Pastor Martin runs guesthouse to support family

By ZACHERY PER
PASTOR Martin Koima is proud to own and operate a guesthouse at his Mondia village in Gembogl, Chimbu.
Koima is a pastor of the Revival Church of PNG.
He and his wife Daka have four children. Eldest daughter Maria is in Grade 12 at the Mt Wilhelm Secondary. Kuno is in Grade Nine at the Goroka Secondary School in Eastern Highlands. Clara is in Grade Eight and youngest brother Andrew is two and stays at home with his parents in the village.
Martin and Daka started a potato farm at the village. They began to save money to set up a small business.

They worked hard at the farm and transported what they grew to the market in Kundiawa town to sell.
They managed to save K700 from their sales and decided to invest in something which will guarantee a return for the family.
They decided to build a guesthouse at the village.
“We purchased some building materials such as roofing iron, timber and plywood. I then built a small guesthouse.”
The village is at the foot of PNG’s highest peak, Mt Wilhelm. It is frequented by visitors, most importantly tourists, who come to see the mountain.
“Some tourists frequenting our area climb Mt Wilhelm.”
Martin and Daka have been noticing the limited accommodation available in the area to cater for visitors to Mt Wilhelm. So they decided to invest in guesthouse to provide accommodation to the visitors.
“It prompted my wife and me to invest in the guesthouse business. The little money we make from tourists and locals we to invest back in the business.”
They gradually made improvements to the facility as their business grew. They properly fixed the ground floor, bought more furniture and household items. They also provided cooking facilities such as stoves to make it self-contained.
They will continue to extend the house by building more rooms to cater for the increase in the number of people who can stay there at any one time.

“ It prompted my wife and me to invest in the guesthouse business. The little money we make from tourists and locals we to invest back in the business.”

Their potato farm continues to run alongside the business and complement the family income.
Martin left school in 1986 after Grade Three at the Denglagu Primary School. He then attended a masonry school with his wife. They learnt how to build houses using locally available materials such as stones and sand complemented by bricks and cement.
Masonry instructor Willie Bongre also from the same village introduced them to the school. Martin and Daka were among the first students.
After completing their training at the masonry school, they continued to put the final touches to the family guesthouse.
“Today we have five bedrooms with two beds, a living room fitted with shower and rest rooms on the ground and first floors.”
There is a 24-hour electricity supply generated from a mini-hydro station Martin put together after a buying a motor from an old generator belonging to the Koge Catholic Mission in Sinasina.
“We got no help from any outside source. It is only through the motivation we developed after attending the masonry school.”
Of course as a lotu-oriented family, they know who should be accorded the highest accolade.
“We thank God for His blessings.”