The Long Road

These three ladies were at the center of a recent village party. The Pal people believe that good in-law relations are essential to the health and well-being of the children of any marriage. So, these ladies and their husbands gathered food and special valuable items for months so that their brothers and uncles would have ‘good stomach’ toward their children (and thus the children would grow up well and not get sick…)

A Slippery and Painful Journey

At four in the afternoon, our Sunday, five Pal friends from a day’s hike away came to our door. They were carrying their 11(ish) year old boy on a makeshift stretcher. He had been struck the night before by a falling branch that had fractured his femur. They had waited until morning and then carried him up the mountain in the hope that we could airlift him out to the hospital in town. 

Since our mission helicopter is currently in for maintenance, we had no other option but to direct them to the nearest government aid post, 6km over the mountain.

“How can we do that? We are already exhausted and it is late in the day.” said the father.

Since no other Pal guys were willing to go (‘its not our family…’) we missionaries got to pitch in. Our trails are hard enough to hike in the day time and in good weather… when we were halfway to the aid post, the sun set. As we struggled and slipped our way along in the dark, our patient would groan if he was jostled – for him, it must have felt like an eternity. In the end, we made the hike in 4 hours, and were able to start the process of healing for our  young friend. He got an IV, some antibiotics, and pain medicine (stronger than the Tylenol with Codeine that we had already given).

I just heard tonight that our friends arrived at a rural hospital that is on a main road – they will be taken to the big hospital tomorrow (Wednesday) where his leg will be set and casted.

Up all night singing and dancing, our Pal friends were happy that the sun came up nice and hot on the day after the party. Here they are gathering to butcher and eat the pigs that have just been exchanged.

Another Kind of Long and Painful Journey

Thinking about my young friend, the one with the broken leg, I was struck by the applicability of his situation to our Pal friend’s lives. It is like this – if I had ever doubted the fear that rules their hearts and torments their days – it was made clear to me by a community leader.

“Aren’t you afraid to walk around at night alone?” he said with incredulity. “Don’t you worry about the evil spirits that are around at night? It is only in the greatest need that we travel on another’s ground after dark.”

The point is that the Pal people’s fear is as present and all-encompassing as the young boy’s leg pain was for him. They (and we) are on the long slippery, tiring, journey to the only place they will find help – the cross.

Will you please pray for us as we are challenged daily in our minds, hearts, muscles, and spirits, travelling this crooked mountain road here in PNG.

Thanks,
Nate for us all