Langda Visit: Part 4: Church and a hike

This is the last post with pictures from our trip last month into the interior village of Langda.  These pictures are mainly from Sunday, when we went to the local church and then went on a hike in the afternoon.  Enjoy a view of beautiful Langda!

Walking to church includes going along an edge
which drops off very steep into this beautiful valley

Oma pointing out the small village where their house-helper walks from every day

J walking to church with Opa and Papa

Cute kids all around!

The river down below

The small village where the house-helper walks to and from each day

Langda Church

Standing on the edge is normal for them!

Oma with a friend

Peek-a-boo

Opa with B at the front of the church

Never tired of looking around at the mountains

The line-up on the edge of the cliff

Trying to get the baby to look for the picture

Inside church, almost everyone prefers to sit on the floor
 (there were benches along the edges)

The majority sit with men and women separate 

Majority of church is women

Some of the elders, reading their Bibles.
Don't overlook this picture too quickly, it is an amazing testimony to the YEARS of dedication K's parents have spent here.  Not only the completed New Testament (in their local language), but also their ability to read it (teaching literacy is a big part of Bible translation....what good is a Bible if the people can't read it?!)

Offering time (most people give produce as their offering,
namely sweet potatoes from their gardens)

The string bags holding the offering

Before our family hike
(so thankful for rain boots with all the mud!)

Heading down the trail

Precious J found this little boy and wanted to shake his hand!

There were different houses scattered throughout our hike.

The boys got to go inside one of the huts.  They were thrilled!

Crossing the mud

Wait! What are the boys doing while we stop for a photo?!

Ahh, the boys wanted to climb a tree.

Conquerors

Beautiful Langda view

B carrying a string bag just like the locals!

At the end of our hike!

Enjoying family time!

This was one precious time.  The woman holding J is the widow of a man
who used to work for K's family.  She came with her two kids to visit.
The joy radiating from her face was such a blessing and testimony to her
 relationship with K's parents, so many years after losing her husband.

The morning we were scheduled to fly home, we woke up to this fog.
 K is talking to the pilot on the SAT phone, telling him he will call back later with another weather report.

The weather never cleared enough for the plane to land...
So, we stayed at extra day, which was good experience,
as Langda is notorious for this happening!  Above is J trying to help
lift the generator to carry back up to the house.

The next day dawned beautiful and clear!  Here's the plane landing on it's first try, ready to take us home.

A crowd gathered to send us off.

The generator being carried to the plane.

The rest of our luggage. 

I got to sit in the back with the excited boys

Ready to head back home.  

Two pilots up front.

Farewell, Langda. We enjoyed our visit!

Langda Visit: Part 3: In the village

This is the third out of four posts of pictures from our recent visit to Langda, a small village in the mountains on our island in Southeast Asia. If you've missed the first two posts, check them out here: Part 1 and Part 2.

This was a significant visit for our family, as Langda is the beautiful place my husband was raised when he was young, as his parents have dedicated their lives to translating the Bible into the heart language of the Una people.  This post contains pictures from our first 5-day visit as a family.

 The Kroneman home in Langda

B standing by the side of the house

K's dad talking with an Una couple

"Jump to Papa!"

Tickles for J

B loved playing outside

The kitchen
(note: one kerosene stove and one gas stove.
They have a small box oven, which can be used over one of the burners)

All our fresh produce for the week.
Those oranges were from a local tree, but were more tart than lemons
 (we used them to make juice and added lots of sugar!)

B at the dining room table

My creative boys, playing "boat"

Watching above "creative boys" and enjoying hot drinks
 (a staple in cool Landga!)

These chairs were used by K and his brothers when they were small!

B & J felt right at home

Using the "old" bathtub!

They don't need lots of toys to be entertained!

Playing "doctor" and bandaging Opa's leg

Watching Salus make a fire in the old wood stove
(used to heat the house)

Papa's helper
(K was excited to help fix multiple things in the house)

The water system for the house
(collects rain water off the roof and then feeds the pipes to the house)

Watching a new hut being built

Roof is going on

Main source of meat in the village: pigs

An Una mama with 2 of her kids

Walking down the airstrip

One of the school buildings in the village

Everyone carries their heavy loads on their heads
(note the santa hat...likely she doesn't even know what this is,
 just a nice warm hat for her to wear!)

B loved wearing sweatshirts
 (something we never do in town, as it's usually 80+ degrees)

Fog rolls through the mountains and village almost every day

Stinker face

There's the smile!

Papa helps J cross the bridge
(trench is dug to keep the airstrip drained and therefore, safer to land)

Kroneman house in the background

I love these three!

B has become my tree-climber.
He will climb any tree that he deems "climb-able"

Fog in the valley

An exciting find with Oma!

Thrilled with the chance to pet a baby pig

These boys were natural "village boys"

Sleeping under warm blankets
 (it was cold at night and in the mornings!)

Dinner by candlelight
 (as the battery charged lights were not all working in the kitchen)