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Handasydes & Helicopters

'Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous deeds among all peoples.' Psalm 96:3

December 2021
Print version here
The Short Version
Since our last newsletter the kids have been steadily counting down the days until Christmas. Soon, the wait will be over: Merry Christmas to you all from PNG!
 
Loralie's work at the clinic is back to normal and Robert continues to fly missionaries and health workers all over the country, from the far reaches of Western Province to the northern edge of New Ireland Province. Lately he has been working with the engineers to help find parts to keep the helicopters going. 
 
We enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with friends in November, as life began to open up a little bit here with case numbers of COVID-19 declining, and restrictions easing. 
Prayer & Praise
  • Pray that we and our community here can have time to rest, reflect on and celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas.
  • Pray for translator teams who are experiencing hardships and feel the effects of spiritual warfare against their work.
  • Praise God that we were recently able to start flying the New Tribes Mission helicopter under our Air Operator's Certificate. This means that it is able to be flown by our other pilots, rather than just Robert.
  • Pray that Robert can complete all the processes to be qualified as a training pilot here.
  • Pray that Loralie can connect her patients to the specialist help they need, and when this is not possible to make wise decisions for their eye care.
  • Please be in prayer for the SIL-PNG and local communities, for local SIL leadership, and for the people and government of Papua New Guinea as they navigate the complexities of COVID-19 within the country. 
  • The flow-on effects of the pandemic coupled with a drawn out end to the dry season have been particularly hard for our national colleagues and our neighbours in surrounding villages. Pray that we can respond to needs around us with wisdom and love.
The LONG Version
The Wait
One evening a few weeks ago, just after the kids had fallen asleep, there was a blinding flash accompanied by a thunderclap so loud that pretty much everyone in town thought it had hit their house. Somehow, our kids slept through this, which turned out to be the dramatic beginning of our rainy season. 

For the most part, we love the wet season here. The kids love splashing in puddles, making mud pies, and destroying their clothes. We love the sound of the heavy rain on our tin roof, knowing it is filling up our water tank. We love the clear bright mornings, heat building steadily up and up, until just when it is a little too warm, the thunder claps and the downpour begins. (It's not dissimilar to Queensland summer weather.) But the afternoon does become a little less predictable for Robert when flying, and for Loralie trying to get the muddy clothes dry!

Before the regularity of the wet weather, there was a long wait as the dry season lingered, tanks dried, and the river bed went low enough to worry some people. The weather often has us waiting, doesn't it? Even now, we often have a daily build up and wait for the rain to bring relief from the heat.

In preparing for Christmas, we have been thinking about waiting. The kids have had what they think is an interminable wait...they've been counting down to Christmas for over 80 days now. Michael in particular is quite upset to find it still a long way off, every morning. 

God's promise of a Saviour for his people took thousands of years to arrive, and took lots of waiting too! The people waited so long, and yet, when Jesus arrived they did not understand what God was doing. They were unsettled about him, and unsure of why he wasn't sticking to their own expected plan.

We don't always understand what God is doing around us now, too. But at this time of year we are reminded that we need to come to him in expectant hope for him to indeed be at work, wherever we find ourselves. 

'I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.'
Psalm 130:5-8

'And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.' Phil 1:6
Above: From our first to our third Christmas in PNG! Spot the differences?
The Work
Wantok, n: A person with whom one has a strong social bond,
usually based on shared language.

In November Robert flew out to New Ireland for a week to do some work for New Tribes Mission. They had a local church conference that people needed to be transported to and from, and several families needed supplies sent out to their villages. He was able to fly some Aussie missionaries (our wantoks) around, and overnight with another Aussie family in their village, which was a highlight (Australians are under-represented here, so this was a novelty!)

The photos below show a bit more of his work over the past few months.
Above: Helping hands unload the roofing materials in MK village. A literacy building in MK, where the literacy program is run by two local belivers. Robert transported benches for seating to a larger literacy classroom near Ora.
Above: Robert squeezed this plastic water tank into the helicopter for a missionary's village home. Landing in a rocky riverbed in New Ireland to drop off local church members to speak at a conference (because hiking there would have taken days). Landing at Pinji with a missionary family returning from a break.
Aside from the tasks above, Robert continues to fly medical evacuations as needed. These are often from very isolated regions, where even a healthy local would need to hike for hours or even days to get to a road.
In the last few weeks he transported a man who had his arm cut off with a bush knife, and a woman experiencing difficulty after giving birth. Robert accidentally tried to load the newborn into the cargo hold of the helicopter, not realising what precious cargo was inside that particular bilum! (It is customary here to have babies sleep in bilums, which are woven string bags).
The Struggles
October in PNG saw a rapid rise of COVID cases, with our province being classified a 'High Risk' area by the PNG government. These cases impacted our centre and clinic, the surrounding valley, and closest hospitals. Loralie was unable to work in the clinic for about a month. November saw things opening up and restrictions and curfews easing slightly again. December saw our province changed to 'Low Risk', and further lifting of restrictions.

It has been a hard year for our national friends and neighbours. Most were unable to send their children to finish the school year after public schools shut down, and ongoing online education is simply not an option. Lost income and personal losses from deaths and illness (both from COVID-19 and other, unattended illnesses during the hospital closures), were larger than normal. As well as this, the extended dry season has made some garden crops (particularly sweet potato, a dietary staple here) fail or produce a smaller harvest, adding hunger to the list of 'heavies'. 

Please be in prayer for the people of PNG, and for how we can respond with love and wisdom to those closest to us who are experiencing hardship. Please pray for the government of PNG as
they continue to navigate the complexities of COVID-19 within the country. 
Above: Wawoi falls in Western Province, where Robert was transporting visiting medical teams. A beautiful sunset in New Ireland. 
...but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring joy to all people. The Saviour - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!'
Luke 2:10-11
We are so glad to have you along on this journey,
and for all the encouragement you give us.

With love from Robert & Loralie, Emily & Michael.

To Contact Us:
Email: robert-loralie_handasyde@wycliffe.org.au

Post to: PO Box 1 (142),
Ukarumpa,
Eastern Highlands Province 444,
PNG

Robert: +675 7077 8307, Loralie: +675 7917 3942

Wycliffe Australia: wycliffe.org.au

If you’d like to know anything more, drop us a line. If you're wanting to mail us anything larger than a standard envelope, please let us know.

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