Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge....
I guess we all know now what my answer would be to that question- yes I would jump. Especially if a ten year old was challenging me. Due to the overwhelming responses of shock and horror at my recent jump from "suicide rock" I feel the need to react. The concern hasn't been for Ben, or the missionary children that jumped, but me, the pregnant woman. I would like to put this to rest right now- everywhere you read, the two activities approved for pregnant women are walking and swimming. I was well within my limits. Moe Moe the embryo (we've changed the name) responded that very day by ceasing to cause me nausea. Is it a coincidence that the event coincided with entering the second trimester? Probably, but I prefer to see it as an act of approval. I do hear your concerns though, and have decided to no longer jump off waterfalls. On the bright side, we have encountered an act from God. Our camera is actually in complete working order.
On a completely different note, I wanted to sit down and write about a new prayer request that is affecting the entire country. Almost three weeks ago, there was a major landslide about 30 minutes from Kudjip. Basically because of all of the rain, the side of a mountain fell off and sunk completely below the ground. The result was a ripple of land that completely destroyed about a mile stretch of the Highlands Highway, which is the main/only road servicing the highlands from the coast. The word floating around is that it will take about 6 months to get this fixed. This has had huge implications all over the country. One of the main issues is that groceries and diesel cannot be brought up. For example, we talked to a coffee plantation owner the other day in town. His problem is that he cannot drive around to the local growers to collect the coffee cherries. (Starbucks is actually one of his buyers). This is the only income that these local farmers have. (I'm sure Starbucks will still carry your Java, but these families won't be able to survive). Yesterday when we went into town there were cars lined up and clustered at the fuel stations. Many waited for hours, but only a few were able to get diesel.
The hospital here is also seeing the fallout from the landslide. Mainly, the supplies of medicine and oxygen will be affected, but also, people are just plain having trouble getting there. For transportation, there are PMV's (public motor vehicles) that move people from town to town, but the prices have gone up considerably and people just don't have money. The maids that work on the compound are having to walk about an hour to get here. The big push now is for the government to declare a state of emergency. They can't start working with heavy machinery yet because evidently the land is still moving, but if a state of emergency were declared, then (according to the plantation owner) troops could secure the area and they could build a pipeline to at least transport diesel across the landslide site. In the U.S. of course this would have been done within a week, but the corruption and general slow nature of the government is keeping this from happening. Anyway, as I look back at what I wrote, it is just so hard to put into words what is happening, but it is so sad for the people. I think the general consensus is that they are upset, sad, and completely frustrated- but they don't have a government that is really worried about public opinion, and they don't feel like anyone is working on their behalf. We do have someone who is bigger than the government and definitely cares though- would you all join us in praying that He would work in this situation?
I also learned something new about the culture the other day at our "toddler
pool party". (Don't worry, no cliff jumping involved- and the only waterfall was from the hose finding it's way into a two year olds hands). The peoples lives are heavily influenced by their belief in evil spirits and the spirits of the dead. Evidently there was a case of a family who was convinced that their colicky baby was possessed by evil spirits. So much so, that they held it over the fire to scare away the spirits- then brought it into the hospital.(I have a feeling that social services would have been all over that in the states) Also, when an important member of a tribe dies, they automatically assume it is a curse from a rival tribe and will seek retaliation. These beliefs are prevalent in the non believing tribes, but also amongst Christians. I gathered that the missionaries are pretty frustrated about these beliefs, obviously, but don't know how to approach it in a way that they aren't immediately shut off as just being the "white people who just don't understand". So, yeah, just another thing to pray for- that God would give the missionaries wisdom in handling these deep rooted beliefs.
I think that's enough update for tonight. Thank you all for your letters and encouragement. We love hearing how everyone is doing!
On a completely different note, I wanted to sit down and write about a new prayer request that is affecting the entire country. Almost three weeks ago, there was a major landslide about 30 minutes from Kudjip. Basically because of all of the rain, the side of a mountain fell off and sunk completely below the ground. The result was a ripple of land that completely destroyed about a mile stretch of the Highlands Highway, which is the main/only road servicing the highlands from the coast. The word floating around is that it will take about 6 months to get this fixed. This has had huge implications all over the country. One of the main issues is that groceries and diesel cannot be brought up. For example, we talked to a coffee plantation owner the other day in town. His problem is that he cannot drive around to the local growers to collect the coffee cherries. (Starbucks is actually one of his buyers). This is the only income that these local farmers have. (I'm sure Starbucks will still carry your Java, but these families won't be able to survive). Yesterday when we went into town there were cars lined up and clustered at the fuel stations. Many waited for hours, but only a few were able to get diesel.
The hospital here is also seeing the fallout from the landslide. Mainly, the supplies of medicine and oxygen will be affected, but also, people are just plain having trouble getting there. For transportation, there are PMV's (public motor vehicles) that move people from town to town, but the prices have gone up considerably and people just don't have money. The maids that work on the compound are having to walk about an hour to get here. The big push now is for the government to declare a state of emergency. They can't start working with heavy machinery yet because evidently the land is still moving, but if a state of emergency were declared, then (according to the plantation owner) troops could secure the area and they could build a pipeline to at least transport diesel across the landslide site. In the U.S. of course this would have been done within a week, but the corruption and general slow nature of the government is keeping this from happening. Anyway, as I look back at what I wrote, it is just so hard to put into words what is happening, but it is so sad for the people. I think the general consensus is that they are upset, sad, and completely frustrated- but they don't have a government that is really worried about public opinion, and they don't feel like anyone is working on their behalf. We do have someone who is bigger than the government and definitely cares though- would you all join us in praying that He would work in this situation?
I also learned something new about the culture the other day at our "toddler
pool party". (Don't worry, no cliff jumping involved- and the only waterfall was from the hose finding it's way into a two year olds hands). The peoples lives are heavily influenced by their belief in evil spirits and the spirits of the dead. Evidently there was a case of a family who was convinced that their colicky baby was possessed by evil spirits. So much so, that they held it over the fire to scare away the spirits- then brought it into the hospital.(I have a feeling that social services would have been all over that in the states) Also, when an important member of a tribe dies, they automatically assume it is a curse from a rival tribe and will seek retaliation. These beliefs are prevalent in the non believing tribes, but also amongst Christians. I gathered that the missionaries are pretty frustrated about these beliefs, obviously, but don't know how to approach it in a way that they aren't immediately shut off as just being the "white people who just don't understand". So, yeah, just another thing to pray for- that God would give the missionaries wisdom in handling these deep rooted beliefs.I think that's enough update for tonight. Thank you all for your letters and encouragement. We love hearing how everyone is doing!
Another in a series of unfortunate events
Hope you are all having a great weekend! We had quite an eventful one. For those of you who knew our plans, we visited suicide rock today. We returned almost in the same condition we left in. It was about a two mile walk/mud slosh/hop over ditch/climb, from our house, and yes, we took Caleb along with us. I was impressed with Ben- as he ended up carrying Caleb the whole way. "Suicide Rock" is basically a waterfall and at the base there is a deep area that you can jump down into. The current then takes you about 10 feet to a place where you can pull yourself out of the water. The water was moving pretty fast, so I had determined I wouldn't jump, but after the 10 year old son of the missionaries jumped- I knew I had to do it. Ben and I both survived, but the verdict is still out on our new camera. I was taking a picture of someone else jumping from the top with their camera when I turned and accidently knocked our camera off the cliff. One of the missionary kids, Sam, and Ben were already down stream, so they were able to retrieve it. We are praying for a miraculous recovery. :) (This is why I can't attach any cool pictures of the beautiful walk and waterfall)
Friday evening we had a game and dessert night with all of the missionaries. We had such an amazing time, and the more time we spend with these people (sorry to say this mom) the more we realize that we could do this sometime down the road. (Although I'm not sure Ben will bring me next time after losing money and ruining our camera. It seems I may be more of a risk then benefit.) Life is just so much simpler- not necessarily easier- just simpler. Families spend time together and really enjoy each other. The teenagers and kids were all right in there playing games with the adults. It just felt like the way things should be!
The native children have been hanging around a bit more lately. I gave some cookies out a couple of weeks ago and I think the word has spread. We don't really have much candy left, so I gave them a pack of gum the other day. I hope they know what to do with it. :) Oh well, I'm sure they will come up with something creative if they don't know. One of the little girls we have met, Lilly, came to our door the other night when I was trying to fix dinner. I sent Ben to answer it because I was tired, hungry, and frankly a little annoyed because I was not in the mood to hand out candy. Anyway, she asked Ben if she could see me so I begrudgingly washed my hands and went to the door...only to find her standing there with a bouqet of beautiful flowers that she had picked for me. Talk about a hit in the gut. When I was working in social work in the United States, I got really tired of the "gimme gimme, I'm entitled to everything I can get" attitude. This just reminded me how different the feeling is here.
I have also had time to sit and talk and make friends with a woman named Meti. She works in the garden behind our house and cleans many of the missionaries homes. (for about $0.66/hour) She is a wonderful Christian woman and, like a group of Nazarene nationals here, is trying to raise enough money to go come with the missionaries for general assembly in Orlando. (I don't really know how this is possible- but I'm guessing the Nazarene church has some kind of matching fund, or the missionaries are supplementing in some way.) She is incredibly excited about the opportunity to come to the U.S. Anyway, it started raining the other day, so we had the opportunity to just sit and talk on the front porch. She started telling me a little bit about her story. She has three teenagers at home and her husband left her last December and married another woman. She's having trouble supporting her family, and completing both his and her responsibilities, but then she said, amidst the tears, "but I know that God is with me." She literally has nothing. Yeah, just makes you think.
Ben had the opportunity this week to pray with a family that had lost a child. Basically the one-year-old girl, who was a twin, fell out of her bed (a bilam hooked like a hammock onto the wall) and died instantly. The mother went into shock and they brought her to the hospital. I'll let him tell more about it in his blog if he wants, but I know he thought it was a pretty amazing experience to be able to comfort them with prayer right there in the hospital. No questions asked.
To end on a positive note, Caleb has learned an awsome trick- he can throw up the "people's eyebrow" on command. Everyone is pretty amused by it here, so we look forward to being able to show off his newfound skill when we return. There is a picture on Ben's blog, but it just doesn't do it justice!
Alright, enough from me. I hope this finds everyone well. We sure are having a great time here, but we love hearing from you all!
Friday evening we had a game and dessert night with all of the missionaries. We had such an amazing time, and the more time we spend with these people (sorry to say this mom) the more we realize that we could do this sometime down the road. (Although I'm not sure Ben will bring me next time after losing money and ruining our camera. It seems I may be more of a risk then benefit.) Life is just so much simpler- not necessarily easier- just simpler. Families spend time together and really enjoy each other. The teenagers and kids were all right in there playing games with the adults. It just felt like the way things should be!
The native children have been hanging around a bit more lately. I gave some cookies out a couple of weeks ago and I think the word has spread. We don't really have much candy left, so I gave them a pack of gum the other day. I hope they know what to do with it. :) Oh well, I'm sure they will come up with something creative if they don't know. One of the little girls we have met, Lilly, came to our door the other night when I was trying to fix dinner. I sent Ben to answer it because I was tired, hungry, and frankly a little annoyed because I was not in the mood to hand out candy. Anyway, she asked Ben if she could see me so I begrudgingly washed my hands and went to the door...only to find her standing there with a bouqet of beautiful flowers that she had picked for me. Talk about a hit in the gut. When I was working in social work in the United States, I got really tired of the "gimme gimme, I'm entitled to everything I can get" attitude. This just reminded me how different the feeling is here.
I have also had time to sit and talk and make friends with a woman named Meti. She works in the garden behind our house and cleans many of the missionaries homes. (for about $0.66/hour) She is a wonderful Christian woman and, like a group of Nazarene nationals here, is trying to raise enough money to go come with the missionaries for general assembly in Orlando. (I don't really know how this is possible- but I'm guessing the Nazarene church has some kind of matching fund, or the missionaries are supplementing in some way.) She is incredibly excited about the opportunity to come to the U.S. Anyway, it started raining the other day, so we had the opportunity to just sit and talk on the front porch. She started telling me a little bit about her story. She has three teenagers at home and her husband left her last December and married another woman. She's having trouble supporting her family, and completing both his and her responsibilities, but then she said, amidst the tears, "but I know that God is with me." She literally has nothing. Yeah, just makes you think.
Ben had the opportunity this week to pray with a family that had lost a child. Basically the one-year-old girl, who was a twin, fell out of her bed (a bilam hooked like a hammock onto the wall) and died instantly. The mother went into shock and they brought her to the hospital. I'll let him tell more about it in his blog if he wants, but I know he thought it was a pretty amazing experience to be able to comfort them with prayer right there in the hospital. No questions asked.
To end on a positive note, Caleb has learned an awsome trick- he can throw up the "people's eyebrow" on command. Everyone is pretty amused by it here, so we look forward to being able to show off his newfound skill when we return. There is a picture on Ben's blog, but it just doesn't do it justice!
Alright, enough from me. I hope this finds everyone well. We sure are having a great time here, but we love hearing from you all!
more adventures
Hey Everybody,
Well, Ben did an ultrasound on me today (we just happened to be in the room and wanted to play around with the machine) and wouldn't ya know it- there's a baby in there. Cletus the fetus 2 was doing his little acrobatics and we saw the little heart going strong. I'm 11 weeks now, so we'll be seeing the little booger around Halloween. We've already informed Cletus that he/she is not wecome until that point. Just wanted you all to know.
We walked down to the river today. It was horribly muddy and I put on a good comedy for the natives as I sunk down in the mud past my ankles...with sandles on...holding Caleb. Yeah, they thought it was hillarious- but not one hand to help me out. Keep the laughs coming white girl! After much struggle, and mud flying up my dumb skirt I finally broke free. We were able to clean off in the brown river that smelled like poo...and I felt completely refreshed. We really did end up having a pretty good time. I felt very "natural" walking the mile back with mud stains.
One thing that has taken some getting used to is being the center of attention. The natives just think that white people, especially when they are two and crying, are just the most entertaining thing possible. There are always crowds following us. They are very friendly and always say a greeting, but after you walk past they start giggling. A missionary has told us that they just think it is funny that they are brave enough to talk to the "white skins". That aside, they are a very compassionate people. I forgot to mention that when I lost my wallet in town, I kind of broke down for a minute because Caleb was acting very "two" at the same moment. ("Two" is no longer a number, it is an adjective) Anyway, our watchman that was riding with us was in the back of the van started crying too. He kept saying sorry to me and felt so bad that this had happened. It was so sweet!
(Angie, you've already heard this, but I'm gonna pull some of what I wrote to you so I don't have to think about it too much again.) I do have some bad news, the baby in the picture that I sent last e-mail passed away. They have actually lost quite a few babies this past week. In fact, it is customary not to name kids until they are about a year old to make it "easier" to deal with a loss. Absolutely crazy. How blessed I was to have been born in the U.S. If we were here, even as missionaries, Caleb and I both probably wouldn't have made it. But, then, how horrible I feel for saying that when I hear moms wailing from the hospital after they have just lost a child. It's just so crazy! Like I have said before, I can't even wrap my mind around most things I see and hear.
I hate to end on that note, so I will just talk about the missionaries a little bit. They are such amazing people and have really given up so much to be here- yet at the same time they are so blessed in that there are so few of the distractions that we have in the U.S. It's so easy to focus on God and family here...and it really is beautiful. I know we will miss it. Alright, that's all for now. Hope you all are doing well! We miss everyone!! Love-
The Kumors
Well, Ben did an ultrasound on me today (we just happened to be in the room and wanted to play around with the machine) and wouldn't ya know it- there's a baby in there. Cletus the fetus 2 was doing his little acrobatics and we saw the little heart going strong. I'm 11 weeks now, so we'll be seeing the little booger around Halloween. We've already informed Cletus that he/she is not wecome until that point. Just wanted you all to know.
We walked down to the river today. It was horribly muddy and I put on a good comedy for the natives as I sunk down in the mud past my ankles...with sandles on...holding Caleb. Yeah, they thought it was hillarious- but not one hand to help me out. Keep the laughs coming white girl! After much struggle, and mud flying up my dumb skirt I finally broke free. We were able to clean off in the brown river that smelled like poo...and I felt completely refreshed. We really did end up having a pretty good time. I felt very "natural" walking the mile back with mud stains.
One thing that has taken some getting used to is being the center of attention. The natives just think that white people, especially when they are two and crying, are just the most entertaining thing possible. There are always crowds following us. They are very friendly and always say a greeting, but after you walk past they start giggling. A missionary has told us that they just think it is funny that they are brave enough to talk to the "white skins". That aside, they are a very compassionate people. I forgot to mention that when I lost my wallet in town, I kind of broke down for a minute because Caleb was acting very "two" at the same moment. ("Two" is no longer a number, it is an adjective) Anyway, our watchman that was riding with us was in the back of the van started crying too. He kept saying sorry to me and felt so bad that this had happened. It was so sweet!
(Angie, you've already heard this, but I'm gonna pull some of what I wrote to you so I don't have to think about it too much again.) I do have some bad news, the baby in the picture that I sent last e-mail passed away. They have actually lost quite a few babies this past week. In fact, it is customary not to name kids until they are about a year old to make it "easier" to deal with a loss. Absolutely crazy. How blessed I was to have been born in the U.S. If we were here, even as missionaries, Caleb and I both probably wouldn't have made it. But, then, how horrible I feel for saying that when I hear moms wailing from the hospital after they have just lost a child. It's just so crazy! Like I have said before, I can't even wrap my mind around most things I see and hear.
I hate to end on that note, so I will just talk about the missionaries a little bit. They are such amazing people and have really given up so much to be here- yet at the same time they are so blessed in that there are so few of the distractions that we have in the U.S. It's so easy to focus on God and family here...and it really is beautiful. I know we will miss it. Alright, that's all for now. Hope you all are doing well! We miss everyone!! Love-
The Kumors
crazy pic
I know I mentioned the high infant mortality rate in another e-mail. There was a case the other night, however, of a little baby born at 27 weeks that is still hanging in there. Josh was on call and went to the hospital for this woman who was in labor. Him and the other doctor were talking close to the bed when they looked over and the baby had delivered on its own, with the sac and placenta still intact. I guess this is a pretty crazy thing. This is the picture they took directly after. You can see the baby's face smashed up against the sac. (Ben wanted me to add that the big "meaty looking thing" in the picture is the placenta.) Pray for this little one. Premies don't usually make it around here. (We were remembering the many times when Caleb was in the NICU and would have apneas. His moniters would all go off and a nurse would come and shake him, tap his feet, etc. to get him breathing again. The sad thing is that sometimes, babies here die because there are no oximiters or moniters that go off in the night when they stop breathing- so no one knows to stimulate them.)
On another note, we went to the market yesterday. I got my first taste of PNG crime when my wallet was lifted. It didn't have tons of money in it, but it did carry my visa bank card. The missionary told me that this is the best country to lose that in because they won't be able to figure out a way to use it. So we are on the look out for a little PNG boy with a red shirt- probably coming out of a store with LOTS of candy. :)
Tomorrow is Sarah and Josh's last day here with us. We will be sad to see them go. Time is truly flying here, but we are learning alot. I guess we feel like we have to take in as much as possible, and learn as much as we can- otherwise we have been horrible stewards of thousands of dollars. One thing I want to mention to all of you is the new hospital that is being built here. It is mostly funded by the Australian government and PNG people, but will carry the Nazarene name. The building project is in danger, however, because they don't have the funds to complete the sewer system. The missionaries use their furlows in the US to raise funds, but there are only so many people they can reach. All over the U.S. we build million dollar buidlings to improve upon the already adequate buildings we have, yet our Christian brothers across the world are happy to have a roof. The least we can do is remember to pray for them. God knows how this building will be completed.
I hope I don't strike any cords with the things I write, but this trip has just been so eye-opening. I have been a Nazarene all of my life, but knew nothing about this ministry here. This is the only Nazarene hospital in the world. Can we all who call ourselves Nazarenes just remember to pray for it?
On another note, we went to the market yesterday. I got my first taste of PNG crime when my wallet was lifted. It didn't have tons of money in it, but it did carry my visa bank card. The missionary told me that this is the best country to lose that in because they won't be able to figure out a way to use it. So we are on the look out for a little PNG boy with a red shirt- probably coming out of a store with LOTS of candy. :)
Tomorrow is Sarah and Josh's last day here with us. We will be sad to see them go. Time is truly flying here, but we are learning alot. I guess we feel like we have to take in as much as possible, and learn as much as we can- otherwise we have been horrible stewards of thousands of dollars. One thing I want to mention to all of you is the new hospital that is being built here. It is mostly funded by the Australian government and PNG people, but will carry the Nazarene name. The building project is in danger, however, because they don't have the funds to complete the sewer system. The missionaries use their furlows in the US to raise funds, but there are only so many people they can reach. All over the U.S. we build million dollar buidlings to improve upon the already adequate buildings we have, yet our Christian brothers across the world are happy to have a roof. The least we can do is remember to pray for them. God knows how this building will be completed.
I hope I don't strike any cords with the things I write, but this trip has just been so eye-opening. I have been a Nazarene all of my life, but knew nothing about this ministry here. This is the only Nazarene hospital in the world. Can we all who call ourselves Nazarenes just remember to pray for it?
Singaut long teksi i kam long mi
I realized that I haven't sat down to write for awhile, and after sitting through my first PNG service today at the Nazarene Bible College, I thought it was a good time. It's been 8 hours since we were released from the church service, but I still can't seem to wrap my mind around the experience. It was completely humbling/eye openeing. I'm going to try and put into words everything I felt, but I know I will fail to do the church any justice- so bear with me...It's better than nothing. :) From the moment we walked into the service, we were welcomed with warm smiles and hand shakes. People were genuinely happy to have us. Many of the songs were the same as you would hear in the states, just translated to tok pisin. (I think my favorite phrase that they use is "Papa God".) During the worship, the leader of music in an attempt to humble himself, sang with his back to the congregation and facing the cross. It was clear that no one on stage was looking for personal edification.
At the beginning of the service, two people came forward to give testimonies. (I'm not sure if this is something that happens regularly or not because I didn't understand what the pastor said before they came forward. Their testimonies were translated for us by the missionaries who brought us.) The man talked about how he used to fight all of the time. He was running around with nothing to do but cause trouble and was in a major argument with his brother. At that time, he was invited to church where a missionary from the hospital was preaching. He decided to give his life to God and now is studying to be a pastor at the Nazarene Bible College. He talked about how he had no joy when he was doing all of that running around- and now he has complete joy. The next person to talk was a woman. She talked about how she was living her life without peace, from the moment she woke up to the moment she laid down at night. Then Calvary found her and she now lives with peace. Joy and Peace. During both of the testimonies, my mind went to the other stories I have been hearing. Regarding the men, there are multiple cases a week in the hospital where meaningless fighting has led to serious injury. As for the women, the missionaries tell me that each and every woman on the compound have faced their own struggles. From domestic violence to the common occurance of losing children. (I'm losing count as to how many times Ben or Josh has come home to say that they lost a baby that day.) There is one woman who was kidnapped from her family and forced to marry a man many years her elder. She, however, has stuck by his side and become a strong Christian witness in their tribe. So when these people talk about peace and joy amidst their situations, it is certainly something that surpasses my understanding. It is not just a happy feeling that they get in church on Sunday that keeps them through the week. These are life changing concepts to them.
I think what moved me the most was when the pastor stood up at the end of the service and read Romans 10:14-15. He thanked the missionaries for their coming to Papua New Guinea. Then he started to cry and talked about how he would be lost without Calvary, but they took the time to bring it to sinners like him. The pastor of this church is a direct result of missionaries> mission budgets> our tithe. I saw it in action today, and even though the Nazarene church is far from perfect. (Very Far...hehe) I am proud to be a part of a denomination that believes in the great need for missions.
P.S. The subject line of this e-mail means "Please call a taxi for me". You never know when you will need to know that information. I hope it is life changing for you.
At the beginning of the service, two people came forward to give testimonies. (I'm not sure if this is something that happens regularly or not because I didn't understand what the pastor said before they came forward. Their testimonies were translated for us by the missionaries who brought us.) The man talked about how he used to fight all of the time. He was running around with nothing to do but cause trouble and was in a major argument with his brother. At that time, he was invited to church where a missionary from the hospital was preaching. He decided to give his life to God and now is studying to be a pastor at the Nazarene Bible College. He talked about how he had no joy when he was doing all of that running around- and now he has complete joy. The next person to talk was a woman. She talked about how she was living her life without peace, from the moment she woke up to the moment she laid down at night. Then Calvary found her and she now lives with peace. Joy and Peace. During both of the testimonies, my mind went to the other stories I have been hearing. Regarding the men, there are multiple cases a week in the hospital where meaningless fighting has led to serious injury. As for the women, the missionaries tell me that each and every woman on the compound have faced their own struggles. From domestic violence to the common occurance of losing children. (I'm losing count as to how many times Ben or Josh has come home to say that they lost a baby that day.) There is one woman who was kidnapped from her family and forced to marry a man many years her elder. She, however, has stuck by his side and become a strong Christian witness in their tribe. So when these people talk about peace and joy amidst their situations, it is certainly something that surpasses my understanding. It is not just a happy feeling that they get in church on Sunday that keeps them through the week. These are life changing concepts to them.
I think what moved me the most was when the pastor stood up at the end of the service and read Romans 10:14-15. He thanked the missionaries for their coming to Papua New Guinea. Then he started to cry and talked about how he would be lost without Calvary, but they took the time to bring it to sinners like him. The pastor of this church is a direct result of missionaries> mission budgets> our tithe. I saw it in action today, and even though the Nazarene church is far from perfect. (Very Far...hehe) I am proud to be a part of a denomination that believes in the great need for missions.
P.S. The subject line of this e-mail means "Please call a taxi for me". You never know when you will need to know that information. I hope it is life changing for you.
Easter in PNG
Happy Easter Everyone! Apenun!
We have had a beautiful and sunny Easter here in Papua New Guinea. There was a sunrise service this morning at one of the missionary homes at 6:30 a.m. I wasn't there, of course, but Ben said the sunrise was beautiful. We then had an Easter pot-luck at one of the missionaries homes. What great people we have here representing our faith. The more I get to know them, the more I know for sure that God hand selects these amazing people.
I wanted to write about a special event that occured last night. Our first tribal fight. At about 4 p.m. we started hearing loud shouts and cries coming from the market on the corner. (Not a market that we attend, or any of the missionaries really frequent becuase of the shady nature). Every once and awhile we would here a group of men break out in song then there were sounds of gunshots . We thought at first that a bride price had been named. This is what Sam (an MK) said last time we heard groups of people shouting. The shouting, however, sounded much more aggressive and unpleasant. The singing we heard was a victory song from one of the tribes, but as soon as they started singing, the other tribe came back with rocks full force. Pretty soon, we started seeing native workers that live on the compound crossing our yard and going to the back gate to see what was happening. That was when we knew this wasn't a normal occurance. We came to find out later that the hospital lies on land in between two tribes that are traditional enemies. The government gave the land to the Nazarene church to try and create a buffer zone. How lucky for us! This meant that we were in the middle of all of the action. If you know me, I was, of course, out with the camera trying to record some of the action. (I definitely get that from dad.) The shouting went on for about 3 hours, then at nightfall it suddenly stopped. Come to find out, there is an unwritten rule that the fighting stops at dark. Later, at dinner, we also found out that the gunshots we heard were the police trying to break up the fight. They, however, don't get too involved because they are scared as well of the large groups of people. Dr. Bennet informed us, however, that we are safe on the compound. He said that no one would do harm to the hospital because each tribe knows that it is the health care for the whole area, and whoever laid harm to it would enjoy the wrath of all of the other tribes within days of this vacinity. We were, however, all happy that the fighting did not pick up again on Easter Sunday morning.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. As you go to service today, remember these two tribes in prayer, that through the hospital more and more of them would come to know the Lord.
We have had a beautiful and sunny Easter here in Papua New Guinea. There was a sunrise service this morning at one of the missionary homes at 6:30 a.m. I wasn't there, of course, but Ben said the sunrise was beautiful. We then had an Easter pot-luck at one of the missionaries homes. What great people we have here representing our faith. The more I get to know them, the more I know for sure that God hand selects these amazing people.
I wanted to write about a special event that occured last night. Our first tribal fight. At about 4 p.m. we started hearing loud shouts and cries coming from the market on the corner. (Not a market that we attend, or any of the missionaries really frequent becuase of the shady nature). Every once and awhile we would here a group of men break out in song then there were sounds of gunshots . We thought at first that a bride price had been named. This is what Sam (an MK) said last time we heard groups of people shouting. The shouting, however, sounded much more aggressive and unpleasant. The singing we heard was a victory song from one of the tribes, but as soon as they started singing, the other tribe came back with rocks full force. Pretty soon, we started seeing native workers that live on the compound crossing our yard and going to the back gate to see what was happening. That was when we knew this wasn't a normal occurance. We came to find out later that the hospital lies on land in between two tribes that are traditional enemies. The government gave the land to the Nazarene church to try and create a buffer zone. How lucky for us! This meant that we were in the middle of all of the action. If you know me, I was, of course, out with the camera trying to record some of the action. (I definitely get that from dad.) The shouting went on for about 3 hours, then at nightfall it suddenly stopped. Come to find out, there is an unwritten rule that the fighting stops at dark. Later, at dinner, we also found out that the gunshots we heard were the police trying to break up the fight. They, however, don't get too involved because they are scared as well of the large groups of people. Dr. Bennet informed us, however, that we are safe on the compound. He said that no one would do harm to the hospital because each tribe knows that it is the health care for the whole area, and whoever laid harm to it would enjoy the wrath of all of the other tribes within days of this vacinity. We were, however, all happy that the fighting did not pick up again on Easter Sunday morning.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. As you go to service today, remember these two tribes in prayer, that through the hospital more and more of them would come to know the Lord.
To market, to market, holy cow! Did I just see a fat pig?
Hello from PNG!
Yesterday we ventured into town for the market with one of the other missionary wives and it ended up (like most events here probably will be) something new and worth writing about.
Judy (doctor Bennett's wife) picked us up in the mission van at about 9 and we headed out of the mission....nothing abnormal. We drove up the lane a bit and Judy stopped again, opening the door and inviting in a native man holding a machete. "This is Simon," she said,"he will be our watchman today." Then we drove about 100 more yards and stopped at the gate to say a prayer for our safety. Remember the little fear I mentioned in the previous e-mail? Yeah, this didn't help.
During the 45 minute drive into Mt. Hagen I was still amazed at the number of people just walking or sitting along the roads. (We talked to one of the missionaries about this at dinner last night. Most of the people in this area have 0 annual income and are purely sustinence farmers. The men are in charge of planting and harvesting, but the women are in charge of maintaining, so after the planting, the men don't have much to do.) When we got into town I found it was much the same. There were people EVERYWHERE...and boy did we stick out. People are fascinated by Caleb and would just follow us wherever we went. He handled this very well for the shy boy that he is.
The first couple stores we went to were fairly modern. The main one was similar to a walmart. There were groceries on one side and then clothes, shoes, etc. on the other. Surprisingly, there are alot of the same brands we have in the U.S. However, those things are obviously more expensive than the foreign brands and most of them are old or expired. (I was excited to see that there were Fruit Loops, but upon bringing them home, found out they had expired last month....they kind of tasted like colored cardboard). Everyone was waving us to their isle and I felt bad having to choose.
After lunch, (at a modern hotel where Caleb got naked into the pool) we went to an open air market. The vegetables were beautiful and so inexpensive in comparison to the U.S. ( For example, I paid about $.10 for tomatoes and $.33 for a pile of potatoes) Again, there, everyone loved Caleb. He, of course, wanted to touch everything and the people would just give him whatever he was touching. I felt bad and wanted to pay, but Judy said they are more than happy to give to him and would be offended if I didn't take it. This made for a very heavy market bag for me. Thank goodness he didn't touch any watermelons or pinapples.
After the market, we headed home. The shopping took about 6 hours because of the crowds. Good thing I had some time on my hands. :)
I was amazed at how comfortable I felt by the end of the day. The people are so kind and generous. They are always smiling and wanting to shake hands. Judy said that they wondered at first where the people were that caused the problems, because everyone was so sweet. They found out, though, that it is the same people. They always come home by 4 p.m. because that is about when the drinking starts. Then, from there, it is just so easy for fights to break out when a machete is readily available if tempers flair. On they way back into the compound, Judy was showing us the line it is safe to walk to by ourselves. The women are seen as weak in this culture and easy targets for violence. Judy mentioned that her maid wears about 7 drawstring shorts under her skirt to help protect her from a rape. What police forces there are near the cities are in most cases full of corruption. We ate with a New Guinea native doctor that is doing a rotation at the hospital and he talked about the sad state that the country is in. New Guinea has such amazing resources, but is still an undeveloping nation solely because of corruption and theft among leadership and big issues involved with tribalism. That was another interesting thing about the hospital here. There are some interesting rules involving tribal warfare. Basically, the hospital will only treat one side of a tribal fight. When we asked how they choose, Dr. Bennet said whichever one gets there first. They won't treat the others then because they don't want to bring the violence onto the compound. They also make people pay higher fees if they are coming in for such things as tribal warfare or spousal abuse. There are many things they are able to do here that you would never get away with in the U.S. One last thing I wanted to mention is how the missionaries view Aids here. Evidently Papua New Guinea is in the same place that Africa was ten years ago with aids. They are working very hard on prevention so that it doesn't escalate to the same state. They view it however, as a tragedy, but opportunity. They are finally able to teach monogomy. Before, Judy said, because of their culture, they didn't understand why they had to only be with one person. Now, however, the missionaries can teach that if they have sex with numerous people or prostitutes then come home and be with their wives they could die. It is very effective. :)
I dont' say all of that to worry you, mom, or make it sound that I should be constantly scared, because I'm really not. I actually feel completely comfortable and Sara and Caleb and I took a long walk this morning around the compound. It is just that being here makes you realize how many people are in need of a peace in their lives. We were fortunate to be born in a country where we don't live in fear each day that we may be raped or be involved in tribal or domestic fights involving machetes. People in the US don't understand how much we need a Savior because we have other ways to give our lives meaning and importance- through our careers, our families, our posessions, you name it. There are so many distractions to us and compromises that are made in the church to make everyone feel comfortable and happy. It is such a gut-wrenching experience to see the other side. Just simple people with absolutley nothing who need peace, hope, and joy- and know that it can come from nothing they have. I know this is alot of religious talk, but you can't be here and eat with these missionaries, see the countryside, and talk to the people and not think about God every moment. I really like it.
Yesterday we ventured into town for the market with one of the other missionary wives and it ended up (like most events here probably will be) something new and worth writing about.
Judy (doctor Bennett's wife) picked us up in the mission van at about 9 and we headed out of the mission....nothing abnormal. We drove up the lane a bit and Judy stopped again, opening the door and inviting in a native man holding a machete. "This is Simon," she said,"he will be our watchman today." Then we drove about 100 more yards and stopped at the gate to say a prayer for our safety. Remember the little fear I mentioned in the previous e-mail? Yeah, this didn't help.
During the 45 minute drive into Mt. Hagen I was still amazed at the number of people just walking or sitting along the roads. (We talked to one of the missionaries about this at dinner last night. Most of the people in this area have 0 annual income and are purely sustinence farmers. The men are in charge of planting and harvesting, but the women are in charge of maintaining, so after the planting, the men don't have much to do.) When we got into town I found it was much the same. There were people EVERYWHERE...and boy did we stick out. People are fascinated by Caleb and would just follow us wherever we went. He handled this very well for the shy boy that he is.
The first couple stores we went to were fairly modern. The main one was similar to a walmart. There were groceries on one side and then clothes, shoes, etc. on the other. Surprisingly, there are alot of the same brands we have in the U.S. However, those things are obviously more expensive than the foreign brands and most of them are old or expired. (I was excited to see that there were Fruit Loops, but upon bringing them home, found out they had expired last month....they kind of tasted like colored cardboard). Everyone was waving us to their isle and I felt bad having to choose.
After lunch, (at a modern hotel where Caleb got naked into the pool) we went to an open air market. The vegetables were beautiful and so inexpensive in comparison to the U.S. ( For example, I paid about $.10 for tomatoes and $.33 for a pile of potatoes) Again, there, everyone loved Caleb. He, of course, wanted to touch everything and the people would just give him whatever he was touching. I felt bad and wanted to pay, but Judy said they are more than happy to give to him and would be offended if I didn't take it. This made for a very heavy market bag for me. Thank goodness he didn't touch any watermelons or pinapples.
After the market, we headed home. The shopping took about 6 hours because of the crowds. Good thing I had some time on my hands. :)
I was amazed at how comfortable I felt by the end of the day. The people are so kind and generous. They are always smiling and wanting to shake hands. Judy said that they wondered at first where the people were that caused the problems, because everyone was so sweet. They found out, though, that it is the same people. They always come home by 4 p.m. because that is about when the drinking starts. Then, from there, it is just so easy for fights to break out when a machete is readily available if tempers flair. On they way back into the compound, Judy was showing us the line it is safe to walk to by ourselves. The women are seen as weak in this culture and easy targets for violence. Judy mentioned that her maid wears about 7 drawstring shorts under her skirt to help protect her from a rape. What police forces there are near the cities are in most cases full of corruption. We ate with a New Guinea native doctor that is doing a rotation at the hospital and he talked about the sad state that the country is in. New Guinea has such amazing resources, but is still an undeveloping nation solely because of corruption and theft among leadership and big issues involved with tribalism. That was another interesting thing about the hospital here. There are some interesting rules involving tribal warfare. Basically, the hospital will only treat one side of a tribal fight. When we asked how they choose, Dr. Bennet said whichever one gets there first. They won't treat the others then because they don't want to bring the violence onto the compound. They also make people pay higher fees if they are coming in for such things as tribal warfare or spousal abuse. There are many things they are able to do here that you would never get away with in the U.S. One last thing I wanted to mention is how the missionaries view Aids here. Evidently Papua New Guinea is in the same place that Africa was ten years ago with aids. They are working very hard on prevention so that it doesn't escalate to the same state. They view it however, as a tragedy, but opportunity. They are finally able to teach monogomy. Before, Judy said, because of their culture, they didn't understand why they had to only be with one person. Now, however, the missionaries can teach that if they have sex with numerous people or prostitutes then come home and be with their wives they could die. It is very effective. :)
I dont' say all of that to worry you, mom, or make it sound that I should be constantly scared, because I'm really not. I actually feel completely comfortable and Sara and Caleb and I took a long walk this morning around the compound. It is just that being here makes you realize how many people are in need of a peace in their lives. We were fortunate to be born in a country where we don't live in fear each day that we may be raped or be involved in tribal or domestic fights involving machetes. People in the US don't understand how much we need a Savior because we have other ways to give our lives meaning and importance- through our careers, our families, our posessions, you name it. There are so many distractions to us and compromises that are made in the church to make everyone feel comfortable and happy. It is such a gut-wrenching experience to see the other side. Just simple people with absolutley nothing who need peace, hope, and joy- and know that it can come from nothing they have. I know this is alot of religious talk, but you can't be here and eat with these missionaries, see the countryside, and talk to the people and not think about God every moment. I really like it.
Planes, planes, & more planes
After the LONGEST 24 hours of our lives, we have safely arrived to our exotic home in Kudjip. I will rehash the details later, but I am still sleep deprived and waiting expectantly for evening, so it's just too fresh to discuss right now.
Words can't describe how beautiful the scenery is. Outside our front door is a breathtaking view of the forest covered mountains and both the front and back windows display flowers out of a national geographic picture. Checkered throughout the countryside around us are little thatchet houses and a beautiful stream.
We are actually staying in a three bedroom house with our friends, Josh and Sarah. One of the missionary families left and the house was empty for us to use. It is in a little "campground like" setting with the other missionary houses and native workers from the hospital around. It is 300 times better than the accomodations I expected. We have a bathroom complete with shower and they have a pack and play set up for Caleb in his own room. We do have little ants, but that is far better than the giant spiders and snakes I pictured crawling through the house.
The missionaries already refer to themselves when talking to Caleb as "aunts and uncles" and one family had us over for lunch about an hour after we arrived. They are so welcoming towards us and I'm sure will watch out for us.
All of that being said, I still hold on to a few fears, mainly about safety. It is a different culture with tribal spats, domestic abuse involving machetes, and impoverished people living in a neverending cycle. Driving home from the airport, there were literally hundreds of people just sitting or walking in groups along the road, nothing to do. As I walked into our bedroom, though, I saw that there is a sign above our bed that reads, "Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's great pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32) It will be a great reminder to read that each night and morning. A sweet small whisper that we are doing this for the Lord, and this is what he calls Christians to do....no matter what may come, because we are eternally safe in His arms.
There is so much to say and we have only been here for 5 hours. I am too tired to keep sitting and typing though. We are trying to stay up until 7 at least so that we can get on the right schedule. Thank you for your prayers as we travelled...there were many times I felt God was working with Caleb especially. He really was a trooper and no matter how many planes we had been on, was always amazingly excited to get on the next. Again though- more about that later. I just can't bring myself to talk about planes. Ugh.
Yay, we made it!!!!! :) Love
Stephanie, Ben, and Caleb
Words can't describe how beautiful the scenery is. Outside our front door is a breathtaking view of the forest covered mountains and both the front and back windows display flowers out of a national geographic picture. Checkered throughout the countryside around us are little thatchet houses and a beautiful stream.
We are actually staying in a three bedroom house with our friends, Josh and Sarah. One of the missionary families left and the house was empty for us to use. It is in a little "campground like" setting with the other missionary houses and native workers from the hospital around. It is 300 times better than the accomodations I expected. We have a bathroom complete with shower and they have a pack and play set up for Caleb in his own room. We do have little ants, but that is far better than the giant spiders and snakes I pictured crawling through the house.
The missionaries already refer to themselves when talking to Caleb as "aunts and uncles" and one family had us over for lunch about an hour after we arrived. They are so welcoming towards us and I'm sure will watch out for us.
All of that being said, I still hold on to a few fears, mainly about safety. It is a different culture with tribal spats, domestic abuse involving machetes, and impoverished people living in a neverending cycle. Driving home from the airport, there were literally hundreds of people just sitting or walking in groups along the road, nothing to do. As I walked into our bedroom, though, I saw that there is a sign above our bed that reads, "Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's great pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32) It will be a great reminder to read that each night and morning. A sweet small whisper that we are doing this for the Lord, and this is what he calls Christians to do....no matter what may come, because we are eternally safe in His arms.
There is so much to say and we have only been here for 5 hours. I am too tired to keep sitting and typing though. We are trying to stay up until 7 at least so that we can get on the right schedule. Thank you for your prayers as we travelled...there were many times I felt God was working with Caleb especially. He really was a trooper and no matter how many planes we had been on, was always amazingly excited to get on the next. Again though- more about that later. I just can't bring myself to talk about planes. Ugh.
Yay, we made it!!!!! :) Love
Stephanie, Ben, and Caleb
Thanks for coming by.
Well, I actually started this page about 2 1/2 years ago. Caleb wasn't due for another few months and I was planning to talk about the last stages of his pregnancy. Obviously, less than two weeks later I delivered Caleb. What I thought was him pushing up against the corner of my belly was actually contractions and I had been having them for awhile. I went in for a regular check up and evidently I was in active labor and dialated to 5 cm. Anyway I had preeclamsia, and we were able to hold off for a week before he was induced because it had turned severe. Needless to say, I didn't have much time to write after that. Caleb was born at 30 weeks and had to stay in the NICU for 45 days. He, however, has caught up, even excelled developmentally and he really is such a bright spot in the family.
Now, at the start of a new journey, I'll attempt again to chronicle some of our lives. We are currently in Papua New Guinea where Ben will do his final rotations at the Nazarene mission hospital in Kudjip. It has been quite the adventure. (I have been sending out e-mails, but since blogs are the cool thing to do now, I will be moving all of the previous letters on to here.) Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
Now, at the start of a new journey, I'll attempt again to chronicle some of our lives. We are currently in Papua New Guinea where Ben will do his final rotations at the Nazarene mission hospital in Kudjip. It has been quite the adventure. (I have been sending out e-mails, but since blogs are the cool thing to do now, I will be moving all of the previous letters on to here.) Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
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