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Slowing Down

Imagine its Monday; you wake up at 6:35am and realize that you need to be at work at 7:00am.  You rush out the door, toothpaste still smeared on your chin and jump in the car.  With only fifteen mins left before you need to be at a meeting you pull into a Wendy's.  You order, pay and get your hot breakfast in five minutes  flat.  Leaving the parking lot you drive to work on a well maintained road and make it to work on time with a full stomach.  That is America, but this is a story about Papua New Guinea.

Coming from a culture that runs on efficiency and speed then arriving at Port Moresby felt like I was walking backwards.  We exited the plane and immediately started........ waiting.  My first experience with this was customs.  We had a one hour gap between our flight into Port Moresby to Goroka.  In this one hour gap we had to purchase temp visas, wait to clear immigration, collect our bags, pass inspection and check into our flight.  Like a elephant jumping through a hula hoop - "this just ain't gonna happen".

One of the things I realized was my expectation of how things should go needed to change.  As we continue to prepare for PNG this thought makes me think on my need to rest completely on what the Lord allows me to accomplish in a day, week, month, year, life.  I may have lofty goals and noble goals that are worth pursuing but a heart set to only pursue goals causes anger when I do not achieve them - resulting in sin.  Here is a great text for thought and I need to think on it more often:

James 4:13-16
"13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil."

How have you been viewing your daily goals?  I would encourage you to think on James 4:13-16 throughout this week in light of daily goals, and please pray for me that I would do the same.

PNG Trip Photos

Below is a slideshow of images from the trip - Enjoy!



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Exploratory Trip 2013

It has been 1 week and 3 days since I landed back in the USA from the trip to PNG.  The trip was beneficial, exciting, new, and in some ways long (especially away from Lorie and the kids).  The team was on a total of 11 flights with continual transitions in weather, scenery, and culture.  I continually saw God's provision in making this trip productive.  The picture above is a photo of Dinanget from the small Cessna that we took to fly into the tribe.

I was able to shoot a good amount of photos as well as video of PNG and some of them have been uploaded to Flikr.  If you are interested in looking at them you can follow this link:  Papua New Guinea 2013.

The picture that is posted above is an areal shot from the Cessna right before we landed.  This flight into Dinanget was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  With the low floating clouds in the Finisterre Mountains of PNG I felt as though I was drifting right through them - you could almost touch them.

Even after being back for 10 days I am still trying to get back into a normal routine (like posting on time!).  I will be getting more information posted as I am able to process more of the trip!

Thank you to all that have been praying!

Hello from Papua New Guinea!

What an adventure!  After 6 flights, 5 cities, and various types of planes we made it to Dinanget.  

The first few days of travel have been exciting, tiresome, and at some points - weird.  The flight from the USA to Australia had amazing inflight entertainment, dinner and breakfast, and snacks.  My mind was unable to shut off in anticipation, so I slept for only 1.5 hours.  With the time change we lost 1 day in flight and arrived in Australia early in the morning. 

We flew from Sydney to Brisbane and had a night at a hotel so we could catch a flight to PNG early the next day.  Brisbane is an amazing city!  The skyline is beautiful and the majority of the city has a massive river that moves through it.  There is a public transportation system that uses massive catamarans to fake people to different points in the city.

After leaving Australia we arrived in Port Moresby and everything slowed down.  We had only 1 hour from our landing to get to a connecting flight for Goroka.  After waiting in line for our temp visas, then waiting to pass through customs we had already missed our flight.  We had to catch a shuttle to a hotel for the evening.

The next morning we went back to the airport for our flight to Goroka.  The plane was a twin engine turbo prop (loud and fast).  We arrived in Goroka and walked out if the plan onto the Tarmac.  The baggage claim was a metal table by the chain link fenced exit.  We were picked up by New Tribes staff and taken to Lapilo for the evening - we had an early flight the following day.

The team was up at 4:30 am in preparation for the Cessna flight into the tribe.  We took two flights into Dinanget due to the weight of passengers and cargo.  The flight was incredible - I felt As though I could touch the clouds.  The landing was bumpy but the bush pilot proved his skill landing in these remote runways.

We enjoyed hearing the testimony of a tribal man named Falex.  He explained how God had changed his heart at the hearing of the gospel.  Seeing his sin in light of Gods word and desiring to serve as a result.  He pleaded that we would continue in our training so that Gods word could continue to come to other tribes in PNG.

There is yet another week to go and the former week was so packed.  I am excited to see what The Lord has prepared for us.

Papua New Guinea - 4 days before departure

I had mentioned a few posts back that I was going to be heading to PNG for a preparation trip.  Well...time goes quickly because I depart on Sunday afternoon!  There is a small team that is going:  Joey and Brooke Tartaglia, Mike and Pam Feather, Jim Vonderhaar, and me.  this is a 2 week trip - just long enough to to establish contacts and make preparations for our pursued departure in 2014.

This will be the first time that I will step foot in Papua New Guinea, and needless to say... I am looking forward to the experience.  I can't help but think on the food that will be there, the people that I will meet, having to speak Tok Pisin and deal with not being able to communicate as I would like.  Being able to grasp things that are starkly different than what I experience daily in The States will be priceless.

The itinerary includes 3 cities, and 1 visit to a remote tribe.  I plan to collect some of the following information:  Establish contacts (organizations and people), look for housing, create a true cost of living, meet with doctors on Belle's asthma, taste the food, experience the heat, check availability of furniture, survey the layout of the towns, take TONS of photos, capture video, see if there is a local representation of the church in Madang.

Below is a quick snapshot of our financial support:
If you have a desire to start supporting us as the gospel goes to Papua New Guinea please visit our Get Involved page.  As 2014 approaches we need monthly supporters that would consider continued financial commitment to keeping us in the field with their contributions.  Please contact me if you are interested in supporting us this way - we will bring the Lehman tribe (Greer, Belle, and Knox) over for dinner!

Learning Melanesian Pidgin - Tok Pisin

This is a picture of my side of the family and boy oh boy is there a lot of grandkids!

We started a new training module called orientation.  In this module we are focusing on the living in the town of Madang before moving to a tribe.  Last week we focused on the trade language of Papua New Guinea:  Tok Pisin (Pidgin).  There are many words in Tok Pisin that sound similar, and many that are there own in sound and spelling.  Below are some simple phrases and words that you can try!

English word/phrase  -  Pidgin equivalent

Good morning  -  Monin

Good afternoon - Apinun

Good night - Gutnait

Father - Papa

Mother - Mama

Brother - Brata

Sister - Susa

Man - Man

Woman - Meri

Children - Pikinini

Yes - Yes

No - Nogat

Friend - Wantok

Money - Mani

Coconut - Kokonas

I do not know - Mi no save

Where are we going? - Yumi go we?

I walked to the store - Mi wokabaut i go long stua

Our strategy in learning Tok Pisin is to learn as much stateside as we can before we leave in 2014.  From phrases to individual words the more that we know before we go the faster CLA will be.  

Continue to pray for us, that we would be diligent.  There is much to do in preparation to leave, and there can always be the feeling of falling behind.

picture by:  Janelle Zeller Photography

Know the culture - Final thoughts on CLA

Follow me on a mental pilgrimage...

Jim was a bright average guy who enjoyed eating the best grub in town. One day Jim heard that there was an amazing Mexican restaurant he had to visit. Filled with anticipation he planned to visit the restaurant the following day. Upon his arrival he noticed that there were no signs, and your order was placed at a small window outside. Jim walked up to the small window and the clerk asked "What would you like to order?”.

With excitement in his eyes, Jim said I will take a number 5. This was the number recommended by his friend for the best enchiladas in town. Jim sat outside at a table waiting for his meal to be delivered. Ten minutes passed and the waiter arrived, but he had a turkey club on his tray with a bag of chips. "What?" Jim said loudly. Again Jim spoke to the waiter "This is not what I ordered; I ordered a number 5, chicken enchiladas". The waiter noticing that Jim was upset quietly said... "Sir, you do know that this is a deli shop right...? Jim had gone to the wrong restaurant.

This illustration is a simple way to communicate that even a phrase that two people speak can have different meanings. Ordering a number 5 at the deli shop is a completely different order at a Mexican restaurant. In the same way not knowing the culture of a new land and communicating before you are ready can have disastrous results. You must know the culture as well as the language so you are able to see "through their eyes" not yours. Only then will you be effective in accurately communicating your message.

In America evangelism tends to be a race of points on communicating the gospel. We work through it as quickly as possible because in most cases we may never see the individual again. I am learning that I will have to pace myself in Papua New Guinea. Effective communication of the gospel to others will look like diligent cultural understanding.  The message cannot be lost in translation, or worse, misunderstood and added to their religion rather than being in opposition to it.

Preparation Trip to PNG

There is a small team that is planning a trip to PNG the first two weeks in August 2013.  Not a long trip but enough to to establish contacts and make preparations for our pursued departure in 2014.  This is a crucial step in our family's part of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the tribal people in PNG.

This will be the first time that I will step foot in Papua New Guinea, and needless to say... I am looking forward to the experience.  I can't help but think on the food that will be there, the people that I will meet, having to speak Tok Pisin and deal with not being able to communicate as I would like.  Being able to grasp on the things that are starkly different than what I experience daily in The States will be priceless.

The itinerary includes 3 cities, and 1 visit to a remote tribe.  I plan to collect some of the following information:  Establish contacts (organizations and people), look for housing, create a true cost of living, meet with doctors on Belle's asthma, taste the food, drink the water, experience the heat, check availability of furniture, survey the layout of the towns, take TONS of photos, capture video, see if there is a local representation of the church.

I would covet your prayers as the date of departure approaches.  There is a long list of things that I am desiring to do when there, and I will need diligence to accomplish it.

image by: Nic McPhee

Home Schooling

It's inevitable; the kids are going to be home-schooled.

Since this is a new world for Lorie and I, we are on the road to get prepared.  We will be attending the AFHE home-schooling conference being held June 14th - 15th.  This conference will be a helpful tool in purchasing a curriculum, generating contacts, and knowing where to start.

Greer is going to be our Papua New (Guinea pig).  He has already been doing school prep with simple workbooks that can be purchased from local stores.  He is also reading simple books and learning many sight words - we are excited to see how fast he learns new things.

We are again seeing our continued dependence on Jesus Christ.  Who would have thought that we would be doing home-schooling with our kids, and who would have thought that home-schooling would play a role in the gospel going to remote tribes in PNG?

Please comment on this if you have helpful resources on home-schooling!

Many Transitions Ahead

We recently moved out of the place we called home for the last 3.5 years.  A couple at Grace Bible Church asked us if we would like to move in with them.  After considering this option and meeting with them before taking the plunge, we decided to accept.  We started moving two weeks ago this Friday, and finished this last Monday (4-29-13).

We had so much support from the body at GBC that it was a little overwhelming trying to find things for people to do.  The majority of our things went into storage, with immediate living items going to the new place.  We are now learning to use what belongs to someone else and the Holy Spirit is using this to produce humility.

This is one transition in the midst of many that are ahead.  It has been interesting to see how our family has responded to this change in the following ways:  Sickness, doubt, encouragement, change in former schedules, and others.  It has taught me one overarching thing - I have no control over what will happen in the future, but I must still be diligent to prepare for it.

Be sure to follow the rest of Team PNG's websites here:  The Dodd's, and The Cann's

Partnership Development

I have heard it said that the brain can only think about one thing at a time.... but we are in the middle of three training modules currently:  Culture language acquisition, homeschooling, and partnership development!  We are also in the middle of moving out of our home and moving in with a couple that has opened their home to us.  Needless to say life is currently busy, and praise Jesus Christ that he has given us endurance in the midst of it.

Partnership development is a fancy way of saying "raising support".  For some it is a daunting task to ask, others take a off hands approach.  I find myself somewhere in the middle.  If I am diligent in the care of my home, time in God's word, and working for my employer - then raising support should be no different.

This post is intentionally directed to make you think about supporting us (The Lehman's) in taking the gospel to the unreached tribes of Papua New Guinea.  We are currently at 2% of our monthly support need.  We are intentionally seeking supporters that can financially partner with us on a continuing monthly basis.  Could you give $20, $50, $100, $200 monthly to this ministry?

Pray about your financial involvement with this ministry, and think on what you could give.  Please visit our Get Involved page for information on how to do this.  You can start monthly support now, all monthly funds received before we leave go straight to sending costs!  If you are currently supporting us - Thank you for your sacrifice and participation in the gospel going to PNG.

Being a sent one

There was a land far away...

A good ruler lived in a small town with remote villages around it.  Some of the villages were so small that the only way of communication was by a rough road, up the side of a mountain.  For many years the town and its surrounding villages were at peace, but a new ruler from another town was about to change that. 

This foreign ruler was in route to the peaceful town with threats of destroying all that he found in his way.  The good ruler, aware of the impending doom of his people as well as the surrounding villages; sent messengers to warn them.  The villagers would not have known of the approaching enemy, if the ruler in the town had not sent messengers beforehand.

In a similar way Jesus Christ has commissioned sent ones out to the remote places of the world to warn of an enemy, and an impending destruction.  This enemy however is not coming, but has come, and resides inside in the heart of every person that lives - this enemy is your sin.  But the good news; is reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ for all that believe!

Bride Price

We have been leaning about bride price and how it plays into the economics of the PNG system.  Here is a great resource on understanding how this works - fascinating information.  Makes me thankful that I already have a bride!  Wiki Bride Price

Missions Sunday

Last Sunday at GBC was geared for missions. All three families that are preparing for Papua New Guinea were able to speak: The Cann's, Dodd's, and us (the Lehman's). I would encourage you to take the time and hear from each family what their roles will be, and more specifically what are their current needs.

Please follow the link to watch: Grace Bible Church (Missions Sunday)

Financial Support Update

There are three areas that we currently need support in: PNG June trip, Initial sending costs, and monthly support. Below are some quick stats on where we currently stand - the percentage is what we have currently raised. Praise God that people have had a desire to support us in the gospel going to PNG.

If you have a desire to get involved financially please visit our page on donating and let us know how you would like to participate:  Get Involved