August Update
Tay New Testament Dedication: The photo below shows Steve carrying the NT Bible and the men on the right are carrying the container with the boxes of Bibles in them!
Some of you heard and saw photos of the Tay (Tie) New Testament Dedication that I was able to share about on Facebook. Being there to witness the Tay people receiving the New Testament in their heart language is something that I will never forget ~ ever! They are amazing people. Look at this beautiful meri (lady)!
Steve and Rhonda Hayward have spent over 30 years here in Papua New Guinea, translating the Word of God for this people group. I wish that I had met their family years ago! We left Madang in the morning and this is actually us in the air. Lori stayed behind and snapped this after we took off.
I was so excited I could hardly stand it … as shown in this photo. My friend Kathy was just as excited as I was!
Above is the awesome Hayward family and Gabriel; the main translator. Gabriel is the man who initially asked the Hayward’s to come translate the Bible into his Tay language over 30 years ago.
It was incredible to see all of the people lining the landing strip as we landed. This was my first step off the plane. When I stepped down, one of the ladies put this bilum around my neck. It is made out of the fur on a kapul (tree kangaroo) I didn’t even see who did it; but I think it’s really cool! The others had gotten off before me and were already wrapped in the loving arms of the Tay people.So many of the people were decorated (bilas) in their traditional dress; I absolutely love all of the colors!!
This precious little meri was hesitant to smile at me… until I showed her the photo I took.
And look at this meri and her beautiful smile! It is amazing how God grows a love in our hearts for people we barely know. I am so grateful for your help in getting me here and supporting me while I do what I have been called to do. Thank you!
This is of Jason Hayward. When his plane arrived, they scooped him up and carried him all the way to their house. His feet didn’t touch the ground until he was at his doorstep. It was beautiful! I’m glad that we were on the first plane and we got to witness their deep respect for this young man.
One thing that stood out to me beyond anything else is how worn Gabriel’s Bible is. Look at this well worn Bible. I think it is an English version ~ but I didn’t ask. I have something for you to do. Go look at your Bible, does it look like you read it; something to think about, huh? We need to pour over it… put our hands on it and feel the depth of it, we need to read it so much that it looks like it has been read.
The photo of the translators represents over 30 years of hard work completed. These are the translators and Steve, who worked diligently for over 30 years to accomplish God’s will of having His Word translated. The Tay people now have the entire New Testament to read in their own heart language.
I think I’ve said this before, but I think it is worth repeating; the longer I am here, the more I realize the importance of hearing things in my heart language. I really miss my Sunday mornings at Vista! I miss hearing God’s Word through the mouth of my Senior Pastor, Mike. I miss all of my family and friends… all of whom speak my heart language. Today I went to the “English” service, but the man speaking broke into Tok Pisin when it was a point that he really wanted to bring home… I understand a lot of Tok Pisin, but to flip from that to English and back in one sentence is taxing. I love Tok Pisin, but still I find myself missing my heart language sometimes; especially when it is really important things like worship and hearing the Word of God.
They did some really cool dramas. These guys caught my attention. Who is guarding whom?Before I tell you about our take off… this is me and an elder. I just had to ask if I could have a photo with him. It’s just fun!
The pilots stayed overnight. Here is a photo of them receiving a copy of the Tay New Testament. They have flown into this landing strip numerous times the over the years. It is very dangerous and tricky.
There has to be a hole in the clouds in order to land. When Carissa (Steve and Rhonda’s daughter) flew to the dedication, they had to circle the area for 20 minutes until a cloud opened up enough for them to see to land.
This doesn’t do justice to the actual landslide that is at the end of the airstrip… it. drops. right. straight. down the mountain. They lost about 100 feet of the landing strip. Look how far away from the drop off Melanie is standing, ha! So when we were taking off to come back here, we were the first flight of the day. The pilots warned us that they would go to the end of the strip and rev the engines for about 20 minutes. It was amazing… we kept thinking… “Ok, this time we will go… ok… this time we will go… ok… and one time… I don’t know if I even thought that it was the time we were going to take off… holy cow! It was like being shot out of a cannon ~ OFF we went!!! ZOOM!!! Down the grass airstrip and UP!!! Joni likened it to being shot from a sling shot. It was riveting!! I watched all of the people waving wildly and yelling on the sides of the airstrip. It was overwhelming. I don’t know if I will ever go back there or not. But one thing I do know is that we were very warmly received and they were overjoyed that we came to join the celebration of the New Testament in their heart language. What a blessing to attend! I am so grateful to be here!
Update on P&K
My friends P&K still have not been able to return to their village. Compensation was made to the biological father and he was content. However, we learned that when the young man who died was born, his mother died; so his father gave him to his uncle to be raised. This is the man who traveled two days to burn the homes in P&K’s village and dig up their gardens and remove trees. He is an angry man. To appease him, P&K have agreed that they will “mark their two daughters for marriage;” one to the biological father’s son and another to the uncles son. These girls are around 10 or so. I am struggling with this, as you can imagine. You might have the same feelings. Please pray that they do not “give” them to the other families until they are of marrying age. The thoughts in my head are horrifying at best. Please pray for their safety. This is another part of this culture that I am learning (trying) to understand. Sometimes I can only understand things in my head and not in my heart. Please pray that God is glorified. We need your prayers… I need your prayers.
Thanks for keeping us updated on what you are doing over there! These photos are priceless!
Look. At. You! 🙂