Attacking the Garden

Pikinini bilong mi, hatwok.

 Our first week in PNG we set out to reign in our garden, so we can get some much needed food grown.  Our first attempt took 2 hours and we got a 1.5 metre square patch of garden dug up.  It was a massive job, our garden is big and we worked hard in the hot sun.

At the end of the day we decided to seek the help of a local lady to work with us to get the garden manageable and growing.  

Our boys like to call her a 'machine', she is amazing as cleaning up the garden.  She nailed the entire pineapple patch in a morning.  The next morning she worked she tackled the banana patch.  

The boys and I felt a little sheepish about our efforts, until we spoke with an ex-pat who said the local weed by scraping off the surface, rather than pulling weeds out by the roots.  This made us feel slightly better for our initial efforts.

Sena, gaden mari, bilong mi,
"Sena the Machine"

We are eating our first harvested banana's. In fact we had them hanging in our laundry to ripen in a large bag when they got ripe, very suddenly.  We had been checking them every few days, we left it 4 days and they went from green except one, to all bright yellow.  So it's banana muffins, banana bread, banana smoothies, dehydrated banana chips for the cereal and mashed banana on toast, and bananas as gifts. No doubt we shall be tired of bananas by the end of the week.

I planted some seedlings upon our arrival and some of them have come up and are growing nicely, nearly ready to transplant.  I am guessing some seeds may have been consumed by bugs in the ground before they had a chance to sprout.  So I shall plant some more today. I am looking forward to telegraph cucumbers and moneymaker tomatoes. I'm hopeful the courgettes will prosper, the humidity can rot the flowers before they are pollinated.

PNG Here We Come

It's happened, or happening.  A few weeks ago our visas finally came through!

In case you missed the story, here it it...

Some of you may be aware that we will shortly be moving to the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea in a voluntary position for the Christian Leaders’ Training College.  We hope to share a little more about this before we leave in early June.  In the meantime, below is some background.

The Weekend

Early in December 2012, we had a weekend of ‘ducks lining up’.  A “random” conversation with a previously unknown acquaintance led to a job description finding its way into our hands which led to a lot more conversations.  By the end of the weekend, we wondered if we were being called to a Bible college in Papua New Guinea, called the Christian Leaders’ Training College (CLTC).  

The Week in PNG

In January 2013 we visited PNG for just over a week.  It was a week of intensity and challenge. Marcus was asked to apply for the position of Chief Financial Officer, to work alongside the college’s leadership team and guide the college’s finance team.  We got home back to our boys, and wrestled intensely with whether we were willing to move them into the environment we had spent time in.  Ultimately we couldn’t see any room for manoeuvre.  God was clearly calling us to PNG regardless of the costs to our comfortable lives.

PNG is a place of contrasts.  It is beautiful yet the filthiest place we have ever visited. The people are friendly, yet in the Highlands (where CLTC is situated), they are reknown for being quick to erupt, displaying volatile and aggressive tendencies.  Natural resources, including oil, gas and gold deposits, are being mined, yet the poverty is everywhere.  In many ways the people are relatively untouched, yet they have been ravaged by what has been introduced since their discovery by the ‘developed’ world.

CLTC is something of an oasis in the middle of this storm and a light in the dark.  For nearly fifty years, it has been a place where people have come to be developed into the next generation of Christian leaders.  The college’s educational activities are 70% self-funded by various business activities which at various times have included poultry activities (laying hens, meat chickens and day old chickens), rice, cattle and a transport business.

The Wait

Having accepted the college’s offer in mid-February 2013, we began the epic wait for visas.  In February 2014, Marcus received his visa, then in April 2014, Ingrid, Sebastian and Solomon received their visas.  It doesn’t seem so bad writing that now, but it was a very difficult 14 months!

The Why?

Why do we want to up-sticks and move to a developing country to work for 2+ years for no wage?  Given the loud call we received, “why not?” is probably a more relevant question.  When God calls you, you go.

During our visit to PNG we were confronted with or advised of various situations of the kind we’re not usually exposed to in semi-rural New Zealand.  We really wrestled over whether we should take our children into such a volatile country but the Holy Spirit was undeniably speaking to us through Bible readings, sermons and songs. Ultimately, we realised that God is sovereign and we needed to trust the care of the boys to Him.  We can’t imagine what life would look like if we had said no to God, out of fear.

We are certainly excited about the opportunity to be part of this ministry though, which has such a powerful impact on PNG and the wider region of Melanesia (students come not only from PNG but the Solomon Islands and Vanuata too, also other parts of the Pacific including Tonga and Samoa).  We have always wondered if our occupations were transferable to the overseas mission field. This appointment proves that God can use anyone in any occupation, even an accountant.  

The How?

If you are interested in supporting us, we would love you to journey with us and the boys over the next couple of years.  We have never felt so reliant on God as during our visit to CLTC last year.  The environment there meant that we barely took a step without praying over the situation first and while that’s the way it should be, it was a great comfort to know that friends and family were praying for us too.  We would be really grateful to know that people were praying for us over these next two years also.  

Speaking of comfort...while we have faced many challenges over the past 17 months, one of the challenge that makes us both most uncomfortable is having to raise financial support.  No one likes talking money, even an accountant and his wife, especially when you are asking people for theirs!  While God has blessed us financially and we have endeavoured to be good stewards of the resources he has given us, we are nowhere near able to fund our living costs in PNG.  A wise sage told us that when people invest financially into a place and people, they actually join in the mission and they become part of the ministry...perhaps that makes the thought of supporting us financially more appealing...maybe not?!

Finally, another way you could support us is to visit us.  PNG is not so far away - a couple of 3+ hour flights from Auckland to Port Moresby via Brisbane, then a connecting flight to the Highlands.  We will be the only “expatriate” young family on campus so while there will be other young families and other expatriates, we will be relatively isolated compared to the abundance of friends and family we have at Hope.   We see a whole heap of ways that people at Hope can bless the business and educational activities at CLTC through short-term visits, although we’re aware that there are “dependency” issues if this is not carefully managed. We will have a better idea of how to avoid this after we’ve spent some time there.

CLTC in PNG

Here is a link to a less than 5 minute clip about CLTC (Christian Leaders Training College) in PNG.
This beautiful place is were we hope to travel to soon to be apart of this vibrant community and country.

https://vimeo.com/89066172

Enjoy.

What do we do?

Since February 2013 we have been waiting for the PNG government to approve a position for an ex-pat to work in a new role as CFO/Mentor at Christian Leaders Training College.

It is now December 2013, and still no news, in fact, no contact from the government at all.  There has been a steady stream of correspondence from CLTC, but it has been a one way conversation.

We waited.

And waited.

And still we wait.

We weren't looking for a call to missions work, we were actually quite happy doing what we were doing.  One weekend changed all that. God called, we were open to what He was suggesting.

We visited, we freaked out a bit, it is a land of contrast, and extremes.  Yet we knew God had called us. So we said yes, we will go.

We waited.

And waited.

And still we wait.

Now we have been offered an opportunity to go out with another organisation until the CLTC position has been approved.  With this offer, comes an orientation, and a chance to work in Mt Hagan until we get the big tick for the other job, as well as a chance to build relationships with other ex-pats in the region. There are many positives.

We weren't called through this role.  We don't want to fall into the trap of 'sorting it out' ourselves. God's timing is perfect.   We are praying and listening as we are keen to make sure we're not trying to work out God's plan for him in a Abraham and Hagar kind of way.

We've prayed

And prayed

And still we pray.

6 Months Down, How Many To Go?

It has been over 6 months since we applied for the volunatry position of CFO/Mentor with CLTC, in PNG - so many acronym's!

We indicated our willingness to fill the position the College was looking to fill - a mentor for the staff in the Finance office who look after the finances for both the college and the business activities that subsidise the college. The College put in an application with a relevant government department in PNG, to have a foreigner fill the position. The government department has declined to answer this application at this point. This is apparently not unusual for PNG, although the length of time taken has surprised and frustrated even those who have more experience of PNG than us.

So it's been a strange autumn-winter so far for us. After putting our hands up to go out, we began getting ready (tidying the house, putting a few things on Trade Me, etc) but that soon ran out of steam. It's difficult to throw yourselves into such activities when you're not sure if you're definitely going and it only lengthens the ups and downs of the rollercoaster so isn't particularly helpful. Meanwhile, Ingrid still needs to home-school the boys, Marcus had a job to go to, we have friends we love catching up with, the boys are into the football season, etc. Essentially, we have tried to get on with everyday life, but it's not quite as easy as that when you're not sure if you're going to be in the country in 3 months time.

We are valuing all prayers for a peace over this time as it's a little unsettling. Specifically, that God would reveal the meaning of this part of the process - Marcus especially. When we have told the boys the about the plans, we faced an understandably mixed response!

We recently stumbled across a wee 9 minute video on the College website that was made to promote the College's new Masters programme. It gives quite a good insight into the College, its reason for existence, etc. The agricultural activities that we would be involved with get a few seconds mention, which is the way it should be, but it is these activities that mostly fund all the other great work that the College does training wise. http://vimeo.com/67611421

God Bless

Marcus & Ingrid

May All Phlebotomist Be Happy Ones.

I love my doctor. Despite trying to talk me out of applying for a position in PNG (in front of the boys - slight cringe moment), I still think he's pretty cool. He's been to PNG, so we had an understanding. He was fantastic, and when he heard we were taking a volunteer position, he charged us for one person, instead of 4! Such kindness.

The x-rays were simple. Expensive but an easy process.

The blood tests were...fine. And by fine I mean, why did I get the grumpy one?

It dawned on me at the end of this process that the one person you would really want in a good mood is the phlebotomist.  I had a gruff one.  I'm sure it's not the most fun job in the world, but then neither is bagging up chicken manure and yet I've done that with a cheerful face. 

We decided to take the boys in with us while our blood was taken, just to show how brave we were. We concluded they will have to have jabs at some point too, so we just wanted to show that it pricks, but it's not really sore.  And I go and get a grumpy lady doing mine. We divided to conquer, Marcus had Sebby and not only did I have the grumpy phlebotomist, I had the effervescent child with me - not a good combination. We survived, with only a little blood shed, and it was all mine.

Forms, forms and more forms, blood, signatures, x-rays, photocopies, medications, verification, stamped by Justice of the Peace. 

And now we wait.

We Wait

For many the call to the mission field is a call to sacrifice, isolation, hardship, blessing, faith, and patience. Some I know have prepared and waited years and years to go after they were called. Some wait for Government departments or visas for months, in our case for a pitiful 5 months and it feels like torture. December 2012, we were called. January 2013, we visited. February 2013, we were invited and said yes, and now we wait.

We live in a state of limbo. Drawn to a place we want to be, a place we believe God wants us to be, yet still having to live our lives in the country we call home. And still we wait. Our mission agency policy isn’t to pay bribes, they feel called to be counter cultural to the corruption that exist within this developing country. And I agree, in theory, but in practise, I just want to get there. I don’t want them to pay bribes either, but this waiting is hard.

As we started this year, we were so full of excitement at what this year would hold, and after months of not hearing anything, and knowing this tick we are wanting from the government is only the first of many, the excitement is waning. Our expectations went from 8 weeks to get there, to months and months of excruciating waiting. Our friends who have been there, smile and tell us this is good training for life in a developing country, learning patience, understanding corruption, knowing nothing happens in a hurry. This is our training ground.

With our call still fresh and our excitement waning, I searched in my concordance to seek what the Word of God said about the word ‘wait’. What I unearthed was food for a hungry soul and hydration for drying lips.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 38:15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Habakkuk 2:3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end--it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Our call is to obedience, and as the Word says, we wait for the appointed time, we can trust as the LORD is the author of time. Just because we are to ‘fret not’, be patient and hope in Him, doesn’t make it easy, it only makes it do-able.

Into week 14 of Home Schooling

Well it's fun.  Home schooling is FUN!  Yes it is challenging, it's hard work and it's a total blast all at the same time.

I currently live in a VERY supportive home school community, if anyone ever wants to home school and will move the world over to do so, then Nelson, New Zealand is the place to do it.  Apart from being a beautiful location, there is so much to do; swim at the beach, rivers, lakes (if you're into braving alpine lakes that aren't exactly warm in summer).  We have big hills to walk, tracks everywhere for biking and homeschooling networks from Christian to non-schooling hippies.  It's awesome! And I get to begin my journey amongst the most seasoned home schoolers, as well as other beginners, it's amazing.

We have found that making connections is vital to building community with other families, you do have to work at it, and yet it has come very naturally for us. our church has a number of home school families, and we are super fortunate to be blessed with others who have children the same age as ours.

And yet at the back of my mind, in this time of waiting, I know we are not going to be in this environment forever.  Soon, hopefully Lord, we will be moving far away.  Yet I am doing my best to make the most of every opportunity we have here now.  

We have begun this adventure with structure, opting to use the Sonlight program, I am not disappointed. I am learning so much and the boys seem to be too.  Our family are readers, so this program works well.  I now have two history lovers and my youngest has been mad about geography and flags after attending a Montessori pre-school.  This program is brilliant for us this year.  I just don't know how we will be able to fund it for next year.  But after reading the story of George Muller, perhaps I should take my desire and need to the Lord and let Him resource our needs.

Not much else to say today, just that this is so much fun.