Taking Shape

Elizabeth works on a po (string bag) with some Pal ladies.

Taking Shape

Not so long ago, seven months to be exact, we settled our family among the Pal people. Their many words mingled together and we would sit for hours with them desperately straining to glean a familiar word or two from their conversations. One of the projects that Elizabeth has taken on here is to learn the skill of making a po, a process that begins with the stripping of bark off of a tree and ends with a bag which, when slung over the head, can carry 50 pounds or more of firewood or garden produce. As she has spent time with the many patient Pal women, her po has begun to take shape. Not only that, the conversations are taking shape as well. The concerns over the health of a child, the joys over a certain kind of food coming into season, and discussion of the latest comings and goings of friends and family are coming into focus as we sit and converse with our friends. Sure, like the po that is without bottom and handle, we are very much a work in progress here, but what a joy to see things taking shape. Praise God with us for good progress.

Tim snaps a self-portrait.

Belonging

With 6 more days to go here in Pal, we are busy with packing, battening down the house, and taking care of details. Oh, and answering questions like: “Daddy, do they have cheese in America?” One of the things that we hope to accomplish during our time at home in the USA is to be able to give our kids a sense of belonging, something that many missionary kids struggle with finding. Merely by schooling them, we are separating them from their peers in Pal (oh, there are many other differences too… clothes, for instance). At the same time, because we live where we do, their life experience is wildly different from their potential friends at home. They live life every day without TV, the Internet, microwaves, WalMart, freeways, parks, zoos, McDonalds, and Wii. Their mail comes once every 2-3 months. Their favorite toys are their bush knives, a plastic 50 gallon drum, and a well-worn Tonka dump truck. Now we aren’t saying that they are any worse for their experiences, rather we are saying their experiences can be a barrier to settling in in their home country. Would you pray with us for wisdom as we guide them through the many adjustments that these next couple of months carry?  And can you pray with us that the Lord will provide some good friends for them?

Thanks so very much,

Nate for the Cs

We receive email over a satellite connection, please help us limit our costs by deleting our original email before replying. Thanks, The Claasens

Posted via email from PNG Time