Hello from the Tropics!
We finally arrived to our new home in Madang, Papua New Guinea (PNG). It was a long trip to get here, almost as long as the wait for visas. We flew from Pasco to San Francisco to Brisbane, Australia then on to Port Moresby, PNG. We were greeted by the Mission Leaders, President & Sister Young Yen, two senior missionary couples and the Assistants to the President. Even though we were tired, jet lagged and stinky from 2 days travel; we had dinner with all of them at the hotel, before we finally went to bed. The next day was filled with meetings and interviews. We spent a partial second night at the hotel. We had to depart from the hotel at 3AM to catch the 5:30 flight for Madang.
It is warm here in Madang. The noon hour is very hot and humid. It will take some time to get use to it. The apartment has air conditioning and fans. We have laundry facilities, and most of the modern conveniences. It is different from home, but there is enough here to make the transition easier. We are in the minority here and stand out. Mission rules require the missionaries to be in their residences by 5 PM. That may seem strange, until you realize that the sun sets here at or around 6:30 all year long.
We spent two nights in Port Moresby and then flew to Madang. We arrived in Madang on Thursday morning. Since arriving in Madang we have had lots of meetings and devotionals. I am including a photo of the learning center staff and students that was taken at the welcoming devotional Friday 15 August 2025. It is a humbling experience to have such a welcoming. We keep trying to sit in the back and observe; but they insist that we sit up front and give small speeches for every meeting.
Saturday we attended the mini Missionary Training Center (MTC) for the youth of two wards. It had about 75 youth attending. This was the fourth week of seven weeks for training. They spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the training. The boys sleep in a makeshift tent area and the girls sleep on the floor of the chapel. On Saturday, after having a morning meeting, they all went to areas to proselyte in companionships. I am including a photo of the sleeping quarters.
The weather is warm in the mornings and evenings and down right hot mid day. Our weather app says it is suppose to rain every day, but we haven’t seen any. This is suppose to be the driest month of the year here. I am enjoying all of the plants and birds that we have seen. There are things here that we have never seen. They have large bats that fly during the day. The bats are the size of a hawk and are called flying foxes. There are birds that run around the grounds of the apartment complex that are the size of chickens. They are blue and have feathers on their heads that look like peacock feathers. I will try to get a better picture and send it in a future email.
Sunday was regular church meetings and we were again asked to speak in church. Everyone greets us with warm hand shakes and smiles. We feel almost famous because they take our picture often. We are only the 2nd white missionary couple here. The children seem fascinated by our white skin. We loved the spirit that attended the meeting and we feel the love of the people.
We have had meetings with the welfare and self reliance people here and will have many more this week. We are starting to see what kinds of things we can help with here and are starting to dig in and help. I will update you further in future emails. I will send this email now. If I don’t, there will be another meeting and more to write about.
All of our love,
Elder and Sister Trogdon
Author: Sister Trogdon
Missionary