Christmas in Ukarumpa

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I've been enjoying some rest this Christmas break and wanted to write a brief update about my work and about Christmas here in Ukarumpa.

WORK

About two and a half weeks ago, I started my job in the language survey office. I haven't been on a survey trip yet, but there are plenty of things to do in the office! We often get requests for information on certain languages; I've been fulfilling these requests by finding and reading old survey reports and writing summaries of them. Hopefully in mid-January I'll be able to go on my first survey trip. I'll let you know more once I do!

CHRISTMAS

I'm renting a small house, and I was happy to find that the house came with a small Christmas tree and some other Christmas decorations. I used crocheted picture-frame ornaments (with pictures of family and friends) given to me by my mom, and plastic canvas ornaments given to me by my grandma to decorate the tree. I was pleased at how beautiful it looked!




I did some other traditional Christmas things to celebrate, including opening an advent calendar and baking cookies to share with friends! These are the second batch of Marbled Refrigerator Cookies I made. I didn't adjust the recipe for high altitude on the first batch and they were crumbly. (Ukarumpa is at 5,000 feet altitude, so all baking recipes have to be adjusted accordingly!)




Christmas here isn't associated with winter, snow, or cold. It's actually summertime here in the southern hemisphere, although the weather doesn't vary too much with the seasons since we are relatively close to the equator. Today is overcast and I can't seem to get warmed up (even though the temperature is up to 72 now), but Christmas Day was beautiful! It was warm and sunny, as you can see in this picture, taken looking west out of Ukarumpa.



On Christmas morning, I went to some of my friends' house, had a great breakfast with them, and watched their kids open presents. We all went to a church service midmorning and then came back for a wonderful lunch. I spent the afternoon, relaxing, reading and napping at my house. Even though I missed my family and being home, I had a great day. And even better, I got to talk to my family on the phone the next morning, which was their Christmas Day.

NOTE

I wanted to let you know that I have reliable email access now, so feel free to email me; I'd love to hear from you if you read my blog! My email address is the same, and you can also find it on my Blogger profile page.
I can also receive postal mail. My address is:

Sara Van Cott
SIL Box 39
Ukarumpa EHP 444
Papua New Guinea

Thanks!

Me in Village Living: Photos

This water tap which provides clean water to the village was less than a minute's walk from my house. I went there multiple times each day, to fill basins with water for washing my infected sandfly bites, wash dishes, or wash clothes, as I'm doing in this picture.





While in the village, one of my "uncles" taught me how to make a basket out of coconut leaves. I like to make things with my hands, so it was a fun experience for me.



One Sunday afternoon, I was sitting down and visiting with one of my village grandmothers when she pulled a bright, beautiful bird from her bilum (string bag)! A local boy stunned the bird (a Common Paradise Kingfisher) with a slingshot and captured it the previous day. What a privilege to see this amazing bird!

Life in Ukarumpa

I’ve been living in Ukarumpa for a week now, so I thought I’d write a little about my life here.

HOME

From now through July, I’ll be living alone in a small, but sufficient house. (In July, the homeowner comes back from her furlough, so I’ll be moving somewhere else.) The house has everything I need: a small kitchen, living/dining area, one bedroom, a small laundry, bathroom, and an entry way with a desk. After the communal life at POC, I’m enjoying having some time and space to myself, but also being able to be a part of the great community around me.

COMMUNITY

Ukarumpa is a close-knit Christian community and I’ve already met new people who are interested in who I am and what I’ll be doing here. In the week I’ve been here, I attended the high school’s chorus and band concert, played ultimate frisbee, watched a Christmas movie, and practiced with a Christmas choir. It’s great to have so many opportunities to met and interact with new friends!

WORK

I’ve spent the last few days in orientation, learning my way around and how everything works, so I haven’t started my work in survey yet. I have had a chance to visit the survey office and meet my new colleagues Bonnie and Dan. I’m excited to start in the office later this week!

A PRACTICAL NOTE

During my orientation, I found out something that is relevant to you, as well as to me. It’s illegal for me to receive any kind of food items in the mail. If you ever send a package or card, please don’t include anything edible as this could create problems for me. Thanks!

An Incredible Film

What film has been translated into over 1,000 languages and shown in every country in the world?

The JESUS Film.

Since it’s initial release in 1979, the “JESUS” film has been shown over 6 billion times and resulted in over 200 million people making decisions to accept Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. The JESUS Film Project translates and dubs the film in order to help all people “encounter the life and message of Jesus in a language ‘of the heart’.”

The “JESUS” film has been translated into Tok Pisin, and I had the chance to show it while I was doing village living.

On the afternoon of November 21, my wasfamili (host family) helped me move the heavy generator, the projector, and other equipment into a grassy area in front of our house, and then watched as I set everything up. We moved the generator a distance away and behind a mango tree, where its noise wouldn’t be a distraction. The family put poles into the ground and rigged up a white sheet in between to be a double-sided movie screen. Before too long the projector, DVD player, and speaker were all set up correctly too and we began to wait for people to arrive.

People started arriving around 6 pm and by 7 we began a short program. I played guitar and led our wasfamili in singing some songs; a church elder prayed in the local language; and we gave gifts of betelnut and green coconuts to all the adults. Julie and I both had a chance to share devotions we’d written out earlier in Tok Pisin. I spoke about the grace of God, using verses from Ephesians 2 to encourage the people that grace is free. (Some of you who heard me speak in churches this spring may remember a story I told about Papua New Guinean’s struggle to understand grace; for this reason, I was especially grateful for the opportunity to share!)

When the program concluded around 8, I started the generator and got the movie underway. By this time, a crowd of around 300 people had gathered in our yard to watch the movie. All present, from little kids to elderly people, sat riveted to the screen for the next 2 hours. When Jesus performed miracles, they clicked their tongues to express their amazement. Because they are a fishing community, they were especially astonished when Jesus provided an extraordinary catch of fish.

After the gospel presentation at the end of the film, everyone started back to their own villages. We didn’t see any immediate impact of the film, but the following Sunday at church, the pastor mentioned the film in his sermon and my wasfamili told me that Sunday school teachers would be sure to discuss the film with the kids in their classes.

Thank God for the opportunity to show the “JESUS” film in Bunabun and please pray that what people saw will continue to impact their lives.

To learn more about the “JESUS” film, visit http://www.jesusfilm.org/.

Back from the Village

Hello from POC!

Today I moved from village living back to POC. This morning Julie and I said goodbye to our village wasfamili, loaded all of our possessions onto the waiting truck, and left Mus village. We arrived back to POC midday and spent the afternoon unpacking and settling back in.

Check back over the next few days for more updates about village living!

Thanks for your prayers for my health and safety. I'm feeling good and looking forward to the next few days here at POC and then moving to Ukarumpa on the 2nd of December. Please continue to pray for my infected sandfly bites to heal.

God bless!

Sara

Update from the Village

Written November 19, 2008

Greetings from Mus village, where I'm sitting and handwriting this note. Tomorrow Julie and I are going to take a PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) to spend the day in the city of Madang. We'll visit an internet cafe where I'll type and email this blog post.

When I get back to POC, I'll be able to write more, but I just wanted to post a quick update now to let you know I'm doing alright. I've been in the village almost a month now and have had some good times and some bad times. Living in a village situation with people always close by can be difficult! There have been some wonderful times as well, like tonight when I sat playing guitar and singing praise songs with my village family.

Here are a few praise and prayer points...

- Pray for my health... I've got many sandfly bites on my arms and legs that have turned into painful, infected sores. Please pray for quick and complete healing.

- Pray for Julie, me and our village as we show the Jesus film there on Friday night. Pray that God will use the film to bring people to Himself and strengthen the faith of others who are already believers.

- Praise God for great times of reading and meditating on the Psalms!

- Pray for Julie, me and our village 'wasfamili' as we go back to POC next Wednesday the 26th.

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging cards and letters - they've carried me though the tough times!

- Sara

Off to Bunabun

Imagine hiking through a virgin rain forest with massive trees hundreds if not thousand of years old towering above you. Everything is green, except for the huge leaves, now brown, scattered underfoot. Birds are singing and pink and yellow wildflowers poke their heads out of lush, green leaves. The trails are steep and slick, but the views make it all worth it.

This isn't some expensive adventure travel vacation; it was my experience on the three-day hike.

While most people from the US will never get to have this kind of experience, some do. However, even the most seasoned adventure traveler will never experience what I'm about to do. I'm headed off to live in a rural village for five weeks, to get to know Papua New Guineans, to experience their daily lives and culture, and to be with them.

This Thursday my partner Julie and I will be moving up the coast about 55 miles to a village area called Bunabun. (You can see the location by entering the coordinates S04 36.132 E145 33.289 on Google Maps or Google Earth.) There we'll be living in a house built for us by the village, complete with our own liklik haus (outhouse) and haus kuk (outdoor kitchen). Here’s a picture of the house as it looked a few weeks ago; I’ve heard that they’ve since expanded it into a four-room mansion of a village house!



A local family has volunteered to be our wasfamili (host family). I'm looking forward to getting to know the family, and not only the parents Karis and Agnes, but also their two teenage daughters and three younger children.



During my stay in Bunabun, I hope to improve my Tok Pisin and learn a little of Barem their tok ples (first language) as well.

While many aspects of village life will be a wonderful blessing, there will be hard parts as well. In the village, everyday tasks like cleaning your body, doing your dishes, or washing your clothes take two or three times as long as at home. There are no showers, sinks, or washing machines. There is only walking to the river, bathing by scooping water over yourself, washing dishes in a basin, and scrubbing and ringing out your clothes by hand.

Cooking too is a challenge. Fires must be started to cook food and boil drinking water. Everything is made from scratch and there is no refrigeration. As you would expect, there are no modern conveniences like electricity or internet, so I'll be unable to email or blog until I return to POC in late November.

Many people may be glad they will never have a chance to experience true village life, but I'm looking forward to it. I count it a blessing that a village is opening their doors and their lives to me for five weeks. I will treasure the time I have to spend with them and learn from them.

What an incredible and challenging experience awaits! Please keep me in your prayers as I undergo a huge transition and move to the village on Thursday. During my village living time, pray for health for Julie and me, as well as our relationships with each other, our wasfamili, and all of the people in the village.

Three Day Hike

I'm back from the three day hike! My group of six students and two Papua New Guinean guides left Monday morning and got back to POC Wednesday afternoon. We had a wonderful time hiking, talking together, and overnighting in the homes of local people.

The typical Papua New Guinean's life is drastically different than the typical American's life in at least two ways: material possessions and culture.

Material Possessions

Homes in Papua New Guinea are not as permanent as American homes. They are made out of bush materials and are rebuilt every 5 to 10 years. The climate is mild year-round, so houses in Papua New Guinea do not need to be as heavy-duty as American houses.

Papua New Guineans are much more in touch with nature than we Americans are. They know about all of the plants and their uses. As we hiked these past few days, our guides picked wild edible plants that we cooked along with our rice and canned meat for dinner.

Culture

Papua New Guinea is a communal culture, where relationships are the most important thing. When we spent the night in Butelgut village on Tuesday, we spent hours just talking with the people. The men went to one side of the room and talked, while we women sat on the other side. There is very little public interaction between men and women, even between married couples.


I really enjoyed the three day hike and I'm looking forward to learning more about life and culture in Papua New Guinea.

Three Day Hike

Written 8 October 08

This Monday through Wednesday I'll be away on a hike through the jungle with a small group of other POCers.

My small group and I will be backpacking for three days in the area around POC. During the days, we'll follow the trail mapped out for us, and in the evenings, we'll be staying with host families in villages, where we'll be able to use our Tok Pisin to get to know them better.

This hike will be a valuable experience in and of itself, but it will also continue to prepare me for village living which is coming up in only two weeks.

My partner Julie and I will be living in a village for five weeks to get to know a family and learn the lifestyle of the people.

After I get back from the three-day hike, I'll write to fill you in about it and give you more information about my upcoming village living time.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Busy Week

No gut yu pundaun is a phrase I heard many times this past week. This Tok Pisin phrase literally means “It wouldn’t be good if you fell down,” but “Be careful!” is a better translation.

This warning was issued to our group many times during an all-day hike on Wednesday over steep and slippery trails. Later in the week, while I was with my wasfamili, I was warned to be careful each time I went out to use the liklik haus (outhouse) and while we looked around their steep vegetable garden.

This week marks a turning point in Pacific Orientation Course (POC). We said goodbye to our Tok Pisin teachers and began to prepare for the three-day hike and village living, the last components of the course.

On Monday we discussed all of the remaining hikes and our five-week village living. We learned how to dehydrate food to use in village living, and Julie and I dehydrated some onions, carrots, and bananas.

Tuesday we had class in the morning and then went to Nagada Bay for our endurance swimming time. I was pleased that I managed to swim almost a mile and a half!

We spent most of Wednesday hiking to and from Kamba, a village on the next major ridge. In three hours, our whole group had hiked down 1,000 feet and back up the 1,000 feet elevation change on the other side. We ate lunch at Kamba and then split into three groups to hike back. I joined the fast group and we made it back to POC in under two hours!

On Thursday night, I went to visit my wasfamili as usual, but spent the night in their home. I brought my own mosquito net and sheet to sleep on, and they provided a clear spot on their bamboo floor.

In the morning on Friday, my wasmama started to teach me how to make a bilum (traditional string bag). We also visited one of their vegetable gardens and saw the places were they bathe, wash their dishes, and collect their drinking water. Our afternoon was fairly relaxed at POC as we rested after such a busy week!

Thanks for your prayers!



PRAYER REQUEST UPDATE

Thanks for praying for my health and the health of the others here at POC! Everyone seems to be on the mend, but many still need prayers as they are continuing to gain strength.

God heard your prayers on my behalf… out of 50 adults and children, only 4 have not been affected by this illness, and I am one of them! Praise the Lord!

Going to Town

"The rainy season started last Tuesday," said a woman on the bus this morning. Although the rainy season does not usually start for another month or so, most people here agree that it has begun. It's rained all night every night since Tuesday, and rains occasionally during the day as well.

The rain affects daily life. Line-drying clothes can be difficult. All the paths and roads become slick with mud. Church starts later than usual. Going to town becomes a much bigger adventure and challenge.

This morning three of my friends (Joy, Julie, and Sharon) and I went to Madang town. It wasn't raining when we left for the 45 minute walk down the mountain to the main road, but after we'd walked for some time (and got a ride in the back of a pickup part of the way) the rain started again.

We then stood by the road, waiting for a PMV (public motor vehicle) to stop and pick us up. After about half an hour, some Papua New Guineans flagged down an empty PMV (that had been going the opposite direction) and a mad rush to get a seat began. The four of us and two PNG ladies we had befriended all managed to squeeze to the front of the group of people and get seats. A river had flooded part of the road, so our driver waited his turn and then we traveled through the other lane where the water was shallower. When we arrived in town, we each paid our K1.50 and set off to do our shopping. (K stands for Kina, Papua New Guinea's "dollar.")

Through the rain, we went to two supermarkets, a pharmacy, a stationary store, some small department stores, the outdoor market, and a fast food place. I bought a few things for myself and helped a family who has been sick by buying them groceries.

We then found a PMV to get a ride back to the area where we live. We were prepared for the long, steep walk back up the mountain, carrying our heavy bags. However by God's grace, someone gave us a ride and we did not have to walk back up the mountain!

Going to town is always an adventure, especially in the rainy season, and today was no exception!

PRAYER REQUEST

Please keep the following important matter in your prayers...

Last weekend almost all of the children here at POC were sick with a flu-like illness. None of the adults were affected then, but that's changed recently. Over the past week, about half of the adults here have been sick. The sickness is pretty fierce and seems to spread very easily.

I've not been sick yet, but my roommate and my partner both have. Please pray for my continued good health, and pray for God to strengthen and heal those who are affected now. Pray against the spread of this awful illness.

I'll try to keep you updated on the situation as I can. Thanks for your prayers!

Wasfamili

'Was' is a Tok Pisin word that means "watch or care for." A 'wasfamili' then is a family who watches over someone, perhaps an adopted child.

Two weeks ago I met my 'wasfamili' when they came here for dinner, and this past week I went to their house.

Around 5:30 pm, one of my younger 'was' sisters Kristina came to POC to walk my partner Julie and I to their home. After twenty minutes of walking on a gravel road and then some small paths through the bush, we arrived at their home, a one-room building with woven bamboo walls and a roof made of leaves.

The whole family was there waiting for us to arrive: 'papa' Ninto, 'mama' Matah, and their children Joshua, Nelson, Nick, and Matah. Kristina was there too and another daughter Alvina arrived later because she had been off working in the garden.

We all sat on the veranda and chatted in Tok Pisin for awhile. After dark, Matah had the kids heat up the dinner she had prepared earlier, boiled sweet potatoes and greens, tinned meat, and cooking bananas prepared in coconut oil. She served this alongside the food we'd brought for them from POC, beef stew and steamed rice.

As Papua New Guineans only eat once or twice a day, they are very hungry by dinner time and the portions they eat are huge! Julie and I were both given a very large portion too, and eating slowly, we managed to eat it all.

After dinner we continued to talk about various topics, like their family, their pigs, and the way land is passed from generation to generation. The children enjoyed looking at the pictures in the Air Niugini in-flight magazine I'd brought along. Later, we all had tea and then Ninto and Matah walked us back to POC.

Building relationships with Papua New Guineans is an essential part of my ministry, and my 'wasfamili' experience will help me both to build relationships now as well as prepare for future relationships by having a better understanding of PNG life and culture.

POC Continues...

Written September 14, 2008

Life is very busy here at Pacific Orientation Course (POC)! I'm continuing to learn Tok Pisin, study the culture, and get more fit through hiking and swimming. Along with the usual activities, I've started some new things now in my third week...

Last Thursday night I met my 'wasfamili' (from English 'watch family,' a surrogate family for me while I'm here at POC) when they came to POC for a Papua New Guinean style dinner. My 'waspapa' and 'wasmama' are Ninto and Matah, who have six children and live nearby. This Thursday night I'm going to their house for dinner, and I look forward to getting to know them better and improving my Tok Pisin too.

This past weekend my partner Julie and I used our 'haus kuk' for cooking and eating all of our meals. We did our prep outside, cooked over an open fire, and washed our dishes outside in basins. I'm happy to report we didn't burn anything, but enjoyed stir-fry over rice one night and macaroni and cheese with local greens the next night!

For church this morning I visited a congregation in the nearby town of Madang. A few hundred people were present for the over two-hour church service. We sang songs in Tok Pisin and English and the message was in mixed Tok Pisin and English, so I understand some of it.

Papua New Guinea's Independence Day is this week - they've been an independent nation for 33 years! There are lots of festivities planned in this area. Nearby a field has become the home to a huge volleyball tournament and many songs and dramas are planned for Independence Day.

I'm enjoying POC, but there have already been some difficult times. It's a blessing to know that many people are praying for me. Please continue to pray for my spiritual life, physical health, and relationships with co-workers. Thanks!

Haus Kuk

What do you get when you combine three women, a pile of sticks, some string, two machetes, a pocket knife, and one weekend? A haus kuk. (Say "house cook.")

A haus kuk, Tok Pisin for "a cooking house," is a small open building which Papua New Guineans use for cooking. Over the past few days, two other single ladies and I spent some time building a haus kuk for preparing and eating our meals over the next five weekends.

Our haus kuk is made from bamboo, other kinds of tree materials, and strong plastic twine with a large blue tarp for the roof. After building the main structure, we also built a picnic table and a counter with space for dish washing basins.

We didn't do it all ourselves. For some big jobs, like driving posts in the ground by hand, the director and maintenance director helped us out. We finished first and were able to help others with the tedious job of tying down their tabletops.

It was a difficult project, but we are proud of how our haus kuk turned out!

First Days of POC

Written on 29 August 2008

Pacific Orientation Course (POC) is going really well so far! There are quite a few people attending – about 25 adults and 30 children. Every morning at 6 am some of us go for a 2 km walk to see the beautiful sunrise over the ocean. After breakfast at 7 am, we have some lectures until tea time at 10 am. Testimony time and more lectures fill in the time before lunch.

After lunch everyone observes an hour of “rest time.” It’s a good time to take a nap or do some reading. Later we have either another lecture or some kind of physical activity. This afternoon we went swimming at Nagada Harbour, only a few miles from POC. I challenged myself to swim eight 200-meter laps, and I did! That’s a whole mile!

Tomorrow morning I’ll start my Tok Pisin* classes in a small group with a native speaker. I’m really looking forward to jumping right into language learning using these unconventional methods.

I’ll only be able to email home once a week, and since I’m unable to access the web, I’m emailing my mom these blog entries to post for me. So unfortunately, I’ll only be able to update my blog weekly, and won’t be able to post any pictures until December. I’m sorry about that!

Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers!

*Tok Pisin is the most widely spoken language in Papua New Guinea

Arrival in Papua New Guinea!

Yesterday I arrived in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, and this morning I flew up to Madang, where I’ll start my training on Wednesday.

Pacific Orientation Course (POC) is located on top of a mountain, and through it’s very hot and humid, there have been nice cool breezes this afternoon. I spent some time unpacking and settling into my room, and getting to know some of the other people who are here for training.

I’ll have very limited internet access while I’m in training, but I’m going to try to update my blog as I can.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support!

Leaving Tomorrow

For months, I've been anticipating the day I would leave to begin my missionary work in Papua New Guinea... That day is finally almost here!

Tomorrow morning at 6:05 am, I'll leave Scranton, PA on my way to Madang, Papua New Guinea. Along the way I'll stop in Chicago, Tokyo, Japan, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Please keep me in your prayers as I travel over the next few days. I should be arriving at my final destination at 7:30 pm on Sunday night (Eastern Standard Time).

Below is an interactive map of my travel plans. You can click on the blue orbs to see more details about my flights or explore the map using the controls in the upper right-hand corner.

View Larger Map

Two Youth Group Meetings

What were you doing six years ago?  What will you be doing six years from now?

I had the privilege of sharing at two area youth groups this past week, and these are two questions I asked the teens.  I told them that only six years ago I was right where they're at now, and I had no idea what God would do in and through me.  

As I shared my life's testimony with the teens, I encouraged them to follow God and totally give their lives to Him.  I also shared about the Bible translation needs in Papua New Guinea and around the world, and all the jobs that need to be done for Bible translation to take place.  

What a great opportunity it was for me to be able to share in the youth groups of the South New Milford Baptist Church and First Baptist in Susquehanna!  I had fun answering questions and talking to some interested teens after I spoke.  

Please pray for the teens I was able to speak with, especially those in Susquehanna, many of whom indicated they'd be open to working in foreign missions and some who shared with me that they already feel a call to missions.  

And pray for me as I'm preparing to leave in 4 days! 

Commissioning Service in Pictures

As I mentioned earlier, my commissioning service last weekend was huge blessing to me. Here are some images from the day... (Click on a picture to view it larger.)

An incredibly intense hailstorm hit right before the service and left piles of ice around the building. Everyone I talked to said it was the fiercest hailstorm they’d ever seen!


Some of the hailstones were as big as grapes!


The music throughout the service was great! For one special music, Amy and Ralph sang You Are My Hiding Place.


Chuck Walton, who worked as Bible translators in the Philippines for 30 years, was the afternoon's main speaker.


Pastor Thomas left me with four things to remember: all of the helpers I have in my ministry, the missionary heroes who have gone before me, the heartaches I will inevitably endure, and the hallelujahs that will resound before the throne of God for a life of faithfulness to Him.


Deacon Bill Tyler led a prayer for me, while Pastor, the other deacons, and my dad (the missions committee chairman) laid their hands on me.


Tim, Lloyd, Ralph, and Phil sang Just One More Soul to end the service. What a motivating and true song!


Mrs. Thomas made a wonderful cake for the occasion!


A beautiful double rainbow appeared over the church after the dinner.


It stretched from one side of the sky to the other!


Dad and I played on a big pile of hail after the service. The amount of ice that had accumulated was just amazing!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'd like to say thank you to all who were able to come and share in the service! And to all who were involved in planning or who participated in the service, thank you!

I'd also like to say thanks to Lenora for taking these and many other great pictures on the day of the commissioning service!

Computer Update

I'm lucky my hard drive failed when it did.

If this problem had happened two weeks later, I'd already be in Papua New Guinea where little or no technical support for my computer would be available.

When I rushed to write my last post before leaving for Syracuse, I forgot to mention something that some of you might not know... my computer will be very important to my work in Papua New Guinea. I'll be using it to store and use recordings of languages, as well as various analysis programs.

I had an afternoon of ups and downs. Here's the breakdown:

• The bad news is that when I arrived at the Apple Store they had no record of me making an appointment for tech support. The good news is that they put me on standby and a very competent technician checked out my computer for me.
  

• The bad news is that my hard drive has failed and my computer is basically blank now. The good news is that a new hard drive and its installation is fully covered by my warranty, and I should be able to pick my computer up at the end of this week or the beginning of next.

• The bad news is that my presentation outline and pictures to show at youth group tomorrow night were on my now-dead hard drive. The good news is that I backed my computer up yesterday (just like I do every Monday) so I can retrieve the files on my parents' computer, and I had a chance to talk through my presentation on the way home.

Everything went so well this afternoon, and while this problem seems to have come at a bad time (while I am so busy with my preparations to leave), at least I'll have my computer back before I leave!

Computer Trouble

Less than an hour ago my computer froze and I shut it off. It hasn't been able to turn back on since.

I spoke to a helpful customer service person on the phone, and we determined that it is probably a hardware problem. I am leaving for the Syracuse Apple Store in the next few minutes. Please pray for my safety traveling and that the problem will be resolved quickly.

Thanks!

Commissioning Service Video

What an incredible day!  The most intense hailstorm I've ever seen, a double full-arc rainbow, and a church full of people who love and support me!  I'll write more and post some pictures over the next few days, but for now...

A slideshow of my life's journey.

This video was shown at my commissioning service this afternoon.  The pictures remind me of how faithful God has been to me throughout my life.  

If you missed the service or would like to see the slideshow again, you can watch it below.  (It runs for 9 minutes and 42 seconds.)

Bulletin Board

I had a surprise waiting for me when I got to church last week... this lovely bulletin board!

Mom admiring the bulletin board

My mom had given our church secretary Bridget some pictures and postcards, and she designed this great bulletin board about my ministry. 

Thanks mom and Bridget!

Commissioning Service Reminder

In April I wrote about my commissioning service and told you to look out for the details.  Well, here they are...  

As in the previous post, the service will be held next Sunday, August 10th at South New Milford Baptist Church.  The service will begin at 3 pm and there will be a fellowship meal following the service.  

Chuck Walton, a veteran Wycliffe missionary to the Philippines, will be the main speaker. Another Wycliffe representative, Sue Hoiland, will be there to give a challenge to the church.  I'm looking forward to hearing them share at the service.  

If you plan to attend (and I hope you do!), please RSVP to the church office as soon as you can, so we can plan for the meal.  You can call (570) 434-2101 or email snmbc AT snmbc.org. (Replace 'AT' with @.)  If you need directions, ask the church secretary when you RSVP or send me an email.

Meat will be provided for the dinner, but if you're able, you can bring a side dish to pass.  Bring along your recipe too - I'll collect them and take them along to PNG!  

I'm still here

My last week has been full, not of exciting things, but little things that need to be done.  

I've spent many hours in my room, thinning out my possessions and clothes and organizing what's left.  A garbage bag full of clothes and a box of toys, trinkets, and candles now sit in our garage waiting to go to the Salvation Army.  Another box is ready to go to the Awana Store at church.  Despite all of this work, I've got quite a bit left to do in my closet and around my desk, and I've still got to pack... 

Preparing to leave for a few years is hard work!

Papua New Guinea Language Stats

I just learned something new and I thought I'd share it with ya'll...

Papua New Guinea has the most different languages of any country in the world!

I already knew that Papua New Guinea has about 820 languages, but I didn't realize that was the most of any country in the world.  I assumed India or Indonesia would be higher on the list, and while both make the top five, neither beats Papua New Guinea.

According to this site (which takes its numbers from the CIA World Fact Book and Ethnologue), Papua New Guinea's 820 languages make up 11.86% of the world's total languages!  What an astounding percentage for only 0.08% of the world's population!

Around 300 languages in Papua New Guinea need Bible translation.  (Ninety-five percent of the world's countries don't even have 300 languages!)  Translating Scripture for these remaining languages is a monumental task that can only be accomplished by God's grace and with His help.

Would you pray for Bible translation work in Papua New Guinea, especially that God would raise up more workers to go and inspire new ways of working more quickly and efficiently?  

Answer to prayer and a meeting

Thanks for your prayers about my big box for traveling!  The dimensions on the internet meet the airline's baggage limit, but the dimensions on the box exceed it.  

Last night I took a yardstick and measured it myself, and the dimensions are even slightly less than those listed on the internet!  Now I can fly with no worries about an oversize fee and a clear conscience that I'm following the airline rules.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yesterday afternoon, Pastor Thomas, my mom, and I went to Montrose to meet a veteran Wycliffe missionary, Grace Fabian.  We sat with her and listened as she shared about her years in Papua New Guinea as a Bible translator.  By God's grace, Grace persevered through many trials, including the murder of her husband, and accomplished a work with eternal significance - the translation of the Nabak New Testament . 

You can hear Grace sharing about her experiences here, and you read about her husband's murder and Grace's response here.   

Thoughts from one month away...

I'm leaving for Papua New Guinea one month from today, and my preparations are in full swing...

I've had the sewing machine out, making a few skirts suitable for hiking and other daily life activities in PNG.  (It is culturally inappropriate for women to wear pants there.)  I've made my packing list and started gathering things from far corners of the house into my room from where they will eventually be packed.  I've also ordered a number of hard-to-find items online - finding the perfect item and having it shipped to my door for free has taken away so much of the shopping stress I usually have before a big trip! 

One thing I ordered was a special box to use as checked luggage when I fly.  This particular container, a Rubbermaid Action Packer, was recommended as it is sturdy, very roomy, and should be useful for food storage during my orientation program and beyond.  

The box is sturdy enough to sit on,
but light enough to be a good packing box!

When the UPS man dropped it off yesterday, I found the dimensions listed on the box were larger than those on the website where I bought it.  This wouldn't be a problem except the new larger dimensions slightly exceed the baggage size allowance on my flights.  Would you pray for me while I sort out this silly matter?  I'd really like to be able to use the box, but I don't want to be stuck paying an $100 oversize fees!  

Today was a special day for my family... one of my grandmother's (few) first cousins and his wife came to visit from Mount Pocono.  It was the first time he and my grandma had seen each other for 50 years!  We had a wonderful day visiting, comparing notes on genealogy (one of my favorite hobbies), looking at old family photos, and sharing stories.

VBS Highlights

Vacation Bible School this week was a blast!  We had a good turnout with about 100 kids attending each evening.  They learned a lot and had a good time too!

I had the opportunity of teaching the kids about missions and Bible translation.  Each night I had about 15 minutes with each group of kids, and I was encouraged that they were so interested in what I had to share!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Monday night I taught them the basics about the Bible and languages.  They were shocked to learn that there are almost 7000 languages in the world, and that about 2200 of them don't have a written language or the Bible!  

On Tuesday we talked about what my job will be in Papua New Guinea - language survey.  An object lesson helped them understand how important language survey is to the task of Bible translation.

We talked about Papua New Guinea on Wednesday night, and I showed pictures to help the kids see what life there is like.  

On Thursday night I taught the kids how Bible translation is done.  They learned these five steps: learn the language, make an alphabet, translate the Bible, teach people to read, teach people to use their Bibles.  

Tonight, Friday night, I challenged the kids to think about what part they could have in Bible translation.  They learned three things that they can do to help everyone have the Bible in their heart language: pray, give, and go.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What a blessed week... thank the Lord for safety and for all that the kids were able to learn!  

Would you pray that God will continue to work in these kids' lives?  Pray that He would call some into full-time missions work, and protect and direct all of them as they grow up.

Solomon Islands Bible Dedication

The people of the Solomon Islands, a near neighbor of Papua New Guinea, have been celebrating recently on two counts: the 30th anniversary of their independence and the dedication of the complete Bible in their trade language, Solomon Islands Pijin.  

The government of the Solomon Islands supports Bible translation and even provided half of the funds for printing the Pijin Bible.  

You can read more about the Pijin Bible and dedication here and see pictures here.  

Let's join the people of the Solomon Islands in praising God for the Pijin Bible!

Less than Six Weeks to Go

Yesterday was the "six weeks to go" mark... and six weeks from now I'll be flying from Narita, Japan to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea!  I'm sure August 22nd will be here before I know it, but there is quite a bit for me to do between now and then...

I'm sharing during Sunday School and church at Brushville Baptist Church tomorrow.  Would you pray that God would guide my words and work in peoples' lives as a result of what I share?  

My home church, South New Milford Baptist Church, is having VBS this coming week and I've been asked to do the missions program for the kids.  The theme this year is "God's Big Backyard" which focuses on serving others.  Pray for me as I teach the kids of all different ages about Bible translation, Papua New Guinea, and what they can do to help.  Pray that seeds will be planted in the hearts of kids (and the teenage helpers) to serve in Bible translation!  

Away for a few days

I'm home again... but maybe you didn't know I was even away.

Sunday after church my parents, sister, and I traveled down to New Hope, PA where my mom grew up.  My aunt had organized a nice picnic for family and friends.  I enjoyed the food, catching up with relatives I hadn't seen for awhile, and seeing some fireworks!  

We spent Monday relaxing at the Jersey Shore.  I've always loved going to the beach, and even though the day started out cool and overcast, we had a nice time.

On our way home today we stopped to visit my mom's Aunt Martha.  It had been way too long since I'd seen her!  We had a good time talking and having lunch with her.  We got home later this afternoon.

As always, thanks for your prayers!  

Bancroft in Pictures

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I've dedicated this post to pictures from Bancroft this summer.  Enjoy!

Morning Chapel Time

	Twice a day campers attended chapel services where they sang songs and heard solid Biblical teaching.
	Uncle Jeff led the songs...
	and Aunt Martha played the piano.
	Uncle Keith taught the basics about God and the Bible in the morning sessions, as the beginning of a chronological study of the Bible.  In the evening, he shared lessons from the life of David.
	The campers did worksheets and coloring pages during the day to reinforce the lessons they were learning in chapel.
	I shared about Bible translation and missions, using pictures and videos, as well as illustrations...
	like the 'people chain,' where volunteers represent people doing all different kinds of things that support Bible translation.  The kids were eager to volunteer!

Morning Activities

	The rest of the time in the morning was filled with special activities on "the hill"...
	like the Congo Crossing.
	The carpet slide is another camper favorite!
	The zip line was a new addition to camp this year, and the campers loved it.  Here Uncle Evan, Day Camp and Activities Director, gets a camper clipped in and ready to go...
	and they're off!  The zip line carried campers over a deep gully in the woods to a platform on the other side.

Afternoon Activities

	Every afternoon the campers got to swim in Bancroft's two pools... and they loved it!
	The overnight campers got to do a "midnight" swim (really not that late) - it was a big hit!
	And what day at camp would be complete without craft time?
	The overnight campers really enjoyed their leather craft projects this year, and they made some neat things!
	Every afternoon the camp store was open.  Here Aunt Martha and I are selling snacks, drinks, and toys to the campers.
	Free time after store is a great time to eat, take a break, and have some fun!

I want to thank my sister Laura for letting me use these great pictures that she took!

On the way home

Friday was the last day of Junior Boys' week at Bancroft.  Although there are four more weeks of day camp to come, Laura and I only planned to stay for June so we started for home yesterday.  We're spending the day in Roanoke, VA today and we plan to drive home later today.

Camp was a wonderful time for me!  I really enjoyed sharing with the kids about missions and helping out around the camp, as well as getting to know the campers and other staff.  I'm definitely going to miss life at Bancroft!

Look for more posts about camp (hopefully with pictures) in the days to come.

Please continue to pray for Bancroft... that God will work in the campers' hearts, and that He will give the counselors and staff energy and wisdom every day!