Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. Thank you for bringing our patients, this ministry and the team before the throne of our Good Father. It is hard to believe it has been a month since first boarding the first of six planes to get here! This time has been full of adjustments and learning both for the clinic, language, and culture. Papua New Guinea is most definitely a beautiful country, and Kotidanga Baptist Church has been so welcoming.
In God's wisdom it took 11 days to reach Kunai where I am now instead of the initially planned 3 days of travel. But this delay allowed Laura Lee and me a week at Ukarumpa, PNG with the Allens to start language and culture orientation before starting work in the clinic. It was a nice time to slow down, get to know our team a little, and spend with our new friend Wendi practicing Tok Pisin. Laura Lee and I especially enjoyed the afternoon Wendi spent showing us her home and village.
Kunai Health Center began in 2008 and has certainly grown in patients and services since its beginning. Over the past few weeks, I have enjoyed learning from Manandi. She has been a great teacher for so many new things like tropical ulcers, fungus, tuberculosis, malaria, and suturing to name a few. It is humbling to meet so many patients who have walked for an entire day to make it here likely through rain, waded through a least one river, or over a mountain barefoot. They are incredibly resilient people and quick to smile. The clinic staff including Ellie, John Mark, Judas, and Linda have also been so kind in helping us learn and adjust. They have a great love for their people and serving them, and their testimony is sweet in their interactions with patients and how they pray with them. Most recently Emma coached me through my first set of sutures, and I have enjoyed doing a few ultrasounds for prenatal check-ups, broken bones, even a stick in a foot.
Papua New Guinea is known as the land of the unexpected. We have been able to witness this on more than one account thus far. Last week, we had a visit from the Parliament Member of our district who came for Independence Day speeches which was quite the gathering. The Lord allowed Mr. Allen to be able to share the gospel while encouraging our people to pray for their leaders.
What a special time church has been! Regardless of language barriers, to fellowship with the Body of Christ is certainly unifying and encouraging. Mary Beth has led us in learning some new songs in Tok Pisin, and this time of singing together has been a favorite of mine. Pastor Ben's passion for The Word and following Christ has been a challenge and blessing. His heart for his country and investing in youth is clear. It is exciting to see a body of first generation believers seek the Lord. Several girls have been a great blessing to us with their fast friendship, even coming to spend extra time with us cooking, sharing the produce of their garden, and spending hours talking over coffee in Tok Pisin and phrases of Kamea.
Something that has been particularly a big lesson for me has been communication. The first place that felt like home for me was the clinic. When all else was overwhelming and unfamiliar, after spending a day taking care of patients I felt at home. However, the language has been a unique challenge. It has been a tangible and vivid reminder to me of how important communication is in many aspects of life, interactions with others and our relationship with God. It is not something that comes as easily for me, but it is vital. I often do not realize how difficult and inconvenient it is to not be able to communicate nor understand until I found myself without that ability. It has also been a rebuke to me, in how we also value God's Word. To have His Word in a written form we can read ourselves and understand is truly a gift, one that the people here are just now experiencing over the last 10 years. We are called as believers to speak life, truth, with grace, seasoned with salt, that we may know how to answer for the hope that we have in Christ, to build up one another and glorify God. What an opportunity! {Ephesians 5:4-21, 1 Peter 4:11, and Colossians 4:6} How we communicate is an avenue to serve one another. Therefore, language is our medium for the Gospel. And practically speaking in an oral culture, it is very much necessary in administering antibiotics and getting medical history.
Thank you again for sharing in this journey. I look forward to continuing to share how the Lord is working. In Christ, Marie