Tag: discipleship

Desecrate the Sacred Pictures

Desecrate the Sacred Pictures

Spirit pictures painted on sheets of bark “Take them,” Watofo said in January of 2006, his voice wheezing with the effort to speak. “Get them out of the house.” Fato’s brow furrowed. The Hewa shaman, Watofo, had gone in and out of consciousness with the fevers, but now he was making no sense. Fato, Waina […]
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No Longer Afraid

No Longer Afraid

  I hiked to Emo’s hut on the banks of the Yif River on June 13, and when I arrived, Emo was very happy to show me his brand new house and the garden his family planted in the river valley. “Why did you leave your brother’s house on the ridge top to move here,” […]
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They lost everything

They lost everything

The malarial fever seized the old and mentally failing woman Sunday afternoon, May 15, sending shock waves of a freezing sensation over her frail body. Every joint ached. Her eye sockets felt as if they were going to burst. Her teeth were chattering uncontrollably and her only thought was to warm herself to stop the […]
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Ancestors in my house

Ancestors in my house

Kolumbi’s Mirror (From April of 2008) “Mother, mother,” the old woman said over and over, motioning with her hand into the mirror that was hanging on the wall of our little house. “Mother, I can see you,” the voice of the matriarch trailed off as she gazed at herself with a nearly toothless smile, not […]
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From the Moon

From the Moon

From the moon, the tribal village on the Central Range of mainland Papua New Guinea was a picture of serenity, silvery blankets of cotton candy clouds slowly swirling to embrace the mountain peaks. A perfect picture of glowing peace and calm. From the clouds, the upraised fingertips of the jungle canopy were visible, the fog […]
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Alimpu’s Baptism (From November of 2008)

Alimpu’s Baptism (From November of 2008)

  Sitting in the darkness of the smoke filled tribal hut, I shifted positions, trying to get more comfortable on the woven bamboo floor. The only light in the jungle hut was from the smoldering fire in the center of the floor, but even that was suppressed by a thick blanket of smoke trying to […]
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