Papua New Guinea: The Place That's Stolen My Heart

-
Markham Valley, Papua New Guinea looking toward Lae
Rank upon rank of palm trees stood in slouching indifference keeping watch over the sleepy earth below. Saw-tooth mountains bristling with velvety, pale green grass stabbed into the brooding sky of skimming clouds and brilliant blue. And out before me stretched the Highlands highway, shimmering in the mirage-like haze of the hot morning sun. A bus packed with passengers bumped along with me, mesmerized by the pumping pop music blaring from the speakers above us. Our little hodgepodge family was packed like sardines into the faded seats of the old Coaster bus. I loved it. The smell of coconuts and mangoes mingled with the steamy wind and the scent of kunai grass that was whipping around me through the open windows as we sped down the highway towards the mountain pass into the highlands.
 I've lived in Papua New Guinea for almost 3 years now and yet, there's things that still take my breath away about the wonderful country and it's people. The vistas overlooking majestic sweeping valleys filled with fertile fields of palm oil, coconuts, cocoa and so many other things. The soft face of a sleeping baby emerging from a bilum as their mother brings them out, as though unveiling untold treasure. The imposing mountains that command respect and woo your heart with their siren song of beauty and adventure. The flashing white of smiles on young faces as you chat with children at play and catch them by surprise with knowledge of their games or their language. And a thousand other things. Orchids growing out of compost piles, and sweet mangoes on a hot day, gifts of fresh produce from friends that have become family, and on and on the list goes. Though I have walked through many hard times in this country I find I love it more and more as time goes by. It, and it's people, have stolen my heart. I'm so thankful God lets me live and work in this place that steals my heart, even in the hard times, and sweeps me off my feet in the best and beautiful times.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brokenness, Hope, and the Now and Not Yet

-
Image
Moonrise near my home       I stood in the shower, in the first truly hot shower I’ve had in over a week, the seeping cold slowly melting from my body. Words kept forming on my lips and in my heart in prayer for the twin baby who was rushed to the hospital today. The other twin died the day before yesterday and now the second was in unstable condition at a hospital about 30 minutes away. The babies are relatives of a dear friend and my heart broke in unintelligible words in the shower. It had been a rough day. One woman was brought in without a pulse and it became evident shortly into the resuscitation that she was too far gone. At the same time another baby was fighting for its life hooked to tubes and fluid bags, its fearful mother watching with wide silent eyes as staff worked on her little one.      Less than a month back to my Pacific island home and the black wall of suffering has already slapped me full in the face. The haunting reality of our broken world and the faintly glimme
Read more

A Creepy Crawly Welcome

-
Image
  Asiatic rhinoceros beetle  Flicking on the light I walked down the stairs to my basement. I had only been home for a few minutes but wanted to check the house and see what I’d need to do to get it into shape after my long absence. The upstairs was clean and tidy and ready for me to start unpacking and the whole house had been cleaned a couple of weeks before. I went down the stairs and turned the corner. I pulled up short. There if front of me was the huge inverted corpse of a spider, curled legs frozen and dangling in the web of another spider. The dead spider was at least an inch across and had to have been quite big when it was alive. Taking a broom from the wall, I poked at the dead spider, just reassuring myself that it was indeed dead. I shuddered and stepped around the web, making a mental note to clear away the cobwebs downstairs as one of my first chores. I’d only gone a step or two when I stumbled on a rhinoceros beetle that was struggling on its back. It angrily flailed it
Read more

Seasons

-
Image
 Note: I wrote this back in August and forgot to publish it, but it was too good not to share. So, you guys get two blog posts this week. :) Ukarumpa with a lovely double rainbow over it  The smell of freshly roasting coffee and rain glide through my window into my office. The weather is turning cooler and more foggy but the rain has slacked off as we creep into the dry season. And so we make another determined march through the seasons, ticking off the months in their turn. In the northern hemisphere Summer is tantalizingly close. Schools are finishing up their year and kids are counting down the days until break and endless hours without homework or classes. Right now some friends and I are studying the way God’s story starts in Genesis and wraps through the whole Bible, weaving in and out of what feel like unrelated stories and poetry and pronouncements of doom should the people not repent. But as we look for the common thread of God’s story I can see God’s rhythms of creation and g
Read more