An Underwater Adventure

Language & culture study can be a drag sometimes.  The daily routine isn’t always exciting and new like it was in the early days when we first began.  Its a lot of hard work and takes lots of prayer, dependance on the Lord and personal discipline.

On the flip side, the culture aspect of study can be really fun at times.  On this particular afternoon, I was tired of being in my office and needed to get out for a while.  A friend was headed out to the reef for some spearfishing and I decided to tag along.  I’d been out spearing fish once before with another friend, but it was a bust because of murky water and a malfunctioning camera (needed for culture notes).  This would be my second attempt out to participate in this routine culture event that takes place in the lives of all the young men in our village.

I grabbed my camera and snorkel, hopped in my canoe and made my way out to the reef. Here some pics from our underwater adventure! Enjoy!

I know what you’re thinking, and yes… he is crushing the fish’s skull with his teeth to kill it.

Here is a couple shots of him reloading the spear onto his speargun.  First he places the spear and gets it locked into place, and then he pulls and hooks the rubber to the end of the spear. Now, he’s ready to roll!

The people’s knowledge of sea life is incredible.  They have swam and hunted in these reefs their entire lives, and can tell you about every fish out there.  Thankfully, they are even able to caution you about which ones can hurt you when out hunting! 🙂

Time to call it a day!

Please continue to pray for us as we press on in learning the Tigak language & culture for the sake of seeing people come to know Christ and lives transformed as they grow in Him!