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