Selling Kerosene bottles

These men are selling the plastic juice and pop bottles to people needing
kerosene. Outside of town most people use kerosene lanterns since they
don't have electricity.

Trip to Kainantu

Kainantu is a town about 10 minutes from where we live. We went with some
friends who had a vehicle to go second hand clothes shopping. The next
nearest place to go clothes shopping is 2 and half to 6 hours away.

Police Vehicle

PMV - Public Motor Vehicle

This is a common mode of transport in PNG - the PMV. It's usually so full
of people that you wouldn't think you could fit anyone else in, but there
always seems to be room for one more. When we were in the village and Noah
cut his foot with a bush knife, we took a PMV to town. It wasn't too
comfortable, especially since we were stuck in the middle on the floor. :)

Time to eat

After the singing and speakers, it was time to eat. The men retrieved their
plates and got in line. We were able to feed about 150 men and had some
food left over for the prison guards. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit
will continue to convict the hearts of those who do not know Christ.

Prisoners say thank you

The prisoners greeted us with music as we arrived with the food. We were
able to shake hands with about 130 inmates and were able to share some
encouraging words. The bottom picture shows one of the men thanking us for
our previous visits.

At the prison

The top picture shows the prison warden.

The middle picture shows a man who had been an inmate previously in the
prison. He related how the gospel changed his life. After two years of
being incacerated he was found innocent and let go, yet he is not bitter
about losing two years of his life.

The bottom picture shows another speaker who urged the prisoners to keep
themselves connected to God and his word.

Visit to the prison

One of the local ministries is a group of men from the center who visit the
prison twice a month to bring Bibles, pray, and minister to those who need
the gospel. This year for Christmas we were able to bring a meal for the
incarcerated men. The prison's typical diet is rice with some canned tuna
twice a day, so a meal of vegetables, lamb chops, and baked goods was a
highlight for the men.

The top picture shows the men listening to a program. A local church from
PNG did most of the food preparation and also led some singing.

The middle and bottom pictures also show the prisoners during the program.
A number of speakers addressed the group, challenging them in their faith
and sharing various Bible passages.

"Mumu" otherwise known as "PNG potluck"

Benita was able to experience her first "mumu" as a farewell to Rachel, who
is retiring from the clinic lab, after working for over 25 years. Rachel
shared her wealth of knowledge with many, including Benita, when she first
started helping out in the lab.

A mumu is a special feast held on special occasions. The food, from their
gardens, (yams, taro, aibeka, corn, sweet potato, kumu (greens) is cooked
together in a deep hole in the ground over rocks, covered with banana
leaves, and left to cook for 4-8 hours. Pieces of chicken are also cut up
and cooked with the food. It's a lot of work to prepare, but tasted very
good.