Bush Orientation: Seeing It With Our Own Eyes

On November 24th, we took our first MAF flight as a family. We flew to the remote highland village of Dusin for a week of “bush orientation”. The purpose of the week was to immerse us in the language we have been learning and to allow us to see life from the perspective of one of the communities that MAF serves. 

A week in the mountains

We left Mt Hagen in rain and cloud which unfortunately meant we couldn’t see much on our 25 minute flight. The Dusin airstrip is the type of airstrip that you see in MAF's exciting promotional materials! It felt a bit like we were flying into one of the videos that we showed so many times while fundraising. The 450m airstrip slopes up from a drop off at the bottom into a mountain at the top – it is one way in and one way out. (Tim didn’t tell me any of this until we were on the ground in Dusin!)

There is no road to Dusin, nor is there a road to walk out to. The only connection that this small community has with the outside world is a scheduled radio call and the airplane that it summons. It is quickly evident how an aircraft is a lifeline to this community. These days there is supposed to be a mobile phone tower serving the area, but the leading theory with the locals is that the rain fills the dish and you need a few dry days before you might get a signal. We met a couple of people who were heading for the three hour hike up the mountain to see if they could call a friend in town.

Watch the Twin Otter take off from Dusin 

The Twin Otter that brought us in also carried a half dozen locals, including high school students returning home for Christmas break, and basic goods for the trade store. For its trip back to Hagen the Otter carried another new missionary family as well as coffee grown in and around Dusin. Later, as I chatted with the mother of one of the students on our plane, it was really impressed upon me how vital the airplane is here. She told me that, after grade eight, students have to go away if they are to attend high school. Parents have to come up with school fees as well as a fee for the plane ride out – the only way to get to a high school. She told me that with an ID card students are given a reduced rate on the MAF plane. The only cash crop grown in Dusin is coffee and in order to get it to market, she tells me, it too must travel by plane. So the airplane flies out the coffee providing villagers with enough cash to send their children away for an education – also on a plane.

Elementary students (grades 1-3). The primary school (4-8) is
on the other side of the valley at least an hours walk away.

Flying into Dusin is like stepping into a missionary biography. There is a rich history here on the Nazarene mission station and the villagers are happy to tell us the stories of the foreign missionaries who came. These days there is no foreign missionary living in Dusin. We were met by the local pastor and settled into the Nazarene mission house, now used for short stays by missionaries and doctors. Next door is an SIL mission house that used to house the family of the missionary who translated the Bible into the Tok Ples (language of this village). The villagers speak highly of him ("He spoke every Tok in these mountains") as well as of the first Nazarene missionaries who hiked in from another airstrip in the district to plant churches in Dusin and the surrounding communities. These early missionaries also established the airstrip in Dusin.

Tossing a ball in the evening

We had the privilege of attending the Sunday worship service. The worship songs were mostly in Tok Pisin (the trade language we have been learning) and a little English. The pastor preached in Tok Pisin with another man translating each thought into the Tok Ples (village language). The village is proud to be a community of faith. They will tell you that everyone goes to church, that there is no smoking or buai (betel nut chewing), no fighting or stealing. You can “live free” they say proudly.

Men tell Tim stories of the first missionaries

Throughout the week there were frequently men who would come to “tok stori” (talk story) with Tim on the front porch. There were fewer women around as they left early in the morning to walk down into the valley (a couple thousand feet down, I think) to work in the gardens. Those who came taught us about the history of the mission station, their personal stories, how to plant sweet potato or tie up sugar cane, how to hunt with a bow for wild pig or birds, and so much more!

Demonstration of how to tie sugar cane

At the end of the week, the pastor’s family put on a mumu for us – cooking local garden produce in a banana-leaf-lined pit. What an amazing opportunity this week was to learn from the people of Dusin about the life and customs of PNG. Everything we’ve recorded here we learned through conversation in Tok Pisin (so if we are in error on any point please forgive us!).

Steamed taro, sweet potato, greens, corn, cucumber and some pork.

Our wantok Remi came to pick us up in a GA8 Airvan (this is the plane that Tim will be flying). We awoke to a full view of the mountains and had our bags packed and ready by 7am. By 8am we were sitting inside of a cloud. We heard the Airvan fly over en route to another village but the thick cloud continued until about 11:30am when Remi was able to find a hole to pop through. As we were loading up the plane, planning to sit at the top of the airstrip and wait for another hole, I turned around and behold the whole vista was visible again! I'm told, "That's Dusin".

Farewell Dusin

We were able to see the country from above as we flew back. I'm sure I didn't see a road at all until we popped over the ridge and into Mt Hagen. What a beautiful and challenging country.

Check out more photos from our stay in Dusin on our Facebook page: CLICK HERE

The Big Move

On Tuesday, October 3rd we left Alberta in the wake of a blizzard which made for an interesting drive to the airport.  On Friday, after four flights and fifty-some hours, we caught our first glimpses of the country of Papua New Guinea.

As we hit the ground in Port Moresby (capital city), Hannah exclaimed, "We're in Papua New Guinea!  I can't believe we're in Papua New Guinea!!"  We've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it was exciting to see the MAF hanger come into view through the little window as we finally taxied into the Mt Hagen airport later that afternoon.  Upon our arrival in Mt Hagen, we were greeted by MAF staff who had a hot meal and a comfortable bed ready for us.

We are staying in the airport community of Kagamuga, outside of the town of Mt Hagen. The MAF compound on which we are living houses about five foreign staff families and six or seven national staff families. Our house and garden are lovely, with fresh garden flowers in every room when we arrived.

Our compound. Our house on the left.

Over the weekend, we rested to get over our jet lag and travel fatigue.  Interestingly, we also had to get used the the altitude in Mt Hagen at over 5000 ft.  For the first five or six days I felt quite light headed in the afternoons.

Our first week consisted of setting up life and getting used to our surroundings.  We set up phones, applied for driver's licenses, met with the various departments of MAF PNG, met the other families on our compound, toured the hanger and headquarters, and took our first trips into town for shopping (so far we've only been into town separately while the other stays home with the kids).  Additionally, Tim wrote aviation exams and got his aviation medical for PNG.

As a family, we have taken a few walks around Kagamuga.  On Saturday, we went to the little market here with the kids to stock up on fruits and vegetables.  The produce at the market is lovely and fresh as well as affordable.  We find the groceries in the stores comparable in price to what we pay in Canada; if imported from Australia, the prices are higher.  Household goods are quite a bit more expensive. Hannah also looked forward to buying a bilum (string bag) from the ladies who line up their stock along the airport wall.  Trust a little girl to adapt to a new culture by first buying a purse!

Market produce is a bit more work as it needs to be scrubbed and bleached.

The kids are settling pretty well into their new environment.  For Ethan this just means continuing his busy schedule of sleeping, eating, and smiling.  Hannah is enjoying living on a compound with so many other little girls.  Living right next door to another four year old girl is certainly an answer to prayer.  She spends most of her day either outside or playing in someone's house.  By the time we call her in for meals, she is tired and begins to miss her family back home.

View of the kids playing from the kitchen window

I have enjoyed getting to know the ladies who come once a week to help in the garden and house.  It has given me a chance to practice some of the language skills that we acquired during our training in Australia.  This afternoon, we begin our formal language and culture training course.

A Quick Update: Our First Assignment!

An update on our progress towards departure and news of our specific assignment in PNG.

In our last blog post, we introduced you to the newest member of our family.  Ethan is now two months old and continues to be happy and healthy.  We love having him as part of our lives, and Hannah is a doting big sister.  We've been blessed in making many memories with our extended family and introducing Ethan to a host of friends.  Red Deer is a great central location during the summer time; we've had many friends from up north stop in on their summer travels for a visit. 

Ethan at Two Months

We have been in a waiting period since Ethan's birth.  We went through the process of applying for his birth certificate and waiting for its arrival to send in with his passport application.  As soon as we had the passport in hand, our complete visa application was submitted in PNG and now we are waiting for approval of our entry visas.  We hope to receive approval soon at which point our passports will receive a stamp in Ottawa and be returned to us for travel.  Last week we completed the process of limiting our possessions to what fits into suitcases.  We're now living with Tim's parents while we wait for our departure date. 

We also received some exciting news last week!  After a year of saying that we are moving to PNG without knowing our exact destination, we have now been given our first assignment!  We will be stationed in the village of Rumginae in the far west of the country where Tim will be flying a GA8 Airvan (single engine plane).  The MAF base in Rumginae consists of two pilot families living across the runway from a small mission hospital, so many of the flights out of Rumginae are medical evacuations bringing patients into the hospital from very isolated areas.  The Rumginae hospital and MAFs medevac flights are highlighted in this video put together by MAF Australia:

Having a specific destination has brought a new measure of reality to the fact that we are moving to the other side of the world.  Both of us have been taking some deep breaths these past few days!  We've been preparing for departure for what seems like a very long time, especially with having a baby in the middle of it.  Sometimes it has felt a bit like living in no man's land - in between the home we left and the one we anticipate in PNG. 

We hope to be able to depart before the end of the month.  Stay tuned!  We'll let you know when we have a definite departure date.

Recently Tim had the opportunity to speak to the congregation of this
 very unique church built in the 1880s!

A New Member of the Family

Welcome Ethan!

June 21
6 lbs 11 oz

A few photos...

First days at home together.

We are grateful for the excellent care we received at Red Deer Hospital

Hannah is delighted to be a big sister and is adjusting well to her new role.

What a privilege to be able to share these first moments with our parents and family!

We have begun the process of applying for Ethan's official documents.  Please pray that these processes progress smoothly.  We will depart together for PNG when all of our entry visas have been approved.

Language Study: A Crash Course in Tok Pisin

The end of Orientation week would normally have been the time for us to enter PNG and begin our language and culture training in Mt Hagen, but as I was seven months pregnant by then we had to look at other options.  Our leadership made the decision for us to return to Canada to have the baby, but since we had three months on our Australian entry permit, it made sense to spend this time near to the MAF infrastructure and people in Cairns.   MAF arranged for us to have a Papua New Guinean tutor in Cairns with whom to work for four weeks on studying the language of Tok Pisin, using the same materials we would have used in Mt Hagen.  After the scheduled busyness and built-in community of the Flight Standardisation course and Orientation week, moving into self-directed study was an abrupt change.  The guesthouse seemed very quiet as we built our own schedule, with one of us studying and the other spending time with Hannah.

Balancing study and parenting.  Who says men can't multitask?!

The country of Papua New Guinea has over 800 unique languages and each PNGian will speak his/her Tok Ples ("Talk Place" or language of their home village) with his/her fellow wantoks ("One Talks" or those with the same mother tongue).  PNG also has official languages that are useful for communicating between tribes: one is Tok Inglis (English); another is Tok Pisin ("Talk Pidgin"), the language that we are learning.  Tok Pisin is unique in that it is a creole (or pidgin) language that has developed over the past couple of centuries primarily from English and a bit of German.

Laura with our lovely Tok Pisin tutor.

The time that MAF allots for direct instruction in Tok Pisin is generally four weeks. When being sent to a country with a more difficult language, or where english is not spoken (it often is in PNG)  it is not uncommon for a missionary to spend a full year learning an new language, alphabet and script. This was the reality for our parents when they studied Spanish (Neufeld) and Nepali (Stevens).  I think our parents are enjoying watching us go through similar situation they experienced all those years ago.

Our final Tok Pisin class in Cairns.  We asked our tutor to create an oral "final exam" for us!

Our Tok Pisin tutor was able to provide us with lots of great insight into the town of Mt Hagen (where we will begin our time in PNG) as it was her hometown.  She brought photos of the market and taught us about the different produce, how to buy them, and how to use them.  A few times, she brought her husband along as well, providing another voice and perspective to learn from. 
Hannah's Tok Pisin phrases so far:

• "Lukim yu!" (See you later!)

• "Naispela kaikai" (good food)

• "Nem bilong mi Hannah" (my name is Hannah)

By the end of our four weeks, we were able to carry on a simple conversation and I'm ready to hit the market! Now it is up to us to keep up what we have learned and add to it during our time in Canada. 

Two Months in Australia: Standardization/Orientation

How time flies!  We have been in Australia for almost nine weeks now, and lots has happened.  For the first five weeks we were staying in a town called Mareeba, about one hour drive west of Cairns.  MAF International has their training and maintenance base there, and this is the home of the Line Pilot Standardization course that all new MAFI pilots must complete.  For me (Tim) this was an amazing time of growth and learning in both professional and personal areas.  

On one of the days we loaded up the airplanes and all went to a remote airstrip to practice various maneuvers.

The standardization course covers many topics that are impractical or non feasible to train in most other contexts, yet are often crucial skills for MAF pilots.  As an example, if you are training on the Canadian prairies, you will likely be taught that if you have an engine failure after takeoff, you will pick a landing site straight ahead glide towards that field.  But, what if you are flying out of an extremely remote jungle airstrip, where off the end of the strip is nothing but tall dense jungle?  In this course we work through these situations, assessing and prioritizing risks, learning how to consider the aircraft capabilities, the precise handling that would be required, and the consequences both positive or negative that might result.  Does that mean that a MAF pilot can always turn back to and land on the strip he just took off from?  No, not necessarily.  But he does have tools and training to look back on and say "I know I can do this, and this is why" or "That isn't an option, and I shouldn't spend precious time thinking about it."  

VH-MZL is the Cessna 206 that I used for most of the course.  A fantastic airplane that previously was part of the MAF PNG fleet.

The second half of the course is designed to give exposure to "line flying,"  making decisions about who, what and where you can fly, loading airplanes safely and efficiently, and managing the variables that happen throughout a typical day flying.  I think the instructors have a lot of fun with this one! For example, in one flight I was given a scenario in which I was to fly a parcel of vaccines to a remote hospital.  As I arrived at the strip for landing the instructor said, "OK, there is a large herd of cattle sleeping on the runway.  What are you going to do?"  I decided to do a low pass to try to scare the "cows" off the runway, but apparently this didn't work - the instructor could still see the imaginary cows had not moved.  So now what?  Try to call someone on the ground to scare off the cattle?  Perform an air drop (not an approved technique any more, so not this option!) or divert to another strip?  In this case my decision was that a landing here was non-viable, so off to the next item on my agenda.  And wouldn't you know it, just as I was thinking I had everything under control the engine fuel pump failed, and the switch for the electrical back up lit on fire!! (All simulated, of course. The safety of the flight is NEVER jeopardized.) Time for more decision making, and you better hope you can remember that emergency checklist.  

Another Cessna 206, I flew VH-KBN to finish the course, and commemorated a successful final flight with this picture.

While in Mareeba for Standardization, we lived in community with other MAF trainees and their families.  This was great for Laura and Hannah who had people to spend the days with - others who were in the same stages of transition.  We joined together to make pizzas one night and invited all of the families living in the complex (at one point each unit had a pizza in the oven!) 

The Tilse Street Community on Pizza Night

At the end of our time in Mareeba, we left most of our luggage
(along with eight detailed pages of PNG customs forms)
in the hangar ready to be sent up to PNG whenever a MAF plane is headed that way.

At the end of March, we moved down to Cairns for a week-long Orientation to MAF-International. Our time in Mareeba meant that we already had relationships with most of the families who took the Orientation course with us.  It meant that Hannah knew the kids as well as some of the ladies running the (excellent) childcare program.  Although Cyclone Debbie was initially projected to make landfall near Cairns during our Orientation week, it detoured south and we experienced very hot weather (37C) instead. 

Hannah enjoyed a week of going to "school" everyday.
"Mom, seriously, that's enough pictures!!"

Throughout the week, some of our workshops ran through policy and the various departments throughout the organization.  Others dealt with the more practical - and serious - aspects of the role we are accepting: detailed workshops on safety and security protocol (such as how to exit a vehicle during a car-jacking), bribery, dealing with potential health issues, spiritual warfare and spiritual health. 

Our fellow pre-field missionaries came from all over the world:
The Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, India, and Papua New Guinea.

At the end of Orientation week, a number of the families moved to the programs where they will be working and others moved up to Mareeba to complete the standardization course that Tim just finished.  Although we will be working for the same organization, we've formed friendships with people with whom we may not cross paths again.  However, we look forward to reconnecting with some of these friends in PNG in the future.

And now... language training!  Pray for us as we endeavor to become proficient in New Guinea Pidgin (Tok Pisin) before arriving in Papua New Guinea.  During our remaining time in Cairns, we are working with a tutor from PNG.  When we return to Canada for the birth of Baby Neufeld, we'll continue with book work - unless we can find some retired missionaries in our area who want to revive their Tok Pisin skills!

Australia: Settling In

Praise God that our travels to Australia have gone (for the most part) smoothly.  On February 21st, we left Calgary for Cairns, Australia, with stops in Los Angeles and Brisbane.  Our luggage was checked right through and met us at customs in Brisbane.  Unfortunately, we missed our connection there, but were quickly on the next flight to Cairns.  We reached Cairns about 36 hours after leaving Calgary - just a little bit exhausted!  Most of our luggage will continue ahead of us into Papua New Guinea whenever MAF is sending goods into the country.

An early start at Calgary International Airport

Getting set for our longest leg

Los Angeles to Brisbane = 11,500 km or 14 hours of flight

We had the weekend to recover and adjust to Australian time at Tree Tops Lodge in Cairns.  A joint venture between MAF and Wycliffe, Tree Tops provides a quiet retreat for missionaries taking a break from the field.

Hannah welcomes you to Tree Tops Lodge.

The weather is hot, humid and rainy, a welcome break from an Alberta winter.  It does take some time to adjust to all the living things around us.  Hannah had forgotten that house flies are harmless.  She also told stories of seeing what she described as a "house squirrel" in our kitchenette.  On day two, Tim confirmed that the sightings were of a gecko (phew!).

We are enjoying the summer weather!

A swim in the pouring monsoon rains.

On Saturday we felt rested enough to take a bus into town and explore Cairns a bit.  The beach at Cairns is not for swimming (news to me!) but the Esplanade area by the shore includes a boardwalk, public swimming pool, playgrounds and a splash park.

Off to explore the city.

The pool at the Esplanade

In the city of Cairns, the tide comes in and out across a mud flat.

Early on Monday morning, we were picked up from Tree Tops and driven an hour or so up onto the Tablelands (a large increase in elevation) to the small town of Mareeba.  Hannah and Laura were dropped at our accommodations along with our luggage, while Tim continued on to the airport to begin his first day of his Standardization Course.

Settling into our accommodations in Mareeba

Tim has now completed the first of four weeks of required flight training here in Mareeba.  The days are long, and there is a still a touch of time zone adjustment happening. The hot humid weather takes energy out of you also.  There are three other pilots in the course, two Dutch (one headed to Arnhem Land then PNG, the other to Chad) and an Australian also headed to Arnhem Land.  Flight training with MAF is so different than many other places.  It is much more "what decision do you need to consider or make to mitigate a threat" than it is "here is how use this type or machine."  Tim is very grateful for the good base knowledge and training he had at Prairie that was taught very much in line with MAF philosophy, but is struggling with it being several years ago.  There is plenty of rust that needs to get knocked off still.

Tim will complete his Standardization Course on the plane on the left - a Cessna 206

When he returns from his training each evening, Hannah greets him with, "So what did you learn today, Daddy?"  She hasn't really been used to Daddy leaving on a schedule in the morning and home in the evening, the last few years have been a much more erratic schedule for our family.

Hannah has been making cards for "the ones we miss."

We have been met with great hospitality by the MAF Mareeba staff and other pre-field missionaries here for training.  We've been provided with meals, rides, and invitations to various groups and events (mostly Hannah and Laura). The property we are on includes six units housing individuals or families from all over the world who are here for training with MAF.  Hannah enjoys playing with the little boys next door; she will be fluent in Dutch soon!

The Final Countdown

In less than two weeks, we will be on a plane (several, in fact) bound for MAF's training base in Australia.  So what is involved in moving a family overseas?  Every time I turn around there is another task to be accomplished, from the important to the mundane.  Let me give you a taste of some of the last minute details.  

Once our flights were booked, Tim applied for our Australian visas (the PNG visa application is more complex and was initiated months ago). The last few weeks have been a blur of medical appointments (doctor, dentist, optometrist, vaccines), meetings at the bank and the law office to ensure everything is in order to be handled from overseas, and final connections with churches and friends. Because of the generous loan of a vehicle from friends, we were able to sell our van with lots of time to spare.

Sometimes a treat is required as a reward for all those pokes and jabs.

While Hannah had the flu, I sat on her bedroom floor keeping her company and working on the more mundane projects: Sorting a limited variety of ribbon, thread and supplies into my sewing box; writing my Pinterest recipes out on to cards so that I can cook without my phone; and organizing larger kids clothes by size and packing them into Ziploc baggies.  All of our belongings are being organized into the smallest and lightest format. 

Packing little things into Tupperware or Ziplocs to keep out moisture.

We have decided to use excess baggage on the airline, rather than sending a shipment by sea, and this has meant rethinking our packing choices.  We had been planning to ship large airtight drums with as much weight as necessary.  Now the challenge is to pack our belongings into totes with maximum total dimensions of 62 inches and weighing no more than 50lbs.

Sorting station in the basement.  Some things will go; others will be in storage.

We spent this past weekend in Peace River saying goodbye to good friends and our home church.  We moved away from Peace River in July, so we were able to give an update on our journey since then and celebrate being fully-supported and ready to go.

Prayer from the elders of the church

Hannah insisted on getting her time at the microphone as well.  We agreed, thinking she would clam up when put on the spot.  We couldn’t have been more wrong! Since her contribution was unrehearsed, I’m not sure exactly what she said, but it went something like this: “My dad is going to fly an MAF plane to take sick people to the hospital and people who are hurt and they can have their germs taken out of them… and he’s going to fly Bibles and food and toys to people who don’t have them.”  It was a privilege to be commissioned by our church for God’s work overseas.  

Hannah's turn at the mic

Please continue to pray for us this month as we travel and begin flight training and language school in Australia.  Look for our newsletter to arrive in your inbox or mailbox in the next week or two.  If you don't receive our newsletters but would like to, please drop us a line at tneufeld@maf.org