Papua New Guinea Trip: A Cultural Experience

What a trip I had at Papua New Guinea. I learned so much at their campus in Goroka about the way New Tribes Mission does ministry. We got to learn the trade language of tok pisin which is melanasion pidgin English. Each day we went up to the village to practice and to develop relationships and learn the culture of the Bena tribe.

One time we all had a meal together ( a mumu) that the people cooked in a hole in the ground on hot rocks.  We did this on the island of Solong too where the men caught a wild pig as we watched.  Both times we sat and chatted with the ladies and children while we helped cut veggies and waited for the meal to cook.  I loved this great time of language and cultural learning.

Sometimes when we visited, the women and children would sit on the ground with us and sew hand bags and other knit type stuff.  One lady gave me a purse she knitted that I still love to use.  

 My favorite part of our trip was a visit the Solong people on an island in New Britain. It was one of NTM's church plant. The people greeted us with flower leis and singing. We were able to walk on this mile long island by ourselves and visit with the people using tok pisin.

 My favorite event was the mumu, which is a feast specially prepared. We spent all day preparing the food--peeling kaukau (sweet potato), grating tapioc, scraping coconut, drinking coconut milk, etc. We watched the boys catch and kill the pig.

 The best part was spending time with the people. This was a village wide feast and boy it was good. We also had a time of worship afterwards and sang English while the Solong people sang some songs in Solong. Afterwards we danced outside and sang father Abraham with everyone! What a time we had! Well it was lovely.

The experience I had at Papua New Guinea was awesome.  It was different from other mission trips I'd taken in that it was more of a cultural and language experience since New Tribes Mission had leaders who did the evangelism, and that was not the focus of our group.  Even though that part was a surprise for me, I was glad for a different kind of trip where I could really put to practice language acquisition skills I had learned at Fuller Seminary.

Be on the lookout for more blogs on previous and current trips and experiences!

Immigration films from great minds

I went to a film festival put on by youth. They are given the opportunity to learn filming and then create their own. I don't know if it was the theme--I think it was--but all the films were on the immigration issues going on now. The first one I saw really made me think, even though it was not one of the best films. A better one along the same lines had a similar theme. It spoke of the American Dream, and how immigrants come here to find a better life. Sometimes their life here does not seem so good, but they stay hoping for better things for their children at least. They work in jobs that the "more priviledged" will not work. They work for less and they work hard. Then when they are not legal residents, matters are more complicated. They may be sent back to their countries. Who are we to say that they don't have a right to be here? Mexicans for instance. We stole land from them--California itself used to be Mexican property, correct me if I am wrong. I know the issue is complex, and I see both sides even though I have limited knowledge. I know if we just let everyone in, we might get much more than we can handle. (though I am not sure what that would be). One of the youth got really brave in describing her view. She said that she is Japanese and her parents are legal and they work hard. If I understood her right she felt angry because she felt her family earned their right to be there and if other immigrants would do the same, they would get what they need as well. I admire her courage to put her view on the screen. I thought it was a healthy way to deal with anger. I wonder how many other legal immigrants feel about the illegal ones.

I was able to meet one of the youth before the viewing. We asked her about her film, and she said she just filmed a lot and pieced it together and said, "I am just a beginner." As it turned out her film won first place and she recieved a fancy video camera. She said she spent a month on it, and if she didn't like something she would take it out and film more. I am glad I got to talk to her.

I also talked to a man who knows a lot about the immigration issue. He spoke of the racist undercurrents that are still around. He mentioned one radio program in particular that bashes immigrants. There's free speech for you. (I have not listened to it, yet, and I need to find out what station again if I can).

I hope you readers enjoyed reading my reflections, this is partly my homework. Surprize!. Comments are welcome. Please rebuke, reflect, agree, or respond anyway you want. Or just forget it if you don't want to make the effort :)

We need our amagoolas tickeled. Amagoola= part of the brain that controls emotions (If I remember correctly). I found out recently that if I need a good laugh I can watch my friend's FRIENDS collection. I think I need that about now. Then I can forget for awhile that these next few weeks are going to be filled with acedamia. I don't know why I am taking the time to write for a blog that never gets read. Hint,hint. I have to say I am making progress--one bookreport down. Well, time to get busy again.

Busy work.

Well, I am going to have to get very busy soon. I have been keeping up with the reading thats due, but none of the extra reading (about 600 pages per class). If I don't get on it I will be setting myself up to get a panic attack--just kidding its not that serious. Seriously though it will be next to impossible to finish everything if I don't get a move on. Next week I have two weeks off work because of my intensive, and I only work two days this week. So if I plan it right... I should be able to get on the ball. I could see it as an 8 hour work day turned into an 8 hour study day... Maybe go to the library. Somehow it will come together--I am not worried... Have a good night everyone, or day, depending on when or if you are reading this.

What's up with me...

Work and Homework... need I say more. But I am having fun with friends too--balance is key. My new goal is to get up early--no more ten hours of sleep a day--and then take a walk up the mountain to wake me up. So I will try to get just eight hours of sleep a day, because I do need at least that much. Soon and very soon I am going on that trip to Papua New Guinea about which I am very excited about. However I am even more excited about another soon thing... Soon and very soon we are going to see the King! Do any of you remember that old chorus? I miss old songs. Now most churches are doing so many new songs, the old songs get forgotten. May I be so much heavenly minded that I am oodles of wordly good! I am going to be very busy because I have not been reading two hours a day like I need to as another good friend pointed out. So six hours a day for a while might catch me up on the days I can do that, right? Well good night everyone.

Bombarded!!

Since I moved here to California, my world is being rocked. First, I learned independence. Now I am learning about the great need here. Currently I work with International Students as their friend, conversation partner, and teacher. However I want to get involved in a ministry to children again. I want to do more than teach children's church, I want to get involved in the community. I want to get involved in this city--this great mission field. However, the minute I think I know what I want to do, something else strikes me and I want to do that. BUT THE NEED IS NOT THE CALL> What am I called to? I don't know if I will even know what I am called to until I try a few things. So that is what I want to do!!! But Where do I start? I am thinking about taking a trip to the dream center--I was disappointed that my class did not do that on our outing as was originally mentioned. I see the need and I want to help. Actually there is so much that I still have not seen since being here--. I want to do some participant observation (see Spradley's book with that title) Maybe get involved with a school some how. I just have to find the right one, the right way at the right time. I know God is placing this desire in me, because He has a plan. YES He has a plan for me to get involved in a specific ministry right here in LA, and I don't think I have found it yet, although I do enjoy and want to continue my work with International Students. I know I have some skills not being used right now, not realized yet, because I haven't had the opportunity to practice them, to hone them, to develop them. It is really interesting that I am taking this intro to urban mission class the quarter before I am getting ready to go learn how to evangelize tribal peoples. Tribes and the city don't seem to go together. However tribes are rapidly being pushed out and displaced by urban life, if I understand it correctly. At least it has happened some places. Anyways I just saw a film called Twilight which I am preparing to write a reflection on. It is about the civil unrest that erupted in LA in 1992. One lady acted as each character that she had earlier interviewed, and spoke in their words their accounts of the events and their opinions. I have only just heard about it, so I was really dismayed by what I saw. As I watched it I felt bombarded with the feelings of the people involved--their anger, hurt, shame, violent reactions, and strong opinions. Anyways, I have bombarded any readers of this blog with a lot of thoughts. (THAT IS IF ANYONE READS IT). Anyways, I welcome any comments. Good night.

Cultivating prayer--and a prayer for you.

Dear friends, today I recieved an email with the prayer of St. Theresa. It gave me the idea that I could send out my own prayer along with hers in the forward. I believe prayer is very important and that it makes a difference. I am trying to cultivate a life of prayer. Sometimes I fold my hands wherever I am almost as a prayer in itself. It helps me to think of it as a prayer about the details that fill my head while I am trying to listen to lectures. Then I can let go of my worries and let the Spirit pray while I listen to the class. I even sometimes consider my doodles as prayers but I don't worry about the meaning. It feels like a way the Spirit prays through me, for He knows the mind of God. So here is a prayer for you: Dear Lord, I pray for my friends and any readers of this blog. Encourage their hearts. Create in them more hunger for you and then satisfy them Lord. Help them to know what a special and unique person they are. Help them live the life they were created for--to give glory to You. Lord whisper to them Your words of life, grace, truth, and love. Help them to hear. God You are so good, glorify Your name. AMEN. Do not forget that God loves you!!!

Skills, Me?

Yes, me. In class today we got together in small groups and among other things we were supposed to tell each other our skills. I have trouble speaking on the spot as it is, so when it came to me all I said is "I really don't know what skills I have. I am still trying to figure it out."
For a major portion of the day since then, I have been trying to analyze myself more. I know I am an INFP, but I am just not sure I know enough about myself. I have difficulty answering those questions personality evaluations and other evaluations give. I have been thinking that I really would like to either find some skills or learn some skills. And the more I think about it, the more I know I have a lot to offer. For the same class I have been reading the book, Primal Leadership, and when I read about EI (Emotional Intelligence) in the appendix, and started the book, I said to myself--yes, I really can be a leader. I really can be enthusiastic and encouraging. I know I can grow in EI and I do need to. As I read about how emotions spread to others, I thought about how important it is for me to bring positive emotions with me rather than negativity. I think it will help me to be positive and feel good about myself if I spend a few minutes before my day to consecrate it to God and let Him encourage my spirit. If I get up on the third time my alarm goes off, instead of the fourth time, I can give God ten minutes before I start my day. Well, I am going to try--. Good night everyone.

Back to school!

Back to the books! Oh yes the good times I will have tinking around all day and staying up all night to finish the papers that I can never seem to work enough ahead on. Study, study, study. I do manage to have time for fun, somewhat. Like blogging, emailing, talking on the phone, like hanging out with international students every Saturday. What I want to do more this quarter is hike!!! I want to check out some new trails on the mountains near me. It looks like I will have to work hard this quarter, so I will just have to make sure I do have a life outside of school. So help me out bloggers! How can I have a more exciting life and still do well in school???

Sharing my thoughts with the world!

This is my first time blogging but I think it will be fun. I love to journal. This will be a great way to share some thoughts with the world. I used to write in my journal as if others were reading it. In two different journals I even went through the ABCs of becoming a Christian. You know, Admit your a sinner, Believe Christ died on the cross, and Confess your sins. I have preached sermons on those in my journals. Once I wrote inside the cover of my journal, if you find this return it to such and such an address, and do not read. Later I changed it to--please do read! In it are lessons learned and growth experienced--or something like that. Even though I love to journal it comes in spurts. I have several journals that I wrote in at one time--one contains a decade worth of my life, another almost that, and another--my first little diary--still has entries!!! I lost it for awhile and then just used my other journals because they allowed more space to write. Anyways, I think I will really enjoy this blogging and reading others. I hope my blogging proves interesting to others and maybe enlightening to my friends and acquaintances who may not get the same side of me from plain conversation or face to face encounters. Here after all, I feel safer to take off the veil. For some reason, it is in writing that the wall blocking the easy flow of my conversations dissloves. So have fun everyone, and feel free to comment!