Chris and Maggie Hostetter In the service of Christ Solar/Electrical Invoice
We received our invoice today from New Tribes Mission’s Tech Center for all our electrical and solar stuff. It is now being packed and will soon be shipped and we hope it arrives here by October of this year. This order includes just about everything we need to power our house. Included is solar panels, charge controller, inverter, lights and fixtures, DC outlets, lots and lots of wires, surge suppression, tools needed for installing everything, and instructions for installing and using everything.
The cost for this order is $6,074.86.
If you would like to help us pay for this order please click the “Give” link above.
Lastly, if taking a trip to Papua New Guinea to help build a house sounds like fun, be thinking about the end of October or the beginning of November.
Thank you and have a great day!
Klinim Gras!
Yesterday, a large group of guys from a three-hours-hike-away village came to help us clear the land where our house is going to be. Yesterday we chatted with them and marked out the area we wanted cleared and then this morning they got to work. It was amazing how much they could accomplish in such little time. I tried my hand at hacking bush with a bush-knife and I managed to cut a few blades of grass without cutting my own leg, but I did come out with a blister on my right hand. We spent most of the morning at work clearing the jungle and then took a break for lunch. After lunch, many of the guys went back to work to finish up, but a few other guys told me to sit with them and learn some “tok ples” (their language). So I sat with them and had them give me 10 different command utterances in the Pal language (You sit down. You stand up. You go outside. You go get the bush knife. Etc.). After I got them written down so I could study later I had one man start giving me the commands and I would obey, if I could remember what I was being commanded to do. After a little while I had mastered those 10 utterances and I asked for 10 more. After mastering the next 10 I went back through the 20 statements and rewrote them as “I” statements (I’m sitting down. I’m standing up. I’m going outside. Etc.). By mid-afternoon the work was done and the group was ready to head home as they had a long walk to make before dark. All in all it was a good day. It was exciting to get started on house building preparation, it was a good time of getting to know some more guys and loosening up with them, and I was able to move just a little bit further along in my knowledge and command of the Pal language. The first picture is the ‘before’ picture of the ground where (Lord willing) our future house will be, and the next two are the ‘during’ and ‘after’ pictures.
Culture Overload
Today was a busy day. A good day, but a busy day. Many, many people were here today for a variety of reasons and my mind struggled to keep up with who everyone was, where they came from, and why they were here. We, the Claasens and us, were faced with a number of different requests today from various peoples for various things. I am very thankful that Nate has spent a year already in this culture and was so much more prepared than I to respond appropriately to each thing that came up. It was a learning experience and, just like sky-diving, you free-fall until you figure out how to pull your parachute. Today was my first time sky-diving in Pal and I think I came out unscathed. And now that I’ve experienced that much more of Pal culture, next time I’ll be free falling less and floating gently with my parachute more. One of the things requested of us we have not given an answer to yet so please pray for wisdom in this matter. Also, please pray that we would respond wisely every time we are faced with decisions to make especially since many times we do not fully understand the issue as we do not yet fully understand Pal culture. Pray that God would be glorified and His Kingdom built here. We have a great relationship with the Pal people, thanks to our teammates who came before us, and we desire that everything we say and do will only strengthen that relationship.
I’ve figured out how to compress pics so that I can get them up on this blog from the tribe and our snail-paced internet, so there should be two pics with this and more coming with each new blog post. Enjoy!
A (maybe, sort of, probably) Typical Day in the Life of Chris and Maggie
We wake shortly after 6am to the sound of Cole thumping down the hallway, or Bailey crying in her crib, or another of the typical sounds our dear children make with the rising of the sun. We drag ourselves from the warmth and comfort of our bed and search the pantry for something to feed them; typically toast or oatmeal, and occasionally pancakes. 8am sharp (sometimes not so sharp) Chris leaves the house to go see the world (just the Pal world), build relationships, and learn language. He tries to get around to as many of the different villages as he can, getting to know the people, and allowing them get to know him. Each morning he’ll choose one village to stay awhile and pull out his notepad, pen, digital voice recorder, and camera all the while hoping that these modern tools will somehow help him get his mind around this language. Maggie spends her (maybe, sort of, probably) typical morning doing laundry and watching the kids. Often, some kids and ladies will come by and she’ll spend a little time visiting with them. By noon, Chris has come back home and Maggie has cooked lunch and served the kiddos. Shortly after noon Maggie heads out for language time. She usually heads for one of the closest villages and spends a couple hours learning language and building relationships with the ladies. Chris eats, then eats some more, then cleans up from lunch and puts the girls down (for their nap). The boys have (not so) quiet time and Chris spends an hour on the computer processing the things he has gained and learned that morning. Maggie returns at 3pm to find a shiny clean kitchen and 4 angels sitting around the table eating snack. She takes back her daycare and Chris uses the next hour for more language study on the computer. At 4pm-ish, Chris takes the kids outside to play and Maggie is free to start work on dinner. 5pm Chris and the kids come in to wash up and 5:30 is super supper. (Maggie’s cooking is always super). After supper we clean the kitchen and do all the dishes from the day while the kids are supposed to be (but not really doing so) cleaning up their toys. The kids are in bed and QUIET at 7:30pm and we spend another hour on language study. 8:30pm our minds are fried and our bodies lifeless so we veg for a little while before crawling into bed between 9:30-10pm. A few minutes later the sun is rising, Cole is thumping, Bailey is crying, and the next (maybe, sort of, probably) typical day in the life of Chris and Maggie has begun.
Maisie
As you know, our third child is a cute little girl whom we named Maisie. I like the name Maisie. Maggie likes the name Maisie. Maisie is a good name. . . until you move to Pal. We have learned very few words so far in the Pal language but this is one that we’ve repeatedly been taught. Every time we introduce our kids to people and give them Maisie’s name, they look at us funny and ask us again if she is a girl. When we assure them Maisie is indeed a girl then they comment that her name must be an English name and we nod our heads in agreement. Then, they explain the meaning of her name. The word “maisie” in Pal means “little boy.” You can see our problem.
Sick and dying teammate update! Nate Claasen, who was picked up by the chopper on Friday and flown to New Tribes’ medical clinic, has been diagnosed with Dengue Fever. There is no treatment for it other than fluids and rest and the sickness has really hit him hard. The last we heard he was doing a bit better and is hopefully on the road to recovery now. Lord willing they’ll be back here quite soon.
Our other teammates, the Lockwoods, are mending in California and are planning to be back in PNG this August. We eagerly await the return of both our teammates and are looking forward to the day we all are working together here in Pal to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for praying!
*The lack of pics is due to our internet capabilities (or lack thereof) out here in the ‘bush’. We are pretty much limited to plain text emails and little else. Thank you for understanding.
Day #4 – Our co-worker is medivaced
Our co-worker was medivaced earlier today.
Today is our 4th day in the Pal tribe and the day has not gone as planned.
It started just like any other. The kids were up at 6:15am and I got up with them. They played with toys and read books while I scrounged around for something to feed them. 6:45am our neighbor and coworker, Elizabeth Claasen, knocked on our door.
“We’re leaving,” she says. Her husband, Nate, had been sick and in bed for the previous few days with what we thought was malaria, but he was not responding to the medicine and was slowly getting worse. They had been in contact with the doctor and everyone agreed it was time to get him to help.
Their three boys came up to our house and had breakfast while Maggie and Elizabeth packed their things. 9am the helicopter showed up and our coworkers left to seek medical attention.
The helicopter had drawn a small crowd of people and we spent the next few hours visiting with them. We know so few of their names and even less words in their language.
It was lunch time when they departed and we came inside our house. Suitcases and tubs in need of unpacking are still strewn throughout the house. Someday we’ll get to those. We have language to learn and culture to experience but that too will wait for another day.
Now, our thoughts and prayers are with the Claasens. Please pray for the health of our coworkers.
And pray for the Gospel to go forth in Pal.
The Nambis!
Nambis = Beach
We’ve been on a New Tribes Center in the Madang Province for the last several days and while it is quite hot here, there are some perks. . .
We’ve been spending our short time here relaxing and getting to know the missionaries that live here, many of whom will play a vital role in our tribal ministry through supply buying, house building, language consulting, church planting consulting, and many other things. It has been a blessing and an encouragement getting to know them.
Here’s some more pics of our time here.
Saying Goodbye, Again
It’s been a wonderful six months in the highlands of PNG but now we must say goodbye to our friends here and move on to the next adventure. Chris did a mumu with his friends from the Nalepa house-line to say thanks and goodbye, and our missionary friends on center threw us a little goodbye party too.
Building the oven.
The other party.
A Place to Call “Home”
The day of our first helicopter flight into our new home in the jungle is getting closer! And we have recently received the wonderful news that our coworkers, the Lockwoods, are desiring to return to the tribe this summer. So, while we are able to move into their house and live there until they come back, we need to begin right away to gather all the materials and equipment we need to build our own house in the village.
We cannot do this on our own. We need you. Our costs are probably going to be $30,000+. Below we have listed some of the items we need for our solar powered electrical system and the appliances we’ll be using along with the costs for each item. Most of these things are only available in the USA and will need to be shipped over here for us to use.
If you would like to support our ministry by donating money to cover the cost of a piece of equipment for us, please click the “Give” link above! It only takes a minute or two and you can leave a note specifying what item your gift is for. If God is leading you to partner with us through monthly support, complete instructions are available on the “Give” page too.
5.8 cubic ft chest refrigerator: $1,050.00
2 lead/acid batteries: $250 each
6 solar panels: $314.50 each
Helicopter Shuttles: $500 each
4 Battery Cables: $17 each
Battery Desulfator: $130.41
Tin for Roof: $2400
Gas Stove:
Twin Tub Washing Machine:
Charge Controller: $647.20
Circuit Box: $485
Wires and Switches: $500
Lights: $200
Generator: $1,000
Soldering Tools: $47.32
Inverter: $1,381.81
Inverter Controller: $224.88
Grounding Plate: $21.72
Surge Suppressor: $138.02
Generator Fuse Disconnect: $54.44
To Pal!
Everything is set! We’ll be leaving here mid-April and then spending a week at the center in Madang province before moving into the tribe! We have a lot to do before we leave but we’re super excited to be taking the next step. Some of the things we have to do in the next few weeks:
Pack up and clean our house.
Decide what of our stuff is going with us, and what will stay here in storage.
Make decisions about refrigeration (there is currently no refrigerator in the house we’ll be staying in).
Buy some truck batteries.
Throw a party for our pidgin language helpers.
Have a culture/language kick-off.
Much, much more!
Thanks for your prayers and support as we make this big transition. We’ll keep you updated as we go!
The mountains of PNG are home to so many without the Gospel