New Britain Survey: Week 1

I'm leaving today for three weeks of survey work on the island of New Britain. This post is the first in a series of three - one for each week - of specific prayer requests for each day. Feel free to print them and out and hang them on your fridge or put them somewhere else you'll see then and remember to pray, or just check back here every day to see what the team and I are doing.

We really need your prayers for this survey - it will be long and have many challenges, including hot, humid weather, difficulty in finding transportation and biting sandflies! I look forward to sharing with you how God answered your prayers when we return.

(These posts are posting automatically; I'm a LONG way from any computer! So if you email me, understand that I won't be able to reply until after November 10).

October 21 (Wednesday)

The Plan: Fly out of Ukarumpa early in the morning to the south coast of New Britain island.
The Prayer Request: Pray for good weather so we can get there safely!

October 22 (Thursday)

The Plan: Travel by boat to the Apalik language area.
The Prayer Requests: This will be a very long boat trip. Pray that we will be able to find a boat to hire, and pray especially that we will be able to find fuel for the boat. We will be in a very remote area and it can be very difficult to find fuel. Also pray for safety as we travel across the ocean!

October 23-24 (Friday and Saturday)

The Plan: Visit two more Apalik villages.
The Prayer Requests: Pray that we will be able to find a boat to hire (along with fuel!) each day. The Apalik language is spoken on four small islands, so we will need to travel to the next island by boat every day. Pray for good weather as well, because rainy season is just ending here on the south coast. Continue to pray for safety as we travel in boats.

October 25 (Sunday)

The Plan: Visit the fourth Apalik island and attend and observe a church service.
The Prayer Requests: Pray that God will lead us to a church where we can gain helpful insights about the language area, as well as encourage people and grow ourselves.

October 26 (Monday)

The Plan: Travel by boat from the Apalik language area to the Lesing-Gelimi language area.
The Prayer Requests: This is our longest boat trip. Pray for a boat, fuel, good weather, and safety!

October 27 (Tuesday)

The Plan: REST DAY! We’re not going to travel or work today, but read, nap, and hang out.
The Prayer Request: Pray that we will be able to relax and recover.

(Thanks to my teammate Juliann for writing this schedule and the prayer requests. Check out her survey blog at http://pngsurvey.blogspot.com.)