OceaniaNazarene

Bennett - Dad

Andy and Judy — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:17:00 +0000

Many of you have heard about the death of my father this past Friday. Some of you knew him, and knew what a wonderful godly man he was. I wanted to share a bit about him. If this gets long and rambling, please forgive me. It's my blog, and I'll ramble long if I feel like it. And I feel like it.

Allen Andrew Bennett was born on October 2, 1917 on a homestead near Colville, Washington. He was the 4th of 8 children born to Vena Duvall and Grover Bennett. Grandma and Grandpa staked 2 different homestead claims, but failed to "prove up" either one. Grandpa's brother Hermann was living with them at that time. They couldn't make enough income from the homesteads, so Grandpa and Uncle Hermann went away to work in the fruit orchards or in logging camps.

During those years, a third brother, Clyde attended a camp meeting revival in the Midwest, probably in Iowa. In that service he made a decision to trust in Jesus for his salvation. In the weeks that followed, he felt that God was leading him to go to Washington to witness to his brothers. He saved up for the train fare, went to Spokane, then to Colville and found the homestead. Grandma directed him to the logging camp, and he eventually fount Hermann and Grandpa. He got a job working in the camp, and began sharing with his brothers about his new-found faith. Within a short time they each also confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

At the first opportunity they traveled back to the homestead. As the story was told to me, Grandpa walked in the door of the cabin, and his first words to Grandma were, "Ma, I got religion, and you should get it, too." Her immediate response was to say "alright", and together they knelt on the dirt floor of the cabin and Grandma prayed a sinner's prayer. Although the story makes it sound like it was easy for her, I'm sure that it was no little thing; she had been raised in an avowedly atheist home.

That was the environment into which Dad was born. Parents who were kind and gentle, and were brand-new Christians. They didn't have the resources that Christian parents have today. No one told them about how to raise and train their kids, how to lead them to salvation. They took them to church (including a Nazarene church), and taught them the basics. However, Dad was one of the kids who didn't accept Christ during his growing up years. But still, that family, that faith was the foundation on which all that came after was built.

The family moved from Washington to Iowa, where Grandma's dad, Andy Duvall had secured 3 farms, one for himself and one for each of his 2 children. The family lived there until they lost the farm in the depression and dust bowl of the early 1930s. They moved back to Washington, where it was possible for a man to earn as much as a dollar a day working in the fruit orchards of the Yakima Valley. Dad finished his high school education at Yakima High School (which, I understand, no longer exists). After graduating, he left home and worked in a series of jobs, finally teaming up with his life-long friend, Carl Gehmann (for whom my brother Gaymon was phonetically named) in Camas, Washington. There he worked in the Crown Zellerbach paper mill.

The foreman of his crew on the graveyard shift at the mill was a man named Clarence Beaver. Clarence, a Christian, carried a burden for the single young men on his crew. He gave a standing invitation for any of them to come home with him on Sunday morning for a home-cooked breakfast, and to go to church with his family. I don't know if any of the others took him up on the offer, but my dad did. He enjoyed the loving fellowship of this family, and of the local Nazarene church.

I don't know how many times Dad went to church before he accepted Christ, but at a Sunday morning service he went to the alter to confess his sins, and ask Jesus into his heart. He immediately gave up some harmful habits he had picked up, and began to study the Bible under the guidance of his pastor, Richard Tailor. Along with this guidance came regular invitations to the Tailor home. Pastor Tailor and his wife, Amy were caring for their teenage niece, Adeline Gudmundsen. There was, to hear Dad tell it, an instant attraction. Dad eagerly accepted all invitations. On December 18, 1938, sitting by the Christmas tree in Uncle Richard and Aunt Amy's living room, he declared his love for her, and kissed her for the first time. His love for Adeline has been unwavering since that day. December 18 has always been a "sacred" day in our family, a day for the kids to be elsewhere, and let Mom and Dad celebrate the day however it was that they wanted to celebrate it.

Mom and Dad were married on September 18, 1939. A week after their wedding they enrolled as freshmen at Cascade College, an independent Christian college in Portland, Oregon. Dad studied Theology, and Mom studied Music. After about a year and a half they left full-time study, and Dad became the first pastor of the new Nazarene church in Stevenson, Washington.

One of the stories that Dad used to tell about the days concerned church finances. The system there was that on Sunday, the church treasurer would count the money in the collection, take out enough to cover the bills for the week, and hand the rest to Dad as his salary. Sometimes it was fifteen cents, sometimes it was ten dollars!

It was while they lived in Stevenson that my brother Gaymon and sister Camelia were born. When the due date was near, Mom would go and stay with her parents in Portland, and the babies were both born there.

Dad continued taking classes on a part-time basis at Cascade College. After a couple of years, he accepted a position as associate pastor of Mount Scott Church of the Nazarene, in Portland. He later became senior pastor there. One of the unique features of that pastorate was that his mother in law and father in law were both on the church board!

Dad later made the decision to transfer to Northwest Nazarene College, in Nampa, Idaho. There he studied, either full-time or part-time, as he could afford to pay tuition. He worked several jobs at a time during most of the years in Nampa, including laundryman at the hospital (which included firing the coal burning boiler which heated the building), construction hand, and others. At one point he bought a house that was to be moved. He bought a lot for it, digging the cellar by hand, and pouring the foundation by hand. As I recall, he sold it $2500 making several hundred dollars in profit, and felt guilty for taking such advantage of the buyers!

After graduation in 1947, Mom and Dad moved to View, Washington. This was only a post office and a gas station in those days, and doesn't exist at all any more. The Nazarene church there thrived under Dad's leadership. At first it met in the old one-room school house, but later acquired the newer 2-room school house. They used one room as sanctuary, and divided the other one into 2 Sunday school rooms. Dad's responsibilities included building a fire in the pot-bellied stove early on Sunday morning so that the building would be warm enough by service time.

After 4 years in View, they moved to Kalama, Washington. The big event in their lives during those years was my arrival. My earliest conscious memory of my father involved being sent from the parsonage to the church building next door to get him for lunch. I was trying to get in the wrong door, the handle of which I could just barely reach. He apparently heard the rattling of the door, but came out a different door, further along the wall of the building. I just remember him leaning out the door, looking at me and smiling. So my first memory of my dad was of him smiling at me. From that moment to this I have never doubted his approval and support for me.

When I was 3 we left Kalama and headed to the Rocky Mountains. We lived in Butte and Kalispell, Montana; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Thornton, Colorado, pastoring Nazarene churches in each place. After Thornton, there was a period of 4 years when Dad was not a pastor. For most of that time he worked for a construction company that specialized in building church buildings. It was a difficult and trying time for my parents, a real trial of faith.

Then in 1969 we moved to Quincy, Washington, where Dad was the pastor until after I finished college. The years in Quincy were the most rewarding and fulfilling time of Dad's ministry. He once told me that he believed that all of his life up to 1969 was preparation for his work there. When he was young, Dad had thought for a time that God was calling him to become a missionary. As part of his preparation for that, he studied Spanish in college. Little did he suspect that his last church would be the fulfillment of that call. The ministry in Quincy was a bi-cultural, bilingual ministry. The congregation there tripled in size under Dad's ministry, most of the new people being new Christians.

From Quincy the folks moved back to Nampa, Idaho, where both my brother and sister were living by then, for what was planned as a brief time away from pastoral work. In fact, it continued until full retirement.

In 1998 (I think, my siblings will correct me if I'm wrong) Mom and Dad moved to Karcher Estates in Nampa. They lived in the Retirement section until Mom's care was more than Dad could handle. Mom then moved to the Health Care section, and Dad took a small apartment in Retirement, that was as close as possible to Health Care. There they spent their mornings together in Dad's room. Dad was there to help Mom with every meal. After Mom's death in 2008, Dad moved into Assisted Living. Last December after suffering a stroke which left his left side paralyzed, he moved into Health Care. We will always be grateful to the staff at Karcher for the great care they gave both Mom and Dad through the years.

This past Friday, the nurse went to get Dad up, and found that he had suffered a further stroke, leaving him completely paralyzed and unable to speak. Although he appeared to respond to the presence of family members, there was no real communication until he died quietly in the evening.

Dad was the ultimate "people person". He loved people. He loved them without regard to their station or status, race or background. He loved his kids and his kids-in-law. He loved his grand kids. He loved his neighbors, his barber, the people at the grocery store, the members of his congregations, the residents of the local jails, the local politicians, the drunks and panhandlers who showed up at the back door of the parsonage, the guy at the gas station, the housekeepers at the nursing home, the... well, you get the picture. He really, truly loved everyone. And people responded and loved him back.

Someone once said that if Al Bennett had two cans of beans he'd give you one; if Al Bennett had one can of beans he'd give you one. My brother remembers one cold winter in Butte (they are all cold there) when Dad had two coats. He met someone who didn't have a warm coat, so Dad gave him his good one.

I remember a time when Dad had just given a couple of sacks of groceries from our cupboard to a family who came asking for a handout. Thinking my dad was naive, I angrily confronted him: "Don't you know that they are just taking advantage of you?" I asked. His answer stopped me in my tracks. He said, "Of course I do. But we minister to them any way."

While home from college, I went with my dad to call on a new family in the church. I sat there in their living room and watched as my dad lead them to saving faith in Christ. Last year while I was on furlough, I was with Dad when he received a visit from one of the sons of that family, now in middle age, still following Christ.

Dad was excited and happy when God called Judy and me to the mission field. He and Mom were unreservedly supportive our our decision to go. I have felt bad not being with him much during the last years of his life, but I know that he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

So what is our legacy? What do Gaymon and Cammi and I along with our spouses children and grand children inherit from Al Bennett? What do you who knew him, or those of you who have only heard about him receive? Really, it's just a picture. A picture of a life lived in complete, unreserved, enthusiastic surrender to the will of God. A life lived for others. A life lived for eternity. What more could we want?

Meier -Don't let your leg get this bad

Erin Meier — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:11:00 +0000

This week, I had a 6 yo boy and his father came to see me. The kid complained of swelling and pain of his leg, for a number of months. When he raised his pant leg, this is what I found. Bone was sticking out of his leg as a result of osteomyelitis.

I see osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) almost everyday here, but this was one of the worst I have seen in a while. Kids fall down, bump their arm or leg, scrape their arm on a rock or a tree branch and bacteria go inside the skin, infrequent washing allows the bacteria to grow and cause an infection in the skin, then the muscle and if not treated the bone. This didn't happen overnight, but over several months. As you might guess, the bone coming out (sequestrum) is no longer helping him walk, his body has already made new bone (involucrum) around the bad bone to support him.

He needs surgery to take out this bone and all the other bone of his leg that is infected and no longer functional. Then he needs to be on antibiotics for months to heal the infection in his bone. He should do fine, but it will take awhile. Unfortunately, many families quit coming back for followup due to expense or thinking the infection is healed after surgery and then it only continues. Hopefully, they will continue to get the treatment they need.

Meier -Full of Joy

Erin Meier — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:56:00 +0000

This kid came with his mom to see the doctor recently. He sure brought joy to me as he was waiting for his mom to finish and kept looking at what I was doing, running from his grandma to my room, sticking his head in my room, just watching, always smiling. If we could only all be this happy.

Doenges -Home again, home again... jiggity jig.

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:08:17 +0000

4 and 1/2 months, 17 states and 10,000+ miles, more than 70 speaking engagements, and countless blessings. Thanks, America, for an AWESOME home assignment.
My last week in the States was officially designated as "vacation." It took almost that long to figure out how to pack everything in my suitcases. Packing to return to the field is a rather complicated equation based on need/want, availability in PNG, cost, weight-to-space ratio, and some other random factors. Even after repacking more than once, I ended up with an extra suitcase and several boxes going in the mail. (That is what happens when you only get to go real shopping every 2-3 years.)
I enjoyed some precious times with family and friends--such as ice cream with my niece and nephew (whom I am already missing somethin' fierce), lunch with a very special missionary kid, and making smores and campfire pies with good friends. The cookout, by the way, is now officially tradition.
I was schedu...

Meier -Hike to Waterfall

Erin Meier — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:57:00 +0000

A number of us departed from Kudjip and headed to Kurumal for a hike to the waterfall. It is about a 3 hour hike both ways, depending how quick you go. We had a number of new folks with us and so we took our time, but everyone made it. Karla, Randy and Joani, Kathy, Scott, Stephen, Jo, Lydia, Ethan and our med students Mary and Trevor and I enjoyed our day at the falls.

The falls were amazing, as always, with the water falling about 150 feet or more down into a pool of water. The water wasn't too high or as powerful as prior times, so we all enjoyed going swimming in the pool at the base of the falls. Thankfully, the sun was right over us, so we dried quickly with logs and rocks providing a great place to catch some rays and dry off.

We go back and forth through the river getting there and at one point the kids found a vine that we enjoyed swinging on. We had 4 guys from a local church as our guide, but as always a number of little kids joined us, some had been before, others hadn't. Junior, who is standing up in the pic of all the kids was the one who stayed with me. He just made sure he was in front of me and would keep looking back to make sure I had gotten over the log or muddy part ok. Occasionally he held out his hand to help me and despite being only 7, I took it.

Potter - Happy Mother's Day!

David and Sylvia Potter — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:08:00 +0000

I'm so thankful for my dear mother and wish I could be with her to honor her in person this Sunday! She is a dear woman of God, faithful in prayer for her family, always welcoming to those who need a listening ear. She is a woman of great hospitality. She raised my brothers and I to know and love the Lord! I love her!

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Meier -Not alone

Erin Meier — Sun, 06 May 2012 08:09:00 +0000

With the McCoys gone on Home Assignment, my duplex is a little quieter with less feet moving and sounds coming from next door. However, I recently discovered I am not as alone as I would like to think. I woke up one morning to finding something had gotten into my avocado that was ripening, I knew it was a rat, but was hoping it would go away. The next morning, the pineapple that was sitting on the counter became the victim. Not exactly the company I was looking for. Hoping the rat poison takes care of them.

Miller - Prayer Update 6 May 2012

George — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:52:00 +0000

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you so much for your prayers. We depend upon them.

Events Coming up that we need lifted up in Prayer:

Bible College Classes:

We are beginning a 3-week intensive Bible College Block on May 15^th. The first week May 15-22 I (George) will teach “Spiritual Leadership” class (6 hours/day). Then 2^nd & 3^rd week 23 May-7 June we will be conducting two classes. I will be teaching “Pentateuch” in the Morning and Nancy will teach “Gospel and Culture” in the Evening. Here are some of the specific prayer needs.

· Pray for strength for Nancy as she is also Principal of our K-12 school. Currently the school does not have a grade 4 teacher so Nancy is also serving as classroom teacher. She is for sure busy.

· Pray for calm seas so the students can travel easily. We need rain for water but without the storms.

· Pray for Nancy and I as we prepare our lessons.

· I have heard of a number of first time students who wish to enroll.

I am teaching evening classes in an attempt to have more pastoral candidates ready for ordination. This is keeping me busy.

District Advisory Board:

Keep our DAB in your prayers: The elders on the DAB are Alick and Dolasi, the lay persons are Dickson and Mairy. Our DAB will be meeting on Friday evening 11^th May. As a Solomon Islands District we are moving and need local leadership at the top. I have served as D.S. but hopefully soon this will change. We need the Lord’s guidance and your prayers during this critical transition period.

Greg and Wendy’s Visit:

Pray for our son, Greg and his family as they visit the Solomon Islands during Greg’s summer break from teaching high school science. This will be the first time they have visited the Solomon’s. After Greg and Wendy’s visit, all of our children will have visited the Solomon’s. It will be great having our grandchildren here too. This grandpa doesn’t get near enough hugs and kisses from his grandchildren. Pray that their preparation will go smoothly.

Youth Camp:

Pray for the Malaita Circuit Youth Camp to be held in Mage in mid June. Pray that the presence of the Lord will be felt in a powerful way.

Festival of the Arts:

In July this year our country is hosting the Pacific Festival of the Arts. I think the last I heard there will be 28 pacific island countries participating. Our country is completing the building of venues, repairing roads, water supply, cleaning up the rubbish, etc. etc. in preparation for this events. Company is coming so we have to clean house and get ready. This is billed to be the largest ever Pacific Arts Festival. They are preparing several different venues around town as well as in other islands. The prayer need is that our Christian community will be the salt and the light throughout this time. Not every cultural practice is Christian and in fact much of it has non-Christian roots. The tension is how do we as Christians interact and be a transforming influence in culture, without compromising our faith. During this time will be excellent opportunities to witness for Jesus and His love. Nancy’s Gospel and Culture class should have some interesting discussions.

Zion Christian Academy:

ZCA has their building permit now and are ready to begin the construction of their new classroom. Pray for the school administration, school board, building committee, fund raising committee, parents, teachers, students, as they all work together in the construction of this much needed building. ZCA will need a few miracles along the way, but our God is still a miracle worker.

Your Partners in His Harvest Field

George & Nancy Miller,

Meier -Nganbe Orphanage and Church

Erin Meier — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:03:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to go with a group from Kudjip to the Nganbe Care Center and church last weekend. The Nganbe Care Center is a place for people who have HIV to come and get some respite care as they recover from an illness, get counseling, etc. It was started by Pastor Ruth and her husband Steven.

From this Care Center grew an orphanage to take care of kids affected by HIV in one way or another. Some of the kid’s parents are still living, but not able to care for them, others have both died and no one in their village wanted to look after them. So Pastor Ruth and Steven along with others look out for these kids and help to teach them about their heavenly Father who loves them and will never leave them. Their hope is that these kids will be loved and will know the Lord and then when they get bigger can return to their places and be a good influence on their community.

From these 2 things then came the Nganbe Church, which just recently opened in their new building. We enjoyed worshiping with them and participating in the service. I read a bible story about Tabitha, Rachel did a drama being Tabitha, Kathy taught them a bible verse and Jo and Jordan led us in some songs.

The kids are all so cute and all wanted to be right next to us the whole time. I was thankful we could go.

Meier -Last game night

Erin Meier — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:21:00 +0000

The Pringles left our station this Monday after spending 3 months with us. Scott cared for many women while he was here and his services will be missed by many. They hosted all of us a few times at their house for food and games. They taught many of us new games and introduced us to new foods. They only played Settlers of Catan once and Tyronza wanted to play before they left, so with time running out we got a game going Sunday afternoon. Rachel, Jordan, Karla, and I joined the Pringles for one last afternoon of games.

We finished the first game at 530, and then started throwing around the possibility of playing Seafarers, a version most hadn’t played before. Since none of us had dinner plans, we all went home, got our leftovers and shared them while we played another game. I didn’t leave til 9 oclock, but enjoyed the fellowship and fun with these dear friends. The Pringles head out for a week of scuba diving off the coast of Port Moresby before actually making it home to the US.

Bennett - Just a Link

Andy and Judy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:18:00 +0000

I wanted to pass on a link to a blog I think you all would enjoy. Jordan and Rachael Thompson have been missionaries here for almost 3 years now. They first came so that Rachael could be our high school teacher. After an initial 2 years term, they felt that God was directing them to continue in service here. Jordan is now Maintenance Director, and Rachael is teaching the elementary kids. We love them a lot, and are happy that they are staying on.

The latest post on their blog is about my ward. The pictures are all from the other side of the ward, where they were under the care of Dr. Imelda Asaigo, at the time the photos were taken, but you won't care. They are just as cute as the kids I take care of!

This is the link! Bookmark it, and enjoy all their stories.

Doenges -On tour

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:02:25 +0000

While on home assignment, I have had the opportunity to travel on four district tours. A district of the church of the Nazarene is a geographic area of churches. A district tour means that I speak at a bunch of services in that area over about a week of time. I have visited South Texas, Central Ohio, and North Central Ohio.
Yesterday I finished up a wonderful tour of the East Kentucky district. I have been connected to East Kentucky for the last two years through a program called LINKS (Loving Interested Nazarenes Knowing & Sharing). They have prayed for me, followed my blog, friended me on Facebook, supported me financially, and sent me birthday cards and care packages. It was way cool to meet many of these fine folks in person as I toured around the district. WHAT an encouragement!
Michelle (Prater) Arnold is a fellow MVNU allumni, and my EKY cheerleader!
The ladies of London, KY Church of the Nazarene crocheted more tha...

Bennett - Our Little Sisters

Andy and Judy — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:25:00 +0000

Nazarene College of Nursing, here at Kudjip has a program called "Big Brothers, Big Sisters". The idea is that a staff or missionary couple "adopts" a group of students for the duration of their time in nurse's training. The sponsoring couple will provide social and recreational times, spiritual mentoring, and friendship.

Judy with Loritha, Elis, Edna and Lavina. Lottie was not present.

After talking about it for several years, this year we signed up. Part of our motivation was that a young family friend is now a student at the CON, and wanted to be in our group. The email arrived, announcing that we have been assigned a group of 5 young ladies, 2 first-year, 1 second-year, and 2 third-year students. They are a diverse group, representing vastly different parts of PNG (except that 2 come from here in the Wahgi Valley). Two come from single-parent homes. A couple of of them have parents who are professional, some are subsistence farmers. They are all Christians, coming from different denominations.

We had our first get-together last Saturday evening. They came for supper, we visited, each sharing about our families and backgrounds. We watched a brief devotional video, then we prayed together. We agreed that we'd meet once a month for now, but we might revise the plan as time goes on. We think it will be a lot of fun to get to know a few of the students better.

Meier -Strawberries

Erin Meier — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:50:00 +0000

Our garden is now producing strawberries thanks to some missionary friends from the Southern Highlands. The Gade Family have been to Kudjip many times, spending part of their vacation in the guest house. We have delivered their youngest son and cared for them on many occasions and when they come, they just join in our activities here. One recent visit, they brought with them some strawberry starters for us to try and plant. Many plants have not made it, but we have a few that are still going strong and are getting a strawberry or two every few days. Hoping our crop gets bigger, but I have sure enjoyed getting to eat the strawberries.

Bennett - A Surprise Visit

Andy and Judy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:24:00 +0000

At lunchtime one day last week, a lady came to our door carrying a little boy. She hadn't been sure how to find our house, but came looking. She knew what Judy looked like, but hadn't seen her for a few years, so when she saw Becky Morsch who is of similar height, hair color and length and skin color, she asked her if she were my wife. Becky explained that she wasn't but agreed to show her the way to our house.

When we came out, she introduced herself, and explained that her little boy had been one of my talipes patients a couple of years ago. Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I've been treating talipes (also called "clubfoot") for several years now, and have seen several blogs about it, like this, and this and this.

She explained that the Lord had directed her to come to Kudjip and say thank you to me for what I had done for her son. So she had gotten up at 4 AM in order to make the trip from her home in the Jimi Valley (the next major valley to our north) to come to Kudjip. As far as we know, after visiting with us, she turned around and traveled the 6 or 8 hours back home that same day. She brought a bilum (string bag) that she had made as a gift, as well as a bag of freshly-picked oranges.

Her son is Raymond. He'd had clubfoot on his right only. I got him to take his shoe off, and had a little ad hoc clinic there on my front porch. He has experienced a mild recurrence of the talipes, with the mid-foot turned in slightly, but not enough to ask her to come back to the Kudjip area for the several weeks that it would take to correct it at this point. He can walk normally, can run, will be able to play rugby when he's older and will have a normal life. My heart was touched as this mom's gratitude, and thankful that little Raymond is doing well.

Meier -Olympics at Kudjip

Erin Meier — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:43:00 +0000

Bill spotted one of PNG’s top sprinters, Toea Wisil, in the line waiting to be seen and started talking to her. She is one of PNG’s hopefuls for Olympic Gold in London this year in the 100m and 200m sprints. She is from a village right around Kudjip, but mostly lives in Brisbane where she trains. Bill challenged her to a 100 foot dash in our clinic this afternoon. The other patients didn’t fully understand what was happening, but they still thought it was fun. PNG has never won an Olympic Gold Medal - this maybe the year. Go PNG.

Doenges -Stephoscope: April 2012 Newsletter

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:47:21 +0000

Dear Friends of PNG,
Well, just in case you were wondering if I dropped into the ocean on my way to to America... nope, I am still here and traveling all over the crazy place! Home assignment has been wonderful, but much busier than I anticipated. Sorry for the lack of correspondence. I am starting to catch up with things... I have added some new blogs over the last couple of weeks. And since a some of the folks here in East KY (where I am currently touring) asked if I was still writing Stephoscope, I decided it was well past time to send out another newsletter. So here it is!
The article on page 1 just briefly highlights some of the amazing people I have met in the last couple of months--the great cloud of witnesses that is cheering on the ministry of Kudjip Hospital. A very special thank you to all of you who are praying for PNG!!!
Page 2 tells about the Hewa tribe of Enga Province. In June, I get to travel with a community health a...

Doenges -Hewa tribe

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:18:07 +0000

This is a long one, but well worth the read...
Allan Sawyer is an OB/Gyn from the Phoenix area. He and his wife Teresa and their four kids (picture right) come to Kudjip every couple of years to volunteer for a month or so. It is always so much fun to have them!
Once upon a time but not too long ago, the Sawyers met some missionaries who are being supported by their church. Jonathan and Susan Kopf and family (picture below) are serving with New Tribes Mission--in PNG. Apparently Jonathan was rather surprised when Allan came up and introduced himself in Pidgin. Small world! The Kopfs have been living with the Hewa tribe in Enga Province for more than ten years now. They are working on translating the Bible into the local Hewa language.
When Jonathan learned that Allan was a doctor, he shared about the health needs of the Hewa people. The biggest shocker was that he estimated the newborn to 3 months mortality rate was 85%...

Meier -The Pringles

Erin Meier — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:58:00 +0000

The Pringles are back for their 2^nd time here in PNG. Last year they were new, but quickly settled into our routine here. They lived at the Barnabas House and since it is a bigger house that can hold 16 or more people in it, they were always having folks over for dinner and games. They also played house parents to the medical students who stayed in the Barnabas House with them. They seemed to really enjoy their time here, enough so that they came back again, and we are thankful to have them.

Tyronza has been keeping busy doing all sorts of things around here, most recently using her accounting skills and helping out at the Bible College doing their books. She also has continued to feed many people each night, usually serving some kind of PNG food. Last year I ate more traditional PNG foods at the Barnabas House, than I had the whole rest of my time here. This year, she has picked up where she left off.

Scott is busy with all our OB/Gyn stuff. He is on call quite frequently delivering babies, doing C-sections and whatever else needs done. He is very patient and a good teacher. We are blessed to have him with us.

Recently when I went for dinner, I found numerous types of kumu (greens) in their fridge and pitpit (I don’t really know what this is) on the counter. I was not disappointed that I didn’t get the opportunity to try these great foods. My lack of adventurous eating habits and having familiar foods in the stores are two reasons why I have not expanded my menu to include these PNG delicacies. I don’t even like or buy kaukau (sweet potato) the PNG staple food, much less something that seems like it is just a weed in the garden. But I am thankful that Tyronza cooks these things and thus I get the opportunity to try them.

They are here for a few more weeks before heading out on a scuba diving adventure, but already have plans to return next year - which will be nice.

Dooley - Easter Day

noreply@blogger.com (dooleysinpng) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:21:00 +0000