Crafting Weekend

My family recently gave me a very special gift—a weekend to spend crafting with friends.  Fourteen other ladies and I retreated to the Wycliffe Associates Volunteer Center with all our gear.  The Volunteer Center is only a short walk from our home, and our “workroom” might have resembled a sweatshop, but we thoroughly enjoyed sewing, talking, eating meals we didn’t cook ourselves, creating and laughing till our sides hurt.

A majority of the women were working on quilts, but others were scrapbooking, sewing, editing videos and cross-stitching.  I made some progress on my 15-year cross-stitch project.  I started that peacock when we first arrived in PNG in 1999.  Think I’ll finish it before we leave?  …maybe if we have another crafting weekend soon.  <wink>

Celebrating the Waima New Testament*

The Waima New Testament hasn’t been collecting dust since its dedication in July 2003. A community FM radio broadcast, multiple showings of the “Gospel of Luke” video, and Scripture Application and Literacy Training (SALT) courses have all encouraged the use of the Waima scriptures over the past decade. But as the tenth anniversary of the dedication approached, the translation team and village leaders decided a celebration was needed to remember the momentous occasion.

On 28 July 2013, thousands from the surrounding area gathered in the central village of Ereére. The United Church Circuit minister started the celebration with a worship service, followed by hymns and dramatic presentations. Later, various groups held competitions in scripture reading and memorization.

Taita Baeha is over 70 years old. When her turn came to compete in the scripture reading, she stood up and clearly read the passage given to her. It was a challenging chapter from 1 Corinthians, but she never stumbled or made a mistake. For her perfect performance she was given the title, “Tuabi tuabi babiéna!” --a Reading Lady!

During the scripture memorization competition, each participant was only expected to recite the portion requested by the judge. Uni, however, was very eager to share the words of God so she recited the whole passage of Matthew 7:1-29. The audience listened attentively to Uni’s energetic voice as she repeated Jesus’ promise that “the door will be opened to the one who knocks.”

After watching a video of the 2003 dedication, the head village chief declared, “Our God became a Waima man and He speaks our language to us. We should listen to what He says and obey what He told us!” The audience responded, “Yes, that’s true!”

The Waima Circuit United Church has grown steadily since receiving the Waima New Testament in 2003. They have since established their own circuit called “Pou Namona” (Good News), and decided that July 19 should be annually celebrated as “Waima Bible Day”. The Waima people have also embraced the responsibility to carry on translation of the Old Testament. It is their desire that God “continue to speak clearly” to the Waima people.

*Missy wrote this and other stories for “The PNG Experience”.  Visit this blog for more amazing stories and stunning photos of Bible translation and language development in PNG.

**Photo by N&D Kim

Our Carport—the Operating Theatre

As far as we know there is only one veterinarian in all of Papua New Guinea and on Saturday he visited our house.  Gibasa, the vet, doesn’t often make it to Ukarumpa—maybe once a year depending on whether there is enough business to make it worth his while.  Someone in the community will ask around to see how many animals need “fixing” and then contact Gibasa and work out a time for him to visit.  This time it was our turn to host.

Besides our own cat (who was fixed a year ago), we’re looking after two that belong to our landlord.  One is a young male who has been delighting the neighborhood with his nighttime scraps and serenades.  <cough>  So in order to restore goodwill among our friends, we asked our landlord for permission to have Pepper fixed.

The vet, arrived mid-morning and set up shop in our carport.  We provided tables, chairs, and refreshments for staff and the patients’ owners.  I quietly thanked God and my sister-in-law for providing a red, plastic tablecloth for the occasion.

During the course of the morning, I acted as receptionists and let people know when to bring their pets.  At times, Gibasa had quite an audience.  Claire and Isaiah bravely observed several surgeries and I’m calling the experience “Home School Biology 101”.

And in case you’re wondering if the cat in the photo is Pepper…it isn’t.  Pepper apparently got wind of what was in store for him and vacated the premises on Friday evening—not to be seen again until Sunday afternoon when the vet was safely in another tropical location.  <grrrr> 

Be warned, Pepper!  Jon was watching the vet very carefully, you may get fixed yet…just without the benefit of anesthesia.  <wink>

Build-A-Playground

Over the course of several Saturday mornings, our community has been constructing a new playground across the road from our store.  Last year Claire and Isaiah submitted ideas of what the playground should look like—elevated playhouses linked by bridges with curly slides, swings, etc..

Although the final plan isn’t quite as elaborate as their drawings, it still promises to be a fun diversion so we’ve been helping with its construction whenever we can.  This past Saturday, Claire was put in charge of priming the fence slats with a roller.  As you can see there was a lot of fence to paint!  She stuck to it though and completed the job.  Well done, Claire!

A “Yes!” Moment

It’s a chilly, wet afternoon here in PNG.  Home school assignments were finished hours ago and the weather is keeping the neighborhood kids indoors.  So what did my kids decide to do to wile away the time?  Read!  <insert a silent “Yes!” with arm pumping motion>

Claire is reading “Caboose Mystery” by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and Isaiah is reading “Flight of the Butterflies” by Roberta Edwards.  Both are reading on the Kindle Fires they got for Christmas.  These Kindles now rank in the top five products we have ever owned (in my opinion anyway).  One reason is because of this.  My kids are reading in their free time!  Claire has in fact completed over a dozen books since Christmas.  Isaiah not as many…but hey, reading is still work for him.  So it’s big stuff that he is reading for fun!

I still prefer to hold an actual book, but downloading a new book off the internet sure beats shipping one across the Pacific!  Portability is key in our lifestyle and I love being able to bring my library in my carry-on bag.  And although some gifts from family members back in the USA took 4 months to arrive by sea freight, that Amazon.com gift certificate we received days before Christmas has already been put to good use.  Cool! 

So now I’ll end my “plug” for the Amazon Kindle and put one in for Sonlight, our home school curriculum provider.  Although they don’t utilize electronic reading devices much, they are instrumental in this important moment.  I firmly believe, all the stories we have read aloud as a family have helped develop my kids’ interest in reading.  Sonlight’s books have taken us on adventures all over the world and introduced us to amazing personalities throughout history.  I think Claire and Isaiah are figuring out the benefits of a good book on a rainy afternoon.

Closed Till Next Year

For the past couple of years our center has shut down over Christmas and New Year.  It makes sense in a lot of ways—a lot of business in PNG comes to a standstill in December.  December 25, 26 and January 1 are all national holidays, and we don’t do business on weekends anyway.  So why not close up shop for two weeks, let everyone take a much needed break, and let our PNG colleagues return to their home villages for a visit?

But I must admit it can be a bit scary for those of us who are used to 24/7 conveniences of the Western world.  When I say our center shuts down, I’m talking about “the bank”, the post office, the grocery store, the hardware store…everything but the clinic nurse on call.  All were closed from December 21 to January 5!  You can bet I made a list of everything I might need…and checked it twice.  It didn’t turn out too bad.  I only forgot matches and bathroom cleaner.  “Sorry, Honey!  I just won’t be able to clean the bathroom until the grocery store opens again in two weeks.”  <attempt to sound regretful>  Fortunately (or is that unfortunately) we have lots of neighbors willing to help in a pinch.

So how do we fill in the time?  We get creative!

• Go on a Christmas Eve sleigh-ride PNG style!
• Hold a “The Andy Griffith Show” marathon while camped on the floor under the Christmas tree.
• Pretend the afternoon thunderstorm is really a Wisconsin snowstorm.  Play Christmas music to enhance ambiance.
• Invite friends over for games as an excuse to eat lots of Christmas goodies.

• Spend lots of time building with Legos.
• Play golf on Ukarumpa’s 3-hole course.  Really!
• Drive (or walk) around the center after dark and give homes random awards for Christmas light displays.

• Definitely support others who come up with imaginative ways to celebrate the holiday—especially if it involves ice-cream!  Here’s Ukarumpa’s first musical ice-cream truck!

Meeting Marilyn

Yesterday was a red-letter day for our family.  We finally got to meet a favorite “hero of the faith”—Marilyn Laszlo!  To learn why she is important to Jon and I, please go to our "Where We Began" blog page.

Marilyn is in Papua New Guinea to make a final visit to Hauna Village in the East Sepik province, where she spent 24 years helping to translate the Bible into Sepik Iwam.  Marilyn’s traveling companions told us of the enthusiastic reception she received in Hauna.  There was a spectacular “sing-sing” to celebrate her arrival and hundreds gathered to greet her.

We would have loved to visit Hauna ourselves and take part in the festivities, but we were grateful for the chance to meet Marilyn as she traveled home.  Our aviation team flew her to and from the village, so she spent one night here in Ukarumpa.  We stopped in the guest house where she was staying to express our appreciation for her and the part she played in our lives.  Both Jon and I have heard her speak many times, but this was the first time we had opportunity to personally thank her for sharing her story.

*A “sing-sing” is a cultural celebration that usually includes singing, dancing and colorful costumes.