The Good, the Band and the Ugly ~ Part 5
April – June, 2014
To see or not to see… that is the question
My glasses are something to behold … (sad face) … I took them to the village ~ of course ~ and thought I would wear them as I did at home. It never occurred to me to do otherwise. They are trifocals so I use them every day for everything. I began my stay doing the same as always; I got up and put on my glasses, when they had something on them I would clean them on my clean shirt or skirt. So after a few days I realize that they are cloudy and I can’t see out of them very well. Now I can see the world in a brighter prettier light ~ without them. So I started only wearing them when I needed to read something. I couldn’t get them clean no matter how much I tried. So I gave up. I made it back to POC and got some good cleaner and a nice soft clean piece of material to clean them with and nothing changed. The whole time I was cleaning them on my shirt or skirt in the village (in my mind) should have been alright. What I didn’t consider was that I was no longer washing my clothes in a washer with nice protective detergent and putting them a nice dryer with dryer sheets to make my clothes soft and plush. I was wiping them “clean” with the same clothes as always… but now they had been washed in a river with a bar of detergent soap (that was harsh and took the color away from some of my clothes) … I have scratched my glasses beyond repair. I am so sad. I should have another pair in storage that I will use, but they are so important ~ so I’m really bummed that it happened. Live and learn, right? I hope that the coating on them can be “fixed” easily… I’ll see what can be done in December.
AFTER POC graduation
We all made it through the POC course. Some had broken bones, some had sprained wrists and ankles (not just me), 1 had contracted malaria, some got worms (yep, I was one ~ eeuw!!!) and all of us had a significant amount of mosquito and various other bites. Our student committee came up with the idea of giving out awards. Guess what I got; the ACE bandage award (rolling eyes!). We had a lot of fun with the awards and then we went back to our dorms to spend our last night on Nob Nob at POC. What a journey for all of us! Here is a photo of my “just desserts,” ha-ha! They had a wonderful dessert party for us! It’s an ice cream sundae!!! I never realized how much I enjoy a cold drink until I was without for 4 weeks. We were without ice for 4 months, but we always had pitchers of cold water and (powdered) milk to drink.
MADANG
My inherited dog, Penny
This is Penny. She is not much as a watch dog, but she is a really nice and well behaved dog! I like her a lot! Michelle trained her after Lori (her owner) left PNG. Michelle taught her commands and she obeys really well. I like her. She likes to go on walks like this one. We are at Machine Gun Park just down the road from where I live. There is a lot of old WWII stuff here. I understand that there are places where you can scuba dive to see them. Once when we were still in POC we went to Jais Aben to have a break and swim. Some of the guys dove down to look at a more recent airplane that had crashed … I’m just not that adventurous yet; not sure when I will be. I am still getting used to breathing underwater as I learn how to snorkel. It still feels weird to intentionally take a breath in while my head is under the water… and I keep waiting for Bruce from Nemo to show up… ha! Papua New Guinea is a beautiful place. I still catch myself saying things like ~ when I heard of one of our nationals who lives on a nearby island ~ “wow, wouldn’t it be cool to live on an island?” and then I realize… I DO!! I have heard myself say (out loud sometimes) “oh my gosh, I live here!” If you ever think that you have fallen too far for God to reach you ~ you haven’t. Trust me… no. Trust Him. I know how far down He reached to bring me to where I am. I know who I was. I stand in awe of His Grace and Mercy every single day. I never want to forget who I was or where I was… if I do, then I will lose sight of just how sweet His amazing grace is ~ and I NEVER want to take that for granted!!
My transportation
Jim, Joni and I decided that it would be smartest financially if we shared a vehicle. When we were at POC they were working on a truck ~ doing something or other to the rear end; I don’t know what it was. Anyway after all of the repairs were done they were ready to sell it. We happened to be attending POC with a mechanic. He checked it out and said it was a good, sound vehicle. We had it taken to the mechanic in Madang who works on any of the PBT vehicles and he said it was a good one. The body is a little beat up (it was a work truck) so it isn’t the prettiest, but it certainly could be worse! I like it. The driver’s side is on the right side of it so to shift it I use my left hand. I am ever-so-grateful to my sister Suzy for teaching me so many things when I was little. You see, she is a lefty… so I deal cards left handed, I count money left handed. I even had someone tell me that I tie my shoes left handed. How does that work?! I never figured that one out.
My Madang home and things that make me smile
I love my new little home. It is a one bedroom in half of a duplex. I love my little decorations. Here is the shelf in my bedroom holding all my treasures, and my birds in my living room… and my elk from Idaho Springs Colorado on my fridge … BIG smiles! (I am happy to have refrigeration and electricity again!!) I am a block from the South Pacific! I can’t see it, but if I were across the street and upstairs (which is where Jim and Joni will move when the renovations are done) I think that I would be able to see it. We went for a walk yesterday. I can’t wait to go again when we can wander and look. We went with another missionary and her dog. They were on a mission, so the walk was a fast-paced one. I can’t wait for you to come see me. I will show you my home (SMILE!!!). Today I did laundry for the first time. I have a wonderful little washer outside that I share with Joni. There isn’t a dryer so we hang the clothes on the lines between our homes. Even though I’m not washing in the river anymore, it takes more time to take the clothes from the washer and hang each piece on the line… I can’t just toss them into the dryer. The second load wasn’t dry but I had to bring them in anyway or they could grow legs (or walk on the arms coz it was shirts, ha-ha!) and not be here in the morning. So I have them draped over the sofa with a fan blowing on them. Things never seemed to dry all the way at POC or in the village; they were always damp. I don’t know about here in town yet. I’ll let you know if I remember.
My first trip to the store to buy necessities
I bag of frozen corn, green beans and peas = 16.28.
1 dozen eggs = 10.22
250kg grated cheese= 14.18
1kg hamburger = 13.80
1 liter bottle mango juice = 10.19 (mostly coz I want the container to hold water in the fridge)
1 bottle 400g minced garlic = 16.81
1 jar peanut butter = 10.65
7oz coconut (for when I make granola) = 10.58
1kg brown sugar (for when I make granola) = 15.13
250g cocoa (for indulging in fudge periodically) = 18.50
5kg rice = 15.59
That is a *small part* of what I purchased. I knew that I could charge this to my PBT account so I didn’t have to have the right amount of cash on hand … I filled my cart with things from my list and then I went to check out. I nearly died when I saw the total; 476.87!!! I *almost started breathing normal* when I realized that it is in kina instead of dollars… but it took some time to get my breathing normal again. Holy cow; that’s a lot!! Another reason to be grateful that it is just me I am buying groceries and such for. Can you imagine a family of 5?!
POC, Village Living and Beginning a new Chapter in Madang
I can truly say even with Joel’s death, the bugs and pooh constantly inside my bed sheets, no electricity, no clean running water, nobody to really talk things out in English, etc. that POC (including village living) was a good experience. I think it was a necessary step to get from where I was, to where I am ~ to begin this part of my journey. I think that PBT/POC set me up for success (I feel that I am as well prepared as I could be, considering that I don’t know my next steps). It was pretty arrogant (and ignorant) on my part to think that I could just move here from Ohio and start work. I had no idea how different life would be. I’m not sure I totally understand it yet (smile!). Tuesday I begin working in the office. I am so blessed to realize that God is using me to help enable the missionaries who translate His Word to remain working in various villages. Amazing Grace… how sweet it is, to save a wretch like me! I am still in awe of His Love! Remember, we can never do anything to make Him love us more… and (thankfully!!!) we can never do anything to make Him love us less. His love is like no other!! Thank You Lord!
And THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping me to get here. This has been quite the journey. I’m so blessed to have been able to take you along. I’m so blessed to know that you have been and will continue to pray for me. I need all the prayers we can muster!! I’m going through yet another transition. I feel like I’ve done nothing but *transition* since last August.
This is my second attempt at writing to you in this space. I neglected to answer the security question so my message was erased. Now, I guess it was a “God thing” because I didn’t say what I’m about to say: You need to share your testimony regarding how valuable your preparations by both PBT AND GOD have been in getting you to where you are mentally and spiritually. My, girlfriend, how you have changed since I first knew you! It seems to me that as recruits, MITs, and those going into the field for the first time face the very things you did, that it would be encouraging for them to hear your story. I suggest that you might want to share this with Gerald Denny,who heads yup the Missionary Care Dept. so he can make use of it. I know yours is not the only story, but it would seems typical of what so many face. He’s at gerald.denny@iscteam.org (which you probably know) but I include just in case.
What I said in my first message was how very connected to you I am and how I admire you and how glad I am to be able to “see” your journey through your eyes (colored of course by your great sense of humor – smile!) It is amazing what God can do in us if we just let Him.
My ministry is going well and I am privileged to enlist the prayers of more and more to pray for alI his servants. Keep on looking like Jesus, stay in His Word, and know I am praying for you and all who follow in His footsteps. In His Name and for His glory, Cathy