Since our last blog we learned that all blogs need to be reviewed and cleared to ensure they are culturally appropriate.  Also, the camera with our photos has gone walk-about, but I'm sure it'll turn up soon.

 

Since our last post, I’ve been out of the country.  While talking to a mom in the local grocery store about her sick son at home, it became apparent that he likely had acute appendicitis.  I had her leave the store and rush him to the clinic where I met him and confirmed his diagnosis with blood tests and an examination.  Within 2 hours we were on a plane bound for Cairns, Australia.  We had an uneventful flight and landed safely to a waiting ambulance who rushed him to the Emergency Room.  A short time later, out came his appendix.  It was not ruptured, so we got him there in time to avoid a lengthy and much more serious infection.  This photo was taken about 1/2 way between PNG and Australia.

 

Due to regulations, we’re not allowed to fly in the single-engine Kodiak over the ocean to Australia unless it’s an emergency, so we have to fly from Australia back to Port Moresby commercially, then we get picked up by a Kodiak to fly back to Ukarumpa.  I discovered that if I complete an Emergency Water Egress class then I’ll qualify to fly back to PNG bypassing the Port Moresby stop.  I’ll get that training as soon as possible, but it may not be until our furlough in 3 years.  Don't make it public knowledge, but once we got out of restricted airspace after taking off from Port Moresby, I got to fly the plane with the autopilot off all the way to Ukarumpa with the pilot taking over only when it was time to descend.  Talk about a thrill, I've flown a B-52H before for short spells, but this thing is FUN to fly!!!!!  Someone tell Joe Carver that I flew a Kodiak turbo-prop for close to an hour...

We have started the move into our new house just down the street.  We won’t officially move in until August 1^st, but it is nice to see progress being made.  This is our third move this year, but we still have three more moves total before we’re settled in for the duration.  The next move is August 17-18^th as we move to Madang at the coast for our Pacific Orientation Course.  Then we move to a village for a month during the course, then back to Ukarumpa.

The girls have started school, Amelie was up and ready to go at 0630 the first day of school.  You’ve got to admire that kind of dedication!  Elisa is doing well in school too, and is very happy that her best friend will live right across the street from us once we move.

I've obtained my PNG driver's license and have already been out driving around in a rental vehicle that another doctor rented.  He drove us to a town called Goroka (about 100km away) where he bought a used truck so I drove the rental truck back.  The roads off-center are mostly paved, but have some pretty bad spots.  We'll be driving back to Goroka next week Saturday to pick up a fellow member's pastor who's flying in.  I think my small camera was left in the rental vehicle, hoping it was turned in at the Auto shop yesterday...  Tomorrow morning we continue our orientation to the clinic.

The following photo was movie night "Spirit" with Eli's best friend Annika (to the right) and Ami's good friend Zion (to the left).

 

 

Guess who just lost another tooth about 10 minutes ago?!  She's  now struggling a bit when pronouncing her "S" sound.  Boy is she proud!!

 

That's all for now, more photos if that camera turns up!