Time to come home

Dear Friends and Family:

Well it has been a very long and full three years that we have spent in Yembiyembi, but INCREDIBLE to watch what has happened over that period of time. Last week with many tears we said goodbye to our tribal fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters in Yembiyembi (remember we were adopted into clans). This time however, many of them are believers and that backdrop changes everyone's out look.

 

The night before we jumped in the canoe (our airstrip was underwater from flooding so we had to motor canoe to an airstrip 4 hours away) my clan father and mother Lucas and Prisca sat down with me. Lucas and Prisca are probably in their early 60's (there are no birth certificates in the jungle) and know that their time for this earth may not be long. Lucas especially is fading physically and talks often about when he will see the face of "Great One" (the Lord). Mama Prisca spoke for him and said this, "Eldest son, tomorrow we set you in the canoe and you leave us behind for 9 months. We don't know if God has marked this time to close his fingers on your father and I, but we know this, if he does we have no fear, we are his children, we have crossed to his side, we will sit/be with him if it is our time. If you come back and you only see the ground lump (the burial location) and not our bodies your eye water can come, but remember to not let it come like a non-crosser (unbeliever). We will see you again, and we will see your face and you will see ours, we put you in the canoe with that thinking in our heads".

 

As I mentioned, our journey started with a canoe ride and a small Cessna 206 out of the jungle. In 48 hours we fly to the PNG capital, then on to Hong Kong, then to San Francisco and on to San Diego. Pray we can get some sleep, stay healthy, enjoy the trip, and don't loose any bags or items to an over zealous customs agents (sometimes a croc head, bone dagger, or snake skin get them excited).  

 

Can't wait to see you all, and enjoy home with you (March Madness, In-N-Out burger, Starbucks, and some NBA playoffs come to mind).

 

Your friends, Brooks Nina and Beau

 

P.S. the picture is Nina and our co-workers in the canoe coming out of the tribe (Nina's brother and father are in the back to see her off at the airstrip).