April 30th

They start ‘em young here!!

(Actually, this is Sivini’s grandchild (Sivini is a translator with the Usarufa people).  

(This kid was deathly afraid of me and moments later, was sobbing uncontrollably.)

April 29th

Translator's Training Course (TTC): April 28th - June 4th

  Kara and I started to help with the TTC program here in Ukarumpa.

  Kara is teaching Study Skills (14 lessons in 5 days!!!) and I am co-teaching Language Discovery and mentoring the West Kewa, who are here to refine their Old Testament translation skills.

April 28th

Return from Usarufa land...

One week ago today, I returned (via helicopter) from the Usarufa with visiting linguist and gentleman Steven Bird.  We were in the village for a week, investigating the Usarufa language and different components of it.  Here is a tour of what I saw through a lens...

April 24th

Panera's in Papua New Guinea?

That's right!  Kara (Ukarumpa's own version of Panera's) was asked to lead a training session for other women on how to make bagels.  Now there are plenty of women on the center here who can make these culinary delights!

April 14th

Trip to the Usarufa

Titus and I stood out on the veranda this morning waving to 'daddy' in the helicopter as he flew overhead.  Aaron, along with visiting linguistic consultant Steven Bird and his wife Kay, left for the village where they will be conducting some testing in order to make some important decisions about how to more forward with the Usarufa orthography.  

Please pray for their health and safety and that they would be able to draw some very clear conclusions as result of the testing they are doing.

April 12th

Happy Easter!  He is RISEN! 

While it's always difficult to be away from home on the holidays, we were able to have a very nice Easter celebration here: we went to the church service, ate a big meal with friends, had special goodies (thanks to those of you who sent things like cookie cutters, jello molds, jelly beans and plastic eggs!:) and topped off the evening with a bonfire.  

Here's a picture of some of the cookies that we made and gave out to our neighbors:

April 11th

Being a missionary... 

Perhaps you have heard some jokes about missionaries, such as, 

"You know you're a missionary when you think it trendy to wear socks with sandals." 

Well, let me tell you we have 'arrived' and have some ideas from our own lives to share... 

So, 

"You know you're a missionary when..."

 

- the cockroaches crawling over you feet in the dark no longer make you jump and squeal 

- you don't even bother to go to the effort of picking the ants from your cereal in the mornings anymore - your feet have a perpetual dirt stain in the shape of your flip-flops 

- you are elated (and a bit surprised) when the water from the shower is hot enough that you actually think about maybe turning on the cold faucet too 

- you see your favorite item in the grocery store and buy 15 of them (because you never know when they will be in stock again!!!) 

More to come in the future!

April 9th

Thank you all so much for praying for our fellow missionaries who were in the car wreck this past weekend.  We praise God that they are all improving daily - after seeing pictures of the vehicle it's a miracle that they are all alive.  

They do still have a long road ahead of them, however, so please keep praying for healing as well as for their families while they are separated during this time.

April 8th

Branch Conference - 2009

Every two years, all of us working in the PNG branch get together for a time of fellowship, worship, strategizing, and taking care of business matters that effect the work going on here. So, over the past 2 weeks we have been busy with meetings, round table discussions, Robert's Rules, and more!  It was a good opportunity for us to meet some new people and mingle with different departments that we don't see everyday.  We were able to hear some phenomenal speakers and get a better grasp of the broader picture of translation work being done here in PNG. 

March 28th

Komuniti Soccer Tournament na Piknik long 28 Mas

(Community Soccer Tournament and Picnic on March 28) 

On the first Saturday of Conference, after days and days of rain, we had a soccer tournament - and we had some muddy fun.  Titus too! 

March 27th

Pray for Aaron

Please be praying for Aaron's health. He went to the clinic this afternoon for a bloodslide and found out that he's got malaria again. Thankfully, this time his symptoms are not as severe as the last time he had it - just suffering headaches and soreness in the afternoons/evenings. He's back on medicine to treat it. Pray that he'd continue feeling relatively well - particularly since he is still hoping to participate in a community soccer tournament tomorrow.....what a boy. ;)

March 26th

Dead or Alive?

We are alive and well! True, our blog has been neglected as of late – but we are working on reviving the beast… er… the blog. Sorry that it has been so long – thanks for bearing with us.