[Written on February 7, 2010]
Part 1 of a 3 part series.
Nine days, six buses, three flights, 1 boat attempt & five homes of hospitable strangers later- we have finally arrived in Oenpelli, which we soon discovered is called Gunbalanya by its natives. It has been, to say the least, an adventure full of ups & downs. As a team, we have been challenged & stretched as we learn to work together & handle difficult situations. I will start from the top & recount the noteworthy events leading us to this unique corner of the Australian territory. After a wonderful break in Brisbane, the airport greeted us with flight cancellations & a 12 hour delay. A blessing in disguise, this allowed for some team time & extra prep for our month in the bush.
We spent 2 days in the city of Darwin where we received some vital historical information about the aboriginal people from our ministry contact, Carl Musch. We also assumed the daunting task of purchasing our food for the entire month because food availability is limited & the items that are available are very expensive. So we stocked up on canned veggies, beans, & things we could cook with only boiling water & headed to the small town of Jabiru – one step closer to our final destination.
