VOLUME 3; No. 5 MAY 1980

DEAR BRETHREN;

PICTURED BELOW ARE YOUR PAPUA NEW GUINEA MISSIONARIES WHO ATTENDED THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MISSIONARY WORKSHOP. THE MEMBERS IN LAE HOSTED THE WORKSHOP THIS YEAR. MANY HOURS OF DISCUSSION WERE DEVOTED TO HOW WE CAN BEST (BY GOD'S GRACE) EVANGELIZE PAPUA NEW GUINEA BY THE YEAR 2000. YOUR PAST AND CONTINUED SUPPORT MAKE IT POSSIBLE. THANK YOU

FOR SOMETIME ANDY SCOTT AND I HAD BEEN PLANNING A WALK-IN PATROL INTO WATABUNG AND THE CHIMBU AREAS OF THE HIGHLANDS TO VISIT AND TALK WITH THE NUNEROUS CONGREGATIONS WHO MEET IN THESE AREAS. AS WAS STATED IN LAST MONTH'S REPORT TRIBAL FIGHTING HAS BEEN GOING ON OUT IN THESE AREAS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. MOST OF THE CONGREGATIONS TO WHOM WE WERE GOING ARE LOCATED CLOSE TO ROADS (4 WHEEL DRIVE AT LEAST), SO AFTER TALKING ABOUT IT ANDY AMD I DECIDED TO CHANCE OUR WALK-IN PATROL INTO A DRIVING PATROL.

(SEEING THAT THE AREAS WE WERE TO WALK THROUGH WERE RIGHT SMACK DAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIGHTING AREAS AT LEAST A CAR COULD SPEED OUT OF A HOSTILE AREA WITH SOME PROTECTION.) ANDY AND I BOTH AGREED THAT WE WERE ALLERGIC TO ARROWS.

THE PATROL HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR 10 DAYS. WE LEFT GOROKA APRIL 19. (SEE THE MAP FOR REFERENCE POINTS)

APRIL 19: POINT I - KUIFALMO (LOOK AFTER DAULO PASS UP AND LEFT OF GOROKA) THIS A CONGREGATION UP THE MOUNTAIN FROM ANDY SCOTT'S OLD HOUSE IN WATABUNG. WE CLIMBED STRAIGHT UP FOR 40 mins. WE SPENT THE NIGHT THERE AND SHOWED THEM HOW TO BOIL RAISINS FOR COMMUNION AND HOW TO MAKE BREAD. AFTER WORSHIP ON SUNDAY MORNING WE HIKED BACK TO ANDY'S OLD HOUSE AND THEN JUST UP THE ROAD TO WORSHIP WITH THE CONGREGATION AT LULAPE. (POINT 2) AFTER WORSHIP AND WHILE ANDY WAS HAVING A BUSINESS MEETING WITH THE MEN I WENT BACK TO HIS HOUSE AND WASHED OFF MY FLEAS AND HAD BREAKFAST. AFTER ANDY CAME BACK AND ATE BREAKFAST/LUNCH WE LOADED UP THE CAR AND HEADED UP TO KEU (POINT 3) WHERE WE SPENT THE NIGHT.

APRIL 21: AFTER AN UNSUCCESSFUL NIGHT AT SLEEPING ( ANDY AND I SHARED THE SAME RAISED PLATFORM AROUND THE FIRE IN A CHRISTIAN'S HOUSE AND ANDY FIDGETS IN HIS SLEEP, BOUNCEY, BOUNCEY). WE ATE BREAKFAST (UNDER THE EYES OF THE WHOLE VILLAGE) AND THEM HEADED DOWN TO CHAUVE HIGH SCHOOL WHERE WE HAD A WEEKLY RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION CLASS. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE SCHOOL WE FOUND OUT THAT ONLY 80 OF THE OVER 250 STUDENTS HAD REPORTED BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER THE TWO WEEKS SCHOOL BREAK. SO NO CLASS. A LOT WERE ABSENT BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS WOULDN'T LET THEM RETURN BECAUSE OF TRIBAL FIGHTING IN THE AREA.

WE DROVE BACK UP THE ROAD TO KEU AND PARKED THE CAR. WE STARTED TO WALK INTO KEYAI (I WISH WE HAD) BUT ANDY DECIDED THAT SINCE THE SUN WAS OUT THE MUD SHOULD BE DRY ENOUGH TO DRIVE ON. WE SLIDE INTO KEYAI (POINT 4). WE SPENT SOME TIME TALKING WITH THE BRETHREN AND THEN IT BEGAN TO RAIN. WE HAD PLANNED TO SPEND THE NIGHT BUT LEFT AS SOON AS THE RAIN LET UP SOME AS THE ROAD WAS GETTING WORSE ALL-THE TIME. WE WENT BACK TO ANDY'S HOUSE FOR THE NIGHT (AND A HOT SHOWER).
APRIL 22: WE GOT AN EARLY START. WE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE MORNING DRIVING INTO SIGIMA (#5). WHEN ANDY WASN'T DRIVING HE WAS FLYING. WE HAD TO CROSS NUMEROUS RIVERS AND COMING OUT WAS USUALLY 45 degrees UPPPPPPPPP ! TRIBAL FIGHTING HAD--JUST FINISHED AT SIGIMA WHEN WE ARRIVED. SO WE GOT ALL THE WAR STORIES TOLD TO US BY THE OLD MEN. WE SPENT THE NIGHT IN THE 'HAUS MAN' (MEN'S HOUSE).

APRIL 23: THE ROAD WE WERE ON WAS BLOCKED ON AROUND THE MOUNTAIN AND SO WE HAD TO GO BACK OUT THE ROAD AND AROUND THE OTHER SIDE TO GET TO KAGE (#6). TO GET TO KAGE WE DRIVE THROUGH A TRIBAL FIGHT ZONE. AT THE TIME THEY WEREN'T FICHTING (IN THE DAYS BEFORE THEY HAD BURNED DOWN SCORES OF HOUSE AND CUT DOWN SCORES OF TREES) BUT WE DID HAVE TO GO THRU TWO CATES ERECTED ACROSS THE ROAD TO KEEP ENEMIES OUT OF THEIR AREA. THE CHRISTIANS AT KAGE WERE ENCOURAGED (THEY AREN'T INVOLVED IN THE FIGHTING). DUE TO THE FIGHTING ANDY AND I VOTED TO GO ON. WE DROVE OUT AMD THEN BACK INTO BIMA PIAU. (#7) WHEN WE GOT TO BIAM PIAU ALL THE MEN OF THE VILLAGE WHERE GATHERED ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP WITH BOWS AND ARROWS. "THIS IS YOUR WAR CORRESPONDANT BRINGING YOU THE LATEST ON THE TRIBAL WAR IN SINA-SINA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA.- WOW THEY WERE GETTING IT ON !!!!! BIMA PIAU AND SEREKOGI WERE FIGHTING IT OUT OVER ON THE OTHER RIDGE. ALL BUT A COUPLE OF THE CHRISTIANS WERE "WATCHING" THE FIGHT. WE LEFT AND WENT ON OVER TO SEREKOGI TO SEE THE BRETHREN THERE. JUST BEFORE WE GOT THERE THE POLICE PULLED OUT FOR THE NIGHT. AS WE WENT IN THE NATIVES ALL CAME OUT OF HIDING WITH THEIR BOWS AND ARROWS. WE WENT ALL THE WAY TO SEREKOGI AND FOUND OUT THAT THE BRETHREN WERE THE RING LEADERS OF THE FIGHT. MICHAL HAD BEEN SHOT ON MONDAY AND WE HAD TO BE LED TO THE HOUSE (IF THE POLICE FOUND HIM HE WOULD GET 18 MONTHS JAIL). HE HAD TAKEN A SPEAR IN THE STOMACH. I TALKED WITH HIM AND HE SEEMED TO BE REPENTANT. PRAY FOR THESE OUR BRETHREN. IT WAS GETTING DARK AND SO ANDY AND I DECIDED THAT WITHOUT A SECURE PLACE FOR THE CAR WE WERE BETTER OFF HEADING BACK TO GOROKA. IT WAS QUITE EMBARASSING FOR ME THAT A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE ARMED WARRIORS CALLED OUT MY NAME IN GREETING AS WE WERE LEAVING.

WE ARRIVED BACK IN GOROKA MUCH TO OUR WIVES SURPRISE AND MUCH TO OUR RELIEF JUST AT DARK.

STATISTICS FOR APRIL: SUNDAY AVE: 166; THURSDAY: 234

WE HAD SIX BAPTISMS IN GOROKA FOR APRIL !!!!

KEEP THE FAITH,

WE LOVE YOU

THE HUFFS