Welcome to Manus Isl

So this photo must have been taken at the around the same time as the Air Niugini F28.

That´s correct, popol, it was taken something around 1986, the year when we arrived on Manus Island in order to stay for about 8 years. My family, especially our three boys, have still vivid memories and sometimes the boys ask me: "When do we go back to our homeplace?".

I wonder if your three boys speak Tok Pisin. They must be very good at it, or probably they have forgotten.

Hi popol, our three boys still speak once in a while Tok Pisin, especially when they are amongst other former Mission kids, who used to live in Lugos.

Hi Bolokes, you were with Libenzel missions. I know few missionaries like W.Smith, G.Walter and W.Stan they are Germany missionaries

Hi gmsmith, amazing that you know "Liebenzell Mission", just by mentioning the place "Lugos" :-), and even some of our former missionaries. Wilfried Schmidt, Gretel Walter and Walter Stern have been at Manus at the same time as I and my family. All three of them are still working within the Liebenzell Mission in Germany - as I myself am doing as well. At this time there is a joung missionary working at Lugos: Simon Herrmann, together with his wife Yvonne and their two children Jimmy and Joy. You can see her faces at http://www.gutnius.de/index.html (but - sorry - they are writing in German language so that the German friends can follow up what they are doing so far. I wish you all the best and God bless.

Bolokes, I guess this is you pen name.. now i would have known you if you were around the same time as Walter Stern, Wilfred and even Sulain. Now I was at lower Primary (Pombrut) and then to Manus high School. I remember attending a wedding of a missionary at Lugus, he used to be up at Ndranou, can't recall his name. Oh by way I head Gretel Walter is in Manus, She will fly out of Manus on the this Friday 11/07/2008 to POM. I will flew in PNG (POM) on the 12 and hopefully see her, she was my RI teacher.

You are right... I took my pen name from the first Christian on Manus, "Bolokes", who came to know our Lord Jesus Christ in 1926 through the mission work of Liebenzell Missionaries "Doepke" and "Kraft". My real name is Paul Koch. I was working within the ECOM Head Office at Lugos from 1986 to 1994. So, as a Manus High student i guess that we might have met maybe during some activities together with ECOM High students, or so. The Missionary who used to live in Ndranou was Detlef Krause. He married his wife Beate at Lugos. So, this might have been the wedding you remember. Detlef and his familiy (4 boys)left Manus and Papua New Guinea gogether with me and my familiy (also 4 boys) in 1994 for good. Today, Detlef serves the LORD as General Director and Chairman of Liebenzell Mission International ("LMI"). LMI has 220 missionaries working within 22 countries. At this time, a young missionary, Simon Herrmann and his wife, is serving at Lugos station within ECOM and the Bible School. Gretel Walter was working together with me during my stay on Manus, and Gretel Walter is working together with me here in Germany, serving Liebenzell Mission and our LORD Jesus. May our gracious Lord bless and guide you. With best wishes, Paul

Hey I remember you now, at times you come to our local ECOM church in Lorengau long autim tok. I can recall my my pastors in Lorengau ECOM church in the likes of Noah Posakei, Samuel Siou, Sailas Pokikau. I always treasure my childhood memories at this local church and also the Lugus church which i normally attend the annual youth event. I thank GOD that I came to know him at that early age. Thankyou for the Libenzell Missionaries for the awesome work on missions you have done in Manus. May our GOD and father continue to bless and protects the missionaries out in the field. Do you have weekly news on Libenzel missionaries.

Hey, what a surprise... :-)) I also thank our LORD for the great lifetime-experience and many blessings while being on Manus. There are quite a few news of the work of Liebenzell missionaries in the internet, however (sorry), mostly in german language. Maybe, you might check http://www.liebenzell.org/toplinks/english/ and also our branches in Canada http://www.liebenzell.ca/ and USA http://www.liebenzellusa.org/ to see, what work is being done by Liebenzell missionaries.

Hi guys. I'm 77 years old and I began reminiscing today about my US Air Force days and had thoughts of Momote. I flew a US Air Force C-124 cargo plane from Hawaii to Momote in 1956. The USAF had a weather recon aircraft, a WRB-50, that made an emergency landing on the Momote airstrip and did not know at the time that a pot hole was in the middle of the runway. The nose gear of the WRB-50 fell into the pot hole upon landing and was sheared off. The airplane slid on its nose down to the end of the runway and wiped out four propellers. We flew a crew in with parts and equipment and they repaired the WRB-50. We were there for 3 days and we had a great time. A Catholic Priest from New Caledonia was visiting Momote at the time and we had a good visit. The Aussie Air Force Commander that was on station at Momote was a wonderful host. He took us fishing for tuna on his offshore fishing boat and we hooked one, but while reeling it in, a shark took most of it before we could land it. Also learned that Australian beer had 12% alcohol while US beer has 6%. Learned that lesson a little too late, but I was only 23 years old at the time. I will always remember Momote. I grew up in West Texas, USA.