Friends,
I’m excited to announce that after a year of hoping and praying, the Groshes and I will be going to the Kaluli village NEXT WEEK!!! We’ll live in the village from June 28th to July 12th. Pray that our time at the village is fruitful (and that I don’t get very many leaches! Haha! #YLpurificationoil). I will spend the majority my days at the village with Dibe, preparing hot noon meals for the Kaluli Translation Team and doing other hospitality-type things.
Here are some highlights of what’s gone on since my last post in March.
March
I was invited to see the process of Bible audio recording! Odeli recorded 2 Thessalonians 2 and 3 in Seimat, his tok ples (home language) while I was at the studio.
April
The Groshes and I took a day trip to Goroka. Goroka has a street full of bilums (woven bags for either gender) and another street full of various PNG handmade artifacts, including woven baskets, a one-holed flute-type instrument, and panpipes. I bought a painting of trees from Titus, the man wearing a black shirt and a grey vest. We also bought potatoes and other fresh fruit and vegetables from the market in Goroka.
April – May
One of the projects we worked on while Kaluli translators Wano (next to me) and Segea (next to Uncle Andy) were with us was producing Kaluli books for new readers, written and illustrated by Kaluli men and women. We constructed and printed 750 copies of forty-six books! For more fun tidbits on these Kaluli books, click here.
May
In addition to tutoring a sixth grade Korean girl in English, I also tutored a Korean girl my own age who was here visiting relatives. God brought me a new friend. 🙂 She stayed in Ukarumpa for one month and is now back home in Korea with her family.
May
Each year, parents of juniors and seniors orchestrate an event called Banquet (equivalent to Prom in the States). This year, the decorating theme was Clue, my favorite board game! The adults in the community were invited to help with construction, so I pitched in by drawing and painting a fainting couch.
May – June
The kindergarten class on center attended mainly by missionary kids had double the amount of students this year, so starting in early May, I got to be a part of the six-year-olds’ world as a Teacher’s Assistant. When school starts back up in July, I’ll get to see them through the first term by being a TA for first grade. Twenty-two students + a small community = lots of free hugs. On the last day of school, the kindergarteners surprised me with individual Thank You cards!
June
Today is the last day I’m mentoring a Basic Computing Course. The course is geared toward nationals who have little to no previous experience with computer technology. They are learning and applying a lot of information in a short amount of time.
June
The illustrated portion of some of the Kaluli-authored books that haven’t been printed yet were drawn too lightly, so Aunt Sylvia and I are in the process of tracing over the pictures before proceeding with further production.
June
Barbecue fun on a Friday night, thanks to our friends the Jung family and their son who is visiting.
For at least the past couple months, some close friends and I have prayed for guidance for me on whether or not to extend my stay in Papua New Guinea. Either option was fine with me. I liked both the idea of staying longer and the idea of returning to my home in the States. I am confident in the direction God is leading me (leading me now, not necessarily what to do with my life. Still, I’m not worried about future plans. God will show me). I wrote a poem about when I’m coming home. A catch is included, though; the approximate date is hidden within the poem. See if you can find the hidden date in the poem. The poem is for my little sister, Faith, because every time we do a Skype call, Faith asks me when I’m coming home. Enjoy sleuthing out my arrival time frame!
Thank you for your love and prayers! You’re making a big difference in my life.
Deborah
Dear Faith
By Deborah Sue Miller
Time is going dandy
here in Papua New Guinea.
Returning is a fantasy that’s
emerged too
early.
Making memories money can’t buy.
On these hills, I’ve learned new ways. The Lord
restores my soul. The Lord, He is my strength.
Everyday He remains the same: good and faithful.
My mind and body have grown stronger.
On one hand, I’d like to stay longer.
Nonetheless, my time here—at least for now—is almost
through. I’ll be
home
soon.
Scroll for clues to the hidden date!
Clue #1 of 4
- The hidden date contains three words.
Clue #2 of 4
- The hidden date is vertical.
Clue #3 of 4
- The first word of the hidden date starts with a T, the second word starts with an M, and the third word starts with an M.
Clue #4 of 4 – Read this clue backwards.
- .line each of beginning the at letter first the only at Look
