We just started learning language and already my muscles are sore...

Nate, helping to cut Sapikonia (the Pal word for cement…)

Participating

We had promised the people that this would be the week that we would begin language learning in earnest. One essential step in the language learning process is simply to go with the people to do the things that they do so that we have a backdrop on which we can hang the words and phrases that they are teaching us. So, each day Nate leaves the house in the morning to find some guys to do something (anything) with. Yesterday it was splitting a log. A hard log. It looked so small at first, but our group of 10 or so guys still took 3 hours using axes and sticks to make the first cut. Eventually we were able to get 11 posts – the kind that are used to build houses – out of this one section. During breaks (it’s the PNG way to work in shifts), the guys helped me with the names for parts of trees, plants, and bugs that we found. Fun, but when I got home, it was the vitamin I(buprophen) for my poor muscles.

All of the guys that we worked with on splitting the log.

Excitement

There is lots of excitement here in Pal about what is going to happen. We are regularly seeing guys coming to meet with us from all over Pal. On Monday, the leaders from the furthest villages came to visit and to hear about what how we are going to learn language. They sat and discussed things far into the night with the local leaders – trying to decide what is the right way to teach us Pal. They are concerned that if they don’t teach us just right*, we will not be able to bring them the message of God’s Talk. It is incredible how seriously they are taking things. What an awesome thing that God is doing. Will you pray with us that they hunger for truth?

Family

We are happy for the most part about the excitement of the Pal people, but there are a few challenges associated with being the center of attention. For instance, when 15 ladies show up at 11:30 in the morning, bringing with them lots of garden produce and a desire to sit down and chat (and to see the inside of the missionary’s house), school for the kids needs to be set aside for a bit, lunch is delayed, nap times are compromised, and the stress of trying to take care of a family and investing in relationships builds a bit. The people have had no need to follow a schedule for food, visiting, or even sleeping.  So when we need to excuse ourselves to make sure the kids get taken care of, it takes some explaining. On that score Elizabeth’s task of communicating with the ladies is made more difficult by their lack of understanding of Tok Pisin**. Please be praying for us for wisdom as we put boundaries in place that will allow our family to maintain its health as well as allow us to minister effectively here in Pal.

We so very much appreciate you all,
Nate for the Claasens

*The guys were sharing with us that they are worried that they don’t know the Pal language the way their ancestors knew it – they have different ways of talking about things now. In their minds, this difference could mean not being able to hear God’s Talk. (Imagine if someone from the 50s, 60s or 70s showed up in your home, ‘Groovy’ ‘Far out, man’ etc – that is to say look how our own language has changed over the last 40-60 years…)

**So there I was, thanking a petite Pal woman and her two children for bringing us a papaya, when I realized that they were headed inside the house (not a big deal if they were invited by Elizabeth, but since she was in the restroom at the time…) ‘Uh, you can’t go in there.’  - still headed into the house. ‘You need to wait for my wife to come out to invite you in.’  - they are standing in the kitchen  ‘You guys need to wait on the porch!’ – me walking outside and calling them… no response ‘Please wait here.’ Me motioning vigorously… the children come outside… the mother still taking in the sights (you’d stare too if it was the first time you’d ever seen a gas stove) At that point Elizabeth was free and was able to take over… FYI – it is a real cultural no-no to be alone in a house with a person of the other gender… Turns out none of them speak tok pisin and therefore I could have been saying ‘Cats wear heliotrope pajamas.’ And it would have meant the same thing to them.

Posted via email from PNG Time