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Showing posts from August, 2014

Stories From Papua New Guinea: Smack That Fly!

Smack That Fly! (shared with permission from the PNG Experience: Volume 2. For more stories see: http://thepngexperience.wordpress.com/) The fly was larger than her hand, but it didn't faze the nurse. She slapped the illustrated poster once more and then turned to her audience. "Flies carry disease, polluted water carries disease, and uncontrolled rubbish and feces carry disease. That is why your children get diarrhea." She paused, looking hard at each of the students. "This is why your children die." Twenty national teachers from eight different languages were seated in the shade, listening intently to the health lecture and furiously scribbling notes. They had gathered for an intense, month long training held by SIL and national staff, to better equip rural teachers in using the local language in education through topics like principles and practices of literacy, fluency, story writing, book production, and curriculum and material creation as well as pe

UNPACKING

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Happy to be at the Isle of Palms beach, NC Unpacking has been the theme for the last few weeks both literally and figuratively. I've been figuratively unpacking things in my spiritual life, emotional life and interpersonal/work life. God has really been revealing some good things to me.... and, some things that need to be left behind. It's sort of like that moment when you are packing and realize not everything is going to fit in the bag you need to take with you. You stop and look blankly at your suitcase trying to decide what can stay and what absolutely must go with you. God really helped me weed through things in that way the last few weeks. He helped me set aside things that just take up space and helped me pack the tools that I will need most in Papua New Guinea. Over the last few weeks I've picked up critical tools for spiritual growth and vitality and ways to stay spiritually healthy wherever I go. I found language and culture acquisition skills that fit perfe