Walker Update 10/2/08

Dear Friends,

We stepped off the plane in Papua, and it looked like ‘home’, but it didn’t feel like home.  We were in our house a couple times to get some things, but someone else is renting it.  So we stayed with friends.  We only had a visa for 30 days, so we couldn’t stay.  A weird and not so wonderful feeling.

The next day we flew up to Wamena, the town in the mountains near where Heidi and family live.  We had a rich time with family, teaching, and exploring options for future service. 

For three weeks we taught the teachers and students of Netaiken College, the school  that Heidi and Scotty work with.  Over meals we got to hear some of the students’ stories.

Yani was planning to leave his home in the mountains and attend the state university on the coast.   He had four pigs ready to sell that would finance his education.  Then they all died, and his dreams were dashed.  So he went to the top of a hill for three days and prayed with fasting. When he got home he found an envelope full of money that someone had slipped under his door.  (He still doesn’t know who.)   Then his uncle, a pastor, gave him the rest of the money he needed for his first semester at Netaiken.  (This $110 just covers room and board).

Yani  is happy with the English he has learned at Netaiken.  But he said, “I’ve learned  so much more.  I have learned that Jesus carries my sins.  I can’t carry them myself.” 

We had been asked to teach on  Unity for the Netaiken staff retreat.  So for three mornings we taught parts of the Come TOGETHER through Conflict course.  PRAY that they will apply the Scriptures to the way they relate to each other, especially in the inevitable conflicts that come when working together cross-culturally.

Jean listened to Vivian, the wife of one of the leaders, who was struggling with forgiving someone who had hurt her deeply.  In the evening fellowship time she shared how she was now ready to forgive.  I know God was happy to hear that.

After the staff retreat, we took an adventure truck ride around the mountain to the campus where Heidi’s family live.  (At Disneyland in the 60’s that kind of ride cost an ‘E’ ticket. But with the baby barfing in the back seat, we should have gotten a discount.) 

First we taught the 16 Papuan students on handling conflicts.  After we talked about the need to confess our sins to God and each other, Freddy wanted to apply that principle right away.  After class, he asked me to hear his confession and pray with him.  What a privilege to listen to him and affirm God’s forgiveness!

Then 10 American EduVenture students arrived.  To help them form a learning team for the semester, we taught some ‘multicultural teaming’ modules. Papuans and Americans were paired up as roommates and study partners.  We’ve heard good reports that they are growing a lot as they live and learn together.

Before we left Papua, Netaiken and another Christian college asked us to come back and help them in the area of staff development and member care.  One leader said, “We want you to be like pastors to our teachers.”  I would love to help their teachers grow as followers of Jesus and as teachers and disciple-makers of their students.  Jean would like to come alongside staff and students to listen, pray with them and help them find greater freedom in Christ.

These relationships and experiences have touched us deeply, and we would like to go back.  Being able to spend more time with family - love those grandkids J – certainly adds to the tug on our hearts to go back to Papua.

Bouncing around Asia this year without a visa to live in Indonesia, we have been asking ourselves, “What will we do next year?”  We’ll meet with our supervisor on October 13 to consider the options together and seek God’s guidance.   These include:

1) Continue to develop courses to equip national and foreign missionaries throughout Asia.  This is something I find very satisfying and can see some of the impact we are having.  Now that Jean is teaching with me, it’s more fun than ever.

2) Jean has opportunities to expand her role in member care.  She really has a heart for coming alongside individuals. I would like to help her on the training side of this role.

3) One thing that touched our hearts is the crying need to provide quality Christian education for Papua’s young people. Serving with Netaiken has the potential to touch thousands of children’s lives for Christ across Papua. 

Many of the  Netaiken students came out of high school with only a 4th grade education.  That is typical of the education system in Papua. They learn English more easily than the ‘basic’ subjects.

One thing we did to help last month was teach 16 Netaiken teachers about ‘learning styles’.  Then they turned around and taught the new students about their learning styles and how to use them to improve their learning.  A NEW IDEA for them was, “You are your teacher.  So take responsibility for your own learning, and you will learn.” 

I am excited about the vision Netaiken has and would love to help build up their teachers.
Before we left Papua, the Netaiken director took us to a piece of land overlooking mile-high Wamena, the main town in the area.  “This is where we will build our new campus, kindergarten through college,”  he said.  “We plan to start primary schools in the villages with Netaiken alumni as teachers.”  Please PRAY for the funds they need to build this campus,  which they need in order to expand their ministry and keep their accreditation.

4) There is a big need to train Papuans to translate the Bible into their own languages.   They need ongoing training, encouragement, and a support system to be successful.  This Mother Tongue Translator approach could reach dozens of language groups with God’s Word.  Helping in this program is another possibility for us.

“Why are we asking these questions about the future?” you may be wondering.  As you recall, in February we accepted an invitation to serve in Bangladesh while we waited for our visa for Indonesia. As the months rolled by, we began to hear from our leaders that we can’t get visas like we used to. We will need to find a local organization to sponsor us in order to get a visa to live and serve in Indonesia.

The changes and uncertainty about the future have been stressful, not just for us, but for many of our colleagues. Fortunately,  our God is not changing.  And we are just beginning to see how wonderful our Daddy is.  So we praise him that our trials help us to depend on him more than ever.

Pray with us as we carry out these plans:
October -  Philippines -  teaching and meetings
November 1-18 – Bangladesh – coach the new Learning that LASTS teaching team
Nov 19-23: LA -  visiting friends
Nov 24- end of Jan – AZ – preparing training materials and enjoying family.

Then back to Asia as the Lord directs.

Thanks for standing with us as we learn to hang on tight to God’s promises.  This summer marks 35 years with Wycliffe, and we are so thankful for all of you.  Amazingly some of you have stood with us for most of those 35 years. 

Blessings,

Roland (and for Jeannie, too)