Nearly one year in Papua New Guinea, but still a greenhorn….

As I reached to pay for a cluster of passion fruit at the market, the children selling them pointed behind me, talking and laughing. I turned to see an old woman eagerly motioning for me to come and talk with her. I finished my transaction with the children, thanked them and went to speak with her. “Mi laik givim yu dispel,” or, “I want to give you this,” she said, holding out two handfuls of bell peppers and tomatoes. Oh my…this elderly woman (who most likely still tends her own garden with a machete, a.k.a. all-purpose hoe, shovel and pruning shears!) wanted to give me something worth nearly a day’s wages in this economy? And why in the world was I so specifically chosen?

What would you do?
a)take the veggies and thank her…it’s just a little something!
b)say “No, thank you” and walk away
c)talk to the woman and try to find out why she chose you
d)other

I was quiet for a long moment, my heart racing as I considered how I might be offending and what I should do. Finally I told her that I was new to this place and needed to ask another friend what was right to do.
The veteran missionary I found gave me an appraising look…”You can feel free to take the gift, but in this culture…she will be at your door within a day or two with a requests of you if she makes you her “friend” this way.” She said that she normally tries to pay for the food offered in order to establish a friendship on another level, rather than simply give and take.
The older woman was disappointed when I returned and thanked her, saying “Nogut yu givim me dispela – em hatwok tru tumas!” (or “I can’t take something for free that you’ve worked so hard for!”) I gave her the appropriate amount for the vegetables and put them in my bag. But when I asked her name, told her mine, and talked and smiled with her, she relaxed and smiled in return.

Please pray for us as we navigate many waters and look to build true relationships.

In the next month we will be:
-finishing up the first term of school (already?!)
-traveling back to Madang for our regional conference and team-building and planning time with our partners
-taking a short, three-day break as a family! (Hooray! I’m very excited about this…Nate is working 10-11 hours each day and putting in additional time on weekends as well, so we are looking forward to a change of pace!)

THANK YOU for continuing to pray for us as we walk with the Lord as look to HIM for wisdom and love in our daily work.