(Written Jan. 25)
Dear family & friends,
We are in Chuuk at last! We arrived yesterday after an hour-and-a-half flight from Guam. The first waves of excitement began hitting me as I imagined Uncle Roger and Aunt Amy, Nathan and Alyssa waiting at the fence at the airport, where they would be able to watch us walk off the plane. We eagerly scanned the blue horizon, and after a while, the emerald edges of the world's largest lagoon appeared. Our excitement mounted as we welcomed the sight of the lush, mountainous islands within the Chuuk lagoon.
I expected an exciting landing on the world's shortest commercial runway, and I was not disappointed. We dropped elevation until it looked as though we surely must be landing on the water, but just before we touched down, the runway appeared beneath us! The plane roared as the pilot expertly brought us to an abrupt stop.
And there was our family, standing at the viewing fence where we used to stand, Nathan and Alyssa jumping up and down as Rachel and I used to do when Grandpa and Grandma would come to visit. Nearly trembling with excitement, I stepped off the plane, the rest of the family close behind. Oh! the heat! We had been told that Chuuk would be cooler than Guam, but if we thought Guam was hot...! We endured the long time it took for us to get through immigration and the security check. After they thoroughly searched the first box, I wondered if they would want to open all 11 of our check-ins. But they didn't, and finally we were reunited with our family!
We did some shopping at some local food markets and went to the agriculture department to try to get the boxes of donated seeds out of the post office, where they have recently arrived and are being quarantined. They want to look at the seeds, and then hopefully they will let them through.
We enjoyed a yummy lunch that included local tapioca (cassava), breadfruit, and cooked bananas. Mmm! Then we headed to the beach and enjoyed swimming in the tepid, salty ocean - a welcome relief from the heat! Supper was with a backdrop of the sun setting over the group of distant islands where Paata is.
This morning I awoke to the sound of tropical birds and roosters. The temperature wasn't much cooler even before dawn.
Today we are to depart for Paata after lunch, and we are told that there is a feast being prepared for when we arrive! I'm looking forward to the trip across the ocean and the cooler island of Paata. We are very thankful for God's providences in bringing us safely this far, and making it possible to see the faces of many dear people again.
The week of prayer that Rachel and I will be doing is planned for next week, with the health talks planned for the week following. Please pray that God will enable us to present the truth simply and clearly, and that the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of the children to be receptive to it and to make it a part of their lives.
There is no Internet on Paata, and we are not planning to come back to Weno until we leave February 15. So it will be a little while before we post again. Thank you very much for your prayers!
God bless,
Lisa & family
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