Brandon and Nellicia with Mission Aviation Fellowship: Shine as Lights

As we walk down the streets, nearly every person greets us: "Apinun." "Apinun!" If Nova is with us, she will get handshakes, knee rubs, and pinched cheeks from several passersby, with a cheerful "Hi baby!" Elderly ladies will call good day from across the street, and people will lean out of their vehicles to wave at us. As the only white faces on the street, we are ever the spotlight. Most everybody is friendly, but we know that everyone has a close eye on us. At times it feels as if we are zoo animals let out of our cage, and our next opportunity to relax will be after our performance, when we can return to our compound. However, viewing this reality as it really is means that opportunities to be a Christian witness are everywhere. We don't need to first attract attention; we automatically have it. How we walk, how we interact, and how we react are showing who we are as Christians.

The focus text of my devotional yesterday morning was "In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15) The author wrote about the different purposes of a light: to make manifest, to guide, and to warn. As a Christian, he explained that our lives should make manifest who we are and Who we serve; but also that we are to guide those around us by holding out the Word of life to them. I was thinking about this devotional as we were walking through the market. Even though I don't have a solid grasp on the language yet, and even though I don't know everything about the culture, what are my actions telling those who are so carefully observing me? When the "market boys" continue to follow us and ask time and again if they can carry my bag in order to earn two kina (a little over 50 cents), what is my response telling them? How can I be a light that makes manifest and guides in a context like the market or the streets around the compound? People are everywhere; hundreds of people throng the market, many just hanging around. A short conversation, brief exchange, or even just getting to know someone's name can make a difference -- and now that we are starting to learn the language, this is actually becoming possible!

Since relationships are the most fundamental aspect of this culture, our primary focus for the first two months is language learning. In PNG, showing that you are trying to learn to speak the language and learn the local culture is crucial to building trust and relationships. Especially in the elderly population, a "white skin" who speaks only English immediately loses a degree of trust. Even a broken attempt at Tok Pisin will mean you are accepted more readily. It is difficult at times to feel so lost for words, but we are getting more confident as we talk to the local workers on the compound. They are all exceptionally forgiving of our mistakes, which we are very thankful for.

To help expedite our language learning process, a local language helper comes to our house three times each week to help us practice and learn the language. In today's lesson, we were asked to share a few things about our family, and then we asked a few questions to learn more about our language helper's family. We heard an amazing story -- as the only child in his family to make it through childhood, he went on to finish high school. School fees are an incredible burden on families who live in the bush, but he used every opportunity to work in people's gardens or do other small jobs to earn a few toea (50 toea is equivalent to 20 cents) to be able to stay in school. He finished school and was able to study to become a health worker, getting a job in Mount Hagen. Later in life, he served with MAF as an Occupational Health and Safety Worker, providing information and other preventative healthcare measures in rural communities. Now retired, he is a great help to us as we learn the basics of Tok Pisin!