Tablet

My tablet is in there somewhere (H.Schulz)

I am not an early adopter of new technology, but wait to see if it might be useful as well as fashionable. As I could not see much use to a tablet beyond a fancy photo album, I was unsure if I should buy one, but did so as people always want to see photos of where I live and work. it is true that I mostly use it as a fancy photo album, it has proven its worth in this respect, both in Australia and in the village.

When in Australia it is handy to be able to carry photos around so easily, and to throw in some videos for good measure. These can be videos I’ve taken in the village, or the carefully crafted ones promoting our work in Bible translation. Kids love to watch the videos on repeat, but adults enjoy them too. As a picture speaks a thousand words, this album of photos does more to describe my life and work than I could ever do using words. The pictures also prompt questions about aspects of life that I would not think to mention otherwise.

Just as the translation team was about to leave, it started pouring

 with rain, so we watched the Jesus Film on my tablet for an 

hour while waiting for the rain to pass. (H.Schulz)

In the village though, is where my tablet is proving its worth. Firstly there is the ease of using it to show portions of the Jesus Film as part of Bible studies. With a small speaker attached, I can share the film with a medium sized group before we spend time discussing what we have seen.

Sharing an album of photos of the Jesus Film dedication has been a huge hit this trip. Learning to swipe between pictures is never a problem and once I have the album open, I hand over my tablet and stand back and watch as a crowd gathers to enjoy the show. It is interesting to see what people do and don’t recognise, which pictures they stop at or not. A photo of the local mill and airstrip taken from the air confuses people as they do not recognise the view from above. Stretches of river, which to me all look the same, are quickly identified as to where they are. Small figures in distant canoes are also named, along with where they are from and how they are related. As with all people in the world, they pause for the familiar faces, and skip the strangers. Aba Robbie is a favourite with everyone, but their circuit minister is always skipped. Close ups that whiteskins comment on as beautiful portraits, are seen as a bit odd by locals.

It is remarkable how quickly
a crowd can gather! (H.Schulz)

While I was worried about having technological toys when very few locals do, the joy that the tablet has brought to many people has made it worth having. I’ve also been shown that I’m not the only one with technological toys, as one day I was charging a far more expensive tablet for my neighbour’s in-laws.

One side-effect of tablets is that kids expect every screen to be full of fun things and are a bit disappointed that my phone and computer seem so boring. When I go down to the riverside to check emails (the signal doesn’t reach my house) there will always be a kid or two who comes to stare hopefully at the screen. They soon wander off disappointed, or are called off by their parents. I’ve also learnt to say ‘Only words, no pictures’ to discourage them. Checking email is when I’m grateful for low literacy rates, as I can leave my phone beside me and not expect anyone to be  able to read small print, at a distance, upside down, in English, and so my emails remain private.

While I am not an early adapter to technology, the locals are. They enjoy using my tablet, seeing photos, taking photos if their phone is capable and at least one person has asked me to blue tooth some of the dedication photos to their phone. It is a reminder to me that the culture gap is not always as big as it might seem.

Ubuo Housewarming

 All aboard for the trip from the airstrip
 to the village (R.Petterson)

Among all the ceremony of the Jesus Film dedication, one thing I very much enjoyed was having outside friends come to visit my village, meet my village friends and stay in my house. After months of living in my Ukarumpa house, I have not organised to have a housewarming, but my village house had a housewarming in my second week of occupation.

Coming from Kapuna were Robbie and Debbie, my mentors and friends as I work in the region. Aunty Barb, Segana and Nilza came too. As the hospital is my second home in Gulf Province and these are people who support me both prayerfully and practically, it was really good to have them here. They were able to renew their own local connections and to see the outcome of their help with getting toilets and water tanks installed in my house.

Coming from Ukarumpa were two couples from my Bible study group. My Bible study is my Ukarumpa family and now some of them have seen my place and met the people I spend my time with. My regional director came as the official representative from our organisation, but she too is a friend. One person came from the media department and spent all her time behind a camera (there will be a video produced eventually). As we used to have offices across the corridor from each other, we are good friends. We had a visitor who was only in PNG for two weeks, but managed to squeeze the dedication trip in and experience village life. Another woman who is part of a family that Robbie and Debbie are close to, came as their representative. As there was space on the plane, a father and son pair came to experience the village side of our work. This was not a man I knew well, but he represented all the people who work quietly in the background at Ukarumpa to keep things running. It was nice to share with him the field side of what the support of our office workers makes possible. I really appreciate the work these people do, even if I don’t understand most of it.

 Group photos of all the visitors (H.Schulz)

With all these people coming for the dedication and a sleep-over, my house was full! It spent a few days swallowing mountains of cargo that first I, and then the visitors, brought with us. The verandah kept receiving a pile of cargo that then got sorted into various places in the house.

Robbie and Debbie used their room. The wall has woven into it, ‘Uncle Robbie and Auntie Debbie’, so there is no denying it is theirs! The Kapuna visitors were in the room with ‘Kapuna Visitors’ woven into the wall. All of the women who flew down from Ukarumpa slept under one enormous mosquito net in my living area, and the men under a collection of nets on the verandah. I kept my room to myself, as a place of escape amidst the chaos.

Chaos it was, especially on Saturday morning as everyone was waking, changing, packing and eating. I gave the women my room as a change room and offered the storage room to the men as it was the only room left available. Debbie shared her coffee supply and made a saucepan of coffee for everyone. I have a plunger to make coffee for myself, but for a crowd the saucepan did a fine job.  I had brought muesli and milk powder for breakfast and Debbie had brought bread. Her bread proved the most popular and I ended up with an excess of muesli and a shortage of peanut butter. Thankfully I had some back-up supplies I could break into.

 Farewell wave from the village (H.Schulz)

When it was time to go, the cargo was sent ahead of us to the boat and it was time for farewells. A group photo was taken at the house and we walked to the wharf. More photos were taken at the wharf before everyone got onto the waiting boats and we finally waved them off. Robbie and Debbie stayed an extra night, but the house seemed very quiet after the noisy fun of a crowd.

I have a record of their visit though, in my visitors map. A while ago I found a world map at a fabric store. It still has the USSR marked on it, so it is not very politically current, but the geography has not changed. Well, except for where a piece of Siberia has been printed in the Pacific Ocean. I’ll sew a patch over that some day… after all this is a map from a fabric shop. Around the map I added a border of plain cloth and this is where my visitors signed. A string runs between their name and their place of origin, even if that is a trick question for some of my friends. Many of them have been here so long, or moved so often, that they had to choose a place for the string to end. I look forward to adding more strings when others visit, but the map is off to a good start, after such a big housewarming.

A corner of my visitor's map (H.Schulz)

More than the fun of having people to visit though, was the fact that they went away with a much better understanding of my life, friends and work in Ubuo village. They have slept in my house, eaten village food, walked between Goiravi and Ubuo, taken a boat ride on the river and met my friends. When I share stories, they now have not just a photo in their mind, but a place with real people, sights, sounds and smells.

Who will be my next visitor? :-D

Aba Robbie

 Being led forwards (A.Evers)

During the Jesus Film dedication there was a very special event that occurred. It was listed on the programme as ‘surprise event’ and I was the only outsider who knew in advance what was happening. The chiefs of the Kope tribe had decided to honour Robbie’s work with their tribe by making him a ‘chief and patriarch’ (their words). What an incredible honour! … and it was not one bestowed lightly.

On the day of the dedication we reached the point where the special event was to occur. Robbie had no idea what was coming as the chiefs gathered in front of the stage and a respected leader, Rev Gemo, stood at the microphone. I took Robbie’s camera from him, so that I could get a record for him to keep. Debbie (Robbie’s wife) already had the video camera rolling, as the chiefs looked impressive standing as a well dressed group, and ended up filming the whole event.

As Rev Gemo introduced what was going on, one of the chiefs came up on the stage to collect Robbie and to bring him down before them all. They sat him on a specially prepared mat, which gave a loud and surprising crack. Robbie jumped up, everyone laughed, and all was exactly as it should be as a dry piece of bamboo had been placed under it for exactly that purpose. It was a light-hearted start to an otherwise serious ceremony. As Robbie sat on his mat listening to the leader, you could see he was feeling emotional. Thirty years after he and Debbie first started working in this swampy corner of the world, not seeking any credit from anyone, but seeking to make a difference, here was a community choosing to give him their highest honour when he least expected it.

 A serious ceremony (A.Evers)

One by one the gathered chiefs presented Robbie with items of his office. A headdress from one of their heads, a shield, a bow and arrows, spears and shell necklaces. Rev Gemo spoke of the significance of the role, that it places on Robbie the responsibility to act in the best interests of the Kope people. He also spoke of the tribe giving Robbie land and that the title ‘chief’ is earned and cannot be passed down from father to son. Robbie had earned it.

 Symbols of office (H.Schulz)

The crowd watched with great interest as the man they have long called ‘Aba Robbie’ officially became an ‘Aba’. This name is also used for fathers, but when used outside the family, is a title of honour and respect. The ceremony was not long, but it will stay in my memory for a long time as a both solemn and joyous occasion.

The next morning the men gathered to discuss what land was to be given to Robbie. They decided on the block where my house is and some of the land around this. I now live on Robbie’s land and I’ve been commissioned to plant lots of fruit trees. Maybe one day there will be a translation or a literacy centre here, but we will see what develops.

Aba Robbie, chief and patriarch of the Kope tribe. Their first outside chief, their first white chief and a most humble and deserving chief.

The Event

After the big welcome to all the guests and a rest, we returned to the stage for the official dedication of the Jesus Film. By now it was late afternoon and the bite had gone from the sun. That is not to say it was cool, just hot and sweaty instead of meltingly hot and sweaty. This was a good thing for me as by then I was in a costume.

Being dressed in my new outfit (A.Evers)

I had been told that I was the ‘mother of the feast’ and as such I needed to be traditionally dressed. The chief’s wife had measured me the day before to create a skirt and top for me and that afternoon she and her husband came around to put them on me. They tied them over my clothes and then trimmed the top to fit. This meant a pile of grass gathering around my feet as the excess was cut off from the top. They also tied two festive shell bracelets onto my wrists. Being dressed in this way, in traditional clothes put on me by the chief and his wife, was a beautiful moment of adoption. In so many ways the Kope tribe has taken me in, but in this moment I very much became their daughter.

The amazing bird of paradise head-dress (A.Evers)

My costume was nothing though, in comparison to the chief and his wife. Tompkin is paramount chief over upper Kope, an area of four villages. Over his neat trousers and collared shirt he wore so many bands of shells that he made gentle music as he walked. On his head was an impressive headdress of feathers with a decorative band of shells. He certainly wore the most shells of anyone on the day. His wife also had the most amazing headdress out of all the women. Hers was topped with a rust coloured bird of paradise that her son in law had caught for her. The beautiful feathers shone in the sun as she smiled out from underneath it.

At the official dedication in the afternoon there was the usual collection of speeches. Most people kept it short and to the point, although there was at least one who took the moment to do some politicking. Eventually there was the dedication prayer, the showing of the first few minutes of the film and the promise of the full film once it was dark enough to project onto a big screen (aka bed sheet). There was also a very special event which I’ll write about next week before people dispersed to prepare their feast food and return.

The gathered crowd (A.Evers)

As the evening grew dark, people started claiming their places near the screen. We waited on the stage for our part in the feast and the wait was well worth it. I am not the first Kope daughter from Adelaide. A while ago a Kope man married an Adelaide woman and although they have separated and he has returned to PNG, his children are all still in South Australia. Two of them are cooks, and I don’t know if they learnt from their father or their father learnt from then, but either way, this man knows how to cook! I’ve since learnt that his two assistants for the day were people who have also worked in a company camp kitchen and in hotel kitchens in Port Moresby. It’s amazing what skills and histories are living quietly in the village. Between these three men, we were served village gourmet food and everyone appreciated it.

Setting up the projector (A.Evers)

Food done and plates cleared (put in a bucket to take home and wash later), it was time for the film showing. We were blessed with very few technical hitches, as the sound system, generator, dodgy looking extension cords and my projector that keeps resetting itself to Chinese all worked together well. The crowd stretched back into the darkness, all eyes focussed on the screen. Around me near the front were little children watching wide eyed. My Kope is not yet good enough to follow the words, but the story is familiar and I followed the images instead. Even then, I find this story that I have known my whole life confronting to see illustrated in this way.

As the film finished there was silence as the crowd stayed still and thoughtful. Someone prayed and dismissed everyone, but even as they walked away, the thoughtfulness remained.

I returned to my house with the last few visitors who had made it to the end of the film. As they had all had an early start and did not understand the language, many of them had quietly gone to bed once they had seen the crowd transfixed by the film. I wove my way among the mosquito nets and sleeping bodies filling my veranda and living area until I found my way to the sanctuary of my own mosquito net and mattress. Untangling myself from a grass skirt and top, I fell into bed exhausted and happy.

Jesus Film: The Arrival

Part one of the Jesus Film Dedication celebrations (aka ‘the programme’) was the arrival and welcome of special guests. Five had arrived from Kapuna on Thursday, the other ten landed at Teredau airstrip the morning of the dedication. We had gone up in two boats to meet them and although we made good time the tide was well on its way out by the time we reached Mira Goiravi, the official welcoming destination.

Uphill mud slide! (D.Petterson)

The low water was a problem, as there was now a long stretch of mud to cross before we would reach a log walkway to dry land. All the guests were taking off shoes and rolling up trousers, getting ready to get muddy, but another solution was being hatched. We were all to get into one boat that the young men would then push across the mud to the landing point. None of us believed it was possible, but we followed instructions and loaded into one boat. Twenty five people were in one boat, waiting to see if it would work.

Well, Jesus walked on water and I’ve now been in a boat gliding across land. The boat may have been pushed by a team of strong young men, so it is not a miracle, but it was still a wondrous sight to behold. The mud acted as a lubricant and the boat glided along beautifully, with us clean and dry inside.

Arriving in Goiravi (R.Petterson)

I was given the role of being first off the boat and first along the path. It was a bit intimidating, stepping off to a traditionally dressed warrior dancing on the log in front of me, with a crowd watching from the bank. As I reached the bank, I led us all through an avenue of people who laid down banana leaves and palm branches for us to walk on. A wreath of flowers was hung around my neck and a crown of flowers put on my head. I shook hundreds of hands welcoming us.

As I followed the avenue, there was a group of women demonstrating fishing with nets and traps. Doing as I was told, I stepped into the barramundi trap, which was then raised from my feet to over my head with a great ‘Hurrah!’ I could hear the hurrahs continuing behind me as each guest had their turn in the trap.

Passing through one of the gateways I had opened
(R.Petterson)

Along the path there were several places where I had to open a gate of branches to clear the path for others. This clearing was an important symbol of my work, clearing the way to God’s word in Kope language, clearing the way for others to come behind me. Others though had prepared the way, as bridges had been built and the path repaired from when I had last walked along it some months before.

As we walked to Ubuo, we passed several stations where people were demonstrating traditional skills such as weaving or canoe carving, or were handed refreshments. A fresh young coconut to drink and a slice or pineapple to eat was exactly what I needed! There was singing and dancing, and a crowd accompanying us along the way. It was a joyful arrival and my slowest but most enjoyable journey between the two neighbouring villages.

Handcraft demonstration (D.Petterson)

At Ubuo we shook another hundred or so hands as we made our way onto the stage that had been built for the event. It was good to have a seat in the shade! The stage was also deep enough that we could relax a little, rather than feeling closely watched every moment.

The official welcome consisted of a series of presentations of songs and dances from the various villages in the Kope tribe. There were a few (mercifully short) speeches and then it was my turn to introduce all the guests. I chose to do this in Kope, and had written my script the day before so that it could be checked and corrected before I embarrassed myself.

Handshakes! (A.Evers)

As I introduced all my guests in language, the crowd grew in number. For each person I said their name, where they were from and what work they did in PNG. By the time I got to the last person on the list, the crowd was huge! They had come out of curiosity to know who the visitors were, but mostly to hear my attempt at Kope. There seemed to be no patches of giggles, so hopefully that means I got my language correct.

At last we were able to retreat from the crowds and the heat to my house for lunch and a rest. My house did an admirable job of hosting 16 people as everyone sat around drinking water, eating lunch and finding somewhere to lie down for a nap.

Studying before I gave introductions
in language (A.Evers)

 This ended the welcoming phase of the Jesus Film dedication celebrations. The dedication, ‘surprise event’, and film showing were yet to come.

Jesus Film Dedication Report

The DVD being joyfully dedicated (A.Evers)

The dedication of the Jesus Film in Kope language was a big day and a good day. I’ll be writing about several aspects of it over coming weeks, but first wanted to give a summary of the event.

The highlight for me was in the moments after the circuit minister prayed a dedication prayer and they showed the start of the movie, as a taste of the full thing which would be shown after dark. The thin crowd suddenly swelled as people emerged from shady spots around the fringes of the field to squeeze together in front of the tiny screen. The excitement and joy was beautiful.

Paramount chief, Tompkin (A.Evers)

Even better though was the quiet moment happening between two brothers on the stage behind the screen. They were in full sight of everyone, but few noticed as they were all looking at the screen. Older brother and paramount chief Tompkin, and younger brother and translator Samson stood with tears in their eyes giving each other a hug. They had no words for the emotions overwhelming them as they heard the film start in their language, but they had each other and they understood each other. It was a precious moment to be part of as an observer.

Once the sun was set and the feast was done, we showed the whole film to a large crowd. I’ve no idea how big the crowd was, as my skills at estimating are poor anyway, and dark skinned people in the dark camouflage well. The crowd was big, and the crowd was quiet as they watched attentively. Only the smallest children fell asleep, everyone over six remained transfixed. When the movie finished, they sat in silence for awhile. A pastor then prayed for everyone and they dispersed to their houses, still quite quietly. The silence spoke to me of people reflecting on what they had seen and heard, digesting what it meant for them.

The next day I heard the film being played in different houses and on phones around the village. I also heard that some people had stayed up late the night before to watch the whole thing again. We did a re-screening the next night, to another big crowd. In the coming weeks the film was shown in other villages in the language community.

It is hard to know what the impact of an event like this is, but I find encouragement in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15). The sower scattered seed generously, some of it eventually bearing fruit and some of it not. Showing this film to a big crowd is a generous sowing of the seed which is God’s word. It will have taken root in many hearts, but we may not see the harvest for some time yet as the seed grows to maturity. In other hearts it will not get far, but we will continue to sow generously in the hope that eventually those hearts are fertile enough to receive. 

A crowd gathers (D.Petterson)

Jesus Film

Today we dedicate the Jesus Film in Kope.

When I return from the village in four weeks I’ll be able to write and let you know how the dedication went and what the initial impact of the film was. All blog posts until then (including this one) will be pre-written (if I can manage to write them before flying out) and scheduled to go online during my village time. Until I can give you an update though, I thought I’d tell you about how on my second language learning trip I can possibly be dedicating the Jesus Film already.

In short, I walk in the footprints of those who went before me.

Robbie and Debbie have been working with several languages in Gulf Province to help them with translating, checking and recording the script of the Jesus Film. This will be the third of these films completed and dedicated, and there are two more in the works.

Through the translating and recording process, the Kope community demonstrated their commitment to translation. Many communities express a desire to have God’s word in their language, but not all show their willingness to make it happen. The Kope did, and when they finished the recording process and were asked ‘What next?’ their response was ‘The New Testament!’

This is where I come into the picture, as translation adviser to the Kope people. My job is to help the Kope community continue with their translation work. Calling myself a Bible translator always seems a bit amiss, as I rarely do any actual translation. Rather, I am a trainer, adviser, checker, resourcer, typist, formatter, networker and motivator for the actual translators, who are the native speakers of the language.

The commitment to translation demonstrated through the Jesus Film process has continued. This was evident in how soon I had a completed village house to live in as I work with the Kope. The enthusiasm is still evident in that they want to start drafting the gospel of Luke straight away. I can barely put a simple sentence together in Kope, but we can still start on this work if they wish, as they are all language experts already. For now I will use a trade language (English) for my part in the process, although I intend to continue language learning.

We will be starting with Luke as that is the gospel that the Jesus Film is based on. We will then continue with the second volume of Luke, more commonly known as the Acts of the Apostles, as this is already partially in draft form. These drafts are thanks to the work of Tiramu in the 80s and his careful storage of these drafts over the intervening years. Between these two things (old drafts and a new film), we hope the translation process will get off to a good start.

On my first language learning trip, we dedicated my village house. On my second trip we will dedicate the Jesus Film. This is a rather remarkable start!