In Neil's Own Words

Here are some excerpts from Neil's email that gives some summary of the events of the past few weeks. I have shortened some sentences and added explanatory notes so if it's in black, then I edited it for explanation. I deleted information that really wouldn't make sense unless one lives there.

In the morning - while at Lae I went out to get a coffee & some window cleaner for the truck. One of our kinsmen from the governor's family was watching the truck while I was at Samanzing; he had his family and while on the way back from getting the coffee and window cleaner the rear drive shaft came mostly off. Fortunately, there were wrenches behind the back seat of the truck and I was able to remove the remaining u-joint, pick up the shaft from along the side of the road and using the front wheel drive only, get myself back to the Lae G/H in time for my bus to Nadzab.

Once I sort out the wallet issue (missing a large sum, credit cards, licenses), I'll figure out what to do with the truck.

Joel "had a psychotic episode" after about 4 days. Actually, he started slipping off after two days and by day three Dick decided to chain his feet together. That was the morning after Joel came up the the house around 1:00 AM and slammed the door so hard I thought it would break. At the first crash I woke from a sound sleep and jumped to my feet - from out of the sleeping bag - ready to fight whoever was coming in. By the third strike of the door I realized it was Joel. So I did nothing - absolutely nothing. I did not get back into bed, I did not take a step, I did not sit or kneel, I didn't even check the time of night as I was thinking any sign of life from inside the house would only encourage him. Eventually he wandered off.

He spent the rest of the time hobbled; his feet tie together with a chain. It was pretty sad, but Mungnga Dick is pretty sympathetic. He feels like satan is purposely attacking Joel simply because no one did more for the community than Joel. At least it was nice to hear someone say something nice about Joel.

My speech at Ogao, Bilima, Hobo & Samanzing went pretty well. Every one seems sympathetic. Most people think it is a good idea for Jerry to come and also tell the story. Dick explained people are just glad we will be coming back. He said - and Yangga too - that people had been bothering them since last June asking if we really intended to come back.
(We have never been gone for a full year and it has now been 15 months since they last saw us. That was still within the recovery period of Neil's accident.)

People also seem to universally like the idea of having the NT completed by 2011. I asked Dick what he thought he might do once we were done and he said he wanted to teach people about what the Bible says. He gave me - for you, because you lead Bible studies, a diagram he drew on his own based on Hebrews comparing the world before and after the birth of Christ. It's pretty interesting.

Yangga reports the big issue at the last parish conference - last December - was adult literacy. So may be something is there. This is very positive, as it indicates they would help themselves in terms of teaching adults to read. We have prepared the material ages ago and it is ready for them and would help us continue our focus on completing the scriptures in the next couple of years and providing Bible teaching as well.

So all in all, all has gone pretty well. It really felt good rolling through those epistles.

The walk out of the village was not as bad as I was anticipating. I spent a night at Bilima on the way out. So last Saturday I was there and told them our whole story; and our plan to finish by 2011. In the morning I shared a message at church. And in the afternoon I finished walking out to Hobu. I was a little slower than in the past, but not by much. Yannga helped up Bung Mountain; he carried the computer up for me. But from there on - the next four hours it was just me and all my gear.

Everyone in the Mesem world sends you there morning, mid-day, afternoon and night. (There should learn a faster to way to 'say hi'. That means they told him to say oluga-gasiga- mbuga) They seem to be kind of impressed that you got ordained. (I had been a licensed minister for about 24 years-obviously, I make decisions slowly). They were all anxious to hear Tony stories. They have no doubt that he is taller than me as they feel like he takes after you. But they all agree that he will be like me in one important way. When I tap the top of my head and say he'll look like me later, everyone laughs and so far no one has disagreed.

Well, I am counting days now. Two weeks from today I am on the plane home. It is still much too far away and I am trying just to focus on each leg that remains, 5 days POM, 4 or 5 days Lae, then Ukarumpa, then back to Port Moresby, then I'm outta here.

Will write soon. (I'll send some pics, too)