Saturday, July 5

After returning from my photo shoot (previous post), and while Howard and Cerwin worked on the air conditioner, I went to the living quarters area to meet the volunteer chaplain who had arrived just before I got there.

After learning that his name was Bob, I learned that he was a retired missionary from Indonesia.

Since we have missionary friends in Papua, Indonesia, I began asking more specific questions and soon discovered that we knew the same people – Kevin and Beth!

Bob was a retired missionary pilot with MAF and Kevin is a current pilot with MAF. Bob knew Kevin’s dad. Bob said he knew Kevin since he was a little boy. And I have known Beth since she was a little girl.

I send a Facebook message to Kevin to tell him that I was visiting with Bob Johanson on one of our chapels, and that he was now a volunteer chaplain with TFC.

This is the message that Kevin sent back.

He told me stories that were so fascinating about this remote tribe and how the missionaries developed an alphabet for them and eventually (after many years) published a Bible in their language.

I will treasure that one-hour conversation for a very long time.

When Chaplain Howard’s wife, Dorinda, arrived at noon, it was time for Bob to leave and for us to go for lunch.

We had a delicious, delightful lunch with Dorinda and Howard. We treasure their friendship and always have lots to talk about.

Howard got an interesting lunch that was baked in tin foil.

Dorinda’s lunch

Cerwin and I were meeting friends for supper, so ordered a very light lunch. He got a bowl of soup.

I got a small salad and a cup of soup.

When we were about to leave, Volunteer Chaplain Roger and his wife, Ann, came to the restaurant. While we were hugging and talking, we asked the waitress to seat them next to us. I think we stayed for another hour. I took this picture when we were leaving – at the same time. We had so much fun with them.

Ann thought we should get Dorinda in the previous photo, but she was ahead of us in getting to their van because she knows it takes a bit of a process for her to get inside. (She was paralyzed in a car accident shortly after their wedding many years ago.)

She is an amazing woman and certainly doesn’t let her handicap hinder her life. She was our driver – to and from the chapel.

Back at the chapel we had another pleasant surprise. When we were at the restaurant my phone beeped, so I looked to see if it was a message from Kevin in Indonesia. It was not, but I noticed that my blog and Facebook friend Christy had just posted something, so I told her that we were at the chapel.

She asked how long we would be there. I said maybe three or four o’clock.

I was so pleased that she and Ed took time to come see us. Ed also serves as a volunteer chaplain.

We have been blog friends for many years – when both of us blogged on Xanga.

This turned into a day of one blessing after another.

And I expected to have a quiet day of doing counted-cross stitch while the men worked. 🙂

When the air conditioner was installed and we had put all of Cerwin’s tools (and the old air conditioner) in our car, I took a picture of Howard with his cycle.

It seems that he wants to show it to “someone” at the International Office. 🙂

~~~

It was time to go to our motel and freshen up for supper.

I’ll tell you about that tomorrow night.