Our Second Marriage

We have a team!!! Yes, I know we’ve mentioned this several times before, but can I just say, we are SO excited and thankful for this incredible team that God has brought together! The last few weeks, we’ve been spending lots of time meeting together to work through our team’s strategy statement and philosophy, and we feel spoiled by how God has allowed us to be so unified and gracious with each other. We have the best teammates ever!!! And the most amazing thing about them: they all are totally in love with Jesus!

In years past, we’ve looked forward to these days with much anticipation and excitement… kind of like when you’re single and wanting to be married.  And it is really exciting. I think we’re in the honeymoon phase still… everything seems rosy and bright and we all get along great. But, just like a newly married couple, there are lots of things we have to talk through so we can be on the same page.

There are so many factors that go into planting a church in a tribe, and, while we can’t anticipate everything, it’s really nice to hash out some of the details beforehand so we can be unified as we begin this ministry. 

Meeting with a veteran missionary couple who helped us through our orientation and are consultants for teams as they go through the church planting process

Our goal is for a mature church that is growing, is functioning on its own with strong leadership, and is reaching out to others around them. We want to work ourselves out of a job, but not so quickly that the people are left floundering with no clear direction for the church’s future.

So that means we’re prayerfully discussing all kinds of aspects of how we will go about this ministry in Wabuku. Some of the topics include things like:

• How often will we have supplies flown in from the New Tribes base?
• Will we teach in the trade language or wait until we are fluent in the tribal language first?
• What things will we bring in to the tribe when we move in?
• How will we handle all the “askims” (people asking us to give them things… a very acceptable part of PNG culture)?

Believe it or not, how we answer each of these seemingly small questions will have a huge effect on our ministry and, consequently, on the Wabuku church.

Home Again, Home Again

We're home again! At least temporarily. :) We've done a lot of moving in the past few months, so it's really nice to be able to settle in one place for a while.

Up until March, we were mostly located on the New Tribes Mission base where we initially did our 4-month-long orientation program. We were helping run the base while the missionaries who normally do that were on furlough.

Now, we’ve transitioned to another NTM base in a town called Wewak (where we came for conference in March), located on the north-eastern coast of Papua New Guinea. This base serves as the support center for all the NTM missionaries located in tribes in the northern part of PNG. We've been here for over three weeks now, and we're loving it!

Our apartment is on the other side of this building

A little playground for the missionary kids

The base store that supplies tribal missionaries. We can buy stuff here too or in town if we prefer

We have our own little 2-bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment with an unbeatable ocean view and an awesome, long covered porch where Kyler can play. And since we live at one end of a four-apartment building, we get to live right next door to our teammates, Jason and Laken, which is pretty much amazing!

Kitchen/eating area

Living room

The amazing ocean view

We’ll be here until the end of June when we start our trek back to the States for the baby. During the next few weeks, we’ll be spending our time:

• Settling in to our new home
• Getting oriented to the base here and how it operates
• Getting to know the missionaries who live on base
• Helping with a few jobs on base
• Spending time with our teammates talking through our strategy for working in Wabuku

So thankful to be here and to be a part of such an awesome team of missionaries working here in this part of PNG!

Back from the Bush

Every experience in our lives shapes us, whether it be for good or bad. Our lives have changed drastically since we arrived in PNG, and it has been so good. God has used every circumstance to open our eyes a tiny bit more to see the incredible things He is doing here, and it has changed our whole outlook on life.

Our time in Bush Orientation was one of those experiences. We spent most of April in the Dinangat tribe, located in the mountains of PNG. We flew by plane and landed on a grass airstrip. Since the nearest grocery store is a few days’ hike away, we had to buy all our food and supplies ahead of time to take with us.

Loading the plane with our cargo

The missionary house where we stayed

The terrain and the people were very different than our previous interactions with the coastal people we saw near the mission base where we were living. The Dinangat people are a lot more reserved than your average PNG national, and they have a very strong work ethic, another uncommon trait here. They live off the land, spending lots of time working in their gardens, which were often at least an hour hike away through some crazy steep terrain.

Out on a family hike

Most of our mornings were spent working with national language helpers to help us polish our Pidgin and to teach us some about the specific Dinangat culture. With our helpers, we got to visit their gardens, sleep overnight in a garden house (Clint), learn how to make a wool bilum (string bag, Ashlyn), learn how to wrap growing banana stalks so flying foxes (large bats) won’t eat them (Clint), and hear their testimonies of belief in Christ.

Clint with his language helper

We also had the chance to learn as much as we could from the NTM missionaries who are living in this location. They are currently working on translating the New Testament into the Dinangat language and discipling the maturing church. It’s a lot of hard brain work, but their dedication and love for these people is so incredible and inspiring to us as we are just starting on this church planting journey!

I think the best thing we gleaned from our Bush Orientation was seeing the Dinangat church and getting to worship with them. The majority of the people in this particular Dinangat village are believers, so it was so encouraging getting to interact with them and hear their stories of transformation. They have their own Bible teachers, lead their own worship sessions (with songs that they have written themselves in their language), and work closely with the missionaries to help with the translation process. It’s so amazing and humbling seeing their passionate love for God and His Word!

The Dinangat church

While it’s somewhat nice being back to “civilization” on our mission base in Wewak, we’re also missing the Dinangat people, and we’re so grateful God gave us the opportunity to learn from them for a few weeks. Can’t wait to see how their input into our lives will someday impact the Uriay church!

Wabuku Visit

Many of you have been faithfully praying for us as we have been considering partnering with a single lady and another family to work with the Uriay people in the village of Wabuku. THANK YOU for praying!!!!! March 23-25, we had the opportunity to visit Wabuku. Here’s a bit about our time there, and check out Facebook for more pictures.

 

Our team left the New Tribes base in Wewak and headed out to the airport where we boarded the 10-seater NTM Kodiak plane. After an hour flight over lots of jungle, we spotted the grass airstrip where we would be landing, located in the village of Sinow (a different language group than Wabuku). There used to be NTM missionaries in this location, but they have since finished their work, and there is a church in Sinow that is functioning well on its own.

Plane landings are always a big hit in these remote locations, so there were lots of people to meet us at the airstrip. We unloaded our gear and watched the plane take off (after some villagers had to chase a dog off the airstrip). Then, with the help of some of the villagers, we headed down to the river, about a half-mile walk away.

The Sinow people are experts at navigating the river, and many of them use handmade dugout canoes with motors for long trips (the canoes are actually really sturdy and have lots of room). One of the Sinow church elders was our river captain for our trek up the river.

We hopped (very gently) in the massive dugout canoe (at least 50 feet long and 3 feet wide) and took off, with only an hour of daylight left for our two hour trip (which turned into three hours because it got dark).

I wish I could describe to you the feeling of arriving at Wabuku for the first time. Seeing the flashlights piercing through the darkness and hearing the welcoming shouts of the people. After years of praying, preparing, and training, we finally were here… the place where we may spend a good part of our lives. The place our kids will call home. It felt so surreal!

We spent some time greeting the people, but, since it was pretty late already, we quickly made our way to the missionary house where we all would be staying. It’s been sitting empty for a while, but it wasn’t nearly as dirty as we were expecting. Most everything was still working, so we had electricity, running water (cold), and a working stove. A lot of things in the house were covered up or kept in totes, so we also had clean sheets and beds for sleeping. HUGE, HUGE blessings!!!

The next morning, we got to meet with the small Wabuku church. It was amazing hearing their hunger for someone to come and finish teaching them through God’s Word, even though they have had so many missionaries come and leave again. We thought they might be burnt out, but they were eager for us to come, as long as we were committed to come and stay until the work is complete.

It was a short trip, but already, we are in love with these people and this precious church that is struggling to grow without much guidance. God really used this trip to confirm in our hearts that this is where He wants us to serve, and we are thrilled! Lord willing, we’ll be moving in to Wabuku sometime at the beginning of 2017 to begin culture and language study.

Thank you SO much for praying us to this point and for walking on this journey with us! You are a vital part to reaching the Uriay people, and (hopefully in time) reaching many others through their outreach to other people groups around them!

Conference!

Ok, so the blog has been a bit quiet recently. I’ll try to fill in some gaps since I last wrote and update y’all on all our comings and goings. Thanks so much for praying for us as we’ve been traveling!

We left Madang, the town and NTM base where we have been living since we arrived in July, on the 11^th and headed by plane up to Wewak, another town and NTM base along the coast of PNG. This base will be our permanent support base while we are living out in the jungle.

The view from the NTM base in Wewak. So beautiful!

While in Wewak, we had the privilege of attending the conference for the NTM missionaries who serve in the northern part of PNG. It was so exciting hearing how God is working in other tribal locations through our fellow coworkers. We were encouraged by testimonies of faithful veterans, some of whom have been here for over 20 years! And we were blessed by the speakers who daily taught on God’s greatness, strength, and love in the midst of our weakness and inadequacy. Such good stuff!

Conference!

Kyler had tons of fun playing with the other kids on base

Getting to watch the Superbowl with missionary friends. Better late than never, right? :)

We’re so thankful for our missionary family here in PNG! They are so quick to encourage us when we are struggling, and they understand the daily hardships we face as ex-pats in a foreign country. But they also know the joys of living with the people here and seeing them move from darkness and fear to life and maturity in Christ! These guys rock, and we’re thankful to serve alongside them!

Clint playing basketball with some of the guys

Life from Death

I wrote last month about the death of a national man who was brutally murdered on New Year's Day. It (understandably) caused quite the uproar in the community for a time. Lots of unrest and anger directed at the murderers and their families. Lots of hurt and anguish over the sudden loss.

But there has also been healing, and some unexpected blessings in the wake of this tragedy. God definitely has used it for good, just as He promises in Romans.

We've seen quite a bit of growth in the local national church over the past few weeks as more young people have been coming to the Sunday service. I think this man's death shocked and scared them, since he was not much older than many of them. It has caused them, and many others in the community, to evaluate their lives and what they are living for. And, through the faithful instruction of Pastor Jephet, several have trusted in Christ alone for salvation.

Once again, God brings beauty from ashes. Life from death. I'm so thankful to serve a living, active God who is intimately involved with the details of our everyday lives! And I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to be here in PNG to share that truth with those who have never heard it!

Guess the Song!

My last post was about how we've been getting more and more familiar with Pidgin (the trade language here). Ok, well, for those who have been wondering what Pidgin looks like, this post is for you!

The Pidgin song book we use in church

We've been helping lead worship on Sunday mornings at the local national church, so we've learned a lot of songs in Pidgin, which has been really fun! Many of them are translations (or re-writings) of English hymns.

So, anyone (who doesn’t already know Pidgin) want to guess what well-known English hymn this is? I’ve distinguished the verses and choruses for you, if that helps any. :)

Verse 1
O Papa God, taim mi gat planti tinting

Long olgeta samting yu yet wokim

Mi lukim sta, mi harim klaut i pairap

Olgeta samting soim strong b’long yu

Chorus

Mi litimapim biknem bilong yu

Yu yet yu God, yu Bikpela

Yu Nambawan, yu antap olgeta

Yu wanpela, yu Bikpela

Verse 2

Taim mi tingting God i no pasim Jisas,

Em i kamdaun i dai long helpim mi

Long diwai kros blut bilong em i kapsait

Bel bilong mi em i kirap nogut

Verse 3

Taim Kraist i kam na singaut long ol Kristen,

Na kisim mi i go long ples heven

Mi brukim skru na givim biknem long em,

Tokaut long em, O God, yu Nambawan

Foreign to Familiar

It’s a weird feeling when you suddenly realize that speaking in a foreign language feels natural. You listen to the conversations that you have at home and notice that you interchange your mother tongue with phrases that would be unintelligible to your friends back in your home country. It feels really strange… but really normal.

Neither of us have had our final language check to officially approve us as accomplished Pidgin speakers. But speaking and listening to it both feel so normal now. It’s so exciting to see where we were just 6 months ago compared to where we are now.

Yeah, we still make mistakes, leave out a word here or there, or have a mind blank where we can’t remember basic phrases. But we are making progress!

One language (mostly) down, one more (Uriay) to go!

Uriay is a much more complex language than Pidgin, so it will probably take us several years of studying to learn it. But we have an advantage because all the grammar analysis has already been completed on the language and the alphabet has been developed, so we can dive right into study without having to figure out all the tough stuff! Hopefully we can kick off our Uriay language study by the end of 2016!

New Year's Motivation

I never thought we’d start 2016 like this. In some ways, it’s a good start, because it makes the reason why we’re here so much more vivid and real. Yet it’s also a really, really hard start.

One of our national friends died early on New Year’s Day. It was very unexpected. And very much not an accident. The senselessness of it all is overwhelming. Yet through it all, I cling to the fact that God is good.

We sat with the family and friends as they grieved. I wish I could describe to you their grief. The wailing. The sobbing. Grown men walking down the road crying like babies. We cried with them. We hurt with them.

Death is real and raw here.

We certainly didn’t expect to start our year like this with hearts heavy and hurting for our friends. But I’m so glad that this family has hope. So many people all across PNG are facing death daily, and their grief is unending because they do not know Christ.

Last week, a very sick man from a nearby tribe was flown out to town, and we drove him to the hospital. He died there a few days later. In that crowded, dirty place. And he died without hope, without hearing the Gospel. The missionaries in his tribe hadn’t had a chance to do any Bible teaching. They had hoped he would survive, but he didn’t. His eternal destiny is sealed, and it’s so, so sad.

We didn’t hear the death wails for this man, but I can only imagine. The intense grief and hopelessness.

Like I said, death is real and raw here.

I’m thankful that we’re here. In this place. At this time. So many people don’t know, and we have the hope they need. As we go forward in 2016, may that hope be the thing that motivates us every day, wherever we are.

The Hidden Missionaries

The last few weeks have been crazy and hectic. We’re just now starting to slow down and catch our breaths as we settle back into life on the NTM base in Madang. We spent two weeks at the main headquarters base near Goroka in the mountains, and we had an awesome time getting to know a lot of the people who live there and do the behind-the-scenes jobs that keep us on the field. We get to have a little taste of what they do every day as we help out on the Madang base for the next few months. Here are just a few of those jobs:

• The Business Office: They take care of all kinds of business/administrative tasks on the field.
•  The ICT department: They take care of all kinds of technology for NTM missionaries in PNG (computers, internet, phones, etc).
• The Finance Office: They look after all our finances. NTM is virtually cash-less, so they handle any transfers of funds that need to be made on the field. AND they do our PNG taxes!
• The Medical Clinic: There are several doctors and nurses that staff the clinic full time. They have a lot of modern technology, including an x-ray and an ultrasound machine! They even have their own pharmacy, so we can order medicines and supplies straight from them.

Practicing our shot giving abilities

• Tribal Supply: The people in this department fill supply orders from missionaries in the tribes. They buy all their groceries and supplies in town and send out to the jungle locations.
• The Tribal Resource Center: They print, laminate, and bind all kinds of literacy materials, books, and Bibles for missionaries in tribal locations. They can print in English, the trade language Pidgin, or in a tribal language.

Getting a tour of the Tribal Resource Center

• New Tribes Mission Aviation (NTMA): NTM has several pilots who work hard to fly our missionaries around PNG by plane and helicopter. They also do medical evacuations when necessary. Because it’s so rugged here, many towns and villages are not accessible by road, so NTMA is a vital part of our mission. There are also guys who run the business side of NTMA and organize all the flights into a schedule.
•   Schooling for Missionary Kids (MKs): There is a school for MKs (it’s only a boarding school for high school students), and they have several hundred students. There are lots of people needed to teach, be dorm parents, and help run the school. There is also a department that works with missionary families that homeschool in tribal locations. They provide resources for homeschoolers and answer all kinds of questions. They are also in charge of required annual testing for homeschooling families. 

Clint got to enjoy a few games of basketball with fellow missionaries in the school's gym

There are so many little details that our mission has thought of. They take such good care of us! These people who do support roles are not the ones that get their names in print. Their work is often hidden from the sight of those back in North America. They don’t get all the “glamour” and “glory” so to speak. But their roles are so vital for us to thrive in our tribal ministry, and we’re grateful for their faithful work!