Emily's Words from PNG

Apinun!

Here's a summary of the past few days:

Met my PNG language helper, Joyce.
Studied the creation of Adam and Eve.
Found a roach in my bed.
Ate crocodile for lunch.
Went to the village market.
Installed a mosquito net over my bed.
Learned how to begin stitching a bilam.(well, I tried.)
Played games with the students and staff from Interface.
Studied the fall of Adam and Eve.
Found a flying cricket inside my mosquito net.
Bugged Joyce with questions. "How do you say that in pidgin?"
Learned to cook kaukau (sweet potato) over an open fire.
Talked with Frank about all that we are learning.
Gave up trying to keep my feet clean (it rains all the time here).
Re-installed my mosquito net.
Had a great conversation with one of the missionaries.
Spent time reflecting on the destiny of those who have not heard the Gospel.
Yikes! Just saw a mouse run by on the window ledge.

There is rarely a dull moment here, but we are learning so much. Please pray for me to stay strong physically. I had to miss a day of classes on Saturday when I was too worn out to keep going. God has been faithful to provide all that we need, and we thank you for your support and your prayers!

Lukim yu bahain, ol gotta.

Frank's News

We've been here a week and a day now, and we're learning a lot. NTM has a well thought-out method of teaching God's word to the unreached. They work very hard to teach the story of God and man chronologically. They do this to avoid syncretism which is the mixing of former beliefs into Christianity. You see syncretism all over the place such as in Haiti where they mix Christianity and their voodoo and witch doctor practices. Also you see it in America where we mix the American Dream (Prosperity) with the Gospel. We have a bible teacher here who is going through the Chronological Teaching with us. It has been great to go back to the basics of who God is, who the spirits are that He created, and how he created earth and man. And, what a wonderful location in the world to contemplate these things. This place is as close to a paradise on earth that I have experienced. The weather is almost perpetually a nice spring-like day in Illinois. There is no need for insulation, heating, or cooling in the buildings, except for maybe a fan in the middle of the afternoon, but only until the afternoon shower comes. The bugs here are a little annoying at times, and bother some people more than others. Emily definitely doesn't like them, but she's handling it well. Anyway, in addition to all that we are learning and experiencing, it has been great to get away and think about God's magnitude, and wonder.

Emily's Words from PNG

Today we put on our hiking shoes and walked up to the village. We've learned a few phrases in Pidgin, but it doesn't take long to exhaust my vocabulary.

"Good afternoon!"
"How are you?"
"What is your name?"
"What is that?" (point to something)
"See you later!"

Not really my idea of an in-depth conversation. I knelt down to watch one of the village women weaving a bilam (a bag or purse). I tried to ask her about it in Pidgin, and she replied to me in English. Praise the Lord! It was the highlight of our trip so far, to be able to truly communicate with someone from a tribal culture -- to ask her questions and know her as a PERSON.She told me about her husband and her children, about the different patterns she uses for weaving, and that she works in the kitchen at Interface. She asked about where I was from and about my family. Did I mention it was the highlight of our trip so far?

Another interesting event today was our game of "Kill the Chicken". We played with a plastic bat and a soccer ball, but apparently some tribal people play with a real chicken. They bury a chicken up to it's neck in the dirt, blindfold someone and hand them a machete. Their goal is to listen for the chicken and try to... well... (insert title of the game here).

Tomorrow we will begin meeting with our language helpers - a national man or woman who will work with us to learn Pidgin. Please pray that we will absorb the language quickly, and learn to communicate effectively to show the love of Christ to the nationals here.

Frank's News

The classes so far have mainly been Chronological Bible Teaching (Chron Teaching), and Culture / Language Aquisition (CLA). They both have fascinating, and we are very impressed with our teachers. CLA has linguistics and phonetics. We took a little video of the phonetics portion that we can post at a later time. It's so interesting to break down the words we speak into sounds, and to learn the names for the sounds. We love meeting the nationals. If we haven't said, we are supposed to call them nationals rather than natives or indians for cultural sensitivity reasons. It's also very fun talking to them in the trade language called Pidgin. We may have mentioned that there are 800 some languages here in PNG, so to make life easier they have a Pidgin language which is a trade language. It's easy for us to learn because it has a lot of English in it. In fact a majority of it has English words, but it's definitely a different language. They say that we will be able to learn a lot of Pidgin (Tok Pisin) by the end of the trip. They are using the opportunity to learn this simple language as a way to learn how to learn a language. I guess that's another reason they chose PNG for this course.

Emily and I are doing well. She has been feeling pretty good, but they are packing normally 5 weeks of material into 4 weeks, so it's busier than we expected. We are just praying for her, and using opportunities to catch up on rest, or do our homework in our cabin.

Emily's Words from PNG

When it comes to bugs, I have some growing up to do. Last night I was getting ready for bed and discovered a giant cricket had taken up residence in the ladies bathroom. These crickets not only jump, they FLY. And they've got some speed. It gives me shivers thinking about it. I got ready for bed in record time and headed back to our cabin. I hoped that he (the cricket) was going to leave too, but I met him again several hours later when I returned in the middle of the night. He was in the sink waiving his little antennaes at me. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. There are lizards here too. I've seen them running around the floor of our cabin, so I've started shaking out my shoes and checking my bed before I climb in. Good times :)

This is just one small thing, among many, that missionaries in PNG are willing to deal with in order to bring the Gospel to those who have never heard. As we've spent time with them the past few days I've noticed many other sacrifices that I'd never thought of before. Of course we think of the big ones - giving up the homes, careers, close proximity to family, etc. But I'd never thought about having to make food from scratch. (There are no cake mixes, tortillas, or pre-made soups here.) Or reading and re-reading the same books, since it is hard to access new ones. The missionary women sacrifice much of their independence in order to be a part of the culture. This includes giving up their western style of clothing to dress in a way that is acceptable to the tribal people. Also, it is not safe for women to drive into town alone, so every time they would like to go somewhere they have to ask someone else to go along.

It is a privelege for us to spend time with these missionaries and get to know their stories. It gives us a new appreciation and understanding of missionary life. I am thankful that they are willing to invest their lives in us and answer our thousands of questions.

We've also enjoyed getting to know the other students in the program. There are only five women and we are meeting together each morning to pray. It is exciting to build friendships with people who are in the same place we are: seeking God's leading for the future.



So, it's wonderful to be here in PNG and experience the "place", but it is the people here who are having a huge impact on us.

We miss everyone at home. Sounds like you are getting a lot of snow. Stay warm!

Frank's News

I've seen missions done in the past that didn't impress me work ethic wise, so as I'm on this trip, I'm trying to be conscious of that and apply myself. However, I also want to take advantage of the opportunities to get to know the wonderful people, and to learn from them. Sometimes that can only happen by sitting down with them and just hanging out. Ministry is about people and I have noticed that the culture of this campus is very friendly. From what I learn about many of the tribes in this area is that they are also friendly and warm.

The scenery is beautiful. We are located on a side of a hill that overlooks Goroka in a valley and mountains on the other side. Someone described the trees like "Lion King", meaning the have an African look to them. The tops are thin with leaves, but they are large. I see that security is a big concern here. The campus is surrounded with a fence, but inside that fence, the dorms are surrounded with another fence, which contains 2 German Shephards. At night they have hired nationals (local tribal men) to guard the campus. Along with locks on our doors, valuable items such as electronics, money (not too much), and my $20 guitar can stay safe.

In PNG safe and sound!

Emily's News:


Hello from Papua New Guinea! We arrived here on Sunday morning around 10:30 AM (6:30 PM Saturday in Illinois). The trip was exhausting, but everything went smoothly and it is wonderful to finally be here in PNG.

We have been waiting for e-mail access until today, but I should be able to update more regularly now that it is up and running.

It's a different world here. The Interface Staff have kept us isolated on campus the first few days so that they can teach us about the culture and prepare us for what we will experience. I'm really thankful for that; we have a lot to learn and we don't want to make any major cultural mistakes.

The campus is beautiful. The facilities are well-maintained.Our cabin is very simple -- wood floor, bunk beds and a few shelves on the wall. Even though the walls are very thin and we can hear dogs barking, roosters crowing and lots of other strange noises, I've been sleeping like a rock. Probably jet lag :)

We are back in college again, with classes 6-7 hours per day. We are learning about the PNG culture, chronological Bible teaching, and Culture and Language acquisition among other things. They are serious about using our time productively while we are here. We will begin learning Melanesian Pidgin (Tok Pisin) tomorrow. It is the trade language of PNG and it will enable to us to speak with the nationals here.

Today was our first visit to the village. It is a short walk up the hill to reach Yamalayo, and we headed up this morning. It is the rainy season, which means the trails are muddy. Very, very muddy. When we reached the village it was quiet, with only a few people here and there. But since 15 white people in a small village creates quite a spectacle, soon there were plenty of nationals standing around. How I would love to be able to talk to them! Other than a simple greeting and a smile I could only communicate with a teenage girl who spoke some English. It was a good motivation for me to learn Tok Pisin as quickly as possible.

We have another class soon, so I need to wrap up. There is so much more to say, but it is hard to put this experience into words. Please continue to pray for us that we will be listening and learning as much as we can. I hope to update again tomorrow.

And We're Off

I've spent the past two days cleaning and packing. I think we're ready to go.

Please pray for us. Here are a few specific things that are on my mind tonight:

* Pray for good health. I'm starting to get a cold, and I'd love to wake up without it tomorrow.
* Pray for smooth travel - our flight from Japan to Papua New Guinea is a once-a-week flight. We need to make our connections so that we can arrive in PNG on schedule.
* Pray for quick friendships and unity among the Interface team. We will meet most of the team at the Atlanta airport; the rest of the group will join us in Japan. There will be twelve of us from the U.S., two from Germany, and one from the U.K.
* Pray that we will get the opportunity to see the EWO leadership team the day we arrive. They are scheduled to be in Goroka on Jan. 3 - our first day on the ground. We're hoping to cross paths either in Goroka (where our plane lands) or when they tour the Interface campus that afternoon. The next day they are leaving for another area and we do not expect to see them again until we get home.
* Pray that we will be flexible, patient, and loving to each other and to those around us.
* Pray that God will burden our hearts for the lost.
* Pray that we will get a true understanding of what tribal church planting is all about.

Lastly, I have a prayer request that is just for me. I struggle with fear. When my focus is right and I am trusting God completely, I am excited for what is ahead. But when I am tired and I take my eyes off of the truth, I get anxious. I've never done anything like this, and I am afraid of the unknown. Please pray that the Lord will help me keep my eyes on Him.

I just looked at the clock and it's 9:15 PM. Time for bed! Tomorrow morning the adventure begins.

Happy New Year everyone!