Tyler and Emily in PNG

The past two weeks my dear friends left me to go teach at Gandep Bible College in the bush of Papua New Guinea. Before they left, they plugged a project idea in my mind. They (Bethaney and Emily) wanted a shelf unit built for their house. They have overflows of kitchen items and gadgets which have no home. They wanted me, Mr. IT Man to make them a shelf. Well, I told them I would think about it.

After they left I started to ponder and draft ideas for this shelf. I thought it would be a good surprise to them if I did somehow make this shelf. Then I heard that there was an undisclosed bet under the table that I would not make the shelf. This is what really set off the desire to build and complete this project before the two got home from the bush.

I drafted my plans, I consulted with others, then I went to the hardware to buy the materials. An experience in itself to go buy 3/4” plywood 8×4 sheet. In the metric world, a true 8×4 sheet of plywood is not 8×4 but 120 cm x 240 cm. 3/4” is 17 mm. The conversion from the English system to Metric takes adjustment from buying 1.5” screws to a sheet of plywood. Nonetheless, all materials were purchases and ready for assembly.

Bob, our Technical Services handy man of sorts, helped me measure, align, and cut the wood to various dimensions with the table saw. We pre-drilled and counter sunk all holes then I wanted to paint before final assembly of product. I got very intimate with all sides and corners of these boards. I paint four times, twice on each side rotating and flipping them over a course of two days.

I had one modification to make as the two of the shelves were not pre-drilled on center so I had to re-drill and properly align in process. Nothing that a little wood putty would not hide afterwards. I got the shelf finally put together after working many evenings in their house during their absence.

Emily was very excited and surprised to see the finished product when she came in the house. I think Bethaney will be just as surprised also once she comes back to town. One thing I did learn during this two week undertaking was I am not skilled in this particular trade. I did enjoy making it however I would not enjoy it as my career.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Last weekend, I journeyed away from the hot, humid coast to the Eastern Highlands to visit POC friends. Enjoy this short 2 min video of the Ramu Valley. The rows and rows of palms are part of the Ramu palm oil operation.

Last weekend, I made a trip to the Eastern Highlands Province to visit friends from the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) that I attended for the first 3 months I was in country. The small town of Ukarampu in the Eastern Highlands is the headquarters for Wycliffe in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Wycliffe is a large Bible translation organization which home base is in Orlando, FL. The centre in Ukarumpa is the base for all support related roles for translation in PNG. Pioneer Bible Translators (PBT) and Wycliffe work very closely with one another to accomplish the mission which we both share in providing God’s word in their heart language.

Ever since I been in PNG I have heard of this cool place in the highlands called Ukarampa. PBT actually has 3 flats there for us to use if we have to go there for any reason. None the less, this place sparked my interest and I wanted to go check it out and visit my friends. I inquired about the local means of travel on Public Motor Vehicle and found for 30 kina ($13) I could make the 4-5 hour trip.

As I was making arrangements, I ran into a group visiting Madang that week from Ukarampu and was able to hitch a ride back with them to the highlands. The catch was I had to ride in the back of a pickup for 5 hrs with 2 other guys. It was a very tight and not so comfortable trip through the mountains and the valley. Plus the heat and full sunshine had for a long and tiring journey. As you could imagine, what they call a highway in PNG is not your typical highway at home. One part, we passed a road sign ‘Ford’. Not your car manufacturer but a Ford in the river. Yes, we had to cross through the river. Luckily it was only inches deep at this time.

I left Madang at 10:45 am on Friday and arrived to the highlands at 4 pm. Ukarumpa mission centre is located approximately 5000’ ft. Leaving the hot, humid temps of Madang and going to a place where the temp is now in the low 70s is quite a change. In fact, on the morning I left to come back to Madang it was 62 degrees in the house. That is 20 degrees cooler than my morning temp in Madang when I wake at 6:15 am. It was different to see men and women walk around with long pants, sweaters, stocking caps, and even some with coats on when it was in the upper 60s. We even had a fire in the fireplace on Sat. night when we were watching a movie. Being 6 degrees from the equator and being cold just doesn’t jive in my mind. You do have to remember the elevation of 5000’ does play a huge factor. I suppose temperature and being cold is a relative concept.

During my time in Ukarumpa I stayed with my POC roommate and the person I shared my village living experience with for 5 weeks, John. On Friday night, we had a small party and a few girls from the course made three pizzas and an awesome dessert which I enjoyed. We played dominos and shared stories. On Saturday, the same girls had scheduled John and I over for breakfast which I could not miss the opportunity for coffee and eggs. Afterwards, John gave me the tour of the centre and a stop by the horse carrel where John is helping out. Later in the afternoon into the evening, John hosted a BBQ for what he called ‘The Crowd.’ It was designed for singles but a few couples infiltrated the gathering which was accepted. 26 people in all came to fellowship, share and of course eat. My last day, Sunday I went to two worship services on centre. The first being Tok Pisin and the second being English. I enjoyed them both and was nice to worship in two languages. I was invited to the youth hostel where the hostel parents went to POC with me so I ate lunch with them and shared what was going on in my life. Sunday evening we once again gathered to break bread and fellowship. Yes, the same girls prepared dinner for John, Daniel, and me yet again. They even made homemade ice-cream which was spectacular. After a fun game of Phase 10 dice we had to face Monday morning was fast approaching. I said my good-byes and many thanks.

Monday morning, John drove me to Kainantu (short 20 min drive) where I could hail a PMV back to Madang. As soon as we pulled up to the stop, right away a PMV showed up yelling, “Madang, Madang, Madang, Come, Come…”. I made eye contact with the boss crew and I was given the white man royal treatment of the front seat. I told John bye and off I was back to Madang. This time it was much more comfortable and a little bit faster. I left the highlands at 7:20 and was back to Madang at noon.

The drive through the mountains, Ramu valley, and back to Madang is beautiful. Going from mountain elevation, passing through rich farm valley ground, back to the coastal water of Madang is scenic wonder.

We had multiple stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers and plus the boss crew wanted to make sure the van was completely full. We had one important stop at Ramu. Ramu is in the middle of the valley and a place where much of the PNG sugar is produced along with palm oil and beef cattle are raised. As we circle and drove around trying to pick up more riders a man noticed me riding in the front seat. This man yelled out, “A, nupela, whit skin boss krew i kamap nau.” The man was making a remark that I was the new boss crew of the PMV. So I started yelling out the window, “Madang, Madang, Madang, Come, Come…”.  Of course the driver and the real boss crew all got a kick out of this white man acting like a crazy local.

One thing I have learned about this culture and how to be accepted is, just be yourself. People love to laugh and love to have fun. If they see you having fun and enjoying yourself they will more feeling express themselves and welcome you.

I had a great weekend and I great holiday. It was a wonderful reprieve from hot, humid Madang. I plan on visiting the highlands again and hopefully have the chance to fellowship and laugh with my friends in Ukarampu one more time.

Last week, I walked over to the post office with Bethaney just for a few moments of fresh air. As I was reading the bulletin board Bethaney yelled out, ‘Tyler, a package for you.’ I knew I had a package coming but thought it would be at least another week before arrival. Sure enough, there was a package with my name on it. I knew what was inside and I was eager to open the package and see all the goodies that my mother sent me.

When I opened the package, I had four PBT polo shirts, two lounging shorts, book Don’t Waste Your Life, hard drive external case, AAA batteries, magazines, peanut M&M’s, and a can of Hershey’s cocoa. My day was fulfilled!

I proudly showed off my new PBT polo shirts and got many ooo’s and ahhh’s. I was impressed myself and really enjoy the color variation. I submitted the idea to my mother and she did the rest. Now the office staff are envious and have plenty ‘ai gris’ (jealousy).

The package took two weeks to arrive with some 11 days between Chicago and Papua New Guinea. The international tracking is not as sophisticated as domestic tracking. Truthfully, it is rather amazing the some packages even arrive in country. I have heard of many horror of packages not even being delivered, lost, or returned to sender. Sometimes the local post office doesn’t even know what to do with a package. Nonetheless, I am very thankful and praise God for the arrival of this care package. Thank you Mom and Dad!

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I subscribe to a daily e-devotion spurred from the Purpose Driven Life titled, Purpose Driven Connection. A few days ago, Warren reminded his subscribers  during hard times or frustrations that indeed God is good and He is in control. He listed 4 spiritual strongholds that I know I cling to daily:

1. The Holy Spirit is praying for you. “[T]he Spirit himself speaks to God for us, and even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain” (Romans 8:26 NCV).

2. God uses everything for your good. “And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). God is bigger than your enemies. He’s bigger than your critics. He’s bigger than your problems. And he’s working it all for good in your life.

3. God wants you to succeed. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NLT). God wants you to succeed in all those areas where you are failing. He’s pulling for you.

4. God will give you what you need. “And since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 NLT). God solved your biggest problem when he paid for all your sins, including the ones you haven’t done yet. If God cared enough to save you and give you the gift of eternal life, don’t you think he cares about the problems in your daily life? If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about. And if you pray about it, you won’t have to worry about it.

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Thank you for your continued prayers and thoughts. I apologize for not posting prayers and praises as often as I should. As any missionary living in a developing country you always can pray for: safety, health, strong spiritual guidance, and protection for the evil one.

Praises:
Good health
God is answering prayers
Great village visit and great holiday to the highlands

Prayer Requests:
God to direct my paths as I continue to evaluate my time in PNG
Stand strong against the devil’s schemes
God to use me and my talents to serve effectively