DECISION TIME!

We just met with the Directors.
And the verdict is in.
The decision has been made.
We have made a choice and the directors affirm it.
So we can now head out to the bush.
Well… not now. But in like six weeks….

Oooohh I can't contain it anymore!
We're going to work with the Mum! (rhymes with "room", not the British version of "mom")
So the Mum was the first language group on the table. We went out there in February. We were really struck by the turn out of people from far and wide to come see us and get work done. And despite the fact that the second day's labor was 12 hrs, they were up at 6 am the next morning to put in another 6 hours before the helicopter came. We really enjoyed working with these people,  but what I think really sold it for them was the amount of time that had gone between our two trips.
We went to the Mum in February and the other group in August.
Between those times, when we thought about allocating, it was to the only place we had seen, the Mum. Some people who we had worked with came into the office frequently. We built relationships. Jacob took the head translator and his wife to the hospital so they could check her out for pneumonia, and took him to the chemist to pick up medicine for her.
While the timing undoubtedly made our decision easy, the timing cannot be discounted as a valid reason for the timing is of the Lord. That February trip was at risk for cancellation multiple times, but the Lord put it together and put the second trip well after.
Now, it is … tradition of sorts, that the work spent doing in the first term is not the work spent doing in the rest of the ministry. That is to say, teams habitually spend their first year doing one thing only to decide that's not what they want to do long-term. So it is possible, that the Mum is not where we will be investing the next 10 years of our life. (A friend told me I couldn't finish a bible translation by the time I'm 37 and I don't back down from a challenge!) However, it will be where we invest the next two months of our lives. If those two months go well, the next two years, and if those two years, perhaps the next 10.

Logistics:
So we're headed out mid-October to spend two months in the village and return mid-December. This trip could be great and we decide to spend the rest of our term here or it could go not so well and we decide that the Mum isn't the right fit for us.
We're planning to get a language helper in town to get a little bit of Mum "Hello"

• "How are you?"
• "What is that?"
• "What is he doing?"
• "What are you doing?"
• "Where is the bathroom?"

under our belt before we head out.
Most people know Tok Pisin, of course. But the more Tok Pisin we use the less Tok Ples (Mum) we'll learn.
(It turns out it's difficult to help translate something when you don't know the language you're translating into.)
And then it's just finishing packing and weighing our cargo.

What can you do:
Pray -
For the receptiveness and enduring fervor of the Mum to see this work done.
For our ability to build relationship and language skills.
For our kids to be protected from malaria and other illnesses.
And for us to manage all the aspects of life (marriage, kids, ministry, dishes, diapers) with grace and finesse.

Give -
Helicopter trips are expensive, the initials purchases for putting a household together in the bush are noteworthy. You can give as a special gift or commit to a monthly gift on our giving page. More money means more ministry.

Send -
There are a few things you could send in care packages that would make life a bit more pleasant.

Skittles - We found in village living that having a sweet thing before bed made life better. We didn't always resort to skittles. Sometimes we made sopapillas! Mmm… But on long days, it was lovely to crawl into out mosquito net and pour a pile of skittles (their hard shell keeps them from melting) while chatting about the day and judging each other for our skittles eating habits. (Jacob is a solitare guy, while I like to blend the flavors!) We found two big bags could get us through a month.

Gatorade powder - Not only can water become blasé, but gatorade has a great rehydration formula. Green coconuts are the best but while they do grow on trees, I don't own said trees.

Starbucks Latte Via - Some days need something special and what could be more special than a latte? Jacob loves a mocha and I love Pumpkin Spice, White Mocha, and Peppermint Mocha.

Care Packages can be sent to:

Pioneer Bible Translators
c/o Jacob and Elizabeth Smith
PO Box 997

Madang 511

Papua New Guinea

Thank you so much for your partnership with us and your support during our ministry and these very life altering happenings. 

Thank you