The first leg of our trip to Bougainville has been successful. I am now sitting in lovely 90 degree heat in Port Moresby, PNG. The trip has gone amazingly well - both of our flights left and arrived early. All my luggage made it through. Utterly revolutionary. Are we sure the US is a civilized nation?
The country is beautiful. Rugged hills and mountains, winding rivers and the colors one expects in a tropical country. We were met at the airport by a quartet singing to greet us. Coming through customs was a breeze and the greeting by the people friendly and warm.
We are spending the night at a mission house in Port Moresby and then off to Bougainville in the morning. Right now, we are relaxing in the lounge talking with other missionaries who are in transit. It was interesting reading a local newspaper and find how much our culture influences fairly remote places. Other things strike you as different and let you know you are in a very different place. One of the interesting bits was a plan for a funeral service, starting with the casket leaving the home, at what time it would arrive at the church, etc..
The country is very clean and the people show great pride in their homes and city. A huge contrast to a couple Carribean island nations I’ve been too. It is incredibly warm here - about 90 right now, but there is a light breeze that carries with it the scent of the charcoal fires from the neighboring area.
So far a delightful trip. I probably won’t be able to update until we return to this mission home on the way home on Saturday, February 7.
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