Tyler and Emily in PNG

A 5 minute video of the cultural show I attended on Saturday at Divine Word University. Enjoy!

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This past Saturday was the annual Divine Word University Cultural Show. I heard about this day about one month ago and heard many good things about it. I heard there would be singing and dancing PNG style.

To make the day more exciting, on the way there I had a flat tire on my bicycle. Rather than turn around and go home to get a vehicle I just pushed the bike onward to the event.

Nonetheless, I arrived and I heard beforehand that there was an entrance fee. One cultural observation was the disorganization at the ticket booth. In PNG, there are no such thing as organized lines. It is everyone rush to the front, push and shove your way to the counter. Well, I joined the crowd of nationals and got my 3 kina ticket purchased. I chained my flat tire bicycle to the chain-link fence and off to the show I went.

The show was on a big grass field with the perimeter surround by 12 – 15 different cultural groups. Each group has their own distinct cultural dress, paint, head dresses, and chants. As I walked around I stood and watching their demonstrations. I tried to interrupt some meaning but came to no conclusions. I simply watched and enjoyed their culture demonstration.

I did notice one group had a tall horned satan figure on a board which they were dancing around. I suspect this had to do something with village spirits. Another group had a very sexual connotation dance and thrusting of the hips. It didn’t matter if it was male to male or female to female.

One thing I knew before I went to this event was PNG is very rich in culture. Over 700 different cultures to be truthful. Every language group in this country has it’s own defined culture. You may not understand or agree with every aspect of their culture, but you have to learn to respect and appreciate their traditions.

I have learned to be accepted, you have to accept them as who they are. You have to show respect for their land, people, and culture. Once you accept them, they are more likely to open up to you and listen to your culture. Say the culture of Christ and the kingdom perspectives which I live by.

Prayer Requests:
Pray for Papua New Guinea –
Last Friday, the government declared a national holiday “National Day of Repentance” Pray for the people and government of this country.
Pray for the government and officials. PNG has a new Prime Minister and newly appointed officers.
Pray for the national elections next year. PNG is changing and the government is under much pressure due to corruption.

PBT-PNG is having a Spiritual Retreat at the end of Sept. Pray for the branch as we are called to mediate and study Ezra and Nehemiah.

God to sustain me with good health.

God to give me clear plans for my future and role with PBT in PNG.

To maintain strong spiritual warfare maintenance

Pray for rain, our water tanks are starting to run empty and we will have to rely on town water soon.

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The excitement builds as I found a little yellow slip in the PO Box. Last Friday, I had this same excitement in anticipation of a care package I was expecting. However, it turned out to be for another team member. I checked the mail in the morning, and nothing there. I went back little after 3 PM to check, and I found a little yellow slip, could this be for me? Sure enough, as I signed the release paper my name was on the paper. It was for Tyler Jon Hewitt. I told the clerk, ‘dispela bilong mi.’

I came to the office which is across the street, eager to open the package from my sister. I grabbed my camera to capture the precious moments. I noticed the package was heavy and I read the label, it was 10 lbs. Wow, must be a lot of good things in this box. Probably the wisest move in preparing the box for international delivery was duct tape. I assume my brother-in-law sealed all corners with man’s best friend. Or as in PNG it is called, silver sticky tape.

As I opened the package I see it was stuffed with the recent local newspaper, a hand written letter from my sister, and many good candies. Gummy worms, sweethearts, popcorn, slim-jims, summer sausage, plus more. I am surprised some of it made it through customs. (Note: Duct Tape is an awesome deterrent)

I also got what I ordered: laptop cooling fans, USB thumb drives, and 3 way prong connectors. And yet the package continues…see picture for table display of goodies.

I am anxious to go home and watch the DVDs and other goodies that were included.

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The local newspaper in Madang is called the, Wantok. Wantok means friend, mate, or close friend. It costs K1 or about $.44 which comes out once a week on Thursday. One of my favorites is to read the local comic section and their odd sense of humor. There are three comics and I selected ‘Toro’ from last week’s newspaper.

Let me translate from Tok Pisin to English:

Square 1: A car ran into Toro and he got really messed up. They took him to the hospital.

Square 2: The hospital nurses pass and give Toro dog blood (K9)…now Toro is ok and goes home.

Square 3: After one month Toro’s well being has altogether changed. Scratch! Scratch!

Square 4: He went back to the hospital for a checkup. ‘Toro you look ok, are you feeling okay?’ Doctor, I am okay but when i go bathroom, I lift up my leg and scratch myself.

So the moral of this comic, beware of the blood you receive as you could turn into the behavior of a dog. I am surprised Toro isn’t barking at the doctor.

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When I was in Dallas for Pioneer Mission Institute (PMI) during June 2010, I met a Moody Bible Institute student from Washington. He introduced himself as Trapper John. ‘Trapper’ or known otherwise as Jonathan was a linguist student at Moody with the intentions of graduating and becoming a linguistic surveyor with PBT. I told Jonathan my plans of coming to PNG and he told me his plans of coming to PNG in the summer of 2011 to tour the Sepik River in northern PNG.

I got a Facebook message that he bought his ticket and was leaving USA first of June for PNG. He told me he would be coming through Madang the first of August and wanted to know if I was around. I told him, just come by the PBT office and ask for me, I will be here. Well, fast forward to Wed of last week, and here comes Trapper John (see picture). He was accompanied by his friend, Maestro and holding his bow-n-arrows along with crocodile teeth necklace. He only lacked the crocodile dundee hat.

Jonathan just arrived from Wewak, a north coast town, by overnight boat. We storied in the office for a while and got a brief introduction to Maestro and his spears. He showed us on the map where he started and finished. He trekked over mountains and canoed many Sepik river miles. One of his stories includes loosing his camera during a canoe crash and also having to face tribal men. His experiences were epic and adventures displayed no fear.

Jonathan stayed with me for 4 nights and was blessed by great greasy, fatty foods. He mentioned over the previous 7 weeks he lost 25 lbs. He did not eat ‘white man’ food but took to the local culture of taro and sago. He drank kalaus and chewed bettlenut. Jonathan was the indigenous white man canoeing the Sepik River through the heart of Papua New Guinea.

Friday, I took the day off and entertaining him with an kayak trip to Krangket Island. A very similar experience that I blogged on before on the Queen’s Birthday. We rented two single kayaks and headed off with a spear in hand to spear fish. Fishing by spear was not happening and a skill learned by native boys. Jonathan did kayak to another nearby island and found favor is the boys there that he gave his fishing spear to them. He mentioned there white teeth and grand smiles were a lasting image of Papua New Guinea.

As I was glad to see Trapper John, I was glad to send him off on his adventure back to the capital then out of country to Australia for his Trans-Pacific flight to LAX. I am sure Trapper John and I will meet again but until that days arrives, let the grace of God fall on him.

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I got to confess many of my weekly posts have not been worked related but more of the ‘Life of Tyler in PNG.’ This past week I had two experiences where my role in IT (information technology) played a small part of the bigger picture of bible translation.

One of the national translators among the Aruamu language group came to town last year to get help with his email and to pick up some computer equipment. He has an Asus netbook which he uses in the village to aid in his translation. Recently he got a satellite modem via The Seed Company allowing him to connect to the internet and send/receive email along with important translation files. The United Bible Societies and partners have built a scripture translation program called, Paratext. This program has radically changed the development and process of bible translation. Through Paratext you can have a central database of all translation projects and files on the internet. There are multiple servers in Chicago which store these very important files. Now this national translator can safely send and receive updates anywhere in the world, thanks to this BGAN satellite modem.

With the capability of the internet, this translator also can email and chat with other missionaries and technicians around the world. This can save much time and money, allowing him to stay in the village and not travel the 5-6 hrs by bus to town. I helped him configure his email, provided a 50 foot ethernet cable, and a DVD/CD drive for his netbook. Praise God for wonderful partners in bible translation that through technological advancements God’s word will be made available more rapidly. Yes, the kingdom of God is advancing through the use of information technology.

Also last week, I was charged with the task to setup four laptops in order that four men from the Aruamu language group can come to town and type God’s word into Paratext. I had to setup user accounts, registration information, apply computer updates and configure Paratext for use by the language speakers.

This particular language group has the complete New Testament printed and now they are working on completing the Old Testament. Prayerfully through God’s grace, this language group will soon have the whole Bible in their language. This week they are working on typing scripture from Jeremiah, Joshua, 1 Samuel, and Nehemiah. Please pray for these men and God will empower them this week to input many verses and scripture.

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