I have just returned from a visit to the island that Brandon and Matthew been exploring for about two weeks now. This particular island is exceptionally rural compared to the other islands in this area. Like a few other smaller islands, the electricity is only on when the sun is down, but even then there are often times when the power generators fail. Electricity or no electricity the team seems to be going strong and enjoying their time on the island.
During my visit with the guys, we explored the waters and beautiful coral reefs while scuba diving, went on a 10-mile nature hike, visited with the locals, and feasted on young coconut during it all. The village in which we slept while I was there, is built entirely on the water along the coast. The houses are either built on rocks that have been stacked in the water, or on wood posts. These houses are connected by very narrow bridges made from 2-3 long wooden planks, creating a network of homes strung together as a community. However, these particular planks are usually very old and are not quite dependable for us because westerners are generally larger and heavier than the locals. Brandon learned this the hard way, and unfortunately fell about 10-feet to the mud when one bridge broke beneath his feet! As soon as we discovered he was not injured, we all had a good laugh at the event while helping him out of the low-tide muck.
Another day, we arrived at a village after a 10-mile hike along a poor trail and the people were astonished to hear how far we had walked. We discovered that there was indeed an easier path to the village but we made it there and the people were glad to greet us. Not having enough time in the day to make the trek back, we decided to take a very small wooden boat back to our port village. The trip was quite amusing because we were struggling to remain balanced throughout the ride on the small boat.
After a short break in a bigger city, Brandon and Matthew will return to the island for another 10 days. Please ask Dad to guide their travels as well as for guidance in meeting the people He has been working in before they ever arrived.