From joy flights one day to security evacuation flights the next, the last few months have continued to keep Robert busy with a variety of helicopter work. The movement of Bible translators in and out of Ukarumpa and their remote locations continues, with travel restrictions still somewhat eased. This month the centre is running another training course for national translators, some of whom also need helicopter transport to get in to Ukarumpa. Robert was also able to fly another supply trip out to the islands for missionaries there.
Loralie also continues to see a great variety of patients needing eye care in the clinic. She was pleased to help some of these patients access cataract surgery this month.
The kids are enjoying being back in kindy and daycare.
(Despite being on the tail end of sickness at the time, they also loved Christmas day and were excited to receive some gifts from our family and supporting churches - thanks so much!)
|
|
|
Prayer & Praise
- Praise God that Robert was signed off as a training pilot in December, so he can teach new pilots and re-qualify other pilots.
- Praise God that the centre is able to run the next training course for national translators. Pray that these men and women receive the training they need to be fully equipped for the task ahead of them. Amongst the students are some of the Carwiles' translators from Pamosu.
- We're in another COVID-19 wave here again. This has the potential to escalate and shut down many services on centre, including the training course. Please pray that the spread is slow enough to allow work to continue.
- There have been a few security incidents in the last few months, particularly in the Rai Coast area. This has affected both translation and church planting work in at least five communities. Please pray for an end to the violence, and for a peace agreement to be reached.
- Continue to pray for Robert and the other pilots as they fly, as well as for wisdom and efficiency for the maintenance team as they keep up with the workload.
- Pray that Loralie can continue to help patients through her work in the clinic. Some more optometry equipment that has been donated for the clinic is currently stalled with international sea freight difficulties; pray that this container can be shipped soon.
- Pray that we can rise to the ever-changing challenges of parenting and be able to model and share God's love with our kids.
- Praise God for the rest time we were able to get over Christmas as a family.
|
|
Translation Tales
After some months of not attending church in person due to a cap on numbers, it has been a great encouragement to meet again in person. During a recent service we enjoyed hearing Catherine McGuckin share. She and her husband have served the Gapapaiwa people of Milne Bay Province for 36 years as Bible translators.
The Gapapaiwa language was a challenge for Bible translation - they have no words for 'slave', 'servant', or 'king', and the word 'love' simply means someone who gives very generously. Yet they have 27 words for 'banana' (a word that never appears in the Bible)!
We asked Catherine if we could share her story, below. Praise God for the work He is doing in people's hearts as they hear His words.
|
|
The Lord blessed the McGuckins with wonderful closure to end their 36 years of work in Papua New Guinea. I wanted to give you a brief summary of Catherine’s December visit to the Gapapaiwa people in Milne Bay Province.
David Lamb helped the Gapapaiwa team to record the audio New Testament in 2019 as a joint project with Faith Comes by Hearing. But the distribution of the Audio Bibles on MP3 players was prevented by COVID restrictions until December 2021. As soon as restrictions lifted, Catherine headed out to the Gapapaiwa area by PMV (truck) and by dinghy to facilitate a patrol with the scripture use team. The team had a lot of challenges, including slippery muddy trails, keeping equipment dry, river crossings where there were saltwater crocodiles, maneuvering through mangrove swamps, lack of food, dogs and mosquitoes pestering them at night.
|
|
|
|
Above: Catherine McGuckin with the scripture use team, and trekking through the coastal areas with the projector kit and audio Bibles.
|
|
The goal on this patrol was to distribute the audio Bibles, sell copies of the book of Genesis and show a video of the Gospel of Mark, which Faith Comes By Hearing had dubbed into Gapapaiwa. Each morning they would walk several hours down the coast to the next village. When they arrived, they would charge their solar batteries in the afternoon sun and then set up the LED projector kit (which was obtained through the Education For Life department at Ukarumpa). As soon as it became dark, they had speeches and a formal presentation in which caretakers were appointed and presented the “Proclaimers” (MP3 players with the NT audio recording). These caretakers were assigned the job of overseeing and promoting the Audio Bibles in their community. They also announced that there were a few copies of Genesis still left, available for sale. They sold several copies in each village. They also broke the news that this was Catherine’s last visit, since she was about to retire. Then they showed the Mark video.
Catherine was concerned that the three hour video might be too long for one showing. The audience might get bored. But absolutely not. In each village, they watched intently. There was no moving around, no talking, no wandering off to look for betelnut. Their eyes were glued to the screen. In two different villages, people came up after the video was over and asked them to stay another night.
'There was so much information, we did not get it all. We want to see it again.'
They assured them that the scripture use team planned to come back again and show it another time. Altogether, about 650 people in 8 villages viewed the Mark video during the patrol.
At Omora village, there were speeches after breakfast before they left to make the long walk home. One village elder said, 'English has hard words but we can understand the Gapapaiwa translation. Now we can really understand when we hear the Gapapaiwa and watch the action in the video.' Another said, 'Hearing the Bible in my language really breaks open my mind so that I can understand and believe in Jesus.' In a speech a few years ago, Augustus Siropa said, 'Before Eddie and Catherine came, God was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was the God of the white people. But now, he is the God of the Gapapaiwa.'
|
|
|
|
Above: People gathering to watch the Mark video, and a young girl holding the Genesis translation in her language.
|
|
|
In the Air
Over the Christmas break, our Aviation department likes to offer helicopter joy flights. Plenty of people who serve on centre in roles that don't normally need helicopter rides took up this offer, and Robert enjoyed doing an hour of short flights over Ukarumpa.
Two days later, Robert had to do a very different kind of flight, pulling a translator out of her village. A gang that had been causing a lot of damage and destruction nearby had made a direct threat to the village where she was based. Robert flew in with a security guard from our centre. Being Christmas eve, the security guards were in the middle of their Christmas party, so this particular guard came dressed in his festive attire complete with Santa hat. Robert was thankful there was no action on the ground in the village that needed to be controlled by Santa!
The following day (Christmas!) saw yet another evacuation flight for a missionary family in the same region (but with a different language group). So far, five communities where either Bible translation or church planting works are going on, have been affected by this same gang. Please pray for peace in this area, (the Rai Coast), so that work can continue. Pray for the believers to stand firm in their faith, and for their physical protection.
|
|
|
In January, Robert again flew out to New Ireland and New Britain. It takes two and a half hours to get to the New Tribes Mission base on New Britain, so the helicopter stays out for the whole week doing as much supply and transport work in the islands as possible. Some pictures of this work are below.
|
|
|
Above: Landing at Ora to drop off supplies for church planting work there, and transport the missionaries.
|
|
|
Above: These new bench tops for a meeting house in Pili came in on the helicopter. Similarly, this satellite dish was squeezed in to the helicopter, allowing better communications for another missionary family.
|
|
|
Above: Robert dropped off the Carwile family in Pamosu in early January in order for them to run a course for their translators, getting them up to speed so that they could attend the next training event in Ukarumpa. Jason Carwile with seven of the national translators who arrived in February for the initial skills course.
|
|
On the Ground
One rewarding part of Loralie's job is getting patients access to specialist care. Sometimes, that can be really challenging, no more so than in the midst of a pandemic when specialist visits and clinics have been repeatedly cancelled. However, for the first time in five months, an ophthalmologist visited Goroka for a week this February. With only two weeks notice, which then turned in to one weeks' notice when the hospital changed the date, Loralie was madly trying to contact all the patients who needed cataract surgery from the villages. (In this country, they have to be legally blind to qualify).
Contacting village patients is also a bit interesting. Most of the time, they don't have a working mobile phone, so it's a game to try and find a common contact, who Loralie can then pass a message on to. Keeping track of all of these names, people and places over five months can be tricky, and then relying on a Chinese whisper-type system has it's own shortfalls! So it has been very encouraging to hear that at least a small handful of those patients were able to travel to Goroka, find accommodation, and access the surgery needed to see again.
At the end of the day, Loralie's favourite task in the clinic is seeing children for eye tests. Being able to find an answer, and better yet, a solution for the struggles kids can sometimes have with their vision can be really rewarding. Plus, kids are fun! The kid pictured below is homeschooled and travels in and out of a remote village where his parents are Bible translators.
|
|
|
Above: Loralie doing the favourite part of her job - testing kids' eyes.
|
|
Recreating Recreation
Aside from the normal work routine, Loralie has had the chance to do two new things in the last few months. Firstly, the Field Security Officer of Ukarumpa offered some self-defence classes for ladies in January. Loralie had a great time getting some bruises fighting punching bags. She is still recovering!
The second new thing was to go on a ladies' craft retreat weekend. The timing was great, the weekend before Robert would be away in the islands, allowing her to get some time and space to relax and recharge, ready for the week of solo parenting ahead. Plus, she got to pull out her paintbrushes and use the canvas we bought across from Australia two and half years ago!
|
|
|
Above: Some of our security officers getting the ladies ready to throw some self-defence punches. Loralie and the ladies who attended the craft retreat, together with their crafts.
|
|
|
We are so glad to have you along on this journey,
and for all the encouragement you give us.
With love from Robert & Loralie, Emily & Michael.
|
|
'The only place that true safety can be found is at the end of a road filled with risk and danger. The road of following Christ'
Derek Brotherson, SMBC Principal.
'And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Saviour. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.'
2 Tim 1:10
|
|
|
To Contact Us:
Email: robert-loralie_handasyde@wycliffe.org.au
Post to: PO Box 1 (142),
Ukarumpa,
Eastern Highlands Province 444,
PNG
Robert: +675 7077 8307, Loralie: +675 7917 3942
Wycliffe Australia: wycliffe.org.au
If you’d like to know anything more, drop us a line. If you're wanting to mail us anything larger than a standard envelope, please let us know.
|
|
|
Please do not redistribute this newsletter without permission
|
|
|
|
|
|
