PNG Mission Project Day 11: Final day in Hisiu

This morning in our group Quiet Time we listened to add another Mercy Me song (Send the rain), and recaped the different things we have done all week to help us meet with God. Then we spent the next 15-20 minutes alone with God - as a group :-)  Tomorrow is our last time together, and I'm praying that they all will continue to meet with God every day on their own.

I'm including a photo of our breakfast this morning,  :-)

We sorted out 300 Children's JF DVDs to take to the primary school. We found out that there was a fire in one of the classrooms yesterday morning and only the final year students (grade 8) came to school today... but we took the DVDs (see photo) and presented them to those were there. The teachers will hand them to the other children later.

The next photo is our lunch - there were other plates of fish that aren't in the photo :-)

Today we had our last Team Time - we compared ministry in the village with ministry at the university. We discussed the differences & the similarities. And we concluded that great ministries can be developed in both places, but the university provides a greater impact of sending graduating students from EVERY people group (835+) back to their own people with the Gospel & training in discipleship. The only drawback is that we only have 4 years to win, build, & train these students. So, at the university, we have an awesome privilege of impacting ALL of PNG, but we also have be focused in the limited time we have (1-4 years). It was cool for me to see the students catch this :-)

This afternoon we had "non-ministry" day of fun. So we divided into 4 teams and 2 played volleyball (or "wolleyball", as they say it here), and 2 played soccer. The locals from the village were invited, and so many turned up that we had about 15-20 on each soccer team - it was wild, but lots of fun in the sun (I love this sun here - I put sunscreen on & 4 hrs later, I'm still not burned). And I'm loving the ocean here - after the games we swam & bashed waves again, it was great!

Tonight we had our farewell (put on by the church). It was a bit chaotic because the rain started right at 7:00 and we had to move everything under shelter and reconnect the electronic gear... so we didn't get started until about 8:00. Our group started first by doing the same dance that we did in Fiji - only this time I wiggled out of it :-) - here's a photo of them practicing the dance on the beach.

[I hope this next part is clear - it's 12:30 am right now] Lily (staff) was producing a video of highlights of our ministry, but it wasn't working. So the village young people did a skit. By then the video was finished and we started showing it, but halfway through the video, the power goes out - the pipe/tube from the petrol (gas) can to the generator had sprung a leak! So our guys tried to hook up our solar power supply (that we use to show the Jesus Film)... but just as they got it working, before they started it, they were whisked away by the village leaders (they did not know why). [The leak to the generator was later fixed ].

Meanwhile, I was mixed half with excitement and half with fear, because a someone came up to me a couple hours earlier & measured my waist! :O They didn't measure anyone else's waist! And my friends were laughing saying that this means they were going to put me in a grass skirt :O So just as the power goes out, they call me up and "dress me". I'm the only one dressed. So here I am, sitting up on the stage all dressed up by myself, the only white one amongst hundreds. Hence why I'm nervous - thinking that I'll have to dance with some locals not knowing anything!

For probably 15 minutes I couldn't see where my friends were... but then I saw them also dressed similar to me. So, what we discover is that the farewell program is us! We were all dressed up similar to how the villagers were dressed when they welcomed us - but not as fancy or colourful :-) . So, for the next 3 hours, we dance their dances. A couple guys & ladies danced with us from time to time so we could follow them & learn. It was so much fun!! I've included several photos of our staff & students.

Someone just now came up to me and said, 'Dan, last & final shaken", and then shook my hand :-) It's time to go now - it's after 2 am already, and I have to wake up in 3½ hours :-) Thanks for praying!