit. Wednesday morning, we woke up early (5:45am) and headed out by about 7:45am. Carl and Julie had to push-start their bike several times on the way to Menyamya. Pat and I got to the airstrip first, and I sat and played my guitar while I waited for the others to come. There were some young women at the airstrip store in pants, which surprised me a little. After Julie and Carl arrived, Ezekiel, the schoolteacher, also came and gave us bark cloths. Some of Julie's students were there, too - Bebaline and Jonathan. When we got back to Aiyura (the airstrip near Ukarumpa), Jim and Ginny were waiting for us 
. Oh - Lightening and Rascal got put into boxes for the trip! In Ukarumpa, Julie and I were assigned to Cedar house (J1). The first thing we did was to go to the store and get showers before going to the Tomlinsons' for dinner. The Herrings (Mausgras family ) were also there, and we got tohear about their village living. Apparently it didn't go too well - their was mama didn't want them there and their was papa was stuck in a hard place. A bunch of them also got sick.
On Thursday, I made granola and we went to the Tomlinsons' for dinner again - this time with more Discovery people and Maggie from POC . Today we hung out at the Tomlinsons' quite a bit, and this evening, Julie and I ate supper at Kristen's house. Then the three of us got invited by Margaret Potter to come hang out with her and her friend, Maureen. We had a really special time tonight sharing stories with each other, talking about visas and the government of PNG and AIDS, and we watched a movie. Earlier today, I was reading "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. It got me thinking about focusing on the present and eternity instead of the past or future. He makes an interesting point about how "the present is the point at which time touches eternity", and the future is uncertain and can cause fear (p 68). I think tonight I focused on enjoying the present and thought harder about my role in the conversation and maybe even listened a little more than usual. I also just finished a fascinating book by Dr. Kevin Leman, "The Birth Order Book". A big weakness for the last-born is the trap of thinking "I only count if I get attention". The author suggests that last-borns should seek to help others behind the scenes to help them become less selfish. (He also suggests that first-borns tend to bite off more than they can chew and need to learn to say "no!" and take some time for themselves!) I played my guitar just a little today, but it was while I was concentrating on the present - on exactly what my fingers were doing and the beauty of the music. It is a joy to know God has given me talents and I can find a wholesome pleasure in pursuing things such as riding and music. (More ideas spurred by "Screwtape Letters".) Well, I hope to walk up to the horse paddocks tomorrow morning to see if anything is going on, so now I need to think about some sleep.
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