Hungry?
I was this past Thursday around one in the afternoon. I hadn't eaten yet because I was attending a weekly ladies’ Bible study over my lunch break.
When the lesson, based on some of Jesus’ “I am” statements from John, was over, we took turns sharing our thoughts on the lesson. While my mind was drifting a little (What time will I get back to work? Do I have time for lunch?), a Papua New Guinean woman started sharing about what Jesus’ words “I am the bread of life” mean to her.
As she quoted Matthew 4:4 (“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”), my mind snapped back to attention and I listened carefully to understand what she was saying (in Tok Pisin).
What she said really made me think. She shared about how sometimes when she is hungry and doesn’t have anything to eat, she thinks about God’s word. In her hunger, she thanks God that we are sustained by his word rather than by physical food while she recalls to mind Scripture passages.
This woman really understands what Jesus said in John 6:35… "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst".
Thank you Lord, for giving us food and for sometimes letting us go without it, so we can learn to listen to you.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Encouragement
This morning started out kind of rough...
When I was brushing my teeth, I looked up and was startled to find some weird kind of black slug/worm crawling its way across my curtains. The morning seemed to go downhill from there. I had to go into the office early to work on a project that needed to be done by 8:30. On the way to work, my flipflops splattered mud all over the back of my new, light-colored skirt. The weather was just plain gloomy too - no sun, just grey skies and light rain.
Throughout the morning, I tried to think the verse that God had brought to mind when I was getting ready, Philippians 4:6-7 - about not being anxious and having God's peace - but it wasn't seeming to stick. Then midmorning, I went to check my mail. And the way I was feeling, I was surprised to not fall in the mud or stub my toe on the way.
Actually, something good and very encouraging happened... I had three packages, three padded envelopes, and lots of cards in my mailbox. All of those things arrived just at the right time to be a tangible reminder of God's care.
After that, my skirt was still muddy and the skies were still grey, but I was happier. God used things as simple as loving notes and small gifts to encourage me and lift my spirit up when I was down.
When I was brushing my teeth, I looked up and was startled to find some weird kind of black slug/worm crawling its way across my curtains. The morning seemed to go downhill from there. I had to go into the office early to work on a project that needed to be done by 8:30. On the way to work, my flipflops splattered mud all over the back of my new, light-colored skirt. The weather was just plain gloomy too - no sun, just grey skies and light rain.
Throughout the morning, I tried to think the verse that God had brought to mind when I was getting ready, Philippians 4:6-7 - about not being anxious and having God's peace - but it wasn't seeming to stick. Then midmorning, I went to check my mail. And the way I was feeling, I was surprised to not fall in the mud or stub my toe on the way.
Actually, something good and very encouraging happened... I had three packages, three padded envelopes, and lots of cards in my mailbox. All of those things arrived just at the right time to be a tangible reminder of God's care.
After that, my skirt was still muddy and the skies were still grey, but I was happier. God used things as simple as loving notes and small gifts to encourage me and lift my spirit up when I was down.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Q & A
I asked you for questions, and you responded so, now it’s time to answer some of them! Below are a few questions I’ve received and their answers.
First, a work-related question…
Q: After you make a survey trip, is there a lot of paper work to do to pass on what you found?
A: Yes. Since we finished the Benabena Scripture use survey in the end of January, we (the survey team) have been working together to write a report about what we found out through our interviews and observations.
The first step in this process is analyzing our notes to determine what we actually found out. We do this by finding trends in the data. For example, I looked at each pastor’s answer to the question “In what language was your pastor’s training?” and saw that all of them had at least part of their training in Tok Pisin, while some also had training in English or Benabena. Bits of information like this will all be compiled in our final report.
Last week we finished analyzing our data and have now been working on writing the report. We plan to be finished with the report by the time Dan leaves in early March.
That leads us to the next question…
Q: Who replaces Dan when he leaves in March?
A: Dan is currently the only guy on the survey team and he is leaving in early March.
After he leaves, we will continue working mostly as usual. Bonnie, Juliann, and I are planning to survey the Wagi language area the week after Dan leaves, but for some other surveys we may need to find another man to go along for cultural and safety reasons. Another male surveyor will be joining our team in December.
And one more question…
Q: Have you had any seismic activity lately?
A: Yes. Last week (on February 8), I woke up around 1:30 in the morning to find my bed moving. The quake only lasted about half a minute and just felt like a gentle shaking.
In Papua New Guinea, earthquakes are fairly common, but are rarely serious or even noticeable. Often, unless you’re sitting still, you completely miss out on an earthquake and don’t realize it until someone asks you later “Did you feel the earthquake yesterday?”!
Well, I think that’s enough Q & A for now. Keep the questions coming!
First, a work-related question…
Q: After you make a survey trip, is there a lot of paper work to do to pass on what you found?
A: Yes. Since we finished the Benabena Scripture use survey in the end of January, we (the survey team) have been working together to write a report about what we found out through our interviews and observations.
The first step in this process is analyzing our notes to determine what we actually found out. We do this by finding trends in the data. For example, I looked at each pastor’s answer to the question “In what language was your pastor’s training?” and saw that all of them had at least part of their training in Tok Pisin, while some also had training in English or Benabena. Bits of information like this will all be compiled in our final report.
Last week we finished analyzing our data and have now been working on writing the report. We plan to be finished with the report by the time Dan leaves in early March.
That leads us to the next question…
Q: Who replaces Dan when he leaves in March?
A: Dan is currently the only guy on the survey team and he is leaving in early March.
After he leaves, we will continue working mostly as usual. Bonnie, Juliann, and I are planning to survey the Wagi language area the week after Dan leaves, but for some other surveys we may need to find another man to go along for cultural and safety reasons. Another male surveyor will be joining our team in December.
And one more question…
Q: Have you had any seismic activity lately?
A: Yes. Last week (on February 8), I woke up around 1:30 in the morning to find my bed moving. The quake only lasted about half a minute and just felt like a gentle shaking.
In Papua New Guinea, earthquakes are fairly common, but are rarely serious or even noticeable. Often, unless you’re sitting still, you completely miss out on an earthquake and don’t realize it until someone asks you later “Did you feel the earthquake yesterday?”!
Well, I think that’s enough Q & A for now. Keep the questions coming!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February newsletter
If you didn't get a copy, but you'd like to, just email me or leave a comment to let me know.
If you got the newsletter, but you can't view the second page, make sure you're using the latest version of Abode Reader (version 9). Use this link: Abobe 9 to download the newest. For some reason, only the first page shows up in older versions of Adobe.
Enjoy the newsletter, and let me know what you think!
Blessings,
Sara
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pictures from Survey
Here are a few pictures from our survey of the Benabena language area...
We traveled around the area in this four-wheel drive truck. At the small market across the road, Juliann is writing a phonetic word list, while Bonnie and I are talking to people.
I was asking this man about what languages people in his village (Kintunu) speak. While I was sitting there, people gave me two bananas, a mango, and lots of roasted peanuts to eat! People we met often gave us pineapples, oranges, bananas, cucumbers, and other good, fresh food.
We traveled around the area in this four-wheel drive truck. At the small market across the road, Juliann is writing a phonetic word list, while Bonnie and I are talking to people.
When we first arrived in a village, people would gather and we would introduce ourselves and our work. That's what had just happened in Kenimoro village when the picture below was taken. Bonnie spent the afternoon interviewing the people present (as a group). Later than night we ate and slept in the house pictured here.
We met many people over the course of the survey. Here are some respected, older men in Foii village...
... and some friendly, curious kids near Hofagayufa village.
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