Just a Wednesday

I decided to do another Day In The Life of Nicky during an ITF program. I’ve realized that some people are very interested in the details of a typical day for me, so if you are one of those people… This Is For YOU! J I didn’t teach any classes today, or lead village exposure… but here is what today looked like. *Warning: May contain intense action sequences.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009: My alarm went off at 6:45am, but yesterday was Goroka Day (leading the students around town all day), and I’m exhausted so I hit the snooze till 7:15. Chat with mom on Skype for a bit. Stupid Skype does not work! Throw in a load of laundry and head up to the dining hall for breakfast at 7:45am.

At around 8:30 I hang up my laundry and check my emails. Rachel calls and asks I can tell the workmeris that she will be gone this morning and they need to clock out with me. Also, I need to check in with them and make sure they are doing ok. I walk down to the ablution block and tell the ladies in my broken Pigin that they should sing-out for me when they are finished for the day, and that I’ll be up in the office. Throw in a second load of laundry and hike up to the office. Rachel also needs me to print out more time cards for her. I have absolutely no idea what those look like or where to find them. I search the network, find something that looks feasible, print out a dozen forms and email her that they are in her mailbox.

The morning is a blur. I get a call from one of the security guys to have Danny give him a call (that conversation is entirely in Pigin, by the way). Danny calls me later and gives me new instructions for the security scheduling for the next Interface program. 1 guy has been suspended for 2 weeks for sleeping while on Night Security, 2 guys have to rearrange what nights they work because they are helping Rich Foster (missionary to the Bena) with Translation on certain mornings. This means I have to redo the entire schedule – an insane puzzle that will literally take me HOURS. First I make a new Security worksheet and Security Instructions document to put into the Security folder on the network so that Julie (my replacement in August) knows what to do next time. I’ll get to work on the schedule after lunch!

In the meantime, Rich Foster calls to find out what the Class Schedule looks like for ITF3. I make a copy of the schedule and email it to him.

Yesterday the official ITF3 student list (and their applications) arrived – Hooray! Now I have to start putting together a spread sheet of student profiles for the staff to look over. I need to show Julie how to do this, so for now I just put together an excel worksheet of the names of each student.

12:30pm – Lunch. Quick run home and hang up the 2^nd load of laundry. Hope it dries on time… it looks like rain. Nate arrives (new NTM Associate who was here last summer as well. He is taking over for Beth in the kitchen while she is on furlough). His luggage did not make it, but he made it safely! Hopefully it will show up on the flight tomorrow. Ah PNG!

1:15pm – run up to the office to open it up for students so they can use computers to email during their free time. 1:30-2:30pm – Staff Meeting in the dining hall (take notes and meeting minutes).

2:35pm back up to the office. A bunch of students are up there on the computers and asking me questions. Start working on Security Schedule. Make an Open House calendar for the students that will be around in between programs, and email it to the staff to sign up for. Show Julie how to make Student Profiles and then start working on them. It’s now 5:00 and I have about 17 things started and nothing finished… but most of these projects will take some time and don’t need to be done immediately, so I’m not stressed. I’ll work on them tomorrow! Time to turn off the computers and lock up the office!

5:05 – go back to my hut and take down all my laundry. It’s mostly dry. Decide that my house needs bit of a touch up before the students come over tonight so sweep the floors & clean the bathroom.

5:30 –Give announcements in the dining hall… “Skit/Talent night is on Saturday so start thinking about how you want to entertain us!” Supper time. Come home to bake some cookies.

7:00 – Campfire. Worship time and testimonies. Yay – I love campfires!

8:00-10:00pm – I have “Quiet House” tonight. Make tea & coffee for the 6 students who come over to read, write letters or do homework. I also use the time to read. I’m at the end of “Mere Christianity”. I really love this book! My cookies turned out awesome by the way. There are zero left. I was planning to shower before bed, but now I’m way too tired. Nigh Night!

Here is one of my favorite quotes from Mere Christianity:
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

For an Audience of One

Once again, the Interface campus has come alive and it’s as if every one here is bursting with the expectation of what God is going to do in the lives of these young people. We are already 10 days into the IF2 program. As usual, I am running myself ragged. I want to do everything with the students, plus keep up with all of my official Admin duties. I have a hard time just chilling out at home and enjoying any quality down-time. I think the rest of the staff is going to force me to take a nap soon.

But so far things are going well! It’s our first attempt at running a program without Emerson as director, plus Peter (the new bossman) and I had to prep without Janie, while battling sickness, but it all fell into place (Thank the Lord!) I’ve already taught 4 classes, and teach another 1 tomorrow morning. I had major technical difficulties (aka – my powerpoint was possessed) for my first classes, but I remained calm and rolled with it. I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable speaking/teaching. It probably helps that my friends sit in the back of class and make signs like “You Rock” or stand up & cheer for me. HA! I definitely think the coolest thing about being a teacher is how much you learn while preparing the classes. Not to mention the discussions I’m then able to have with the students during meals or open houses.

It’s also been a huge encouragement to have my friends Curt, Don & Kristina here. They were on my ITF team when I was a student and have returned to PNG to serve in Hospitality (the kitchen) for the whole summer. It’s so much fun having “old friends” around again. Plus, one of the students is a girl that I will be working with in FL. She’s here to experience Interface so that when we are back in the states we can work together to mobilize more harvesters to the field!

I’m leading “Village Exposure” time with this group, and have been in the village with them twice already. On our first trip I made a new friend – Karufe. She speaks English very well, but mostly spoke Pigin because she wants me learn so that I’m able to speak to her people better. She also informed me that she was going to pray that Papa God brings me a “Gutpela Husband” and “Planti Pikininis” (Good husband & lots of kids). Oh boy, sounds like she’s been talking to my mom. During our second trip together, the students were surprised (and by that I mean several of them screamed and almost took off running) by pigs charging across our trail in the bush. I forgot to warn them that the people in the village often let their pigs run around during the day. Ah Culture Shock! Thankfully I teach my Culture Stress (Part 2 in a 2 part series) class tomorrow…

Too often we say, "I have no talent to teach a Sunday school class." "My home is not nice enough to have a Bible study here." "I don't cook well enough to help with Meals on Wheels." "I'm a businessman, not a carpenter. I wouldn't know the first thing about building a house for Habitat for Humanity." When we step out in faith and offer all we have, God will use it in powerful ways. How much is enough? Just what we have when God is with us!

*Photos in this entry were provided by my good friend Curt Sharp

Esra's Village

I spent last weekend visiting my friend Heather at Lapilo. We had LOTS of fun plans. On Friday we were invited to the Numonohi Senior Class mumu. Ah, the joys of hanging with Teens again!The next day Heather's workmeri Esra invited us to her village to have a mumu with her family. What an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience!!! We had to hike about an hour into the bush. That in itself was an experience. We had to cross this crazy bridge over the river...
Back on the trail it was seriously muddy, so I OF COURSE wiped out (still working on that least-graceful-woman-on-the-planet trophy). One minute I was upright and looking at the village ahead of me, the next second I was on my bum with a stunned expression on my face. While no one caught the actual fall on camera - here is a pic from a little while later of me walking through some banana trees while touring Esra's garden. You can see some evidence of the incidet, but I'd already gotten a little cleaned up. I was initially pretty covered in mud! At Esra's house we helped peel kaukau, carrots, and stuffed bamboo with chicken & kumu.
Her family took care of actually cooking the mumu for us.We spent the whole morning just hanging out with them in their village. It was such a fantastic opportunity to just BE with the people. We were the only white-skins there, so it wasn't a big show... it was just a normal day. Esra was very real with us, and even talked about the hardships of being a first wife, and sharing her husband with a second wife - something that happens often in PNG. I have met many ladies here who are 1 among several wives. Anyway - enough commentary on the culture.
Here Heather & I are with Esras family. They were so awesome to us! Also, I'm crouched down a little bit for this picture so that I wouldn't look like such an amazon woman. Heather is only 5'3" and she's taller than most of them... you can imagine how gigantic I look.On the hike home, we decided to take a short cut across the river. Esra insisted on carrying my camera because, and I quote "You'll probably fall again". Excellent - I am literally known around the world for my clumsiness. :) I don't even want to think about what is in this water...More Pics of PNG. Oh how I love it here!!!
"I'll be your hands, I'll be your feet. I'll go where you send me, go where you send me
And I'll try, yeah I'll try, to touch the world like you touched my life
And I'll find my way To be your hands

I'll abandon every selfish thought, I surrender everything I've got
You can have everything I am And perfect everything I'm not

I am willing, I'm not afraid
you give me strength when I say ...
I'll be your hands, I'll be your feet. " ~ Audio Adrenaline

A Very Special Day

Wow, I just got back from a very special 4 days on the coast. This may be my last chance to get out of the Highlands and see a little bit more of the country, so I jumped at it. We had an opportunity to go to Madang for a long weekend. Our goal was to get out every day and be with the locals whenever possible, but not in the town. We wanted to be out in the villages on the islands. Time to step out of our comfort zones a bit, use our Pigin to communicate with the people, and experience some real cultural differences. One of the Islands is so small it only had 10 people living on it!

Sunday was our most special time. We borrowed some kayaks and paddled out to an island. There was a small beach there and we arrived just in time to help some people unload a boat full of bamboo!

We continued along the coast of that island and heard some singing. We found a little church service going on so we stayed in our kayaks (not wanting to intrude or distract) but listened to the preaching from the water. From there we headed to another Island. There were some ladies fishing along the way, so we stopped to talk to them and ask if it was ok to go hang out on their island.

It turns out the name of this beautiful place is Leper Island. HA! It’s because during WW2 they quarantined anyone with Leprosy on that Island. Charming. We enjoyed the beach and some snorkeling, and then the boys learned how to harpoon fish from some local guys! They all came back to the beach to show me their catches. (It would not have been culturally appropriate for me to go out there with them). There was a little girl with them named Linda, and I sat with her while she cleaned all the fish the men had caught. Then we played & splashed each other in the water while the guys built a fire and cooked the fish for us. It was so cool to just be with the people.

Oh yes... we ate Dori.

This last picture is sweet Linda, fishing again... just throwing out a line with a hook and some bait on the end. What an awesome day!!!

"Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting...Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well." ~ Mother Teresa

"The soul, itself invisible, is seen by what it does through the body." ~ Johann Albrecht Bengel

Highlands Conference

We just finished up the big annual Highlands Conference on Monday. ITF hosts the missionaries from all over the Highlands for a time of teaching, fellowship, relaxing, playing, worshiping, getting muddy (we've had a lot of rain), and encouraging each other with what God is doing in the highlands of PNG! It was just awesome. I was blessed to be able to attend a lot of the sessions… hearing lots of testimonies & tribal reports. I love hearing what happens in the villages as the Gospel is presented and they understand Grace for the first time. The joy and then the sadness & urgency these new believers have to tell others. It is an example to all of us.

It was great fun for me to meet & get to know other missionaries. There was a couple here – the Palmers – who have been serving in a tribe in PNG for 55 years! What characters! They were a hoot. From that extreme to the opposite – a young couple who’s only been in their tribe for 6 months and just starting their language study. The conference felt like a big family reunion! We had a skit night, lots of singing, a banquet, games, ice cream (oooh, what a treat!)… lots of lingering over meals with coffee and good conversation.

There was an older couple with some specific needs that needed less primitive accommodations, so I gave them my house and stayed in a cabin with my friend Heather. It was a little bit like camping and we had a great time. I also got to experience the famous ITF tradition – Bucket Showers!

During the last couple of weeks I’ve been battling a stomach virus from Hades. Ugh! I was only able to eat small portions, and mostly just rice and bananas and toast. Thankfully, that seems to finally be over. *Thank you all for your prayers about that!* Last night my PNG Family (Beth, the Germans & I) went to town for dinner at a new restaurant as a special treat, and I ate a whole steak! It was my first steak in 9 months… and while it was a PNG steak (definitely not the same quality as back home) I was grinning the whole time. I’m SO happy to be able to eat real food again, and to have a real steak! Now if I could only have some cheese…

In other news, things are starting to come together for me back home. I was able to find the cheapest plane ticket anybody has seen in 10 years, and God provided the funds for me to book it immediately! I also found out that I have a 1 Bedroom apartment reserved for me in Sanford, so I don’t have to do any house hunting. AND my sister & her husband offered to give me a car when I get home, so I don’t have to worry about buying one! I am in awe of how all of these details have been worked out, through no effort of mine. It was some much needed affirmation that this is what God wants for me. I’ve been struggling with the idea of leaving PNG. But if I could be obedient enough to come here and leave everything behind, then I can certainly be obedient enough to head back to the States. Who knows where this next step will lead?!

“I want passionate feelings to characterize my relationship with the Lord Jesus. Of course, I want to be perfectly obedient to the Lord, but I want the obedience to spring out of a passionate love for him. I want to obey Jesus not simply out of discipline of duty, or because of some reward or fear of punishment. I want to serve Him simply for the joy of being able to please the one I love so much. If discipline is what ultimately drives us in our pursuit of Jesus, eventually we will give up that pursuit. But a man in love, or a woman in love will never quit.... I want my life to be characterized by an unrestrained affection for the Son of God” ~ Jack Deere

A Sigh of Relief

It was so great to see Nationals around ITF today. I walked out of my hut and was greeted with "Moning Nikio!" and "Etahiabe Nicky!" Ahhh, sigh. It is so good to be back. I've missed my home.

For those of you who don't know, we had to move out to Lapilo for 2 weeks and ended up hosting our latest conference there as well. While living at Lapilo I was able to take advantage of all of the health-care facilities. I somehow managed to get a major bladder infection, 2 cavities, and a wicked stomach virus that I affectionately call "The Plague"- all within 10 days. Leave it to me to spend a month hanging out in the villages almost every day, without incident, but visit a little city and I'm knocked out flat! It was a rough couple of weeks. But now I'm home, and finally able to walk around and eat normally. I really like food, and everything tastes especially delicious at the moment.

The last couple of months have brought a lot of changes in my life, some of them very painful, but once again I've seen God providing what I truly need in extraordinary ways. Have I written already about how I love the smell of jasmine? I found out a year ago when I was at this organic fragrance store in San Francisco that jasmine is like my special scent. I don't think I'd ever smelled it before. And then I came to PNG and it blooms all over the campus here. Today I was out in the cabin circle... I had the very boring job of opening up all of the cabins and counting how many bunks are in each, so that we could make the cabin assignments for our next conference. It's not a hard job, just tedious, so I was having a hard time maintaining my "servant's heart". After I finished locking up the 24th cabin at the bottom of the circle, I stopped to take in the view across the valley below. It was still early and the sun was coming out full force - the morning fog pulling back over the mountains. A breeze came up and ruffled my hair, bringing with it the sweet aroma of jasmine. I stood there for a long moment... this moment that was clearly meant just for me. I suddenly knew how David felt when he said "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this" - because I was crying and laughing and felt like dancing, but I just spun around a couple of times and said "Hi God!"

"If you want a wonderful experience, take your New Testament and use a concordance to look up the two little words, but God. See how many times human resources have been brought to an utter end; despair has gripped the heart and pessimism and gloom has settled upon a people; and there is nothing that can be done. Then see how the Spirit of God writes in luminous letters, but God, and the whole situation changes into victory." ~ Ray C. Stedman

IF1 09

Our first Interface program of the year was an absolutely incredible time for everyone involved. We had 14 students – mostly from America & Germany, and with all different backgrounds. It was such a cool dynamic! For me, it was exciting to see the program from the staff point of view. I was again thankful that I was able to go through the program as a student in July/August, because I could appreciate everything the students were going through & learning for the 4 weeks they were here. It was really evident to everyone that the ITF program is the heart & soul of this campus. The conferences are great, but it’s very clear that we (all of the staff)have a heart for the students and are all about pouring our lives into theirs. It’s our purpose for being here – and to show them the reality of tribal missions. That yes, it is difficult, but it can be done! It was so cool to just sit and talk with them, answer questions, and watch them grow.

My job was very different during program. I still ran around fulfilling my assistant-to-the-director duties, supervising the workmeris, and being the audio/visual geek… but I had several new roles as well. I had students in my home almost every night, ate every meal with them, lead many of their “village exposure” trips (awesome time getting to know more villagers, and working on my pidgin), hiked with them, sat in on some of their classes… and TAUGHT a few classes too! Whoa. That was a huge step outside of my comfort zone. When I was asked to teach I immediately said “yes”. A millisecond later I thought “what on earth possessed me to say that?!” I was ridiculously nervous, but also excited. I’ve given talks at Bible studies and churches (for the record, even that makes me nervous), but I never had the responsibility of imparting knowledge into willing minds before. My first class was “Health & Hygiene” – a nice easy one to start off with. I mostly talked about the physical ramifications of living with new foods and in a tropical climate – like wound care and diarrhea. Oh joy. This had the unfortunate side effect of daily confessions from students about their intestinal activity. But they were all very gracious about my nervousness and were excited to see God stretching me into this new area. They kept asking when my next class was and were so encouraging! I was pretty calm for my second class – Serving As Senders – where I was actually able to teach and spread my wings a little bit. I LOVED IT!!!

Here are a couple pictures of me that the students took:More pics of our time : Village ExposurePeeling kaukau for the mumu
Before our big hike to the river. By the time we came back we were covered in mud (and by that I mean mud combined with manure!), a little blood from the nail grass, and got soaked in a downpour. It was the most fun I've ever had hiking:The best thing... the reason that we are here... is that some of the students truly had life changing experiences. After all they saw & heard, they are convinced that they want to take God's Word to those without it. Several are headed off to Bible School or Missionary Training. Please pray with us for them - that they would keep striving hard, trusting and pursuing God's call for their lives. I've watched Him do amazing things in their hearts and it's been a tremendous privilege to be a part of it, to invest in them, and serve in this particular ministry.

"Whatever you do, wherever you live, if you belong to Jesus Christ, the call from heaven has come to you - to the highest honour a human being can experience. The Son of God is spreading His love, His lifestyle, and His life-saving message across this planet - and you know what? He has summoned you to join Him in His glorious Administration. Don't settle for anything less. " ~Ron Hutchcraft