Apal Bible Dedication Trip: July 9 – August 15, 2023
I’m still fundraising! Your contribution will help me assist with the Bible dedication for the Apal people (a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!!) and “finish my time” in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
If you do not currently support me, or have yet to join my team, now would be a wonderful time to start! If you do support me, please consider raising your monthly donation or sending an additional one-time donation. All gifts, big and small are appreciated and tax deductible! Click here to give.
I am using an app called “Signal” to send short periodic prayer requests for this trip. Please sign up and/or “join my group” here.
What is it like to be a Bible translator in a remote village? What does travel sometimes look like?
Below are photos and a story to give you a glimpse of Martha’s travels to Angguna village. Angguna is where I’m headed, where Martha lives, and where the Apal Bible dedication will be on August 1, 2023
After hearing about the upcoming Apal Scriptures Dedication, a Mission Aviation Fellowship Pilot remembered taking a photo “back in the old days” as he flew over Angguna village. He then sent the photo to PBT. That’s Martha! She said, “I was waving at the pilot, and Misty, the dog I was taking care of for another team, was out with me in the yard.”
A trek through Angguna
Here is an account of one trip that Martha took, trying to get from Madang to Angguna.
“Today definitely did not go as planned. I thought I would be writing this letter from Angguna, but I didn’t make it and now I don’t know when or how I will get there.
The guys came in from Umsa on Monday late evening and were ready to go on Wednesday, but there was no truck to be found. They thought there would be one on late Wednesday, but it didn’t work. Then on Thursday I chartered a huge truck and it made it out there with no problems by 4:30 on Thursday. I should have gotten on that PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) with them, but I didn’t know it would be a big PMV with enough space and I hadn’t prepared for that possibility. The plan was for Bethaney to take me out today and for me to jump in a canoe that was ready to leave and then get down to Angguna before dark. But, there was a big rain last night (about 4 AM this morning) and because the road doesn’t have gravel, it was completely impassable, but we didn’t know that until too late.
So we got out of town by 8 AM and thought we would be at Umsa by 1 PM, but it never happened. The logging company saw the big rains and their drivers parked a series of huge trucks weighted down with huge logs on the main part of the road. A few of them had pulled over enough that we could pass them, but several of them had parked on the solid gravel and so to go around, one had to go in the mud and inevitably the truck would get stuck and have to be pushed out. Several times I thought we would end up tangled up with the logging truck or the logs hanging off the back of the vehicle, but God kept us safe.
We finally decided to turn around and head back to Madang. But shortly thereafter, another small company truck came heading the direction I wanted to go and I took my backpacks, computers and dog and got in the back of the little truck with wicked looking chainsaws and off we went – getting in and out with the dog was a nightmare because the tailgate wouldn’t come down, and the poor dog was not used to making big jumps like that. When we took off, I thought that I might be stuck in a village at the far end of the language for a few days, but I thought it would work somehow. So, I went on my own. Jekop had already started walking because he wanted to go home. I thought we would see Jekop, but we didn’t. Then it started pouring down rain. I was soaked in the back of the truck. I heard the truck try to go up one hill, and it was a definite no-go, but since I had my eyes closed, I wasn’t positive that they had turned around until we got back to Bethaney and the PBT car. They had two-way radios and had radioed back to their other cars that they were coming and bringing me back. Anyway it all worked out as far as we are all safe, except I don’t know yet what has happened with Jekop. I was soaked totally and covered with mud.
I just finally got through to Maino on the phone – there was a network outage today in that area, but it finally came back on. I told him to take the stuff to Angguna tomorrow and pile it up on my porch and then to rest and decide when he could come get me and where/how. If helicopters weren’t so expensive and if that were my only option, I would do that, but … I may have Bethaney check on that option, but …
So, lesson learned about this new “way” to the village, i.e., it is not a real option at this time.”
~ Martha
Traveling to Angguna Village is always interesting!
If you’ve wondered why we have to travel via helicopter these photos will explain…
Martha has had several dogs over the years. I know Nandi (which in Apal means, “daughter,” ha-ha!) She is pictured above inside Martha’s boat as they travel the 14+ hours upstream to her home. Nandi is my dog Penny’s best friend. They love walking in town together! See the completely wrapped and sealed black package? That is part of the supplies that we prepared for this trip. The cooler is also taped/sealed shut.
Depending on the season, river travel is possible and this is what it looks like:
Shown below, Maino is cutting through one of several logs just to get farther upriver to Martha’s home. It was 14 hours on the river for this particular trip. THANK you for helping me to travel via helicopter!
Sometimes it gets too dark to travel so sleeping on the river bank until daylight is the only option. Did you see the bank in the previous picture? There are sand fleas that love to feast on you. There are crocodiles. You never know who or what might come out of the jungle. How much sleep do you think they really get?
Can you imagine yourself somewhere in this story? Being a missionary can be pretty adventurous – do you want to check it out? Click here here for more information if the Lord is prompting you to investigate it further… you never know what adventures await you!!
THANK YOU so much for helping to enable me to be among the Apal people as they celebrate receiving God’s Word in their own language! I am so grateful!!
Below is the Pioneer Bible video that I used a lot when I was first raising money to move to PNG
Prayer Request:
Please pray that the hearts of the Apal people will be really excited for this dedication and that God is sinking deep into their hearts the urgent message that they need to repent from their old ways, come, bow down, worship, and follow Him.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
~ Psalm 30 4:8
