Greetings from the SIL Mission Base at Ukarumpa in the PNG Highlands.

The temperature here is between 60 and 75 degrees and there are NO bugs whatsoever. I am absolutely loving the change in climate.

We have been traveling for the past few days. On Wednesday, we left our Samban village friends. They all escorted us to the airstrip and lined the edges of it to bid us farewell. All of the people we had met and helped were very sad to see us go. I think I shook over 100 hands in less than 15 minutes. It was sort of sad to leave, but I was really tired of the constant bombardment of humidity and bugs. When we arrived in the town of Madang, it seemed like a giant metropolis. I was surprised to find myself admiring the stores and shops (all of which seemed sort of unimpressive when we arrived back in June). Our little cottage was a great change from our downstairs room with mosquito nets.

On Thursday, we left Madang for Ukarumpa and spent all afternoon (4.5 hours) driving through the Madang mountains, through the Ramu Valley, and then up into the PNG Highlands. The drive was incredibly beautiful - with scenic outlooks around every bend. The mountains have a sort of Jurassic feel to them - sharp abrupt peaks, totally covered in thick jungle flora. I found myself expecting to see a Tryceratops flying overhead or a T-Rex devouring a cow along the side of the road. In about 2 hours we went from sea level up into 4,000 ft mountains. I put my hand out the window and was able to noticeably feel the temperature dropping as we ascended.

The highland people are known for their gardening. They plant extensive gardens on the steep hills, and their fruits and vegetables are awesome. This morning for breakfast I ate at least 6 cups of freshly cut strawberries.

Today (Friday) we traveled 2 hours south to the town of Goroka (known for having the best weather in the world). We walked around the open markets and into a few stores. Once again, the landscape on the trip was unbelievably gorgeous. The neat houses with thatched roofs perched on hillsides surrounded by colorful flowers and lucious green gardens.

We will be here in Ukarumpa until Monday when we head back to Madang. We will stay in Madang until Saturday - at which point we will leave for Port Moresby, spend the night in a hotel, and leave for Australia on Sunday.

Prayer needs at this point are mostly for traveling safety. The mountain roads (considered "highways" by PNG standards) are riddled with potholes and there are many places where portions of the road have simply slid down the mountain. This makes traveling rough on the stomach, and the kids get sort of restless on long trips.

Overall though, Ukarampa is a great change and we are really enjoying the more relaxed schedule.

Thank you all for your prayers!

-C.R.