Author: Keith and Elspeth Campbell

At times, it can look very different from what you might expect.

One month into our work at the Lae Regional Centre, we have cleaned guesthouse rooms, washed linen, repaired leaky plumbing, serviced vehicles, paid bills and shopped for supplies. That may sound just like your weekly routine.

Much of this work was during the centre’s Christmas period shut-down, where we host a limited number of guests from SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) staff members only, and give our PNG national paid staff a much deserved break.

We had another Wycliffe family sharing the load, and a ‘full house’ in the air-conditioned family units on site. This provided opportunities to meet a number of the people serving God in Papua New Guinea.

We had families from the Morobe province translation teams purchasing supplies for the coming months (20kg bags of milk powder and flour, for example), some fellow POC’ers taking the opportunity to visit us – and Lae – while Ukarumpa is essentially closed for Christmas, and others in need of a break and a relaxing soak in the pool.

We have visited several local churches, always receiving a warm welcome [you end up shaking hands at least 50-100 times] and encouraging comments about the work of SIL in PNG. They have no trouble picking us as visitors – there is hardly another white face in the congregation most times!

In our last staff devotion time, Keith shared from a passage in 1 Peter 2, noting that all of us – foreign expatriates and national staff alike – are known as part of SIL, and we are to conduct ourselves in a way that reflects positively on the organisation and, more importantly, brings glory to God.

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:12

Please pray …

• that our team aims to glorify God, even as we sweep floors and wash sheets!
• for patience as we build relationships with the national staff, laying a foundation for good management and ongoing training
• thankful for much improved health now that we are settled in Lae
• praise God for the warmth of local churches. Pray that they be salt and light to the community

It was difficult to settle on just one emotion in the final stages of preparing for Village Living. The excitement of a ‘Survivor PNG’ style experience was combined with mixed feelings towards the reality of what lay ahead. Over the previous seven   weeks, we had times of illness, or days of carrying niggling injuries following bush hikes. We had known the frustrations of cooking familiar meals in very unfamiliar conditions.

Yet we also enjoyed time with our PNG national host family, language teachers, and centre staff, and our ability to relax and build relationships grew along with our Tok Pisin language skills. Four weeks in the village provided much more time for interaction.

Simply managing daily life involved us in teacher-student conversations, as our hosts taught us where to source drinking water (five minute walk away); how to restore blackened pots to gleaming silver (rubbing with a particular leaf); and when not to wash clothes (after heavy rain, with the river running brown and full). Life was not always easy, yet we clearly see God preparing us for the challenges we are likely to face in encouraging the translation project teams, and working through tasks with the Regional Centre’s PNG national staff.

“[May God] equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.” Hebrews 13:21

p.s. Now back at POC, we miss the little pigs snuffling outside our house, letting out the occasional squeal. It was calming to sit, with a cup of coffee, watching them forage for grubs.

Please pray …
• thanking God for His equipping us to serve… all believers, in every possible way
• that the relationships formed in the village would be to His glory, and a blessing to us

Our total communication blackout has come to an end! We are back in the world of internet, email, and mobile phones.

Early October saw all the POC students pack up our supplies in preparation for four weeks of village living, and it soon became a question of who would have the biggest pile of stuff!

It was a shock to see how much we considered ‘essential’ for surviving in the village – many of us felt convicted of our Western approach to life. What would the villagers think when we turned up with all this ‘cargo’? Would our relationship start off by highlighting our differences?

We had no need to fear, as the welcome from our host wasfemili (watch family) and other villagers was warm and full of anticipation – the children were particularly intrigued by the strange waitskin (any non-PNG person).

The intent of the village living stage was to become familiar with building relationships with nationals, founded on sharing daily life, learning skills and growing in appreciation of their culture – all while communicating in Tok Pisin. Adding a degree of difficulty, was the need to cart water from a spring, cook on an open fire, wash in the river – pots, clothes and ourselves – and maintain our supplies without the convenience of cold storage.

The real challenge, though, is to be real – to genuinely be seeking to have a Christ inspired love for the people we continue to live amongst and serve here in PNG.

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
1 Thessalonians 2:8
We will share a few village living stories next week…

Please pray …
• thanking God for sustaining students through occasional illness during village living
• that the lessons learned will be valuable for our future service in PNG
• for our transition to the next stage of orientation in Ukarumpa, establishing connections within all areas related to our regional management role

You may be old enough (or young enough) to remember the 1979 disco hit from Sister Sledge. For those that don’t, you didn’t miss much.

Let us introduce our PNG wasfemili (watch family), who help us with learning Tok Pisin, introduce us to village culture and customs, and generally watch out for us.

We found out during our second visit, that two of the six pikinini (children) belong to waspapa’s sister, and live with them during the school term, to be close to the local school.

This is the way families often function in PNG, and they have accepted us with the same warmth and generosity. We have visited their home for meals, and to sleep overnight. Each time there has been extra people for the meal, with many stories and much laughter [usually it’s  the children laughing at our Tok Pisin].

Their garden provides food for the family, and a surplus to sell at market to fund other necessities. Growing up on a bikpela gaden (farm) has helped telling stories of sugar cane and veggie patches in Tok Pisin – and everyone here loves a good snake story!

“Yu tok stori?” is the common conversation starter after a meal, and our new papamama (parents) correct our mispronunciations and poor grammar with much patience and grace. The children laugh… and we laugh along with them!

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10 v 40 – 42.

Please pray …

– that Christian families maintain a positive witness within the villages of PNG

– thanking God for the good relationship SIL maintains with the national churches, and the local communities

– that the families who are welcoming the students would be richly blessed. Particularly pray for good health and sufficient harvest from the coming season

To help us with our language learning in context, the six Tok Pisin (TP) tisas demonstrated some work and craft items in learning centres where we had to talk and ask questions only in TP. We had the opportunity to be hands-on in some activites, while others were more involved.

Left: A Christmas Star woven from the strips of new green banana leaves. Easy to make.

Right: Men and women will weave the mat from coconut fronds for use as either a bed or for sitting on.

Right: A traditional rice basket woven from the strips of new green banana leaves. Children learn to make this from a young age although it is complicated with the intricate weaving! The Tisa made this one carefully in less than two minutes. The basket is filled with rice and dropped into boiling water.

                                          Left: The males sew and weave the morota leaves (sago palm leaves) to make the layers for the thatched rooves of their hut.

Right: Traditional bilums were made from river reeds or tree bark but today they are also made from plastic twine or yarn. Women can be seen walking long distances wearing the bilum on their foreheads with the heavy goods hanging down their backs. It is a common sight to see a sleeping baby in a bilum hanging in a shady corner or from a tree branch.

Below: If no bilum is at hand, a basket can be woven in about ten minutes from green coconut fronds.

We have much more than language to learn from the people of PNG. As ‘whiteskins’ (anyone other than a National), we are constantly reminded of how little we know of the world outside our own country. These men and women were so happy to be sharing some of their skills, their culture, and their stories with the students. Many talked of making these items in their childhood, after watching and learning from parents and older members of their village. Pray that we may have the same child-like attitude as we come to them for help and guidance.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-4

Please pray…

– giving thanks for the way in which PNG folk welcome us as children

– for humility in all our relationships, both with Nationals and other mission workers

– for the students to have opportunities to share our faith in meaningful ways. Not all of our PNG guides are believers – please pray for them along with us.

POC is all that we expected, and yet for none of the reasons we expected.
The site, on top of Mount Nobnob, is amazing. You have to stop and absorb the view every time you walk from the haus slip (sleeping quarters) to the haus kuk (kitchen / dining area). Yet it has a dark side.

Prior to leaving for PNG, many friends questioned whether it was a safe place to live – obviously with the reports of violent people in mind.
The people couldn’t be nicer – it’s the environment that is out to kill you!
We have had numerous lectures on avoiding germs and disease carrying parasites, poisonous marine creatures, and creepy-crawlies that bite or sting. Even some of the plants can result in nasty looking blisters if you touch them.

Yet POC leaves you no choice but to put these issues in their right and proper place. The coastline is beautiful; the water warm and crystal clear; the bush fresh and full of life; and the local people welcoming and helpful. To succumb to fears of the bad would also limit our ability to experience all that is amazing about PNG.

   

We expected to find much beauty in PNG. What surprised us, will be no surprise to many who have served, or continue to serve here. The true beauty is in the people.

People like our Tok Pisin tisa (teacher), who walks up the mountain every day to spend mornings with us. Tisa Bat patiently corrects our mistakes, and encourages us to keep trying, keep learning. He knows that it is only through wantok (common language) that real relationships can be built. Wantok is a core value of PNG culture, maintaining ties within the village, clan, and nation.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ              Romans 15:5-6

Please pray…
• for safety and good health during POC, for staff, students and families
• thanking God for the PNG Nationals that feed us, do our laundry, maintain the property, and find time to guide us in our language learning
• that we be able to grasp Tok Pisin, so as to relate to Nationals in meaningful ways