Bring on the Rain!!

As I write this new entry, I'm sitting on our porch while it downpours! :) But, at the same time I can see clear skies in the distance, cloud's highlighted in red, dark blue and orange. I can hear my kids playing with the puppies, and smell the fresh newness that only rain brings.
The rain reminds me of the Holy Spirit: strong, driving, and yet renewing and revitalizing. I'm thankful Jesus left us this Counselor. I'm thankful He left us His Word and that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, so we are never without Jesus' thoughts, or His heart. There's just something about rain that makes me think more and relax in His goodness. Praise the Lord for the rain!

A day in Katherine, and Deibid en Galaiyath

Today was a busy day. This morning we drove the 80 km to Katherine to do our shopping and errands while Alice was at school. This afternoon we had a great visit from a friend of ours from another mission.
This evening was BUSY as well. We weren't expecting it, but a "big mob biginini" came to our house this evening! Kids were running everywhere! So, I was able to talk with a couple of them (just short things..."What are you doing?" "You like the puppies?") and then I saw a Kriol story book we have at the house of David and Goliath! So, I sat at the kitchen table and read that story to a little kid! :) They listened and understood! AND WE EVEN TALKED A little bit! Praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers for us!!

Goodnight! -Jared

Visiting!

Cheri and I were given the opportunity to visit an indigenous Christian lady in the hospital today to encourage her and we learned Kriol at the same time! J We were able to sit down with this lady in her hospital room and read through some of Luke as well as Psalm 127. When we were talking about it, we found out that this lady was one of two ladies who translated the Psalms into Kriol! We knew she had been involved with the translation, but we weren’t sure how involved! Cool deal! She was very patient with us as we read through the Kriol Baibul with her, and helpful as well.

It was a blessing to be able to sit down with her, as well as to pray for her. I’m sure we’ll be staying in touch in the future.

Kevin

At the men's retreat, I was able to spend time talking with one indigenous man I'll call Kevin. I told him that I was interested in learning Kriol and asked if he would help me and only speak Kriol to me. Most of the time, he complied! :)
One afternoon I was able to sit down with Kevin under one of the trees (OUT OF THE SUN) and talk with him. We started to read Genesis in the Kriol Baibul(by his choice) and I would ask him about the meanings of certain words. Then he started talking about his life, family, and about the Kriol speakers.
He told me, "When we hear the Bible in English, our heads get it, and we understand. But sometimes there is a word we don't understand, and so we sit and think about that word. We think about that word so much that we don't get the message God is trying to teach us. BUT when we hear the Kriol Baibul, there is no question what God is telling us to do. We don't have to wonder what a word means, because it's clear. It speaks to our hearts."
PRAISE THE LORD!! Please pray with me for Kevin; he seems to be a man who I could possibly come alongside and disciple.

The Men's Retreat!

Last weekend, I (Jared) was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of a men's retreat "out bush" at Beswick Falls. I didn't know what to expect, and I was hoping to get to know some of the Christian aboriginal men in our area. God really blessed me while I was there. The things that stood out most will be what I include here.
First, I didn't know exactly what to expect from the weekend. I have discovered "Aboriginal time" which is very much like "Native American Time" and similar too to "Mexico time". Just in case you're not sure what those are, it means, "It will start eventually. When everyone is here, it will start." If there is a starting time of 5:30, it could get started by about 7 or so. :) As far as the retreat structure went, ... Structure?
Even with less structure, it was a good time to get to know men who had just recently come to the Lord, and to hear their testimonies! I spoke with one man, and he told me how God had rescued him from alcohol and completely changed his life around. Praise God, He is working in the hearts and lives of aboriginal men!! This excites me because I have noticed the women taking leadership roles in the church, simply because men aren't there.
I had brought my Kriol Baibul with me to the camp, because it was a group of indigenous men, all Kriol speakers. However, the devotion times where all in English, with English Scripture readings and teaching from the non-indigenous men. I noticed that when the Scripture was being read, a certain man just zoned out and didn't seem to be listening. That bummed me out a bit.
Then it dawned on me: I brought the Kriol Baibul! Why don't I read it? So, after the English was read, I asked if I could read the Kriol Baibul as well. Praise the Lord, the men suddenly started listening more intently! Why? Because it was their heart language!!!
As the camp went on, I was wondering how things would pan out, and if their would be indigenous leadership. There was definitely indigenous leadership during the praise time, which was great, but the lessons, not so much. On the final day of the retreat, we had the English devotions and the Kriol Scriptures read. The non-indigenous men were working on packing things up into the trailer and such, but I noticed something rather encouraging!
The indigenous men were all sitting together on the ground, and they were praising God, and then praying! It was cool to see them taking the leadership.

On a different note, I was able to go fishing with one of the men and he started teaching me some Kriol things. He also taught me how to "Tjakumbat dijan line langa riba" toss my line into the river! We caught my first Barramundi, and a couple of the young men took it back to the camp and cooked it up over the fire. YUM!

There were so many opportunities and so many things happening, that I didn't even think about picking up my camera! But the experiences will not be forgotten(and next time I'll remember my camera!) :)

"Are you my mother?"

There's a big difference between the Western culture we are used to, and the aboriginal culture we are living in now.
There is a very complex way of relating to people, and it's all in something called a "Kinship system". Within the aboriginal society, everyone knows exactly how they should relate with each other because of the kinship system. There are different "skin names" and according to what my skin name is, that will dictate how I can interact with the people around me. For example, traditionally, a son-in-law is not to talk to his mother-in-law. It's completely taboo. (Sorry, Jean!)
The way it is set up, I also found out I have a 60 year-old nephew! Simply put, everyone has a skin name that will dictate how they will relate to everyone else. In my case, I am "Balang" or "brother" to anyone who is called "balang". Cheri is "Ngarrijan" which is my perfect match for a wife!(there is also a possible second choice, but people try to marry the right skin name.) Depending on their skin name, a child could end up being an older person's grandparent, aunt or uncle (As is my case with "Barry" our neighbor). Our kids skin names are Gamman(for Alice and Bethany both) and Gamarrang (Cameron--that was easy for me to remember!!)
I don't understand all of the intricacies of the kinship system yet, but as we learn more, we'll share more! Very complex and very interesting. :)

What does language learning look like for us?

We are currently in Barunga, NT, Australia. God brought us all the way! PRAISE THE LORD!
Our current work is simply building relationships and learning Kriol, which has been a challenge and a bit different than I expected. As I read the newsletters of friends overseas, they have units and language helpers and times to do "class". We are able to learn Kriol when we go visit someone, or if they drop by for tea. There is no set "class time". Sometimes that gets a little tough.
That's the way life is! Pray for continued opportunities to learn Kriol and to get to know folks. Thanks!