With about a week until I leave for PNG (Papua New Guinea) things are really coming together. After Frank and I scoured the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver for PNG Kina (PNG Currency) and being told from several sources that we wouldn't be able to purchase any because it is a "restricted" currency, we stumbled upon just the right amount at the BMO in Gibsons. Amazingly, someone exchanged their extra currency for Canadian in one of the local branches....how awesome is that!
I have been slowly
gathering the YWAM "checklist" items; hat, sunscreen, anti-malaria medication,
seasickness meds, diarrhea kit, insect repellent etc. Women are required to
wear culturally sensitive clothes....no bare knees or shoulders when on shore
and bathing-suites that are covered with a large loose shirt and long shorts. Two
weeks worth of clothes and toiletries are required to fit into a shelf unit
13.5 wide, 22.5 deep and 34 high (inches). I am assuming that the sleeping
quarters will be close in dimensions to the storage space....I have made
several inquires (only because I am very claustrophobic) and the answers have
been quite evasive......
And lastly my visa approval from the PNG Consulate in
Ottawa.......If you don't believe in the devil well........two weeks ago satan
was roaming the earth, bored to tears with his plight in life....his eyes fell
upon an express 3 day envelope seamlessly making its way from the PNG Consulate
in Ottawa to Sechelt with the much coveted "Visa approval" stamp.
Satan thought, I will take out my favorite colored red pen and circle the
top sender address in bold red and see what happens....hee hee hee.....suddenly
without hesitation at the next Canada Post clearing center (Toronto) the
innocent envelope hiccuped and was sent into a tail spin being re-directed back
to Ottawa then ping ponged its way back and forth across the country since March
4 until it came to rest in Richmond's sorting facility. Here it sat for a much
needed three days rest only to disappear from the system. Lost passport
with less than 10 days until departure is not a good thing! Today (Friday) it has re
appeared at the PNG Consulate and thankfully the wonderful lady there was nice
enough to email me....and ask if I would like her to pop the package back into
the mail....I'm sure my shriek could be heard across the country...NOOoooooooo
not Canada Post! Today my passport is on its way home via Purolator and should
be here on Tuesday........note to self...never use Canada Post for important
documents....they are traceable but NOT retrievable when they get off course!
If anything, the thought of my Passport being lost or not back in time solidified in my heart that I REALLY want to go on this trip. For the last few weeks I actually wondered to myself what on earth I was doing and I should just cancel my spot! I know that everything has come together for a reason and I want to go and see where this adventure leads me. I am so thankful my family fully supports, encourages and keeps me moving forward.....At work on Friday someone mentioned that some of the last Tribes that still practice cannibalism are located in PNG....she was stern to warn me not to venture into the "jungle" alone......uhhhh!
Lastly, if anyone would like to donate small dollar store
items (balloons, stickers, balls, pens, paper etc) to give out the children in
the communities we visit or have new bibles to donate please contact me and I
can arrange to pick up.
