Archieved after arriving to Pickertaramoor

March 18th 2008

Our first day in Pickertaramoor.

Our flight was delayed at first due to mechanical troubles with a few of the planes. After waiting for about 4 hours we were instructed to board a single engine plane. Shortly after leaving the Darwin airport Melville Island came into view. As we were flying the pilot asked where we were from. We explained and he asked us about our family. He then asked if we have explained to our family that we will be working at the most remote school in the world! The flight was very smooth and the scenery was awesome! The flight time was about 25 minutes.
We landed on the dirt landing strip at Pickertaramoor at around 5:00pm. We had a nice welcome at the landing strip from some of the students who were there. The first thing they asked was, "where are you from"? When we told them America they asked," Have you ever met any movie stars or rap stars"? We explained that America is a big place.
We were then transported to the College via Land Cruiser which is about a 5 minute ride. On the way we saw a small heard of wild horses. They are very beautiful horses and there was one colt among them.
Our first impression of the campus was "WOW"! What a beautiful place! It was much larger than we anticipated. The campus takes in about 1000 acres. The streets are paved and there are even street lights. There is construction happening everywhere. It's amazing to think that we are experiencing a brand new community being built right before our eyes! How cool is that! The project here is of enormous proportion! It is truly amazing!
We met many of the very friendly staff during the evening. They were all very welcoming and made us feel at home. Our family group home will not be finished for about 2 months yet so we have temporary housing in a small portable home which will work just fine. It's air conditioned and has a bathroom. What more could one need?? There is a community dinning area where we will be eating our meals until which time our home is completed.
We slept very good the first night and are very happy to be here and thankful that God has given us this opportunity and privilege to serve the Tiwi youth here at Pickertaramoor.

March 21st 2008

Our first road trip off campus
The students returned to their respective communities late yesterday afternoon via small plane for a four day Easter break. The roads to their communities are still closed off so air travel is the only way for the students to return. All the students are at least a day’s walk to their communities from the college. The remoteness of the school is a good thing because it is important for them to be away from the influence of their communities so they can focus on their learning. It was fun hanging out at the landing strip as the students went on their way.
Because of the extreme wet season the major road to the island communities and the port has been sealed off because of washouts and deep mud holes. Therefore, construction has been delayed because trucks have not been able to navigate the roads to the port to pick up building materials. The building materials are brought over from Darwin via barge. A recent arrangement was made where the barge would dock at another location on a beach at a mineral mine where the road was yet passable. The barge landing was successful and construction crews are in the process of bringing the materials to the site. The principle asked Linda and me if we would like to come with them to pick up a new college vehicle that came in on the barge. Of course we were excited to make the trip. It was about a 36 mile trip each way. We needed to make one river crossing and the remainder of the road was in alright condition. The interesting thing about the trip was we came across a total of about a dozen water buffalo along the side of the road. These animals are huge and not very friendly. In fact they can be very dangerous. As we approached the animals they were very skittish and a few were a bit defensive looking. We drove through cautiously and it was apparent these animals can be very dangerous. They are very fast runners and ones best defense if charged would be to climb a tree if not protected by a vehicle. There was one instance where a bulldozer on campus here was charged by one.
Anyway, I was asked to drive the new vehicle back to the college. It was good to get behind the wheel again on the opposite side of the car and drive on the opposite side of the road. It took a little getting used to but it all came back fairly quickly being Papua New Guinea has the same road system. The new vehicle is a Toyota Land Cruiser troop carrier. They are large, tough powerful vehicles made for harsh conditions and will easily carry 10 people. It was fun to drive.
We are very impressed with the staff here. They are committed professional people with a pioneering spirit and most love the Lord. We have had many wonderful conversations as we are getting to know everyone.

March 22nd 2008

The fishing adventure
We set out on our first adventure to the beach this morning. It was about an eight mile drive. We needed to make two river crossings and the road was very rough in a few places but passable.
The beach here is a whole new adventure compared to beaches we know back home. There are many dangers that lurk and one needs to be exceptionally careful while at the beach. The heat alone is dangerous and one must be covered in sunscreen, wear a hat and bring plenty of water to drink. It would be a terrible mistake to swim in the water here. The waters are infested with shark and Box Jelly fish not to mention Salt Water Crocodiles. The crocodiles here are reported to be up to 19 feet! Mangrove swamps meet the sandy beaches on the inland side. With all of that to the side, the beaches are absolutely beautiful as long as you don’t go in the water and watch what’s happening around you! We were lent some fishing equipment and were excited to try to catch something. The bait we used was a smaller fish that was caught the day before in a river near the college. We cut pieces off of it as needed to bait the hook. The pole was a large pole and it took a couple of casts before I got the hang of casting it. The first fish I caught was very interesting. It appeared to be a cross between a Flounder and a Sting Ray. None of us were really sure what it was. I carefully removed the hook with pliers and sent him on his way back to the sea. I also caught a couple of sharks. One was big weighing at least 10 pounds and man did it fight. He was not a happy guy when I got him to shore as he snapped at us. I think he was a Tiger Shark.
As we were getting ready to leave the beach a large Sea Eagle was soaring around us and then perched high on a nearby tree. An absolutely beautiful bird and similar to the bald eagle.
We are enjoying getting to know our new surroundings.