Our odyssey began with a leap of faith. We, the Balimo Pathfinders, a group of young pathfinders with hearts full of purpose, embarked on a mission to attend the PNGUM iAnchor Pathfinder Camporee in Markham.
To fund our one-way tickets from Balimo to Hagen, we turned into resourceful entrepreneurs, selling recycled cans, kaukau, fish, and pineapples.
We even hosted a concert in Port Moresby, receiving an outpouring number of support from people from all walks of life, both in Papua New Guinea and abroad.
Your generosity helped us not only reach Hagen but also cover the costs of our road trip down to Markham.
With backpacks filled with hope and pockets jingling with our hard-earned savings, we set off for Hagen.
The journey wasn’t easy. MAF planes, our only means of transportation, could only carry nine passengers at a time.
It took us two weeks to ferry everyone to the camp, each flight a prayer whispered into the wind.
Reaching Markham on December 14th, we faced another challenge – the road ahead was fraught with danger.
We traversed roadblocks in Simbu and witnessed the unsettling aftermath of conflict in Kainantu.
Yet, God shielded us from harm, and by 9:40 pm, we arrived at the campsite, weary but grateful.
We spent our first night sleeping soundly in our trucks, eager to set up camp and embrace the weeklong spiritual gathering that awaited us.
Knowing we had no way back, we surrendered to God’s providence.
Throughout the camp, our prayers echoed with a single plea – to find a safe and affordable way home.
We had initially planned to take the long but economical route, traveling through Kagua, Erave, and Kikori before finally braving a six-hour banana boat ride back to Balimo.
On the Friday before camp closed, a miracle unfolded.
We received the exact amount we had prayed for – K15, 000!
Armed with this newfound confidence, we clung to our original plan.
However, God had other designs.
As four of our team members fell ill, we were forced to reschedule our departure. Finding two trucks to transport us to Kikori on such short notice seemed impossible.
Just as despair threatened to cloud our hope, a divine intervention arrived in the form of a phone call from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).
They assured us that God was in control and offered to fly us home at no cost, saving us from the arduous journey we had planned.
As one of our Pathfinders once declared, “Jesus paid for our registration. He will take us to camp and bring us home,” and He truly did!
On January 2nd, we boarded the MAF plane, our hearts overflowing with gratitude.
This unexpected act of kindness confirmed our faith and reminded us that God works in mysterious ways.
We are back in Balimo, safe and sound, forever changed by the experiences and the overwhelming love we encountered on our journey.
May our story serve as a beacon of hope, a testament to the power of faith, and a reminder that even in the face of uncertainty, God’s unwavering love guides us home.
We carry with us the lessons learned, the friendships forged, and the unwavering belief that anything is possible with faith as our compass.