We haven’t lived here long enough to know the seasons, but if I didn’t know better I’d say dry season started yesterday. Dry season is a big deal here for many reasons. It marks the end of extreme mud and trades it in for normal mud. This allows the folks in the tribal areas to clear their farms and begin planting the next crop. It also means fewer canceled flights because of weather and a lot less stress for me as the pilot.
Dry season will also mark the end of the constant floods in the Higaunon tribe where they have been slugging it out with their hydro-electric system’s dam which was undermined and destroyed during a recent flood. I flew hundreds of nylon sacks and other supplies which were used to try and save the dam. It appears they have done the job and the dam is holding. If they lost the dam, they would have lost their electric system until major work could be done to re-route the water inlet for their turbines.
That dam, while seemingly insignificant, is a huge part of the ministry to the Higaunon church. The missionaries there have set up a full-blown printing, laminating and binding facility in the tribe which is used to print and bind lessons and Bibles as new portions of scripture are translated. The missionaries there are translating scripture into three dialects at the same time and printing materials for all three dialects. It is a massive undertaking that requires modern equipment and electricity to run it as well as air support to keep them stocked with supplies for the translations, and groceries for their cupboards.
Thank you for being a part of this great work among the Higaunon church. It is really neat to be working to support not only expat missionaries, but also missionaries from within the Higaunon church. This really is why we are here – planting churches that plant churches. If you want to see more pictures of this project and learn more about the Higaunon, read Lance and Laura Ostmans’ blog.