Bananas an amazing gift
The missionaries were astonished when a young Mengen boy, David, brought them bananas as a gesture of thanks.
David certainly had a good reason to be thankful. Only days before, he had become very ill – so ill that many, including missionaries Lourens and Marie Laureti, thought he would die. But they and their co-workers Simon and Annika Flanagan, Rebecca Preheim and Kerri Pacheco were determined to do all they could for him.
They scoured their medical books. They spoke over the radio with the doctor at the mission center. They wanted to do anything they could to find a way to help. The diagnosis -- meningitis -- was grim, but at least now they knew how to treat him.
They looked for the appropriate medicine, only to discover that they had none.
Searching further, they found a single dose. With that one dose, David improved enough to be carried through the jungle to a little medical clinic. There he received the rest of the medicine that he needed.
A week later, David was well enough to show his appreciation through a gift of bananas.
Why was this gift so astonishing? While the phrase “Thank you” is common in many cultures, the Mengen people of Papua New Guinea do not express their thanks for anything. In fact, they don’t even have a word for it.