Arrived safely in PNG

Well it's Monday morning (the 18th) and we just got in this morning... a day later than we had originally planned. All flights went really smooth. Connections went well. Kids were better behaved than they've ever been on flights and slept about 1/2 of our 14 hour flight to Brisbane! It was a great trip, until we got to Port Moresby.

It was in Port Moresby that we boarded what was to be our final commercial flight, which would take us to the town where New Tribes Mission guesthouse is. This flight was just one hour after our arrival from Brisbane and so after clearing immigration and customs, we had to RUN with kids in tow and all our carry on luggage from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. We ran as best as a family laden with goodies can run, and because of the heat and humidity typical of the tropics we boarded the plane heaving and sweating. Whew! The disappointment came when after closing the doors and starting the plane, the pilot announced that they were having a problem with a cabin pressurization problem. Long story short; our flight was cancelled, they put us up in a hotel with meals, and we stayed the night. This morning we came back to the airport about 5am to re-check all our 13 heavy bags only to find that a mistake had been made and none of the passengers from the cancelled flight had been re-entered into the system. But finally, after switching lines 3 times (still hauling all our luggage to each one) we got checked in and were off to await the boarding call for our flight. Fun adventures, right? All is well now though and we're in Goroka where we're scheduled to fly in on the helicopter to Mibu tomorrow. Can't wait.

My brother and sister, Neal and Lauren, both came with us to help with the kids and luggage and to help with some other projects in Mibu. It was so great to have them on our flights and helping with the kids. We're so excited to have them here with us! We'll have to have them write an update or two during their stay! Always good to get the perspectives of others!

Now, many of you have asked how in the world we would take 3 young kids, all our carry-ons and 13 pieces of luggage across from the domestic to the international terminal in LAX. Here's the picture that answers that question!

Thanks for all your prayers through our travels!

Geoff and Shannon and 3 jet-lagged girly girls