Change of Plan for Clare

This month's photo is from 2005.  Some of you will remember that I (Clare) first came to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to teach grade two children at Ukarumpa International School.  This is the school that Levi, Heidi and Eowyn now attend, alongside children of other Bible Translation workers.  

Over the last 13 years, I've served at the school in a variety of different areas.  Between mid-June and January I'll be taking on the role of temporary (and part-time) principal.  I'm excited about this opportunity; I can already see that all I've learnt in my years of missionary care and parenting will be useful in this role. But I am aware that it will also be very challenging!

Over the next two weeks I'll be handing over my work in the staff care department as well as ending my year of teaching mathematics to students with special educational needs.  I'll be asking many questions of the current principal too and starting to move into the new role.   That's an awful lot of juggling!   And I'm also recovering from a virus that I caught while working at the school.  I am very grateful for your prayers and for a God who I can fully rely on.

Thank you so much for your love and support towards us all; we certainly couldn't be doing this alone.

The Local Valley

We are blessed to have this view from the back of our house:

The village in the photo is one of several that are within walking distance of the Ukarumpa centre.  These villages are home to many of our Papua New Guinean colleagues and friends.

 This statement was put out by our organisation here in PNG:

'There has been fighting between two villages in Aiyura valley where our headquarters is located, but approximately 2 kilometres away.   Proactive security measures have been taken to closely monitor traffic through our centre and minimize the number of staff travelling through the valley.  The Royal PNG Constabulary (police) have sent a team of officers to restore law and order, and attempt to enable a peace agreement.

Several of our staff's friends or paid staff's loved ones have been impacted by this fighting – and we are concerned for their well-being.
Although the unrest is not targeted at our organisation, please join us in prayer that God would bring about peace for His glory.'

Thank you for praying with us.

For some encouraging news, read about a literacy course attended by many from local villages.  Participants found they were able to read their Bibles for the first time ever after attending the course.

Coffee!

Did you sample any of the Kamano Kafe coffee that we took with us on our travels last year? 

I (Clare) recently accompanied a class trip to the hut where the Kamano Kafe Bible Translation Team produces it:


First, a hand crank hulling machine is used to remove parchment (a thin, paper-like membrane) from the dry beans.  Next, five kilograms of coffee beans are put into the roasting machine (see picture below), where they are constantly rotated to prevent burning.  A window in the machine means that the operator can see when the desired roast has been reached. 



Finally, the coffee is poured into bags and sold.  The profits are used to fund the continued work of Bible translation into the Kamano Kafe language. 

Dealing with Stuff

In five weeks we will leave PNG for ten months of home assignment. 

As well as making preparations for our time away, I'm working hard to get the house ready for others to live here.  One part of that is getting rid of items that our family no longer needs.  There aren't many recycling programmes in Papua New Guinea, but that doesn't mean that things get thrown away!

Some items are given directly to colleagues and local friends; these items range from used plastic food or drink containers, all of which will get reused, to clothes that our children have outgrown but which other children in Ukarumpa or around the country will appreciate. Boxed up items can be donated to the 'Everything Sale', an annual event run by the teenagers here to raise money towards their youth centre.  Some things are sold to colleagues; there is no Ebay here and the range of products available in local stores is limited so people appreciate the opportunity to buy things from each other.

It always amazes me how many lids I find with no containers to go with them.  Those, at least, will get thrown away if no matching container appears!

We would appreciate prayer as we enter this time of transition:

*Heidi is concerned about being away from PNG, from her friends and from our dog.  Levi was distressed when he heard that he'd have to pack up his bedroom before we left.  Eowyn has no memory of living outside PNG.  Please pray for all of our children as they face these big changes in their lives.   Of course there is a lot to look forward to as well.  They are most excited about seeing family.  Heidi also wants to see a giraffe and Levi is looking forward to visiting science museums.

*We are grateful for the opportunities that we have to connect with friends and churches back home.  It's been encouraging to see our schedule start to fill up:

* Please pray for Andrew and I as we work to complete many tasks that we want to get done before our departure on 6 March.  An added complication is that Andrew can't work on some of these jobs until spare parts arrive from overseas; he'd appreciate prayer for these parts to arrive quickly.

*We are thrilled to hear that there should be someone to live in our house and care for our dog from May onwards.  We are praying that someone would be willing to look after our dog in the first couple of months that we are away.             
  

Our Work