I had mentioned about the need for additional toilets before our Special Assembly Day program, so we recently had our ground breaking ceremony, but it wasn't to well attended. The good news is I got the pit about half dug, and this is pretty close to a no-shadow moment.
Our most recent trip to Kobarimo was also our most eventful. I had wondered what we would find when we got to the landing, since school is still on vacation plus it was a holiday (Good Friday) so ther4e wouldn’t be boats from people going out to work. Joy met us there and there were only two boats there, neither of which looked to promising to non-natives like ourselves. There were some small children playing around there, so Joy spoke to them and asked if they would paddle up with us so they could bring the boats back. They said they would, so Terri and I got in the bigger of the two, but it was quite narrow, with a very round bottom, which makes them as the locals say, “rolly”. The small boy seemed to handle the boat fairly well as he brought it up for us to get in, so I decided to let him stay in the back. When we first got it, I could indeed tell it was ‘rolly’. I told Terri that today was the day we were going to get wet. Then to make matters worse, we just nicely got going, and he drove the canoe right into a tree on the bank. As we got going more and I had a little time to get acclimated, I was feeling more comfortable, but Terri was getting more and more nervous. I know this may be hard for many to believe, but he actually hit me with her umbrella, because I wasn’t willing to turn around to go back. She finally insisted that we pull up to a stump along the way to let her get out and go in the other canoe. By this time I was willing. But when we stopped, the other boat came alongside and she just got into it, and they set off.
Now the small boy wasn’t happy that a boat paddled by a girl and a woman (Joy) was ahead of us, so he’s paddling hard to try and keep up. We ended up hitting two more trees before we reached. After the second one, he tried to explain it that I was so big, he couldn’t see around me. That may have been part of the problem, but if you are paddling at a 45 degree angle in a narrow creek, it shouldn’t be hard to figure that you’re going to hit the bank even if you can’t see.
We had some nice calls in Kobarimo and as we were walking back to the landing, a man came up behind us with a paddle. Joy knew him so asked about his boat. He said it was reasonable sized, so she asked if we could go back with him. I ended up in the front, with Terri and Joy in the middle. We started out and Terri mentioned that she had here hands on the sides of the boat, and her fingers were in the water. I noticed that some water seemed to appear in the bottom of the boat, and Terri said it had come over the side when the boat tipped a little to far to the side. I was just glad I couldn’t see all of that. The first time Joy had gone with us, she had mentioned she was a little afraid, since she hadn’t been in a boat in so long. Well she has gotten over her fears, and she was laughing at how nervous Terri was, as well as showing off her paddling skills, even thought it was rocking the boat. But we did manage to keep dry for another week.
We received word last week that Paul Donlon had flown to Georgetown, since both his wife and baby were quite sick. He had contacted us and asked if we might be able to send the boys up to help until he came back the middle of this week. So Josh and Andrew went up Saturday. Paul then called back to say that he was thinking of just going back to Ireland now, since he had planned on returning right after the SAD program. He said Sinead and Bethany were so weaken from a virus they had, that they were worried they might get something else.
Josh returned today, but Andrew is staying another week which will allow the ones who have been at Matthews Ridge to pack up and return to Kaituma. Again, that had been the plan, but it wasn’t supposed to happen for another month.
Tomorrow, myself, Compton, Solo, and Alex are going to take the boat to work the village of Yarakita. It’s been about a year and a half since it was worked. We had stopped at the landing of the village a couple months ago to ask whether there were any houses on a creek close by there, and when we got ready to leave, the people were quite upset/disappointed to realize we were going to be visiting them. We are going to be using the recent tract on false religion, as we still have a small supply left. I am excited that it will mostly be locals, rather than white people preaching tomorrow. With four in the boat, it will take longer to reach there, but we should be able to do the whole village and reach back before dark.
Now the small boy wasn’t happy that a boat paddled by a girl and a woman (Joy) was ahead of us, so he’s paddling hard to try and keep up. We ended up hitting two more trees before we reached. After the second one, he tried to explain it that I was so big, he couldn’t see around me. That may have been part of the problem, but if you are paddling at a 45 degree angle in a narrow creek, it shouldn’t be hard to figure that you’re going to hit the bank even if you can’t see.
We had some nice calls in Kobarimo and as we were walking back to the landing, a man came up behind us with a paddle. Joy knew him so asked about his boat. He said it was reasonable sized, so she asked if we could go back with him. I ended up in the front, with Terri and Joy in the middle. We started out and Terri mentioned that she had here hands on the sides of the boat, and her fingers were in the water. I noticed that some water seemed to appear in the bottom of the boat, and Terri said it had come over the side when the boat tipped a little to far to the side. I was just glad I couldn’t see all of that. The first time Joy had gone with us, she had mentioned she was a little afraid, since she hadn’t been in a boat in so long. Well she has gotten over her fears, and she was laughing at how nervous Terri was, as well as showing off her paddling skills, even thought it was rocking the boat. But we did manage to keep dry for another week.
We received word last week that Paul Donlon had flown to Georgetown, since both his wife and baby were quite sick. He had contacted us and asked if we might be able to send the boys up to help until he came back the middle of this week. So Josh and Andrew went up Saturday. Paul then called back to say that he was thinking of just going back to Ireland now, since he had planned on returning right after the SAD program. He said Sinead and Bethany were so weaken from a virus they had, that they were worried they might get something else.
Josh returned today, but Andrew is staying another week which will allow the ones who have been at Matthews Ridge to pack up and return to Kaituma. Again, that had been the plan, but it wasn’t supposed to happen for another month.
Tomorrow, myself, Compton, Solo, and Alex are going to take the boat to work the village of Yarakita. It’s been about a year and a half since it was worked. We had stopped at the landing of the village a couple months ago to ask whether there were any houses on a creek close by there, and when we got ready to leave, the people were quite upset/disappointed to realize we were going to be visiting them. We are going to be using the recent tract on false religion, as we still have a small supply left. I am excited that it will mostly be locals, rather than white people preaching tomorrow. With four in the boat, it will take longer to reach there, but we should be able to do the whole village and reach back before dark.
