Duane and Clare Ann went to West Papua to visit MCC workers in Manokwari and to have meetings in Jayapura, the provincial capital.
Flying from Manokwari we stopped off in Nabire on the north coast. Today we had the big Fokker airplane rather than the small Twin Otter. Coming from Biak to Manokwari the pilot actually loaded us up and tried with three different Twin Otters before deciding he had one that would make the one hour over-water flight. That was quite an experience. We only left the ground in two different ones. He gave up on the first one with just the luggage loaded.
Just down the hill from Cendrawasih University in Abepura, part of Jayapura, a phenomenon occurred in January. A young boy was standing by this building, where the blue awning is now. It appears that the wall had been freshly plastered. He said that a light, like a meteor, had come out of the sky and he caught it, then was afraid and threw it against the wall.
The image formed on the wall by what the boy threw is called Tuhan Jesus, the Lord Jesus, by people who see it. As you can see, it has been roped off and covered by the tarp to protect it. This is beside a busy street, which I stood in to take the first picture.
 | We are accustomed to seeing patterns on walls formed by drying plaster, but this one is striking. People simply say it is Jesus. There have been a number of these events around Indonesia recently, this being the only one we have seen. People think it means something significant. |
MCC West Papua had their retreat. This group includes Pak Abang from the Jakarta Office, speaker Pdt. Mikha from Java, and is missing YY Parker, who should be standing with Steve and Katie.
The other big event was a variety of farewells for Jim Dontje and Laura Lindell, leaving Papua after three years. Here the Rektor of the University of Papua is making presentations. Jim received the Rektor's own specially made University of Papua hat. UNIPA came into existence just a week or so earlier, having been a branch of Universitas Cendrawasih before.
visitors since March 5, 2001.
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