Thursday, May 24, 2012

Heart Language

Praise God for the Maiwa New Testament dedication in April!  Another 1400+ people of Papua New Guinea have God's Word in their heart language!Maiwa 1

When we say “heart language”, we mean the language that speaks to the heart. The language a person hears their mother speak, the language they learned as a child, the language a person uses with those most close to them.

You might wonder, “Wouldn’t evangelism just be easier if everyone learned English?” Well, think about it…. I’m going to insert a verse from a language in the same branch as English.  See if you can figure out which verse it is.

“Denn Gott hat die Menschen so sehr geliebt, dass er seinen einzigen Sohn für sie hergab. Jeder, der an ihn glaubt, wird nicht zugrunde gehen, sondern das ewige Leben haben.”

Didn’t get it? OK, try this one.  It has a lot of words that sound like English….

“God i gat wanpela pikinini tasol i stap. Tasol God i laikim tumas olgeta manmeri bilong graun, olsem na em i givem dispel wanpela pikinini long ol. Em i mekim olsem bilong olgeta manmeri i bilip long e mol i no ken lus. Nogat. Bai ol i kisim laip i stap gut oltaim oltaim.”

So did you pick it up that time? Some of the words sound familiar didn’t they? No? OK, how about….

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

So now you know it is John 3:16.  Can you imagine having to learn German or Tok Pisin to read the Bible for your spiritual nourishment?  I can’t.  That’s why we’re in Papua New Guinea supporting the work of Bible translation.

*Photo by J&M Matsumaru

Monday, May 21, 2012

Heartbroken

002Our family is grieving the loss of our first pet—little Bilas.  On Saturday morning Jon had to put our kitten down.  Although she was her normal playful self earlier in the day, after breakfast I discovered her lying in her bed unresponsive.  Other symptoms make us suspect she ingested some kind of poison.

Isaiah helped bury the little bundle and both kids made stones for her grave.  Claire exchanged a framed photo of her favorite horse on her desk for a picture of her furry friend.  We’re all pretty upset by the sudden loss, but we’re working through the grief.  Remembering all of Bilas’ funny antics helps.  It’s amazing how that little fuzz ball wound herself around our hearts during those two short months that she shared with us!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Real Tooth Fairy

Big things are happening to our little guy these days.  Shortly after his 6th birthday, he lost his first tooth.  Except013 in his opinion, his real first tooth was the extra adult tooth that the oral surgeon removed last year.

Below is the conversation we had at bedtime on that eventful day:

Isaiah:  Are you going to be the tooth fairy tonight?

Me:  Why do you need to know?

Isaiah:  I hope not.  I want the real tooth fairy to come.

Me:  Who is the real tooth fairy?

Isaiah:  Grammy!

After his oral surgery last year, he got to take his tooth home in a little tooth-shaped plastic container.  He set it by his bed that night.  In the morning, he discovered that the tooth had been swapped with a little toy car from my mom.  We had told him that the “Grammy tooth fairy” had given it to him.  <wink>

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Flying Fish

I enjoyed not cooking (as much) while we were in Lae, and this is why the kids enjoyed our mini vacation.
IMG_1372Photo by S. McEvoy

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Road Trip, Retail & Restaurants

IMG_0374We just made our first road trip since coming back to PNG last year.  We split the rent of a 16-passenger van with another family and drove to the coastal city of Lae.  No, don’t think palm-covered beaches.  Lae is a port city and the best spot for “retail therapy.”  I do not find shopping therapeutic in the least, but I did my part to boost the local economy anyway.  Best find:  Kettle brand salt and vinegar chips—all the way from the US.  Biggest surprise:  They were still fresh!

We also discovered that Lae has at least a couple really good restaurants.  We stopped at the Lae Yacht Club for lunch on our first day down and enjoyed a good meal, a decent view of the harbor and a PLAYGROUND—almost a necessity when dining out with six kids.  <grin>

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Happy Moment

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This photo makes me happy for a number of reasons:  1) Those are just a couple of cute kids, and they let me take their photo without scowling.  <smile>  2) They are contentedly doing something together while they patiently wait for me to start school.  3) Claire has really taken off in her reading lately and can often be found reading to herself or Isaiah just for the fun of it.  4) I was the one to teach her how to do it.  That’s a really cool feeling—in a “thank you God for letting me be involved” kind of way.