We are definitely not in NH anymore...

There are certainly many things that are radically different about being in Papua New Guinea, as compared to New Hampshire. The climate is considerably the most notable difference at this time of year. We are still trying to acclimate to being in the Southern Hemisphere, meaning that December 21st is the start of Summer, not Winter here. 

We have also definitely entered the rainy season and have downpours almost every afternoon. This is just fine with us , since it replenishes our water tank, which provides the running water in our house, and keeps everything looking beautiful and lush. At home, we would grow an amaryllis bulb inside each Christmas: that being said, we still miss the snow!

Top Ten Christmas Blessings...

1. Blessed to be helping bring the Bible to those without it in their heart languages.

2. Blessed to be serving alongside many other faithful missionaries.

3. Blessed to be forming positive relationships with Papua New Guineans and expats alike.

4. Blessed that progress is being made toward peace in the valley.

5. Blessed that we continue to improve our communications skills.

6. Blessed that God is sending more workers to His Harvest fields, but even more are still needed.

7. Blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of Christ with friends. 

8. Blessed with God's provision for our needs so far, even as we continue to seek partnerships.

9. Blessed that God has seen us through tough times this year, and He is always faithful.

10. Blessed with wonderful family and friends who love us pray for us, and support what we are called to be doing here in PNG!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We want to start by thanking everyone who has so faithfully prayed for us and helped to support us financially in our ministry this year. It is difficult for us to believe that we have almost been in PNG an entire year now, and 2014 has been filled with challenging new experiences, cultures, languages, customs, and even viruses! God has been so faithful to us through it all, seeing us through each one and we trust He will continue to as long as we are called to serve Him here. 

Scott has just completed the final draft of a security proposal he and a task force have worked on for the last 9 months. The community will evaluate it and vote on what portions to accept and begin the implementation of in 2015. 

Kathy has completed her first semester at UISSC, finished her grading, and will begin preparing for next semester’s classes. She would also appreciate your prayers for a small carcinoma she will need to have removed in Australia in January. 

We both had the wonderful opportunity recently to share in a mumu, a traditional meal cooked in the ground over hot coals and stones, wrapped in banana leaves. We shared stories and good food with our Papua New Guinean friends, and were reminded that we are all truly part of the same family of God through Jesus Christ. May God bless you and your family this Christmas and New Year as well! 

A mumu is a feast for all of the senses: colorful veggies and meat piled high on red hot coals and banana leaves, sizzling as water is poured over it, and steaming hot once it is uncovered- delicious! 

Top 10 Thanksgiving Praises

1. Praise for the work of Bible translation worldwide 

2. Praise for the missionaries God has called here to serve in PNG  

3. Praise for the faithful people who live in the surrounding villages, who are a blessing to us through their produce, service, help and friendship 

4. Praise that our Tok Pisin skills are improving, as is our ability to communicate more clearly 

5. Praise for a quieting-down of tensions in the valley 

6. Praise for a new group of POC graduates on center- we’re not the “newbies” anymore! 

7. Praise for the friends we’ve made and with whom we will spend Thanksgiving 

8. Praise for God’s provision for our needs so far, even as we continue to seek partnerships. 

9. Praise for God’s protection and direction of us each day 

10. Praise for what Jesus has done and is doing here in PNG!  

Discovering New Traditions for which to be Thankful

Being the eldest of five children, I have grown to love that my family has lots of traditions. We would enjoy spending the holidays together whenever possible, loudly sharing and laughing over a big meal (even when the meal was at a local buffet!). And when the traveling distance did not permit me to be with my nuclear family, I have been blessed to be taken in by loving surrogate families, first in graduate school, and then at our home church, Dover Baptist. 

Frankly, leaving our loving family and friends was the hardest part about coming to Papua New Guinea. But by God’s grace and mercy, He is giving us a new family here. First, our POC family, with whom we spent 12 weeks bonding and learning about life here in PNG. Now, our Ukarumpa family, with whom we live and work and spend time studying God’s Word. And slowly, our Papua New Guinean family, with whom we are developing relationships and sharing the love of Jesus. 

Yes, it will be a very different Thanksgiving and Christmas season for us, but because we have brothers and sisters in Christ wherever we are on the globe, it will be filled with loving family. I will miss my family’s traditions, but I hope to make some great new ones here. And we plan to have Thanksgiving dinners with our community Bible study group and POC family, so there will still be plenty of loud sharing and laughing over a big meal. May God bless you and all your loved ones this Thanksgiving!... Kathy  

A New Perspective on Thanksgiving

I have always known that I had a lot to be thankful for, but back home my thanksgiving was somewhat of an intellectual exercise. I knew that God provided and I was thankful and happy in that knowledge. Now that we are serving in PNG, my perspective has changed. I now have a more visceral appreciation of just how reliant I am on Him. 

As any new missionary will attest, adjusting to a new culture is difficult. Perceptions of time, personal space and community are different. You miss people and places, your favorite foods and being able to express yourself clearly. Mostly, you just miss the feeling of being relaxed. 

Beyond the cultural readjustments, there are differences in how work is done. Given my role as Security Operations Manager, I cannot write in detail about many of the issues that I deal with on a daily basis. Suffice it to say that, despite being blessed with the right education, training, professional certifications and twenty three years of experience, I am not adequately equipped to handle my responsibilities. There is just too much that is out of my control; too many unknowns and far too few resources. 

Yet, despite my many short-comings, God has provided exactly what I’ve needed when I’ve needed it. This position is, by far, the most stressful security role I’ve ever had and yet, by His grace and provision, I am excited about the prospect of serving in PNG for many years to come. 

As we approach Thanksgiving, please join me in remembering what this day is truly about; giving God the glory, thanks and praise for His constant grace and provision. 

Happy Thanksgiving

We have been reflecting on the many reasons we have to be thankful lately. It has been a challenging 11 months but God has given us the strength, endurance and wisdom we have needed, as we have needed it. We are very thankful to our financial partners, who make our support ministry to further Bible translation here in PNG possible. We are currently managing at an approximately $1,000 per month deficit; if you are interested in considering partnership with us, please e-mail us for more information or follow the link on the sidebar of our blog. Thank you to our prayer partners as well, who are interceding for us and making a tremendous difference. May God provide for you and your family abundantly this Thanksgiving season. Thank you again for your prayers and your support, and we pray that you and your family will have a blessed Thanksgiving! 

PUBLIC STATEMENT-Market Closure Update

On October 10th the Branch Administration proactively implemented a series of self-imposed restrictive measures aimed at reducing crime. The first step was the closure of the produce market on centre. This action was designed to bring peer pressure on those responsible for recent crimes through the villages in which they reside. Over the last month, criminal activity has drastically decreased, names of criminals in the surrounding communities have been provided to the Police and a handful of arrests have been made. In the interim, SIL has kept local village leaders apprised of the situation while taking a series of steps to enhance the overall security posture of the centre. Unauthorized structures are still standing on SIL leased land. Efforts continue to be made working with local and provincial authorities to have these structures removed. Please continue to pray for all members of the Aiyura valley who are affected. Also pray for the victims and the perpetrators of these crimes, as well as for the community's resolve to follow through with this course of action.

Pray for New Tribes Pilot Injured in Motorcycle Accident

This family was in the same orientation class with us when we arrived in Ukarumpa and they live nearby. Please pray for Jon's full recovery and strength for his family. 

http://usa.ntm.org/mission-news/80272/urgent-medical-prayer-request-for-ntm-aviation-pilot-in-png

PUBLIC STATEMENT-Director’s Office Announces Market Closure in Response to Criminal Incidents

In response to recent, escalating criminal activity directed at the SIL community in Ukarumpa, the Branch Administration has decided to proactively implement a series of self-imposed restrictive measures aimed at reducing crime. Starting Friday, the 10th of October, the produce market on centre will be closed. This action is designed to bring peer pressure on those responsible for recent crimes through the villages in which they reside. It is hoped that these same communities will benefit in equal measure from the cessation of criminal activity to which they too are exposed. Please pray for all members of the Aiyura valley who are affected. Also pray for the victims and the perpetrators of these crimes. Pray for the community's resolve to follow through with this course of action. 

Experiencing Our First Bible Dedication on KarKar Island

We had the amazing privilege of attending the dedication of the revised Waskia Bible on KarKar Island on September 27th, 2014. The original translation of the Waskia New Testament was completed in 1985. This revised translation included the New Testament, as well as Old Testament portions including the Psalms, Proverbs, Genesis, Ruth and several prophets. Interestingly, it was produced as a diglot, meaning it included two languages, both Waskia and English, printed in columns side by side. This can be used as a powerful literacy tool for people who desire to learn English as a second language. We traveled with a group from Ukarumpa to KarKar island, an active volcano off the coast of Madang, via two SIL Kodiak aircraft. We received a warm welcome from the Waskia people and were introduced to the villagers by Fay Barker, one of the members of the Waskia Bible translation team, during a ceremony to distribute the new Bibles. One of the guest speakers reminded everyone that, even though this was a great day for the Waskia people, they need to pray for other language groups in PNG who still have not yet received their first translation of the Bible in their tok ples (heart language). After the ceremony and Bible distribution, we were invited to the pastor and translation team leaders home for a mumu, a traditional meal of pig, taro and kaukau (sweet potato) wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked underground. As we flew back to Ukarumpa, we praised God for the work He is accomplishing here, as His Word continues to transform lives and communities. It was also a terrific encouragement for us, as support people, that ultimately this is why we are here!. 

Top Ten Prayer Requests

1. Pray for the work of Bible translation worldwide

2. Pray for missionaries here in PNG struggling with health, financial, and family problems

3.Pray for the Word of God to continue to transform lives & communities in PNG

4. Pray for our continued learning of language and culture in PNG

5. Pray for peace in the Aiyura valley between all factions

6. Pray for audi-Bibles and apps to be made available in more languages, so people who cannot read can hear God’s Word

7. Praise for improved health for our family members, especially Kathy’s mom & dad

8. Pray for wise budgeting while we continue to seek financial partners; we are still at 52% 

9. Pray for God’s protection and direction of us each day

10. Praise for what Jesus has done and is doing here in PNG! 

https://give.wycliffeassociates.org/p-694-scott-and-kathy-watson.aspx

Term 1 at Ukarumpa International School is complete

The school year is off to a brisk start, as Ukarumpa International School has just completed the first term of 10 weeks, half of the first semester. It has been a genuine pleasure for Kathy to get to know her 7th, 8th and 10th grade students. They come from the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, South Korea, and Papua New Guinea, each with their own cultural heritage, languages, idioms and learning styles. It is a rich environment in which to teach, and she am grateful to be teaching them science and helping them to explore the wonders of God’s creation. Please pray for her students; many of them face the normal challenges of being teens, plus some unique challenges of being in PNG. All of the missionary kids are far from friends and family “back home,” but for some who have been here long enough, this is becoming home. Many live in children’s hostels with dorm parents while their parents are working on translation projects in remote villages. Often, the Papua New Guinean students need to complete all of their homework at school, because at home in their village they have no computers, or even electricity in some cases, and have many other family responsibilities. Yet, the students arrive each day, eager to learn, and have a great appreciation for the value of the education they are receiving. Kathy says, "It is a privilege and a blessing to be their teacher!". 

Security and Youth Ministry coincide at Encounter

I recently had the privilege of serving as a sponsor for Ukarumpa’s annual youth retreat, Encounter. The event featured guest speakers from Lancaster, PA who taught on the book of Jonah. It was originally scheduled to be held at a camp two hours away, but had to be relocated due to civil unrest. As the Security Manager, I spent the days leading up to Encounter assessing the situation and networking with other missions, local police, contract security firms and other sources. As a result, we moved Encounter to the SIL Training Centre, which is located here in Ukarumpa. Though there was disappointment at not being able to go off centre, the students understood the situation and had great attitudes. During the day and into the late evening, we worshipped together, walked through the book of Jonah, and played games. At night, other men from the community and I took turns working security. On the last full day of the event, a large group of students and sponsors hiked on a familiar trail off centre. During the hike, two smaller groups became separated and were robbed by masked raskols (criminals) armed with bush knives. Thankfully, no one was physically harmed and all of the students and sponsors returned to the centre safely. When I learned of the incident, I interviewed each of the victims, created a list of lessons-learned for future hikes, and followed up with the local police. This investigation is ongoing, so your prayers would be appreciated. Despite the relocation of the event due to civil unrest and the robbery that occurred off centre, we chose to focus on God and were strengthened. 

Is God Calling You to Teach in Papua New Guinea?

This video was shot recently at Ukarumpa International School you can see some of Kathy's students using the triple beam balance in one of her labs.  UIS is always looking for teachers-Maybe God is calling you to teach in PNG!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFwFYNvcyw

Highlands Cultural Show

The annual Highlands Cultural show in Goroka was well worth the visit; we met many interesting and colorful people and got to visit some friends from POC, too-worth all the PMV rides.

On another positive note the K92 Bridge repairs we mentioned in an earlier post are quickly progressing. Small vehicles are now able to cross. Praise God!!

K92 Bridge Collapse

They call PNG "The Land of the Unexpected". Thankfully, nothing surprises God. Please pray for the quick and effective resolution of this issue for the Aiyura Valley and Ukarumpa. 

Public Statement: About 7am this morning (6 Aug 2014) a commercial fuel tanker attempted to cross the Kingston Bridge traveling from Kainantu towards the Aiyura Valley. While the truck was on the bridge the bridge collapsed under the load. Both the bridge and the truck fell into the river below. Reports are that the driver is okay, but we have no further information on his condition. The bridge is not passable by vehicle. Foot traffic may be possible but not encouraged. Please be in prayer that a solution can be found soon so that travel can resume. SIL-PNG Ukarumpa is putting contingency plans into place. 

Many Kinds of Missionaries...

As support missionaries with Wycliffe Associates who are working together to support Wycliffe Bible translators, we thought this video was a great "illustration" of how we are all needed to get God's word to the world. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7dtwbK-0RE

Our Roles in Ukarumpa

What Does a Security Manager Do in the Mission Field?

In some ways, being a Security Manager here in PNG is similar to my previous experiences working in the corporate and consulting worlds. I manage relationships with contract security personnel, law enforcement and other missions organizations. I  also manage budgets, develop policy & procedures, monitor news, deal with emergencies and provide organizational and personal advice on a wide array of issues. In other ways, serving in PNG is quite different.   In the U.S. relationships were considered valuable but, in practice, they were often of secondary immediate importance to time, information and resources.  Here, there are fewer resources to apply to the various tasks at hand, time is not as highly regarded as relationships are, and information is discovered by “storying” with one another. Beyond differences between U.S. and PNG culture, Ukarumpa is different still, as many of the fellow missionaries I interact with are from Europe, Asia, or South America. As a result, it is not only important to understand and build relationships with our Papua New Guinean neighbors and coworkers, but also with our fellow missionaries from many cultures and world views.  As I go about adapting to these new cultures, I take great comfort in the fact that, as Christians, we hold the truly important things in common. 

How Does a Science Teacher Help With Bible Translation?

Flexibility is a useful characteristic for any teacher, but it is certainly even more so in the mission field!  Upon arriving in Ukarumpa, I uttered the dangerous phrase “What can I do to help?”  and the next thing I knew, I was teaching an Advanced Chemistry class.  While this is not my primary area of expertise and definitely a stretch for me, it illustrated exactly why I am here.  By taking over this class, a Bible translator (filling in for another missionary on furlough) was able to go back to work with his team.  So I was blessed not only to, in a small way,  help further Bible translation, but I also had the privilege of working with some extraordinary students. Many were seniors, now graduating and moving on to higher education opportunities in their home countries; please pray for them.  I am now preparing to teach full-time Biology, Anatomy & Physiology and middle school science classes starting in late July, and am excited to meet more students from many countries.  Pray that God would be glorified in my classroom and in these students’ lives.

Bible Dedication on Long Island, Papua New Guinea

We had many friends who were able to be there at this Bible dedication last week; we hope to have an opportunity to attend one in the future. This is such a great reminder to us of why we are here, and a great testimony to what God is doing in PNG! 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7dtwbK-0RE

Long Distance Chapel...

A little over a week ago, we had the pleasure of speaking at the PCA chapel via skype early this morning our time. It was great to see and hear everyone and share what God is doing in PNG and in our own lives. 

Settling In...

We are finally settling in to Ukarumpa, after a short trip to Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, to get documents notarized for the sale of our home in New Hampshire. Thank you to all those who were praying and helping us with this process! We moved into temporary housing for 10 days, until we could occupy our new rental home from the missionary family going back to the U.S. on furlough. Now, we are learning to function and find our way around Ukarumpa. This 100 acre translation center was established in the 1950’s under SIL, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, to study the hundreds of native languages in the Pacific, begin literacy programs, and translate the Bible. Accessible by some roads but primarily by air, translators come and go to the language groups they are partnering with, as support workers here maintain schools for their children, a health clinic, store, aviation & housing facilities and security for the center. We are excited that by serving in our support roles as security operations manager and high school science teacher, translators will be able to spend more years in the field, bringing God’s Word to Papua New Guineans eagerly awaiting it!. 

Meeting Bible translation teams gives us Perspective...

As we have met and spoken with more Papua New Guineans, we have begun appreciating how integral their “tok ples”, or native language, is to their tribal culture and identity. This is why having the Bible in their “heart language” speaks to them more deeply and profoundly than trying to study it in English, or Tok Pisin, the trade language. Our friends from the Pacific Orientation Course, the Vargas family, will soon begin a translation project in Alotau, and we are seeing first hand their preparation. Moving their family out to a village and beginning the daunting task of learning a new language and starting a translation project is a great step of faith, and we are blessed to be a part of their prayer team. We were also tremendously encouraged last Sunday night, as a translation team spoke at the evening service about the 40 years they have spent in PNG, translating the New Testament into two unrelated languages in two different regions of PNG. Seeing their video of the Bible being dedicated and distributed in these villages to men and women eager to read the Word of God in their heart languages was inspiring, as was the complete humility with which this couple gave all the glory to God for enabling them to be used for His work and purposes. Perspective- this is ultimately why we are here!. 

Our New Mailing Address...

Scott & Kathy Watson
P.O. Box 1 (172)
Ukarumpa, EHP 444
Papua New Guinea

Oh the Wonderful Cross...

We sang with our Christian brothers and sisters at sunrise; many nationalities worshipping the one true God and thanking Him for Jesus, who is Risen, that we may have Peace, Purpose, and His Promise of Eternal Life (John 20: 19-30).  

“And the angels sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”  Revelation 5:9 

“Na ol ensel i singim wanpela nupela song olsem: “Yu inap tru long kisim buk na rausim olgeta gris kandel i pasim buk. Long wanem, ol i bin kilim Yu i dai, na long blut bilong Yu, Yu bin baim bek ol manmeri, bilong givim ol long God. Yes, Yu baim bek ol manmeri bilong olgeta lain man, na bilong olgeta tok ples, na bilong olgeta kain skin, na bilong olgeta kantri.” Kamapim Tok Hait 5:9

Arrival in Ukarumpa!!

We arrived in Ukarumpa yesterday at 2:00 P.M.; some 91 days after coming to PNG.  We are now getting settled in, meeting new people and familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the centre. 

Our trip to Port Moresby was uneventful and the embassy personnel were exceptionally helpful. We now have the notarized documents in the mail and hope that we can expedite the closing of our home in Dover. 

We feel blessed to have arrived in time for Easter and look forward to jumping into our ministries. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.

Prayer Alert!

In our previous post regarding our village living experience, we mentioned prayer for baby Skot. We recently learned that he has passed away. Please lift up his parents and the the entire Aufan village community as they try to make sense of his death. Please pray that they would seek the peace that only comes from Jesus Christ.

Village Living and the final week of POC

We just returned from living in the village of Aufan for the last four weeks. We are now in our final week of the Pacific Orientation Course.  We depart from Madang on Tuesday and fly to Port Moresby, where we have an appointment at the U.S. Embassy to get some paper work signed and notarized so that we finalize the sale of our home in Dover. We should arrive in Ukarumpa on Thursday, just in time for Easter weekend!

We have been very blessed by our ex-pat and national teachers as well as our fellow students and all of you who have been praying for our ministry. The village living phase of the course was especially enlightening.  Not only did we get to see first hand what it is like to live without electricity, running water, a stove or the internet, but, more importantly, we got to see the love of Christ expressed through our village wasfamili and others in the Aufan community. 

When we arrived in Aufan March 12th the entire village came out to welcome us. Over the next four weeks, we greatly enhanced our language skills, attended and spoke at the local church and elementary school and helped our wasfamili work in their gardens. Wasfamili is the Tok Pisin word for ‘host family’ who has the responsibility for caring for us.  ‘Was’ means ‘watch’ in this case.  Other family members are then called ‘wasbrata’ (host brother), ‘was susa’ (host sister), etc. We cooked our dinner over an open fire, gathered water from local spring, bathed in a nearby river and spent many, many hours “storying” with our Papua New Guinean brothers and sisters. 

Here are some brief highlights:

* We visited numerous relatives and friends of our Waspapa and learned first hand about their lives, perceptions of the world and local history. 

* One of our wasbratas named his child after me. This child was born premature and, as a result, has serious health issues. The week before we left Aufan we took a PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) into Madang and visited the child, his mother and father in the hospital. Please keep baby “Skot” in your prayers.

* On the aforementioned PMV ride, the driver happened to be a Pastor and when he heard that we were missionaries he spoke to us the entire way into town about the importance of missions. The cost of the PMV was 12 Kina (6 dollars). When we arrived the driver handed each of us a10 Kina note and refused to accept payment for the ride as he wanted to donate to our mission. 

* We took a trip up a nearby mountain where we visited relatives of our wasfamili, saw two Cassowaries (a very large prehistoric looking flightless bird, similar to an emu) and were presented with two hand-made Bilums ( a traditional Papua New Guinea string bag) that easily took over a month’s work to complete.

* We were present for the annual taro festival (akin to our Thanksgivng). Our wasfamili and their extended family killed and cooked a pig in our presence and served it with taro grown from their gardens.

* Kathy taught people how to make bread and cake over an open fire, as well as introducing them to pasta and curried rice dishes. We weren’t sure how the pasta and curry would go over, but they liked it and requested that she make it again and again. 

* We attended the local church each Sunday and saw first hand how our brothers and sisters in PNG worship. On the first Sunday we were asked to introduce ourselves , which we did in somewhat broken Tok Pisin. On the last Sunday, we were thankful that our Tok Pisin had greatly improved, because just before church started we were asked to give a thirty minute presentation at the end of the service. My mind instantly went blank, but the Holy Spirit told me what to say. I spoke about our call to missions, read the parable of the talents and then related how God can and does prepare people for His work. We finally encouraged the local congregation to use their God given talents to further the work of His Kingdom, all in Tok Pisin. 

* We visited and spoke at the local elementary school where we saw first hand the challenges faced by the two teachers who, with very little educational materials and minimal facilities, are teaching over one hundred students. 

* Our wasfamili killed a chicken a few nights before we left, cooked it with taro and coconut milk, and had a large gathering to say good bye to us.

* We had plenty of opportunities to talk about our different cultures and, more importantly, the common thread that binds us together as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Some prayer requests:

* The continuing improvement of health for baby Skot, strength for the family and wisdom to the medical staff.

* The Aufan elementary school teachers, who, despite having little resources, are dedicated to their mission of educating children.

* Our wasfamili and others in Aufan who so graciously opened their homes and their lives to us over the last four weeks.

* The Church in Aufan; that they would be strengthened and blessed as they bring the Gospel to more and more people.

* Our travel to Port Moresby; that we would have a safe and productive trip, so that our house could finally be sold.

* Our travel to Ukarumpa and getting settled into our new ministries.

We have approached village living and all of the Pacific Orientation Course as learners. It is as if we became small children again for a while to learn how Papua New Guineans view the world. While there were some difficulties adjusting to a new culture, we have come away with a deep and abiding respect for our brothers and sisters in this part of the world. We are thankful that God, in His mercy and grace, chose to send us here and look forward to starting our ministries in Ukarumpa.

Why are we hiking, swimming, and building fires?

Have you wondered how our physical regimen of hiking, swimming and learning to cook outside helps to support the work of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea? In short, because it prepares us to serve and gives us a much needed, deep empathy and understanding of the people and culture here. We now have a whole new respect for the challenging lives many of the nationals live. We will hike for many kilometers, on steep, slippery bush trails to a village this week, cook supper, stay overnight, and hike back as part of our training. Our PNG sisters will do this every day as part of going to their gardens, from which they get almost all their sustenance, or to the market, where they sell their surplus produce. We strive to swim a mile in the ocean, to build our stamina, while our PNG brothers need to be strong swimmers if their banana boat ferry capsizes. We learn to cook outside so we can eat for the month we live in the village, but our wasfemilis will cook all of their meals over an open fire their entire lives. We have learned to admire the strength, ingenuity and perseverance of the people here, and their incredible faith. Our desire is to serve God and reflect Christ to the people around us even now as we are still new learners in PNG, the Land of the Unexpected.

 

Classes are winding down & Village Living is about to begin...

We have learned so much in the Pacific Orientation Course, and are grateful for the expertise of our instructors, both expats and nationals. We have spent the last 6 weeks in intensive language classes, learning Tok Pisin, and we look forward to our upcoming immersion time during Village Living. This is when we will “connect the dots” from what we have learned in the classroom and small groups, and really put our language skills into practice. Right now, we understand a lot more Tok Pisin, both spoken and in writing, than we can speak. It is not unlike being a small child again, when you hear a language and can respond, but cannot actually form meaningful sentences yet. We are just starting to speak conversationally, but our vocabulary is still very limited, and the best way to increase it is to be with native speakers around the clock. So, we eagerly anticipate this opportunity to live in a village with only Papua New Guineans for the next four weeks. There will be challenges, like having no plumbing or electricity, but the relationships we will form and the skills we will develop will be well worth any momentary discomforts. 

A day in the life...

Friends and family have asked us what our days look like now, so we wanted to share what a typical day entails. On weekdays, we are often up at 5:30 am, especially if it is our week to start a fire in Martha, the wood-fired furnace that heats our water for bucket showers (literally, a pail with a shower head on the bottom, on a pulley system, that you fill with water heated by Martha, providing about a 4 minute shower). Then, it’s on to kitchen duty, if it is your day, to help set up plates & utensils for morning breakfast or prepare fresh fruit, oatmeal, or granola. We soak our fresh fruit and veggies in a bleach water solution before peeling and cutting them, to kill any bacteria on the surface. We have a scheduled rotation for kitchen duties, so some days we’re on set up, and some days clean up, for the 35-40 people eating each meal. By now, it is 8am, and time for language class. We meet for devotions, singing and Tok Pisin lecture, and then break out into small groups with our national PNG language teachers. These times we spend listening alot and trying to speak the language in a variety of settings, from story telling to watching traditional craft demonstrations and asking questions. Then, after tea-time, we often have an anthropology lecture to help us understand more about Melanesian culture. After lunch, we have physical conditioning two days a week, consisting of several hours of hiking or swimming, or preparation for meeting with our wasfemilis. Last week, we walked to our wasfemili’s home and share a meal with them, and this week we will go again for a meal but also sleep overnight there, in preparation for village living in a few weeks. On weekends, we now cook meals for ourselves over an open fire in our “haus kuk”, which is an open air kitchen structure, with a table and bench seats we built from bamboo poles. We learned bread making yesterday, so we have yummy rolls to eat this weekend with the food we cook over the fire. Sundays, we go to church either in the village or town, to expose us to more spoken Tok Pisin and give us the opportunity to worship God among the PNG people. Sunday afternoons, we have gone snorkeling a couple of times, which has been a huge blessing. At night, we work on our reading and writing assignments, and meet with a fellowship group once a week. It is all of these new experiences, shared in a wonderfully multi-cultural environment with other families learning the same new skills with us, that are stretching, growing and preparing us to serve the PNG people better, for God’s glory, and we are grateful to be a part of it!  

Back to School

We started our classes in Tok Pisin and Melanesian culture today. We will have class room instruction, then small groups with native PNG teachers, as well as field trips into villages for conversational practice. Next week we will be paired with our “wasfemeli”, literally our “watch family”, who will be teaching us as they share meals with us here and in their village, culminating in an over-night stay with them in their home. All this is to prepare us for the 4 weeks we will live in a remote village for total immersion training at the end of our course. We also met our outdoor activities instructor, who will be leading us on progressively more challenging hikes and swims, leading up to a 2 day overnight pack hike through the bush to a remote village and catching a PMV (public motor vehicle) back to POC. Kathy swam a half mile and I swam a mile in the ocean today as we began our conditioning and we are excited to begin all our courses in earnest!  

POC has begun

We moved in to the dorm for the Pacific Orientation Course yesterday. It is located on NobNob tribal lands 1200 feet above Madang on the northern coast of PNG. Nineteen of us traveled up a very steep pot-holed dirt road (7 are young kids) in an open flat bed truck for an hour to get here, and now our official instruction on the language and culture begins. We will have classroom sessions, physical conditioning hikes and swims, be paired with a village host family for weekend visits, and eventually live in a village for the last several weeks. Our dorm room will be our home for the next 2 months; the mosquito net is already set up!  

We've Arrived!

After 35 hours of travel, we touched down in Madang, PNG. It was a challenging transit (we learned important, expensive, lessons about packing when switching between different air carriers.) but God is so faithful and He provided everything we needed, including people along the way who helped and encouraged us when we were feeling overwhelmed. 

We are staying at the Lutheran Guest House for another day before the POC dorms open up, which is giving us precious time to begin acclimating to the hot, humid weather and to get over our jet lag. We will try to post an update once a week, but will have very limited internet for the next 3 months. We continue to ask for your prayers and support as we move ahead with our training and we thank God again for getting us this far!

Half Way There...

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes as we embark on this mission. We literally could not have come this far without your prayers and support, and know it will be a great challenge going forward but "if God is for us, who can be against us"? A special shout out to all our friends who were instrumental in getting us moved out of our home and to the airport- we love you guys!  

We are currently in Hong Kong, trying to get our baggage transferred to PNG, and there are weight issues, so please keep praying!

5 Days to Go...

It is hard to believe, but we depart for Papua New Guinea in just five days! We're spending this week moving out of our house (which is still on the market), packing for our flight, updating our wills making sure that other important papers are in order. 

This last weekend was quite the blessing. On Sunday we spoke at Spruce Creek Church in Kittery, Maine and later that evening attended our last Youth Group at Dover Baptist. It really is hard to say goodbye to so many people who have made so much of an impact upon our lives, but we have no doubts about our call to the overseas mission field or God's provision. As we wind down our time here in New Hampshire, we are thankful that God has blessed us with so many friends and family who have encouraged us in this endeavor....now back to packing.

Fraud...

We just learned that there is an individual or individuals posing as us or our representatives. The subject(s) knows that we are missionaries and is trying to get people to wire money to himself under the guise of renting our home. 

Our attempts to rent or sell our home are being exclusively done through our Agent. If you receive a call about renting our home from someone claiming to be Kathy or I then it is definitely a fraud, as we are not nor will we be making any such calls. I also encourage you to always verify identities and information whenever anyone you don't know asks you to send them money. Remember, if something does not make sense than it is most likely not true!