Extreme Mission, Extreme Airstrip, Extreme Moni Tribe Part 2

So after the Chief of the Moni Tribe gave a 30 minute dissertation threatening to close their market if they didn’t start helping build the airstrip  (The airstrip is his personal land) They came in force.   First the children came.  Then, At one time, there were close to 100 people.

The most memorable parts of the this experience was the chants that the kids did and then the inspired Adults who could not be out done.  When I get back to faster email in the states I’ll down load a few video’s that will really inspire you.   I’ve never worked in time with everyone.   They are truly a people who work together.

When the wheel barrows ran out they stuck poles through rice sacks and made their own way to carry rocks.   They actually did better with the rice sacks because the wheel barrows wanted to roll down the hill faster than one could walk and kept tipping over.

The original level of dirt was about 2 meters taller than the heads of the people on top in the picture.   The whole hill from where the pig is in the foreground will still have to go down 2 or 3 meters below it’s current level.  

The kids pause long enough for me to take a photo.  But quickly go back to work.

Opin the son of Yacobous who served as the Indonesian to Moni Translator.   He is staying on to work on the project this summer until school starts again.   In the evening he is also working on translating Bible Studies into the Moni Language.   To my knowledge there are no written Bible Studies.   Once we get them written then we will record them into the Moni language since more than half the polulation don’t read.   Speaking of reading. . . Pastor Alphian – the previous pastor started a school Grades K-6.   This year was the first graduate.

Here is her baptism picture.   She is also working on the airstrip digging project as one of the project cooks. 

We now have 8 working wheel barrows and 7 that need work (bought before our time).  We have 20 picks.  20 working crow bars.   17 shovels,   30 rice bag haulers.   And an assortment of other tools.   Probably enough tools for a while.

The need now is for food to help subsidize the villagers who give up hunting and gathering in order to help build their airstrip.   Also, axe heads, kettles, sharp kitchen knives, etc are a form of currency here.   If they can get those items they will work hard.  We have a few young people that we are paying to work on the strip in the form of paying large portions of their tuition when school starts.

So far $2,225 and change has come in to the project but it will probably take another $3,000+.

Thank you to each person who has contributed to the project via Battlefield Community Church of Seventh-day Adventists PO Box 5306 Ft Oglethorpe, GA 30742 or www.battlefieldadventist.org click on “online giving”

Part 3 is still yet to come.   Think Clinic, School and Baptisms for the next blog.