The End?

In my last post, almost six months ago I had written the title ' The End...Almost...' this was written with the presumption that my flight home would be the end. Well, as I have learnt over the last six months back from my trip that 'the end' of my trip has come and gone; But the end is not the appropriate expression. Yes my trip to Papua came to an end, but the work God is doing there( in Papua), and in my life, has not ended. Recently the Edelens moved into the tribe and have begun their work, as a family, to reach the Bayono people for Christ. The Edelens work has only just begun. From my experiences there I know the work will be long and hard. I take great comfort in knowing that our Lord God has sent the perfect people for the job. Please continue to pray for the Edelens, Beni & his family, and the Bayono people. Their journey is only just beginning.
As for me... well.... . Before my trip and during my trip I had a hard time feeling comfortable with other people paying for the trip. I knew that this was the way mission trips worked, but I felt guilty & somewhat under pressure to perform and maximize the benefits of such an endeavour. It wasn't until I got back that I began to see the true value in my trip. In comparison to the amount of money (approx $8,000) verses the benefit to His kingdom, it is very humbling to me. Not only have I grown in my own relationship with God, but I now feel confident in my love for our savior. Not that I didn't have a strong faith before I went, but now in my heart and mind, any time I am in need of reassurance I think back to that month I spent in the middle of the jungle with some of the most awesome people I will ever meet; and I see the true spirit of our savior at work. It leaves NO doubt in my mind that God has great things in store for those who all ready believe, and great hope fore those who do not all ready believe. All I want to do now is move on to the next chapter in my life with God, and I want to bring as many people along with me as I can!

The End...Almost...

Well, here we are. The end of the last day of work here amongst the Bayono tribe.

What do I think of my adventure?

This is going to be a hard question to answer right now. God has shown & taught me so much in the last four weeks, that it is probably going to take me a few weeks to process the whole thing. I know I have spent the last four weeks in another part of Gods wonderful creation, that I have met & befriended some of the best people I have ever known, and that our Father in Heaven definitely has a plan for the Bayono people. Both by the Edelens ministry here and Beni & his families ability to survive on a long term daily basis in this unforgiving environment.
I would like to take a minute to thank each and every one of you who supported me financialy and prayerfully while I was on my trip. I would like you all to know how your contributions have been paying off...

Firstly the Edelens will be able to return to the Bayono tribe, as a family, the next time they fly in. Now that the building has a roof & guttering for fresh water, they will be able to stay in their own house, and able to minister to the Bayono tribe.

Secondly, our presence here has been a blessing to the Bayono people. Since we arrived we have been creating new friendships and sharing Gods love with the people. Especialy the children. They do not often have much to smile about, and us being here and interacting with them has blessed them so much.

Thirdly you have helped a fellow brother in Christ grow deeper in his faith in the last four weeks than he has in the last two years! For that I personaly thank you. I knew God would have challenges for me here, but I was not prepared for the things he has shown me, and they have truly opened my eyes and my heart.

That is really all I can think to say right now. I am off to take my last wash in the river. I will put my last post on this blog on Wednesday 21st of April.

I will also be available after this time to personally share my experience with you or your community group. I have lots of awesome stories and photos to share...

Peace

Your humbled carpenter for Christ....

Yohanes...

Whats Easter?

Happy Easter from Bayono land. Everything is going well. Only 3 more full working days here, then we will be picked up by Helimission sometime between 10:30am and 3pm Thursday. We still have a lot to do, but we should be far enough along that Matt will be able to do a lot of the work left on the house by himself.

Easter service – Beni Belingga lead the service today, first opening up in prayer then singing some songs, both in Indonesian and Bayono. Then he continued with his old testament teachings, this weeks being the Tower of Babel. Then he finished up sharing the Easter message, and closing in prayer.

Now here's the interesting thing...

How do you get a bunch of Jungle people to understand concepts like, sin, eternal salvation, Son of God, and dying on a cross so that peoples sins can be forgiven; When the mere concept of a God is unfamiliar to them?
Well, basically you don't. First you have to send some crazy guy & his family into the jungle to figure out how those people live, what they believe, how they communicate, and how they learn the best. All while learning their language. Once they have done a lot of that kind of stuff; Then they start to figure out how to communicate biblical concepts in a manor that the Bayono will understand.

A missionary in India took around three years just to find a suitable word in the native language that expressed 'Gods love' for us. In that tribe the 'fatherly love' that we use In the western world wouldn't work, because fathers would abuse their wives & beat their children as part of common practice, motherly love was not to un-similar from fatherly love. In the end he figured out, with a lot of communicating and learning that the love that two best friends have for each other was the same kind of sacrificial love that God shows us through Christ. Love is one concept out of hundreds that have to be accurately translated into the Bayono, so that these people can accurately receive the word of God, and ultimately receive the precious gift of salvation.

So, although the message this Easter may have been a little confusing, it didn't hurt for Beni to give it a try. Our good Lord works in wonderful ways and if it is his will to put upon someone the Holy Spirit to understand the message just a little, then that would be an awesome thing.
The Bayono people may not have seen the message of hope in that sermon, but I sure did. I saw a new hope for a people forgotten to the outside world, a hope for a people that desperately need it. They need to know that God loves them, that he loves them so much that he sent his only son for them. So Praise God for Matt & Beni & their families for what they are doing. But more over, Praise God for using them to show his love to these lost people...

John 3:16

'For God so loved the world that he gave his

one and only son, that whoever believes in

him shall not perish but have eternal life.'

After reading this passage again, as I have many times before, I was struck with a new appreciation for it. I can understand what it means! Praise God for allowing us to have his word in our own language, and being able to understand the concepts. I would encourage you to read this passage again, and Give thanks to God that you are able to understand it. It is my prayer today that every Christian across the world takes a moment to thank God for the precious gift of his son, and the hope that he brings us. I also pray that soon I can count members of the Bayono tribe amongst those....

Peace....

Construction Update...

Construction Update....

I realized at this point you have all probably forgotten why I came on this missions trip in the first place. Due to the fact I haven't written much about the construction to date. My apologies; I have been caught up in all the other awesome things the good Lord is showing me here in Bayono land.
So, here is were we are to date...
(Weeks run Wednesday to Wednesday)


Week 1:

• Erected temporary electrical shed, installed solar panels, finished installation of satellite dish. We arrived on a Wednesday and had to have the complete system up and running by the following Saturday morning(two and a half working days). We had an appointment with someone in Hong Kong at 8am Saturday to fine tune the satellite dish. We had everything ready by 6pm Friday night, and we were not missing any components, and it all worked first time. PRAISE GOD! We had communication with the outside world!
• We installed the floor joists and planed them level.

Week 2:

• Installed bracing between pilings to stabilize structure
• Completed exterior wall framing (with 10' ceilings!)
• Tom very diligently ripped EVERY wall stud to the same thickness! There are a lot of wall studs.
• Installed stairs from ground level to 1st floor
• Completed interior wall framing
• Started Laying beams for 2nd floor.
• Started planing wood for floor boards. Unfortunately that was short lived because our bench top planer quit working.

Week 3:

• Laid second floor joists.
• Started constructing and erecting roof truss system.
• Started ripping floor boards to consistent sizes
• Construction of main stairs started

Week 4:

• Construction of main stairs finished
• Roof truss system completed! Hooray. This was very hot hard work.
• Started guttering system
• Laid some flooring
• Installed battens for tin roofing
• Started tin roofing.
• Built water tower. Hoisted tanks

To be continued....

The 'Comfort Zone'

It is a little past 8pm Wednesday night here in Bayono. I am under my mosquito net, and the temperature is hovering around 88 degrees (not including relative humidity that never drops below 80%). I am sweating, non-stop, as I have been for the last 3 weeks; and as I will continue to do for at least the next week. I will get up tomorrow around 5am, to try and get as early a start as I can. After 12pm the temperature usually gets around 100 degrees ( again, not including relative humidity). It becomes even harder to work. We will stop for lunch and have rice & noodles, and have the same for dinner. That's what I have eaten the last three weeks and I will probably eat for the next week. With the occasional fish or pig meat. None of which is cooked to a style I am used to. Most meat is cooked on the bone here; completely in tact for the most part, that makes eating it a time consuming task, and not as enjoyable.
Do you feel comfortable after reading this?
That's kind of a rhetorical question. More designed to get you thinking; then ask yourself this next question...
When do I learn the most about myself, and MY relationship with God?
I am no pastor, self proclaimed profit, psychic, or psychiatrist; But I can tell you when you don't learn much about yourself and your relationship with God.
When you live in your comfort zone...
This trip has been very far from my comfort zone, approximately 7,000 miles and +25 degrees if you want to know, plus a whole list of other things that I am not used to and could live without.
Am I happy?
Yes, Yes I am! I'll tell you why. Because I have learned more about my self and where I stand with God in the last few weeks than I have learned in years! All though I am suffering the heat and exhaustion; Never have I felt more rewarded by my Father in heaven than I do right now. The experiences, feelings, and emotions I have been experiencing recently, do not come from doing things that are familiar to me. They come from taking that leap of faith, and stepping outside of my comfort zone.
My lovley wife will testify to this also. Recently going on a trip into DC to help homeless people. More as an example to our children than for her own personal needs. But because she took time to step out of her comfort zone, she was blessed with an awesome uplifting & humbling experience. You should read the last post she put on my blog for the details.
I am not encouraging you to trek into the middle of the jungle for months on end, or travel great distances to any degree (unless thats what God calls you to do.).
All I am saying is the next time a selfless thought pops into your head, and it makes you uncomfortable, act on it. I guarantee you will reap the benefits long after the experience is over.

Peace
John...

Meeting the Homeless of our nation's capital

At home, Our two children are generally grateful and content children. Recently, our 6 yr old daughter has been feeling less than content and has been focussing on things that others may have or what others may be allowed to do. We want her to feel blessed, because she is! I also want her to know that the rules that we have are to keep her safe and healthy. I know that is a lofty goal, I vividly recall thinking that some choices made by my parents were arbitrary and even mean. Now i see that those boundaries were for my well being.

I talked to John about this recent increase in "that's not fair" and "how come SHE gets to?" and "when can I have that?". It was really wearing on me, not that I was going to compromise on the rules but I hoped that we could work on her perspective. John suggested that we try to get her involved in some volunteer work so that she could see how blessed she is.

My new friend, Liz, recently shared that she is very affected by seeing the homeless. I share her feelings of helplessness and have often felt that the problem is so big that I couldn't ever make a dent. Over lunch, we talked about ways that we could help, some big and some small.

I have been reading through the bible, cover to cover, in 90 days. It is the most dedicated that I have been to a bible reading plan. I have avoided watching tv or reading magazines, etc until I have completed by bible reading for the day. I have an application on my blackberry (also available on iphone) that has been a big help. (Check out youversion.com if you want to see the reading plans) I always have my phone so I use little bits of time during the day to read, at the bus stop, waiting for an appointment. Through out the Old Testament (days 1-70 of the plan), God reminds us to help the poor. Failing in this regard is often listed as a reason for God's wrath. This theme is repeated again and again and continues in the New Testament as well. As Christians, we are to provide for those who need help. We read in Matthew that Jesus challenges us when we fail to see the needs of others and provide for them. Matthew 25:40 ..."I tell you the truth , whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." That passage really hit me...hit me in the stomach. When I feel helpless and then fail to care for someone, it is as if I walked past Jesus, my savior and did not help. I shared that passage with the children. When we help someone, it is like we are helping Jesus. He wants us to care for each other.

I talked to my daughter in the morning about helping people who don't have homes and we began to think of things that they would need. She was full of ideas, that need pillows, sleeping bags, coats, food, water...she was shouting out the things that they would need. I wondered if she would understand that we would not be able to provide all those things. Then she decided that we needed to make a list to get organized. (That's my girl!) She was rushing off for paper while I got ready for the day. She sat down with her note pad and announced that she has thought of the most important thing that we could give. She showed me her paper, a single item was listed. Bible. I could hardly reply to her, i was so proud of her and it humbled me. I was thinking of toothbrushes, tissues, a poncho, food. I am not sure that the bible would have made my list. Indeed, I need faith like a little child, like my little child.

We decided that we would go on tuesday to DC and look for homeless people and give them each a bag of items that we collected. We gathered bibles, snacks, toothbrushes, tissues, hand wipes, rain ponchos and collected tote bags of every description to carry the goodies in to the city. Driving in the van, Melanie and I were dicussing what we had purchased and what else we could get. We picked up one small tent at Walmart and several small items of food and personal hygiene items. Melanie was very excited about helping and announced, "You know Mommy, we are really saving their lives. I mean, we are giving them the Bible." (WOW!)

Today was the big day. We rode up to the metro station with a close girlfriend of mine and met up with Liz and her kids. She had several other items to add to the bags so we sorted the items and started for the station. We were a group of 3 adults, 4 kids and 2 wagons FULL of bags.

I feel like I always see homeless people in and around the city. Now that I felt equiped to help, we couldn't see any homeless people. We arrived at the Natural History Museum and got tickets for the butterfly exhibit. (free tickets on tuesdays) Then we headed out in search of those that might need our goodies.

We walked and walked and looked and really struggled to see anyone on the streets. I doubt that there are so few homeless people around, but I just didn't know where to look. Eventually, we spotted a man at a corner. He was sitting and writing and he had some bags around him. He didn't have a sign or a cup for change but it seemed apparent that he was living on the street. He was writing on a file folder and seemed hesitant to look up at us. I was very anxious about what his reaction to us might be. I had told Melanie that not everyone would want our help. (I had consulted a friend with a lot of homeless ministry experience about what to expect) Melanie was not concerned, maybe because she is not aware of the risk or because she was SO excited to help someone. She and I approached the man and offered him a bag and a sandwich. He asked our names and thanked us both. He confirmed the spelling of both names and thanked us again. I shook his hand and he seemed surprised and grateful. Melanie picked up the tent and offered it to him. He wished us a good day and said, "God bless you." It is hard to express how I felt at that. This man has so little and he is asking God to bless me. I know that people say that often but I felt that he truly meant it. We continued down the street, tearful, humbled and relieved.

Throughout the course of our day, we met about 14 homeless people. Some politely declined our offers, but most responded like the first man. They were thankful and asked God to bless us. Many were thanking us before they opened the bags to see what we were giving them. Several were surprised that we wanted them to keep the bags. Some were funny and joked with us. One man saw us coming up the street, Owen scrambled to get a bag to give to him. He laughed, "That's right. Get Mommy's purse and bring me the money." All in fun and very light hearted. He was happy to learn that we really did have something for him. Again, God Bless you.

We passed Franklin Park and noticed a group of people gathered together. As we passed, I saw a sign on an old shopping cart "Street Church Tues 1pm." There were about 20 homeless people gathered to hear the message. They had food and cases of water stacked near the service. Once we were a respectful distance, I stopped to explain to Melanie about what they were doing.

(I found a website that describes the ministry and how to support them, visit www.epiphanydc.org/downloads/St_church.pdf to learn more)

We were returning to the Smithsonian just in time for our timed tickets to the butterfly exhibit and saw another man asked tourists for change so that he could purchase a meal. He seemed frustrated that people were ignoring him. We stopped and got a bag for him. He took it and looked up to the sky and said, "God is good!" He didn't know what he was being given but accepted it and was truly thankful.

After we viewed the amazing butterflies in the Smithsonian, we headed home on the metro. We arrived at the van and said goodbye to Liz and her children. I started the van and was shocked to see the time. I was supposed to be at Chick fil a in Laplata to prepare for our spirit night fundraiser. As we headed home, I called everyone I could think of to see who could get over to Chick fil a to get things started and hold the fort until we could arrive. Again, so blessed with a community group who could help me out. When we made it to chick fil a, we saw a number of "carpenter for christ" shirts and many other familiar faces in attendance. We had 43 customers who requested for John's missions trip to be credited with the proceeds.

-Thanks Elizabeth Prinkey for designing our tee shirts!!

After 7pm, the event was officially over and I sat with a few friends talking about our amazing trip into DC. A man who was ordering at the counter noticed my shirt, with the details of the chick fila night and asked me, "Where is John Hall going on his mission trip?" I answered, "John is my husband and he is in Indonesia now helping to build a house for missionaries." The man indicated that he knew that I was John's wife (it says so on my shirt) and handed me a cash donation. I don't know who he was or if he knew John or just saw the shirt.

Today was a powerful day for me. I went to DC with the intention of teaching my children about gratitude and to be a blessing to those living on the street. However, I was the one who was blessed. I am overwhelmed and it more than I could have expected or deserve. I am thankful to serve a God who has blessed me with a savior that I desperately need and could never earn or deserve.

Indescribable....

"THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD;
THE SKIES PROCLAIM THE WORK OF HIS HANDS."

These are the words that come to mind being here in the Jungles of Papua. This is truly a place where God used his indescribable imagination to the max! Every night I look out at the sunset sky to see a different canvas of cloud formations & light reflections from the setting sun; and the same is true for the sunrise. I have never seen such changing beauty in the sky on such a regular basis.
Most mornings I wake up around 5:30 - 6am and lay on my mattress listening to the Jungle come to life. At first you hear the occasional distant squawk of some tropical bird, then the crickets, then more bird calls, then the villagers waking up and doing their thing.With every minute that passes you can hear the Jungle coming to life.
Then, as if by clock work, as the sun goes down the music changes. The bird calls fade, the crickets seem to get louder. Then you can hear the deep croak of a nearby frog trying to find a mate. Just as dusk comes, some kind of swallows fly out in their hundreds feasting on all the insects & mosquitoes that were hiding from the harsh sun, but have now come out to eat also.
If you are really lucky (as we were), a few hundred feet above that you can see massive bats, about the size of a hawk. Also in their hundreds, silhouetted in the evening sky with their unmistakable bat shapes. They must easily have a wing span of 2-3 feet! One evening Matt was on the computer in our little shed, with screen in lew of a door ( that we had yet to make). The florescent light was on, probably the only one for 50+ miles. Tom & I must have counted at least fifteen different varieties of moths, all uniquely shaped and colored. That did not count the vast array of other insects all wanting to get at the new moon.
It is truly 'indescribable' to be here amongst one of Gods greatest creations, and I know I will say that a lot when I get home...