How can I sum up 2011? Well, let me try to capture and highlight each month of the past year.
January – I left the frigid, arctic cold of Alaska on the 21st. I remember packing up my apartment and finding my water had froze, I guess there was no better time to leave Alaska than then. I arrived to Papua New Guinea on the 23rd and was greeted warmly at the airport. My weary eyes were heavy and ready for rest. After the branch annual meeting, I was off to Pacific Orientation Course (POC) for 14 weeks to learn culture and language.
February/March – POC is located on top of an overlooking vista of the Bismarck Sea (Pacific Ocean). I remember waking to numerous South Pacific sunrises. During POC we went on a three day hike, swam 1 mile in the ocean, and continued language acquisition in preparation for five weeks of village living.
April – This month was challenging and satisfying. I learned so much from my local wasfamili (watch family) and the customs of the land. I enjoyed the simple life style yet satisfied lives they lived. This relational culture is friendly and caring. Sleeping in a tradition village house under my mosquito net was something I never imagined doing.
May – After five weeks of village living, I was glad to be done. I was ready for running water, electricity, and of course my computer with internet. POC was finished and now I was ready for my next chapter of this journey. I started orientation at the office in Madang learning the in’s and out’s of living and working in town. Transition from POC to village living to my flat in town was challenging but again it is life of a missionary.
June – After settling into my new flat and office with PBT, it was time to get to work. The previous IT Administrator left the country, so I was left to my own devices to figure out all these cables, servers, and computers. Not to mention the first week on the job, we had an internal cabling problem which lead to no internet for a few days. Nothing like being thrown into the fire or should I say initiation into the life as a missionary. One good experience was celebrating the Queen’s Birthday with a kayak trip to Krangket Island. Then shortly after starting a relationship with my new found best friend, Emily.
July – The fourth of July was well just another day in PNG. However we did have a BBQ, bobbed for apples and lite sparklers. A few weeks later, I had to go see this place everyone talks about, Ukarumpa. Ukarumpa is the headquarters for SIL and in fact the world’s largest mission station. I wanted to venture up to the Eastern Highlands to visit my friends from POC. A nice four day weekend and a return trip by PMV.
August – Emily and her roommate left for two weeks to teach at a bush Bible college. While they were gone, I built them a book shelf and had it painted and installed by the time they came back to town. One weekend, I expanded my cultural exposure by attending a cultural show in town. Many of the regions of PNG were represented and it was an educational experience to attend.
September – Once again, I found time to 
escape town and kayak to Krangket Island for a little leisure time. At the end of the month, the branch met for a spiritual retreat at the Madang Lodge. The president of PBT came from Dallas to lead the retreat which was focused on rebuilding taken from Ezra and Nehemiah.
October – You may have thought I was only the IT guy but starting this month I assume another temporary title, Technical Services (or super-maintenance man). For the next three months, I would be filling in for the man who went home for furlough. Learning to share two work loads would be a challenge but it was necessary and I felt I was the one who could handle it.
November – Sharing two work loads is more difficult than I originally thought. I found it hard to divide time and found myself interrupted quite frequently only to be frustrated. As Thanksgiving came closer, we (Emily, her roommate, and I) made plans to go to Ukarumpa to spend the holiday with another missionary family. The cooler climate was welcomed and a bit of rest from two work loads was relaxing.
December – I returned to Madang for one day then I was off to catch a plane to the Western Highlands of PNG, Mt Hagen and the Kudjip, Nazarene mission station. I wanted to return to Kudjip for sometime and finally made it happen. This time my purpose was to help the College of Nursing install network cable for their new computer lab. I helped August run 2000’ of Cat5 cable and was able to visit other Alaskan based missionaries on the station as well. Christmas was blazing hot at 93 degrees but rather low key. A time of fellowship and good eats is something that will always be associated with Christmas.
How do I sum of 2011? God has blessed me far and beyond my imagination. My intent was to come to PNG and serve God through information technology with PBT. I believe I have done far more that just serve through IT. God has used me in many more ways. It is great to be apart of a family that loves God and loves people. Bringing the Word of God to people and language groups is an exciting adventure to be on. And I cannot forget to mention that God even brought a wonderful relationship to my life, which is changing my life each and everyday. Coming to PNG, I was not intending to find such a joyful smile but as I put my trust in God and surrendered to Him, He blessed me far and beyond my imagination. I look forward to the many more blessings that God will pour out in the year 2012.
Happy New Year!
Tyler and Emily in PNG 