The Story in Papua - Chapter 5 (English Version)
Chapter 5
Approaching the end of September
2019, I just knew if I could get a phone signal in Ugo, but I had to climb to
the highest hill and climb a high tree around 15 to 20 meters. After that, I
always tried to get information about the evaluation’s time and the program
closing time by climbing the hill and tree to get the signals. Then, I got
information from my partner, Anderias Baga who taught in Wanggemalo Village
that the evaluation would be postponed from October to November 2019. When I
wanted to teach the students, I boiled water to make coffee for adult students,
but the pan was too slippery, and I was flushed with hot water, from my thigh
to my ankle. Then, I had to go to the Regency to get treatment.
When I felt that I was cured, I
returned back to Ugo, but the river subsided which made me use another
transportation. I used a small plane to Bomakia District and a motorcycle from
Bomakia to Wanggemalo. In Wanggemalo, I had to spend the night and continue the
trip to Ugo in the morning on foot. After I arrived in Ugo, I did my activity
as usual (teaching at school from morning to noon and teaching adult students
from noon to afternoon).
At almost the end of October 2019, the evaluation team arrived in Ugo at midnight around 01.30 am because the river subsided and they had to pull and push the boat. In the morning, they gave the evaluation exam to all of the students in the village.
On October 31st, 2019,
a group from Dema and a group from Wanggemalo came to Ugo in order to go
together to Manggelum for the closing of the program. The next day, there was
no long boat that we could use to go there, so I had to go to the Regency to
get a longboat. On the way to Regency, there was a cloudburst, so we were all wet.
When we arrived in Kouh District, it was nightfall and the rain stopped. We
dropped in a moment to buy some snacks for the trip. Then we continued the trip,
but after we were out of Kouh District there was rain again, so we had to stop
and spend the night on the riverside. We were trembling and hungry because our
clothes were all wet and had not eaten yet for the whole day (just a little
snack). So, we ignited the fire to warm our bodies.
The next day, the rain was not
stopped until 08.30 am. Then, after the rain stopped, we continued our trip to
Regency. Before we arrived at Regency, we run out of fuel for our longboat, so
we just followed the stream and paddled the longboat to the Regency. We arrived
there around 11.30 am, and I tried to find the driver of the longboat that I
could use to Ugo and pick us all up to Manggelum. At 01.00 pm, the driver
prepared all of the fuel and lunch, and then at 03.00 pm, we started going to Ugo.
We arrived in Ugo around 01.30 am on Sunday, November 3rd, 2019. In
the morning, we prayed together, and after we finished praying, we prepared to
go to Manggelum District. We were 37 people in the longboat that we used to go
to Manggelum, including Ugo, Wanggemalo, and Dema. We started going there at
11.00 am and arrived at 07.00 pm in Manggelum. On November 5th,
2019, the closing of the program was held from morning to afternoon. On November
6th, 2019, we returned back to Ugo, but the river subsided, so
we had to sleep at the riverside and hoped that would come rain at night. There
was no rain until morning, and even the river was more subsided, so it was more
difficult for us to pull and push the boat to the village.
After we arrived in Ugo, all of
Ugo’s society went back to their house, and the group of Wanggemalo and Dema
still stayed in my place and hoped that would come rain at night, so they could
continue the trip by ketinting or longboat in the morning. But there was no
rain at night, so they just returned back to their village on foot. After they
returned back to their village, I continued my activity, teaching all of the
students to open the Holy Bible for 2 to 3 weeks because on November 25th,
2019, I had to return back to the Regency and would not come back to Ugo again.
Something that made me move was many children even parents who cried when I
returned back to the Regency for the last time to leave them. Furthermore,
several days before, they said: “Mr. teacher, if you wanted to go home, bring
me please”, “Me too Mr. please”, said the others. Moreover, when I was in
Manggelum, there was a child from Dema Village, named Sefnat (he was the one
whom I knew before I came to Ugo) who always followed me wherever I went (we
walked around Manggelum, went to take a bath in the river, etc) and he said:
“Mr. Teacher, later I and Matius (Ugo’s child) followed you to your hometown,
please”. At that time, I wanted to cry. I wanted to bring them, but I still had
to go to some places or cities, and I have a real younger brother whom I have
to take care of. So, I just could explain that I could not bring them.
Besides that, several days before
I left them until I left, many people always came to my place (the house where
I lived) to convey that I had to stay and they said: “Mr. Teacher, you could
not return back to your hometown, if you returned back, we would put our books
and go to the backwoods and never learn again because we could not hope to
our own sons and daughters to teach us”, “Mr. Teacher, you lived and died here”, “Mr. Teacher, you
could return back home to marry but you had to come back again to this village,
bring your wife and live here.”, “Mr. Teacher, o, we loved you so much”,
“Mr. Teacher, o, why did you lie to us, why did you show your face to us here
if you had to leave us again”, “Mr. Teacher, please don’t go, because of you my
children could read, write, and even up to grade 2”, and many other statements
from them. Some of them chose to go to the backwoods because they did not want
to see me leave. Even though, the headman, when people said that I would return
back home, always said: “No way, he could not go, he lived and died here in
Kombay”. I was so sad that I could not say goodbye to him when I left this
village because he had something to do for several days out of the village. His
first wife (he has 2 wives) chose to go to Wanggemalo because she did not want
to see me leaving. She just said to the other society: “If Mr. Teacher looked
for me, told him that I went to Wanggemalo”. I thank the Lord because they
always phone me to say hello and share about their condition there until now.
This is my story and testimony from when I was in the outlying place around Boven
Digoel Regency, Papua.
The entertainment and holiday
stories from when I was in Papua will be coming soon…
My Hope:
Firstly, they will always be enthusiastic to study until they are truly able to read, write, count, and understand stories in a book.
Secondly, all I have ever taught them will stay in their heart, root, grow, and fruit in their lives.
Thirdly, all of these PBA programs will always be run to all the outlying places, because if it is not started by us, who else?
Jesus Christ Blesses us.
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