Weir in PNG

I thought I should add a couple things to our blog before it become Adrienne's by default!

I do not usually come into new situations with heavy expectations of how things are going to be or how they should be. Call it a gift, but I can willfully empty my brain of these sorts of things. It makes transitions into new situations much easier. This time was VERY different. As soon as we got to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and I smelled the jet-fuel, I found myself whisked back to my childhood days here in PNG. While I had a cerebral understanding that things were not going to be exactly the same, the eyes of my heart were looking back to all those days with expectations of my childhood paradise.

The rigors of travel mostly deadened my sense of a grand arrival, and we stepped off the airplane onto PNG soil with little more than a sigh of relief! Interestingly enough, 18 years later, there was still something very familiar about everything around me. I remembered the sounds and sights, but mostly the smells. Enough of my surrounding was just as I remembered, that I found myself pointing out the most innocuous things to my wife and explaining them as if they were going to change the course of our whole life in the next minute or two! She obliged me by acting interested!

In any event, we've been here for about a week and a half now, and my view has not changed much since the first impression. I feel kind of at home here. And while I have the additional responsibilities of a wife and son, I am encouraged at the smooth transition! Adrienne has been a wonder. Her excitement at being here is a joy and relief to me. She and Ben are having fun, and that is fun for me!

Obviously we are still riding the newness and excitement of all of this! I can only hope that our posts continue in this positive mood! But you can be assured that things are going to get tougher in short order! We'll keep you posted...

Time for a new blog post...

We just finished our first full week of training. Tomorrow, we will begin the "meat" of the course. Please keep us in your prayers. All of our training is in preparation for a 5-week village living phase. We will be assigned a village to live where Caleb, Ben and I will be the only people not native to PNG. Our teachers say not to worry...by the time we go, we will be "ready". But, we are still very much America! It is going to take A LOT of time, energy, practice and interaction with Papua New Guineans before we believe them!

This past week-end was really nice. We spent a lot of time getting to know that staff and other participants. We had many social nights and I even managed to stay awake past 9pm for two nights in a row!! (Most nights, I have been going to bed at the same time as Ben which is around 7pm!) During our last social night, we played Yahtzee, worked on jig saw puzzles, played a game called empires and more. I really wish that you could meet the people here. They are all so nice....and so different! We have people from Australia, England, Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands here. We can all sit around and talk for hours about the differences and similarities of each others' "as ples" (where you are from).

Last week, we also had a chance to meet the PNG staff here. Caleb and I chose to be in separate language learning groups since he knows a little more than I do. My teacher (tisa) is named Papa Anop (I don't know if I am spelling that correctly). He lives in a village that is very nearby. We walked to it the other day. Also, Mama Galahid is Ben's nursery teacher. She has worked here with this training program for over 20 years. I am going to have to learn most of Tok Pisin through interaction with the nursery ladies and kitchen ladies.

Let's see....what else??

For the first week, the staff prepared all the meals for us and did the dishes. Starting this week, we began to do all of that ourselves. It is still relatively easy during the week because most of the food is prepared by the Paupa New Guinean ladies who work in the kitchen. We just have to get the food warm and set up up the dining room area, etc. BUT...starting next week-end, we will be preparing all of our own week-end meals on a "haus kuk" (our outdoor "kitchen" that we will be taught how to build ourselves. If I am correct, we will build it every week-end and then tear it down....build it again and then tear it down, etc). Again, they promise that by the time we have to do it, we will be ready!

Today (which is Sunday for us, but Saturday for most of you), we had a church service amongst ourselves. Starting next week, we will go to a Papua New Guinean church service.....we may even have to hike there with Ben in a backpack! But, this morning, it was so nice to worship together. I know that as time goes on, I am really going to miss the worship time at our home church Grace Community. But, for now, in the excitement, there is something so beautiful and uplifting about worshiping with others who are going through exactly the same thing that we are going through. There is a type of brother and sister-hood going on here....and it is like a gift in the middle of cultural stress and fatigue.

Today, we sang the song "Rejoice in the Lord Always". The first time, we sang it in English. The second time, we all sang in Tok Pisin. The third time, everyone sang it in the own "tok ples" (translated talk place....or their own language). It is a very simple song, but it was beautiful! In case you are interested, here is how you would sing it in Tok Pisin:

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice (clap clap) x2
Amamas long Jisas oltaim na gen mi amamas (clap clap) x2

Rejoice! Rejoice! And again I say rejoice! (x 2)
Amamas! Amamas! Na gen mi amamas!

Repeat first line!

So....I'm sure that there will be more to write about soon, but I just have the need to communicate on this blog. So, I will ramble on just a little more!

Here is our typical schedule:

5:50am- Adrienne wakes up to go on the 6am conditioning hike
6:30am- Caleb and Ben wake up. Adrienne returns from hike and we all get ready for breakfast.
7:00am- Breakfast (usually granola, unsweetened yoghurt, fresh fruit and toast with lots of spreads)
8:00am- Ben goes to nursery and we start with our Tok Pisin instruction. We meet with our Tok Pisin groups where our tisa (teacher) has a lesson prepared. Some days, we may even go to market or on a hike with our tisa so we can learn through immersion.
10:00am- Tea Time. It is a chance to continue talking with our Tok Pisin tisa, but we are not allowed to use any English
10:30am- Class Time- Anthropology or PNG culture course
12:15pm- Lunch
1:00-2:00 Rest Hour (it is the hottest part of the day)
2:00pm- Hike or Swimming or some other physical activity to prepare us for the village living phase
4:00pm- We pick up Ben from the nursery. Sometimes we play volleyball together.
5:45pm- Dinner
7:00pm- Ben goes to bed (sometimes with Adrienne)
In the evenings, we read or spend time with other people taking the course. Also, we are able to get on-line in the evening during the week.

So....that is a little breakdown for you. We are getting pretty fit....which I am happy about. Also, we are eating local "organic" foods.....with lots of fruits and vegetables. I have given up caffeine and carbonated beverages again. There is this drink here which is a Mango Orange soda which I usually treat myself to once a week. It is caffeine free, but carbonated. Caleb has his weekly helping of Twisties. They are like the skinny cheese puffs you get in the states, only these come in different flavors like chicken, BBQ and cheddar...they are pretty good!

That's all for now....the lunch bell just rang and I am hungry. Thanks for checking back time and time again. This is a an exciting time for our family and we love that we get to share it with you all in this way!

First of all, thank you for following our blog. It means so much to us to know that we have such a wonderful support team! We have learned that it will be possible for us to send updates via this blog, but we will not be able to read many e-mails. We will also not be able to send many letters. It is very expensive. As sad as this is, we know that it is only for a season! After this initial training, we will have regular e-mail access again. (14 weeks to go!)

These posts start in my journal, then are typed onto our laptop and then finally get e-mailed to our blog. When I sit down to "start" a post, it is so hard to decide what to share with all of you. Please forgive me for the randomness of my thoughts.

We are definitely in a third world country. That is obvious. We are also the minority, which warrants lots of stares when we go into town. We are out here in what feels like the middle of nowhere. I feel like we are just tiny specs on the lower right-hand corner of your world map. Even though we are so far away, it has not hit me yet. My eyes are still wide....and I'm still taking in the beautiful scenery, new tastes, interesting sounds and more. I am anxious to meet more of the people of PNG....or at least to start talking with those I meet. Our classes officially begin tomorrow. We will begin to learn the language, Tok Pisin! Currently, I only know a few phrases:

Moning (Good Morning)
Gut de (Midday Greeting)
Apinun (Good Afternoon)
Gut Nait (Good Evening)
Nem bilong me Adrienne
Nem bilong em Benjamin
Gutpela (That's Good)

The only phrases I use are "Moning" and "Apinun" (sounds like Hoppy Noon without the H).

Along with our language learning, we will be taking classes in anthropology- in hopes of learning more of the culture. We will also start training for a 1-mile swim test and a 3-day hike. Yikes!

By tomorrow, most of our classmates will be here. There are 17 adults and about 13 children. Ben is the youngest. Only he and one other boy (a 4 year old) will be in the nursery. The rest of the kids are in grade school or are teenagers. We took Ben to the nursery yesterday and today. It is run by national women who are very nice and attentive. After two hours with Ben, they told me he was a "gutpela" boy and that he talks A LOT! He is a talker- more then when we left. He is putting strings of thoughts and words together. It's great...but we are ready for him to have more friends soon....so he can talk to them some!

Let me give you a little idea of where we are living and what it is like. We are in Madang- near the coast. But, our training center is 1200 feel above sea level. At the first resort that we stayed, we could walk from our room to the Pacific Ocean. Here, we had to ride the Dina (a PMV-style truck) up a bumpy, steep mountain. We are at the top of a mountain named NobNob (prounounced Nob-e-Nob). We are staying in the dormitory section....all one story and connected to all the other rooms. If you went to Campbell University, it is very similar to Bryan Hall. There are rooms all around an open-air courtyard. The bathrooms (communal style- one for men and one for women) are to the far end. The nursery conveniently opens on the other end of the courtyard. There is a sand pit right by the door to the nursery. Ben loves playing in the sand with his friend Jessica (pronounced Yes-sica). Her parents are from Holland.

The campus has an office that is air-conditioned where we keep our computers away from the moisture and humidity of our rooms. There is a little store, a clinic with a nurse, a dining hall, little houses for the staff and a classroom with a library.

Meals have been surprisingly GOOD! Eventually, I think that we will have to cook our meals and clean it all up ourselves....but for now, the staff has been preparing it all. Missy is in charge of the kitchen. She is from Australia and adds a nice Aussie flare to the food and drink. I am already thinking of recipes I need to ask for so that I can show off back in the states. Today, two people had birthdays, so we all got cake and ice cream. Ben LOVED that. It actually made me a little sad....don't get me wrong, I LOVE ice cream, but it reminded me of Ben's birthday party back in the states....and all the birthday celebrations we had for him on the road around Christmas. Made me miss you all....and I digress....

Oh! On a happier note, I HAVE to tell you about the showers here! You can take either a cold or a HOT shower! Score! To get a hot shower, a fire is lit behind the bathhouse in the early morning. The furnace is named Martha. She heats up the water for us! Then, there is a bucket which you fill with hot water. You then take the bucket to the shower where there is another bucket hanging from the ceiling. You lower that bucket, pour in the hot water, raise it up again, jump in the shower and then turn the knob. It takes a little work, but it is totally worth it for hot water. It is a little old-timey....but the hot water is so nice on sore muscles! Don't tell anyone, but I take at least two showers a day- one hot and one cold. I actually just found out today that there is no limit on the number of showers we can take because we are in the rainy season. Supposedly, if it were August, we would be limited on the number of showers we can take. I am thanking God right now for !
the rainy season....and for multiple showering opportunities. I think I even said to someone today, "Who needs TV when you have hot showers?" You probably don't understand, but that's OK.

That's about all for now. I do have a few prayer requests:

Please pray:
that we will learn the language
that we will not get sick (malaria, migraines, heat exhaustion)
that we will be able to sleep at night....and will adjust to the heat.
that we will not get homesick too often or for too long
for our family and friends at home who miss us
that we will make friends easily with other students and nationals
that we will have a learner-attitude
that we will maintain a close relationship with the Lord
that Adrienne does not get cut off from showers!!

We miss you all.....

This is a test to see if I can e-mail blog posts.

We will have limited internet access for the next 3 ½ months. We will try to send e-mails or post to the blog when possible....but there is no guarantee. We look forward to sharing more with you as time permits....hope you will keep checking back to see if we have updated this blog!

Miss you ALL already!

When we arrived in Madang, we were greeted by a couple running the orientation course (which begins officially on our Wednesday, January 27th). They are from Australia and had fun laughing at me when I looked the wrong way before crossing the street. They took us to a store in town so that we could buy diapers for Ben and some food for breakfast and lunches for the next few days. We spent about K120 (Kina), which is about $45 US dollars. Then, they drove us to Jais Aben, a resort in Madang. The prices on the rooms are very reasonable. This place is breath-taking. There are lush gardens surrounding every bungalow style room. Every room has a view of the South Pacific. There are two restaurants on the water, where you can eat and then go right to the beach. Coconuts fall every now and then....boats pass by....I wish you could see it (pictures to come later).

So, you may be wondering: They are at a resort?? I thought they said the first 3 1/2months would be hard. How do they even have internet?

Answer: Many people that we met during state-side training suggested that we arrive early if at all possible. They were right! The jet lag hit us all.....we have all slept over 12 hours each night. Also, Ben's eating schedule was really messed up. Since, he has managed to eat more.

So, we are taking a mini “holiday”, as the Aussie's and Canadians we have met put it. We are in a state of transition now that will continue for the next 6 months. We are very fortunate that we were able to arrive a few days early so that we could get used to PNG with air conditioning, prepared food and comfortable beds. Starting tomorrow, our lives are going to change. We will be living in a dorm style house. We will have meals with all the other training participants. We will not have air conditioning and we will be sleeping on full beds with mosquito nets.

Please do not feel sorry for us! This is going to be an experience of a lifetime....but, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Here are a few memories so far...that you may or may not understand:
Adrienne is afraid of every mosquito and every coconut ( because of possible malaria and possible concussions)
Ben was sleep walking the first night
Adrienne was sleep talking the first night
Caleb was putting Ben back to bed and following Adrienne's random orders the first night
We ordered an egg salad sandwich but forgot to say “sandwich”- so we got a huge salad with eggs on top with no dressing
Caleb gets the heebeejeebees swimming in deep water
Orange-Mango Carbonated Drink- Money-Bags!
Pineapples here melt in your mouth
We miss other kids for Ben to play with. Entertaining a 2 year old is tiring!
Ben could spend the rest of his life throwing rocks in the water
Amy Matzer's Africa skirt is THE BEST!
Hot with a great view is still hot!

We arrived in PNG safe and sound. We have very limited internet access right now, so I am going to jump straight to my posts....and I am not even going to check my spelling or grammar until we get to Ukarumpa in 3 1/2 months! =0)

Where do I begin??? I know that I need to begin with the flight...but now that we are actually in PNG- I just want to write about this beautiful country!

Backing up...our Portland friends drove us to Seattle Sunday night. On the way, we stopped at Burgerville...also known as "Money Bags" by David Mandulak. He was right! We stayed in a nice hotel Sunday night and were all out of the room by 4:15AM (Thanks, Mandulak's!). The hotel was literally in the airport's parking lot.

BTW- I forgot to mention that we took one Pathfinder vehicle, 2 Mandulak's (plus a baby in Kerry's belly), 3 Weir's, 1 carseat, 3 big action packers, 3 big suitcases, 6 carry-on's and one bag for the Mandulak's. If you saw us leave Raleigh, you may be wondering how it all fit in one car. Well, the guys wrapped our suitcases in garbage bags, ducktaped them closed and secured them to the roof rack! Genius!

Anyway, we arrived at the Seattle airport, hopped on a 6am flight to San Fransisco, got to spend our layover time with my high school friend Loria, and then headed to the gate for our flight to Hong Kong.

Here's the sad news: We have friends who were supposed to travel with us from CA to Hong Kong. They were to take the 8-something flight from Seattle to SFO....only the plane was delayed....so delayed they missed the Hong Kong flight.

The Hong Kong flight went remarkably well. Ben sat between us, enjoyed the food, DVD's and presents we let him open. My friend Danielle is a genius! She suggested that we wrap dollar store gifts and let Ben open one every hour. This was a hit (during THIS flight)....all 13 hours!

Then....we had a 5 hour layover in Hong Kong. We even had Hong Kong money to spend (Thanks to my friend/mentor Marty)! But, we got SO lost in this airport....all we remember was all the walking and not knowing where to go. Starbuck's was an oasis in the desert....and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal there. We were all so tired at this point and Ben was “Beyond going to sleep easily”. We suffered through....all along missing our friends who could not fly with us. We kept reminding ourselves that at least we were finished with the LOOOOONG flight.

Next, we took an Air Nuigini flight from Hong Kong to Port Moresby, PNG. Ben fell asleep before we got on the plane. We thought/hoped he would sleep for most of the 7 hour flight. Not...So...Much! After 2 hours, he was up! He was also tired of being on the plane and wanted “Out!” This fligt was about 3 hours too long....but at last it ended.

Then, it was a 1 hour flight from Port Moresby to Madang (the coast). Friends met us at both the PNG airports. It was so nice to have people helping us get to where we needed to be.

All in all.....the flights were very smooth and Ben was a real trooper. We figured that we were in the air for over 30 hours and “traveling” for over 40 hours. Needless to say, we have been sleeping it off now that we are in PNG! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!

We arrived in Portalnd on Saturday evening. Our friends David and Kerry were waiting for us at the airport. They used to live in Raleigh, but recently moved to Portland. We are so excited that everything worked out so that we could fly to the west coast and see them before we left the states. On Saturday night, Kerry made the BOMB lasagna....Ben got to play with their dogs (Abby and Della)....then we all went out for ice cream (actually, gelatos!!). Caleb wouldn't let me eat the Peanut Butter kind....he said no headaches allowed! We tried to stay up as late as possible in an attempt to beat any minor jet lag....I made it to 9pm west coast time....

The next morning, we hit the town to visit fun spots! (BTW- Kerry is due with their little boy in less than 8 weeks. She was so great showing us all around Portland!) We visited Portland State University where Dr. Kerry is an acedemic faculty professor. She's so smart and that sentence was probably so stupid! Anyway...she got her PhD right before they moved....and I commend her for doing it while she was pregnant!

My favorite word that Kerry uses is "fricative". We found a picture that shows fricatives....don't ask! You wouldn't get the inside joke!

Ben was able to play in the sound attenuated booth.....where Kerry is going to do her research, make recordings and do listenings! Again....she's so smart!

Caleb wanted to play, too:

Had to walk in the rain to get this shot....should have taken another one in retrospect. My hair dried in 15 minutes, so it was totally worth it but we look really funny:

Then, we ate Mexican....YUM! Kerry and David are really good about knowing all the local spots to hit up. I just wish we had more time to spend with them! Hopefully on the way back, right??

Ben really wanted to go over a bridge (Portland has 12 of them!):

You can't tell from the picture, but this one is a double decker bridge. Pretty cool!! Cars were driving on top of us. It was like we were in a tunnel bridge.

Don't ask:

Portland really is a great place. I honestly have no idea how to descibe it. It is definately a little town that looks like a city at night. That's my best attempt. You should totally come out here to visit Kerry and David. They are such great hosts....and this was a much needed stop. I can't imagine what it would have been like to hop on another plane without this stop. Thanks, friends!! We will miss you SO much and are beyond sad that we will not meet your little man in person right when he is born. But, we will meet him soon enough!

One last picture:

We were told by our support team NOT to open our tubs since they were weighed and all are exactly 49.9 pounds (under 50). Caleb had to get the clippers out so we could cut Ben's hair while we were in PDX. Shhhhhh! Don't tell our friends!

We leave tomorrow morning for San Fran, then Hong Kong, the PNG!!!!

We're in rainy but warm Portland! The first two flights went pretty well in spite of Ben only sleeping 30 minutes! Our next flight in Monday morning at 6:00AM west coast time!

Weir monthly newsletter. Click on the images to expand the newsletter to reading size.

Here is our story....

It is easier for me to write as if I am telling the story. I will let Caleb fill in and make any comments that he feels I forgot!

We met at Campbell Univeristy during the fall of my freshman year (2000). Caleb was pursuing a government major and I was on the accounting track. We dated all through college and married when I graduated in 2004. We had a beuatiful day for a wedding in Frederick, Maryland on May 29, 2004.

As you can see in the pictures above, Caleb's head is shaved. This is because while we were engaged and during the start of our marriage, Caleb was going through the Raleigh Police Academy. In fact, we were married while he was still in training, which meant postponing our honeymoon for a year. But, during this time, Caleb realized that he had a knack for security and crisis managment:
That first year of marriage, I worked full time, while attending school full time for my MBA. When I graduated, I went to work with the North Carolina Department of Revenue as a Tax Auditor. Soon after, we were able to afford our first hosue in Raleigh, NC:

After being married for 3 1/2 years, we welcomed little Benjamin Asher Weir into our life. He was born on December 28, 2007.

While I was pregnant with Benjamin, college friends of ours (Paul and Kelly Stewart) moved to Papua New Guinea with their 5-month-old daughter to serve as support staff missionaries for a well-known Bible Translation organization. At this time, we entertained the idea of going to Papua New Guinea ourselves....but we thought it would be for a long vacation!

Caleb went to the website and saw that there was a need for a Director of Security. We realized that we were at a place in our lives where we could pick up and actually go. One thing led to another and we found ourselves members as of December 2008:

(This was one of the pictures we used for our newsletter announcing our big decision.)

Unfortunately, I had used all my maternity leave.....and being a tax auditor, I was unable to take two weeks off during April to attend our new member training. It was really hard to wait....really hard. Finally, we were able to attend the Orlando training which began the last week of June:

We met so many wonderful people who are still heavily involved in our ministry now.

I returned to work after the July 4th holiday only to turn in my two-week notice. I quit my job and we packed up to go to our next training which was held in Waxhaw, NC. This training helped to prepare us for our life in an international/multi-national community.

The partnership development rolled along. God continued to surprise us with new prayer and financial partners. There were lulls.....and periods of extreme discouragment....and you can't really see that in our prayer magnet....but trust me! It was hard!

In October 2009, we attempted our first camping trip together as a family. Part of me thinks that this was a test. I think Caleb wanted to know how I would handle "roughing it" with Ben. I think I passed the test!

During the months of October through December, we made various trips to strengthen our partnership development team. To date, we are very confident about the people God has placed in our lives to support us through prayer, their finances and moral support.

The first week-end of December 2009, we started our move out of our house and in with our friends Joe, Amy and John. Our friends Brandon, Kelli and Maddie moved into our house on December 20th, and we officially became landlords! Joe, Amy and John helped to ease the transition. They opened up their home and lives to us unselfishly. We are so grateful for our time with them! We lived with them for over a month. During this time, Caleb quit his job.

(There is something eerie about realizing you are jobless and homeless and that you chose this!)

We are also so thankful for the time that Ben and John had together. They truly became "best buds" or "brothers for a month".

On a side note, I became OBSESSED with Guitar Hero. Our small group even pitched in and purchased a Wii and the game for us to take with us.

Guitar is just one of our many things that we had to fit into two crates this size, which we shipped December 30, 2009:

Benjamin turned 2 December 28, 2009. For his birthday, he received lots of plane toys to help keep him entertained for the 32 hour total travel time to Papua New Guinea. He also got a couple immunizations....which he hated. He doesn't know what is ahead, but we know that this will be a trip of a lifetime....and an experience we hope to share with all of you!

We hope that you enjoy this blog. Please know that it is personal. We are inviting you into this journey by way of partnership. We hope to be as honest as possible with you....to share the highs and the lows of this adventure. We also pray that God will touch your heart so that you, too, may become a part of the bigger picture.

We ask for your prayers and support. Without you, this would not be possible. Without God, this would all be in vain!

(If you have time, feel free to check out the blog I have used for the past 5 years! The address is: www.jointhefray.blogspot.com)

Soooooo... The story begins with little ol' us, starting our adventure with The Organization nearly 2 years ago. ("That's a long time for chicken pox" you say, but bear with me)

Our plan was simple. We would apply, get our support network together, receive notification of membership, and leave for PNG, all in a 12 month period! The way it worked out was entirely different:

We waited for first contact. The recruiter called and put us on track. Then we waited for our application paperwork. We got it back and got our invitation from PNG. Then we waited for training. We got to go only after waiting for Adrienne's job. Then we waited for support. 40 percent almost immediately! Then we waited for more training. 4 weeks in Waxhaw NC came and went and we were getting excited. Then we waited for support. 50, then 60 percent soon rolled in. Then we waited on permission to buy plane tickets. That came when we reached 100 percent financing. Then we waited for our visas. They showed up with a week to spare (we had already purchased the tickets).

2 years later, as I type, everything is in place and we are but 4 days away from flying off into the blue.

We have spent a lot of time learning that our timing is not God's timing. And so, if Ben really does have Chicken Pox, and we can't travel, then we will wait again. We are slow learners apparently.

Repost from 6/18/09)

The concept of stewardship is about how you handle those resources that have been entrusted to you. The core idea in the Christian definition of stewardship is that you don't "own" anything. All your stuff, your relationships, even your life and future, has been entrusted to you by God, to be used for His glory. That is a very foreign way for all of us to think! It is all about whether or not you recognize God's sovereignty in your life. As Christians, we believe that we will be called to account one day, to explain how we have used those resources. (The good news is, of course, that whether we did a good job or a poor one, our destination is secure in the person of Jesus)

Good stewards manage their resources well. They utilize time, money, and resources so that each will produce maximum benefit for the owner of those resources. The good manager takes what is important to his boss, and makes it important to him. He does not neglect a perfectly good resource, nor does he allow it to be actively be destroyed or stolen. If it is put out of commission by vandals, or falls apart due to misuse, it is no longer working to achieve the aims of the boss.

Why is it different for our lives? Are we less important than a cog in a machine, or a tool? If we do nothing to maintain ourselves (eating, sleeping, etc.) we can fall apart and become useless. If we do nothing to protect ourselves, we may become too scared to work, or be harmed and therefore unable to work.

I realize this line of thinking only works to a point. The whole point of life (if you believe Jesus' words) is to glorify God. If in death, I can do that, then maybe my death can achieve that. But even Paul chose to continue life in order to achieve more for God. (Philippians 1:20-26)

Being willing to lay down one's life for Christ is much different than falling victim to crime. In Papua New Guinea, we are not persecuted for being Christian. In fact, The Organization is welcomed in that country and their work is encouraged by the PNG government! Unlike other areas of the world, crime is our biggest concern. Ukarumpa is a town mostly filled by westerners and our resources. Each house is an inviting target for thieves and robbers. Highway banditry is also a concern in some areas.

We would be irresponsible, not "strong in faith" if we did nothing to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. If the time were to come when we are targeted for our faith, let that be the time we stand up proudly, showing what the Love of God really means. In the meantime, be proactive, and conscious of the fact that you can be a target of crime anywhere.

In my short career, I have come to believe that being a victim is a state of mind. It is possible to live in a dangerous place and be a target for crime, but never be a victim. By taking reasonable steps, designed to meet the threats of your specific location, you can avoid becoming a victim.

Caleb

(Repost from 4/27/09 with edits)



I am going to do a series on the tension between Faith and Reason as seen from the perspective of a Missions Security Director. I hope to explore the basic conflict of those two ideas, and then show how it creates a dilemma for the security director, the missionary, the head of household, the church missions director, and any person concerned with their own safety.

This conversation will most certainly include discussions of faith and trust, stewardship of resources, accountability, wisdom and common sense, roles of leadership and management, and some other themes. Though I will attempt to keep the focus of the discussion on international missions, I have a feeling that this conversation will take me many other places!

This discussion was born out of a seminar I attended this past weekend. Crisis Consulting International (http://www.cricon.org/) put on the 3-day education series for international missions organizations. The effort was designed to help managers avoid, plan for, and handle security crises within their organization. This seems to be a reasonable and responsible topic for managers to consider. Yet a tension exists for the Christian missionary that I had never considered: By taking responsibility for my own safety, do I lack the faith in God to trust that he will care for me?

To me, even the premise of this question is foolishness, but it is applicable. Part of my new job description will be holding basic security seminars for all incoming missionaries to The Organization in PNG, and this topic is sure to come up! This question is an important theological one for people who leave all that is familiar to them, and step out in faith in answer to a call. It is important to the manager of ANY Christian group, from the local church, to the international organization, to me as head of household.

I hope to show that using the brain God gave you does not, by definition, indicate a lack of faith.


Caleb

(Repost from 8/20/08)

Today I got to thinking about the way my life has turned out so far. I seem to do that a bit more now, since we are leaving this all behind for a time. I wonder if thinking back is harmful or healthy? Anyway, I started thinking about how my life is probably not the best advertisement for the grace of God, or his eternal love, etc. I don't claim any kind of sainthood based on what I have accomplished for Jesus. To be even more blunt, I can think of a few people who probably point to me and say I'm the reason why they don't like Christians. Among the people of the earth who God might use, I am the least of those.

By all logical standards, I am no good for this thing that I am trying to do. I don't even feel particularly "called" in the evangelical sense of the word. But something in all of this won't let me turn from this path. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians has something relevant to say to this. "For the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God's sight..." I usually apply this phrase to everything done in the public sector these days, but it has a personal twist this time. I have to keep my mind tied to the thought that God's strength is what will keep us going over there. My skills, intellect and endurance, while admittedly significant (read: sarcasm) are only helpful if I rely on the X-factor: God's sustaining grace.

To define that thought further, I think I should define what I mean by "God's sustaining grace". One of the most important aspects of God is that he provides things for his people that they do not deserve. So if I bring whatever I've got to serve God, he multiplies my efforts in spite of my failings or general weaknesses. Therefore, I can go and do in confidence, even though I may not have any confidence in my own ability or spiritual readiness. That is the beautiful thing about believing in something bigger than yourself: there is ALWAYS hope.

caleb

(Originally posted on 4/3/09)

Adrienne and I are one of two couples from our church who have been called to long-term missions work out of our smallish congregation. Grace Community is from a Presbyterian background, which I know very little about. I have discerned this however: Not a whole lot of missionaries have come from our congregation! There is a lack of understanding among the people at our church about overseas missions and how they are a key part of that, even if they are not going.

Recently, Adrienne and I had a meeting with one of the pastoral staff, ostensibly to plan a commissioning service for us. However, we ended up talking about how we could educate the church on more than just who we are and where we are going. You see, we are going to serve those who are on the front line, those who are waging war against illiteracy and spiritual darkness. We are there to make the job and life of those people easier and more effective, just as those here can do for the two couples from Grace. I think if that message can be explained effectively and consistently by the pastoral staff, the Prince family, and us, then the good people of Grace will gladly get behind us.

Churches, like the people in them, can become consumed in their own problems. Grace certainly has plenty of them. But I say one of the greatest effects of a missions-focused church is that the congregation begins to look beyond it's personal, local, regional, and national boundaries and looks to bless believers half a world away! If I learned anything from Andy Stanley's i-Marriage it is this: "Nothing is more trans-formative than realizing that your needs are not as important as someone else's." And it is no different for a corporate body of believers.

The challenge then is this: teaching people how serve as senders, and in doing that, show them how critical it really is for folks like the Princes and ourselves, to have folks like them backing our ministry.

Side Note: Some of you reading this think I am talking about money. That is not the case. I am talking about emotions, logistics, communications, prayer, and a myriad of other ways you can get directly involved. Money will get us there and help us get along, but it will not make us successful in our work.

"Many hands make light work"

(Repost from 7/20/08)

I wanted to post some more info about what it takes to get a Bible translated into a language that may or may not have a written form. I think I am going to focus on the people that assist tranlation teams in ways indirectly related to the work of Bible translation. That is, after all, the type of work we intend to do.

First of all Ukarumpa is the name of the town where we will live. It is a town, complete with the PNG forms of a grocery store and market, police station, print shop, auto mechanic, cabinet shop, schools, health care, etc. It is the home of The Organization in PNG. I included this aerial photo of Ukarumpa to give a bit of perspective. It's not a huge place, but it is significant enough.

The translators come and go often from the village in which they work. They come back for supplies, health care, education, special events, vacation, whatever. Whatever they need in their remote corner of PNG, they get supplied by people and shops that Ukarumpa has or has access to. So if John Q Translator needs a new battery for his laptop he goes to the IT guy who lives in Ukarumpa. If he needs a fuel filter for his 4x4, the shop guy has it (or can order it), and can install it for him. If he works in a village that requires access by air, someone has to fly the plane from Ukarumpa to the village and back. Someone also has to fix the plane, fuel the plane, buy the fuel for the plane, go get the fuel for the plane, and plan the routes for the plane.
My point is this: These folks who are working out in the remote villages could do this without us support people, but it would be ridiculously difficult and time-consuming. Considering the number of languages in PNG (over 800), and therefore the number of translation projects going on (about 190), it makes all the sense in the world to have a large and capable support network in place.