Wind Yer Neck In

Summer Zimmer, Communications Manager
Papua New Guinea: April 2020

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Surprise! Shortly after I sent my last update the US embassy arranged a repatriation flight. It's a fancy way of saying— we recognize international travel closed very quickly and some of you ex-pats in Papua New Guinea may have wanted to go home some time in the next few months. So, since we don't know when travel will resume, here's an opportunity for you all to fly home. (Not a direct quote)

Our mission leadership had mentioned that this flight could be an option at some point, but for me, it came as a surprise. I wasn't quite ready to go. So there were a whole lot of hurried "lasts." Last Bible Study Fellowship, last hockey night, last group exercise . . . breakfast and class, last run with the running club, last ladies' prayer time. And while I plan to be back and able to do those things again in a few months, several of the ladies in these pictures will be gone for at least a year.

Now, I know in my mind that those "lasts" would have happened anyway, just a month later, but for some reason, it's harder. We were still in the middle of living life, things weren't drawing to a close yet. There wasn't that normal winding down, but instead, a cramming in of every good thing we could, because it's the last time it will ever be this way. I'm sentimental like that.

We were originally told on a Wednesday night that we would be leaving on Monday. Thankfully, it took them a little longer to arrange the flight and we left on the following Thursday. The longest April 9th of all of our lives. Literally.

In addition to all the “lasts,” there were some things I wanted to do yet. I spent a day and a half gathering interviews for the videos I want to work on from the US. I gathered footage that church planters had on hand of their ministry in hopes that I'll be able to complete the video projects I need to.

I had been thinking about having kids over to make cards so they could write letters to their friends across PNG. So I did it. It was kind of a funny experiment, but I think we all had fun.

I had a cake mix and some frosting and decided we might as well make it! So we did. And then I got to hand out cake a few times, because no single person needs a 13x9 cake all on their own!

I was able to run an espresso bar, eat homemade donuts, teach a mini jump rope class, make cards with friends, eat the last Burleson ice cream, play Exploding Kittens, have Lucy over for lunch and have a leftover snacks party in those last days.

But then I had to pack up the house I had just settled into. Not my favorite.

Wind Yer Neck In: One of the many crazy ways English is different all over the world. I think the American equivalent would be "Chill Out," or maybe "Keep your Mouth Shut," but just imagine with me for a minute, saying "wind yer neck in" with a Northern Irish accent. Thank you dear McKnight family and Becky Noble for always expanding my cultural awareness!

I leave behind a good team and a lot of good friends. Many of them (77) came to the US or the UK with me, but the work in PNG will go on. Because I can do a lot of my ministry from the US, it was the best thing for me to come home now to relieve any burden on the resources there, if the virus spreads in PNG.

But there are parts of my ministry that I can't do from here, and so when travel re-opens I will go back. There will be blessings from being here as well. I look forward to family time and yard work and gardening as soon as my quarantine is over. Biking and walk/running and hopefully the end of social distancing won't be too far behind and I can visit with all of you.

I live in and love two worlds. Pray that I can make good use of this time to encourage and care for both worlds well.

Can you imagine traveling with over 70 people that you know? It was a pretty good time. We went from Goroka to Port Moresby to the Solomon Islands to Honolulu to San Francisco. Most went our separate ways there at around 1:00 a.m. but the Lord blessed me with joining a small group of friends the next morning when I missed my original flight (pretty grateful for the Lord's grace and the mercy of American Airlines at that moment. Let's just say 3 suitcases, two hands, and no carts is not a good scenario). Finally, after over 50 hours of traveling, I located my little green car in the empty Fort Wayne airport parking lot. The world of travel is a pretty eerie place right now. See my little bird friend at the Dallas airport below.

As I've spent the last few days unpacking and setting up my house the way I want it for the next few months, cleaning, putting things in place and setting up my 'office,' I have been reflecting on the idea of 'control'. Being the task-oriented person that I am, I thought through a schedule of Bible Study, working, language learning and exercise.

But I can see pretty clearly how I allow those things— organizing my space and my schedule—help develop in me a sense of stability and control, when I really have none outside of Christ.

For someone who loves to plan and fill a calendar it's a good wake-up call to have it all completely wiped out. My last few days in PNG were full of spontaneous events to spend time with people I won't see for awhile, and they were such a blessing. It's a strange thing right now to not be able to plan past the next 8 days. . . until then I'll be at home avoiding all human contact and taking my temperature twice a day, just in case.

But I pray God will use this in my life. That I'll remember that I'm not in control and that I should be grateful for who I am with and the purpose He gives me in each day. I'm praying that He'll use this time to grow me in my relationship with and dependence on Him.

I want to remember that while I do want to be productive with this time and use it wisely, He will always be the one who measures what a good use of time is, and it will always include Him.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

Praises

Praise for a safe trip home, for my house to stay in, for my parents who took care of getting me food, for friends who've stopped by and encouraged me through the window and brought supplies.

Praise for the interviews I was able to get recorded before I left. Pray that I can put them together well in a way that communicates the intended meaning.

Praise that I'll get to see spring! Eventually.

Prayer Requests

Pray for a renewed focus on setting aside time to seek the Lord and read His Word. That this time set apart could be truly set apart for Him.

Pray that I can be an encouragement in these times and that I could guide missionaries in PNG and their churches in encouraging one another.

Pray for a good connection and communication with my teammates back in PNG, both for the projects I am hoping to produce but also for opportunities for encouragement and prayer.

Pray that ministry in PNG would not be hindered by the restrictions being put in place worldwide. That while restrictions are wise, pray that they won't be needed there, that God will miraculously protect PNG both for the sake of the Gospel and to preserve life.

More stories of what God is doing in Papua New Guinea can be found through social media:

Ethnos360

NTM PNG

Summer's Blog

Summer

Copyright © 2020 Ethnos360, All rights reserved.

My mailing address is:
Summer Zimmer C/O New Tribes Mission
PO Box 1079 Goroka, EHP 441 Papua New Guinea

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