Robert is happy to be back at the helicopter controls again, after finally getting his pilot licence validated and passing a CASA flight test to work here in PNG. While we wait for the paperwork to be processed, he continues to get further training in Goroka, so that he can fly safely in this very challenging country.
We are enjoying living at the New Tribes Mission centre, but are hopeful that most of the training will be completed in the next month or two, so that we can return home to Ukarumpa.
We enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with some of our American friends. We really appreciate how the thanksgiving season helps us move into the Christmas one, and as the year draws to a close, we remember all that we have to be thankful for. Thank you for your encouragement and support of us and our return to work here in PNG. We hope you, too, are looking forward to celebrating the coming of Jesus at Christmas.
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- Please pray that the paperwork for Robert's full pilot licence can be processed by CASA before Christmas.
- Praise God that Loralie has been able to make some connections with other eyecare professionals while here in Goroka. Pray that she can continue to make good connections.
- Pray for the rest of our time with New Tribes Mission, that we can be a part of the community, enjoy sharing worship over the Christmas season, and find opportunities to serve and love those around us.
- Praise God that many more families continue to return to PNG, including the Jones family we asked your specific prayer for.
- Pray for efficiency, unity and encouragement in the task of bringing the Word of God to all peoples, both here in PNG and around the world.
- Pray for PNG. Pray that the leaders of PNG can work together for the good of the country.
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Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Col 4:2
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Above: Robert with Jon and some of the aviation staff. Robert training in flight with Jon. Refuelling the helicopter.
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On any given work day here, Robert heads out on the early bus to the airport ... early being important as the weather is best in the mornings. Most days he then flies out to any number of places around the country as he trains alongside Jon Leedahl.
You may notice in the photo above that Jon has upgraded one of his legs. He was injured in a road accident near Ukarumpa six years ago. Jon experienced a medivac flight as a patient himself, spent months recovering, and then he and his family returned to work in PNG. They are dedicated to supporting missionaries here through aviation.
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Recently, Robert flew the helicopter out to Pinji, to the Wantakia people. Above you can see the helicopter on their landing strip. In the 60's and then again in the 90's, missionaries attempted to live with and learn the language of the Wantakia. However, their language was complex in ways that baffled Westerners, and both efforts failed.
Fast forward to more recent years, and a Wantakia woman who had left Pinji became a Christian when a lady from New Tribes Mission shared her faith. The Wantakia woman pleaded for missionaries to again go to her village and share the message there. When objections were raised about the difficulty of the location and language she replied, 'Since God is the One who made the languages so confusing, He can also straighten them out.'
Six years ago, three young families were sent to the Wantakia. After persisting with learning the language and teaching literacy, in August this year they taught the last timeline Bible lesson. One man immediately stood up to say, 'We used to do all kinds of religious work to make God happy with us. But now they've taught us God's talk. Now we’ve heard that our work is just to believe. That is the only work: to believe Jesus is my Savior. There is no other work.'
You can watch the longer version of his testimony in the link below.
In church on Sunday we prayed for the Wantakia people. 20 people were baptised just last month. There is evidence that the message they have received is already changing lives. Recently a dispute arose with another village. In PNG there is a system of 'bekim bek', to give back, or take revenge. As you can imagine, this creates a cycle of violence and bloodshed to which there is no end. The Wantakia were close to resorting to the old ways to have their revenge on this other village, but decided against it as they applied what they have learnt. What more can we say, but praise God!
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A Day in the Life of an Optometrist
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Above: Loralie at work in the Ukarumpa SIL clinic, before we left for Goroka.
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On any given day, Loralie stays put at 5000ft and looks after the kids here at Lapilo! However, before we left Ukarumpa she had a few busy days at the clinic.
Mara (pictured above left) came in for an eye test on the last clinic day before we left Ukarumpa. Mara works for the Bible Translation Association (BTA) of PNG (one of our partner organisations). He is the Area Program Manager for the Highlands region and has served with BTA for many years, with very low support. His desire and motivation to continue is that he can be used by God for his glory.
Mara needed an update to his glasses for the computer, and was pleased to be able to get the prescription worked out close to home. The alternative is a long bus ride and an even longer wait to be seen (or not, if you're unlucky) for a prescription and glasses in Goroka.
Cathy* was another patient that morning. She is a national staff member involved in training others how to teach literacy. Unfortunately, glasses weren't going to solve her problem, as she had an advanced cataract. Access to eye care and surgery here is difficult. Ukarumpa is a pretty remote location and it's on the way to ... nowhere. Surgery would likely involve an airfare and accommodation even before the cost of the surgeon (as a lowly optometrist I don't operate on cataracts). In Australia, cataracts are dealt with long before they reach the stage of the one in Cathy's eye. In PNG, the reality is many people will never be able to access this sight-saving surgery. Cathy will hopefully be one of the fortunate ones.
Eight year old Petra had been waiting since we first arrived (back in November 2019) for an eye test. Her parents knew she was having problems seeing the board at school but they weren't quite sure how big the problem was. She could barely see the top letter on the chart. Thankfully her problem wasn't a cataract! Kids' eyes in particular can change very quickly, and sometimes their parents serve three or four year terms here. Petra's family ended up ordering some glasses to correct her sight through Cairns. Working out the best supply chain to Ukarumpa is another challenge and at the moment ordering from Australia seems one of the easiest options.
Work in the clinic promises to be rewarding and challenging. Some of the challenges apart from those mentioned above include trying to communicate in another language clearly, and dealing with the particularly frustrating equation of glasses + mask = fog!
The work also promises to be somewhat heartbreaking as we can't solve all the problems. The last patient of the day was a young lady from one of the villages in the valley, who thought she had something in her eye. Unfortunately she didn't have a foreign body that could be easily removed, but something that looked more like a conjunctival melanoma. She refused to be sent elsewhere for treatment.
This world continues to be broken in a way that we cannot perfectly repair, whatever skills or gifts we bring to the table. Of course we want to bring healing, but sometimes the healing is not in this world, but only found in hope for the next through Jesus. We are so glad we have this hope, despite the suffering we may experience here, share in, or see in other people's lives. So we continue to look forward to the return of the One who promises to wipe every tear from our eyes when he returns. We continue to be passionate about others learning and sharing in this hope.
*Name changed for privacy
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He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Rev 21:4
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What will Christmas look like for us? Well, despite it being our second Christmas in PNG there's still no 3-D tree...but we make the most of the things we find!
Life gets very quiet on centre between Christmas and New Year. We expect to still be at Lapilo, and there is a church here (after all, New Tribes Mission's vision is to see a thriving church in every people group). So we look forward to getting to know our neighbours more in the quiet times and celebrating Jesus together with them all.
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PNG features almost 600 airstrips. But there are still plenty of places a fixed wing aircraft could not land...for reasons like the ground being too soft, not flat enough, or having too much vegetation to clear. Here is the helicopter in one of them (Maliyali).
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Thanks for your support enabling us to serve here.
We wish you and your families a very merry Christmas,
with love from Robert & Loralie, Emily & Michael.
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To Contact Us:
Email: robert-loralie_handasyde@wycliffe.org.au
Post to: PO Box 1 (142),
Ukarumpa,
Eastern Highlands Province 444,
PNG
Our numbers have changed!
Robert: +675 7077 8307, Loralie: +675 7917 3942
Wycliffe Australia: wycliffe.org.au
If you’d like to know anything about our journey, drop us a line.
We love to hear stories of your lives too, and are encouraged, challenged and changed by hearing them. Please never underestimate how much we value you all!
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Please do not redistribute this newsletter without permission
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