Introducing... (Part 2)

Meet Malai, Kati, and Brigita. These 3 adult siblings live just outside of the New Tribes base fence with their families. They are from the area, so they have been very involved with helping the missionaries here for years. Clint got to know them well when he was here in 2011. We have enjoyed some sweet times of fellowship with them, whether it’s been cooking a meal together or just telling stories. All three are believers with strong testimonies of trusting Christ alone for salvation.

Kati with some of her kids and Kyler

But even though they are saved, they are VERY immature in their faith, and they are literally begging us for more teaching and discipleship! They own a Bible in the trade language that they read, but they don’t understand a lot of it. They keep asking for missionaries to teach them. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough missionaries to send!

Please pray for these three families that we would be able to encourage them as they help us learn the trade language and that someone would be able to help disciple them further in their walk with Christ.

Introducing... (Part 1)

New type of blog post for a bit! Maybe it’s hard to visualize our language helpers… who they are, what they are like, how they are helping us. We want to introduce them to you, so you can know them and be praying for them!

So today, we’re introducing our friends Oscar and Grace. 

Oscar and Grace are a young couple from the Sepik (the northern province of Papua New Guinea). They have one 7-month-old daughter, Nevia. They are really good helpers and enjoy teaching us new information. We can ask them any questions, and they will gladly explain. They love having fun, telling a good joke or story, and taking us to do things with them.

Please be praying for us as we interact with them! As far as we can tell, they don’t truly understand the Gospel. They live in a lot of fear. Oscar has told us numerous stories of things they have to do or not do to please the spirits. He is very afraid of sorcery being worked against him by others to cause him to become sick and die. Grace attends the local church, but we aren’t sure if she’s saved or not. Just like America, many people that live in town here attend church because it is a “good thing” rather than to know God better.

You can be praying that their hearts would be softened towards the Gospel, and that we would be able to be a witness as we spend time with them.

You Know You're in PNG When...

The US and PNG are very different places. Yeah, I know that just shattered your world. Ok, but seriously, the culture here is really different than back home. Ever wondered what some of those differences are? Here are just a few… with more to come in future days.

One difference: the nationals "hang" their babies up to sleep in big string bags. So Kyler sometimes naps in one too!

• Little kids are scared of you because you’re a “white man”
• Said little kids are also running around naked.
• People describe you as your husband’s “woman” (yes, women are considered property here)
• You discover that two guys or two girls can hold hands in public and it’s not inappropriate at all, but a guy and a girl holding hands can raise eyebrows.
• Driving means being on HIGH alert at all times… mostly to avoid hitting any potholes, people, or pigs.
• Fights break out at the market.
• You arrive at the airport for a flight and find out it left 30 minutes early because… just because.
• You get cold if the temperature gets down to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• You find a baby gecko in your toilet bowl. Thankfully, I was cleaning the toilet, not sitting on it. Otherwise, you probably would’ve heard my scream all the way back in the States.
• It’s totally fine for people to ask you for stuff. All. The. Time. Because it never hurts to ask, right?
• It’s also totally fine for you to politely refuse to give them what they ask for.
• Being told that you are fat (even if you’re not really fat by Western standards) is a compliment because it means you have money to buy good food.
• Speaking of food, it grows all year. Handy for being self-sustaining.
• There are two seasons. Hot and dry, and hot and wet.
• Dog fights break out during church services (which are often held outside).

Yup, different world. Sometimes we love it. Sometimes we hate it. But it’s home now. Gotta remember, it’s not necessarily wrong, just different!

Thanks so much for praying for us as we adjust! And please continue to do so, because just when you think you've seen it all... you realize you haven't. :)