Some photo's

Bill's first experience in the mud. It's a good
thing we had a winch!! The guy standing next
to the "Troop Carrier" is a Tiwi Teachers aid
at the school. The guy behind the camera is Bill.

Linda behind the wheel safely on the beach during low tide as we fished.
Some of the students going home for the weekend. They have had to fly for most of last term being the roads have been impassible due to the heavy monsoon rains.

Back in Darwin for a week

April 9th, 2008
Well, it’s been more than two weeks since we have made an addition to the journal. We still don’t have Internet but we have been told it will be installed on April 11th. We are on school break until April 15th and we had an opportunity to spend a little time in Darwin during the break so we are here in Darwin. During this time in Darwin we are shopping for needs for our new family group home. We just finished up four days of professional development which has been very helpful for our preparation. We will be returning back to the island on the 11th which will give us a couple of days to prepare the new house for the new term. More on that later on in this entry.
Easter weekend was very good on the island. We had our own service at one of the family group homes and one of the teachers preached at the service. He is a former pastor and the message he shared was excellent!
It’s been really good to live in community again. There are a great bunch of staff and we have been blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with them during these first couple of weeks here.
We have had opportunity to begin to build relationships with some of the students as well during our first bit of acclimation time here. We learned that we will be working with the boys which we are happy about. There has been some change in plans since we arrived. Originally, our family group home was to be complete by the end of April and at that time we would take a new intake of boys to the college. Until that time we would mentor a couple who has never done this before whose group home will be complete by the beginning of the new term. The plan has changed because one of the house parent couples gave notice to terminate which left a void in the girl’s house. Instead of mentoring the couple in the boy’s house, we will now take the boy’s house on our own and mentor the other couple in the girl’s house as time avails. Hope this isn’t too confusing!!
The house in absolutely beautiful! It is very large somewhere around 3 or 4000 sq feet! It has a huge central great room which includes the kitchen and dinning room. It has 2 large bedrooms at each end of the house for the boys (6 each in a room) with a bathroom in each. It has a spacious house parent suite. It also has a large roof covered additional recreational room outside. We of course are very excited about the new house and Linda is already having fun with decoration ideas around the house. The house is constructed to withstand a category 5 cyclone (hurricane). It’s all thick brick with a welded steel roof construction. Cyclones happen here so it is good to know we are prepared.
We definitely need your prayer as we start this new term being the boys have had a very difficult start here at the school. The last week of last term several boys acted out by throwing rocks, swinging sticks, near fights along with nasty verbal gestures, etc... Many times disputes will carry on here from their communities and there will be divisions among them. There are no communities anywhere near the campus. In fact the nearest community is at least a 2 day’s walk from the school. This has been planned so that the students can focus on their education without distractions from their communities. We are literally working in the most remote school in the world! The students here have had very little discipline or structure in their lives so all of this will take time to develop. It will be a challenge but we are thankful we have the opportunity to help to have an influence in their lives.
Internet is coming to the campus and the talk is that it will be installed before the next term starts. We will then be able to make fresh entries instead of waiting until we are off the island. The next school term will last 10 weeks in which we expect to be on the island the entire time. On Monday the day before the term starts, we will fly to a couple aboriginal communities to meet with the students and their families before the term starts the following day. This time is important as we follow up with the students and families before school starts and it is time to build relationships which is critical in this culture.
We will have much more as the school term moves into full swing. Please keep us in your prayer being we know we are in for a challenge with the boys. Thanks
Culture shock has been a non issue for us for the most part. We are excited to be back to this part of the world and working with indigenous people again. I guess if there is one thing that we are trying to get used to is the Water Buffalo in the area. These animals are huge and make a cow look small. I was taking my morning walk one morning and literally felt the ground vibrate as one stomped off through the bush. I didn't see him but what else would give that effect? I had a feeling like I was living in Jurassic park! I changed my walking route after that. More later...

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.

Off to the Island

Yep... we are off to Pickertaramoor this afternoon. We have had a great time here in Darwin and have gotten a lot done in preparation for our time here in Australia. We now have NT, Australia drivers licenses, bank accounts, health insurance, etc...
We again went out to Woolaning yesterday for some training. The training was excellent and has given us a lot of good information concerning our work with the Tiwi Aboriginal youth. After the training we spent time with the staff there on campus. They filled us with a lot of good information that will be helpful. We also spent time with some Aboriginal youth while there. We went swimming in their favorite swimming hole. The swimming hole is a series of heavily flowing small waterfalls with very deep holes to swim in. What fun! The water was in the 80's f surrounded by beautiful tropical forests. The kids were delightful to be around and enjoyed rocking-out to music full blast in the van as we drove out. Their home had a family atmosphere. 11 students were in the house and seemed to enjoy the comforts of home. After school some were on the computers, others watched TV or played video games while others played ping-pong. Over all of this the stereo was cranked up full blast repeating an old song by CCR "Who Will Stop The rain". I guess that is an appropriate song being it is near the end of the heaviest monsoon season the area has seen in a long time!! One of the highlights of the evening was a couple of younger teacher aid staff caught a baby Crocodile and were excited to show us. The little croc was not thrilled about the ordeal and was looking for opportunity to have a good bite at someones finger! It was about a foot long.
It was dark by the time we began our 2 hour trek home. As we left the campus there were several white cockatoo still stirring before settling on a branch for the evening. The road home was dark with an occasional Kangaroo hopping across the road. The roads are very dangerous at night.
Will be in touch again as soon as possible.

Aboriginal kids playing Aussie Rules football

We've arrived to Darwin!

We had a very smooth trip here to Darwin with absolutely no problems. It did take us a couple of days to overcome jet lag but we feel now we are living well with the change on the other side of the date line. Our employer has put us up at a resort here in Darwin for about 8 days to help us acclimate before heading out to Tiwi College. It is really nice! What a wonderful blessing this has been and we are very thankful for this extra time here in Darwin.
The first evening here we had dinner with the principle (and his wife) of the college who is our boss. We were so encouraged as we listened to him speak and hear his heart for the Tiwi people and some of his thinking concerning running the school. We knew after that time with them we were in the right place!!! They are a wonderful Australian couple who love the Lord!

It's been almost 10 years since we have been back here in Darwin and it is so nice to be back. We were here from September 1997-April 1998 for our DTS training before heading to Papua New Guinea. Not much has changed other than a few new buildings. A lot of memories have come back since arriving. This is the wet time of the year so it is exceptionally humid. Most of the rain has been falling after dark with beautiful hot sunny days.

Darwin a quite an interesting place. It is possibly the most laid back city in the world. It is common to see someone in the grocery store doing their shopping bare footed. It's a very slow paced community which we like just fine!!

The social issues of the aboriginal are evident around town. Its common to see them drunk and/or sleeping on sidewalks, fighting, etc... We are thankful for the awesome opportunity we have to start work with the up and coming generation of Tiwi aboriginal youth on Melville Island.

Darwin has had a couple of tragic events where the city was flattened twice last century. In world war II the Japanese bombed Darwin with about 60 bombing raids. On Christmas Eve 1974 Cyclone "Tracy" moved across Darwin with the strongest winds ever reported on Mainland Australia. The devastation was horrific.
Today Darwin of course has been rebuilt and is a very friendly, beautiful city. It's been fun for Linda and I to travel around town via bus and get reacquainted with the area. We have also caught up with some friends here which has been a wonderful time. It's hard to believe 10 years have gone by???
On Friday we had an opportunity to travel to a College named Woolaning Christian College located about two hours outside of Darwin. We had a wonderful time there with the staff as they shared their knowledge of the work to help us prepare for the work we will do at Tiwi College. We will also make a return trip to Woolaning on Monday for a training course before flying out on Tuesday to Tiwi College.
We thank everyone for their prayer. We know as we go over to the island we will face some very difficult challenges. We have heard that it has been at least 20 years since a Tiwi youth has graduated a secondary school and possibly even high school!
We heard we should have Internet on the island in about two weeks so we will make contact asap. Love ...Bill & Linda

Flying out today

Later on today we will be flying out to Darwin, Australia. We leave Denver at 5:35 pm with a stop in LA and Sydney before arriving to Darwin on Monday 1:35 pm their time (Sunday night USA time).

We have had a wonderful time here in Colorado with our children and grandchildren! It's been good spending quality time with them. There is a rush of emotions as we leave today. We will miss our family but we are excited about our new work in Australia.

We have learned that we won't be flying out to the island for about 8 days after our arrival to Darwin. We are thankful we will have time to acclimate to the very hot weather and the drastic time change. One of those days we will go to a NTSCA school in an area called Woolaning in the outback to tour and chat with staff there. We are excited about that being it will help us to understand their program before we begin our work at Tiwi College. Tiwi College is a new facility just opening with much more construction to be completed.

We continue to hear that the monsoonal rains have been exceptionally heavy. Construction has temporarily halted. The children's classes are being held under a roof with no walls with mud everywhere. Good thing the dry season is just around the corner! The children are having trouble settling in to a educational enviornment and structure with a lot of disciplinary issues. We have also heard stories of water Buffalo and wild horses around the landing strip area with the pilots needing to be exceptionally careful as they maneuver in to land. Definitely sounds like we are in for quite an adventure! As crazy as it sounds... we are looking forward to digging in!

Thanks for all your prayers as we go!!