This weekend I was able to get away up into the mountains around Mount Hagen. I had time to rest and reflect on the almost full year that I have been here in Papua New Guinea. Thursday marks that first anniversary.
Waterfalls from a hike with my friend Matt
In my time here I have seen incredible darkness and incredible light. I have seen the victims of domestic violence, the women burned for accusations of sorcery, the boy with debilitating osteomyelitis in his arm and leg who had been abandoned by his parents. I have also seen families with almost nothing sacrifice to take care of another child whose parents couldn’t, seen communities help surround and encourage those who were hurting and broken and seen the tireless work of our staff to help the endless need here.
The last month I have been taking more time to be still and to listen, to be mindful of what I have seen and how it affects me. It has helped me to be more intentional and to see where I still need to grow. This weekend helped me to bring these reflections to God.
Singing for the Christmas Eve service
My retreat was at a place called Rondon Ridge, an area up in the mountains with a lodge and a labyrinth of trails through the surrounding forest. My first day I started walking on these trails for what was supposed to be a short trip, however, a miscued shortcut found me walking deeper into the forest without a clear sense of where the lodge was. I wandered for an hour with an increasing sense of panic as one after another trail failed to lead me back to the lodge or to anything that I recognized. I began to contemplate calling out for help or trying to call the lodge from my phone as clouds came in and the sun started to go down, but I felt God tell me that I would get back to the lodge by 6pm, 20 minutes from then. I started down one trail, only to have it dead end. I tried another trail feeling a sense of helplessness. When there was only 4 minutes left before 6pm, I stumbled across a radio tower with a ladder. Climbing up, I was able to see the lodge, just 100 yards below me, a totally different direction than what I expected. I walked down the hill into the parking lot right as my watch showed 6pm.
Too often I try to do things on my own. I’ve had to learn a certain humility and trust in God in my work at the hospital where I often pray for help. But there are other areas where I fail to trust God and walk in faith.
***
Every morning for almost a month I greeted Naomi (name changed) as she sat on the edge of her bed at the end of Medical Ward. She was probably in her early 70s, although very few people that age here know their true age. Naomi suffers from epilepsy and had been without her medicine for a few months. One day in her haus cuk, a small traditional house made from bamboo and kunai grass, she had had a seizure and fallen into her fire, burning her entire right arm. Burns can be difficult to manage here without all the resources of a burn center, but with daily dressing changes, her wounds were slowly healing, showing in which areas she would eventually need skin grafts. The Thursday before Christmas I asked her if she would like to go home for Christmas and come back after the holiday, as she had already been in the hospital for 3+ weeks without any family with her. But she stated sadly that her family was gone for the holidays, she would have no one to return to. She wanted to stay in the hospital for Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, all the missionaries go to sing Christmas carols on the Wards. Seeing Naomi’s smile and wishing her Merry Christmas filled me with joy. Even though I was sad she could not be with her family, I was glad that she was not alone, that we could be with her. Beyond the medical care we were providing, I knew that God desired to show his special love for her through us.
Caroling with Naomi
This next year I am hoping to live with greater mindfulness in each moment and faith to follow God into loving and caring for the people here in deeper and more meaningful ways, like with Naomi. I know that if He cares enough to help me find my way out of the forest, He has special and incredible plans for those who have suffered so much. I want to be a part of what He is doing in deeper ways. Thank you too for joining me in that work.
