Our visitation team with some of our CoSyn Christian hosts at Kumowa, just before  departing for the trek back  down into the valley, across the steam and up the other side for the return to the main district headquarters at Heldsbach.  Eli and Noah are sporting one of the beautifully carved kindu drums given to our group while Grace shows us her pretty red boots that were quickly covered with mud, and then filled with water while crossing the stream. 

The house provided for us at Kumowa village for our overnight visit.  It was built in just 3 days, and built so that we would have a new house to sleep in.

Amy Truhe experiencing "Accompaniment Incarnate" as she is escorted up the trail from our visit to Kumowa by members of the village where we spent the night.  

It has been a couple of days since I updated the blog.  This is mainly because we spent nearly all day Tuesday hiking down a very steep, muddy, slick trail and then back up the other side of a river valley on a similarly steep, muddy, slick trail to spend a day at a village named Kumowa.  As one of our group put it, "it was the hardest thing she had ever done, but it was worth it."  We spent the afternoon visiting and recovering from the hike while the youth introduced our Companion Synod (CoSyn) Christians to a frisbee.   In the evening we gathered for worship and our youth participated by presenting a drama based on Ephesians 6.  Afterwards, we gathered with as many of the Cosyns as could fit into the veranda of the house where we were staying, primarily consisting of youth and children, and singing songs to one another and playing games.  It was a delightful, almost magical evening with lots of laughter and celebration of our relationship.

The night was spent under our mosquito nets, sleeping on a floor with a thin mat on it, and the next morning we set off on the return walk to the road where we were picked up by a truck for the return to Heldsbach, the district headquarters.  Miraculously, although the rainy season had begun, we had no  rain overnight and the trail was a little less muddy than when we had come.  After an hour to clean up at our accommodations in Heldsbach, we set off on a 3 hour ride in a truck with little to no suspension on a very bumpy  road to visit a congregation on the northeast coast of  the Huon Peninsula named "Nanda."  We received a warm welcome and shared a meal and worship with your hosts before climbing back on the truck for  the tailbone punishing ride back.  By the time we got back, the  previous 48 hours had taken their toll and everyone was ready for a shower (only cold water but at that point, nobody cared) and to bed early.  Thursday will be an easier day as the youth meet some of the youth leaders of the district in the afternoon, and catch up on rest in the morning.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that during those two  days, Daniel and Alex were working with the district communicators on improving their facility with the computers we delivered to them in 2014.  They have been doing a lot  of individualized work with these communicators who had learned the basics during the visit in 2014.

One of our group asked the question, "why would they extend such incredible hospitality to us?"  I think that there are several answers,  not all of them altruistic.  However, I believe that one important reason is that they experience our visit as "Gospel." or as they would  say it here, "good news."  You can share the good news in many ways.  It can be done through preaching, teaching, music, drama, and in  so many other ways.  However, I also believe it can be shared just be being present.  To have people come from a great distance  to be with you not because they want something from you, nor to sell anything to you, but just because we share a faith in a common Lord Jesus Christ, and because we care for one another is experienced a Gospel, Good News, love.

More pictures and stories to come.  God's Grace and Guidance be with us all.  Gary Teske