Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 in Pictures

2011 started with a biopsy...




And lots of time with family...



Then moved to lots of time in airports (way too much time in airports)...



Then moved to a little time in Australia (way too little time in Australia)...



Then moved to life in a new country where we learned new definitions for everyday things, like toilet...



And parking lot...



And lunch...



And we learned to deal with the sweltering heat (this little guy is ALWAYS in the shade, by the way)...



And really weird rashes on our kids...



But we also made lots of new friends...



And rounded the year out by celebrating Christmas in the air conditioning...



Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good year. Even the bad things carried some good things with them in their proverbial purses. (And I'd like to think of those purses as cute yet affordable ones from Target.) Can't wait to see what 2012 brings, no matter what the Mayans say!

Happy New Year everybody!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Biggest Fear


If you ask anyone around here what my biggest fear is, they would probably tell you it is this little guy pictured above. Yes, he is small, but is loaded with poison that comes directly from the fires of hell.

So far, I have been blessed enough to not be stung by one of these, and even better is that my kids haven't been stung either. I know ladies who have been stung, though and most of them equate the pain with childbirth. However, one pretty awesome Tribal Wife named Nina, described this pain to me in terms of Twilight. She said, "You know in the last book when Bella gets changed to a vampire and she describes that horrendously painful burning? That is what it reminded me of." Wow! Scary! So you see this fear is not irrational at all.

However, this really isn't my greatest fear here. My greatest fear is failure. As we sit in meetings discussing all the ins and outs of planting a church in the jungle, I seem to get more and more overwhelmed at all the mistakes that there are too be made. Like, don't have too much stuff. Having too much stuff can cause all sorts of problems and the greatest of these is perpetuating the cargo cult here in PNG.

It is also a mistake to have too little stuff and try to live exactly like the people,because if you or your kids get too sick, then you have to leave and well, obviously you can't continue the work in a hospital in America.

These are just a few of the millions of mistakes that one can make that can be devastating to the work, and as I think back on my life and my track record in life and ministry, I get really freaked out that I am going to royally screw everything up.

I remember in middle school walking around claiming to be a "Christian" yet living however I wanted to. I worshiped the idols of acceptance and popularity above living out my faith. I was a liar and a hypocrite and who knows how many people I could have shared Christ with, but instead turned them off of this thing called "Christianity" with my selfishness.

Then in High School, I repented and decided to devote my life to following Christ entirely. For a brief moment I think I was a pretty good representative of a Jesus follower until I again got distracted by my own hobbies and dreams. I still lived a very moral life and read my Bible and prayed everyday, but my daily thoughts and conversations revolved horses or boys and I spent very little time sharing about the most valuable and most important relationship in my life. Again, how many people could I have really shown true life too, but didn't because I was too wrapped up in my self again.

College time comes and I decided to go to school to study the Bible. I knew that I had to give up my dreams and desires in order to receive the BETTER things that Christ promised me. I fell in love with the study of His word, however, I let knowledge "puff" me up instead of increase my love. I walked around like I was the only one who truly knew God's Word and that I had so much to offer the Christian world if only they would just listen to me. Sadly, at this time I was serving as a youth minister in a church and thought that what these kids needed most was knowledge from my very overly inflated head and did not give them the 2 things they actually need most...time and love.

And then there are the years as the youth minister's wife. Those are almost too painful to talk about. Again, selfishness kept me from spending time with kids and loving them the way they needed to be loved. Instead, I blamed them for taking my new husband away from me for 60 to 70 hours a week.

So, now here I sit. Scared to death that I am going to get in the way again. That my ugly selfishness will ruin the very thing we have come here to do. I have spent lots of time in prayer asking God if I can do this? If He is sure that He wants to send me, the most selfish person on the planet into the middle of the jungle to give myself to a people who need to know how much He loves them.

Slowly, though, I am beginning to learn that He does want to send me, the most selfish person on the planet to these people. Through each of those phases of my life that I regret so much, God has shown me that He loved me and used me in small ways, anyway. He humbled me and taught me how to be more like Him through each difficult circumstance. He has shown me that He loves to use broken and weak people in the lives of other broken and weak people.

So, now I take this fear and give it back to Him. Knowing He will use it to remind me of what I do not want to experience again, and to remind me that He is always faithful even when we are selfish turds.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Santa looks a lot like 3N1

So my wonderful hubby got to play Santa at our national church here on Saturday. It was at least 100 degrees outside, and he was in FULL. SANTA. GEAR. I honestly was concerned for his life and for the kids he was handing out presents to. I mean how traumatic would it be for them if Santa passed out right in front of their eyes. "Sorry kids, Papua New Guinea is too hot for Santa, so he won't be coming back next year."

But, it actually went very well, and although my dear 3N1 came back saying that it was the hottest he'd ever been in his life, he had lots and lots of fun.

He got to ride around town in a truck...



Hand out presents to kids...



Give a message about the real meaning of Christmas (in Pidgin)...



And hold lots of cute babies...



What's not fun about all that? (except almost having a heat stroke and dying of course)
I was a little sad I missed all of it. You see I had to take the kids to the beach because I was scared that if we took them, they would give it away that Santa was their Dad.

Overall we had a very Merry Christmas here in PNG. I do wonder though, how well the story of Santa translates in this country? I mean I imagine a mom telling her kids about him and the conversation going a little something like this.

Mom: "Ok kids, there is this man who travels all over the world on Christmas night to bring you presents while you are sleeping. He flies in a big red sleigh pulled by reindeer."
Kids: "Mom, what is a sleigh."
Mom:"Well, it is a thing that you ride on in snow."
Kids: "Mom, what is snow?"
Mom: "Forget it!!"

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Big Day

I have not been a very good blogger lately. Sorry bout that. I have been studying the heck out of some Tok Pisin. My goal when we came out of the bush was to be done by Christmas and today I took my last test and PASSED! YAY!

It is really funny the things they have you say during these language evaluations. You'd think they would ask you all about saksak and fishing and jungley stuff, but no, they get you to talk about stuff in America that is weird and you really know nothing about. And if the people understand what you are talking about then they know you know Pidgin well enough to communicate. It is stressful and fun all at the same time.

Well, this means that, technically, we can go to the bush now... but first we have to find a place in the bush to go...

Most of the places that have been surveyed (meaning people from NTM visited and the people said, "yes, please, come") have some complications, so right now there is only 1 place in all of PNG for a new team to go to.

So, while we are waiting for our teammates to finish Pidgin and one to get here (hey, Candace! we love you and can't wait to see you soon!!) 3N1 is going to work in People Group Assessment. These are the guys who go out and hike through the jungle looking for "people groups" who need the Gospel. He is pretty pumped about it. I am pretty pumped about it too, because he will get to look at all the places and bring me back pictures.

So, what I am I going to be doing? Well, I imagine I will still have to spend about 90% of my time in my kitchen...and homeschooling my kids... and taking laundry on and off the line in between rains. But in all my "free time" I plan to take naps, watch The Office and play lots of Tetris. It is gonna be really fun. Just kidding. I actually still have to keep working on Pidgin. The last test just means that you don't have to takes anymore tests, but you still have to keep learning and practicing.

But these next few days, we are going to take some time and just have a nice Christmas with our little family...although the pastor at our church asked 3N1 to dress up like Santa Claus and give out presents at church on Saturday. He reluctantly agreed. It will be totally fun to see all the kids get excited about Santa, but unfortunately PNG is not the place you really want to wear a Santa suit. I am pretty excited about it, though. Don't worry. I will take pictures. LOTS of pictures.

Ok, well that is all for now. I will leave you with this picture of a baby...in a purse...hanging in a tree. Don't worry. This is normal.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Sago in Pictures

I really wanted to share with you all the process of harvesting sago in pictures. I went through all our pictures from that day and picked out the ones I thought were most important. Yeah it was 40 pictures. Obviously I cannot add 40 pictures on this blog, so I narrowed the process again to something a little more manageable. I know, though, that pictures will only give a tiny glimpse of what it is like, but hey it is a glimpse more than you had before, right??

Anyway, as I said in my first post about "saksak", it is really hard work. First we got in a kanu and traveled about 20 minutes to the next village over. The reason we did this is because the people in our village have to hike for HOURS to get to their saksak trees, so the missionaries had mercy on us and let us ask some of the believers from the next village over to teach us how to do this very important task since their trees were only about a 10 minute hike into the swamp. (How does the next village over have believers in it??? Because the church in our village did an outreach in that village. Pretty cool, huh?)

Ok, so get in a kanu...



Get to this big mountain and climb it (please notice the angle and that it is straight up. Thank you)...



Now hike into a thick jungley swamp (I was not trying to take a picture of 3N1's rear end, I promise. I was just trying to show you that he is walking through said swamp barefooted. Dummy. And I mean that with much love and affection)...



Find "your" saksak tree. Yes, it has to belong to you. Cutting down someone else's saksak is a no-no...




Cut it down...





Clean "as bilong em". (Funny Pidgin lesson: the base or bottom of anything is its "as" pronounced "AH-SS". This word is also used for origin or even birthplace. So you can ask someone "As ples bilong yu i stap we?" He he he!) OK, all immaturity aside. You clean all the dirt and needles off of it...



Yes, I said needles...



Then you split it open (Please notice the beefy arm. Thank you.)...



While the men were chopping up the tree, the ladies were finding all sorts of stuff in the swamp to build the contraption for "washing" the saksak...



Seriously, my friend brought 2 things with her- half of a hallowed out coconut shell and a piece of a coconut leaf that was like a mesh strainer. We built everything else from stuff we found right around us. It was amazing...



I will confess that I had no idea what I was looking for most of the time...



We had to clean the needles of these branches before we propped them on our shoulders and carried them to the spot we were building the contraption...



We put the branches in place to make a slide where the water and the starchy substance goes down...



Then we made the strainer...



Then we made the "water scooper". We put a long thin branch in the half coconut shell and tied it with vines...



Then we filled up the baskets with the pulp from the tree...



Dumped them into the top of the contraption, scooped water, and washed the saksak...



Even Lu wanted to try...



After we washed it all, we let the water (see the orange weird looking liquid, that is the water)...



And this is what is left at the bottom. This is saksak. (It reminded us of the science experiement we did in elementary school where the teacher put some corn starch in water and added a little food coloring and called it "ooblek". We played with it and discovered that is was solid it you hit it, but liquid if you tried to pick it up. Anyone remember that???)...




Next, the people dry it for several days and then use it to cook in various ways. This way is "frying" it.We scooped some into a pan over a fire with another half coconut shell. Pressed it into the pan, let it cook for a while then flipped it to cook on the other side...



Then we ate it. And even though these 2 have crazy looks on their faces, it was actually pretty good...



Well, there you go. Now you know how to get saksak if you really really needed some.

Your Welcome.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Contest

You know in America when a company wants to have a big promotional contest, so they offer some HUGE AMAZING PRIZE to get everyone excited about it???

Well this is definitely not America. This is Papua New Guinea.

But the prize is huge. And I am most certainly amazed at it.



This sign was at one of our local grocery stores called "Tang Mow". (It is a Chinese company in case you couldn't tell) The poster is for a promotional contest from Tang Mow and Gold N Sun, which is a vegetable oil company. First prize is a LIVE pig. Second prize is a sewing machine from 1932.

I can honestly say, I would be excited about winning either one. (But I do wonder if they are going to give that pig a bath before awarding it to the first prize winner)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Change


I thought I would tell you a little more about my friend who taught me how to make this meal of greens and saksak.

She was one of the first people I met when we came to the village and my missionary friend told me that she was just a young teenager when they first moved in. Now she is a grown woman with a family of her own. She is a strong believer who is raising her 3 kids in light of her relationship with Christ. She loves them, teaches them his Word, and is physically affectionate with them (sadly most children here suffer from abuse and neglect.) She is also, a great example to the other ladies in the village. I sat in a ladies Bible Study meeting and listened as she spoke the truth of God's word into the life of other women. And I was very impressed.

I just think about how different her life would have been had these four missionaries had not come to this village. I think about how different the lives of her kids would have been as well.

You see missionaries get bashed a lot for "changing the culture" of tribal people. But the truth is, the missionaries really try not to change anything themselves. They let God's word and the work of the Holy Spirit do the changing. And I bet these children are glad they did.

Now, they are not being raised in fear. You see before the people came to know the truth of God's word, they lived in fear of the spirits and the world around them. Most media sources like to portray tribal groups as living in harmony with their environment, but the reality is they are controlled by and live in fear of evil spirits in it. This fear controls what they eat, where they sleep, where they walk, the way they talk, and how they raise their families. For example, They won't eat certain foods (even if it means their children starve) for fear it will anger a spirit and then bring sickness and even death onto the family.

But that is no longer the case for this family. They have been set free by the Truth. They are free to live their lives with joy and hope, and most of all love.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hat Wara Take 2

OK, so our internet is working again. I am almost afraid to say it. Will it hear me and run away again?? Who knows, but I am going to try to post as much as I can while I still can, so please forgive the excessive blogging.

Here is the process of me learning how to make "hat wara". Basically it is just boiling some leafy greens and sago. Here we go:


Tools needed- a couple of bowls, half a coconut shell for scooping and a "hap diwai" (a piece of wood) for stirring...



You start by making a fire in your "stove". She has two stoves. This is the smaller of the two...



This is the larger one...



Put your pot on the stove...



Put your greens in (and press and stir and press and stir for like an hour)...





Teach your friend how to use your digital camera (after all she is teaching you something- this is an exchange of knowledge and cultures)...




She is a fast learner, much faster than myself...




And now you serve this "soup" to your family and friends and the white lady who you tried to teach, but she dumped half the pot into the fire. Needless to say we were feeding fewer family and friends than previously expected.(it wasn't bad- I have definitely eaten much grosser things than this)...



There. Now you know I did at least try to learn some stuff in bush orientation. And now you have pictures to prove it.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Packages II

I decided that since I cannot add pictures I should take a minute to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has sent us packages!! We have seriously been overwhelmed by everyone's generosity to send us some nice things from home. We know it is not cheap to mail things here!

I also wanted to update on what our needs are. Because of the overwhelming response on packages, we are set for the next 20 years here on certain things (and are very happy about that) Here is a list of the things that we no longer need:

1. Deodorant. We will never be stinky again.

2. Note Cards. I have received lots and lots of these and it is so nice to be able to write encouraging notes to all my co-workers here in PNG.

3. Coloring books, crayons and markers. My kids LOVE these, and will be able to color for the rest of their lives.

4. Spices. I would love to still get these again later, but I have so many now that I am afraid they are going to go bad before I can use them all. My freezer is very very tiny.

With that said, here are some things we are still in need (ok, maybe want to) of:

1. Baby Wipes. They cost $10 USD for a regular package of wipes. Not kidding or exaggerating.

2. We LOVE getting Instant Pudding in a variety of flavors, keep it coming!! (3-N-1 would like for everyone to know that "cheesecake pudding" has been his favorite so far)

3. FIESTA Ranch dressing packets. We got one packet of this and it was life changing.

4. Other salad dressing packets...especially Italian.

5. AA and AAA batteries.

5. Scented candles. Things stink around here.

6. Any kind of junk food from the US. Everything here is weird and tastes a little different. I would love to taste what "real" Cheetos taste like again. Also, I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who has sent chocolate!! It has all made it here fine and was eaten very rapidly.

7.
Kid DVDs. We could never have enough of these.

8. Cereal, any kind. Some awesome friends sent us some Fruit Loops, and there was much rejoicing and eating.

8. Kool-Aid and Crystal light mixes. Any kind.

9. Magazines. "Real Simple" is my favorite along with "Southern Living". But you could also send "People" and "US weekly"...not for me...for a friend of course.

10. Notes from YOU! We love it when there is a note in the box. :)

Feel free to get creative as well. Some sweet ladies sent us a box of birthday party stuff for the girls and it was so great! I didn't have anything like that and now I will have all I need to decorate for fun birthday parties!

Just let me say "thanks again" because it really means so much to know that you went to the trouble of shopping for these things, packing them up, and paying the $13,000,000 that the USPS charges to send things to PNG. We have loved every single item we have received!!!

Friday, November 25, 2011

What are you thankful for?

In case you haven't figured it out yet, our internet is still down. We went to town and bought a little magic stick that you plug in your computer and you can get internet from the cell phone company. 3G hasn't exactly made it to PNG yet though, so it is very slow. You can forget about adding any pictures. But we can check facebook and our email and I can post more boring posts with no pictures on this blog, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I just felt the need to confess to you that the previous post about me being very cool with being 30 has all gone straight down the toilet. Yesterday I found spider veins all over my thighs, and I am now freaking out. Is this what 30 means????

I guess they have been there for a while, but we only have florescent lights so it is really hard to see all the flaws you have. (it makes plucking you eyebrows very hard)

Anyway, so now I am feeling old and gross, and like there is no turning back. I am thinking of "leaning into it" and getting some mom jeans and really outdated haircut...but I guess mom jeans would be too hot...and no one would see the haircut because my hair is always in a ponytail.

I guess the Lord knew what He was doing by sending me to this hot place where I have to wear long baggy shorts, and ponytails all the time. And for that, I am very very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. And a very merry Black Friday to you all.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

30

I am 30 today, and honestly it feels pretty good. It felt really good this morning when my husband turned the air conditioning on in our room and let me sleep in. Yes. I do have a small window until air conditioner in our bedroom in Wewak. We have NEVER turned it on, though..until today. It was my husband's birhtday present to me and it was THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED. If you think I am exaggerating, then please read the all other posts and you will know how much I love my air conditioning.

Anyway, it was great. I am not bummed at all about being 30. My 20s could be summed up with college, marriage, and babies, and I am hoping that 30 will be summed up with marriage, raising those babies, and planting a church in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea.

It has the potential to be a great decade...even though it will be very hot.

Happy Birthday to me,
Tribal Wife

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Pictures

I think the internet got my message about how much we love it, and want it to work for us. Because I woke up this morning and everything is miraculously working!! I have no idea how long this will last, so I will just put up some pictures and talk about the highlights of our 7 weeks in the bush! Here goes...

This is my friend B. We did a lot of stuff together- here she was teaching me how to fish (I didn't tell her that I was a Southern girl who has been fishing since she could walk). She taught me a lot and made me laugh a lot. She is very funny and now one of my favorite people here in PNG...



Here I am taking a Pidgin test. Looks a lot different than 7 years ago sitting in a college classroom writing essays in a blue book...




This is my friend T. She taught me how to make this sleeping mat. I then bought it just to show people that I made it (ok, so I only did like 3 inches of it, but I did it, ok)...



This is a picture of us with some sweet friends who volunteered to dress up for my friend Lauren's birthday. She came to visit our tribe while they were in bush orientation in another tribe...



This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Why put your smokes behind your ear when you can put them in your ear...




These last two are a preview to my new website concept. Think along the lines of "people of wal-mart" or "awkward family photos". This one will be called "babies with knives" and anyone who has been to a majority world country (that is the new PC term for third world, just so you know) can submit their pictures of babies with knives. Every. Single. Country. I have been to outside of the Western world, I have seen a baby with a knife. I am sure all my other traveling friends out there will agree. From now on friends, take pictures. Take lots and lots of pictures..