Party in Paradise

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-One very large mumu pit.

-One truck load of stones to heat the pit.

-One truck load of firewood to heat the stones.

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-Four pigs.

-Dozens of friends, preparing food, firewood, cooking pit, working all night long.

-60 stalks of cooking bananas.

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-70 chickens.

-Countless sweet potatoes, taro roots, cabbages, greens.

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-Three hundred sixty guests.


All that adds up to one big party!

Sam's "PNG Papa and Mama," Simon and Esther Tausi organized the whole thing. A big group from Esther's home village came down on Thursday.

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Many people from the hospital staff and from the community got involved. Many, many gave chickens, stalks of bananas, and lots of other produce.

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Pastor Robert Kia shared a
few words from scripture. Papa Simon and friend Pastor John gave tearful speeches. Papa Andy did his best to be cheerful--my slogan was "bihain krai, nau amamas" ("cry later, have fun now").

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There were dozens of gifts, including 12 bilums (colorful string bags, very time-consuming hand work), PNG artifacts, and cash ranging from small coins to wads of bills.

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Sam will miss PNG terribly. Many Papua New Guineans will miss him just as much. But their hearts will be warmed by memories of this day.

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Yours and His,
Andy

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Photos:
1. Sam with "PNG Papa and Mama" Simon and Esther Tausi
2. Sam with friends Tukni and Pil (and grandaughter)
3. Just a portion of the food given for the mumu. I counted about 47 stalks of cooking bananas in this pile alone. Many more were given, besides the 20 that we bought
4. Judy, Gail Dooley and summer visitor Britany Hart, peeling sweet potatoes
5. Our friend Meti preparing greens
6. The crew placing hot rocks and the food in the coking pit. The pit was so large that they had to make bamboo "bridges" over it, because they couldn't reach the middle from the edges.
7. Sam and some of the other men cutting up the pork
8. Pastor Robert Kia praying for Sam
9. Sam speaking to the crowd
10. Gola, chief of the Kuma tribe, and Wusik, chief of the Sikang tribe, leading the guests to the food line
11. The crowd going through the serving line
12. Display with photos of Sam

Graduation

The big day has come, and now almost gone. The tradition here on Kudjip station, is that when an MK graduates, he or she is honored at one of the once-per-month English worship services. The parents plan the service. I say "tradition": that what's happened with the two previous graduates in the 5 years that we've lived here.

So today was Sam's day. There were some graduation decorations at the pot luck prior to the service, including a beautiful cake. Gail Dooley had made a "memory" book, with messages from many of his friends. There was a display of photos.

In the service there were tearful comments from both of his parents. I read Psalm 127: 3-5, and said that if children are a reward from God, I can't imagine what I ever did to deserve such a reward as I have received. Judy shared some thing about Sam that she will always remember: falling in love with a small photograph sent to us from Korea; a 4 year-old asking her to "tell me more about Jesus"; the day and the place along the road where they pulled over in the old white Plymouth Voyager and Sam asked Jesus to come into his heart; lots of laughs; a 10 year-old boy wanting his very own call from God if he were to leave his friends and move to PNG; an alusion to a suicidal pig in the back of a truck that many of us didn't understand too well.

There was a slide show (including photos from long ago) accompanied by a couple of Sam's favorite contemporary Christian songs. There were songs; "My Tribute" in English, and "Long Marimari Bilong God" in Pidgin, and a special song sung by "Uncle" Jeff Myers. Sam even made a very concise speech (very concise), thanking the missionary family for their contribution to his life. There was a time of prayer lead by "Uncle" Scott Dooley.

His fellow MKs read scripture passages that are special to Sam: Deuteronomy 6:5 (Sam's "life verse"), 2 Peter 1:2, Philippians 4:19, Ephesians 5:1-2, Daniel 1:8, Jeremiah 29:11, and Philippians 4:4-7.

Brother John Alt, missionary with the Evangelical Brotherhood Church (the EBC is a Swiss denomination, and they call their pastors "Brother"), preached. He made some funny, but true comments on the international nature of the group present, with folks from PNG (a large group of our national friends were there), US, Canada, India, Wales. He joked that since the Swiss are famous for their neutrality, he was the logical choice to preach. He then shared a message on the trustworthiness of God, illustrated by 15 of the more than 200 names for God in the Bible.

The closing prayer was sweetly offered by Sam's "PNG Papa," Simon Tausi.

Lots of tears. Lots of love.

Party Planning in Paradise

15 stalks of cooking bananas at K20 per stalk: K300
3 pigs (1 gaint, 1 medium, 1 medium-small) complicated combination of gifts and purchases
40-50 chickens: many will be gifts, but we may have to buy 10: K200
Kumu (edible greens): K30
Kaukau (sweet potatoes): K40
Firewood (2 trees worth): K60


Assorted utensils and containers: K75
Refreshments for the friends who will be working through night to prepare the food: K30
The chance to watch Sam's PNG friends congratulate Sam for graduating and bid him farewell: priceless.




Any of you who can make it to Sam's combination graduation-going away mumu, come on by.


Yours and His,
Andy

Photos:
#1 Cooked food being sorted into serving containers
#2 Veggies in the leaf-lined pit--see the steam already starting to rise from the hot rocks in the pit?
#3 The pig's head--given as a gift to honor or thank a guest at the mumu

Not Always What You Expect

The government tourism agency here in PNG used to use the slogan "The Land of the Unexpected." Really, the Christian life is full of surprises, and not just in lush tropical island paradises. Just when you fall into a pattern, a habit, God has a way of gently turning you in new directions.

Just today, for instance, I had to tell a lady named Agnes that she had inoperable cancer. Sadly, that's nothing new in my work here. In fact, it was the second time today. I went through my usual explanations about pain control, help with whatever symptoms she developed, making sure that she understood that I wasn't writing her off as someone that I couldn't help, even if that help did not include cure. And then, as I usually do, I tried to turn the conversation to spiritual matters. Once it is clear that the body will not last much longer, I always want to make sure that my patients are prepared for eternity.

Her husband, John, was with her, and although in our conversation it appeared that she understood my Pidgin, she would only speak in their local language, and he would translate for her. When I asked if they were Christians, he nodded toward his wife and said, "Mama's a Christian." I looked at him and asked, "but Papa's not?" He silently nodded his confirmation.

After asking some clarifying questions to make sure that they both understood what I was talking about, I asked if he'd like to become a Christian. Again he silently, but definitely nodded. I didn't want to assume anything about what he thought I was asking him, so I briefly explained God's plan of salvation. His wife then started speaking to him in their local language, but stopped and turned to me, and said in perfectly clear Pidgin, "I'll translate what you say for him."

Now suddenly we were in an area that she knew about. She was no longer shy. She could speak with confidence. At times her translation turned into a conversation between wife and husband, usually ending with him nodding, and then they would both wait for me to continue. Obviously, she was explaining in more detail than I was, and making sure he understood and agreed.

As I finished my explanation, I again asked if what I had talked about is what he really wanted to do. Again that nod.

I laid my hands on each of their shoulders, but as I started to pray each of them reached up and took my hand as they took each other's. As we sat there in our little circle, God joined us. I prayed for Agnes, and then for John. Then I offered to lead John in prayer. He softly copied my words in a prayer of confession and repentance, asking Jesus to come into his life, and to forgive his sins.

As we finished praying it seemed that none of us wanted the time together to end. We continued to hold hands for several minutes. Finally Agnes looked up and as our eyes met, she gave me a big smile. I can't remember ever seeing a patient smile within minutes of being told that they have a terminal disease.

So I expected to be ministering to the patient, the one with the bad disease. But God had different plans for today. He wanted to minister to us all.

Yours and His,
Andy
Photos (Not directly related to the story):
#1 Judy at Suicide Rock
#2 Andy at Suicide Rock

A New Experience

The other day I had a new experience for me--maybe in this day and age not necessarily unique to PNG.

One of my good national friends had just discovered that her husband had been unfaithful to her. He had actually taken a second wife, turning his back on my friend, his 3 children and on the Lord.

The amount of HIV and AIDS is rapidly accelerating in PNG. Statistics show that this country is at the place Africa was 10 years ago. The government, our church and other Christian churches are working hard and fast to teach people what AIDS is and how not to get it.

The woman that he had taken up with had been with many other men. My friend, a strong Christian, needed to go to our hospital lab to have an HIV test. I didn't want her to go alone. I went with her and held her hand.

Its hard to do things like that privately in this culture. So here's this holy living woman having a test that brings into question her own morality. It was hard but through it all the Lord gave her peace.

It brought to my mind Matthew 11:28,29 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

As we got ready to leave, we looked over to the chapel doors. There was a tired, maybe sick woman resting on the ground. Under the cross. What a reminder that's where we need to be no matter what circumstances we face in life!

Judy

Grace and Peace

A week isn't a long time, but perhaps it's long enough to start to put things into perspective.

Last night (very late last night) as I walked home from the hospital I was thinking a lot about events of a week ago. Looking back, I can see now that there probably wasn't a time when Sam's life was in immediate danger, but it sure felt like it to him, and it sure felt like it to me. At least it allowed me to have a clear idea as to how it would feel to lose him. And it allowed me to have a better idea than before of what it must feel like for any father, any parent to lose a child.

That trip to the hospital had been to see a critically-ill child. I'd been called to his bedside several times during the day, but this time he hadn't made it. I've had that experience more times than I want to remember, and each time I pray with the parents. Each time I want to think of just the right thing to say, the right way to pray that will give them comfort. But it always comes down to the same thing; I pray for grace and peace for them. It always seems so inadequate, but it's all I have to offer.

As I walked home, I thought of those events of a week earlier, and of my feelings when I had thought about the possibility of losing our boy, and how God had ministered His grace and peace to us. I realized that it is no small thing. What more could any of us ask than for a measure of grace and peace? It is what Paul prayed for the recipients of every one of his epistles.

And it's what I pray now:

Grace and Peace to you,

Andy

Photo: Me with Randy, whose name is a combination of "Ray" (Comstock) and "Andy."

Rescue in Paradise

It is now Sunday evening--Mother's day. Judy got a great Mother's Day gift, and I get to share it. The end of the story is that Sam is safe and unharmed, except for scrapes and bruises.

Yesterday Sam went with missionary Scott Dooley and volunteer medical student Ben Kumor to explore a cave that Scott has been talking about doing for several years. Scott loves caves, and has done quite a bit of spelunking (the term for exploring caves). Sam and Scott have explored several caves in the area here, but this particular one has fascinated them. The problem is that the entrance to this one is a 150' vertical shaft, and they just didn't have the equipment to safely get into and out of it!

On his last furlough, Scott acquired the equipment he needed, a longer climbing rope, and ascenders, devices that make it possible to climb up a rope. Ever since the Dooleys got back, they have been planning the day. They have been training in trees so that Sam could learn to rappel and ascend with the rope.

So yesterday they drove to Konduk (the title photo for this blog was taken from there), then hiked the 2-plus hours to the cave, along with John Opa, a local friend. They rappelled into the cave without incident, looked around, annoyed thousands of bats, and began to climb back up the rope. But they experienced trouble with the ascending equipment, and ended up with Ben and Scott out, and Sam hanging on the rope part-way up, unable to either go up or down.

Scott, Ben and John tried to pull Sam up, but the rope lay over several angles of rock which added so much friction that they could not move him more than a few inches.

We got cell phone service in the Highlands almost a year ago, which turned out to be a tremendous blessing in this situation. Scott was able to phone us. I brought Jeff Myers and a group of young men from our college of nursing, and drove to Konduk. The young men ran to the cave, and along with some people from Konduk were able to pull Sam up. Although I tried to get there, I did not make it to the cave by the time they got him out, so I waited for him along the trail. We got home about 10 pm, exhausted but thankful to God for His help, and for the wonderful, selfless people who got involved.

Today we went ahead with a previously made plan, and drove into Mt. Hagen for church and a mother's day lunch at a restaurant.

We know that many of you pray for us frequently, and we thank you all for those prayers.

Happy Mother's Day to you all, mothers or not!
Andy, Judy, and Sam

P.S. I'm writing a long, detailed account of the experience. If you want to get it, send an email, and use "Long version" as the subject line.

Photos:
#1 Sam at the top of Mount Tabi on the way to the cave
#2 Ben Kumor and John Opa
#3 Sam, talking to his mom on the cell phone from Mount Tabi after getting out of the cave.