Tales of Two - The Hap and Glady Skinner Story

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 4 OUR PURPOSE FOR WRITING THIS BOOK ......................................................................................... 7 DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................................... 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 9 FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................... 12 HAP‘S EARLY LIFE ................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................................... 24 DARWIN WALKABOUT ............................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE............................................................................................................................... 28 NOW I CAN SEE THE WORLD .................................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................................................. 55 GLADY‘S EARLY YEARS ......................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................................... 79 WORD OF LIFE CAMP (WOL) ................................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER SIX...................................................................................................................................... 86 NYACK 1954 - 1955 .................................................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER SEVEN ............................................................................................................................... 97 TO INDIANA AND WESTWARD............................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER EIGHT.............................................................................................................................. 113 AUSTRALIA AT LAST!............................................................................................................ 113 CHAPTER NINE................................................................................................................................. 124 TERM ONE 1961-1966 .............................................................................................................. 124 CHAPTER TEN .................................................................................................................................. 136 SOME OF HAP‘S TYPE OF WORK .......................................................................................... 136 CHAPTER ELEVEN .......................................................................................................................... 156 THE AZTEC STORY: APRIL 7, 1972........................................................................................ 156 CHAPTER TWELVE ......................................................................................................................... 162 SIM AIRSTRIP .......................................................................................................................... 162 CHAPTER THIRTEEN ...................................................................................................................... 173 ARABUKA AND NUTUVE ...................................................................................................... 173 CHAPTER FOURTEEN ..................................................................................................................... 179 ZUEPAK 1983-1984 .................................................................................................................. 179 CHAPTER FIFTEEN.......................................................................................................................... 185 TERM THREE, 1974-1979......................................................................................................... 185 CHAPTER SIXTEEN ......................................................................................................................... 191 FURLOUGHS ............................................................................................................................ 191 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ................................................................................................................... 201 IS IT WORTH IT ALL? ............................................................................................................. 201 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ...................................................................................................................... 205

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SPECIAL PROJECTS ................................................................................................................ 205 CHAPTER NINETEEN ...................................................................................................................... 208 EDUCATION............................................................................................................................. 208 CHAPTER TWENTY ......................................................................................................................... 216 FAMILY LIFE IN PNG .............................................................................................................. 216 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE................................................................................................................ 227 SOME LETTERS HOME ........................................................................................................... 227 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO............................................................................................................... 235 REGIONAL CENTERS.............................................................................................................. 235 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE........................................................................................................... 245 MISCELLANEOUS ................................................................................................................... 245 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR ............................................................................................................. 256 BUILDING OUR LANDSBOROUGH, QLD HOUSE ................................................................ 256 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE ............................................................................................................... 259 CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES ........................................................................................ 260 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.................................................................................................................. 267 MV DOULOS ............................................................................................................................ 267 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN ........................................................................................................... 275 THE DARKEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES .................................................................................. 275 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ........................................................................................................... 278 FAMILY VISITS AND VARYING LENGTHS OF TERMS ...................................................... 278 CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE .............................................................................................................. 282 WEDDINGS............................................................................................................................... 282 CHAPTER THIRTY ........................................................................................................................... 292 SOME OF OUR BOYS‘ WRITINGS .......................................................................................... 292 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 313 EPILOGUE ........................................................................................................................................... 316

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INTRODUCTION My Dad, Arthur Skinner, Helped A Lost Plane Land In Fog The question has been asked of me many times, how and why did you get involved in building airstrips for missionaries? My initial interest goes back to when I was nearly eight years old and my Dad was sick and recuperating at a beach house in Thirroul, south ofSydney in 1935. One late afternoon a plane was lost in thick fog and was circling the beach looking for a place to land. My Dad and the guest house owner went out and lit a fire at each end of the beach to give a wind direction to land. After a safe landing of the ―Dragon Rapide‖ biplane, the pilot over-nighted at the guesthouse. My Dad stood beside the plane the next morning for a photo with the pilot for a newspaper article. I was wonderfully proud of Dad for helping there even though he was recuperating from severe emphysema. He was a great help to the pilot and two passengers (one a professor at a Canadian University) and enabled the plane to have a safe and successful landing. He became an even bigger hero to me! I developed a love of aircraft, kept an extensive scrapbook of aircraft and could identify the sounds of all the aircraft to which I had exposure.

Did this attitude overflow to me, Hap, when I left for PNG? To my surprise my letters to my family at home were all saved! For the first four years I averaged a letter a month. When I was at sea I would start a new letter as soon as I had read all the mail that I had received. People were good at writing! I was so glad to hear from each of them. Generally, I only wrote to Mum and Dad and included Laurie and Margaret, Mary and Roy and Dinah. Sometimes I included the Skinner family next door, my Uncle Jack, Auntie Grace and cousins Bill and Jim. As soon as I arrived onshore I would collect my mail and post my latest letter home. If I knew where I was going to be when their next letter would arrive I would give them that address. Occasionally mail would need to be forwarded to me. You can imagine how important mail was to me. Some of my letters were lengthy; one was even 12 pages long. About half were air letters, thus quite limited in size but I could squeeze a lot onto it!

My letters home gave vent to what I was thinking and feeling. It‘s been quite an experience to read these letters during the last few months and to remember and re-live some of the times, places, experiences and impressions. I was so surprised to receive this bundle of letters about five inches thick last year from my sis, Mary. She said, ―Mum and Dad kept them all and when they were gone I kept them. You wrote them, they‘re yours so you might as well have them back.‖ Thanks, sis!

I left home when I had finished my five year apprenticeship and was then 21 ½ in May 1950.

By this time I qualified to work in the Engine Room of Ocean going vessels as my apprenticeship was as a fitter and turner in Marine Engineering. I was anxious to travel and see the world and by working my way, I could go more places and see more things and people. The bush walking experiences, scouting, bicycling, canoeing and, bush craft lectures

by Dick Graves were all valuable foundational inroads to continue in my land travels. The first time I holidayed in Europe was by hitchhiking and trains on my own. The second time was by bicycle with Ken Robinson of Wollongong days. I went to Scout Jamborees at Loflus, Sydney and Verdal, Norway. In Canada I went to a Jamboree in Montreal. The Scout movement gave me a lot of openings for new adventures.

I have used quotes from some of my letters and diaries that I wrote while travelling through Norway, Canada and other places. I keenly remember serving 54 visitors one night with cups

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of tea and cakes or biscuits until 2am around the fire. Staying in the youth hostel accommodations was a real plus as it gave me a chance to live economically and to talk with other young people who also wanted to see and do a lot for their money. Conversations were naturally about where they had just come from and where they were heading next.

Sometimes we all cooked and ate together. The camaraderie was quite wholesome as we travelled through Europe. Sometimes we would meet again at the next pre-arranged youth hostel.

In re-reading my letters and diaries I have noticed how unsettled I was. I was looking for the ‗meaning to life‘ or a meaning and purpose to my life. I gradually became weary of the sea and travel. I was wondering what to do next, whether I would settle down sometime, find work on land, a missus and have some beaut little children. The children that I had the pleasure of interacting with during my travelling really pulled at my heart. I eventually found the answer to life and my purpose in an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ when I was born again!

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INTRODUCTION PHOTOS

Dragon Rapide draws a crowd Pilot and Dragon Rapide after landing

Arthur B Skinner and Pilot of Dragon Rapide Pilot and Arthur

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OUR PURPOSE FOR WRITING THIS BOOK Every time we read Psalm 78:1-8 (particularly verses 4-7) we said ―Someday we should write our stories!‖ We decided to do this while we still have most of our memory.

For a few years we‘ve been encouraged to write about our upbringing, challenges, accomplishments, studies, travels, work, hobbies, friends, conversions, our relationship and its development, and our call into missions. We wanted to put down how the LORD had been faithful and to glorify Him for the work that He has done in us and through us! ―We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.‖ Psalm 78:4-7

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DEDICATION We dedicate this book to our triune God The Father, Jesus Christ The Son, our Saviour, and The Blessed Holy Spirit. For it is unto Him who is able to keep you from falling and presents you faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy. To God be the Glory!

In our lives we have tried to live as offerings to our Lord and Saviour. In some cases we feel that we have done a reasonable job, but also it has only been through His enabling. In other ways we have fallen far short of what we could have done. We know that in our weakness He is strong and we claim this over our lives. We have felt fulfilled in our lives and have been ever so thankful that we have submitted our lives to Him as much as we have and only regret that we didn‘t submit more, sooner and more thoroughly. Hap‘s desire for adventure and meaning and Glady‘s desire for eternal purpose have been fulfilled in our adventures in serving our Creator God. The humans that we would like to honour are: 1. Our parents for their love and support as well as the values that they tried to instill in us.

2. Honour the ‗Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels‘ who faithfully served the Australian and American troops in severe conditions in the mountains of New Guinea. They were conscripted for the Allies in much needed service to carry supplies, munitions and wounded personnel. They were strong, faithful, gentle, kind and compassionate. They were loved by the wounded that they carried out to hospitals in the jungle. They were wonderful servants of Australia.

3. The Padres and Everyman‘s Huts. (who helped the soldiers in WW2) 4. Alan Tobbit, our next door neighbour who first challenged me to get involved in building airstrips by building equipment to help on his airstrip at Asapa, Oro Province, PNG. 5. Bernie Crozier a converted goldminer near Bulolo, who showed us the water (hydraulic) method of building an airstrip by spending 3 weeks with us, instructing us on Langimar Airstrip in Morobe Province. He was a man that God radically changed and used.

6. Our three sons and their families. Our sons were very cooperative in allowing us to fulfil our calling as foreign missionaries. To God be the glory for any blessing that comes from this testament of His love and faithfulness in Jesus Christ.

7. Our siblings, our ‗at home families‘; Laurie Skinner, Mary Stubbings nee Skinner and Dinah Warner nee Skinner, also Ernest Price, Minnie Belle Mitchell nee Price, Helen Price and Anna Mae Reed nee Price. We are so grateful for your great helpfulness in caring for our aging parents. We didn‘t ever have to consider leaving New Guinea to meet any parental needs, thanks to you all!

8. Our faithful supporters and prayer partners. We couldn‘t have done our calling without your vital help in so many ways. Thanks for joining our team for part of our journey or for the long haul!

9. How fortunate I, Glady, was to have sound Bible teaching and knowledge about missions from Rev Russell Kauffman from when I was 19-25 years of age. That training with like minded Christian believers formed a long lasting spiritual foundation. Pastor Kauffman graciously conducted our wedding ceremony on December 31, 1955.

10. We are so appreciative of all the cordial relationships in our 42 years under the umbrella of Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) our ‗at home‘ Mission Board and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) as our ‗Field Board‘!

11. We are forever grateful to God for His leading and victory in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in all our travels and service to Him!

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS All who have helped bring this book into being are too numerous to be enumerated but here is a partial list.

1. Armon Dawson, on our second furlough in 1974, said to us at a restaurant in Indianapolis ―Write down your stories, start now!‖ We didn‘t start then but wish we had. Armon and Vera Dawson, as a retired farmer/developer of his farm land, developed a passion for building God‘s Kingdom and obeying the Great Commission later in life. They sponsored and organized ‗Pastors Tours‘ to see the mission work in Mexico for several years. This was a very effective ‗show and tell‘ ministry resulting in a great interest in such as the Otomi Indians and the plights of the indigenous nationals who couldn‘t speak the national languages. As a consequence there came a greater awareness of the need for and the goodly results from the Bible Translation movement as depicted in ‗1000 Tongues To Go‘ by Cameron Townsend and Ethel Wallis.

2. The unsung heroes who have kept us on the cutting edge of endeavouring to be relevant in the indigenous lives around us. We saw this in their love in action for the nationals they lived/worked with. Hearing Tribal Reports on Sunday nights was extremely practical and inspirational. So many names and faces race to the fore but we can only mention a few. Wayne and Sally Dye in their program research of ‗what makes a successful translation?‘ and ‗Scripture in Use‘. Bill and Coby Groot in spearheading Community Development and Appropriate Technology Projects.

Bob and Shirley Litteral in their broad, open and loving ministries, especially in weekly Bible Studies in several communities and prison while seconded to the Education Department at the University of PNG in Port Moresby. Jim and Diana Parker have also been special people in their humility and powerful ministry in spite of health issues, even more as they now continue to inspire through practical coconut extraction, providing wheelchairs, layettes, sewing machines, etc. Des and Jenny Oatridge‘s reports were looked forward to as they always thanked all the support departments for their valued contributions. Mike and Lorna Boone were like ‗family‘ to us and then Tim, Stephen, Robert, Elizabeth and Catherine were like grandchildren. Ann (nee Horton) and Merle Busenitz became our special family also in numerous ways. Don and Joanne Frisbee, our dear friends and next door neighbours. They were encouragers in so many ways (piano lessons, auction sales, motorbike rallies, occasional airstrip right-hand-man in explosives and comrade in teenager fun events, good gardeners and in baking). Now we have a problem in naming any, as we really don‘t want to forget any of the other wonderful examples and friends, just put it down to our ‗forgettery‘!

3. We were at a Gloria Namy Moore‘s annual holiday luncheon (bless her!) a few years ago. Fran Ito was there and really inspired us to ―keep at our stories‖ while we still had some energy and memory! She said, ―Oh Hap, I‟m so glad to see you here today! I‟ve always wanted to ask you, did you ride your motorcycle down the aisle when you got married?” Hap and I looked at each other and rolled our eyeballs and laughed! Then Hap answered, ―No, my motorcycle was in Vancouver, Canada 1800 miles away. Outside the church at 10:30pm on New Years Eve in Indianapolis it was a howling blizzard and I don‘t think a church aisle would be a good riding place. Our wedding was an occasion of worship and solemn commitment.‖ That question has prodded us to ‗set the record straight‘! With time the ‗fish get bigger‘; it can be a temptation!

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4. What started as a Saturday motorcycle fun day for our kids and the Dads, developed into a fabulous friendship with Dick and Bev Anthony! How insightful and practical your gifts have been for Birthdays and Christmas from you as well as the Word and Deed Board! Thank you, Anthony‘s, and the Lord!

5. I‘ve never been a good typist! Therefore we‘ve appreciated every dear one who has come to help the cause: Barbara Pace in Hawaii, Gaye Chambers and Ursula Clarke in Perth and dear Gail Larsen Skinner from nearby. We can‘t forget Peter Skinner and his keeping us on track about photos. Speaking of photos, we thank Martin Radford for cleaning up 1003 of our slides after decades in the tropics!

Granddaughter Kessiah has worked on the book covers, designing and editing them. Each and every effort has been very much appreciated! We gratefully acknowledge Gail and Peter as our editors.

6. About three years ago, we made a fresh connection, after about 40 or so years, with Denis Shelton, formerly of St Margaret‘s Presbyterian Youth Fellowship in Turramurra, NSW. Recently in Epping, NSW during a time of ‗catch up‘ he exclaimed that he wanted to publish our, as yet many unwritten, stories! That has been a wonderful ‗carrot in front of the donkey‘ or ‗rabbit in front of the greyhound‘! If that wasn‘t enough of a roll for us, mutual friends, Bill and Judith Santibanez of Epping, offered a pallet of paper for our book to be printed on!

Explanation We‘ve endeavoured to leave the wording and spelling as the speaker or writer did it.

Nearly each one who reads these autobiographies will know that Hap‘s Australian by birth and education; also that Glady is American, having been reared in Indiana. The speech, especially slang is different as well as the spelling. In this book you‘ll learn that the humour (humor) is too! „She‟ll be right, mate!‟ The scriptures quoted (unless otherwise noted) are from the New International Version, Copyright 1999 by the Zondervan Corporation. Pronouns and adjectives in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are capitalized and may differ from some publishers‘ styles.

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FOREWORD A verse in the lovely hymn by Robert Robinson is this: Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I‟m come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

Those familiar words come from 1 Samuel 7: 12, which records Samuel‘s act of praise to the Lord for past victories by taking a stone and calling it Ebenezer – ―Hitherto hath the Lord helped us‖. This book of Hap and Glad Skinner‘s is one such Ebenezer. It looks back over the years, contemplating the many people and events which have come together to form the unique account of God‘s wonderful dealings with them and theirs in their earthly pilgrimage – and to give the Lamb of God all the praise.

For me, personally, this Foreword is an Ebenezer also. I can never forget a day in June, 1957 in the Blue Mountains at a Fellowship Camp, when Hap spoke directly to me who was wanting help to prepare to preach the following day. He simply asked me, Denis, are you a Christian? I was taken aback – and reeled off what religious works I did. But, using Psalm 37 he outlined to me who a Christian really was – one who was a sinner but had been born again and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour from sin. It was as though someone turned on a light – my works were nothing and, as a needy sinner, I committed myself to Christ alone for my salvation, trusting in His finished work on the cross.

From then on, Hap and Glad nurtured me faithfully as a young Christian. I also remember Hap‘s encouragement one day subsequently when he said, Denis, you are going to be a born-again Pressie minister. While Hap, with Amos, would say I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet‟s son (Amos 7: 14) – this did come to pass. And I have never forgotten these two dear people who, under God, played such a significant part in my life in the Lord Who saved a wretch like me – amazing grace!

So gladly I commend this fascinating and well-illustrated account of their personal pilgrimages in Christ, and pray that it will enjoy a good circulation bringing glory to our God Who alone does all things well. And, as this Ebenezer is raised – may the authors look forward in the Lord‘s time safely to arrive at home. And what a day it will be rejoicing with the Saviour who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Denis C. Shelton January 2011

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CHAPTER ONE HAP‟S EARLY LIFE ―I was born at a very young age!‖ How many times I have heard people start their stories that way. Just for fun I‘ll follow suit. On the 31st October 1928 in Turramurra, NSW, Australia (near Sydney) I, Harold Morison Skinner, chose Jennie (Hanson) Skinner and Arthur Benjamin Skinner to be my wonderful parents!! My Dad was 40 years old and Mum was 38. I was born the 3rd of 4 children. Laurie (Lawrence) was 5 and Mary almost 3 when I came. Dinah was over 2 years after me. The year I was born my parents had a red brick house built on a block next to my Uncle Jack (John) and Aunt Grace. The Skinner brothers built next to one another so they could help each other care for their father (James Morison Skinner) in a wheelchair since he had a stroke at about 50 years old and their mother (Alison Skinner nee Henderson). Neither were in good health. A concrete path was laid between the two homes to aid in their care. Back then there was not much outside help so care for the aged was a family matter.

The longer I live the more I appreciate my parents and the example they set me in their shared caring of Dad‘s parents. Grandma Skinner died before I was born and I barely remember my paternal Grandfather. My maternal grandparents had passed away before my parents married. My Skinner cousins (Bill and Jim) next door were almost like brothers to us as Bill was about four years older and Jim one year younger than me!

Home Life I can‘t remember ever hearing my parents raise their voice at each other or argue in front of us. Life at home was enjoyable and there was some humour. Most of all I knew that my parents loved each other and each of us kids—individually and without favouritism. They took an interest in everything that we did—for me it was school, selling vegetables, sports, work, caddying, bicycling, scouts, canoeing and bush walking.

Being reared in the ‗depression‘ had its financial constraints but we didn‘t feel deprived. We knew it was not easy for Mum when Dad developed emphysema as he worked at the Council opening bags of cement for concreting. The emphysema caused Dad to be hospitalised for over 4 months. I didn‘t know until many years later that at that time Mum sold some of her inherited family jewellery (her father was a doctor and her mother was the oldest daughter with six brothers born to Gracius and Mary Broinowski. Mum‘s Grandfather Gracius Joseph Broinowski was a famous painter of birds and flowers of Australia, after he emigrated from Poland when he was 18.) To feed four children when Dad was so sick, Mum took 4 year old Dinah with her to clean some friends‘ homes while we older children were at school. Later during the war as conscripted labour to the Flour Mill, my Dad got to coughing badly and the owner, Sir Robert Gillespie, saw him. They attended the same church so knew each other a bit. Sir Robert said to Dad, ―Mr Skinner, This isn‘t a good place for you to work! It would be better for you to be out of doors. Would you like to do the gardening at my home?‖ That sounded great to Dad and this started a long, happy work association for them both.

Working With Dad My Dad, the younger of two brothers, had to eke out a living as a market gardener. I worked with my Dad in his garden digging ground ready to plant vegies - cabbage, lettuce, caulie (cauliflower), watermelon, rockmelon, pumpkins, spuds (potatoes) and carnations. When we

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had excess produce, I‘d take them around to neighbours taking orders to deliver the vegies on Saturday morning. Before WWII, Dad grew pink carnations for some hotels in Sydney. I would help him at times to prepare the carnations for market by ―debudding‖ them at night and cutting the new cuttings with a razor blade ready for replanting. Dad had a very small glasshouse.

Making Models An activity I was fully involved in was hobbying in my ―shed‖ that Dad and I had built from junk wood, etc. As soon as school was out in the afternoon, I‘d make a ‗bee‘ line for home to work in the shed! While in the ―shed‖, I‘d make model aircraft, like a Sunderland Flying Boat, Boulton Paul Defiant, Spitfire, Messerschmitt, 109 Hurricane, Fairey Battle and a Wellington. All these were solid wood models, before plastic or balsa wood models became available! I also made ships, like the Graf Spee, cargo boats, a torpedo boat, a destroyer, etc.

The local hardware was happy to sell any of my models! I made about thirty of them over 23 years. I really appreciated my Dad for his great interest showed in me by being able to build that shed with him. It stood from 1940 to 1984 when we sold the block and house and the shed was demolished. Fortunately, I was in Papua New Guinea at that time.

Japanese Float Plane It was while cutting firewood in our back yard with my sister Dinah, using a 5ft cross cut saw, on a clear, but cold winter night that I heard a strange aircraft with no lights. Since I was very interested in wartime aircraft, I could identify aircraft even by sound only. It was a sound I‘d never heard before! I came inside saying, ―It sounded like a Jap float plane!‖ This was because it sounded different than any plane I had heard and also sounded like the engine was detached from the main body of the plane, in some way. My sister, Mary, confirmed this fact to me recently that she remembers me saying that. That night it flew around Sydney wharfs and dockyard and Cockatoo Docks. Several days later, the Jap Midget Submarine attacked Sydney Harbour. Their goal was the heavy cruiser, USS Chicago and HMAS Canberra! They missed both but hit the Australian Navy Training Ferry, ―Kuttabul‖, where 18 seamen died! ‗All-hell-broke-loose on Sydney Harbour‘ and we could hear the depth charges and coastal gunfire 10 miles away. It was an exciting night for a young fellow!

Most all windows were already browned out and just a few streetlights on. This was because it was a wartime ‗black or brown out‘ regulation.

Some Of The War Time Preparations This Japanese submarine attack really caused a stir in Australia to such an extent that the war loan was rapidly over subscribed! It was an exciting but sad time for me as we listened to the progress of defeat on the wireless. It was then that the two brothers, Dad and Uncle Jack, decided to build an air raid shelter together to house our two families and some neighbours.

One of those close by advised us and he supplied the 6 foot by 3 foot by 1/16 sheets of steel plate as he was an engineer in a factory. I remember we dug it about 5 feet deep with duckboards underneath (to keep feet dry) in a V shape 40 feet long. After covering it with about a foot of dirt from one end, we had a water pipe 69 ft long going down to our house as a communication tube we could talk through. We practised several times by taking a first aid kit, torch, lantern and food storage. Eventually it was destroyed (not by the enemy) but by a very heavy long drawn out rainy spell. We were weeks drying it out by syphoning the water in several long hoses, then uncovering the sheets of steel, then pulling out the framework. While we were doing this in Sydney my brother, Laurie, was building anti aircraft gun emplacements in stinking hot, humid, fever ridden Port Moresby, New Guinea.

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During the Second World War in Australia ―it was stated by Admiral Yamamoto in Feb, 1942 to the Japanese War Cabinet, ‗Give me two divisions to land in the North and I will capture Australia‖. ―It was fortunate for us that the Japanese concentrated on New Guinea instead of Australia. It must be remembered that at this time most of Australian forces were overseas; three of our four army divisions were in the Middle East and the fourth was already prisoners of the Japanese after the debacle of Malaya and Singapore. Our Air Force were largely in Britain and our Navy having lost 2 of its 3 light cruisers, the ‗Sydney‘ and ‗Perth‘, two of its six destroyers and two of its three sloops were in the Mediterranean‖ (quoted by Ian Mitchell Chronicle of Navy Years 1941-1946, Signal man Ian Mitchell S 6362).

It was at this time that my brother Laurie departed Australia in the Army as a gun plotting Officer GPOAck in Heavy Anti-Aircraft platoon headed for Port Moresby on the M.V. Tahroona. He was there for two years near Wards Strip in Port Moresby. He saw plenty of bombing raids. One involved about 100 ―Betty‖ twin engine bombers. The Japanese came within 20 miles of Moresby over the Kokoda trail before being pushed back to Kokoda and eventually to Gona, Buna and the sea on the North side from whence they landed by ship and barges.

This is the time when the faithful Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels excelled and helped the American and Australian forces to eventually defeat and drive out the enemy to free New Guinea from a very vicious and savage enemy. Thanks be to You, O God! Pymble Golf Club Work Somehow, I never was interested in team sport during the war even though I was a caddy at the salubrious Pymble Golf Club. Here I earned ‗big‘ money of about 2/6 (two shillings and six pence) per round at 11 years old. I was caddy for the stingiest player of them all there.

But my brother‘s attitude was ―be faithful in this job and you‘ll be rewarded‖! Eventually after about 1 ½ years, I was rewarded by being offered the ‗boot boy‘ job that Laurie had to give up as he was joining the military in 1941. So I was the ‗boot boy‘ for a couple years. I made more money and banked it and paid my way at home to help my folks. Laurie taught me to save and record all the money transactions including buying war bonds! Laurie was very different than me but I really benefited and am appreciative of his kind and gracious training. I didn‘t enjoy golfing like Laurie did; he was a champion as a caddy and as an amateur golfer after returning from PNG. After work I would take off on my old bike or ‗mangle‘ as I called it to get around the Army Camp at St Ives showground. Seeing the search lights and anti-aircraft emplacements, the Army trucks and the anti-tank guns was a thrill. It was an exciting time for me, though I did not know the implications of Australia being at war with Japan. I saw many US service personnel that had been invited as guests to the Golf Club house by the friendly Aussie club members.

My older sister Mary had just joined the Women‘s Australian Air Force (WAAFS) and she eventually went to Melbourne as a stenographer where she met her future husband, Roy Stubbings. He was in the Army and had been a farmer in Queensland.

I was in Hornsby Technical School and then went to Crows Nest Tech at the height of World War II while Dinah, my younger sister was at Hornsby Girls High. There was much aerial activity around Sydney and I was very excited at seeing anything that flew or that moved

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along the road like Army trucks. All this activity kept me off the road and I was able to be occupied happily with my hands. This was as well as caddying Saturday and Sundays. I really enjoyed it towards the end of the war when the British Ships were discharging their planes before coming in to Sydney harbour. There was a Fleet Air Arm airstrip about 25 miles away. Our house was ‗on track‘ for the strip at Schofields which was my favourite ‗spotters‘ location. I delighted to ‗spot‘ from the ridge of our house roof!

Some Youthful Activities I rode my pushbike 18 miles out to the Bankstown airport to check on any kind of aircraft like the Beau Fighter ―whispering death‖, Kittyhawk, Spitfire and to top it off the most thrilling of performances by a new British fighter built in Australia, the ―Mosquito‖. It was a 400mph plywood machine. The pilot brought it below the level of the hangar then barrel rolled it 6 times on one engine as he cruised away. It was so thrilling!

When I was in fourth year high school at North Sydney Tech I could see all kinds of aircraft close to the harbour from my seat in class. Seeing battered ships being towed in to harbour and so much war activity I wasn‘t making good grades because of the distractions. I was 16 and tried to enlist in the Navy but was told to ―go back to school Sonny‖.

My Dad knew Sir Robert Gillespie who had a contact with Mr Julian the Engineer advisor who advised me to go for a degree course. I really appreciated my Dad‘s interest in making contact with these men to get me into an apprenticeship. I was advised to do the Trades Course as well as advised by a senior man to do the more advanced diploma. It was a bad move as I failed the diploma as well as the marine course that I had tackled. In hind sight I believe that it was the wartime actions that were a distraction. I became very confused but very fortunately I was approved to do the apprenticeship to become a marine fitter and turner at Morts Dock and Engineering Company in Balmain. This is where there was practical excitement in engineering and where learning made sense. It was where you‘d have to get your hands and overalls dirty to learn a practical trade.

The first month there we were able to visit the newly constructed Garden Island Naval Graving Dock, which was the enormous dry dock that would take the largest ships. It was exciting. We also visited the British Battleship HMS Howe 35000 tons. I visited it five times and afterward made drawings so that I could make a 2‘6‖ model of it. I had no plans so came up with my own. We were also able to visit various aircraft carriers like the ―Vengeance‖ and ―Indomitable‖. All of these ships had seen action in the South Pacific engagement with Japan.

Church And Sports Sunday school: I usually attended the local Presbyterian Sunday School up till I was 12 when I went Caddying at Pymble Golf Club. It was about this time that I connected with the Presbyterian Fellowship called the PFA. It was a very active tennis group. I was not ‗into‘ tennis and not an avid team sportsman; some might call me a ‗loner‘. I did my own thing, but still went to the PFA socials. Church was a sideline interest and I would attend at night if it was convenient. I always felt on ‗the outer‘ with the church people because I was otherwise involved and interested. Along with the Rover Scouts (equivalent to Eagle Scouts in the US), I became interested in the Bushcraft Assoc. who had adventurous weekend camps at Waterfall - south of Sydney. This was extremely interesting as they taught ‗living off the land‘ and using the Australian bush as a ‗friend‘. The courses were taught by Richard Graves ―Dick‖ or ―Wontalla‖ who‘d been in the Australian army in a Search and

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Rescue unit in the South Pacific. I‘d go down every 3rd weekend. Sometimes I‘d call in to the Presbyterian PFA on Sunday after the weekend camping so I‘d look and smell a bit scruffy. Hence, I just didn‘t fit the mould that I felt was required of me. I‘d not had a great spiritual interest from the PFA, the church or the pastor. This, to me was a secular, very liberal, modernistic church. No salvation, no resurrection, no hope and very dead. I had another spiritual experience somewhere about 1947 or so. I heard a gramophone record of the Holy City ―Jerusalem‖ sung by Richard Crooks. I was moved spiritually, so after a while I bought the same record from Nicholson‘s in town. Then I sat in our darkened lounge room to listen to the words. I was strangely moved spiritually trying to understand the meaning of it - especially the ―Shadow of a cross arose upon a lonely hill‖ and ―Hosanna in the Highest; Hosanna Forever more‖. I did not realise they were singing about Jesus Christ‘s crucifixion on Calvary for me. This hymn is still a favourite and stirs me spiritually.

Rover Crew When I was 16 I was in the midst of my 5 year Marine Engineering apprenticeship and studying at Tech College in Sydney three nights a week. Half a day a week I joined the Hornsby District Amateur Cycling Club (HDACC). For training I‘d cycle about 15 miles each way from Turramurra to Central and Morts dock two days a week. After about two years of that I joined up with Turramurra Rover Crew. We would go camping and bushwalking then canoeing about one day a week. I‘d get with fellow rovers for a 2 day camp or hike. One Christmas time in 1946 I attended the Scout Jamboree in Loftus Park south of Sydney with the Turramurra Rover Crew. With us were Fred Brown, Pat Edmonston, ―Chick‖ Carey, Dick Benson our Rover leader, and Alan Limburg. All these and several others were fine upstanding examples of Australian men. I had great times with them. Before I first left Australia at 21 years of age, I had built a 14 foot Canadian canoe and a 10 foot two-man Kayak canoe. With other scouts or friends I canoed the Warragamba, Wollondilly, Nepean, Williams and Murray Rivers. In the Rover Scouts I began to hike in the Snowy Mountains and other places with friends.

I successfully completed the 5 year indentured course and could leave Australia as a marine engineer with a fourth class ticket. Little did I know how valuable all this training and experience would be for me in my future work.

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CHAPTER ONE PHOTOS HAP‟S EARLY LIFE

Arthur Benjamin, James Morison, Jack and Alison Skinner nee Henderson

James and Alison Skinner

Arthur Benjamin Skinner on „Tommy‟ his horse Arthur, James, Alison and Jack Skinner

Jennie Skinner nee Hanson

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Grandfather James Skinner with Laurie and Mary

Jennie Skinner with Baby

Turramurra House Carnation Boxes ready for shipping

Hap sawing wood in front of the shed he built with his Dad

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Bill, Mary, Laurie, Hap, Dinah and Jim Skinner

Hap, Mary and Laurie Skinner

Mary, Laurie, Dinah and Hap

Jennie Skinner with Laurie, Dinah, Mary and Hap

Laurie, Hap, Dinah and Mary Skinner Arthur B Skinner family

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Bill in Air Force uniform, Mary, Hap, Dinah, Jim

Hap, Arthur (Dad) and Laurie doing „three monkeys‟

65 years later Hap with three models he built in the shed when he was young

Picnic at Bobbin Head after the war

Hap holding his model of the HMS HOWE Skinners Picnic at Bobbin Head

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Early Scout Adventure Photos

Our happy mob during a walkabout The five who canoed the Murray River

Max Burke, Bruce Gordon, Bronc Saunders, Norm Camps and Hap

Canoe that Hap built

What Happened?

Where is the canoe?

Water purification using socks and the „poo bahs‟ (Scout leaders) observing 'Our mob' the happiest bunch in camp

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Transporting our canoe on the road on a trolley from the Nepean River

Turramurra Rover Crew walkabout

Blue Gum Forest Blackheath fun and games on our 'coracle'

Hap receiving trophy for canoeing across Sydney Harbour to the Scout Camp with Max Burke

A pig trap and 'our' mascot

Bruce Gordon walking across a river

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Letter to Hap from Paddy Pallin and Rover Ramblers Badge for shoulder patch

Article about Hap Bicycling to Katoomba, 66 miles in one day

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CHAPTER TWO DARWIN WALKABOUT It was in December 1947 when I was just over 19 years old, that I decided to go hitchhiking with one of the scout masters; maybe up to Rockhampton and take about 2 ½ weeks before returning to continue my apprenticeship at the Dockyard. As the time of departure came close, my mate pulled out so I went alone! Hitching to Brisbane then Rockhampton and since it was so easy; I struck out to Mt Isa. I felt constrained to go on to Camooweal on the Queensland Northern Territory border. Hitching was a lot tougher out there with fewer vehicles! That night I called in to the Methodist Inland Mission Station, where I met the missionary pilot Bill Turner, who was visiting from Mt Isa and the local padre (missionary chaplain), Ray Lyons. They were ministering to the outback pioneers in Queensland and NT. After a simple bush feed prepared by one of the Mishos (missionaries) we sat around the table. We shared with each other our experiences but the shocker came after I ―hit the sack‖ (went to bed) on the kitchen floor in my sleeping bag with my boots as a pillow. I was pretending to be asleep but I was ―doggo‖. I actually heard these two men praying, across the table from each other, they were praying for ME!! I was shocked, as I‘d never heard anyone pray like these fellas. It sounded like ‗conversational prayer‘ where they would agree with each other by saying amen, not just at the end of prayer! I thought only the Minister in the pulpit could pray like this, not common ordinary laymen! I didn‘t sleep much that night!

Camooweal After a simple breakfast I departed and headed out of town with my pack to the Georgina River -1 mile away, which only flows once a year in the ‗wet‘ season. It was simple to set up campsite there so I could instantly pack and jump aboard the next truck through to Tennant Creek. I waited there in that spot for six more days, just waiting, nothing to do. It was boring, so one night I went for a short walk up toward town, (Camooweal). I could see several kerosene lights. I was praying to the Lord God Almighty. I was burdened with my situation; no trucks, sitting, waiting, hoping, when I promised the Lord in prayer that I‟d follow in the footsteps of Tommy Walton MM (military medal). Tommy was a friend of our family and well liked by all. Our Mothers had been close friends in boarding school. He died in Balik Papan in Borneo near the end of the war in July 1945, while serving as an army stretcher-bearer. I didn‘t realize what an influence he‘d had on my life for God. He was won to Christ in Ingleburn Army Camp in 1942. God used an outstanding Australian Army Chaplain, John Ridley MM, to bring the message of salvation in repentance and forgiveness through a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. Tom became an outstanding Christian in the Army, as he was dramatically changed. God used Tom to win many of his Army mates and others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Darwin 1948 Now back to my story. In 1947, I‘d joined the Ambulance Corps to get experience in first aid while at work and in scouts. The motto of ―Be Prepared‖ was something I needed to keep in mind as I waited for a ride that might come at any moment but seemed to take an eternity to arrive. At last, a truck came along and I climbed aboard. I got off at Avon Downs cattle station just 40 miles on the inside of the N.T. border. Then I waited and filled in time for another 7 days! The idea of turning back and hitchhiking the other way never entered my mind! I had travelled only 40 miles in 2 weeks!! I was wisely scared silly of walking on to Tennant Creek another 300 miles across dry and barren Australia! Eventually I reached

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Darwin after having been picked by a kind Chinese gentleman in his truck. I stayed in Darwin for three days. Then I went to Alice Springs by sitting on the back of a semi trailer.

On arrival in Alice Springs I heard of a RAAF DC3 heading for Adelaide so I asked the chances of getting a lift to Adelaide. The pilot referred me to the Co-Pilot.

The Co-Pilot said, ―I understand that you want to ride with us to Adelaide today. What is your name?‖ ―Skinner, Sir‖, I answered. ―I knew a Skinner in my flying days in England with the Lancaster‘s‖, he commented. ―My cousin, Bill Skinner, Flew in England on Lancasters in the war‖ I explained. ―Where are you from?‖ queried the Co-Pilot. ―Turramurra, in Sydney‖ I explained. ―I phoned him there!” he exclaimed. ―I answered the phone because the phone was in our house and then I went next door to get him to talk to you!‖ I said.

He said ―Small world! Just fill out these forms and sign them which releases the government of any legal responsibility in the case of an accident. Then get your pack and get on, Skinner.

We leave in 30 minutes.‖ ―Thank You, Sir!‖ I exclaimed.

My First Airplane Ride So, I was able to climb aboard where there were about 10 other Australian service men who were on the Japan-Australia run of the occupation forces in Japan. It was the first time I‘d ever been in an Aircraft and it was very exciting for me. It saved me up to a week of hitch hiking over the most difficult and barren stretch of Australia.

Visiting New Relatives When I arrived at the Air Force Base for Adelaide at Mallalar I phoned my Mum‘s youngest sister Enid and her husband. They came and met me. It was very nice of them to do that although I had never met either of them or their children (my first cousins). (Sydney and Adelaide were a long way apart in those days!) They invited me to stay with them, which was great. My uncle phoned a newspaper journalist who came up and interviewed me and took my photo though I could hardly smile due to my lips being cracked from riding on the back of the trucks in the tropical sun. See the article that was written up. That article went out to other newspapers on their wire service to use if they wanted. It was picked up and used by a paper in Sydney. My folks got to see the article before I did and the dock yard saw it as well! It was quite interesting to meet an Auntie and her whole family and to stay with them from Friday until Monday and then I was on my way again. It took another three days to hitch to Sydney. Home at last! Now to face the consequences of my long absence. I was away 3 months instead of 3 weeks! Dad and Mum‘s response; they were overjoyed to see

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me safely home but naturally disappointed at the length of my stay away. I had sent two wires to them. I would have written, but I had no forwarding address and it wasn‘t easy to set up and allocate time to write.

Dad‟s Letter To Mr Crawford & Co. 1.2.1948 Mr Crawford & Co. Dear Sir, I am writing of my son Harold who is serving his apprenticeship with your firm. For 2 months prior to his annual leave coming due, he and another Rover Scout pal started planning a quick ―hitch hike‖ each having about 3 weeks (with Xmas to New Year week included) to Darwin of all places being their objective. Right from the start my wife and self also many friends endeavoured to dissuade them and suggested the coast trip to Rockhampton, but without much success.

Harold for sometime previously had been reading books on Central Australia and seemed to be obsessed with the idea of Darwin, one book was ‗The Great Inland Loneliness‘. We said he‘d never do that trip in his allotted time. The reply we got was that with any sort of luck in transport it might take another week or so, they were both willing to take that risk. Two days before they were to start, the other lad‘s parents (and I wish now that we had done like wise) said it was all off and in no uncertain manner). This upset Harold, but after he had recovered from the shock, it seemed to make him all the more determined. He left here on the Tuesday before Xmas and was lucky enough to get a lift of just on 740 miles right into Brisbane where he arrived on Xmas eve. I am not going to worry you with what happened from there on, but this spark of luck must have given him a great kick. To be brief after many holdups at Emerald, Longreach and Camooweal owing to heavy rains, we yesterday morning received a wire from Darwin where he arrived at 3am. In two of his letters he has mentioned about his absence from the Dock that he will have to take his medicine on return.

We have been considerably worried about him, but this has been considerably overshadowed by the attitude your company will take to his escapade. My wife has rung the Dock and spoken to the foreman on 2 occasions but I thought writing to you explaining the whole thing would be best.

Trusting his absence is not causing undue inconvenience in the workshop, that under the circumstances you will see your way to deal as leniently as possible with the lad. I also sincerely hope that it will not affect his Indenture.

Yours faithfully, Arthur B Skinner The Apprenticeship Board‘s punishment was 1 week‘s suspension and a ‗good behaviour bond‘ for the next year.

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CHAPTER TWO PHOTOS DARWIN WALKABOUT

Hap after hitchhiking 5,700 miles

Newspaper Article about Hap

Lips were dry and cracked, it was hard to smile

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CHAPTER THREE NOW I CAN SEE THE WORLD

By Deep Sea Ships Some Early Adventures In May 1950 I left home, when my five year apprenticeship was completed. It was a long term goal successfully achieved. All knew of my desire to travel overseas by working in the engine room of ships. You might say my way was being paid for by my work. I first got a coastal vessel from Sydney to Melbourne and return to Sydney, before I could join a deepsea tramp freighter bound for England via Helsinki with a load of wheat for Finland. Then we sailed for Lulea, North Sweden, and loaded iron ore for Baltimore. On the way, I ―paid off‖ (collected my pay) the ship at Gothenburg, Sweden and hitch hiked for a few days before getting a ship to Newcastle on Tyne. On arrival in England, I thought, ―This is freedom‖ (so good to be off a ship), I can do what I like. I hitched to London and stayed for 2 weeks in Somers House, the Scout Hostel accommodation. I planned a trip to Europe hitching for 3 months. I visited Paris, Rome, Innsbruck, Vienna, for a week, then onto Germany and Belgium and France and eventually a ferry to Dover then London. I was beginning to experience an English winter, with snow, slush and cold and dark days. It was depressing so I decided to go back ―to sea‖. I got a tanker to the Mediterranean, then eventually Mediterranean to Hamburg, to Singapore, Miri, Borneo, and Cape Town to Buenos Aires, to Cape Town, Singapore to Cape Town to B.A. to Montevideo to Curacao.

At Curacao we loaded oil and headed for Rotterdam across the North Atlantic up to the point of paying off the tanker. Where I could I‘d try to go to church at Seaman‘s Mission. I did not hear any sermon that grabbed me or showed me the way of Salvation in Jesus Christ.

Eventually I returned to Europe with skis and for camping, hitchhiking and climbing alone in Jotunheimen Mountains of Norway for 10 days till I sprained my ankle. In retrospect I was not wise hiking alone! I limped in to a Norwegian Fiord town then returned to England by a North Sea ferry.

A Moral Judgment We came into Singapore after I had been on the tanker Llanarth for six months out of London. We had taken a load of oil from the Eastern Mediterranean, near Israel where we could see the snow covered Mount Herman 26 miles away, to Hamburg, Germany. New orders came so we sailed through to Port Said and went through the Red Sea and across to Singapore. After our arrival one engine would not start so we had a layover . The Engineers, of which I was fifth, all went ashore ‗to be relieved‘ by session with some professional women. You see we were all ‗professional‘ people (engineers). I praise God even today, 55 years later, that I still believed what the scriptures say ―How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You‖ Psalms 119:9, 11. I went with the engineers to their appointments but I chose to remain outside to hold their packages. It was my volition to stay a virgin.

I praise God for my respect for my Mum and sisters, for the advice that I had from my Dad. Four or five years later Dad wrote to me and said ―Son, are you still a virgin?‖ Thank You, Jesus, I could reply ―Yes, Dad and thanks for asking and for setting the example!‖

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In 1951, I had returned to London to Somers House Scout Hostel to collect my bicycle. It was a dull dreary day. While riding I suddenly skidded on wet tram tracks and flipped over to find myself and the bike immediately in front of a double decker London bus which had stopped less than six feet away! Much shaken and nervous I picked myself up, retrieved my bike and waved a thankful greeting to the driver. I was thankful to God for His deliverance from death because I did not know Him yet. In hindsight I am even more grateful because I was at that time unsaved and on my way to Hell. Thank You, Jesus, for Your deliverance!

Llanarth: SOS-Chief Steward out of Insulin On our second time across the South Atlantic from Buenos Aires to Cape Town we received an SOS from a US Tanker that had been adrift for 26 days as it had lost its prop and was wallowing! The SOS was not to rescue the ship. If we‘d taken it in tow it would have cost that ship mega bucks. The SOS request was for help to take the Chief Steward off their ship and in to Cape Town as he was out of insulin for his diabetes and was in a critical condition.

The crew got all the towing gear ready and at 10pm we came into the vicinity of the tanker.

Then we pumped oil overboard to calm the spume and spray, making it safer for the midocean transfer to our ship. The sick man was able to climb the ladder and weathered the storm to come aboard. The US Tanker continued to be adrift for another two weeks until it was towed to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We had an Engine Problem With that part of the emergency over we did not know what lay ahead. As we came closer to Cape Town, South Africa we had an engine problem. The auxiliary boiler forced-draftengine failed, meaning the tanker had to go onto ‗natural air‘ for the boiler. That meant that we were pouring out smoke from the funnel. The tanker was reported to be on fire!

Hence a flotilla of rescue ships were on their way from Haut Bay nearby, about twenty miles away, to go to the ‗rescue‘ of the crew of this stricken tanker, the Llanarth. It looked like we were on fire with dense smoke pouring from the funnel. I was below in the Engine room trying to repair the donkey engine which had a seized bearing (it‘s a small engine that can be started by hand cranking which then is used to start a much bigger engine that couldn‘t be started by ―man power‖). As I was below trying to repair the problem I didn‘t see all the smoke or the panic but I did know the Skipper wanted us to fix the problem! The pilot would not let us into the harbour till we could have repairs carried out and so there would be no more smoke to impair visibility. With that over we went to the dock and moored. Thus a double experience was completed and the chief steward went to the hospital and got his diabetes medication. This completed the journey from Buenos Aires to Cape Town!

Seaboard Enterprise Burial at Sea; „Somewhere‟ in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1954 I was fourth engineer on a tramp ship, the ―Seaboard Enterprise‖, in the North Atlantic between Canada and the UK. We were about two thirds across from Liverpool, England with a light cargo of 5 x 50 ton Centurion Tanks. We also carried about 100 small passenger cars as well as a few passengers. As it was common in the Atlantic, a gale brewed and we were in the midst of it for about three days. In one of these gales a passenger slipped and fell in the shower room. He died that night! What to do? So instead of taking the body into Canada about eight more days, the Captain and the McGill University professor‘s widow decided to have the ‗burial at sea‘. I had never seen anything like this and it turned out I was ‗on watch‘ in the engine room from eight until twelve noon and 8-12 midnight. I was told the engine movements would be ‗stand by‘,‘ ½ ahead‘, ‗slow ahead‘, and ‗stop‘. It would be at

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this time that the body, wrapped in canvas and sewn tightly and weighted with a brick, would be slid overboard while the skipper delivered him into the ocean and said some sort of service for the dead. When ‗stop‘ was rung for me to obey I shot up the ladder shaft to the deck site to view the body going overboard. Then I raced down the ladder again to take the telegraph instruction from the ship‘s Bridge. I learned how important all this movement of engine was so the body would not be chopped by the propeller. I had a deep forlorn sense of hopelessness and loneliness for that body, alone in the vastness and depth of the ocean. I was remorseful, feeling alone, afraid and hopeless! This is a time when the skipper grants a round of whisky. I think it is to drown the sense of death. I didn‘t receive any because I was on duty. But I did a lot of thinking of the hopelessness of the future.

In some ways there were advantages to this way of burial; there was no hearse or cemetery lot charges, no undertaker‘s or minister‘s fees. There was only the inconvenience of maritime services between UK and Canada being slowed for a few minutes. But, I learned later that according to Hebrews 9:27, ―Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgement….‖ This thought was heavy on my own heart. Where did this man stand if he was facing judgement at this time? It came down to me personally ―Where did ‗I‘ stand if I were now before God?‖

By Bicycling Gradually a desire came to bicycle around Europe and this was realised between 1951-1953 as I bicycled about 3,650 miles with Ken Robinson and/or Quentin Burke, two former Aussie Scouts. We enjoyed camping with our tents and sleeping bags and cooking on our small kerosene burners. When we were in Europe we continued these sports and added skiing in Austria and Norway. It was good to be around other young people from many different places while at Youth Hostels. During this time I developed more interest in mapping and geography.

By Skiing Excerpt From Letter Home London 15th April 1952 While I remember, I received the sweater, many thanks and gee it‘s a smasher!! Was it hard to make or did you buy it? I can‘t tell the difference. Many thanks too for the tent. It was the RIGHT type after all and should do fine. Yes, I got your letter with the photos of you and Pop, it‘s a smasher – gee you look fit. Glad you accepted my offer of a holiday at last.

Now I suppose I‘d better tell you all about me. I‘m, in London at time of writing, but won‘t be when you receive this in Sydney. I arrived back on Tuesday 7th April at 7am after hitching a fish truck from Newcastle-on-Tyne to London overnight. I‘ll give you some info: one day Quentin Burke and self (the day Ken Robinson left for Myolfell 150 km towards Bergen) did 32 kilometres on skis, and gee, what a day! We were going from 10.30 to 5 then ½ hour‘s break and on till 7.00 till we got back to the hostel – we did this with map and compass and what a glorious time we had – miles from anyone and absolutely alone in a beautiful snow white world with blue sky above and you can‘t imagine what it is like till you‘ve seen it. Next day we took our blankets, groundsheet, food, etc out into a pine forest and slept in the beaut warm sun for 3-4 hours. Other trips we did, we‘d do 12 km or so then lie and sleep for 2-3 hours in the sun then ski back to the hostel and arrive 5-6pm and you should have seen the chow we got through – we cooked and one night we had 5 courses.

What a holiday! In the 12-15 days we were touring we covered 270 odd km and 1 km is 5/8

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mile so we did about 170 miles (on ski) (as from Sydney to Canberra) not too bad at all!

Gee, it‘s a marvellous sport and I was fit as anything after it all-put on 6 ½ pounds in the 27 days in Geillo and now am around the 12 ½ stone mark (175lb). I left Geillo (by train) – bought a ticket for 2 stations (cost 2/-). When the conductor came through I asked him if he spoke English; he did, so I asked what the chances were of riding the train over the desolate mountain range of mountains where the roads are covering 20 ft of snow to Voss 170 km away (at a cost of 18/-). He said it would be okay, so away we went. Arrived at 3.00, hitched 30 kilometres in 5 hours. Then asked a railway station master if I could sleep in the waiting room - and was okay. Next morning he came in especially at 7.30 to ask a bus driver to take me 70 kilometres to Norkeiminsend in the bus for no fee - the driver said ―Okay‖ and away we went. Passed along the beautiful Hardanger Fjord and what scenery one can see! Beautiful!! Eventually arrived in Bergen that day at 6pm – here a Norsky joker asked me home to have a cuppa tea. He couldn‘t speak English and I couldn‘t speak Norsk (except a little) so I went home with him and met his wife and kids, and you should have seen the antics I got up to explaining where I‘d been and what I‘d done and why. Gee, it was a circus! I slept that night at the Youth Hostel.

By Polar Fisk Next day I went to British Consul and told him I had ―No money‖ (this lie was repented later, I don‘t recommend lying). After a while the consul said ―well, I‘ll see if I can get you a boat.‖ Next day at 2pm I sailed out of Bergen on a Norsk fishing boat of 300 odd tons for Newcastle on Tyne, it was named the Polar Fisk. I signed on as ―Galley boy‖, but didn‘t work much as I was so sea sick going across due to the mix of diesel fumes, fish smell, and moving seas. Took 52 hours – so my skiing money was at an end, and I leave a beautiful rough country behind with those 1st class, Norwegian folk – what people they are too! I‘ve never met such kind and hospitable people like them anywhere on earth, and I‘m sure looking forward to returning in the summer for 3 months. Arrived in Newcastle on Tyne and boy did I eat! I made up for what I could not eat coming across, and that‘s one thing the Norsky believe in is eating, they have 4 meals a day, and a huge plate is put in the centre and you eat what you like the most. Yes, they‘re grand folk! The old man (captain) was a character too! While sitting in the mess he said ―Mr Skinner, are you Scotch?‖ I said, well, a bit, why?‖ The answer was, ―Well you haven‘t got enough money to buy a razor!‖ That was followed by raucous laughter. I saved $8 by working my way over and had a grand experience as a Galley boy.

Now I‘m in London just for a few more days I‘ve bought a bike and am preparing like mad for our (Ken and self) tour of Europe by bikes for 3 months. We leave Wed 16 th April for Dover-Ostend through Belgium, Luxemburg, N. France, Black Forest, Switzerland, 2 weeks in Austria, Vienna etc. Then we go back to Germany, follow the River Rhine to Holland, Rotterdam etc to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (for 3 weeks cycling) and finish our trip in Oslo in mid July. Then I‘ll have 4-6 weeks climbing and hiking in Norway and after that – I don‘t know! If the money lasts, I‘ll go to Switzerland then back to UK and Scotland to ‗do‘ it by cycle and walking. So, I‘m flat out till Oct sometime and then ―work‖ of some description. That‘s about it for me for awhile Say, Sis this Youth Hostel Assoc (Y.H.A.) is a good thing so give it a go, get ‗out‘, and see the world, you‘ve made a fine start with NZ. See your own country first, then UK and Europe! Why not? Yes, Ma, Vienna is a beautiful place, anytime I hear Strauss‘s music; it does something funny to me and makes me kind of homesick for Vienna and home. I hope

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the operas are still playing when I get there in May for the summer. I got about 12 photos taken in the Opera House of ―The Gypsy Baron‖ and the two singing ―One day when we were Young‖ and ―The Voices of Spring‖. Gee it‘s beautiful! I only wish you could see the Operas too and learn the music! Dinah, that ―Tales of Hoffman‖ was one of the Operas I saw and a real good show and nice music, even though I couldn‘t understand the German in it. No, sis, I can‘t return in less than 18 months. You‘ve no idea how much there is to do and see, till you start. It‘s better this way and get it over with (I hope) and then try and settle down.

Life On Skis In Geillo, Norway A note from Hap‟s Diary around mid 1952 and early 1953 I like Norway and the people more than any other country I have been to so far. I have had a wonderful time here; hitching, walking, camping, swimming, fishing, cycling, climbing, skiing and eating. I‘ve participated in more sports in Norway than any other place. It is a beautiful land and you have no idea how it affects one. The people are absolutely first class.

I have had six weeks in winter and two and a half months in summer and I am not going to say I have seen Norway. I never went further north than Verdal (120 kilometres north of Trondheim) and so I didn‘t see the midnight sun.

My skiing weight is 80kgs with togs (clothes) on, which is 176 pounds. The skiing got me into good nick with the breathing and chest exercise. The leg exercise was sure good. My face got a beaut sun tan. We (scouts, Quenton Burke and Ken Robinson) are having a first class holiday, best I‘ve ever had, skiing every day. We‘ve gone on several long tours of 1520 kilometres (10-15 miles). We had in company with us several times a French ex-ski trooper. We saw him ski downhill at night in beautiful moon light playing the mouth organ at Geillo (About 100 Miles Northwest of Oslo) What a man for helping us ‗thick‘ Aussies learn to ski. Yes, it‘s a first class holiday for £1 per day with food we cook and supply.

Today we skied 23 kilometres (we had an army map and compass) round trip and climbed a 3000ft mountain on skis, then skied down hill toward ‗Ustaoset‘ not needing the ski poles once but leaning forward in the ski bindings and just enjoying life. It was fantastically beautiful! The powder snow swished off the skis like a snow plough. Ustaoset was the place where the ill fated Captain Scott of the Antarctic expedition trained.

I am doing the best by staying over here and seeing and learning about other peoples‘ habits, conditions etc. This is an education I‘ll never get anywhere else. I‘m only going on for two years now but still a little longer and I‘ll be satisfied to ‗settle‘ or ‗immigrate‘ back to Aussie. Its no good returning home now and not being satisfied with my travels. I‘ll do the lot and hope to be content then.

Skiing Across Frozen Lake In Canada Even though I had enjoyed the adventures in Norway with mountains, wandering and often alone, I also had a great desire for skiing in Canada. In the scout shop in Montreal, they advised I go to the scout camp on Lake Tamaracouta, 50 miles north of Montreal. I could travel by train and then ski into the campsite. So, I took my rucksack, skis, tent, new sleeping bag, ground sheet, map, compass and tucker (food). I skied across the lake okay and then at nightfall I came across a small cabin. I asked the French Canadian logger if I could stay in his cabin as I had camping gear and food. He was delighted to have company even though it was hard to communicate. For reasons of cold, I never thought of the danger of falling through the ice. I did eventually reach the scout camp on the lake.

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Being adventurous, but not very wise, I pitched my one-man tent close to the lake and the cabin. My idea was to test out this new sleeping bag I had bought in London called ―Arctic Sleep Bag‖. I learned it was short of insulated padding to put under the tent and sleep bag to keep warm. About 4:00am I was so cold I went into the cabin and slept on the floor. It wasn‘t sleep but just make believe. So, the next night I prepared my bunk inside the cabin and stoked up the fire, then placed a large pan of water on the fire thinking it would be warm when I awoke. Instead, it was a frozen sheet of ice; I soon came to the conclusion that this was a COLD country, not like Australia! I needed much more protection from the cold above but also the cold that comes through the ground! I was not at all successful in camping in Canada in the winter. Be prepared for COLD weather down to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit or 29 degrees Celsius, go prepared with plenty of warm clothes and an insulated ground sheet and don‘t ski alone! It‘s a No! No! No! Excerpt From Letter Ottawa, Canada 11/08/1953 Dearest Mother, Dad, Sis‘s, Log and all, ―To fill in time I went to Lake Tamaracouta (remember the ski trip I did in winter?) a Scout Camp 50 miles from Montreal situated on a beautiful lake 1½ x 1½ miles surrounded by hills and wooded mountains. There is canoeing, swimming, walking, games, eating, sleeping, singing and lying in the beaut sun and it only costs $1 per day. I made quite a few pals here from Montreal. I got along really well with them.

One night I cooked a hunka steak, wrapped it up and put it under a plate and put a mug of water on it and went to a campfire. Three hours later I came back and saw a little shape near the fire, so I shone the light and gave chase in my tent to the animal! Chased it for a few minutes till later I realized it was a SKUNK! Fortunately for me it didn‘t lift its tail so I didn‘t cop it. Found the steak gone and paper carefully unwrapped. So next day I set a snare to catch it, three or four blokes saw it and in no time there was a dozen scouts and scouters around to look at the trap and it‘s workings. Most took photos and notes. Gee, I‘m glad of Dick Grave‘s ‗Bushcraft Weekends‘ at Waterfall (NSW); the kids around here are absolutely spell bound when they see the traps and trigger mechanism and swinging fireplace. They are really keen on it, so I think I‘ll leave the whole lot of traps etc. I‘ll try to teach them how to make some of these. I‘m not sorry I didn‘t catch the skunk but I didn‘t want it to take my next steak.

I‘ve heard that hitchhiking in the US and Canada is hard so I‘ve decided to buy a new motorcycle to get around. I‘ll buy the motorbike in England the next time I‘m over there.‖

By Motorcycle Canada And US When I went to Canada I was required to fill out the paper work to become an immigrant, so you could say I immigrated to Canada. I travelled to Canada, by HOME LINES, as a passenger. I arrived in Quebec, hitched to Montreal and tried to find a job in January.

Nothing; so went to sea again on Seaboard Enterprise, a Victory Ship from the war, did 3 trips across the Atlantic to England, Milford Haven, Wales, Liverpool and back to Halifax once; St Johns, Newfoundland, then Montreal and paid off.

So, I bought a Triumph motor cycle 650 cc and started across Canada via US to Vancouver.

I stayed in Tarentum, PA a suburb of Pittsburgh, for about 10 days with the family of a

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friend I‘d met in Europe at a YHA. I left Tarentum heading west out to Vancouver - about 2300 miles. I called in to several Presbyterian Churches along the way (I was scared of any other kind!): Boulder, Colorado, Las Crusas, New Mexico and Pasadena, California; then up the coast to Everett, Washington.

Albuquerque And Truth Or Consequences In New Mexico I was trying to get out of the cold country as it was late Nov. 1953, so I rode at night through New Mexico and headed south. I stopped off at Albuquerque and phoned the police patrol to ask them the conditions of the road across to the Grand Canyon. ―How are you travelling?‖ they asked. I answered, ―By motorcycle.‖ Their emphatic answer was never to be forgotten. ―There is a blizzard coming so get-the-hell-out-of-here and head south, NOT west!‖ So I took off heading south on the highway through dry gulches (narrow ravines). It was eerie and spooky with very little traffic. I was wondering why very few drivers dipped their lights. I was very tired of driving into 2 sets of high beams. I realised after I got to a place, which was in the ‗sticks‘ called ‗Truth or Consequences‘, where I pulled in to rest. It only had an airport with a DC3 transport there. I asked if I could pull out my sleeping bag and sleep under a table in the airport. The only occupant there gave approval, but it was a comfort to be in an airport with a rotating beacon and company. It was so quiet in that country town. Finally, I had the answer to the full headlights. Since I only had one headlight, the oncoming drivers thought I was a car with only one light on! For that whole trip from Pittsburgh to Vancouver (which was started in October and finished in January) a distance of about 5000 miles, I saw only two other motorcycles.

To You Future Motor Cyclists: Remember Attitude And Power Another experience I had while in North America around late 1953 made me realize how cold it could be in winter.

I was crossing America at the wrong time of the year. I had my blue 1953 Triumph Thunderbird 650 cc bike that I had driven across from New York City to Boulder Colorado at 5,000 feet. Here I struck snow and ice. Since I did not want to stay in Colorado for long, I headed south. I had to cross the Raton Pass at 6700 feet. Going through some places, I dragged my boots in the hard snow to save me from slipping on the road. I was going down the other side with no problem, cruising safely up to about 55mph on a dry road as the ice had melted. It had become dark. Suddenly a black piece of ice appeared; I had no chance of slowing down! I hit it and went over on the side. Only my right thumb was hurt as it dented the gas tank! I slid along over the black ice feeling my head and shoulder bumping along.

The helmet got several deep scratches on it. I have been eternally grateful for the crash helmet that I‘d bought in England, otherwise I‘d have been killed or a perhaps a vegetable!

Fortunately, there was next to no traffic. I also had on a heavy British Army dispatch riders waterproof suit. It was not a neat tidy outfit but it was practical and very durable. Dazed I picked myself up off the road. I was able to upright the bike with the luggage on the carrier and put it on the rear stand. The headlight had not been damaged. I was getting to absorb the accident and relax when a car approached. I signalled it with my intact head light. He stopped and gave assistance with a thermos of hot coffee and invited me to sit in his warm car, which was very much appreciated! I was able to go on to the next town. Here I enquired about accommodation by a Presbyterian Minister who sent me to the cheapest hotel, which I greatly appreciated. In hindsight, I wish this Pastor had shared with me the way of salvation in Jesus Christ or given me a tract; sorry the terrific opportunity was let to slide by. The next day he took me to a blacksmith who was able to straighten the handle bar and the crash bars.

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The Pastor improvised the windshield which had been shattered and got me on my way again.

I was and am so very grateful to the Lord for His deliverance in the whole accident. I only sustained a very bruised right thumb, which healed in 6 months and a few scratches on the bike, a bent right handle bar, the windshield and the crash bars fore and aft. There were some deep scratches on my jacket, pants and my crash helmet. But, I praise God for my crash hat, ‗helmet‘. Never ride a motorcycle without your helmet and gloves, regardless of how far you have to drive! There is a certain stupidity of riding a motorcycle on an icy road.

The next day I was getting used to the repairs, gaining a little confidence and over coming fear and shock, when barely moving in the main street the bike slipped over and my boot was pinned under the low muffler. I could not get it out until a driver jumped out of his car and lifted the bike off my pinned boot. He blocked any oncoming traffic and protected me, again thank you, Lord, for that instant driver friend and deliverance from harm, injury, or death. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Everett, Washington As I came to Everett right at church time, I asked a bloke checking parking meters where the nearest Presbyterian Church was. He looked at me in stark amazement - a motorcyclist wanting a church! The Parking Meter Reader said, ―See that spire over there. You might want to go there. They are a friendly lot!‖ In retrospect; what a good recommendation!

I parked at the back of the church and two little kids came out at the sound of the bike. (It was a very quiet cycle.) Remember this was a week before Christmas 1953 and it was cold and wet. The kids disappeared to get their Dad, Dr. Bob Brown, who was the preacher of the Church. He came out so I introduced myself and apologised for the way I looked. He said, ―You are very welcome, come just as you are. We don‘t worry what you look like!‖ What a pleasant surprise to me. I was accepted as I was! That morning I heard a very surprising sermon based on 1 John 1:9. ―The blood of Jesus Christ, God‘s son cleanses us from all sin!‖ I‘d never heard that before anywhere! Yet I‘d ‗sort of grown up‘ in the church and in a ‗Christian‘ country. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin! I couldn‘t believe it yet. You mean that when Jesus Christ, God‘s son was hanging on the cross of Calvary and His blood was shed in death that it (the blood) had the power and authority to cleanse a soul from ALL sin? I didn‘t accept that then but eight long months later, I did!

A Friendly Argument After the church service, there was a friendly argument! Who was going to have me for lunch, the Pastor or a leading doctor of the town and church? They amicably decided to share me: I had lunch with Bob and Adelaide (‗Houdi‘) Brown and their two boys ‗Bobby 10 years) and Billy (6 years)‘. (The ‗Houdi‘ nickname was from her maiden name Houghton, as she was the only child of Will H. Houghton, a previous President of Moody Bible Institute.) At Dr and Mrs Westover‘s for afternoon tea it was also great and different as they had four adopted children. The Browns tried to convince me to stay and have Christmas with them saying, ―All the ships are coming in now and won‘t go back out for several days‖. I was sure I would be able to get work but, this time I was wrong. After only a few days I took up their gracious offer to ―come back and have Christmas with us!‖ I had never seen such loving hospitality as those two families! It was such a wonderful experience and example to me! All this loving, spontaneous hospitality made an indelibly pleasant

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impression on me! Several times, I‟ve said that perhaps but for being shown loving hospitality I may never have come to salvation in Christ! After the break, I got a job on a tugboat operating on the West Coast of British Columbia.

Excerpt from letter home January 1954 I‘ll soon have a job on a 200 ton Tug boat as 2nd Engineer. It‘s exactly what I want (need) as I hope to forget the sea (deep sea). Then I hope to branch out into Earth Moving Equipment.

We should be leaving Vancouver soon and heading up on the coast about 300 miles to Ocean Falls to tow logs for the saw mills. The log booms are about 8oo ft long by about 100 ft wide and we travel at one mile per hour (both day and night) if the weather is quiet. The hours for work are 6 on 6 off with a 12 hour day and getting 1 ½ days pay and holiday. I‘m going to make the most of this job for experience on diesel engines and study. I hope to go to Engineering College of Heavy Equipment – then I‘ll be a tradesman in Marine Engineering and Heavy Equipment Mechanic.

Sea Lark Letter home written „at sea‟ near Vancouver on Friday 12 February 1954 To Mother and Dad in Sydney, I am on board the Sea Lark which is a 200 ton wooden hulled tow boat converted from mine sweepers used in the war. They now work as tow boats for working on the west coast of Canada.

There is a crew of seven persons. We work 30 days for 12 hours or longer a day. We left Vancouver on the second of January and headed north up the British Columbia coastline to Ocean Falls. We towed log booms about 60 miles into Ocean Falls for 2 ½ weeks then headed north 300 miles further up towards Kitamat and Kemano for another tow job. We can be out up to two months, always at sea and in sight of land but not being able to go ashore in fine weather. In rough windy weather we have to tie up to the shore.

Log booms are built in two ways. For the inland passage where the water is reasonably flat the booms are about 150feet wide and up to 800feet long. The other way is for when we tow smaller booms across the open sea where we have swells. The logs are bigger and they are spiked and chained together. Now there‘s another method of lifting the logs on the very large flat bottomed scows with small sides and the logs are stacked on board and chained down for stability. There they use much larger tow boats with a twelve man crew. We were out six weeks before returning to port for fuel, stores and a couple of days rest.

The Night The Mooring Lines Snapped At Sunny Island On the Western Coast of Canada there‘s a lot of logging for paper mills and saw mills. They use several methods of getting logs to the mill. One is by giant logging truck and Jinkers using roads. Another is to float the logs down to the mill. One more is to use a giant submersible scow, which is a barge where logs are loaded into it and the scow towed by a tugboat to the mill. I was on the tugboats of the Dolmage Towing Company. When they tow across open water the large logs are ‗dogged‘ together with wire rope and spiked so that a log can not break loose from the tow. The tow boat can only go across open water when there‘s no wind. This was how we started across the Queen Charlotte Straits Half way across the wind came up so we headed for shelter at Sunny Island. We tied up to five of the anchor trees and shut down the engine for the night and posted a watch on deck.

About 2am after the wind was up we heard ‗gun fire‘ very close. We were all alerted and headed for the engine room and bridge. This perceived gun fire was the separation of the tow

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cables mooring us to shore breaking and letting us adrift! By the time we got under way and moving we found we were adrift and blown into mid channel with another tow boat and scow tied up to our tow of logs! The skipper decided to keep moving in mid channel where we were until 7am. All night we could see ice building up on the top deck and riggings. We had heard an actual account of one tugboat capsizing because of excess ice. As soon as we could all five of us hands were on deck chipping the 3‖ thick ice off the rigging then other areas. We had to hammer ice off all the riggings before we returned to Ocean Falls.

We shovelled the ice off the decks for those ten days. It was negative 20 degrees F or 50 degrees below freezing. It was very, very cold. But, we had some fine clear nights. It was absolutely fantastic scenery. I loved to stand on deck watching the 6000foot mountain peaks slowly glide by in the moonlight. I could see the fir trees glistening. (Actually we were the ones gliding by on the tug in the moonlight). To be in surrounds like this I really felt the presence of my Creator. It was glorious to view with my eyes, and the growing awareness in my heart of who and how big God is!

Ocean Falls, BC, Canada Since I was working on a tugboat out of Vancouver as an engineer I was able to carry my motorcycle on the hatch cover over the cargo hold. I had it lashed down securely and worked on the machine to service it when we came to a dockside called Ocean Falls, which was a company owned pulp mill and saw mill. There were no vehicles so my bike was the only vehicle there. Hence the dogs had no road sense at all and believe it or not I skittled a dog (not seriously) but most of Ocean Falls heard about ‗the bloke (man) who ran over a dog‘. I offered to pay a little compensation to the owner but since the dog was alright soon after, the owner didn‘t want any money from me. I went on my merry way but very cautious of dogs and people at Ocean Falls.

Sea Prince 1954 Letter Home While At Sea on M.V. “Sea Prince” in Vancouver 1st April, 1954 Firstly, Mother I got your letter of 1-3-54 about 3 ½ days after you sent it, rather fantastic delivery for 7,000 miles. Well Mother, I‘m very blessed indeed to know you‘re on the mend, and a little better than before. I gather it‘s rather rough getting around the old place lately but it‘s really wonderful to know that Sis Mary is with you and such a help. I want to tell you again about that cash in my account. Please take it Ma and Dad for a holiday. I got your papers Mum and found them very interesting indeed, thanks a lot. It is absolutely fantastic looking down the ―Help Wanted‖ columns in Sydney Morning Herald. There are 1,000‘s of jobs and here in Vancouver there‘s about 50,000 to 80,000 just at present! What a difference.

Since I last wrote I‘ve been rather busy, and shifting around quite a bit, shuttling between Everett, Washington and Vancouver, B.C. about 120 miles each way. You see, we came in on the ―Sea Lark‖ and tied up for a few days last 4 th March so I took off for Rev Brown and family in Everett, WA on the bike. They received me with open arms, and gee, it was grand to be back among good Christians again, to be with the Dad and Mother (I actually call them that and they refer to me as their ―adopted son‖). Their two boys, Bob and Bill, call me their brother. Believe me Mother and Dad I can‘t explain the feeling inside me when I‘m in their company, to be loved by them as if I am one of the family, and to be treated as one.

The Brown‘s best friends in Everett are the Westover family, he‘s a city doctor, and they all are a really wonderful, loving family. They have 3 older kids, age 16, 8 and 5 – all girls and all adopted and a new adopted baby boy. These folk also call me their son, which is natural then to be classed as brother to the girls. On Sundays in church the two Brown boys and

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young Ruth and Martha (8 and 5 years old) and myself all sit together and it is a lovely, glorious feeling to be loved by these smaller children. In church after the service Martha (5 years old) was holding my hand and she said ―Lift me up, Happy?‖ so I took her up in my arms, she had her arms around my neck and took a closer look at me and said ―Mummy,‖ who was talking with 6 Church women ―Look, Hap‘s got no whiskers now!‖, and she put her little finger on my upper lip and stroked it! Naturally I felt a little red, but it was so cute.

I‘ve spent hours and hours at their home, with the bike, riding the kids around the back street lanes, and take them by ones and twos and up to 5 at a sitting. They get a thrill and kick out of it but I often wonder just who enjoys it more, they or me? The parents don‘t object, but of course I‘m careful on my own, and I‘m far more so with kids on the back. The biggest thing for them is for me to take them to school on the back. It is only a ¼ mile, but it‘s the added thrill of showing off to their pals at school, that they all came on a motor cycle, and then Martha and Ruth say ―and that‘s my new brother and he‘s Australian, too! Aren‘t you Hap?‖ Gee, it‘s wonderful to be with them all.

One day Bill and Bob Brown told me that their headmaster had asked for me to come down to school and talk to the kids, so I agreed. Young Bob and Bill were proud as punch, so I talked to the kids for an hour about Aussie and my travels in USA and of course they asked questions, and I was surprised at the knowledge that those kids had on Aussie. Some questions had me stumped for a while. I took Bob to school one day and 1000‘s of kids gathered around, saying ―Hap!‖ ―When are ya going to talk to us again?‖ and ―Bring your kangaroo next time‖.

On my way back to Vancouver I picked up a hitch hiker, who had trouble with his car. We got talking and I found out he was a Heavy Duty Mechanic (H.D.M.) working on tractors and bull-dozers. For my trouble in picking him up, he filled my gas tank (gas in U.S. and Canada is petrol). I told him that I‘d been trying to get some experience with Heavy Duty equipment like driving them and overhauling them, (also two days previous I spent the day in town searching for Mechanic‘s Manuals on the tractors). My pal said ―If you take me back to the car, I‘ll give you one‖. So I took him back and he gave me a Manual on a tractor that I couldn‘t get for a 100 bucks ($100), and yet he gave it to me for nothing! He said that any time I was down; to look him up and he would show me around the tractors etc. and help me get a job. Now this is when I picked up a hitch hiker, contrary to the belief in U.S. and Canada that hitch hikers are dangerous and murderers! This one just could not do enough for me!

I returned to Everett, after the ―Sea Lark‖ had gone, and of course stayed with Mom and Dad Brown. Most of the time I spent looking at big construction jobs, watching the drivers on the bull dozers and graders, and seeing the repairs done. It was most helpful and interesting, and I know it will help me in the future. I‘m definitely giving up the deep sea as I want and have always wanted to be a Heavy Duty Mechanic. When I return home I can get jobs in the country on dams, highways or power stations. All most interesting and tough jobs. Allan, my hitch hiker pal (friend), has saved me quite a load of cash, as I‘ve bought some necessary tools in U.S. for my work and he gets 30% reduction, as it‘s a saving! The tools I‘m getting here for $50 (Aust) I couldn‘t get in Sydney for $150 so I‘m getting them all here and will take home with me. Allan was in Aussie during the war, near Perth in U.S. Submarines for 4 years and so he can understand my slang and Aussie experiences. He‘s a real good guy.

Also I spent quite some time with my ―little girl friends‖ Martha 8 and Ruthy 5 years and their pals Bill and Bob Brown. Sunday morning we went to church with the kids and

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―Mother‖ Brown and I really felt as though one got something from the sermon. My time came to depart from these folk again to head North back to Vancouver. So ended another 8 wonderful days with these friendly families, whom I‘ve grown to love dearly, as my own, as you Mother and Dad. Please forgive me for using the personal pronoun ―I‖ so much but would just like to show you what I‘ve been doing for last month as I realize that I can‘t take credit for the love and friendship that flowed freely between the Brown family, Westover family and myself.

I don‘t take credit for it you see, since I came to Pennsylvania my whole life and outlook on life has been changing my character. The person whom I give the credit for this love is Christ, Himself, because He is working in me and that is why these folk love me, and I them.

Never before have I been as attached to children as I have since I met Christ with the Bovard family in Tarentum, PA. I‘ve grown to love kids of all ages. I‘ve met them in the Bovard family, 5 of them, Lucy Barnes, 2 kids, the Evans 2, in Boulder, Colorado and at least a dozen others and two in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and these families in Everett, Washington. I do believe that one episode that so endeared me to kids was when I was with the Bovard Family last year in the cabin on their farm. Their 3 younger kids, Paul 10, Ruth 8 and Jim 6 were all in bed together so I tucked them in and I said to them as we talked together, ―Can I hear you say your prayers tonight kids?‖ So I heard them one by one. Little Ruth was last and her simple, yet heart rending prayer was touching, it showed the undoubted Faith in God and their love for Him. She ended her prayer like this ―And dear God, I pray you will watch over and bless Daddy and Mummy, Bill, Ken, Mary, Gran and...Gracie‖. Even though Grace had passed on in death in an accident they didn‘t forget her, and they had unsurpassed faith in Christ that He would bless and keep Grace, their beloved sister with Him. I just rested my head on their pillow with my arm around them and shed a few tears, as never before. It was there and then that I loved those kids as any kids, and Christ was working in me. I realized that these children of God, young though they be, had far more faith in their heavenly Father, than I and I was ashamed and dejected, as I realized it. I was also sitting with Ruth and Jimmy, Mary and Gran, in Church when Christ won another unworthy soul to His side and it was in humility and unworthiness and tears that I went, and was accepted. That was a turning point in my life, of that I‘m certain and I‘m ever so grateful to all the Bovard family for it, especially to dear Grace and her equally wonderful sister, Mary. I hope that, Mother and Dad, it will help you realize that even though I‘m away from my loved ones at home and travelling as ‗a rolling stone‘, I‘m gaining experience in life as never before. I am gaining really lovable friends, and when I do eventually ‗hump my bluey‘ (return home) for Aussie, which I promise will not be too far away. It will be absolutely tearing myself away from the most wonderful and loving families I‘ve met. But, there‘s one consolation in the fact that I‘ll be going to equally loving parents and a brother and two sisters and to my ‗cracker‘ (lovely) little nephews.

Yes, I‘ve given it some thought lately, I think I‘ll head back to Aussie land and while I‘m there, I‘ll survey the possibilities for Heavy Duty Mechanics on Snowy Scheme and others to see if it‘s worth venturing further and if yes, then I‘d return to Canada and attend a special school for Heavy Duty Mechanic (HDM)‘s on Vancouver Island in Nanaimo or better still, to the 2nd largest manufacturer in the USA of Earth Moving Equipment – R.G. Le Tourneau, a friend of Rev Brown of Everett, which would take from 1 to 3 years. It will give me a really 1 st class footing in experience on all Heavy Duty Equipment, which I‘m dead sure Aussie could not offer me. You see that I‘m set on getting away from the deep sea for good. The advantage is that I‘ll have a double trade, and should have no trouble in getting a job at all anywhere. You see Marine work in winter and H.D.M. in summer. Ok,

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as you can see, Mother and Dad, I‘m not going into this new venture ―blind‖ but it will take time and a lot of it, but it‘s a good opportunity for keeping one‘s feet in one place for awhile.

Going East After seven months working on the Sea Lark and the Sea Prince towing logs in the inland passage to Vancouver I again got ‗itchy feet‘. I decided I‘d go back to Pennsylvania and ‗see how the land may be‘. A friend‘s sister, Mary, was in radiography training in Philadelphia.

After seeing her once again I soon realised there was no chance for me so I planned to head to Toronto, Canada via Princeton, NJ. The Carl Anderson Family On leaving Philly, I saw a street sign that prompted me to stop the bike and look in my address book. It was an address that Bob Brown in Everett, WA had given me of a great friend of theirs, Carl Anderson. Mrs Brown and Mrs Anderson had been roommates at Wheaton College and were still great friends. Carl was a Presbyterian minister in PaoliMalvern area of PA near Philadelphia. I asked the fireman at a fire station at the intersection where Paoli was and he said so many miles along this particular highway. I ‗clocked it‘ on my bike speedo and came to a roadside market where I stopped and asked if they knew a Rev Carl Anderson of Malvern Paoli. The man replied, ―You want to see him?‖ ―Sure, I do‖ I said. ―That‘s the big man over in the corner!‖ So I approached him and introduced myself. He was so excited to meet me on behalf of Bob Brown. He gave me a big Swedish bear hug greeting. I was shocked, as I‘d never had a greeting like that before. He was enthusiastic but true love exuded from him to me and I felt it in my spirit!

As this was his Monday off, he was then buying for the next week for his family. He told me to follow him in his BIG car, (formerly an undertaker‘s family car) which held about 10 people, as he had seven kids. He had a big house and plenty of room. I stayed for a few days and was welcomed in like a big brother with a beaut motorcycle. I enjoyed taking the kids around their big yard, sometimes 3 at a time. I helped in their veggie garden some also.

We all loved it and I was accepted as one of the family. Here I saw for the first time in my life a family meeting called ―family devotions‖ around their big kitchen table. The children ranged from 13 year old Cully, Virginia temporarily on crutches, Roy, Ruth, Bill, Nancy, down to Tina about 18 months old. They were gorgeous kids and I fell in love with them all.

The devotions included all the children. We all listened to the reading from Scripture and most participated in the prayers that followed. I could see Jesus Christ in their lives by the love that emanated from them to each other and to me. It was so special!

An Invitation Before leaving them a week or so later, they invited me to attend a Christian Youth Camp up toward Canada with them. I declined - giving some excuse of money and inconvenience as I had enrolled in an Engineering College in Toronto, Canada, for work and training on heavy earthmoving equipment. So I was on my way up there. I had decided that the sea life on ships was enjoyable but it was not for me. I had decided to change to land engineering like earthmovers.

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CHAPTER THREE PHOTOS NOW I CAN SEE THE WORLD

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The Sea Board Star in St Lawrence River on the way from Quebec to Liverpool. I took this while on the identical sister ship named the Sea Board Enterprise

Tanker Llanarth at Anchor in Singapore Llanarth in Hamburg, Germany

Traditional fishing boat in Singapore harbour Centurion Tank being loaded onto the ship in Liverpool, England

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Scout Camp at Verdal, Norway 1952

Ken Robinson and Hap bicycling at Lillehammer, Norway

Hap and Quentin making fire by friction using two sticks

Ken and Hap leaving friends and Youth Hostel in Vienna (Gil, Al, Grace and June)

Outside a Youth Hostel in Vienna

Hap and Quent with Chief Norway Scout and Aussie Flag flown at Scout Camp

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Our tent at Scout Camp in Verdal, Norway Visitors at Scout Camp in Verdal Scout Jamboree

Great skiing, beautiful scenery of Hallingskariet near Geillo, Norway

Looking at a mountain in Norway, I climbed it!

Hap left the jumping to the experts

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These kids grew up skiing, then teaching us

Learning to ski in Germany

Fabulous Sensations Youth Hostel in Geillo where Ken, Quent and Hap stayed for 30 days.

Making friends in Germany with the Lochmillers

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A huge herd of reindeer

François with Quent, great skiing in Norway

Beautiful Austrian scenery

Ski hut

Sleepy Geillo, Norway town by light of the full moon

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The Polar Fisk where I was a seasick Galley Boy

Rest time under a tree in the snow

Hap‟s Sea Voyages

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Hap's Europe Sea Travel

Taking ownership of a Beautiful Metallic Blue Triumph Thunderbird 650cc Motorcycle…then travel around Canada and USA

The Ken Bovard family and Hap

The former Carl Anderson Home in PA in 2006

Bobby and Billy Brown and Ruth and Martha Westover

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The Ken Bovard Family

Martha Westover

Big boots for a little girl

The Westover Family

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Skiing in Canada Relaxing in Canada before riding 3,500 miles across to Vancouver

Quentin and little ski instructor

Hap and Quentin

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Great fun skiing

Quentin and Hap on an overloaded sled

The bike on board a tug boat

Playing Quoits while getting a bit of sun during our spare time on a boat

Triumph maintained and secured safely on tug boat. Note bush knife on belt and pipe as well as watch on right hand, I was different then.

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Sea Lark

Beautiful Canadian Scenery

In port on the Sea Prince up the coast of British Columbia

Sea Prince in Canada

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Sea Prince logging

Stunning Canadian Mountains

Sea Prince at work

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Logging in Canada

View from Sea Prince

Logging out of Canada in the Inland Passage, waiting for the wind to ease off.

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CHAPTER FOUR GLADY‟S EARLY YEARS Family History- The Prices My Dad‘s name was Harry William Price, the 7th of 8 living children out of 10 born. Two of the children had died at birth; the first one as well as a twin several years later (apparently it was rather typical back then). One of my Dad‘s brothers, George, in early childhood somehow became a hunchback though his mind was good. He lived at home all his life until he died at about age 60. He helped his mother and later his sister-in-law by doing food preparation. The Price (probably Pryse in Germany) Family had come to Ohio in the 1860s when my Grandpa (Henry) was about 2 years old. Grandma, (Minnie) was born soon after the Ropeter Family arrived in the US - also German immigrants. They all settled as farmers around German Ridge, near Patriot, in Gallia County, Ohio, 14 miles from Gallipolis, the County seat. They went to the nearby Lutheran church where German largely was spoken.

The Prices and Ropeters had a very good name in this community for being helpful and upright. My first cousin, Rosalie (nee) Price Lakin told me a couple years ago. She‘s always lived in this same area.

The Thevenins My mother, Shirley Bane Thevenin, was the fourth of 4 children born to Belle and James Henry Thevenin, known all his life as ‗Kent‘, apparently because his father also had the same first names. My sisters and I remember Mother coming back from her father‘s funeral and saying that some people in attendance had known her father all their lives and didn‘t know that Kent was not his real name until they heard the obituary read at the funeral! Even his tombstone has Kent on it! Grandmother Thevenin had been Belle Plymale before her marriage. My brother found 9 different spellings for that family name! My mother was proud of a French root through Nicholas Thevenin who came with the ‗French 500‘ Huguenots (Craftsmen) who emigrated to escape religious persecution to the New World in the 1700s. Mother‘s forbear settled in Gallipolis, Ohio, where Mother grew up just 4 miles from the Ohio River.

My father married my mother in Gallipolis, Ohio, Feb. 5th 1916. Mother‘s legal name became Shirley Thevenin Price. My mother had a bit of a sense of humor and sometimes would say, ―We got married on Feb. 5th and Ernest was born on the 11th!‖ After a pause, she would add, ―2 years later!‖ Both Mother and Dad found work and met at the OHE (Ohio Hospital for Epileptics). It was thought best at that time to institutionalize epileptics! It was located in beautiful grounds in Gallipolis, Ohio, the 3 rd oldest settlement in Ohio‘s history.

An Army outpost nearer to Pittsburgh was 1 st and Marietta just down the River was the 2nd oldest settlement.

I remember Mother telling about their wedding day. A week or two earlier they had gone together to meet the parents and family of each other, but hadn‘t said that they were engaged or planning to marry! My parents were both 23 years old when they married and had worked on the night shift for 4 years at this same institution. Dad worked with the men and boys in their ‗Cottages‘. Mother worked with the women and girls in their ‗Cottages‘.

When they had chosen the day for their wedding Mother told one girl friend at work. The day of their wedding after their night shift duties, they got dressed in their best clothes and walked to get their marriage license and then to the Registry Office and pronounced their

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vows. Then they found a hotel to sleep and reported for work as usual that night to announce to any and all that they were now married! No parental approval; no photos; and no extra witnesses. I am not implicating any wrong but I think today we would say that they eloped!!

My brother Ernest Henry was born in 1918, then Minnie Belle in 1919, then four years later Helen Elizabeth in 1923, and Anna Mae in 1925. I was born, Gladys Bernice Price in 1927 on May 21st near Stockland, in Iroquois county, 100 miles south of Chicago, Illinois and three miles from the Indiana border. That was the very same day that Charles Lindberg landed in Paris after the first solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic; a very note worthy day back then as it was on every calendar until the Second World War. Some referred to him as the last American Hero.

My siblings were well educated for that time: thanks to my parents‘ insistence on formal education for us all and their help us obtaining it. My Dad and Mother did not have a chance to get further education. That was very common. They were born in 1892 and then, as in many countries, if you were needed on the farm you didn‘t go to school. Girls went to school more than boys because they weren‘t doing as much outside farm work. Mother figured she got an 8th grade education and Dad got about a 4th grade level because he was needed on the farm a lot. But I could certainly know they were smart. They weren‘t ‗dumb‘ because they didn‘t get more formal education! The economic priority back then was to put food on the table for all the mouths. That was so important of course.

Go West Young Couple My parents worked at the same hospital for another 6 months and had saved most of their wages to buy a farm of their own sometime! They went to work on a cattle ranch near Helena, Montana that Mother‘s Uncle Bert Plymale owned. Dad worked with the crew of horsemen and Mother worked with the kitchen crew to feed them. After about 6 months or so they learned about the possibility of purchasing ¼ sections (160 acres) from the Canadian Pacific Railway in Alberta. Their new address became Lethbridge, Alberta, though they lived about 40 miles from there. Ernest Henry (the Henry was in honor of both grandfathers) was born at the Lethbridge Hospital while they called Canada home. Mother went to a hotel in the town of Lethbridge to await his birth at the hospital and then stayed after the birth in the hotel to get strong enough for the trip back to their farm and spartan pioneer conditions.

There wasn‘t much communications and she was gone about 6 weeks until she could return with Dad with their first little one! After two years without enough rain, they had to turn in the contract on the land as they had used up all their life savings! Some years later thanks to a dam for irrigation, Lethbridge became a ‗garden basket‘ for some of Canada.

Now being without any savings behind them, Dad found work near Marcus, Iowa as a farm hand for a farmer named John Brady. Mother was not far from her farmer brothers, Virgil near Aurelia and Clarence Thevenin near Washta, in the NW corner of Iowa. When Mother was expecting their second little one, she went on the train with little Ernest to be with her parents at Galliapolis, Ohio, for about 6 months. Minnie Belle (named after her 2 grandmothers) became a little sister for Ernest – now 18 months old!

Through reading ads in farm papers, Dad and Mother decided to Share Farm near Putaskla, Ohio, just 16 miles due east of Columbus - the state‘s capital. In 1923, my sister Helen Elisabeth was born at Putaskla. Dad and Mother had wanted more sons for farming but apparently learned a very valuable lesson to receive thankfully those given to them! When they did Share Farming it meant that they supplied the labour and the land owner supplied

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the horses, seed and equipment etc. That was a 1/3 share arrangement. Therefore they received 1/3 of the profits. After two years at Putaskla, they were ready to think of buying their own equipment and animals to become 2/3 share farmers. About 15 years later Mother had friends, Mr and Mrs Whitehead, from the church she attended while there who came for a visit for a few days. He was the former Putaskla mail carrier. They had no children but had been good correspondents and retired to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Our family felt honoured to have them visit.

Why Did We Move So Much?

I‘ve asked myself, ―Why did my parents move so far and several times?‖ I don‘t have all the answers but I know they were honest and hard working. The economic situation was different in the fact that horses were still predominantly used then. Many times your relatives helped provide an opening; like a reference for your character. Mother had a lovely Aunt Zelda McFann, her Dad‘s sister, who lived near Stockland, Illinois, who invited my parents to come see the opportunities around there. They all realised that her Auntie‘s farm would not make a living for two families! However, the opportunity presented that they could rent a farm from a banker, Mr Ed Sumner. My parents could now afford to buy from their savings the necessary equipment and cattle to become 2/3 share farmers at last. By now they needed some hired men to work as well. On the first Sumner farm Anna Mae was born in 1925. My folks got into dairying with Guernsey cows and made a good little dairy on the second Sumner farm next door where I was born. A small creek ran through the back of the farm with very fertile soil near it so Mother put in some strawberries near that Sugar Creek and they did very well!

Milk Check Short Every Month!

I remember my parents telling us about this situation that came up. They had 20-30 very good Guernsey cows that were testing high on Butter Fat readings as well as giving a great quantity of milk! They couldn‘t understand why each month their milk payment was not reflecting these positive facts. They mentioned this to their truck driver who picked up their large tins of milk and delivered them to the Milk and Butter Plant in another town several miles away. This very good and caring milk driver became suspicious as he examined the folk‘s written records and compared them with the Milk Plant payments. For the next few months he kept a written record of the weight and Butter Fat reading for those whose milk he carried. When he felt he had enough evidence, he presented his findings to the Milk Plant. Each of his customers promptly received a reimbursement payment for their shortfall!

I don‘t know if there was an explanation or apology but it didn‘t happen again!

Growing up my Mother was a speedy worker and had done quite a few quilts (maybe 12!) by the time she was 16 years old. In her community, a girl‘s industriousness was gauged by how many quilts she had made by the time she was 16. As I remember Mother‘s hands were usually busy! Also, as a young lady, she broke the strawberry picking record when she picked 103 quarts in one day! I think she said that she got a half-a-cent for picking one quart then. By the time we had a few acres of strawberries to pick in Indiana, it was one and a half cents per quart for the picker. The Spring before I was born, Mother had a kerosene chicken egg incubator and had been hand turning the dozens and dozens of eggs every 2 hours throughout the night and day! I have said that I was born tired!

My Birth: A Bonding Experience!

Each of my birthdays that I can remember, if we were together, Mother delighted to rehearse the proceedings of my birthday! I found it to be a very bonding and positive experience.

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Mother would say something like this, ―On the morning that you were born, I just knew that the baby was going to be born that day! So I hurried up to get the laundry up to date for our six as well as the two hired men that worked for us and lived with us. Then I cleaned the whole house and did baking ahead and prepared dinner for us all. When we were eating dinner, I suggested to Dad that he phone Dr. Montgomery to come. After I‘d bathed the kids and tucked them all in bed, I had a shower and I started doing the dishes. Then I had my first contraction! I nodded to Dad who was sitting at the dining table with the doctor and the hired men to tell the Doctor to get ready and I started to the bedroom. As I was getting into my night clothes I had my second contraction. Then in bed, I had my third contraction and you were born!‖ Since I was child number 5 I‟ve always said that I‟m so glad that my parents didn‟t stop with number 4! In a few days, it was settled that my name would be Gladys Bernice. Not sure if they had a girl‘s name picked out before I was born. Being farmers my parents earlier wanted more boys but I believe they now gratefully accepted me!

The custom then was that a house keeping lady would come and look after the household for 14 days! Mother was not allowed to do anything but feed the baby for that time and rest. Of course after the fourteen days it was into full swing again when the house keeping lady left!

Dolly Another story that Mother and Dad enjoyed telling me was how when I was maybe 3 weeks old and it was hot summer weather, one of them had thrown a baby sheet up toward my face.

I believe it was a very natural instinct for a baby to put its hands up! My folks thought I was so clever; so nightly they had this little play time with me of throwing a cotton baby sheet toward my face to see me throw my hands up in the air. They then decided that I looked like a doll and they started calling me, Dolly. Others called me Gladys but Mother and Dad kept calling me Dolly.

Will We Ever Be On Our Own Farm?

After 2/3 Share Farming for several years in Illinois, the desire of my parents to own their own farm was greater than ever. But how could it happen? Now in 1933 there were five children aged from 15 years down to 5 years and they very much wanted to be able to ‗educate their children‘. They kept reading farm magazines to find some opening. They became interested in an advertised 52 acre farm on the Vandalia Rd. in Noble Township of Shelby Co., Indiana. They needed to evaluate it for themselves which proved to be all the more appealing! My parents proceeded ‗back home‘ to Gallia Co. to discuss the options with relatives. They were overjoyed when Mother was offered a loan from her parents to make the down payment. Then my parents could get a mortgage from the Federal Land Bank to get a place of their own – their first farm!

The Move To Indiana We left Illinois on April 6, 1933 to go to Indiana. On the way we picked up two 6 week old puppies, a brown one and a black one; and we gave them very imaginative names, ‗Blackie‘ and ‗Brownie‘!

My only brother, the oldest, Ernest, was in his first year at high school and Minnie Belle was finishing 8th grade of primary school. A kind church family invited them to stay with them so that they could finish the school year in Illinois. It was just we three younger girls, Helen (10 years), Anna Mae, (8 years) and I (nearly 6 years) travelling with Dad and Mother. We three young ones sat in the back seat of the car that day while Dad drove and Mother sat up front in our old green Dodge. We took all the cargo we could. There were things on top and the back of the car was full too, but we got there okay.

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The hired man, Lee Logston from Louisiana, had gone a couple of days earlier with our team of mules and a wagon with our possessions, including the beds and mattresses. That was about it. We really didn‘t have a lot of things. We were able to buy a bit more later as we could afford it. Life and home were very spartan as the depression of 1929 had affected multitudes. It was not forgotten that we‘d come in with a wagon pulled by mules, not horses, and started working on this farm, just 52 acres, with a small house, 27‘X30‘ with an unlined back porch and a small barn about 25‘X25; with a haymow.

We moved about 150 miles to Shelby County, Indiana – about 50 miles SE of Indianapolis to this small farm. I grew up on that farm milking cows, grinding corn to feed the hogs (pigs), helping move 80 pound bales of hay around for the cows, hoeing, and picking vegetables and fruit. It was a very different life than many because we worked in the fields and garden so very much. We planted a four acre orchard with peach, pear, plum and apple trees as well as gooseberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. It became a wonderful place for our family. We felt it was the best place we could have lived.

It was in many ways living by faith, with five school-age-children on a small farm that hadn‘t done so well to eke out a living in a new community. It was an accepting and loving community, and could have been a lot different in other places. We‘d get up at 6am, get dressed and milk the twelve to twenty cows. Electricity came through when I was ten. Then we started to use the two electric milking machines we had brought over from Illinois.

When I was in about 4th grade and learning about the states and their capitals I think one of my sisters and I could say about 40; there were 48 states then. But my Dad who hadn‘t been in school for years could get all 48 of them right! It was a really wonderful practical lesson for us that our Dad might not have a lot of formal education or be able to spell some words like physiology, but our parents were certainly wise, hard working and honest people. It helped me to know not to look down my nose at anybody! Mother was such an example of help to the underdog and to be kind to everyone. She would say things like this ―You play with everyone at school and don‘t isolate anyone‖ and ―Obey the teacher at school and the driver on the bus.‖ She certainly had such a caring attitude. She loved Jesus and was a doer of His word in every part of her life. She loved to go to church and sing the hymns. She had good and honest talks with us and was my greatest human inspiration, and I always felt so loved by her.

Mother and Dad decided we would go to Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, about 2 miles away. We were on one corner of an almost square section and the church was on the opposite corner. It was small, with between 35 and 50 farm people attending. We‘d have Sunday school in one corner for the little ones, another class nearby and the high school group in another corner. The adults, men and women, were in the back for two different classes. The people loved us, and we respected and responded to them too. We had Sunday school every Sunday but preaching every other Sunday as the preacher was also the pastor at the Methodist Church at St Paul, 3 miles away. They were good preachers, they loved the Lord and they loved the Word of God. They‘d be there three years, and then be moved to another charge. They all meant a lot to our family.

Each year there would be a ‗revival‘ (evangelist services), it might last one or two weeks.

Nearly every church had revival meetings, as they called them. It was a special effort to preach the Gospel to people so they could be born again. At a couple of those ‗revivals‘ I was convicted of sin and at 13-16 years of age I knew I wanted to be born again. I didn‘t

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want to go to hell but I didn‘t know what to do to avoid it. I put my hand up when the invitation was given but never had the courage to go forward.

The Rabies Scare In 1940 I was thirteen; the dreadful disease of rabies was in Indiana. Some rabid dog had come and bitten our calf, just two months old, and our two dogs got rabies. The calf and the dogs had to be destroyed! One of the dogs had licked my face so the question was, ―would I get rabies?‖ Because the injections were hard to get and painful, and since the skin on my face was not broken, the doctor and my parents agreed finally that I probably would not get rabies, but we wouldn‘t know for a year! Well, I certainly wasn‘t biting my finger nails, but from that time every night I would pray silently, “Oh God, don‟t let me die until I get right with you. I don‟t want to go to hell. I want to go to heaven”. I was very grateful that I never showed any symptoms of rabies, but I didn‘t want anyone to know what I was thinking and praying! More and more I wanted to be born again.

The Greatest Treasure As I‘ve gotten older, I realise that the word “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13 is true and that the Lord does want people to seek Him with all of their heart, and be genuine and sincere that they want Him more than anything else. It also makes me think of the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:45-46 that Jesus talks about that the man found in the field. He sold everything to own this treasure.

Salvation is the greatest treasure for me! The faith that God has given me for salvation is my most prized possession as in Matthew 13:44 ―The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field when a man found it he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.‖ When I was 16 years old, four girls and one boy from our churches went to Rivervale, in Southern Indiana for a summer camp for Methodist churches of the area. Our minister, Rev Goff, drove us down. I was the only one from my church; the others were from St Paul. It was so worthwhile and I was very grateful to go. Minnie Belle had a job at the Court House in Shelbyville, 15 miles away, and she offered to come out after work to do the milking, each night and the next morning, then drive back to her job. This was during the war and Mother and Dad were working at the defence factory. It was wonderful she would do that for me so that I could go!

At the Rivervale camp the Rev Henry Pressler, a Methodist missionary, was present as the guest speaker. I so much liked hearing him talking about his time as a missionary in India.

He was home on furlough with his wife and three young children. Gladys Marsh, ‗Marshie‘, a lovely lady, and an ordained Methodist minister, played the guitar and sang songs with us.

She was a lot of fun. I went forward for salvation but there were so many people going forward and not very many counsellors. I still really had no assurance of my salvation yet.

On Friday afternoon, ‗Marshie‘ said, ―Gladys, you don‘t have any peace yet, do you?‖ I said ―No, I don‘t! Could I see Rev Henry Pressler and you on your own so I could really get through on this and know I am saved?‖ She set it up for Saturday, 10am. I‘ll never forget this experience. It was like a Billy Graham crusade, being counselled step by step and they did it so sensitively. It was wonderful sitting out under a tree, just on our own, with no interruptions.

I had some doubts and they asked me to pray to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to forgive me of all my sins and I did. Then they said that when we mean what we say with all our heart God

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hears us. Only you and He know if you did mean it with all your heart. I was sorry for my sins and had asked Him to forgive them all. After my prayer Rev Pressler said, ―Do you believe you are saved?‖ ―I hope so,‖ I said, ―but I don‘t know that I am.‖ They asked, ―Do you believe the Bible is the word of God and that it is all true?‖ I was grateful I could say, ―Yes‖. ―Does God lie?‖ one of them asked.

I said ―No, God doesn‘t lie!‖ Then they explained that if you believe God‘s word, ―Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.‖ (Romans 10:13) and you called on the Lord Jesus to save you, and you believe that He can‘t lie to you, so can you believe you are saved?‖ I said, ―I don‘t feel any different! (I hoped to have a bright light from the Lord or something to show me I had been saved).‖ Rev Pressler replied, ―You know He wants us to be saved by faith in Him. If He said He would save you, and if you meant it with all your heart and you know that He doesn‘t lie, then you are saved‖ I said, ―Even though I don‘t feel any different, I do believe it is the word of God and that He doesn‘t lie and I asked him to save me, so I believe by faith now, He has saved me.‖ Then Marshie quoted a verse of assurance, Psalm 103:12 and I also read it aloud ―As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.‖ Then the Holy Spirit gave me assurance that God had heard the prayers of my heart! It was just as if I had been carrying a backpack with rocks in it filled with the burden of my past and it had been lifted from me. I was 16 so I hadn‘t done lots and lots, but I knew I was a sinner and I knew I had not been right with God. My burden of guilt rolled away from me and I knew that I was born again! What peace and joy at last! Thank You, Jesus, for dying at Calvary in my place!

My Mission Call Rev Henry Pressler shared about some of the mission work in India, and of how hard it was for women to get medical help as they are not allowed to see a male doctor and there were only a few women doctors. He told me the following illustration. ‗Now that you know that you have been born again according to Jesus‘ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:3, you are like a small light, spiritually. The world around us is very dark and in India it is especially dark! Suppose you were in a room about 10‘ by 10‘ with only one door out.

There were lots of dangerous objects in there; broken glass, jagged edges of steel and wires and the door was shut. Suddenly there was a very strong earthquake! Now it was pitch dark, and you needed to find your way to safety quickly. Even one lit match, could allow you to get to the outside safely!‘ I prayerfully pondered that analogy and from that time on I knew it was God‘s will for me to be a light in a dark place for Jesus! It might not be as a doctor in India but wherever I would be, I wanted to be a clear bright light for Jesus. The call

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of God for me came to be as a foreign missionary to places where there was not as much light. From then on when I was 16 years and born again I knew I was to be a servant of my Redeemer Jesus in an overseas ministry.

God has been so gracious to renew that call to me from time to time. After one semester at Indiana University at Bloomington on the pre-med course I knew at that time, 1945-6, I would have to give up all my social and church life as only 2% of girls got into medical school. It was extremely competitive. It seemed to me on my limited acquaintance that most of those were very cold and professional. Knowing myself that I was not the competitive type I thought it best not to continue with that course and having said all through high school that if I couldn‘t be a doctor I‘d be a nurse!

Life On The Farm During The War I don‘t think neighbours would have said we were poor as we had plenty to eat. Mother was such a gardener. She canned (bottled) vegetables, fruit, pork and beef, as well as jams and jellies. One year Mother with our help, canned equal to 1000 quarts of food! We all worked hard too. We were out in the fields, milking the cows, grinding corn for the 50 hogs. Dad‘s goal was to raise 50 hogs to 200 pounds every 6 months, so the hogs ate 24 hours a day until he learned that the hog market was beginning to not want them so fat! We also helped around the house, orchard and garden.

Most of the time Dad was working with the tractor in the fields. During the last three years of the war he worked at the Allison Division of General Motors factory in Indianapolis.

Allison made aircraft engines. After Dad had worked there a year, Mother started to work at Allison also! It was usually an 8 hour shift as we lived 50 miles from Allison, which to them was an hour‘s drive there each way. The shift would be either the evening or the night shift for them. They always worked on the same shift and they got big money as the wartime wages were fantastic, especially after just working on the farm. As Helen and Anna Mae were both enrolled at Indiana University and doing three and a half ‗semesters‘ each year, I was the only child left at home now.

Because my parents worked at the Defence Factory and were away from home at least 10hours, five or six days a week, I became the one to feed the grain and hay to the 12 to 20 cows, run the 2 milking machines and carry the milk to the Cool Room, as well as clean the milking equipment. This chore was done both morning and evening my last 2 years of High School. Frankly, I was glad I could be helping my parents, family, and the war effort in this way. There was no one with me at home at night so I kept to the same schedule of going to bed at 10pm and getting up at 6am. I was at high school all through the war years. I took 5 subjects at school each year instead of 4 as I was preparing to go to University after High School. We did not advertise the fact that I was alone at night during the week. I knew that my life call was foreign missions so I reckoned that I could trust the Lord and His promises now as I would need to later also in some foreign country. I didn‘t invite any trouble nor was I biting my nails or having nightmares. A different attitude was expressed to me one day after I had been in this routine nearly two years. A person close to me said, ―I don‘t know why you do all this milking and stuff. Your folks don‘t appreciate it!‖ I was shocked and could hardly believe my ears! I answered meekly, ―I know that my folks do appreciate it a lot! It‘s helping pay the bills for university for two of my sisters now and all being well there will be money for me to go to university after high school. I‟m glad I can help by earning $400 a month from the cows!‖

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My parents could hardly get enough sleep with working shift work, travelling two hours and doing farm work, it left them too little time for sleep. Mother would keep Dad awake as he drove. Dad went to sleep at work once so they kindly put him on sweeping the floors.

Another time he was alone and ran into a moving train at Shelbyville. It was so fortunate he wasn‘t killed or hurt, but their car was a write off!

One Of The Nicest Surprises!

At first it had been really spartan in our four room house. Dad, my brother and the hired man slept in one room and Mother and we four girls were in another room to sleep. That is the way it was for about three years. Then Dad and Mother had a room of their own when Ernest had gone off to college and we didn‘t have a hired man any more.

I want to tell you of one of the nicest surprises that we had. One Saturday in December my Mother said to Anna Mae and me, ―Let‘s go to the Shelbyville furniture store and have a look around‖. So we did; Mother picked out a green three seater mohair suite, with a matching chair as well as a lazy boy in gold mohair with an ottoman for our feet. It all looked so good! Anna Mae and I said, ―What shall we tell Dad? What will Dad think of this?‖ The store said they could deliver it by 4pm on the day before Christmas. It was so very exciting for us!

Right on time, at 4 o‘clock, Christmas Eve, here came this furniture van. Dad was out in the barn and we got it all in place in the living room. We had a fuel oil heater by that time, it was easier to circulate the heat, and the house could be kept cleaner without a wood stove.

When we had it in place and Dad came in from the barn. We said ―Oh Dad, it is so good of you to give us this; it looks so good, thank you so much!‖ Well, he didn‘t let on that he knew anything about it and we never did ask Mother if she had told him or not. Maybe she‘d given him a clue, but from our perspective we thought we had picked it out and gone ahead with it. We were so thrilled and he went right along with it, accepting our thankyou!

It was such a happy Christmas surprise!

Home Improvements My parents had been able to go to some farm sales too and got a rug or two for two rooms.

They‘d got a bedroom suite that looked nice and we‘d begun to put up some draperies and the whole house was just coming together better, because there‘d been more money.

Growing up Mother would say, ―We have to work lots and get money for the taxes, and money to pay the Land Bank for the mortgage on the farm. We have got to work hard to get school books and new school shoes for each of you.‖ My Mother might not have been able to spell psychology but she was certainly a master at it! She‘d say ―Come on!‖ and was always setting the pace as we‘d be hoeing strawberries or picking fruit or green beans, or planting seeds or plants. One year before the war we had 12 acres of strawberries and 49 pickers. Pickers were paid 1½ cents for a quart of berries picked. We sold strawberries at 15 cents for a quart. When the war came no one wanted to do that kind of work, so we only grew enough strawberries for ourselves from then on.

For several years we rented another farm to grow more corn, wheat, soybeans and alfalfa for our livestock and market produce. We put in 27 acres of tomatoes for a canning factory one year, and a few acres of peas and sweet corn. These cash crops helped our family finances but spelled lots of work. Fortunately the peas were harvested by a machine. We began to use mechanisation as much as possible, such as a tomato or strawberry planter. When it was

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haymaking time, we all lifted and stacked 80lb. bales into the haymow above the barn.

Mother and we girls all worked too. We were as strong as boys or men.

A Bonus Trip My parents, surprisingly, without even a hint of suggestion from me, wanted me to visit my sister Helen. None of the family had visited her yet. She had graduated from Indiana University as a dietician and was now working at the Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Portland, Oregon. They booked me out on the Great Northern Railway through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. In Portland I got a bit of work in the Montgomery Ward catalogue warehouse. When work eased off and as I was the last one employed I was the first laid off. I had a wonderful couple of months with my sister Helen in Portland; I got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time and saw Mt Hood. I was booked back on the Union Pacific Railway, a different route through Salt Lake City, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.

I bought an oil painting by the side of the road near Mt Hood, (of a waterfall near Mt Hood), a gift for Minnie Belle and Malcolm for their wedding. (I was so grateful that they really liked it also. Minnie Belle married on her birthday August 25 th, 1946 and I got to be a brides maid for her.) I saw a lot of the country on that whole trip. It was so very nice and thoughtful of my folks to give me that trip all so unexpectedly! They had appreciated my milking the cows so much those last two years of the war when they were working so hard.

They also welcomed my positive attitude and the monetary gain.

Nurses Training and Work I started Nurses Training in August of 1946 at the Indiana University School of Nursing located at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. The Nurses Christian Fellowship, an Inter Varsity group, meant so much to me all the time I lived and worked in Indianapolis. It was such a lovely influence and the fellowship was so good. Graduate nurses were there as well as freshmen, first year student nurses like me as well as a dental student and a few medical students. We sang some hymns out of an Inter Varsity Song book, and then there might be a speaker or someone to share a Bible story or a theme. Every Wednesday night if I was not on duty, I would attend the Nurses Christian Fellowship.

I made some beaut friends there including Betty Morgan, two years ahead of me, and in my own class was Jane Decker from Marion, Indiana. She was a really outstanding Christian, planning to be a missionary to Africa. She married Warren Freeborn and I was invited to go to their wedding. Her father was a teacher at the Wesleyan Methodist College in Marion, Indiana. Warren‘s folks were also on staff there. They later went to Africa as missionaries, he as a doctor and she as a nurse. Jane Freeborn was the first classmate to die but she left a wonderful Christian witness. Another good friend was Maxine Davis from Shelbyville. A couple of years after me was Jean Steiner, later to become Jean Morris who married a few months after she started training. Betty Morgan became my Maid of Honor at our wedding and Jean Morris has been one of my best friends and prayer partners.

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“No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus” I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus Since I found in Him a Friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He changed my life completely, He did something that no other friend could do.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me, All my heart was full of misery and woe; Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me, And He led me in the way I ought to go.

Every day He comes to me with new assurance, More and more I understand His words of love; But I‟ll never know just why He came to save me, Till some day I see His blessed face above. [chorus] No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There‟s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O how much He cared for me.

Recommitment Early in the first term of my Nurses Training Rev Russell Kauffman from Hope Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Indianapolis located at that time at Tenth Street and Park Street, came as a guest speaker. Rev Kauffman spoke on one of the verses that God made real in my life. Matthew 6:24 ―you cannot serve God and mammon‖. God wants us to be serving Him. You can‘t straddle the fence; you are either on the world side or God‘s side.

It had been 3 years since I had been saved and my love had grown cool some and I wasn‘t as focused on becoming a foreign missionary as I had been earlier. It was time for rededication in my heart. I went to my room, knelt and repented of the coldness of my heart and told Him I wanted His will totally, and not to seek popularity, dancing, date the medical students and get a doctor husband. I had not been flirtatious but I wanted the Lord to search my heart and check it out that I was going right with Him. I wanted to become a good nurse for Jesus, my Lord.

Challenges The first challenge against my outright commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord of my life was sudden. I was in my first year of Nurses Training and I had just recently rededicated my life to Jesus to do whatever He wanted me to do. Not long before that, I‘d spent $40 (big money in 1946) on Arthur Murray dance lessons. Soon it was easy for me to see what a waste of time and money it was as I realised I had ‗two left feet‟ and no sense of rhythm! My motive to learn I sensed was very compromised, ‗to be popular‟ as I was trying to ‗straddle the fence‘.

As I was riding back to the Indiana Medical Centre in Indianapolis, the driver (someone who meant a lot to me) told me of their concern about me. The person confided, ―Gladys, You have such ‗strong fixations about religion‘ and you‘re taking the Bible so seriously! Free yourself up so that you can date some of the medical students! If you marry a doctor you will have one less worry in life. You will not have a money problem!” To them their advice

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made sense - from a worldly point of view but in my recently renewed Christian commitment and peace from the Lord, it had the hiss of satan! Though they meant it well; I‘ve had absolutely no regret that I didn‘t follow that advice!

It turns out that before I started to study or before exams I would pray. It was a wonderful time; I was motivated to pray ―Lord let me do this well so that maybe 20 years from now I may save a life on the mission field‖. I learned later that I was putting what I learned in the part of the brain for long term retention that is better than retaining it just for the exam on the next day! I was slower than some; on the other hand it became a very good time in my life. I was assigned 10 ½ months out of three years at the Coleman Hospital for Women. We had affiliate nurses that came for three or six months to one or both courses in obstetrics or pediatrics. There were three nursing schools, one from Jacksonville, Florida, St Johns Hospital in Anderson, Indiana and the other from Alton, Illinois. I got to meet one of the nurses, Lois Johnston, from Anderson, Indiana. She was a Christian and we became room mates at Nyack Missionary College in 1952 for a year. One affiliate nurse came to the church‘s missions week; I was sitting beside her when the Lord called her to missions. Her name was Joyce Moody and it turns out she was a great niece of D.L. Moody. Later she went to the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and then went out to Assam, India, with the Baptist Mid-Missions and I got her newsletters for years. I was privileged to see lots of answers to prayer.

On Sunday nights when we got off at 7pm, with the church starting at 7:30pm it was a big hurry to catch the bus going down town. Sometimes a direct route bus came first otherwise we had to make a bus transfer downtown when we got off at Central and Tenth and then walk one block to the church. Often the church would be full, there may be three to six of us and they would save the front row of seats for us. The leader would say, ―Here come the nurses from the Medical Centre‖. It was wonderful to feel how they took extra care of us.

We could hear the singing a block away! It was wonderful knowing what God‘s call was for me and being enthused for God. If I hadn‘t had the influence of that Church and Pastor Russell Kauffman and the weekly Tuesday night Bible Studies held each week for only an hour, maybe I would have been a ‗missionary miscarriage‘, (called at 16 years but not gone ‗full term‘). Over one year we studied in Romans, what a feast! I continued with the Bible Study through my three years training and for the 21 months when I worked there as a graduate nurse. Needless to say it was a wonderful time of discipleship and spiritual discipline for me.

After I graduated as a nurse I joined the Indianapolis Christian and Missionary Alliance Church as I was up there more. I still went when I had a weekend off duty to Pleasant Hill Church, where I had grown up, with Mother and Dad. When I was at Bloomington in 194546 my folks bought a bigger farm only six miles from Shelbyville that had a much bigger house. It was a lot easier to get on a bus from Indianapolis to home as it was on state highway #29, as it was named then. I could even get on a Greyhound bus in front of our house and get to the bus terminal in Indianapolis, walk one block and catch a bus to our Nurses Residence on W. Michigan Street in just over one hour!

Registered Nurse Work Upon graduation I was offered work in the Labor and Delivery room at the University Coleman Hospital for Women. I found I could earn wonderful pay ($240 a month) if I worked 2 weeks of day shift, 2 weeks of evening shift and 2 weeks of night shift. This was very good money for a 22 year old in 1949. I graduated in August 1949 and in June 1951

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heard there was really good pay by working as a civilian in Camp Atterbury for the US Army. The Korean Conflict was on and facilities at Camp Atterbury were open again and built up. It was quite a big training base. There were 2 wards for wives and children of servicemen. A special bill had been passed in Congress to hire in more civilians and I started work there on really good pay. Each day I drove through the country side 30 miles to my Mother and Dad‘s farm in the next county. I lived at home, and ate with them so I could save a lot. The first week I used their pickup truck, but within a week or so I had bought my own car, a 1949 Plymouth 5 passenger coupe, for $900 from Capt. Quinn, a Christian nurse just assigned overseas. The car could easily hold 6 people and had a big trunk. It was ideal, travelling from Indiana to New York City and then to the Missionary Training Institute at Nyack, New York, where I went 15 months later. By saving money I was able to pay back my education debt of $1300 to my parents for their loan to me during the previous four years. I was also able to save money during my three years work for my future three years at Bible school.

Don‟t Judge I wanted to sit on my Daddy‘s lap, all us girls wanted to, but we didn‘t get to. It‘s sort of hard to explain but every girl wants to sit on her Daddy‘s lap, or so I‘ve heard!

Ann, a precious little girl with blonde curls, blue eyes and just so beautiful, was the first grandchild in our family. My brother Ernest was home after the war. He‘d been working away as a doctor in the South Pacific war area on ships, but now he was home with his family. A couple of us girls were home visiting. Dad came in from the barn. We said to Dad, ―Here‘s a book‖, and one of us put Ann, who was about 2 years old, on his lap, in the new living room suite. He started to read the book to her. It looked so lovely – a beautiful picture! A few minutes later my Mother came in the door, and she said, ―Oh, you‘re not holding her right!‖ Well you know, that spoke volumes to my sister and me. ―He‘s just doing fine”, we said, ―He‘s going to be a wonderful grandfather!‖ This incident said to me that perhaps Dad would have liked to have held us but he felt restrained. This taught me ―don‘t judge, there might be a lot you don‘t understand.‖ Jesus said don‘t judge, you know. He knows that some people work so very hard that when they come inside they don‘t want to be distracted by things or anyone else. That was a big lesson for us and I saw my Daddy in a very different light from then on!

A School Nurse?

When September 1951 came someone from the Shelby County Education Department asked me if I would be their County School nurse. There were 14 county schools and 2 parochial schools. The previous person had retired. I‘d never thought of anything like that. I had full time work and liked it and didn‘t know if I‘d like being a County School nurse, plus I‘d had no training in that area. However, if I did take it I‘d consider $200-$225/month to do the job half time mornings plus mileage. They quickly agreed and I was on! It was a learning curve but it worked out quite well as I could work mornings as the County School Nurse and continue my permanent evening shift at the Camp Atterbury Hospital. I could organize my time off at the hospital around scheduling afternoon research hearing tests or doctor preschool physical exams at the school. It was amazing how it worked out with no conflict!

I made over $570/month for that year which for a 24 year old woman was amazing. I am sure it was the Lord‘s financial provision for Bible school for me. No one else earned that much then unless they were a movie star!

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Life Preparations I enjoyed reading Christian counselling type books and felt they were quite beneficial by helping me avoid regrettable choices. One of the teachings that stuck with me was this one that started with the spiritually mature person. Only a whole mature person can become that wholesome mature partner that can glorify God in their Christian marriage and home together and will be a delight to his/her partner. As we are experiencing increasingly it sure is best if both a mature father and a mature mother can jointly handle the stresses of parenthood in these increasingly challenging days! Oh, for more and more mature parents!

I‘m convinced that my ideas/concepts of God are too small. Back in the ‗50s or so, there was a good book that came out titled, ―Your God Is Too Small‖. That book really was a blessing to me and helped me try to not limit God by my pre-conceived limitations and unbelief. I still remember as a recent nurse graduate one night in my devotions I paused and looked up into the star laden sky in a worshipful attitude. I was filled with praise and thankfulness and said something like; ―You‟re so big and wonderful Lord, that if You do have someone for me, You could even cause our paths to cross at the right time and in the right way for us to have a chance to get acquainted for God‘s service. You could even cause one to come from half way around the world or 10,000 miles away! It was a wonderful time of devotions for me that I would see fulfilled several years later.

Saturday Fun On The Farm While I was working as a graduate nurse I invited the youth group of my Indianapolis church to our farm, now only 40 miles from Indianapolis. They met on Wednesday nights and had good Bible studies and fellowship. All 55 of them arrived in time to eat lunch one Saturday in August. Mother had made fried chicken, blackberry pies, ice-cream and fresh strawberries. Everyone had a wonderful time! Mother and Dad really enjoyed the time too.

Some still remember it as one of their happiest occasions, all the good food and playing softball and other games. One of the memories is of Alan Sears throwing a ball to Carol, who tried to catch it, but instead it ‗stoved‘ the third finger on her left hand. It really hurt.

From then on he asked after the injured finger every time he saw her, and then they began dating and then married! And the rest is history!

Mother worked so much, milking cows, candling eggs, and gardening so that housework was not a priority for her, as it didn‘t „make money‟. She could dress 40 chickens a day, freeze them and customers would come to buy them. She‘d make home made noodles, sell eggs by the carton and have a chicken and egg run into Shelbyville once a week. Four of my friends from IU Nurses Christian Fellowship offered to come down with me for the sole purpose of cleaning up the house for Mother before the second year‘s picnic on the farm. It was something they could do to thank her for the good time they‘d had the year before. It was much better than having to do it by myself and helped Mother greatly! We all enjoyed doing it to help her and she really appreciated it so much!

When I had graduated from Nurses Training, my Pleasant Hill Methodist Sunday School wanted to give me a white Bible with my name engraved on it. One of the leaders explained to me that they had this Bible for me but they didn‘t know what name to put on it as they heard most people call me Gladys but my parents called me Dolly. I believe I was only Dolly to my parents as long as they lived.

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A New Name Later when I‘d had my 27th birthday and we had a Price family reunion and a family photo taken, I decided it was time to change my name. I was preparing to go for the next 2 months to the Word of Life Camp at Schroon Lake, NY in the Adirondack Mountains about 350 Miles north of New York City. Of the large staff at the camp I only knew two others and thought this would be an excellent time to do something about my name. In today‘s world, we would probably say I wanted it to be more ‗user friendly‘! I concluded that I had been Gladys long enough! It seemed that a lot of people had an Aunt Gladys as it had been a very popular name in the previous generation. With a bit of thought I concluded that I would not make a big or legal change such as becoming a Betty Lou or a Mary Ruth. I already had two siblings with double names in my family and that seemed to be enough -- Minnie Belle and Anna Mae! I decided to introduce myself from now on as Glad or Glady Price. By now in 2010, I‘ve been Gladys only a third of my life; except for officialdom!

The second farm my folks bought was 122 acres and a great buy thanks to my sister Minnie Belle learning about it at work. (Now the Interstate Highway I-74 between Indianapolis and Cincinnati is only about a half of a mile away and one can see the cars speed past on it).

After Mother died Feb 22 1958, Dad sold the 52 acre farm to a close neighbor. Then in a year or two he sold the bigger farm to Minnie Belle and her husband Malcolm Mitchell.

How Can I Find The Right Husband? ―Lord, if you have a husband for me, how will I find him?‖ Or, ―How will Mr Right find me?‖ These were questions I occasionally had on my mind when I was a young adult. That is why I want to share some important lessons I was taught during that time. I want to take you with me to a large Christian youth camp in the summer of 1954. I was there as a waitress, counselor, and a fill-in nurse (one day a fortnight only). I received full room and board and $10 a week spending money. This job was considered to be ‗Christian service‘ for potential missionary candidates. I was glad to be there doing what I was and earning even this small pay.

Let‘s fasttrack back to the summer when I was 16 and had just been born again and then called to be a foreign missionary. I well remember my realization that Jesus is the answer that everyone needs for their sin problem! Almost simultaneously I knew the importance of prayer in a Believer‘s life. Armed with these new ‗revelations‘ I began to grow in the Lord and His Word and I tried to chart my future.

Following one disappointing semester at university I changed my course toward nursing.

One valuable lesson came out of that semester; humility is the very opposite of pride! Now I can say thanks for that semester! In 1949 I became a Registered Nurse in Indiana. I was assigned to work in Maternity at my training school, Indiana University School of Nursing.

This I did there for 21 months. It was cheerful and quite pleasant.

I decided to work at Camp Atterbury during the Korean Conflict as the wages there were so appealing for civilian nurses in the Military Hospital. I wanted to nurse men for a change!

That was not to be as they were only hiring for the civilian wards! I needed to save for the next several months so that I could go off to Bible school in preparation for foreign missionary service somewhere. So I took the offered job and continued working in Maternity. In hind sight I believe the good Lord was protecting me from finding a Mr Wrong!

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About this time I remember a particular conversation with my Lord. It went something like this. ―Lord, if it‘s alright with you, I think I‘d like a husband sometime. I‘m not a strong leader and it is a more normal life for most missionaries. But I do know it‘s got to be one who has the same spiritual calling as you have given me. I know your Holy Word forbids me being unequally yoked with anyone. Firstly, he‘s got to be born again and be yielded to your Lordship. Right now, I don‘t know any one like that who is eligible.” After some time of quiet pondering, I prayed, ―Lord Jesus, I want only your will. You alone know what is best for me! If you do have a husband for me, would you look after him and protect him just now?‖ What Peace Jesus gave me!

I didn‘t keep a diary, but I now fancy that that prayer was needed for Hap when his first deep sea going ship reached its first port in Singapore and a moral temptation strongly confronted him. Ever so fortunately, he chose the path of morality and honor! (See story called a Moral Judgment earlier in this book).

I read a small book about the physical names of body parts and aspects of the marriage act in marriage. I was in late high school and found it among my brother‘s medical books as one of his medical school requirements. I didn‘t need that information yet but I believe the good Lord blessed that knowledge to be a stored safeguard in the decade before my own marriage.

I didn‘t let my mind dwell on the contents of that marriage book nor did I read fanciful romantic novels. I knew my mind also needed to be subject to the Holy Spirit‘s wise counsel and that my body was not my own but belonged to the Lord. He created it and had redeemed my life by His precious blood at Calvary.

The Interesting Australian!

We are often queried as to where we met. Sometimes that‘s the first question that we are asked. People are always amazed that someone from Indiana and someone from Australia should be married for over 54 years. Here is how it happened.

On July 10th, 1954 I, Glady had arrived at Schroon Lake, NY to work as a waitress and counsellor at the Word of Life Camp. Jack Wyrtzen had come to Nyack Missionary College in NY that spring enlisting students to sign up as counsellors and workers as part of the camp staff. The staff could counsel students and campers on Saturday night and through the week until they left. The campers would come in bus loads from New York, New England, Pennsylvania and even down from Toronto. They had a very good time! It was a pleasant place on a 97 acre island in the middle of Schroon Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. We had to get there by a barge that carried people across to the Island. There was lots of good Bible teaching, music, sports and laughter!

I was in room 1 at the top of the stairs in a place called the White House (because it was painted white). Each week eight girls were assigned to my room and in my free time I did various things with them. I conducted the assigned devotions with them before lights out each night for about 15 minutes.

When Hap walked into the dining room before lunch on Wednesday the 25 th of August 1954 the Holy Spirit impressed me in a very definite and strong way meaning, “You witness to him, he may not be saved yet.” I had never received such a strong spiritual message! I sent up an instant prayer, ―What shall I say on this important encounter and where should we sit?‖ The Lord answered both requests in a wonderful way because I soon learned that he

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was going to be leaving on Friday, which gave him only 3 days in camp. I thought “I‟ve just got to share the gospel with him, how should I do it?” So I said to him, ―Well, you‘re going that soon. That‘s too bad because you are going to miss the highlight of each week, the Saturday night evangelistic service. At those services we get to counsel 30-50 young people for salvation and such a joy that is!‖ Jack W had lots of jokes. One of them was about the Kool-aid drink they called ―bug juice‖. He would say, ―On Saturday you get green bug juice, on Sunday yellow, and on Monday purple. By Saturday when you leave here we can guarantee you‘ll be sweating in Technicolor.‖ It never failed to make people laugh!

I could tell Hap about the plan of salvation and present what Jack W would preach in a nutshell, so I knew that he would have a chance to know he could be born again. ―Since you are not going to be here for that night, at least you are here for the second most important meeting all week and that‘s tonight! It‘s about missions and being 100% for Jesusanywhere, anytime to do anything He wants you to do! We have ‗popcorn testimonies‘, which means you pop up, speak up and sit down! Only saying a little bit very succinctly about what God has been doing in you.‖ That was the introduction for Hap while I got to know a little bit about him.

I could tell he wasn‘t a local person. He had me guess where he was from. I guessed he was from England. I had never met an Australian before. He pretended to be offended to be taken as English. When you get to know Australian culture then you know there is not a great deal of love between the Australians and the English. It‘s a little bit like the Americans who declared their independence in 1776. It‘s not that they‘re enemies, just not bosom buddies. So I learned a little bit more about Hap and it was good to have the opportunity to get acquainted like that. I continued to pray for him as I knew that the Lord had answered my earlier prayers.

I learned too that he always liked a second cup of tea after each meal and when he got up to the hot water urn after the meal about a dozen people would congregate! That day or the next I suddenly developed a ‗need for a second cup of tea‘ and therefore had the chance to listen as others asked him questions. Afterward we realised that many people asked him questions just to hear his Aussie accent! It was certainly a very natural and easy way to get acquainted.

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CHAPTER FOUR PHOTOS

GLADY‟S EARLY YEARS

Price Family at Glady's Birthplace 1931

Harry William Price 1916 age 23

Anna Mae, Ernest, Glady, Minnie Belle, Helen with 4H calves in 1932

Shirley Bane Thevenin Price 1916 age 23

Glady age 12 1939

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Price Farm and sisters helping calf

Harry Price with Ginger on Farm

Road trip to Rivervale Camp

Gladys, Anna Mae, Helen and Minnie Belle 1942

Shirley Thevenin Price

Price Family Portrait 1942 Back: Gladys, Helen, Minnie Belle, Anna Mae Front: Harry, Ernest, Shirley

Cows on Price farm

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Price Family Portrait 1943

Glady and Helen in Portland, OR 1946

Gladys Bernice Price 1942

Gladys Bernice Price 1950

Glady High school Graduation 1945

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Nursing School 1946-1949

In student nurse uniform

Formal Gardens and Rotary Rehabilitation Hospital for Children

Graduate Nurses Quarters

Long Hospital

Lake Erie

To Intervarsity Camp

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Student Nurses Residence 1946-1949

Glady 1950

New graduate from Nursing School August 1949

Glady working as School Nurse 1951-1952

New graduate 1949, now an RN

Glady working as a nurse in maternity ward at Camp Atterbury 1951

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Price Grandchildren July 1954

Glady and friend at Nyack, NY in front of her ‟49 Plymouth in 1953

Price Family Portrait July 1954

Glady 1953 in Nyack, NY

Price family on farm during a reunion in July 1956

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CHAPTER FIVE WORD OF LIFE CAMP (WOL) A Clear Sign Driving up the highway 9W in New York State, I, Hap, saw a sign, WORD OF LIFE CAMP SCHROON LAKE ALL WELCOME! I had no intention whatever of going there until I saw that sign and I believe now the Spirit of God turned the bike and me toward that road! I came to the Word of Life Inn but I was looking for the Camp. I was spotted by two people walking across the cross walk in front of me! They were Rev Carl and Virginia Anderson. I was greeted with a large excited ―bear hug‖ from Dad Ando and a loving embrace from Mum Ando. I was warmed by their loving greeting. Dad Ando registered me at the camp for 3 days negating the claim from the staff that there was no spare bed for even one more person. The conversation went like this; ―Listen, this man is from AUSTRALIA and has travelled the world! He‘s got a tent and a sleeping bag and motorcycle. He could fit in anywhere. Assign him to a cabin so he can be in on devotions, and he can sleep in his own tent. He could eat with the waitresses in the dining room since it‘s not allowable to build a fire on the Island to cook.‖ So I was accepted as a camper for three days under the recommendations of Rev Carl Anderson!

Chalk Artist Tuesday, August 24 1954 was my very first night at the Word of Life Camp. That night I saw a chalk artist, named Phil Saint (a brother of the Auca missionary pilot, Nate Saint, martyred in 1956) who drew a picture and shared the good news of Jesus. He turned off the bright lights and turned on the ―black‖ light, revealing three crosses on a hill. He sang his testimony very meaningfully, ―At the cross! At the cross! where I first saw the light And the burden of my heart rolled away; It was there by faith I received my sight And now I am happy all the day!‖ Alas, and did my Saviour bleed? And did my Sovereign die?

Would He devote that sacred head for someone such as I? Was it for sins that I have done, He suffered on the tree?

Amazing love how can it be that You would die for me!

Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut His glories in When Christ, the Mighty Maker died for man, the creature‘s sin But drops of grief can ne‘er repay the debt of love I owe Here, Lord, I give myself away, tis all that I can do!

That hymn from then on became one of my very favourites!

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First Lunch At Word Of Life Camp The next morning at breakfast it was announced by Jack Wyrtzen that one or two men might come in to the dining room to eat with the waitresses since the camp was already full. On that Wednesday before lunch, since I was new in the dining room a young lady helped guide me through the system of eating early before the campers. She was a waitress, so she ‗knew the ropes‘. Remember I was an Australian in the midst of up to 350 Yankee campers and staff. I was the ‗odd man out‘. This young lady told me about the camp and procedures and pointed out the main message that I would miss because I planned to leave on Friday. This was the message that Jack Wyrtzen preached about the sinfulness of man and Jesus paying the price of our penalty for sin. He did this by dying on the cross in our place and we can accept Him into our lives to save us.

Campfire Service That waitress had told me, ―But at least you‘re able to be here for the second highlight of the week‖. On the Wednesday nights they had a big campfire. The service is about 100% commitment to Jesus Christ to go anywhere, do anything, at anytime, 100% commitment and recommitment to Jesus Christ. ―Then Jesus came to them and said ‗All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.‖ (Mat 28:18-20) I responded to the invitation to come stand around the campfire to do business with God. It was an unemotional but significant time for me. This was the beginning of commitment to follow in the steps of Tom Walton from my time at Camooweal, QLD in 1947. After the service Dad Carl came and said, ―Hap, what was your transaction with God tonight?‖ I replied, ―A rededication to follow God‘s way for my life.‖ He was surprised in one way as he was hoping it would have been to accept Jesus Christ as my saviour. I later learned that all the Anderson family had been praying for my salvation.

The Lord had shown them, “He thinks he‟s a Christian, but keep praying for him, he soon will be.” The mysterious power of prayer!

A Most Significant Moonlight Walk On The Beach After the campfire service, instead of having evening devotions with the cabin counsellor and about eight boys, I went for a walk alone along the beach of Schroon Lake before turning in for the night. I knelt down on the beach, looked up in the moonlit night and prayed something like this, ―I know that You are real. I‘m looking to You Almighty God; I want to get right with You! I‘m sorry for anything wrong between me and You, I‘m trusting Jesus, your Son, at Calvary, for everything that‟s not right between us. Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross at Calvary for my sins. From now on I want to live for You as You want!‖ There were no flashing lights, no bells tinkling, almost no emotions; it was a decision of my will and mind. But I did have a great night‘s sleep! The next day I already sensed the purpose for my being on earth; that I was to honour and obey my Creator and Saviour. Now I had found the answers to those gnawing questions that had perplexed me for so many years. I had found it in a saving relationship with Jesus, God‟s only Son. When I shared this with the Andersons the next day, they were over joyed to hear this from my own lips and again I got a big hug!

What the Lord used that 1st Wed night at the camp was my deep desire for adventure!

Around that huge campfire, I heard about the work of two young, recently martyred missionaries in the Birds Head Region of Dutch New Guinea. To my ears it all sounded like such high adventure! Hiking those winding trails, climbing those mountains and canoeing

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rapids were the very things I had done for fun in Australia and Europe. There was no hype but my heart response to what I was hearing was amazingly significant. “Lord, if You want me to do those kinds of things for You I‟d be glad to! It became such a natural response of my whole being!

An Invitation To Become Staff!

On my third day at the camp, the Thursday morning, Chris Williams, chief of camp staff asked me, ―Hap, would you be willing to stay until camp is over on the Tuesday after Labor Day and help me put the camp canoes and row boats away? In the meanwhile you can work with the other male staff, clearing underbrush or whatever is needed and you‘ll get free food in the dining room‖. I wholeheartedly agreed to stay on! So, instead of leaving Word of Life Camp, I was invited to work with the male staff in clearing under brush around the 97-acre island. The idea of helping clean up around the place and preparing for camp building really appealed to me as I like the outdoors more than sitting in some meeting. It meant I could be at the camp for almost another fortnight!

It was a very spiritually nourishing time for me hearing the staff men talking about their Quiet Times in the morning, while we worked in the bush. Other times I heard them sharing so naturally how they were trusting the Lord for their needed finances for the next semester for the university or Bible Colleges. Everyone was so friendly and unknown to me I was being discipled in the most practical and natural manner.

My Baptism The next day - Friday after lunch, Jack Wyrtzen announced ―Anyone who has not been baptised, and if you know you are born again, you may come down to the boat pier at one o‘clock. Bring a towel, and be prepared to give your testimony!‖ I thought this over and decided to go and observe. When several had been baptised in the lake, a leader asked ―Is there anyone else who wants to be baptised today?‖ I knew this was the time, so I was baptised in the lake - with my cycling boots on and all!

Advice Needed As I was learning about missions and Jesus‘ great commission I pondered about where I could fit in. I went for advice to the camp director and the assistant camp director. I told them individually that I had worked on ships, in the engine rooms as a Ship Engineer for 4 years, as well as travelling as a tourist between ships. I had recently begun to think of leaving the ship engine room work in favour of working on land. I‘d always been mechanical and especially liked to work with my hands. I was currently enrolled to attend a course in Toronto, Canada to transfer my skills to use on large earth moving equipment.

They both separately advised that I do the Engineering College later if God led me to, but now to go to a Bible College to get grounded in the Bible – God‘s Word. I felt this was right so I said, ―What is a Bible College?‖ ―Where are they?‖ Being of a practical nature I also asked, ―Which is the nearest one?‖ I was full of questions. They told me how Christians were taught the Bible in a very practical way at Bible College and that some men and women here on staff now are from various Bible Colleges. The nearest one is Nyack. I said to myself ―I‘d like to see that area more, as there are many WWII mothball ships nearby‖.

I was quite interested in travels and adventurous activities and sports; some might call me a ‗late bloomer‘ as only in the last year or two had I begun to think that someday it might be a good idea to get married. A 22 year old Swedish friend, Sven, at camp said ―This is such a happy place. It could be a good place to look for a wife! Let‘s watch the waitresses and see

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how they do their work‖ I agreed, and together we approached a young slender one with long red hair. We found out she was engaged to a Naval cadet at Annapolis Academy. We also rated as ‗tops‘ the nurse from Indiana that I‘d eaten lunch with the first day. I knew I wanted a Christian wife, at that time meaning one who‘s loyal and of high morals.

Fortunately, I reckoned that it wouldn‘t be fair to my wife if I weren‘t of high morals and integrity also.

What Would I Look For In A Wife?

Being almost 26 years old I was older than most of the campers who ranged from 12-25 years. There were very few campers of age 20. Sven and I had a conversation that went something like this. ―What would we look for in a wife?‖ Both of us began very objectively to list several qualities. I thought of my older sister Mary who defended me at primary school! She was good at running, she could knit well, she could cook and bake, keep house, liked children and babies, liked gardening and was very friendly.

Some of the teaching and truth that I was hearing and learning from the scriptures were so new to me! At the same time it was so good to discuss them with others. I enjoyed talking with a 16 year old, Peter Holden, who was assistant Chef and a new friend Glady Price, who had introduced herself that first lunch. I shared my idea of going to Nyack Bible College with this friendly waitress lady, Glady, after I‘d been advised to go to a Bible College. Her response was ―I go to that college and am the Boys Nurse‖. I thought deep down, ―If that is the school I go to I‘d better be sick often so I can really keep an eye on this Lassie!‖ She seemed to listen and enjoy my company, but was not flirtatious at all. I was sorta shy and didn‘t know how to approach a girl for a date.

The next Monday afternoon was rainy and the 16 waitresses were all in the dining room, preparing corn and salads for that evening BBQ. I came in and sat on some flour bags in the store room and chatted with Peter Holden. I asked him about this nurse from Indiana, ―Peter, do you think she has a boy friend? Peter, could you find out for me?‖ A few minutes later Peter came back to me with the answers I needed – she‘d had some good opportunities of marriage but had now concluded that she wouldn‘t date anyone who wasn‘t going to be a foreign missionary as it would be a waste of her time. I was really delighted to hear all this!

When I next came inside from the rain I asked Peter, ―When you‘re free from the kitchen, will you go and ask Glady Price if she will go to the Sacred Concert tomorrow night with me – I think she would make me a good wife!‖ A few minutes later Peter was back after a confusing conversation with Glady. Peter said, ―I told her what you said, and she said, ‗Why doesn‘t he ask me himself? I‘m not a ‗cheap pick up‘. I told her then that you say you are shy, and didn‘t know how to ask her. Then she said, ‗I won‘t make it hard for him but he needs to ask me himself. I will be glad to go to the Sacred Concert tomorrow night. I would be delighted to have a Christian husband someday but it must be the one God chooses for me.‖ So after dinner that night, as Glady was cleaning her three large tables I approached her shyly. Sometimes looking up at her I asked, ―Will you please go with me to the Sacred Concert tomorrow night?‖ She said, ―Yes, I‘ll be glad to – I just needed you to ask me yourself.‖ I was on cloud 9!

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I was attracted to this lady a little bit more each day. I even took her up the highway 17 miles on my motorcycle to an amusement park called ‗Frontier Town‘ and we shared and prayed together; we enjoyed being with Peter Holden there as well. I could see she was different and had beautiful qualities, namely her dedication to Jesus Christ and His Word. I had no idea what a gem she was and would be. How else was I to find a woman like this than by the way of the cross? ―I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. Your ways, oh God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?‖ Psalm 77:11-13.

Our First Date When Hap called for me for our first date I came down the beautiful stone stairway at the White House which housed all the girl campers with their room counsellors. There was a lovely fire of small logs in the stone fireplace. Already two young adult campers had encircled Hap near the doorway and were hoping that he would take them to the concert at the large Auditorium nearby. Hap and I saw each other but he didn‘t know how to free himself from them. They kept talking to him, it seemed like twenty minutes. While the two young ladies were talking non stop to Hap I was having a problem! Did he really highly regard me, per his invitation to the concert through Peter Holden yesterday afternoon, that he thought I would make him a good wife? Did he not know that they wanted him to escort them to the concert? Part of me was feeling very unsteady, should I go up to Hap and say ―You came for me, let‘s go now.‖ I reasoned that they must not have any Etiquette Books in Australia. Fortunately the Holy Spirit whispered to my inner being, ―Be Patient, Hap may be trainable!‖ At about five minutes before the concert was to start he finally called to me and said ―I guess you and I should go to the concert now‖.

Our first date was to attend the Sacred Concert Hap‘s second Tuesday night, at the Word of Life Camp. During the intermission, I saw Hap‘s New Testament that Rev Carl Anderson had given him with ‗Hap‘ written on it. Between items, I asked, ―Is Hap your real name?‖ ―No, it‘s short for my nickname – ‗Happy‘. When I was 4-6 years old I was nicknamed Happy by a neighbour boy I played with. I guess he thought I had a happy disposition when I wet him in our ‗bathtub‘ swimming pool on a hot day.‖ It has certainly been evident to me that Hap has a happy, cheerful disposition and I have been so grateful, - as well as for his imagination, keen sense of humor and desire for adventure! It was a few days before I learned that his real name was Harold. It seems that only his mother and father called him Harold. He was Hap to nearly everyone else.

Hap asked me what my real name was. I told him I was named Gladys but before I left Indiana for the Word of Life Camp last month I decided that I had been Gladys long enough!

Now I only introduced myself as Glad or Glady. We both laughingly noticed almost instantaneously that if anything came out of this budding relationship, we would be ―Happy and Glad‖. Not really prophesying, we again laughingly said, maybe sometime there might be Happy and Glad and Joy! Then another humorous expressed thought was ―Happy and Glad and Bonny Gaye.‖ It seemed we were enjoying the evening together.

However, as soon as the concert concluded, we stood up and turned around facing the back of the Auditorium. Without a word Hap shot up the aisle several rows and took the arm of a crippled camper girl and proceeded to help her around the rocks to her cabin. All this time I was having a problem. Do I go home by myself and wipe him from my list of hopefuls or follow behind them, now twenty feet ahead! I mused that good Boy Scouts give their seats

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on crowded buses and trains to the crippled or elderly. Maybe Hap is a diamond in the rough! Again the Holy Spirit, such a patient trainer, exhorted me to Be Patient, don‘t tell him off!

When Hap got the ex-polio young lady camper to the porch of her cabin, she wanted to talk and talk! As I stood about 10-20 feet away in the pathway, I was still musing on my ‗problem‘ but I had the sound advice to ‗be patient‘, he may be a diamond in the rough.

After what seemed like ten minutes, Hap turned from his ‗good deed‘ and came and escorted me home so I could lead the evening devotions with my girls in room one of the White House.

Sometimes people have asked ―Was it love at first sight? I tell them ―No‖! My first impression after the first lunch together was that I had never talked with anyone who was more interesting to talk with. The impression has continued all these years!

Quite a while later when I broached the subject of my ‗problems‘ concerning his reactions on our first date and that one of my conclusions was that maybe there weren‘t any Etiquette Books in Australia, his retort was that if there were he would have burned them!

Yes, I have endeavoured to take the heavenly advice, Be Patient!

And yes, he has been a very good boy scout!

And yes, he has been trainable!

And yes, he has been a true diamond in the rough!

Understanding can grow!

Training can grow!

Patience can grow!

Love can grow!

A reflection fifty five years later. I‘ve had a search of my own heart tonight; perhaps I could have helped the situation in this way. If I had kindly and very lovingly entered into the scene and not stayed back, it could have put the strangers into the center of the gathering. If I had suggested something like this to the first two ladies, ―You couldn‘t have known that Hap just called to pick me up for tonight‘s concert, he asked me last evening. But I see no reason, if it‘s alright with Hap, if we four all go together to the concert now. Maybe we‘ll all be able to find four seats together. How does that sound to you Hap?‖ As it is, we don‘t remember the two ladies‘ names. Again with the crippled girl on the cabin porch, if I hadn‘t felt so insecure and instead had entered the scene and praised Hap for his show of kindness and helpfulness, maybe that lady would be our friend to this day.

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CHAPTER FIVE PHOTOS WORD OF LIFE CAMP

Glady at Word Of Life Inn, 34 years after meeting Hap there

Second date, riding the motorcycle as a passenger During our second date, Peter Holden with Glady at Frontier Town.

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CHAPTER SIX NYACK 1954 - 1955 Instead of staying at camp for 3 days, I was there for 15 days and instead of heading north to Engineering College I headed south to Bible College. I knew God was leading me there, but I was 3 days late for registration, I hadn‘t been saved for 1 year (One of the requirements), also I had no references and I had no immediate money with me for College (It was in a bank in Vancouver, Canada). There was some hesitancy by the three men who interviewed me about my application as it was a strange and different way to come to the college! The President, Dr. Tom Moseley, unknown to me at the time said, ―Well, he‘s said he‘s called by God to be a missionary and this is the Missionary Training Institute, we should give him a go.‖ I praise God for Dr Moseley. He had been a missionary on the border of Tibet and China years ago. He, an Englishman, had been sailing the world by sailing ship to Australia, NZ, and then San Francisco. He went to a church in Frisco, and the first night was saved by Christ and answered the call to serve Him. He also met his wife to be at that time. Dr Tom knew what I was going through so he was on my side. ‗Give him a go‘ was his attitude.

Thus, I was accepted into the Missionary Training Institute at Nyack, New York of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. That happened in the first week of Sept 1954.

The Anderson Family Again!

At Thanksgiving school break I rode my bike down to Paoli, PA to visit the Anderson family. We were all ecstatic and rejoiced in the Lord over my change in life and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour. While down there, Carl organised for me through a friend in the church to take back to Nyack on the back of the bike two dozen pink carnations for the particular lady nurse up there at the Institute (Nyack).

Soon after, a package arrived in the post office for me from the Anderson Family. In it was a used but very good beautiful navy blue suit and two pairs of shoes and a few other nick knacks. I did not have space on the bike to carry that sort of stuff and I did already have a neat sports slacks and jacket.

Letter Sent During Missionary Training Institute Nyack, NY 29/11/54 Dearest Mother and Dad, Well it certainly is wonderful to get down to the old typewriter again telling you of our experiences here at Nyack. Tell you the truth I just don‘t know where to begin, but I‘ll make an attempt.

In the last week or so I‘ve been richly blessed in so many ways, but I‘m sorry a letter can‘t express the joy within me, but since writing to you I‘ve felt so much at ease and happy that I know you will realize that I still love you as I always have, though many times you could query that statement. Everything is working out so wonderfully that I just can‘t help but feel at peace with everyone and everything and thoroughly content with life and all it means to me.

The school work is gradually coming to me slow but sure and study is just wonderful, but some of the subjects are still awkward, like music, speech and English, but I trust the Lord

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for His guidance in all things. I‘m only taking 14 hours in class but that means about 30 hours study in my room and just seem to be at it the whole time with very little time for other activities, but the studies are by far the most important. Classes start at 8am through to 12 (Chapel for ¾ an hour from 9:45) then we have missionary prayers till 12:40 and lunch to 1:15. Some of us then have classes in the afternoon, but majority have free time which is spent in study or working to help pay ones way through college. At 5:45 we have supper and after 6:30 we‘re supposed to go to our room to study, but unfortunately a few of the bo ys have no consideration for others and just make a mighty racket, so it‘s hard at times to settle and study. Eleven is lights out and off to sleep.

Just at present I have not had to start work as I‘ve had enough left over from the tug boats to keep me going. It takes approximately £350 to supply my school fees alone, then there are books, clothes, etc on top of that, so it‘s no bed of roses. But I wouldn‘t leave this work at present for anything. As I know very definitely it is the Lord‘s will that I be here, but many times I wonder what He will have me do this summer.

Every Sunday evening I go out to a hospital for Cripple-folk, men down to boys who are hungry for fellowship with someone who cares for them, who will talk with them about their problems and needs, and so often we get the opportunity to witness to them about the Lord who died not only for you and me but for them too. They are missing something in life by not knowing or living for the Lord. Please don‘t get me wrong, Ma, don‘t think we are perfect by any means, but we do know Jesus very personally. These men and boys are so hungry for the Word as they lie on their backs or stomachs just thinking about when they will be out of there, but when we can go along and talk with them it makes such a difference to them and to us to be of some service to them as well as to be of service to the Lord in whose strength and love we go. We know that we can not do anything in our own strength, as we are human and God is Divine.

I also have the privilege to work at a Sunday school in the mountain districts around here, where there are 13 kids of all ages and believe me the kids are backward in every respect.

They are filthy dirty and smell like mad, but the Lord looks on the inside of the heart whereas we look on the outside. They are really wonderful kids to work with and I love it a lot. The kids only have a dilapidated home in which to live with their parents, made out of old boxes and tar paper, but they are receptive to the Word of God and welcome our visit every week. Today I‘m taking up a whole parcel of clothes for the kids in particular and will then tell them the Christmas story with flannel graph material and figures.

Believe me Mother and Dad this is a terrific challenge to me but I love it so much as I can even see some results now in the change in the kids‘ lives and attitude to their brothers and sisters. So many times around about me I can see the Lord answering earnest prayer, that I know that He will answer my prayers concerning you and that all things will work out the way He wants it.

Last week I got a letter from Dinie telling of her travels and experiences and also saying she would be home soon in April I think. I am just preparing to leave school for the Christmas Vacation. I am going to Glady‘s home in Indiana, 800 miles away. I will write again from her home. My love to you both and all and Mother darling, my prayers be with you in Christ.

Your ever loving son, - Hap

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Excerpt From Letter Written During Missionary Training Institute At Nyack, NY February 6 1955 Dearest Mother and Dad, About a week ago or so I received your very welcome letter and I certainly appreciated it.

Everyday I am praying for you. Glady and I get together as often as possible to pray for you both and for her loved ones as well. I am so pleased to know that you enjoyed our Christmas greetings as it was so small but please know that you were thought of much.

Christmas Break Over the two weeks of Christmas break I, Hap, was invited by Glady to go with her and four other students from Indiana to travel there together in her car. That meant that I could meet Glady‘s parents and sister Minnie Belle and Malcolm Mitchell her husband and their two children. Her youngest sister Anna Mae and husband Al Reed and their three children were also living close by. All these men were farmers and lived within seven miles of each other.

Glady could work as a nurse on night shifts at the local hospital to earn money for college needs.

While at Glady‘s home I was laid low with a flu for four days and I tell you the truth that there was not much incentive to get well as Glady‘s a nurse and I got a little more attention.

When I say this she usually ‗does her biscuit‘ (gets upset) as she thinks I get quite enough as it is, personally I don‘t think so. We had a wonderful time at her home as it was so much like home at Christmas Day. Doing the same things, preparing the tucker, eating and sleeping after it. That day I was doing more thinking of home than usual as I could visualize you doing all these things together and also thinking of the wandering ones. Her Mum and Dad are so kind, friendly, homely (warm) and loving. It was just like being at home, being with them. We just missed out on a white Christmas as the snow left us about 2 days before. The weather was not much like home. Oh boy, was it ever cold! How I wished for good ol Aussie sunshine and warmth instead of that dreary old brown dirty snow. Even now the temp at school has been -10 degrees F and is it ever cold!

The day after Christmas I went alone to a Missionary Conference organised by the Evangelical Union or intervarsity Christian Fellowship held only every three years at Urbana, Illinois at a large university there. Over 2000 students attended from all over US, four of whom came from ―Down Under‖, (two were from Sydney) and others especially for the Conference. One came from Beecroft and his name is Dr. Paul White. Before leaving he said he‘d look you up and yarn about how he found me. Give his home a tinkle if he has not already seen you. He was a Medical Missionary in Tanzania as an Anglican doctor for several years and is a great guy. He‘s as mad as a ‗two bob watch‘ (terrific humour) yet he can preach the Gospel with all its meaning in the simplest form. Since then he has written the popular Jungle Doctor books for children. It was a treat to meet him and to hear the good ol Aussie (Australian) accent again! I spent four days there after having the most wonderful fellowship with others in Christ. It was unbelievable the friends one made just because we were all one in our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Paul White, only three weeks before coming to the States preached in St James, Turramurra. I also met another guy, named Dr Deck, who worked out of Sydney with a Mission to New Hebrides, and he has lived at Gordon several years. Also I met a Kingsley Ridgway with Missionary Interests. Small world eh? After the conference I went back to Glady‘s home and left the following day for Nyack with two others from that college.

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It was a blessing to be at home with her as we got to know each other ever so much better, to see how we reacted under different circumstances, and to meet her folks. I learnt so much more about her background from her Mother and Dad. It is remarkable the similarity between our families. They too had a terrific battle for survival in the early days until they were able to get on their feet again after the depression. Every step has been one to fight the elements and circumstances, but they have gradually gotten on their feet. How much alike are our two families. Glady knows more about tractors, milking and farming than she does about cooking and housekeeping as on the farm she spent most of her time working instead of in the kitchen. Believe me Mother, she‘s a wonderful lass and so versatile too. As you can guess by now we are a little serious, but we‘re asking the Lord to lead in both our lives. If it is His will and His only we will marry someday, we must obey the leading of the Lord. So if you do hear from me in the future saying that we have become engaged don‘t be too surprised, but know it is the Lord leading.

I thank the Lord for restoring your body, Mother and that you are on the mend rapidly. O, Mother we (Glad and I) pray for you all at home very often asking the Lord to reveal himself to you through the Word (Bible). Mother, you talk about the doctor saying you must not worry, well that is easy said but do you worry? If you do then what about? Is it yourself, or your future, or your wandering kids? If the latter then I pray that you please not worry about me. I know it is easy to say this but I mean it. You see I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is watching over me and guiding my footsteps right to do His will. Mother, I am in His hands to do as He wills. I must be, I have to be as there is no choice. On no account Mother are you to worry about me as I really am not ‗touched‘ as some may have you think.

The only change has been that Christ has filled the once blank spots in my life and oh, how many there were too. I know Mother that I am in the Lord‘s will, but when and if I get out of it I know I shall be very unhappy.

I‘m thankful that you have a doctor in whom you can have faith and trust, that he is doing things for you. But Mother darling, I‘m saying this with all the love in my heart for you, asking not for my benefit but for yours. Are you putting too much faith in man? Are you trusting man with your life or are you trusting God, the Almighty who made Heaven and Earth. Oh Mother, Christ was able to heal when on Earth and is still able to now. Won‘t you trust Jesus with your life instead of mortal man? He can give you so much more than man.

He can and will give you comfort and peace in the times of strife. He will supply all your needs. I know. It has happened to me.

Yes, Christ still heals. In the mountains 25 miles from New York City I have a Sunday School. Three of the kids went down with the yellow jaundice which was supposed to stay 3-4 weeks. We at school prayed for the kids asking in the name of Jesus Christ, to heal them.

The very next day one of the kids was cleared from hospital. Three days later the disease left the other ones. The doctors at the hospital just did not understand. But we, who know God, know that He in His love and compassion for His children worked a miracle of healing in those lives. We are praying that He will work a similar miracle in your life Mother to heal you completely. If you have faith in Him, Mother He has the power to do it but first of all and above all He wants us to Love Him with all our hearts, all our souls and all our life. In other words He wants us, every bit of us.

Darlings, if you want this explained more fully please write me and I‘ll point out Scripture verses to you so you will know that I am not trying to deceive you or anyone else.

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Mother and Dad, please say hello to my dear brother and sister and to Marg, Roy, the younguns and to Auntie, Uncle, Jim and Bill. My prayers are that you shall know Him and that you shall be forever content in Him. Cheerio for now Mother and Dad, with all my love.

Lovingly, your son.

Excerpt of letter to my parents Sunday evening 20th February, 1955 My thoughts and prayers are with you quite often, asking the Lord that you will come to understand my stand that I am taking for Christ. Mother, I know that the Lord answers prayers as I have seen it here. Last night we saw a sick student healed. He was suffering a temperature of 103 and was delirious, so five of us prayed, Glady and self included. We stood on God‘s promise that he would hear our cry of faith for our sick brother and raise him off his bed of affliction. We asked ourselves if we believed that He could do this miracle and we prayed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Not ten seconds went by after anointing him with oil that he sprang up, shook his head and said, ‗What am I doing on the floor? What are you people doing here?‘ He was healed and up and about and looking for something to eat as he was hungry.

Four nights ago Glady and I prayed with a brother who was suffering something terrible with sinus. We anointed him with oil and not one hour went by and he was cured of his suffering. We had faith the size of a mustard seed. We knew that the Lord would do it as is mentioned in His Word. James 5:15. We thank the Lord for His Word and what it means to us; it is our food and drink, and we thrive on it!

Today I spent in the Lord‘s service. Up at 6am, went for a walk for an hour and a half round the mountain. (We are on a hillside overlooking the Hudson River, and there‘s a road around the hill. It is a beautiful walk even in winter). This is the time I have alone with the Lord, mainly when I ask Him for you, (this happens every morning). Then brekkie (breakfast), afterwards going to a prayer meeting with Fishers of Men. We go out every Sunday afternoon when we go door to door telling people the wondrous news of Christ. Sunday is the toughest day of my week, but I enjoy it so much as I‘m about my Father‘s business.

Tonight I was asked to tell a gathering of 300 students what the Fishers of Men means to me, and the work up in the mountains. You see, Mother, I have changed a whole lot, eh? Every weekend Glady works at a Rehab Hospital 12 miles away, where she earns her $ for school.

She‘s a really wonderful lass. We know that the Lord has put love in our hearts for one another but we also know that He must come first in our lives, even before each other. She carries 19 hours of school work plus maybe 25 hours of study, 8 hours as nurse of the boy‘s dormitory plus 16 hours at the Rehab Hospital. She has very little time to be with me but we make up for it all. We pray often for our loved ones who are at home; so you are thought of quite often Mother and Dad, Laurie, Marg, Roy, Mary together with the ‗younguns‘, I sure would like to see them.

All my love to ALL at home, I am looking forward to hearing from you all. Appreciate your love and your letters.

Your ever loving son -- HAPPY boy

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Excerpt From Letter Sent From Hap While At Nyack In March 1955 Dearest Mother and Dad, I have been flat out at school work and Christian service. I really want to hear from you all at home. I want to hear all your news, all the doings of home life and the local scene.

Recently I‘ve been able to pick up ‗Radio Australia‘ at 7:00am. I‘ve heard some of the latest news from home, particularly the serious floods in Queensland where several were drowned.

I can‘t understand why floods, bushfires and droughts are afflicting home in the last few years, it certainly is peculiar; from what I gather they come every year. Had there been anything done in the scheme to divert the waters of the Clarence, Hunter, Fitzroy rivers? Do you think that if these rivers were diverted that the floods would subside? Exactly what is being done about it all? Mother would you please send me some papers, Sydney Morning Herald, etc and if you can get a hold of a book or so about Aussie (with photos) I would surely appreciate it very much. You see at school here the 550 students want to know something about Aussie, here I can tell about Aussie and the people. Many ask me if I have any literature about the Aboriginals as some here are studying Anthropology. Put as many small denomination stamps on your letters as possible as it is a good way to show people about Australia. Especially this new set that is coming out soon in commemoration of the Coral Sea Battle. Load down the letters with them because they are surely appreciated.

Well, Mother and Dad, school has been going fairly well, not as good as I‘d like it but I should not complain. For one must realise I‘ve been out of school for seven years. Last semester I took 13 hours per week of classes and passed in nine of them so I must not complain.

It‘s late and I have to go now to sleep for there are exams tomorrow and I must get some sleep. Love to uncle, auntie, Jim and Bill, Laurie, Marg, Roy Mary and all the little youngsters. All my love to you Ma and Pop especially.

Your ever loving son, ―Happy‖ Why Did You Choose To Go To New Guinea?

About half way through that year at Nyack, I know God called me to the Island of New Guinea.

1) During the war in 1939-1945 my brother Laurie was in the Australian Army. He was stationed in 3.7 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns in Port Moresby. He was there for nearly 2 years.

2) A very close friend of our family, Tom Walton, gave his life as a stretcher bearer on the Island of Borneo in 1945. He was awarded 2 army medals for bravery under fire. He was also a soul winner as a committed Christian.

3) While at Nyack Bible College in the US I really believe God challenged me or called me to go to the island of New Guinea for service for the Lord as a result of the speaker, Al Lewis. This pilot was later killed in the crash of the mission aircraft in Dutch New Guinea, later called Irian Jaya and now named Papua.

4) It was the closest overseas country to Australia.

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Afterwards we talked about my calling of God and Glady‘s calling. After much prayer we decided that if God was drawing us together to become ONE in Christ with Him at the centre we‘d go step by step with Him wherever He would lead us since there was no conflict in Glady‘s calling with mine. He gave abundant peace to both of us.

A Mission Board Interview In March 1955 After Hap received the Lord‘s call to go to New Guinea, he was very enthused to read about the Archibald Expedition in National Geographic Magazine. He also used his free time to learn more about the Christian and Missionary Alliance work in the Baliem Valley of Dutch New Guinea, as it was then. It was almost as though we were being prepared to work as pioneer missionaries there. We were at the first Bible College started in the Western Hemisphere and in the Lord‘s great mercies there were awesome whole tribes in Dutch New Guinea coming to the Lord and burning their fetishes! It was amazing history being made in missions right then and there! It was in our hearts to be able to join them, but Hap wasn‘t qualified yet and I was not yet accepted by the Christian and Missionary Alliance Mission Board.

All being well I would get my Bachelor of Science Degree in Bible, Missions and Anthropology on the 3rd of June. With sufficient recommendations and that degree I could be ready to be accepted as a missionary candidate for Foreign Service with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

During my last semester at Nyack Hap and I were enjoying each others company and praying together more and more. The Lord was leading; were we listening?

One afternoon I had an interview with the Mission Committee. They had already read my application and qualifications that had been sent out under the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Hap and I met early in the morning to seek the Lord. We found a suitable spot where we could cry out to God for His direction. We gave ourselves and each other to the Lord and asked for God‘s purposes and calling to be clear in our lives. It was harder than we had thought it would be. When that was accomplished we had His abundant peace, even for me to be willing to go out as a single nurse to wherever the Alliance Board might send me!

After the interview was virtually over and it had gone very well, there were two more questions from the Godly men on the missions committee. The first question was, ―Would you be willing to go to any field or country that the Alliance Board might send you?‖ I answered in the affirmative. Then, someone known to me on the staff at Nyack, commented, ―We understand that you have a close friendship with a missionary student from Australia.

How would this affect your missionary service?‖ My answer was ―As of this morning, we have each yielded our relationship and our future totally unto the good Lord‘s hands.

However He directs us individually is best for us.‖ A couple of weeks later I was accepted as a missionary candidate with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. In a day or two a friend of Haps who had mission experience for about 14 years in China gave Hap some relevant advice. ―In my opinion a single male missionary is only ½ a missionary if he doesn‘t have a wife‖ Unofficially he was suggesting that Hap keep pursuing my hand in marriage. This was indeed advice Hap wanted to hear and heed!

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„To Be or Not To Be?‟ Seeing beautiful families like the Bovard families in Pennsylvania and Iowa, Browns and Westovers in Everett, WA and the Andersons in PA and Seattle gave me a deep desire for an honourable marriage with a Christian woman in the Lord‘s mission service. My heart said this woman was in the Boys Dorm, called Simpson Hall - 2 flights below me and her name is Gladys Price, RN. She had thought she would be going out with the Christian and Missionary Alliance to the Congo in Africa or to Vietnam or wherever she was to be sent by that mission board.

Should We Become Engaged?

During the spring break, over Easter, at the Andersons was such a great time for all of us, most especially for me to get to know her sister, Helen. She even had a sense of humour!

We could tell she really liked Glady‘s and my growing relationship. One of the biggest blessings of going to the Andersons was the opportunity to receive Carl‘s counsel on our relationship looking toward marriage. We knew that one of the biggest factors was the Lord‘s peace. Some pressing challenges for Glady had been that she didn‘t know anyone who knew me before the Andersons in August of 1954. I suggested that Glady could read any letters going home and coming from home. She did not find anything that seemed odd or reason to cause her stress. There were questions about Bible and Mission Training in Australia; as well as Mission Boards and supplies to New Guinea. Since I had met Dr. Paul White at the Urbana Conference at the Christmas/New Years break, I wrote him our questions. Fortunately I received his answers to our questions the very week before we went on the spring break!

Another Visit To The Andersons For the Bible College Easter break in April 1955, Glady and I were invited to visit the Carl Anderson family again. Glady‘s sister, Captain Helen Price, was to embark soon as a dietician in the US Army Medical Service for three years to Germany. It was a great opportunity for us to visit and for Helen to meet and get acquainted with me for the first time. Helen was taking with her to Germany a new 1955 Mercury. She volunteered and became the self appointed chauffer for our time there!

We laid out ‗all the cards on the table‘ to Rev Carl and we were truly impressed by the Godly wisdom in his counsel. His answers seemed so right to us both. From the Nyack rule book, we understood that I couldn‘t attend there if we were recently married. (About three years later we learned that they had planned to make an exception for us because we were older). The Canadian Alliance Bible College of the C and MA at Regina, Saskatchewan didn‘t have that rule and I would be allowed to work in Canada as it is a Commonwealth Country. In the US I was on a Student Visa and not allowed to work. We felt that I should keep actively pursuing Mission and Bible Training so we would not lose our ‗mission vision‘ by getting caught up in just making money. (Time was limited we felt as several Mission Boards didn‘t want to send out adults after 30 years of age to learn a new language.)

Dr Paul White‘s letter gave answers to all three questions in the affirmative. Yes, there were Bible Colleges and Seminaries in Australia; yes, there were Mission Boards and Sending Agencies also; yes, supplies were readily available to be shipped or taken to New Guinea.

Carl‘s Counsel went something like this: ―Hap and Glady, since you‘ve both been (A) born again and (B) been called to obey the Lord Jesus Christ‘s Great Commission and (C) you know Hap, that the island of New Guinea is to be your field of ministry, I would suggest the

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following for you both. (1) Continue to follow each step as you have already explored to continue in your calling to be obedient to the Great Commission of Christ Jesus. (2) To get your qualifications, Hap, in Bible school training. (3) Go home to Sydney to see your parents, brother and sisters. (4) Don‘t think of going on a three week boat trip to Australia as singles alone and get married there. Don‘t allow yourselves that temptation. You as missionaries will need your family and your church as prayer partners and supporters in the future. Get married at Glady‘s church and with her parents and as much of her family as possible there. (5) Allow the good Lord to show you in His timing which Mission Board or team you should serve Him under in New Guinea.‖ Everything Pastor Carl said came out of his daily walk with Jesus and his many years of experience as a pastor. We got more counsel even than we had sought but it contained so much wisdom!

For me I now knew the map ahead from Jesus and I wanted to go the path with this lady Glady, Glad or Gladys Price! I now felt free to ask her to marry me. What will her answer be? In the last week or two she had said ―Don‘t ask me yet because I don‘t have my answer yet.‖ Helen April 11, 1955 We three left the Anderson family on Easter Monday morning and headed north with my sister Helen, to return her to the Army Camp where we had met her on our way to the Malvern/Paoli area near Philadelphia five days before. The whole weekend had been so special with everyone and the reality and wonderfulness of Easter. Hap found a place where he could make a fire and cook some meat, potatoes and vegies. He was in his element when he could be cooking in a bush setting. We knew we would be saying goodbye to Helen for at least three years (the overseas military tours in peace time were normally for three years). Of course if I went to Australia and then New Guinea, who knows how many years it might be before we saw each other again. None of the three of us cared either, as we three had overriding peace about our present and our future in the Lord‘s hands. After the meal and the time had come for our journeys to part, Helen made a lovely little speech to me. She said something like, ―The next time I see you I reckon you and Hap will be very happily married and doing mission work and enjoying it and your three or so little children. I‘m extremely happy for you both! Thanks for including me in this fantastic time in all our lives.‖ Then Helen left in her new ‘55 Mercury.

Hap and I continued back to Nyack in my ‘49 Plymouth for the next two hour drive.

Engagement?

On the road behind Nyack Missionary Training Institute Hap drove us to look at the fantastic view. I had never seen it before with all the electric lights on about 9pm. The streets, intersections, houses and bridges were all lit up. The new bridge across the Hudson River was already started. It took three more years to build as that river is three miles wide there.

Only that day had I known just how I could answer Hap if/when he asked me to marry him.

I wanted to be so sure if I committed myself to Hap or anyone that I wouldn‘t later feel I had been deceived or out of God‘s will.

I have known that one of my most important attitudes as a Christian to my husband was to honor and/or revere him. I realized that we each needed to practice 100% integrity in what

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we said and what we did. I had heard one or two ladies say that they knew that they should not be going down the aisle when they got married but going the other way. So sad for all.

The commitment of marriage was to be such an important decision for me. I‘d known one marriage so well where she was born again but said she didn‘t know that she must not marry anyone who was not born again. Her husband too said he would go to church with her and that he had been confirmed at 14 years of age. After a few years it was a different matter and rather sad in several ways.

I sensed a way in which I could give Hap a positive answer but it would be conditional and not a promise. To answer his heartfelt proposal of marriage, I now had my answer for him. It went something like this: ―In as much as it seems that you are born again and planning and training to become a missionary to the island of New Guinea; and you are growing in your spiritual life in reading the Holy Bible and desiring to live by God‘s Word; and you‘re planning to go home to your folks and complete the Bible school requirements as soon as possible after our marriage, I would count it my calling to marry you and gladly be your wife to the end of our years together on this earth! If, however sadly, you don‘t keep these commitments, I am free not to marry you. Thanks for your proposal!‖ I never had the slightest concern to go back on my conditional acceptance to marry him. He was true and straight with the Lord, His Word and me. What can I say but Hallelujah!

Graduation At Nyack On graduation at Nyack on June 3rd the principal, Dr Tom Moseley, presented Glady with her BS diploma and said affectionately, ―See you in Australia next year!‖ He had become a close friend to me and was encouraging me in our courtship. He died of cancer before he could go to Australia, sorry to say.

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CHAPTER SIX PHOTOS NYACK 1954 – 1955

The Andersons On our engagement day April 11, 1955

Together at Nyack Library in April 1955

After our engagement at Mary Lynn Morse home with her parents at Yonkers, NY

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CHAPTER SEVEN TO INDIANA AND WESTWARD Excerpt From My Letter To My Folks 14th June, 1955 from Waldron, Indiana I‘ve been so busy both at Nyack and on the farm here at Glady‘s home. Up till 2 weeks ago I was studying for the final exams at school then immediately after was Glady‘s Nyack graduation then that afternoon we left for her home, at Waldron. She drove her car with some student passengers and I drove my motorcycle to her parents‘ farm.

I‘ve been looking forward to writing you for quite a while as there‘s so much to tell you all about the Lord‘s blessings in how He has led in all respects. There‘s been so little time since we have been home. It‘s been hard to find my gear; therefore I can‘t answer your letter, but I hope to soon. Firstly, we don‘t think there is much chance of getting that booking on October 26th as it is all booked out, so we are waiting for a cancellation. But the hopes are pretty good for the next one in early December.

The fare will cost approximately £140 each. Glad won‘t be bringing in any income. This is an ideal opportunity to trust the Lord. My scripture verse for the year is Philippians 4:19, ―My God will supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus‖. He truly has supplied all my needs. Now He is giving me one I least expected, a beautiful born again Christian wife. I am looking forward to your seeing her as I know you will love her as I do.

Only tonight Glad got a phone call from Kentucky to leave immediately for there as there is a vacancy for her in this Missionary Dentistry course. There are only about 20 per year that take this course so we are thankful to the Lord for this opportunity.

Just take a look at the photo – she certainly does not look 28 does she? Notice the third finger on the right hand –European style – wearing a gold wedding ring since we thought a diamond was a waste of money which we didn‘t have. I helped Glady pack and she took the typewriter with her. Now my hands are so tough and hard after working in the field.

I get along wonderfully well with her folks here on the farm. Glady‘s Dad is very quiet and somewhat shy but her Mother is the opposite. She is lively and always has something to say.

She has something to talk about as she is born again, a follower of Christ. I‘ve never seen a couple who work as hard as this couple do. They are up at 5 and work until 9 or 10pm. Mrs Price is an obese (225lb) lady for her 5 ft 3 in. but has a happy care free disposition who hands out gospel tracts to those who call for eggs, etc. They own a 122 acre farm where they raise about 2000 chickens (fowl). They have about 10 acres of tomatoes, 40 acres of corn, 20 of wheat, 18 soybeans, etc. Only last night we finished planting 20 acres of corn. I do all the odd jobs, from driving the tractor to loading the fertilizer on the tractor. It is a good healthy life and I praise the Lord for allowing me to do it. It truly is a wonderful experience.

When Glady was in school she did the very same jobs so little wonder she is strong, healthy and robust. That‘s why she knows more about farming than cooking- she‘ll learn even if you have to teach her, eh Mum? My day starts at 6am when I meet the Lord in my devotions, have breakfast and start at 7am feeding 2,000 fowls and believe me it‘s not by our old method, Dad, of mixing by hand.

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Dad Price takes his corn six miles away and has it ground and mixed in the right quantity and then places it dry in automatic feeders.

The rest of the day I do anything from loading corn and driving it to town or cleaning out stinking chicken manure, or helping Mum Price dress 30-40 chickens. I helped plant tomatoes 10 acres of them, then corn and soybeans. We, Glady, and a 13 year old and I planted 2 acres of strawberries last week when the weather was off. The weather has been peculiar lately, with rain and cold spells – it was even cold enough for sweaters.

Last Sunday, Glady and I drove her 1949 Plymouth to Indianapolis to Church (40 miles each way) where we will be married and where she is a member. The preacher is a graduate from Nyack, and he really preaches the Bible. We know it was profitable to drive all that way to hear the gospel of Christ, and in the evening we went in again. This time we took with us an unsaved Catholic lady whose husband committed suicide two months ago. She so enjoyed our company and the church service. Those folk in the congregation truly love Glady – they hope to support her when she is on ‗The Field‘.

We both feel that we will be guided into Child Evangelism work while in Aussie. I feel very strongly that the kids from 1 to 18 are neglected. On the way from Nyack on my motorcycle I stopped to make a phone call when six fellas asked me for a ride. I said I couldn‘t but I said I‘d tell them a story so more kids gathered till there was 15 just listening. I didn‘t tell them my story but the Gospel story of Christ and His love for us that was sufficient even unto death that He might save us and give us eternal life through Him. They just gaped and listened spell bound, as though they had never heard the story of Christ before. Then they fought over the gospel tracts I gave them to share. Yes, I definitely feel kids are our business – to reach with the Gospel. Mother, it was such a treat to both of us to receive your last very welcome letter.

I am sorry to hear that Dad is not too good, but really trust in the Lord, and He will help you, after all, He‘s the same yesterday, today and forever. When He was on earth He healed diseases and sicknesses. Dad, if you will trust Him He will heal you.

The love we have for each other is not of ourselves, but from God- it is wonderful to know that this union to-be is not of ourselves but of Jesus Christ Himself. One thing we want more than ever at our wedding is not people, it is not gifts, it is not anything material, but the blessed Holy Spirit to ‗tie us‘ with His blessing, and convict others of sin and save those unsaved in our midst. We will be making a tape recording of it so we can send one to you at home. We don‘t want gifts, but we want prayer and His presence.

I‘m just about to ride my motorcycle about 40 miles to church. Come what may I‘m not afraid of the future as it holds the blessed hope of meeting Him, my Creator – Saviour face to face. And I know I‘ll be with Him forever, for I have accepted Him – I have been saved.

Love to all at Home, please pass these tracts around to the rest of the family. I‘ll send more if you desire them. All our love and the Lord‘s richest blessings on you.

Hap and Glad.

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“Give Back The Ring, Glady!”

After I graduated on June 3, 1955 at Nyack Missionary College, I started a 5 ½ month Missionary Dental Course at Hindman and Cody in south-eastern Kentucky. This course proved to be very interesting, educational, practical and satisfying.

Hap and I had become engaged on April 11th, less than two months before graduation that year and we had thought that he could help my folks in their farming. They still had the 52 acre farm in Noble Township of Shelby County where I grew up, just 5 miles south of Waldron, Indiana. When I was at Indiana University at Bloomington in 1945-46, my folks had the opportunity to buy a fine 122 acre farm in Liberty Township, just 2 miles north of Waldron and 6 miles SE of Shelbyville. From the middle of June to the end of November I did the Missionary Dental Course with about 22 others. We were busy meeting the dental needs of these 2 counties which had no dentists and our services were safe, well supervised and free!

About 6 weeks into the course, I received a dismal letter from home. The gist of it was ‗give back the ring and cancel the engagement!‘ Perhaps you can imagine how I felt! I had been especially close to my mother all my life. Obviously, Hap and I had a growing relationship looking toward marriage and serving the Lord together in New Guinea after passing through Sydney to visit all of his family and finish his Bible school qualification. I knew that there had to be some misunderstanding! I shared my concern with the dentistry class and 2 staff in our combined devotions as soon as possible. They all prayed for wisdom and understanding for me and everyone concerned.

As I drove, with a heavy heart, to Indiana for the long weekend I remembered how at 10 years of age and the youngest child I had said ―I won‘t marry; I‘ll look after you folks.‖ It was my spontaneous expression of love and devotion to them and their wellbeing. Then at sixteen years of age, I was born again at Rivervale Camp of the Methodist Church near Mitchell, Indiana. Very soon, within the hour, as I comprehended all that had transpired in my life, I knew God‘s call upon my life for foreign missions! That call had never left me though it became dimmer until I was 19 and in my first year of nurses training at the Indiana University School of Nursing at the Medical Centre in Indianapolis.

I recalled hearing my Dad tell about the custom of some farmers where he grew up in Gallia County, Ohio. His younger brother, Everett and sister in law, Ruth, had agreed to look after the Prices, senior and an older handicapped brother, George, until their deaths. In return for these services they inherited the 160 acre family farm.

I also pondered the difference between my attitudes at 10 years of age and now at 28 years.

I was aware of the need for the Lord‘s discernment as I‘d read in the newspapers occasionally of someone being married to 2 women in different cities. Also, I‘d heard that sailors had a regrettable reputation of promiscuity through the centuries.

Fortunately, Hap and I had established from the very beginning of our friendship/relationship a determination of honest transparency and integrity in our conversations and actions. Both of us agreed that the Holy Bible was our ‗rule book‘ as we wanted our whole lives to honor its Author, our Saviour. Now at home as I asked questions with an open mind and listened very carefully, I gradually began to understand the misunderstandings. Roughly they boiled down to 6 basic situations.

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Firstly, there can be quite a difference in culture, humor and expectations between people, generations and countries. I discerned a lot in those few days. We came through it with much more understanding and appreciation for the gracious answers to prayers!

1. ―He‘s lazy and doesn‘t want to work!‖ (Knowing Hap 55 years now, he doesn‘t seem to have a lazy bone in his body.) Why this accusation? Maintenance of equipment is very important to mechanical people. Hap had done a 5 year apprenticeship as a fitter and turner (machinist) at the Morts Dockyard (for repair of ships) in Sydney before he worked for 4 years in the engine rooms of various deep sea ships and tug boats. My Dad, though very dear to me, was not very maintenance minded. For instance, as I was growing up, some years the farm machinery was left out in the open and not put into the machinery shed. I remembered well being asked on the school bus, ―Are you getting ready for a sale?‖ The answer was ―No, it just didn‘t get put away.‖ Thus, when Hap was doing what he deemed wise maintenance, he heard, ―Just get on the tractor and drive it!‖ In later years I figured out some more of the reasons of differences in personalities between my Dad and my mother. My Dad, the ninth of 10 children, had low blood pressure and I remember his statement to us sometimes was ―Go on!‖ My mother‘s actions were rapid and she‘d grown up as a much loved daughter with a wide reputation for being the hardest working woman in the area. Mother was cheerful, the fourth of four children, and a leader.

Her typical saying was, ―Come on!‖ 2. One hot day Hap didn‘t feel up to going out right away after lunch to drive the tractor (This was well before air conditioned enclosed tractors!) He said something about not feeling too well. So one of my folks said, ―Why don‘t you go to a doctor?‖ To this he answered with a very Australian slang-saying, ―I don‘t want to see a Quack.‖ To Hap that was a very innocent saying, meaning a doctor. He could not have guessed what it meant to their ears in American terms, a fraud! They seemed to feel that he was insinuating that their first born and only son (before 4 daughters) who had become a medical doctor as well as a specialist was a fraud! This was a cultural misunderstanding in the light of the fact that Hap and my brother in Arizona had never met or had any previous contact. I‘ve learned that Hap‘s slang saying was not uncommon in Australia.

3. I felt that it was quite significant that I found my thermometer at home and it had not been shaken down. What did it read? About 102 F! So he had about 3 degrees of fever when he didn‘t ‗feel too good‘. About three weeks and 2000 miles later, when Hap arrived in Everett, Washington on his motorcycle, he had many swollen lymph nodes. A pathologist in the Brown‘s church checked him for glandular fever. Sure enough, it took 5 weeks of bed rest to get over the symptoms so he could go to work again on a tug boat out of Vancouver. We could understand later from that diagnosis that he was probably in the earliest stage of the glandular fever from that thermometer reading!

4. Another misunderstanding arose from a previous conversation. I wanted to have the phrase, ―to obey‖, in our wedding vows as had been traditional for so many years. My Dad asked Hap, ―What if Gladys doesn‘t obey you?‖ To this question, Hap immediately replied, ―I‟ll get out the bullwhip!‖ Dad believed him! But Hap was simply joking! Some could say Dad didn‘t have a sense of humor but they didn‘t know Hap well yet either. He‘s now well known for a sense of humor. They were trying to protect me and we could appreciate their interest! Incidentally he‘s never touched a bullwhip and we‘ve never bought one to experiment!

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5. A misunderstanding came up because Hap had given a gospel tract to some of Mothers chicken and egg customers. Some would drive in about 100 yards from Highway # 29 (later US # 421) to buy dressed chickens or dozens of eggs. Hap had seen some other committed Christians, whom he admired, do this as seemed appropriate. So many times people want to ponder spiritual truths or reread them alone. Also we‘ve known some very telling testimonies resulting from gospel tracts to conversion in Christ. One of the most notable that we‘ve heard was of Toshiba who led the Japanese Air Raid on Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941 and Darwin, Australia on February 19, 1942. Interesting that Jake DeShazer was a POW under the Japanese in China when he was allowed to read a Bible for three weeks in a prison. During that time he became a genuine Christian. He learned Japanese, went to Bible school back in Canada and returned to Japan as a missionary. He wrote a gospel tract in Japanese and was handing them out at a railway station in Tokyo after WWII when this former high ranking military man, (Toshiba) accepted the tract and that night was soundly converted! He became an active evangelist in Japan and the US. As I listened and prayerfully pondered, I realized that we had both been called to be heralds of the Lord Jesus Christ and I was being favorably impressed with Hap‘s spiritual growth.

He was less than 1 year old in the Lord and he had a compassion for people spiritually. I concluded that I could admire my husband-to-be for his sincere zeal for His Saviour‘s kingdom to be extended and built. It‟s no secret that all mankind are sinners and lost to everlasting life but the Great News is that Jesus died for all mankind so anyone can be born again. Jesus in John chapter 3 told Nicodemus, a leading religious teacher, “You must be born again.‖ That message is still most relevant to any sinners‘ ears. I concluded again then that I‘d rather have a husband who wanted to be pleasing to Jesus more than to anyone else.

6. ―He just wants to marry you for your money!‖ This misunderstanding made me laugh! It may have looked like I had money a few years before when I was 24 and had a recent model car. Then I had been nursing full time on the evening shift at Camp Atterbury on the Maternity Ward. I was also able to work a second job in the mornings, only half-time, as the Shelby County School Nurse thus earning a total of $570, plus mileage per month! Now more than three years later, my savings had been used at The Missionary Training Institute, the Missionary Dentistry Course, and lately my car had slipped on a wet road on a sharp corner, and I was only able to get $250 for it! We‘ve laughingly said, ‗Yes, we married each other for our money, all 47c of it!

Hap and I have immensely appreciated our four parents!! I‘m sure there‘s not a day goes by that we don‘t remember something they said or taught us, many years ago now. During that very important weekend at home, I don‘t believe there were any really cross words but a seeking for knowledge and understanding others attitudes. I felt so thankful for my parents wanting to protect me! Not very many parents have been asked to let their baby (though 28 years old!) marry someone from half way around the world and whose family and country they would probably never see! I was not being gullible either. Just for the record, Hap volunteered for me to read his mail to and from home and his four years of diaries. There was nothing suspicious. Even 55 years later I know there was nothing to hide! I was impressed with their wholesome family togetherness and humor.

As Hap and I prayerfully considered the weekend‘s open discussions we concluded that the summer rush was over on the farm, therefore he could go out to Vancouver to work again on the tugboats to save up some money for our trip to Australia. As an Australian he could get

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work in Canada. Several times I‘ve heard a saying that may seem to fit, ‗No man is ever good enough for a man‘s daughter!‘ What we experienced that weekend seemed to weld our God given callings together more and we came away from it with an increased unity and bonding in the Lord! Perhaps that‘s when we acknowledged our life verse together. ―O magnify the LORD with me and let us exalt His name together!‖ Psalm 34:3 KJV Excerpt From Letter Written Thursday 17th August 1955 Dearest Mother, Dad, Dinie, Mary, Log, Marg, Roy and Younguns, Oh, I was pleased when your letter came a week ago to the Price farm, I had been expecting one any day. Mother and Dad I am so pleased and I thank God for your attitude to me and Glady. I thought that you would not like my marrying an American at all, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is His supreme will that we are for one another. Thanks a million for your attitude! And Dad, thanks for fixing things up for us at home, we do certainly appreciate it all. Glady is thankful for you folk too. She is looking forward very much to seeing you both and the rest of our clan. I know you‘ll all like her; she‘s a lovely girl, a dedicated Christian to His work. We are different not intentionally but because we are living even now a separated life from the world. You‘ll understand better when you see me. Be prepared for a big surprise because I am not the same fellow that left home 5 ½ years ago.

That part died, but the part that is left is dedicated wholly to Jesus Christ and His Glorious Salvation. We are not daunted because we have the most glorious gift in all the world; that of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for me and for you. I am going to serve Him no matter what may come across my path, with my little Glady too.

Also it‘s great news that Dinie is home! We appreciate very much your offer of staying with you. We‘ll accept it for a time but can‘t promise for how long. After settling down for a little while I‘d like to take Glad up to the Blue Mountains and do a bit of camping or canoeing.

She likes it too. I am surprised that things are so expensive in Aussie; you‘d better not tell us more for fear that it‘ll scare us off going back there. What is the basic wage now?

Dad, how much can a fella get gardening six days a week? I want to know for I may do that while waiting for school to start in Feb or March.

Excerpt From Letter October 25 1955 From Hap to Mother and Father written in British Columbia When I left Burlington, Iowa I headed for Everett to preach on the Sunday morning of Sept 4th I drove 2000 miles in four days and got there fifteen minutes late. It was a tough trip with no mishaps. But I was driving four days and nights. Bob Brown the preacher I was staying with saw large swellings in my neck so he got hold of the doctor. He diagnosed my case after I got blood tests as mononucleosis or glandular fever. It took all my strength away until I could only rest in bed. I stayed there for five weeks in bed. It was hard to take that, but it was where the Lord wanted me for that purpose, though I could not understand then. Bob and Adelaide took great care of me; they gave me everything I needed. I did miss Glady ever so much for I had time to think of her. She was longing to be near me during my sickness. She is a darling little lass and I do love her with all my heart as she loves me. That sickness drew me closer to Jesus my Saviour as I had a lot of time to read and pray. Nearly all and every day I listened to Christian radio programs. It was such a blessing for I heard the old hymns and scriptures expounded. Yes, I learned so much there on my back and it was a blessing! Admittedly it put me back six weeks in our plans as I was unable to get a job in Vancouver right away.

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After the doctor let me out of bed and okayed me to leave, I headed for Vancouver on the motorcycle arriving there October 18th. Since then I have lived in the Salvos Home; a great new home for sea men. Our plans now are that I will work on tug boats until Christmas. We will be married on December 31 st. On 1 January we will go to Bible school in Canada for two terms through until June, return to Glady‘s home, and then head west for Vancouver to visit our friends in Seattle and Everett. We sail from Vancouver on July 31st. Glady will be working as a Nurse for a few weeks in Indiana if possible. She will work in Canada while I attend Bible school as well as I will work part time. Our ship arrives in Sydney on August 21st and Melbourne Bible School starts on September 20th or maybe we will go to Sydney Bible School in Strathfield. So, you can see that everything fits in perfectly. I definitely believe it is His divine will for us but we must not plan too far ahead of God. The only draw back in this set up is that we will be away from you, Dad and Mother, a little longer. But I am sure that meeting will be just as thrilling and looked forward to by all.

On looking back over the years I can see ever so plainly how much I owe to you two parents of mine. I will never be able to repay you for all your counsel and advice. But rest assured that even though I did not take all of it, I can see where I went wrong and how you tried and did guide me. Dad, I am ever so grateful for your doing little things like encouraging me to use my hands in woodworking, giving me little tools for Christmas and birthdays etc. I see kids here who are hopeless because Daddy says ―Oh, he is too young to use tools‖. Thanks for getting me to saw and chop wood for it never did me any harm. Thanks for your instruction in gardening, even though I did not do it too much. Mother, thanks for making us do the dishes and clean up a little even if I could not see the sense in it at the time. It is all coming back to me now that there are possibilities of my becoming a father after our marriage. Oh, there are ever so many things that I am grateful for! So many that I can not recount them all. Thanks for your guidance and love, Mother and Dad, I do appreciate it all!

Please don‘t fill the canoe with H2O, but thanks for painting it. Dad, thanks for your tips on work, but I have no intention of getting any of the jobs you mentioned. I am going to study for missionary service, not work for a living at a steady job, but plan on getting part time work, gardening and odd jobs so I can go to school, work and study as well as be a hubby and father (hopefully). I have no intention what so ever of following along with marine or any style of engineering, I am through with that as far as a career goes; even though I am waiting for a tug boat now for two months work. We are going to serve our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ on the mission field in New Guinea, the Lord willing.

Some Exciting Experiences On West Coast Canada 1955 Back in 1955, while I was in Vancouver, I had the opportunity to be a motorcycle dispatch rider as I was using my own Triumph 650 Thunderbird up in the hills above Vancouver. The snow had melted and caused flooding in certain areas so I volunteered to be a dispatch rider between several critical areas where the floods had broken the sandbag levees. This was before the days of walkie talkie radios. I had great fun doing the job! It‘s not what I‘d say was dangerous, just exciting! It was at night and it was raining as well as melted snow, slippery, wet and cold. I certainly felt useful!

Excerpt From Letter From Hap To His Family 15th December, 1955 at Vancouver B.C. My beloved parents, before I go any further I wish to convey a message to you that I believe I have not told you before by letter. The message is I love you both with all my heart – I thank God for you my beloved ones. I‘ve been thinking of the responsibilities as parents and

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the laborious times one must go through not only to bring one into the world but to care for him for twenty years. I am ever so grateful, Dad and Mother, but forgive me for not telling you sooner. I‘ve been ‗counting the cost‘ of marriage, the responsibility of being a loving and faithful husband, a tender father to our children, the Lord willing. Thanks Dad, for all you have done for me - everything – in particular, that ‗little‘ matter of chastisement or punishment for disobedience. I can see in dozens of kids I meet, even in Christian families that the kids have never been spanked on their backside and they‘re spoilt brats and headed for a life of crime. I am so thankful that you taught me obedience and I have not regretted it since! Ephesians 6:1-4 ―Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and Mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life in the earth! Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.‖ Well the news is this, when I arrived in Vancouver on October 18 I looked around for a job on the tow boats but it was very slow so I took a job in the Railroad Yards handling freight this got me ‗back in shape‘ again after the glandular fever illness for I feel no ill effects at all now. I worked there for 10 days only, and started work at a tow boat company. I got the job as 2/E (Second Engineer) on the Tug ―SANTRINA‖. We‘re out towing logs about 200 miles down to Vancouver. I‘ll be on this only till about December 20 th when I‘ll be heading east again to see Glady darling when we will be united in marriage before God on December 31. What a day to celebrate!!

Right after that we will be heading from Indianapolis, Indiana to Regina, Sask., Canada where I‘ve been accepted as a student in the Canadian Alliance Bible Institute till June 3 rd.

So we‘ll have no honeymoon, except the rest of our lives together as a blessed honeymoon.

There‘s so much in it to desire, besides the overrated sex. If I were marrying to satisfy my sexual desire we would be ―on the rocks‖ in six months, but thank God this is of Him and for His glory. You‘ll love Glady; she‘s so sweet, tender, gentle and loving. As you can gather I love her with all my heart and this union will be honoured of God and we will never part.

Our wedding will be in the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Indianapolis.

Wedding Plans It would not be easy for us as a couple planning a wedding since any communication with those ships was once every 6 weeks! In November, after the completion of the Missionary Dentistry course in KY where I had done over 500 extractions, 300 fillings, and 25 dentures, I returned home to my folks. I worked at the local Hospital on night duty as a nurse. Oh, to plan our Wedding!

Sunday evening on the 18 of December I received a phone call from Hap phoning from Rev Carl Anderson‘s home! (They had earlier in the middle of 1955 transferred from the Malvern/Paoli area near Philadelphia to a Presbyterian church in Seattle, WA). Now, to be able to hear his voice after 4 months was almost too wonderful! Then to hear his travel plans to get on the bus the next morning and arrive at my folks‘ farm at 10am on Thursday of Christmas week! He needed to enroll at the Canadian Bible College in Regina, Sask. in the first week of January for 6 months. When could we book the wedding at Hope Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and have Rev Russell Kauffman officiate? Something I never want to forget! The very next day I went to see Pastor Kauffman to plan Hap and my wedding on short notice! He said that the best time to have it would be on New Years Eve as a part of the annual watch night service!

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Thursday the 22nd of December, before Christmas Day on Sunday, Hap got off the Greyhound Bus at 10am out at the highway about 100 yards away and came through the snow to the house. Dad was still doing morning winter chores out at the barn. I had asked Mother after she had come in from her outside chores to please not come into the front room for about 10 minutes after Hap would arrive so that we could be alone together for the first time in 4 months! She understood and I was grateful! How exciting to see the bus stop and see Hap emerge with his gear. He didn‘t have to wait at the door. I flung it open and as soon as he freed his arms of luggage and got his outside jacket off we were in eachothers arms.

I‘ll never forget how good it was to be together again! After about 10 minutes, Mother politely knocked on the door and asked if she could come in now. We wholeheartedly agreed and smiling she made a short but profound and insightful speech! “Hap, Dad and I want you to know that we all loved Gladys so much that we were willing to fight to keep her! You have won and we‟re so glad for you!” It could not have been better stated and seemed to us to be a very wise summary. Thank you Lord!

My folks also helped with the wedding by giving us $100 on the expenses as they had done for my sisters, Minnie Belle and Anna Mae, when they each married in 1946. (Helen never married.) Believe it or not, that was enough money too! When Minnie Belle had a lovely satin wedding dress made for $80 for her wedding, she afterward told Anna Mae and me, ―You two have to wear this dress too.‖ That is what happened! The wedding dress only cost $5 in alterations for me. The NY Lord and Taylor Co., very stylish going away suit was given to me at Nyack by friends Jackie and George Stebbins and fit me perfectly. With all the Christmas decorations still up and very appropriate for that time of year we only needed to buy one large bouquet of flowers, plus the bridal flowers, corsages, and boutonnières! We could share the two tiered traditional white wedding cake, fruit punch, nuts and mints, with the church congregation who were having assorted sandwiches and coffee! We didn‘t need to afford a big wedding but we felt it was really marvellous how it all worked out so well!

In 1955 the church had already booked the new film, Martin Luther, to be shown at 8pm.

Our wedding therefore was scheduled for 10:30pm on New Years Eve! Pastor Kauffman reckoned that at that busy time of year it would be practical. (About 3 years earlier they‘d had a wedding at midnight!) With the short notice of the wedding it was not an elaborate one. We had noticed already that just because someone had a big wedding didn‘t mean it lasted longer or they were any happier than smaller ones.

The vows (promises) we were making before God and to each other were the reason for the whole occasion of the ceremony. Hap‘s closest friend from his year at Nyack, Cliff Westergren, lived at Chicago and had an Aunt Edith Olsen in our Hope Church. It was fortunate that Cliff could be Hap‘s Best Man. One of my earliest and best friends from nursing days was a Riley Children‘s Hospital Head Nurse, Betty Morgan. It was my joy to ask her to be my Maid of Honor and she even made her dress on short notice.

As I was going down the aisle on my Dad‟s arm I had such peace and confidence from the Lord Jesus that I was doing the right thing!!! We‘d chosen hymns and pluralized the pronouns to personalize them. Our friend, Ed Kornfeld sang them so well. ―Jesus, the very thought of Thee‖ was the first hymn and then we had ―Jesus like a Shepherd lead us; Much we need your tender care‖ and ―Take our lives and let them be consecrated LORD to thee‖.

As we knelt in prayer after the exchange of vows, the Lord‘s Prayer was sung. Another friend, John Hartzell, kindly offered and made a reel to reel tape of the whole wedding for us and we played it a few times in PNG so the children could enjoy it with us! Somehow we

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don‘t have that tape any more. Such is life, but we still have the wonderful memories, each other and a very fulfilling marriage!

Jesus, The Very Thought Jesus, the very thought of Thee, With sweetness fills our breast; But sweeter far Thy face to see, And in Thy Presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, Nor can the memory find A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name, O Savior of mankind.

O Hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek, To those who fall, how kind Thou art! How good to those who seek.

But what to those who find? Ah this Nor tongue nor pen can show: The love of Jesus, what it is None but His loved ones know.

Jesus, our only Joy be Thou, As Thou our Prize wilt be; Jesus, be Thou our Glory now, And through eternity.

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care; In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use Thy folds prepare: Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us, Thine we are; Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou be-friend us, be the Guardian of our way; Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us, seek us when we go astray: Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear, O hear us when we pray; Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us, poor and sinful tho we be; Thou hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse and power to free: Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, early let us turn to Thee; Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, early let us turn to thee.

Early let us seek Thy favour; early let us do Thy will; Blessed Lord and only Savior, with Thy love our beings fill: Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still; Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still.

Take My Life, and Let It Be Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.

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Take my silver and my gold: not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be, ever, only, all for Thee.

The unusual time of our wedding usually brings some interesting comments. We get to tell them that we didn‘t set the time or the date, the preacher did! Also, we learned later that I would get $40 back on taxes since I could file for two instead of one! So at midnight as the horns and bells outside were making merry, we all enjoyed our lovely Wedding Reception in the church basement. Outside it was a snowing blizzard!

At the Watch Night Service, it was estimated that there were three hundred and fifty there as the church was full! Some we didn‟t know and others didn‟t know us. Several years later at Ukarumpa we were getting acquainted with Ron and Ruth Gluck as Ruth had graduated from my alma mater as a nurse. When we told her about our wedding, she exclaimed, ―So you‘re the ones who were getting married at the New Year‘s Eve Service there that year!‖ After Sunday morning church, we went past the Greyhound Bus Station to find out when we could get a bus from Indianapolis to Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada for the next Bible school training for Hap. To our surprise it would leave at 11pm that night! We started down home to pack up our things for the next 6 months. As Hap drove my Dad‘s pick up truck, I remember contemplating, ―From now on it is us – we – and our, what a satisfying sense of unity and feeling of oneness as a newly married couple! The Unfolding of our calling as a married couple has started. Now toward our lives of ministry in Missions! ” Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada We knew we were to go to Australia, for me after 6 years of being away and Glady for the first time, but to fill in time waiting for ship passage of 7 months; we went to the sister College at Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. After that semester, we returned to Indianapolis to bid farewell to Glady‘s two sisters in Indiana with their families and her dear parents. We were going into the unknown for us, but with God! He knew all things so we were content to go with God. For Gladys my wife and sweetheart who was six months pregnant by now it was tough to say goodbye to her best friend, (up till I came along) her mother. Her parents blessed us, but she never met her mother again on earth. Her beloved mother died and went to be with Jesus on Feb 22, 1958.

A Word Of Encouragement My mother said a very insightful and encouraging comment to me while we were at home with them for about a week, ―About having your baby in Australia, I believe you‘ll be just like me and get along just fine!‖ That was great of her to say it as it was almost like a prophecy over me. We wanted them to see and know of our great happiness and fulfilment together. We wanted them to know that we were going without any hard feelings and were extremely grateful for them and all they meant to us and that we would miss them a lot. Of course we would write as often as possible and phone them after our baby was born! I did from the hospital ward as soon as the hospital staff allowed me out of bed.

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PS. I had such good pregnancies, without any morning sickness. I also had such easy labours due to my maternity room experience in the new relaxing techniques and with the presence of the LORD (Psalms 16:11).

An Interesting Conversation Sometimes Hap‘s answers are not the pat answers that people expect as his answers can be very thought provoking at times. In July, 1956, we were going from Chicago to Seattle and I was counting up as we entered a new state, ―Its 25 states I‘ve been in now and you‘ve only been in 24!‖ Isn‘t it amazing how boastful pride can come in all these ways? Of course he‘d probably been in that many countries and I‘d only been into Canada and the US. ―So what does that mean?‖ he said quietly. His answer I realized was so appropriate! It was proper that I feel humbled by his gentle attitude. His wise answer really spoke to me. The Lord used it that time as well as so many other times. They became guides from the Lord for my necessary ‗attitude corrections‘! Psalms 37:11 ―But the meek (humble) will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.‖ Excerpt From Letter At Sea Between Vancouver And Frisco 1st of August 1956 Dearest Mother and Dad, Tis many moons since we last wrote, but many times you have been in our thoughts and prayers. The first and most important is that we will be arriving in Sydney the 21 st August that is the 2 plus 2/3rds of us. We are at present not sure just what our plans are from there but we are thinking and praying about Melbourne Bible Institute. We have quite a bit of gear with us such as household equipment but not furniture. The Lord has been good to us in that the majority of our gifts were sheets, and cotton goods which we hear are expensive in Australia. I decided to ship the bike down here too for several reasons. First, transportation to and from country towns where I may be preaching or giving out the word and also to or from Melbourne and Sydney; third is that I would have lost too much money on it if I sold it in Canada.

I am looking forward very much to getting into that shed for awhile and to start making things again.

Excerpt From Hap‟s Letter Home August 8th 1956 en route home at Honolulu Dearest Mother and Dad and family, We‗re leaving here tonight at midnight, next stop being Suva, Fiji. We‘ve had a whale of a time in Hawaii, arriving at 8am. A gang of us tossed in for a car and 6 of us toured the island ourselves for a few hours seeing some exceptionally beautiful scenery. In the arvo (afternoon) I took off alone as Glady was not too fit due to the tropical heat, so I hitched out to Pearl Harbor but the folks with whom I hitched took me past there as I was not allowed in.

They gave me a personally conducted tour of the high spots around about where one could see all the sights. You‘ll have to see the photos to appreciate it. They went way out of their way to show me these places. I saw how they harvest sugar cane, one of their two main exports. They do it with 12 bulldozers which pile the cane in big heaps, and then a mobile crane comes in and scoops it up into a semi trailer truck of about 15 tons. In one field I saw 4 bull dozers, 2 cranes, 4 trucks and other smaller machinery. It was truly interesting. I saw the Hickam Air Force Base then hitched back to the ship meeting Glady in a small park.

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Well Mother and Dad, I must away now as we are about to head for Waikiki Beach for an hour or so. Much love to you all from us. All 2 & 7/9 of us!!

Happy and Glad.

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CHAPTER SEVEN PHOTOS TO INDIANA AND WESTWARD

Hap in 1955 rides 2000 miles in 4 days

Hap and Glady's wedding with Glady‟s parents

Article about Hap in Berea, KY Newspaper on August 11, 1955

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Our wedding December 31, 1955 Cleaning up while in the Rocky Mountains July 1956

A picnic while camping out

What a great trip from Chicago to Seattle!

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Beautiful scenery On the move westward...Together!

The car we got to drive out to Seattle

In 'full bloom' in Australia October 7, 1956 just two days before Stephen was born

In Honolulu on the way to Australia

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CHAPTER EIGHT AUSTRALIA AT LAST! The ship Oronsay 22,000-ton P&O ship took three glorious weeks to reach Sydney via Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Fiji, and Auckland. It was great but it also droned on to be boringly beautiful. We were met in Sydney ship terminal by most of my family on August 21, 1956. I was so proud of my sweetheart wife who was ‗in full bloom‘ with our first. Glady experienced culture shock especially ‗when she did not see kangaroos hopping down the main street of Sydney! Nor were the birds flying backwards to keep dust out of their eyes!‘ These are Australian jokes and she couldn‘t know Australian humour yet. That would come!

We Arrive In Sydney 1956 We want to tell you about the way the Lord blessed me when I first got to Sydney. I was 7 ½ months pregnant. I say I got to Sydney in ‗full bloom‟, (and I do a gesture to show I was large in pregnancy!) “In the presence of the LORD, there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures for ever more.” Psalm 16.11 became really full of meaning for me.

Stephen William was born 9lb 3oz and 23 inches long on October 9th, at the Royal North Shore Hospital, at St Leonards, a suburb of Sydney. It‘s a highly recognised university hospital, with medical and nursing students. We were so thrilled to be parents and praised the good Lord for a healthy baby; we were even paid £15 for having him! The week in hospital only cost £16! He was blonde though he didn‘t have hair for a year.

When I arrived in Sydney with Hap, individual people wanted to get acquainted with us and learn my background. I was able to summarize my first twenty eight years. I grew up on a very busy farm in Indiana with much work done by all of us. This was necessitated by my parents amazing drive to educate their kids, and that is what we all did. A new direction and fulfilment came into my life at 16 years of age when I was born again and was called into Foreign Missionary Service for the Lord Jesus Christ. After completing nurse training in 1949 and before I started Bible College I had some good opportunities of marriage but I eventually realized that I was wasting my time if the husband to be wasn‘t of the same calling as mine. At the Word of Life Camp at Schroon Lake, NY in the Adirondack Mountains, 350 miles north of New York City, I met Hap on August 25, 1954. After the first camp fire service there, he told the Lord that if He wanted him to do those adventurous things for Him he would be glad to! In a few days I heard that affirmation from him over a cup of tea (cuppa)! That put him in a different category in my thinking than any suitor before.

I remember eating at the home of Hap‘s best friend, Neville Powell. His mother had prepared a lovely meal. His brother, Keith Powell, an engineer then, but a doctor later, was there too. They asked me ―Do you like Sydney, do you like Australia?‖ People everywhere were so solicitous. The Olympics were on that year, in Melbourne, and everyone wanted Americans to like Australia!

Twenty years later Australians didn‘t feel so inclined, but at that time it was really good to be an American in Australia. It was interesting that when Steve studied at the University of

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NSW he did not stress that his mother was American. He sounded more and more Australian and I guess to this day it is his predominant accent. The political forces throughout the world, when different winds blow, affect what passport it is good to have.

Fortunately now our three sons as well as Gail and all the grandchildren have dual citizenship and the two passports. It was handy for Dave and Peter when they were travelling from Belgium through Iran on their Australian passport in 1986 en-route overland to India!

A Long, Long Weekend I want to tell about an incident in which the Lord had a very valuable lesson to teach me.

We‘d gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa Skinner in Turramurra to stay a weekend and ended up staying 11 months!

They were always so gracious and helpful; they didn‘t want us to buy food or anything.

They were alone in a house with 4 bedrooms and a sleep-out, we were trying to save money to get to PNG and were ―living on the smell of an oily rag‖ as the old saying goes. We weren‘t feeling sorry for ourselves and we were making progress to get there. We knew the Lord had called both of us individually to that work; to be part of the mission force. We lived there with the two children and Hap was working any overtime he could get. We were trying to make every cent go further.

The deliverance came this way. I thought it‘s not normal in our western culture to be living with in-laws for so long! It would be good if we lived somewhere else for a change. Again the verses on rejoicing in the Lord came to mind. Phil 3:1 ―Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the LORD!‖ and 4:4 ―Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!‖ Yes, the circumstances didn‘t call for rejoicing in the natural, but the truth is there for us to really take note of. So – ―I don‘t feel like it, but because it is in your Word, I rejoice in you, Lord, I rejoice we‘ve lived here this long.‖ I had just given up my right to a place by ourselves. I had such inner peace!

Within 10 minutes a phone call came that we had a place to live; it was only 10 minutes away. Someone was going away with their children and we could be in their place for three weeks. Thus the stay of eleven months finished. During the 1 ½ years before we arrived in New Guinea we lived in 13 places and it is amazing to me that in each place I was seeing good things that I hadn‘t seen before! It was a lesson ―Hey, the Lord had been giving me contentment!‖ I wasn‘t biting my fingernails, wasn‘t nagging Hap, wasn‘t cross with the children, I was just so grateful that God was at work in us as we yielded to Him in these things that we think are our rights, to our Good Shepherd! I am so grateful for His wonderful, wonderful grace.

At Bible College I heard of a couple who had taken the verse Eph 2:14 ―For He himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall (partition) of hostility‖. I thought that sounds strange to me, but in the last few years I‘ve thought that is a great verse for that couple. He was from the south, she was from the north, he was going to be a preacher, and she was a music major. I could see the Lord had broken down the walls of partition between them. They went on to have quite a significant impact ministry among university students in a university town.

We don‘t have to be alike to glorify God together. I‘ve thought about walls or partitions that divide people. They really stop people from getting on with things that are good, uplifting

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and unifying. Gender – so many times people think; oh that‘s womanly, or that‘s macho. Or the young or the old, there doesn‘t have to be a generation gap, in churches or families; so many things divide that don‘t have to.

A psalm that the Lord has made real to us has been Psalm 133 ―How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron‟s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Herman were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows His blessing, even life forevermore”. We find a big difference between unity and uniformity.

The call for us in God‘s church is for unity (harmony), not uniformity. I/we don‘t have to be like someone else.

Sydney Bible Training Institute (SBTI) 1957-1958 At the end of summer while at the Sydney Bible Training Institute in 1958 I asked the college for a piece of ground to start a garden. Permission was granted and I cleared it of all weeds and grass. In those days I burned the grass off before digging the ground. I checked the hose and made sure I had water pressure, but I didn‘t know that the water was intermittent. I started the fire and could see it was quickly getting out of control, the water pressure failed so I hollered for the male students to help me get the fire out. We were successful and did not burn a nearby fence. It was sensational for us all!

The very next day one of our lecturers came into the lecture room and announced that we were going to study from the book of Ruth. He came to the second chapter which he was reading from the King James Version. Chapter 2 verse 3b is about Ruth coming to glean in the field after the reapers, ―her hap was to light upon a part of the field belonging to Boaz”.

All the male students went ballistic with laughter while the women and lecturer stood in stark amazement. The lecturer and women students did not know what had come over all the males not knowing the events of the previous day. It was a delightful joke to all us male students and fun to me; so much for the seriousness of Bible College.

A Special Memory: No Food Or Money, But GOD! I have two very special memories of the near presence of the Lord. The first one came about while Hap was a first year student at the Sydney Bible Training Institute (SBTI). Stephen was about 8 or 9 months old though I don‘t know the exact date in 1957.

It was a different eating arrangement for us at the Bible Institute. I had a nursing child who needed to sleep at about lunch time. After a couple of trips walking four blocks to the Dining Room on Chalmers Road Hap and I made a decision, with the authorities approval, that I would receive the prepared food brought by Hap on his motorcycle after the two main meals of the school day. In our economically spartan flat we ate our daily breakfast as a family of three.

This particular Saturday morning Hap happened to be away. It was the very first time that we (or I) had run out of food and money. As Stephen was eating his porridge in the high chair and I was standing beside him, I began to talk out loud with my eyes open to God in prayer and praise. It went something like this in conversational prayer, ―Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for these oats and milk. It was enough for Stephen and me this morning.

That was all there was or is. I don‘t really have to tell You as I know that You know all things. I thank You that You are all powerful and all wise as well. I know that You are everywhere all the time! I know that in Your Holy Bible You said, Lord Jesus, that You

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would never leave us your disciples nor forsake us. You will be with me to the end of the world and/or to the end of the age. Thank You for that very special promise because it shows me how much You love us! Heavenly Father, You‘ve already demonstrated to the whole world how much You loved the world by allowing Jesus to come as a human baby and die on the cross for me and the whole world. I accepted Jesus‘ death for my sins and was born again when I was 16 years old. I look to You now that You will make a way for us to have food or money so that we can eat.‖ (I was not complaining or angry). Then the Lord‘s presence became so real to me, it is not easy to describe but it was as though He was at my right elbow and was pleased with my grateful attitude and would answer my prayer. And He did! Though I don‘t remember how He did it, He did it and has ever since! Sometimes I‘m sorry that I didn‘t keep a diary of the details of such a special and inspiring memory.

The Telegram In Sydney, while Hap was attending the Sydney Bible Training Institute for his second year there on February 22, 1958 I got a telegram from Dad to say Mother had died; I was shocked though it was not totally unexpected because the last couple of letters had indicated her health was not good. We knew there was no way we could afford for me and young Stephen 17 months old to go back home to Indiana while Hap studied in Sydney. From Mother‘s letters she said she had lost very much weight. She‘d been under a doctor‘s care and on a diet but she kept having sugar in her urine. She said people didn‘t know her on the street because she had lost so much weight. In her last letter, just after Christmas time, she wrote she had awakened twice yelling ‗Fire‘ only to realize that the fire was not outside but was inside her. I knew something was terribly wrong! My sisters Minnie Belle and Anna Mae, who both lived about 7 miles away on farms, were trying to help her pack to go to visit my brother and his family with Dad. They knew now that Mother was very ill. My other sister, Helen, was in the US Army in Germany working as a dietician. Mother and Dad went out for Ernest‘s 40th birthday and to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary. Upon arrival at the airport, Ernest said Dad looked okay but Mother looked critically ill and he was quite shocked. (Upon advice, Mother had taken on more of the heavier work after Dad‘s scrotal hernia operation the year before). Ernest started some tests the next day and the doctors found a mass that they were confident was cancer. An exploratory laparotomy was booked for the Friday. The night before surgery Mother again told Dad that she was ready to go to Heaven to be with Jesus. She‘d known the Lord since she was 12 years old; that He was her Saviour and it was wonderful to know that! The surgery showed that the cancer had begun in her pancreas or gallbladder and had metastasised to the liver and elsewhere. They could only sew up the incision. She had a heart attack the next morning and died. Ernest estimated that she (and we all) had been spared 6-8 weeks of watching her suffer. God‟s ways and timing are better than ours!

In a day or two we managed to get a phone connection to Dad and asked him why no one had told us that she had cancer. He said that they really didn‘t know it either; none of them knew what was happening! When we got the telegram telling us of her death I was so grateful it was she who had died as I always knew that she was ready for death and we were so grateful for this assurance. Maybe it is easier when you are a long way from home not to see the suffering.

Each year after Mother died, Dad went out to Ernest in Phoenix, Arizona and about 4 years later met a lovely lady, Emmy Blomberg, a widow from Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, there for the winter also. Her deceased husband had been a railroader and she operated some cabins on the White Fish Chain on one of the lakes near Bemidji in the north of the state. They

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married at 70 years old and Dad went to live in Minnesota. It was so different for Dad, doing something besides farming, helping Emmy look after the resort. Mother and Dad had often talked about retiring at 65 years and buy a caravan (house trailer) and travel around and see more of the US, but that dream was cancelled by her untimely death at 65 years of age. Before her illness, Mother was saving money to come see us in Australia. I was surprised how much she had already put aside to do just that. Our Heavenly Father knows best!

The Gift Of Helps The circumstances around our receiving the gift of helps we can never forget. We had recently moved from our rented quarters at Strathfield, NSW on Albert Road next door to the Strathfield Girls High School. Because Hap had been led to ‗resign‘ from SBTI along with 3/5 of the student body of 55, we were fortunate to find accommodation elsewhere. It was a three bedroom farm tenant house as well as chicken farm employment under Mr Fred George on Duffy Avenue, Thornleigh. We had been keen to get to New Guinea as missionaries and had an interest in several missions. We‘d gone to two week-end retreats at North Rocks Camp under The Unevangelized Fields Mission (UFM). When the camp Directors learned of Hap‘s qualifications and experience on ships, they were eager for us to meet a need they had currently on their supply boat called the Maino. Sadly they had no one to operate this supply boat as the first operator had to go south for an indefinite time due to a family need. His replacement was currently quite ill with hepatitis. Then papers for membership were handed to us with “fill these out and get ready to go!”

Once a month the UFM Mission Board for Sydney met in town. Hap went to the Board meetings while I stayed home with 20 month old Stephen as I was pregnant with David. All was going well on the application process. One month he was asked, ―Would you be prepared to start a pioneer mission station if the Maino job is filled before you get there?‖ Then they added ―This is such an important decision, we suggest you go home and pray with Glady about it and let us know next month what God tells you.‖ At that point, we both would have said ‗yes‘. However, God had something different for us, though we had visualized ourselves as ―Pioneer Missionaries‖ as in the Baliem Valley of Dutch New Guinea at that time. We did as the wise leadership had suggested. On a sunny holiday morning on the front porch we prayed and asked the Lord for His answer on this important question. (We were willing to do whatever He would reveal to us). As we read I Corinthians 12:28 the one word ―helps‖ seemed to us both to almost stand out like a neon sign. Amazing the sense of peace for us both! For us it meant we would need to tell the UFM Sydney Board that we could not go with them to start a new pioneer station.

For UFM requirements only Hap needed to do a three month Linguistics course as I had done two years of Phonetics at my Bible College. I was due to deliver in January (the date was not clear due to a prior early miscarriage). The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) did not want a student‘s baby to be delivered at Belgrave Heights because of transportation difficulties. Two weeks before Christmas, we received the official UFM letter stating that for no personal reasons we were not accepted to go to work on The Maino. The reasons being: (1) The first operator and his family were back in New Guinea (2) The Lord had raised up the earlier replacement after having hepatitis (3) we now had clear guidance into a ―helps‖ ministry. One doesn‘t like to be rejected but it was with a sigh of relief to now have the answer for the next step forward. Hap would go as enrolled to do the three months SIL Linguistic Course early in January of 1959 at Belgrave Heights Convention Ground. I would stay in Sydney with Stephen at Hap‘s parents.

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Fortunately, David Thomas Skinner arrived (early) at 11:49pm on Christmas Day. The Thomas was to honor Tom Walton, MM. David had dark straight hair and weighed 7lb 14oz and was 21 inches long. We were also thrilled to have a second boy, a ‗brother for Stephen‘!

Again the Australian government gave us £15 for our new baby born at the new maternity ward of the Hornsby Hospital. I could, one week later, get home to Hap, 26 month old Stephen, Mum and Dad Skinner before Hap went South for the next three months. There God continued to challenge and direct our steps!

Praying Through Obstacles In 1959 our call and guidance had been clear to each of us: (1) Both to serve the Lord in foreign missions (2) Then for Hap‘s call to serve in New Guinea (3) In our engagement, my call had been to foreign mission service and not to a specific country so I could go along with Hap‘s call to New Guinea.

(4) For us to marry in Indianapolis and go together to Australia on our way to New Guinea.

(5) For Hap to continue Bible school training for the qualification for missionary boards and to visit all his family again.

(6) For Hap to take the three month SIL course and me to stay with his parents with our two little ones.

Our next big question was “Which mission should we go with to New Guinea?” Hap was learning so much about SIL in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (TPNG), as it was named then. In his regular letters to me he was enthusiastically telling me of their SIL work and need of support role workers with our qualifications to join them. Their goal was to reach the people of the 700 languages needing the New Testament and for these different languages to hear about salvation in God‘s son, Jesus. SIL started in New Guinea only in 1956 with four members.

Perhaps because I wasn‘t there to hear these facts first hand, I was being cautious and displaying a ‗show me‘ attitude. To pursue this ‗potential doorway‘ to mission service, I would need to do the whole three month course to qualify for SIL membership! We laid our plans to travel as a family by train to Melbourne and then up into the Dandenong Mountains to Belgrave Heights. We were billeted to sleep and study at Kew House and eat all meals at the Convention Dining room with all the sixty or so Staff and Students. It was a rich time of fellowship! Saturday nights were reserved for ‗skit nights‘! It was something we all looked forward to for the wonderful humor and laughing. What therapy in this intense course to be able to laugh at yourself.

We both became convinced that we should apply for membership with SIL for New Guinea.

Weekly we had been learning more about the policies of this rather young Mission. We made out our membership application and were interviewed by the larger board one Saturday afternoon. The next week there was an appointment with only one SIL Board member about our application. The one to conduct this interview was surprisingly called to another meeting and that left someone who barely knew us to do the interview. The next day when we asked how the interview went (or are we now accepted by SIL to work in New Guinea with them?) we received a shocking answer! ―Sorry, but the Board member said, ‗No‘‖ We asked in shock, ―Could you tell us why?‖

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Apologetically he replied, ―He felt that you, Hap, were a ‗rolling stone‘ and couldn‘t hold a job, citing being a student at three Bible schools and not having graduated from any.

Secondly, that you had three jobs last year for three months each and thirdly that you had been on so many ships in your marine engineering life.‖ Hap said ―We know there is a legitimate answer for each of those objections.‖ Our SIL representative to the Board said, ―If you write out your answers, I‘ll be glad to take it to the Board Member for you.‖ We both said ―Thank you so much You‘re very understanding and we appreciate the opportunity to write out the answers for all to have the facts.‖ We wrote some more of Hap‘s background regarding not having graduated from a Bible College though he had attended three. After Hap‘s conversion at the Word of Life Camp at Schroon Lake, NY in August of 1954 he was given a student visa to attend Nyack Missionary College for one year only. That college had a rule that newly weds could not attend classes there for one year after their marriage. Being from Australia Hap was not allowed to work in the US on a Student visa. We had a fear that we might grow cold in our missionary calling if we didn‘t pursue vigorously Hap‘s Bible training qualification. He would be allowed to work in Canada since it was also a part of the Commonwealth. Nyack Missionary College had a sister school in the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination in Canada. It was located at Regina, Saskatchewan. Within twenty four hours of our wedding on December 31, 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Glady‘s home church area, we were on a Greyhound Bus to Regina, Saskatchewan, for six months. That was as much time as we could fit classes in, as a ship would be going from Vancouver on 28 th July 1956 to Sydney. This gave us just enough time after college at the beginning of July to go from Regina, Saskatchewan to Indianapolis to pack up and say good bye to Glady‘s home area, parents and two sisters plus families as well as her church there.

Then we drove a ‗drive away car‘ from Chicago to Seattle, WA for $25 and the cost of fuel and oil and camped at nights in a tent. Because Glady could work evening shift at the Regina General Hospitals‘ Children‘s Ward, we had the money to buy the two tickets on the P&O Line, Oronsay. We got the cheapest tickets we could get and yet be alone together; we had bunk beds and no port hole as well as had to share ablution facilities. (We were down low in the ship.)

After we arrived in Sydney in August 1956 we investigated which Bible school would be right for Hap. The one that seemed right was the Sydney Bible Training Institute at Strathfield. It was the only one that we learned of that a family could be catered for. On October 9, 1956 our first son, Stephen was born. I didn‘t have to attend Bible College as I had graduated with a BS in Bible, Missions and Anthropology in June 1955 from The Missionary Training Institute at Nyack, NY. We also thought that Hap could transfer his two semesters at Nyack and one semester at Regina toward his Bible College credential; to our surprise it was not possible in Australia. The course was two years long so he started in February 1957. Everything seemed to go well the first year there. However, about half way through the second year, 1958, an internal problem developed in the management board which caused about 3/5ths of the 55 students to resign. Our delay in leaving allowed the news of work and accommodation to reach us; ―There is work and accommodation available at Fred George‘s farm on Duffy Avenue at Thornleigh.‖ (Fortunately no Mission Board held

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it ‗for or against‘ any student). Isaiah 42:11-12 ―Depart, depart, go from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.‖ All this explains why Hap attended three Bible schools in three countries and didn‘t graduate from any. But he got the equivalent though of just over three years of Bible College studies!

Hap could not ‗officially‘ inquire about membership with SIL in 1959 since we had filled in an application with the UFM in 1958. There had become a SIL rule that SIL would not take an application from a missionary candidate who had applied to any other Mission Board within the last year. Though we were rejected with no hard feelings, Hap could not ask Jim Dean the Director of the SIL Branch in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea for official advice on skills or useful training for him in the nine months between his completing his three month SIL course training and the next course when hopefully I could come with our whole family and take the course and then we could apply together.

In an ‗unofficial‘ conversation Jim Dean advised Hap to get three months practical experience in each of the three useful skills needed for the New Guinea Branch. They were sawmilling, building and plumbing. When he applied for each of these jobs, the bosses knew that it would only be for three months as it had been advised by the SIL Mission Director for Hap for missionary service experience for New Guinea. The three months time was marked for completion when he started each job. He didn‘t quit or shorten any of the three jobs. The bosses were quite cooperative as they knew why he wanted to learn in this way. The practical experience was all most useful in his 32 years in PNG. It made a tremendous difference when the Board member learned that the three jobs in nine months were accomplished upon the ‗unofficial‘ advice of Dr Jim Dean the year before. It was not on his record as it could only be ‗unofficial‘ and thus not recorded.

And now about the question of being on ‗so many ships‘. There was an answer in understanding how employment on ships is so different from land jobs. Hap had wanted to travel and see a lot of places. This was a real plus from his apprenticeship at Morts Dock in Sydney in Marine Engineering as a Fitter and Turner.

Apparently all the crew gets paid off when the ship comes into any port. If the staff over them wants that crew member back on that ship and the crew member wants to go back on that ship knowing its destination, then the crew person can be hired on that ship again by the staff. In 1948 before Hap left Australian waters he had one trip Sydney to Melbourne to Sydney on the coastal vessel called Carradale to get sea going experience so he‘d qualify for deep sea going ships. His first deep sea vessel was the Derrycunihy. He paid off in Finland as he wanted to see Europe and the UK. The second deep sea ship was the Seaboard Enterprise. The last or third deep sea vessel was the Llanarth. In 1954 Hap worked on two sister Tug Boats supplying the paper mills on Vancouver Island. They were named the Sea Prince and the Sea Lark. In 1955 Hap again worked on a tug pulling huge booms of logs to the paper mills. It was called the Santrina. On that last job when Hap didn‘t sign up again to go on the Santrina some more, his captain offered him Canadian $600 per month. The captain told Hap that he was crazy to go off to Bible College and not keep working on ships.

(Hap didn‘t have trouble getting a job or keeping it, with one exception to the above statement, which was in December 1953, when all the tugs were coming in for Christmas!)

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What was the outcome of writing out the reasons behind each seeming objection? To proceed with our application, the red light became a green light! We were allowed to go ahead with our physical exams for the SIL mission by the recognized mission doctor. What a surprise, Hap was rejected for missionary service on his physical exam. Why? Ten years before he had a history of sinusitis! We prayed and enlisted prayer about it. We wrote out that he hadn‘t had a problem with his sinuses in the last nine years. He had worked on ships, always very humid conditions and lived one school year at Nyack, NY where the Hudson River is over 3 miles wide. No problem encountered for the last nine years!

We also asked SIL personnel from New Guinea if sinusitis was a big problem in New Guinea. They didn‘t know of any problem. They knew one man who had a fireplace built into his house as he was subject to asthma so he wanted to have that extra warmth for his chest. We asked for another appointment with the Mission Doctor in order to give him our finding about New Guinea and Hap‘s absence of sinus problems the last nine years. The doctor listened carefully and made updated notes. He then passed Hap‘s physical exam for missionary service! With that hurdle overcome safely, we were accepted as missionary candidates into Wycliffe Bible Translators for service in New Guinea with the sister organisation The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) at the May 1960 WBT Board meeting. Praise the Lord!

We learned a lot from having these obstacles or hurdles to our acceptance as missionary candidates. Our journey of life together had been like a series of traffic lights. Each time we proceeded only with a green light. Then this screeching red light! It called for more prayer and setting out all the facts and surrounding circumstances for all interested parties. Most importantly there was nothing to hide! We admitted that it could have looked suspicious. If we had been in their shoes we would probably have done similarly. Once in a long while we‘ve joked and said ―We almost didn‘t get into Wycliffe because it looked like Hap couldn‘t hold a job. He‘s only held one job of ‗Helps‘ for 32 years!‖ God has a sense of humor but He is also full of mercy and grace. The next question was ―Would we be able to get to New Guinea for the first Jungle Camp in July 1960, just two months away?‖ The Sunday after we were fully accepted into the mission I taught a Sunday School class at the local church at Belgrave Heights in the May of 1960. It‘s often been a part of my life to teach Sunday School wherever we‘ve lived. I can‘t now remember the details or the name of the individual but one of the girls, about 8-10 years old, responded to the Word for salvation.

After the class I was able to better counsel her. I was thrilled and continued to pray for her each day. On Wednesday or Thursday that week after school, she walked up to see me and thanked me for our time together on Sunday. I‘ll never forget what happened next, she handed me a 6 pence coin and said ―I want to help you get to New Guinea!‖ I thanked her warmly and told her that hers was our first gift of money but that we knew that God was going to send us there with little gifts and big. Such hope!

Unknown to us then we would be in Australia until 2 nd August 1961, getting ready to go to New Guinea. I believe the reason this took so long was to let our family and friends see that the spiritual change in Hap was real and fair dinkum (genuine) and not a fly-by-night phase or fantasy. They realised our decision to go to PNG was real and based on the Word that all men need to hear the Good News at least once; that Jesus died for all; that there was hope in Christ Jesus for all who receive Him as their Saviour and LORD.

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Another Place To Live Before leaving for New Guinea, one of the last places where we got to live came about in this remarkable way. We had stayed in a small house occupied by a young couple with two young girls in Mount Kuring-Gai. He worked with Gospel Recordings at Eastwood. They had offered us their place while they took their three weeks annual holiday. The day before they would return we did not know where we would move to next. That first Sunday in January of 1961 I, Glady, stayed home for some now forgotten reason with 2 year old David and 4 year old Stephen. Hap came back from the local Anglican Church very excited! ―I‘ve got a place for us to move to as soon as a Scout friend of mine, Fred Hanson, moves out of it this week. Fred‘s starting to study at Moore College for the ministry! He and his wife and three young children need to move into Newtown to be closer to that college! With Sydney growing, there is a plan for a freeway going north from Wahroonga and it will go right through Mount Kuring-Gai. House owners are not allowed to sell or rent their homes, so their three bedroom house we are allowed to move in to for free!‖ It was such a wonderful answer to prayer, for us and for them! (They were concerned that their house might become vandalized if it stood empty).

We truly enjoyed living there for six months! A really blessed friendship came from that meeting at the small church. Fred and Hap hadn‘t seen each other for over 11 years. Even their house had the basic furniture for us, as they were going into a furnished college apartment.

We wondered sometimes about why it had taken so long for us to get to New Guinea.

Believe it or not a bigger blessing came out of it than we had ever envisioned. When I was first investigating becoming an Australian Citizen I found out that one of the requirements I could easily meet. I had lived in Australia continuously for five years during our first years of marriage. After we went to New Guinea most of the time spent in Australia was only for about 6 months or less at a time. I was grateful to become an Australian citizen on 29 October 1997, and I have the certificate to prove it! Since April 2002 I‘ve been able to hold the two passports, and that makes it a bit easier than to have to get visas each time we travel.

Again God‘s ways are higher than our ways, His timing is better than ours. In that six months living in Mount Kuring-Gai we made friends with the Bill Sorenson family who were able to pinch hit and get us to Mascot Airport to depart to New Guinea. In Mount Kuring-Gai Hap got to meet and hear Mal Garvin who was just starting Youth Concerts with real success, with youth in uniform, marching down the aisles and singing ―When the Saints Go Marching In‖. Mal‘s movement is now called ‗Fusion‘ and he has a late nightly radio program.

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CHAPTER EIGHT PHOTOS AUSTRALIA AT LAST!

David was born on Christmas day 1958, what a great gift! Here in May 1961

Steve Skinner born on October 9, 1956

Our first Prayer Card photo taken by Andrew Kemp

We were house parents at Austinmer, a CSSM beach mission, what a blessing to have a son that would let anyone hold him at 3 months

On our way to New Guinea, August 1961!

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CHAPTER NINE TERM ONE 1961-1966 Wahroonga Tip 1960 One of my Bowerbird (a bird that brings bright coloured junk back to its nest) stories is from the Wahroonga garbage tip in 1960. Before departing for PNG I got into the habit of visiting the Wahroonga tip (dump) on a Monday morning before the authorities visited there with a bulldozer to cover all the stuff that was dumped over the weekend. It was quite legal then, so I collected any toy that could be repaired and made over for kids. I was greatly blessed to pick up bodies of toys. I used my Dad‘s workshop at home where I fixed up the bicycles, scooters, trikes, and larger toys like trucks, dozers and earthmoving equipment. I did doll buggies or prams too, which were just right for girls. I collected them for the Sydney Missionary Home that we‘d stayed in for a couple of days. They often had kids of ‗mishos‘ heading for New Guinea. This brought great satisfaction to us as a family since I collected toys for my own kids as well. The Missionary Home managers were extremely grateful for this service of Junque (junk) to benefit the kids.

Some of these toys I eventually shipped with us up to New Guinea. I have a photo of two Nicholson boys and two of our boys in an old pedal car in PNG after arriving there in 1961; the pedal car had come from the tip. When Glady and I went to SIL in Belgrave Heights to do Linguistics School, I took several of these old toys and it entertained both kids and adult s.

One was a bottom dump Tournapull and there was a rubber tyred bulldozer which we hooked together with string to pull around the convention centre. It was enjoyed by many kids and watching adults. When the old rubbish toys got a new coat of paint (from discarded paint tins at the tip) they were greatly prized and appreciated.

Jungle Camp The boil It was a requirement that all new members for the PNG Branch do 3 months Jungle Camp.

Hap and I, Steve and David, were at the Advance Base in the Markham Valley, PNG, in 1961. We‘d been in the country close to two months when Hap developed a very painful boil on one buttock. The nurse advised that I should give him a daily injection of penicillin. I was all ready but he just kept stalling, stalling, ―Just wait a bit more until I get more relaxed‖. After one hour of this we decided someone else should give it. It‘s very hard for a wife to give something that is going to hurt her husband whom she loves.

We got another nurse, Dorothy Drew, to come to give the injection. He jumped so high, he pulled out the needle! She said ―You naughty boy!‖ It‘s the only time I‘ve seen her upset.

She said, ―You‟ve got to hold still until it‟s in.‖ So the second time he held still and the injection was completed.

A dilemma I was in a bit of a dilemma. If Hap didn‘t get better should I go on that 3 day hike that starts tomorrow? Or do I stay home to look after him, which meant that the two boys, 2 years and 41/2 years old, stayed home too? When I was in Jungle Camp I felt like I was being assessed; are you a coward? Are you pulling your weight? Getting out of things? It really was a very friendly atmosphere and the staff was there to help and train us. But I did wonder if I don‘t go, would that be a black mark against us? So I reasoned, ‗well I did promise God

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and Hap that I would look after him in sickness and in health until death us do part‘. I thought he won‘t feel like going on a hike right now. I decided with prayer, that if he‘s got a fever of 101 degrees that would be adequate for me to stay home. I had this background of a vow to look after him. I thought it was a bit foolhardy to go away and have to give him an injection every day and him hiking if he has a significant fever. (As I look back now, I realize I was giving way to fear).

The next morning, the Lord had answered prayer and he did not have a fever! We started out. It was not easy, we had two children, and no-one else was going on the hike with children. We were the last to get away and all the carriers present had already been given loads. We had to cross the river with the children and with all our belongings for the next three days. I was tempted to feel sorry for myself as we started along the trail. Hap was not quite feeling up to par and David about 35 pounds was my pack on my back. Steve was walking well and Hap was carrying our goods though he wasn‘t really fit for this. But he was being brave!

A Spiritual Exercise Then I went through a ‗spiritual exercise‘. For five years, frankly, in Sydney, it seemed the biggest lesson from the Word and talks that I heard. ―Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!‖ Phil. 4: 4. NIV That principle of rejoicing before the Lord and to the Lord was very, very important. So I thought in my spirit, I don‘t feel like it, circumstances don‘t dictate it, but right now I need to rejoice that God is right here with us and He is my Saviour and has taken away my sins. So I thought, I rejoice in You, LORD, I rejoice in Jesus! I had this spiritual refreshing in yielding my/our present and future to the Lord! Just then from each side of the trail came a carrier! I was overjoyed! What an answer to prayer!

To me it was victory and the very best answer I had in all the 3 months of Jungle Camp.

Hap got better day by day and we were able to give the injection nightly for him. It was really a good experience after all!

Ukarumpa What Do You Do Here?

I was very new at Ukarumpa having just finished the three month Jungle Camp Course in early November 1961. At work one day in the all purpose workshop I met a visiting missionary man. I‘ve never forgotten our brief but revealing conversation. He was an Aussie from a denominational mission station several hours drive away. He asked me, ―Hap, what do you do here?‖ I explained it something like this, ―I‘ve done a five year apprenticeship as a fitter and turner at Morts Dock in Sydney. Also I‘ve learned to weld, have a motorcycle and am generally mechanical as I worked in the Engine Room of ships for four years. I‘ve had just over three years in Bible schools. I‘m not a Bible Translator or Literacy Personnel, but I am what in the Summer Institute of Linguistics is called Support Personnel. About 50% of our PNG Branch is made up of Language Personnel (Translation and Literacy) and the other 50% is made up of Support personnel. Our founder, affectionately called ―Uncle Cam‖ for Cameron Townsend and our other leaders have organized it in those main divisions. That has come about in the early days in the late 30‘s and 40‘s as it was noted that on average it takes from 12-25 years to do a New Testament translation. One could easily feel discouraged in such a time and energy consuming project. Therefore by allowing someone else to do everything else that does not require the actual use of that language speeds up the translation project greatly. In the support category we have directors, managers, teachers, bookkeepers,

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accountants, nurses, builders, plumbers, mechanics, children‘s home parents, buyers.

Eventually we plan to have a doctor, pilot, aviation engineers and a dentist. There are over 700 languages in this country and I want to do everything I can to speed the Good News of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord to as many as possible of these tribal languages.‖ This missionary had listened intently. Then with much emphasis he said ―Hap, I really would be grateful to God if my mission saw it that way! Let me explain to you my situation. To come with my mission board I had five years of training including three years of seminary. To plant a church, we have a mission station. Being the only man, I do any building, driving, meeting the planes and maintenance. These kinds of labour take up about 95% of my time. A lay Christian worker without Seminary training could do most of my mission work. I would be so delighted to have more energy and time to do my spiritual calling for which I am trained to do.‖ I could empathize with him whole heartedly over a cuppa. After he had gone, in the next few hours, I reflected on what I‘d heard from the hurting Christian Brother. It all made me so grateful for all the ways the Lord had guided and intervened in Glady‘s and my being in this unusual and specialized organisation. From then on, I knew why God had called us here!

Abio‟s Father- We‟re Glad You Came!

When Steve was about five he remembers seeing Abio‘s blind father with his many wounds and scars. He lived about two miles from us in a Gadsup village. He told of the tribal warfare and setting neighbouring village homes on fire and shooting the fleeing occupants with a bow and arrow. He bore in his body evidence of the same. He was glad that the need to fear these types of reprisals ended with the Australian administration of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. The Australian rule outlawed ―Payback‖ which equalled reprisal killings.

The old custom of women relatives having a joint of their fingers chopped off for each close relative killed was stopped! (It was supposedly to show their grief over the killed relatives).

Occasionally we heard about how bad the colonizing powers were, but we think of how good Australia was as a colonizing power. „God Has A Dog?‟ Several of Dick Loving‘s language helpers visited our home for a regular Bible study on a Monday night with Hap. We were studying John‘s gospel in Tok Pisin. After prayer we read ―In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the Beginning‖ we were getting along fine, but didn‘t know what the national translators were really taking in. That night when Tobiana got home Dick asked him what they had learnt. ―Oh Dick, we found out that God had a dog‖. So I had called it ―Gods‘ Dog‖ Dick was horrified and asked how come Hap Skinner is teaching about God‘s dog. So they looked at the pidgin together and in reading and talking it through came up with a clear understanding and an explanation for this misunderstanding. ―In the beginning was the word‖ was translated ‗Bipo tru Tok I stap‘ but the ―T‖ sound and the ―D‖ sound are relatively interchangeable, so Tok came out Dok (or Dog). Then ―the Word was God‖ came out ―Na tok em yet i God‖…the Dog is God! Here the problem with the D and G sounds again!

It all showed us the great importance of the Bible Translators learning their respective languages so well that these trade languages don‘t confuse the nationals as to the true meaning.

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Shepherd Bridge Rebuild In 1961 our family arrived in the Highlands of PNG at Ukarumpa near Aiyura Agricultural Station, which is about 2 miles away. Kainantu roads were gradually being built by hand locally. There was not much surfacing as there was very little machinery, tractors, trailers or dozers.

At Ukarumpa which was on the farther side of the river we had to build a bridge spanning about 80 feet. The bridge builder, Uncle Wal Blackwell, was a retired saw miller and World War I digger from Tasmania. Uncle Wal Blackwell was about 73 when I met him and worked part time with him. Several ‗mishos‘ worked with him, Al Stucky, George Wilson, and David Glasgow. I‘ve never seen anyone with patience like Uncle Wal. He had a heavy leg vice bolted on to a heavy hard wood post about 2 ½ feet into concrete. I‘ve seen Uncle Wal stand about an hour sawing with a 12 inch hack saw rocking back and forth cutting a six inch diameter thick wall drill pipe. All this was before the day when SIL bought and could afford an oxy-acetylene cutting torch or power hack saw. I eventually bought a power hack saw from Gus Brivelus‘ welding shop for about 5 pounds. Four of these posts had to be prepared, cut and welded for either side of the bridge. We probably did one post each day.

Uncle Wal had built bridges and roads, used heavy machinery and ran saw mills. He brought a big solid Massey Harris 744D, 6 cylinder diesel rubber tyred very used tractor with a side mounted power take-off pulley for driving a saw bench. The tractor was for bringing the bush logs in about 6 miles on the rough rutted roads on a beat up trailer made from a truck chassis with dual wheels. After a year or so I had the job of upgrading the trailer so it could take a larger load.

We learned several years later why the trailer used to have springs, as with a real lorry load of logs one of the axles housing broke and let us down in the centre of the rough road. The driver, Al Stucky, a rugged bush man/translator had to walk those 4 miles back to base to get help. I drove our International AUD 244 tractor with a jeep trailer to help in the recovery of the rig. Al was a determined and purposeful man, whose calling was to Bible translation but as the need for support personnel was so great he was required to work in the saw mill for several years. Eventually he and his wife, Dellene, got to translate the New Testament for the Nii tribe about 20 miles from Mount Hagen. After that translation, they were asked to coordinate or facilitate the work of several mother-tongue translators of the Melpa people, perhaps the largest language group in Papua New Guinea. There were about 100,000 Melpa speakers in and around Mount Hagen. They stayed with that mother-tongue translation team until the New Testament translation was completed 12 years later. Praise God for the stickability of such as the Stuckys.

Kuri; Not Guri We‘d been there for only a few months in our second house in the temporary quarters and I‘d been praying that we‘d get a really good house helper. I saw this young man coming, about 15 or 16 years of age. I really sensed that he was the answer to our prayers. Two accompanying men stopped at the driveway and he came on to the front door. He had a big smile on his face, and I just could tell he had a humble spirit. He said his name was ‗Guri‘, I thought that is what he said and I called him that. He was a Chimbu, known as some of the best working people in PNG, and he said that he would like to work for us. I suggested he start the next day. His father and his uncle had come to help him find a place to work. The Chimbus live near Kundiawa and Kerewagi in the Chimbu Province. That area of PNG is so steep in some places they are standing up to garden. When the young men get to working age - legally 16 years; (we found it fascinating to learn how the government patrol officers

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would look under their arms to see if there was hair there) they could be sent away from their village until they got married so their presence wouldn‘t be such a big drain on their gardens. When they get to marriageable age they are allowed to return to their villages to live.

One of ‗Guri‘s duties was to take David to pre School Nursery about 8am and then pick him up just after 11am. David was carried on ‗Guri‘s shoulders. He was a first class worker and so trustworthy. He worked 8 hours daily Monday through Friday. He helped us with so many household duties such as laundry, ironing, sweeping and cleaning things. It is good to understand why so many missionaries have house help. I had spent several years in preparation for foreign missionary service. We wanted to help the locals with some work experience if possible. But a big reason also was that several of the normal household duties took more time in a third world country because of no electricity, running water, inside toilet, or washing machine, only kerosene irons, lots of rain and not many cars on the centre.

We soon realized that if I spent all my time just looking after our house, food and children then I wouldn‘t have time or energy to do any more skilled missionary work ‗for the nationals‘ needs such as dental, nursing or print shop duplicating (mimeographing). It is hard to believe that in August of 1961, the going rate for an unskilled male employee was only one shilling per day. In September it doubled to be two shillings per day.

About the day before we were going on furlough, three years after hiring ‗Guri‘, he said his name was really ‗Kuri‘! It really shows that my ear is not that of a linguist! (I got a D in phonetics and probably didn‘t even deserve that!) We prayed for Kuri to be saved and what a joy during our first furlough to learn that on Christmas day he had been led to the Lord for salvation, by a friend of ours! When we came back to New Guinea we could see that his heart had been good soil in which God‘s seed had been planted; he was growing in The Word.

Kuri had a desire to go to Bible school. We were so pleased about that but his English wasn‘t good enough. However, there was a Bible school that was taught in Pidgin. Before we left on our second furlough, he was leading a Bible study in Pidgin on Monday nights in our house. Sometimes the room was full with wives and children as well. The Bible study continued for some years with Kuri as leader; other times Hap led it. I provided supper (a snack) after the Bible study. I remember one time I gave them popcorn. The pan had a Pyrex lid on it and they were all so excited watching the corn pop, something they‘d never seen before!

During our second term at Ukarumpa, Kuri would hurry through all his assigned household duties so that he could go down to Hap at the Engineering Department where he learned some of those skills as well. We both felt that this was a great way for him to better himself for his future. After a while he realized God‘s call on his life was to study God‘s Word and to minister it.

A Shopping Trip To Kainantu In 1962 I had been at Ukarumpa about 6 months when one particular week I went on the ―grocery run‖ to Kainantu about 6 miles away with another lady, the driver. She had the lists of items other SIL folk had ordered to be bought at either of the 2 small stores there. I went to buy for ourselves that time and to seize the opportunity to look around. As I noticed some plantation owners or managers‘ wives shopping, it was quite an eye opener for me. I realized

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just how far our money stretched because I didn‘t need the best cuts of meat, expensive candies, etc.

Peter‟s Birth On April 1, 1964 Francine Derk arrived in Lae at the SIL Guest House. I had been there a few weeks at doctor‘s orders as I was expecting Peter. I had a strong cough and there was no doctor at Ukarumpa yet. It was really good to finally get to meet Francine and to catch up on happenings at Hope Church in Indianapolis. The Lae SIL Guest House was still under construction so we were assigned to share a small room. This was good as it allowed us to keep visiting. About 10pm my ‗water broke‘! Francine was excited; perhaps my baby would be born on her dear Grandmother‘s birthday! Then I learned that Francine‘s father left her mother when she was about two months old so she was raised largely by her maternal grandmother!

But delivery was not to be that rapid! About 36 hours later near 10am Friday, April 3rd 1964 Peter Benjamin was born at 9lb 1oz and 22‖ long. I was induced that morning and if I hadn‘t let it be known that the baby‘s head was presenting, I‘d have had him in bed! My 3 years of Labor Room experience in Indiana came in very handy and helped keep me calm!

How grateful I was and am that the Great Physician was really the One in charge of my case; He‟d reassured me of that the night before!

Communications were not what they are today, of course. By radio Hap had learned eventually that I‘d had the baby but didn‘t learn which gender. I had hoped that he‘d be able to fly right down that day with Stephen (7 ½ years old) and David (5 years old) and that I could tell him that he had another fine son but that was not to be. The older boys weren‘t well with repeated tonsillitis and he had a lot of work to finish off at the engineering shop as well! The doctor was recommending tonsillectomies for them both as soon as possible in Lae. It was Monday afternoon before Hap and the boys could get to Lae! Then we could choose his name for sure; so many had thought it would be a girl. One friend even sent 2 dresses. Really a girl could have been good but the Giver of the Gift knows best and we were very happy with this lovely blond light red haired boy that looked more like Steve than Dave, but was still himself! Soon after Hap arrived in Lae we decided on the name for our 3rd son: Peter Benjamin. That won over Stuart or Stewart as the spelling could be tricky as well as the dual pronunciations. We wanted him to really like his name! The Benjamin was after Hap‘s father, Arthur Benjamin Skinner.

The Watts At Boana At the Lae Hospital another Christian lady delivered that week. She and her husband were teachers at Boana Community School at Boana, 15 minutes flight northwest of Lae. We agreed to try to meet one year later at Boana so our families could enjoy the Easter long week-end together and we‘d see how much our babies had grown! At Easter 1965 at Boana, John and Melva Watt asked us, ―Would you be willing to host a friend of ours from Perth who is interested in becoming a Bible translator?‖ Would we ever! So mid year we had that privilege when Ray Christmas came to PNG to visit the Watt family and us and see some of the Bible translation work at and around Ukarumpa. It has been especially interesting to follow Ray and Elizabeth‘s progress toward the completion of their New Testament in India a number of years ago now.

In mid 2007 we got to catch up with several of the Christmas family again - this time housesitting in the lovely Perth Hills for several weeks and enjoying the experience very much!

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Tonsillectomies On my last day in the hospital with baby Peter both older boys had their tonsils removed. It was not an easy time for them or me with a new nursing babe. The Lae Guest House organized for Hap and the 2 older boys to be in one room and the baby and me to be in another one next to them. The boys could hardly eat for several days because of painful swallowing, even ice cream wasn‘t appealing! Then dear Gladys Dean told us to try chewing gum as that had helped their children. They turned the corner! When baby Peter was about 10 days old and we weighed him, he was several ounces below his birth weight – was I chagrined! I hadn‘t thought in my busyness with the 2 post operative boys and breastfeeding him that he wasn‘t getting enough liquids. I hadn‘t had a baby in the tropics before. It wasn‘t as hot and humid in Sydney for our first 2 babies. Not only was Peter below his birth weight but he had impetigo on his face and I on a breast!!

Back Home After Peter‟s Birth Sometimes one would do some things a bit differently in hindsight. Hap had been asked if he could possibly help for 3-4 days constructing the Guest House. We always wanted to be helpful and didn‘t like to say ‗no‘ so we agreed for him to stay behind until the next plane went to the Highlands. I‘ve never forgotten my first full day back home. I was walking along the street to go collect mail at the post office and I met one friend who said, “My, children are a lot of work!” Within 10 minutes on that brief walk I met another friend who said, “Children sure bring so much joy!” What a contrast but together somehow a summary too.

Child Care Assignment I had been assigned to work in Child Care late in 1965. I really wasn‘t thrilled about that assignment. I was excited and fulfilled as a wife and mother and I had just had several months working in the Finance Office where I had enjoyed the work. It had been a good opportunity to work in an office, learn new skills and be around other adults. This assignment of working in Child Care was a ‗downer‘ for me. It was not easy to meet the physical and emotional needs of eleven infants to 2 year olds. Once they were potty trained they were promoted to the next age pre-school group. One of the factors that made it less easy was that Peter was in the group that I was taking care of. It is hard for a mother to divide her attention between her own son and 10 other little friends. They all competed for my arms! Looking back, I probably had a lot to learn. Hap was a wonderful emotional support, but between 8:30am and 11:30am it was a pressure cooker experience for me.

Managing children sleeping, some being awake, some needing potty training, others needing entertaining or comfort was sure a challenge. Then there were the crisis moments when one child would bite another one! It wasn‘t easy for me when children wouldn‘t stop crying after their mothers left; I am sure it wasn‘t easy for the mother either. It didn‘t take the Wisdom of Solomon to realize that I needed more hands to help care for all these children. I came to the conclusion that I could train some young national girls to help care for the children.

Teaching them to change diapers, wash their hands, feed bottles and comfort distressed children would be easy. I saw how the national women loved their children and wanted what was best for them, just like we did. I was certain that I had the right solution but I was in for a surprise! Maybe I shared my solution to the problem with the wrong person or in the wrong way but the response was a shock. ―If you have a national girl work here, I won‘t send my child here!‖ I was confused and probably had a silent ‗pity party‘. Fortunately from my point of view, it was the time for our first furlough. It wasn‘t long until each of the child care groups did have national women helping and working alongside the SIL women to provide tender loving care to the children, just as I had envisioned. Perhaps I was just ahead

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of my time! By God‘s grace, I never held it against that mother or gossiped about it to others.

Chippy Trigg Royal Navy (Hap) Chippy Trigg was a Royal Navy character, he‘d been a ‗chippy‘ or carpenter for about 30 years during and after the Second World War and what a character he was. He looked like a sailor and rolled like a sailor. He had a delightful saltwater sense of humour with jokes and accent. I‘d first met him at a mission prayer meeting in Sydney before either of us went to Papua New Guinea. Three or so years later he‘d completely forgotten me, possibly because we were now in a different context and country. Both of us were now in PNG, though only about 60 miles apart. I was at Ukarumpa in EHP (Eastern Highlands Province) and he was at New Tribes Mission (NTM) out of Goroka, also in the EHP. Glady, the family and I were over at NTM having a small holiday after Glady had an early miscarriage. We heard that Chippy had come but was out in the bush (or their tribe) and it was suggested I with another New Triber ride the BSA 150 motorcycle across to see them. On arrival out in the village I met Chippy again now after 4 years. Still the same old ―Chippy‖, but he didn‘t have a clue who I was, he‘d forgotten. I asked him the names of about 15 British ships that he could have been on including aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. I had seen some of these ships in Sydney in 1945 but I only knew their names.

I was making it sound to him as though I‘d been on the ships and asking if he‘d been on them. He finally gave up. I admitted to him, ‗No, Chippy, I was never in the Royal Navy but in the Merchant Navy‘. With that Chippy looked away in disgust, cleared his throat and spat! So we both had a great laugh and joked over someone putting it over ‗Chippy‘ at last!

Neither of us had any malice in tricking each other especially way out in the bush, so far from the sea.

Chippy became a believer while he was on leave off a Royal Navy ship in Hong Kong during the war in 1945. He was a delightful sea story teller, both true and not so true. He could go on and on entertaining you by the hour. We well remember having his wife and he come for an evening of good entertainment at the Ukarumpa Guest House. He had been in charge of many evenings of good entertainment on British ships or Navy Bases. We hardly knew a person who could recite so many poems and jokes or sing so many old songs and do little dances. What an enjoyable evening! I can still remember the ‗wooden duck one‘, but don‘t ask me to tell it!

He greatly loved the New Guinea Highlands and was sadly missed by his fellow missionaries, his American wife of 25 years and the locals after he died. Greatly missed and loved! Thank you Lord Jesus for saving him and blessing us with a friend like Chippy.

Ministry With A Small Oil Can I also found I could serve during Church and meetings for all those people with sensitive ears while at the Meeting House at Ukarumpa. When I heard squeaky wheels on prams, strollers, etc I did a favour to all by using an oil can I took with me. It was practical and meant fewer disturbances to the speakers and better listening for the congregation! I used the oil can discreetly. I didn‘t allow children to play with it! I asked fathers if they wanted me to use the can to eliminate the wheels squeak. I also made sure to plug up the cans outlet so it wouldn‘t spill and make a mess. It was amazing how such a small thing turned into such a blessing with a smile!

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CHAPTER NINE PHOTOS TERM ONE 1961-1966

Ukarumpa

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Soon after arriving in Ukarumpa

Hiking at Jungle Camp

Workshop during early days at Ukarumpa

Walking through river during Jungle Camp

Glady, Dave and Steve at home #9 Carey Circle in 1961

Walking through a village during Jungle Camp

Ministry with a small oil can

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Soon after getting to PNG, with Nicholson boys and the reconditioned pedal car from Wahroonga tip (dump)

Shepherd Bridge welding

Shepherd Bridge Rebuild

Shepherd Bridge needed rebuilding

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Kuri, not Guri!

Adventurers from the beginning

Kuri, many years later; a wonderful friend

Every boy needs „wheels‟! Fixing up bikes was a great help to many

Peter Benjamin born 3 April, 1964

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CHAPTER TEN SOME OF HAP‟S TYPE OF WORK Lathe In the early years before we had an engine or electricity Simi turned my lathe by hand. This was a lathe that I had shipped from Australia. It was probably the only lathe within 50 miles at the time.

Building Trusses Before I left Australia I was working at a dredge engineering company called Emu Engineering in 1960. I was wondering why I was given a job doing some heavy welding on some pumps and I couldn‘t figure it out until I got to PNG. There I learned I had that experience for when I had to build steel trusses 40 feet wide. To do this we had to set up a workshop. We had to pour the concrete 40 x 20 feet so we could lay out these trusses. I had to put re-enforcing rods in all the concrete and also put in pieces of steel angle iron 2‖ x 2 ¼‖. We then bolted the trusses down. We designed, manufactured and erected 4 x 40 feet trusses for the sawmill; for the auto shop 4 x 40 feet trusses; for the engineering shop we made 3 trusses and for the community building we made another 3 x 40 feet trusses and for the print shop 3 x 45 feet trusses. For the store we made 4 x 84 feet trusses. One of the trusses for this job collapsed as we were erecting it using an old army truck lifting on three points. We realised afterward we needed to lift on all four points. We eventually lifted on 13 points so it remained straight and even. We were able to recover the failed truss by cutting it up and using pieces of it for an extension for the store. We built two hangars for our SIL planes at Aiyura, 80 ft., 5 trusses in each. We had another job building trusses for New Tribes Mission in Goroka 4 x 80 feet. They trucked them up and we advised them how to carry and erect them.

When we were building the first hangar Leon Shanely was one of the key men. Al Undi, a volunteer from US, was a big fellow. When we talked about buying another group vehicle and suggested a VW, Al said ―Listen, I‟d rather drive a car than wear it”. We never forgot that statement. He was a great help on so many jobs but especially on the 80 foot hangars.

There‘s a really good picture of us erecting the big trusses with Leon on the tractor. Before I‘d designed these trusses I‘d checked out trusses in Lae at Wally Vollett‘s yard (a German fabricator of steel trusses) and copied on paper what I thought was good. We got most of our pipe from Belgium at a better price than from Newcastle in Australia; however, we eventually used Japanese steel which came from Newcastle.

Building/Rebuilding Bridges We also rebuilt bridges. The Mill Bridge was built by Dave Glasgow and Uncle Wal Blackwell. It was an 88 feet clear span but they were able to bring it down to 60 feet by changing the abutments. It was rebuilt from a wooden one and designed by Uncle Wal Blackwell, from Tasmania, who was in charge of the sawmill. Albert Foreman, an experienced civil engineer, with the Commonwealth Works Department, helped while on leave. It was a continuous beam bridge, 88 feet clear span. We‘d salvaged the beams with permission from the ‗Dirty Water‘ River Bridge after it had collapsed and we welded them together to form 8‖x 4‖ beams, in a continuous weld. We joined 3 together for each track, so

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we had 6 beams running across the bridge and 1 ½ inch diameter wire rope looped under and over to tie these back.

The Mill Bridge was a unique construction. It had two main supports, cut out of oil drilling pipe, 6 inch diameter, 2 on each stanchion, welded together and under them wire rope tied to anchor points (called ‗dead men‘). These were big logs buried in concrete. It wasn‘t a swing bridge, but like one. This had two transoms running across the width of the bridge and from the top of the post, one rope goes down under one transom and up to the other post and vice versa. It made a stable and solid bridge. It meant the continuous beam could go from one side to the other. The engineers from Goroka hadn‘t seen anything like it, checked it out well and liked it. Jack Ruth, an engineer, put a load limit of 14 tons on it.

We had several national welders who were absolutely excellent. We taught Kuri, our home helper, he was a good fellow. Another was Simi Barcoma, absolutely superb, strong, willing and did a good job. I would lay the trusses out; they would tack them and then finish welding. They also helped erect the bridge, using block and tackle, with restraining ropes and a tractor. The footings were 44 (Imperial) gallon drums, filled with rocks and concrete.

The bolts and plates were already in position before we put in the concrete. The Mill Bridge is a major link in our road system, linking the airstrip to Ukarumpa 1 ½ miles or 2 km apart.

I praise the Lord for the way the bridge building went ahead and for the good teamwork that achieved it with joy.

That bridge eventually collapsed when a 28 ton, single bogy truck crossed. It split the ropes that had become slightly rusted. The bridge collapsed from one side; the truck rolled on its side but lost none of its load as it was so well packed. (I was very happy I wasn‘t there when it happened and I didn‘t have to reconstruct it!) Cliff Gibson stepped in and reconstructed it.

They got a Bailey Bridge in place of the collapsed one, a Bailey Bridge is a modular section bridge that can be made into a continuous beam bridge and are very strong/light and transportable. They were used during WWII and continue to be used for bridges today in remote areas, because they were light and can be erected in sections. They are also virtually indestructible.

Aiyura Airstrip Work One of the other things we did around Aiyura was to extend the SIL airstrip by 1000 feet.

The Department of Aviation told us we had to have a fence around it. I was responsible for designing a 4200 foot fence. All the posts were picked up from Lae that we welded together with the help of Peter Skinner. It was amazing how the Lord supplied these things for us.

Once the posts were put into the ground the barbed wire was put on at the site.

Another thing we had to do for our Aiyura airstrip was to resurface some of it. We put a strip of bitumen 30-40 feet wide by 600 ft at the top end so that when the Aztec or Cessna 402 were taking off from the strip they would not pick up rocks with the prop and throw them back at the aircraft. To do the job we had to pick up the gravel from Goroka, about a 60 mile truck drive each way. Arthur Pfeffer usually did this. When he got it back to the strip we would have all the gear ready. We had a bitumen sprayer from Lae and we used Shell Coalacid, after we had prepared the ground and then layered it with gravel. We then compacted it with a rubber tyred roller.

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River Control-Mill Bridge Then along with the Mill Bridge re-design we did the River Control to limit the erosion of banks in flood tide. At the critical places in front of piles we drove pointed Marsden Matting (pierced steel sheeting planks) that the Allies used in PNG for airstrips. It was 8 feet long and 15 inches wide. We welded a point on it by making two pieces of 2x1/4‖ flat steel.

When the pile driver was made, it consisted of a wooden beam about 8 feet long by 6‖x8‖ hardwood and pivoted on the fixed base that could be moved easily. The weighted end was the hammer that drove the Matting into the river bank. When the Matting pieces were connected together to make a wall up to about 50 feet long then a wire rope was fed through the holes and occasionally fixed to a solid anchor point.

Airstrip Equipment And Work After God‘s call to New Guinea as a missionary I‘d forgotten all about my Dad helping to prevent an air disaster just by lighting fires on a beach. I had been very interested in aviation though I never wanted to learn to fly. Before I went to New Guinea I came across an Unevangelised Fields Mission (UFM) brochure about building an airstrip using a small garden tractor for one of their missionaries. It was a fantastic manual labour saving device, but had to be carried in to their strip site by hand in pieces.

We were stationed at the time in Ukarumpa, the main base for SIL. A couple of years later our next door neighbour Al and Minnie Tobbitt were building an airstrip for and with their people at Asapa near Popondetta in the Oro Province. It was real tough going because they had no tools. They were translators and shared their burden with me; how could I help? So with Al, together we nutted out a self made two-wheel wheelbarrow like builders use for concrete work in Australia. We put together a required set of tools too. We approached our managers with the request for spades, bars and mattocks. This request was granted and they gave approval to build ‗a builder‘s two-wheel barrow‘ made from motorcycle wheels. There was great rejoicing. It carried about three normal wheelbarrow loads in one safely. Many of the PNG men, though vastly stronger than us ‗white skins‘ found a one-wheel barrow very difficult to balance, hence the need for two wheels. It was safer, no spills, faster and easier on the wheeler. This was the beginning of the ―Airstrip Equipment Department‖ of SIL begun in 1963 and ending in 1987; twenty four years. Eventually we had four full time workers, one rotary hoe, three four wheel drive tractors with front dozer blades, rear mounted scoop and rear mounted hydraulic rippers, one hydraulic tipper trailer and about 100 spades and four wheelbarrows. Much happened in our airstrip building department over those twenty four years. We have it on record that between about four men at a time in that department we built twenty two airstrips from scratch as well as upgraded about 8 more. We did this work all over PNG. The PNG Government had given SIL four work permits for Airstrip Construction Supervisors. These were withdrawn in 1987.

The Rotary Hoe Airstrip Winch One of the toughest jobs in building an airstrip for Translators is moving ground. In other words, ‗is bulldozing or calf dozing (a tiny bulldozer) the only method? How would you move ground in a big way? Naturally we had to use pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow. But couldn‘t we add small mechanisation to our efforts? That UFM Brochure had given me inspiration for helping our scattered Bible Translators with mechanisation in making their airstrips. When in the US I checked with our people in our main Linguistics Centre there. I asked a man who worked in a South American country how they moved dirt. His answer shocked me ―What‘s wrong with the pick and shovel?‖ My silent thought was ―I bet Noah used the latest techniques available for his major building project!‖ Here I was talking to

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representatives from the most mechanized countries in the world. Yet just about every small farm or large lawn had a garden tractor to cut their grass. I returned to PNG determined to do something about mechanization.

Together ―Uncle‖ Wal Blackwell, Al Tobbit, Doug Hunt, Mac Lowcock and I decided we‘d build our own Airstrip Winch. This was our own idea; we believe God gave us the idea. I had the job to build it. Amidst some doubt by a few we slowly advanced and were about halfway to its completion when I visited a Swiss Mission Station close by at Kassam. We‘d helped them build their steel trusses for their workshop and I was viewing their finished job.

In a corner of their workshop I noticed something covered with a thick layer of saw dust. ―What‘s that?‖ I asked.

Christian Schaerz at this Swiss Mission Station answered ―Oh, that‘s a winch we use for logging to load the truck with logs. Back home in the Alps of Switzerland we use them to pull the milk sleds up and down the mountains. ‖ What an answer to prayer to find a winch like that! ―Hallelujah‖ So close too! I asked Christian; ―Could you bring that over some day so we can see it work?‖ After all it was only 14 miles away. Christian replied with; ―Yes, I‘m glad to let you see the winch work. It was factory built in Switzerland.‖ They used a scoop for moving ground and cement, as well as for logging and loading logs and even towing vehicles. Soon Christian Schaerz brought the factory made Swiss winch (almost identical to our SIL designed one) to the Engineering Department to give a practical demonstration of what their winch would do. It drew quite an interest in the mechanical men of the Industrial and Aviation departments. After seeing what the commercial winch could do, there were no longer doubters as to the practicality of the ‗homemade‘ winch! Praise the Lord who had inspired the ideas to the designers had again answered prayer for its completion. All the people who observed the demonstration were impressed when they saw it being demonstrated digging ground at Ukarumpa. It was a very satisfying demonstration and we went ahead and finished our winch satisfactorily.

We designed our winch with large aircraft balloon tyres. The winch was anchored in the ground with about six axles. We used the winch to drag the rippers and scoop toward the winch. It had about 100 feet of ½ inch wire cable. The winch was useful for excavating dirt, river gravel, pile drivers motor, loading logs on to our logging truck as well as on airstrips.

So our ‗homemade‘ winch was general purpose, mobile and a very useful machine.

Several years later in 1980 our family was visiting that Swiss Mission family in Switzerland and Christian took me to the little Swiss manufacturer where the manufacturer offered me a new one at cost price. We couldn‘t accept this kind offer as I was in Europe with the intention to buy a special 4 wheel drive German Holder tractor for airstrip work specifically.

This tractor superseded our homebuilt winch. Our winch design was mobile with 3 wheels, the back one was steerable. To our original airstrip committee of technical men that thought up this design we were assured that their mechanical ideas had come from the Lord in answer to the need at hand and our prayers. God answers prayer!

Aziana A NTM missionary friend who needed to use our SIL helicopter about 1971 was Louie Dodd. We got better acquainted with Louie as he flew out to Wonenara and then helicoptered across a ridge to the village of Aziana where he had constructed his village house. Louie was making an airstrip for his wife and 4 young children and the people. Hap

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had developed a keen interest in airstrip construction and had made up a ripper to be pulled along by a wire cable from a powered winch. Hap thought now would be a good time to try it out! It was Christmas break for school children so we could go together as a family! It was about a 10-15 minute Cessna 206 flight to Wonenara and then about 5-10 minute shuttles in the Hiller helicopter to Aziana. Louie and a fine co-worker missionary friend of his, ‗Sharlee‘, were delighted with Hap‘s idea! We all became excited about spending our Christmas holiday helping Louie on his Aziana airstrip. I could cook for us all and thus free up the other 2 missionary men in their batching attempts; Steve and Peter could be with their Dad and enjoying the out of doors. All this was happening while David was down at Shortland (a suburb of New Castle, NSW) for two and a half months with the Ken and Janice Horder family for their kindly offered Remedial Reading Tuition.

Dynamiting One of the most dramatic aspects of our airstrip work has been using gelignite or dynamite to blast rock. First of all Don Frisbee, Brian Parsons, Susuma and I needed to learn how to do it safely. There was a week long theory course taught by a man in the Department of Labour and Industry at Lae that we attended. At the end of the course we took a written exam and then were qualified to buy our license.

A gold mining friend at Kainantu, Ken Rehder, gave us a half day of ‗hands on‘ practical application of the course theory. How much we appreciated that kindness as we then felt much more qualified to do this work safely!

For safety‘s sake we always had posted local sentries at each entrance to the blast area. I lit the fuse only after I had blown the whistle many times. However, I had a big scare once!

At Sim airstrip the cordex fuse was laid and burning. I‘d blown the whistle many times and was walking to my place of shelter about 50 feet away. On arrival I turned around and to my horror I saw a local man in the blast area! I yelled to him ―yu mas raus, paia klostu i kam ap, paia i mekim yu dai!‖ (You must leave; the blast is soon, the blast might kill you!) If he got killed or hurt, it had the potential to stop all the work on the airstrip forever! The man answered ―Dok bilong mi go, mi mas kisim em!‖ (My dog went there, I must get it). I was real frightened for his safety. He had gone past the sentry who had tried to stop him. Thank you Lord that he and his dog got away before the blast! Fortunately we only needed to use dynamite on three airstrips (Sim, Angai, and Nahu) as well as at Tufi Wharf.

Waigani Seminar In the 1970‘s there developed a need for emphasis in some circles on Appropriate Technologies and Community Development. We were grateful for this awareness as the educational level of many New Guineans had risen in the last ten to twenty years. I was asked by our branch SIL director, Bruce Hooley, to present our use of the Hydraulic Mining Technique that we had used at Langimar Airstrip. This seminar was conducted at the Auditorium of the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby‘s suburb called Waigani.

I had my own projector and slides and thought I was well prepared. Not long before my presentation I was strongly advised by some ‗power that be‘ to use the equipment that was already installed at the Auditorium. That turned out to be a bad option for me, as I had to suddenly ad lib for a lot of the slides. However, I must have weathered the storm of new technology ok.

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The department head who had organized this seminar in her opening remarks stated that the purpose of this academic exercise is ―to find the best path or road ahead in developing Papua New Guinea. We all are looking for the best way forward between the digging stick and the bulldozer!‖ There were a few friends of SIL at that seminar that night. Two that I now remember were Albert Foreman and Dr Keith Powell. When the seminar had concluded a friend told us that our presentation and topic seemed to be the closest to the answer they were looking for ‗between the digging stick and the bulldozer‘. I also resolved to use my own equipment that I knew in any future presentations!

Unitech Lae 1975 Because of my experience using the hydraulic mining technique I jumped at the invitation to lecture at Lae Unitech on a subject that I knew about very well. I forget how I got the invitation but I took it.

Our son David had made a rough scale model of Langimar airstrip, which he built for a Science Fair at Ukarumpa high school. He did the work of building it from a plywood frame base, chicken wire and paper maché. The rough surface was shaped like the airstrip and when the paper maché was dried he painted it with brown paint for dirt and green paint to represent grassy embankments. The overall model was 4ft long and 18inch wide. To demonstrate the method we used a full bucket of dirt which was dumped on to the frame base and patted down. This formed the rough surface of the rough slope as well. It had the deep cuts and how we did it in the real job. Then he used a bucket of water with a siphon plastic 1/8 inch diameter to bring the water down the slope forming the drains along which the water flowed. To represent people with spades and crow bars we used half width tongue blade depressors. This was to simulate breaking the ground off, felling it into the water drain which then carried it down to where we had to fill; according to our predetermined surveyor sightings marked with levels and sticks.

As a result of David having this model I was able to set it up in the class room at the Unitech. The whole class of Civil Engineering students were fascinated and excited. I was showing them a way that ground could be moved without requiring heavy machinery. All they needed was a small stream of water higher up and willing people. There were plenty of them around who were willing and able and some knowledgeable supervisors. I was primarily doing all this to encourage any prospective airstrip inspectors in the course at Unitech, to show them that there was an alternative to bulldozers as getting in to 95% of places was impossible with dozers due to rough terrain.

One of the teachers jumped at the invitation to come bush with us and work together with four other male students. They did the surveying of the main stream supply as well as the main airstrip surface. Throughout their whole time with us they observed all of us working the hydraulic method, together with blasting with explosives. It was a great experience for us as well as the men from Unitech. The Lord was very gracious with us and we loved the whole experience.

After the visit of the 5 men from Unitech one of the professors contacted me and said ―I read up on the history of this method and I learned that the Romans in Britain used water to move rocks and dirt to make roads at the time of Christ. They made Hadrian‘s Wall with that

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method in about 150 AD. Also the Chinese used water to help build their ―Great Wall‖ We had thought we were onto something new!

I know that God the Lord gave wisdom and insight to Bernie Crozier and through him to us to use this method. We didn‘t know we were on to something so good. The SIL director requested that I write up the ‗water method‘ as we had been using it on airstrips. With the help of a newly arrived member who was a trained journalist, we produced the 51 page booklet titled ―The Hydraulic Mining Technique in Airstrip Construction‖. We‘ve been glad to distribute copies of this booklet to several missions including NTM, MAF and JAARS. Praise God, He‘s the author of knowledge and knows all things. All we have to do is ask Him in prayer. There is a very old adage ―necessity is the mother of invention‖.

Making Airstrip Equipment A fellow came up from Montville in Queensland who said, ―Let me know of anything you need, I‘ll make it and ship it to you.‖ Well I couldn‟t believe my ears! I talked to a mate of mine, Jeff Bailey, who said, ―If this is what Jim Hooper says, he means it. Go for it, talk to him.‖ So I phoned him, long distance from PNG to Queensland. I talked to Jim and he said, ―Come down and work with me and we will work together to make the equipment needed for your airstrip work.‖ I took this at face value, and he is one of those beaut blokes who does what he says!

I went to his workshop - amazingly functional and practical. He was a designer and builder of earthmoving equipment for the farmers. I worked there for just on two weeks and I ate with his family. Jim, Joan and 14 year old Paul and his Engineering Co. did a marvellous job! When my two weeks finished, he had his men finish the last little bit of the work. One of the jobs was a large one and a half yard roll-over-scoop that was pulled behind the tractor and was self-loading. He loaded it onto his trailer and took it to the Amberley Air Force Base, as the Australian Air force was going to deliver the equipment to PNG for us. It took two trips to take all the stuff down there. He guaranteed his stuff wouldn‘t break and he did a fantastic job!

After we had successfully used this roll-over-scoop on several airstrips we contacted Jim a few years later (in 1983) about us making another roll-over-scoop to use with another one of our tractors. Jim suggested we have Peter come to work with us on it since it was Peter‘s term break at the Murrumbidgee College of Agriculture. Peter came up to Sydney from the college at Leeton, NSW and together we drove up to Montville, QLD. It was such a delightful spring trip as we (Glady, Peter and I) came up the inland Newell Highway and were thrilled at the glorious yellow wattle bushes and trees! It worked out great that Peter could live and work there with us on some of the equipment. I had taught Peter to weld before he finished high school. We were excited too that this work experience could count for some of his Practical Work Experience requirement from the College! We built this second roll-over-scoop with hydraulic rippers so we could rip the ground and scoop it up on the next round of moving the dirt. We also made a front blade for one of our tractors, a hydraulic angling and tilting blade, another bucket, and a set of heavy rippers. Again Jim Hooper put all these on his trailer, 3 ½ tons worth and wouldn‘t charge us a penny! We offered a payment but he wouldn‘t accept it. His attitude was if it was for missions it was

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free. It was all shipped via RAAF Hercules from Amberley Airport and I met it some months later at Nadzab airport. It was then hauled up to Ukarumpa by truck. You never know, some of these men that offered their assistance were fair dinkum, others weren‘t.

Praise God Jim was fair dinkum and an easy bloke to work with!

Flour Bags On several airstrips, we had to hold back a bank of fill to keep it from collapsing! We would buy 100s of empty used flour bags from the bakery cheaply, transport them to the site and then fill them with dirt. Next, we would wire them shut, stack them along the bank that we wanted to build up and drop them into position. We would finally wire their corners together to make them into a solid row. Then we back filled against them and they became a fantastic fence as the filled flour bags eventually set like concrete! The locals found many uses for these flour bags! One advantage of flour bags is that one corner inverted into the other corner (looks like a peaked hat) is a rain shelter! Another use for flour bags was to put 2 sapling poles through the sewn corners and use it as a stretcher to put dirt or small rocks on to transport it to where the fill was needed (when there wasn‘t enough water or similar situations).

Gabion Baskets Gabion baskets are portable slabs of heavy wire mesh about 4‘x4‘x6‘ wired together and filled with rock to form a long barricade up to 40 feet long against the river eroding the river bank or abutments for a bridge. If we did not have rock, we used Sarlon Filter Fabric Cloth for the base and sides of the basket. This material stopped the erosion of sand from the basket causing collapse of embankments. The Commonwealth Works Department in PNG used this method for stabilizing road and bridge approaches and abutments but they used rock. (See airstrip booklet by Author). At Mt Tawa airstrip in 1992, we improvised Gabion baskets using wire fencing and star picket posts. We filled the wired baskets with the present excavated Schist (soft) rock.

The 44 Gallon Fuel Locking Ring Our SIL avgas (aviation fuel) was being stolen or misused from unlocked fuel drums. Our pilots were finding no fuel that SIL owned waiting for them when they would land at airstrips. Hank Cook, our Chief Pilot asked me to design and make a locking ring to help ensure that the fuel wasn‘t stolen.

I designed a locking ring and made it of 1‖x ¼‖ flat steel that circled the drum and tied the ends together with a bolt and locking device through the ring. A double dog tag was welded over the bungs to stop the discharge of fuel. Also, these rings could be chained and locked together if there were more than one drum. This insured that fuel that was delivered for SIL was there for the pilots and Aviation Department. The pilots carried their own keys for the fuel drums and locks. All locks were keyed the same.

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CHAPTER TEN PHOTOS SOME OF HAP‟S TYPE OF WORK

Workshop where we built trusses

Simi welding trusses

Leon Schanley setting up pulley to raise trusses Hap welding trusses

Al Tobitt and Hap up on top the erected trusses

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The trusses lifted up and secured into place

Lifting trusses by tractor

Building with trusses

Large truss system used in building

Hangar truss building

Lifting a heavy metal truss into place

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Dirty Water beam retrieval Many hands make for lighter work for aircraft hanger

Trusses being built in workshop

Dirty Water bridge salvage

Salvaging bridge materials for use at SIL Retrieving bridge materials for use at SIL

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Re-building Mill Bridge

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Metal beams for bridge being delivered

Lifting heavy metal beams for bridge construction

Metal poles used in bridge construction

Pile driving using winch and pulley

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Pile driving

Dead weight being placed

Laying under girders and Marsden Matting

Connecting cables to dead weight

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Mill Bridge under construction

Tightening cables to dead weight

Cutting off excess cable that goes down to „dead weight‟ Blitz wagon used for hoisting

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Pile driver in operation

The finished bridge!

Hap and the almost finished bridge

Finished bridge being load tested

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Extending Aiyura Airstrip

Putting in Gabion Basket

Tractor moving logs at Wapasali Airstrip

River control using Marsden Matting

Putting in Marsden Matting Aziana Airstrip: winch and ripper in use

Aziana Airstrip: ripper and winch

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Filling flour bags for strengthening banks

Aziana man doing ripper control

Placing filled flour bags for bank control

Bernie Crozier, John Mabry, Gary Klingler talking with local people at Naniwe

Glady beside irstrip winch at Imani Airstrip

Filling flour bags

Hiller Helicopter used for bringing supplies and equipment to airstrip during construction

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Tractor pulling scraper to move dirt

Moving day from Karamui to Negabo, lots of equipment to haul in shuttles!

Tractor pulling grader to level strip

Man at Langimar with his son and „pineapple club‟

Tractor using scraper and blade to move dirt

Two wheel drive tractor moving mud at Imani Glady looking over Langimar

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Making a water channel

Keeping the slurry moving

Hydraulic method for making airstrip

Fences where soil is deposited by water

44 Gallon Fuel Drum Locking Ring

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CHAPTER ELEVEN THE AZTEC STORY: APRIL 7, 1972 Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea is the headquarters of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), The sister organization is Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT). At the time of this story, there would have been at least 250 members present at the centre while up to 150 would have been in their tribes spread out all over PNG. We were gathered together on Friday evening, the 7 th of April 1972, for a special meeting with a visiting pastor, Rev Graham Pulkingham, from the Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) in Houston, Texas, US. He was there to encourage us in our work of Bible translation for four days. He did not know what was in store for all of us. We sang worship choruses to the Lord then one of our pilots walked forward very solemnly and announced to a still audience ―Tonight at 5:30 our Piper Aztec twin engine aircraft crashed at Nadzab.

There were no survivors of the 7 people on board. Those on board were Doug Hunt (pilot), Oren and Francine Claassen, Darlene Bee, Kath McNeil, Nare (Darrell Wilson‘s language helper), and a Buang youth named Bep‖. A vast wave of spell bound unbelief and stilled sobbing spread through the audience. Five of the seven were people that we all knew, loved and served alongside. ―No Survivors!‖ The visiting preacher was invited to pray for us all; for the Holy Spirit to comfort us all and then he showed us a video of how the Holy Spirit changed his church in Houston, Texas. It was a beautiful testimony of God at work in their church.

Doug Hunt, the pilot and a New Zealander, was a very experienced (11,000 hrs) former crop duster and MFA pilot in Irian Jaya. He with his wife and their four children had been with SIL in PNG for about 2 years. The investigation of the crash found that because of a small distraction made the day before, an untightened nut on the fuel line allowed avgas to leak into the wing area in the vivinity of the turbo charger. It subsequently caught fire and was discovered at 5,000 feet over Nadzab Airstrip. A former WWII allied airstrip which had been recently brought up to commercial standard. The pilot immediately spiralled down to make ―finals to touchdown‖ where he turned off the ignition to avoid more fire; but the affected wing came off due to the fire and the aircraft nosed over and plummeted down into the ground from only about 50-100 feet above the airstrip. Because of the actual fire in the separated wing some of the grass did fire up around the aircraft, however there was no fire in the cabin, which was a praise note.

My next door neighbour, Don Frisbee, and I had been planning to drive down to Lae about 130 road miles to the coast after the Friday evening service. As Don and I were driving at night we turned our radio on and we heard a very comforting message about Easter and our hope in Christ. This gave us the strength to go ahead to this double auction of vehicles that we needed for our translators. When we arrived at Lae, we knew we were needed to help our new Lae SIL Manager, Doug Parrington. There was much to organise after the multiple deaths and the investigation by Department of Civil Aviation and the police. We didn‘t go to either auction as we were too busy with official needs.

We returned to Ukarumpa where most of us were still in semi shock. About seven days went by including the funeral in Lae for five of our members, one translation helper and one commercial passenger.

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Fear, Faith And Trust I also found a briefcase wired together and stuffed with papers and files. It was the work of Darlene Bee, PhD, who was just coming back from New Zealand where she had been the principal of the New Zealand linguistics course for three months. Loose on the ground was also her notebook, open to a page that said in large letters - ―FEAR – FAITH-- TRUST‖, with respective scripture verses.

Aztec Funeral In April 1972 after out Aztec plane crashed and killed all 7 passengers instantly, many wanted to go down to Lae for the funeral of 5 of our SIL members the next week. Not everyone had cars so there was much ‗doubling up‘. I, Glady, especially remember sitting in the back seat as we drove back from the funeral and there were 2 other couples with us. It had gotten dark and we were discussing the funeral and events of the day when I had an inspiration of comfort from the Lord! I immediately shared these thoughts with the other occupants. I said, “Can‟t you just see Francine and Oren Claassen up in heaven now holding their little baby!” We were all silenced in amazing comfort!! Francine (nee Derk) was from my church, Hope Church of the C and MA in Indianapolis Indiana. For years I had heard that Francine had been saved when 10 years old in her Sunday School class there.

She went to the same Bible school, Nyack Missionary College, but started after I had graduated in June 1955. I had heard that Francine wanted to be a missionary. Armon and Vera Dawson, local farmers and developers of their large farm had in recent years acquired a zealous interest in foreign missions and Wycliffe Bible Translators at my church. They enthusiastically took a real interest in Francine and Lee Schuler, RN as potential Wycliffe Bible Translators. They sponsored them to take the three months SIL course at the University of Oklahoma at Norman and then the three months SIL Jungle Camp in southern Mexico! At the Jungle Camp training, Bill Hall, a new SIL Bible Translator spotted and pursued Lee Schuler to become Mrs Bill Hall. Off to the Philippines they went to give the Subanon, in the south, their New Testament, dedicated just a few years ago!

Oren And Francine Claassen Francine Dirk arrived in Lae, of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea on April 1, 1964.

We‘d heard her name and a bit about her but hadn‘t met her until that day. In due course she and Marie Chapman became partners to translate for the Rawa Tribe in the Finisterre Mountains north of the Ramu Valley. They made significant progress in starting this new work until Marie married Luke Zylstra and they went to work in the New Hebrides, later called Vanuatu.

On a furlough, Francine met Oren Claassen (a nephew of Theodore Epp of Back to the Bible renown) from Lincoln, Nebraska. In due course they married and Oren did some further studies to help them in the Rawa Translation work. Oren and Francine tried to adopt a child using two different agencies in the US but were rejected. In about a year the big news was that Francine was pregnant! Everyone was delighted for them. They built a sizable house at Ukarumpa and were in Lae awaiting the birth of their first born. Everything seemed to go along fine but then in labor, the baby‘s heartbeat was suddenly lost. The attending doctors did an emergency Caesarean Operation but the perfect baby girl never responded.

Back at Ukarumpa, the Claassens‘ Bible Study Group decided to make a study of Heaven, as they felt it would be educational, inspirational and comforting for Francine and Oren as well as for the close friends in the Bible Study Group. After the first few weeks, Oren and Francine expressed their appreciation of the friends in this group as well as for all that they

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were learning from the scriptures. They felt a real comfort of the Holy Spirit. One of them said ―Now we are looking forward to heaven ourselves, we already feel as though half of us is there!‖ After the aircraft investigation, I, Hap, was asked to take responsibility to dispose of the wreckage on site. A friend of our Mission, Mr Bob Dudgeon, had arranged for a track bucket dozer and operator to dig the hole. In the meantime, as instructed, I stripped the aircraft of any useable instruments and removed the nose wheel and main wheel. Later they might be usable to move items around the hangar workshop. Later, we mounted the ‗Turn/Bank Indicator‘ in a nice timber panel and presented it to the pilot‘s widow with a beautiful plaque made by one of our national joiners.

While the wrecked aircraft was shoved into the hole and flattened and was being covered, I stood aside and took shelter from the sun under a small sapling and cried to God saying, ―Why God? Why God?‖ I was not angry or defying God, but just asking why. It was the cry of my broken heart in this tragedy for friends.

The Watermelon Story In the midst of our hot work, depression and sadness, two local people from the tribe in the Markham Valley came and presented us a large watermelon. As we cut it up into pieces for all of us, we were most grateful and refreshed! Had we been in town we would have been careful where we spat the seeds but here in an uninhabited area in the scorching heat of the Markham Valley we just spat the seeds on the ground.

Unknown to us God saw us in our grief and He looked after those watermelon seeds in the midst of a long drought.

A few weeks later, our recent Lae friend, Bob Dudgeon, hastened to our home upon his arrival at Ukarumpa. He excitedly said, ―You‘ll never guess what I just saw at Nadzab?

I wondered if someone was fossicking for a souvenir from the wrecked Aztec, but I said, ―I can‘t guess!‖ Bob, as though telling a great secret said, I‟ve never seen such a crop of watermelon vines! Now I couldn‟t wait to see those vines for myself at a place that I had never wanted to see again - only a short while before. For several months those vines grew. Before I left on furlough, I picked the largest watermelon I could find and it weighed in at 6 ¼ pounds, very immature but growing well. As soon as I saw the watermelon patch I immediately thought of the Scripture that says, ―I tell you the truth unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies it abides alone, but if it dies it brings forth much fruit (many seeds). John 12:12‖. Then I thought of Mark 4:8 ―like seed sown in good soil it produces a crop, some 30, 60 and 100 fold that which was sown‖ Did that mean for me to claim 30 times those killed on the Aztec or 60 or 100 fold? By faith, I was led to claim the highest number for Christian service of those believers that died – I used the message and challenge while on furlough in 1973 and 1974 in Australia, New Zealand and the US. A couple years ago I talked with a top engineer in Mission Aviation Fellowship and asked him how he got involved with MAF in NZ. His answer was simple ―Remember SIL‘s Aztec crash in ‘72; that was my calling.‖ I do not know who has been touched by this story but I am still claiming a multitude of changed lives from what to me has become from „Tragedy to Triumph in Christ Jesus‟!

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The Aztec crash was a tragedy but good has come out of it; like the Auca Massacre in January of 1956 in Ecuador, South America, where there were hundreds of responses to Mission boards to replace those 5 martyred men. As the scriptures say ―unless a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies it abides alone but if it dies it will bring forth many seeds.‖ Is it 30 fold, or 60 or 100? It is up to God‘s plan and what we can trust God to do in the tragedy.

Are we ready to lay down our lives for another person and for Jesus our Saviour?

To illustrate this point of ―falling into the ground and dying‖, I have usually had a garden for veggies. I decided to let a parsnip go to seed. Then I counted the seeds on this seed head. It had 32 seed heads and each one of those carried about 50 – 100 parsnip seeds, anywhere from 1500-3000 seeds? God sometimes uses multiplication where man uses addition.

Our family went to NZ in May 1974 for one month expressly to share this story with the pilot‘s widow, family, supporters and churches. Then we shared this on furlough in the US. Every time we would see a wheat harvester or combine we would be reminded Jesus said to his disciples, ―The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few; Ask the LORD of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into His harvest field‖ Matthew 9:37-38 We praise our Lord Jesus that He is moving in His Church!

Mother Tongue Translators (MTT) Around that period of time, in the early to mid 1970s the challenge went around the world and especially in PNG for national Bible translators. Therefore, a group was formed with local people (native born men and women) and called the Papua New Guinea Bible Translators Association (PNG BTA). We also noticed that in many countries there was an increased interest in Bible translation. The BTA members are local people who are interested in learning how to work with other members of their tribe. They do a few training courses to learn how to put their own language onto paper and then translate the New Testament for their own tribe. They then teach them to share with their own people so they can read their very own Scriptures in their very own language. The term for those who are translating into their own first language is called a ‗Mother Tongue Translator‘. This came about because now there was a greater widespread educational ability. Australia started many village schools in New Guinea in 1960 and onwards. Quite a percentage of those early teacher trainees were committed Christians.

John 4:35 ―I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest‖.

Gal 6:9-10 ―Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.‖ The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Who will be a worker for our Creator God and Saviour Jesus Christ?

Bible Translation Update As reported by WBT/SIL ―You may have heard that recruitment of workers for Wycliffe is down in the US. Sadly, that is true. The world‘s population grew by about 900,000,000 in the last ten years. Is the Bible translation task going down in defeat? Hardly. A few statistics should encourage your

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hearts as it does ours. Thus far, WBT/SIL workers have had a significant part in the completion of 593 New Testaments. This means almost 250 New Testaments were completed in the last ten years. In 1991, 47 new projects were started. In 2003 there were 61 new projects. In 2003 almost 500 new workers were in training. The exciting part is that almost half of them came from countries other than the US. Ten years ago, WBT/SIL members came from 40 countries. Now, that number has grown to 60. An example of this was that our 26 students at SPSIL (South Pacific SIL) came from 10 different countries!

There was a Spanish speaking SIL training school in South America this year. South America is becoming a sender, not just a receiver. Mother tongue speakers in many countries are becoming involved in translation. So, while recruitment in the US is down and many long time WBT/SIL members are retiring, the percentage of non US members is increasing.

This is cause for praise and thanksgiving.‖ MK High School Boarders During our second term in PNG, more and more ‗outside‘ students wanted to go to Ukarumpa International High School. We couldn‘t blame them, especially if they were isolated or had to go down South for boarding school. This helped their mission parents very much and they really appreciated it! We began to see that there was not enough boarding space for these students. As Hap was good with our boys we would volunteer to have boys stay with us and one year we had 4 students living with us. That was a full house but enjoyable! We had 4 in eighth grade, our Steve and three others and one was one year younger. We knew we were helping their parents in their mission and them. I guess in retrospect we really wanted more children but it didn‘t happen that way due to three early miscarriages. This way our boys had ‗more brothers and two sisters‘ around them. We can still remember the names of most of the high school boarders: Glenda Knight, John Walker, Paul Crozier, John Groat, Steve Burton, Roger and Steve Clarke, Lois and Miriam Deitsch.

One year we had one girl (Lois) living with us from Manus Island and the next year her sister Miriam came as well. Some still keep in touch with us. Lois who lived with us for two years attended Steve and Stacy‘s wedding. Our boys were each very, very helpful in our having boarders. It was not a money making thing but a much needed ministry. This happened mostly during 1967-1972 and 1974-1975.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN PHOTOS THE AZTEC STORY: APRIL 7, 1972

Funeral

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CHAPTER TWELVE SIM AIRSTRIP A Difficult Decision I had been asked to look at the hillside near Sim village in the Morobe Province of PNG. Could we build an airstrip there? It would be a totally new project for us as an airstrip construction team. Our first major airstrip to work on was to lengthen Langimar airstrip by 600 feet. The second project was to take the dog-leg (angle) out of the Imane airstrip making it safer. It also raised the payload rating. This third proposed airstrip would entail a whole new airstrip, from beginning to end! Was it possible? Were we up to such a giant challenge?

The motivation was certainly there from the translators and local people. It would greatly facilitate the travels of this young family, Maurice and Helen Boxwell. As recently wed teachers they had done Jungle Camp with us in 1961. They had replaced David (an electrician) and Ruth (a nurse) Cummings as translators for this group. Cummings had been asked to become the Ukarumpa Base Coordinator back in 1962. Their trips from Garaina entailed two days of hot walking in that valley and then ten hours of hiking gradually up and up amongst the leeches to Sim Village amongst the Weli people. One could never count on a ride to Bapi from Garaina due to a shortage of vehicles, tractors and lack of bridges. As soon as possible David started to build an airstrip at Bapi in order to cut out the first two days of hiking. However, the Bapi airstrip could not be completed before the Boxwells took over the Weli Translation program. Their first four months were spent completing that lowlands airstrip in tropical heat at 2,400 feet elevation with very few amenities.

I looked at and studied the hillside that would have to be sliced and moved. In the helicopter going 60 mph we learned with Pilot Dave Earley we could get the necessary length. There were several practical over-riding questions. What is under the grass, soft or hard rock?

What is the work force like here? Some places the malaria and parasites made it difficult to have strong workers. Where would airstrip workers live? Could water be found above the strip site to move the soil? Could money be raised to pay for flights and dynamite? The local people would ‗own‘ the airstrip and would be working for no pay. The local government collected a small tax on each adult unless they worked each Monday on their local projects.

These were very significant considerations in this feasibility study. I didn‘t know the answers. This would be a new airstrip from beginning to end! I was prayerfully trying to judge whether to say, ―Yes, we will do it‖ or ―Sorry, it is all too hard‖. I was outside at the Boxwell‘s village house and looking at the only possible airstrip site. Just then, I saw a most beautiful complete rainbow! It is hard to describe, but in my spirit I knew that my wonderful Saviour wanted me to trust Him for the details and to go for it. ―Yes, I believe with God‘s help these local people and we can do it!‖ I want to share with you how over the next 26 months the Lord helped us all to do it.

1) The ground under the grass was not hard like granite or marble but soft rock called schist rock. It may be called ‗soft‘ but to our dismay (due to lack of experience) the water ran down between the dynamited broken pieces and made it very difficult to move the rock pieces. A few even got cuts on their feet. We had a big problem on our hands, how to keep

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the water above the ground level so that the smaller rock pieces could be carried along by the water to a place to be useful in a fill area or on the side rock wall.

2) The work force always fluctuated Mondays; the official Provincial Work day always had a big roll up. For some they do very little. The SIL Airstrip Construction Supervisors don‘t ‗boss or supervise‘ any of the local people. Everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Since it is their land and their airstrip, we show their designated leaders or tractor drivers what is needed most at that time and how to proceed. At Sim there was a great local leader, Asi Kai, who had good control of the people and understood what was needed. When the work crew was slim, there were about twelve faithful friends and family members who showed up each work day. Usually we went to work for only two to three weeks at a time.

This was in consideration of their own work habits. Fence and garden needs have very high priorities as these affect their food supply. These were attended to in our absence. Then they could come back in force when we arrived back at the strip again. Needless to say it was good for the family life of the SIL airstrip workers as well.

3) We found that water could be brought from above to the lower 1/2 - 2/3 of this airstrip to be used. Once when Dave Earley had flown the helicopter around the airstrip site, he noticed that there was a natural lake area just on the other side of this particular hill. It required only a little bit of effort to make a dam wall to contain water. This lake proved to be such a blessing for water storage at night for the top 1/4 - 1/3 of the airstrip work as it could collect water at night to be used the next day.

4) Due to the people‘s enthusiasm and contacts through the Garaina Government Council and the Provincial Council in Lae, they were successful in attracting the necessary funds for the expenses. We always gave verification of the expenses to the appropriate departments.

At the end of the Sim project I made up a pictorial display of the work as it had progressed. I used a plywood board 3‘x8‘ and gave it to the Lae Council. They gladly put it in the next Lae Show! There was a newspaper article about that airstrip in the Post Courier out of Port Moresby. Also there was a pidgin translation of the article for the Wewak pidgin newspaper called ‗Wontok‘.

5) There might be four SIL workers on the Sim Airstrip assignment at a time. Boxwells had a literacy house already built. It was quite convenient for airstrip workers to sleep at night on the woven bamboo floor. Literacy classes were only held in the mornings and they were also seated on the floor. When the Boxwells were out of the village, some of us stayed in their village house, with their kind permission. They were always most gracious and allowed us to share their house and literacy room for our accommodation. We were so glad to be able to help their transportation need.

Channels Or Flumes - A Terrific Answer To Prayer What is the solution to keeping the water in a channel with sufficient water force (Velocity) to move the soil along? How could we handle this big problem? In answer to earnest prayer for God‘s wisdom, the ideas came. After the ideas came and I did the tech drawing for them, how would we get them made up and delivered to use at this Sim airstrip? The next night that Glady came up on our almost nightly radio schedule, I gave her the exact dimensions and particulars for the straight flume or channel as well as the quantity to make up. I asked her for David to get clearance from his supervisor to make up about twenty of them and send them out on the next helicopter flight. He could use the bender machine and this work experience would fit in fine with his mechanic apprenticeship. One or two nights later I sent

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the particulars for the two ‗open mouth‘ channels. To all of us, these channels were a wonderful answer to prayer! It was a great encouragement to all the workers and the supervisors.

Taken from “Airstrip Construction: The Hydraulic Method” by Hap Skinner, Ray Hocking and Bernie Crozier. Published in 1980 by SIL Printing Department. ―One method of building a delivery channel is to use galvanized iron fluming. A selfstanding delivery channel is made from sheets of 22 or 24 gauge galvanized flat iron, 1200mm x 1800mm. These are cut into equal parts lengthwise to make two sheets of 600mm x 1800mm, and bent according to Illustration 21. These galvanized flumes are then flared into each other with an overlap of up to 150mm to form as long a trough or ‗road‘ as needed for the water and soil to be moved. The narrow end of the open mouth is fitted inside the first galvanized fluming. The wide end of the open mouth is then placed on the ground next to or near the excavation area and supply channel. See Illustration 24. A hose can be used to direct soil or stone into the delivery channel. See Illustration 25a, d. This is known as sluicing. Low pressure sluicing with a 70mm flexible hose up to a 5 metre head is very effective when used in conjunction with shovels and tractor. No nozzle is necessary but can be used. The force of the jet of water greatly helps in moving the soil and stone to the open mouth of the delivery channel fluming. See Illustrations 23, 24, 25.‖ The Winds Obey His Voice In 1976 the Sim Airstrip site was tentatively approved; provided we used water to build the strip. A survey for water was done and channels were dug to bring in the water. A friend, Bernie Crozier, an ex-gold miner, had pioneered the ‗water method‘ on his airstrip at Naniwe near Menyamia. It is also called the Hydraulic Mining Technique. He had taught Ray Hocking and me to use this method. In April of 1977 work was started at the airstrip site. We used 36 cases of gelignite (explosives) to blast the many cubic meters of Schist Rock. We also used a Fergy 35 Diesel tractor with blade and rippers. I had been working on this site for about 12 months and been flown in by helicopter or walked in by foot about seven times. We called in by radio asking for a supply flight using the strip that was now finished at 1050 feet. The seasonal wind came up earlier than expected and that night it was so strong that ridges of some houses were blown off! So the language helpers and a few village people prayed and used the verses Matthew 8:26-27 which they had been translating and studying which says, ―Then Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and waves and it was completely calm!‖ They were amazed at this man Jesus ….because even the winds and the sea obey Him! That night the people used these verses and asked in believing prayer that the wind would quiet.

The next morning, I got up; saw it was still blowing; so I got on the radio to cancel the flight till the next day. But, the flight co-ordinator replied that the pilot left thirty minutes earlier and he could not contact him now as he was out of radio range. I walked down to the airstrip to check the wind sock. There was no chance of a landing as the wind sock was horizontal and flapping and the wind roaring. Then we heard the plane coming! It circled up at about 500 feet above us to check the strip and windsock; we were hoping the pilot would waggle his wings and abort the landing! Halfway through this procedure of safety, the wind sock began to drop! The pilot saw his chance and landed the aircraft safely within 10 feet of touchdown! The people standing by had been praying and watching and were overjoyed as the plane rolled up the 10% slope to a safe turn-around area! All shouted in the language ‗hallelujah‘! We quickly unloaded the plane and got two passengers buckled in for the immediate flight to Garaina, a 5000 foot long level airstrip down on the valley floor. The

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pilot did three landings that morning to get six adults out of Sim and down to Garaina, which was about 12 minutes flight away.

Thus completed the first touchdowns and take-offs from Sim airstrip. We could not (nor want to) take the credit for this God given miracle but, remember who prayed in faith the night before using scripture as their basis; the local people who had only recently begun to receive the Word of God in their own language, through Maurice and Helen Boxwell. The people back at Ukarumpa had also prayed as we had contacted them by radio (through Glady, my sweetheart who also experienced God‟s abundant peace. Dora, Nick‘s wife, also had God‘s peace) the night before. God performed a beautiful and encouraging miracle! A slide series was made of the actual landing by Nick and Dora Pauls entitled ‗Even the Winds Obey His Voice‘ based on Matthew chapter 8:26-27.

The Big Pine Tree In the middle of that valley where the pilot, Roger, had flown on to the strip had stood a slender tall prince of a pine tree about two feet across. All the pilots concurred that for safety reasons it had to go! Much to the sorrow of all, especially the owner of the tree (Each tree is individually owned and cared for if it‘s of value). But, this owner was not going to take it lying down! So he got his bow and arrows out and went on a warpath of those chopping his tree down. He sneaked up on the two axemen and shot one in the butt and left the arrow sticking in. Work immediately stopped! Then they made a make shift carrying bed and carried him up to me at the strip and put him in front of me as though I was to blame and expected me to remove the arrow. This was their business so we asked them to carry the injured man up to the village about ½ hour walk away where Helen Boxwell could do the first aid. I‘m sorry that I was chicken and afraid I‘d be the next one to get an arrow in my behind. I was not keen on that thought! The big tree was sadly felled, cut up and cleared the way for any landing in the future success of Sim airstrip and the people of Sim valley.

The Tractor Farewell At Sim We were dismantling the tractor to get it ready for sending it back to Aiyura by aircraft since the airstrip was finished.

I was taking the wheels off when Asi Kai, the local leader, admonished me to leave the wheels on. So he gathered everyone around the tractor then someone brought up a squealing pig on a lead. They cut its jugular and caught the blood in a basin. They then proceeded to sprinkle the blood on each wheel and around the blade, both fore and aft. One of the men then said some words over the tractor. Then I was permitted to jack the tractor up on a stand and take the wheels off.

The ceremony was over so far as they thought. I was angry though. That night I had most of the workers around and I explained that as Christians who believed in Jesus Christ and have committed their lives to Him they have Jesus Christ‘s protection over them. The blood of Jesus Christ, God‘s Son will cleanse them from all sin, not the blood of a pig! I went on to ask them to commit their ways to Him and ask Jesus into their lives.

Eventually when the tractor arrived back at Aiyura it was used for cutting the airstrip and the surrounds. Many jobs well done and we were sure thankful for the Massey Ferguson.

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Sim Airstrip Opening We had worked on and off at Sim Airstrip for two years and two months. We had walked in or flown in by helicopter fourteen times and our goal was to go work with the people for only two to three weeks at a time. This was in order not to break their cycle of events in the village and they‘d be fresh for work after our being away for a few weeks.

To show the provincial government that they were serious, the people raised several hundred dollars cash. The government raised quite a few hundred then the New Zealand Government decided to assist in this project by funding spades and wheelbarrows and picks and bars.

Word got around to the Unitech in Lae after I‘d put on a demo there on how to use water to move dirt to build airstrips. Five students and one lecturer came out and lived with us for a week to learn how. Then word got across to the Defence Force and they supplied about eight men and an officer coming in on two chartered Nomads of the Defence Force. They brought twenty cases of Gely, their drill and compressor hoses and their food for about two weeks.

We had a really good time with these men and great friendships were formed with our people. It was a great time of barriers being broken down and cooperating together. They did an excellent job of blasting Schist rock to get the strip surface near to gradient.

After much grading by the Fergy 35 tractor and movement of dirt and rock we got the length of 1500 feet. We had to build a giant wall of blasted Schist rock up to 24 feet high as well as sloped and buttressed soundly and with the space filled with rock and dirt moved by water which compressed well. Then the fifty cone markers were laid out, the signal circle finished and the strip was ready for official opening by the provincial government.

In July 1979 the Sim airstrip was dedicated. The official opening included government dignitaries and one from New Zealand. One of them, an expatriate lady, was to cut the official ribbon which was a green springy stick about one inch diameter, the bush knife touched the suspended stick and quivered and sprung back, this happened several times without cutting the stick. So the provincial secretary wisely stepped forward and directed the tall female dignitary how to cut the stick with a strong swipe, the national women looking at the ceremony twittered and giggled. When the sapling was finally cut a large roar went up to signal the Sim airstrip was open and ready for business! Hallelujah, after two years and two months and fourteen trips in, the job was at last done! The local national manager Mr Asi Kai was a great example as a leader; he had a soft spoken authority and respect. I enjoyed working with him and his men; they were a privilege to work along side. The headmaster of the new school in a village about one hour away was also so enthusiastic for this airstrip to be finished. Towards the end , he took the school roll call at the airstrip site for two days of each week. He and the school pupils worked along side their parents and the community.

What an example of support and practical education!

Praise God for the 4,500 – 5,000 speakers of this tribe that eventually received the Word of God in the New Testament in June 1984 in their own Weli language. It had been a 22 year project for their translators (the Boxwells), due to several challenges of health. What a privilege to work along side the translators Maurice and Helen Boxwell and children, Linda, Roslyn, Laurie, Raelene, and their translation helpers.

All were so grateful for the completion of this airstrip and how much it benefitted the Translation and Literacy for the Weli people. Jerry and Jan Robinson did Weli literacy in a village about 1-2 hours away from Sim for several years.

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CHAPTER TWELVE PHOTOS SIM AIRSTRIP

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Susuma and Dave unloading tractor pieces at Wau Students Surveying Sim Airstrip

Two Nomads bring in supplies

Working on VW motor compressor

Unloading the Nomads

Placing charges using bamboo stick

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Back side of rock barrier wall, it let the water but not soil through!

Hap laying dynamite charges

Drilling rock

Exploding rock from dynamite

Moving mud using tractor

Building rock barrier wall to catch fill

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First take off from the finished Sim airstrip!

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN ARABUKA AND NUTUVE When an airstrip request was considered in SIL the Airstrip Committee always had to authorize its procedure for consideration. The committee was comprised of a director and assistant, one aviation department man, a finance man, and two airstrip construction department men, and the translator requesting the strip. By these members there would be quite a wide and diversified representation.

Arabuka was being considered for 2 single lady Bible translators and the local people, at an altitude of 6,700 feet in the main range of the Owen Stanleys south of Garaina. It was cold at night and many times quite windy. We flew in by helicopter, located a site where at a pinch we could get the required length and accomplish a lot of work. Mike Morakoi (a local man who had had the unusual opportunity to gain more education than most at that time) seemed to be heading up the project - he was an accountant at a factory in Lae at that time. He took a small generator, projector and screen to show a series of Christian movies. They were very effective and a good help to the people in the village.

A Christmas With A Difference On Christmas Day after being at Arabuka for 2 weeks, Glady and I invited 7 widows to eat a meal with us. It was 1 tin of bully beef, 1 package of dehydrated peas, 2 or 3 cups of brown rice, and some local sweet potatoes. According to them it seemed like a banquet feast! As we were leaving the next day we were glad to share our left over rations. We already knew that this village was in drought and had experienced a bush fire that had destroyed much of their crops and two houses, as well as the only sewing machine in the whole village. In spite of these adverse conditions, together we all enjoyed ourselves immensely!

How Big Is That Man In The Box? Then they told stories of when the first white man came in only a few years earlier!

Apparently the patrol officer left his bush house open to go to the ‗toot‘ (toilet) and left his portable radio switched on. Soon the question was asked of the patrol officer, “How big is that little man in the black box with the BIG voice?” They had never heard of or seen a wireless/radio before! It was refreshing to hear them laughing so wholeheartedly over that incident! Apparently many other areas remember the first time they heard a wireless or radio too!

What If This Is My Last Day On Earth?

One of the 2 times when walking out from 6,700‘ down to 2,400‘ Glady was so shaken and tired, because of a back problem just then that she thought it might be her last day on earth.

Glady said that she concluded that she‘d rather be there and doing service for Jesus than anything else in the world. A bit like King David who said that he‘d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God. She said that one of the big encouragements on the trek was to see and hear young girls from 8 to 14 years of age hurrying along while singing some Gospel choruses beautifully! Another big help she said was that I wouldn‘t leave her. The walk was tough even for me! It took us about 8 hours but the people said it could be done in an hour or so. We didn‘t have confidence in our walking ability. I saluted my tough little wife that day and really appreciated her for her tenacity and perseverance, as she ended up

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walking best in two pairs of thick socks. (She didn‘t use the shoes as they pinched her feet) over the uneven and dangerous terrain!

This strip was never finished because of so much ―infighting‖ among the distrusting local leaders and their jealousies. A sad commentary on human nature! However, there was a bright ending for us concerning the people at Arabuka. It came about this way. When we flew from Garaina airstrip to Lae we were invited to eat at Col and Jackie Simmonds for Tea (evening meal). Afterward they wanted to learn about our time at Arabuka. In the course of conversation when we mentioned that the village sewing machine had been destroyed in the village bush fire, Jackie became very interested and began to ask pertinent questions! To our surprise and delight she was a member of The Country Women‟s Association or a similar service club that endeavored to supply a new sewing machine to needy villages. She made out the necessary application that night! Not long afterward we heard through her that the application had been approved! It was one of those times that we felt that we had been at the right place at the right time and gave God all the resultant praise!

Nutuve East New Britain: The Lindruds, 1986-1987 The side drainage was sloped to the center, the pigs had rooted up the ground, the approach was overgrown and there was no drainage. This was a worn-out airstrip about 80 miles southwest of Rabaul, at an altitude of 1400 feet. It had a limited poor land connection to the nearest port of Pomio 13 miles away, but that was a good airport at sea level. We had been asked to upgrade this Authorized Landing Area by the East New Britain Provincial Government located at Rabaul. There were very limited kina available for payment to local people who worked. We were able to bring an older 4WD Holder tractor around by barge in one piece to Pomio. There Cliff Gibson and I stripped the tractor. (It had come from West Aussie after Mike Stanford found and purchased it and Jim Hooper shipped it). The stripped pieces: wheels, transmission, gear box, engine, radiator, tools, engine, rotary hoe, tent, camping gear, barbed wire, etc were loaded into the single engine Cessna 206C; it took about 8 shuttles to get all the pieces into the site. It went well and we had the tractor and equipment all on the airstrip site by mid-afternoon. The next day we assembled the tractor at the airstrip and were able to test it before the day was over.

Jack Ruth, a Civil Engineer, had seen the Nutuve airstrip and had done a graph of what was needed to rectify its problems. It needed to be much better for our pilots to use it to service safely the Lindruds (Swedish Bible Translators) who were there with their four young children. Jack and Chic Ruth had the gifts of helps and hospitality also. They liked to do things as a family with their children during school holidays if possible. Quite amazingly, it worked out that four of the Ruth children (Joy, Dawn, Tim and Toby) could work on the Nutuve airstrip during the school holidays in December 1986 until January 1987 with their parents. There was only one tractor but most got to drive it; some a lot! Jamie Farr, an only child, and high school student was also there for practical engineering experience. He reveled in the airstrip work, the village sports and the fellowship with the Ruth family as well as Glady and me. After about four weeks of work we took a week‘s break at Rabaul to get supplies, pick up our mail and see Joy Ruth off to Kathmandu, Nepal for service with Operation Mobilization (at OM‘s Dave Skinner‘s invitation). It was only about one month until the Ruths and we got the post card telling us the happy news of their engagement. In time for school to start, Jamie Farr and the Ruths returned to Ukarumpa from Nutuve very satisfied with the progress of the airstrip and their interesting involvement as a family.

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Glady and I returned to Nutuve with a friend of Jack Ruth‘s, Jim Rousseau, who used to live near Wee Waa, NSW. He was a Wycliffe Associate volunteer now from Coronado Island near San Diego, who came to help finish the Nutuve upgrade. Previously, Jim had farmed for several years in California and NSW. He also was a real asset on our team. To our surprise one day some of the local leaders told us ―We want our airstrip to have limestone down the middle.‖ Without saying so, we thought they were asking for the moon! Assuming that their answer would negate any possibility, I asked them ―But where would you get any limestone out here?‖ To our utter amazement they answered ―Right beside the strip!‖ We didn‘t have a clue that there was soft limestone almost at surface level and lots of it almost adjoining the airstrip.

This limestone could be such an asset on the strip surface!

How would we ever get it there? The answer gradually unfolded. The hospital near this strip had ordered a new 10,000 gallon water tank about 10 years before. It was to be made up of 12 individual rectangular side pieces of upright metal walls and twelve triangular metal pieces. However, one of the wall pieces had never arrived! This meant that the tank could never be made up. We realized then why we saw some heavy galvanized steel shapes of tank metal under various village houses. Jim R and I were able to use five of these tank pieces to make up five heavy-duty sleds with a chain bridle across the front for towing behind the tractor. They became portable sleds for placing loose soft limestone on. The tractor could pull the load to the airstrip and one small team would unload it while the tractor went back to the larger team at the limestone pit running parallel to the airstrip about twenty yards away for another load which had been loaded in the mean time on the other sleds.

While the soft limestone resurfacing was going on, with sled after sled being unloaded, it was spread around by shovel, then the vibro-compactor came over it and compacted it all until it was all „soft rock hard‟! The locals were nearly fighting each other for the right to control the diesel compactor plate about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long! It did a terrific job to compact the whole length of 1,800 feet x 40 feet wide and it looked very white and glary. It made the strip very easily seen from the air and it finished off a very effective upgrade. The people really appreciated the job and the involvement of the provincial government who funded it. The limestone, as well as the sleds, were an amazing provision from God! The whole operation finished marvellously! What a fantastic photo of the white limestone strip with 40 feet of the 100 feet width and the full length of the strip when we took off the last time; a most satisfying finish!

On one of the Saturdays some of the team walked up the track to the Lindruds to visit with them. Then they continued on to a huge hole in the ground—about 1,000 feet across and maybe 500 feet deep, into which some commercial helicopters had flown into to take cavers for exploration. They reported that it was a great, exciting walk.

Unfortunately, there was no official re-opening or dedication as the strip had never been closed. So we just flew away from the job, which had been done well and was a satisfying accomplishment for the people and us. The provincial government officials were very pleased with the job and we thanked God for the privilege of working there for the translators and the people.

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The tractor that was used at Nutuve was moved by RAAF Chinook to Rabaul and then on over to Lae, by barge where it was then trucked to Ukarumpa. There it was dismantled to send in pieces to Mt Hagen by truck. It was airlifted then to construct Singapy airstrip under the direction of Vern Ward for the Nazarene Mission.

Over 15 years later, an older Nazarene Mission couple, Bob and Betty Black, were enroute to retire in Arkansas. In the course of events we were treated by them to a wonderfully refreshing weekend. It was quite surprising to learn that Bob had been the chief tractor driver at the Singapy airstrip! Each of our 3 German articulated (bends in the middle) tractors have been very good servants and we‘ve appreciated each one so much!

During 2008 we learned from Dr. Lutz of the Lutheran Mission at Wapanamunda, that they are getting lots of good use out of that tractor yet! Praise the Lord and thank you Mike Stanford and Jim Hooper and every other driver and maintenance man who worked on the airstrip tractors!

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN PHOTOS ARABUKA AND NUTUVE

Flying ants (termites) at Nutuve Spreading limestone on airstrip

Joy Ruth working at Nutuve Taking off from Nutuve

Compacting Nutuve

Nutuve from the Air in 1986

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Front of Dave and Joy's engagement postcard

Back of Dave and Joy's Engagement postcard

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN ZUEPAK 1983-1984 Morobe Province Tom and Gwen Webb from Sydney came to Papua New Guinea in 1964 with four school age children to do Bible Translation. Their children were Ross, Jerry, Michael and Virginia.

Several years later Rory was born. Michael was in our Stephen‘s class and Virginia was in our David‘s class. It was not easy for Tom and Gwen Webb to decide which tribal group to translate for and live amongst. They lived in different villages in the Uri language group in Morobe Province and dedicated the New Testament in 1985 for 2,500 speakers. As well as praying for their ‗own‘ Uri people they continued to ask the Lord to send someone to translate for the Irumu people who bordered their language group.

After finishing High School at Ukarumpa, Ross completed training as a Radio Technician in Sydney. He came back to Ukarumpa in 1973 and donated three months to the SIL Radio department to repair some of our two way radios. Before returning to Sydney he took the opportunity to have a look around PNG as an adult and see some of SIL‘s other kinds of work in other areas. I was working at constructing the difficult Sim Airstrip which took 26 months with the Weli people near Garaina south of Lae. Maurice and Helen Boxwell were forging ahead under difficulties on the Weli language. Health and transportation were challenges. I invited Ross to come out with me and some co-workers to Sim for three weeks.

While there Ross was also able to quietly observe and deeply appreciate what Maurice and Helen were doing amongst these Weli speakers. Now as an adult Ross was looking ahead to what God would have him do long term with his own life. With pondering, observations, questions and prayers, the guidance came for the next step.

He went back to Sydney, got Bible training at Moore College and then Linguistics Training in order to give a group of people in PNG the New Testament, rather like his parents had done. At Moore College there was more than just Bible training, he got to meet and court the girl who became his dream wife, Lyndal. With Lyndal as Mrs Ross Webb, they did the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) in 1983. During their three month POC, Ross and Lyndal asked the Village Living Allocators if they could do their five weeks of Village living in Zuepak Village of the Irumu language (approximately 2000 language speakers). Ross had continued praying from time to time for the Irumu people bordering on his parents‘ translation area. During those five weeks in Zuepak village they wrote a research paper entitled ―Nine Years of Hard Labour!‖ In it they shared the local people‘s frustrations about striving to make an airstrip for their own area in thick jungle amidst boulders without enough clear guidance or equipment. The difficult huge boulders had really already tested them greatly as they could only build fires on them and then douse them with water to try to break off a few layers of rock at a time. Now the people had recently received an ‗official‘ letter that they would need to cut down 42 feet at the top end and 100 feet wide to get their airstrip to pass; what a devastating blow!

After completion of POC, Ross came to see me at my small home work shop one Saturday.

He asked ―Hap, could I build the cupboards for our village house in your basement?‖ With my delighted affirmative, Ross came and spent several days building their village cupboards.

During that course of time he let me read a copy of their Village Living Research Paper.

Reading that paper made me want to go to Zuepak and see for myself what the real situation and the problems with the ‗official‘ letter entailed; maybe we could help! Then I suggested

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to Ross, ―Since we don‘t have an airstrip ‗on the go‘ right now, I‘d like to ask my bosses if I can go out to help you construct your village house at Zuepak. Before I come back to Ukarumpa I‘d really like to learn a lot more about the potential Zuepak airstrip‖ It seemed like a win-win situation for all! So that is what happened.

Ross sent their house building materials and supplies by truck to the nearest airlifting area.

Ross, Lyndal, a Wycliffe Associates‘ veterinarian with building skills and I went by road and helicopter to the Zuepak village. The village house building progressed, and during breaks I was able to survey the so called ‗impractical‘ airstrip site. I surveyed with a simple clinometer (a war surplus Abney Level) up and down the proposed site every 50 feet and marked the existing levels and charted them on a graph. Knowing the allowable change for every 100 feet helped me to know how much dirt would need to be cut away or filled in.

This applied to the 100 feet width of the airstrip. A different set of level changes was allowed for the 25 feet ‗fly over‘ areas on both sides of the strip site.

Back at Ukarumpa I could have Tom Webb, a Civil Engineer (and Ross‘s father), check my findings and graphs. Tom concurred with my findings that we would only need to excavate four feet depth by 100 feet width by 250 feet length. Use of some of the spoil further down the strip would meet the need of fill in a couple of different places. These alterations would bring this strip site within the Department of Civil Aviation‘s specifications! Another bonus was the knowledge that water for moving the soil was only 100 meters away, and slightly higher than the site.

As I pondered the technical findings I became convinced that the commercial helicopter pilot had taken the prior airstrip inspector to the wrong site for four reasons. With these facts and graphs I was able to present humbly this knowledge and our intentions to use water and a tractor to move the spoil. I sought the permission of the current airport inspector. Of course the graph verifications by a Civil Engineer were a definite advantage too. The approval was considered and granted by saying ‗If you think you can make it with your tractor and water, go for it!‖ In minutes it was official on DCA letterhead! Praise the Lord!

Back at the main center of SIL in PNG, Ukarumpa, a four wheel drive tractor was available to be dismantled to be taken by an eight ton truck and then sling loaded under one of our Hiller 12 helicopters from the truck to the strip site. The helicopter shuttles went like clock work, all the gear was in and we reassembled the tractor and test drove it. We had driven it only about ½ hour when the gear change lever broke off inside the gear box! So once again we stripped the tractor to get the gearbox out, radioed for a commercial chopper to airlift the gear box across the mountain to where I‘d parked my Land Rover. I loaded the gearbox in and I drove up to the Ukarumpa Auto Shop. On exam at the Auto Shop, Cliff Gibson and Brian Parsons had it repaired, reassembled and flown in our SIL Chopper to the Zuepak strip site. Alan Coates and I reassembled the tractor and had it going within a day or two.

The work was going along pretty well, but due to so many variable factors, such as weather, size and quality of work force, one never knows how much more there is yet to do until it is all done. We went to church each Sunday morning in the village with the people and when it was over, I would try to give them all a ‗picture‘ of the work remaining ‗until a big twin rotor helicopter‘ would come in and take the tractor, scoop and all the equipment out! It was estimated that there was only about six weeks needed on this whole job. Thanks to the efficient use of the 4WD tractor helping to move the slurry, (slurry was made up of the dirt deposited in the channel of water)!

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One wonders if any one of the villagers could contemplate the size of the evacuation of the equipment. (Glady says she didn‘t, never having seen a Chinook or a twin rotor helicopter before). The weekly updates were probably not taken seriously. There was no visible labor leader or Head man as at some airstrips. About a week before the anticipated finish of the strip, the DCA airport inspector was flown in for what was thought to be the final inspection.

With the proviso of various items still to be completed, he wholeheartedly approved it. That was a happy day, only six seeks after the tractor and water and people had started to work together. When the notice came that the Chinook would arrive in three days time the people decided to watch the tractor work at night and then they couldn‘t work the next days. It was a bad situation for progress towards finishing the airstrip efficiently.

We were anxious to get the Zuepak airstrip finished in order that the airstrip tractor, scoop and our camping equipment could be evacuated by the twin rotor Australian Air Force Chinook. Two or three times each year the RAAF Caribous and Chinook Helicopters came for about two weeks to assist in community projects. After I completed the necessary application paperwork then it was approved by the Australian High Commissioners office in Port Moresby, it was put on the list for the RAAF, to do on their next stint in PNG. On a Thursday we were notified by a radio message that the RAAF would do the Zuepak request on Sunday, approximately 72 hours later! We really need to and like to rest on Sunday but when the RAAF assigns you a time you take it and are grateful as it costs the Australian Government about $3,200 an hour on our approved jobs! The drivers, Arnie Potma, Kelby and I decided that with the amount of work still needed to be done on the strip and only a maximum of 72 hours, all the drivers would have to try to keep the tractor running non stop until the Chinook would arrive! Since it was a diesel it wouldn‘t even have to be turned off during refuelling!

For me there was an added incentive to finish this strip as quickly as possible. My 94 ¾ year old father‟s health was visibly failing at the local Turramurra Nursing Home in Sydney, my sisters wrote me. Ever so fortunately, he‘d had excellent care and family support. He even had his heart‘s desire; he didn‘t have to leave Turramurra or the Turramurra Nursing Home.

His two daughters were only 10 and 20 minutes away. I got to visit with him during the last 3-4 days of his life.

Communication July 1983 Early Sunday morning, not knowing what time the Chinook would arrive; I decided that the drivers and we should pack up the tractor, scoop and equipment quickly to be ready for whenever the Chinook would arrive. Kelby and I would go out with the Chinook to Madang.

Arnie and Glady would be going on Monday morning in an SIL Cessna 206 with a visiting couple from Melbourne who were taking many photos.

About ten minutes before 10am we heard the loud thump, thump, thump of the Chinook to the east of us, just over the horse shoe shaped ridge above our airstrip. The helicopter never came higher to sight us! We had brush piled in two places to immediately light to draw their attention and allow them to see wind direction. About ten minutes after 10am we again heard the loud thumping of the Chinook to the west of us but it never came up high enough to spot us! Anytime they‘ll come back and spot us we all thought and hoped. After about a half hour some of us went to the local school building nearby where they also conducted church if it rained and prayed to the Lord for His wisdom and deliverance. While we prayed I remember a strong impression came ‗Call Charlie Uniform‘. It really made sense too. There wasn‘t anything more we could do out here; we were totally prepared as per the RAAF instructions

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from their liaison officer in Moresby. Due to fatigue from driving the tractor during the night, I was lying on a single three inch foam mattress on the floor of our cleared out temporary airstrip hut and holding a Walkie Talkie radio. I talked to Ross who was calling Charlie Uniform at Ukarumpa from their Zuepak radio call sign in their village house about 100 feet above the strip. No one answered! We couldn‘t know they were praying for us during the Church Service there right then. The first man to come past the radio shack to hear Ross calling ‗Charlie Uniform‘ was Carmen Frith, a telephone man who had driven the vehicle to the Irumu area with the tractor on the back of it the first day! The next man was Al Coates, a radio man who had driven the tractor a lot, moving so very much slurry down the airstrip using water to move the dirt. With Carmen on the phone connection and Al on the radio they organized so that I, Hap, could talk through the Walkie Talkie and through Ross‘s two-way radio to the Chinook pilot in Madang! God was using the modern technologies of man to answer all the people‘s prayers; what an awesome hook up! What a mighty God we have!

The conversation from memory went like this at about noon: ―This is Hap Skinner at Zuepak airstrip. Today we heard your thump, thump vibrations at 10 to 10 to the East of us! We had brush piles ready to light for smoke for wind direction for you. But you never came high enough to see us. Then at 10 after 10 we again heard your thump, thump vibrations to the west of us but you never got high enough to see our airstrip area! We packed up early this morning.‖ The pilot answered that they had gone up and down the Wantoat Road looking and looking for us and concluded that there was no place for an airstrip there. The pilot added that they had used up the time allotted for this project. The pilot asked, ―What coordinates are you using?‖ I answered ―The ones the SIL Pilots gave me for this place when they brought in our gear and tractor in pieces by helicopter shuttles. I gave them to your RAAF Liaison officer at the Australian High Commission office in Moresby‖.

There was a dead silence, we were praying hard!

The pilot said ―You must be using slightly different ones than we‘re using‖ (We had no idea there was any other kind or that the RAAF wouldn‘t be able to find us with the SIL given coordinates! What if it were a life and death situation?)

Again there was a dead silence.

I asked ―Is there anything else we should do to help you find us? I have a red flare ready to light when we‘d have seen you.‖ The pilot responded, ―Don‘t use the red flare that means to abort the flight!‖ I explained ―It was the RAAF Liaison who told me to use it.‖ The pilot responded ―In that case you could use it since that‘s all you have. Also, we‘ve loaded in a 500 gallon kerosene tank for a job in Goroka. You say you are all packed up?‖ I confirmed ―Affirmative. We‘ve been all packed up since early morning.‖

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More dead silence. We were praying silently.

Finally the Pilot spoke ―We‘ll see what we can do, if we can come it would be before two today.‖ ―Thank You, Sir!‖ I said with silent hurrahs!

At about a quarter to two we heard the thump-thumps again and we saw the Chinook helicopter! Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus!

Now two men could light the brush piles to give wind direction and I could let off the red flare. With no experience using flares I didn‘t know whether to throw the lit flare or hold it! I chose wrongly and held it! I got a burn in the palm of my right hand about 1 ¼ inch across. I washed my hand in cool water and Glady put burn ointment on it. I protected the burn with its large intact blister in a clean tea towel.

P.S. It was quite unfortunate that the people had not risen to the occasion to hurry during the last three days. It meant that the airstrip was closed though it had passed a week earlier, providing the strip was finished. It was a year before I, due to my father‘s death and other work commitments, could get back to Zuepak with Gene Ahrens so that the people and I could finish the last 100 feet at the bottom and side to be reopened for use. Without the equipment now it took about one more month. Was there something to be learned from this experience?

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN PHOTOS ZUEPAK 1983-1984

Moving thick slurry using Holder tractor Using water and tractor to move soil

Landing at finished Zuepak airstrip

Moving deep mud using tractor

Chinook flying into airstrip to remove equipment

Moving equipment at Zuepak using Chinook

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN TERM THREE, 1974-1979 Fire Truck For PNG Government We had good relationships with the Commonwealth Works Department and Public Works Department. Their representative that we knew best was Bob Dudgeon, a very active, alert Aussie who‘d been in the Army in PNG during WWII. Because of our interest in trucks, he asked SIL if we would like to help them to build a Fire Truck onto the chassis of a petrol Toyota 5000. They would supply the truck and pump and hoses for the unit and SIL would do the rest.

It was a most interesting and challenging project because it involved several of our SIL departments, like joinery for storage doors, as well as engineering and auto shop.

This project, since it was not an assigned SIL project had no priority so we worked on it in our spare time. All of us enjoyed the project because everything was new material except the fire pump.

Bob Dudgeon would drive up from Lae every two weeks or so to check the progress of the project. The great day came when we had completed the Fire Truck pump and took it to the Mill Bridge and dropped the 6 inch diameter suction hoses into the river with the filter/strainer and flap valve attached. We primed the pump and it started sucking the water and pumping it to the hose nozzles and shooting water jets up to 60 feet in two hoses.

It was a roaring success and we had a very happy Public Works Department Manager, Bob Dudgeon, who was observing the testing of pumps, hoses and truck. It was an even more exciting day when Don Frisbee and I drove the truck the 130 miles down to Lae for final delivery to PWD Bob D. The payment for the overall job came through the government channels into the SIL official accounts. Praise God for this very satisfying project! It was a win/win situation for all.

In 2007 Glady and I spent 7 months in/near Perth. While there we had a lovely surprise when Jan Pelletier (Dutch extraction) phoned us there. He and his wife and four children had spent four months of his long service leave from the NAB Bank working in our Finance Office in about 1970. They lived very near us in Kooyers house. The twin boys were Peter‘s age and in the same grade. In Perth they reminded us of our loaning them a vehicle they could drive down to see Lae. They accompanied the Fire Truck delivery that day.

Apparently that trip was the highlight of their time in PNG! About one month after Peter had graduated from the Ukarumpa High School he was in a bank in Perth to draw out some money. The name of the bank teller was a Mr Pelletier, so Peter asked him if he was ever in PNG. He said he was in 1970! Peter said ―I think you and your twin brother played with me in the ditches near your house. I‘m Peter Skinner!‖ Then both of them had a beaut little reunion. Sometimes it seems like a small world!

Ministry Of Hospitality And Encouragement We believe one of our greatest life joys has been showing hospitality to some missionaries and missionary families in PNG, whether they were SIL or not! These included Ken and Norma Knight near Goroka, Cliff and Marty Heller near Okapa, Bernie and Ann Crozier,

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and Neville Bourne in the Morobe Province and Bob and Esme Priestley in the Ramu Valley of the Madang Province. We had many others who also passed through. Sometimes we could help with a meal during a shopping trip when they would come to get supplies at our well equipped SIL Store. More often, due to the road conditions and the distances travelled it was safer to overnight with us than to make the supply trip all in one day! We found it a pleasure to help them ‗unwind‘ by listening to them and taking a genuine interest in their families and ministries and praying with them about their challenges! There were also two New Tribes missionaries, using the Ukarumpa airstrip. They were African Americans called Upton from the same town in Tennessee; I guess their forbears had been slaves to a Mr Upton; Butch Upton and JC Upton but not related, though they had the same last name. It was such a joy to be able to help them as they had to catch a very early flight on one of our SIL Cessna planes to land at their Usarumpia airstrip before the clouds mushroomed among their rugged ridges.

We felt so pleased to be with SIL. We also knew that the Lord had lots of organisations that He‘d raised up to serve Him and we were delighted to be able to help some of these. I don‘t believe we slacked with SIL work at all by helping some of these others. Through the years they have been so appreciative of our involvement with them. We‘ve been able to visit them in their locations and our families are still friends. We felt a little bit like cross pollination, for instance – hybrid corn. You see so much pollination in everything that grows. You see bees collecting pollen for honey. We weren‘t just one eyed for what we were called to do and knew the field was much bigger than what we were doing with SIL/WBT. To encourage others is from the Lord. We know that we all need it from time to time.

We knew it was so important to encourage our translators. It‘s a long project to translate the scriptures into a foreign language. It often takes more than 15 years to learn a language, culture, customs and then to be able to analyse the language, teach people to read and write in that language and translate the scriptures. We were blessed to support our missionaries in their calling by having them over to our place for a meal when they were in at Ukarumpa.

That was usually when they had just arrived or were getting ready to go out again.

We praise God that He called us into His work to help the Bible translators and people of PNG get the precious Word of God in their very own languages. After all, the reference in 1 Corinthians 12:28 says ―And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.‖ We were in that category of helpers!

Dave Skinner‟s Newsletter Nov 1979 ―Dear Lord, Thanks for the life you‘ve given to me and what I‘ve learned with my hands, head and most of all what I learn from you Lord. Keep me willing to learn. Thank you for the opportunities to share You Lord, in my everyday work and what I say. Let me be a bright light for you. Do not let Satan blow this light out of me, but let it spread to others.

O Lord, I know at times I‘ve been a disobedient child of yours, forgive me. Pick those up who see my Christian life and have stumbled, let them grow. Continue to bless those brothers and sisters whose lives I‘ve been able to mix with; many I‘ve grown to love through these times.

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Praise you for the beaut Christian parents you gave me, for a loving caring family both the immediate one and ‗Yours‘, also for the opportunity to grow up in a foreign land, and have ‗brothers and sisters‘ with different coloured skin and dark kinky hair and all the different cultures we‘ve been ‗livin‘ in making us a bit broader minded to the needs of others and not only ourselves. Lord, help me with regard to this area of my life, offending a weaker brother or sister so easily by what I do and say.

Lord I could continue this for a long time, but continue to bless me Lord.

Don‘t let me get a ‗big head‘ but keep you ‗up front truckin at the wheel‘ of my life.

The Lord gave me this prayer on the night of 3rd October 1979 in Lae. Well, sorry I haven‘t written some of you recently. I‘ve been flat out keeping real busy at the workshop and apprenticeship correspondence. The fourth year exams just finished the other day. I‘ve got to try and spend some time with my sweetie-pie (Land Rover) but that‘s only on Saturday arvos and nights. Plus I have been up home a few times recently.

A lot‘s happened over the past few months. Early in September Dad started feeling ‗crook‘ (sick). The symptoms were vague. Early Friday morning Dad was real sick with signs of severe shock and internal bleeding. Doc Stan put him on the drip which really helped. He was flown to the Goroka Haus Sik (hospital) for six days (with Mum). I hitched up Friday night from here in Lae and was up there until Sunday night. He‘s doing ok now, Praise the Lord!

Steve came back from South East Asia while Dad was sick, for a week‘s break. We had a good family reunion. I had a few days off due to previous over-time. Steve is back on the Island of Borneo, he enjoys his work, has long hours and sees a fair bit, however he lacks Christian fellowship and would appreciate your prayers.

My apprenticeship finishes on December 7th. After that I‘ll finish getting my Land Rover ready to ship south, hopefully early in January. The folks and Peter head south to Aussie in early December and travel a fair bit. I‘ll catch up with them in mid-January and have a geez (look) around Aussie, work a bit, and then hopefully in April we all leave Aussie for Singapore. Steve will have leave by then and we all head over to Europe for a month or so, sort of a last family reunion. Steve will probably continue over to South East Asia. I will probably continue over to North America for a while.

After that, who knows? I‘m open to the Lord‘s leading. I‘ve lived with a beaut family (Peter and Robyn Hall and two young children) in Lae; they are like a second family and have ‗adopted‘ me!

Luv, Dave‖ PNG Martyrs During World War II It is on record that 333 Papua New Guinean missionaries died or were murdered at the hands of the enemy, Japan. I have a list in a film print I took of the Post Courier article.

These included ones from Australia, US, Germany, UK and PNG. They were missionaries from Lutheran, Catholic, Liebenzell, and inter-denominational faith missions.

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In John 12:24 ―I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed, But if it dies, it produces many seeds.‖ Luke 8:8 ―Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sewn.‖ Can we expect that sort of reproduction from the Church of Jesus Christ? Should we be surprised when one mission field (PNG) has produced 100 missionaries serving overseas during a period of 15 years?

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN PHOTOS TERM THREE 1974-1979

Fire Truck with employees who worked on it

Testing the fire truck water pump and hose

At Leron River Bridge while driving the fire truck down to Lae, ready for delivery. Peletier family followed in second vehicle. What a great day for all!

A fun ride around Ukarumpa for those on the fire truck

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN FURLOUGHS Furlough is when mishos (missionaries) return home on leave. This is not all fun and games as they are responsible to the office in their home country. We were responsible to the main office at Kangaroo Ground and the NSW office in Sydney. We attended and enjoyed any meetings lined up; we brought along a projector and screen, slides and literature to pass out.

The whole idea was to let needs be known and show how their prayers and money were helping spread the Gospel in these countries.

Our Auca Story In late November 1966, our furlough time in Indiana was finished. As we were driving to Chicago, we all began to say how good it was to not have to go to a church or a home for meetings that night! We‘ve tried very much to be sensitive to each child‘s needs. We knew they had graciously adapted to our furlough deputation needs as well.

When we arrived at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago, Hap went to the office there for some needed information while we had an afternoon snack in the car. Soon Hap was back at the car. He looked so excited and said, ―You‘ll never dream where we‘re going tonight!‖ We all said, ―Where?‖ None of us expected the answer we were to hear, ―To Moody Church!‖ In unison we all said, ―Oh, no!‖ He said ―You‘ll want to go when you hear who all will be there! The advertisement says ‗Jack Wyrtzen will preach, George Beverly Shea will sing, also interviews with Rachel Saint of Wycliffe Bible Translators and two of the Auca men will be there, back from the Berlin, Germany, Congress on Evangelism‘‖! ―Wow, we‘ll sure go to that!‖ we all gladly answered!

We‘d arranged to meet a friend, George Joslin‘s, daughter and her husband for some information in the foyer of the very large Moody Church. We didn‘t know what the couple looked like nor did they know much about us except that we had 3 young boys. When the meeting started and only two people were standing on the other side of the foyer, we asked if she was George Joslin‘s‘ daughter and simultaneously they asked if we were the Skinners!

At last! The required information was passed and we could proceed inside!

Where were we going to sit? It was a capacity crowd! The only seats left were on the stage in the choir loft within 10-20 feet of the pulpit in view of all 4,400 people! (Life has some surprises!) In the circumstances, Peter (2 1/2 years), David (8 years) and Stephen (10 years) did very well and enjoyed it too! After the service I was needed for counselling and Hap decided to go introduce himself to Rachel Saint. She was so excited to meet someone from Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea that she told the two Auca men. They immediately embraced Hap! Later Hap said ―I never thought that I would enjoy being

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embraced by two murderers of five missionaries!‖ We all said that night‘s events were the highlight of that furlough!

When we were back in Sydney (in January‘67), I heard on the wireless (radio) someone recounting their experience at the Berlin Congress on Evangelism organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He mentioned that the highlight for him was when Rachel Saint was interpreting for the former missionary murderers, the two Auca men that Hap had met with Rachel at the Moody Church. They were sharing how they had now come to faith in Jesus Christ and He had made them new men though former murderers. Just then from the back of that large Auditorium in Berlin, two big men from Africa spontaneously ran down the aisle praising the Lord and onto the stage to embrace the two brothers in the Lord from Ecuador! He said that one unplanned action electrified that whole Congress on Evangelism! God‘s ways are far above our ways! What a mighty God we have!

Work During Furloughs Because our family is from two countries we spent our furlough time in Australia and US. Usually furloughs were about one year long and meant about six months in each country. In both countries we were expected and glad to represent Papua New Guinea on behalf of Wycliffe Bible Translators and its sister organization named The Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Work for Hap in the US posed a problem since he was on a visitor visa which meant he wasn‘t allowed to work for money. Because Hap likes to keep his hands busy and our natural gifting is helps we found some unusual ways to interact or help people. It is easy for people ‗at home‘ to put missionaries on a pedestal. We wanted to get to know people and let them get to know how we tick also. Once we were led to put a notice in our church bulletin offering help. We were thrilled how some opportunities appeared on different furloughs.

1. We helped some others paint a recent widow‘s tenant house for new renters.

2. Hap and Jim Wasson lined the ceiling of the parsonage basement.

3. We rebuilt a fence for a High School teacher who was going soon to Russia as a missionary. A friend who had lots of time on his hands and didn‘t need more income and a redundancy packet on his hands gladly helped.

4. Hap helped paint a blind translator‘s house on the outside with Wycliffe Associates.

5. We installed a storm door with winter coming for a solo mother with three school aged boys.

6. Hap worked all night with a church friend to erect a sales display for a community show.

7. As a family we were grateful that we could paint a cottage for my step-mother Emmy and Dad in upper Minnesota on our first leave. It was fun to also fish; I had never before seen my Dad fish!

Picking Up Eggs On our 1st furlough in 1966 we lived in a small but very adequate tenant farmhouse just about 2-300 yards east of Keystone Avenue on East 96th Street in Carmel. ‗Uncle Tub and Aunt Jessie‘ Dawson had a poultry farm. Hap was pleased that they needed help in picking up their eggs. We could apply it on the small rent and their family and fellowship became really precious! We were the last occupants of this house as it was pulled down to make way for a car dealership. We can never forget( their )Mary and Duane Rinker and family!

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SPSIL Dining Room Trusses In Sydney we had meetings in churches and I worked in our state office, then at Five Dock, NSW doing gardening work to keep our Wycliffe Office area neat and tidy. One time I was asked to go to our National Headquarters at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria to weld up and construct channel iron frames for the extension of the Dining Hall for the South Pacific Summer Institute of Linguistics School. It meant erecting the 30 feet heavy frames of 8‖x4‖ channel iron. One man said we should get in a crane truck to stand them up, but what about having to turn them over to fully weld them? We agreed, but that the crane truck would be so expensive to keep them on site to turn over 4 frames and weld them completely. One man suggested we use block and tackle rope block to turn them over, weld them, paint them, and then stand them up on their foundations. Another suggestion from an old timer, rugged worker, Clive Weeks, was to use our stubby tip truck and attach a sturdy telephone pole with chains over the chassis. Then we could put a hook on one end and use that to turn over and erect the 30 feet truss frames. We all agreed that it was a great idea! This whole job which would have cost ‗an-arm-and-a-leg‘ to do originally, actually cost us absolutely nothing as we used all our own equipment and we did it fast and efficiently. This was ideal for efficiency and speed and safety. Praise the Lord!“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors plans succeed.” Prov.15:22 Live In The Middle Of A Farm?

One of the elders of Hope Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance at Indianapolis asked me on furlough, ―Since you are around the Indianapolis area, we as a church want to help you with your accommodation. Would you prefer an inner city Indy house or a derelict farm house that my family‘s company is going to bulldoze down in 6 months? The farm‘s just about 5 miles from Hope Church in the country.‖ When our boys heard about the choice they unanimously said ―the one in the country on a farm!‖ We all had no regrets; though we had to clean it up a bit and put extra plastic over the windows and doors as the winter was approaching. Again each boy had a room of their own! This was a very practical, enjoyable and rent free furlough house in the middle of a farm! Peter in third grade could walk along a side fence to his Mohawk Trails School in just 5-10 minutes each way. He really enjoyed the time outside and especially the changing seasons during his daily walk to and from school. We were the last occupants of that house as it was burned down the day we vacated it.

Advantages On A Farm And Paid Work!

Because the area was becoming urbanised it seemed special that we had a real barn and haymow or hay loft. Why not host the church youth group‘s Oct. Halloween Party? We did so with many happy memories of bales of straw and hay to sit on, etc.

The older boys at age 14 and 16 years old will never forget the unique opportunity to drive a tractor and get paid for it as the fields needed to be cut before the subdivision process started on the land. They already knew how to drive motorbikes in PNG but to drive a tractor was new. One got home about an hour before the other one. This was ideal so that each got about 1hour of work before dark, dinner and then homework. When snow came on the ground they worked out with their Dad how they could make a sled from a demolished car hood. They attached a 20‘ rope between the towbar and the sled; what fun memories!

A Special Day We can‘t remember how this arrangement came about but it had all the elements of an exciting day on a warm autumn Saturday. We had 4 teenagers with a keen interest in

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motorbikes, 2 Dads with previous experience on motorcycles and 2 new Trail Bikes on a few acres of undulating dry pasture without any animals. The Mothers had the food under control with Kentucky Fried Chicken on hand. We didn‘t know this family before that day but with such a great recipe for adventure it was a special day with Dick, Bev, Julie, Tom, Betsy and Susie. Thanks dear friends for beginning such a wonderful friendship!

More Occupational Therapy!

One of the owners of this farm, subsequently called ―Brookshire‖, asked me if I could help him in his business. He managed a concrete batching plant where cement was mixed with sand and gravel then loaded into concrete trucks and dispensed across town. The job Bill wanted me to do on site was make a framework to cover the large bins holding gravel and sand up about 60 feet in the air to protect the sand and gravel from winter snow as well as cover the mixing area. This cover was manufactured on the ground then lifted by crane onto its final site. It was a very satisfying and challenging job that I enjoyed very much! I also enjoyed good relations with the local workmen at the batching plant. Thanks, Bill, for organizing that the remuneration for this work was designated to our mission; toward our air fares back to PNG! Jungle Jump Off Camp On our first furlough Hap was asked to help at the WBT Jungle Jump Off camp at Camdenton, Missouri for one week. About the time it was to finish I drove nine year old Stephen and two year Peter all day (it seemed like) from Indianapolis to the middle of the Ozarks, about 300-400 miles. David at 7 ½ years old was staying with our dear friends, Jean and Daniel Steiner, and their seven year old David for daily Remedial Reading Tuition from a specialist friend of theirs. When the camp finished we travelled south to Norman, Oklahoma where SIL courses were held each summer for three months. The two or three days there were so memorable as we met our later next door PNG neighbours, Don and JoAnn Frisbee, long term donors, Joy and John Laurie Anderson, and Aviation Engineer, Ernie Rich, a practical joker whom Hap met by a well aimed spit ball from Ernie when Hap first entered the Dining Room there! Ernie became a good friend.

1972 Goals For Furlough Before we went on our second furlough in Dec 1972 we asked the boys what each wanted or looked forward to on this furlough. Interestingly, their consensus was to have a room of their own, and see places and to do things. It fit in well with our goals as we wanted to share with our families, churches, and prayer partners what we‟d been doing and how the Lord had led and blessed. Of course, about six months of this was in Australia and then six months in the US. Fortunately, we had a rent free house at 6 Kissing Point Rd in Turramurra. It was just 10 minutes walk from Hap‘s widower Dad in his home one way and his older sister Mary and her family the other way. The house was just waiting to be torn down as soon as the deceased estate (of a friend) was settled. But it was great for us and we quickly got used to the Pacific Hwy traffic and traffic signal lights with screeching of brakes. Thank you, Mary, for finding that house! Steve and Dave each had a ‗sleep out porch‘ bedroom. Some small glass panes were broken but they agreed that their bedrooms were very adequate for teenage boys, and they each had their own. Peter had a unique situation; a former large bedroom had been made to serve two purposes. One half was a full indoor bathroom while the other half was a single bedroom for Peter with a four foot high wall dividing the two rooms. Peter was happy to have a room of his own even if it was in the bathroom!

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Schools In Sydney Peter turned nine years old and was in the third grade. Where did he go to school but his Dad‘s old school, Warrawee Public School on the Pacific Hwy and he could walk to and from school about one mile away! Steve was in the 11 th grade and Dave in 8th grade. They went on the school bus as the new South Turramurra High School was 1 ½ - 2 miles away.

It was a new experience for them to have to wear school uniforms! It turned out to be a good experience though as each school had a clothing room for used uniforms. As students outgrew them the parents turned in the uniform items or sold them according to their condition. Consequently, we were able to outfit each boy very adequately and very cheaply!

I really came to appreciate the concept of uniforms even though I hadn‘t warmed to the idea when I got to Australia in 1956!

New Friends In Sydney It‘s never ceased to amaze us how the good Lord has caused some people to cross our paths, only later to become invaluable friends or contacts. That‘s the situation of Noel and Barbara Bell. We had borrowed a 10‘x10‘ tent for our family. We were at the Stanwell Tops Convention Centre for a long weekend of Logos Conference. The first night was fine but the second night it rained heavily toward morning! We survived okay but knew we couldn‘t use that tent again until it could dry out. Some one told us that since we were from Turramurra, we should meet Noel and Barbara Bell who were also from Turramurra. That was a suggestion well taken as Barbara invited me to sleep the rest of the camp weekend in the ladies dorm, as there was space for me. Fortunately, Noel told Hap there was adequate space also in the men‘s dorm for all four of them! After the Conference, Barbara became a welcome advisor for me about school uniforms and other things about living back in the city.

One weekend during that school semester, Hap and I both needed to be at a missionary conference elsewhere. Peter could stay with his Grandpa Skinner; David with his Aunt Mary and Uncle Roy and their 4 children; Stephen was welcome with the Bell‘s family in South Turramurra.

A Surprising Conversation!

A surprising conversation took place that weekend between Noel, Barbara and Steve. It went like this: Barbara or Noel said ―Steve, when you graduate from High School next year in PNG, what do you plan to do? Do you have relatives or family friends in the US or Australia that you will go to live with and work or go to university?‖ Steve calmly answered, ―I‟d come to university in Sydney and live with YOU!” They were DELIGHTED as they had planned to offer us their home as a ―home away from home‖ for him! Before we heard about that conversation, and as we were returning from our weekend away, Hap and I decided that we would ask the Bells of the possibility of Steve rooming and boarding with them after high school! What a big answer to prayer! Thank you, LORD! That was a light at the end of the tunnel for the next step for Steve and us.

When he finished High School at Ukarumpa with six in his class doing HSC (High School Certificate) exams in November 1974, we knew we wouldn‘t know his results until January 1975 and ‗uni‘ (as Aussies call university) wouldn‘t start until February.

My Funnel Web Story In Sydney during our furlough in December, 1972 until May, 1973 we were living in the house at 6 Kissing Point Road in Turramurra, my home suburb of Sydney. We enjoyed it and had a great time.

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It was a HOT summer day and I found an old bathtub. I wanted to fill it with water the same as what I‘d done as a boy many years earlier so our boys could jump in and cool off on this hot day. Together, the kids and I were carrying it. It was one of those heavy ones. The 2 older boys were in the front and I was at the back. We were going along fine when I felt something on my foot. We were all barefoot and I got the shock of my life when I saw a funnel web spider; a deadly funnel web spider crawling across the top of my foot! Well I dropped it; I mean I dropped the bathtub! I hollered! I swatted the funnel web off my foot with the back of my hand! I examined myself carefully; I hadn‘t been bitten but had two scratches across the top of my foot. Well, I think I was in shock. I hollered for Glady.

Now at this time, Glady wasn‘t authorised to drive on the roads in Australia, so I called my brother in Pymble, he wasn‘t available. I phoned my sister-in-law, however she couldn‘t drive us. So I thought, well I will have to drive to Hornsby Hospital, about 5 miles away.

We ‗climbed all the kids in‘, the three of them, and Glady. AND I DROVE! I didn‘t feel unduly sore. We entered the Emergency Room. I was lying on the bed there, as they wanted me there for observation. We stayed there for about 5 hours. In the meantime I had no response or reaction to the funnel web. I knew I‘d been scratched, the authorities could see I‘d been scratched, but I certainly hadn‘t been poisoned or bitten.

I sent Glady and the kids off to a friend of mine, Fred Hanson‘s place, about 2 blocks away at the Waitara Anglican Church‘s rectory. He‘d been the scoutmaster I‘d been under in Hornsby and Turramurra before I went overseas in 1950. He came down to visit me. He was now an ordained minister with the Anglican Church. He consoled me and we talked about the old times and he prayed. I only had to pay a moderate amount for the time I was in hospital, but I was okay and was let loose. That I was grateful for! Even up to this time 2008 - we‘re still friends with the Hansons and we contact each other and pray for one another! I praise God for the way He looks after us, even on furloughs!

A Hole In A Wall?

On one of our furloughs, about 1993, we were staying at Faith Missionary Church missionary apartments in Indianapolis, Indiana. Someone in our hearing bemoaned the fact that a missionary couple was coming who had three children; hence there was no space for this larger family. They said that if only one of the units had an extra bedroom, we‘d be able to accommodate them! This missionary duplex had two units that had two bedrooms in each unit. After deeming it safe, we suggested they cut a hole in the common brick wall and add a door there between the apartments. The suggestion was taken up! This gave the added potential of shifting one bedroom to the other apartment. Either side could have three bedrooms and the other one bedroom. I volunteered to do the job and did I enjoy busting the hole in the wall and framing it? You guessed it! This was a great delight as some furloughing missionaries need to have projects to keep them out of mischief! The job was greatly appreciated. Thank you, dear Lord, for the wisdom and ‗know how‘ to do the job to bless future missionaries and the church! A big thank you to Rich and Pam Roth for the gracious loan of the right tools!

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN PHOTOS FURLOUGHS

Playing at Papa Skinner's place in 1967

In 1966 we travelled by ship from Australia to the USA and returned in 1967

Three young children made travel much different than the first time travelling via ship

Taronga Park Zoo, 1967 with cousin Mark S.

Leaving the US, with Golden Gate Bridge in background.

Glady feeding Kangaroos at Pennant Hills mini zoo in Sydney 1967

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Steve and Dave seeing snow for first time 1967

Visiting Andersons in Seattle during 1966 was a highlight of furlough

Deputation travel in 1966 also meant time to see interesting places as a family, here at the Grand Canyon

Steve at Disney Land with Uncle Ernest Price 1966

We visited Colin and Ursula Clark in Victoria in January 1973

Camping in California in 1967

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Terrific time with Andersons in 1973

Wonderful time in New Zealand on Pallison‟s farm in June 1973

The Skinners and Andersons in Seattle

Riding ponies at Moss Hunt‟s Farm in Tepuke, NZ

Tractor rides on the dairy farm in NZ

Glady and Peter at her Mother‟s gravestone in 1966 while on furlough Galliapolis, Ohio

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Travelling through and camping in the Canadian Rockies 1973

Lake Louise Canadian Rockies 1973

Mount Rushmore 1973

Colombian Ice Fields near Banff in Canada 1973

A different experience playing on the ice and snow, with Aunt Helen Price and Barbara Gray

Visiting good friends, Frisbees, in Anaheim CA 1973

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN IS IT WORTH IT ALL? We‘d like to share some encouraging feedback that we have received over the years. From our June 1977 newsletter, I‘ll quote ―We thank you for your part in our being here for we‘ve been hearing quite a bit of encouraging news of what the Lord is doing in the tribes where our Bible Translators are working. Read what Dottie and Edie West write at Imane where Hap helped supervise the work on their airstrip last year. ‗Scratching where it itched‘, I guess that‘s how you could describe the Imane airstrip project. The people had felt like the world was passing them by and they were just sitting still. Now that the strip has been raised to commercial standards a fine Christian government school teacher has come in and is teaching forty first grade students from the surrounding community. A Business Development Officer had been in helping the people to organize their own company so they can get their coffee out and trade goods in. The people have taken full responsibility for the maintenance of the strip which is a big load off us. So, now that we‘ve ‗scratched where it‘s been itching‘ I feel the people will be much more ready to hear what the Scriptures have to say to them. We sure praise the Lord for all that He has brought to pass!‘ Ellis and Kathy Deibler wrote this about what the Lord has been doing among the Gahuku people near Goroka. ―Do the Scriptures in the local languages transform lives? Golena grew up in a nominal Christian atmosphere, attended a mission high school, married and got a job teaching English in a mission primary school in the Gahuku area. Her life with her husband Steven was miserable because he spent most of his time at the hotel/bar, then beating her and the children when he did come home. Early one morning after Golena had been much in prayer asking for God‘s help in their lives, God sent another New Guinean to her house to share the Lord Jesus with her.

One day not long afterwards suddenly God took the burdens from Golena filling her with joy, peace and praise to the Lord. She went out every afternoon from village to village, reading the Gahuku scriptures to young and old and they began to turn to the Lord. She met Ellis - the translator of the Gahuku Scriptures - in the Goroka Market one day in mid 1975 and barely restraining the tears she related how she had been longing to thank him for giving them God‘s Word in their language.

The group has grown and grown; until about 200 meet now each Sunday. The Lord brings new ones each week. Their witness goes out to six other villages during the week by means of small teams. They have prayer meetings three times a week. The Lord confirms their witness by miracles of healing, such as an old man blind for seven years; when Golena and two others prayed for him. When they finished praying and opened their eyes, he did too!

Now he joins them in their worship and praise to the Lord.

Steven, her husband has become one of the leaders of the groups, a fine man who speaks English fluently with a very responsible job. He has become a powerful preacher of the word with a tremendous burden for his people. As he was praying recently in one of the services, thanking God for giving them His Word in their own language, his voice choked with tears as he asked God to send the spiritual rain, the showers of blessing, on his own people who were still apart from the Lord.‖

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Steve‟s Conversation with Kuri Steve writes: The last time I encountered Kuri was at Ukarumpa in our driveway while I was home from the oilrigs for a short stint. Kuri told me the following story in Pidgin. I‘m translating most of it into English.

He (Kuri) was coffee buying near Kundiawa - a rugged part of PNG. He left his two preschool aged children in the Toyota Land Cruiser pickup. His daughter put the vehicle into neutral. When he turned around he saw the Cruiser rolling down the hill with his two children inside. He chased the vehicle as hard as he could but he couldn't catch up to it. He saw the Cruiser roll over the cliff and sung out, ―Papa God, lukautim pikini bilong mi'." (―Father God, look out for my kids.")

He made his way down the escarpment as quickly as he could but it still took a long time. He was crying all the way down.

Near the bottom he could finally see the wreckage. His son and daughter were a distance from the wreckage of the Land Cruiser. His daughter, the oldest, told him, "Taim kar i pundaun, wan bikpela, waitpela samting - i gat kolpela han – em i kam kisim mipela insait long kar na rausim mipela kam long kunai." Our understanding of the Pidgin is ―A kind big man with white gloves held us carefully and took us out of the truck as it was falling and placed us carefully in the long grass‖.

When Kuri saw that his children were unharmed he knelt and rededicated his life to Jesus!

Kuri had tears in his eyes as he told me (Steve). He was no bull artist; he had no need to spin a yarn! To him and to us it was and is a miracle. We praise Jesus!

Israel at Nankina Some time after we left PNG in 1993, we received the following news through Peter who was back in PNG while his wife Gail did some health related research in PNG. We phoned our son Peter in Papua New Guinea and he told us this incident. ―Last week I was on the phone to an individual in one of the Government departments whose name is Israel.‖ I said to him ―Israel is a strong name, how did you get that name?‖ Israel replied with a question, querying ―You say your last name is Skinner?‖ I answered ―That is right.‖ Israel continued, ―Almost twenty years ago a man with SIL named Hap Skinner helped my people at Nankina build our airstrip! Was that your Dad?‖ ―Yes, that was my Dad‖ I exclaimed!

There was a pause but I could hear that Israel was holding back some emotions; he then continued ―When Hap left, he gave me an English Bible and with the new school that came to our village because of the airstrip I learned to read. I read the Bible a lot and became born again.‖ By this time Peter was crying too, in wonder and in joy!

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This story makes us realise that sometimes the smallest loving actions we make can have eternal significance.

Praise the Lord! God‘s word bears fruit! This was the first time we‘d heard this particular story and it made our day! Thanks for your part in it too!

A Welcome Letter The good LORD put three teenage boys, Jim, Stan and John and their orphaned first cousin, Bruce, on our hearts. The boys‘ mother had died from a long standing cardiac problem and their Dad (Bob) and Uncle became valued friends to us. Living in tropical steamy Lae they welcomed the occasions when they all got to come up to Ukarumpa to the cooler refreshing highlands at our SIL centre at 5,000 feet. They had grown up in PNG and then Stan did his building apprenticeship in Lae. The widower Bob ‗ran a tight ship‘ and the four younger lads often sat and listened to stories that they had heard several times before. Ukarumpa families with teenager boys developed a strategy with our friend Bob‘s approval whereby each of these boys would be invited to a different Ukarumpa home where Mr. Bob was not eating that night. How good it was to see them smiling, talking and enjoying themselves every time they came up to Ukarumpa. It was becoming increasingly frequent. Dawn and Ron Cox organized a 21st birthday party for Jim! Another lady made the cake and the games were hilarious! Everyone had a fabulous time; we had never been to a more fun party. About a year later we had a double 21 st birthday party for Stan and Bruce. Again a great party! Mr. Bob was beginning to enjoy these social events just like all of us. That was so good to see and we all were very grateful for these growing friendships.

The time came for the whole family to return home to Alstonville. But not before their Aunt Dorothy came to see and enjoy what they were all so happy about; all these rays of sunlight and cordial love being shown by these hospitable Ukarumpa families. Before they left we shouted (payed for) them each to have a fifteen minute ride in our SIL helicopter. Two passengers could go at a time! None of them had ever had a ride like that before. They got a picture of it also to keep. What a pleasure all of these Ukarumpa families had in brightening up the lives of these boys who became dearer with each visit.

A few years after they had left, our family received a welcome letter from Stan. It was full of thanksgiving for all the loving hospitality given to them all each time they had visited Ukarumpa. He didn‘t close the letter until he had written ―I don‘t know if I would ever have come to know Jesus as my Saviour if it hadn‘t been for all the loving care of you and yours who made us so welcome! I wanted you to know that I appreciate your example of Jesus to us! Thankfully and with His love, Stan‖ What a joy it is to receive the knowledge that it is worth it all!

Letter We Received in 2001 From David C ―Dear Happiness and Gladness, You two are really like an international treasure to us at WBT and SIL. Thank you for your servant ministry of love to all of us here in Darwin in this occasion of your life. You were such an encouragement to me when I was down last year. I also get the impression that your paternal/maternal input into the lives of the Asian Students and others here is an enormous blessing.

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Thank you for your channels, torrents of love that flow out from you each day. We thank God for you both. Thank you for your wisdom, for your ability to bring harmony in the midst of conflict.

Thank you that you truly are two precious saints pouring out the fragrance of Christ to all those around you!

(Is this too flowery? Otherwise I‘ll just say ‗Good on ya mate!)

David C.‖ Iripas (Closed Ears=Deaf and Mute) Steve writes: There was a deaf mute man who lived in a village less then a mile from us in Ukarumpa. He had his own sign language. I took him home on my motorbike one day and using his own sign language he told me how much Jesus meant to him. He was not a good passenger on a motorbike. He was like a gyroscope. He would not lean into a corner but would sit upright.

His sign language for ‗wife‘ was very memorable also.

I heard that while we were on furlough in 1973, in a church service in the village, Iripas had given a prophecy in Pidgin. I wish I knew what had been said. When a prophecy is given by somebody who is deaf and mute it is time to pay attention! Not too much need for extra confirmation. David remembered that someone told him that Iripas‘s message was ―Repent, The LORD will come back soon! Get ready!‖ Dad‘s compassion for the disenfranchised was a big part of why Iripas did as well as he did.

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN SPECIAL PROJECTS Tractor Purchase In Germany In 1980 we decided we‘d go through Europe on our way to the US for part of our furlough.

While there we would meet up with Steve who had been working in oil fields in Indonesia.

While in Europe we went to Germany and checked out a four wheel drive tractor manufacturer for airstrip building in PNG. Initially we met Steve in London, where he had bought a car. We explored a bit of England and then caught a ferry to Calais, France. The family wanted to see some of the places I‘d seen when I was young and footloose. We had a terrific time as a family doing this! We visited the tractor factory and they were so impressed with the pictures I‘d taken to show what we were doing with an airstrip while using one of the earlier tractors that this company had made. They asked for a copy of our pictures and said they could give us the dealer‘s discount, which was a big help. That night we dined on venison and had a great time. We knew they were after business and we were after their tractor. We got word that the church donated money was in for the tractor so I went ahead and ordered it. Thank you to the Wee Waa friends! We were so grateful to the Lord for how He had blessed us with contacts and with that German tractor company.

By the time I left PNG in 1993 after 32 years, we had used three Holder tractors for airstrip construction. I had another one that I eventually passed on to Simi, one of our national welders, self taught mechanic and a great worker. He was the lad who turned the lathe by hand before we had electricity.

Jet Helicopter Project During our furlough starting in August 1984 we felt in our spirit to take it upon ourselves, with due authorisations, to raise awareness, prayer and finance for a jet helicopter for our PNG Branch. We asked the PNG Branch executive how a new jet ‗copter‘ would help and they told us it could reach another 30 needy tribes. We had our slides and script also approved, as well as the project written up and approved.

From LA we flew to Denver and drove to Fort Morgan to check the project with Jim and Donna Weimer who now were unable to continue on this jet helicopter project due to family farm needs. They gave their wholehearted approvals! From Indianapolis we went to Waxhaw, NC to get the slide series checked out and made into a video. At that same time, a Wycliffe Associates committee was meeting at Waxhaw – the JAARS Headquarters, to decide on their next large project that needed funding by the Autumn/Fall Banquet tour. By this time the video was ready so that all one had to do was plug it in! A JAARS member in the Media Department at Waxhaw, NC asked us, “May we show your video to the Wycliffe Associates Committee?” We were delighted for any and all to see it!

We loved this project as I could speak from experience having used the helicopter many times in our airstrip work. If pilots had done the presenting they could have been seen as just „complaining‟. You probably have heard the old saying that ―A poor workman blames his tools.‖ I believe that is the reason the pilots had not ‗yelled louder‘ for the helicopter improvement.

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The Need For A Better Helicopter The helicopters we formerly used were ex-Vietnam and were given to us ―as is‖, with all faults, if any. The Wycliffe fellows at Waxhaw brought them up to first class condition, almost new and they had extra engines as well. However, the engines were not jet engines.

I can remember one time coming into this airstrip that we were told we had to cut down our pay load. We could only have 100 pounds on the cargo rack, plus me inside. We went back up to 10,000 feet above the ridge and were travelling at 0 knots forward! It was trying to hover and get across the ridge. Another time when it would have been great to have had a jet helicopter was when Bob Bartels, a helicopter pilot in PNG, needed to shut down the helicopter to take off one bag of potatoes after he had started the helicopter engine. The Headman had brought a bag of potatoes as a gift for SIL. But they couldn‘t take any cargo out from Nahu airstrip that day. It is very embarrassing to reject a leader‟s gift. Bob had to express the best way he could that this helicopter could only get off the 7,400 foot elevation with no cargo. Sori Tumas! (so sorry) None of us wanted a crash!

Increasingly the vision spread as prayer was sought. People could sense the need for a stronger helicopter amongst our steep high mountains with such changeable weather systems so close to the tropical ocean. Now many of the languages needing to be entered were farther away from our main base or centre. Translators with young children would greatly benefit from a jet helicopter that would fly much faster and be able to carry more people and cargo!

Real illustrations like this helped show the need for a more powerful helicopter. I loved this opportunity to get alongside the pilots and make their job easier, bless them and make their job safer. We were also extending the Word of God through our Bible Translators‘ work.

Pray For Funding How did we present the story in churches? We‘d ask them, “Would you pray for funding for this helicopter as it is greatly needed?” We didn‟t ask them for money. God would do that. We did the job for 10 months (we‘d planned on being away for 6 months). Wycliffe Associates asked us if they could continue the fund raising for the project to present the project using all our information and that freed us up to head back from furlough to PNG. When we were working on the helicopter project we approached an SIL pilot who had flown for an entrepreneur in Australia, this well known entrepreneur had flown his helicopter ¾ of the way around the world. This pilot friend knew him and asked if he would want to donate his used helicopter, instead he put the helicopter into a museum. We all continued to trust the Lord and his people to provide. And He did provide! Amazingly quickly, the money came in from all over the place. They found a used rebuilt helicopter in NZ, exactly what was needed, even with a stretcher rack inside the cab! There was great rejoicing when it arrived in PNG; only about one year later! They had a dedication service there. We were told later, ―It was one of the fastest funded projects ever!‖ Praise the Lord!

The new jet helicopter had an external electronic hook for attaching loads. It was useful in helping build airstrips. Quite often I would be the ―Hook man‖ organising the loads, put the slings on, then put the sling on the hook, run backwards and give the signal to the pilot to take the load. I wore an army style helmet with a visor to protect my eyes. I really enjoyed it! I‘ve had so much job satisfaction in following my Lord and Saviour, Jesus. Obeying my Creator and Great Commissioner has been the Big Adventure of my life!

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN PHOTOS SPECIAL PROJECTS

The „brand new‟ (to us) Jet Ranger Helicopter

Hiller Helicopter hovering over Hap while being loaded with a sling at Bapi near Garaina

First official flight of Jet Ranger to Angai Village

Attaching equipment needing to be transported onto the Hiller Helicopter at Karimui

Translator, Rick Speece, helps the first passengers; a 9 year old boy, who had a skull injury and needed medical help, with his carer

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CHAPTER NINETEEN EDUCATION Dave‟s Special 13th Birthday With The Horders We were all so grateful with Dave that he could be with Ken and Janice Horder at Shortland in Newcastle, NSW for three months. According to his letters, he was really benefiting from his daily Remedial Reading! We were so happy for their generous offer and his being willing to have his 13th Birthday with the Horders and their 3 young daughters (who became his ‗sisters‘). ‗Out of the blue‘ the Horders‘ generous offer had come by their letter that stated, ―Since we‘ve come back to Australia, Janice has retooled as a Remedial Reading Specialist. We would like to have your David come down to live with us for up to three months and Janice will give him Remedial Reading Tuition each week day. We‘ll pay his fare down and back and he can live with us and we‘ll enjoy looking after him. Pray about it, this offer is genuine.‖ While ‗Down South‘, Dave learned to like the water and swimming a lot. Ever so fortunately, Janice heard of a fine lady doctor who was doing research concerning children with reading problems. Upon her examinations and findings, she was able to give us a diagnosis (whew! It sure beats thinking they are lazy or not paying attention)! That doctor called Dave‘s reading malady ―Word Backwardness‖. (I could even spell that one!) How did it come about? Only the good Lord knows; but her findings were based on the theory that a person should have the same strong eye as their strong hand! Dave is right handed but his right eye was weak. They feel that this combination causes ―crossed nerve wave patterns in the brain‖; as a result the child has difficulty in school with spelling and reading. The prescribed treatment was to wear an eye patch on the strong eye to try to strengthen the weak eye during each day for a few weeks.

All this extra remedial reading help really paid off as Dave was caught up with his Class 7 when he entered Middle School in Feb. having improved two whole grades in the meanwhile! A big thank you to Ken and Janice Horder along with Bronwyn, Katrina and Dzintra! Six years later he could read and understand the Land Rover 4WD manual for his own truck which he eventually shipped to Sydney, Australia. He had overhauled it and repainted it a very attractive orange and white with black trim. He was apprentice of the year for the whole state of Western Australia (by correspondence). He did a fine job as an apprentice Auto and Diesel Mechanic, thank you, Lord Jesus.

The Flight That Changed A Person‟s Direction Bernie Crozier, Ray Hocking and I had been working at the Langimar airstrip where Bernie was showing and training two SIL men in the Hydraulic Mining technique for airstrip construction. After their 3 weeks of hard work with the local people it was time for the rest of the Skinner family to go during the school holidays to see and be a part of it as that airstrip was now open again. Our son Steve happened to be in the front seat as he was heavier and needed to balance the aircraft which was a Cessna 206, seating 6 people. The pilot, Vic Dicky, turned to Steve after take off and said ―Steve, have you ever flown a plane before? Would you like to have a go?‖ Sure thing for a teenager -- he was excited and privileged! He was given the heading and altitude and Steve flew successfully. After Vic landed at Langimar, he complimented Steve. ―You did very well, ever thought of flying?‖ As a result of that flight and compliment Steve learned to fly in Sydney, eventually flew in

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the US Air Force for 8 years in heavies and fighters and 3 years in the US Air Force Reserves. He‘s been flying for FedEx since 1995. Thanks for your encouragement, Vic, and being able to see potential in a teenager and being willing to give him a go! You‘ve been an encouragement to us and to Steve!

The 3 men had been working on the airstrip to extend it about 600 feet longer! The local people had worked well and were being paid some by the local council. The ―Kiap‖, local patrol officer, came in on the second planeload and brought the pay for the people. He was delighted to see the job that was being done! Before take off the pilot decided the people should have a ‗sing sing dance‘ on the strip to help compact the ground and make it safer for the plane after an early morning light rain. Three passengers were able to leave with the first flight. This was a very safe and easy load.

Vic Dickey had been a pilot on aircraft carriers in the US Navy and a pilot with Wycliffe SIL for up to 15 years. Until recently he worked at Waxhaw N.C. with Wycliffe Bible Translators as a Media Services Technician.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 ―Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.‖ Could this have been for Stephen Skinner?

Providing For Our Kids Tertiary Education (We firmly believe that these provisions are a real answer to a prayer we prayed back in 1955 at Nyack, NY.) In the spring of 1955 during my last year at Nyack Missionary College, I overheard a conversation of a newly engaged couple. The lady said something like, ―If we get children after we are married, how would we ever get the money to give them a college education?‖ It was good that I had heard that comment as the Lord was going to teach me a practical lesson in trusting Him. Immediately, I sensed strongly in my spirit that the God who had saved me, called me to be a foreign missionary, gave me nurses training, and was giving me a husband, was now inspiring or asking me to trust the Lord Jesus for the education of any children that He might in due course give us. With that special inspiration, I was challenged not to worry about the children‘s post high school education. Hap agrees that neither of us worried about it!

We did endeavour to help each child to prepare for the possibilities ahead. Once in a while as seemed appropriate, we said to the children something like, ―We don‘t promise you a college degree but we will help you get the education you think best for you as we can. But we don‘t know how much or what kind of help that may be. We want you to know that it will be very important for you to do all you can to make it happen.‖ Through the years, we‘d endeavoured to train the boys that it was an honourable goal to be able to make an honest living in the adult-work-a-day-world. We had a roster of home and garden duties for the children. Usually Hap supervised the outdoor activities and I supervised the indoor ones.

We thought of the verse that says “It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young” Lam 3:27 and ―If a man will not work, he shall not eat” 2 Thessalonians 3:10. I‘m grateful that we didn‘t have to enforce that one! Hap had such a good work ethic and demeanour with the boys that they cooperated pretty well. I sincerely feel that we had a wholesome and predominantly happy and satisfied home. I believe this was a side benefit of our unified and wonderfully fulfilled marriage and the good Christian counselling books that I‘d been able to read from time to time. The examples of our four parents and their own homes were a treasure and a reference as well! With gratitude I remember that about the time Hap and I

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became engaged, I sensed that I should be wise and never criticise Hap in public, or his family (we don‘t choose our family) or his country (who chooses where they will be born or have as parents or live while they are still at home?) I think I‘ve not been tempted otherwise.

Our Children‟s Tertiary Education Steve got an education at taxpayer expense at the University of NSW. If you could educationally get into university and pass each year, your education and books were paid for as well as a living allowance! He was also in the Australian Army Reserves for three years driving trucks and doing demolitions. He saved some money and put it into flying lessons at Bankstown. After soloing, he decided to let someone else pay for his flying lessons, although years later. He attended St Marks in Malabar during most of that time. He did a stint at Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne during which time he stayed with the Don Rogers family. His thesis was on hydrogen supplementation of internal combustion engines. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in 1978. As a kid he had to drink about 1 tablespoon of kerosene to kill the worms as both his parents had also been treated for worms. These days he much prefers putting the kerosene through jet motors.

David finished his 4 year Diesel and Automotive Mechanic apprenticeship, with no debt.

His wages weren‘t large but he had a large tool box and lots of useful mechanical tools, from his apprenticeship pay. He had bought and reconstructed a wrecked Land Rover to drive down south in Sydney later. He had spent his three week vacation in Irian Jaya visiting former Ukarumpa classmates. He successfully completed his apprenticeship after his fourth year in December 1979. For all his life it seemed that Dave wanted to become a mechanic and fix things. We were all thrilled with him when it became official that he could commence one! Apprenticeship the benefits were many, though non-monetary. He could live at home and still have his school mates around. He could do the theory by correspondence from West Australia TAFE. With great rejoicing over the four years of correspondence studies his grade averaged 95%. To God be the glory! We called it our Ten Year Miracle!

Then Peter was very satisfied to get in for a 2 year course at Murrumbidgee Agricultural College in Yanco, NSW in 1983-4. He elected to study Irrigation for his second and last year there. Again it had not cost him any money for his tertiary education of 2 years of Agriculture Science – just what he had wanted!

The good Lord had certainly looked after the education of each of our children. It seems to us that they all are keeping up better than we are with this technological era. What with mobile phones, computers, photocopiers, digital cameras, DVD and CD players. We keep asking them for advice!

Steve In Uni Steve started Uni at the University of New South Wales in February 1975 in Aviation Engineering. After two years in that course he transferred (without any credit loss) to Mechanical Engineering and Graduated in November 1978. Ever so gratefully, he started Uni while living with the Bells in South Turramurra. He was glad for their help in the transition from being a missionary kid with a fairly minimal knowledge of living outside PNG.

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Situations change as they so often do in life. Andrew, the 13 year old third child of the Bells had a room by himself when Steve had spent that weekend in early 1973. Now two years later, his kind and generous parents had invited two other boys to live with them besides Steve. Suddenly there were four living in Andrew‘s room. Things could have gotten worse, but they got better! In the meanwhile, Steve hit the ground running and kept running, averaging thirteen hours a day in classes, labs or studying at the University library Monday through Friday. Sunday was for church activities and rest. Saturday was for hobbies, visiting or working on motorcycles or cars. Perhaps because he‘d grown up with some boarders living with us, he became very helpful to Barbara Bell at meal preparation time and bedtime for 3 year old Angus. Steve and Angus developed such a good relationship that Steve was happily delegated to be chief babysitter for Angus; which was Barbara‘s choice too. It was the best help she could get for meal preparation she said.

In April 2010 Steve was thrilled to be able to introduce his own family to Noel and Barbara Bell‘s as well as stay in their lovely home tucked and tangled into the Australian bush!

Appreciation The first Mother‘s Day after Steve left home we got a Mother‘s Day card. He wrote a note inside and it was very insightful! It went something like; ―Dear Mum and Dad, Naturally it‘s very different to be here in Uni. I meet so many that have real problems. More and more I appreciate my upbringing and the firm foundation you folks laid for me. I knew that you both loved each other deeply and that you loved each of us boys very much and impartially. You both were committed to train us boys to be responsible to God and His Word, to you, to our siblings, the church and in the community. Because of all this, I feel like I‘m a long way ahead in this life. I‘m so grateful to God for you and your training!

With my love, Steve‖.

Another Place To Live It was 20-30 minutes on the local bus from the Bells‘ home in South Turramurra to the train station in Turramurra; 35-40 minutes on the train to Central Station in Sydney; and then 2025 minutes on a bus out Anzac Parade to the University of New South Wales! It didn‘t take long for the Bells and the Faith Centre Church elders in Lane Cove and Steve to work out a better long term arrangement than three plus hours each day in travel time! Wonderfully that church and the Bells researched that there were several other Christian students in a similar situation. Three apartments became available above a Bottle Shop right across Anzac Parade from the University! There was such wisdom in how the Bells and others organized it for the benefit of all those who lived there. One older fellow, Peter Walton who was an experienced Aircraft Engineer, organised the Duties and Roster for all; another was the Chaplain and another was the Supply Buyer. Four boys lived in each end apartment, while two girls lived in the middle apartment where the cooking, eating and central activities took place. This started about the middle of the first year and continued through his second and third years. All preceded with good success though no doubt some valuable life lessons were learned as lasting friendships were formed. We thank the Lord for the Bells and Peter Walton and that provision!

Holidays In Madang When Steve went back to Uni for his second year he phoned that he‘d arrived ok, registered, and signed up for Army Officer Training (like ROTC in the US). We asked for information why he‘d done that; as it was a surprise to us since he hadn‘t mentioned the possibility when he was home in PNG during the Uni 3 months of holidays. He answered that he‘d seen the

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information about it in the registration line and decided to do it. It could be useful; something to do on Wednesday evenings; and one weekend a month; and he‘d get paid for it as well! One of the first things they did was to learn to march. Wouldn‘t you know it; he learned that he had ‗two left feet‟! Of the thirty men in his battalion, he was the thirtieth to learn. He got some things from his mother! As well as marching they were doing ropes, sling loading, learning to drive a truck and other experiences. Most of his service time was driving the commanding officer of their unit home late at night after official functions.

There was a good friend who came out of that army contact. Mark Francis from Turramurra came to PNG for a 10 day break about 1977. It was his first Christmas Day away from home and he was an only child. We were at Madang where there was canoeing, swimming and snorkelling. Our family with some other SIL families nearby as well were enjoying tropical fruits and Christmas goodies when Mark said to us, ―It‘s the best Christmas I‘ve ever had!‖ When he got a call later that day from his mother, he was very wise to not say the same to her. Because of that shared holiday break, Mark became a friend to our whole family.

Last Year At Uni His last year at Uni was different in the fact that he was a part of a church house. The Anglican Church at Maroubra had an active student ministry which helped Steve to grow at that time. The church house was a three bedroom family dwelling where Mitch and Gygn O‘Toole were the House Parents. Mitch was a school teacher and Gygn an occupational therapist. They set a wholesome example for the three other student occupants; Joy Healey, a librarian trainee from Melbourne (also ex-Ukarumpa classmate) and another Uni student shared a room. Steve had a room by himself. So it was a ―Christian family of five who shared the expenses, duties and joys of home life together‖. It was also a profitable experience for Steve as earlier in some free time he had acquired and repaired a small motorcycle which gave him wheels to see some friends and more of the east coast of Australia in the semester breaks. Then he bought a share in a Land Rover Fire Wagon to do up and use. It was good he could put his hand to do mechanical repairs and then enjoy the better product! We know that came from his dear Dad‘s example and training.

What A Frustration!

A disappointment or frustration that last year for Steve was an experience in writing the required thesis. He had chosen an area of engineering that could be useful in oil exploration or production. He had written about half of his thesis and conducted the lab experiments only to then learn that the findings from the previous years‘ student had been proven false after all. He successfully completed the thesis, but needed a few more weeks‘ time.

Apparently that was the only reason that he didn‘t graduate with high distinction.

Steve And His First Job Steve did get the job that he wanted working with Schlumberger Engineering, a service company to the oil industry. He worked with that company for three and a half years. It consisted of three months orientation in Sumatra, Indonesia; then one year largely offshore in Brunei. In 1980 he was assigned to the region around Calcutta, India for less than one year. The remainder of his time was in the North Sea out of Stavanger, Norway and Aberdeen, Scotland.

Learns To Fly During Steve‘s second year at Uni, he began to think that he would like to fly; so he began to learn. After he had soloed and was feeling the expense in his pocket he decided that he‘d

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like someone else to pay for it! Thus he went through the whole process of qualifying for the Australian Air Force. The only catch was that since he was under 21 he would need both his parents‘ signatures. Neither of us felt free about that. It was not about flying or the Australian Air Force but that if he waited until he‘s 21 he wouldn‘t need our signatures. He took our decision with good grace and when he was old enough and ready to sign on the ‗dotted line‘ he suddenly decided, ―I‘d like to fly a Tomcat (a US Navy plane)!‖ That is how it happened that he didn‘t end up in the Australian Air Force. As time would tell he never flew a Tom Cat as he went instead into the US Air Force, not the US Navy.

US Recruiting Office In Indianapolis Steve has a real interest in Israel. He studied in Jerusalem at the Institute of Holy Land Studies for three and a half months after he‘d finished working as an oil engineer and was awaiting acceptance into the US Air Force for pilot training. In addition to learning Hebrew and some geography and customs he was able to get in on some archaeological digs. All this fed his interest in Israel and his calling toward Jewish evangelism. He bought some books for further reading and returned to Indianapolis, Indiana (home area for Glady).

In late September 1983, Steve was waiting in the US Air Force Recruiting Office in downtown Indianapolis to sign up for pilot training. He was deeply absorbed in reading a thick book, something like ‗Oh Israel My Glory‘. Suddenly from the TV across the room he heard, ―The Australians are contesting that they were just cut off in that race for the American Yachting Cup!‖ Steve barely realized where he was (and with some jetlag) as he‘d so recently left Israel and was reading about it; he immediately went over closer to the TV and said ―Come on Aussies! Come on Aussies! You can do it!‖ Suddenly he realized where he was; amongst about 10 young American fellows aged about 17 – 19 year olds waiting to sign up for tradesmen‟s apprenticeships!

One young man asked, ―What are you doing here?‖ Steve answered rather meekly, sensing some humor in it all, ―Actually I‘m here to sign the last papers for pilot training.‖ The young fellows looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders as though to say; ‗What is the Air Force coming to these days?‘ What You‟ll Do For Your Kids!

When Steve was an oil engineer in India, he learned that Charlie Duke of Apollo 16 was speaking in Bombay that evening. Steve attended the presentation at Full Gospel Businessmen and enjoyed meeting General Duke afterwards as well as for breakfast the next morning.

Many years later, when Steve was at Officer Training School in San Antonio he was invited to the Dukes‘ home over the Christmas holiday. They made him feel very welcome.

Steve‘s additional assignment during the three months was as MC (Master of Ceremonies) for his group. After a month in that role he let us know that he‘d run out of jokes! ―Please send me some more quick, Dad!‖ So we made a tape of 17 more and sent them pronto!

What you‟ll do for your kids!

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While at Flight Training at Columbus Air Force Base, General Duke flew a T-38 to the base to speak at the Base‘s Prayer Breakfast and say hello to Steve. We enjoyed attending a prayer breakfast after Steve‘s completion of flight school. A few years later Steve stayed with Jim and Mary Irwin in Colorado Springs. Jim was an early test pilot on the SR-71 and was on Apollo 15 before looking for Noah‘s Ark on Mount Ararat.

Toward Responsible Adulthood Now we all know that not all High School kids are ‗grade A‘ students. Some are but we tried to teach them that hard ‗yakka‘ (work) is not sin. So we pitched in and showed them all that pick and shovel work can be honourable. Several of our missionary parents asked us if we could take their kids out on an airstrip job to teach them to work, and/or enjoy a bush experience.

We‘ve taken kids whose parents were Ukarumpa centre directors, a high school principal, a doctor, teens who were sick of school and needed a change from school. Some could be lazy or slow at learning. But when a kid got the knowledge of driving a 4WD tractor on a bush airstrip for hours on end he says it‘s FUN! Sometimes he wants to drive more and doesn‘t know to knock off when the five o‘clock whistle goes! They love it! One fella even joined the Army and learned tank driving and maintenance (and ended up very high up in the army), another in the Army reserve learned off road truck driving and winches and cables.

Another fellow became a builder and one became the principal of a hearing impaired school.

They all got extra practical experience and have never been sorry to have dropped out of school for a month or so and did some hard bullocking work with pick, shovel, bars, vine ropes, hammers or electrical welding or making gabion baskets for river control. It was a real privilege for us airstrip supervisors to take them ‗bush‘ and teach them off the road kind of work.

Some of the kids that thrived on bush work were Tim, Toby, Joy and Dawn Ruth, Arnie Potma, Ross Parker, Peter Head, Dave, Steve and Peter Skinner, Tim Horton, Jamey Farr, Walter Irwin, and Ben Giblett.

With different people coming from different homes and family cultures it was expected that they each had different ways of doing things and with different attitudes to work. Some of these people did learn the work ethic while at home but others had not had the opportunity for mechanical work or strong physical work under supervision. We counted it a privilege to show them that work can be honourable and even fun while setting them an example! It is even Scriptural: Genesis 3:19a says ―By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground.”

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CHAPTER NINETEEN PHOTOS EDUCATION

Steve in Air force with an FB1-11 at Plattsburg, NY in 1988

Steve on his way to University February 1975

Sailing during family reunion in Madang during 1977

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CHAPTER TWENTY FAMILY LIFE IN PNG Our House At Ukarumpa Prior to arriving in PNG we sometimes wondered if we would ever get a house. When we were in the Advance Base at Jungle Camp, Hope Church sent US$700 which meant that we could build a house at Ukarumpa! This we did very soon after we completed the Jungle Camp. We chose a lot, about a quarter of an acre, on a slope. One of the first things I‘d learned was everything had to be very efficient and utilitarian and gone were my dreams of a bay window, etc. You could use your imagination if you did the building work yourself!

Nevertheless, we were very grateful for the house that was built!

The centre at Ukarumpa was started in 1956 and the total number of members living there including the 13 new people from ‗our Jungle Camp‘ in 1961 totaled 100 adult members.

New people were living in very temporary accommodation. Our first two houses in Ukarumpa had walls of woven bamboo, thatched roof, woven bamboo flooring and the windows had clear plastic over wire screening, called ‗windowlite‘.

I believe we were able to get our house so quickly because the Lord was merciful knowing we had recently moved around so much in Australia. We were able to settle into our own house in PNG within a year after we arrived there. Normally a man was given three months to build his own house. For a family with two children we were allowed a 700 square foot house. It was the SIL people who were getting the logs from the bush and sawmilling them.

It took a lot of time, done by fellow missionaries, to make the flooring, uprights and studs.

One way we could help was by not making our houses so big. Later this changed as soon as there were commercial sawmills in the area. This enabled SIL translators to concentrate more on the essential work of Bible translation that could not yet be done by the local nationals.

Building The House In 1962 Because of Hap‘s nine months work experience during 1959 in Sydney in sawmilling, plumbing and building, it was a great asset for him in building our house at Ukarumpa in 1962. We were told he could have 6 weeks to build our house. Fortunately, Leon Shanely had just come to PNG and was very experienced in building. He came with a new skill of building trusses on a platform at the sawmill; then they were moved already completed to the housing site. It meant a person wasn‘t ‗up in the air‘ so much and with his help the house went up much faster. He was able to help us for three weeks! When we got our house to the lock-up stage we moved in as accommodation was much needed. We had been advised that you could use a strong plastic (celluloid), which is used in making x rays, instead of window glass. We washed off the ―bones‖ with caustic soda so it became clear then put them in a framework and this became our windows. We had one layer of woven bamboo lined with sisalation paper on the outside of the house. No rain could come in and you had privacy and could see the studs from the inside. There was an iron roof which was a real help as we wouldn‘t have to renew the thatched roof in about five years time. Within a few years we got ceilings and walls of plywood! After the woven bamboo floor in the temporary housing it was great to enjoy finished wooden flooring.

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Dental Work We had a dental office built as a room in our house. That was my first job, doing extractions and fillings and one denture in that time. Although I felt all right doing it, I didn‘t feel as comfortable as in my training when I was single in Kentucky, during the five month missionary training course. The course taught me to do fillings, extractions and dentures on the mission field. Now that I was married and had children and a home to look after, it put extra pressure on me that I was not comfortable with; especially when people had walked hours to get there, usually at mealtimes! That didn‘t help me like that work as much now, although the government doctor at Kainantu was so grateful for my help. He said, ―Any work that you do I don‘t have to do. I‘m happy to furnish any novocaine you need.‖ After our first furlough we came back in 1967 to find someone who had similar training as mine. He was quite happy to do the work! I was so thankful. Later we were blessed to have a retired Colonel of the US Air Force, Dr Jim Decker. He had 25 years dental practice. I was able to assist him at the dental clinic in Ukarumpa sometimes.

Our kids have always liked the sound of the rain on the roof as it is so nice to go to sleep with that sound. Remember we had 80-160 inches of rain a year at Ukarumpa. At Nutuve where the Lindruds worked and at Mount Tawa where the Neil Andersons worked the annual rainfall could be 400 inches a year. The Andersons hardly had any sun during August each year they told us. Rain was more often at night than during the day. However, you get plenty in the daytime as well in the wet season. Generally where we were, it was 6 months of wet and 6 months of dry weather. It wasn‘t like India and some places, where it is monsoonal. At Ukarumpa we would have dry patches in the wet season and some rain in the dry season. It gave a bit of variety and made for better crops and food selections. The longer we lived there, the food selection greatly increased. I especially remember the introduction of carrots, black raspberries, strawberries and avocadoes. Pineapples, coconuts, pawpaws, mandarins (tangerines) and watermelons were imported from lower altitudes.

We built our house on a slope because that was the lay of the land. We excavated so we could have eight foot ceilings underneath the house and Hap also wanted a home workshop.

We eventually made up two rooms, 11 x14 feet so that two people could sleep in single beds in each one. Sometimes Steve, Dave and/or our boarders would sleep there. At first they had to come outside to come up the stairs but soon we were able to get a closed in back porch and stairwell which was a big help to the ones in the basement. Our friend Geoff Bailey said, ―Hap, you‘re a mole because you keep on digging underground!‖ We excavated some more much later and made a kitchenette and small office for Hap and a walk in closet in the basement.

Improvements Sometime after our first furlough we began to take off the outside woven bamboo and replace it with fibro cement sheets. We also replaced the celluloid window material with plate glass and louvres that we could open. We seemed to have just finished the house when we began to add more space. The rules had changed due to commercially sawn lumber becoming locally available. We enlarged the breakfast nook into a dining room. Also we put in an inside toilet (a septic system), bath tub and a bucket shower. Each of the improvements was always very welcome though no one had complained. We got a twin stainless steel sink, an LP gas stove to replace the wood burning one, and an electric refrigerator to replace the kerosene one. After our centre started operating a large generator, I felt really grateful that we now had electricity when at first we had used pressure lamps. My Dad had given us

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enough money to help us do these things. It was part of my legacy. All these improvements were a really big help to our family. We don‘t realise what blessings we have until we do without them for a while. The Lord is so good!

Hospitality Once it became possible to have a house and we started thinking about what type of house we would like, we planned to have a room for visitors. We heard that someone wanted space for his wife and baby while he was out doing surveys for Gospel Recordings. Housing was so limited that temporary accommodation was not available. Hap and I decided to make our rooms slightly smaller so we could have one more room. One of the gifts God has given us is the gift of hospitality and we had great joy in using it. We sometimes wonder if we have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 says ―Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels with out knowing it.‖ Having our own home with plenty of space made it easier for us to have people for meals, which is something we enjoy doing! One dear lady, back in 1962, wondered how we could show hospitality so much. Hap answered ―We don‘t see how we can afford not to show hospitality‖. Knowing how much we were blessed by showing hospitality as well as obeying the scripture we wondered how we could not do it.

I Timothy 3:2 ―...An overseer must be hospitable.‖ Titus 1:7-8 ―Since an overseer is entrusted with God‘s work, he must be blameless...he must be hospitable.‖ I Timothy 5:10 ―A widow…has been faithful to her husband…showing hospitality.‖ Romans 12:13 ―...Practice hospitality.‖ I Peter 4:9 ―Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.‖ It seemed an appropriate answer and I guess some have the gift of hospitality and some have to work at it more. Perhaps they can be trained also to obey the scriptures. There were some missionary families especially who we were able to help as they came and went. Some would be flying out on SIL planes or helicopters to their village situation, others were going more than one day‘s journey to their next place and it was convenient to stay overnight.

Adult Men There came a time for a change of direction. Since I was needed to be increasingly freer to go with Hap on the airstrip work, David and Peter suggested that adult men could live at our house now instead of students that I needed to cook for. During that era SIL members or guest helpers Ray Hocking, Bob Bugenhagen, Jim Ellis, Bob Paul, Ian Hutchinson, David Witmer and Hub Wilson enjoyed our house for shorter or longer stays. It is amazing how a bit of extra space and heart can be such a blessing! We appreciated our sons‘ insight!

Two Separate Units After Peter graduated from high school we decided we didn‘t need a 6 bedroom house! We felt it would not be the best example, as we were frequently coming and going (we would be much more likely to be broken into, though it never occurred) so we decided to let a family live upstairs and make a one bedroom apartment downstairs for us to live in when we were

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there. We made a door to the front as a separate entrance to the basement and put a shower and toilet in the laundry. Upstairs and downstairs units were then both fully self contained; the only thing we shared was the washing machine and the phone. It worked out so well as Kevin and Wendy May and two sons first lived upstairs. Later John and Jenny Park from Maleny, Qld, who had come up to work on airstrips, lived upstairs and we lived downstairs.

When we sold our house to John and Ariana Glennon in 1987 they had a bedroom for each of their four children and the downstairs apartment for their language helper and her young child. It meant their language helper was under their protection which was culturally appropriate. We were so glad that the house continued to be such a blessing to others. The Glennons‘ work circumstances changed and they were able to operate from Florida where they cared for elderly parents; their children having left home. A few years ago the house sold to David Mathieson whose Dad and Mother had been building their house the same time as we were in 1962. By this time David and Andrea had four children and they had different needs and the house could use remodelling after 40 years! It is surprising that the house built in 1961-2 hadn‘t had much done to it, except extensions. We‘re grateful ‗our‘ house (rather the Lord‘s) has been used and appreciated all these years!

Let‟s Make A House Into A Home It‘s funny the things you remember about what makes a house a home. An important thing in our home was trying to have humour in it. I‘ve always been grateful for Hap‘s sense of humour, then David‘s as well. Sometimes we‘d get a joke book and I‘d read some of them to us all and we‘d try to remember some of them. Hap would get a cartoon book called ‗Jolliffe‘s Outback‘ from Australia. He would laugh and laugh at them! The first time I saw them I felt sorry for those poor people, as it was depicting the outback 100-150 years ago and it was so very, very bushy. Some of the punch lines we could never forget and they became part of our life. There is one: the man, ‗Saltbush‘ he‘s called, he‘s holding his throat. His wife is stirring something on this big open fire. He says ―Mm, if this is a French recipe, something must have got lost in the translation!‖ She‘s looking pretty angry about it.

Sometimes we say that punch line as a joke. Another one is a salesman coming along this track. He‘s got ‗Fire and Flood‘ insurance written on his satchel. ‗Saltbush‘ says ―I know how to start a fire. How do you start a flood?‖ I think Saltbush was trying to make a quick buck!

Quality Time Together We aimed to have daily devotions together as a family. Mostly these were at the table after breakfast, before going off to work and/or school. We wanted these to be inspirational, practical and enjoyable. At night the children enjoyed such books as ―Little Visits with God‖. We all shared in the Bible and story readings, songs and prayers for people we knew.

In one of the first counselling books I read somewhere it gave such good advice. ―When your husband is doing anything to help you with the care of your children, never criticize him or you may have it all to do by yourself!‖ That was a ‗goldmine‘! Another ‗goldmine‘ for me was a Bible verse from the love chapter, I Corinthians 13:5 “...Love keeps no record of wrongs.” The truth found in that verse has kept me from potential bitterness several times. Another very practical verse that spoke volumes was ―Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry!” Ephesians 4:26b.

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Community Spirit Through the years we‘ve consciously endeavoured to take an interest in other friends‘ children and try to keep up with their happenings. We sure appreciated the interest that others were taking in ours as well. As it turns out and it shouldn‟t surprise us that their class mates in PNG seemed closer to them than blood relatives. Even the fact that school children called other adults at Ukarumpa by their first names prefixed by Auntie or Aunt and Uncle was a respectful title but less formal than Mr or Mrs. They did call their school teachers by their proper titles and last names. We found Ukarumpa to be a close knit, friendly, cheerful and helpful community. It had one main purpose for its existence. That was to obey the Great Commission of Jesus Christ given before He ascended back to heaven. Each adult was there to help as many as possible of the multitude of languages in that country to have at least the New Testament in their own language. We knew there was more of a chance for them to become a mature Christian if they could read and understand Scriptures for themselves.

An Unusual Reunion The reunion with Dave after five years of separation was so special! Here is how he described it in his January 1986 newsletter. ―You should have heard my Mum‘s voice on the phone when I called from Port Moresby, the capital of PNG. She was so excited. ‗Hello Mum, how ya doin?‘ I asked. ‗Where are you, son?‘ Mom asked. ‗Mum, I‘m in Moresby; I just arrived from Singapore an hour ago‘. She was laughing and crying all at the same time! What a thrill it was to see my younger brother Pete, Mum and Dad the next day after five long years.‖ I really didn‘t expect that Dave would come from India on furlough yet. In letters and in our short phone calls with him he would always express that he was tired and would like to come home for a rest and break. Then he would continue to tell how the timing was not quite right. There were so many challenges and it was a time of reaping souls. It was satisfying to know that he was so dedicated to the Lord, His Great Commission to India‘s needs as well as to Operation Mobilisation‘s goals and methods of advancing God‘s Kingdoms on planet earth.

In our last phone call from Dave in India, Hap said to Dave just before we hung up, ―You better come out here soon. There‘s someone you know!‖ Dave said, ―Tell me who it is, Dad‖ Hap answered, ―It‘s a secret.‖ Dave was quick to answer, ―It‘s my phone call, quick, who is it?‖ Hap didn‘t have the heart to keep him guessing, so he said ―Joy Ruth‖ The timing of his decision to come back to PNG was later to be seen as significant.

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After Dave‘s phone call from Moresby, I immediately went to the Engineering Department where Hap was working and supervising six engineering workmen. I said to him ―I think we should go down to Lae this afternoon!‖ Hap answered, ―What makes you think that?‖ I told him, ―I just had a phone call from Dave in Port Moresby! He says he‘s number seven on the ‗wait list‘ for arriving in Lae tomorrow at 7am. I want to be there when he gets off the plane, whenever that is!‖ We were able to pass a message to Peter that Dave had arrived in Port Moresby and would fly to Lae ASAP. At 7am Hap and I were at the Lae Airport terminal after a good night‘s sleep. We decided to wait outside at the fence so as to try to recognize Dave after 5 years.

Peter found us amongst the crowd and joined us. Peter stayed with me near the fence on one side of the Lae Terminal while Hap decided to go to the other end of the Terminal fence.

The plane landed, and then taxied to the terminal. In due course people began to disembark.

Not knowing if he would be on this plane, we were really excited. Had he succeeded in getting on from a number seven position on the wait list? We had watched so carefully as each person came closer. I said to Peter ―It looks like he didn‘t make it on this one. We‘ll be back for the next plane.‖ Dave saw Peter and me and observed us looking for him. Then he said, ―Who are you looking for Mum and Pete?‖ ―You sure fooled us! When did you get off?‖ Peter and I said excitedly! ―I was the third off the aircraft! Where is Dad?‖ ―He‘s waiting to spot you over on the other side of the Terminal! We‘ll show you,‖ we answered and went with Dave.

As we three approached the corner of the Terminal, Dave said to us, ―Just wait here, I‘ll go to Dad.‖ Then he began to call out to Hap who was still intently watching for him to still disembark. Dave said, ―Papa you wokim wanem? Yu laik lukim husat?‖ (Dad, what are you doing? Who are you looking for?‖) It all was so funny for all four of us as we exchanged hugs and greetings and a lot of love and gratitude!

The last time we‘d seen Dave was early in December of 1980 at Indianapolis, Indiana. Our furlough was over and we were returning to Papua New Guinea on January fourth by plane from Los Angeles. Our son, Dave, had gone from being almost 22 years old to 27 years old.

Peter had finished high school and Ag. College and was working in PNG. The truth is that none of us recognized Dave. Now he had a beard and moustache with a loss of some hair on top, but we recognized his voice. It was the same, fun loving and wonderful Dave!

PS. Our usual habit as a family was to get off the plane last or almost last. This time, Dave got off before we started looking intently for him. He was so looking forward to being home and in New Guinea again!

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Personnel Types Broadly, there were 2 classifications of workers at the SIL centre of Ukarumpa; Language and Support personnel. Under Language were translators and literacy specialists. There were a multitude of types of diverse skills in the areas of people to Support the Language Personnel. This was so necessary to help be the extra hands needed in any language project.

Some of the challenges were: To learn the language well and the customs of the people (so as not to be offensive in mannerisms), as well as to analyse the grammar. Also, making an accurate and acceptable alphabet requires much skill, persistence and dedication. One could easily become discouraged with such a big and long project. At the same time Bible translators are wanting to be such a transparent example of Jesus, the Living Word, so that their host people will want not only what they have to eventually offer them, the New Testament in their mother tongue, but the Author of the Word and Life Eternally! Therefore as Support personnel we had administrators, school teachers, accountants, pilots, aviation engineers, mechanics, guest house and accommodations managers, pre-school teachers, store managers, publications managers, computer personnel, children‘s home house parents and the list goes on and on.

About thirty year ago our Founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics said something like this, ―In Wycliffe we could use just about anyone but a bartender and after he gets converted we could take a second look at him!‖ That is quite a summary.

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CHAPTER TWENTY PHOTOS FAMILY LIFE IN PNG

House building in 1962 - 1965

The family of five in 1964

Glady's dental work

Go-karts were great fun during Dave‟s fifth grade

Steve and Dave pretending to do their own dental work

It was great fun riding the go-kart

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We had cats

Family photo in 1967

The boys had guinea pigs

Steve with bar of gold at Wau Goldmine

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Dave and his Langimar airstrip demonstration model that he made for Science Fair in 1974 Our first dog was named Yogi Bear

Motorbike Rallies were fun for the whole family, here in front of Frisbees house next door to our house

Wonderful to have boarders

Glady and her boys

Prayer Card in 1974

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Peter had chickens and ducks

Another wonderful reunion

We had bees, Peter extracting honey Glady teaching sewing at Nutuve

The three boys on top of our Land Rover in front of our Ukarumpa house

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE SOME LETTERS HOME Ukarumpa EHD 25th July, 1971 Dearest Dad, Thanks for your letter last month, I‘m glad to get it and know your doings. You know I‘ve heard it said that the ones you love and consider the most are ones you usually neglect the most (by correspondence I think). At least this is the case with me and you, Pop, ole pal.

You know and so do I that I wish I could write more often, but just don‘t get around to it.

Let‘s see if I can do better.

Up here all of us are real good and fit and working plenty. Six weeks ago I was working furiously to connect my Land Rover to a Holden powered machine. I was successful in changing engines and making an adaptor plate between the new engine, a reconditioned Holden 161 engine, and the gear box. It was a challenge!! I wasn‘t looking forward to it but what with perseverance and the Lord‘s undertaking I was able to marry the pair and I‘m happy with the result. A couple days after that, I took the Rover to Lae 130 miles away, driving down late Friday afternoon. I took my two assistant mechanics, Steve and Dave. We had a terrific time and a busy time too. She‘ll get up to average 45 mph instead of 35 mph on the trip down and she certainly has some acceleration. The old Rover engine I‘m putting in an old Fire Truck Rover that I bought at a sale in Lae for $65, it had a seized engine. So we‘re mobile again and with another Rover.

That Saturday we went to a customs auction sale where Steve, unknown to me, bought three office chairs, damaged and one 8 day school clock and one other type electric clock with numbers in box frames. He got the lot for $12, and then he reported it to me rather proudly.

It was a good buy; looks like the young fella is getting like the ‗ole pot and pan‘ (old man).

We‘ve nearly fixed one chair. The 8 day clock is being fixed by one of our translators and the other number clock Steve has worked hours on and is at last going really good. He loves tinkering with complicated things like a tape recorder he bought today for $3, or the clocks or especially the old BSA motorbike.

Last Saturday we had a motorbike scramble for the teenagers and Dads. About 25 bikes were entered for all types of races. I was a race official so I couldn‘t enter, but Steve represented the BSA team and the Skinner family and by golly he cleaned ‗em all up!!! He only came off once in the two heats of three laps each, about ¾ mile around and a reasonable course. He won the first heat with 6 bikes, all teenagers. Then he was the first off on the handicap race against higher powered Hondas, Yamahas and against 3 experienced adults and one very fast apprentice mechanic. Anyway, 3 of the older fellas pranged in the Kunai (long) grass and Steve just putted by and then they were off to beat him. He won by about 15 seconds and we were so proud of the BSA and the kid himself because that bike had come to us rather bashed up from a Government sale. My advice before the race to him had been, ―Listen pal, take it easy, you‘re new to the track so lay off; after all someone has to be last and it‘s not the fastest bloke that wins an event like this!‖ He really earned his two wins!

Steve had the engine completely apart in the last week to overhaul and repair it and it‘s back together again. He‘s doing excellent in school work too and has a real good attitude to it and to household chores and work in general. For the last four Saturday mornings we‘ve been

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working as a team to make a concrete path to the house helper‘s house and around one side of ours. It‘s so much better now to have dry and clean shoes. We notice that some kids have never worked in concrete before so it‘s quite an experience for them. After seeing what some kids do not know how to do I‘m so grateful for the work we had to do around the house, regardless of my attitude then. I especially appreciate the concrete work, chopping and sawing wood, gardening, selling veggies and tree work like grubbing stumps and lawns.

Thanks Dad, for your help in those formative years! You know I can‘t do another thing to repay you, but to thank you and let you know I‘m trying to train our three boys to work and like it and learn, as well as the other boarders who live with us from time to time.

We now have eleven chooks (chickens), 6 are layers. Also there is one dog, expecting, and four guinea pigs, all of which give responsibility to the children. I appreciate the chicken manure for the garden, but I noticed last time I put it on; it was too strong and slowly killed some plants. Now I‘ve learned to mix it with some coffee husks and it is better. At present we‘re getting beaut oranges and mandarins as it‘s the dry season now. It‘s a great change too.

The next holidays we plan on going out to Ambunti in the Sepik River area of New Guinea to be with our tribal team, the Dye family, for a week of vacation in their ‗bush‘ with them.

We‘re looking forward to that very much.

I realize others may read this, but Pop trust Jesus ONLY for your salvation, if you trust good works, or the Church, or a good life, a faithful life, or anything else you‘ll be disappointed but it‘ll be TOO LATE. Reader, be sure you TRUST Jesus Christ only. HE bore your sins, because HE loved you. Don‘t spurn Him, by saying, ―I‘m ok‖, and ―I‘m a churchgoer!‖ John 14:6 says, ―Jesus said, I am the way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.‖ He can be entrusted with your soul for now and eternity.

Your loving, but concerned son, Hap and family (very happy family) P.S. Dad, would you be disappointed to let go of my large green Norway and Europe and Canada photo album? Could you get Mary or someone to mail it please? I need to show it to the kids as they want to see the photos of where I‘ve been.

Thanks a lot, Pop Love, Hap Mid December 1971 Dearest Dad, Greetings pal, thanks so much for your last letter a couple weeks ago. I‘m so pleased David was able to go south to see ‗the Skinner gang‘ at last. I‘m also really happy he can go back again this week to spend Christmas with you. We hear from David each week and he‘s enjoying it very much as so many things are new to him there in Newcastle. He‘s enjoying looking out for new type motorbikes. He‘s encouraged in this by Steve and the other 2 lads who live with us for school.

Well it‘s Christmas again. This year we are heading out to a place 17 minutes in a Cessna 206 south east from here. Then we fly north for 5 minutes in our small chopper (helicopter) – a first for all of us – to a place called Aziana. I‘ll be helping to build an airstrip for New

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Tribes Mission. Louie Dodd works there and he has become a friend to us. It will be a change of scenery for us and we will be taking out our mechanised winch, scoop and rippers with us. Steve will help me on the job and Peter will help Glady on the cooking for us and the other fellas working the airstrip. We‘re looking forward to this as it will be the first time that we‘ve tested the winch under field conditions.

Wed. December 22nd we‘ll be going out and coming back on Jan 4th. It‘ll be enough time to teach the other fellas how to use the winch until they finish their job.

A couple weeks ago I drove down to Lae in the next door neighbour‘s souped up car. We (he and I) had shop business to do and on the way back up we drove 2 Holden vehicle‘s back – one a Ute (pick up) and the other a panel van. We had bought both of these for $130 each, then we bought a Falcon Ute (damaged in a head-on for $5.) Two weeks later we drove that one too. We finance these vehicles from a fund for Auction Purchasing. We actually got another Bedford Post Office Van for $5, so we got 4 vehicles for $270, not bad eh?

I‘m moving to another class myself in that I‘m moving out of Land Rover just now as I bought a Toyota. The rig is an ex-Police Cruiser Station wagon for $275. It was hit on the left side by a truck and damaged. Amazingly, we were the only tenderers and I drove it up from Lae to base (Ukarumpa) 130 miles. Steve and a visitor from England are working on it to strip it, mechanically. It‘s fully lined and has plenty of power. She‘s a nice rig for the price.

A couple of weeks ago we had a fully loaded Mack semi-trailer with 24 tons of cement come across our mill bridge, which has a load limit of 14 tons! That truck gross weight was 34 tons!! Fortunately, he came across very slow! Then, after unloading we learned that the cement was not for us, so it had to be reloaded on smaller trucks and taken to the proper owner 3 miles away!

While in Lae last time I bought Strauss Waltz and Chopin records cheap and have really enjoyed them. I also bought a second hand stereo player for my birthday.

Two weeks ago, we had friends from Lae visiting here. Sometimes we‘ve stayed at their place in Lae. This man‘s wife died 5 years ago and we‘ve been able to help them quite a bit.

There are 3 sons aged between 21 and 17 as well as an orphaned nephew who he is legally responsible for. Anyway, these friends were here for the weekend and we were able to arrange helicopter rides for them all including us. We had a wonderful 1 hour 28 minutes flying all around the locality. It was a great experience for all. Just for the records, Glady and I decided no 2 in any family should go up together even though all wore helmets. It only carries 2 passengers plus about 100 pounds of cargo at a time.

A couple weeks ago I had one of the toughest jobs since being in New Guinea. We had prayed about it quite a bit and I just had to leave it for a week because I didn‘t know which way to turn with it. The job was a broken stub axle off our 14 ton Allis Chalmers grader. The stub axle is the front axle where the wheel attaches. It steers the wheel as well as permits it to tilt sideways. We knew we couldn‘t get one south, because of the age of the grader and it would cost about $70-100 air freight, even if it were available. Also, we estimated the price of one had it been available would be about $300-400. We were amazed at the way the Lord answered prayer and enabled us to solve the problem. I was able to make a new shaft with Moses Kais‘ assistance. Moses is from Manus Island and is now an employee with us in the

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Engineering Department. Part of his apprenticeship was in Australia. We fitted the newly made shaft into the forging at a total cost of $72, and one week‘s work for Moses, my assistant. The grader is operating again and is doing an outside job for the Kainantu council just now. Unfortunately when it broke it happened 13 miles out on a back road. We are so thankful that the job is finished except for the Loader which is loading the council trailers on the same job.

I‘m getting on, Pop; I‘m using reading glasses now. I had my eyes examined by a visiting optician and he prescribed them and was able to get them from Moresby.

Well Pop, I just want to let you know how happy we both are together and how our love for each other is growing. My Glad is a gem! We as a family are very happy together. Steve is going really well at school and likes it. He‘s also madly keen on riding and working on our old motorbike. It has been the source of much enjoyment for many people. David knows how to handle it well too!

Pop dear, we pray the Lord to bless you especially this Christmas season as we celebrate the time God Himself intervened in history to send us a Saviour. Trust Him for your salvation.

Thanks for everything you‘ve done for me, Pop. Glady says to thank you and dear Mother for all you both taught me while I was growing up, she reckons it‘s paying off!

Your loving Son, Hap and Glady, Steve, Dave and Peter Letter To Dad From Ukarumpa 23rd October 1977 Dearest Dad and all others who read this, Greetings to you from us up here. Thought I‘d better get a personal letter to you as well as the regular form letter. Steve keeps us informed of your doings and health but I never did hear any reports on the itch you had when I was down. Did the Docs ever find out the root cause? Was it heat? I‘ve heard lately that Sydney is beginning to heat up already; hope you have your fan overhauled and ready for action.

By the way, when did you last see Steve and did he mention anything about moving up here?

In a way I hope he settles down to a $ earning job; but I know his time up here is valuable too. In the past he‘s been a real help to me in my work on airstrips and hydro. If he comes up this time I‘ll be teaching him, as I did with David, how to handle gelignite in blasting rock. I did a one week course in Lae with Department of Mines and Industry and learnt the ropes in theory with a little practical. I‘ve picked up quite a few points from a local Euro Gold miner who has used explosives for 30 years. I find this sort of work to be fun, challenging and satisfying! I thoroughly enjoy it. So far I‘ve used 10x25kg boxes gely.

Dave is doing very well in his second year of Diesel and Mechanical Automotive apprenticeship. Perhaps you remember that last year it was not known for about 8-9 months if he could start an official apprenticeship since PNG independence in September 1974.

Since Dave‘s always wanted to be a mechanic, he‘s really grateful that he has this unique opportunity. Actually, as soon as he finished grade 10 he started working at the SIL Auto Shop. His and our reasoning was that if he could be signed up for an official apprenticeship at SIL it would be great. If that weren‘t possible, at least he was learning a lot under supervision and being very useful. There are two or three SIL members who are trained

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mechanics working in the shop as well as one PNG apprentice there. He gets his theory by correspondence lessons from the West Australia Apprenticeship Board. He‘s allowed two four-hour sessions per week from the automotive department to do his lessons. He needs more time to do it thoroughly so he studies some on several week-nights. His grades have been very satisfying and he can read and understand with the pictures and/or drawings whatever he needs to be studying. This we see as such a real answer to prayer seeing his need to repeat second grade when he was seven years old and his abilities now at age 17; we call it our 10 year miracle!

Finally, it became official that he had an apprenticeship – just what he and we all wanted!

He could live at home and ride his motorcycle about five minutes to the auto shop. There would be shop devotions at 7:45-8:00am then various work until morning tea at 10am for fifteen minutes. He could come home for lunch 12-1pm and back to the shop with ‗avo‘ (afternoon) tea for 15 minutes at 3pm and off work at 5pm. The pay is about 35% of an Australian apprenticeship but the overall experiences would be hard to beat. Living at home he still has his former school classmates for church youth group and social life. In his former class there are two boys and seven girls continuing in high school. The girls always want Dave and fellow classmate Lance to ‗just come. You don‟t have to bring any food!‟ Already he is developing a sense of humour sorta like me! We‘re really pleased to note that David seems wise with his spending and largely is buying tools of trade for himself.

Peter is really plodding along at school and he really likes math! He is also excelling at home farm work. He‘s keenly interested in chickens and ducks. There are three kinds of ducks; only one is real common here being the Muscovy. He‘s breeding the other two types from fertilised eggs we got from Goroka, which are far better layers than the Muscovy. We‘re mixing our own feed instead of buying feed imported from Aussie. We also have three hives of bees which we raided a couple weeks ago. We only did one super of seven frames and got only 17 pounds honey. We‘re slowly building up our protective clothing and hives. The honey has a distinctive coffee flavour due to the amount of coffee blossoms in these parts.

In the High School set up here we have a science fair and cultural arts display each year.

Peter and I decided he‘d build a honey extractor. He did about 80-90% of it and I was able to teach him to electric weld and to do machining on the lathe, which is in our basement.

We mounted an old gear drive that I brought up in 1961 from an old washing machine from the shed. It‘s a beauty and only cost a couple of Kina (PNG currency) altogether.

Glady is doing fine and is healthy. She changed jobs two weeks ago from being the aviation book keeper which she did for 3 years 8 months and is now in accommodations; looking after the housing for people coming and going. She really likes it but, it‘s a big job as there are about 170 European houses here at the SIL centre.

I‘ve been able to persuade her to come back with me next time I go to the Sim airstrip in just on a week on 1st November. We‘ll be coming back 18 November going both ways by helicopter about 1½ hours each way. We land at Wau to refuel and pick up two boxes gelignite to carry in. There‘ll be four of us altogether going, by helicopter and three by fixed wing 206 Cessna.

Couple nights ago Steve rang and told us he‘d be hoping to come up Christmas and work a bit and maybe bring a room mate of his who is a farmer‘s kid. So maybe he‘ll be able to drive our Massey Ferguson tractor out there. Steve reckons he bought a ¼ share of a Land

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Rover a few weeks ago. Sensible dealing, as the Rover‘s a ‗good machine‘ and good investment (like father like son sort of thing).

When you see Steve again ask him what happened to the slide series on Airstrip work that I think I left with him before I left last Jan. The slides are of the Sim Strip.

Hope you enjoy the pictures enclosed.

Again Pop, thanks for all you‟ve done for me over the years! Glady and I surely appreciate yours and Mother‟s love to me and us. Glady and I love you, Pop. The Lord bless you richly!

Hap and Glad and Dave and Pete Excerpt From Letter To My Dad, Harry And Step-Mother, Emmy Price Written at Ukarumpa while Sim Airstrip was „on the go‟. December 13, 1977 ...David and Peter have been very cooperative, even though their Dad is away quite a bit.

Hap really gives them quality time when he‘s here. They work together on things or talk about mechanical articles or work in the garden together or with the chickens and ducks when they have free time. Needless to say we have quite a few people in to eat and or to see slides about the airstrip work. Also Hap takes trips to Lae to talk to the Government people about the progress on the airstrip and how their money and the people‘s is being spent. Of course he also has to order the supplies (dynamite, fuel and food) and then organize the Cessna and helicopter flights. (I‘m his right hand on all this.) As you can see he has to be a multi-talented person and it is an amazing job that is being accomplished there too. I believe it all the more since I‘ve been there and enjoy helping the people (and Hap of course) so much.

David finished his second year correspondence lessons in good order and got about 93% Australian average (about 96-97% American). So now he‘s started his third of four years, he‘s just over half way. He‘ll be taking some of his holidays with us on his Honda 125 motorcycle. He‘s looking forward to going to Mount Hagen and some of the Southern Highlands, Mendi and Baiyer River in the Western Highlands too. Glad he can. He‘s bought a hammock, waterproof ruck sack etc. to be ready for it. Perhaps some of these other visitors will go with him too.

Last Friday Dave and Pete with our permission hitchhiked to Lae. They stayed at our SIL Guest house there. They went so that Dave could have his vehicle towed back up here. Orba, a national who works in the auto department whom we‘ve known for over eight years, took some fellow workers to Lae so that he could tow Dave‘s Land Rover back up here. Two and a half weeks ago when Hap was in Lae he heard about an Army Auction coming up so looked at the vehicles. When he returned home he recommended to David that he place a bid on this certain one for up to this certain figure. We phoned the information to Lae for a fellow SIL‘er who was going to attend the sale to bid for us. He got it for K25 under that figure! Hap and I are very pleased that Dave is really chirpy with it too. It‘s sitting outside here now, in all its ‗glory‘ (dented front right fender, no canopy) but apparently it‘s in pretty good mechanical condition. It‘s a ‘71 model. Steve bought a ¼ share of a Land Rover in Australia about six weeks ago. So as soon as the phone call came through that we had the Lae Land Rover, Dave turned to 13 year old Pete and said ―Pete, you‘ve got to buy a Land Rover.‖ Is it amazing how some things run in families?! Already the boys and us have talked

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of the possibilities of shipping our one or the other (Dave‘s) of the Land Rovers south in two years time and going around Australia in it to see Darwin and some of the outback.

Written At Sim Airstrip Oct 1978 Dearest Dad, Even as both our birthdays fast approach I say to you and dear Mother (if she could hear this) thanks so much that I came to be in yours, then our family; I‘m most grateful for your example to me in so many ways – thanks Dad. I‘m also so grateful that I became born into God‘s family through the New Birth in Jesus Christ. This has given me completion and fulfilment as nothing ever did, or nothing ever could have. I‘m so grateful too for the family that God has given me, for His many blessings to me personally; for His peace; for satisfaction for His love for me, through you and the rest of the gang. Thanks Pop for having me. I love you for it – as well as for other ways too.

Steve has probably told you what‘s going on up here in PNG but I won‘t assume that.

We‘ve been tied up as a family to this airstrip at Sim. I showed pictures of it when I was down there 2 years ago nearly. Well, I‘m still on it, but don‘t plan to leave here (at Sim) till we finish it this time. It‘s the largest and longest single job I‘ve ever tackled or even hope to (except marriage, which I‘m very very happy, satisfied, fulfilled and contented in).

Dave was out here about 15 months ago with me to assemble a Fergusson 35X diesel tractor which we‘d lifted in 9 loads under a helicopter. Glady has been in here twice and third time when she comes in on my birthday on the 31st – then we‘ll all fly out together a week or so later when it‘s passed ―commercial‖. Peter or Steve hasn‘t been here, but Pete has certainly helped in his attitudes at home and at school when I‘m gone.

Pete is hoping to drop French next year and do Tech Drawing and Mechanics in its place.

I‘m happy with the choice as I feel these will be more beneficial in the long run than language – seems like he‘s too much like me. He really likes the garden work. He has about 25 ducks now, Khaki Campbell‘s – a noisy, brown, good layer duck. A bit scrawny and no good for eating. But he‘s getting a very good supply of eggs. Our silver beet (Swiss chard) has never been better or bigger – thanks to chickens and ducks. He‘s playing Aussie Rules Footie at school about 3 or 4 arvos (afternoons) a week. He‘s a fairly good worker around the house too. He and I are sorta starting business in coffee tables made from slabs of Lae grown rain trees. When angle cut by cross cut (6 ft) saw and then sanded and polished they come up with a beautiful grain and surface. We have about 35 seasoning in our attic. I plan to send some down with Steve or by crate. They‘re especially beautiful after we‘ve put Esterpol on it! Another hobby we have together is ―bees‖ and right at this moment I have the affects of 4 bee stings on my right arm a week ago and it‘s still stiff and sore. We divided our two hives last Sun and Mon to get 4 in all. Then we hope to go into production of honey.

Dave just got back roughly a week ago from a very interesting and challenging job where he spent 3 weeks on a bush airstrip job. He and I drove with another missionary from Wesleyan Methodist church in his truck from Ukarumpa to Pangia south of Mount Hagen. It took us 2 ½ hours as we had about 4 ½ tons on a 3 ton truck. We were loaded down with Ray Hocking‘s 4 wheel drive tractor, trailer, camping gear and other airstrip gear. Dave and my job was to scale out all the gear into sling-loads of up to 320 kg for our helicopter to fly in to the new airstrip site 30 miles east of Erave in Papua on Erave River and south of Hagen. Our chopper did 24 flights including 10 passengers and took 4 days to complete it because of bad weather. My specific job was to actually stand underneath the hovering chopper and place

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the sling ends onto the chopper hook – then try to direct the pilot as he lifts the load. Much of our loading was on the racks on either side. I also had to refuel the chopper. Dave really enjoyed the experience because our pilot, Roy Harris, had some real fancy camera gear and he clued Dave in on using it. It was great working together as a father and son team. We stayed with the ‗misho‘ (missionary) family, the Larry Kirks, for the 4 days. Dave eventually flew in to Wopasali with Larry Kirk and helped reassemble all the bits and pieces to form the tractor and tipper trailer. Larry came back home by chopper that same afternoon and Dave remained to finish off. He was there for 2 ½ weeks operating the tractor for a few hours.

They finally returned from there by a 1 ½ hour flight in chopper because of excessive rain.

Ray Hocking will return there after this job is over and the weather clears there.

Glady is keeping in 1 st class health and has the job of base hostess – she looks after the housing for all our people coming and going from and to their own houses as well as group housing. It‘s quite a job and reminds me of a jig saw puzzle, draughts, checkers or chess.

She really enjoys it and it‘s hard to drag her away from it. But she is coming this way for 31st Oct 78.

Well it‘s been great talking with you Dad. Thanks, we love you and ask the good Lord to bless you in Jesus.

Love from 2nd son, Hap

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO REGIONAL CENTERS Port Moresby, The Capital of PNG We knew that the Regional Centres of SIL in PNG had a very important role to fill in the programs of our language teams. It wasn‘t a case of ‗one size fits all‘! Each support centre had its own unique needs to fulfil for the region. There was usually a need for extra accommodation for people needing to stay at the Centre while shopping for supplies, tickets, meeting relatives/friends, attending hospital or medical appointments and for using governmental consular services.

In Port Moresby in around 1960 a keen Christian couple with an almost grown son filled a great need for the interdenominational faith missions. This need was that of accommodation for personnel while in Port Moresby. My memory tells me it was a Mrs Mae Brett whose husband had a responsible job in business or government. This left Mrs Mae Brett free and ever so willing to shop for and manage the Missionary Home in Boroko. It became known as MAPANG, standing for the committee representing the Missionary Association of Papua and New Guinea. Fortunately there was sufficient national staff that were well trained in cooking, cleaning and laundry. This enabled the hostess to make the bookings and help meet the guests‘ needs. The prices were affordable and everyone staying there would eat together with the Host family if possible. The fellowship at the meal table was choice. I remember that we stayed our first two nights at MAPANG when we arrived on August 2 with two little pre-schoolers before attending Jungle Camp.

Because MAPANG was in Port Moresby, SIL only had to find housing for people if they were doing longer term government relation work there. The SIL regional managers were also responsible for meeting the SIL aircraft that flew in and out of Port Moresby, doing the necessary buying of supplies for departments and personnel as requested.

Lae Lae is the Capital of Morobe Province near the mouth of the Markham River and Valley.

This area was the site of a bloody and decisive battle in WWII which raged on land, sea and in the air during 1943. It was after Guadalcanal and lasted about one year. It became the first land battle where the Japanese forces had to turn back. It was a turning point of the war. This was after the Kokoda Trail battles and before the very costly Shaggy Ridge standoff which happened on the north side toward Madang in the Ramu Valley.

On August 4, 1961 we arrived in Lae to start the phase of Jungle Camp where we were trained in swimming and water safety. Needless to say some people didn‘t know how to swim or how to be safe in the water. Some people would need this skill in their missionary work. It was good training and fun for the children also.

Fortunately the women and families stayed in the Scout Hall. The storage room became ideal for our family. Like the others, we slept in or on our sleeping bags on the floor. It was a new experience to cope with the tropical heat. I well remember disembarking our aircraft (DC6B) at 6am on the tarmac in Port Moresby and feeling as though we were walking into an oven.

To arrive at 6am in New Guinea the aircraft had to leave Brisbane at 2am! The early arrival

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was necessary to avoid tropical cloud build-up later in the mornings, thus easing the take off and landing of the flights.

During the swimming and water safety phase we also sewed a mosquito proof room for the next phase of training that happened in the Markham Valley near Kaiapit. It was also known as the Advance Base as it was on the south side of the Markham River and farther away from civilization. It was quite an adventure to cross for the first time the river which was about three feet deep! I lost one plastic shoe off my foot where the current was most swift and I knew it wasn‘t worth looking for it either!

The ‗mosquito room‘ that we had sewed was such a great idea. Malaria and other tropical disease can be such a hazard and debilitating. Early on we learned that one ounce of prevention is sometimes much wiser than a pound of cure. We were encouraged to wear long pants, long sleeve tops or shirts, relatively full long skirts and a head scarf if we knew that we were going to be exposed to mosquitoes such as out of doors around sundown or sunrise.

The roof and the bottom three feet of the walls were made of a muslin material (inexpensive cotton). The muslin bottom was able to be turned under the inside floor mats to keep the insects out. The six foot high walls were made of mosquito netting attached to the muslin roof and bottom sections. We felt really snug inside the mosquito room that allowed the breeze to come through the netting.

At the advance base we learned about health and safety in the bush. We are usually afraid of what we don‘t know about yet. With six adult translator staff (and four pre-schoolers of staff members) we were in good hands to learn from their cultural wisdom. They had gained this knowledge from their experiences in their tribal locations. Three of the four staff women happened to be Australian registered nurses. One of our planned practical experiences was a three day hike which included sleeping each of the three nights in jungle hammocks within different village settings.

Rabaul, Man Overboard When Glady and I returned to Rabaul after completing the Nutuve airstrip improvement project in 1987 we volunteered to look after the SIL centre there for seven months as an urgent need had arisen to have a Centre Manager and Buyer there. The SIL Centre was about two miles from the base of an active volcano that hadn‘t blown for fifty years—but it did blow again in 1995. It then destroyed the SIL facilities and wrecked the town, airstrip and dwellings. In 1987 the harbour was fantastic for sailing where I‘d take other SIL folks out with me. I‘d been given a ‗beaut‘ little 11½-foot sailboat complete. The condition of the gift was that I had to repair a large hole in the bottom of the boat, which had been caused by a falling coconut. It was a very satisfying trade and we enjoyed it immensely!

I‘d have it in the harbour about every second weekend with all sorts of ‗sailors.‘ Some who knew sailing took it out by themselves. Several occasions stand out. I took the boat out with a German missionary who‘d never been sailing before. I got him comfortable and assured him that all would be well. He took the halyard (rope) for the fore sail and I controlled the main sail as well as the tiller or rudder. We were leaving - heading out for my favorite place called the Beehives - volcanic island plugs. I‘d usually circle them twice and then head back home. As I was leaning out and going at a reasonable clip, my feet broke the restraining strap, and I tumbled out backwards into the drink! Man Overboard!

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Quite a shock, to say the least, and I must have done a perfect roll as I didn‘t even lose my hat! I called to my friend to throw me a life jacket and to steer the boat back to me. He was unable to get to the tiller as he was in shock—but amazingly the boat turned in a couple of lengths and turned back towards me! I was surprised—yet I swam to intercept it—then climbed aboard. I was rather shocked myself, but really grateful to God for that deliverance! That day I learned to trail about 40‘ of rope behind the boat with a small knot in the end and to wear the life jacket!

We still had a great enjoyable day with much excitement. I think my friend enjoyed himself as we both learned lessons that day. Over 20 years have passed since then, and we still hear from him!

The Giant “Mercy” US Naval Hospital Ship Another highlight in the same locale was meeting a visiting U. S. hospital ship, the ―Mercy‖ which weighed in at about 68,000 tons! It was a former super tanker behemoth compared with my 12-foot sailboat! I had as crew a former Vietnam Army pilot, Perry Schlie, who had become a Bible Translator in New Britain, and a Tongan Pentecostal pastor. As we sailed toward the monster ship, we were nearly blasted out of the water by their raucous horn. I changed course quickly even though it was only crawling along toward us. We stayed about 50 feet from it and on a parallel course looking up and talking with some of the crew. It was exciting to be so close to this giant!

Later that day we met some of the crew and one of them who was an avid sailor. Through him we not only were invited aboard, but we had a conducted tour of the ship including their engine room. We saw the propeller shaft, which was 28‖ diameter, but a short one with engine room at the stern. We had George Ah-ken, a local friend with us there. We met the ship‘s Chaplain and he invited us to visit them on a Sunday morning for chapel—so I told them about Bible Translation in PNG and also in the Rabaul area. It was a real joy to share Christ with Americans on their rented ship in a foreign country in their language! At chapel I based the message on the book of Esther where a message was taken out in 127 languages, then another message for the Jews in their language so they could understand what their future held for them—slaughter and death. But, by being prepared, they won the victory and were not annihilated. Hallelujah! The Jewish holiday Purim has come from that victory.

We packed our personal items after 32 years in PNG in a one cubic meter crate and Hap‘s tools in another crate to send to Eric and Jean Barham in Brisbane who were happy to collect and store our crates until we were more settled. For a week in July 1994 while on furlough we checked out the possibilities of serving at Berrimah, Northern Territory just outside of Darwin. What began as a gentle nudge to fill a need in Darwin became a reality in March 1995.

Darwin, Western Creek Station at Larrimah On our way from Brisbane to Darwin in March, 1995 we called in briefly at Larrimah, Northern Territory four hours south of Darwin. We had just finished reading ‗Evidence Not Seen‘ which is an absorbing and inspiring account of Darlene Rose as a Prisoner of War in a Japanese camp soon after the fall of Singapore early in WWII. She had been imprisoned on the island of Borneo.

In 1954-1955, while attending the Missionary Training Institute, Hap and I had heard about several missionaries entering the interior of Dutch New Guinea. We followed with real

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interest the events of several mission and pioneer missionaries endeavouring to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people in this hazardous terrain and in primative conditions. One family that entered the Baliem Valley of Dutch New Guinea in the earliest days of the Gospel advance was Jerry and Darlene Rose. Later the Rose‘s had two sons, Bruce and Brian.

When they were in PNG we met Jerry and Darlene and their two teenage sons at their Nondugl Coffee Plantation. We were duly impressed by their humility and ingenuity in awkward and trying situations.

We decided that we would try to look them up at Larrimah as the book we had read gave that as their most recent address. Surprisingly, we got to talk with Wilson, Bruce‘s best friend and he was able to give us the Rose‘s address and phone number in Darwin.

After we settled into our new assignments at the SIL center at Berrimah we phoned the Roses. During our conversation we learned that Jerry had recently had sunstroke and this caused quite a number of changes for their family. Jerry and Darlene sensed that Jerry would not be physically able to farm now. Bruce and his wife Gabriele also realized that Bruce could not operate the Western Creek Station on his own either. Therefore their united decision became for Gabriele to study full time at the Northern Territory University in her chosen fields of law and accounting while Bruce looked after the home and children.

Fortunately, one third of the Station with a good house on it had sold, so that Jerry and Darlene could buy a house in Darwin for Bruce and his family. There was a ground level granny flat being added for Jerry and Darlene.

An opportunity came a little later that we could help them. In order for them to sell some of the farm machinery and equipment it needed some maintenance and cleaning up. We hoped to help them in this need. Fortunately too it was quite possible for us to get a week of vacation to assist them. We found it such a real blessing to learn more first hand about their many years and experiences as pioneer missionaries. This was in Dutch New Guinea in the 1950‘s and then a decade later at Nondugl Coffee Plantation.

As we were preparing to leave the Western Creek Station knowing that they didn‘t plan to live there again to operate the Station, we asked Jerry and Darlene what they planned to do with the employee caravan (house trailer). That morning we had taken a look at it. Jerry and Darlene asked ―Would you be interested in it?‖ We answered ―We have lately been thinking that it might be a good thing for us to investigate living in a caravan. There are spaces for twelve caravans at our SIL centre. Just now there are two empty 30 foot square concrete slabs with 30 foot gable iron roofs available for rent. If it all sounds alright to you, we can offer you $1,000 for it.‖ ―We would need to phone our financial partner in Sydney and see what he thinks before we could give you an answer‖ Jerry said.

The next time we saw the Roses we learned that their Sydney partner agreed with Jerry and Darlene that we could have the caravan at no cost! We asked ―Why?‖

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―Because we told him that you had gone in the 1960‘s to PNG as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and that you wouldn‘t let us pay you anything for helping us all week with maintenance and cleaning!‖ they explained. ―Thank you very much to all of you!‖ we were so thankful and excited. Now to plan for its transport to its new home at the SIL Centre.

Steps to becoming a Lovely Swan In a few weeks a farm truck that Jerry and Bruce wanted to sell at an auction in Darwin could tow our caravan for us from the Station to the SIL Centre. When we arrived at Katherine after leaving the Station we had to revise our original transport plan. The truck and driver needed to proceed to Darwin that night. However, we learned that caravans can not travel after 6pm on the public roads. A former SIL Builder in the AAIB, Jack and his dear wife Yvonne Sehatz made us feel so welcome to stay the night with them in Katherine.

We would return the next Friday to finish the homeward journey for the caravan on Saturday in full daylight hours with a proper permit and not risk a fine. It was good that our six cylinder car was strong enough to tow the 22 foot caravan. Jack was able to give Hap sound advice on making the caravan cooler for the tropics. That advice was practical and well taken by Hap. When we arrived safely and without any drama at SIL Berrimah we parked this new arrival inside the safety fence of the Maintenance area. Wisely we planned to dismantle the unnecessary parts like bad wood and broken tiles as well as repair windows before moving it to the concrete slab and shelter. Hap and I made up a questionnaire and copied it five times.

We gave one to five different men on the SIL Centre for their honest evaluation about doing up the caravan. We asked about how much it might cost, how long it could take, was it worth doing it up? Two questionnaires came back quickly with responses that were interesting and almost predictable. ―Burn it, it‘s not worth the effort, time or money!‖ Two more gave answers and evaluations with approximate costs of $1,000 - $2,000 and a time frame of 1-2 months. One man did more research and put the costs at $3,000 with more than two months of work. The three later responses agreed that it would take some new wood, tiles and a new kitchen. The stove and fridge were almost write offs. Sometimes a challenge like that is what makes a man like Hap thrive.

To us this special ‗out of hours‘ project became a thrilling story unfolding of our ‗ugly duckling‘ becoming a ‗lovely swan‘! After looking over the caravan our friend and joiner Brian Finlay excitedly proclaimed ―I‘m going to make you a whole new kitchen!‖ All he let us pay for was the materials! The kitchen boasted a Lazy Suzan cabinet revolving in each corner which were such a needed storage blessing (my back was thankful too!). Amazingly we came by a used but excellent, normal sized fridge for free! We knew that with the two gas burners that were useable on the stove, a toaster, electric frying pan and an electric sauce pan we were all set up in the kitchen. There was a Wycliffe associate work party on the centre for two weeks. Wonderfully one man was able to help us for a couple of days by holding up ceiling panelling for Hap to nail in place. This project also lured my help and we were surprised how quickly the project was accomplished! We didn‘t keep a strict account of our spending but it would have been less than $1,000! One dear lady friend offered to paint it for us. However, when it was hosed down from all the red dust it didn‘t even need a paint job and it was over 20 years old! We praised the Lord for it all and were so content. The good Lord was in it all!

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It is true enough that the caravan did have white ant (termite) damage throughout its wooden sections. That probably made it easier to redesign its interior to our usefulness. Of primary consideration at our age was to be able to walk on both sides of the bed. We could see that our feet could fit under the wide back window where as our head could not fit in the confined space. In fact it proved to be an advantage to have our heads and torso‘s under the 4 foot square exhaust fan in the ceiling above the double mattress.

We were able to make closets and drawers for each of us that also served as a room divider between the bedroom and living area. The bedroom drawers were stackable and made of plastic covered wire in an overall metal frame. They were easily obtained as they were commercially made. A cafe door near the centre of the caravan completed the practical room divider but allowed for good air circulation. The three 7 inch screened air ducts at each side and under the bed centrally were an effective and simple means of cooling the atmosphere for living and sleeping.

Hap bought a used but good wooden deck about four feet by seven feet for the outside of the main door. We put our fridge on it which gave easy access to it from the kitchen. We felt very well set up. We made an upholstered bench seat on each side wall that lifted for storage.

Under each seat there was a 7 inch screened air duct for natural cooling. John Kellet, a neighbour and builder, cut the ceiling and installed our good second-hand air conditioners!

We found the right adaptable table that could seat six people for a meal or it could be lowered to use as a coffee table. The table also turned ninety degrees adding to the ways it could be used and helped with traffic flow. We walled in the extra outdoor undercover area with green shade cloth to keep out rain and wind during the wet season. Our Mazda van stayed in the drive way when we ate our meals in the outdoor living area that doubled as a carport. It was extremely practical.

We got some lattice from the Tip Recycle Shop which we mended and painted green. Hap built a work shop with the green lattice on three sides. It even had two ceiling fans! He had everything he needed! Sometimes Hap laughingly said ―With Glady inside and me in my workshop here, what else do I need!‖ We had two beautiful bougainvilleas climbing in our garden. The ‗ugly duckling‘ blessing of Rose‘s caravan had been transformed into a practical ‗lovely swan‘. We enjoyed this home for five wonderful years until we left Darwin in mid 2002. We were so grateful to God that Hap and I had done the necessary renovations within three months in such affordable ways. We were thrilled that when we left we could pass the caravan on to long term friends, Bruce and Jeanie Jagst.

The Ambon Evacuation There was a night time emergency evacuation for 15 SIL members and 15 children on a Friday morning at 6am to Darwin Airport in 1997. The 10 who could not come that night due to distance from the airport came on Wednesday as commercial passengers. This brought the total number of adults and children to 40 (20 of each). This evacuation was the result of careful planning over a couple of months for these folks to be evacuated to Darwin if the emergency arose. It was a very dark threatening situation for these people at Ambon Island in the Celebes of Indonesia, about 700 miles north of Darwin. In this part of the world Islam had become increasingly militant toward Christians, missionaries and foreigners. In light of this becoming foreboding, contingency plans were made if it became necessary to evacuate the expatriate personnel. There had been communication between our AAIB and the SIL leaders at Ambon on Thursday afternoon regarding the escalating situation. It was

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concluded then to evacuate the SIL members by Air North to Darwin the following morning.

The commercial operators were most cooperative and helpful. They even brought lunches and refreshments for all onboard as they flew across the 700 miles.

We at Darwin were planning on them coming if the situation warranted. We had prepared several caravans and made them available on both the SIL base and at another location nearby. We did everything we could to help accommodate them with not knowing how long they would stay. The whole of SIL Darwin was open for them! Sunday afternoon they had their own fellowship meeting and unwinding from the previous very stressful days.

We locals knew of the excess of used bikes available at the ‗Recycling Tip Shop‘. Why was there an excess of bikes? To many tourists, Darwin is the end of their journey. The last thing they need to think about before they get on a plane is ―what will I do with my bicycle? I don‘t want to pay to take it with me. I guess I‘ll just have to leave it for someone else!‖ There has been quite a surplus of bikes left abandoned for the police to pick up. Several times a year there were advertised bike sales at the police station. Other bikes were taken to the Darwin ‗Recycle Tip Shop‘.

On the Monday morning we recommended to the leaders that we take some of the Dad‘s and kids of the Ambon evacuation out to the Darwin ‗Recycling Tip Shop‘ where we could buy a whole lot of old rejected but useable bicycles for all the kids. We used our own vehicles as well as the SIL dump truck. About 10 kids and several of their Dad‘s all journeyed together and between us we gathered 27 bikes. We loaded them onto the dump truck then tied them down so they wouldn‘t vibrate off. All of us were so excited and grateful to the Lord for His provision of the bikes, from the tip, for the willingness of the Dads and the great fellowship we had together. We were thankful for the bargain we found in getting 27 bikes for just $126!

Immediately we were into checking over all the bikes for chains, wheels, tyres, frames and lubrication. We all were so involved in fixing bikes that we missed some of lunch due to all the excitement! After checking all the bikes we let the kids decide which one suited their size, etc. As soon as one bike was released as safe and cleaned, they would be off riding and laughing. The kids were overjoyed at being able to ride around the 20 acres. Later under our supervision they could ride off the centre. You could see the joy of acceptance and cooperating together even for the Dads. It was the most sensational, dynamic experience of my time in our seven years in Darwin. They were all rejoicing and exuberant. Thank you, Jesus for those families, the kids and the experience of being and working in Your family. I never had such a blessing and joyous satisfaction as that day.

You would have been thrilled to see all those kids on bikes and a couple of Dads just riding, laughing and waving to each other. There was a new found freedom and safety. It was joyous for all the parents to hear their own kids laughing, whistling and talking with each other. They had a freedom in Jesus Christ in Darwin.

Oh, That Door Is Closed!

An unusual incident happened to me in Darwin while we attended the Casuarina Uniting Church service one Sunday evening in about 2002. A high ranking overseer from Alice Springs had come up to induct the new minister.

The congregation were all quiet at one point when Glady suddenly started coughing. I went to get some water for her. I came back with a plastic cup of water by a different route. I did

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not notice the sliding glass door was closed! I charged into it full bore! My nose and forehead hit the solid glass door with a thud. The cup and water went out of my hand. About one third of the congregation near that door saw or heard what happened to me. The impact to my head knocked me off balance and backwards. I rolled in a complete backward roll until I was able to recover and get up about 8 feet away from the door.

I felt much consternation from shock and for nearly breaking the glass as well as the possible effect on the meeting. (I wonder if people thought I was a break and entry intruder!).

The next day I bought and placed duct tape across that door and others like it to indicate that there were glass doorways there. People were glad to see the duct tape as it provided some protection for other innocent persons who may fall at a ‗presumed‘ opening of a glass door.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO PHOTOS REGIONAL CENTERS

Glady meeting flights Shawn and Jed fishing with Grandpa Hap

Prayer card in 1980

Grandpa Hap with Jed Skinner

Sailing in Rabaul

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Mercy US Naval Hospital Ship

Hap's 70th birthday in 1998

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE MISCELLANEOUS The Ground At Calvary Is Level Some have lots of talents, and some have one or two talents. In the body of Christ there can be real unity. The haves and have nots, those who have money and those who don‘t have money. I‘ve heard of some churches who don‘t know who have and don‘t have money.

There‘s a very real difference there but it doesn‘t make any real difference in their love for one another. They can go forward glorifying the Lord together as a congregation. Then there are those who have education and those who don‘t, there are a lot who do very, very well without a lot of letters after their name. There are those who do have a lot of formal education who haven‘t been able to get much from it. I am so grateful that Jesus in all cultures throughout the world breaks down the walls and divisions that don‘t have to be there. As some have said ―the ground at Calvary is level‖.

We have an Aboriginal friend, his name is Rodney Rivers, he and his wife and 4 children, lived three or four houses from us for 6 of the 7 years we were in Darwin. Glenys, his wife, was a special friend of mine. He said ―There is no reconciliation between Aboriginals and Non-Aboriginal Australians apart from Calvary - through the blood of Jesus. There are people who just want to use one another instead of being friends in unity, being reconciled, forgiving the sins of the other in the past.‖ I think he was so right.

Why Ray Had To Teach Mechanics Ray and Marj Dubert came to PNG with 5 young children about the time we did. Their son Steve was a classmate of our son Steve and they became great friends. We went to the Duberts‘ Bianga village near Wau for a school holiday vacation once when the older boys were about 12 years old. It was a never to be forgotten and enjoyable time. One day the Dad‘s and the 4 older boys went to a crashed wartime plane, a B-17, four-engine bomber. It was about 2 hour‘s difficult hike both ways but a high adventure for all. Lots of photos and stories came back. They salvaged a generator and starter motor. They learned that only the rear gunner had been killed in the forced landing.

Back at their village house I learned from Marj that Ray had to teach the local village men a course in mechanics one night each week. I asked why. Marj said ―Because the local people would bring pressure lamps, pressure stoves, guns, saws to be sharpened, etc to be repaired and the people began to think and say when Ray successfully repaired each item that he has magic in his hands. Since the locals hadn‘t learned these basic mechanical principles, Ray concluded that he needed to teach them some basic mechanics. The men really appreciated it so much. Eventually they owned and successfully operated a sawmill to cut and saw some of their own trees. My, what it does for the morale of local people when they can get this kind of help!

Dave Early‟s Snake Story – Lake Trist Used with permission He was a very experienced pilot in the Australian Army; flying helicopters and STOL aircraft. This day since he was now flying with SIL in PNG, his job was to fly a helicopter from Aiyura to the Wau area, then across to the coast. He was keeping a close eye on the weather and at 5,000 feet in the Lake Trist area it can close in quickly! He was keeping a

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close check on all the clouds to make sure they didn‘t close behind him or ahead but he had to set it down before the clouds suddenly cut him off. The only place to set the ‘copter down was around the Lake Trist area where it was level.

But he found to his surprise that there was a „large black tractor tire‟ there. Then as the ‗copter sat on it, it moved! To his horror, it was a very large snake (about 4” across!) coiled up as though dead. If he didn‘t pin the snake, he‘d have to face an angry snake on the snakes own territory. He pinned the snake, which struck several times at the Perspex cab.

He reached for the machete in the cab and approached the snake very cautiously and sharply struck it several times but also cutting into the skid. After this shaking incident, Dave returned to the cab and had to sit there patiently waiting and waiting for the cloud cover to clear. He couldn‘t immediately share his experience with anyone even by radio. He eventually got through to his destination on the coast where he could refuel and find a place to unwind!

A few months later Dave was over the border in Irian Jaya doing a helicopter survey of some languages. He stopped at a Guest House, and the subject of this ―smart, big head, and daredevil bush pilot from Aussie‖ came up. Dave could barely identify the story to be him.

He began to dislike the untruths he was hearing! Finally, he said to those present, ―Now can I tell you what really happened, „cause that pilot was me!”

Engine Failure I was accompanying our helicopter (Hiller H12) pilot from Sim Airstrip right to Aiyura about 300 miles to home base. We were flying over Aiyura getting ready for set down when a message came over the headphones from the control tower ―be aware of the SIL aircraft in the proximity practicing dead engine landings‖ ―Roger, in sight.‖ We saw the aircraft landing with the prop just turning; it had no power!

One could think ―what a waste of time‖, but these fellas were getting experience that was invaluable!

About 3 weeks later these same 2 pilots one a senior and one a junior but in opposite seats were flying a Cessna 206, having picked up 2 translator women from Goodenough Island.

To the totally unexpected surprise of all, the radio signal of the aircraft was not able to be received at the usual height over the water. So this day the answer for this situation was for the pilots to take the plane up to 12,000 feet elevation for better radio reception. Normally they would have gone the 15 miles from Goodenough Island to the mainland at just 1 or 2 thousand feet. After climbing to 12,000 feet where they now had good wireless/radio reception they had complete engine failure! That day in retrospect they were so glad that they had all those extra miles to come down through with no power from their engine. Do you think the pilots were grateful to God that they‘d taken time to practice what to do in engine failure? They flew in to Wanagela strip on the main land with a completely dead engine. The craft rolled in to the parking bay where the waiting people thought it was a normal landing but when the prop stopped turning they knew something was wrong. The two women passengers were so grateful that these two pilots had some previous experience!

Another replacement engine was flown in and the engine changed at the site. On examination back at the Aiyura hanger they found that the crankshaft had broken in 2 places.

It was a new plane and had only flown a little in the US, across the Pacific from California to Hawaii, then on to PNG and flown 26 hours in PNG. Why didn‘t this happen on that trip? It

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was so close but God the Lord was in charge and didn‘t catch the pilots off guard or by surprise. Thank you, Jesus, who knows all things.

A Summary Of 32 Years Of Sideline Adventure Trips In New Guinea While working on airstrips sometimes we would investigate some of the war wreckage.

1) There is a Japanese fighter which was half buried in the river in a Ramu tributary. It was a Nakajima fighter with a radial engine. We had to cross 2 rivers to find this wreck and identify it.

2) The Gusap River near the airstrip in the Ramu valley was a dump site for US Aircraft during WWII. There were all sizes of bulldozer blades, 18 small calf dozers with blades and tracks and engines all lined up ready for action. They were all rusted up after 60 years of exposure, but I could have used the small dozer blades had I known about them earlier. Peter Skinner found them when he was in the Ramu Valley by the Gusap Airstrip. These small dozers were carried in Douglas DC-3‘s called ―Goonybirds‖ by the Army boys. These were the Transports of the U.S. Army and were used to build airstrips in the Pacific theatre. After the airstrip was roughed out by about 10 of these dozers, then Marsden matting (pierced steel plank sheeting) with interlocking capabilities was laid to finish the strip. The US Army built many strips like this in the Pacific. Usually all the equipment was left behind in the bush after the war was finished, or was dozed into the ocean surf to rust for ever.

3) Nadzab was the largest airstrip complex the Allies had in the South Pacific. There were seven airstrips there to take fighters, transports and bombers. All the aircraft left there were melted down for aluminium. I found the large radial engine mounts are very handy for water tank stands and workshop work benches, and for vices, etc.

4) At the Dive bomber near Kainantu, on Brady‘s farm, I got beautiful twin roller bearings out of the engine and the bomb slinger. They had used the wings for bridges on their farm.

5) Black Saturday was one Saturday, during WW2, when the U.S. lost 13 aircraft after a bombing and strafing run over Wewak. On their way home to Nadzab they got caught up in a severe storm with zero visibility. Some ran out of fuel, others hit the mountains and bush.

We built a strip up in the area where some of the Bostons and Mitchells had crashed. The place was called Nankina, in the Finistere Ranges south and east of Madang. I was working with two young fellows who I asked if they‘d like to go out to try and find something. They agreed to go out to the wreck sights and then they came back to camp 30 hours later. They had a third of a wing off a P47 Thunderbolt. It had the US Air force Star on the wing with a machine gun slot.

6) A B – 17 Fortress was located near Wau (Morobe province), where Ray and Marj Dubert had worked in the Biangi tribe translating the Word of God into the local language. We visited them for a week or so and Ray took us and the kids out to the site of a crashed B-17, a 4 engine bomber of the Australian Air force. It had run out of fuel while heading for the base in Nadzab, amazingly all crew except the tail gunner survived. The pilot skilfully landed it with no power, and he side slipped it into the bush; breaking the back of the fuselage in two places. Both left engines ripped off and finished up under the right wing.

Under the right wing and fuselage we did see the long deep scratches, about 45 degrees to the line of flight, so the B17 was coming into the bush sideways. I took a picture of the

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Dubert kids and the Skinner kids in and on the aircraft. It was a great adventure for them all, but they learnt how costly and sad war is.

7) I dropped in to the Lae WW2 Museum and got talking to the Curator. He stated that about 600 Allied aircraft had been lost over the mainland of PNG, or were in the seas around the island. Many had not been accounted for and they were interested if we knew of the location of any. We never did discover a new site.

8) A group of Boston A-20 light bombers were pointed out to me, lying around in the bush near Saidor (Morobe Province) in the jungle. We were working on one airstrip site in Nankina in Morobe Province. Apparently several years before a helicopter group had dropped in and lifted several out by sling load. They brought them to the coast to be shipped over seas to be rebuilt for a museum ‗somewhere‘.

9) A B-24 and Lightning P-39 were seen in the jungle as I flew from Aiyura to the Sepik River, at Ambunti. The aircraft had been there since 1943. I flew over in 1990. The B24 four engine bomber‘s wing only had been airlifted out to Madang. I saw it being prepared for shipping overseas for a Liberator B24 restoration.

10) An A-20 light bomber crashed near Dusin, Madang Province. There were no survivors!

Although these reports are about tragedies this one eventually had good news. The local people were afraid to go near the crash. It was reported to a nearby missionary who went up to the wreck site. He was amazed to find side arms on the long deceased crew. He gathered the valuables like watches, dog tags, side arms and knives, and immediately reported the discovery to the local Kiap (Patrol Officer). The Kiap then reported it to the American War Graves in Canberra who sent a team of officers to investigate. However, the missionary eventually found the ―next of kin‖ in US and reported the find to them. They were so overjoyed to hear news even though it was over 50 years later. We heard that as a result of this missionary‘s service at least one relative of the deceased crew accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. What good news from tragedy. Halleluiah, Praise God, one more comes to Christ!

Money Principles Several years ago, the good Lord impressed upon me a passage of Holy Scripture that has had quite an impact upon me. It is from Proverbs 27:23-27 “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats‟ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.” The Lord has certainly been looking after us so graciously and generously. He has caused both of us to be content with God‘s provisions and not envious of what others have. Philippians 4:11b “...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” I Timothy 6:6-8 says ―But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.‖ Hebrews 13:5b seems to summarize this teaching for me, ―Be content with what you have.” Some of the many ways that He has used to provide for us has been: the sense that everything we are and have has come from God to us and is useful in helping build His church worldwide. I Corinthians 6:19c-20 says it well, ―You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” We haven‘t had an expensive taste in clothes, food, music, housing, cars or

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equipment. That was a great blessing in itself. I often found things in the second hand shops that I liked better than something new! I never felt that it was a sin to buy something new or that God couldn‘t afford for us to have the new items. God is not poor nor did we have a ‗poverty complex‘. However, we felt sincerely that our extra money could benefit needy ones that we knew about.

John Wesley‟s Saying A few years ago I heard our son David quote John Wesley as saying; “Make all the money you can…Give away all you can… And Save all you can!” Apparently that saying was Wesley‘s philosophy on money. Good to ponder!

Sales And Bargains!

Hap had an eye for government auction sales. People would hear or read about a sale coming up in Lae, Goroka, or Madang. Sometimes it was customs goods that hadn‘t had the correct paper work completed. Other times it was used government vehicles or motorcycles.

Another one was after a fire in a work shop at Goroka. Some of the ‗goodies‘ obtained were ‗something to write home about‘. I can still remember a few now. A BSA motorcycle for the boys; a long wheel base Land Rover for the Skinner Family (It progressed from an open back utility to a canopy cover and eventually to a station wagon! We must have had it over 20 years in all – with paint jobs, lights and horns added by the boys!). At one sale quite a bit of furniture was sold. One piece of furniture was given to a young widow who had come with 2 very young children. Years later, she reminded me how much a smart looking dining room side board had blessed her during her many years in PNG! We didn‘t like to bid against other missions so we refrained when we knew they were bidding also. That example helped in PR a lot. Amazing how it boomeranged well too!

Hap‘s knowledge and experience of things mechanical went a long way to help some of our Bible Translators. Hap was able to find the short wheel base Land Rover that Doreen Marks needed for her work off the Okapa Road in her language area. Over time he was able to find 2 Toyota Land Cruiser Station Wagons that could be repaired, and ‗done up‘, and painted for two SIL families west of Goroka; the Gordon Bunns in translation and the Cliff Sheltons in literacy. Don Frisbee, our next door neighbour and a mechanic shared Hap‘s excitement and adventures about auctions.

A Field Trip When we had two extra reconstructed Land Cruisers on hand, but not quite ready to pass them on we got quite a bit of use from them for about two weeks. The High School 9th grade geography class with teacher Kerry Bartlett did a four day field rip to the gold mining area of Wau and Snake River; Lae, the Markham River and Valley; and the Kassam Pass to the Highlands at over 4,000 feet elevation. Years later when Kerry was a member of the Federal Parliament in Canberra from the Springwood district west of Sydney, he said, ―For years afterward I got so much good from those slides from that PNG trip for my geography classes!‖ The Painted Umbrella When Dave was about 14, I suggested he identify our new black umbrella – knowing that pens, combs, and umbrellas are some of the most easily misplaced items we all use. We found some white paint to use and a brush. Soon he proudly brought the umbrella for me to approve. When I looked, to my dismay, he had painted in big white letters about 4 inches high on the black sections, SINNER. Then it all struck my funny bone! I said to him,

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laughing, ―Dave, we know we‘re all sinners, but you don‘t have to advertise it for the whole world to see!‖ We all had a great laugh with him over it. He wanted to correct it, so for it‘s lifetime of years it remained SKINNER! Half And Hauf Hap and I could say about our children that they are ‗half and hauf‟, half American and ‗hauf‘ Australian and that would make the Australians smile because I don‘t say ‗Australian‘ the way they do. We‘d tell people that since my maiden name was Gladys Price our children are ‗bargains‘, ‗hauf‘ Skinner and half Price! The grandchildren are even bigger ‗bargains‘, only a quarter Price! It‘s always good for a laugh or a lauf anyway!

An Unforgettable Poster A few years ago I saw a picture on the outer wall of our Directors‘ offices in PNG. I don‘t know why it was there but it had my approval! It was a coloured picture poster of 3 big hippopotami, yawning, lounging around and just not doing anything. The caption: After all is said and done; there is more said than done!! That is a classic!

Are You From New Guinea?

Hank and Anna Steffans, Hunchee Road, Montville, Queensland I was working on a project in Nambour and went to the St Vincent de Paul‘s Op Shop, looking for a vacuum cleaner to take back to PNG. This fellow said ―Are you from New Guinea?‖ I answered in the affirmative! Then he asked, ―Did you ever work up at Ukarumpa?‖ Again, I answered in the affirmative! ―I met you there, and I was with a Church Brotherhood. I used to go to Ukarumpa for supplies once in a while,‖ said Hank Steffan. I actually had remembered him!

He said, ―Listen to this story and pass it on to Bob Bartell‖ (an SIL helicopter pilot) ―I was working in the bush out there, on the Rai Coast, managing a plantation belonging to a Church Mission and I greatly appreciated Bob Bartell buying ice cream for me, out in the bush. He got it in Madang and brought it right across the Astralabe Bay for me while dropping off some things for another project!‖ I thought that‘s beautiful, thank you Lord for Bob doing that for Hank. The scripture says ―Serve one another in love‖. (Galatians 5:13b) Also ―Cast your bread upon the waters and after many days you will find it again.‖(Eccl.

11:1) My sense of humour interpretation of this is loosely, ―Caste your ice cream upon the waters and after many days you‘ll still find it frozen‖, and you‘ll still be able to enjoy it! It was so good to hear this story in Nambour, on the Sunshine Coast of QLD so far away from PNG. Hank greatly helped us when we were building our house in Landsborough when he picked up a load of second hand timber for me. I really value his friendship and thank the Lord for him!

Hap‟s First Duodenal Ulcer Hemorrhage- In The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death!

Since the sixth of September 1979, we have known that Hap has a tendency to have bleeding duodenal ulcers. At that time he had not been feeling well for about three days. He went to our SIL Clinic and was there seen by our Doctor and even had a rectal exam. It all remained a mystery as to his extreme weakness, restlessness and vague discomfort at night. The first clue came when Hap suddenly remembered about 3am Friday that he‘d had black tarry stools for the last couple of days! With that clue and his family history we knew we were on to ‗something‘. I immediately rang Dr. Stan and gave him this information. Hap‘s father and

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his Uncle Jack both required surgery between 50-55 years of age to stop bleeding duodenal ulcers. Dear Dr. Stan came immediately to see Hap and started IV fluid. He organized for Hap to be flown to Goroka at ‗first light‘ for surgery. (In our minds we thought that we would be going to Lae hospital as the SIL Guest House was there for accommodation). Also David was in Lae working at the Alliance Training Association (ATA) Co. Workshop in his fourth and final year of his mechanics apprenticeship.

Dr. Stan informed us ―This weekend all the surgeons in Papua New Guinea are meeting in Goroka! I think it would be hard to have surgery anywhere but Goroka just now.‖ ―That is fine with us then.‖ We both responded thankfully.

Hap‘s blood pressure registered at 70/50 and Dr. Stan left a sphygmomanometer with me in case I wanted to check it from time to time. Once it was 50/30! I knew that Hap was in a very serious condition. We waited and waited for the clouds to clear. Dr. Stan wanted Hap to remain in his own bed at home since he was in shock until it was just time to go in the Aviation bus to the Aiyura Airstrip for the emergency flight to Goroka, just 30 minutes west of us.

I well remember sharing with fifteen year old Peter about 6am in his bedroom about the seriousness of his dear Daddy‘s physical condition as I understood it, saying that perhaps he had a 50/50 chance of surviving it. I gave him the choice of coming in the plane to Goroka with Hap and me or of staying at home with ‗Uncle‘ Ray Hocking and 23 year old Dave Witmer, the new High School Music Teacher from Pennsylvania who was also living with us. Without hesitation Peter chose to come with us!

After we left the house, Dave Witmer was able to talk on the phone to Peter or Robyn Hall in Lae with whom Dave lived. Dave had already gone to attend devotions or work at Alliance Training Association Workshop. Several hours later on Friday afternoon, Dave arrived at Hap‘s bedside in Goroka Hospital. He told us that he had received Peter Hall‘s phone call alright but as soon as he put down the phone ―I just had to go to the bathroom and ball my eyes out!‖ Then he got permission from his supervisor to leave work and get to Goroka ASAP. Upon examination at the Goroka Hospital the treatment program was to observe Hap for evidence of any more bleeding and to give Hap four pints of blood. Hap had quite a bit of reaction to the first pint of blood. Apparently it is routine to put IV quinine in the blood transfusion in case the blood donor had malaria in his/her blood. We thought it might be the quinine causing the reaction so they left out the quinine in the second pint and he tolerated it much better. Fortunately his hemoglobin was coming up well and there was no evidence of further bleeding so he wasn‘t given but a total of two pints of blood. Also the barium meal results were clear. The rest of the treatment was rest with a hemoglobin check every day. We knew a lot of prayer was going up for him and we were so grateful for his rapid improvement. I was able to sleep in Hap‘s room also which we both appreciated a lot. After 6 days Hap was discharged from the Hospital. Then we were able to stay near the Hospital for one night with Don and Joanne Nutting, formerly of New Tribes Mission. There was only space for one passenger on our SIL plane the next day so we decided that I should go first and get ready for Hap to come in the extra seat available the next day.

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Before I left Goroka for Aiyura and home, a letter from Steve was forwarded to us and together we read it. Largely from memory Steve wrote, ―I‘ve worked thirty days without a day off! I‘m well but I‘m so tired and need more sleep!‖ We were so glad to hear from him again on his first job in the oil industry in Brunei offshore on a ship. He even included his contact phone number!

Back home early the next day I got the idea that maybe Hap would rest easier for the next while if Steve was home ‗beside him‘ getting more rest also! Within the last couple of weeks we‘d learned that Steve‘s contract had a clause written in that he was allowed seven days compassionate leave per year. Knowing that Air Nuigini flew from Singapore to Port Moresby on Mondays and our SIL plane flew to and from Port Moresby on Tuesdays it just seemed too good to pass up the opportunity for both of them to ‗enjoy enforced rest together‘. For confirmation to proceed I phoned Hap and got his approval.

From home I was able to dial Steve‘s contact phone number (his boss on shore) and ask him to pass this important message to Steve on the company‘s ship offshore. I sensed that English was probably his boss‘s third or fourth language. The conversation took about ten minutes for three or four sentences. It went like this with several lengthy pauses, but I kept at it. ―From Glady Skinner your Mother to Steve Skinner, your Dad has had a very serious internal ulcer hemorrhage and has been hospitalized‖ ―Copied‖ ―Try to get your weeks compassionate leave if possible‖ ―Copied‖ ―Air Nuigini flies Singapore to Port Moresby on Monday and SIL flies from Port Moresby to Aiyura on Tuesday morning. Thank you‖ ―Copied, I will give your son this message. Goodbye‖ About one hour later, Steve phoned. He went very quiet as he learned of the previous seriousness of his Dad‘s physical condition a week earlier. His response was not surprising, but good to hear, ―A plane goes every day to/from Brunei to Singapore. If I can get on that plane, I‘ll be there! Thanks for calling, Mum. Love to all of you‖.

The next Tuesday noon the SIL Moresby flight circled Ukarumpa and we didn‘t know if Steve would be on this plane or not! Hap felt so chirpy that he drove our Land Rover to the airstrip. Ray Hocking, Peter and I went with him too! It was a wonderful reunion and Steve was pleasantly surprised to see Hap looking so improved. Dave was able to join us for four days as he had worked a lot of overtime the previous weeks. It was a wonderful week of reunion. Thank you, Lord!

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Did Jesus Ever Say That He Created In Six Days?

By Ken Ham used by permission of Creation Ministries International www.CreationOnTheWeb.com

―A vehement old-Earther wrote in and claimed that ‗…a twenty-four [hour] understanding of the creation days was never stated explicitly by Jesus…‘ So does Jesus anywhere actually say that He created everything in six ordinary (approximately 24 hour) days?

When confronted with such a question, most Christians would automatically go to the New Testament to read the recorded words of Jesus to see if such a statement occurs. Now when we search the New Testament Scriptures, we certainly find many interesting statements Jesus made that relate to this issue. For instance: 1. ‗But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female‘ (Mark 10:6), makes it clear that Jesus taught the creation was young, as Adam and Eve existed ‗from the beginning‘ –not billions of years after the universe and Earth came into existence.

2. ‗Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me.‘ (John 5:45 – 46). In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that He expects us to believe what Moses wrote. And in Exodus 20:11, Moses states: ‗For in six days the LORD made Heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day, therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.‘ This is the basis of the seven-day week – six days work and one day rest. Obviously, this passage is talking about seven literal days based on the creation week of six literal days of work and one literal day of rest.

In Luke 13:14, after Jesus healed a person on the Sabbath, the ruler of the synagogue said, ‗There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.‘ The Sabbath day here, as well as the six work days, were obviously ordinary days. This teaching is based on the Law of Moses, as recorded in Exodus 20, where we find the Ten Commandments- the six day Creation Week being a basis for the Fourth Commandment.

But are there any passages that explicitly say that Jesus created everything in six days?

Yes. Jesus is the second person of the God-head, and has always existed. Colossians 1 makes it clear that it was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created all things: ‗For all things were created by Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth…all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.‘ (Colossians 1:16-17).

We are also told how Jesus created: ‗By the word of the LORD the heavens were made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth…For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast (Psalm 33:6, 9).

We know that Jesus is called ‗the Word‘: ‗In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made‘ (John 1:1). So Jesus, who is the Word, created by speaking everything into existence. Now, consider Exodus 20:1: ‗And God spoke all these words, saying….‘ As Jesus is the Word, this must be a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ speaking to Moses. Such appearances of Christ in the Old Testament are called ‗theophanies‘.

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John 1:18 states: ‗No one has seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.‘ There is no doubt, with rare exceptions, that the pre-incarnate Christ did the speaking to Adam, Noah, the patriarchs, Moses, etc.

Now, when the creator God spoke, as recorded in Exodus 20:1, what did He (Jesus) say? We read: ‗For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day…‘ Yes, Jesus did explicitly say He created in six days. Not only so, but the one who spoke these words also wrote them down for Moses: ‗And the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God….‘ (Deut. 9:10).

Jesus not only said He created in six days, He did something He didn‘t do with most of Scripture; He wrote it down Himself. How more authoritative can you get than that?‖ P.S. For the past 15 years, The Creation Ministries International and their quarterly magazine called Creation has really blessed us. We attended one of their weekend seminars in Darwin in 1995 presented by Peter Sparrows of ‗The Creation Bus‘ crew and Dr. Carl Wieland.

Listening to the interesting lectures, seeing the vibrant videos and being confronted with the past hoax of the evolution theory had a profound impact upon our lives, choices and scriptural doctrines.

How refreshing it has been to have the authority of God‘s Holy Word upheld! (Too often it is maliciously attacked in media these days.) Fresh spiritual teaching has come as a blessing to us both!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE PHOTOS MISCELLANEOUS

Skinners and Colliers on top of War relic at Alexishafen

Practicing for engine failure – Aiyura Airstrip

B-17 outside of the Bianga Village near Wau WWII war relic near Maprik

Two kids in B-17 at Bianga village outside of Wau (Duberts first translation)

The painted umbrella

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR BUILDING OUR LANDSBOROUGH, QLD HOUSE I went back to the US in 1979 for a month, July 14-August 14th. I had great company on the flight - Hope and Mary Ruth Bowling, SIL translators, also from Indianapolis. They were going home for their only brother‘s wedding on the same plane as I, both going and coming!

I felt I was not travelling alone that long way. My Dad was 86 years old at that time and he felt he wouldn‘t last until our family got there on furlough in December - actually he lived another 7 years after that. It was really good that I had gone to visit him for a month. My ticket was a gift from Steve!

Hap and I had just heard some of the new developments in Wycliffe and other missions due to new home country laws. We learned that missionaries now needed to be putting aside money for a house or unit in retirement. It was thought that one could live off the age pension in Australia, or social security in the US, if one had a home that you didn‟t have to pay rent on. We knew we hadn‘t really saved anything. We were so grateful that the Lord had met all our needs.

When we learned that we were to save for housing we were 50 plus years old and how could we find a house for ourselves in our retirement? We didn‟t see it as an impossibility, but something to look to the Lord about. I went to a friend‘s farm, a farming couple. (I guess, secretly, in the hopes that they would give us some money.) They were in a good position and they had a heart for missions. We‘d been friends for decades; she was my first and second grade teacher. So, while back home in Shelby County in Indiana visiting my Dad, I went to visit them as we always visited some when we were home. I said to them that there were new rules out for missionaries that we had to be saving towards a home for when we left the mission field. You know, he gave me 2 verses, Proverbs. 3:5 and 6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Afterwards I realised that was much better than if he had given me a few hundred dollars or something! I‘ve thought of this many times, and he was so right! The Lord has been continuing to lead us. Getting a house was not a high priority thing yet, not something we had to do! The Lord caused me to go home at that time, I believe, to spend time with my Dad and share with him the importance of being born again.

As it turns out we knew of a friend in Indianapolis who was the same age as my Dad -86 years young! He had a real heart for evangelism, a heart for young people as well as older ones and he was able to lead my Dad in prayer for salvation! That was so great; it was my whole purpose in going in a way. When my Dad died he was 93 years old and the Chaplain at Dad‘s hospital and nursing home felt that he surely knew the Lord. It was such an answer to prayer! My mother had prayed for him and when she died at 65 years of age she hadn‘t seen the answer for those 42 years, except by faith. Later he did come through, so praise the Lord for that!

We did own our house in Ukarumpa and added to it little by little, and it certainly met our needs, as it was a great provision for us! We had begun to put money aside for retirement as Wycliffe and our home governments had requested. That item was added onto our quotas.

However in 1980 Hap felt from the Lord that we should not be available for Emergency

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Support (known in many other missions as General Funds), as we wouldn‘t need it. The Lord did look after us better than we had ever known before! Not that we were poor and needy but we knew the Lord would be faithful as we endeavour to live for Him and honor Him in our lives.

Hap‘s father, a widower for 16 years, died at 94 years of age. The ‗home place‘ at 35 Brentwood Avenue, Turramurra, an elite suburb in Sydney, NSW, needed to sell. The lot – ¾ acre was prime land and sold well! Hap received his quarter share! After 1984, thanks to Hap‘s ¼ share of his parent‘s legacy, we had enough funds for a retirement home if we did quite a bit of the work ourselves!

As it turns out in 1988 we began to ponder: Is this the furlough when we should do something about a house? We talked with some friends on the Sunshine Coast. We‘d become friends through Lil Westbrook, an AOG missionary at Hayfield in the East Sepik Province of PNG. Lil was living in the Lithgow‘s house, when I was doing the Construction Department book-keeping in the office of the sawmill about 50 meters away. Anytime I wanted a cuppa and was free I could pop over, maybe once or twice a week. Later she said, ―When you‘re on furlough down South, visit my sister Leila. She lives in Palmwoods, west of the Big Pineapple; she has been a missionary with her mechanic husband, Maurice Hovey, out at Hayfield.‖ We got to know different ones of Lil‘s family when we were in the area. (We were actually at that time with Noel and Gloria (nee Westbrook) Colley in their Granny flat). The Colleys told us about land around there, and about houses that had been removed from different places. Jim, an engineering friend, had also had some removal houses renovated so they could be rented out. As we asked more questions, Noel and Gloria took Lil and us to see some of these houses and some land that evening. That night we phoned Peter; who had just arrived in Sydney from PNG. We told him, ―We may be making some big choices soon. Would you like to come and help us make them?‖ He made plans to catch the bus as soon as possible and in the next day or two was up there! It was really good that we could look at things together and he knew the right questions to ask. He was a very big help in it all. In fact he gained so much in the experience with us that he later did a course to become a real estate person himself and did that for six months!

We bought 1 ½ acres, at 79 Whites Road in Landsborough, for $18,500, and we were so glad we got it when we did. It had a dam on it and the land was sand and clay; as it turned out we had a very good dam! Behind us was a beautiful wooded area, it looked like a forested amphitheater. Our lot faced north and across the road was pasture land, gum trees and a creek. It all looked so pastoral and pleasant!

We began looking around for a house to move. Some houses had to be moved for roads going in or if people wanted to build a different or bigger house and the original house was sold and moved away on a truck. We knew whatever was bought had to be made cyclone proof. After Cyclone Tracy had demolished Darwin the building regulations in the north of Australia were much more stringent. They needed to be too. We were about 12 miles directly inland from the ocean, so we were Category C – not so strict a category as those right on the coast line. We knew we‘d have to reclad the house, all the outside and part of the inside. We worked for a month or two and thought we‘d finish quickly. A surprise lay ahead.

Now, before we left PNG, we‘d read that the South Pacific SIL course, at Kangaroo Ground Victoria, really needed help. Hap gave Bruce Hooley, the principal, a phone call and said

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we could help on childcare. Hap was told they were okay on childcare but really needed help in the kitchen. Hap said ―You must be really desperate if you‘d take us in the kitchen.‖ “Oh, we are desperate!” That was how we started to cook for SIL! It was for 2 months, for February and March. The second day they asked me if I‘d be chief cook. I said, ―Oh no, but Hap can!‖ Hap became the ‗chief chef‘ and I was his ‗apprentice‘; that always made people laugh! We did (and still do) enjoy working together! It was so different cooking for 80 to 90 people- the students, staff, and children. It was so well organised! There were people there who offered such good advice. Dell Kernick set aside a week or two to ‗show us the ropes‘! The Lord gave wisdom to ask ―Dell, how would you prepare this?‖ or, ―How would you do it?‖ She had such great ideas and was such a blessing to us! She gave us ideas like doing ham with slices of pineapple in the oven or lamb chops topped with tomato and Worcestershire sauce then baked in the oven. Some of these things I hadn‘t done at Ukarumpa! SIL asked us if we could come back again and do the next block of 8 weeks.

They would pay the standby air fare back to Queensland for the 2 weeks break. It had not been bad, so we agreed to return to Kangaroo Ground for two more months of cooking.

We went back to Queensland to find there‘d been a BIG flood and the land was all soggy.

There was no way the operator of the truck could bring our house in, without getting bogged! We would have to wait a month after the rains finished before the land was dry enough to move the house in. We had to put many drains in to dry out the ground, and hopefully it would not flood again. The problem was that the culvert under the road was not big enough, and every year the water sits about 3 inches deep on the ground between the house and the road for maybe three days when there is a big rain!

We got the house finally moved onto the block August 15 th! We had only two weeks to high set the underneath with ceramic blocks, before we left for Steve and Stacy‘s wedding. We wanted to build a two bedroom self contained apartment below. We had volunteers and volunteers, it was wonderful! Mobile Mission Maintenance helped us get the foundations in correctly and spared another day or two. We were so grateful as we were amateurs and we wanted it to be done right of course. Ken Horder, a joiner and builder came in his caravan and helped for a week or two. Another family came in their caravan, the Ayrtons, and helped for a couple of weeks, Ray Hocking and his uncle Les came also. Some came just to look and that was alright. Hap‘s brother, Laurie, his wife Margaret and her friend Margaret Sutherland came, Mark and Vickie (Hap‘s nephew and his wife) helped for a couple weeks, and then Wal Turner and his wife, Nan, came in their caravan for a month. Wal was a missionary mechanic. We‘d met their son, Phil, while we were cooking at Kangaroo Ground! Wal has part of a native spear in his spine that was too dangerous to remove so he still had it in him. We could never forget Wal, because when he was in PNG even though we saw him infrequently he said so many good and encouraging things to David when Dave was a teen. Wal was such an inspiration to him as Wal as a child had trouble with reading and spelling but the Lord had undertaken for him and his family largely through his sport achievements.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR PHOTOS LANDSBOROUGH QLD, HOUSE

Almost finished in 1988

Small orchard developing about 1993

Finished and ready to sell in 2002

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES Some Excitement For Hap Once during the war my keen interest in planes helped me to learn about how choices have consequences. One time, at age 14, after running up on to the ridge of our house, like I would do so often I spotted a Grumman ―Avenger‖ , the pilot spotted me on the roof with my one eyed binocular waving to him. He came down so low I was scared! My Mum really blasted me in no uncertain terms to get down off the roof before I was blown off. Oh what days they were for me, and some of the pilots! But I broke some roof tiles there too and had to make restitution for them.

Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out Pennsylvania, 1953 I had taken delivery of my new 650cc beautiful metallic blue Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle in Ottawa, Canada. I had ridden it maybe a thousand miles when I was invited to a motorcycle rally in Pennsylvania. My bike was the only British bike there and it was quite small and powerful. I was showing off my new skill; cruising along with about 6 other bikes, mainly, Harleys, - bigger, noisy, heavy and fast. I was ahead of these slower bikes until a cop car pulled me over! He booked me for going 75 mph in a 50 mph zone, as these bigger bikes sped by at 50mph. I paid a hefty fine of about $50 to a judge in town. Was I ever embarrassed! All this taught me to go by the speed limit in the future!

A Time For Encouragement I was pensively overlooking the busy Hudson River from the railing on the first floor porch of Simpson Hall outside the Dining Room. I was imagining the ‗freedom‘ I would have if I were back on the ships again. I had only been at the Missionary Training Institute for a few weeks. I was having some second thoughts about my being here. I had not liked to sit and study before so why would it be different now?

Yes, now I needed a boost of encouragement! Another new mature student from Oklahoma „just happened‟ to notice me. She sensed that I was having a struggle within. Appropriately, she drew near and offered these words for encouragement to me, to stay on where I was.

Very sensitively she quoted from memory this passage of scripture from I Peter 1:3-9 “Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God‟s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

The Holy Spirit used these words through His sensitive servant, Gail Birch, to effect a profoundly needed change in my flawed thinking. That temptation was beaten then and I

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never had that temptation again. By God‘s grace I was able to effectively qualify in Bible knowledge for my mission acceptance. Praise the LORD, He kept me at it and added to my faith, patience and perseverance. Was it worth it? Too right, mate!

It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!

One glimpse of His dear face, All sorrow will erase!

So bravely run the race, until we see Christ!

Smoke Money A married couple who were both school teachers came from Ohio for 1 year in the mid seventies to teach at SIL. I can‘t remember their names but they were friendly folk. They enjoyed telling us a part of their story as to how they came to be volunteers there that year. ―You see, we came on our smoke money!‖ ―What is that?‖ I asked.

This kind teacher answered, ―When my husband and I were dating, we figured that if we did not smoke it would save us about $5.00 a week (back then!) So we quit smoking, opened a special bank account and called it our ‗Smoke Account‟. Through the years we‘ve added to it regularly on the basis of that original percentage. The ‗Smoke Account‟ has paid our expenses to be here for 1 year! It didn‘t cost us anything! We just didn‘t burn up our money! We‘ve really enjoyed our time and teaching here!‖ What an example!

Don‟t Hold A Grudge Sometimes things don‘t go as you think they might in life. Mother had said to me a few times that I was to have the lovely mahogany bedroom suite, with lots of pieces, which they‘d bought at a farm sale. However, no one understood that information when Mother died 2 years after I had gone overseas. It had innocently gone to someone else. I had to bring that small disappointment to the Lord. I began to realize it could have become an idol; that it would have been very expensive to ship it to where I was living in Australia or New Guinea.

I needed to be sure I didn‘t resent any of these kinds of things. We need to be quick to forgive and to have peace with the Lord and continue in a right relationship with all others.

Don‘t think that because someone is a missionary they couldn‘t hold a grudge or unforgiveness; but it‘s never worth it!

Choices Have Consequences I want to tell you a story about a son, Joe Jr. and his parents Joe Sr. and Josephine. The parents were eager to give their children as much formal education as possible. They lived when it was a lot harder to get much formal education. If a child was needed at home, then they were not expected to be in school that day. Joe Sr. and Josephine had willingly sacrificed for their children‘s education. Each child worked as much as they could at home and at college also. It was decided by the parents and agreed by the children that each child would pay back their college education expenses with the usual 6% interest after they‘d graduated and were working in their acquired skill. Each child signed their own loan agreements, seemingly happy.

Now, fast forward several years. Joe Jr. had married and was working advantageously with a good education, owned land and had talents. He had very good take home pay and an enviable future. The parents began to feel in their bodies their years of much toil. Some of the children had gladly paid back their financial commitment to their parents. One weekend

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the parents kindly asked Joe Jr. if he would pay back part or all $6,000 of his student loan.

His answer came as quite a shock to them when he said, ―No, I‘ve already torn up that note and I don‘t intend to pay it back. I have a wife and young children to look after.‖ Joe Sr. and Josephine then asked if he would loan them $400, for a necessary item of income generating equipment. Joe Jr.‘s answer was also such a disappointment to his caring parents as he said, ―No, I won‘t loan you any money either.‖ He didn‘t have much more to say and decided to go home. For three days those dear old parents had very little energy and felt very sad; almost sick.

Lets fast forward again through some decades; the parents have died, but left a legacy of being very well respected in their neighbourhood. Joe Jr.‘s very loyal wife had a sad ending after not being appreciated by her husband. Their children also have each been deserted by their ‗well qualified spouses‘ for another partner. Joe Jr.‘s big earnings had miserably vanished in faulty ‗get-rich-quick‘ schemes. Joe Jr. who had such an exemplary background ended up in debt after his long working life, in very good paying jobs. He had to rely on subsidised medicines and a minimal government pension. One of his children sadly admitted that he had no close friends.

Do you see an important lesson here? Commandment five says “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.‖ Exodus 20:12 “Children, obey your parents in the LORD, for this is right. Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.‖ Ephesians 6:1-3 Overcoming Evil with Good After our special time working at Aziana, I had been asked to take a devotional lesson during the daily Vacation Bible School week at Ukarumpa when I returned. In the curriculum, it was to center around the thought, “To overcome evil with good ” Frankly, my mind was blank and I was thinking what will I give in my talk when it‘s my turn. I love to find out about people! -- Where they come from? How many in their family? How they met their spouse? Etc. At Aziana during mealtimes and in the long evenings without television it was really good to chat with Louie and Sharlee. As it turned out I was thrilled to hear Sharlee‘s life story and an amazing true story of one person, his mother, who had overcome evil by doing good.

Over 35 years later I can only remember the main points but the setting was in ‗Moonshine Country‘ in the hills of a Southern state in the 1930s and ‗40s.

Sharlee was 1 of about 8-10 children. They didn‘t have much income. The mother was a God-fearing Christian and took the children to Church and Sunday School as she could.

With hard work in her garden and home, she reckoned she could feed the whole family for a week from her garden if she could get a 25 lb. bag of milled flour. Each weekend the father drank up most of his income. He had a habit of being very abusive when he came home drunk; but was sorry the next day and tried to make up for his bad behaviour. Sharlee had a lot of stories to tell about his father‘s behaviour. The frightened children soon learned to crawl under the house when he came home and stay there a long time.

Some young man had been commissioned in connection with a ‗moon shining‘ gang to kill Sharlee‘s father. One day when the hired killer came to the door to shoot him; instead of killing him the shot only blinded Sharlee‘s father. Fortunately, he turned in repentance to

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the LORD Jesus for salvation and he was Born Again. Now he was such a different and new person and there was never any alcohol for him to find. A while later- not sure if it was months or a few years, the ‗moonshine gang‘ again commissioned for him to be killed. This time he was killed. In 2 – 3 weeks the man hired to kill Sharlee‘s father was shot dead leaving a young wife with 2 young children. Sharlee‘s recently widowed mother invited the new widow with her 2 little ones to come and live with her as long as she needed! Sharlee‘s mother said, ―It is just what Jesus wants me to do!” What an example of overcoming evil with good!

The Bernie Crozier Saga Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Dick Brett and Don Phillips were SIL Bible translators in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea in 1961. There was a near tragedy at Langimar village near Menyamia which was the nearest patrol post. The SIL translator men and the local villagers were building an airstrip about 1050 feet long for a Cessna 185 Mission Aircraft. Somehow some of the locals became very jealous of Bernie Crozier, an independent missionary walking into their area and telling Bible stories about Jesus. Dick and Don understood enough of the local language that they knew that some of the people wanted to murder Bernie that night!

Therefore Dick and Don organised themselves to warn Bernie and to get him out quickly to save his life! For the next 10 years or so, Bernie prayed for the folk at Langimar, especially for the men who had wanted to kill him!

The opportunity came when he could bless them. This is how it happened. He as a missionary had built an airstrip at Naniwe so that his wife, Ann, wouldn‘t need to walk over 4 hours to the airstrip at Menyamia. Previously a gold miner at Bulolo, Bernie was able to adapt the ‗sluicing method‘ on a much smaller scale to move dirt by a narrow channel of water diverted from a stream farther up the hillside. Then with the local people Bernie put the unwanted dirt (spoil) into the channel of water and let the water carry it to where the dirt (fill) was needed. With the aid of a simple surplus ex-military surveying instrument called an Abney Level, the work on the Naniwe airstrip went very well!

We saw the black and white photos of the progress and completion of their strip. As we learned that this 1500 feet long and 100 feet wide strip had been completed in just about 6 months work, we rejoiced with them. But we also became excited in this method‘s possible uses elsewhere!! We already knew of one needy SIL airstrip. We had a colour slide from the air of Langimar airstrip and its environs. I well remember showing that slide on our living room wall to Bernie when he and his family were staying with us once. I asked, ―Bernie, Where would you look for water to move dirt on that airstrip?‖ Then Bernie pointed to some ravines above the strip and said, ―I think you would find water up in those hills and you could survey and bring it in a narrow channel down to the top of the present airstrip.‖ The next obvious question was, ―Would you be willing to show us your method on this strip, Bernie?‖ ―It‘s not MY method. I just happen to know about it. God‘s the Author of knowledge and He showed me how I could do the Naniwe job. Ann and I will pray about it and see when I could show you how to do it.‖

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We were ecstatic the next time the Croziers came when we heard Bernie say, ―I will give SIL 3 weeks time and teach 2 SIL men this Hydraulic Method. Then it‘s over to you to teach it to the rest of the world!‖ By 1974, the Langimar airstrip badly needed upgrading. SIL got involved with this improvement and lengthening of the airstrip. Bernie Crozier accompanied Ray Hocking and me to Langimar to show us how to work with water to move ground. Ray was a farmer from Dingee, VIC as well as an ex Methodist Missionary in Arnhemland of the Northern Territory. He was a well experienced and diversified farmer and cattleman. He was single, older than me, humble and mature as a soft spoken Christian servant. He was generous and unassuming, though a bit deaf. He arrived only the week before the Langimar airstrip update took shape. He said, ―The Lord timed it just right!‖ Some time during the next 3 weeks a small solid Langimar man showed us (Bernie, Ray and me) the club he had anticipated using about 14 years before to murder Bernie. (See photo of man and son) He gave us a mock demonstration of the killing method. The weapon was a deadly ‗pineapple club‘ (a rock about 10 inches across with a hole in the back and about two inches thick with pineapple flutes). We had a beautiful day of rejoicing together for Bernie‘s deliverance and the light that the ‗club man‘ could walk in now. ―If we walk in the Light as He Jesus is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin‖ I John 1:7.

The Bowerbird Misgiving For many years I‘ve had the name of being a ‗bowerbird‘, which is a bird that collects anything that glistens or looks useful for their nests. I‘ve been that all my life, a collector of ‗Junque‘, NOT JUNK! I‘d been up in the Goroka dump (tip) and spotted a ½ buried bulldozer blade and thought that could be handy ‗some day‘. On returning to Ukarumpa I reported my find to Gus Hope who was a sawmill worker at Ukarumpa. I had no thought of collecting it now, but later. About a week later Gus saw me and said, ―Where do you want the bulldozer blade dumped off, Hap?‖ ―What bulldozer blade?‖ I asked. With a few more questions I found that Gus had picked up and bought for five bucks an entirely different blade from the Goroka tip.

About four days later a Kainantu policeman found me and asked, ―Is that your bulldozer blade?‖ ―No, sir, but I do know about it‖ I said. ―Well, get it back to Jack Thick at Goroka ASAP because Jack‘s hopping mad!‖ the Policeman said.

I went to Gus and jokingly said to him, ―Gus, you need to go to Goroka!‖ ―No, I don‘t need to go to Goroka!‖ he answered. ―Well, maybe, a policeman came and saw me today and suggested that Jack Thick would really appreciate his blade back quickly. He uses it on his dozer in the Goroka tip often!‖ He didn‘t need a second invitation to return the blade pronto!

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The next day Gus and I loaded the bulldozer blade back on Gus‘s truck and we dumped it off in Jack‘s sawmill yard at lunch time to avoid Jack. He had a strong temper and he was a tough saw-miller/ trucker. Then we reported it to Jack with an apology. His comment laughing, ―Listen fellas, if you need a blade let me know, I‘ve probably got one around. By the way have you seen our new Toyota Workshop and Sales office? I‘ll show you around!‖ I reckon he‘d have given us coffee and biscuits if we‘d asked! Thus ended a very unusual and unexpected day of accomplishment. Thank you Lord that there are still some business men around with a sense of humour. Numbers 32:23 ―You may be sure that your sin will find you out!‖ Dave And Peter‟s Shoe Story From Dave‟s September 28, 1986 Newsletter ―I‘ll share an interesting experience Pete and I had while travelling around a bit together by plane. I was in Dallas, TX and it was 4am. When my alarm clock went off I grabbed my bags and went out the door and down the road to pick up Peter at a friend‘s house. I had a quick shower and got dressed up (a bit) but couldn‘t find my shoes. Oh well, I must have left them behind yesterday at another friend‘s place. Pete and I discussed it and decided I would just go barefoot, as we do at home in New Guinea (after all we reasoned, we were born with bare feet). So off we went to the airport. What a sight we were standing in line with our tickets and luggage. We were having great fun talking in Melanesian Tok Pisin as we passed through security and on to the plane. No worries!

As the jet landed in Memphis, TN and pulled to a halt, there was a scramble for the doors.

We were the last ones to leave the plane. As we passed the stewardess, she spoke to us in a southern drawl that I could hardly understand ―Where are ya shoes?‖, as she looked own at my bare feet. ―Oh well!‖ I answered ―I lost them I think‖.

She then replied, ―Well you won‘t be able to get on to the next plane unless you wear them.

By the way, are they in your bag?‖ ―Oh no‖, I replied ―I lost them in Dallas, TX.‖ We continued and walked through the terminal towards the next plane. Pete stepped up to the counter with his ―Aussie‖ stockman boots on and tried to take care of the ticket, as I sat with my feet under (way under) the chair.

Apparently, the stewardess had reported us, because they asked if we were the ones with no shoes.

Peter replied, ―Well I got me ‗ol boots on, but me ‗ol brother lost his shoes. But his feet are tough, they are!‖ But the airport authorities said, ―I‘m sorry Mr Skinner, but you‘re not boarding the aircraft without footwear.‖ Peter replied, ―Well, I‘ll give him my boots, and I‘ll wear my socks, they are not too smelly.‖ So the man behind the counter called his boss, but they still said that if we do not have shoes we can not fly.

Peter returned with the ‗shocking news‘. I grabbed his boots (without socks) and ran down the hall of the terminal asking in all the shops if they had any ‗flip flops‘ or shoes. All they

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had were pink ladies slippers and you wouldn‘t catch me wearing them. As I was running back I heard over the loudspeaker the announcement for flight #120 to Washington, DC ―This is the final boarding call, all aboard please‖.

Pete, like a good brother, offered his boots and socks so I could fly as I had a meeting that night. As we were trading boots and socks, I was giving him addresses in DC. He gave me his ‗Aussie‘ passport so I could try to get his Iranian visa. I showed my ticket to the bloke behind the counter and almost put the boots on the counter so that he could see that I had Pete‘s boots on.

Pete had a long wait until the next flight, but he was able to get shoes before he had to board the next plane to DC. So, it is not just in Asia that ‗there is never a dull moment!‘‖

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX MV DOULOS Why Did We Go On The MV Doulos?

In May 1982 Steve was with Dave for his Commissioning for foreign missionary service at Hope Church in Indianapolis. Together they had gone to New Jersey for David‘s orientation into Operation Mobilization for an extra week together. Steve was now back home in PNG. After his orientation week had finished Dave travelled on to England for the next phase of his training, then he made a newsy tape for us at home. Steve had just arrived when we four started to listen to Dave‘s tape. Dave was telling us how he felt that Hap and I should go on Doulos or Logos (OM Ships) to recruit for new Bible Translators from the young OM Trainee staff! Immediately Steve said “I felt the same thing when I was there that week at Dave‟s orientation! We never did talk about it though!” He then came to me at the stove where I was stirring something and very enthusiastically said the same thing again! Both Hap and I laughed. Not of ridicule but perhaps unbelief or hope. (Imagine two of our sons giving us Divine guidance!) The matter was dropped for then.

Whenever we would mention it to each other we would laugh! Gradually we got the courage to mention it to other friends. Amazingly no one ever said ―No way!‖ but they said ―That could be ok, pray about it!‖ About mid 1980‘s we mentioned it to an official in WBT, unofficially, and got a very encouraging response. By this time we had taken it out of the ‗too hard basket‘ and put it into the ‗to be explored basket‘. Therefore we researched times of furlough for us; when the Doulos would be near the South Pacific again. We learned that our Branch had a category called Special Service Loan or Secondment whereby one could serve another mission or government department that would overall serve the interests of WBT/SIL. The research was getting more interesting and some pieces of a puzzle were emerging. To begin with we have found great job satisfaction in our roles in mission in PNG. Our roles have been quite varied but we have gained so much knowledge from listening to the almost weekly tribal language reports by translation or literacy specialists.

We could see that our not being language personnel would not disqualify us from telling Christian young people about the opportunities in a mission such as WBT/SIL. Hap‘s experience as a marine engineer would be quite useful. Our children were not at home now so it would be easier for Doulos to plan space for just two. Our service leave was granted by the Branch Executive Committee. Our opportunity to recruit for Bible Translation on the Doulos was also quite acceptable. Increasingly we laughed and talked about ‗the things your kids will get you into‘!

We headed up the gangway of the MV Doulos in Lae, PNG on the 20 th December 1988 looking forward to the next few months! In all we got to give about nine months to the Doulos. We can recommend it whole heartedly. It was noted at the OM orientation week that OM liked to give exposure to the staff for a continuing life in foreign mission work. They mentioned that they held WBT/SIL and New Tribes mission and others in a very high regard for their work cross culturally to spread the Gospel message. OM would be especially thankful to have some of their trainees become life missionaries with other boards, especially those working where it is thought more difficult, in cross cultural evangelism.

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Hap‟s Service On The MV Doulos The Other Fork Jack, first plumber, and I, his assistant, received an urgent message that the forward bathroom was overflowing and coming up the drains. About three hours later in the midst of the stinking bilge Jack emerged. He had found the problem. A mangled fork had jammed down in the shut off sewer valve. It had been dropped inadvertently into a toilet bowl and flushed down the system. Even a small innocent item can plug up the main works of a ship and cause a major problem. I think the lesson is ―labour as unto the LORD and not as unto man‖ What a lesson in humility!

The Tooth Down The Plughole I was called down to the girls cabins to check out a problem. I would never go down unless a request had been made in writing, on clear paper and lodged in the plumber‘s post box.

Then I had the authority to go down to the girls cabins.

It turned out to be an artificial tooth that had washed down the hand basin. I took my bucket of tools down and as I walked down the alleyway I called out, ―There‘s a man in the hallway‖. The girl told me what had happened and since the dinner bell had rung I said to put the towel over the sink and I‘d come back after tea. I headed back to my cabin to eat tea with my wife in the dining room. I felt as though the Holy Spirit was saying ―Forget about tea, go and do that job now!‖ I got changed and ready to do the job, got my tools and when I got to the cabin, I put the bucket under the sink, removed the drain plug and sure enough the tooth dropped in. I washed it off and returned the drain plug. (The moral of the story is that every hole in the ship needs a screen over it).

I put the tooth on the shelf over the sink and returned to eat tea with my wife. I saw the Asian girl, so I thought, and indicated that the tooth was above the sink in her cabin. I got a strange reaction from her and thought she didn‘t understand me. So I said ―Your tooth is above the sink‖. Then I realised it was the wrong person! It happened again and then I got the right lady and she was so happy I‘d got the tooth out!

Blocked Pipes I became the acting plumber on the ship. The chief cook had lodged a request that I look at his clogged up waste pipe in his cabin. The usual procedure was to take my bucket and tools and an 8 feet length of hose pipe. Usually a jet of water was enough to unclog any pipe, but this time it didn‘t. So I went down to get the small compressed air tank, plenty of air at 80 psi. I primed it all, pressed the button and I could tell the blockage had been cleared by the water running through it. I buttoned up everything, loaded my tools, hose in the bucket and headed off to my after station.

A Small Problem Just then a small German lady came out of her cabin next door and graciously intercepted me, saying ―Oh, Hap, would you have time to look at a small problem in my bathroom?‖ Small problem? I stepped inside the bathroom and to my shock and horror, I not only saw the black, smelly junk that had been discharged from the cook‘s sink next door, but realised that the compressed air had blown through and blasted all the stuff onto the wall and ceiling!

The amazing thing was that although it stunk like blazes, this young lady was so calm. She was the wife of the assistant director of the ship, Lloyd Nicholas, but she did it in a calm,

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loving and gracious way. I cleaned it up, hosing down the walls and ceiling, but the Missus insisted she finish it up and thanked me for my help. It was beaut working alongside people like this who love Jesus. She taught me true humility and patience that day!

Joe, One Of My PNG Mates The MV Doulos was tied up at the main port of Rabaul, New Britain. Joe Turel, a New Hanover Islander was standing in a room full of Papua New Guineans, many from his own area. I was amazed to hear him say, ―Friends, I am here today because you have prayed for labourers and for me, and some of you are supporting me! Thank you so much!‖ Joe was a deckhand, physically strong, like most from PNG. They are in great demand for the OM ships. They are strong physically, have had good training and selection prior to being accepted to go with OM PNG, can adapt to situations better than most westerners, can relate cross culturally better than most and in general have a happy disposition when under pressure. It was beaut to work alongside them in the deck and plumbing department.

Compass Calibrating In Sydney Harbour The ship looked beautiful as it motored into the harbor and passed under the graceful arch of the ―Sydney Bridge‖. The hull had not yet been completely painted white with a blue stripe around it on a level with the deck combing but it was almost finished. By the time the three-week visit to Sydney was completed, the hull was finished.

We were nearly ready to depart for Newcastle. Two tugs came alongside to nudge us out into mid-harbor but they didn‘t let loose - I didn‘t know why or what their plan was. After about two hours I found out. The ship had been pushed, pulled, and shoved all over the harbour; it seemed, with our main engine stationary. They were ―boxing the compass‖ or calibrating it like I‘d seen our aviation engineers doing compasses on our aircraft in PNG. It‘s a lot easier to do a small aircraft than a 6,800-ton single screw ship. The direction the ship was pointing was checked every way needed. The tugboats were forward and aft.

Because the tugboats had great rubber tractor tires on their bow, for bumping the ship or nudging it, great ugly black marks were at the bow, both sides, and the stern both sides. An ugly mess! And one that couldn‘t be cleaned off until several ports later.

You see the ship, regardless of painting being done, had to go where it was pointed and guided by the compass at the Captain‗s orders. Do we have any less a need to be pointed in the direction of our life by the Great Master Mariner and kept on His course?

On The Right Track Psalm 119:105 says, ―Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.‖ Psalm 119:9 and 11, ―How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word‖ ―I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.‖ Psalm 119:130, ―The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.‖ Matthew 28:19 – 20, ―Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.‖

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I Peter 2:9b ―...that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.‖ Glady‟s Service On The MV Doulos We were going on as representatives of Wycliffe Bible Translators to tell people on the ship especially the 200 trainees who were on for 2 years for Christian training and service, about the opportunities of being Bible translators in parts of the world that don‘t have The Word yet. Some of our members work in literacy, other practical skills such as pilots or engineers, teachers, bookkeepers, childcare, nurses, and doctors. It was something we were looking forward to! We didn‘t know what we would be doing; I was willing to work in the laundry.

I knew people would be watching our lives as much as anything. We thought that Hap would probably be working in the engine room due to his prior experience on several ships during the 4 years before we met. As it worked out I was assigned to the captain‘s wife who was assigned to receptions whenever the ship came in to port. It was a very refreshing opportunity; she thought her language wasn‘t up to it. She was of German extraction and really her English was very good. She wanted me to be able to talk to visitors. That is something I really enjoy; visiting and chatting, getting acquainted, telling others about the Doulos as well as Bible Translation.

About the second day I saw an Asian girl at the railing on the back deck, looking up into the hills to the south of Lae. I wondered, ‗Is she thinking of jumping over?‘ It‘s amazing how your thoughts can be so wrong! I told her about a couple of language teams we had up there, one worked with the Buang tribe, the Bruce Hooleys, and then another related tribe, the Manga Buang, where two single girls, Roma Hardwick and Joan Healey had worked. It turns out she was very interested in what I had to say and said ―I want to know how to work with Bible translation. You see, I know four Chinese languages‖. Well, I was just so delighted to hear that! I thought that‟s why we‟re on the ship, to tell people about this. I could not remember her face (to me all Asians looked alike at that early stage) and it was about 3 months before I could pick her out and give her the information she wanted. It‘s so interesting what you think ahead of time and what you think afterwards; I was thinking the worst and she was thinking the best!

Hap did work as the plumber on the ship. He‘s not a licensed plumber, but because of his fitter and turner (machinist) background, and having done lots of mechanical things, he was able to fit the bill very well. They wanted a mature, married man to do the job, as he had a master key. He asked that a written request be made for work as he didn‘t want to do the job in any questionable way. It was a very satisfying job for him to be so useful. I didn‘t have much to do on receptions and as others looked very busy, I volunteered to grade Bible study exams using the teacher‘s exam answer key in our cabin. Another thing I could do in ports was showing people around, so I volunteered to be a tour guide. When possible I took my tours in to our cabin. All wanted to see what a cabin looked like on the inside. I found comments ranged from ―My, this is a lovely cabin and you have a porthole and your own bathroom!‖ to ―Do you ever get claustrophobic in here?‖ Sometimes we got to take tours to the engine room and Hap was really good on that.

We got off the ship after Brisbane for 6 weeks to work at building our home near Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast. That was when the ship was in Gladstone and Townsville and its first two or three weeks in Cairns. When we got on the ship again in Cairns, we saw a lot of familiar faces. One of the first people we saw was Salifu Fael. He was a slightly built person, once a Muslim, from Gambia in Senegal, in W. Africa. He‘d

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become so interested in translation work as we talked about it. More and more as he thought and read the literature he realised that this was becoming his calling in life and his goal was to get the New Testament translated. His mother was from a closed country, Mauritania, just east of Senegal, where missionaries could not go. He had become a Christian as a young adult. He knew his mother‘s language and realized he could translate the New Testament into his mother‘s language. His goal now was to see an operational church in his mother‘s area using the translated scriptures in their language. He waved a piece of paper in his hand and said ―I‘ve just been accepted to go to the SIL course in London, UK and then I can go ahead and work on translating into my mother‘s language. I‘ve been granted permission to get off the Doulos here in Cairns to start my Bible Translation training in England‖. It was so good to see some fruit from our time on the ship. We felt that the time had been well worth it, plus the other contacts we‘d made on the ship!

We‘d had two special opportunities, on the ship, given to us. One was in Christchurch on the South Island of NZ, when one evening 27 people came to a presentation about Wycliffe Bible Translator‘s ministry. Steve Head was there as a Wycliffe representative and was able to answer questions and hand out literature. Another opportunity was in Melbourne when we took 13 young Doulos trainees on a train to the headquarters at Kangaroo Ground for them to learn more about the operation and the challenge of translation. Each one was invited to different homes for dinner, where they could ask questions. Each host drove them back to the ship. It was a highlight for each one to be in a home like that.

We got to be on the Doulos for about 9 months time in all. It was rather amazing; we didn‘t know we would get to stay so long. We got off when the ship was leaving Port Moresby and went from there to Maprik in the East Sepik Province of PNG. We were assigned there for 2 years as Centre Managers from November 1989-November 1991.

Tasmanian Bees, Not Devils!

The ―Doulos‖, after docking at Davenport, Tasmania, was readied for the usual Port Reception with speeches, refreshments, and formalities for the guests and some crew in May 1989. My wife, Glady, was in the reception side making guests feel at ease. I was also serving in the reception line of dignitaries and we all had our nametags displayed. During this formal opening reception a uniformed police officer introduced himself to Glady. Then this policeman asked if Glady was American. He asked if her husband was nicknamed Happy, and if the two of them were at Belgrave Heights Christian Convention site around Easter time in 1960. She could answer ―yes‖ to all of these unusual questions! Then he continued, ―In 1960 at Belgrave Heights my then fiancée‘ and I met a lady named ―Glad‖ and her husband‘s nickname was ―Happy‖. Glady excitedly replied, ―That‘s us!‖ The two couples of us met and had a reunion after almost thirty (1960 – 89) years!

This policeman also happened to be a beekeeper and when he knew of my interest in bees in PNG, he invited me to his bee-keeping place to help move his bees! Whoopee! Would I go?

Too right, I would! So we went the next Thursday morning and drove about 20 – 30 miles into the bush along logging roads. We dressed with coveralls, bee hat and bonnet, tucked in our trousers and socks—but the gloves! They weren‘t beekeeper‘s gloves, but short gardening gloves—they weren‘t good enough but they were all he had! In beekeepers‘ books one learns that the bees generally don‘t get angry on warm, still days, but this day was a cold and damp day, so the bees were harder to work with and more angry then normal.

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We‘d stack the boxes on his trolley, and then he and I would hoist them on to the truck. All the time I was getting stung on my wrists because of the short gardening gloves! The full effect came on me the second day when we planned to travel to Hobart to see friends formerly from PNG. It‘s all very well to do the best we can with what we have but it‘s much better to be able to plan ahead in order to do the job purposefully and without pain. Isn‘t it like the ―bloke‖ in the Bible who sat down and figured out the costs of a project and then went in prepared? I became very ill due to the poisonous effects of the multitude of bee stings. Moral: If only he‟d planned ahead by supplying long-cuffed gloves with elastic bands or if I had decided not to expose myself to that situation by staying in the car while he did the work! We can always blame others when we have a choice in life‟s outcomes as well.

Hitchhiking Forty eight hours later, on Saturday, there were no buses, no trains, and no planes to Hobart, so we decided we‘d have to hitchhike! We probably looked a bit unusual! Two ―golden oldies‖ standing beside the road in a choice spot for hitching and I was dressed rough because it was cool and windy. I had made a medium-sized sign saying ―Hobart‖. It was Glady‘s first ever hitchhiking experience. It all struck her funny bone. She laughed and asked me, “Do the drivers think we‟re eloping?!” Why? I also had one arm in the pocket of my jacket, trying to keep it warmer because of my bee stings!

In spite of our appearance we had two good rides! The second fellow to pick us up was an auto salesman driving back from an auto sale with his son driving another vehicle a few paces behind. In conversation we told our driver who we were going to visit and how we knew the family in PNG. He said, ―I know them and where they live! Would you like me to phone them for you? It was 1989 and the first time we had been in a car with a telephone!

So he rang our friends and what a thrill to be able to talk to them on his phone! We experienced some history that day! The driver also drove us right to their home. The last time we‘d seen the Petrusma family was in PNG at their Agarabi home in the Highlands near Kainantu in about 1963.

New Partnership Between Operation Mobilization And Wycliffe Bible Translators From our nine months stint in 1989 on the MV Doulos, we felt it was a good place for recruiting for Bible Translators and support personnel in missions. You can imagine how thrilled we were to learn of this new partnership as described below.

Wycliffe USA and Operation Mobilisation are beginning a new partnership called ―Spectrum‖. On July 19, 2004, Wycliffe US President Bob Creson and OM US President Rick Hicks met onboard the OM ship ‗Doulos‘ to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

OM currently enlists young people to serve on board its ships for a two-year term. The workers sell Christian media to a variety of cultures, live in a close-knit multicultural environment and participate in discipleship training. As a result, many of them gain knowledge and skills that equip them for further involvement in missions. The new agreement opens the door for Wycliffe to place ‗mobilizers‘ on board who can encourage the workers to join the Bible translation team after they complete their two-year term on the ship.

The agreement also sets in place a program whereby participants can spend an initial year on an OM ship and a second year in a Bible-translation-related assignment with Wycliffe (such as the storying initiative, Epic). Wycliffe trainers will provide orientation and training on the

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OM ships for workers who have committed themselves to this one-year Bible translation internship.

As a result of the partnership, it is expected that OM will gain more motivated young people to help them meet their onboard ministry goals. At the same time, Wycliffe will have another short-term opportunity to offer young people, and we will be able to recruit workers who are completing their term of service with OM. Individuals recruited by either organisation for the two-year program will be fully accepted by both organizations.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX PHOTOS MV DOULOS

Prayer meeting on board the Doulos Postcard of MV Doulos

The MV Doulos Prayer Card 1988

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN THE DARKEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES In 1994 after arriving back on furlough in Australia we visited friends from Sydney to Melbourne. We‘d arrived at Kangaroo Ground and hadn‘t completely unpacked our car. It was just outside our room. I was concentrating as much as possible on getting our newsletter written, produced, folded, notes written, addressed and stamped. It was good to spread out to do this work there with tables and desk to work on rather than working on it while travelling.

By custom and practice Wycliffe Bible Translators hold an all day prayer meeting on the 11th of November each year. That was the date in 1934 when the door opened for ‗Uncle Cam‘ and the first linguists with him to enter Mexico to learn and translate the New Testament where they were going to live. This year, 1994, the Australian Branch was observing it on Wed the 10th of November. Being lovely spring weather, some of the sessions were held outside in the beautiful grounds of our National Headquarters. For some yet unknown reason Hap was so tired and weak that he needed to be lying down on the fresh green grass. Mid afternoon, Hap phoned me to tell me that he now knew why he was so weak. He had just had a black tarry stool! Now what to do? In hindsight we wish that we had asked someone to take us to the appropriate hospital‟s emergency room! We were not familiar with Melbourne or its medical facilities at all. With the second hemorrhage in PNG he had his BP and hemoglobin checked and he rested and got better without any intervention. With the third hemorrhage in PNG the doctor had us travel to Sydney to have an endoscopy (which could not be done in PNG then) to try to find out if it was still bleeding and if anything should be done at that time. He was cleared and after two weeks of rest and family visit we flew back to PNG. Tonight we concluded that we‘d get his hemoglobin checked in the morning and go on home then. Looking back with 20/20 vision, humanly speaking, it was an unwise choice. We didn‘t take it seriously enough and coasted along, although several friends would have helped.

Several had said ―Let me know if you need help‖ and verbally gave us their room numbers, block numbers and phone numbers. We even thought we were the only ones in D block.

After a light meal Hap went to bed and fell asleep about 8pm. I observed him intermittently throughout the evening. After quite a productive evening working on the newsletters in the next room, I joined Hap to sleep about 10:30pm. I was in a light sleep and I realized that Hap was restless. The restlessness increased and his pulse was weaker. To my shock CheyneStokes respirations started! (This often indicates that death is imminent)! ―Oh, Lord, I didn‘t know Hap was this bad, I‘m sorry Lord. Please help him and give me wisdom‖ I was praying and turned on the light to see that it was 12:40am. Suddenly Hap stopped breathing and soon there was no pulse either. I started talking quietly to my Lord and Saviour, ―Jesus to Hap, Jesus to Hap‖. His color began to grow ashen and his open eyes stared at the ceiling and he did not respond to stimuli. ―Jesus is my emergency kit! Thank you for such a Wonderful Helper.‖ With my left hand on Hap‘s shoulder and my right hand on his right wrist pulse, I kept observing Hap and quietly talking to my precious Redeemer, Jesus. I wasn‘t angry or bartering with God. ―Jesus You know best!‖ I kept thinking and saying ―There is power in the Name of Jesus; there is power in the Name of Jesus!‖ Also I was thinking, perhaps Hap is experiencing being in a tunnel and walking toward light at the end of the tunnel. There Jesus would tell him to come back to life on earth or go to be with Him

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in heaven forever. Jesus in our hearts takes away the fear of death! Thank You Lord, that while You were here on earth You gave Your true followers these powerful words, ―I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will be with you to the end of the earth‖.

As surely as I write this now, I then knew that Jesus was with me, as though He were at my right elbow and was pleased with us. I didn‘t know if Hap would ‗come back‘ or even be alright mentally or if he would ever start to breathe again. In the midst of this whole situation I knew that God‘s will is better than mine and the decision is with Him. My Heavenly Father knows best for Hap and best for me. Such amazing peace He was giving me! I kept saying prayerfully, ―Jesus to Hap!‖ knowing He‘s the creator of the whole universe, all mankind, heaven and so much more. He died in my place on Calvary for my sins!

If Hap was going to die, he would want me to be with him and I would want to be with him, he might need me. I must stay with Hap; I won‘t go out into the courtyard and yell for help. I never thought of CPR for three to four days afterwards! I couldn‘t think of the room number or the block number for Robert Young and I couldn‘t remember any of the verbal details for contacting people that had been given to us. I couldn‘t remember the campus manager‘s number even though we had stayed with them a few nights earlier. I saw too that there was no phone!

I don‘t know how long Hap was without breath or pulse. I only sensed time was standing still. How long would it have taken to carry on this compelling respectful conversation with the Almighty and His Son? My ‗guess-timation‘ is at least five minutes until Hap suddenly took a deep breath! Soon there was an intermittent weak pulse! The breathing became almost normal as well as the pulse. More color returned; Hap was becoming better. He said ―Thanks Sweetie‖!

Thank you, Lord. (That sounded appropriate and very good!) I said to him, ―Did you know that you slipped away awhile ago?‖ ―No‖ was his answer. Oh, the joy of knowing that at least he could talk! Nor had he had a ‗tunnel of light experience‘ while unconscious.

While Hap was becoming more stable I was getting some more clothes on. I had noticed that the SIL chef Robert Maddison might just be in his flat at the end of D Block after all as I observed his car was parked there. I had known that he would be taking a break away from campus for a few days. I said to Hap, ―You‘re breathing much better now; I believe I should go down to Robert Madison‘s‘ door and see if he could contact Robert Young. I don‘t have any phone or numbers here.‖ Hap agreed. As I was hurrying down the hallway to Robert‘s door I was thinking about what I should say to Robert, if he were there. If I say ―Hap has just been dead and has come back to life‖, it could seem like I was being melodramatic, though it was true in my reasoning. What I did blurt out when Robert cautiously opened his door in his pajamas didn‘t sound full of faith; ‗Hap‘s just about to die, would you come and see him?‖ He put on his dressing gown and hurried down the hall with me. He was so stunned when he saw Hap‘s condition that he immediately started praying in tongues! Back in his flat he tried to contact Robert Young but to no avail; Rob didn‘t always stay in the same room when he came to lecture intermittently. We decided to phone Arthur Humphreys the Campus Manager, thinking that he could transport Hap on a single mattress in the back of his station wagon. There was an extra single mattress along one of our walls. Soon Arthur

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and some others came. Arthur, upon looking at Hap said urgently ―We‘ve got to get an ambulance for Hap! They will take Hap to the Austin Hospital Emergency room.‖ Several minutes later, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics started oxygen on Hap and did an ECG/EKG. I got a few things ready for Hap in hospital and for me to be near him including our address book and a change of clothes. I wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance with Hap. I knew he was in shock and would need a blanket covering him. (The only thing Hap remembers of the whole night is being cold on the stretcher in the ambulance as the paramedic kept his chest bare for the EKG terminal nodes to be visible.) Just before the ambulance rear door was closed to start to Austin Hospital, I was able to give Robert Young the phone numbers of David in Lae, PNG and Stephen in Indianapolis, IN. (I knew Peter was travelling just then). Dave offered to phone Steve so that Robert Young didn‘t need to.

After the emergency room examination by the internal medicine hospital specialist we learned that the bleeding had stopped! Hap was now receiving a blood transfusion as quickly as possible and IV fluids.

Soon after that I had a phone call from David in Lae. I was glad I could give him a good report! Dave offered to come down if I needed him. I didn‘t feel I would need him to come now. Shortly after that call we got to hear from Steve and Peter. Peter had just arrived that day at Steve‘s! Peter also said that he would come if I needed him. We were so grateful to the Lord that we could give such a good report now! Six bags of blood and six days later, Hap could go home again! The examination and biopsy results showed that he didn‘t have the usual kind of ‗bacterial‘ ulcer that 85% of ulcers are. Those kinds respond to the new Australian treatment of two kinds of antibiotics with an agent like Pepto-Bismol. After the event I learned that doctors referred to what happened to Hap as a cardiac arrest.

Two weeks later Hap got Angina and went into Austin Hospital again for two bags of blood.

It‘s great to have blood donated and good medical facilities! However, there is no substitute for the ever-present, living Lord of the universe as Best Friend and comforter who gives His abundant Life!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT FAMILY VISITS AND VARYING LENGTHS OF TERMS The Tommy Hanlan Show In late 1964 to early 1965 Mary and Dinah began to work for a few months on getting Hap down to Sydney as a complete surprise to Dad and Mum Skinner and the rest of their friends. Mary and Dinah thought that if Hap could come down from New Guinea and visit Mum and Dad for a short while that it would be a great ‗cheerer upper‘ for all. On television there was a show called the Tommy Hanlan Show which they watched every week day. It was a show where friends or relatives were brought from somewhere to visit as a surprise to the person being interviewed on the show. It had a lot of human interest. That was why they approached the Tommy Hanlan Show.

The elements of truth and surprise were two of the most sought after aspects by the show personnel as they worked with Mary and Dinah‘s appeal to get Hap from PNG in early 1965 to Sydney for a show where his Dad would be on stage and Hap would walk in and greet his Dad with a warm handshake. They had to get verification that Mum Skinner was in bed most of the time due to her strokes. Also they needed to know that largely Dad Skinner lovingly cared for her and that he still rode an old bicycle to do his shopping at Turramurra one kilometre away. In PNG we had to get a doctor‘s certification that ―Hap was in a stable state of mind to fly in an airplane alone from New Guinea to Sydney.‖ Hap had to get down to Sydney the day before the Show was recorded. The show was aired on TV a few weeks later.

When Hap got to the designated hotel he was so cold after the tropics. He phoned Mary and said ―Bring some warm clothes, Sis.‖ (She knew he was now in Sydney.)

On the day of recording the show, Laurie had invited Dad to come have lunch with him at a certain place in town. Dad was over 73 years old and didn‘t like to go in to town much at all!

He also didn‘t like to leave Mum behind. Dinah had volunteered to stay with Mum so Dad could go to town, also Dinah‘s job was to get Dad dressed to look as good as possible since he was going to be on television, but it was a complete secret! He came out of his room with a tie on that Dinah said was ―as wide as a spade‖ (ties were narrower then). He took exception to her dislike of that tie and said he didn‘t want to go to town anyway! Dinah had to do some ‗fast talking‘ to get him to keep to his agreement to go to eat lunch with Laurie at a certain place.

When he met Laurie at the designated place, Laurie suggested that maybe he would like to see a show that was about to start next door. Dad wasn‘t that interested but Laurie persuaded him it might be good for a few laughs. It wasn‘t long until the show commenced. Laurie, Dad and Mary had been put near the front and centre as the studio was almost full. When he was introduced as the guest for that day, he was so dumbfounded in surprise! Certainly the secret had been well kept from Mum and him. On the show he was given a pair of cheerful bedspreads, a new bicycle and other presents. It was a great thrill for Hap to walk on to stage also! Hap then got to stay with his parents for two weeks before returning home to New Guinea. His sisters‘ and brother‘s efforts had made many happy memories for the whole family.

Hap realized the great value for his parents‘ to have his visit in 1965. As a family we thought, ―What is the best thing we can give Poppa for a Christmas present?‖ Unanimously we decided that we would send Hap down to Poppa for three weeks as our Christmas present

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to him. We did this during our second term and then again during our third term! We knew a little bit how lonely Dad felt without Mum to cheer him up. He really appreciated those visits from Hap! After our first 4 ½ years in New Guinea we were looking forward to our first furlough in February 1966. It was just as the Australian monetary system was changing from Pounds and Shillings to the Decimal System. (I could handle that much better!) We had our round trip tickets across the Pacific in hand. We were looking forward to our three weeks in Sydney prior to going on the Orsova from Sydney to Los Angeles.

We were excited to see all the Skinner relatives again. Of course they hadn‘t seen our 2 year old Peter yet either. It was a bittersweet experience to see Mum Skinner in the Rossetta Nursing Home in Wahroonga. Naturally it was inspirational to see Dad Skinner‘s ever attentive care of her by visiting daily to feed her one or two meals. He could ride his bicycle back and forth yet, and he almost daily took flowers to her as well. Without saying as much we realized that she most likely would not be living when we were scheduled to return in early January 1967. She was not in pain but quite frail. Strokes had been an enemy. By letter we learned of Mum‘s passing on October 17, 1966 at 76 years old.

Dad Price was happy for us to use some of Mother and his legacy to us for the return half of our ship fare as it meant a 10% discount, which mounts up on five tickets. This also ensured that we would have the cheaper fares ahead of the time that we desired for our return.

Travelling back to the US in 1966 was of course very different than when we first travelled from the US to Australia in 1956. Now we were a family travelling with three son‘s age 2, 7 and 9. We had a cabin with no porthole or bathroom and four single bunk beds. A small cot was added for Peter. The children were required to eat at an earlier time and we were required to eat at a different dining room setting where no children were allowed. For the safety of the children we had to lock the cabin door every time we both left the room to eat.

One parent had to be with the children earlier at the children‘s setting. After only a few days we learned that Tom and Corinne Palmer of New Tribes Mission were on this ship also.

Ever so fortunately they had two adjoining rooms for themselves and their four children (older than our children). They also had portholes and a bathroom. Their children made our three boys very welcome during our adult meal times. How grateful we all were for this God send! How we had hated to lock our boys in our cabin while we ate, but we sure didn‘t want a tragedy at sea due to lack of observation with a 22 month old toddler and no ‗childproof‘ railings!

Our second and third terms were both six years long. The normal field terms at that time were five years. Our first one was 4 ½ years including Jungle Camp. We had been in Australia five years before going to New Guinea. By the time we arrived in Indiana in April 1966 it was almost ten years since we‘d left the US in July 1956, when I was six months pregnant. We now came back with three young active boys. My mother had died, Dad had sold both farms and I had a stepmother to meet and get acquainted with. I also got reacquainted with my Dad all over again as life hadn‘t stood still for any of us siblings, and their families. My Indianapolis church had split four ways. Fortunately, all of them took a keen Missionary vision with them!

One of the most significant welcomes to me upon arrival in Indiana was from my nurse training friend, Jean Steiner. After a bit she said “Glady, you‟ve been gone almost ten years and I believe there hasn‟t been a day that I haven‟t prayed for you and yours!”

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What a rare jewel of a friend! It still brings goose bumps to know of such loyalty and our God‘s faithfulness!

At Ukarumpa we were extremely fortunate in the location of the main centre or base. It‘s location at 5,200 feet made for a reasonable climate in the tropics, thus a good source for fresh fruits and vegetables. The road and air links greatly improved and made transportation and communication gradually more hassle free.

With the average temperature of 40 – 80 degrees F it was good for work, sleep and travel.

We did not have severe wind or electric storms with only one exception. We had earthquakes but they didn‘t knock down buildings, just a few water tanks. At that altitude we were above the mosquitoes and malaria at first, as well as most other tropical parasites.

To make it easier for the translators it became easier for the support personnel in that we had financial, educational, medical, printing, automotive, engineering, plumbing, sawmilling, joinery, and mail service. This was such a boost to us all! We had some great speakers that came and taught the Word to us each year; one was Chuck Smith who started Calvary Chapel in Southern California. We even had two tennis courts ! We never felt, ―Oh we‘ve got to go to our home country to get refreshed socially or spiritually!‖ We had a very good supportive community. We had a good doctor and clinic staff including a dentist. The Government hospitals were quite adequate at that time.

We stayed for six years between 1967-1972 so that Steve could graduate in 1974 from Ukarumpa High School. We then stayed again for another six year term so that Dave could finish his four year apprenticeship in December 1979. Our first furlough was spent mostly in the US since we had been gone a long time. The second furlough was spent December 1972May 1973 in Australia and one month in May-June in New Zealand, followed by July 1973 until early January 1974 in the US. The third furlough we spent December 1979 – May 1980 in Australia, six weeks between May and early July in England and Europe (all five of us!).

Then July through until early January 1981 we were in the US, but only the four of us as Steve began working in India. Only the three of us returned for term four as Dave stayed in Indianapolis to work for 18 months before joining Operation Mobilization in May 1982.

Peter graduated from High School in December 1982 at Ukarumpa. In February 1983 he commenced studies at Murrumbidgee College of Agriculture at Yanco, NSW. The fourth furlough was for the jet helicopter project in the US from August 1984-June 1985 with about three weeks in Australia at the end of that furlough. Dad Skinner had died in August 1983 and we got down to visit him and Peter the last weekend before we three drove to Montville QLD to construct a roll over scoop for one of our airstrip tractors. Peter was able to join us as he was on an Agriculture College break.

The fifth furlough started in December 1987 and we cooked for SPSIL between February and July 1988. We built our Landsborough house between January and September 1988 (apart from when we were at Kangaroo grounds cooking). Then we had Steve and Stacy‘s wedding where we were in the US for six weeks between early September and the middle of October 1988. We then got our Sunshine Coast house almost rentable by the time we went on the MV Doulos in December 1988 for nine months on Service Leave. In November of 1989 we went from Port Moresby to the SIL Maprik Centre in the East Sepik Province for two years as Centre Managers.

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After two years in Madang we went on our sixth furlough to the US in September 1993 for about six months. We then returned to Australia by way of England and Israel (for 11 days).

We stayed in Darwin for one week with Dr. Albert and Mrs Jenny Foreman so that we could check out the Australian Aborigines and Islanders Branch (AAIB) as our next assignment.

We didn‘t feel ready for retirement yet even though Hap had reached 65 years on furlough in the US. Why not keep going! We were made to feel most welcome in Darwin. Incidentally it was the time of their biannual conference so we got to meet a lot of the branch members.

The Canadian, US, English and German support members had to leave in that last year due to recent immigration laws. We had a wide open invitation for Hap to help with Centre Maintenance at the end of our furlough.

Hap‘s previous unexpected duodenal haemorrhages caused the SIL doctors to suggest that Hap should not continue to work in PNG. They felt it caused extra stress on our SIL clinic staff since it had become unreliable to get a clear diagnosis from x-rays at the two relevant hospitals. One had a machine that was broken and another had a machine but staff didn‘t know how to use it or interpret the print-out. We had no desire to cause extra concern for our SIL Clinic in PNG. Hap could help fill the existing gaps at Berrimah,(a suburb of Darwin,Northern Territory) where the 20 acre AAIB Centre was located. Therefore, in late March 1995 we joined the AAIB. Earlier I have written about my four week home visit in July-August of 1979 to visit my 86 year old frail father in Indiana and travel with him by plane to first visit my retired Army sister in Florida and then escort him by plane to San Diego to his retirement village and to my awaiting stepmother, brother and sister-in-law. That month‘s home leave was super special for all.

When only ship travel was available for missionaries, one couldn‘t go from continent to continent easily. Now with air travel becoming competitive and much more accessible for any and all, it is a real blessing to many to be able to avail themselves of it! It certainly saves a lot of time!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE WEDDINGS Our Furlough Joke Perhaps you‘ve heard that we had a ‗furlough joke‘. It went like this. We‘re ―Happy and Glad‖ and no joy, how can that be! (Never a response). We would answer, ―Harold, or Hap was nicknamed ―Happy‖ when he was 4-6 years old by a neighbour boy. I was named Gladys Bernice but at 27 I decided I had been Gladys long enough! So I decided to shorten it to ―Glady‖ or ―Glad‖ unofficially from then on! We are delighted to have each of our three sons. However, we didn‘t have a recipe for girls, so we were Happy and Glad and no ‗Joy‘ for 32 years! Hap and I think God does have a sense of humor!

We can‘t say that anymore, we now have a Joy, Gail and a Stacy ―Carol‖. I‘m grateful for each of our daughters-in-law and I want each of them to know how very special they are!

It‘s great to have Joy, (married David on Nov 21st 1987), Stacy Carol (married Stephen on September 10th 1988) and then Gail (married Peter on December 28th, 2001) join our family.

Welcome Joy Ruth, Stacy Carol and Gail Lynne! One day recently my mind played a game.

Hap and I had thought that if ―Happy and Glad‖ ever had a daughter we‘d name her Joy. Another daughter might be Bonnie or Gaye. And what is as nice as a cheerful song, say a Carol! So now you might say Dave gave us Joy, Steve gave us a Carol, and Peter gave us Gail which in Hebrew means ―Father in Rejoicing‖ or ―Joy of the Father‖ which is also a really blessed name. I think that that is the desire of our heart, that we might be a Joy to our heavenly Father. ―Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart‖ Psalms 37:4 Dave And Joy‟s Wedding From a letter to a dear friend in Indy and to my sister Helen in Florida just three days before Dave and Joy‘s wedding on 21st November 1987. ―We definitely feel we‘re gaining a daughter, and a very special one at that, who will be just right for David. A real answer to prayer! We also believe the Lord‘s hand in picking the one for Stephen and for Peter. The Lord is so good!

Things are going along well for the wedding. Joy and her dear mother, Chic Ruth, have done a fantastic job organizing it. They‘ve had beaut cooperation and help in it all. As soon as possible after the wedding we want to get out a newsletter with lots of ‗pikkies‘ (photos) on it. Our special part in the wedding is hospitality for any out-of-town visitors needing accommodation and/or meals. Some other friends are helping in this also. Hap has been his usual helpful, understanding, hospitable self and we believe David will be like his father in this also. Peter has been such an encouragement. David and Peter have never been such special friends to each other as at this time, pitching in where and when needed.

Stephen has phoned several times and of course we‘ve all hoped that he could come but none can cry that he can‘t as he‘s been able to return ‗home‘ more often than any MK from here. We‘re delighted that he‘s so happy in a beautiful developing relationship with a 29 year old Messianic Jewish lassie,who is a speech pathologist. (Messianic Jew means that the person is Jewish and recognises Jesus or in Hebrew Yeshua as the Messiah and has accepted Him as their Redeemer and Saviour) . For a few months now we‘ve been hearing about Stacy. No announcements! But it‘s great that he has this fellowship and hope at this time

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when he can‘t be with the rest of the family for Dave and Joy‘s wedding. So the Lord doesn‘t forget anyone.

A quote from our December 1987 newsletter. ―Saturday the 21st of November was the exciting double wedding of David to Joy and Joy‘s sister Dawn to Tim Moyer. We agree with the Swiss Missionary who officiated ‗This was the most beautiful wedding I‘ve ever attended!‘ At last we had our Joy! We rejoice with the two couples in their God given choices of mates. The brides were gorgeous and the Lord provided a lovely sunny day. The four honeymooners ‗escaped‘ in our SIL Jet Ranger helicopter. Dave was able to ‗case‘ Rabaul for his and Joy‘s perfect honeymoon site when he and Peter visited us there in early October. It was a cottage on a small island plantation near the Duke of York Island.‖ Steve And Stacy‟s Wedding From Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast of QLD, we went off to Steve and Stacy‘s wedding so far away! He‘d started thinking about Jewish evangelism and it became God‘s calling for him. He met Stacy in July, 1987, at a Messianic Alliance annual meeting at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. She was leading a ―Dancing and Singing in Worship‖ workshop. Steve got her phone number. They had quite a dramatic courtship with him in the US Air force. Steve had to find another pilot who wanted to go to Philadelphia (where they could refuel the plane) weekends when he wasn‘t on duty. The US Air force was paying for the fuel, and encouraged their pilots to gain more jet flying experience; Steve and Stacy really benefited!

We landed in Newark, New Jersey in September 1988, on Wednesday night, and met our new daughter-in-law-to-be, Stacy Carol Lidell, for the first time! Stacy told us by phone that she would be wearing a yellow dress so we could recognise her! That was a great idea of Stacy‘s! She then drove us to meet her parents, Phyllis and Bernard Lidell at their fourth floor apartment in super busy Bronx River Road, Yonkers, NY. They had lived there many years. The contrast of living situations, (from our spacious and rural Queensland and Victoria to concrete and people packed New York) emphasised to us that our life experience was very different than Stacy and her family‘s and that we needed to do some cultural adapting. It was a culture shock for us as well as some jet lag, though the Lidells were graciously hospitable! It must have been quite stretching for Stacy and them to meet us also! Our life history and situation could easily be considered unusual.

Next day, Thursday, Hap and I tried on our potential clothes for the wedding to ask Stacy and her mother‘s advice. They had just the advice we needed! That afternoon Stacy drove us down to Philadelphia, where we settled into a basement apartment of some friends of hers near the church. (Our host was the MC at their wedding reception.)

Thursday night was special also. Amazing that all my siblings had decided to fly to Steve and Stacy‘s wedding. All were retired and took the opportunity to get together for that whole week-end and visit with Steve and Stacy as well as with us. Ernest Price came from El Centro and La Jolla, near San Diego, CA. Anna Mae Reed came from Waldron, Indiana.

Minnie Belle Mitchell came from Pensacola, FL. and Helen Price came from Key Largo, FL. It was a very pleasant evening at a historical restaurant. This was the first reunion of we 5 siblings since just before I went to Word of Life in 1954. It was also our last full Price siblings‘ reunion.

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Friday night there was a church service. My siblings, Hap and I attended with Steve and Stacy and we all enjoyed it as well. The wedding rehearsal was Saturday morning, which was not easy for this groom‘s mother. It was quite a shock getting used to our son saying his vows in Hebrew! I just thought, ―I hope he knows what he‘s getting into saying all this in another language‖.

The wedding was at Beth Yeshua, a Messianic congregation, on Saturday evening the 10th of September. You can imagine it was so different to any wedding we‘d attended. Hap found out after the rehearsal that he needed to give a speech that night at the wedding reception, and there were hair appointments for Hap and me. About 4pm I started to get ready for the 7pm wedding. I badly needed a spiritual session with the Lord. I was reminded of DL Moody being asked by someone, ―Have you got dying grace?‖ He thought about it for a while and said, ―I‘m not sure I do.‖ ―Well you preach about dying grace, to be ready to die and all that.‖ Moody said ―Well, we‘re getting the Moody Bible Institute working well, and the Lord is blessing the preaching sessions, and I believe right now God is giving me preaching and teaching grace. I believe right now He‘s giving me ‗living grace‘. I also believe that He will give me ‗dying grace‘ when I am dying, but right now I have the grace for living!‖ I thought and prayed, ―I‘ve been so tearful just today and I don‘t really want to cry at the wedding as it would give a wrong impression. I‘m grateful Steve has found the one he wants to marry and I‘m grateful You are giving him Stacy as his wife, I need Your help not to be tearful and seem sad, as it would look as if I‟m not rejoicing in having Stacy for a daughter in law . I recommitted myself and the whole situation to the LORD, and experienced His peace! That night about midnight when we got to bed I said to Hap, ―My eyes filled up only twice during the evening but never overflowed!‖ I saw that as God‘s grace! I had recommitted myself my past, present and future to the grace of God and saw this as a real answer to prayer; God has grace for weddings too! I never did know exactly why I was so tending to tears.

I believe God has greatly used Stacy in our lives. I am very glad that Stacy is our daughter in law. I am also very pleased that Steve and Stacy have been able to impact so many people in both their unique ministries which is because of who they are. Steve‘s interest in Jewish evangelism and Stacy‘s heritage has given us an even greater interest in Messianic evangelism ourselves. I believe my mother was very interested in the Jewish people and certainly believed the Bible and that the Jews have a key role yet to play as a nation on this earth.

Steve and Stacy‘s wedding was a Christ (Yeshua) centered Messianic Jewish wedding. It was a different wedding than we had ever experienced, but was beautiful, fun, and God honouring. Hap was able to make an Australian and Jewish culturally appropriate analogy that shared the Gospel. Stacy had done a wonderful job of organising this wedding and celebration.

Peter And Gail‟s Wedding Gail Larsen and Peter were married at Barking Beach, Hawaii, December 28 th, 2001. Gail had organised over the internet that we would all be in the same apartment complex on the

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northwest (leeward) side of the island. This saved a lot on car rental and travel time. We were there about a week. Steve and Stacy had been on another island for a week prior to joining us. Dave and Joy were on furlough in the US, and Chic Ruth, Joy‘s mother looked after their three children. Stacy‘s mother, Phyllis Lidell, took care of their two boys for two weeks. It was really good to have that quality family reunion even though the five grandchildren couldn‘t be there.

The wedding was a small informal one on the beach in the afternoon with a minister officiating who had spent time in PNG. The weather showed all its faces with clouds, wind, a bit of warm rain, sunshine, a rainbow and then a full moon. After the short ceremony we ate a mumu (food cooked in the ground in traditional PNG style) which had been cooked right there on the beach. There were two very special things about the wedding which I believe everyone noticed. The first happened after Gail and Peter had said their vows to each other and before God. As Peter, Gail and Kessiah lit the unity torch the clouds parted nearby and the sun shone brightly for the first time since we had arrived at the wedding site. It seemed significant to all present, I sensed. The second special thing happened as we were taking the photos and getting the food served up out of the mumu pit. A full rainbow appeared as the light rain stopped. Again we suspected that there was something uniquely special in this rainbow on this special occasion! While we were eating the delicious food the full moon came out over the mountains. What a beautiful setting and ceremony with spectacular weather for their wedding.

We were very happy to welcome Gail into our family. We had an instant grand daughter, Kessiah as well, who was 6 years old then. A day or two after the wedding some family members from both sides of the families went their different ways, while others stayed on.

Peter made a lovely meal for us right there in the apartment, chicken and rice, it was good to see he could cook so well; our first taste of his cooking. On New Years Eve we were able to have the Larsen‘s and Skinner‘s together and have fireworks behind the apartments. It was really fun!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE PHOTOS

WEDDINGS

Dave and Joy wedding invitation

Peter, Joy, Dave, Glady and Hap

Unified inside PNG Flower rings

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Dave and Joy wedding newsletter

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Steve and Stacy under love canopy

Glady, Stacy, Steve and Hap

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The four parents with Steve and Stacy

Steve and Stacy Skinner

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Peter and Gail wedding

Peter, Gail and Kessiah lighting unity torch

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Hap, Glady, Peter, Gail, Bud, Marlys

Skinners at Peter and Gail's wedding

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CHAPTER THIRTY SOME OF OUR BOYS‟ WRITINGS How Steve Met Stacy I noticed Stacy at Messiah ‗87, a Messianic Jewish conference held at Messiah College. She was and still is very focused and vibrant when she worships. And she sang a lot that week, as well. She was hard not to notice! I interacted with her as much as I thought prudent.

During the conference, Stacy was asking the Lord to give her greater compassion for the population amongst whom she was working - as a speech therapist at Moss Rehab in Philadelphia.

I called her intermittently after the conference – as much as I dared. I also sent her a small perfume bottle without a lid. My intent was to encourage her to continue her intentional worship of the Lord which He perceives as a sweet fragrance. I tossed out the lid.

I was able to snag a T-38 for a weekend and flew to Willow Grove Naval Air Station. I rolled into Friday night services a bit late, probably still in my flight suit. On the way to the congregation that night, while purchasing some chewing gum, she had a sense that I would be there. I hadn‘t called her in case I cancelled for weather or maintenance. She wasn‘t surprised to see me show up. I also flew into Florida for a regional conference at which she was singing.

Stacy asked the Lord to help her figure out if she ought to marry me, because I was a bit different from what she expected. She asked the Lord to confirm it via yellow flowers.

Around this time, her sister Wendy sent her a clown holding yellow flowers and her folks sent her a card with yellow flowers and I told her I almost picked some dandelions for her. Soon after, the Air Force stationed me for six weeks at Eielson AFB near Fairbanks Alaska. Phone calls from Alaska were expensive and there was a five hour time difference, so I minimized those. I sent her quite a few cassettes with my musings. I haven‘t dared to go back and re-listen to them, but some day when we slow down a bit, we shall, and I will probably grimace as much as I shall chuckle. Stacy probably sent me a quarter of what I sent her. I listened to the cassettes from her more often though.

I visited her in Philadelphia over Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time meeting her parents who were visiting Lancaster in Amish country. She told me she had asked the Lord for confirmation on furthering our friendship. I replied that I almost bought flowers for her in the Minneapolis airport but they wouldn‘t have lasted the distance and I didn‘t see any in the Philly airport. I was staying with some blokes from Beth Yeshua and one of them called her to let her know I was in the hospital. I had a gut ache the likes of which I have never had - before or since. No apparent cause. But she saw me in hospital garb. A flight suit was better in those days before I added to my girth, worth and mirth.

Eventually she told me about the yellow flowers. I planned on how I was going to propose to her. I cut a page into the shape of a Star of David, and on one side I wrote in lemon juice with a calligraphy pen, ―Will you marry me?‖ On the other side, in blue ink,

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I wrote a portion of Song of Solomon. I cut it into a jigsaw puzzle, and mailed them to her over a month or so. I asked her to bring them to North Dakota in late December.

She hadn‘t flown on a commuter airplane before, nor had she seen cars plugged into electrical sockets to keep car engines from freezing. I was on SAC tanker alert that evening, watching ―It‘s a Wonderful Life‖ for the first time when friends brought her onto the base and to the alert facility. I didn‘t get to finish watching the end of the movie. (She purchased it for me later so I could see what I missed.)

When I got off alert, I was going to take her out on a snowmobile, light a fire and heat up the lemon juice calligraphy over the fire. Alas, I got cold feet that weekend which is an apt metaphor in this case. How I wish I hadn‘t!

She knew enough to know I was wavering. Very soon after she got home, she was dressed up and ready to go to a New Years Eve celebration and I called. During the phone call, I asked her to marry me. She never got to the party. Drat, I wavered further over the coming months. But she was an ideal example of James Dobson‘s ―Tough Love‖ and didn‘t register her disappointment too much. I knew she was disappointed but she held together well. She ended up getting a yellow rose from an unknowing coworker who was leaving Moss Rehab.

When I left Grand Forks, I drove through to Philadelphia and picked up Stacy to help pick out an apartment in Plattsburgh. But I was still conflicted. We stayed with Don and Donna Both, good friends from my Mississippi days. Don invited me to a function for men at the base Chapel. In the compilation of worship songs was a strange addition ―The Yellow Rose of Texas.‖ The guest speaker said, ―I have no idea why this song would be in here, but why don‘t we sing it.‖ I can‘t remember a thing from the rest of the service. It was the last time I wondered if God wanted me to marry Stacy. What started as a confirmation for her, ended up as a confirmation for me.

(In the following years, we built a sukkah on the grounds outside that chapel and had Sukkoth celebrations for the Air Force folks and friends from Montreal, Burlington and other parts of Vermont and the North Country of New York. And then we did the same in the park in downtown Burlington during the Feast of Tabernacles which coincided with the Fall Foliage Festival.)

The FB-111 training squadron commander would only give me three days off to get married. So Stacy, competent as always, picked up Mum and Dad at the Newark Airport by herself - never having met them - and took them immediately to meet and stay with her folks in Yonkers. We had a very abbreviated but very memorable honeymoon at Wolf Lake in the Adirondacks.

I am very pleased indeed, to have Stacy as my wife and the mother of our sons. I don‘t like to be away from her, which is the worst part of my excellent job. I am so glad I noticed her and that she is still noticeable. I am so glad she married me. My blessed sons have four grandparents who are still happily married.

She has been a wonderful example and teacher for my boys. She homeschooled Isaac through Grade 7 and a Christian school with high academic standing pushed him ahead a year when he came to them. She is still homeschooling Micah while serving as the

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President of Amnion Crisis Pregnancy Center. The boys will be life-long learners in large part due to her teaching.

She still worships competently and directs the focus into the vertical as well as anyone I know. Her years of training and experience in acting and singing helped, but so have her years of diligent study of the Scriptures and prayer and attempts to understand the mind of God; and integrating her knowledge of things Jewish with her understanding of Yeshua as the promised Messiah. All of that helps her as a Bible Study leader as well. And she is still acting and teaching the craft to the boys.

She fits an awful lot into every day.

I am a blessed man who loves orchids and yellow flowers – and Stacy.

Madang trip by Steve and his Ukarumpa High School Friends In 1974, I heard that the road to Madang was open. Some of my friends and I decided to go by motorcycle to Madang during our May vacation. John Groat‘s parents were living in Madang working for the Lutherans, so he came along on Ed Horton‘s Honda 100. John now works as an engineer for Boeing near Seattle. Max Mabry was on his Honda 100. He now flies for Trans States out of St Louis. Paul Groot rode his Honda 100. He is now a general contractor in Radium Hot Springs in Alberta. Norbert Schulz rode his Honda 100. Now Norbert is an appraiser of commercial real estate in Atlanta. They are really good blokes, one and all. I wish they lived down the street from me.

I rode a BSA 650 that I wish I still owned for the price appreciation alone. But then, I might not still be in the land of the living. I am fortunate to still be alive after riding bikes in Sydney for two years. PNG was safer as it was you versus the elements, but in Sydney it was you versus the other drivers in lots of cars. What a difference it was to go from a Yamaha 650 during the week into an Australian Army truck during the weekend on many of the same roads.

On our trip to Madang in 1974 we rode past the Swiss Mission at Yonki, down the Kassam Pass (a monument to Australian engineering where you lost 4000 feet in a hurry), through Water Rais and turned up the Markham Valley through Gusap (an airfield from WW2), then through to Dumpu area. A little ways past Dumpu we stayed the night after fording a few rivers. Next morning it became obvious that my BSA 650 was going to have a little too much heft (weighing in at 450 lbs) for these deteriorating tracks.

We chained it up to a fence post and continued on. After chaining my bike and leaving it behind, I rode Ed Horton‘s bike and John Groat walked and he got ahead of us! We stayed overnight at the Usino Swiss Mission after fording some more significant rivers. Liz Jungen, my girlfriend, knew the folks at this mission station. It was about this point when we started to get the impression that maybe the road was not all the way through to Madang.

We started carrying the bikes not too long after that. The pidgin phrase ―long we lik lik‖ was often heard; loosely translated to ―a little bit of a long way‖. We spent a few days on ―long we lik, lik‖. We rode where we could along shallow rivers, then we would carry the bikes and then ride again. Norbert‘s bike had a rock knock a hole in the crankcase and when we checked the oil level, it was higher than it was supposed to be, and it was

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white – indicating water had mixed with the oil. Water was seeping in instead of oil seeping out. We took off the foot pegs which bolted in to an area close to the hole and Max shaved a specially chosen twig (for its dryness or greenness - I can't remember) and pounded it in the crack to stop any transfer of fluids. (I ended up doing the same on a car in a remote part of Alaska many years later after cracking the sump. I could see the trail of oil in the mirror after hitting a hard bump on a gravel road in a $200 car that had no suspension.)

Eventually we could ride no further. We ‗slept‘ that night in a village hut that had a corrugated wood floor - that is to say logs next to each other. I don‘t know if I slept. We paid the locals to put small saplings through the wheels on our bikes and four locals carried each bike. We were absolutely knackered!

Finally we got to the ‗road‘. What a mess! We tried to ride in the mud but it just coagulated around the forks and we couldn‘t continue. John eventually encountered the bloke in charge of road construction. He threw our bikes in the back of two Land Cruisers. We traveled with him and when he couldn‘t get through, he would get a bull dozer to pull him out. After persevering we got to a part of the road that was sufficiently passable and we rode our bikes into Madang.

The meal we had at Mrs Groat‘s table that night was the best in my life – because I had, and have, never been hungrier. I think we had the runs as well from what we had been eating and drinking on the trek.

Brother Ben, a Catholic pilot who later died in a plane crash congratulated us for having made it through. That sounded good to our ears! We flew with SIL back home the next day. What an adventurous holiday!

The bikes were flown back to Ukarumpa in airplanes whenever they had space available.

When the bikes got back, Max Mabry and I went to Dumpu to get my bike. Two guys riding on a Honda 100 from Ukarumpa to Dumpu on gravel roads it isn‘t any wonder I have trouble with my back. My bike wasn‘t at the fencepost we had chained and locked it to. It turns out it was in Bruce Jeffcott‘s barn. He was the MP (Member of Parliament) for the area and had taken it to his barn for safe keeping.

In the following year and years, it became difficult to remember where we had finally encountered the road as the jungle masked things so well. I probably travelled the road another ten times, each time with much nostalgia. One time I was running late coming from Madang to Ukarumpa on Don Frisbee‘s bike and I encountered Don Frisbee just north of Water Rais. He was off to Lae, so we tied the bike on the front of his Land Cruiser with the Corvette engine and headed down to Lae. I think that was the time we flew into Finschafen and up to Tom Phinnemore‘s village to work on his car. Magnificent scenery! They didn‘t have room for me on the ship to go back to Lae so I flew back on Crowley‘s Airline a day later.

Another time on the road to Madang, I rounded the corner and there was a significant earth subsidence of about five feet. I rode off the edge and didn‘t prang it. Just down the way; there was Dad changing an axle on the Land Rover. (He almost always carried a spare.) Peter had been posted as a lookout at the edge since they knew I would be coming that way.

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Madang is a beautiful town on the coast. If you went up to Nobanob, Paul Freyberg and his family had a Lutheran Mission Station there with magnificent vistas. Paul‘s best friend from theological college was beheaded by the Japanese during WW2 while he was working as a coast watcher. Paul crossed the Finisterre Ranges at a place now called Freyberg Pass while trying to evade the Japanese. His story of eventually encountering the Australians was remarkable.

Orchids grew really well in Madang. One Lutheran missionary I met had an amazing number of orchids in the back yard.

Oh the memories. If only they were all accurate.

Steve‟s Perspective I have often mused on what makes a kid stick with the values of his parents. I am hard pressed to think of an issue where I don‘t agree with my parents, and I am not easily led – ask anyone that knows me. They lived lives that have been congruent. Their lives have not been boring, and nor is their God boring.

They have consistently and diligently defended the honour of the Creator. They didn‘t want competing ideologies and theologies ripping off the copyright and the fame that was owed to the Designer. They stood for a Creation that was perfect until it was marred by sin. How dubious the reputation that could be accorded to a Creator patterned after Charles Darwin. It strikes me as irony that they lived in Darwin, named after Charles Darwin. When Jesus returns, I expect a suburb of the newly renamed city to go by the handle ―Hap and Glad Skinner.‖ If their lives weren‘t so intertwined, it would probably be two suburbs with shorter names.

They have been concerned for the most helpless and those least able to help themselves: the unborn, those without knowledge of Scripture in their own language, and those needing a way to get their coffee to market from the interior of a dissected country evidenced by 860 languages. And they have shown concern for the travails of Jews in the perennially dangerous diaspora and the plight of Israelis in their own land. And what of those needing hope and courage in difficult marriages when hope has burned out and trust frayed. They are living their lives showing they have been salvaged. How appropriate that Dad was the great salvager in PNG. We spent more time in junk yards (tips) than anyone I know. They were frugal - stretching the resources on this side of eternity to maximize the honour that could be accorded to their Salvager whose name means Salvage or Salvation - Yeshua.

They were always blessing others through rush order hospitality and meeting the very practical needs of others. That hospitality showed itself around our kitchen table about ten meals a week, I would reckon. It also showed when they picked up hitchhikers and opened our home to kids needing an education at Ukarumpa. That is just a trite beginning for the habitual pattern of service to others. They also taught us to work and to work diligently fulfilling the needs of others.

Their marriage has been so well woven that it took me a long time to find a wife with so few foibles and sufficient simpatico and vision.

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I consider myself a fortunate man to have had these parents. I am also a blessed man to have my children know all four of their grandparents. Both of my brothers live in the Southern hemisphere but I am the black sheep who lives in the Northern hemisphere. Would that I lived closer to my parents so my boys could have known them better.

Trying to make friends for Jesus, like my parents, Steve Skinner Jew vs. Judean Here is something we found interesting that Steve sent to us. We think you will enjoy it also.

Scoffer on message board: ―If Jesus was son of God why his father got him humiliated and hanged? Apostle John says that the Jews killed him and the Jews say that there was no such person. Whom to believe?‖ When you read John‘s Gospel, you will have your answer to the first question: ―For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.‖ John 3:16 So the answer is that the Father loves everybody (the world means everyone), including you.

How much? Read the passage again.

Now...as for the rest of the scoffer‘s post...it does say elsewhere in John‘s Gospel that there were a few folks who wanted Jesus dead. Since Jesus preached and taught only in Romancontrolled, first-century Israel, that would mean those few folks would be Jews and/or Romans.

And indeed, if we follow the story in John, a few were Jews, and a few were Romans.

Does that mean all or most Jews or Romans wanted Jesus dead? No, in fact most Romans in Rome never heard about what happened until some time after it happened, and that was also true of a large percentage of Jews in the two main provinces of first-century Israel, Galilee and Judea.

Now in John‘s Gospel, there is a Greek work, ―ioudaioi”.

The word means the same as the Old Testament Hebrew word, ―yehudim”.

Used today, it means ―Jews‖.

But during Jesus‘ time and long before that it could also mean ―Judeans‖, i.e. Jews from the province of Judea.

The problem is that traditional English translations render the word, ―Jews‖ when in John‘s Gospel, it has to mean ―Judeans‖. Why? Because John was a Galilean, a Jew from Galilee, as were the other apostles and because whenever the word comes up, Jesus is either already in Judea or about to enter Judea from Galilee.

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Here‘s a great example: In John 10:7-8 it says ―Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, ‗Let us go back to Judea.‘ ‗But Rabbi,‘ they said, ‗a short while ago, the ioudaioi tried to stone you and yet you are going back there?‘‖ Get the picture?

The disciples, all of them Jews from Galilee, are at that moment in Galilee. Jesus, also a Jew raised in Galilee and whose base is in Galilee is with them.

Jesus then says, ok, lads, let‘s cross back into Judea.

And what do the disciples say? They say, Jesus, why go back there? The last time we were there the ioudaioi tried to stone you.

So, fellow board posters, you tell me what the right translation is for ‗ioudaioi‖ here. It could be either ‗Jews‘ or ‗Judeans‘.

Which fits better with the sentence I quoted?

Obviously, it has to be ‗Judeans‘. Jesus the Galilean wants to cross back into Judea. His Galilean disciples don‘t want that because the last time he was there, the Judeans, a few folds in Judea (as opposed to Galilee) tried to stone him.

So the word should not be translated „Jews‟ but „Judeans‟.

So not all Jews, but Jews from Judea as opposed to Galilee, and not all Jews from Judea, but, if we read the text, a tiny handful who had picked up stones to throw at him.

It would be like Ed from Connecticut saying, ―Ron, don‘t cross over into Rhode Island. A few weeks ago, when you were there, the Rhode Islanders tried to stone you.‖ Picture a weird rendition that read, ―Ron, don‘t cross over into Rhode Island. A few weeks ago, when you were there, the Americans tried to stone you.‖ See, it should be Rhode Islanders, not Americans. It should be Judeans and not Jews. Just as it doesn‘t mean most Rhode Islanders, it doesn‘t mean most Judeans.

Some of the newer translations get it right and interestingly enough, when the issue come up elsewhere in Paul‘s second letter to the Thessalonians, the New King James Version gets it right, rendering ioudaioi as ‗Judeans‘, since the context provided in the prior sentence was ‗Judea‘.

Think about how much anti-Semitism has been fuelled through the mistranslation of the single word, and how simple it is to translate it correctly once you dig into the verses.

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Dave's memories - Second Son Of Happy & Glad Skinner Growing Up At Ukarumpa Born at Hornsby Hospital, in Sydney, Australia, I started my international travels as a toddler of 2½ being moved along with my 4 ½ year older brother, Steve, by my parents ―Happy and Glad‖ Skinner to the exotic ―land of the unexpected‖, Papua New Guinea (PNG). While there in 1964 my younger brother Peter came along too. Mum & Dad were just starting their career in Building the Kingdom of God in the relatively new mission station of Ukarumpa located in the Highlands of PNG. It was a beautifully remote land full of uncharted and unexplored beauty as well as many hidden tribal peoples tucked away in the rugged mountain terrain- many who only had a spoken language and nothing of the Word of God in their local mother tongue. That was part of the reason why Mum and Dad were there to serve these people and help access them so they could also hear God‘s Word in their own language. In a land of a few million population, having the complexity of over 865 distinct language groups compounded by a third world setting and little infrastructure of roads and airstrips to access these peoples, it was, and still is, a huge mission task .

We heard about this vision often growing up as Mum & Dad spoke of trips to distant villages, the work of Bible translators and the need of homes to be built for them in isolated places, also the development of small airstrips built in the remote mountain and jungle regions with local helpers to open up inaccessible areas. As we grew up we also were persuaded into all kinds of practical projects by Dad & Mum to help Wycliffe Bible translators get their job done. I got to live out the amazing opportunities for hard work, sweat and adventure of many kinds that some young boys only dream of. All, of course, in the loving care and expectations of my parent, who were passionate about their work for the Lord and the deep calling that pumped in their veins. It was with joy that they gave their lives to serve with their hands and help others to hear about the message of the gospel.

Memories that stand out are not of being out in the yard throwing a ball around with Dad, like some boys do. I was with Dad in the workshop learning to work and use tools.

Tinkering, fixing, creating, working, painting, chopping, sawing, and welding. Sometimes appreciating all I got to learn only when I was old enough to use and see the value for myself. Many times it was ‗Dad‘s work‘ but then there were also the times given by Dad to us boys as we tried to get our old motor bikes going again or creating go-carts for down hill racing. I sure appreciated getting Dad‘s uncanny ability and input to creatively solve many of life‘s practical problems.

In Primary school I found out I had a learning disability. I really struggled and was at the bottom of the class as far as academics goes. It was getting worse and of course I hated school, so my folks allowed me to go to Newcastle in Australia for 3 months to get some special tutoring especially in the area of reading. I stayed with the Ken and Janice Horder family where Janice spent several hours a day teaching me to read, around my disability, which we now know as word backwardness. I had my 13th birthday in Australia and when I came back home to Ukarumpa, PNG I started grade 7 and could finally read! I still wasn‘t the academic type so in grade 10 I took the Australian practical trade option. I applied and was accepted to do an Automotive /Diesel Mechanic Apprenticeship and was the last ‗white skinned‘ apprentice in the system in PNG. It was only a few months after they had gained Independence from Australia on Sept 16th 1975. My 4 year apprenticeship course was based out of West Australia (TAFE).

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All through this time of learning challenges in Primary School, transition from the High School setting to one of being an Apprentice, Mum and Dad were an amazing source of encouragement. They continued to believe in me even though I hadn‘t taken the normal course of education for the American side of the family.

Another school memory was in Grade 2 when a favorite teacher Miss Margaret Mc Kay assigned me to stand in between 2 girls for some activity and other kids started to tease me about the girls so I took it out on the teacher and punched her so hard she fell over. That was a surprise! I knew then that I was in big trouble. I almost got expelled from the mission school for that one and made another of my many trips to the fire place for my ―board of education‘ and also had to apologize to the teacher of course.

Another vivid memory is when we were about 10 or 11 years old (as I recall), myself and Mondu, who lived out the back of our home at Ukarumpa with his Uncle Rauke who worked for us around the house, for many years. It was during school holidays so we wanted to go camping out in the ‗bush‘ not far from our home. So, we grabbed a bush knife (machete) and some matches. We started to cut the long Kunai grass (about 1 meter high) but this was very hard work, so out came the matches and in just a flick the fire started but then so did the afternoon wind and oh boy, the fire raced up the hill crackling in fury leaving only a black dusty trail as it headed straight for Uncle Stew Nelson‘s new home! He was a fellow missionary with my parents. Mondu and I were scared spit less! I reckon we probably wet ourselves as we ran home as fast as we could to confess and get help. Soon the Ukarumpa bush fire brigade siren was heard (an old WW II hand-held, wind-up Siren) wailing a call for help! People were running to try to contain the fire with wet gunny sacks, rakes and knapsack water sprayers.

I clearly remember Mondu and me hiding under my bed at home crying! I was petrified at what had happened. Thank God, they lit a back fire break in front of Uncle Stew‘s house and it didn‘t burn down as I had imagined it would. Did I ever get a ‗hiding‘ that night from Dad. We always had to choose a piece of firewood without too many splinters for the ―board of education to be applied to the seat of learning‖. My folks never disciplined in anger but my backside sure remembers the love pats. So the saying goes ―Spare the rod– Spoil the child‖. The Fire Brigade didn‘t fine me money (as I had none) but I had to do community service to ‗compensate‘ for my wrong. Dad helped me get going to make 50 fire beaters to be used on future ‗run away‘ bush fires. Fires often did flare up as burning off the grass was a traditional method that the nationals used for clearing the land before starting new gardens. These beaters had 2 ½ meter long wooden 30 mm diameter poles with strips of old fire hose pieces screwed onto the end of it. Years later during my Apprenticeship at Ukarumpa I helped build an off road 4x4 fire truck and some of my old ‗fire beaters‘ were stored on that truck, still ready for putting out dry season runaway fires. Forty plus years later my son did fire fighting training on the OM Ship MV Doulos and has also used fire breathing and New Zealand fire dancing with Poi to share the gospel with ministry teams on the streets in Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Dad, who was well endowed with the gift of helps, also loved to volunteer his strong young sons to help him accomplish tasks that he generously volunteered himself to do, like chopping down trees, moving furniture, clearing gardens, building houses, and working on airstrips. This was all on top of regular household chores we were expected to do and of course school work too. Unless it was holiday time and then whoopee, all the more work we could do for and with Dad! As we got older we did every now and then ask Dad

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―please do not volunteer us for any more holiday jobs‖ or we quickly got busy with our own projects and roped his expertise into them first! I‘ve learned that the fruit doesn‘t fall too far from the tree!

One school holiday of ‗work‘ we piled on to an old stinking work boat that headed south along the coast then landed at a logging camp. It seemed like a long journey but we soon arrived at Buanseng village where for the next 2 weeks we helped the Literacy team build their village house and dig a bore hole for a drinking water well next to the river. Not to worry we also got in the fun stuff of swimming in the sea and snorkeling on the coral reef and collecting lots of World War II relics (there were still plenty around in those days).

Whether a kero primus or later an old ‗wood‘ stove, our home fed several extra over the years. With Mum‘s great cooking skill of course and ability to stretch what ever was planned for dinner to include a few more or whoever got invited to stay for some tucker at the last minute. Mum was also a gracious hostess who would welcome anyone to our table with grace and made them feel welcome and comfortable. There was an ‗open home‘ policy and gift of hospitality I saw in Mum and Dad as they ministered often over meals or in our home to many who came through the doors. We often hosted boarders, other missionary kids from different mission groups, who needed a home to stay in while attending our mission school. Maybe that taught us how to get along with the sisters we never had. I think Mum liked the female company especially when her ‗men‘ got to wrestling full out on the living room floor. Dad was included in the wrestling which ended up sometimes with bleeding noses. Somehow Dad always ended up on the top of the pack with us boys crying for mercy; but later we asked how to do the special wrestling moves!

Mum was such a lady and I am not sure how she got such a rough and rowdy lot for offspring. (Except for my older brother who eventually learned the finer graces, probably in his military training in order to survive as an officer and Air Force Pilot).

Mum also knew how to have us boys work in the kitchen and always said it would make us into ‗good husbands‘ some day. She achieved that goal too and I guess how I got my enjoyment of getting into the kitchen to cook up some tucker was from Mum‘s patient tutoring. She was glad for Dad‘s help in the kitchen and we saw his good example as well!

My wife is grateful that I can cook meals every now and then.

We loved to go with Dad to vehicle or customs auction sales on Saturdays held down on the coast in Lae or in highlands Goroka. Some of the breakdown experiences on the way home with these old vehicles we purchased were unforgettable!

The small aircraft and helicopter rides to get to bush airstrip sites Dad was working on or to villages where Dad was involved in a building project were great experiences that left positive memories I love to recall. The working holidays in the bush built muscle and character and good Skinner family bonds as well as eternal bonds with other missionaries.

Then there were the real holidays especially Christmas in the coastal town of Madang a tropical paradise for swimming, snorkeling, canoeing, fishing, sailing and also motor biking. It was hard to beat, especially as we always shared it with others who needed a family to spend Christmas with. One year we took Michelle and her single-parent widower Dad with us. One night on the beach in the light of the Land Rover headlights he acted as a music conductor as we tooted a horrific melody using our 2 Claxon Ahooga horns and the air horn along with the normal horn! Who needs TV when you can create your own

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unforgettable show that roused all the flying foxes (large fruit bats) out of their nestled commune in the nearby treetops?

Our first trip to Madang in our old Land Rover was just after the dirt track road was open and it was a challenge in itself. It took 2 days due to heavy rain (13‖ in the previous 24 hours) which made the river crossings impassable and the frequent landslides covered the roads. We were welcomed and slept in villages along the road. We also helped pull out others‘ vehicles that were stuck, in mud or in the middle of rivers and landslides, with our winch. The motor bikes were great on such a trip except for the high river crossings where they had to be tied onto carriers on the front and back bull bars on the Land Rover. As the roads improved over the years the bridges were made for the river crossings and parts were even sealed with bitumen. This same trip was minimized to 5 plus hours but lacked the adventure!

On another trip up the highlands highway (a dirt road as well) in a 4x4 international tipper dump truck we went to a plantation to load up a tractor and farming equipment. Another strange load Dad had to supervise the transporting of was a helicopter, by road, after its gearbox seized in the lowlands. The truck with helicopter load traveled over winding dirt roads up to Ukarumpa in the Highland mountains where the SIL Aviation hub of operations was based.

During my apprenticeship I drove with Don Frisbee (one of my mission mechanic trainers) up over the mountains to Mt Hagen in a Toyota Dyna 3 ton truck to load up 2 Lister generators, mechanical equipment, one vehicle in the back and one we towed! To earn a little extra money during my Apprenticeship days I would hitchhike or drive my motor bike down to Lae for the weekend and get paid to drive brand new Toyota 4x4s all the way up to Mt Hagen 400 km on gravel roads for the company who needed it transported. I really liked these trips.

It is no wonder that I got the ‗travel bug‘ at a young age which led me to drive mission trucks with Operation Mobilisation (OM) overland from Belgium to India on 4 different journeys. We traveled with teams of up to 15-18 people. Each trip included 13000 km and 10 border crossings always in convoy with other OM vehicles. I was responsible to keep the vehicles (12 ton trucks & vans) going as team mechanic and to get them to the final destination safely without losing any on the way. As team leader I had to solve tricky situations that came up. I remembered my Dad‘s example of clever problem solving, ingenuity, and his healthy dose of humor along with his dependence on the Lord; that got me through so many times. There were breakdowns, corrupt border guards, sickness, language barriers, fuel crisis, trigger happy reflationary guards in Iran, complicated team dynamics, ice/snow on mountain passes of Turkey and Northern Iran, bandits, sand dunes in the desert of Pakistan, drinking water shortages in temperatures of 55 degrees during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, getting lost without adequate maps and huge communication barriers with locals. We slept either in the truck, or on the roof (depending on the season) and covered up the girls with a veil while in the conservative Muslim countries while they were driving. We cooked our food over a gas fire and learned to eat canned Belgian horse meat with ravioli pasta. As I look back, much of what was laid as a foundation in my youth as a missionary kid at my Mum and Dad‘s side, paid off greatly as I faced my own challenges in serving the Lord in Asia and on journeys. Their life example and words often replayed to help me along the twists and bends of my life. Those twists

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and bends led me through many of the crowded streets of India where we used the trucks for Evangelism.

Then after marrying another Ukarumpa missionary kid (MK), Joy Ruth, and having our amazing double wedding at Ukarumpa with her sister Dawn & Tim Moyer with Mum & Dad‗s approval and honored presence, we ended up settling in the town of Lae where I had done my last year of Apprenticeship .

Looking back it was during my 4th and final apprenticeship year that OM‗s first ministry ship, the MV LOGOS, sailed into the port at Lae and I went to a number of the conferences on board. I was deeply challenged and sensed my own call to missions especially to India. At that same time Dad also got involved with the technical side of the ship which interested him greatly due to his past marine engineer experience. I talked to Dad about my joining the ship and its mission. But his wise words were, ―Finish what you started, your apprenticeship, as it will be done in 5 months. But son, if God ever calls you in the future to join this ship or the ministry of OM I am behind you!‖ Little did he know that two and a half years later I would be on my way to India via Belgium to drive trucks with OM. While we (myself, Joy and 3 children, Shawn, Jed and Trina) were serving with Operation Mobilisation in Lae, PNG for the first 15 years of our married life we had Mum and Dad as grandparents near by up at Ukarumpa or in different areas of the country to enjoy that stage of life with them.

We often got to share holidays where Dad was much more laid back and ready to ‗play‘.

He would take us out on his little sail boat and try to teach us to sail among all the fancy yachts in the harbor. We almost ran into a few! Later when Mum & Dad moved to Darwin, Australia we were also able to visit them there. As Grandparents they still have impact in our children‘s lives and on ours as well through re-living the old stories or making completely new memories for our children to remember in the years to come.

For Mum Skinner I bless you with Prov. 31: 28-31 For Dad Skinner I bless you with Psalm 128 I honor you both and cannot thank you enough for loving me through all the challenging twists and bends I created for you. You firmly, lovingly, helped to guide me through, as much by your example as by your words and always including your all encompassing faith in Jesus Christ the living Word as well as serving sacrificially so that the written Word, the Bible, could continue to go out to those who wait to hear it for the first time in their own mother tongue.

With much love Your second son David Thomas Skinner 11 Oct, 2010 10 People Presentation (We asked Dave and Joy for these notes.)

As part of Dave and Joy‘s ministry they have performed this ‗10 People Presentation‘ to illustrate that of the world‘s population 12% are Christian, 21% are nominal Christian,

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40% are reached Non-Christian and 27% are unreached with the major groups being Muslim, Hindu, Chinese and Buddhist.

Short Sketch Notes For „10 People Presentation‟ Introduction I want to give you a picture today of where the whole world is in terms of the Gospel. With the world‘s population of 6.8 billion and growing, how many are Christians? How many still need to hear? Is the task of missions complete?

Presentation Now I need some volunteers. Could I have 10 people (5 men and 5 women) come forward?

Arrange these people in a line, with the last four being two men and two women. These 10 people represent the whole world.

Christian Give the sign that says „Christian‟ to the first person. This person represents 12% of the world‘s population. They are born again, Bible believing, evangelical Christians.

Nominal Christian Give the sign that says „Nominal Christian‟ to the next two people. These two people represent 21% of the world‘s population. They are nominal Christians who may go to church regularly or not so often. They say they are Christians, but have no real inward change with Christ dwelling in them. Do we have some of these in our congregation?

Reached Non-Christians To the next three people give the sign „Reached Non-Christians‟. These three people represent the 40% of the world‘s population that are reachable. They have heard the Gospel message, but have rejected it and continue to hold to their former religions. These are the evangelised non-Christians.

Unreached Lastly, give the remaining four people the sign „Unreached‟. These four people represent the 27% of the world‘s population that are unreached. They have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly. They have no missionary or church near them or no witness for Christ.

Who are the unreached?

(Dress each person accordingly and give them a sign to match) Muslim (Give a black cape/head covering for woman or Muslim cap for man) They believe in one God, Allah and his prophet Mohammed. They say Jesus was a great teacher and a prophet too, but not as great as Mohammed. They also say Jesus is not the Son of God.‘ Hindu (Put dot on woman‟s forehead and a turban on man) Hindus believe in many gods; shown as idols. They believe in a cycle of life, death and a rebirth called reincarnation.

Buddhist (Put saffron coloured robe or orange cloth draped over man or woman) Buddhists follow the teaching of a man called Buddha who is portrayed as an idol that is worshiped.

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Chinese (Put a Chinese hat on or hold chopsticks) Traditional Chinese Religions and Communism. They believe that there is no god and that man is the only answer.

Where in the world do these unreached people live? They live in an area called the 10/40 window. The 10/40 window exists between the 10th degree north of the equator to the 40th degree north of the equator. From Morocco in North Africa up through Asia to the east coast of Japan. It is an area where most of the people who are unreached live. They have not yet heard the message of Christ‘s saving power.

Over half of the world‘s population live in the 10/40 window and 90% of them are unreached.

The least evangelised countries are here and nine of the countries do not even have one church of local believers in the whole country.

The poorest of the poor live here with high illiteracy rate (they can‘t read, write and have low formal education levels).

The strongholds of the major world religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Communism, who are resistant to Christianity, are in this area of the world.

Very few committed Christian workers are serving here.

Application Now some questions as we look at this representation of the whole world in these groupings: Where are you in this picture? What percentage has heard? Is there still work to do? What should the committed Christian do? Let the audience respond. We should pray, give, mobilise others, learn more about the world, help send missionaries, go yourself to unreached areas, encourage those who are already working in these areas, witness locally.

What is our church doing in this task to reach the unreached?

What am I doing?

There is still work to do and God has appointed men to take His message and His salvation to others.

Optional extra before conclusion Call for 10 more volunteers representing 450,000 missionaries today. Three men and seven women. There are more women out serving than men. Where are the men? Instruct the volunteers to go and stand behind the people group where they will serve among the unreached. Then move them to a more accurate picture of where the mission work force is today. If one person stands with the unreached group, three stand with the nonChristian group and the other six people stand with the Christian and nominal Christian group we get a more accurate picture of where the missionaries in the world today are serving.

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Conclusion Matthew 24:14 ―And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come‖ The job is not yet complete. Until the Lord returns we need to be busy about God‘s plan for building His kingdom in all nations. What part does God want you to play? Are you involved already in bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to all nations? If not, then ask God what He wants you to do.

Eight Reasons Why...

The following was compiled and written by Dave and Joy Skinner while working with OM in PNG. We see eight reasons why Papua New Guineans serving overseas as missionaries, especially in the needy, unreached areas of the world (10/40 window, Asia, Middle East and North Africa) seem to be so effective!

1. Not fearful of learning a new language or of trying to communicate across language barriers.

Reasons:  PNGers live in the most linguistically diverse nation in the world with 865 languages and many more dialects. They are used to dealing with and communication in other languages.  Many already know more than one language and have been through a language learning process (many non-formally).  Intercultural PNG marriages are quite common, this means that many people grow up hearing and understanding other languages as well as learn to communicate across language barriers.  They learn a language by involvement with people, not books. This enhances relationships and cultural adjustment in a new environment.  They don‘t have a ‗hang-up‘ that English is the only and best language.

Those that go out are often better in English than other nationalities, due to the PNG English medium education. This is helpful in dealing with fellow missionaries who are also from different language backgrounds and use English to communicate across cross cultural teams.

2. PNG culture is relationship orientated and not time and money orientated.

Why is this helpful?  Most of the cultures in the unreached areas are just the same, hence PNGers adjust easier.  PNGers are more relaxed when things don‘t go according to schedule or don‘t work at all. (Like mechanical breakdowns, everything running late or not to schedule, phones and electricity being unreliable, it is similar to ‗home‘).

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

They understand the importance of hospitality even when it is inconvenient. People are more important than a time schedule. This is very important in the unreached nations.

3. PNGers have the right skin color It is true because:  They blend right in with the local people as many also have darker skin.

PNGers are not as obvious especially in nation‘s sensitive to ‗white foreign Christian influence‘.  They are not seen as ‗western Christians‘ and they show physically that Christianity is not only for white skinned people, but for all races and skin colors!

4. PNGers seem to struggle less to adjust to a new culture.

Reasons:  They have grown up in a very multicultural setting in PNG. Previously tribal groups used to be separated by tribal fighting now they are coming together much more, yet they still see differences in cultures. They know the struggles which differences can bring but also that they can live together with their differences. This prepares them subconsciously.  They are more accepting of different ways and understanding of those ways.  PNGers are willing to adapt more readily as it is a ‗lived‘ experience.

5. PNGers have a simple non-materialistic lifestyle.

Why this is helpful:  They are used to living with much less materially (food, clothing, possessions, money). This is similar to many of those that they will reach out to and how they will need to live while there.  They survive happily with less modern conveniences (phone, electricity, refrigeration, personal car, indoor toilet, running water) and they struggle less when these are not available or don‘t work.  They have a ‗one day at a time‘ mentality. They only need their daily bread and don‘t need a back up bank account to feel secure. They are willing and able to garden, get fruit from trees, use local trade stores or ask others for help (hospitality works and is acceptable!). This may be similar to where they are serving.  Unreached areas have many poor people. Reaching them is easier when you are willing to live like them. This is not new for PNGers hence they can relate well without the standard of living being a hindrance.

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6. Mobility (ability to move with flexibility and ease) Found to be true in PNGers:  Usually due to simple lifestyle and less possessions accumulated. PNGers can pack up and move quite easily. This is helpful in sensitive countries where visa restrictions exist and create more travel in order to keep a visa valid.  On a daily basis PNGers are willing to walk greater distances, use public transportation, and deal with less desirable or rough conditions. They use whatever means available to reach isolated people groups.

7. PNGers are not Western Why this can be helpful:  They are not linked or associated with negative thoughts that the nations may have against the ‗westerner‘ due to previous history where ‗westerners‘ took advantage of or exploited them.  PNGers are not linked with the ideas that they are perceived to be wealthy, Locals therefore are less likely to come expecting money or with a bad motive to get to know them only for what they can gain (sometimes the motive behind ‗befriending‘ a westerner).  They are not linked with a foreign ‗white mans religions‘ even though they are foreigners and do bring the Christian message. The gospel is received from them more openly.  They are more readily accepted because of cultural and racial similarities.

PNG culture is more similar to Eastern Cultures than Western Cultures.

8. PNGers understand the Spiritual Battle Reasons:  Their traditional spirit worship (animism) is actually very similar to what is behind many who follow the world‘s religions of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism.  Having experienced and seen in their own people a bondage to fear of the spirit world, yet seen also God‘s power to overcome, they are effective in helping to set the captives free in these nations through the power of Christ Jesus.

In stating the above eight reasons please realize that we do not in any way put these as sole reasons for effectiveness. A person‘s walk with God, study of His Word and openness to the Holy Spirit is of course the top of the list. Also, missionaries are always more effective with a good sending church behind them that regularly prays, supports them financially and encourages them. But looking at natural cultural advantages for adapting and relating, the above points are very evident and helpful in cross-cultural missionary ministry when looking specifically at the more unreached areas and the PNG people serving there. PNG has a rich resource of man power available for missions! We

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pray that the PNG Church will realize this potential and take an effective part in the task of world evangelism, better known as overseas missions. Let‘s pray that they see the need, catch the vision and obey God‘s command to pray (Matt 9:36-38), give (2 Cor 8:115, 9:1-15), go (Matt 28:18-20, John 20:21) and to send (Rom 10:13-15). Also, in stating the above we do not in any way intend to put down the work or calling of western/white skinned missionaries. We are all called to take a part. Western/white skinned people have had a leading role, but this is changing as the third-world churches begin to send out their own. The task is great! We want to encourage the PNG church to take up their part!

A final note. These are observations made by Operation Mobilisation (OM) leaders both in PNG and in countries where PNGers have served, in evaluating the effective work of PNGers overseas serving on the 2-3 year programs in countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan and on the MV Doulos which ministered throughout Asia and in the Middle East.

The discovery of HMAS Sydney II and her destroyer Rusting hulls on the ocean floor reveal the high cost of believing a lie

By Peter Skinner Published: 30 September 2008 In March 2008, I was privileged to be part of the group of people that photographed, using Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), the sunken Australian warship HMAS Sydney II. I say privileged in that the whole successful endeavour was closely followed by media with the intention of alleviating the mystery of what happened to the ship and her crew.

I also wanted to be involved because my father, as a young boy, had known the captain and had referred to him as ‗uncle‘. In part for me, it was a personal quest to answer some of my father‘s questions of what happened in 1941 when his ‗uncle‘ was lost with the ship that has since gone down in the maritime history of Australia as the largest loss of life in a naval battle involving an Australian ship. 1At the time she was sunk, HMAS Sydney was the pride of Australia‘s naval fleet.

The job was something out of the ordinary for an ROV job, which typically involves surveying subsea structures, performing subsea construction for oil and gas facilities, or doing anything at depths that divers cannot work at. So coupled with my desire to be a part of the team that were able to obtain some answers to 67-year-old questions there was the uniqueness of the work scope that attracted me.

Throughout the job, the question that had hounded officials, surviving relatives and friends of HMAS Sydney II crew for years kept coming to my mind and were discussed incessantly over meals or when working. How did it happen? How did a Leander class cruiser with an illustrious battle record get sunk by a ‗freighter‘? This is probably why so many theories about various scenarios arose.

The HMAS Sydney II was sunk by the HSK Kormoran, which was subsequently scuttled within 12 nautical miles of the Sydney‘s final resting place, due to having received a direct hit to her engine room in the battle with the Sydney. After surveying the HMAS Sydney we were able to survey part of the HSK Kormoran, including the largely intact forward section (estimated 40%) of the ship, all at a depth of over 2,400 metres below the surface. Here is where the method of deception, which probably led to the sinking of the Sydney, was to be exposed.

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From what was able to be gathered from the surviving crew of the HSK Kormoran, who were interned in Australian Prisoner of war camps for the remainder of WWII, and from what we could see, there were clearly well hidden torpedo tubes (one port and one starboard) below the water line. There were also hidden torpedo tubes above the water line behind quickly removable metal blinds. We saw three of the 5 x 5.9 inch guns hidden behind folding doors and tarps. Additionally life boats (which were used by the crew to escape after the ship was scuttled) were hidden to conceal the fact that there were nearly 400 crew on this ‗freighter‘. Also a hidden seaplane (in the back of the ship which we did not see) and a work boat (also in the area back of the ship) that was scattered over 1.5 km of the seafloor. We inspected numerous parts of the back wreckage, with very large pieces not being distinguishable from another.

All of these items were hidden so the ship would appear to be something that it was not.

The HSK Kormoran was a purpose-built fighting-machine ship that had been built to appear as a freighter with the appropriate structures, paint job and even the name. In every way it was a battle ship if the definition of battle ship means that a ship is built for battle, as was the HMAS Sydney II. The HSK Kormoran had an impressive track record for battle, having already sunk nine freighters that didn‘t surrender to her and captured another, sending it back to Germany after replacing the original crew with some of her own qualified crew. Her crew was well trained and experienced in battle, using their tried and tested technique of surprise.

In my opinion, the mistake in judgement by the Sydney‘s captain and crew was that they simply accepted the ‗facts‘ as presented on the surface without investigating more deeply, i.e. that this was an innocent freighter. (Note that the Apostle Paul warned against ‗looking only at the surface of things‘!—2 Corinthians 10:7a.) They paid for their mistake in judgement of the HSK Kormoran‘s identity with their lives. The Sydney probably could have investigated further but must have felt that was not warranted. Her strength became a weakness because it was taken for granted, and she put herself physically in a vulnerable position—in direct firing range of the HSK Kormoran‘s torpedos and guns.

Her best course of action probably would have been to stay further away from the HSK Kormoran, send a boat to investigate and then proceed from there. However, hind sight is often 20-20 and we don‘t know all that happened on that day according to any Sydney crew, though we do have the HSK Kormoran‘s crew‘s side of the story, which has proved to be quite accurate.

So as to alleviate any thought of hatred of Germans for this act let us all remember that deceit during warfare is not new to the human race. The Americans used a similar technique during WWII; the British used this same technique of disguising war ships as freighters in WWI; the Americans used camouflage in their war of independence. It seems that deceit has been a big part in battles and wars throughout history. I remember something about a large wooden horse further back in history which was also presented as something that it wasn‘t.

Following this thread that deceiving the enemy is normal in warfare, let‘s go back further in history to the start of man—i.e., Adam and Eve. They also fell for a trap by swallowing a lie, and believing something false that was disguised as the truth. This is exactly what the captain and crew of the Sydney did with the consequential death of 645 crew members. They believed the lie that the HSK Kormoran was a freighter and they put themselves in a physical position that they would not have otherwise assumed, if they had known it was a ‗battle ship‘.

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I came away from this endeavour thinking about the deadly danger of believing lies, and related that to the lie of evolution. I pondered how we as individuals and as a society can choose to accept as truth what we are led to believe by media and portrayed as ‗science‘, that evolution is a fact when it is actually a lie. On an individual and societal basis we also will pay the price for believing that lie.

If people follow the basic premise of evolution, that there is no God, then they find no need to investigate Him further. According to this line of thinking ‗science‘ has ‗proven‘ He does not exist. So people who believe the lie of evolution end up missing the overwhelming evidence, information and indicators of His existence. They then fail to recognize God‘s purpose for their lives and never consider His requirements or His invitation to have a relationship with them. What a tragedy to miss out on eternal life because of the lie of evolution.

The HSK Kormoran made itself appear different from the truth. Satan likewise lied to Eve making something false appear to be true. Satan questioned God‘s Word, reinterpreted it the way that he wanted Eve to believe it, and planted a seed of doubt in her mind. He deceived her into doing what he wanted her to do. Adam was brought into the deception and also disobeyed God‘s plain instruction. We, the human race, have been paying the price ever since.

God in His incredible, unfathomable love has paid the price for our disobedience, shared our pain when He came into the world, and gave Himself to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus Christ settled the debt we could not pay to provide a way of escape from our justly deserved consequences. Like HMAS Sydney, the implications for what we choose to believe and how we choose to act based on those beliefs have huge implications for us all.

Foot Note: Sedimentation rates not fast enough to form a fossil Underwater photographs of the German ship HSK Kormoran show that negligible sediment has accumulated on the wreckage since it came to rest on the ocean floor in 1941, some 67 years ago. Located at a depth of 2560 m some 207 km off the west coast of Australia, it is clear that very little sediment is accumulating at present. Thus the legacy of such tranquil inundation is in stark contrast to the Genesis Flood. The Flood of Noah‘s day resulted in catastrophic sedimentation which buried and fossilized huge animals, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and dinosaurs, beautifully preserving many of them. Rapid sedimentation means not much time was required (certainly not millions of years), and testifies to the reality of the year-long global Flood in Noah‘s time.

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A jumble of pipes and cables on a large piece of wreckage of the Kormoran, again with almost no signs of sedimentation. Photo copyright of The Finding Sydney Foundation

Kormoran‟s 5.9-inch gun in the forward hold pointing aft and starboard. Note the lack of sediment on the deck. Photo Copyright of The Finding Sydney Foundation

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CONCLUSION In early March of 2003 we arrived at Waxhaw, NC thinking that we would stay and retire there. Soon after arriving there Hap and I read Col Stringer‘s book named ―Discovering Australia‘s Christian Heritage‖. Amazingly too the location of our continuing service in the Great Commission gradually changed from Waxhaw, NC to Australia. In late November 2004 on Thanksgiving night we flew to London from Philadelphia after spending time with Steve, Stacy, Isaac and Micah. This was the first leg of yet another series of awesome adventures.

After several days in England we continued to the Republic of South Africa to Durban.

All of David‘s dear family were there to welcome and give us two months of ‗show and tell‘ about their challenging, busy lives with Operation Mobilisation. It had been only two years since we‘d seen them when they came through Sydney for ten days after Hap‘s heart surgery in November 2002. They were winding up their departure from PNG and starting furlough before heading over to a new start in South Africa. It was a unique opportunity for us all to spend time in South Africa together.

After leaving South Africa we flew over the Indian Ocean to land in Perth, Western Australia where we spent two months with Peter, Gail and Kessiah. It was so good to see them there. Soon we collected a donated Volvo station wagon from Cliff and Eleanor Gibson (friends from Ukarumpa) in Bunbury two hours south of Perth. What a lovely gift! After we had a beaut weekend with former Darwin SIL accountant Eleanor Burns in Kalgoorlie, we looked forward to crossing the Nullarbor Desert for the first time. We really enjoyed camping in designated roadside parks and sleeping quite comfortably in our station wagon. The skies were so clear each night and the stars were magnificent. It took the usual four days to cross the Nullarbor.

We spent a couple of days with friends in Port Lincoln with Mark Mitchells and the Rob Tanns and then drove on to Adelaide where we spent several days with Diana Parker. Jim was away in PNG. Diana organized a get together as well as a lovely day trip south to visit dear Audrey Payne and Pam Shearer. Then we were on to Bryan and Janet Ezards, a great memory maker time together. A personal highlight for us while with Diana was seeing the recent photos of the simple coconut oil extraction method that Jim has been developing and demonstrating. It is a blessing to the nationals who are learning to use it as they are able to make their own coconut oil for cooking, lighting and sale. I understand that some use the oil to operate their diesel vehicles as well.

From Adelaide our destination was Peake, SA about an hour east of Murray Bridge where the Murray River almost finishes. Adrian and Belinda Thorpe with their teenagers, Nathan and Rebecca, lived on their sheep station just outside of Peake. We‘d met Adrian at Ukarumpa when he was still single. He had come up to visit a former army friend, Bernie Simmonds. Bernie wanted Adrian to meet us and organized a Sunday avo tea at their home. What a lovely fellowship has come from that time together as Adrian and then with bride Belinda became generous donors! On our visit at their sheep station we wanted to return a blessing to them, so it was with real satisfaction that Hap was able to repair one of Adrian‘s tractors. It was a remarkable farm stay for us to see first hand some of the effects of drought and erosion. Their yearly testimony is ―God has been faithful!‘ Good on you, Adrian and Belinda!

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We‘d begun to get interested in writing our stories for our children and others, so we called in to visit Lynnette Oates at Wodonga, VIC. Bill and Lynn had been on staff when we did our SIL course in 1960! We‘ve appreciated their friendship and Lynnes writing ability shown in the books she has written about the Oatridges and Lithgows.

In 2004 the day before we left Waxhaw, NC to return permanently to Australia, we ate at the JAARS cafeteria. As we ate at a table with friends, Hap heard an Australian voice at a table behind him! He couldn‘t wait to meet the Australian man (whoever it was) who had come for the Aviation Conference. He learned it was Mr Bruce Searle, the Vice Principal of the Bible College of Victoria (BCV). He was in charge of the new Aviation Department at BCV. This new course of Aviation was being well received as the students had come from many countries of the world. Mr Searle warmly gave Hap his card and said, ―When you get back to Australia contact me so we can set up some time together with the students at the airport!‖ It was great to do just that on our way through Victoria.

Several people have asked us ―Why did you retire to Far North Queensland?‖ Here are some of the factors, although not in order of importance. Hap is about 135lbs now and feels the cold a lot. After 32 years in PNG, 7 years in Darwin, and 2 years in Mareeba (west of Cairns) he desires tropical warmth! We desired an economical housing unit to rent. We found this one, thanks to our original contact with an AOG House Mother (Lillian Westbrook) of six teenage girls at Ukarumpa when I was the Construction Department bookkeeper in about 1970. Some of Lillian Westbrook‘s family had this retirement village built for just such people as us! We‘ve found friends here as well, in and out of the local church.

In 2006 during a trip to the USA, we were blessed to be able to celebrate our 50 th wedding anniversary at Hope Church in Indianapolis, IN with all our boys and their families and many close friends in attendance. What a joy it was to all be together in one place and create special memories. It was a wonderful celebration!

Over the last five years God has continued to bring about wonderful family reunions in only ways that He can arrange. He is a God who never fails to bring us joy!

We continue to want to live close to Jesus and talk and walk with Him. After all, He is our Best Friend! He did prove it! We want to live to show Him off. Praise the Lord. He has been ever faithful. He took a fearful farm girl used to field work, animals, driving tractors and chores and called her to become light in a dark place for Him. He took an active, adventurous, laughing boy and enthused him to love the outdoors, fresh air, every machine that moves and put a compass bearing in him to gladly help build God‘s kingdom here and now. That fishing lure of adventure worked!

There can be no greater adventure in life than to want and try to totally obey God‘s Great Commission because of Your love for Jesus.

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CONCLUSION PHOTOS Stacy, Steve, Hap, Peter, Glad, Dave and Joy

50th Wedding Anniversary – Sept 2006

Kessiah, Trina, Jed, Micah, Shawn, Isaac

Stacy, Steve, Hap, Peter, Glad, Dave and Joy. Due to allergies Gail regrettably could not be present for this photo.

Family reunion July 2009 in Mossman QLD L to R: Gail, Kessiah, Peter, Happy, David, Glad, Stephen, Joy, Shawn, Trina, Jed.

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Tales of Two „Happy and Glad‟ Skinner

EPILOGUE Many years ago we learned that the almost five continuous years of residency for Glady meant that she met the qualifications for her to become an Australian citizen on October 29, 1997. Other than that long stay, all our times in Australia had been about six months at a time or less. When she first came to Australia she didn‘t want to pursue citizenship as she would at that time have had to relinquish her US citizenship. While her parents lived she wasn‘t led to become an Aussie. Laws have changed a lot and since 2002 she has been able to have dual citizenship.

While Glady and I were in the US in 2006, we made a visit to Seattle specifically to visit the Anderson family. We stayed with Nancy Anderson Paine and husband, Phil Paine for five days overlooking the Puget Sound ferry terminal. While there we met dear Mom, Virginia Anderson (who was age 94), in a retirement home. We also met Ruth and visited with Roy, who is a solid gospel preacher in a local sound conservative church. Unfortunately, we did not meet Cully, Bill, Ginny or Tina as they were located all over the States. That time in Seattle was one of our beautiful highlights of remembering old times, young friends and an opportunity to say thanks of appreciation for reaching out to me a lost wayward Aussie sinner by showing the way to Jesus by their love, patience and prayers. Hallelujah, Praise you Jesus, for the Carl Anderson family. I saw Jesus in each one there, including Virginia‘s dear Mother when I met her in 1954.

Many times I‘ve expressed my gratitude that the Lord led us into the Wycliffe Bible Translators and Summer Institute of Linguistics. It seems to me that the Lord gave them wisdom how to ‗handle or manage‘ us! We‘ve both found so much job satisfaction in our roles; apart from a couple short incidents where Glady needed (and got) a job change as she was ahead of her time for locals‘ involvement (but that‘s another story).

I firmly believe we might not have lasted so long in several other mission settings. It‘s to God‘s glory that we‘ve been in Wycliffe for over 42 years (May 1960-November 2002) and loved it!

One of our sons said in the late 1970‘s or the early 1980‘s ―Dad, you have a role and satisfying work that many a man wishes he could have. You often get to do a feasibility study on a project, write it up if it needs to be, check on materials, plans, workers, costs, organize travel and then execute the plans. Then you do a photo history display of the project for the people, department or funding body. No wonder you seem to enjoy your work so much!‖ My answer to that is ―God called me and enabled me with His wisdom and strength.

But don‘t forget as well, He gave me a dedicated and loyal helpmate who so often helped pull up the slack as and where needed.‖ It has been gratifying in my response to the Lord‘s Great Commission and through His providence of grace and wisdom that I‘ve been able to be innovative and willing to try seemingly new things in my ‗ministry of helps‘. I‘ve been able to do the very things in PNG for the kingdom of God that I was doing before for my own entertainment and adventure.

I‘m so grateful that the good Lord used the ‗lure of adventure‘ to call me into His forever family and HIS service in August 1954.

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Letter from Frank Hoskin 13 Nov 2002 Dear Hap and Glad, Hi from your cobbers at KG-good to be in touch. We‘ve been praying frequently for you with your heart operation in focus, Hap. Glad the date has been organised and it looks like you‘ll have enough time to recover before heading off to the US. We‘ll sure be praying also it will go well with steady healing.

Although this letter won‘t be a surprise, it is something that is a privilege for me as part of the Personnel Committee. That is to recognise, for both of you, your 42 years of faithful service to the cause of Bible translation. How can that be condensed into a paragraph or two? It can‘t but I‘ll mention a few aspects that are meaningful from my perspective.

First, let me do the formal bit and pass on the motion from the 1 November Personnel Committee: ―Moved that Retirement Status be granted to Hap and Glad Skinner as from 1 November 2002.‖ It‘s very meaningful for me, Hap and Glad, having known you now for over 29 years. (When did we first meet? Maybe your memory is better than mine- which is not hard! I do remember meeting you at a kind of fellowship get-together in 1973??) A few aspects that impressed me then were the fact you‘d made so many friends within SIL PNG and also amongst the national fold at Ukarumpa and beyond. Teaching Steve gave me the opportunity to get to know you as his family better and that was special. You‘ve always had a great reputation for hospitality and friendship. I used to enjoy and be amused by your Aussieness, Hap, and I think you enjoyed the puzzlement it sometimes caused our non-Aussie colleagues. Glady, you‘ve always been so gracious- you‘re a good balance and complement to Hap. In different ways, you‘ve both had lots of practical abilities. Houses, building and airstrips around PNG testify to that.

Of course, we‘ve followed your career ever since and that of your sons. It‘s wonderful to see each of them following the Lord and marrying good partners. You‘ve filled an impressive number of roles, Hap and Glad, which shows your flexibility and your servant hearts- willing to hop in where there‘s a need. We and our colleagues continue to admire you for your abilities and adaptability so that you‘re able to turn your hands to so many tasks and roles. You‘ve worked hard for a number of Directors- in PNG, AAIB, at KG and in the US when on furlough and so on. You‘ve always taken recruitment seriously. Another aspect we‘ve appreciated is your relationship with each other and the commitment and affection that manifests.

Now you‘re slowing down a bit and lightening the load and we‘re glad you can. We‘re pleased the Retirement Status allows you to still do quite a bit for Wycliffe without it being a heavy load. You‘ll continue to be a blessing to us and to many, many others- colleagues, supporters, church folk and so on. We pray you‘ll find it very rewarding and fruitful. You‘ll continue to be a good role model in many areas of Christian life and service for those following along after you.

May God‘s richest and choicest blessings be yours, Hap and Glad, as you enter into a new chapter of your lives with numerous chapters after that. One day, after you‘ve persevered to the end, you‘ll both hear the words of the Saviour, ―Well done, good and faithful servants. Enter into the joy of your Master.‖ Sincerely in Christ and with our affection and love, Frank Hoskin Personnel Committee Secretary

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ETERNITY by Geoff Baskett You saw it on the bridge.

Through the television, millions saw it on the bridge.

With just one word, we challenged everyone in the world to face their future.

“ETERNITY’ and you read it in a couple of seconds, but it is another name for eternal life which will last forever and ever.

So let’s take a minute or two to think about it.

WHAT WERE YOU REACTIONS WHEN YOU READ IT? WHAT EFFECT DID THAT ONE WORD HAVE ON YOU? Of course, you can spend day deciding HOW you want to live now, but WHERE you will live in eternity depends on the result of that decision. The choice is yours….. a) To spend eternity in the glory of heaven with a loving God and with His Son who cared enough for you to die an agonizing death on the cross to save your eternal life.

OR

b) To spend eternity in the agony of Fell with Satan – the mastermind of hatred, cruelty, fear and terror whose will is to inflict eternal torment on all sent to Hell for punishment.

Once you have entered into God’s heavenly kingdom OR the torments of Hell, that’s it…for eternity.

The Bible tells us very clearly that no one can change from one place to another. (Luke 16:26) Jesus once told a story to describe what would happen at the end of time.

These are His words in the Bible.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like this. Some fishermen will throw out their nets into the lake to catch all kinds of fish. When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish, the good ones go into the buckets and the worthless ones are thrown away.” That’s how it will be at the end of time. Angle will come and separate the evil people from the ones who are blameless. Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.

The Bible also tells us: “God will come with Hi mighty angles, bringing judgement on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to believe the good news of salvation through /our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with eternal destruction, for ever separated from the Lord and His glorious power.”

God’s decision at the end of your earthly life depends on the way you decide to live now.

You will spend ETERNITY where you choose……..The choice is yours!

Right now you can shred this article and try to forget all you’ve read OR

You can pray to receive Eternal Life: “Lord Jesus, I am sorry for the wrong things I have done in my life, Please forgive me.

I now turn away from everything I have done wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross and took the blame for me so that I can be forgiven and set free from everything that separated me from You and Your Father God. I ask that You come into my life and be my saviour, my Lord and friend.

Thank You that You offered me forgiveness and the gift of eternal life with You in Heaven.

Now I take Your gift and give you my life in exchange.

Please come into my life to be with me through this life and through ETERNITY. Thank You, Lord Jesus” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now that you have made the decision to live the Christian way of life, come and meet with those who have also made this decision. You can contact us through any Church where the Bible is taught and where Christ is the centre of all the teaching.

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Tales of Two „Happy and Glad‟ Skinner

From left to right; Gail Larsen Skinner, Kessiah Larsen Skinner, Peter Skinner, Happy, Hap, Harold Skinner, David Skinner, Glad, Glady, Gladys Skinner, Stephen, Joy Ruth Skinner, Trina Skinner, Shawn Skinner, Jed Skinner

Tales of Two „Happy and Gladâ€&#x; Skinner