My two months in Papua New Guinea has brought a number of “firsts,” and I’m wondering how many of these you have done. *First time making a bilum (a string bag)
*First time eating a tuna and corn pizza (that was with some fellow missionaries)
*First time watching a baptism in a river
*First time eating raw peanuts (I didn’t realize the peanuts I bought in a store in the US weren’t raw)
*First time cooking peanuts
*First time planting peanuts
*First time needing stitches or glue (one finger healed and one in process by the way)
*First time gluing fingers together with super glue (I was trying to repair my Crocs)
*First time hiking barefoot in the rain (more like because of the rain—I was slipping out of my Crocs)
*First time eating chicken gizzards (already chopped so I was unable to identify whether the heart or liver)
*First time carrying a dish of food on my head for more than a few feet
*First time digging sweet potatoes–this city girl had no idea that’s how potatoes are harvested!
I’ve loved the first few weeks of language learning and developing relationships with ladies in the community. We’ve connected as they teach me to make bilums, eat the banana bread I’m making from the bananas they give me, and just sit and talk. Please be praying for continued good relationships in the community here as I continue to work on learning the national language and culture. Please also pray for my nephew Reagan who is having surgery this week to begin closing his cleft palate.