Each October, the Junior High and High School students of Ukarumpa International School put on a fundraiser called Carnival. They use part of the money for class projects and they donate the other half to a charity of their choice. This year, the class donated funds to the nearby School for the Blind.
The theme this year was “County Fair” and it sure looked like one! Activities included…
A pig chase...
Face painting…
Family fun…
A pep band…
A pie and jam judging contest…
Great food..., and of course
A FERRIS WHEEL!!!
Even after everyone had gone home to have dinner after a wonderful day at the fair, many of us came back at night for Australian “bush dancing” and more rides on the lighted Ferris wheel! If you are ever in the our neighborhood during the last Saturday in October, be sure to stop by and experience the Ukarumpa Carnival! You will love it!
The Word of God changes lives. As the Director of Support Services here in Papua New Guinea, Jerry Walker, writes, “SIL (Wycliffe)’s desire is to see: Papua New Guineans - knowing and living God's Word, leading to changed lives and transformed communities.”
But we have an enemy, and he is desperately trying to stop God’s work from taking place. He is trying to distract us as warriors from where the real battle lies. This past week has felt like hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. But as Jesus reminds us in John 16:33, we can have peace because Christ has already overcome the world. It is with this confidence and peace that I write about what has been happening here on Ukarumpa Centre.
NOTE: Please do not use this information as a “conversation starter” or simply information to pass on to anyone interested. The information we wish to share is about what God is doing to spread His Word—not the negative stories that we could so easily dwell on. If anyone asks how things are going here in PNG, please respond with a positive report about what God is doing here! I hope I have given you many positive stories to choose from. For those of you who battle for us often in prayer, may this information be fuel for your earnest prayers for, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16)
On the 22nd of October, some village leaders from our neighboring community (Ukarumpa Village) arrived on Centre asking to speak with our Director. They had some concerns to bring before our leadership and wanted to be heard right away. To make a point, they forced our security guards out of their posts and made unreasonable demands. To be cautious, we sent our children home from school and went on a kind of “lock down” until the meeting was over. Thankfully, other security guards and many police arrived quickly to help the meeting go smoothly and make everyone more comfortable. While we did not agree with many of their arguments nor could we give into their demands, the meeting ended peacefully and life went back to normal.
On October 27th Ukarumpa Village men came onto Centre and successfully intimidated our Papua New Guinean employees who were working on our water system. Until this water system is completed, our Centre has been drawing water from a river on Ukarumpa Village land, which has been a cause for disputes for many years. Instead of halting construction of the water system, however, more than 80 members and employees pitched in to complete the project in record time. The police were called on the men who tried to cause trouble and they have been warned not to attempt this again.
On the 31st of October a devastating incident occurred. This is how our leadership described the event:
“On Sunday night (31 Oct) local time, an unknown person entered SIL-PNG
Aviation's leased property with a gun. One of the on-duty guards was
shot and killed.
Local police are investigating the shooting, and SIL's private security
contractor has entered into mourning. Currently, the origin of the
assailant is unknown as several local villages have had conflicts with
the security contractor.
SIL members and personnel have closed down operations on Monday, 1 Nov,
to allow the guards to mourn as culturally appropriate. As a community
we publicly and physically extend our condolences to the guard's family,
friends and co-workers.
At this time, we do not feel the hostilities are being directed toward
the expatriate community, but SIL members are currently manning all
security posts.
The culture dictates "payback" for every wrong, which leads to an
unending cycle of revenge. We ask our larger international community to
pray for a peaceful and lawful resolution to the current issues facing
our Papua New Guinean security contractor and the SIL-PNG community.”
We, as SIL/Wycliffe members and employees are shocked and stunned by what has transpired this week. Again, I ask you NOT to pass this information on as something interesting to talk about. We are all taking this seriously and desperately need your prayers. If you have concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me (Melissa_yoder@wycliffe.org). I do not feel scared or unsafe here, only saddened by the events of the week and motivated to pray for the speedy spreading of the Word of God. Only God’s Word can change lives and transform communities. MARANATHA!
Ukarumpa International School is full of different cultures and nationalities! To celebrate this diversity, all of the primary grade levels study a different country each term. Term two social studies in my grade one class are devoted to the United Kingdom. To help us get the feel for this exciting part of the world, I asked a real British woman named Mrs. Alison Tute to come during this time. Each week, Alison has been teaching us something new about Great Britain. We’ve studied the geography of the country, the flag or “Union Jack,” and we have read a bit of Winnie-the-Pooh at the end of each lesson.
This week we had a special treat. Our first graders had an English tea party with scones and jam! Well, actually Alison and I had tea, and the kids had scones and jam. :) Here are some pictures of the event.
Here Alison is teaching the kids about how to do a proper tea. To get to England, we crowded onto the magic carpet, closed our eyes, and counted to three. When we opened our eyes, we were in the United Kingdom! First grade is so much fun!
Our charming British café with scones, butter, and jam along with napkins, tablecloths, and menus! The kids said later that “the café looked a lot like our classroom!” but they knew that it wasn’t the same place. I told them the owners of the café probably made it look like our classroom to make us feel at home!
Each child was able to get one scone with butter and jam. Shh! Don’t tell them that the butter is sitting in a petri dish from our science kit! It’s okay, I washed it. :)
Who would have thought my boys could be such charming gentlemen? They were very polite and proper…until we were called back to the carpet. One young man just couldn’t resist sticking his finger in the jam. *sigh*
This table of ladies could not have had more fun! Their voices barely concealed their excitement as they asked for a friend to “Please pass the butter,” while their napkins rested on their laps.
Being “Mother” means that you are responsible for serving each person at your table. Even the boys enjoyed being “Mother” and did a wonderful job!
These ladies had pleasant conversation while enjoying their scones. Couldn’t we stay in the United Kingdom just a little longer?
But alas, it was time to return to first grade in Papua New Guinea. We all came back to the carpet and again closed our eyes, counted to three, and voila! we were back in our classroom! This is a special experience we will be talking about for weeks to come! What a trip!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to experience a traditional Papua New Guinean feast called a mumu. These feasts are usually done for a wedding, funeral, homecoming, or going away. An ex-pat here from Ukarumpa Centre paid a national man and his family to do one for us waitskins so that we could taste this Papua New Guinean treat. Honestly, I didn't think I would like it but I was happily surprised! Let me see if I can explain what it was like...
First, the family grows all their own veggies and raises their own kakaruk (chicken) or pik (pig) for the event. Sometimes they can get items from a local market if they do not have what they want for the mumu. When they have all the ingredients for the meal, they must prepare them to be cooked. They peel the potatoes and the kaukau (sweet potato), trim the kumu (greens), and kill the pik or kakaruk, cutting it into pieces. When the food is prepared, they dig a hole in the ground and place hot rocks in the bottom. On top of the rocks, they layer the food to be cooked, starting with the potatoes and kaukau, then the other vegetables with the meat, and greens on top. They cover this with leaves from the banana tree and let it steam for over two hours.
The group I was with arrived during this part of the process. We went over to the mumu pit to see it and the women of the house started uncovering it. This is what it looked like when we first arrived.
The banana leaves were taken off until we saw the rest of the food underneath the leaves.
Here they are separating the different kinds of food into plastic and metal containers so that you only have to take what you want to eat. They then took all the food to another location and set it up in a buffet line for us.
I tried everything but the kakaruk (chicken) and enjoyed it all! Yes...EVEN the sweet potato! It must be a miracle!
After the meal, I played with some puppies that were too cute to pass up.
We then walked around the village and saw the houses, church, and school. I am so glad that I actually felt comfortable among the people today. I still can't speak Pigin very well, but I am getting better and better each week.
Our hosts’ house
Cynthia
Inside the church
The primary school
Hopefully you are enjoying your own “feasts” with family and friends this week. Treasure the people around you, love them with Christ’s love, and make some memories!
(Italicized words are written in Tok Pisin, the national language of Papua New Guinea)
“As you do God’s work in the midst of opposition…”
1.Remember where your help comes from. (Neh. 2:20)
2.Focus on your faith, not your fear. (Neh. 4:14-15)
3.Come together with the Body of Christ around a unified purpose. (Neh. 8:1-11)
I just recently heard the above sermon, presented by a translator here named Tommy Logan. He shared from the book of Nehemiah. It’s been a while since I’ve visited this book and I am so glad God brought it to my attention again! This story recounts the Israelite’s miraculous rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
What struck me first was how Nehemiah responded when he heard of the ruin of Jerusalem. Verse 4 of chapter 1 says that when Nehemiah heard these words, he “sat down and wept, and mourned for many days…fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.” This bad news deeply affected the man of God. So much so that his normal life came to a screeching halt and he went to his knees in prayer, asking God to intervene (1:5-11).
This is how I feel about the bibleless peoples of the world. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the millions of people who live without the transforming Word of God each day. Yes, some have rejected its message, but others have never even had the opportunity to hear of God’s love in their own language. I cannot continue with my normal way of life after hearing this devastating news. I must beseech the God of Heaven to intervene…and to use me, if He will.
By chapter 3, Nehemiah is in Jerusalem and work on the wall is well underway. Nehemiah lists each family who helped rebuild the wall, starting with the high priest, Eliashib. What a great picture of the Body of Christ in action! Just in my life alone, if I could list each person who has helped get me to PNG by encouraging me, partnering with me through finances and prayer, I would easily fill an entire book! And many of you continue to be an influential part of the work here with your timely prayers and gifts, your notes of encouragement, and your sacrifices of love.
Chapter 4 brings the first round of serious opposition from outsiders. Before acting, Nehemiah prays again, asking God to bring justice on their enemies. Then, this mighty leader equips his men with weapons to defend the work and reminds them to put their focus on the Lord, “great and awesome” (4:14). These faithful workers remained alert to attack while they build the wall, always being ready to defend the work of the Lord.
Often, when I feel attacked, I am blindsided. I have gotten lazy in my devotions, my fellowship with other believers, and I have forgotten what God has done on my behalf in the past. These faithful men did God’s work while remainingalert to the enemy’s schemes. Oh if I could be so wise! If I would be diligent to put on the whole armor or God each day and stand fast against the devil’s schemes(Eph. 6). May this be my reminder—and yours—to suit up and be alert!
Nehemiah was able to complete the wall in a miraculous 52 days. Don’t we all wish our Christian service could be completed in 52 days!! (Or even 52 years, for that matter!) But the truth is we are always going to be doing God’s work while we have breath in our lungs. As Galatians 6:9 reminds us, our harvest is coming, but we must not give up.
As Tommy Logan begins his third decade of translation work, as Wycliffe Bible Translators pushes to reach Vision 2025, as I walk through these very short two years as a teacher in PNG, and while you serve where you are planted, may God strengthen our hands to do His work while we stand strong against opposition! It is for His glory that we press on.
Have you ever wondered how to each a passion fruit? Well, I'm here to give you a little demonstration! I've even provided pictures of the process. I can almost bet that by the end of this blog post, your mouth will be watering for one! :)
Step one: Choose the right passion fruit. It must be a bit firm, but can cave in easily to the touch. This one looks good...
Step Two: Poke holes all around the middle of the fruit, making a cut through the outer layer with your thumbnail.
Step Three: Peel off the outer shell on the bottom half of the passion fruit.
Check out what it looks like inside!
Step Four: Suck the yummy, gooey stuff out of the middle!
I'd like to introduce you to a member of my household named Riggs. My roommates and I are keeping track of Riggs while his owners (Doctor Jeff and his family) are away from Ukarumpa. At first, you might not think that Riggs is a lovable pet, as he is prone to be less than friendly to anyone he does not know. Actually, this large German Shepherd does exactly what he is meant to do: keep our house safe!
Papua New Guineans and many "white skins" do not really like dogs. In fact, many of our friends and neighbors are leery of Riggs even from a distance or on a leash. We have trouble getting people to come to our house if they know Riggs is loose in the yard. I can't say that I blame them. I used to feel the same way about dogs. But not Riggs. He's made a spot for himself in my heart and here's why...
First of all, Riggs is a built-in piece of exercise equipment! Who needs a treadmill when you can walk/jog with a German Shepherd for 45 mins. every day? Even when Rebekah and I trade off the walking responsibilities each day, he still keeps us running!
Second, having a dog has been teaching me about my own relationship with the Lord. Watching "The Dog Whisperer," Rebekah and I have learned that dogs must be in a state of "calm submission" in order to be balanced, happy, and willing to obey. Dog owners must learn how to keep their pet's attention by making sounds and/or touching them in such a way as to say, "Hey! Don't pay attention to that! Stay focused!"
Isn't it the same with the Lord? I easily get tense and worried about many things but the Lord desires that I remain in a state of "calm submission" to the Holy Spirit. All too often I am like Riggs. I am distracted by all the sights and sounds (and smells!) of the world around me when I should be trotting happily close to my Savior's side. Sometimes the Lord must break my attention from whatever it is that I'm fixated on, whether by a gentle Word, a "nudge," or something stronger. I hope that over the years of walking with my Savior that I will learn to trot happily next to Him in calm submission.
"Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive until now, so that we may find joy in what has just come to us." – Jewish blessing
After a whirlwind of preparations and many precious goodbyes with friends and family, I am pleased to announce that I have arrived in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea! This new chapter in my life has started and I am settling in nicely. If you have a minute, I’d like to introduce you to some important parts of my life here. If you have other questions, please ask!
My Home: As I wrote in my last post, I am living with two young women, Rebekah Drew and Rachel Stanton. Rebekah has purchased an adorable Finnish-style house and has graciously asked Rachel and I to live with her. This is a huge blessing as single people often have to move around from place to place, wherever there is room. This way I can stay put as long as I need!
Here are some interesting things about our house…
Here’s where I get to remember all of you! I brought many pictures of friends and family and I look at them and pray for you every day. Miss you all!
In Finland, many houses have a neat feature that allows dishes to air dry out of view. After we wash our dishes, we set them above the sink and out of the way until they dry. I love this part of our house!
Laundry takes MUCH longer than it did in the States. We do have a washing machine (which takes about 2 and a half hours for a cycle!) and then our dryer is pictured above. It took me almost 30 mins to hang these few items up. I guess I need some practice.
My housemate, Rebekah, is a wonderfully talented pianist. I get to hear her play all sorts of songs at random points throughout the evening. Although the only instrument I can play is the radio, I am happy to appreciate the music Rebekah can create!
Here is my first attempt at cooking (with the help of Rebekah!). I was very pleased with our veggie pizza...and it even tasted great!! You are all invited to come for dinner some time. :)
Security…our house has an alarm system and electricity running through our windows so that no one tampers with them. Unfortunately, break ins happen often here so anything we can do to deter “raskols” is wise. We make sure all of our valuables are put away out of sight whenever we are not home or are sleeping because the bad people are after our stuff, not us. Some people have even slept through a break in. As in the States, our confidence is in our Heavenly Protector, not our security systems or forethought. Of course, prayers for protection are always welcome!
In my next post, I will introduce you to another part of our security system named Riggs. Stay tuned for more…
Hey there everyone! I'm officially en route to Papua New Guinea to teach first grade missionary children at Ukarumpa International School! Right now I am sitting in the San Francisco airport, processing the blessings that have happened so far and the many that are still coming. Here are a few highlights so far...
My extended family was able to come over to our house the night before I left and I said goodbye to them all. We planned a birthday party for my grandma before we realized it would be so close to my departure but it was perfect!
My immediate family (mom, dad, Mike & Lora, and I) were able to have breakfast together before I went to the SEA-TAC airport and we had plenty of time to chat before I had to go through security. This was such a blessing! I love you guys!
My second bag was checked for free. I was expecting to pay $50 for the second suitcase but Alaska checked it all the way through for free. Can't complain about that!
My first flight was engaging and restful. I talked to two nice gentlemen for the first half hour and then fell asleep for the rest. Hopefully I can do the same thing on this next 14 hour flight...
Free Internet has allowed me to document how things are going and to keep up with my friends and family. I miss them but feel very loved.
Mary Doel sent me verses to read while on the plane. Here are my favorites:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from Heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my Word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out with joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush you will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everylasting sign, which will not be destroyed." - Isaiah 55:8-13
"The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed." - Deuteronomy 31:8
I pray that your own journey is just as joyful as you are obedient to His call.
Well this is it. I reach 100% of my financial partnership goal yesterday and I’m leaving for Papua New Guinea THIS Sunday, August 29th!! I am still in shock; it all happened so fast. I realized I had reached my goal by about 9am and by 11am I had a ticket reserved in my name to depart at 1:10pm this Sunday! The travel agent I used was such a blessing and God had it all planned out. Here’s how my next week looks:
Sunday, August 29th – Drive to Seattle, have breakfast with my family, fly to San Francisco at 1:10pm and from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand, leaving at 9:00pm.
Monday, August 30th – Flying (13 hours and 15 mins but with the time change, I lose a whole day!)
Tuesday, August 31st – Arrive in Aukland, New Zealand at 5:15am (their time)
Wednesday, September 1st – Recover from flying and explore Aukland (any ideas?)
Thursday, September 2nd – Depart Aukland for Brisbane, Australia at 6:35am, then on to Port Moresby at 10:25pm. Set foot in Papua New Guinea at 1:25pm! Stay the night in Port Moresby’s missionary guest house.
Friday, September 3rd – Take one of JAARS little planes (the Kodiak or the Cessna) from Port Moresby to Ukarumpa. ARRIVE IN UKARUMPA, my new home!!
Below are some pictures of my new house. I will be sharing with two other single women named Rebekah and Rachel. Please pray for traveling mercies, peace, and most of all, time in the Word as I start this new life.
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