Hike to Lone Tree Forest

Hello friends, family, and partners.

I apologize for not keeping you updated more often.

Since I last posted I've:
-taught two more weeks of school
-taken the Ukarumpa orientation course
-sat in on parent/teacher conferences
-moved to a different house on-centre
-attended the PNG Branch conference
-enjoyed The Other Concert
-participated in the community picnic
-subbed for our school secretary during a day of conference
-gotten sick, visited the clinic, gotten better
-fed the cat: Chester

-celebrated Easter
-rearranged the classroom
-organized
-prepared for our students
-organized 2 village programmes
-made ice cream 3 times
-discovered the joys of cooking
-discovered the challenges of cooking
-played board games
-said good-bye to two friends: one to furlough and one back to her language program
-gone on a hike to Lone Tree Forest:

Destination: Lone Tree Forest

It used to be Lone Tree, but due to reforestation it is now quite a grove of trees.

village haus

This was a refreshing 4 hour hike over 3 ridges off-centre. I went with a group of 8 high schoolers, 1 fifth grader and 3 dads past 2 villages to Lone Tree.

spectacular view-that group of buildings is Ukarumpa Centre

 



I wasn't sure I could keep up, but I did pretty well and was greeted by some spectacular views and also lots of mud.

lots of mud

We used walking paths which are about as wide as your feet and usually quite muddy. Generally it rains every day anywhere from half an hour to half the day. There's mud. Once I got mud inside my sandals it was too slippery to use them. Thus, I enjoyed most of the hike barefooted. I have some bruises and cuts, but it was well worth the child-like mud sliding.

 

crossing the Ba'e River

On our return hike we sort of took a detour, well maybe we were not exactly sure where we were. Anyways, we asked for some help in Tok Pisin- I didn't, one of the dads did-I still need to learn Tok Pisin. Thus we walked through a coffee garden and through a deeper, waist-high part, of the Ba'e River than if we had gone where we had originally planned.

Overall: Great Fun! Plus I only fell once.




Tomorrow- 10 April, my time, I will start term 4 with our grade 3 kids. Before we departed for conference and break, I asked the grade 3 class if they would like a theme in our classroom. They decided on a castle in the jungle. I've started creating that inside our room, but I can't wait to see how they finish it with their creativity. Pictures of that and all our other learning to come.

Thanks for reading, praying, and giving.
You're amazing-each of you!