It's finally here! While I was in PNG there was a film crew making a video about the Interface program. Well, it's finally finished and ready for your viewing pleasure, and if you look close, you may see a few cameos of myself. Please enjoy!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Some Pictures!
Hello Everyone!
Well, I can't say it has been the easiest thing to come back to the states to deal with everything that is going on with my life at present, but God has been giving me the strength to handle it and still give him the glory. Praise his name!
I have finally had some time to put up some pictures, so here you are!
Traveling
Boarding the final plane to Interface!
It was a very long trip to Papua New Guinea. This is our group in Singapore - I think.
The interface campus
In the evenings we would get inundated with these bugs that looked like a cross between a cricket and a grasshopper. The guys would try to swat them down with ping pong paddles and squash them.
Nasty!
Between classes, I'd usually go outside for a bit of fresh air and sun. I'm the one in the hat that you really can't see.
This is my wonderful Interface group!
Interface cabins - pretty comfy for "rugged" living!
These are my two cabin mates, Kim and Liz
This is me and Jesse, our very friendly guard dog!
In the evenings, I'd either be doing some homework or hanging out at one of the staff/teacher's houses. I think we're playing a "who done it" game here.
Skit night! Both me and Kendel are playing mandolins, and Ben Wolf is the jungle maid.
How we took showers!
I spent a lot of time in the email room writing to everyone back home.
Hiking Around
A walk down to the river
This is the road in and out of the Interface Campus. Here we're visiting a neighboring village.
This tall grass was pretty cool. This is my "Gladiator" shot.
These little kids would follow us everywhere, even when we were on a two mile hike!
I got a splinter in my foot, and all the kids wanted to help me get it out. Or at least see what it was I was doing.
How nice and peaceful!
I think these kids really liked to show off
Language and Culture Training
This is my group and our language helper, Carol (she's the lady in the middle)
As part of our cultural training, we got to experience what life is like day to day in PNG. Here I am weeding my language helper's sweet potato garden.
The Mumu
This is me pealing sweet potato for a mumu - a big feast we were putting on for the village.
To start the mumu, they heat up a lot of hot rocks in a fire
Then they put a banana stalk around it with sticks for support and cover the hot rocks with weeds. Around the outside they mound up dirt.
Next they fill it with sweet potatoes (kaukau)
And then with greens, plantains, and meat
After covering the food with more weeds, they stick a long pipe down the middle.
When the mumu is all covered in dirt, they start pouring water down the pipe. This creates a lot of steam that then cooks all the food.
They will let the food cook like this for about 2 hours.
When the food is done, they start shoveling off all the dirt
Then they take out the food and let it cool down a bit.
They lay the food on the ground on dried banana leaves. One pile for the ladies, and one for the men.
We all got to eat with our fingers.
mmmm.... Lamb!
Village Life
Not much in PNG was on even ground
This was a pretty common sight in the villages.
People by the sides of the road usually sell small food items like peanuts, bananas, or sugar cane.
Gambling was very prevalent there. Everywhere we went we saw old, ripped up cards in the dirt.
I'm trying out what Papua New Guineans used to use for a pillow. It definitely keeps your head off the ground, but I'm not sure I'd last the night on it.
One thing I never really got used to was to look out and see multiple fires going across the countryside. They were everywhere. Apparently, being the "dry season" everyone was burning their gardens to make way for new crops.
In Papua New Guinea, you don't yield, you GIVE WAY!
This is how you but the string on a bow. They use bows to hunt pigs and birds, and to defend themselves from enemy tribes. This guy probably made the whole thing himself.
This is the Foster's house, a missionary family working in PNG. They normally have to build their own houses.
This is how we normally traveled around the country - in the back of a truck. A little bumpy, but the company was great!
Goroka
Check out this security guard's patch!
Some people selling chickens (kakaruk)
This is the veggie market. Those ferns are actually for eating!
I had some ginger in PNG. They serve it cold and mashed and covered in salt. Not exactly my favorite.
This is the Mari Blouse area. Ladies here wear very bright, very frilly, and very "frumpy" blouses.
We got to visit a coffee factory and taste the goods. Pretty good I'd say!
This is NTMA (New Tribes Mission Aviation) Missionary pilots and mechanics are an essential part of tribal missions. They fly people and cargo into and out of the tribes, and serve as ambulances, emotional and spiritual encouragement, and mail carriers.
When a part broke on a plane they had to fix it themselves. This is their mechanic shop where they could do stuff like cut and bend metal to make any shape they needed.
They had a room where they kept a supply of extra parts like bolts and hoses and stuff. It was even temperature regulated to keep the rubber items from drying out - they needed to stay good for as long as possible.
This is me with a few NTMA pilots, and a mechanic, Martin Burnham's brother!
This is the NTM headquarters in PNG. They are pretty self-sufficient and do everything from administration to education for missionary kids to having their own waste water treatment plant. That dish in the background is how I was able to get email while there.
NTM has one of the best dentist offices in the country. Unfortunately, the need for a dentist still goes unmet! So at the moment, it stands empty and waiting.
This is the mission barrel. Normally, missionaries don't get new things, but just whatever people donate to NTM.
While at headquarters, they put on a skit for us. It was to show how much tribal missionaries have to do - like learning the culture, and phonetics ect. and how other people can come in as support missionaries and US partners and take on some of their extra work to help free up their time to reach the local people.
Side Trip
We flew in on a Cessna 206
No worries, we were just having a little fun!
You might barely be able to see a light green strip on one of the ridges - that's the air strip that we landed on! The village is right there too, but you really can't see it from the sky.
This is the house us girls stayed in. It belongs to a missionary family who were on furlough at the time.
This is the group that went on the side trip with me.
Darryl and Becky Jordan
These are the missionaries working in the village we visited.
Becki had us girls over for a lady's tea - complete with 7 different types of desserts!
Mind you, this is in the middle of the jungle, days from the nearest supermarket. Their oven was flown in probably by a helicopter, and they built their house with their own bear hands.
Kids loved to see pictures of themselves in my digital camera.
Everyone was very curious and would stop whatever they were doing to watch us do whatever it is we were doing.
PNG Kids. Notice their bark capes. It keeps them both dry and warm.
This is typically what people in Papua New Guinea wore - if they were lucky enough to own any clothes at all.
We got to help the tribal ladies pick some food for a feast we were having. This is Taro. The garden we are in is about a 2 mile walk from the village.
Sugar cane!
Here's us trying to carry a string bag (Bilum) just like a tribal lady.
The women carry everything in their string bags (Bilums) on their head like this - from sweet potato to coffee, and yes, even their own babies!
It was just a bit dirty on our side trips!
We got to visit the school in the village. The kids are taught English and are not allowed to speak in any other language while in their classrooms. The kids at this point also know their local language as well as Tok Pisin, the trade language.
The church we got to visit on the side trip. (Women on one side, men on the other)
This is us singing at the church
One of the purposes of NTM is to work the missionaries out of a job. This is a local believer giving a review of last week's teaching at church.
This is the first place this tribe heard about the good news of the Gospel.
One of the nights we got to stay in a tribal house. This is Kena's. She is a believer and teaches Sunday school at church and helps out the missionaries with Bible translation.
We got to go out coffee picking with the locals. Don't pick the green ones!
Me with Mr. Spider (I was really hoping it wasn't poisonous!)
One day we got to hike down to the river. It was a very muddy experience, but as you can see, I didn't stay muddy for long!
Well, I can't say it has been the easiest thing to come back to the states to deal with everything that is going on with my life at present, but God has been giving me the strength to handle it and still give him the glory. Praise his name!
I have finally had some time to put up some pictures, so here you are!
Traveling
Boarding the final plane to Interface!
It was a very long trip to Papua New Guinea. This is our group in Singapore - I think.
The interface campus
The Classroom
This is where we spend most of our mornings learning stuff like the destiny of the heathen, language and culture acquisition, and bible translation.
In the evenings we would get inundated with these bugs that looked like a cross between a cricket and a grasshopper. The guys would try to swat them down with ping pong paddles and squash them.
Nasty!
Between classes, I'd usually go outside for a bit of fresh air and sun. I'm the one in the hat that you really can't see.
This is my wonderful Interface group!
Interface cabins - pretty comfy for "rugged" living!
These are my two cabin mates, Kim and Liz
This is me and Jesse, our very friendly guard dog!
In the evenings, I'd either be doing some homework or hanging out at one of the staff/teacher's houses. I think we're playing a "who done it" game here.
Skit night! Both me and Kendel are playing mandolins, and Ben Wolf is the jungle maid.
How we took showers!
I spent a lot of time in the email room writing to everyone back home.
Hiking Around
A walk down to the river
This is the road in and out of the Interface Campus. Here we're visiting a neighboring village.
This tall grass was pretty cool. This is my "Gladiator" shot.
These little kids would follow us everywhere, even when we were on a two mile hike!
I got a splinter in my foot, and all the kids wanted to help me get it out. Or at least see what it was I was doing.
How nice and peaceful!
I think these kids really liked to show off
Language and Culture Training
This is my group and our language helper, Carol (she's the lady in the middle)
As part of our cultural training, we got to experience what life is like day to day in PNG. Here I am weeding my language helper's sweet potato garden.
The Mumu
This is me pealing sweet potato for a mumu - a big feast we were putting on for the village.
To start the mumu, they heat up a lot of hot rocks in a fire
Then they put a banana stalk around it with sticks for support and cover the hot rocks with weeds. Around the outside they mound up dirt.
Next they fill it with sweet potatoes (kaukau)
And then with greens, plantains, and meat
After covering the food with more weeds, they stick a long pipe down the middle.
When the mumu is all covered in dirt, they start pouring water down the pipe. This creates a lot of steam that then cooks all the food.
They will let the food cook like this for about 2 hours.
When the food is done, they start shoveling off all the dirt
Then they take out the food and let it cool down a bit.
They lay the food on the ground on dried banana leaves. One pile for the ladies, and one for the men.
We all got to eat with our fingers.
mmmm.... Lamb!
Village Life
Not much in PNG was on even ground
This was a pretty common sight in the villages.
People by the sides of the road usually sell small food items like peanuts, bananas, or sugar cane.
Gambling was very prevalent there. Everywhere we went we saw old, ripped up cards in the dirt.
I'm trying out what Papua New Guineans used to use for a pillow. It definitely keeps your head off the ground, but I'm not sure I'd last the night on it.
One thing I never really got used to was to look out and see multiple fires going across the countryside. They were everywhere. Apparently, being the "dry season" everyone was burning their gardens to make way for new crops.
In Papua New Guinea, you don't yield, you GIVE WAY!
This is how you but the string on a bow. They use bows to hunt pigs and birds, and to defend themselves from enemy tribes. This guy probably made the whole thing himself.
This is the Foster's house, a missionary family working in PNG. They normally have to build their own houses.
This is how we normally traveled around the country - in the back of a truck. A little bumpy, but the company was great!
Goroka
Check out this security guard's patch!
Some people selling chickens (kakaruk)
This is the veggie market. Those ferns are actually for eating!
I had some ginger in PNG. They serve it cold and mashed and covered in salt. Not exactly my favorite.
This is the Mari Blouse area. Ladies here wear very bright, very frilly, and very "frumpy" blouses.
We got to visit a coffee factory and taste the goods. Pretty good I'd say!
This is NTMA (New Tribes Mission Aviation) Missionary pilots and mechanics are an essential part of tribal missions. They fly people and cargo into and out of the tribes, and serve as ambulances, emotional and spiritual encouragement, and mail carriers.
When a part broke on a plane they had to fix it themselves. This is their mechanic shop where they could do stuff like cut and bend metal to make any shape they needed.
They had a room where they kept a supply of extra parts like bolts and hoses and stuff. It was even temperature regulated to keep the rubber items from drying out - they needed to stay good for as long as possible.
This is me with a few NTMA pilots, and a mechanic, Martin Burnham's brother!
This is the NTM headquarters in PNG. They are pretty self-sufficient and do everything from administration to education for missionary kids to having their own waste water treatment plant. That dish in the background is how I was able to get email while there.
NTM has one of the best dentist offices in the country. Unfortunately, the need for a dentist still goes unmet! So at the moment, it stands empty and waiting.
This is the mission barrel. Normally, missionaries don't get new things, but just whatever people donate to NTM.
While at headquarters, they put on a skit for us. It was to show how much tribal missionaries have to do - like learning the culture, and phonetics ect. and how other people can come in as support missionaries and US partners and take on some of their extra work to help free up their time to reach the local people.
Side Trip
We flew in on a Cessna 206
No worries, we were just having a little fun!
You might barely be able to see a light green strip on one of the ridges - that's the air strip that we landed on! The village is right there too, but you really can't see it from the sky.
This is the house us girls stayed in. It belongs to a missionary family who were on furlough at the time.
This is the group that went on the side trip with me.
Darryl and Becky Jordan
These are the missionaries working in the village we visited.
Becki had us girls over for a lady's tea - complete with 7 different types of desserts!
Mind you, this is in the middle of the jungle, days from the nearest supermarket. Their oven was flown in probably by a helicopter, and they built their house with their own bear hands.
Kids loved to see pictures of themselves in my digital camera.
Everyone was very curious and would stop whatever they were doing to watch us do whatever it is we were doing.
PNG Kids. Notice their bark capes. It keeps them both dry and warm.
This is typically what people in Papua New Guinea wore - if they were lucky enough to own any clothes at all.
We got to help the tribal ladies pick some food for a feast we were having. This is Taro. The garden we are in is about a 2 mile walk from the village.
Sugar cane!
Here's us trying to carry a string bag (Bilum) just like a tribal lady.
The women carry everything in their string bags (Bilums) on their head like this - from sweet potato to coffee, and yes, even their own babies!
It was just a bit dirty on our side trips!
We got to visit the school in the village. The kids are taught English and are not allowed to speak in any other language while in their classrooms. The kids at this point also know their local language as well as Tok Pisin, the trade language.
The church we got to visit on the side trip. (Women on one side, men on the other)
This is us singing at the church
One of the purposes of NTM is to work the missionaries out of a job. This is a local believer giving a review of last week's teaching at church.
This is the first place this tribe heard about the good news of the Gospel.
One of the nights we got to stay in a tribal house. This is Kena's. She is a believer and teaches Sunday school at church and helps out the missionaries with Bible translation.
We got to go out coffee picking with the locals. Don't pick the green ones!
Me with Mr. Spider (I was really hoping it wasn't poisonous!)
One day we got to hike down to the river. It was a very muddy experience, but as you can see, I didn't stay muddy for long!
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