Doug & Jackie Wakeling, MAF,  Papua New Guinea - April 2012

Doug and Jackie are working with  Mission Aviation Fellowship in Papua New Guinea

So much has happened since that wonderful send-off from Highfield in January (thank you). A week after arrival in Cairns, Australia, where MAF-Asia-Pacific are based, we joined 3 other new MAF couples in an excellent 2-week orientation course. After that we went for 2 wonderful (but busy) weeks with our son & family in New Zealand, which included meeting our second grand-daughter, born last June,for the first time. We then had a further 2 weeks in Cairns, waiting for our PNG visas and for a medical clearance, whilst working through another course that a number of MAF folk have been doing.We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cairns, whichwas jam-packed with good learning. Give thanks for valuable new knowledge and great new friends.

We eventually arrived here in Mount Hagen, in the highlands of PNG, on Monday 12th Feb, to a wonderful welcome. Since then we've understandably been feeling a bit wiped out. It's been full-on with many things to start sorting out. Today, Thursday 15th, we started a 10-session course in the language - TokPisin - which will take us up to the end of March. We will thenlive in a remote bush village for a week to practice conversing with local people.

We are living in one of six 3-bed flats on a compound close to town. We've really enjoyed the friendship and hospitalityof other very experienced MAF couples. The MAF base, offices and hangar, which we visited yesterday, are a 20-minute drive away.Please pray for our ability to make relationships with staff.

Please continue to pray for PNG. Elections are due in June and more than usual unrest is already occurring. Our prayers continue for justice and peace. Finally, as always, please pray for the safety of all the flying in this most challenging of countries.

Doug Wakeling