A Young Boy's Story Reminds Us Why We're In PNG

Our executive on board, Brad Davies, gives an account of the conditions in PNG:
I had to go ashore for a meeting today. Upon arriving at the hospital, I was acutely aware of the sound of a woman in deep sorrow and mourning. This sound had signaled the 3rd death at the hospital that day.
While speaking to a man standing nearby I learned that this one had been a young boy, not much older than Gabe (Brad’s 6 year old son). They had come from the Fly River, a journey that took them over 30 hours in a dingy with the last 8 hours being pretty rough seas. They came to the only hospital in the region, but they were too late. Shortly after arrival, the boy passed away.
The sound had now turned into a chorus of many voices all pitching and wavering with words I could not understand. I fought to hold back tears as they carried him out on a stretcher while his mother was crumpled to the ground too exhausted and heartbroken to climb into the island’s only ambulance (a red and white troopy). The crowds of locals that had been standing around waiting to see a doctor seemed unfazed by this all too familiar sight. After some assistance the family was able to squeeze in and the troopy pulled away.
As I prayed a silent prayer for this family in mourning, the PNG man beside me reminded me that “this is why God brought you people here.”