Looking Back: Journey to Papua New Guinea
The People Gather
Tim, Will, and Paul enjoy a time of worship during their first week in Papua New Guinea. It's Tim and Will's first time back since their trip in 1998, and they've been looking forward to this for a long time. They are visiting with fellow believers in the village of Poon, but before that, they experienced politics PNG-style. At a sing-sing a ceremonial dance a political rally is held for an upcoming election. The people were happy, and many painted their bodies to promote their candidate. The featured guest of the festivities was the former prime minister of Papua New Guinea. Like so many of the people in this country, the former prime minister was approachable and friendly a testament to the laid-back nature of the people there. But before the sing-sing...
See a clip from the show: "The People Gather"
A Strange Sight
The guys get off the plane and head to Mt. Hagen to begin their ministry in Papua New Guinea. On their way, they encounter a strange sight. They see people covered in ash many of them crying. The missionaries are taken aback by this scene, and learn that a major leader of some sort died. There was apparently a funeral procession going through at the same time as them. When their taxi drops them off at the place they were supposed to stay at, they find the place deserted. They decided that since it was Sunday, everyone was at church. In the Central Market in Mt. Hagen, they start an open-air preaching ministry. The people are attentive as Tim delivers the Gospel message. Unlike some of the places they've been, the people here are friendly and welcoming to the missionaries. It's obvious why Tim and Will were so anxious to return to this unique land. But before they went to Papua New Guinea...
See a clip from the show: "A Strange Sight"
Visiting Old Friends
The trio makes a stop in Malaysia to visit a couple that Tim and Will stayed with on their previous missionary trip. They enjoy their time there, except for one particular dish at mealtime. Their hosts, Colin and Karen, offer them the King of Fruits, known to most people as durian. The fruit is revered in Southeast Asia, but Westerners typically despise it. Our culturally adaptable missionaries men who have eaten everything from bread cooked in dung to goat testicles are no exceptions. Will couldn't choke the fruit down if it meant world peace, and Tim has to spit it out in the toilet. Only Paul manages to get some of it past the esophagus, though not with a great deal of pleasure. There visit ends, and they go to the Singapore airport to hop on a plane to Papua New Guinea. But before they tasted durian...
See a clip from the show: "Visiting Old Friends"
An Unscheduled Detour
In Myanmar (formerly Burma), the missionaries take a 2-day boat trip to Bhamo, which they find to be the most relaxing method of travel they've experienced so far. In Bhamo, they pass Buddhist monasteries, and Tim gets the chance to witness with some of the nuns there. After Myanmar, they journey to Malaysia, where they meet a woman named Lenny who invites them to speak at her home church in Indonesia. The guys hadn't planned on going into Indonesia, but after some persuasion, they made a spur-of-the-moment decision, and finally agreed to make the quick detour. Though they were repeatedly warned by family and friends to stay out of Indonesia for safety reasons, they pressed on. In Indonesia they minister near Lake Toba. Tim gets to preach in a church, and after only a brief visit, their time in Indonesia comes to a close. They board a ship resembling a 'third-world Titanic' to Malaysia, which is more cost-effective than a plane. But before they made the unscheduled trip... there was episode 9.