Building on a Sure Foundation

(Wednesday, September 22) The rains continued yesterday, but the men forged ahead with their work on the addition, undaunted by the mud and chill. Most of the work could be done inside now: David, Jonathan and Scott led the effort on the floors; Tony and Bruce focused on the ceilings; Gary worked on door frames and general oversight; and our Aussie friend, Matt, focused on wiring. Will we finish before we leave? That looks doubtful now, but we’ll be very far along, and the McFarlands express there “amamas” – joy, or happiness – over what is being accomplished. In the words of the psalmist: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1a) The work of the Lord has been very evident on this trip.

Our ministry teams returned to the village yesterday. It was our third visit for ministry, in addition to Sunday’s time of worship. Ingrid and Donna met with the women and they continued their talks. Last time the focus was on the importance of knowing and following God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), with both Ingrid and Donna sharing. This time the theme was Forgiving One Another. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you,” (Colossians 3:13) was her key verse. There had already been clear of evidence of a healing of the rift that had divided some of them, but the good news of Jesus was working even deeper.

Aaron, Becky, Marylou, Mark, John, Nick and Tim met with the children and the men (including teenagers). At our second meeting we continued our teaching on courage; Becky told the story of David’s courage in standing for righteousness by facing Goliath so that “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:46) In doing so, he, like Esther, became a national hero. At our third meeting the focus was on Jesus – the greatest hero of all. Though he knew obeying the Father’s will would lead to his own suffering and death, “he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) He courageously “demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) And because he lives now, we too, can live.

New life through Jesus was Aaron’s story. He took the men aside and shared the story of God’s dramatic work in his life – an amazing story of redemption and renewal, and a story you will want to hear.

At the end of this time of ministry, men and women had declared their new desire to follow Jesus. What powerful work the Lord has been doing. And the bonds of friendship that have developed between our ministry team and the people of Ba’e are special indeed. We all know we now have new family members – brothers and sisters in Christ – on the other side of the world. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

P.S. Aaron will be telling his story at Journey Christian Church’s Men’s Retreat (Friday & Saturday, October 2 & 3; contact Journey if you would like information on the retreat.)

A Note on Communications Home

The internet has certainly made the world seem a lot smaller. We e-mail people literally on the other side of the world and link to web-sites that are located, not on earth, but in cyberspace. Of course, there is an earthly connection, and connections are the key. Many of us have been trying to communicate with you via e-mails, Skype and web-blogs, but it isn’t always easy, and we aren’t always successful. Power is inconsistent and internet access in Ukarumpa has limited band-width. Surfing the net has been painfully slow for us, if we can access it at all. Most of our communication has been via the McFarland’s computer, as our own access has run into difficulties.

Nevertheless, the main point here is to let you know that your family members and friends have been trying. If you haven’t heard from us directly, we are all doing well. We’re all certainly working hard and we’re tired by the end of the day, but we’re also enjoying this unique opportunity to serve our Lord and live out our faith.

We’re also thinking about you and keeping you in our prayers. Our hearts especially go out to one of our church families, who lost a loved-one this week: May the God of all comfort be your peace and your strength.

We’re Building in the Rain

We’ve made a lot of progress on the house addition the last two work days (Saturday and Monday) despite several interruptions yesterday by heavy downpours. Most of our time here has been dry, but not the last two days. But now, most of our work will be inside the house. The metal roof is in place, though not securely attached, and most of the sides are up (we enclosed it entirely last night as the interior of the house would have been exposed).

The flooring is going in on top of the joists, one piece of hard wood at a time. Meanwhile, the ceiling noggins are almost in place, to be followed by the Masonite ceiling boards. Bruce’s office room walls and ceiling all went up yesterday. It’s coming together quickly, but we’re also running short on time here. We’re praying for efficiency in our work – and good weather for the remainder of it.

A Tale of Two “Cities”

The SIL missionary complex is a large neighborhood surrounded by a number of small, native villages – but separated from them by gates and guards. The villages have extremely little material wealth. Their homes, I’ve mentioned earlier, are made of grass and bamboo with almost nothing inside, and the surrounding land is mostly used for growing the food they live on. Their food is generally plentiful, but they have limited means of preserving it to last through years with poor crops.

The missionaries, by contrast, generally live in small, but nice homes with many – not all – modern conveniences. Most have one floor, but a few have two or walkout basements in this mountainous area. Inside, the floors are hardwood, with paneled walls that are sometimes covered with woven bamboo for decoration. Outside, the homes have spacious, well manicured lawns with gardens full of bright colored flowers, poinsettia trees and banana patches. There is often a compost pit hidden in these gardens. Since there are no garbage disposals, all biodegradable waste – fruit and vegetable peels, food scraps, egg shells, etc. -- are stored in a tightly closed plastic bucket to contain the powerful smell until they are brought to the pit. That’s not a pleasant job; by the time you’re done you might need some sawdust, too.

At night, the homes are well lit by security lights, and the unpaved, rocky streets are patrolled by PNG nationals. Andrew often greets me with a bright smile and a handshake, day or night, as he slowly makes his rounds. Safety is a high priority here. For all the idyllic notions of this being a tropical paradise, it is more of a paradise lost. And just like the one in Milton’s story, it is a paradise in need of re-creation by the Spirit of God.

In many respects, the problems we have in the cities of America are problems here, too. Drugs. Crime. Rape. Gangs (of a sort). These are all present here – even to the extent that missionaries typically keep their doors locked during the evening hours to prevent home invasions even while they’re awake.

All of this points to Paul’s assertion that “there is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10) This tendency to sin is built into our nature. But even the most hardened of sinners have a hope beyond themselves in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen proof of it numerous times during this trip, where a life turned over to Christ is miraculously changed and habits of death are replaced with life. “Therefore,” as Paul also says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Praise Him Yu Jesus

Today (Sunday), the whole PNG mission team went over to the village to worship at Ba’e Church. About a quarter of the team had not been there yet, but we were all ready for a new experience.

As usual, we were greeted graciously by the people of Ba’e as we gathered in the old church. There were seven or eight rows of pews on each side of the little church, with the aisle running down between them. The pews were simple and made of rough hewn wood, but worn smooth by years of worship. At the end of the church was the pulpit. Pastor Hamm led the congregation from in front of the pulpit, standing on the stony, dirt floor.

He spoke in Tok Pisin, which we were able to decipher partly from context and partly from the words themselves. His worship team, various members of his family and the congregation, led us in songs of praise to God with the theme of unity in Jesus scattered throughout the service. Though most of us had already met many of them, our team was invited to come to the front of the church, introduce ourselves and share whatever God might have given us to share. No worries about the time!

Later, Tony was invited to give the message, which was based on Matthew 18:21-35 – a message on forgiveness. It was a simple, but challenging reminder of the basic gospel message: none of us is without fault; we are all sinners. And because of this, Jesus gave himself on the cross, taking on our sins and dieing in our place so that, through faith in his saving work – and not by anything that we could ever do ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9) – we would be forgiven. Therefore, since God forgives us so graciously through faith in Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we who are Christians graciously forgive others as well? It was an appropriate message for this little congregation that had recently experienced division; it was likely an important message for the rest of us to hear as well.

It was, throughout, an emotional service. Our team gathered a second time to present Bibles in Tok Pisin to a number of people who didn’t already have God’s word in their own language. Among those gladly receiving this “tok bilong Papa God” were Gana and Pi’i, two men whose bigheartedness had already been made evident to me.

After the service, we celebrated with a mu-mu, a special meal of chicken, kau-kau, pit-pit, potatos and leafy greens – all cooked in an underground “oven.” What a shower of blessings it was, even with the rain that would soon pour down on us. And it was a special day of worship and fellowship among men, women and children who were different in skin color, wealth, education, technology and geography, yet united as brothers and sisters through a common faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Being a Servant

While the men work on the house, the women have been working very hard at keeping all eighteen of us fed and doing our laundry. The food preparation is meticulous. Produce is bought at the market and cleaned, carefully in bleach water to kill any germs that could occupy bathrooms for days. So far so good even with the leafy vegetables. Paula provides the guidance in this while Marylou, Ingrid, Donna and Becky work side-by-side. Sometimes Aretme, a hired local, helps out.

Laundry is also a challenge – especially with this large group. Clothes need washing daily for the men working on the building project; and the kids…. Enough said. Washing is fairly easy; drying is the harder part. To be strategic, wash gets on one day and hung out to dry early in the morning. The heavy dews and frequent misty rains can undo a day’s work. So the ladies have been quite busy. They are truly examples of Paul’s encouragement to all Christians to “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” (Ephesians 6:7)

We had another example of service last night. The Schwager’s hosted us for dessert in a kind of “progressive” dinner. At their house, another missionary, who first came to PNG with his wife in 1964 shared some of his life story. We sat, even the children, in rapt attention. The story of Bob and Shirley Literal is an inspiring one of faith and marriage. It is a story of trusting God as he led them to a remote people to translate the good news of Jesus over the course of 35 years. They went out to the mission field as newlyweds with this word of encouragement from Shirley: “God will bless us with many trials and difficulties.” When Shirley died with Alzheimer’s disease some 40 years later, Bob could say that those last years of caring for her were the best years of his life.

Praise God for such faith and commitment!

P.S. Happy anniversary to Scott and Joanne who are serving together half a world apart.

The Village People

As work on the McFarlands’ addition continues, some of us make the short trek across the knee-deep Ba’e River to visit the native New Guineans on the other side. The river is neither muddy, nor clear, and probably part of the sewage system. It has a steady, but mild current, making it fun for children to splash in its cold water further downstream.

From the moment we cross the river, we are greeted by the village people – and what friendly people they are. In pairs and in groups they meet us, expecting our arrival and are eager to see us.

There are mothers with little ones trailing behind or sleeping, lengthwise, in bilum bags slung around their shoulders or foreheads. They are usually barefoot and the dark skin of their feet and legs looks almost chalky, especially the children, being closer to the dusty ground. Their well worn clothing is very Western (except for their mariblauses) – not only in style, but also in content: many children wear shirts with American or European team logos; there are one or two Spiderman shirts; there is even an old woman wearing a Bob Marley shirt – obviously hand-me-downs from visitors past and present.

Most of the women wear long mariblauses over their long skirts, though western pants beneath the mariblauses are beginning to creep into the culture.

Pastor Hamm greets us at the riverside and he leads us in our growing parade across the fallen tree-bridge, up the steep hillside to the village area. We pass a small group of huts with grass roofs and thatched walls, and continue on a straight, carefully dug out path between two parcels of farmland. We are told that rice was planted on one of them.

As we approach our destination, we are greeted by a larger throng – mostly women, children and old men – holding a homemade sign: “Welcome to Ba’e Church.” They line our path and greet us, one by one. ”Name bilong yu?” they ask after introducing themselves. Even our “pikininni”, John, Nick and Tim, are asked. They all shake our hands and many hugs are exchanged. This could have been a twenty minute walk, if not for their warm greetings. These are prolonged, joyously, by their reunions with Ingrid, Tony and Donna, who were here on earlier visits.

Having reached the church, we settle in for a time of ministry. Ingrid and Donna gather in the old church with the women of the village and some of the older boys and men. Ingrid shares her testimony of God’s rescues – including from her abandonment as a baby and her adoption, especially by God her Father through her faith in Jesus Christ.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2: 8-9

Next door in the shade of the new church (still being built), Becky, Marylou, John, Nick and Tim minister to the children through songs of faith and God’s love. Then a time of teaching. Our theme for the children is courage, and Marylou begins by telling the story of the Jewish heroine Esther, who rescues her people from an early holocaust by putting her life on the line to save them: “If I die, I die,” she reasons. Her story is a foreshadowing of the ultimate rescue (for those who believe) by Jesus, who gave his life as a ransom for many.

A time of celebration follows an exchange of gifts to the children – theirs and ours. The old man, Obo gives bows and arrows to our boys and Pi'i gives us a carved pig decoration. He recently received Jesus as his savior.

After returning to the missionary center, the day is well spent, but it is capped by the social event of the season. Bruce conducts the middle and high school marching bands in a concert for the center. Peter takes part on French horn. It was an excellent performance and a perfect way to end the day.

A Good Day's Work

(Thursday, 9/16) Yesterday was our first full day in Ukarumpa. It’s hard to believe because it seems like we left home so long ago. It was also a busy day that varied for all of us.

We all gather together for morning devotions. We’ll work through the letter of James while we’re here. Scott led us through the first eighteen verses. Being strengthened in faith by our trials was a major theme.

Before that Marylou and Ingrid joined Paula on her morning walk today and finished up at the marketplace to get fresh fruit and vegetables for our lunch and evening meals. After devotions, Donna and Becky joined them for the meal preparation and other chores. All of the ladies were blessed by a visit from Wetti, pastor Hamm’s wife. She brought them Mariblouses – traditional blouses worn by the women to ensure modest covering. We had kau kau soup for dinner – basically a vegetable soup with kau kau (a form of sweet potato) as the main attraction. Donna also finally met Marlene Schutter, the music director from the International School.

Meanwhile the men got working on the McFarland’s room additions. Scott and Tony completed the floor joists (already underway). Jonathan, Aaron and Mark variously removed windows from the former outside wall, built some solid sawhorses, etc. David worked largely on the inside. Gary worked on the plans and laid out the first wall. We raised that near then end of the day; it was a moment of great excitement. Pastor Hamm paid us a visit, too and also lent a hand.
Bora, Daniel and Casona, local hired hands, occasionally assisted us while also building a rock retainer wall.

For all of us, it was a good day of hard work. Tomorrow, we’ll have our first trip to the native village.

Sweet Fellowship!

(Wed. morning, 9/16) Ukarumpa at last! We got here yesterday afternoon.

The plane ride to Lae felt like the Jack Rabbit roller coaster at Sea Breeze, but at the end, waving to us from the other side of the security fence were the McFarlands and the Schwagers (another missionary family from home). What a joy to see them for all fourteen of us! The luggage took too long to collect – even a couple of minutes was too long; we wanted to embrace our friends.

After a few heartwarming moments of greeting and prayer of thanks in this small, dingy, third world airport (for the nation’s second largest city), we loaded our bags onto an old bus that could seat about 18 people and off we went. We travelled quickly and in bright daylight to avoid the hassle of roadside robbers who occasionally wait along our route.

The road from Lae to Ukarumpa runs through the Markum (sp?) Valley and looked, at times, like pictures I’ve seen of the Serengeti Planes – broad, flat, dry and grassy, but bordered on the sides by distant, rugged, grassy mountains. There were brush fires burning frequently (apparently intentionally lit for amusement), that charred large stretches of the valley and mountainsides.

Villages of native huts with thatched walls and grass roofs were scattered frequently along the way. There were also coconut groves with cocoa plants growing in their shade – the essential ingredients for a Mounds candy bar, someone noted.

We sped through the valley as fast as Bruce could take us. Then, after an hour or two, began our ascent to the highlands of Ukarumpa. It was spectacular scenery as we climbed on switchbacks that dropped precipitously. We slowed to a crawl at times where the road had washed away. After about three hours, we reached Ukarumpa, passing through another marketplace where nationals sold bright colored cultural goods (clothing, etc.) a fruits and vegetables. It had every appearance of an impoverished, but happy people.

Finally, we arrived at the SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) missionary center where the McFarlands gave us “the right hand of fellowship.” We unloaded the bus and the adults began preparing for our first meal together; the children (Peter & Anna McFarland and John, Nick & Tim) immediately set to playing together, picking up their old friendship. We all, young and older, had a wonderful time of fellowship.

Today, we go to work. More on that later.

Port Moresby

Port Moresby is the capital city of PNG. It has an international airport about the size of that of a very small American town. As we drive from the airport to our lodging for the night, we get a sense of the city. It is not wealthy; not as densely packed as I expected; lush with trees – and barriers and graffiti.

The smell of campfires flows throughout the city. It is dark now and people sell food and other goods along the roadside, lit up at night by long fluorescent lights standing upright. The mission home, our overnight house in Port Moresby, is fenced with barbed wire and posted with a guard. This is the capital city.

We awoke this morning to the sounds of roosters crowing very early (maybe 3 am). Soon, they are joined by a chorus of birds singing, filling the air with the music of God’s creation – the exotic and the familiar (occasional cars are also speeding by). It’s the capital city.

As the sky brightens, we see the lush, green foliage. Palm-like plants and trees abound, some with bright orange flowers. It is warm and humid and tropical here near the equator. One by one we rise. The beds and showers felt great after two days of traveling (with more to come today).

We gather haphazardly in the kitchen and help ourselves to the toasts and cereals. A jar of vitamin-enriched yeast spread is on the table. It’s labeled “Vegemite.” I remember it from the ‘80s Men at Work song (“We Come from the Land Down Under”), so I try it on a dry biscuit. The others laugh at me as I try hard to swallow it. It is undoubtedly the worst taste I have ever experienced.

The best part of the morning was meeting a missionary couple who have lived the last 23 years in a seacoast village accessible only by boat and fifteen hours away from the nearest town. A few months ago, they completed their translation of the New Testament for this isolated people. Katherine shares her joy with us and reads a familiar passage to my children, who are listening to her story. The words flow melodiously off her lips. How beautiful they sound. When we hear the translation to English, they are even more beautiful: “God loved his earthly people so much that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him will not die forever.” And so the gospel is spread.