Tyler and Emily in PNG

As of Friday at 10:00 am PBT orientation was adjourned. The class of 2011 has graduated from the first official orientation held by PBT-PNG! Well, since there is no IT person currently in country working in the office as soon as I stepped foot in the office last week, I became that guy. Nonetheless, I had to balance both orientation and becoming ‘Jack of All Trades’ as my job description states.

This past week on Wed there was an internet emergency. Around 10 – 11:00 am the internet was lost. Here in PNG, we have a very expensive satellite modem with blazing speeds of 512 KB/s download and 256 KB/s upload. To help the IT challenged, speeds in the USA for broadband now range from 3 MB/s to 15 MB/s. You are anyway from 6 to 30 times faster than us here in PNG. To help divert the high cost of the equipment and service, we have four other clients who share our bandwidth. Bottom line, yes we have internet, yes it is slow, but we are thankful for what we have. Now on Wed I come to the office and hear rumors that the internet is not working. In the IT world users give you very broad analysis of the problems they are having. The internet not working can be numerous things from the personal computer to the internet router to the network cable to the internet modem itself. Since my knowledge of the PBT office network is minimal at this point, I have no other decision but dive head first into the problem. I track the problem down to the other internet router in the Publications office (another building adjacent to the office). The conclusion we come up with is the cable connecting to the two building for internet is not working. Before running a new cable or splicing into an existing cable I research the issue further. Luckily I find an unused cable that runs between the two buildings. I can use this cable to fix the problem. Now the problem is fixed and all missionaries and staff can check email.

The next day, Thursday I get a call stating that one of our clients has no internet access. To make the long story short, the cable we thought was dead was actually the cable leading to the client. We plugged their cable into the switch and their problem was resolved. Now finally all parties are happy. This problem still puzzles me and that my original troubleshooting was wrong. Come to find out, the cable we thought was dead was actually two different cables. One went to the client and the other went to the IT office. If you are not confused by now not worry, I am still trying to figure out the schematics myself.

The final reason for the failure was the cable that connected the switch in the Publications office to the switch in the IT office was unplugged. Either someone disconnected during troubleshooting before I arrived or the cable came loose from the connection port. The staff has mentioned cables do come ajar from the switch thus clients loosing connectivity.

As always, one things leads to another, so my next task will making sure all connections are secure.

Prayer Requests:
Continue to pray for my transition into roll as IT Specialist
Build relationships with missionaries and national staff in office
Safety as I travel to and from work on my bicycle

Praises:
Internet has been fixed
Good Health
Health

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Tour of village house and living arrangments

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Oceanfront in Madang

I have been reading through 1 and 2 Corinthians and this morning I read 1 Cor 15:58. Paul has been answering questions about the resurrection body and what will happen to our bodies when we die. Paul closes the chapter with these final thoughts and words:

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is worthwhile.” 1 Cor 15:58 (italics added)

I started to ponder and think about this passage Paul told the church. Kingdom work is not a part time job. Making disciples is not a 2 hat job. We don’t put one our ‘disciple making hat’ then take it off when we are finished with the ‘disciple making session.’ When God calls you to surrender your life to him it is a full time job. Paul states “give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.” To advance the Kingdom of God we are called to serve, love, and obey him all day and every day (24×7). The gratification comes in knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain, it is worthwhile. Do not give up the kingdom work as our eternal payday is coming soon. The check has been written, signed, and is coming as the sound of trumpet.

Lord, help me to give my life fully to the work of the Lord daily. For I know this is worthwhile labor in the Kingdom.

First Encounter Story

My first morning in town, I decided to take a walk along the ocean view road just 1 block from my house and within 5 minutes of leaving the property this PNG man came running up to me. You always have to be aware of your surroundings and situations as an expatriate in PNG or any country outside USA. I was not frightened but I was aware and cautious of this man. Anyway, this was a friendly man. His name is John. He asked me the general questions any national would ask a white man in PNG. Where are you from? What are you doing here? What time and day is it in America? How did you get here, boat or plane? Etc. My initial thinking was for a nice, peaceful stroll and not wanted to deal with outsiders first thing in the morning. However, this national man followed me for 30 minutes. Finally he popped the question. Can you help me? He was asking for money to help with this specific project. I asked what is the project. He said the project is for a fish pond. I said, sorry I don’t know about this project. He went on to talk about some professor which I wasn’t able to follow. Since I didn’t give him a firm answer about helping him on the fish pond project, he asked me again. This time I told John, Sori mi no inap helpim yu long dispela projek (Sorry I can’t help you with this project). He walked away soon after that.

I had my first encounter of many to come about asking for money. I tried to be nice and listen to his story. Other missionaries here have said some nationals do have legitimate needs. As I reflect, I think we need to give a listening ear and not just slam the door on all strangers. I think Jesus would listen. We are to be respectful and courteous to others. I look forward to engaging in more conversations with strangers in the future. The bright side, it gave me a chance to practice my Tok Pisin and language skills!

PNG Top Driver

Prayer Requests:
Adjusting to new surroundings, environment in town and PBT office
Sustaining health

Praises:
Smooth transition from POC to town
Purchase of new bicycle

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Why should we support Bible translation? After spending five weeks in the village of Karadou, within the language group of Amele, I have seen firsthand a people group who loves God but does not have God’s Word in their heart language.

One of the main purpose’s for village living is to gain more fluency in the trade language of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Tok Pisin. PNG officially has two languages, English and Tok Pisin. English is used by the educated, businessman, and political figures. The everyday language spoken amongst the 6.5 million people in PNG is Tok Pisin. However there lies a problem, 6.5 million people also speak over 800 languages. The Madang Providence where Pioneer Bible Translators (PBT) serves, there are over 170 language groups thus making it the most dense language providence in the country. The focus of PBT is to bring the Word of God into their heart language. For a person to hear or read God’s Word in their language is very special. Let me try to explain.

The very first day in the village, we sat under a mango greeting and meeting all the village people and families. As we began speaking in Tok Pisin they were eager to share with us the Tok Ples (Amele, their heart language) word equivalent.

English                  Tok Pisin              Tok Ples (Amele)
Morning               Moning                Até
Noon                     Belo                       Acir
Afternoon           Apinun                 Dewa
Night                     Gut Nait               Vicoo

So right away they were pressing on us their heart language in just a few simple day greetings. It was special for them to teach us ‘their’ language and just not the trade language of the country. As the village living experience continued my Tok Ples word list continued to grow. When we were hiking on the trails to get water, go to church, or go to another village; I passed another person on the trail I would greet them in their Tok Ples. Their faces would light up, ears perk up, and they would reply back with hesitance the same greeting. They were thinking, this white man knows my language. Right then I had broken down barriers and I was starting to enter their culture and language. In just a simple word, I was not just another outsider but I was one of them.

This made me think, if they had the Bible in their heart language how would they react. Would their eyes and ears perk up like they did when I spoke their language? God is the Father of all languages and He speaks all languages. When the people from the village of Karadou worship the Father, he knows their cries and praises.

This language group does not have a New Testament Bible. I have heard they do have NT books in the works. However, they do have a Tok Ples church songbook. They do sing in their heart language at church but the general service is spoken in Tok Pisin, not Tok Ples.

Bible translation in the vernacular allows the Spirit to transform lives. The vision statement for PBT is ‘Transform lives through God’s Word in every language.’ The Bible is a transformation tool. When people can hear or read God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy their lives are changed. Bible translation is a very hard task and can require a lifetime commitment. Remember to lift up Bible translators around the world.

I am starting to gain an understanding for the depth and challenging needs of translating God’s Word. A nearby village to Nobnob, where Pacific Orientation Course (POC) is located, the village of Kamba is struggling to come up with the vernacular words for Savior and Kingdom. Key words like these are the everyday challenges that face translators.

Please pray for these strategic PBT prayer requests:

• That God would inspire great progress in the 49 translations PBT has started
• For Tay and Waran projects to finish the New Testament (both PNG language groups)
• Pray for Vision 2050, that every person on earth will have enduring access to at least the New Testament in print, in audio form, or even via cell phone, by the year 2050

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Out of the bush at last and back to civilization as I know it. First, I want to thank God for a wonderful five weeks in the village. The allocation to the village was a perfect fit and I slipped right into the family culture. I give all glory and praise to the Father.

I also want to thank you for your many prayers as I was immersed into the native culture of the people here in Papua New Guinea. I am a firm believer that prayer must be a priority in our daily lives. One of my daily prayers is Eph 6:18 ‘Never stop praying, especially for others. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people’ (CEV). I believe through your faithful prayers, God sustained me and provided for me as He has promised he would. Thank you for covering me in prayer during the past five weeks.

Praises:
–          Excellent health and no injuries (two students did come down with cases of malaria)
–          Wonderful was-family
–          Over 100 people came to watch the Jesus Movie for the first time (2 showings)
–          Furthered my confidence and level of Tok Pisin language

My brother has shared with me a passage that he has been holding strong to and I have also been mediating on the same passage. Ps 91 – The Lord is My Fortress. The Lord promises us safety from deadly diseases, dangers at night, and arrows during the day. God will command his angels to protect us wherever we go. The Lord says, ‘If you love me and truly know who I am, I will rescue you and keep you safe. When you are in trouble, call out to me. I will answer and be there to protect and honor you.’ Ps 91:14-15. Yes, if we call out to God he will answer and be there. What a comforting passage and reassurance that in fact He is the Great Shepherd.

As I move forward and close this chapter of Pacific Orientation Course 2011, please be re-mindful of the words from the servant Paul. Continue to pray for me and the ministry of Pioneer Bible Translators.

Prayer Requests:
–          Transition from POC to PBT
–          For the people of Sihan and the Amele language group which I was apart of for 5 weeks
–          Continue to pray for good health

(I will be posting more stories, pictures, and videos this coming week.)

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Daily Devotions in the morning
Chance to share gospel message
Build Relationships
Memorize Tok Pisin scripture
Learn to climb a coconut tree
Become more comfortable speaking the language
Learn the behavior and ways of PNG

Prayer Requests:
The Spirit will walk with me daily in the village
Safety, Health, and Security in the village
God will present opportunities for me to be used
Jesus Film will be welcomed and received well
Continued Spiritual Growth

Praises:
Good course preparation here at POC
Successful 3 Day Hike
A good local wasfamili to help teach me
Good Health

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I am preparing for village living in which I will be gone for 5 weeks. This is my final week here at POC. I leave on Friday, March 25. I have been busy buying supplies and food for my village experience. Buying for 5 weeks of village living is hard as I have no experience living in the bush. I trust what my roommate and I have bought will be enough. One comfort food I have found in town are Oreo’s. I have bought a few packets that shall be a nice treat. My village allocation is south of Madang in the Transgogola area. The language group is Sihan and village name is Karadou. If you want to look up the specific location here are the GPS coordinates:
S              5.16.317
E              145.32.205
I will be staying in a hausboi which is a house built just for men. This house is approximately 7’x24’ split between 2 rooms. It is 6’ off the ground built on posts with a morota roof. Morota is woven leaf from a Sago tree. They usually weave 6’-8’ sections and overlap them like shingles. I am not sure the floor but more than likely bamboo or buai. The walls are typically woven bamboo blinds. Windows are cut and often open to the outside. Living in such an environment will definitely be an experience, one that I may or may not want to do again. I am reminded that being a follower of Christ, you are often called outside your comfort zone. Being a missionary, you are very much outside your so-called comfort zone of life.

Last week, we were split into groups of 5-6 for the 3 day survey hike. My group make up was 2 Papua New Guinea guides (1 male/1 female) and 5 students (3 Americans, and 2 Koreans). We left on Monday morning and returned mid afternoon on Wednesday. We had 2 village overnights on our survey hike. The first day we hiked 4.8 miles to Betelgut.

We got to Betelgut in the mid afternoon and the school kids just got out of school. Many of the young primary children were playing in the dirt yard. They were very entertained by the whiteskins in their village. 3 of the children were playing marbles on the dirt floor.

The picture has rice that is drying on the ground with the hausboi in the background where we stayed for the night. Once the rice has been dried, you husk the shell then you are ready to eat the rice.

That evening we sat on a big blue trap, ate dinner, drank coffee/tea, and then ate popcorn while we told stories. People here love to sit and share stories. They especially love to hear funny stories. They like to laugh but they are forgiven when we stumble over our broken Tok Pisin words. After a somewhat restless night, sharing a mosquito net with another man which was meant for a single the next morning came with gray clouds. The family said it was going to rain and they were right. It did rain so we waited for it to let up. We finally made a group decision to pack up and start on the trail. By this time the rain was a little drizzle and it soon dissipated while on the trail.

Day 2 was a long day, 8.1 miles over 6.5 hours going up and down through the jungle terrian. We were making our way along the ridge to the village of Balbul. We stopped at the village of Belan for lunch and a quick rest. We made it to Balbul about 4:30 in the afternoon. It was a very long, hot day on the trail carrying a 10 kg (22 lbs) backpack.

This village had a very nice creek that was available for washing. Of course after a long hot, sweating day I took advantage of bathing and cooling off in the water. I found a deep hole, 5 ft and cooled off. Back in the village the family was eager to sit and story with us. They want to know where you came from, about your family and what you will be doing here in PNG. I try to explain that I come from a very cold place in Alaska. I try to make it sound terrible, but I don’t think they have any concept of snow and ice. The Tok Pisin word for snow is ice. I say, ‘Liklik ples bilong mi, em i gat plenti, plenti ice na kol tumas.’ (Place I come from, has a lot of snow and it is very cold.)

Again after dinner of rice, tin of braised steak and onions, kaukau, taro, and tulip greens the family was ready for hot tea and story time. They make sure that no one is missed and everyone gets equal time to story. They had many laughs and so did we. Life is good and all went to bed happy. The saying or phrase used is ‘gutpela sindaun’ or good life.

Day 3 I woke to a petting zoo of animals making their usually noises. Roasters crowing all hours of the early morning and pigs snorting around the yard looking for food. They also have cats and dogs that roam the place at will. Day 3 was a nice hike back to POC. 5 miles up hill from about 100’ up to 1300’ was a bit of hike. Being the last day we were motivated to get back. Overall, we hiked 17.9 miles in three days.

One thing I learned on this 3 day hike was their relative proximity of distance and time. Since they have no real concept of distance and time they use phrases such as longwe (long distance), longwe liklik (short long way), klostu (not really close), klostu liklik (getting close but still not close), and klostu tru (close). When you ask a question such as how much farther or how much more time, you have to be prepared for a very vague or broad answer. This makes it difficult for time oriented whiteskins to judge distance and time. You have to learn just to go with the flow and trust your guides.

Overall, it was a good experience and I enjoyed the time with the Papua New Guinean people. I do feel much more comfortable with my ability to speak the language. It also has calmed my nervous and anxiety for 5 weeks of village living.

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Saturday night was my final visit with my local wasfamili here at Nobnob. This time instead of me and my roommate going to their home they came to our haus kuk here at POC. This meant me and my roommate had to prepare dinner for us and the 6 them. We had a preparation talk from the staff and a town shopping trip earlier in the week to buy items for Saturday night. We decided to stay with the staples of choice: rice and beef stew. The next big step was actually preparing and making the dinner.

One twist to all of this is since PNG is an event oriented culture knowing their time of arrival is a complete guess. They told us at our last visit they would come in the afternoon. Well afternoon usually means anytime after 5:00 pm. We started cooking my baking dessert, brownies. We brought the fancy brownie mix from the Philippines, White King Brownies. We baked the brownies over a fire in a huge pot. In order to mimic an oven you place 1” of sand in the bottom of the pot. It works really well and the brownies were a hit with the family. We also added store bought Oreo’s. You definitely can’t go wrong with Nabisco Oreo’s.

After the pot oven, we kept the fire going for rice. Most PNG’ers don’t mine if their food is not hot straight off the fire. They eat their food lukewarm most of the time. We took advantage of this and started to cook 1 KG of rice or about 5 cups. Following that, I cut some carrots and one green pepper that I bought from the town market and boiled them down in water before adding the braised steak and onions for the stew. A neighbor kindly gave us a half of an onion to add as well. We warmed that over a slow fire until the family showed up at around 6:30 pm.

By this time it is about dust and we were getting hungry. It is normal to talk and story before dinner. We sat down, discussed the day’s events and of course the earthquake in Japan which caused a tsunami warning here. About 1 hr later, the family was ready to eat. Due to the time of year, it is rainy season and we were praying for a quiet night. Of course, it rained but it did not wash out any plans. The family was perfectly fine with sitting under the overhang of the dorms, out of the rain. We ate the rice, beef stew, and another pot of taro, greens, and bits of chicken that they brought. Believe it or not, every last ounce of 5 cups of rice was gone. And every last Oreo and brownie was eaten. The rain came and we stayed dried within the comforts of the company.

It was a pleasant evening despite the rain. I think I was more pleased by the way all the food came out. The waspapa did comment that he did like the food. He even had two big plates of the ‘gutpela kaikai.’ We have one more short visit where we will give gifts to show our appreciation to them.

Prayer Requests:
3 day survey hike (Mon – Wed)
Village preparation – buying food and supplies for 5 weeks

Praise:
Good Health

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Tok Pisin worship and dialogue, plus more

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It is hard to summarize or give an update when so much has happened since my last post which has been a couple weeks ago. Probably one the biggest reliefs is that I do not have to memorize any more Tok Pisin dialogues. All students were required to memorize a total of five dialogues and repeat each dialogue to our Tok Pisin teacher. If you watched my most recent video post, I included dialogue five at the very end to give you a perspective of the language.

SIL-POC is split into two courses. One is designed for six weeks and the other for fourteen weeks. The biggest difference is six week participants live in the village for five days and fourteen week participants have five weeks of village living. Currently the six week students are in the midst of their village living. After completion they will leave POC and head their separate ways, most of them going to SIL headquarters in the Eastern Highlands and a few others going to Lae with the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC).  About two weeks ago we had a tropical delight, this is where we could get away for a day and escape reality with an excursion to the ocean. It was a short drive up the north coast to the village of Rempi. Here we were able to rest, swim, and snorkel. This was the first time I really got a good look at coral, reefs, and underwater creation. There were many fish of many colors plus starfish and living coral everywhere you turned. We got to swim over the reef and see where it dropped off dramatically. The reef ranged 3 – 15 ft below water level. Once it dropped off, it was like an underwater cliff. The light blue ocean turned a very dark blue quickly. I do want to remind you, it is not every day that I get to experience the paradise of Papua New Guinea though I do currently reside on the island paradise.

Now that the course has been split into two, the fourteen week group is starting to gear up for our five week adventure in the village. There are three pretty good hikes. We just completed our first hike which was an all day hike to a nearby village for lunch. The hike was 7.5 miles roundtrip trekking through the jungle. The village of Kamba was down the mountain, across the valley and then back up on the other side. On the way back following lunch we broke into three groups: fast, medium, and slow group. Of course I chose the fast group. The record was 1 hr 15 mins back to POC. Well, our group didn’t want to set the record and we really didn’t come close but we did make it back in 1 hr 30 mins. The medium group was about 1 hr behind us though. I do have to say my hiking in Alaska has been well worth it and very profitable here in PNG. The hikes haven’t been too challenging but the heat and humidity has been a big factor. We have two more big hikes.  The biggest hike will be a three day overnight survey hike to nearby villages. I love hiking and I look forward to this little adventure.

One of our class sessions was on the local anthropology. It was lead by the expatiate translator and a few other local men who work here at POC. They shared some very interesting insights into their past and views on missionaries plus the spirit world. The topic of death was brought up and they shared about spirits and what happened to the spirit of the dead. They said when someone would die, their spirit goes either to the north to an island or south along the coast somewhere. The spirit man of the village could recall the spirit with their bones. When the white missionaries came the people thought the missionaries were the spirits coming back from the dead. Could you image coming to a foreign land and the local people thinking you are their dead ancestors’ spirit?

Another quick missionary story is when the missionaries came to the village the local people would steal the shoes of the missionaries. It was their thinking that if they ate the shoes of the missionaries they could gain the strength that they bring with them. White skins were viewed to have power and strength that was supernatural. The local people wanted to gain this power or spirit by any means. Imagine chewing the souls of Nike shoes over a fire at night.

Last weekend during haus kuk we were to simulate gathering our own water. We had to treat all water as it was dirty. We had to boil water, collect rain water, or use another purification method. Fortunately we have been lucky that it has rained every weekend so gathering clean water was not hard. However, I have found Saturday’s excellent days to go to town. I go to town mostly for high speed internet and a good meal. Not that I don’t eat good here but every weekend we are responsible to cook our own food by open fire (haus kuk). So going to town for a meal is not a bad option. To get to town, you have to hail a PMV or Pubic Motor Vehicle. These either come in the form of a van or truck like figure. The fare is relatively inexpensive costly about $.75 one way. I will share an embarrassing yet learning story later about my PMV ride back to POC.

Prayer Requests:
Continue to adapt a learner’s role – language and culture
My village allocation for 5 weeks of living
– Pray for smooth transition
– Wasfamili I will be staying with
– Chances to share the gospel

Praise:
Good Health

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