The Chapter of Life in PNG
WOW! It was been 2 months since I have been able to make a post. The internet has not been working. Hopefully, that is changing.
School is going well. The Swiss German children are speaking more English and getting into the school routine. Janet and I are very busy with all the subjects that we are teaching. Everything is hands on, no videos.
The hospital is progresssing well. Three wards are painted. Electrical and plumbing lines are going in the ground. Mike will start the sewer this week.
Friday, I decide to go get the supplies needed for the Volunteer House for Mike. Mike gives me the list of materials, I grab my market bag, Pastor Robert rides along as security and one maintenance worker. Ruben says to me as I pick up the maintenance dyno that the emergency brake was left on does not work. I say OK and off we go.
One week ago today the Puyallup Team arrived in Mt. Hagen with suitcases in hand. They had a tour of the hospital and station to get oriented and acquainted to the area. Yesterday, the team poured cement for the 12×12 storage/water pump room.
The everyone worked hard to get the pour done from shoveling the boxes full of sand and cement to hauling the cement in wheelbarrows.
According to Kayla everyone was in bed by 8:30 PM last night.
Mark, Bob, and Jeff D. with nationals helping are doing the block work inside the house. The ceiling is also done for the ceiling board. Tim has been running the backhoe and Jeff has been driving the truck for loads of sand from Water Conny. Rachel, Ashley, and Kayla have been busy painting the wall boards with prime. Everyone is going a good job and staying busy.
We are preparing for the next two teams arrival - Puyallup and Ridgecrest. Puyallup arrives July 18th with 17 team members. Ridgecrest arrives July 30th with 14 team members. Mike is ordering the final supplies for each team while they are here. Diane and Lena have processed 10 chickens for each team and cleaned the kitchens throughly. Diane has baked bread and cinnamon rolls for the first two to three days that the team arrives. This helps them have some food to eat before that first shopping day in town. Judy and the house marys are cleaning the houses, making beds, and doing the yard work. A lot of work goes into being ready for the teams to come.
Mike worked with the maintenance crew on Friday getting new lumber and materials for building a mobile scaffold system that attaches to the front bucket of the backhoe. Saturday found the station without electricity while Mike and the maintenance crew repaired an electrical cross brace on one of the electrical poles. 
Friday, Mike and the maintenance crew constructed a high rise platform for the men to work on while repairing the electrical pole cross brace. All of the electrical pole cross braces on station need to be replaced because the wood is rotted - one pole at a time. 
Mike is enjoying working with the men and helping them learn how to think through the steps of completion on a project. Mike is patient and takes his time. The men like Mike.
The platform is attached to the backhoe front bucket and then raised into position by the pole. The men used a ladder to go up to the platform.
Mike invited the Hospital Construction men for kaikia Wednesday night. The 12 men who came live in a flat down the road while they are here building the hospital. 
This men come from Goroka, Port Morseby, Lae, Manus Island. Along side this men are the local village men who also help with the hospital construction. Pastor Taima, the first district superintendent for the Nazarene Church in PNG, joined us for the evening.
Diane prepared spaghetti, vegetable and fruit trays, cabbage salad, and banana cake. After eating we played games. The men really enjoyed the games.
July 4th was a busy day for Diane and Mike. We had Diane’s birthday party at the house. We invited our PNG family to help celebrate the 4th of July and Diane’s birthday. 
Diane baked her birthday cake a couple days before the big event. The day of the celebration found Diane in the kitchen preparing sloppy Joes, vegetables and fruit trays, and cabbage salad. Everyone arrived at 5:30 PM for the meal and evening of fun. Mike demonstrated how to make a sloppy Joe. It was the first time for everyone.
After eating and visiting we played games. This was also a first time for everyone to play group games. Everyone was laughing and having a great time. In fact our PNG friends are ready for another game night and fun.
Dr. Todd Winters and team found themselves saying good bye to all the friends made during their two week stay in Kudjip, WHP Papua New Guinea. The team volunteered and visited with many people in the hospital, on the station, and off the station. The team worked on the Volunteer House completing the metal siding, putting window frames and bars in, and painting all the fascia board and window frames. Some team members painted and redecorated one of the volunteer doctor’s flats for the doctors who will be coming in the future. One team member was a professional seamstress, who completed pillowcases, wall hangings, pillows, and shower curtains for the volunteer house and doctor’s flat. The team held two Bible Schools at local churches with several in attendance. The team members built relationships with local people.
Thank you, Winter’s Team. We are so excited to have new friends and look forward to future interactions.
The Medford team is busy with several different projects. The ladies are rotating four a day to paint one of the doctor’s flats. 
They are using an oil base paint called mission white. It sure helps brighten up the rooms. Marilyn has sewn table clothes for the dining talbes and is sewing pillow cases for bedrooms. Two ladies are rotating daily to cook, clean, and do laundry. Three men are helping on the Volunteer House all day. Several other team members are working at the hospital during the morning then helping in the afternoon on the Volunteer House. Of course the Winter’s children are having a blast playing with the mission station children.
Mike is supervising the construction site. Mike has 4 men from Papa Gola’s line working this week. They have poured the siding panels for the front of the house, the roof is just about completed, the windows are being made, and the fascia boards are being painted. It is amazing how any hands make everything come together.
Medford’s Team luggage arrived Wednesday morning in Mt. Hagen. Todd, Ruben, Jeff, Sam, and Ryan head to town to pick up the 34 pieces of 
luggage that got left in Sydney as they traveled. Everyone was happy to see an extra pair of pants and shoes arrive. They did fare well with the clothes left from the Brothwell team. Judy Bennett got toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other personal items for the team. Dr. Todd said in devotionals Tuesday morning that God had impressed upon him that what he needed and what he wanted were two different things. May we learn to be happy with what we have.
