Patrick and Dawn Eggleton Expanding the Reach of the Gospel in PNG Welcome to the NCA Math Classroom!
Imagine it being 6am. The darkness is gradually lifting. Most things are still, but there is the sound of music – hymn singing to be exact. Are your neighbors playing their stereo too loudly? Where could this sound be coming from?? Wednesday and Thursday of this week we were greeted by this music at 6am on those mornings. One of our neighboring tribal groups was having special church services this week. Loud speakers aren’t usually found in these villages, but they are often rented (along with batteries or a generator) for special occasions. I am very impressed by the commitment of our neighbors! Not many of us would be pursuing church services that began at 6am during the week. We could hear the singing and then the speaker from about 6am to 7am. I guess they finished their service by 7 or 8 so that the people could go on to work if needed! It was definitely a unique start for our day!
Welcome to the NCA Math Room!
It occurred to me that I had never given you a tour of my classroom here at NCA. Each term this year I have given the room a theme. First term the theme was based on the movie “Up” with Russell and Mr. Richardson challenging us to do math problems. Second term it was based on the movie “Finding Nemo”. Dory’s “I saw a quadratic! It went this way!” may not have come from the movie, but it was fun for the classroom. This term a student suggested “Calvin and Hobbes”, so I gave that a try. There is not a lot that Calvin does that I wanted to show as a model for my students, but I did find some pictures (and created some of my own captions) to let the classroom have this fun theme.
Last term my geometry students did a project where they had to create a frame with 5 or more sides that was properly miter cut. They did a great job of learning something about the angles needed, so I chose to use their frames for my primary bulletin board. I was very impressed by their work!
Each day my students start with a “Problem of the Day”, so the picture of Calvin with Hobbes “solving a math problem” (my idea – not usually a Calvin thing!) became the bulletin board at the front of my classroom. The caption states, “Solving problems is more fun with a friend” – and it is! I’m very grateful for the hardworking students that I see each day. They are making great progress while their parents are off translating scripture in a tribal village, or flying planes into that village!
Prealgebra students hard at work.
Algebra 2 students crunching the numbers!
Christmas Lotu
Eggletons - Christmas 2010
We pray you have had a wonderful Christmas. We have had a wonderful time here. Today was something very special – a Christmas lotu in a nearby village. “Lotu” in the trade language Tok Pidgin stands for “worship”. You would say you are going to “church”, but here most Christians would say they are going to “lotu”. Today we will try to take you along on our Christmas Lotu trip!
Christmas Lotu
Friends of ours invited us to attend a Christmas Lotu in a nearby village for December 26. A Christmas Lotu in Papua New Guinea usually extends over several days with services on each day. Our friend Dave – a pilot for NTMA – was invited to serve as a speaker for the last day of this village’s Christmas lotu. Our journey began by driving to a jungle area along the main highway where we met people from the village. We left the van with men from the village who would watch it for the day and then we began the hike into the village. Most of the hiking is through very tall grass called “kunai” (koo-nahee). Though we have had some good rains lately, we were thankful that the path was not ankle deep in mud. (That does happen during rainy season!)
After a hike over one of the hills in the area, we had to cross a river. There are few bridges in this area. Most people wade or swim across rivers – usually carrying some dry clothes to wear once the river is crossed. Fortunately the river was not too high, so we did not have to deal with wet clothing. Rivers are used for many things here – washing clothes, taking a bath, swimming, drinking water, and more! We encountered several taking their morning bath while we crossed the river this morning!
Upon arriving at the village, the ladies greeted us in a traditional sing-sing style. They were decorated with various plants and came marching toward and around us singing songs. The songs they sang were in their tribal language, so we did not know what they were saying. I heard one woman say that they were asking God’s spirit to work through us as we met with them today.
After several minutes of being circled by the singing women they came up to greet us. In this village, the traditional way of greeting a guest is to hug them – around the thighs! At first I wondered if they did that simply because we are so much taller than them, but they were definitely stooping down to squeeze us around the thighs. We felt very welcomed!
This village has a very nice building for their church. Often the church is simply a large grass hut, but this village has actually made a building with a steel roof and walls and the floor is concrete. It was very nice. They decorated the inside of the building with plants. They had dried corn stalks in the windows, sweet potatoes hanging from the ceiling, and different greens stuck between the wooden supports and the metal walls. It seemed very festive. This church was also very modern by having chairs – old desks where the desk part swings up so that you can sit down and then close the desk over your lap. There weren’t enough of these desks for everyone, so the rest of the people sat on the floor.
Before Dave came to speak there was singing and prayer. The songs were all in the local language. The sound of the singing was something like what you hear from old Indian (Native American) movies when they dance around the fires. They usually hit a note on a certain word and then let the sound slide up or down to another note. I have no idea how you would ever show that in a musical score!! They all seemed to know what to do, though. Sometimes they would hit drums with the singing. The drums were pieces of bamboo about 4 inches in diameter where they had stretched a piece of a plastic bag across the opening. They also would clap at times or even get up and dance a little. I wish we could have known what they were saying!
Usually if a missionary comes to a worship service, he is expected to speak – at least a little. Dave warned me of this, so I prepared a testimony in the trade language – tok pidgin. My pidgin is much better than it used to be, but it is still very awkward for me. I was thankful that Dave helped me “turn the talk” so that my thoughts would make sense. I shared how much I appreciated that God loves us and helps us to change and become more like Him. Following my testimony, Dave shared the Christmas story. Dave is an incredible speaker – in English or Tok Pidgin. I know the people really appreciated the way he emphasized how the birth of Jesus affected lives of many different types of people.
Following the message, the people also shared testimonies. The service extended at least for 2 hours. When the people from the village spoke, they usually used their tribal language. This just reinforced so much the importance of having missionaries learning the tribal languages and translating the scriptures into those languages. Though many of the people could communicate with the trade language “Tok Pidgin” they were uncomfortable with it when communicating things important to their hearts. They would often tell us what they were going to talk about in Pidgin, then they would talk for several minutes in their tribal language to the rest of the congregation. (Our kids were great! They know little Tok Pidgin and none of the tribal language. Two hours was a long time to sit with talk going on that you can’t understand!)
Following the service, Elizabeth and Ashley shared stickers with the children and some of the ladies. They liked to put them on their faces. In Pidgin this is called “bilasim” – decorating themselves. We saw people wearing the stickers the rest of the afternoon. We also got to enjoy a mumu – a large amount of food cooked together in a big pile – usually in a small hole in the ground that is mounded up to create a small hill. The mumu has all sorts of foods in it. The staple food of the people here is sweet potato, but there were also greens and some meat in the mumu for this special occasion.
A special treat for Dave was this red dish called “mareta”. It is like a type of seed that has this red coating that is almost like a sauce. You suck on the seed and then spit them out. It actually does have an interesting flavor compared to many of the very bland foods in the mumu. It also turns your mouth a very bright red! (We used plates, forks, napkins, and salt – all things that are not usually used in a real mumu!)
It was wonderful spending the day in this village. So often we stay at our support center and have little time to spend in the nearby villages. It was great to be with the people, getting to see how God is working in their lives. We hope that our short time with them today will impact them in a special way.
Not Stopping!
“We have finished the evangelistic lessons with 12 people trusting Christ as their Savior. I hope you don’t mind but we are not stopping. We’ve started new evangelism outreaches.” This is the message from a tribal Bible teacher to a missionary who is currently on home assignment! This village has had a long history of struggling with the gospel message, yet within the past few months and because of the courage of one of the leaders, they are now growing in the faith – and on their own – sharing the gospel with others in their area. This is so exciting!
Recently we had the joy of hearing from missionaries who work with the Inanbimali tribe. We shared in 2008 how the gospel came to this village. This group of believers and the missionaries undergo regular opposition from the unbelievers in their village. A group of about 10 try very hard to discourage the missionaries so much that they will leave. The missionaries are regularly encouraged, though, by the new life they see in the believers.
One story that was shared was of a man named Lawrence. Lawrence was one of the first believers among the Inanbimali. This last year he became very sick and then died. Death in the culture of this tribe is usually a very traumatic event. People are afraid of death and they often will threaten to have their spirits return to cause problems. Lawrence’s death is still talked about by the people. He died very peacefully. He even told people that he was ready to die. His widow, Gloria, could have responded in the way of her culture – with different rituals and accusations of spirits who caused the death. Instead, Gloria has become a leader among the women believers.
In this culture there is a common practice of “pay back”. Nothing is done for free. If someone were to give you a hand of bananas there would be an expectation of something given back in return. After studying scripture in the women’s Bible study, Gloria said that this tradition needed to change. She challenged the women to meet every Thursday before their regular meeting to go and help a family in their village. After helping, they would share a meal together with the family. The missionaries were even skeptical if this could really take place in the village. They decided to not provide any food for the meal to see if the people would really do this on their own. Before their first meeting, the ladies came to the missionaries and told them that they would do this all by themselves – and they have. The unbelievers in the village are simply “floored!” They don’t know what to think of these believers in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” This is so evident among the people here. As these stories from Kuman and Inanbimali share, the gospel is changing lives. Many people here live with what is often called “animistic fear,” yet the believers lose this look of fear and understand a peace that can only come from God. They are truly “new creations”.
Preparing God’s People for Works of Service
While New Tribes Mission works with many remote village groups here in Papua New Guinea, there are many other ministries reaching out to the people. Numonohi Christian Academy has the privilege to be able to assist the families of these other ministries by providing a quality education for their children. This last week several of the teachers took a day to go and visit some of the ministries we support in town.
NCA teachers visiting the MAF hangar.
MAF or Missionary Aviation Fellowship provides air transportation for many mission groups while also providing a low-cost travel alternative for national pastors and Christian leaders. They run regular routes among many remote airstrips – a service that is a great help to the people and the missionaries here. There are currently 4 pilots and their families living in Goroka. Many of the families with children request to be located in Goroka so that they can send the children to attend Numonohi Christian Academy. One of the pilot wives is now helping at the school by teaching music classes twice a week. We really appreciate the collaboration with this ministry.
Lots of technical needs aided by CRMF.
Another vital ministry for bush ministry is the radio. CRMF or Christian Radio Ministry Fellowship provides many services to missionaries and remote villages by assisting with technologies that are helpful to the ministry. They erect towers for antennas, service and repair radios, provide connections that allow radio users to access email and telephone, and much more. Currently three families working with CRMF send their children to our school.
The Evangelical Brotherhood Church is a mission from Switzerland. They have schools, Christian book stores, and other ministries scattered throughout Papua New Guinea. Three of the families from this mission also send their children to our school. Though the children speak German at home, they must learn to work in English at our school. It is amazing to watch their development with English as they attend classes at our school. Learning in a second language is very difficult, yet these children do a wonderful job each day, in addition to the nearly hour commute they travel each morning and evening.
Trained counselors share the gospel with those visiting the GBBC clinic.
The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism provides a Bible college in Goroka for national students. Goroka Baptist Bible College (GBBC) provides a seminary-like education for national Christian leaders. They try to meet the needs of the students by providing low cost housing and gardens for food. The students reach out with evangelistic efforts on a weekly basis and will eventually accept leadership in a church, often back in their remote tribal locations. GBBC also provides a clinic ministry to the national people. Over a hundred patients are seen every clinic day and each has the gospel shared with them personally by students from the school. It is a blessing to be able to support this ministry by providing an education for the children of the missionaries.
As we visited each of these ministries this week we were told over and over again how much they appreciated that God provided Numonohi Christian Academy to meet the needs of their families. Many of the ministries mentioned above could not be happening now if the families had to educate their own children at home. We are very thankful to play a small role in supporting these ministries.
Waving the White Flag
Surrendered!
Confidently the young people took up their instruments to lead the rest of us in singing for chapel. The songs were unfamiliar, but they were important to these seniors. After a couple of songs our own Nathan goes to the podium to address the rest of the school. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Life is all about the choices we make, he shared. Starting a new school year it is important to make the right choices. Like Nathan, the other seniors who shared with us on Tuesday emphasized the importance of taking a stand to follow after Christ. That probably seems pretty easy in a school full of children of missionaries, but it is also easy to “look” like you are doing all of the right things while the heart is still self-focused and self-centered.
The junior class introduced their slogan to our community Saturday night at their first skate night. “Surrendered!” Making good choices and learning to surrender our lives, to deny ourselves – these are a wonderful directions for our students this year. I pray the white flag of surrender will be evident in each life this year as they make the choice to be obedient to their heavenly Father, as they make choices that can either serve self or reach out in love to others. Please pray with us that the students of Numonohi Christian Academy will make those correct choices and learn true surrender in their innermost being.
Not Wise Nor Influential…
Ambose is a quiet, shy man from the Tobo people who meets regularly with missionary, Chad Mankins, to hear how Chad has translated the scripture into the Tobo language. Recently they were working on the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the tings that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” Ambose could relate to this verse. The “big men” or leaders of his village had not accepted the message shared from scripture. They continue to perform odd rituals, seeking cargo to come down to them from heaven or elsewhere. They think the believers are idiots, yet they are the ones who are blind. Recently a couple of these leaders began showing interest in the truths of scripture. Ambose wanted to share with them, in the same way he was taught. “Would you like me to help you with that?” Chad asked. “I would very much appreciate that,” said Ambose. Please pray for this group of believers in Tobo. They are starting to have a desire to share the truth with others in their village and with neighboring villages. The believers are not the usual leaders in the village – they are not the strongly vocal or the ones that people look up to. Some are seen as “idiots” for having followed after the white man’s teaching. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…” Pray that the shy and quiet, like Ambose, would allow God to accomplish what only He can do. Pray for wisdom for the Mankins and the Tobo church as they allow God to accomplish His work in their midst.
Dirty Pots in Ziangeret
What a wonderful break we had in the port city of Lae this last week. The moist sea air was very welcome after the last 6 weeks of our dusty dry season at our support center in the highlands. The New Tribes guest house in Lae is very close to the center of this second largest city in Papua New Guinea, so we were within easy driving distance of many stores and restaurants – luxuries we haven’t experienced for quite a while. The grocery store had so many items that don’t make the challenging trip into the highlands where we live. We enjoyed yogurt almost every day and even had sliced ham – like a deli meat for some of our meals. The television set had 40 channels! We were in channel flipping heaven – and soon realized that channel flipping probably has nothing to do with heaven!! We’re fine to be back to our one channel in the highlands that mostly shows rugby!!
Above is a picture of Lae from the 1970s when the airport was in the middle of town. This is now a series of roads. Apparently this was the place of Amelia Earhart’s last landing on her trip around the globe!
The Good News in Ziangeret
One of the tribal works updated us this week on how the believers from their village and the neighboring village have been diligently providing the good news of Christ to the Ziangeret people. Here is the story…
Think about it. Since April 12th, about 40 different men have been rotating through schedules of daily teaching. The 200+ people of Ziangeret have been hearing a new part of God’s story every day since then and this will continue through until July 23rd! Every day, the Ziangeret people gather at 7:30 in the morning to hear the Creation to Christ teaching. Every morning the Bible teachers from our village and the trainers from the neighboring village hike an hour over there to teach (about 10-15 men). Every morning about 10 am, they all hike back. At 4pm in the afternoon a new fresh group of men from our village and the neighboring village hike over. Another 15-20 men. they will be listening to the morning’s lesson again on cassette – at least two teachers with each of the 7 hamlets that make up the Ziangeret village. After the cassette, they will talk and answer the questions together from that morning’s lesson. Then about 9pm or 10 pm, the teachers all hike back in the dark to their home villages.
The next day, the schedule rotates and a new group of men hike in the morning and then another group in the afternoon! This has been going on since April 12th! We are so thankful for the strength they have had to do this work and for the love they have for it. We are also so thankful for their safety in all the traveling back and forth and for the dry trail. The first two weeks were miserable for them and then the rain completely stopped and it has been a very dry road for them to travel.
This week the Ziangeret people are hearing the miracles of Christ. They also saw a drama about a clean shiny pot. It looked like anybody would want to eat out of it, but then they opened it up and the stench poured out from the rotten food inside. They heard that that is how we are. We can clean ourselves up, wash our faces, put on our nicest clothes, and still God sees the insides of us. He sees the sin and our perfect Holy Creator is appalled. My friend came up after being down at the meeting and she had been talking with some of the ladies from there. She said they were all REALLY worried. The drama was true. They could clean up on the outside, but how can they get inside their own bodies, down to their souls and clean out the trash and sin inside? What can they do?
This is exactly what we want them to be thinking about at this point. In a couple of short weeks, they will hear the answer. They will hear of the death and resurrection of the Jesus that they are just now getting to know through His timeless story that started in eternity past. The one and only Son of God. Completely God who became complete Man and took on skin, flesh, and blood so that it might be torn and poured out to atone for our sins. To as many as would believe….
Above Gumentige teaches the people in Ziangeret.
When we first arrived in Papua New Guinea the work in this village was just beginning. Now the believers in their village and a village where they have reached out are now reaching out to yet another village! It is amazing to see this wonderful work. Please pray for the teachers and for the Ziangeret people who will soon hear how God has provided to clean the inside of the pot forever.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the devotional book “Like Christ” by Andrew Murray over the last few weeks. I would like to share a small portion of one of his prayers with you today. I know this is my prayer as I am sure it is yours.
Most Mighty Redeemer! Let Your compassion not only save me, but so take hold of me and dwell in me that compassion may be the very breath and joy of my life. May Your compassion toward me be within me a living fountain of compassion toward others. Lord Jesus, I know You can only give this on one condition, that I let go of my own life and my efforts to keep and sanctify that life, and allow You to live in me, to be my life. Most merciful one, I yield myself to You!
I pray HIS compassion is your breath and joy this month!
Finishing School Year 2009-2010
Just a few days left in the school term – it doesn’t seem possible! The school year has gone by so quickly. Research papers, term tests, and much more seem to fill the weeks. We also had a visit from a representative with the western US school accrediting agency. He had many commendable things to say about what we were accomplishing as a school so removed from modern culture. While seniors are now anticipating graduation and many families are preparing for furlough in their home countries, the work of sharing the gospel with the people of Papua New Guinea continues.
Patrick’s geometry students showing off the quilt they created.
The Gospel in Uriay
One story that is exciting at this time is the story of the people in a small people group called Uriay. For several years now missionaries have been serving in Uriay to learn the culture and language. Difficulties have come. One family that had worked in Uriay now serves here at the support center because of needs that came up within the family. This was heart breaking to the family and slowed the work a bit. Now, after several years, the missionaries are preparing to share the gospel with the people. On May 30 the missionaries will begin the chronological teaching – introducing the people to our Creator and then showing His plan throughout history to redeem His creation. Part of the preparation for this teaching has been the creation of the written Uriay language and the subsequent teaching of the Uriay people to read their own language. Below is an excerpt from one of the missionary’s letters:
There’s another 10 people that are able to read and write the Uriay language! We’d been hosting another literacy course in Uriay but for potential teachers from our two other villages, Busan and Tudaw. 6 men and 4 women went through the advanced course in about 3 months and they’re all reading their own language! One lady didn’t qualify to teach others but she is reading herself! It was an amazing time of seeing our Uriay guys – that just finished the course themselves in October teach these guys! The Uriay men and woman were faithful and grew in their abilities as teachers throughout the course. If you knew tribal living, you’d know what an amazing feat that is! So now we have qualified literacy teachers in all three of the Uriay villages! We’ll wait until after this first phase of chronological teaching before starting a course in any of the three villages but the people will be ready! The hunger to read and write is amazing! And I’ve heard many times that a growing church is a reading church – so even before the birth of the Uriay church, we’re excited to see them ready to read God’s Word for themselves!
Missionary Lisa Kappeler having Uriay men read to her!
It is exciting to know that so many will be able to read through the Bible lessons as they are shared in the teaching. It is even more exciting to hear that there are so many of the people who are now able to teach how to read. This is such an important step in the development of the church. Please be praying for the Uriay people and these missionaries as they prepare for the teaching to come. Pray that their hearts would be open to allow God’s forgiveness and love to bring them new life.
Serving at Numonohi Christian Academy
We are so thankful for your support of the missionary families by your prayers and financial support of our ministry. In the last few Sundays we have been listening to senior testimonies in our church services. So many of these students are preparing to move on to a big unknown – the United States! That probably seems unusual to you, but the US is an unknown to many of these students. Some have only spent a couple of years in the US and only remember the difficulties of being different and trying to make friends. We are thankful that we can be here to help prepare them not only academically, but also spiritually for the challenges they will soon face. They need to be reminded often that even if everything around them seems unknown, God will remain constant.
We thought you might enjoy a few pictures. Here our daughter Elizabeth takes her last dash in the obstacle course during our annual field day. We had a great day with the students competing together on the athletic events.
Our oldest son Nathan’s favorite event was the tug of war. He enjoyed being the anchor for his team.
The kids are often pushed beyond what they think they can do. Timothy didn’t think he could even make it through the 400 meter, but he didn’t do too badly!
What Does Love Look Like?
It is hard to believe we have been serving in this out-of-the-way place in Papua New Guinea for over two and a half years now. To some who serve here, we seem like “old-timers!” I guess that tells you how quickly things change here. We continue to enjoy the work with the many families who are sharing the gospel with the people here. It is not easy to live here, but to hear stories like the one below keeps our hearts and minds focused where they need to be!
A Story from the Mouk
The following story came from the Island region of Papua New Guinea. The Mouk tribe is featured in the video presentation “Eetaow”. This vibrant group of believers continues to grow in their knowledge and love of God.
Love is often very sacrificial in its giving. We recently read about the Mouk Tribe in Papua New Guinea. (This was one of the first tribes in the area that gladly received the Gospel. The Mouk themselves have since become missionaries in reaching out to neighboring tribes.) In January, they made arrangements to send someone to our islands regional center to talk with the leadership. Through the rain they came and shared how the believers have learned from God’s Word that they were to give to those who had labored among them in the Gospel. They wanted to give to the missionaries with NTM in the Islands!
The Mouk are a tribe that live in rustic huts with very little cash and opportunities to earn money. But, despite this, they gave two buckets of coins to the mission. Later that night, the youth group counted up the coins and rolled about K400, ($150). WOW!! The money will be channeled back into the works there in the islands. This brings to mind the example that Jesus gave of the widow that gave all that she had. How often do we obey when God prompts us to do something, especially when it comes to sacrificial giving?
We recently had some of the island leadership over for a visit and they too had talked about this event. NTM normally would never accept a gift like this from the people. In the culture here, gifts can also come with “strings attached.” In this case, though, the leadership knew that the people were responding to what they had read in scripture and felt led to do by God’s spirit. A gift like this means much more than the financial assistance it will provide to some ministry. It is a picture of the heart of a people that desire to serve God. What a beautiful picture!
On Our Knees
- Thank you for your prayers for staffing for our school. God has led a history and English teacher our way, and we are hopeful of an inquiry about science. We could still use a teacher for math, band, and art, but our window of opportunity is closing. Please continue to pray that God will direct some to come and serve with us.
- The training opportunity we mentioned last month seems to be working out. We are so grateful that God might provide that training in our remote area of the globe. Please continue to pray that this could be provided.
- Thank you for continuing to pray for our family. It is challenging to live in a different culture with limited resources. Pray that God will continue to provide for our needs as we continue to serve.
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This last month the school had its annual reading festival. The kindergarten class shared a story titled, “What Love Looks Like”. Though there were many sweet pictures, this one said it all! Thank you for making it possible for us to share love with the people here – both the students and the nationals. It is a privilege to be God’s servant in this place.
“There is nothing so attractive as joy, no preaching so persuasive as the sight of hearts made glad.” (from Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray). I pray that you will overflow with joy and that this joy will attract others to the One who gives all joy!
Sharing Hope
We Moi people are very strong people, but we die quickly.
The spirits eat us.
They control everything – what we eat, what we hunt, where we build our houses.
The spirits watch us.
We hear them in the wind.
They control the night.
They send centipedes like arrows to bite us and kills us.
They demand that we kill.
The above words are from a video about Awayo, a man from the Moi people of Western Papua. His story is so much like the stories of many who live here in Papua New Guinea. If you have the internet means, I would encourage you to watch this video and perhaps share it with a friend. The message is powerful. (You can see the video at http://www.ntm.org/video/ ).
It is for people like Awayo that we are here – to give them a chance for freedom and life that can only come through a knowledge of their Creator. Though we don’t sit in the jungle learning the culture and language, the school we provide for the children makes it possible for those who do sit there day after day. Though you may not be able to be here meeting the needs of these families, your prayers and financial support make it possible for that to continue. The body of Christ is an amazing thing!
School is back in session and we are enjoying the opportunity of working with the missionary children of Papua New Guinea. It is wonderful to walk past the classrooms and to hear the children busy at their latest grammar lesson or learning about some country of the world. Our classes often stand in a perilous position. While we are fortunate to have a full faculty this year, we have had years where classrooms had students pouring over correspondence courses – no teacher to ask for help, no activities to help them learn and grow. We continue to pray that God will provide a full faculty for next year, so those quiet correspondence classrooms will not have to exist! If you know of teachers who are considering offering even a year to serve on the mission field, please encourage them to contact us or look through the information on the New Tribes website (www.ntm.org). It seems early to be considering this for next year, but preparations for foreign teaching have to be started early.
Happy PNG Independence Day!
Happy PNG Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day!
This year was Papua New Guinea’s 34th year independence day celebration. This is always a fun time for our mission center to reach out to the many national neighbors who live nearby. Though we have no band this year, several former band members got together to play through the national anthem to help get our day started. We then had a small parade around our soccer field. The children decorated their bicycles and the older students put together a “float”. Above you can see Timothy’s eighth grade class float. They had talked to the Coke distributor in Goroka and managed to get t-shirts and caps based on the latest “Brrr” theme for Coke. (Are they doing this same promotion in the states?) The kids were thrilled to get new shirts and hats.
- The Cake Walk was a popular game.
Our soccer field was filled with our national neighbors. Each of the classes at the school made up booths which allowed a small game that usually resulted in winning prizes (some candy or little toys). Here is a picture of the “Cake Walk”. This is very popular with our national friends. Since they usually cook over fires, they don’t get many cakes. They love to play this game of “musical chairs” to try to win a cake at the end. We gave out about 25 cakes throughout the day. Often we would find the empty cake plate sitting around the field. They cakes don’t last long!
Our neighbors especially like games of skill. Here you can see the sling shot. You had to try to knock down empty cans using a pebble in the sling shot from a specified distance. The soccer kick game was also popular – trying to get the soccer ball in a small goal at a specified distance.
The students are very creative with the games they make. One is a type of pinball game made from nails. The 7th grade class made little guns that shot rubber bands and had the children try to shoot down plastic men.
Our Independence Day celebration was a lot of fun – and very tiring! We still had school the next day, so everything was cleaned up and put away by late that afternoon. It was great to see our students providing our national neighbors with such a fun-filled day!
The book I am reading exhorts Christians to be transparent. It talks of how our lives need to be clear of all the “self” that clouds and smudges the ability of God to be seen clearly through us. As I think of prayer requests, I would pray that we would be transparent – that we could die to all those things in our lives that don’t allow others to see God as who He really is. We pray God will continue to be able to do the work He desires to do through us each day – without hindrance!