IT's Not A Job

Happy Valentine’s Day!

2011-02-15T09:43:00.001-05:00

From Julie...

We are so blessed. This injury could have been the death of me — if my spine had been broken or if I had sustained internal injuries. And even though the recovery is painfully slow (emphasis on the pain), I am improving and expected to recover fully. The Lord continues to meet all our needs and to teach us important lessons along the way.

Church was so good yesterday. To get there, we had to wheelchair to the shuttle bus; bus to the MRT (Singapore Metro Rapid Transit); MRT to a transfer station; MRT to the station near the church and wheelchair to the church. All of this was very wheelchair accessible so it was much easier than we expected.

And so worth it! The sermon was on the rich young ruler — the very picture of Singaporeans (and most of us) today. At a crossroads — having everything, but not satisfied and feeling empty-a spiritual vacuum in the presence of wealth, position (power) and prestige! The thing lacking is a relationship with Jesus Christ — even for Christians.

The stuff of the world gets in the way of our walk with Him. We need to make God the priority- the treasure of our heart. We need to find our identity, not in our stuff, but in being loved by Him. Then we should keep the commandments, loving God; loving others. That will move us from success to significance.

Yes, we’re experiencing it all! And all from the hands of God, who love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Pastor Joe Lee and wife Amelia

Everything's turning up... orchids (and roses, too)

2011-02-09T21:00:00.004-05:00

Lord willing, we will check out of the hospital tomorrow morning. The church Jon visited Sunday has offered to take us and our luggage to the apartment at no charge. (God is awesome!) As Julie recuperates and hobbles about more easily, we hope to see some more of fantastic Singapore, using a rented wheel chair and public transportation to get around wisely.

I borrowed a wheel chair yesterday and took Julie by taxi to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a lovely park nearby that includes their renowned permanent orchid gardens. (It cost us $1 each to enter because we’re now senior citizens.) Appropriately I got more exercise than Julie did. She did stand now and then, however, to stretch and for a few pictures in some beautiful settings. She felt wonderful after our excursion, having seen almost nothing of modern, clean, safe and friendly Singapore before now.

God has been very good. With our son’s expert and quick research and his dedication of time, we have found tickets to Guam at reasonable prices that also include 2 bags @ 50 lbs for each of us, meaning there won’t be any problems of extra charges now. We will have about a week more in Singapore before we fly to Guam the 19th and visit family before returning to the US about 2 weeks later.

God is amazing. We found out that the latest physical therapist is also a Christian, one more encounter to reinforce how God has been surrounding us with His protection and love. The therapist has worked with Julie, giving her what he felt was the most realistic and practical counsel and training (such as walk more for health and speedy recovery and how to deal with stairs when she must).

The hospital performed a bone density test yesterday, and there is no current concern for osteoporosis. Thank God! (Some of you may remember that several years ago that was a different case and aggressive and creative solutions have resulted in strong healthy bones). They also want to take one more x-ray before we leave Singapore to verify/document bone healing. Otherwise, we’re ready for the next ‘steps’. :^)

This is all an answer to your specific prayers from the past few days. Our God hears the prayers of His children and, because He hears and loves His sheep, He has provided for us. We treasure your love and concern for us.

As a result of feeling like we’re well out of “crisis mode”, we may not be posting daily but back on a more 'normal' schedule. We always welcome your prayers on our behalf.

Permission to leave... Are we ready?

2011-02-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

“But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1: 9b-11

We have much to be thankful for, including so many faithful friends who have been thinking of us and bringing our situation to the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. For those that have been praying for us, "Thank you, too!"

Julie continues to progress very well. She began using crutches and was walking (though at a turtle’s pace) the hallways yesterday. The doctor and physical therapist said that this will help Julie’s bones heal quicker and help her adjust to the pain. Julie tires fairly easily and still feels a low level of constant pain but is usually able to move without the sharp, shooting pain she first felt.

The doctor has given us permission to check out of the hospital Thursday morning (it’s Tuesday morning now). The Wycliffe Singapore couple who have invited us to use their guest room live on the ninth floor, but there is an elevator so Julie won’t need to deal with stairs. There is also a large pool at their complex that Julie can enjoy doing water therapy in.

We are having a difficult time changing travel arrangements to get us out of Singapore instead of the original route through Australia. The flight from Singapore to Guam, where we have family, takes only about 7 hours with a break ( :^) ) halfway in Manila, which will be wonderful for Julie. Our son is talking to the airlines on our behalf and we pray that flights can be arranged that are both reasonable in cost and will include 2 bags each (to avoid horrendous 'excess baggage' charges). Pray, please.

Our son’s home is all on the ground floor with no steps. We hope to stay there for a few weeks so Julie can get back on her feet ( :^) ), ready for the long flight through Tokyo, Houston and finally home.

We continue to be blessed by wonderful nursing care. Anything we ask is immediately taken care of, even mundane tasks like reheating drinks. I’m sure that it’s partly a cultural (Asian) situation but, for whatever reason, we lack for nothing (except comfortable beds and inexpensive airline arrangements). We are convinced that we could not be in better hands. Of course, we know Whose hands everything is in.

Step by Step (in a wheel chair)

2011-02-04T21:00:00.004-05:00

We hope this posting isn’t as long as it feels. We simply want to keep you updated on how Julie and I are doing, so you can praise God and lift up some specific requests on our behalf.

We’re finding these hospital beds surprisingly uncomfortable so that we’re waking up in the middle of the night with backs that ache very badly. I actually had to get out of the bed before daylight, I was in such pain. The aches have continued through the day.

In addition Julie is feeling very tired and bruised, though encouraged by the doctor and physical therapist to move about the room with a walker every 3-4 hours. We’re thankful that Julie can get on her feet and place weight on her left leg when standing still. She can also shuffle her left leg along and move from the bed to a wheelchair. While moving us from the bedpan stage to the bathroom, it also gave me the chance to give Julie the grand tour of each floor of the hospital. We even wheeled outside briefly to the café and watched koi fish beg us for food. (They spurned us when we didn’t produce.)

Nothing the doctor has seen or heard seems to dissuade him from thinking we’ll be able to check out of the hospital early next week. He says it will be 8 weeks or more before Julie's bone has really healed yet it seems he is leaving the decision up to us when to leave Singapore after we check out of the hospital. When we feel Julie is mobile enough to avoid the sharp pains and cope with hours and hours of flying, we will leave.

God continues to bring other Christians into our lives. We understand that about 20% of the 5 million Singaporeans are Christians yet almost every person we meet is one. The doctor who deals with gastroenterology asked us what we were doing in PNG. Turns out he has been to PNG and knows much about Wycliffe and Bible translation.

We then received a visit from a pastor and his wife (he grew up in Singapore, she in Malaysia) who are friends of a family in Ukarumpa who alerted them about us. Jon will worship at their church (of 1,000) on Sunday, which has people from Singapore, Nepal, Korea, China, India, Malaysia, and some from European backgrounds. (Julie will worship in the hospital room.)

Our prayer request is that, as Psalm 139 echoes, God will knit Julie’s bones back together as He knit them together so long ago in her mother’s womb.

Under His care,
Jon and Julie

No surgery but pain

2011-02-03T21:00:00.004-05:00

We’ve received the results of the MRI done late this morning which shows there are no additional fractures and that Julie’s pelvic region is stable. She will need to begin weight-bearing (and teeth-gritting) tomorrow and just tough it out—without surgery or a cast.

I am free to step out for a walk and experience the vast change in culture from the interior of Papua New Guinea to one of high tech and world-renowned shopping. (Lord, help me to resist fast food.) Julie, on the other hand, is rather stuck at the hospital.

We don’t know yet how long we’ll be here — either in the hospital or in the home of another Wycliffe missionary family for extra days of recuperation.

We still hope to continue on to Guam from Singapore and have sent off an email to the airline asking for help changing the original flight leaving from Cairns a week from now to one leaving from Singapore around the same time. The normal cost to get from Singapore to Guam on this same airline is astronomical however. We’re hoping they treat it as a trade-off.

A quick story about our flight from PNG to Singapore: At one point, with a myriad of stars spread across the night sky, we flew over dozens of lights from small ships below us which left me feeling that I was really surrounded on all sides, even below, by stars. It was an odd feeling to think of flying above stars. At another point, however, I looked out my window and saw absolutely no lights at all, up or down. We were low enough that clouds above obscured any stars and there were no man-made lights below. It felt so lonely. Then I looked out the window on the opposite side of the aisle and was surprised to see that we were flying past an island full of bright lights.

Julie’s injury was no accident. While we were looking at the facts of fractures, pain, expense, lost vacation plans and tons of effort to get back on track, all we neede to do was look in the right direction. Then we could see that we’re not alone and that there is help near at hand if we need it.

We have already seen God's continuing provision for us. The Singaporean nurse on the medevac flight, a Christian, took wonderful care of Julie. She even visited us today in the hospital and brought us a cell phone to use while we're here. Another patient at the hospital loaned us her power converter so that we could plug this laptop into the electrical outlet and keep it running. God worked in amazing ways through several people to return Julie’s laptop that was inadvertently left on the jet over 12 hours before. I'm allowed to stay in Julie’s room as alodger and avoid the time and expense to travel between a hotel and the hospital. The meals at the hospital are varied and gourmet quality. We've been offered a place to stay in Singapore when we are able to leave the hospital. Our airfare for the flight from PNG to Australia has been refunded. A person from Wycliffe Singapore visited us in our hospital room to encourage us and to trade US$ for Singapore currency.

And we know He loves us. He will see us through this. Pray that we will be faithful to our faithful God.

Jon

I Will Never Walk Alone

2011-02-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

When it feels like I am lost
And like hope’s a hopeless dream,
When nothing’s as it should be,
Worse, when nothing’s as it seems,
I remember You’ll not leave
What You, at such great cost, redeemed.

Though I walk through darkest valleys,
I will never walk alone.

When the pain I share with friends
Hurts more than pain I call my own,
When I’m paralyzed by doubts
And by the fear of the unknown,
You remind me in a flash—
Almost as if a light had shone—

Though I walk through darkest valleys,
I will never walk alone.

When in quietness and trust
Is where You’ve said my strength would be
But in chaos there’s no quiet
And my trust abandoned me
You remind me of the truth
And it’s the truth that sets me free

Though I walk through darkest valleys,
I will never walk alone.

With love and prayers,

Krista Besselman
Feb 2, 2011

Leaving Papua New Guinea in an unexpected way

2011-02-02T16:00:00.001-05:00

Julie has had a good 24 hours with no new complications and some opportunity to sleep last night. On the other hand, I was able to only get two brief periods of sleep because of clearing out the apartment and taking care of final business to leave for Singapore; so I’m dragging.

It’s 3 pm and we leave for the SIL airport here in an hour. We will fly in one of SIL's planes with Julie in a special bed and arrive in Port Moresby, waiting for the arrival of the commercial medevac plane that will take us to Singapore. It should leave before midnight and arrive in Singapore somewhere around 4 am local time (total of about 7 hours flying). We will be taken directly to an excellent hospital where the doctors will begin a work up on Julie (including an MRI to see if there are any hidden problems). We will then learn what needs to be done, how, and how long we’ll be staying in Singapore. We have been told to expect 5-6 weeks! We don't know anyone in Singapore!

We’ve received so many more emails of encouragement than we could have imagined, even from people we’ve never met, thanks to so many of our friends and ministry partners sharing our situation with friends, church prayer lists, home Bible studies, etc. Thank you! One friend-who was working all night on our evacuation plan- even gave us a poem the Lord gave her for us between 3 and 4 a.m.. We’ll share it later.

There are so many unanswered questions and complications for events we’d planned for the next couple of months. We’re waiting to see what God has in mind for us, either learning, discipline or ministry opportunities.

Keep praying about the medical care we’re about to experience. Pray about the long and exhausting travel we’re about to go through. Also thank God for the wonderful community of believers here that were so eager to serve us in every way. I would say you’ll probably never see the Body of Christ function better than we’ve seen these past 24 hours.

Praise the Lord.

Jon

An unforgettable last day in PNG

2011-02-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

Wow! What a turn of events. We’re asking you to join us in prayer. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Today we were invited to ride an ATV up into the hills surrounding Ukarumpa. Having looked with longing at those hills for six months, and having never ventured out in that direction, we jumped at the opportunity. The ride was thrilling--very off-road; and 40 minutes later we were standing on a height overlooking Ukarumpa on our left and a vast green valley directly below us. Reminiscent of another Julie and The Sound of Music, Julie began to run down the 45 degree slope through the tall kunai grass. But she slipped and spilled and went splat on the slope; so far, so good--no harm done. However, the ATV driver running behind her also lost his footing and fell on top of Julie, resulting in a very bad chiropractic adjustment. She thought, perhaps, she had pulled a groin muscle.

Julie was somehow able to climb back to the top (about 40 feet), and we were able to get her to the clinic over very hard terrain without doing additional damage. The clinic staff here are very professional and attentive. And where else in the world could you be where the nurse and the doctor are your neighbors and friends? They took x-rays, blood and urine samples and checked her vital signs to determine the extent of her injury. Her pelvis was fractured in 3 places on her left side. Julie was completely alert and kept coming out with very funny one-liners, putting everyone around her at ease. She spent the night in the clinic under close monitoring.

Friends from our Bible study

After reading the x-rays, the doctors were concerned about the stability of the injuries and the possibility of additional undetected breaks. There is no MRI available here. To get a better diagnosis and just in case there is need for surgery or a cast, we are being medically evacuated. Instead of leaving on a tomorrow headed for a few days of relaxation in Australia, Guam and home, plans are being made for an SIL plane to take us to Port Moresby (PNG capital) so we can fly from there directly to a hospital somewhere.

Because of a force four cyclone (typhoon), both the airport and the hospitals in northern Australia are closed. This would have been the normal medical evacuation destination for us. Instead, we understand that we are to be taken to a hospital in Singapore for an unknown length of time to get further testing and treatment. After that we do not know if we will be able to continue recovery in Guam or if we will miss that precious family time and be sent directly home.

It’s all up in the air from our perspective; but we are thankful that God is in control. It's all in His plan, so it will be for His glory and our benefit. Humanly, Julie is very distraught about causing so much disruption for so many and for the resultant change of the plans that we’ve been looking forward to. She is still hoping that we can stay in Guam and visit our son and his family there. Please pray for her, both physically and emotionally.

That’s enough for now. Now i need to finish packing all our suitcases tonight (it’s 11:20 p.m. right now) and have them ready for leaving whenever they can schedule the plane, perhaps as early as 6 a.m. Pray that I can remain an encourager in the face of such uncertainty.

Jon

Given a Feast (posted by Julie)

2011-01-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

I think we might be facing a big adjustment when we return home. We have loved the community and our work here. We have lived with and loved the people of PNG for six months. They have nothing—yet they share what they have. When you develop a bond with someone here, you are truly family with them. We don’t know if or when we might be called here again, and it is very unlikely that any Papua New Guineans will ever come to the US. So goodbyes are emotional and very precious.

Just three more days here—and we’ll be heading home. We’ll take something with us that can’t be measured, and we may not know until long after we are home what we are leaving behind.

Today we were invited to a traditional mumu. A pit is dug and a fire built in the pit to heat stones until they are like steaming coals. It takes several hours to heat the stones, but then food is layered in the pit and it is ready to eat after 90 minutes of steam and heat. Kaukau (sweet potatoes), carrots, taro, corn, pumpkin, pitpit, greens and chicken (carefully placed on top of the greens so they would be flavored by them). Everything was covered with banana leaves, then a layer of plastic and several inches of soil to keep the heat and steam in.

But this was not an Ukarumpa event. We were the only non-Papua New Guineans there. It was at the home of the haus meri who had worked for us (and with us) for the past 5 ½ months while we were renting a home here. During that time we developed a close friendship with her, her husband-Sakias, and their children Natali and Blake. Today we met her older son, brother, cousin and elderly mother. Though my Tok Pisin is still Baby Tok Pisin, we were able to convey how happy we were to meet each of them.

There was so much food. The land is fertile here; and as long as there is enough rain, gardens grow well. Irie acknowledged how blessed she and her family are to have such an abundance. She filled a very large bowl with some of everything for Jon and me—enough to feed a family of 8 in the States. Before we ate, Sakias removed his hat and blessed God and thanked Him for His mercy and blessings.

And Irie really is blessed, too. Though her house is small, it has a door, concrete floors, electricity, telephone and wooden walls and the roof does not leak. The homes in the village just across the river have none of those things. She lives inside the fence in Ukarumpa so her family is safer here than in the village—though the same Raskols who break in and steal from missionaries here steal from the gardens, homes and chicken coops in her neighborhood. She has good employment with people who love her and where she is able to get a hardy lunch for herself and her children, do her laundry and use the oven for baking. Irie’s husband is a godly hardworking man. They have a son in college and two children at the school here on the center, and a garden overflowing with produce.

Yes, we’ve been given a feast. When we look at what she has compared to what we have, we are astounded and humbled. In our eyes-by comparison-she has nothing. Are we as grateful for all that we have? I don’t think so. Do we acknowledge God as the one from whom all blessings flow? Would we see it as blessing if we had so little?

"Last"

2011-01-26T18:53:00.002-05:00

We moved out of the house we'd been renting since arriving in August because the owners have returned from furlough. We had three more weeks before leaving so moved into a visitors center that Wycliffe Associates built and manages.

We're in a one bedroom apartment on the second floor. It's a very nice place despite the small kitchen that is poorly equipped. There are a few relatively small annoyances and one bigger one. Our windows face the road down which many vehicles and tons of foot traffic travel. Besides the noise of diesel engines and the chatter of both adults and children, we have a bunch of dogs who like barking and howling to each other at pretty odd hours. Of course there are several kakaruk (roosters) who cock-a-doddle-doo every 10 seconds throughout the night sometimes. The biggest on is the center's backup generator starting right outside our bedroom window many times a day (and night).

We're down to less than a week in Ukarumpa and have the challenges to finish our work, figuratively pack 10 lbs into 5 lb bags (SIL charges us by weight to fly to Port Moresby and Qantas will charge us by the number of bags and weight), and leave the apartment empty when we leave.

So, we're into a series of "lasts". We've had our time with our Bible study, probably our last time seeing Darasi (the Agarabi translator), our last time in any village or town (other than the airport in Port Moresby). Sunday will be our last time worshipping here. We made our last loaf of homemade bread and last batch of mayonaisse.

We're even down to building a list of what foods we have and how we''ll balance starving (not buying more food) with eating up what we've already got on hand. We're down to counting slices of bread, servings of Cheerios, scoops of powdered milk. How many more raw eggs will we need and, if we hard boil the rest, will we have enough for lunch-time egg salad sandwiches (90% of the time the menu for noon)?

Julie's been feeling the normal effects of pending separation. Everyone goes through that when a special period of one's life comes to an end. In PNG, those who leave without plans to return are described as going "finish". It sounds so final, doesn't it? We're going "finish" next Wednesday.

Fortunately, God is never "finished".

As Christians, we are a new creation. God is not finished with us yet. We don't have plans to return to PNG but God may. We will see our PNG friends in the future. Perhaps they'll pass through JAARS. Perhaps God will call us back to PNG. Ultimately, we'll join the friends we made here before the throne of God in heaven. We'll also join with people of every tongue, tribe and nation after the last judgment and sing praises to our everlasting God... forever.

Amen.

What you won’t see back home

2011-01-24T17:15:00.004-05:00

People have been telling us since our arrival that the rainy season starts some time in December and becomes regular and heavy in January and February. We were told, because the roofs here are invariably made of corrugated metal, that there are times when you can’t hear others talking on the phone or even when in the same room.

We even brought along rain gear from home. We have bright yellow rain slickers that we use when sailing in Maine that don’t let a drop of water through. We even brought galoshes (aka rubbers) to keep our footwear clean and dry.

Not that it hasn’t rained in Ukarumpa nor that it hasn’t rained hard for brief periods. It has but we can certainly say that the rainy season hadn’t started on time. Up until now we haven’t used the slickers much but the rubbers have come in handy.

Rain water collection system

The rainy season seems to have started now. It’s late. It’s almost the end of January and we begin to see regular, heavy rains each day. That’s okay by us (especially since the best water to use is not the river water but the rainwater collected off the gutters of every house). The only real problem we have is when we’re out and about and have forgotten umbrellas or our slickers. A lesser inconvenience is when we have to walk someplace (like from work to home) on the roads which have turned from dirt gravel into slick mud.

I walked home at the end of the day during a brief intermission of heavy rain so I only had to deal with the slick muddy conditions. Of course a number of others were also on their way home. Six months in PNG and it still catches my attention when you see someone happily walking home barefoot.

Here I am, dancing from rocky surface to grass-covered tuffs and back to avoid all that mud, winding my way down the road. Here comes a barefooted person happily making a beeline up the road, sometimes even carrying shoes they’ve pulled off to keep them clean, at the sacrifice of clean feet. All I can think of is how squishy and cold their feet must feel.

And often the person may be a missionary kid (aka MK). You wouldn’t see this at home. The parent would be scolding the child for bringing mud into the house.

What behaviors will I take back to the US from here that will catch someone’s attention?

I hope that my life in Christ causes me to catch someone’s attention, no matter where I am.

Hmmm…

Survivor

2011-01-12T05:36:00.002-05:00

In November I was asked to travel to Lae to work on an office networking solution for the SIL office and guesthouse. The guesthouse helps provide missionaries, their family and friends a place to stay while moving around the country or for a brief, relatively inexpensive vacation for missionaries. Because Lae has the best port in PNG and is the closest city to Ukarumpa, the SIL office also has staff to help get much of our materials (parts, supplies and personal goods) processed, loaded on a truck. and sent over the difficult roads to Ukarumpa.

It was traveling the roads to/from Lae that I remembered best. I rode as a passenger in a minibus driven by others from the SIL center. I’ll just summarize the experience by saying that, as we came within an hour of returning to Ukarumpa, I saw another minibus (which are commonly used as privately owned buses for hire known as PMVs – Private Motor Vehicles) coming down the hill from the other direction. On the front, stenciled in 8” letters was “Survivor”.

On a related thread, Julie and I had been hearing all during our time here how wonderful it would be if we could visit Madang, another large (it’s not) city on the northeast coast, and spend time relaxing and snorkeling. SIL has a guesthouse in Madang as well where we could stay and, with a kitchen, eat in and keep our expenses low.

We finally worked out a plan with friends who also wanted to spend time in Madang, who had access to a SUV and who had a PNG driver’s license. (Julie doesn’t want to drive on the wrong side of the road and I mistakenly left my US driver’s license at home.) We left Ukarumpa early on January 6th and we would be back the afternoon of the 10th. The road heads to Lae for just over an hour and then turns left (north) to head to Madang. We expected the ride to take ~6 hours.

I’d heard that the road over the mountains to Madang were tough. Hah!! Imagine one of those modern 3D computer video games. You’re in command of an older, dusty SUV. The challenge is to drive to the coastline in as short a time as possible (before it gets dark) and simultaneiously cope with:

figuring out where to turn because there are no road signs
detours that take you from what appears to be a perfectly good, paved road and onto a rocky dirt road heading off 90 degrees from where you want to head

Probably the result of an earthquake

finding half the road closed because it has caved in and fallen into the gulley
dodging pigs, dogs and chickens as they cross the road
swerving to miss a series of wide, deep pot holes that you don’t see as you drive up to 100 kph (60mph)

This doesn't show how uphill we were going

stopping because young boys are collecting a “toll” (~50 cents). They are either pretending to repair a bad road (shuffling rocks into ruts) or playing “traffic cop” to let vehicles from one direction and then the other go through a narrow area. They don’t fool anyone but everyone still pays.
moving toward the center because lots of people are walking on the road (on both sides) and there are no sidewalks, breakdown lanes… in fact, they have to step into tall 6’ grasses to get off the road
swerving widely because the locals just stepped into the tall grass for the vehicle just ahead of you and then stepped back into the road without looking to see that you were bearing down on them

Anyone coming the other way?

looking beyond single-lane bridges (all bridges in PNG are) to see if someone is coming from the other direction. Figure out whether you have the right of way and if the other driver is going to give it to you.
finding vehicles coming toward you on your side because their side of the road is worse than your side

Fording the river

driving across a shallow river (no bridge)
dodging large trees that have fallen across the road and only part has been cut away by previous drivers
hiding your money and disguising your other valuables (like cameras) in the SUV just in case “raskols” stop you to rob you
climbing hills in 4-wheel drive in first gear over rutty, muddy roads that rattle and shake everyone side to side
headaches caused when you are suddenly thrown sideways and hit your head on the side of the car

short sections of paved road that just let you get up to speed (and get your hopes up that then worst is over) when you are dumped back onto another long stretch of rocky, rutty road
keeping the SUV working because there is no repair station (actually no towns) between departure and arrival points
staying friends with your passengers after bouncing them around (just kidding, Bruce!)

Wanna play?

I think I’ll see if I can get the stenciled letters for “Survivor” and put them up someplace.

By the way, we had a nice time in Madang.

Overlooking the Madang coastline

Shoreline in Madang

Will this change last?

2011-01-02T07:29:00.005-05:00

I came to PNG expecting to lose weight. First, I could stand losing some pounds though I thought I didn't weigh too, too much, ... 175 lbs. And as we prepared to come to Ukarumpa, four facts kept staring me in the face:

Julie and I had heard many stories over the years about the mountains of PNG and that one could slip and slide down one wet, muddy hill and then immediately face climbing another mountain on all fours. The roughest terrain on the planet is a huge reason why, on 1/2 of this island (the other being part of Indonesia), there are 830 different language groups.
Julie and I had also heard that the SIL center here in Ukarumpa is about a mile in diameter and built on the side of a hill. We would have no car and be walking everywhere. For me, that meant walking halfway up the hill twice a day (morning and lunch) to get to work.
We had also heard about the abundant choice of fruits and vegetables. The locals sell their produce at our center's open air market 3 times a week at very, very low prices. Additionally, many homes (as does ours) have their own gardens. Now, I ate my share of fruits and vegetables in the US but consider them as the sidedish for my meat. In PNG I expected to be meat-starved and waist (!) away eating what was abundant and cheap.
We found the variety of meats limited, the cost several times US prices, and sometimes too expensive to even consider buying. (Hamburger was $10/kg last week.)

So there were good reasons to think I'd be able to lose some weight.

And then, once we got to PNG, we decided to attend the dedication of a New Testament before returning home. The only one that seemed to make sense was the Malei dedication coming up in mid-December. We heard there was an option to hike out with the added benefit of saving a bunch of money by not using the SIL helicopter on the way out.

The translator, John, took a look at us back in September when we talked to him about hiking out. In the US we had been exercising often in a gym. We've done some day hikes in the mountains of Vermont and North Carolina. We had been taking walks around the hilly perimeter of Ukarumpa several times a week since arriving in August, feeling pretty good. We had been using the Ukarumpa weight room at least a couple of times a week. Julie was part of the hour-long ladies aerobics group 3 times a week. And then John got us worried when he looked down at us and declared, "you look like you might be okay."

Uh oh...

And so we hiked out of Yemli a few weeks ago after the Malei New Testament dedication.

Rugged, no? What we hiked.

After hiking out, we told John and Amy (his wife) that this shouldn't have been called a hike out. It should have been called a climb out. It included fording streams, crossing swaying suspended bridges, walking narrow trails in jungle and on mountain tops, sleeping under mosquito nets two nights, sliding down a muddy trail the last morning to get to boats waiting at the beach.

Suspended, swaying bridge of branches

Descending from mountain top to the next river (and eventually back up)

The first woman gladly serves by carrying my pack

It was beautiful. It was memorable. It was rewarding. It was different from anything we'd ever done. It was challenging. It was very, very hard.

And, while we were thrilled to have done it and would recommend it (to anyone in good shape), we don't think we'd do it again.

Looking down at the Pacific Ocean, the end of the hike out

So, about 4 1/2 months after landing here, the scale says I now weigh 157 lbs! I haven't weighed this little for at least 25 years. I'm on the last hole in my belt and most of my pants look baggy on me, looking really odd with all that extra material collected by the belt.

I wonder if I can keep it off or if returning to the land of too-many-choices, the land of meat-abundantly-available, the land of fast food will triumph.

Switch horses: I've also been wondering how my take on consumerism is going to change. Julie and I don't feel we spend a lot on ourselves at home. (We have two 10 year old cars.) Still, living in Ukarumpa with long term missionaries, living in and visiting many PNG missionary homes here at the center, and having gone through the biggest/longest holiday season (Thanksgiving thru New Years) with few shopping opportunties and no pressure to "get" has really impressed upon me what we can/should live with and how wild the holiday shopping season back home can be.

And as I received many, many email deals and sales flyers from places like Sears, Best Buy and all those special "Black Friday" sales stores, I felt the pull to spend money, get that gadget at reduced pricing, even though I was on the other side of the planet and actually without the ability to use what they wanted me to purchase.

So, now having seen how the Malei people live, how simple their lifestyle is, having had my focus on God's work and not on the world's focus, I wonder what changes and adjustments even I, reasonable spender and budget keeper that I am and a missionary to boot, will be making when we return home to the US in February.

"Seek ye first..."

I hope both my lower weight and my different outlook will last. This will be interesting.

This year, next year, and beyond

2010-12-30T22:29:00.007-05:00

The speakers and most of the guests who came for the Malei New Testament dedication (middle of this month, see earlier postings) sat on the special platform that another village designed and built specially for the dedication.

It was an amazing bird design, complete with wings, beak, eyes, feathers and a tail. It had a soft mat floor that was still strong enough to support us (and some of us were not lightweights). It held comfortable plastic chairs and there as a relatively cool sun-free breeze passing through. (Many of those sitting on the bamboo pole benches outside needed umbrellas to provide shade.)

These speakers included the governor of Morobe (one of 19 regions/provinces within Papua New Guinea), several pastors/leaders within the Lutheran church, and a representative from the US embassy. Except for the US spokesman (who didn't speak one word of Tok Pisin, the trade language of this country, much less one word of the Male people's heart language), most speakers used Tok Pison. The people understand Tok Pison just fine because of their need to communicate with others outside their area and because Tok Pison is used in the small 3 room valley school.

John speaking God's words to the people in their mother tongue

Then John Lindstrom, the Wycliffe Bible translator, spoke to the people in their own language. The difference in the attentiveness and responses to what John was saying was immediately apparent. This is what drives Wycliffe Bible Translators during all the hard work and sacrifice, seeing people understand and engage in communication so much better and, when engaging with the God of the universe, we can only pray that they will come to know and love God very deeply.

Because of situations like this, it is so much easier here than at home in the US to glimpse a picture about what it will be like in heaven, all varieties of cultures worshipping God in different ways. Julie and I are so thankful to have had this perhaps-once-in-a-lifetime chance to serve outside the US. Because most people in leading world countries will never experience this themselves first hand, we hope to find a way to describe the difference in understanding in one's "mother tongue" when we get home.

At the start of this year, we had no idea of the changes we'd experience during 2010 and have no certainty now of what even 2011 will look like. Still, by God's grace, we have gained a little better idea of what eternity will look like.

If you have joined us in our Wycliffe journey through prayer, encouragement and/or through financial support, we send our love and thanks for all that you are doing for us. We see the fruits of your work on our behalf daily.

If you just happened to stumble across this blog and, after scanning this and earlier postings, still wonder at what might have brought us to where Julie and I are now, we'd love to interact with you. We would wish you to understand more about God, his amazing grace provided through Jesus, and the claim and call God places on each person's life. Drop us an email (jon_limmer at wycliffe.org).

Have a blessed and rewarding 2011 (and into eternity) because of the Lord of the universe.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-24T06:40:00.002-05:00

Julie has been feeling so disconnected with the Christmas season being here. It's summer, it's hot, it's green, many of the Christmas season events that we treasure are back home. Almost all of our family is on the other side the world.

So I surprised Julie by setting up a borrowed Christmas tree, with lights and tree skirt without her knowing. I also got two Christmas stockings and found a couple of small items to put in hers. She was so delighted when she came into the room and has been feeling better since.

It's Christmas Eve here right now. We just finished singing in the community Christmas choir this evening. About 50 people helped (choir, solos, instruments, sound and lighting, etc) and presented to the meeting house filled to capacity (about 400 people).

We walked home because the evening was so delightful (clear, warm and dry). When we got home, we turned the Christmas tree lights on.

The traditions of Christmas feel so good, even here in PNG. Traditions help us stay connected and remember.

To all of you, we pray you will connect and remain connected to the One who sent His Son 2000 years ago to connect us to Him. God is worthy of our love and praise, for He has loved us with a great love.

Merry Christmas, world.

Every one significant to Him

2010-12-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

In Ukarumpa, there are streetlights and most of the houses have outdoor lighting to aid in night security. On clear nights we can see the moon, two planets and a handful of stars—including Orion, who is upside down here in the southern hemisphere.

But in Yemli and the other Malei villages, there are no lights. The crescent moon sets at 9 p.m. and the night is cavernous dark. Between 2 and 4 a.m. (the time one arises to make a ‘pit’ stop, literally), countless stars are visible in the sky. On the first night of the hike-out, Jon and I and the Lindstrom’s pastor from Wisconsin arose at the same time to ‘nature’s call’. But the beauty of the night held us looking up into the sky in silent wonder.

Some of the stars were large and bright, others were small, faint and distant. But each and every one was placed there by God and is known to him by name.

God also created all the language groups of the world - nearly 7000 of them. He knows them all by name. Like the stars, every one of them is significant in His eyes.

John and Amy Lindstrom and their children have lived in a nearly inaccessible, hardly visible, barely-on-the-map village with the Malei people for 20 years learning their heart language and working with the people to give them God’s Word in Malei.

700 New Testaments were printed for the dedication. Just 700! There are only two to three thousand Malei people. Twenty years devoted to bringing the Word to less than 3000 people! Was it worth it? Are they worth it? For twenty years people back home have given and prayed so that John and Amy could be here doing this. Was it worth their investment?

“When I consider Your heavens and the work of Your hands, the moon and stars which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8)

We respond, “Yes!” — a heaven-shattering, resounding ‘Yes’!

Our Malei trip began...

2010-12-22T18:00:00.006-05:00

Did you ever have a project that you just kept putting off and tackled many others, simply because the project was huge and going to take a lot of time and effort? That’s how I feel when trying to present the events and thoughts from our trip to the village of Yemli in the highlands for the Malê New Testament dedication and celebration a couple of weekends ago. (Malê is often written Malei because the “ê” tends to mislead English speakers into mispronouncing the name as in "female".)

Our trip began Friday as we rode with others, some Papua New Guinean co-workers and some “waitskins”, from Ukarumpa to Lae, a large coastal city almost 4 hours away. We were going to meet at a helicopter pad with about a dozen others who had come from the US to join in the ceremonies. We would then be ferried about 20 minutes (by air) to the village, perched on top of a mountain ridge, by the SIL pilot, Bev, who is actually one of our neighbors.

Since the helicopter could only carry 450 kilograms (about 1000 lbs) of people and cargo and had only seats for 8 (including pilot), it took about 8 ferry trips to get everyone into the village. We were on the last trip. I’d said I’d wanted to get some pictures so he ushered me into the co-pilot’s seat for the ride in. (Watch this video to see how remote the village is and the narrow ridge we landed on.)

________________________________________

Upon arriving, we were greeted by the translator, John Lindstrom, and about 40 villagers who always love seeing the helicopter land and take off. In this case, however, they wanted to see the guests who had come from so far to be with them on this special weekend. There was a small area nearby that normally is a basketball court (dirt floor) but, since there was to be a big greeting ceremony by the Malei people, everyone arriving before us was waiting in the shade surrounding the court.

And here was one of the first signs of how well and honored we were to be treated. On the side, mostly in the shade, the people had built a bench of bamboo so that we could rest comfortably. In addition, they had cut saplings and stuck them into the ground in front of the bench to create additional shade to keep us cool.

[Later on Monday as we were watching other guests leave by the helicopter, I was sitting on this bench. A man kindly prompted his young son to come offer me a good-sized cucumber to refresh me. I would never have thought of eating a cucumber, using the “waitskin” solution of a water bottle. Such care and generosity!]

From our first step into the PMV (private motor vehicle for hire) where we each sat next to Papua New Guineans who spoke enough English to accommodate our baby Tok Pisin, to stepping off the PMV on return and finding our neighbor, Alan, at our door checking to see if we were home, we basked in God’s providential care.

And in the same way, we remember this special trip and keep being reminded of how God provides so much for our protection and comfort without our asking, and in ways that we would have/could have never imagined.

More blogs later to tell more of the story…

Back yet?

2010-12-18T01:44:00.000-05:00

We got back safely from our hike late Wednesday and feel badly that we haven't sent out an email or posted here until now. There were so many emails (personal and work), a house to restock with food, and work to catch up on.

Still, Julie would love to share this very quick update. We'll be writing more.

Back from six days in remote mountain villages where the Malei people received the New Testament in their own language for the first time! Experiencing the NT dedication with people who have waited so long for it, made me ask myself how much we take the Bible for granted. At the dedication the people were encouraged to read and live by God's Word, not just put it on a shelf.

That's good advice for us all.

Dream Come True

2010-12-07T05:47:00.006-05:00

My interest in Wycliffe really started back in 1997/1998 when I first began going to Wycliffe Associates banquets with Julie. What really got me going emotionally and motivationally was seeing people holding a portion of God’s word in their heart language in their hands for the first time. Many of the videos viewed at the banquets showed the tremendous joy of the people during the dedication of their New Testament and I would literally get tears in my eyes.

Experiencing these events, from a banquet hall, was life changing. It moved me so much closer to joining Wycliffe to be a part of the Bible translation team. As a member of Wycliffe but working in North Carolina for JAARS (the technical arm of Wycliffe, for those unfamiliar with this) for the past two years, we frequently heard stories and saw videos about other scripture dedications. Wow!

And now Julie and I are about to experience a dream come true: being at a dedication of the Malê New Testament, seeing God’s Word placed in the hands of people for the first time in their heart language.

The Malê language group is in the mountains southwest of Lae, the 2nd largest city in PNG (which isn’t saying much). A number of people from other countries are arriving in Lae. We and about 12 others from Ukarumpa will ride to Lae early Friday and rendezvous at a helicopter pad. The SIL helicopter will make many trips, loaded to capacity, ferrying all of the guests (Papua New Guineans and "waitskins") into the village of Yemli, elevation 3100’. We will be housed and fed by the villagers. They so appreciate guests who want to come so far to celebrate with them.

I will try to capture it all in an obviously inadequate way with words, pictures and videos.

About 20 guests have chosen to spend two days hiking from Yemli to Lae, 20 mountainous miles away. It will be rugged terrain, hot and buggy (mosquitoes carrying malaria?), with a number of streams to wade across. A very few of us are not in as good a shape as we ought to be. When we near Lae, we will catch a hired van back home to Ukarumpa, arriving Wednesday evening.

You can be praying for us at many different levels and many different ways. You can also be singing praise to the Lord, for He is so good.

Julie and I thought we’d close this “letter” by quoting the latest email we got from the translators, John and Amy Lindstrom, who are already in the village, helping the people prepare for this coming weekend.

_________________________________________________________________

Dear friends,

We are in the village with limited email access getting ready for the dedication. I wanted to share the following with you to encourage you in your prayers for the Malê New Testament dedication.

We are seeing major signs of God at work here. The worship services here have always been good Lutheran services, but now are much more intense and very focused on God. Prayer has a far bigger role than ever before. Yesterday there was a time of sharing from the Word after the service and people whom we had never seen as spiritual leaders strongly encouraged people to follow God with their whole hearts. One of the young men who shared mentioned 2008 as the time when this spiritual awakening had started. That’s the time that a new prayer initiative was began in the village started by Elisa and others in the village here, but it’s probably more accurate to say it was started by God.

We also see signs that evil spirits are at work opposing the work God is doing here. Yesterday we learned that a rumor started up a few months ago that Elisa and us were not doing this translation work by God’s power, but were doing it by the power of evil spirits. Elisa spoke to two retired pastors and asked them to help fight this rumor. Those pastors actively supported Elisa and smashed the rumor. And on Sunday, during the morning service there was a time of confession and apology with tears by the village people who had started the rumor. One of the key men in that group told us that he had been influenced by evil spirits to say those things because of a connection he had to a stone that had been used by the ancestors to worship demons. There was a special prayer service after the morning service where the power of that stone was actively rebuked. After that the man who had previously been under the spirits power came to us and said he was free now and told us that stone and its spirits no longer had control over him. Pretty amazing things to be happening just a few days before the dedication. (And we knew nothing of any of it until the Sunday service yesterday.)

Please continue to pray that God would use the dedication to powerfully encourage people to seek him through His Word.

Blessings,
John

Why would ‘waitskins’ believe?

2010-12-04T08:38:00.002-05:00

There are two thousand Usarufa people living about three hours from here in the eastern highlands of PNG. The Usarufa New Testament has been available since 1980, but very few Usarufa people are able to read in their mother tongue.

James, one of our Usarufa readers, is the literacy director for the Usarufa and five other language groups. He believes that hearing God’s Word in Usarufa will encourage others to learn to read it.

James in the makeshift "recording booth" *

After our fourth day of working together recording the Gospel of Matthew, James shared some of his thinking with us. He said, “I have a question I’ve never asked before. Many people in PNG believe in Jesus because their life here is no good and they have nothing. They want the things God promises in heaven."

Then he said, “It’s easy to understand why Papua New Guineans would believe in Jesus; if they believe, they will go to heaven and God will give them all the things the ‘waitskins’ have. But the ‘waitskins’ have everything already right here in this life. Yet they believe in Jesus. Why would ‘waitskins’ believe?”

How would YOU answer him?
_________________________________________________________________

* After a 6.9 earthquake, a tree fell down and took out the power at our recording studio; so we set up a make-shift recording studio in our home here using cushions and mattresses.

Karen manning the recording equipment

Getting the microphone positioned right

James recording and Julie checking

An Honor Granted

2010-12-03T06:54:00.004-05:00

Julie has been working this week with a group from the Usarufa language group, recording portions of the New Testament in audio format. One of the unique aspects of this project is that one of the readers is a 12 year old boy named Leto.

Leto recording God's Word in Usarufa

Leto, a fourth grader, was in the first literacy class held in his village. He did so well and is such a good reader of his "tok ples" (village language) that the translators wanted to give him the honor to read some of the Bible as Julie and an associate recorded it. Not only did he do well, he also was very patient while sitting hour after hour in the recording studio as others read their portions.

Julie rewarded him with an ice cream cone from the grocery store's "Kaibar", a version of a fast food counter where you can also buy chicken, chips (french fries) and (usually not available) hot dogs and hambergers.

Tonight was the middle school's band and choral concert. Of course, most of the community shows out in force, including us.

Between the band and choral sections, Julie saw Leto sitting by himself. On his own intiative, though only 12, he came to a "white skin" concert where strange music (to him) was being performed. What a brave lad!

Julie invited him to come sit with us. I had my camcorder with me and took this brief video of Leto, Julie, and a friend and fellow audio recorder, Karen.

Isn't that neat?

Thanksgiving in PNG

2010-11-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Over the past week, several friends from the United States have wished us a happy Thanksgiving.

Living in a foreign country and working with so many expats that aren't from the US, Thanksgiving is hardly and sporatically celebrated. I don't believe there is an equivalent holiday in most countries.

On the other hand, over the course of a week, we had 3 (!!) Thanksgiving meals. One at our house the Sunday before, one after work (!!) on Thanksgiving Day at a friends home, and one the Saturday after at another friends. All were with chicken 'cause there are no turkeys.

At the one on Thanksgiving Day, we used a strawberry/rhubarb jam instead of cranberry sauce, no sausage or other goodies to add to the stovetop stuffing, cole slaw instead of salad, and corn bread instead of roles. Dessert was brownies instead of pumpkin pie.

Yes, we had a nice Thanksgiving 'cause we were with friends thanking God for His many, many blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving, America.

Em Nau! -- 'wow!' in Tok Pisin

2010-11-25T03:22:00.005-05:00

A note from Jon:

For the last two years, Julie has been working on a team at JAARS to develop media resource tools to help with Bible translation. Some of our friends back home have seen her demonstrate the Genesis or Luke Photo Images, Stories and Video Templates DVDs which they have created. But her excitement then was nothing compared to the electrifying experience today when she got to share these resources with translators, literacy workers, and others who actually are on the front line.

Here is Julie's report about the day:

One of two presentations

“Wow” is the only word I can think of after demonstrating three newly-released media resource DVDs from JAARS VMS to packed rooms at a Scripture Use Open House Wednesday.

At the end some people had tears in their eyes. Others broke into spontaneous applause. Here are comments from some of the attendees.

“Please tell your colleagues at JAARS thank you for all the work they have put into making this happen.”

“This is just what we need.”

“The people in our villages will love this.”

“I have wanted to do something with video, but the challenges were too daunting. These are projects I can do—and I will.”

“This is what we have been waiting for!”

“Why didn’t we know about this before?”

“Are you presenting this again, I want my wife to see this.”

“Now I know why God had me stay here while my husband went to the village. God wanted me to learn about this!”

“Our local translator in the village will love putting these stories together.”

“I already have Genesis translated. Preparing the scripts will be easy. And the Bible stories will generate tremendous interest in God’s Word.”

One person stopped a friend who was on the way to another workshop and said, “You have to come this afternoon and hear this presentation. You just have to see this!”

Several people asked where they could order the DVDs. The Scripture Use office took many orders. People here are careful about spending, but many saw this purchase as an investment. Often language projects take years before something is finished that can be used. Translators became excited when they realized that these Bible stories could be translated, recorded, put into videos and made available in a matter of days or weeks.

At the beginning of my demo, I shared that Jon and I are here in PNG, not because of what I do, but because Jon was needed to fill in for a staff shortage. But at the end, many said that what I shared with them today was proof that God had a reason for my being here, too.

When discouragement sets in

2010-11-24T04:49:00.002-05:00

I knew that our time in PNG was going to be so different and hard to describe, even with a camera, that in May I purchased a very small, lightweight and fairly inexpensive, Sony camcorder called the “bloggie” (ugh!) along with a monopod which would help steady the camcorder and improve the recorded videos.

I had been practicing using the Sony, both in the US and here in September, to learn the tricks to produce really nice recordings. Just before one of the events that would have been perfect for video recording (the Garoka Show), I discovered that the camcorder’s ability to stay focused when zooming was broken. I was so saddened.

It’s really hard, almost impossible, to get items repaired while in the highlands of PNG. I’d thought that I’d be able to ship a Sony (Japanese) product to somewhere in this part of the world and get it back relatively quickly (and with inexpensive shipping cost). No, Sony said. I bought this camcorder in the US with a US warranty and could only get it repaired under warranty by sending it back to the US!

Shipping this back home could have cost $35. With God in control, a couple were leaving PNG within a few days and agreed to take the box back to the US and also said part of their ministry to us would be to pay for the shipping to Sony’s repair center in Texas. I gave the small box to them on Sunday and it was placed in the US mail on Thursday. Wow!

I thought the only downsides were that I wouldn’t have the camcorder for a while and that Sony would only return the camcorder to a US address. I provided the JAARS address in Waxhaw, NC and asked a good friend to grab it when it arrived and forward it to me in PNG asap.

I waited a reasonable time and then tried to check the status of my repair via Sony’s website. Their site said they didn’t even have my repair work order in their system. I then had to track down a phone number to the TX center, and arrange my schedule two weeks ago so that I could make a call over the Internet during their working hours.

When I called, the representative at the repair center agreed that they had gotten my camcorder but were waiting for a backordered part.

When I made a follow-up call last Wednesday, the man told me that the camcorder was fixed but that they were having problems shipping it (??). He said that it should be sent within a couple of days and he’d email me the tracking information. I alerted my friend at JAARS to keep an eye out but I never got an email from Sony and the camcorder did not arrive in NC.

I called again on Tuesday morning (PNG time). Robert, who I hadn’t talked to before, looked up my repair order and told me that they were having problems shipping it, the exact status from almost a week ago. I have to say I got pretty excited. Still, he was very understanding and promised to update me by email by the end of his day. I emphasized that the camcorder was desperately needed for an event that started December 10th, just 18 days and half a world away. I even asked that Sony bite the bullet and send the camcorder directly to me here in PNG rather than having a delay while passing through Waxhaw.

By the way, the #1 reason I’d wanted a video camera is because it has always been a dream of ours since joining Wycliffe to attend the dedication of God’s Word in a village. Despite all my planning with this purchase, my practice, and my efficient (and pretty cheap) way of getting the camcorder to Sony, it was clear that I was not going to be able to take videos of the joyful celebration less than 3 weeks away. I was so very disappointed but resigned to having just my still camera to record the event.

And then I found a note in our Ukarumpa PO box at noon that day (Tuesday) that something too big to fit needed to be gotten at the clerk’s window. You know it was the camcorder, repaired and ready to go.

How did that happen? At first I thought that Sony’s database was just a week out of date, that they had actually gotten it out by that Friday, and that they’d decided to ship it straight to me as a kind gesture.

Not!

When I finally pieced everything together, I learned that Sony had finished the repair the start of November, and FedEx’d it to JAARS. It had arrived in Waxhaw on my birthday where someone in Shipping (no one knows who) quickly turned it around and sent it on to Ukarumpa. While I thought the camcorder was racing here to me, God had decided to keep the slow-but-steady process a secret.

I believe God wanted to provide me this wonderful recording tool in time to practice again but only after I had given up all hope of getting it.

It is a wonderful reminder that we know now and need to remember always that we are hopeless without him. What a delight we experience when we see God provide something that He’d planned and already made provision for without us knowing.

Kind of like the good news about Jesus, whose redemption for me was planned before the foundations of the world.

Sharing what we have

2010-11-23T07:33:00.003-05:00

Everything takes longer to do here in Papua New Guinea than at home. For example, there are no dryers, so clothes must be hung out on a line to dry — and taken in before the afternoon rains.

So in order for the missionaries to be freed up to do the work they came here do to, it is customary to hire local people to help with some of the household responsibilities. The wages are set by the government and are pitifully low by western standards -- about $8/day. (Though you are not allowed by law to pay more, most people find additional ways to help the families here).

The people who own the house we are renting had both indoor and outdoor help — a ‘haus meri’ named Irie, a ‘yad meri’ (Mani), and a ‘yadman’ (Orava). We felt it was important for their families’ income that we also hire them while we are here. We have developed warm relationships that go beyond employer and employees.

Mani, Irie, Natali (Irie's daughter)

We share with the meris what God provides us -- Julie bakes banana bread for them, let them use our washing machine instead of them washing their clothes in the muddy river water, fellowship together over meals, let them take vegetables from our garden, and learn Tok Pisin with their help and encouragement.

When we speak at churches, we usually do a demonstration showing all the different support roles required so that Bible translation can take place. At one point we say, “Now when the local village people realize that you are from the West, they will assume that you know everything about dealing with sickness and medical care.”

How true that is.

Last week, our haus meri’s aunt died suddenly. It is the custom here to have the body for viewing at a family house in the village where all the relatives and friends can come together to cry. They call it a “haus krai.” Irie’s two children were standing just outside the haus krai under a tree when lightning struck and a huge limb fell, missing 6-yr old Blake’s head by an inch and grazing his shoulder leaving two nasty gashes. Irie washed out the wounds, called us and brought Blake across the river to our house to have me dress his wounds with antiseptic ointment and Band-Aids. She and her husband, Sakias, are strong followers of Jesus Christ and she thanked God for sparing Blake’s life, realizing he could have been killed.

As we sat together over a cup of coffee for Irie and a cup of Milo (a hot Ovaltine-like drink) for Blake, Irie said, “The reason this happened is that the dead woman’s mother (who died many years ago) is angry that it has been four days since my aunt died, and she should have been put in the ground by now.”

It was clear that she believed that God is more powerful than the spirits; but also clear that even in a strong Christian home, past beliefs and traditions are powerful, too. This is called ‘syncretism’—the mixing of two opposing worldviews, and it is part of why we are here.

When people hear the Word in their own heart language, it has a transforming power. As God’s Word penetrates peoples’ minds and hearts, it brings conformity with the biblical worldview; but it takes years of teaching in the Word. If people hear a more compelling story than the one associated with their own current worldview, they will accept it, and their worldview will change over time with minimal syncretism.

Pray for the people of Papua New Guinea as we share our time, our resources, our knowledge (like about medicine) and also the Word of God, ultimately in their "tok ples" (village language).

"Not in a 100 Years"

2010-11-20T07:07:00.002-05:00

I had a jaw-dropping experience on Thursday.

One of the projects that I'd been involved in was installing a wireless network in the Training Center. This building has 3 classrooms that are used for a variety of courses where nationals from across PNG are taught to be better translators, literacy teachers or pastors in their own mother tongue.

The teaching staff are often in this building for a whole week or longer yet need to also keep in touch with the work that they'd otherwise be doing, either through email or accessing data stored on our network. Nationals also bring their laptops and wish to use their email. Hence the goal of letting everyone get on the network wirelessly.

Shortly after Julie and I had started here, I'd helped set up two wireless devices, one at opposite ends of this building for good coverage. Because this is normally a simple task, I thought we were done. Since then, however, we'd been getting reports that people could not connect to the network.

The Training Center is almost on the perimeter of the SIL center and, since I have no car, bike or motorcycle, need to walk there, each time carrying whatever equipment I might need. It also happens to include the laptop I've been assigned, which happens to be a bit on the heavy side.

In short, I've walked there and back at least 4 times this week alone. I've troubleshot and collected information, brought back one of the devices to the office for testing, swapped in new hardware... all with no effect. I've tested the network in both directions, from the Training Center and from the server room.

It finally struck me during my Thursday afternoon trip to the Training Center. Hold it! I'd seen the same symptoms before. I know! It was during my February project in Nairobi (see "Hey, it's not my fault! (or is it?)" - 02/20/2010), Frankly, I was stunned when I realized I knew both the problem and the solution.

I returned to the office and told Richard what I suspected: that the network switch installed in the Training Center (to which everything including the wireless devices was connected) was the problem. This was the first time the IT department in PNG had bought this model because of its lower cost but had no detailed experience with it. He took out a spare unit and Bingo! This switch was the exact same model that I'd run into in Nairobi and which God directed me to find the solution to the same issue.

Richard and I left immediately for the Training Center. We plugged my laptop into the installed switch, made the simple changes within minutes, and had the wireless devices performing perfectly. When Richard saw what had needed to be changed, how to do it, and the results, he said "I wouldn't have found that in 100 years!"

Now the staff and students are getting onto the network, getting at their data or email and getting onto the internet. We got a huge "thank you!" from the teachers of the current Hebrew course. A two month old problem was solved.

I shared this story as a praise with our Bible study group that night. One of our friends said that this was another example of why God had Julie and me come to Ukarumpa. He provided me the solution to a problem in Februrary (for Nairobi) that he knew would face also Ukarumpa in November.

How awesome is that?

K-9-2

2010-11-17T05:45:00.001-05:00

Tommy and Konni Logan, whom we met several years ago in Vermont, have been Wycliffe missionaries in PNG for the past 20 years. Now that Julie and I are here with them, we've enjoyed some really nice times together. For example, Tommy took us to the Goroka Show (earlier blog plus all the pictures in the slide show at the top) in September.

They and their teenage daughter had some shopping to do in the closest town, Kainantu (abbreviated at the SIL center as K92 because that's how you say it), about 5 miles away. They asked if we'd like to join them on this quick over-the-lunch-hour trip. There is a second-hand (and very cheap) clothing store there that the ladies like to visit, plus Tommy had a couple of his own stops to make.

There are plenty of PMVs (private motor vehicles) to catch a cheap ride on but a) they are generally dilapidated, dirty flatbed trucks, b) filled to overflowing with nationals and often not safe, and c) not too comfortable to ride in, even if a "white skin" was so inclined. Julie and I had only driven through K92 once on the way to Garoka and thought going into town with the Logans would be a great new experience, even if we bought nothing.

They picked us up and we rode the bumpy dirt road a ways until we got to paved road. We still had to look out for the edge of the road that caved in after some bad weather. We then drove over a single lane bridge with some metal surface missing, forcing Tommy to drive to the extreme right to keep the left wheels from dropping through.

As we arrived in K92, we found lots of people milling around, visiting some open air markets and standing/sitting on the sidewalks. Almost no one has their own car so the only vehicles were the PMVs, us and a few trucks. The town looked and smelled much like some of the out-lying towns of Narobi, Kenya that I'd seen during my February trip. All the buildings are very rundown and there is lots of refuse alongside the roads. People don't use garbage cans. In fact, I didn't see any garbage cans.

Julie had a good time spending all her time browsing the ladies clothing section and got a very nice top, paying 2 kina and 60 toea (about 85 cents). The mens section was not very appealing in variety or quality.

Tommy and I went over to the Christian Book store. While he was picking up items (Bibles, soccer ball, guitar, etc) that he'd be taking to his village within a week, I browsed the items. It was very interesting to find that roughly 75% of the printed materials were in English and the rest was in Tok Pisin. I really don't believe many people here speak English, much less have the ability to understand books (mostly) published in the US. Some of the Tok Pisin booklets where about a person of the Bible (Jonathan, Gideon, Moses) and contained black & white stick figure illustrations with short comments in each panel. Some were short, simple essays about marriage and family life. Nothing in Tok Pisin was written at anything above 3rd grade level from what I observed.

The little time we had disappeared quickly. As we drove out of town, I snapped a picture of a sign at the main intersection. There is a big cholera breakout in many areas of PNG. This sign talks about five simple steps the government was trying to educate the people about.

Click to enlarge and read

Stop the Cholera Illness (Stopim Sik Kolera)
1. Cook and eat good food (kaikai)
2. Covering your food will keep the flies (lang) away
3. Wash your hands before cooking food and after using the toilet (toilet)
4. Use a real toilet everytime. Don't go in the forest or water.
5. Boil good water before you drink it

Have any of you seen public signs like this posted in the US warning you about cholera or similar diseases?

There have been too many people recently evacuated out of PNG because of accidents and illness. We usually don't even send people to Port Moresby, the capitol, for medical care because of the poor quality of care. Most people evacuate, at great expense, to Australia.

Health for missionaries and their national co-workers is something to remember to pray for.

Yanni and Dessert

2010-11-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

Another wonderful and unique chance for the missionary community to build one another up happened again last night.

The Lord family is very musical. The father, Colin, is a music teacher in the school. (He specializes in the clarinet). His wife, Diane, plays the piano. The oldest daughter, Natasha, is in 8th grade and plays both keyboard and percussion. She gave a recital about a month ago and, while needing to work on expression, is essentially already a concert pianist. I'm sure that the other 4 children are involved in music too. I know that Jonathan, the oldest boy, sings bass.

The Lords decided to host an informal event in the primary school auditorium that would feature Natasha playing music by Yanni (who has had specials featured on TV, often staged at night in Athens below Mount Acropolis) and dessert. She played up on the stage while a video of nature from every season was projected on the wall.

The room was darkened so that people could sit and chat in small clusters. Diane had arranged with other ladies to provide a wide selection of pies (chocolate banana cream, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, vanilla banana cream, etc), ice cream, and hot drinks. A slice of pie was 2 kina (about 60 cents), same for a scoop of ice cream, and 1 kina for huge cups of coffee (chocolate macademia) or tea. Can't beat those prices.

Colin announced at the start that poeple were welcome to chat while Natasha played. The goal was to provide a setting where we could just relax, visit with friends, enjoy the scenes from God's creation, and listen to music.

Just one more example of the many ways the servants of God here in PNG serve one another without being asked.

Oh, we decided to buy a remaining pumpkin pie to take home. It cost us 16 kina (around $3.50). Can't beat that price.

Mining For Gold

2010-11-12T04:34:00.000-05:00

Darasi, the national Agarabi translator who has been working closely with Julie on the audio recording of Mark, was back at the center yesterday morning. We bumped into him just before lunch and invited him home for lunch. It's always educational asking him questions.

We had heard that there is to be a Adventist (Christmas) camp in his village and we asked him about this. Normally in December, it has been moved to January because 2011 is the 10th aniversary of these camps for the Agarabi people. His village of about 800 people will be hosting about 4000 Agarabi people who will being their own tents and camping equipment (such as it is). Every year Darasi has classes to teach the people how to speak Agarabi, keeping it pure from further influence of English and Tok Pisin (the two official languages of PNG).

It's normally a highlight for him but this next camp is even more special. The Agarabi New Testament will be dedicated next May and Darasi is going to focus on beginning to teach the people at the camp how to read their own language. Because he is probably the person who knows the most history about the Agarabi people and the alphabet was even developed by him, he says he is called Doctor Darasi. (He grinned.)

Towards the end of our lunch, he asked us how he could get some special material used to process/collect gold dust from dirt. Because no one in his village and none of the Agarabi churches provide any money for his translation work, he has had to take time to create and tend gardens to feed his family. (There's been very little rain and most of his last crop died.)

His wife lives where there is gold dust in the ground. They have a process where they take a pan, dump dirt with gold dust into it, and add this "very thick liquid" which collects the gold dust. They then put this mixture into a cloth and squeeze it many times. Darasi says the gold collects in small clumps in the cloth allowing them to take the gold and sell it to buy food.

He called the liquid merkri. We had no idea what it was. He then said it was the color of aluminum.

"Mercury!", Julie and I both exclaimed. We then both told him it's poison and can kill if absorbed into the skin. Darasi said "We wear long gloves so we're okay. We wash the liquid off into the river."

Oh boy, I'm not going to drink the water from his river.... no way.

I don't like his way of mining gold from the ground but I'm so thankful for his ability to mine gold from God's Word.

Noah, are you there?

2010-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Mostly the weather is very pleasant, often cloudy. We can almost always count on rain threatening late in the afternoon. There have only been a couple of times when rain has been absent for a couple of weeks. It's a good thing because none of the locals ever water their crops. Our yard meri (woman) planted some seeds in our garden during one of those 2 week periods of no rain.

Then again we sometimes get dumped on. Right now it's raining really hard. It sounds worse than it probably is because the roof of our home, like all missionary homes, is made of corrugated metal with some opaque plexiglass panels in spots to provide natural lighting. Noisy!

Our dirt roads become slick mud unless they have lots of rocks of all sizes on top of them. We'd been warned about walking around during the rainy season (which we haven't hit yet) and we'd brought rubbers/galoshes. Many of the nationals, who don't have shoes, just walk around barefoot in the cold muck. Can't imagine doing this.

We were invited last night after church to the home of friends who live almost at the top of the hill. (We live at the bottom.) Because it had been raining yesterday, we'd put on our galoshes. We did pretty good until we got almost to our friends' house. Their road is at about a 20 degree slope and was pure mud. As we walked, I had to hold Julie's hand so that she didn't slip back more than her step moved her forward. Mud stuck to our galoshes, making our feet look about an inch wider and longer. The mud was being kicked up onto the inside of our pants cuffs too.

It's standard practice that you take your shoes off when entering a house. If needed, you ought to bring alternate footwear when at your hosts' home. Sometimes, the host may even offer you slipper socks. Last night, I left my shoes outside, hoping the roof overhang would protect my shoes from getting soaked.

After walking home last night, I thoroughly washed and dried both my shoes and galoshes and hand washed my pants.

And the rainy season, two months away and over two months in length, is yet to come. I wonder if I'll see Noah before we leave for home in early February.

Carnival Day

2010-11-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

The Ukarumpa community is isolated from our friends in the US by at least 14 time zones, at least 2 hours from anything looking like a city, coping with a limited (or lack of) supply of a limited selection of foods (except for fresh produce), limited Internet speed which essentially restricts internet voice calls home to after 11 pm until around 6:30 am (while everyone else here is asleep), and (for us) no vehicle to get anyplace if we dared drive these roads.

That is why there is frequent and high anticipation for events within the translation center. There are music concerts and recitals, plays put on by students, a wide variety of sports events (soccer, tennis, volleyball, rugby, ultimate Frisbee, floorball – an indoor hockey-like game without skates – and more). We’ve even had a glider contest (which I’ll share pictures from another time).

There are also the BIG events, such as the annual “Carnival Day” which happened one recent Saturday. Julie and I had heard about it a couple of months ago and the actual event did not fail to exceed its reputation. I don’t think I could do a better job at describing the way the community interacts and binds itself together and, especially in the midst of the violent turmoil in our valley, acts as God’s way to reduce our stress levels, heal us some emotionally, and cause us to grow closer together.

As you look at the variety of carnival events and the unique way missionaries use limited raw materials to create a marvelous day full of fun and joy, know that it was the High School students who planned and executed much of the carnival as a fundraiser. They worked hard and served the entire community. That is as impressive as the experience was.

Enjoy!

Friends and food abounded

Lots of simple and fun events for youngsters.

Dunking tank (made from a home's former water tank)

Horse and hay wagon rides

Pig chase (greased, of course!) for four different age groups

More food.

Toss the log contest

Crafts for sale

Student-powered ferris wheel

Face painting

Test of Strength (using the leaf spring from a vehicle)

An auction

A corn maze (in the dark)

Pie judging (more food!)

Jail (you pay for someone else to be locked up or put in stocks)

A beauty parlour (haircuts, pedicures, manicures, etc)

Vote for who (of four possibles) will kiss the cow

No! Not THIS cow...

This one!

Did I mention food?

"Bush dancing" (Australian-style) after dark

Now, wasn't that fun? Chalk up another unusual missionary experience.

I'm hungry. :)

Not the easy life

2010-11-01T06:37:00.001-04:00

We've sent out several email updates this past week about different security issues. Most people who check this blog are probably on our email list so are aware of details beyond what we'll discuss here. Still, because this is a blog and supposed to chronicle our experiences and thought on a timeline, I wanted to summarize what our week has been like.

I want to emphasize that our perspective is that this life is a spiritual battle. The goal of Satan and Man's built-in nature to be selfish and angry all conspire to trip us up and make us turn away from God and His beauty. We are attempting to answer God's calling and help fulfill His plan of redemption. Our work here is rewarding.

At the same time, we current feel a heavy cloud covers us, blocking out the warmth of the sun. Evil seems to lurk just outside our doors and we make sure they are double and triple bolted shut. We're cautious of walking outside where God has planted beautful flowers and ringed our valley with mountains.

So, the events of this week have really challenged our courage and our vision of God.

First, the closest village made demands on our organization that were outrageously impossible and unreasonable to meet. After much discussion, often heated, they then intimidated and chased away our security force and chased away hired laborers who were to complete an important water project for the center. Extra guards and senior police officials were called in to maintain peace. Many men here the on center took one or two days off from translation work to take over the completion of the water project, shoveling literally tons of dirt by hand. Village leaders were threatened by the provincial police commissioner with arrest.

And so a modicom of peace returned Tuesday... until Friday.

A drunk from a different village caused problems for our security guards late Friday night. He was beaten and attacked by a dog in front of our house. Julie saw most of this from a distance and I witnessed the event a little. The man escaped over a fence but was brought back by his village the next morning, seriously hurt. There were charges and discussion and the man was treated and released by our clinic. Friday night several men from that village beat a security guard out at our airport. On Sunday night, another guard at the airport was shot and killed. We can't confirm the killer was from the same village.

The center was closed today (Monday) to join with the security force in mourning this death, to give time for things to settle down, and provide time for the police to work. No outsiders were allowed onto the center. Even market day was cancelled despite nationals coming many miles with their produce. Again, we men took over manning the two entrances and the Center crisis management team is staying in touch via radios.

We are convinced that expats and the center are not targets. The issues are between locals and the security force.

Not the way we want to live but this is the situation God has placed us in. We're praying for peace and justice. We're praying for restored relationships and for the gift of being able to get on with Bible translation.

God is teaching us. He is stretching us. He is giving us opportunity to talk with the locals and share the love of Christ that is within our hearts.

Lord, have mercy on the people of this valley.

Please pray that joy will replace the sadness we feel, especially Julie.

Heroes of the Faith, Ukarumpa Style

2010-10-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

In the midst of all the activities happening here and with all the focus on the serious security incidents that keep popping up, I wanted to talk about Ukarumpa "community".

We're our own little world here, a blend of all types of people. There are about 21 countries represented here and, while English and Tok Pisin are the basic languages here, you can find people talking in German, Korean, Spanish, etc. People come in all shapes and sizes, all ages, all with different interests, hobbies and sports abilities. We love this diversity and strong friendships are made here.

One thing holds us together... well, actually at least two. One is our love for God and the other is the vision for Bible translation as a springboard for spreading the knowledge of God and His saving work on the cross.

Our community is always gaining and losing people. Every now and then, people go "finish" which means that they are leaving PNG for good. Some of these people are translators who have spent many, many (,many) years in PNG. And this brings me to the Vincents.

SIL leased the property where the center currently stands from the PNG government in 1956. Alex Vincent arrived in 1956 and likes to say that he was greeted by the entire SIL center... all two of them. Lois arrived in 1957 and they were married shortly later.

Fast forward to October 2010. Every Sunday there are brief announcements before the worship service starts, including a chance to welcome new arrivals and say goodbye to those leaving for various reasons (heading to the village, furlough, new assignments, retirement, etc). When it came to say farewell to the Vincents, the announcer reflected that in many ways the Vincents were the mom and pop of the center. They are going "finish" after working in PNG for 56 years (!!) and having completed two (!!) translations. While he is Australian, they have decided to just visit friends in Australia for a few weeks but settle at JAARS to be close to several of their children and their families.

"He's always been faithful to me."

Such an example of love for God and His word, faith, commitment and endurance always has a huge impact on me. It choked me up. It must have been true for the others on Sunday because everyone stood to applaud Alex and Lois, but even more the God that energized this elderly couple for these many years.

Oh that God would grip me in the same way as He has the Vincents.

And to think that Julie and I will be seeing them at JAARS with lots of time to hear some of their amazing stories...

Agarabi - Working for "food that lasts"

2010-10-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Julie says:

Yesterday and the day before the two national translators (father and son) who recorded Luke and other NT books in Agarabi returned to re-record passages needing correction (See Blog entry for August 23rd).

Julie and Darasi correcting recording errors

I had already removed clicks and done all the fixes I could through editing tricks. It took Andy Weaver and me 9 hours to fix the trouble spots in just the first 15 chapters of Luke. Darasi and Sakias will be back next week to continue. These men are giants in the faith. They truly live with one holy passion—to see God’s Word in the language of the people and the people’s lives changed as they hear and are made alive in Christ—changed forever. They are not paid for their work and the area where they live is suffering from drought and a whole season’s crops were lost. They have planted a second crop in anticipation of the ‘taim long ren’, but they have no food in their villages now for themselves and their families. Yet they trust God and praise Him for providing all they need.

Darasi (now in his late 50s) had only a 6th grade education, but he came to Christ and took as his “walking stick” (life verse) Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” And the Lord has given him wisdom and understanding such that he is not only a trained pastor, but has been working on the Agarabi Bible translation for over twenty years, during which time he developed the orthography (what the alphabet would look like), determined which dialect of Agarabi would be best understood by the people, and translated several books (Mark and others) by himself.

When his son, Sakias, was young Darasi prayed that the Lord would place on his son’s heart a commission to finish the work (the OT translation). Sakias is now 32 years old and is not only a Bible translator, but a trainer of other translators through SILs Translation Training Courses. It is his life’s work to complete the Agarabi Bible. What riches to have a son who will carry on work that will last for eternity!

It was our joy to work with them and to be used by the Lord to bless them through hospitality. We were able to purchase store goods (staples, like rice and potatoes) and to share from our garden things for them to take home to their families, as well as to ‘break bread’ with them each day that they were here. Jon was also able to fix Sachias' laptop computer DVD drive while the re-recording was happening so that new or updated software could be installed.

What fellowship! And how much the richer we are! Oh, the lessons we are learning about the Kingdom of God!

The many ways to speak

2010-10-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

Julie and I just finished our third class of beginners Tok Pisin, the trade language of Papua New Guinea. Julie has been working on this language since last May and does very well. Me... well, I need all the help I can get just to say "good morning".

This language is both easy and hard for speakers of English. Much of the language is rooted in English because PNG was part of Australia until the late 1900s. The hard part is that there are words that look and sound like English but mean something very different. Pronounciation is also very different.

I thought I'd post a passage from the Bible that you've heard and most likely memorized, both in Tok Pisin and then in a pretty literal translation.

The Lord's Prayer

Papa bilong mipela, yu stap long heven,
nem bilong yu i mas i stap holi.
Kingdom bilong yu i mas i kam.
Mipela i mas bihainim laik bilong yu long graun
olsem ol i save bihainim long heven.
Nau yu ken givim mipela kaikai inap long dispela de.
Na yu ken lusim ol rong bilong mipela,
olsem mipela i save lusim ol rong ol arapela i mekim long mipela.
Na yu no ken larim ol traim i kamap long mipela,
tasol yu ken tekewe mipela long ol samting nogut.
Kingdom na strong na biknem i bilong you tasol oltaim oltaim.
I tru.

Father who belongs to us, you are in heaven,
The name which is yours must be holy.
The kingdom that belongs to you must come.
We must follow with will that is yours on earth
like it is followed in heaven.
Now you give us food enough this day.
And you can forget all wrongs of ours,
as we forget all wrongs of others done to us.
And do not lead trials to come to us,
but you can remove us from things not good.
Kingdom and strength and glory belong to you forever and ever,
It’s true.

Were you able to sound out some of the Tok Pisin and match up words and phrases with the English? What do you prefer: Tok Pisin, the fairly literal translation, or the version in your Bible-of-choice?

No matter what language, however, God always hears and understands us.

The land of the unexpected

2010-10-22T09:29:00.005-04:00

Julie and I will be traveling in December by car and helicopter to witness the dedication of the Malei New Testament. We'll leave Friday to head to the village and spend the weekend celebrating. Then, as a special "treat", we have decided to spend two days hiking out with a small group until we catch a short boat ride back to where we'll catch a car ride back to Ukarumpa. We'll report much more when this happens.

A co-worker here forwarded me a short essay done in August 2009 entitled "The Land of the Unexpected" by Rocky Dede. He had just completed the 14 week Pacific Orientation Course that people new to PNG go through to get them ready for life here. It is a riot and we thought we'd share it with you.

Enjoy!

_______________________________________________________________

The Land of the Unexpected - by Rocky Dede

On my first visit to Papua New Guinea, a large tropical island that nobody can pronounce or spell so they just call it "PNG", I heard that it was a land that was so "unexpected" that even monkeys became too paranoid to stay. After examining the absurdity of such a story I've come to believe it is true. As a case in point, kangaroos, which are naturally built for hopping on the ground, have been forced to learn to climb trees in this land. This is due to the frequency of earthquakes on the island, making it virtually impossible for any hopping creature to land without slipping a disc.

Aircraft is essential for travel in PNG, since nothing resembling a road can be seen anywhere in the country. From the air, one can easily see that the entire landscape is mostly overgrown by the largest species of broccoli known to exist, (granne broccolius arbor). This species is home to more kinds of biting ants than any other in the world, a discovery any newcomer will easily make when leaning against the broccolius while trying to escape the equatorial sun.

Speaking of the sun, the once-thought-to-be-fabled hole in the ozone layer lies directly over Papua New Guinea. I've been told that without sun screen a person with white skin visiting this beautiful land can get skin cancer in 30 seconds or less - if it weren't, of course, for the many native varieties of mosquito - which naturally block all but the most deadly rays.

These daytime pests carry an assortment of local "binatangs" (sometimes referred to as "pathogens", or "wogs", depending on your education) that can be injected into even the pudgiest of skin by their sharp, tubular proboscises. And the nighttime ones are far worse.

Fortunately for PNG visitors, there are carbon-belching chemical plants in Australia that produce RID, which can be purchased locally. RID is a creamy substance that makes your body retain all of its heat, but none of its sweat. It is rubbed on skin to keep mosquitoes (called "mossies") from blocking all of the deadly Ultra-Purple rays (UP) from your body. Once applied, the UP rays must be controlled by sunscreen - excuse me - sun BLOCK. (Sunscreen is ineffective against UP rays). The difference between sunscreen and sun block is that sunscreen smells good, goes on smooth, and has cool names that imply tanning. Sun Block, on the other hand, smells like diaper rash cream and is applied best by a trowel. But once applied it lasts for either 5 hours or 5 minutes, depending on whether you have to walk to your destination or not. Since there are no roads, your choices are to re-apply every 5 minutes or burn to a crisp.

This brings me to the most celebrated and practiced pastime sport in PNG: Hiking -- also referred to some as either Nature Walking (if they have never been here before) or Falling Down Cliffs (if they have). After "hiking" in PNG twice and almost living to tell about it, I recommend all visitors follow my physical training regime, which will greatly improve their chances of survival, before they enter PNG. To start, you will need to pick up these items:

2 x large boxes of Velveeta cheese
1 x 5 gallon collapsible container for water
1 x large backpack
1 pair of shoes with cleats
1 large can of insect repellent
1 large bottle of sun block
1 pair of long, loose fitting shorts
1 tee shirt
1 small bottle of live fleas picked from a dog or cat
1 Ipod-type device with headphones. It should only have the words, "Watch out, don't fall down!" recorded loudly on it in a continuous loop for playback. (You should get your boss or mother-in-law to be the voice.)

In preparation for your jungle hikes in the Land of the Unexpected, it would be good if you start out doing some basic physical fitness. This ideally should involve some cardiovascular training to increase stamina. This will not help you one bit to hike better in PNG, but you will certainly look better in your shorts and tee-shirt if you do this step.

Next, find a location in your country where there are hiking trails with a rated degree of difficulty 10 (most difficult) and walk there with all of your gear in your backpack. If you find such a location is too far away for you to walk to (as in several states or countries away), don't bother coming to PNG.

When you make it to your nearest high-mountain trailhead, coat your entire body with insect repellent and sun block (remember, not sunscreen). Fill your 5 gallon collapsible water container with water, squat down, and dump the entire contents over your head and body. If you find yourself soaked, dripping with goo, with most of your bug repellent and sun block washed off, you have completed this step successfully. This exercise is to simulate how much sweat your pores Check to make sure the Velveeta cheese is still sticking well, and traverse the cliff to the top. It may take several attempts to gain mastery of this step, but don't get discouraged. It helps to repeat to yourself that even a six-year-old Papua New Guinean child could do this blindfolded, carrying a squirming infant on one hip while balancing an entire stalk of bananas on her head.

After you have completed all of these steps several times, inwill produce in PNG as you turn into a human sprinkler system. Fill up your water container again and place it into your backpack (but not on top of the cheese, as this would make the next step more difficult).

Slip on your cleats and head up the trail. While on the trail, take note of any sheer cliffs that would be too difficult for a mountain goat to climb, and walk to the base of one of those cliffs, no matter what terrain you need to cross to get there (do not skip this step, as this is preparatory and necessary). If you have made it to the base alive, look up. The top of the cliff should be out of sight distance, preferably entering the clouds.

Next, remove the Velveeta cheese blocks from their packaging and set them side by side on the ground. Take a flying leap into the air (as high as you can with your heavy pack on) and plant your cleats into the blocks of cheese on landing. You should now have two heavy rectangular blocks of cheese firmly embedded into your cleats. This is to simulate the wet clay that will build up on your cleats the first three steps you take on any hike in PNG. Walk around and try to get used to the gushy, weighted feel. (I would strongly advise that you *not* fall down during this step, as it will be nearly impossible to get back up.)

Now for the last few preparatory steps. Empty the bottle of live fleas into your shorts. This exercise is a frail attempt to simulates the sensations that accompany the myriad of minute fauna that PNG has to offer you. Try not to scratch the bites, as they will get infected and turn into giant ulcers if you scratch them in PNG. Simply ignore the biting, keep your shorts on, and continue on to the next step.

Approach the sheer cliff. Don't even think about removing the 5 gallon water container from your pack, because in PNG you will drink (at a minimum) one gallon of water per hour while you hike. If you are worried about bathroom stops, have no fear. your bladder will not see one drop. It will all sprinkle out of your pores and fill up your cleats long before it gets that far.

Now for the last step. Look up at the sheer cliff above you, take a deep breath, put your headphones on and press "play" (to begin the important looped message). Check to make sure the Velveeta cheese is still sticking well, and traverse the cliff to the top. It may take several attempts to gain mastery of this step, but don't get discouraged. It helps to repeat to yourself that even a six-year-old Papua New Guinean child could do this blindfolded, carrying a squirming infant on one hip while balancing an entire stalk of bananas on her head.

After you have completed all of these steps several times, in different locations, you could theoretically make it from a bush airstrip to a village in PNG. However, do not attempt to hike the Kokoda Trail, which would take several more preparatory steps that no person since World War II has ever survived.

Happy Trails,

Getting the VMS word out

2010-10-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

One of Julie's deepest desires in coming to Ukarumpa has been to share new media resources designed to be easily used by the translators themselves. Julie's title at JAARS is Media Resource Developer. For the past two years, she's been part of a team at JAARS VMS (Vernacular Media Services) that has developed three computer DVDs containing thousands of photographs taken during the filming of the JESUS and Genesis films. The VMS team combined these with Bible story texts. Simple Bible story videos can be produced using the pictures and recording the text in a local language together with the easy-to-use software (PhotoStory3) included on the DVDs. Julie has taken every opportunity to describe these tools when talking to translators; and there has been some individual interest, but little opportunity to actually demonstrate them. No chance to share this publically in a group setting had come along, until yesterday.

There is training here in PNG to help equip new translators. These translators will be going to remote locations to start Bible translation projects with people who cannot read their own language and whose languages have never been written down. Unexpectedly, early this week Julie was asked if she would share a short presentation about VMS resources during their workshop on Thursday. (We learned later the same day that the VMS team back home had been praying for this exact opportunity!) The class consisted of seven new translation teams, 11 people in all, including several from Asian cultures. With help from her co-workers back at JAARS, we collected some brief video samples, including a short demo showing how simple it is to use the software tools included on the DVDs.

I stood in the back while Julie gave a lively presentation sharing a sample Bible story video and a brief video showing how easy it is to put one together in a local language. It's like "low-hanging fruit" --easily within reach.

Two observations...

Presenting information using multimedia is very effective for gaining the audience's focus and understanding. Of course, that's the whole point of VMS.

What was really, really, really wonderful was to see the entire class, including the facilitator, physically sit up straight, and to sense the level of energy and interest double when they saw the 2 minute and 42 second recorded demonstration on how to use these resources to develop their own multimedia Bible stories. This is exactly the vision the Lord gave the VMS team back home. Praise God for directing VMS every step of the way and for providing all that was needed to develop tools that can be used to reach hearts with God's life-changing Word.

Julie received many positive comments during the break and the DVDs that she had on hand for purchase were basically all sold on the spot. I joked about holding an auction, selling the limited number of DVDs to the highest bidder. I know that more will need to be sent to Ukarumpa from JAARS.

Don't get a cold in PNG

2010-10-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

(While colds back home seem to last only 2-3 days, both Julie and I have had colds that have lasted over a week. Here's a report from Julie...)

Here in Tok Pisin they say, “Kus i kisim mi,” which means, “A cold got me!” That seems to make a lot more sense than “I caught a cold.” Who’d want to do that?

After two weeks with my PNG cold, I slept this past Friday until 8:30 and then spent two hours debating whether to go to work or to the clinic. I went to work. My co-worker, Eric, told me to go to the clinic. My other co-worker, Andy, reminded me how we had to jump through all kinds of medical hoops back home to prove that we were fit to come here; but once you’re here, you have to be on death’s door before they will take an interest. So, he said not to bother with the clinic for a cold.

When I was just at the point of tossing a coin, they both said, “Ah, just go!” So, I did!

The delay at home and in the office put me out on the street just as the doctor was passing by on his way to the post office. Just the person I wanted to see, he graciously listened to my plight and told me that I could get 12-hour Sudafed cold medicine over-the-counter from the pharmacy without needing an appointment.

I hurried to the clinic where I found that the pharmacy is closed because they are short-handed. I could either fill out a requisition for the medicine (which could then take up to 5 days before I would get it in our PO box) or I could make an appointment with the nurse for that afternoon and get the medicine today. I would still have to pay for a half hour appointment, even though it would only be a 2-minute visit.

Resigned, I began the process of making the appointment when my next door neighbor, Donna, appeared in the receptionist’s area. She was the nurse on duty and hearing my voice came and asked what I needed and got it for me.

All of this the Lord’s perfect timing---What a blessing!

Getting results

2010-10-15T08:52:00.003-04:00

Though you'd like to konw.

Got an email answer today about the results of the support I provided Carl over the radio the other day. It was so great to hear that the computer can be used again.

================================================================
From: Carl Whitehead
Sent: Thursday, 14 October 2010 9:02 PM
To: CTS-Technical Shop
Subject: Thanks, Jon

Dear Jon,

Just wanted to thank you for your help getting the computer back in operation yesterday. Not sure what triggered the problem in the morning but your instruction to press F8 when booting so that I could start the computer in Safe Mode and then to perform a System Restore to the last good settings did the trick.

Carl

=========================================================

Similarly, as you pray for specific prayer requests we mention, we hope to let you know how God provides. It's always great to thank God for hearing *and* answering.
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Getting Help... Easy or Hard?

2010-10-13T08:26:00.001-04:00

Every day is different.

I walked into our department's hardware repair section looking for someone. This area handles not only repairs for computers, but also radio equipment, battery backup systems, printers and monitors. Wayne, the radio technician, was on the radio talking with Carl, a translator out in his village. Wayne asked me to help because Carl's relatively new laptop had an unusual error message stopping him from logging in and using his computer for translation work or email.

Picture the translator sitting in his basic village home running his HF (high frequency) radio, his computer and other gear off batteries that were charged with solar panels. His whole purpose for being there is translation which requires the use of the computer and that tool, which worked fine in the morning, is now useless. Translators usually have a very basic understanding of operating computers, much like most people, and rarely able to cope with computers glitches, especially like this one. They usually also have no internet access. Their only source of help is via the radio to the computer guys here at Ukarumpa. Add to this that other translators may have signed up for upcoming 15 minute slots on the radio "calendar" so he may have to hang up.

Fortunately the reception was clear so we got the exact wording of the displayed error message. The radio was next to a computer so I was able to quickly do some Internet research and give Carl directions on how to start the computer in "safe mode" and then try to replace corrupted data.

I'd hoped to help Carl to a successful conclusion but we waited about 25 minutes for a call-back from him. Finally we tried to raise him on the radio again but he didn't answer. Wayne thinks that Carl's power ran out. What a life translators face!

God's always available to talk to. He knows the perfect solution for our problems... all of them but especially the Sin problem. His power is limitless. He is able to save to the uttermost.

Hallelujah!

The Sky Is Falling

2010-10-05T03:11:00.003-04:00

Time has slipped by and I realize it's been about a week since our last posting. Wow! That indicates how quickly life can move, even here in a corner of the world with little traffic passing by and little news of what's happening in the outside world.

Had a funny experience this morning, at least I think it is.

While our electricity is provided by an area hydro-electric plant (not part of our operation), it isn't really reliable. Voltage can spike to 400V (normally 220V) such that most appliances need to be plugged into surge suppressors when operational, most wall sockets have built-in on/off switches but we normally just unplug everything not in use.

The center also has two generators that kick on normally within 15 seconds of losing power from the hydro-electric plant. Each supports half of the Center, for everything at work and in home. They sometimes run reliably for hours. Of course, sometimes they need to be taken off-line for maintenance which leaves us vulnerable to area power loses.

Another approach to protect equipment and keep it running when all else fails is the use of small battery backup systems, also called Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS). Our department has done quite a bit of work placing many of these around the Center and plugging in network equipment (switches, wireless equipment, etc) so that it will all keep working through all the short and longer power hiccups. That allows people with laptops (which have their own batteries) to continue working through a power outage.

When power drops, a battery backup starts beeping to signal that you're running on battery alone and that, when the battery runs down, you're outta luck.

So, one of the generators was being worked on today and kept going off, then on, then off, all day long. The IT department has alarms setup that alert us at our desks whenever any piece of our equipment has problems so that we can get to it, sometimes even before the users realize there's a problem.

So I got an alarm at my desk about a network switch going down. Since I know it's powered by a backup battery system, I believe it's not because of the generator just having gone off line. I felt I better hustle over to the office where this equipment is and do some troubleshooting.

I walk into the office where I'm greeted by a dark room (no lights) full of people sitting around drinking tea and coffee, waiting for power to be restored. When I announced I was here to check out why our equipment wasn't working, they simply said "we turned the battery backup off because it was beeping."

We put all these fancy systems in place to keep our equipment running, respond to the alarms to keep the users happy, and they disable it all.

Go figure.

Actually, the IT manager and I thought it was pretty funny.
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Our turn, like fish in a barrel

2010-09-27T21:24:00.005-04:00

We woke up yesterday to find that the "raskols" had cut a large hole in the perimeter security fence and broken into the out-building behind our house. The owner had locked it up (to keep us honest folks out) so we had no idea what its purpose was or what condition the inside was like.

Now we know 'cause we no longer needed a key. The building was part game room and mostly a tool shop.

The thieves had pried away the arc-mesh grid that had been firmly attached over one of the windows, cut the bug screen, and then removed a couple of glass panes, enough to crawl inside. After they "tossed" the place, taking about 8 hand power tools (learned after getting feedback via email from the owner), they unlocked the deadbolt lock on the main door and walked out. They left behind some mounted power tools (table saw, table sander, grinder) as well as hand tools and wrenches.

They then tackled the door to an attached storage shed, cutting away some of the bracket for the sliding bolt, causing the bolt to just fall away, the lock still locked to the bolt. This shed had just household "stuff" that was of no interest to the raskols, though that didn't stop them from leaving contents of plastic bins laying on the floor.

So, I submitted a "security incident" report to the Center Security officer, Caleb, who then had me complete and sign a PNG police report, along with estimated value of the items stolen. Caleb arranged with the Construction team to repair/replace the locks and wire mesh over the window so that the building is "secure" again and they will repair the perimeter fence today.

What's interesting is that all the power tools were US-style (110V) plugs and not the Australian-style (220V) plugs so what are the raskols gonna do with them?

We hear that items like laptops, which cost hundreds of $$ (and more) sell on the black market for $30. The money may then be used for alcohol, which doesn't last very long. The raskols keep coming back to us "rich" missionaries to get more.

The local nationals are very angry about situations like this. Missionaries aren't happy either. We feel like targets, just waiting for our turn. What's more, the SIL insurance program has just reclassified Ukarumpa as a high risk area. That means that members who previously had a loss would have paid a 2% deductible for the claim (insurance covering the rest). With this change, missionaries now have to pay a 33% deductible.

Do we personally feel secure? Generally, yes. Fortunately, the house has a beefed up security system, we're alert, and prepared to set off alarms if the occasion arises. We don't have many valuables and items like our laptops and cameras are stored each night in a place we believe would not be found with the little time raskols spend in a house. Julie has an escort walking around the Center when appropriate.

Do we feel secure? Situations like this and testimonies of missionaries here who end up in very tense situations help us focus on the fact that our trust is ultimatly in the Lord.

Pray for wisdom for us and the security people here. Pray for safety for all of us. (Raskols shot arrows at some guards one night last week when they were discovered.)

Oh, did I forget to mention the 5.5 earthquake (centered ~60 miles from here) Sunday night at 9 PM?

Shalom.
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On Matt Hill

2010-09-25T02:39:00.009-04:00

Click to enlarge

We take a long walk every Saturday, more often if possible, around the SIL Center (though still inside the security fence). We try to take a different route each time, exploring roads that we haven't yet been on. After being here for about 6 weeks, it's getting harder to find new paths.

Today's walk included a new street that went by a small wooded cemetary on the side of a hill called Matt Hill. We took a few minutes to visit each of the 27 graves, some of which are unmarked. A surprising number, with poignant writings on the headstones, were of children, some of whom died the day they were born. A 15 year old boy was buried there, too. A few graves held people who had apparently dedicated their entire lives to the work of Bible translation in PNG from the time the center was established in 1958.

As we were leaving the cemetary, Newton H., a translator here in PNG for 25 years, was walking by. He told us the story of a very good friend, Mike, buried on the hill. In 1995, Mike, aged 41, had been riding his motorcycle beyond Goroka (two hours west of here), on a mission of compassion, when a truck came around the corner on the wrong side. Mike left behind a wife and 5 children.

Newton also told us of a Scandinavian couple whose infant child is buried on the hillside. Twenty plus years later, when they had finished their translation work here and were leaving for home, Newton asked the wife if it would be difficult to leave PNG. She replied that it was terribly hard leaving her child's grave behind.

We left Matt Hill once again feeling deeply the level of commitment and sacrifice of the people who come here from all over the world.

10 Years of Safe Flying

2010-09-25T01:37:00.004-04:00

Among the world's 2,251 language groups with no language work in progress, most live in remote, isolated regions. About 300 of these language groups live in Papua New Guinea, one of the most rugged places on earth. To reach these language groups, transporation is a time-consuming struggle for those who serve them.

I hear SIL planes take off just about every day as I walk around the Center, weather permitting. Some days are beautiful, most are cloudy, and the aviation department is always ready to fly to all corners of the country including far distant islands, as soon they can project a safe trip. I pray for each pilot and plane if I hear them in the air over Ukarumpa.

July 2009 marked SIL Aviation's tenth year of providing safe, reliable, economical and efficient air transportation to SIL and its partners. During those ten years, SIL Aviation:

Logged over 35,000 hours
Covered almost 4.2 million nautical miles
Carried more than 101,400 passengers and 5.9 million kilograms of cargo

Celebrating the arrival of the first Kodiak in PNG

The fleet of planes serving in PNG includes Cessna 206s, a Brit-Norman Islander, a Beechcraft King Air (which brought us to Ukarumpa from Port Moresby), two Bell helicoptors, and one Kodiak.

Kodiak #38, the second Kodiak for PNG, will be delivered by JAARS in October, flown 19,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. You can get more information at http://www.facebook.com/JAARSInc and can sign up for the latest news about this flight at http://kodiak.jaars.org/flight.

Missionary Complications Worth Considering

2010-09-23T10:22:00.005-04:00

Our Thursday night Bible study was held at our house tonight, and everyone else (except for us) was a translator. The language groups they work with are in widely different geographical parts of Papua New Guinea. In each case, these translators are living here in Ukarumpa rather than being constantly in their villages, traveling periodically back into the field to handle the next phase of their work.

We took time to share prayer needs and praises during our meeting. What struck me tonight, and what I’d like to share a little about, is how complicated (and sometimes stressful) their work can be.

One of our group, Roland, is working with a language group that is tonal, in which pitch is used as a part of speech, changing the meaning of a word. There are hundreds of thousands of “words” in his language group so he is very dependent on the specialized computer software translators use. He’s also writing a paper for publication and has a deadline rapidly approaching before he and his wife head to Romania for their son’s wedding. He is often getting stuck working out problems with the language but is also now stuck with what seems to be a computer software ‘bug’. Lastly, he’s trying to reach a national translator helper way out in the jungle of the far western region to let him know that he needs to meet Roland in a particular village on a specific date. So far, Roland hasn’t been able to reach him and Roland doesn’t know if he should commit to the expensive travel arrangements yet or not.

A husband and wife are working together on the book of John. In the midst of trying to agree on the definition of key terms so that both of them translate the same concept consistently, they are also planning a trip in October into their village for 4 weeks (for her) and 6 weeks (for him). They have two boys who will need to move from their normal house in Ukarumpa into the supervised (and safe) Youth Hostel (also here) for 4 weeks. The boys want the parents to spend less time in the village while the parents feel they need more time to get necessary work done. On top of all this, because it’s the end of Wycliffe’s fiscal year this month, this couple is being asked to write year-end reports, justify why this year’s unspent funds should be moved into next year (because of slipped schedules) and plan how to accomplish all of next year’s work with 20% less funding than they requested.

A third person, Joan, is coping with an absent husband (who’s out working in his two villages), a chronic problem of tiring easily, and a problem with a hurt right arm (which prevents her from using it for work).

These are three examples of people trained to perform really important and difficult tasks (linguistics) but having to deal with life’s complications, in a foreign environment, under difficult circumstances.

Can you imagine how you might pray for missionaries more effectively? Can you take time to get to know the missionaries better that you and/or your church support?

I pray so.

Sensory Overload

2010-09-20T07:07:00.007-04:00

Tommy, a Wycliffe translator in PNG whom we had met in Vermont 6 years ago and whom we have reconnected with now that we're here, asked if we'd like to travel about 2 hours west to Goroka, a relatively large city (for PNG), to see the 'Goroka Show' this past Saturday. This is an annual event where tribes from all over this region (known as the Eastern Highlands) send a group dressed in their traditional clothing, singing and dancing.

Of course, we said "yes" especially because this would be our first time really off the SIL center except for a valley-wide Sunday morning service last month and a short visit in the village of Ukarumpa, just across the river and up a path.

We woke up Saturday to the sound of constant rain on the metal roof, got our stuff together, and were picked up at 7 a.m. I'd packed mostly camera gear plus a rain slicker, no hat and no sunglasses. Why bother? Julie was smarter.

A valley of the Eastern Highlands

It's most of a bridge, right?

Soon after leaving the center, rough dirt roads turned to paved roads and we got onto the "Highlands Highway". There aren't many vehicles on the road. Most are either small flatbed trucks acting as buses with lots of people overflowing the space behind the cab. There are some 18-wheelers and the rest would be private 4-wheel cars. The road was surprisingly (to me) pretty good, winding through valleys and small villages, up and down mountains. There are some places where the road narrows to one lane either because of a narrow bridge or because some of the road has washed away and is dangerous on one side. Most village buildings were made with wood poles, thatched roofs, and woven frond walls.

We arrived in the city and parked in a gated parking lot of a nice hotel. We'd been told that we could pay the show fee (which let us inside the fenced area and able to mix with the groups) with a credit card at the hotel desk, so we brought little cash as a hedge against theft. The desk clerk said credit cards could not be used for the show fee, but the Lord laid it on the heart of another friend who came to have brought along just that right amount of surplus PNG currency. Thank you, Lord!

The plan was to ride the shuttle over to the show grounds (about a mile away) and then meet around 12:30 pm to go back to the hotel, eat something and head home. The show started around 10 a.m.

Oh, did I forget to say that "the sun came out and dried up all the rain?" I carried the slicker around all day, had no hat to protect my head, but enjoyed weather that was perfect for pictures.

I never thought I'd reach such a degree of sensory overload in less than 3 hours. Groups, each ranging from 10 to 30 people, came in one at a time onto a field about the 150 yards in diameter, dancing, beating instruments, or singing. They were then marshalled to different parts of the field as other groups arrived. Of course there were several hundred "white skins" (tourists) rushing around in and between groups to get the best spot for their pictures or videos (which of course was right in front of me).

Far left side of field

Left side of field

Right side of field

Far right side of field

Each of the ~30 groups (maybe more) was unique. In composition (men, women, mixed, young, etc), attire, style of song or dance, attitude/emotion, etc. I've uploaded about 90 pictures (of the ~400 pictures and 20+ video clips) so that you can see the astounding variety. See the slide show at the top right of the blog. Clicking in this area will expose controls for reverse/pause/advance or you can click on the picture to open a new window with full-size versions of each picture. Astounding!

Great day had by all. Except when we returned to the hotel (after eating Chinese food) to find that Tommy had left the car lights on and the battery was dead. Two attempts to pop the clutch failed (I was huffing, too). The hotel staff were so gracious and installed a battery from one of their vehicles, got our car started, and reinstalled our battery so we could be on our way.

Their aim's not too good, huh?

The trip back was thankfully uneventful... that is, until we were about 2 miles from the SIL center. We discovered that a team of men and boys had tried to fell a tree alongside the road. Instead it went across the road. They were busy with a huge chain saw, some axes, and a bunch of bush knives clearing enough out to let any traffic go by. We sat for only about 10-15 minutes and then finished our trip.

It hit us, as we uploaded and reviewed all our photos and videos later that day and into Sunday, that we had only seen a very small part of the 830 people groups from PNG. While we were listening to the song and speech and instruments of 30 groups, there were 800 that we didn't experience.

What struck us is that this represents less than one twentieth of the people groups in PNG-each not only with its own traditional dress-but also their own distinctive language. About 300 of these language groups-most living in isolated places-don't have a written language and do not have God's Word in their own heart langague. Another almost 200 groups have translation work in progress but may only have a small portion of His Word to hear.

That's why we're here.

We thank God for a wonderful, exciting and safe trip to the Goroka Show. We're also very thankful that God used Saturday to open our eyes to the wide variety of culture here and the great need for more workers.

"Pray the Lord of the harvest sends more workers, for the fields are white with harvest."

The Pied Piper

2010-09-17T06:27:00.003-04:00

Three times a week, people from the surrounding villages set up an open air market from 6-8am here at Ukarumpa center. So before work on M-W- and Friday, I head to the market with a basket and bags to purchase fruits, vegetables, roasted peanuts and flowers.

This morning I ran out of money and didn’t get flowers (a bunch is 1 Kina… about 40¢). As I was walking home, I overtook a group of children walking from the market to school. I greeted them with a cheerful “Moning” in Tok Pisin. I think they were so surprised that an adult was greeting them that they immediately started buzzing among themselves.

One of the boys asked (in Tok Pisin) if I would like some flowers, and two boys ran back to the market and each brought me a little bouquet. They gathered around me, following like the children of Hamlin. I asked them their names and greeted each individually. They asked where I live.

As I neared our house, I told them I wanted to take their photograph. Excitedly, they followed me to our front door. Jon came out and here is the result.

Click to enlarge

Delightful!

The Unfinished Task

2010-09-17T06:14:00.003-04:00

In Mission Frontiers magazine from the US Center for World Mission, an article by Paul Eshleman, "The State of the Unfinished Task," reports that the number 1 priority in world missions is Scripture Translation.

What are the top 5?

Number 5: Church planting and presence
Number 4: Reaching oral learners (the area Julie is invested herself)
Number 3: Increasing evangelism, with a focus on Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus
Number 2: Engaging the Unengaged People Groups
Number 1: Scripture Translation

Wycliffe focuses on #1, #2 and #4 and is participating in #5? It's all about the power of the Word of God.

The article is only two pages long, easily opened or downloaded, and very quick reading. Click on the link above to grab the article and understand each of these five areas better.

Pray to the Lord of the harvest for more workers for the fields are white with harvest.

How well do you know.. Part 2

2010-09-17T05:38:00.002-04:00

I've had several people ask how the Korean printer installation went. (If you don't know what this is about, read two blog entries below.)

I did download the print driver installation program from HP's website and loaded it onto a USB thumb drive. I had planned on doing this during our day off for Independence Day. Julie and I got to sleep in until 8:30 am !! at which point we found ourselves waking up to the sound of repetitive pounding.

Towering over the house

We found that our Korean neighbor had hired a national to do some serious trimming on (what turned out to be) a eucalyptus tree which was towering over the house. The neighbor who lives in between our houses told us that this had been done just 5 years before and that this type of tree grows very fast. You betcha! Notice in the first of the series of photos the portion that is much lower and fuller, half the height of the tree. Everything else is new growth.

The national (almost seen in the picture above, just over halfway up on the right) was working his way around and up the tree barefoot, with no safety harness/equipment, and cutting off branches with only a small hatchet. He must have started around 8 am and, except for the traditional short 10 am break for tea and bisquets and then another for the lunch hour, he rarely stopped for more than two minutes for his right arm to rest.

Limbs kept dropping left and right routinely. None ever came close to hitting the house though a couple nicked the tall, razor-wire topped, perimeter security fence that runs behind our houses.

As for the printer, I was invited in again by the wife, Yun, after having slipped off my footwear at the door. (This is not only an oriental tradition but also commonly practiced here in PNG where the days are often muddy.) Yun had decided that it would be simpler and just fine for me to set up the printer on the English computer, even though I offered to do this on both this and the Korean one. I got away lucky, almost. Wouldn't you know that the English computer was so old that it didn't recognize that I'd plugged in the USB drive. How was I going to set up the printer if I couldn't get to and run the setup program? Anyways, I found that the computer was confused and I simply had to tell it to reinstall some software to tell it how to work with the USB drive. Whew!

Way, way up

Setting up the printer after that was a breeze and I was out of there in short order. On the way out, I advised Yun that the sturdy branches that were laying around on the ground and some already trimmed and stacked next to the house were a security hazard. The Raskols love to use them as leverage bars to pry off the metal window bars and gain entrance to homes. I told Yun why she should find a way to make them disappear as soon as possible. She told me that she hadn't heard that before and was thankful for the information.

We took a few more pictures of the man's progress as it became easier to see him way up there after he'd cleared out so much foliage. I only wish I'd taken one final picture of the tree totally topped/trimmed for you to compare the difference. (Maybe I'll do that tomorrow and update this blog).

We were surprised today when the yard meri told us that Yun had dropped off a "thank you" platter of sushi. Instead of fish/shrimp, rice and vegetables, Yun had substituted hamburger for the fish. We had several each tonight as an appetizer. Yum, Yun! Thanks!

I wonder if anyone else has computer problems... I'm getting hungry again.

September Celebration!

2010-09-16T08:38:00.010-04:00

Today, September 16th, is Papua New Guinea's Independence Day... from Australia, 35 years ago. It seems that for some nationals, it's a time to party (and drink) starting last night. It's a time for us expats to be a little more careful too. A call went out yesterday asking folks here on center to volunteer for extra patrols last night.

So, happy Independence Day, PNG!

(Late update: read the end of the blog for an odd ending to this entry.)

Last night was also a time of wonderful entertainment and surprise for Julie and me. While Monday night was a time to see each of the schools' choral groups perform 3 or 4 numbers, last night was the Ukarumpa International School's Marching Band concert presented, of all places, inside the Meeting House rather than on a football field as one might expect.

Bruce MacFarland, the Ukarumpa music teacher we met 2 years ago when we were helping with a series of Wycliffe Associates banquets in New York State and New England, had returned to PNG. Each day on the way to our offices, Julie and I would hear the band practicing and, when returning home at the end of the day this past week, we'd get to hear snatches of after-school dress rehearsals.

We were expecting a great time. We were not disappointed at all. On the contrary...

The performance was 45 minutes long, filled with a wide variety of music, all choreographed to include moving all the marching band members throughout the room. That included up onto the stage, around the aisles front and back, and even exiting on side of the hall and re-entering from the opposite direction.

The Music Man and his band

The musicians excelled technically with their playing and the marching wasn't bad either. Different parts of the group were featured, including the color guard and the percussion section of around 8 young people.

Bruce has told us that some of the kids have become part of their home national youth orchestras and a number have gone on to music conservatories (like the conservatory at Wheaton College which Julie was part of).

We are blessed to experience the fruits of Bruce's and the other music teachers labors. We also marvel at how God is gifting so many students here with both the musical talents as well as a dedication to investing and focusing on improving this skill.

_______________________________

So, who is more surprised? Me or the large cockroach that came crawling around from behind the computer screen as I was trying to finish this entry at the kitchen table? Suffice it to say that memorial services for "not-very-smart-and-way-too-slow" will be held tomorrow at 7:30 am outside our home, should you care to attend.

:)

How well do you know ...

2010-09-13T20:49:00.003-04:00

How well do you know Microsoft Windows? Of course, some of you would choose to stay as far away from it as possible. For me, it's part of my job, as well as a real source of satisfaction, to be able to not only use it well but to help solve problems others are having with their computers.

Julie and I were about to leave the Sunday evening worship service (Sunday night, of course) when Lynn caught us and said that a Korean lady, Yun, that lives two houses further down our street, needed help getting a printer connected to a computer. Her husband wasn't in Ukarumpa right now so Lynn told her that I might be able to help.

Asking for help doing this might take many different forms. This might be the first time connecting the printer, a hardware or software problem might have occurred for something that had been working just fine, it might simply require training the wife or a child. I had no idea. I was walking in willingly but blindly.

I arranged to stop by Yun's house after work yesterday. As I approached the front door, one of her sons was practicing the saxaphone. (It seems almost every student is involved in the school's music program in some way.) I was eagerly invited into the living room where I found two laptops and the printer (which had a built-in scanner too) spread out on the floor. I guess there was no furniture (chairs, sofa, table, etc) as a result of normal Korean decor.

A Korean keyboard (click to enlarge)

Yun's skill with English is very limited and my Korean is non-existent. She explained that her son wanted to scan in some material and work with it on the older laptop computer. This computer wasn't older... it was old. The other thing that surprised me is that the Windows operating system was in Korean.

So, asking again... how well do I know Microsoft Windows... in Korean?

What I was experiencing (click to enlarge)

I connected the printer and the screen tried to walk me through setting up the printer's software driver so the two could talk. It was really "funny" to match up my recollection of the questions and options the computer should be asking me and getting Yun to translate what the screen said. I got only so far and then it became just too hard since she doesn't "do" computers.

I noticed that the newer computer's operating system was in English so I thought I could run through hooking the printer up there as a refresher and then move back to the older computer. Trying this approach, I discovered that I would need to download the printer's software from the internet to get the job done on either computer.

Yun then told me that the newer laptop was barred from being connected to the internet because they had already experienced a very serious problem with computer virus infections. (I noticed that neither computer had any anti-virus/anti-spam software installed.)

I got the clear message that she was very uncomfortable my using this "English" computer to visit one site to download the printer software. I also realized that there was no way I would be able to do this on the "Korean" computer.

I told Yun I'd return home, download the software I'd need, and return the next day. She was very appreciative for my help. On the other hand, I still expect much difficulty returning to finish the job.

What fun! And what an interesting twist on providing support to a fellow co-worker for Jesus Christ.

If you would, pray to the God of all wisdom and the creator of all languages, that I'd muddle through this task successfully.

Thanks.

Missionaries are...

2010-09-09T10:55:00.005-04:00

Julie and I have been attending one of the many small group Bible studies held each week at Ukarumpa. The makeup of this particular group is very interesting.

One couple is Swiss and the husband is a translator for a group in the western portion of PNG that live on an island on a interior lake. We understand that the language is so complicated, with a couple hundred thousand expressions, that it might beat the current Guiness world record for the biggest dictionary.

Another translator is German and his wife is Austrian and live in Austria when not on the field. A single German woman works in the Finance department. That means that the heart language of five of us is Deutsche (German).

There is a Canadian couple, about to head home next Tuesday to British Columbia for 11 months of furlough. They are working in the training center where their focus is not only to teach nationals literacy skills, particularly adult literacy, but have vision for expanding the focus to include greater Scripture use throughout their villages.

One couple comes from northern Missouri and are not associated with Wycliffe. He is an Assemblies of God pastor who settled his family (including two older teens) while he travels across PNG preaching and building up local churches. This family spent the 11 previous years living in Vanuatu (South Pacific). (They know my roommate from Wheaton College who has been an AoG missionary in Africa for years... small world.)

And then there are the Limmers, one who works with computers and the other who works in media.

What struck me tonight as we shared a pot-providence meal together, saying farewell to our Canadian friends, and praying for each other, is that we're not like most businesses. Most businesses are comprised of individuals, often with different responsibilities, whose aim is to convince others to "buy" our product and bring in money for the "business".

Contrary to this image, this small representation of people were not focused on "me" and not focused on "us". Each of us has committed ourselves and our individual, widely different abilities and gifts. Our focus in upward firstly, and outward secondly. We're here to give something free (the gift of salvation, already paid for by Jesus the Christ) to anyone who will listen and obey God.

Julie and I are able to hear about the lives of people that are so different from our American-based lives. That really hit me. None of these people really think they're special or significant.

It is such a blessing to get to meet people like those in our Bible study, those we work with, and all those we see as we walk around the SIL center here. These people have spent several years (in some cases) and careers (in other cases) working in the remotest corners of the world. Why do these people give it all up and live where your pants get all splattered with mud just walking to work? Where you have to carry an umbrella because it will rain sometime today or carry one because you need to block the sun? Where you have to make your own everything (bread, yogurt, jam, salad dressing, sour cream) and figure out 101 ways to cook a limited selection of meats (chicken, hamburger, hot dogs) with a limited selection of fixin's but with an infinite variety of fruits and vegetables? Where you are glad animals (geckos) live in your home to keep other animals (cockroaches) out? Where you take expensive pills that may or may not prevent malaria? Where you buy ice cream that someone else made? Where you buy a fresh chicken from a villager that may not have been plucked? Where you can only buy huge bags of garlic and need to find others to split the bag with (unless you really are a garlic-holic)?

Julie and I are so thankful that we are here to hear and observe. I'm thankful that this is not just a quick one or two week missions trip but that we're here long enough to live alongside these friends and learn how to pray more specifically and effectively for them after we've returned home.

By the way, while you may find single women in full time missions (bless them!), why are there so few single men out here? Maybe single men can't hack it alone. Maybe we like our comforts way too much.

And God Said...

2010-09-09T09:30:00.006-04:00

Julie's been part of a small team trying to record music and the book of Mark in the Akukem language. This is for a people group in the coastal area of the Madang Province, north of Ukarumpa. Three Akukem men plus another VMS specialist and Julie have virtually been sitting in the recording studio every day from 8 am until after 5 pm each work day.

Julie and Andy recording and editing

The goal is to have finished Mark (Mak in Akukem) in three weeks but it's been a very slow process. After almost two weeks, the team is only in Mark 7. Recording with these men requires working with their inexperience with reading and speaking in a recording session. Some portions need to be recorded multiple times. Fortunately, the men have been very, very patient.

The sound proof recording booth

Unfortunately, they've also been very, very cold. They are from the lowland coastal region where a shirt, shorts and no shoes are very adequate. They do not have, nor did they expect to need to bring warm clothing for the very cold (to them) highland weather. Every day here has been cool; if it's not raining in some manner the whole day, it at least starts with an early morning rain and ends up raining again by the end. The roads and paths here become muddy and cold for their bare feet.

Julie loaned the men my sweatshirt (my RACS one, you Rutlanders), a flannel shirt of mine, and the outer shell of her coat. She's also brought in towels for them to lay across their laps in the recording studio to keep their legs warmer. They've been very thankful and have tried to leave them in her office at night. We've almost had to force them to take them for the night for warmth but they really smile when they understand that we want them to be as comfortable as these small loaners can help.

Seeing a MegaVoice and listening to Scripture

We're so thankful for these men, who leave their livelihood and families, come here to Ukarumpa where life is strange, and work so patiently with strangers. They obviously have a heart to reach their villages with the spoken (audio) Word of God. It was a special delight to watch them as Julie explained how rugged audio players like MegaVoice operated and played God's Word for small groups. At the end of today's recording session, Julie's co-worker, Andy, actually loaded some of the Bible on a MegaVoice and these three men gathered around to see how simple using one could be.

Please pray for the remaining 6 work days, that the recordings will go rapidly but accurately. Pray that there will be no technical problems or illness. Pray that these men will be comfortable and that there will be little or no rain to make them colder.

Rightly Handling the Word of God

2010-09-06T16:59:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow (Wednesday) the media specialist here will be out all day, so he has asked Julie to run the recording session. She will be recording a portion of Mark’s gospel in a language she doesn’t know with a group of people who don’t speak English. So she will need to communicate in Tok Pisin which she's been trying to teach herself in her "spare time."

We've only been here three weeks, so that’s a tall order. If there are any technical computer glitches, she says she’s cooked. Some of the recording and editing procedures are new to her.

Please pray that the Lord will help her and the team of nationals tomorrow to do a good recording of His Word for His glory.

Thanks!

Be thankful... in all things?

2010-09-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

Mary works at JAARS and was in contact with me by email earlier this week and we exchanged comments about the security situation here in Ukarumpa. Today she shared a story.

When I was there in 1994-97 it was not good either. One night a mosquito was buzzing around and keeping me awake. I finally turned on the light, so I could see to kill it. Never could find it, so I turned off the light again. In the morning, we noticed our kitchen screens had been cut. We had a security wire attached across the screen, but I think they had dismantled it. (it was a cheap kind) But what I realized that morning is, that when I turned on the light, they thought I had heard them, and they left. Have never been so thankful for a mosquito.

May the Lord give you His peace and wisdom and safety.

In Him,

Mary

Up, Up and Away

2010-08-30T18:50:00.004-04:00

Just a quick thought and request right now.

Like at JAARS, the SIL airport is located close by. Not as close as the one at JAARS, which runs parallel to the area where all business is conducted but a couple of kilometers out the center gate and down a road to the village of Aiyura, still in the same valley.

Each morning I see aircraft mechanics, pilots, air instructors and the rest of the aviation team heading past our house and out the gate, many on motorcycles. Often each morning I also hear the planes taking off and climbing above the surrounding highland hills and above the normal morning cloud cover. The planes make quite a racket because they need lots of lift in a short distance.

There are almost two hundred translation projects underway in PNG, and pilots and planes are one of the critical links in Bible translation. Planes are how translators get to their villages. Planes also deliver supplies and provide medical evacuation for translators and PNG nationals alike.

Some translators live here in Ukarumpa. Even then, planes are how translators get back to the villages to maintain relationships and check the work with their village translation team that they've done here. Sometimes their translation and literacy teams are flown to Ukarumpa for advanced training,

When at JAARS, the planes I heard were being used to train pilots heading out. Now I'm that much closer to where the work of Bible translation is actually happening. This is the "field white with harvest."

Every time I hear a plane taking off in the early morning hours, I offer a quick thanks to God for the pilot's skill and dedication and for what that plane means to the people spread across this big land of unreachable valleys. I also pray for the safety of that particular flight and look forward to learning how that flight has helped meet God's goal of spreading the knowledge of His son, Jesus, across PNG.

Will you pray as well?

Serious matters! Please pray

2010-08-29T03:12:00.003-04:00

You've read in earlier blog entries that there's a serious problem of break-ins here at the SIL center, both in work areas but often in missionary homes. In the first 21 days of August there were 27 break-ins or attempts. This doesn't count the break-ins in surrounding villages either, though these targets aren't as attractive to the thiefs, nor as frequent.

There has been much concern on everyone's part and fear throughout the valley, because the "raskols" are no longer running away when an alarm goes off or when confronted by people. Even the hired outside security firm on the center is fearful since they patrol mostly alone. The local police are understaffed, sometimes uncooperative, and considered incompetent, despite our attempts to provide written reports and witness accounts.

With investigation, it appears that all the thiefs come from one village, Ukarumpa. As the center here is also known as Ukarumpa, you can conclude that this is the closest village to us. You can also believe that this village has probably benefited more from SIL than any other village in the valley

Other villages in the valley are angered by these incidents. They also believe SIL has rewarded Ukarumpa with benefits instead of holding Ukarumpa accountable as a community for this problem. (Perception but not true.)

The center's leadership decided to approach the Ukarumpa village leaders today after lunch and convey that the relationship between the SIL community and Ukarumpa community has been broken and ask that the community restore their honor by actively turning over the raskols to the police.

Julie and I decided to go along, even though I don't speak Tok Pisin and Julie doesn't catch it all. In all, about 20 missionaries went to support the SIL leaders and to show the villagers that our personal relationships are important and remain.

Like walking a gangplank

We missionaries met just inside our property and prayed for a while for God to have control and for protection for each of us. We then crossed the "bridge" (more like walking on a tightrope because of loosely attached and deteriorating materials) in smaller groups and walked up the wide path to what didn't look like it but was the village square.

We got there shortly before 1:30 pm and experienced PNG time, which means that enough people didn't gather until 2 pm for the meeting to start. Actually, people kept arriving until the end, around 4 pm.

A number of members, employees and friends mingled with the Ukarumpa village people in a positive demonstration of togetherness. Our Director felt he conveyed the pain and anguish that the security situation is causing our members and employees, highlighting that extended security issues could close our Ukarumpa center, leading to the Bible translation work and support needing to happen elsewhere in the country.

Disappointingly, but not entirely surprisingly, the community dialog centered on a number of issues in the past, some years in the past, that distracted and deflected from the ownership of the current security situation. However, it highlights that these issues of the past are important to the Ukarumpa village community! We have good grounds to continue to dialog with the village leaders and work toward a solution. This is just a step on a very long and changing road.

Please keep praying for peace, for safety and for good communication as we move forward in continued dialog.

Lest we forget how short life is

2010-08-28T19:24:00.002-04:00

We've experienced four earth tremors (read that, earthquakes) since we've arrived less than 3 weeks ago. Two of them were barely noticeable. Here are the specs on the other two, which also happen to be the most recent of the four:

Note: a magnitude increase of 1.0 means it is 10 times stronger. For example, an earthquake of 6.0 is ten times stronger than one of 5.0.
_____________________________________________________________
Magnitude 6.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
Date-Time Monday, August 16, 2010 at 01:09:30 AM local time at epicenter
Location 5.71S 148.34E
Depth 183.1 kilometers
Distances 185 km (115 miles) NE of Ukaruma, PNG

This one was pretty strong, but much farther away. I woke up in bed when this happened. Julie slept through it.
_____________________________________________________________

Magnitude 5.0 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REGION, P.N.G.
Date-Time Friday, August 27, 2010 at 04:42:22 PM local time at epicenter
Location 6.22S 146.41E
Depth 114.3 kilometers
Distances 85 km (55 miles) N of Ukarumpa, PNG

Julie was home for the second of these and I was at my desk. Though not the stronger of the two, because it was much closer it was quite a wake-up.
_____________________________________________________________

Neither rain nor snow...

2010-08-28T19:08:00.001-04:00

I was browsing through the various newsgroups (places where people can post/read/respond to topics of interest) on our computer network here and ran across this response to "how long is it taking for you to get mail and packages?".

Enjoy.

Our experience with mail from the UK has been random recently. The last thing we got came very quickly - maybe 10 days. It was a small, light package. Other things have taken longer, but unless there are items we just haven't received and don't know about, most mail has come in 2-3 weeks for us. BUT, we do ask our family to put 'Near Australia' on the address now. We had a bunch of stuff go via Guyana a few years ago - Christmas presents arrived in April after a round the world tour, with "Mis-sent via Guyana" stamped all over them. The British education system obviously doesn't major on world geography!

Kate

2010-08-28T05:47:00.007-04:00

Every breakfast or lunch, we enjoy lots of fresh fruit. We have bananas and strawberries with our cereal. Lunch includes papaya, pineapple and avocado (Julie).

While I can’t speak for the foods in other parts of PNG, there are all sorts of new foods here in the highlands. When we walk through the market area where nationals bring their produce three days a week, we’ve had to ask friends what these are called, what they taste like, and how they need to be prepared.

Sweet Fruit

Sweet fruit is an example. Sweet fruit are about the size of tennis balls and have hard shells. Once cut, the center is jellied with large black seeds. You eat the concoction, chewing up the seeds. It tastes very sweet though I tend to spit out the black seed pulp, while Julie chews and eats it.

And even those foods that you might find in your grocery store can often be different here. That’s to be expected considering the climate and normal variations of the same plant worldwide.

Julie bought some peanuts from an old lady who was just sitting on the ground at the market with only peanuts to sell. They were already roasted, looked a little scrawny, but, when opened, proved to be much tastier than what we get from the stores and, surprisingly, often had 3 nuts and even 4 once.

So many seeds!

We love grapefruit and, having not seen it the first two weeks of market days, had to ask a friend if what we saw on one vendor’s table really was what we thought it was. We brought one home and had it this morning. It was very firm, had a thick skin, and tons of seeds, many more than the 10 or less we’re used to. The taste wasn’t sweet but not that different from grapefruit we’ve found in the States.

Kaukau

Here’s a picture of “kaukau”, what we would call sweet potato. I’ve mentioned this before. It’s a staple of the nationals and, in fact, those without much money make this a major part of their diet.

This is pumpkin?

I was rooting around in the garden a week ago and found what appeared to be a green zucchini-like vegetable that I thought our yard meri had overlooked. Then I found another. The yard meri scolded us for picking the pumpkin prematurely (‘Yu no pikim, mi pikim.” in Tok Pisin) and then proceeded to show Julie how to cook it. The insides were orange and it was sweet and tasty. Julie’s used it to make a delicious pumpkin soup (with a bit of hot spice in it) and also put a bag of cubes of pumpkin in the fridge to use in vegetable soup and other stuff.

Finally, there are those food items that we find in our own yard. We’re surprised to find that some of what we’ve been buying at the market will, when they’re ripe, be available to be harvested here for free.

Our very own lemons

80 cents for a huge papaya

As I’ve mentioned earlier, for example, we have several banana trees and have since discovered that we have a papaya tree and a lemon tree behind the house. We also have a tree loaded with guavas in the front yard. The garden has lots of stuff including several pineapple plants. The pineapple is so fresh that you don’t have to trim much of the peel and you can eat the core.

Finally, repeating what I’ve mentioned in some earlier blogs, there are many eating adjustments we’ve made in what we buy from the store and make. Examples:

Cheerios (the only cereal we can stomach and is about the least expensive) instead of our normal Wheaties (not available here)
Powdered milk instead of real milk because powdered milk makes 7 times more in volume and ultimately costs us ½ the price.

The bottom line is that, of the cost for living here, store bought foods are the priciest item we have to pay for. After a while the sticker shock tends to pass since you know there isn’t an alternative.

If only we could remember and be in continual “sticker shock” about how much Christ paid for our personal sins through His suffering and death.

How deep the Father's love for us by Stuart Townend

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Out and about

2010-08-26T09:17:00.003-04:00

Most of my work so far has been done at a desk and involved monitoring, tuning and updating servers and network equipment. It's a complex environment that I really enjoy.

Today was a little different.

The center often has national (ie, Papua New Guinea) translators, pastors, teachers, literacy workers, etc come to Ukarumpa from all over the country in order to train together. These people leave their families and work behind for weeks at a time in order to be better equipped for God's work among their own people.

In the past couple of years, the center has been building a training center in an open area. So far they've built the training building (several offices and 3 large classrooms) and a multi-storied dormitory. Currently they're building a dining facility to further meet the needs of those being trained.

A connection to the computer network had been installed in the training center but it used old technology and was pretty slow. Before we arrived, the computer department had already buried fiber optic cable in the ground between our offices and the training center and time had come to complete putting connectors on both ends of the cable and hook the training center onto the network.

One of the classrooms I was working in was being used today to teach literacy workers how to teach a Bible story and how to teach people how to read. I didn't hear much for very long but I enjoyed watching one of the students practice teaching the other students using a visual aid posted on the wall.

I'd never done any work with fiber optics before and it was fascinating to work with the computer manager (my boss) and the head of the Help Desk as they finished this project. In addition, I helped my boss configure two new wireless access points and install them in both ends of the training center so that both instructors and students would be able to connect their laptop computers to the network, getting their email and browsing the internet. I understand that the fiber optic cable we hooked up today will provide 10 times the speed of the one we replaced.

That speed improvement is helping translators work better and faster.

Praise God!

Weather or not

2010-08-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

I’ve alluded to the fact that we’re enjoying Vermont-like summer days since arriving. If we’d gotten here on our original schedule (the first of June), we would have actually gotten some taste of what winter in the PNG highlands is like. Since homes aren’t heated (except some by fireplaces or wood stoves), we would have been pretty cold with the drafty windows in this house.

We walked to our offices this morning, leaving the house without coats and enjoying clear blue skies above. Since most regulars here never go anywhere without an umbrella, I remarked to Julie that we might regret not bringing our slickers or an umbrella. Julie said there was no way the day could turn.

Famous last words.

We live just off the widest road that passes through the center, a direct path (straight line) for the nationals who want to get from the far side of the SIL center to the other, even though they may not work here. That includes many children who are headed to school. One thing I’ve often noticed is how few children smile when you smile at them. In fact, many have a scowl on their faces. I heard today that smiling is not a part of the PNG culture and that, should they smile at you, it’s because they’ve learned that expression in order to communicate with expats. Talk about cross-cultural communication.

Anyways, around 11 am I was asked by one of the programmers for help getting a computer in an office in the high school to be able to use a printer on the other computer in the same room. I walked down the hill, past Julie’s office, and got the problem solved within a very short time. During a quick “wokabout” (tour) of the high school, I noticed the dark angry clouds that had poured over the surrounding hills. (There are no inside hallways, just outside porticos or sidewalks, so the tour was entirely outside.)

It was 11:30 am by then so I decided to grab Julie and head for home for an early lunch to beat the rains. By the time we got going, it had started to spit. Half way home it was turning from drizzle to rain. Just then a good friend stopped with her car and offered us a ride the rest of the way. No sooner did we get into the house (at 11:58 am), then the heavens opened up and we experienced the heaviest rainfall since we’ve been here.

You have to realize that all houses have tin roofs. There is no sound deadening when the rains hits the roof. What a racket! We also watched all this rain run into the gutters, into the PVC pipes, and into the rain water tanks. It wasn’t long before the excess water was spilling out the top and onto the ground. And then the thunder… the first we’ve heard since coming. Of course, we’re used to thunder back home, especially the late afternoon ones after a blistering hot Carolina day. Still, it got our attention.

By the time we headed back to our offices, we slid into our slickers and galoshes. Yes, those old fashioned, pull-the-over-your-shoes, ugly things. But they certainly do help when walking along the dirt, mud and puddle roads here. It wasn’t raining nearly as hard but it continued off and on the rest of the day.

We went to a Bible study tonight. There was one German, one Austrian, two Swiss, and one other American. Since Julie also speaks German, I’m thankful they stuck to English. Anyways, we donned our slickers and galoshes again and walked in the dark to the Bible study, about a 10 minute walk. Fortunately one of those at the study offered us a ride home afterwards because it’s STILL raining.

From what we hear, this is just a mild foretaste of what the weather’s like starting January.

Got any room in that ark, Noah?

Home is...

2010-08-23T06:12:00.003-04:00

Front of our home

This entry focuses on what the house is like that we’re staying in. This is the home of the guy that went on furlough back in California so you might say that I not only “stole” his job but also his home.

Back - notice 3rd water tank

While there are a few homes that would be considered large (compared to all the others), these are generally for families with lots of kids or shared by several missionaries. Only a few are two story. As I mentioned in an email, many of the homes feel like summer camps/cottages such as those that I’ve been in while summering in New England.

Canna Lily in yard

Now on our patio

In our tree

The property also contains many fruit trees (orange-like and bananas), many flowers and flowering trees. It also has a large garden, containing many vegetables that we recognize and some varieties that look strange. There are pole-climbing beans, cabbage, strawberries, corn, tomatoes, something squash-like, etc. We get to eat these for free and buy whatever more we need from the market the nationals conduct 3 times a week.

2 water tanks plus solar hot water on top

Everyone’s homes have at least one and sometimes two large tanks beside them with PVC pipes channeling all the rain water from the roof gutters into them. Our house has three tanks. As long as rain keeps water in the tanks, people will use this for most of their needs like drinking, etc. The center also has water piped to all houses from the river that passes by one side of the center. This is never really clean and gets worse when it rains. Those who wash their clothes with river water don’t have anything white after a while.

Water filter wrapped around drop pipe

Filtered water from spigot

The water for drinking or food preparation must be filtered. We use a bucket filter like most people here. Just pour the water in the top where it passes through a clean-able filter, and collects in the lower bucket that has a spigot. We've had no digestive problems yet.

Every home has a solar hot water system mounted on the roofs. As long as there is a reasonable amount of sun each day, the water is very hot. If there isn’t enough sun, especially in the rainy season we’ll be heading into more, there is a switch we can turn on that electrically heats the water. We only turn it on for 30 minutes in that case because anything more costs in the expensive electricity.

There is no heat in the house except for a small standalone wood stove (flimsy by Vermont standards). The windows are louvered with glass panes that really don’t seal against cold drafts at night. Every house has mostly worn curtains and then heavy draperies that, when closed, do a reasonable job keeping the cold out.

At the same time, we did bring the recommended “space blanket” (thin, silver colored 6x8 sheet) to cover ourselves since this reflects our body heat back upon us. We are also wearing flannel pajamas in August. When we walk around on the wood (and some slate) floors, we are wearing the also-recommended slipper socks which have anti-slip bottoms but nice, thick, warm material.

Being just two of us, we’re not using most of the house. It also means there’s plenty of water (cold and hot), hedging our bets against ever needing to open some values to switch more of the house plumbing over to river water.

It also means we get to have more live-in company. There are cockroaches most anywhere in the world you might travel and PNG is no exception. I saw them when I was in Nairobi, Kenya, along with other crawly things. Here it only appears to be cockroaches. They vary from medium size to large and can be found most anywhere. The owners left some traps around the house so it really hasn’t been so bad except when Julie sees them. Then I have to conduct WW III until that bug is history.

We do have friendly guests, too. Geckos are our friends though I’m sure they didn’t feel welcome at the start. They make loud squeaks and kissing sounds and the first two nights here, Julie had me running around opening closets and hunting for mice or rats. We were eating at someone’s house when Julie mentioned this and they laughed. Gecko housemates are welcome because they eat cockroaches. I did kill one last night and leave it out for one of our geckos but, unlike Santa Clause, it didn’t indulge in the midnight snack. I tossed the cockroach the next morning.

Because of the number of break-ins by the local “raskols”, we hide everything of any value (even small things) in clever places we wouldn’t think to look (and then we forget where we put them). We do this every morning on the way out to work, after lunch, if we go out visiting in the evening, and before bed. I have to say I have a very ingenious place where we stash our laptops, the number 1 prize for every raskol.

The home has quite a few security features installed by the owner, simply because this home has the reputation of being the #2 most broken-into home. The front door has four deadbolt locks spaced around the frame of which one requires a key. The back door has two deadbolt locks (both must have keys) and two heavy metal bolts top and bottom. The house has a security alarm with two panic buttons and motion detectors in the living room and in the central hall. All windows that can be opened have sturdily installed bars and are electrified.

I hope to never need any of this.

Everyone essentially hires someone to periodically cut the grass, someone (called a yard meri) to maintain the gardens (flower and vegetable) once a week, and a inside maid (called a haus meri). The cost is very little, not counting the expectation that we provide food for the two short breaks and lunch. We’re surprised, however, at how much the nationals will eat in a very short period. Rumor has it that they don’t eat very often or very much the rest of the time so “live it up” when at their jobs.

We are continuing to use the people hired by the owners since they know the place and have proven reliable. The only problem we had the first week (last week) was how the haus meri took over and rearranged everything in the kitchen (which she doesn’t cook in) to her liking. We’ll nickname her “Sarge” though her name is really Iri (pronounced E-riee).

Everything in PNG is essentially wired for 240 volts with Australian=style plugs. The owner does have a transformer installed to provide US style 110 volts but most of our gear can use (with adapters) and certainly all of the appliances here use the higher voltage. If you plug in anything that can only use the lower voltage into the higher voltage outlet… well, it’s gone.

Hope to write about food the next time. Now, Julie, what is this you just handed me for dessert? …

Julie's Impressions After One Week

2010-08-21T01:35:00.000-04:00

Here’s an eye-opening view of PNG based on our first week here: We're really enjoying many things about life here in Ukarumpa. I love the fellowship with the other missionaries. Everyone is friendly and helpful. And this week was spiritual emphasis week with Dr. Richard Allen Farmer, a concert pianist, pastor, and former Dean of Chapel at both Gordon College and Taylor University. He has been teaching out of Mark (series called "Marked by Mark") and it has been great. I love the work I'm doing editing the Agarabi (language) audio Gospel of Luke. The audio version of the NT is scheduled to be dedicated early next year. It is exciting to have a part in it. It takes all day to edit approximately one chapter. I need prayer that I can find a solution to my neck and right shoulder cramping up most painfully after only a short time on the computer each day. Because of my past training and experience, I've also been asked if I would consider testing in the school here.

There is a serious downside to life here. There are daily and nightly break-ins and robberies on the center which are unnerving and put me on edgy alert. This is what the missionaries here live with on a daily basis. I know that my security is not in locks and keys, but in the Lord. Yet it is hard not to get up and look out the windows when the security guards hired by SIL/Wycliffe are flashing lights all around our house and our neighbors late at night because "raskols" have breached the 8-ft fence and are on the prowl, or when the rain hits the tin roof -- a favorite time for raskols to break in because the sound of the rain covers the noise they might make while breaking in. Last night a security guard was attacked by 10 raskols (though not seriously hurt). A man in my office was robbed while he and his wife slept in their house.

The raskols steal everything from electronic equipment like computers and cameras to shoes. Some people have lost over 5 thousand dollars worth of possessions. The raskols consider missionaries rich (in comparison) and see that everything stolen gets replaced anyways. Very little has been recovered and the police and government basically ignore the situation.

The house we're renting has an alarm system with motion detectors, solid bars on all the windows that open, electrified wire and screens on the windows and four locks on every door. But the raskols consider it all a game and are recently using machetes and guns to confront people on the street and in their homes. The people in the surrounding villages know who the raskols are but protect them for two reasons: there is a strong sense of community that must not be broken, and the villagers are themselves afraid of the raskols. Enough of that for now.

Timothy 1:7 (New Living Translation)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

The simple life is not simple. We have to make our own bread, milk (from powdered), yogurt, salad dressings, salsa, sprouts, etc. We need to soak all veggies and fruit for 30 minutes in water with bleach in it before storing. All our drinking and cooking water needs to be filtered. I need to go to the open air market between 6 and 8 am M-W-F for fresh produce before I go to work. Other products from the little store here are VERY expensive.

I'm getting lots of exercise, so I'll be going from 'fat' to 'fit' climbing the hills daily and doing aerobics with some of the younger missionaries 3 times/week. I'm also teaching myself Tok Pisin—the local trade language.

I think you can figure out some prayer requests from that.

Blessings, friends.

Julie

Agarabi Luke Translation

2010-08-21T01:14:00.004-04:00

It is so wonderful to know that people back home are holding us up in prayer.

Today Julie went to Laurie S’s home at the top of the hill to learn how to make yogurt and tortillas. The yogurt will be a great base for salad dressings and other recipes.

Ron, the NT translator for the Agarabi people

On the way back to our home here, the Lord used an unusual circumstance to bring me in contact with the translator of the Agarabi NT. Julie stopped to talk to two women returning from a nearby yard sale. A family here has finished their NT and is selling everything before they leave. So Julie turned in at the sale and it turned out that the man was the translator of the language she is editing in audio version.

Julie has the assignment here of editing the just-recorded audio version of the Gospel of Luke. But she had no script to follow and had to work completely by ear and instinct. Now Ron Olsen, the translator, will bring Julie a script on Monday. This is a huge blessing from the Lord and will help her create a much nicer recording with hopefully greater impact on those that hear the good news about Jesus Christ.

Also one of the women has a citrus squeezer she is not using and she will lend it to Julie while we are here. Little blessings along the way—gifts and reminders from our loving heavenly Father.

Prayer requests and Praise - August 21

2010-08-21T00:58:00.001-04:00

Prayer Requests

Working as a team, both Julie and me together as well as with the missionaries and national workers here at Ukarumpa
Consistent time in prayer and the Word TOGETHER
Julie's office work is causing serious neck and shoulder pain. We need to figure out what to change, including perhaps setting up a home office.
Safety for the home. Ours is the 2nd most broken into home historically (though not recently) on the center.
General on-center reduction of theft and home break-ins. 1 or 2 daily incidents of attempts or successful break-ins. Sometimes people are threatened bodily.
Adjustment to combination of mile-high altitude and very hilly terrain. We live at the bottom of the hill so everything is up. We are still trying to catch our breath.
Adjustment to daily life here. The pace is not slower… everything is new and takes longer to do.
That we will soon join the right Bible study fellowship group on center. Many are already full.

Praise

for meaningful work for Julie. Julie is working on cleaning up an audio recording of Luke for the Agarabi people.
We have adjusted to the climate and food well and are healthy, except for a few times of stomach problems for Julie
Many of the missionaries have been very, very welcoming, encouraging, and thankful that we've come
The times of worship and preaching during Ukarumpa's "spiritual emphasis week" has been refreshing and challenging
We've been able to use the Internet to call Julie's mom just about every day and Jon's dad every few days
Jon's dad is recovering extremely well after back surgery in mid-July.

PNG Mountains

2010-08-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

Even before we were ever presented with this need to head to PNG, I’d used Google Earth (and Microsoft’s Virtual Earth) to do the same exploring, getting the same results. Ukarumpa is the town/village we’re in and the SIL airport is less than 3 km away in Aiyura. If you find Aiyura, you’ve found us!

At Port Moresby, loading the SIL plane

Winging our way to Ukarumpa

Beautiful heavy cloud cover

We’ve heard stories for years about PNG mountains (and why this is the main reason there is isolation causing 830 different languages in the one country, half of this large island) and seen pictures more recently over the past 10 years so we knew somewhat to expect. Still, to head inland from Port Moresby on the SIL plane last Wednesday and begin our descent from 25,000 feet as we began crossing the highlands, descend through the clouds and begin to see the mountains for ourselves was quite an experience.

We’re now actually living in a valley, ringed by comparatively not-so-impressive, rounded hills/mountains so our daily view looks more like Vermont. There are several villages in this valley, with some historically violent conflicts between them (as recent as last year) over water rights, retaliation for past wrongs, etc.

The pilots and those who work in and travel to the villages get much more of a reminder about the geography. Just walking up the hill ½ way from our home to my office at this high altitude is enough of a reminder and I don’t know how I’d handle hiking the mountains for even a couple of hours, much less the days that some people do.