Diggey diggey hole

Life off grid makes you realize how many things are taken care of on our behalf back home. What to do with rubbish is one such thing. There’s a whole system in the UK that we’re familiar with. There are garden waste, food waste, recycling and general rubbish bins. Put the right thing in the right bin (which is different for different areas), then look up the different bin collection days once every 2 weeks and bring the right bin out the evening before for collection. Describing it makes me realize it is quite complex, but you get used to it!

The challenge and excitement of living overseas is that all of these habits need relearning.

First of all, how do the Kovol people deal with their rubbish? Quite simple. They throw it in the bushes nearby. That sounds awful to a Brit at first, but things are different here. Practically all of the rubbish the Kovol people see is organic. Banana peels, taro peels and fire ashes. Those things all decompose remarkably quickly in the rainforest. Culturally every piece of rubbish generated was biodegradable. That’s changed a little as now plastics and things like batteries have recently come in. Rubbish disposal culture hasn’t caught up with the new materials yet, but they are still only seen in small quantities.

The quantities of rubbish we missionaries generate is much, much higher. 80% of the food we eat is store bought and thus packaged, with only 20% being local foods donated to us by our Kovol friends. So what to do with all our rubbish? We can throw the food waste in the bushes. The village pigs find some of it, and the rest decomposes. What of all our plastics and tins? The answer to that has been burning and landfill. We want to try and keep our area as nice as possible and so that’s what we’ve been doing. Since moving in in 2020 we have now filled 3 rubbish holes and this weekend it was time to dig a new one.

With digging a hole my preference is to do it on my own. I’m the one throwing rubbish away, so I feel like I should be the one to sweat and dig the hole. That’s not PNG culture though. Big tasks like that are tasks you invite your “brothers” to help you with. The status quo is that you call a work day, people turn up and work all day and then you give them a meal when the work is done. Thus it was time to swallow my pride and allow others to dig my rubbish hole for me. Digging is of course, very hard work. After an hour behind the shovel I realized that alone it would have taken me weeks to dig the hole. How grateful I felt to have my “brothers” alongside me digging as well. Kovol guys certainly know how to dig! Digging ran from 9am till 4pm, with 10 or so “brothers” working non-stop. The final hole was about 2x3m and 2 1/2m deep: room for several years worth of nappies! Although I think our team is done with having twins for now.

With the hole dug and a lid of logs laid over the top, it was time to eat: the highlight of any work day. On the menu was rice, greens and tinned tuna. Both rice and tuna usually have to be carried and hiked 12 hours in. They are both favourites. As the day wore on and hours and hours of digging rolled by I was growing anxious. Had Gerdine and Natalie chosen the right amount of rice? Will people get a big meal out of the work? It was a relief to see Tobey with a mountain of food in a bowl and a big smile on his face.
Sitting and chatting with the guys I was gratified to find out that they also had back pain from the digging. I thought I might be the only one!

It still amazes me that we’re part of this community. The Kovol people are strong, hard working, hardy, meek and friendly people. It’s a real privilege to live with them and have them care for us. Being the recipient of such care from them over the years I really want to ensure that we give back as much as we receive from them. I draw comfort from the fact that we’ll be leaving God’s word with them. I’ve come to see that it’s a treasure above everything else. I found out that I was loved by God and that he rescued me for eternal life. God’s word is precious, and I’m so glad we can share it with them. I’m also counting on God giving me wisdom to share more practically with my “brothers” as well.