{"id":183,"date":"2010-03-21T10:36:05","date_gmt":"2010-03-21T00:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/aaron-luse\/?p=183"},"modified":"2011-02-24T05:02:10","modified_gmt":"2011-02-23T19:02:10","slug":"parrots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/aaron-luse\/2010\/03\/21\/parrots\/","title":{"rendered":"Parrots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Sierra<\/p>\n

Sierra playing “parrot dress-up” with the local flora.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Parrots!\u00a0 You know the colorful, mimicking birds, that everyone who sees it in the pet store asks if it wants a cracker.\u00a0 The intelligent pet, the picture of paradise, the parrot.\u00a0 Well, opinions do differ.\u00a0 For instance, most of the Patpatar would describe them as annoying to the ear, a nuisance to the garden, but a delicacy to the menu, with the perk of beautiful feathers for the head dress.<\/p>\n

Despite that general opinion, there are a few in the village who have kept them as pets.\u00a0 We too have had the privilege of owning and caring for a few through our years here in Papua New Guinea.\u00a0 Though the opinions of parrots differ, it seems that a common factor is our intrigue with the birds ability to mimic sounds that it consistently hears.\u00a0 Through my years here I have never heard one say, \u201cPolly want a cracker.\u201d\u00a0 But I have heard them speak words of Patpatar.\u00a0 Whatever it is around it tends to mimic.<\/p>\n

The reality of this fact, doesn\u2019t just stay with the feathered friends.\u00a0 This truth hit me recently when one of the Patpatar believers brought me 3 pages full of writing from top to bottom.\u00a0 He had been reading the first chapter of the book of John and had decided to write out a lesson from the truths of these verses.\u00a0 In looking over his notes, I was pleasantly surprised to see how thoroughly and accurately he had outlined the passage.\u00a0 I was equally surprised though, to see the main points hand written in bold font<\/strong>, boxes drawn around the verses, and illustrations and applications boxed off with a hand drawn icon.\u00a0 Everything was just like the typed Patpatar Bible lessons that I hand them every week.<\/p>\n

Another thing, we have taught the Patpatar is about prayer and how to pray and I have tried to model it.\u00a0 Now I am hearing Patpatar phrases that I have used come out of the mouths of my fellow believers in the tribe as they pray to their Father.\u00a0 When you hear a pet parrot mimic what you say it is pretty exciting.\u00a0 But it can also be a little scary knowing that the bird will have a tendency to say whatever he hears the most from you.\u00a0 Likewise, I am excited to see these young believers apply truth, but am a bit scared with the thought of being mimicked.<\/p>\n

Now \u00a0days while I am in my office working, hardly an hour goes by without one or more of the Patpatar believers approaching my door, taking off their flip-flops, and entering.\u00a0 They come to ask a question, discuss a passage of Scripture, tell me a story, help with a lesson, or just to sit and watch.\u00a0 Though the visits definitely slow down my progress for my list of things to accomplish, it has created some wonderful times of teaching and discipleship. \u00a0Pray for me as God has allowed me to have this responsibility of leadership and teaching.\u00a0 Pray for me too as I try to properly balance the many different aspects of ministry here.\u00a0 And pray for the \u201cPatpatar parrots,\u201d that as they grow they will actually be mimicking Christ their Savior.<\/p>\n

On another note we also want to keep you updated and have you pray for:<\/p>\n