Papua New Guinea:  You may recall that back in August of 2015, we were asking for focused prayer for rain in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.  A significant drought was causing major concerns.

Drought Impacts Papua New Guinea - Please Pray!

The river that normally flows abundantly over the hydroelectric dam had been reduced to a small stream by the drought back in August.

Missionary Doctor Erin Meier brought this recent report.  Summary…if you are still praying for rain…you can stop praying now!

“We have gotten a lot of rain recently. In the first 11 days of February we were up to 9 inches of rain, which is quite the contrast to 6 months ago when we were getting little to no rain.  

We are definitely thankful for the rain, as the gardens are growing, the grass is green and the tanks are full.  However, too much rain can also be a problem.  With all the rain recently, the river has turned into something that looks more like chocolate milk.  The reservoir has been so full, water has just been rushing over the dam.  Trees have washed up and over the dam, some going further downstream and some staying on the dam itself.  The gates which help to filter out debris have been so full, that there have been times when we can’t run the hydro plant because the water can’t get down the canal and the workers employed to clean them can’t keep up.  

I don’t fully remember what took out our old dam, but I would guess it had to be something similar to what we have been experiencing recently.  Definitely thankful for the new dam and the work we did recently to fight against the erosion that was happening.  There were even workers out there, during the rain, adding more cement to some areas to help prevent the erosion.  

If you are still praying for rain for us here in the Highlands, it would be okay to stop praying…for more rain that is.”

Thank you to Dr. Erin Meier for her contributions.  Visit her blog for short video clips of the water rushing over the dam.