Worthy is the Lamb [PNG]

This post has been swirling around in the back of my brain for the last couple of weeks, but I've just been very unmotivated to blog. Thankfully, I have been motivated to do "nesting" things- things to prepare for the new baby that will be in our lives soon. I finally decided I better sit down and write this blog post before I have a baby and am too tired to do so.

Last sunday (a week and a half ago), we sang a song at church called "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin. There's a part we sang that really got to me. First, I must put a disclaimer- when I searched the lyrics to get the exact words, this part doesn't show up. So apparently, either there are some added, alternative lyrics to the church worship version, or our church just added in this part. Either way, there was a part we sang that went, "I hear the song of every tribe and tongue, 'Worthy is the Lamb.'" And I got choked up some. I cared about every tribe and tongue before- I mean, Ben and I have been heading down this path -- the path to work with unreached tribal people -- for several years now. But it's different now that I have faces and names in my head. 

To be honest, I didn't love the Pei people. There were a lot of things that drove me crazy about them - the way that I couldn't understand anything they said, the way that they grabbed my child, the way that they were dirty and had lice and ringworm, the way that they would be really loud late at night and early in the morning, the way that they would follow Sophie and I around... there were many things that made it hard for me to just naturally feel love toward them (I don't know how humanitarians do it). But I do love Jesus, and my love for him caused me to care about the souls of the Pei people. With how remote they are, they have never had missionaries among them, and they are far from civilzation (town) which would be far too expensive for them to take trips to (reminder: it was an hour plane ride for us and a 2 hour boat ride- it would be days on a boat for them, and then days of walking- which would be a lot of money). So all that to say, they have never heard the gospel. They have never heard that 2000 years ago, a man named Jesus came to this earth and died on a cross to save them from their sins. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around, because I've heard this and read this since I was a young girl. I have hundreds of Bibles and books about the Bible at my fingertips. But they don't even have a written alphabet, let alone a Bible.

The Pei people live in so much fear right now because of tribal beliefs that rule their lives and play an effect into every decision they make. Ben and I spent a very short amount of time in the tribe but still saw how the Pei people lived in fear. One night, Ben stayed up talking with one of the men from Pei. Through interpretation, he was able to learn that this man was sharing about his family, and he shared that his two brothers had died because someone had put a curse on them. The tribal people don't associate death with things like malaria and sickness. Instead, they blame it on witchdoctors and curses. Another thing Ben learned while we were in the tribe happened while he was out with the men cutting down trees in the jungle. The jungle was frustrating to walk through since it was swampy and some trees were covered in thorns. One time, the men heard a bird call and refused to take the short way out of the jungle and instead insisted on a long way. Ben learned that this was because the Pei people associated this bird's call as a warning about danger. They believed this bird was a friend of their tribe who would give them warning when necessary, and the people would therefore alter their previous decisions when they heard this particular bird. Ben was mostly bummed that this meant they had to travel longer in the jungle. 

We only lived among the Pei people for a very short time, and yet we could see just in that short time that they lived in fear. So you see, the thought of these people living free of these beliefs that bind them is thrilling to me. And I believe that that freedom will come through learning about God as the almighty Creator and his son Jesus as our almighty Savior. When they put their trust in him, they will no longer have to fear someone putting a curse on them or a bird chirping in the jungle. And even more thrilling is the thought of being in heaven, falling on our knees before Jesus, and singing "worthy is the lamb" alongside the Pei people.

**If you want to read more on my thoughts about why it's necessary for the people of Pei to HEAR the gospel before being saved, you can read an old post of mine here.

Here's to 2013!

Looking Back...

2012 was a wonderful year for many reasons:

- We celebrated Sophie's first birthday

- We graduated from New Tribe's Bible Institute in Jackson, MI

- We found out we were pregnant with our second child!

- We found a reasonably-priced place to rent for our year home, Ben got a good job, and Alisha got a babysitting job

- We have been able to get involved and serve in our church, Christ's Covenant Church - and they have also done a marvelous job of serving and loving us

- We were able to take a 6 week trip to Papua New Guinea that opened our eyes to tribal missions

- We found out we are going to finally be an aunt and uncle (and cousin) - my sister Nikki and her husband Trevor are pregnant with their first child!

Looking Forward...

2013 excites us because:

- We will welcome out new baby girl into our family in the next month

- We envision many great times with family, friends, our Life Group, and our church
- Sophie will turn 2 in March
- We will both celebrate our 25th birthdays in March!

- Trevor and Nikki will have their baby in June or July

- We will begin our final part of training in August at the Missionary Training Center in Missouri

- We hope to grow in our walk with the Lord

Christmas 2012 Recap

I suppose before the New Year hits that I better do a recap of Christmas 2012. 

Christmas came and went fast since we got back from PNG just one week earlier. Ben and I spent the saturday before finishing up shopping. Christmas Eve we spent at Ben's grandpa's house with his extended family.

Christmas morning we spent with Ben's family, and then we spent that night with my family. It was a fun day. Sophie was thoroughly spoiled, and Ben and I received a lot of fun gifts as well!

She got a shopping cart (amongst many other gifts) from Grandpa and Grandma Miller...

She read books with Aunt Katie...

She played with her new baby doll from Grandma Walton...

And we all played a fun game that Nate and Kelly introduced to us at the Walton Christmas where we had to try to unwrap a very securely taped while wearing a pair of gloves and a santa hat. Whoever got the gift opened got to keep it. Nate won and got to keep the Reeses :)

I have a sweet husband who knows the way to my heart :) We have discussed for several months about getting me a nice camera since we just had a cheaper digital camera. The other camera (which took it's last photo below) worked well enough, but now that we have kids, I'd like to be able to take nicer pictures of them. He chose the model and color of camera after talking to several people, and I love it! He also got me lots of other fun goodies, like dark chocolate, beef jerky, and socks. And to top it, he bought me an egg slicer as a joke (he said he walked into a store and wanted to buy the dumbest kitchen gadget he could find- he did well!) and mace (which isn't a joke... he fully expects me to carry it in my purse and use it if necessary).

We are so thankful for wonderful families to celebrate Christmas with. We are also thankful that Christmas is a time where we can reflect on the birth of our Lord and Savior who has blessed us abundantly.

PNG Recap Video

Chris Jones helped us put together a recap video of our time in PNG as well as some information about our future plans. Here it is!

A Wife's and Mother's Role [PNG]

As a wife and mother, I've often wondered what my role will look like in tribal missions. During our time at Bible school, we had many speakers come through, and we often heard over and over the husbands say, "If my wife didn't stay home and keep up the house and home-school the kids, I would never be able to do what I'm doing" ("do what I'm doing" = learning an unwritten language, turning it into a written language, teaching the people to read and write, teaching the people the Bible, and translating the Bible). A part of me was always frustrated when I heard this. I love being a wife and mother... I enjoy cooking and keeping my house clean, I love spending time with Sophie, and I'm guessing that some day I'll really enjoy teaching my kids since I liked school myself. But still... I'm good at other things. I'm good at language and at English-type things... I think I'll do well at language learning, linguistics, and translation. And those are HUGE parts of what New Tribes Missions does. So I didn't know how to reconcile in my heart that God had given me a love for and a giftings in these areas, yet I might never use them.

Going to Papua New Guinea for a month allowed Ben and I to get a very realistic view of what tribal missions is like and entails. Not only were we able to talk to a number of veteran missionaries, but we were also able to experience so much. 

I was thankful for our trip because I was able to make peace in my heart with what my role will look like. I still don't know exactly what it will look like. But I did conclude that I am a wife and mother, first, and I am okay with that, and really... I'm more than happy to be that. Being a wife and mother overseas, especially in a third world country, is more work than it is in the states. Cooking from scratch,  trying to make sure no one gets dehydrated, going to town/market (Walmart is wonderful, incase you've ever wondered), laundry, homeschooling is a must rather than an option... and I was able to see that. Even more importantly, I was able to see how important it is for my husband that I be a wife and mother first. In most (probably all) of the countries NTM works in, men hold the dominant role, so it is crucial that the tribal men are the ones who hear and acknowledge the Word of God if anyone else in the tribe is going to. And if they are going to hear it, then it is going to be most effective from a male missionary. In order for my husband to take this position, he must spend A LOT of time with the men in the tribe. He must be willing to go on hunting trips with them, cut down trees with them, visit neighboring tribes with them (which can mean overnight trips), etc. Through these types of experiences, Ben will not only learn the language well, but he will also gain respect and friendship with the men of the tribe which will have a key role when it comes time to share the gospel.

So seeing this, I've accepted that I am first and foremost a mother, and that truly, this role will be extremely important for me to accept in order for the gospel to get to our tribe as fast as it can.

But I was also encouraged that this is not all  I have to be. I was encouraged that my memory is better than I thought. I know I used to have a good memory... but since becoming a mother, I feel like half of my brain cells have died. However, while in Pei, I was encouraged that I was able to remember words that the Pei people taught me without having to write them down. I even still remember almost all of the words that they taught me, a couple of weeks later. That's encouraging.

I was also encouraged because I talked with several missionary wives who are in the process of phasing out of their tribes with their families (they have finished translating and are establishing national elders for their tribal churches), and while none of them said they were 100% fluent, a number of the ladies told me that they were fluent enough to be able to communicate well with the ladies and understand all that was said to them. This is cool and exciting. But ALSO, several of them talked about how they helped with the translation work. Double cool and exciting. And they did all of this while maintaining their homes and families.

I don't know exactly how God is going to use me when Ben and I move overseas. Maybe I'll get to do more than I hope, and maybe I'll only be able to do less. But I do know that I've found peace with the fact that God will guide us as a family and show us how much we can handle. And I know that he won't allow these gifts and passions to go unused, whether they are used in ways that I envision now or not.

Sophie helping Mama cook

Shredding up a chicken... but first, cleaning him up

Market time! Sophie didn't love being grabbed at in the heat

She loved making cinnamon rolls best... I wonder why

Arriving in Pei... these were not tears of joy

Eating some Sepik fruit with Pei people

Cooking pizza in Pei

On our way home from Pei- Sophie fell asleep between the boat and plane rides

Praise God from whom all Blessings Flow [PNG]

Ben and I can’t say that we particularly heard a call from God to go into missions in any audible or vision-type sense. Rather, we both went on short-term mission trips in 2006 that opened our eyes to missions and to the world, and we both returned thinking that God was going to use us in missions. The process since then has been that God has slowly, but in His perfect timing, revealed to us what that path would look like.

So while we didn’t receive any amazing calling to missions, we do know that God wants the whole world to hear the gospel, and that means that some people must go and some people must send. Through our time here, seeing the incredible cost it is to allocate into and work in a tribal location, we are so thankful for those who stay home and work hard to keep missionaries on the field. However, we feel confident that God is leading us to be those who go. He has blessed our family in abundant ways that will allow us to survive in difficult, bushy locations, and we want to praise him for these blessings.

1.     We are healthy. We don’t have any chronic illnesses, we don’t have any recurring serious sicknesses, we have good eyesight and hearing, we have all of our limbs and bones in contact. I (Alisha) even have extremely healthy and fairly easy pregnancies. We have so much to be thankful for in this category.

2.     We have high pain tolerances. We both can handle quite a bit of discomfort and pain before breaking.

3.     We are adaptable. All of us- Sophie included. So thankful for this. We are laid-back and can take new situations in stride.

4.     We have childhoods that have helped us to prepare. We both grew up on hobby farms and worked outside often to help with chores, animals, and gardens.

5.     We do not become easily attached to people or things. While we will miss our families, friends, and homes immensely when we move overseas for long-term, we are able to let go of things easier than others and are not home- bodies. While it is sometimes hard and sad to leave and sell things, we are thankful that God helps us to quickly move on and adjust.

6.     We are independent. Working in tribal missions means that you must be willing to spend time apart from your significant other. With meetings, survey trips (trips where you look into different tribal locations), building trips (to build your own home but also to help others build if you have skills), and the amount of time that you must spend language learning, you will be apart from your significant other a number of times. While we sure do miss each other when apart (absence makes the heart grow fonder), God has been good to give us independence that helps us endure well when apart.

7.     We have skills that can be used well. Ben has great construction and hard-working skills, I have a  fairly good memory that should help with language learning… we are thankful for these skills.

8.     We both grew up in the church and have had good Bible training. While there is still much we could learn, God has equipped us well with knowing the Bible.

9.     We have extremely supportive people in our lives… family, friends, Christ’s Covenant Church, Merriam Christian Chapel

10. Other small blessings that certainly aren’t necessary but that we appreciate so much… neither of us  appear to get rashes easy, neither of us gets bit by mosquitos easy (I – Alisha – think I only got one mosquito bite the whole time), neither of us gets burnt easy… Sophie’s skin doesn’t seem to fare quite as well, but thankfully she does not get super upset by bug bites and rashes.

     We are so, so thankful to God for all of these blessings and hope that we will never lose sight of the fact that these are blessings that should be used for his glory. We are not special people or more important because we plan to head into missions. We simply have been blessed in specific ways that allow us to be those who go. And we recognize similarly that God has blessed others in different ways to be used in different positions to get the gospel to the nations.

     Romans 12:3-5
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Love/Hate Relationship [PNG]

I wrote this post right after we got back from the Pei tribe so that I wouldn't forget the little things. Wanted to post pictures first, though, so am just now posting this :) Just wanted to share some things that I grew to have a love/hate relationship with while in PNG, and particularly in Pei.

-Rain: I know some people always love rain. I don’t mind rain (or thunderstorms) particularly when I’m inside… but when I know we’re going to be outside a lot, I don’t love rain. I don’t love the mud that it creates, I don’t love that you’re just a wet mess then. But I also love rain. When it’s SO STINKIN’ hot, rain cools it down incredibly. In the tribe, rain was also necessary in order to have clean drinking water. You use the water that comes from rain to get clean drinking water (and clean shower water and washing water). You also need rain when in the Pei tribe because you get there by boat, so the water has to be high enough in the river to keep the boat moving. So it’s a big deal.

-Sun: I’m a summer girl. I really love the summer. I would be completely happy to live in Florida my entire life. But when you live in a place with no AC (and in the tribe, no fans), the sun is FRYING. In the tribe, it was pretty hot inside (thankfully I deal well with heat even when pregnant, but it was still hot, especially when cooking). I felt most bad for the guys who were building homes and working right in the sun for 8+ hours a day. I would walk outside for 10 minutes and be ready to go back in or find shade. But I also loved the sun because it meant no mud, less mosquitos, dry clothes,  and clear flying weather.

-Clothes: For the most part, I really love clothes. I’m so thankful I have the luxury of owning many clothes and I enjoy new clothes. But when it’s hot out and the dress code expects more clothing than you would prefer to be wearing, clothing is just a hot, sweaty mess. Plus, it gets dirty. And stays dirty. Plus, it gets ruined easily when it is continually being dried in the hot sun.

-Planes: I really don’t love to travel long distances in cars or in planes. But I particularly don’t love to travel when I’m pregnant, and traveling in a hot plane while pregnant and holding your toddler on your lap is unpleasant. I have puked on two flights so far during our trip. As much as I do not enjoy being in the plane, I am SO thankful for how much quicker travel is because of planes. I can’t imagine the months that it took for missionaries to get to far off lands in years past when boat was the only way to travel.

-Being a Mother: I feel like I shouldn’t even put this as a category because I don’t ever hate being a mother even though there are parts of parenting I particularly dislike (disciplining, the early sleepless nights). Moving to another country  - or visiting another country- that is very different from your home country is particularly stressful as a mother since not only do you have to adjust, but also you have to help your children adjust. You feel bad that they have to sleep in uncomfortable situations and be stared at and grabbed at. And it’s just harder to get things done in awkward living situations (a bush home that has shaky floors and holes and no lights) when you have to keep an eye on a toddler. However, being a mother is such a blessing here as it naturally draws attention to you. Everyone loves the white baby. It’s an easy “in” to getting to know the people. I can go out and sit with the ladies and learn some language without particularly feeling like I need to say or do much. It happens naturally when a child is involved. The Pei tribal ladies (and children) ADORED Sophie.

-Bush Houses: I feel like I also shouldn’t put this as a category, but for the opposite reason as the one above… it’s hard to say that I actually LOVED the bush home we stayed in. It was dark, the floor is shaky, there are holes in random spots, it’s hot, you can hear everything really loud outside (including in the middle of the night), and there are bugs abundant. Oh, and there’s no toilet or shower, let alone any other luxuries (I did get to sleep on a blow-up air mattress and sit on a camping chair- both were blessings at 7 months pregnant). However, there were a few things nice about a bush home. First, it didn’t matter if you poured water all over the floor. It would dry. So Sophie played with water on the floor a lot. Also, you could drop food right down the holes in the floor and the dogs would come get it (so if you have a messy child or have uneaten leftovers, you have an easy solution). Also, because it’s so dark, you don’t notice the bugs (ants, mosquitos, cockroaches… and also rats) as much as you would if there were lights… which is a blessing to me. I’d prefer not to know how many are crawling around. And it was always important to keep in mind that there were people who spent a lot of time (a year, we found out) building this home that had walls and a roof over our head who were giving it up so we had a place to stay while building more permanent homes for our friends.

-Mosquito Nets: Pretty simple. Mosquito nets are hot and kind of a pain to have to crawl into all the time. But you gotta love the fact that they keep you from getting bit alive by mosquitos all night long.

-Hair: I love my hair. I love Sophie’s hair. But I completely understand why the people in the tribe have no hair. It’s hot, it’s dirty, and it’s sweaty, and when you think about how easily lice spreads within these tribes… it makes you want to check your head often.

-Tools: This one is for Ben. Tools, particularly ones that run off of batteries or gas, are an amazing invention that makes building (or fixing) a much faster process. The problem is when they don’t work, though. Or when they stop working and you’re in the middle of nowhere and can’t easily get one. The guys had a lot of problems getting the sawmill to work, which is what cut the trees into lumber for the house. Therefore, it was very important. Praise the Lord that the morning we left Pei, a new sawmill came in that was working consistently (please continue to pray that it consistently works until all the lumber is cut)!