Thursday, March 6, 2008

Our little tugboat...

We did the deed, we bought a boat. No, it is not a yacht, nor is it a sail boat; rather it is more like a little tugboat. It is a 19 ft, dual hull type, centre consul steering, 12 year old, motor boat. And here it is.



We know that some, though very few of you, will be thinking: what are these missionaries doing with a boat? To be sure, we did struggle with the purchase. We don’t want to set ourselves further apart from the people than we have to. Maybe that is why the Lord helped us find a ‘missionary’ looking boat—-simple and therefore not ostentatious. Notwithstanding its modest appeal, living near the Huon Gulf and having nowhere to go on our day off to get away from the stress of life in Lae, we felt it was a bone fide means of respite. So we paired up with our friends from SIL (or Wycliffe) and purchased a boat and it will be kept at their place when it is not in the water. So there you have it. We look forward to our periodic getaways though this will be after we get it water ready, it needs a little TLC. There is said to be great fishing and great reefs not too far away. Our fish and crab appetite is growing! (Actually we just devoured two large crabs tonight...I think Karlyn ate one whole one on her own!) We also look forward to bringing some of our friends, both national and expat, on board for fellowship and fun. And by the way, you are all welcome aboard as well!

And this is a glimpse of where you will go…
(There are two large rivers that feed into the Huon Gulf, which depending on the wind/current remove some of the deep blueness from the water. However 1/2 km out, it is tropical blue again!)

8 comments:

Irene said...

Hi Ian and Nadia; It's Irene over here in wintry Ottawa. Your pictures of green grass and blue waters are making me quite jealous as we slog through another snowstorm. I hope you get great enjoyment out of your new boat!:)
Take care.
Irene and Reuben Helder

HH said...

The little tugboat will make for some great day outs, I'm sure. I'm sure you'll all be looking forward to your first boating day now. Have fun with it :)

Bruce and Sarah said...

That looks like just the thing you need for a bit of peace and quiet ... away from the busyness of daily life. Enjoy it!
Take care,
Bruce and Sarah Huizinga

Allan and Alice Buist/Plug said...

Enjoy it! Enough for all the rest of us too. What are you going to name it?

Unknown said...

Hey Ian and Nadia, If I had known you guys were looking for a boat, I would have talked to Kees about building another cedar canoe for you guys...maybe not the safest thing to have out on the ocean though...Glad to hear you're discovering what I've always thought: Seafood is the best food around!! And of course cool that some members professed their faith!

Love, Jonathan (and Kathelien)

Jen said...

Glad to hear you have purchased a well deserved runabout, that's looks awesome. Good on you, we all love to spend time away from our homes for some water sports and so we hope you have great times when its up and running! That picture of the water with the clouds is awesome!
Enjoy and as always God bless. JJ

John Harsevoort said...

Stop feeling guilty already and enjoy your boat! (If you really want to feel guilty, we just had another foot of snow back here Ontario)
Great to hear you guys are doing well!God bless you in your work (and play)
love John and Kim Harsevoort

peter and nicole said...

Looks like a ton of fun guys!!! ENJOY!!!