It has been a beautiful first two weeks here in Papua New Guinea, except for the rain. Rain is a popular product of the Western Highlands Province and our hospital is no exception. It has rained 12 of our first 14 days here. The locals report the annual rainfall was a staggering 150+ inches this past year. The wet season extends from November to June with the typical dry season being July through September.
Too much rain can cause flooding and the dreaded mud slides. A few weeks ago there was a mud slide that took out a small village with loss of life and in one case a P.M.V. (public motor vehicle) was covered as it traveled along with 21 resulting deaths and only one survivor.
Those of you in southeast Missouri are well acquainted with flooding. Around here, this is a major problem with the local farms and gardens. Farmers in the US try to take advantage of the available moisture, while people in PNG dig special drainage channels throughout their gardens to carry the water away.
To me, adequate rain means a good supply of water in my cistern, so there will be a plentiful water supply for drinking, bathing, washing dishes, laundry and flushing the toilet!
The typical day here on the station starts with mist trapped by the mountains filling the valleys. This greatly limits early morning visibility. The mist is usually gone by 8 am and intense high-altitude sun with a few passing clouds predominates until mid afternoon. The sun at high altitude is dangerous and sunburn can get you in 30-45 minutes without protection. Temperatures are usually quite mild to the upper 70's and low 80's. By 2-3 pm the clouds start to stack up and by 5 pm the rain starts. Rainfall can last through the night, but usually stops by dawn. Precipitation is mostly light, but can be intense - especially at night.
Too little rain can also be a problem at the station. This means dry cisterns and rationing our water for drinking, showers and toilet flushing.
God's secret to the existence of plants and animals on our planet involves a balance of soil, sun and rain. Without each of these there can be no life. Let us pray for a year without flood or drought and of course for my cistern to remain full.
See you later (lukim yu bihain),
Scot & Tyronza
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