Links in the Supply Chain
We’d like to start this week’s post by saying Happy New Year to you all. Here, a festive mood has prevailed for much of the last two weeks. People are gathering with their families, eating lots of food (it is a baaad time to be a pig, if you know what we mean), and blowing stuff up. Ok so they aren’t blowing everything up, just filling sections of bamboo with kerosene, sealing it up, and tossing the sections in a fire. The last few days of December sounded much like there was constant canon fire (which is pretty fun as long as you don’t stand too close). We’ll leave you to imagine the conversation between our little guys (hey, I thought it looked like fun too) and their mother…
With our move in date little more than two weeks away, we are working through many of the technical aspects of doing remote bush ministry. With that in mind, we’d like to focus this week on something simple: Supplies.
Yesterday we built a small shed to securely store supplies and fuel in a village from which the helicopter can then transfer them into Pal.
For illustrative purposes, we’ll focus today on a single roll of good ol’ TP. So, how does a roll of TP get from the Claasen’s wishlist into our house in Pal?
Our story begins with an email from the Claasens (via radio modem of course) to our supply buyer, Joseph.
Joseph then plans a day to head into town to buy supplies, picking up various items (including our roll of interest) for the 5 different tribal ministry locations that are in our region.
Once home, Joseph weighs each item, wraps it in black plastic for protection, bills the correct accounts, and places each item in a storage bin based on its destination. Our TP goes into the bin marked ‘Pal’.
Joseph then phones our friend who drives the ‘Lasmoni’ (literally: last money) bus back and forth between Madang and Bunabun (60 miles to the north). Our bus driving friend then stops by Joseph’s to pick up the TP (and whatever other essentials are in the Pal bin), and carries the load to the shed that we just completed in Bunabun.
Our trusty TP will wait in the shed in Bunabun until the next round of helicopter flights in our area (every 2-3 months) before being carried into our house in Pal.
Praying for us:
This is a great time for you to be praying for us and for the Pal people:
· Thanks that we were able to finish the storage shed in Bunabun and that we have willing friends who will look after it.
· Thanks that things are coming together for the trip.
· Prayer for the last two weeks of our time on the center here. Nate is frantically finishing up construction materials, coordinating a work team, buying supplies, working to orient some new missionaries, and helping to pack the house. Elizabeth is packing, sorting, organizing, cleaning, taking care of the boys, and coordinating 5 months of flights between ourselves and another team.
· Prayer for the kids as they are embarking on a great transition.
· Prayer for us as we are deciding what foods/other items to take to stay healthy…
· Prayer for our team as we work together in decision-making.
· Prayer for continued good relationships with the school that serves as our shuttle spot in Bunabun – there are new folks in charge of it this year… guys who do not know us.
· Praise that tomorrow is our 9th anniversary. What a joy to be walking together with God in this stressful time.
· Prayer that relationships in Pal will continue to grow and develop
Thanks so very much for all that you are doing to keep us here!
Nate for the Claasens.
Posted via email from PNG Time
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