I'm Legit (kinda)

Well.. I'm back, and I'm in. Basically I went through a week of orientation, psych eval., interviews, and horror stories of all that can go wrong on the mission field. One quick example, Individuals get sick or have break downs when their stress levels get to 200 (i don't know what scale), missionaries maintain stress levels around 600.
A few more details, They offered me an appointment as a full time missionary, under the conditions that I:
* read Bonding,
* get 6-10 hrs of counseling,
* come up with a detailed plan of what I would do in Papua New Guinea,
* attend one more week of pre-field training,
* upon arrival in PNG go through a language/culture orientation,
* and raise my own support.

Overall the week was great and difficult, God really pointed out some things in my life I need to deal with, not to mention my personal relationship with Christ is lacking.
This agency (Pioneers) really does believe in grace, I kinda could not believe it, (i often don't expect it) but they are truly ok with imperfect and broken people who are being sanctified, i can't get enough of that.
I imagine that my goal is to be on a one way flight to PNG in about 18 months-ish.
I covet your prayers and blessings as I move forward.

Stephan

checking out Pioneers

thought y'all would wanna know, I'm at orientation this week with PIONEERS.
This does not mean that i have been accepted, but I have gotten through some of the application process: I've submitted the formal application, MMPI-2, myers briggs, and a bunch of other stuff. I think this week should entail (not only orientation) interviews, meetings with psych's concerning the testings, etc. they sent me a book by the founder ted fletcher, when God comes calling, which i am currently reading. pioneers mission statement - Pioneers seeks to mobilize teams to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches.
I would appreciate your prayers concerning God's leading in this area. I chose pioneers because i think i would be able to have a good long term relationship with them, they seem eager to mobilize where God is calling, and a good fit for me.

My time in PNG

I would have liked to crank out some thoughts as soon as I returned from PNG, but I was still a bit dazed from everything I experienced. I suppose I should mention that I might have over romanticized what my time in PNG would be like, specifically focusing on the adventure, the work, the people, etc… while one of the most affronting aspects to me while I was there was the poverty in the city of Wewak, and extreme “living” conditions of people in general. Not just that, but the complete difference (I cannot iterate this enough) of their world verses mine, and maybe this is so extreme to me because of my worldview or personal values, regardless it was different = hard.
As you probably know I spent days traveling to PNG, my final destination being the village of the Alamblak people, however, we did hold up in Wewak, to rest (coming and going), gather supplies (we pack in all our own food), etc. We were supposed to initially be in Wewak only 2 days before heading to the Village, but then Mr. Dr. Bruce got sick so we stayed a little longer. I did however, head down to the airport to see if the plane would still take me, they said no, it wouldn’t be worth it just to fly me out there, so we waited another 4-5 days, during which I got sick
Finally we headed out to the village, upon arriving the people greeted us, and the kids swarmed the plane (after the propeller stopped rotating). My first few hours involved walking around with a fairly large group of children, running back to my hut to grab the mosquito spray, more walking, and even a bit of swimming. I asked the kids to show me different trees and plants that I had read about, and they were just generally curious about me I suppose.
My week involved meeting lots and lots of people, going to different villages, to meet more people, sometimes having the opportunity to give stuff away, and participating in their life (to some extent). As I was not even close to proficient with the language I did a lot of watching (conversation watching) and smiling, and when that got boring, I watched other things, and when I ran out of things to watch I simply zoned off, which was actually quite nice. It seems to me, that when school is in sessions, and work is… doing whatever work does, and all the other things are going on – it’s difficult to truly have your thoughts to yourself, to think about what you want, anyway…
I ate all my meals with the Bruces, and I usually took this time to ask my newest 300 questions about what I had observed or considered about these people since our last meeting – this was truly the most valuable for me. Asking questions, making observations, working out problems/difficulties in missions and evangelism, practically speaking, is what I am most excited about. This missiology is what truly quickens my heart and caused my initial interest. To be clear, I love people more, but as a part of the Imago Dei, I believe that God has also given me certain desires, as He nuances His creation, toward this aspect of the Misseo Dei. I might also add, that while the Bruces are brilliant, they are also wonderfully humble Christians, I cannot tell you how much I learn from them by simply doing life with them, I have truly never met anyone like them.
By day 3 in the village I was already counting down the days before I left. I couldn’t sleep, the rats opened up and ate everything, and what the rats didn’t finish the ants and cockroaches did. I was experiencing some sort of culture shock, there was a part of me that did not want to leave my hut, my feet got infected and were only getting worse, and it was hot as hell, and all these things seemed constant… but things were getting better – or I should say I was getting a little more used to my environment, thus accepting my lot, so on day 5 or so I went for a run, which brought on some pretty amused/confused looks. Once when I passed by some children who were looking at me as if I just squeezed up through the ground as if it were a birthing canal, I patted my bare belly and said, “too fat!” they continued staring agape. When I got back from my run, I was feeling better than I had felt all week, and it dawned on me that I had been a little down, or at least not myself. I imagine that had I spent a few more weeks in the village my experience would have been different, as I would have had more opportunity to adjust, oh well, next time I’ll definitely have time for that.
In conclusion: I still want to go work with the Alamblak people, working with them in helping them understand how the Scripture and the Holy Spirit are working in their lives, to work through day to day issues, and to see them develop as a community in sustainable ways. At one point I thought, this is too horrible, but then I realized that it was only my comfort at stake, and that God’s highest calling for me is not to be comfortable, but to love the Triune God above all else with everything that I am, and to love my neighbor.
HERE are some pics i posted on FB, which are open for public viewing.
or highlight and past this http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=179237&id=692347413&l=1dbfadc0fa

I set up this gps thing

And you can track my treck via http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0Fn40atStKJ9Nd4SSkhxXdyvttNGdK8aW
I ping'd it once while over the ocean, I'll try to do it more once I'm
in PNG, which I assume will be the only contact I have after I'm in.
Stephan

Much (of you) to be thankful for and I'm only in LAx

I've maybe never felt more loved in my life (which ilike) than in the weeks leading up to this trip. People have txt'd, IM'd, facebooked, tweeted, stopped by my house, stopped me in church, at school, and even in the airport to pray for me and let me know that they will be continuing to prAy... And right before I got on the plane, one
more person called to pray for me, I am blessed by you.
It's been a stressful week, and I've probably been pretty wierd and distracted, so sorry if you had to experience that, but I'm on my way now and it's starting to sink in, of course it doesn't hurt that half the dudes around this terminal are walking around
dressed like Indiana jones.
I should be at my final destination in a few days, after about 5-6 more stops.
Btw I got this SPOT gps tracking device, I'm not sure how it works, but if I do figure it out you should be able trace my steps trough PNG via google maps.

Stephan

It feels closer

I know that a week and a half ago or so when my flight from DFW to Cairns was finalized that felt close, but i just got off the phone with a lady IN australia, and that made my trip to PNG feel so close I actually had butterflies in my stomach, like i was 10 and my parents just told me that when i went to bad last night they actually put me in the car and drove all night to disney land and here we are(that never happened, but you can imagine).
Did I mention I've been trying to get to PNG for quite some time now, the anticipation is building - like a great date might. I'm pretty sure, that I have all my flights booked (dfw-lax-brisbane-cairns-port moresby-wewak, and then back ultimately, but before I go back I do have some other small puddle jumpers to catch and conoes to oar (or at least the guy i'll hire will oar).
I mentioned the other night that I'm very excited about the adventure aspect of this ( wanna be david livingstone) as well as meeting people and developing relationships.

hopefully i'll post a few more times a few more less boring details before i'm off, btw I'm reading "the mission of God:...." by christopher wright, and am loving it, its about life and the whole of scripture being about mission, for all people in all places.
Stephan

When and Where and Why

I haven't really taken the opportunity to give you much of the specifics, so...

I leave from DFW on May 1, I will wind up in Northern Australia a couple of days later, and then I'll keep flying to Papua New Guinea, ending up at Wewak, this should be my final destination by flight, the rest will be by canoe or something... I'm not really sure.
While I'm there I will be (in the words of Lawrence of Arabia I will be "appreciating the situation" or gathering intel for future ministry among the Alamblak concerning discipleship and community development.

I should start heading back (to the states) around May 22, unless of course I take a tile job in New Zealand http://twitter.com/stephanPsardone/status/11902276563 which might last a couple of weeks.

Actually, a lot of the trip will be discovered as it unfolds... so i'll let you know how it went when i get back.
Stephan

Diet Routine for May

I'm excited about the diet I will probably be on in May, most diets take a lot of discipline, i have a feeling this one will be working with for me:
1. Run, from the Natives
2. Canoe, everywhere
3. Hike, everywhere else
4. Eat, local delicacies
5. Puke
6. Repeat
:)

I'm GOIN!!!! (as long as i don't get hospitalized again:)

OK, it's been a crazy 11-ish months, but here is the run down
* I was suppossed to go to PNG, but went to the hospital instead, cause I was laying on the sofa for 2 weeks urinating orange gatorade looking stuff, and then my whole body got a rash, and... well thats enough,
* Doc lady said I had HIV, Cancer, and everything else under the sun (it was just like an episode of house, except no one was as clever or limpy) - as it turns out I had epstein bar virus - which is like a case of mono that lies dormant in the body
* I'm healthy, it only cost me $500 to get my ticket to the tip of Australia re-issued, and now I am currently booking my tickets to PNG, and then the various places within the jungle/island.
* I am now officially starting my campaign fund to raise support for my trip
* There is a pay pal account <---- over there you can click on. or you can call me and ask how you can help 972.786.5849
* Things to pray for: that i get all my flights and overnight stays booked (it's kinda nuts - there is a place called Tree Tops, that I'm staying in...), that the trip is safe and disease (malaria) free, and that i get to know some of the people in the tribe, while attempting to understand how I can better serve in the future among the Alamblak Tribe.

Thank you very much,

Stephan

Holistic Mission

I think Holistic Mission is something we don't talk about - ever - and we should - always. Here is a thought by Rene Padilla

I believe that with regard to the great tensions between the vertical interpretation of the Gospel as essentially concerned with God's saving action in the life of individuals, and the horizontal interpretation of it as mainly concerned with human relationships in the world, we must get out of that rather primitive oscillating movement of going from one extreme to the other, which is not worthy of a movement which by its nature seeks to embrace the truth of the Gospel in its fullness. A Christianity which has lost its vertical dimension has lost its salt and is not only insipid in itself, but useless for the world. But a Christianity which would use the vertical preoccupation as a means to escape from its responsibility for and in the common life of man is a denial of the incarnation, of God's love for the world manifested in Christ.

Blessings

a couple of quickie updates:
1. i am so blessed by the generosity of people. -
2. i have had fellow seminary students come up and give me checks and notes with encouraging words and promises of prayer for me while on my trip - this reminds me of what a crap i am(meaning i'm humbled) - i truly love God's people
3. I have also been handed encouragement and checks from a few people at church who briefly heard of my trip - one wanted to emphasize that i need not feel like i need to stay in PNG, very kind people indeed.
4. finally, i just bought my ticket to PNG for $990.00, i was originally hoping to purchase it for $2K, then last week a mission travel agency told me it would be $3K - that was discouraging, but this is encouraging. now all i need is shots and tickets on air new guinea from aus to png :)

thank you for your prayers,
stephan

vote

i just added this sidebar thing called skribit
<----------

as an attempt to better communicate with you my reader.
the point is for you to tell me if this post was helpful (to you understanding the purpose of this blog and trip) and what other sort of information you might find missing :)

thanks,
stephan

Effective Engagement in Short-term Missions: Doing it Right!

I purchased 3 of these books, one for me, one for the mission board at CBC, and one for my alma mater - TTU.
It was put out by the Evangelical Missiological Society in 2008. Basically it occurred to someone that since 1.6 million people from the North America go on short term mission trips every year, we should determine whether or not they're worth while, and if we are doing them right. 1.6 million - that number kinda blew my mind, when i heard that i thought, maybe we should all stay home one year and end something big like HIV, hunger, ADD - anyway... i'll keep you posted on what i'm learning from the book, and how i intend to make the most of my trip.

Thanks for reading (both of you)

Stephan

Health Pre-requisites

I thought I'd tell you about some of the health stuff involved in going to PNG

(oral) Typhoid (booster every 5 years) This is an 8-day regimen of
pills
Hepatitis A Havrix--single injection, then a booster anytime between 6-12
months
Hepatitis B Engerix-- Primary series: 3 injections--one now, another in
one month, and another in 6-12 months (at least get the first two before
you go) Tetanus/Diptheria (booster every 10 years)
Polio (booster once after primary series)
Japanese Encephalitis --3 injections at 0, 7, & 30 days
Doxycycline 100 mg one daily for prophylaxis
The Ukarumpa handbook on how to treat malaria, which will be very helpful.

$ Update

I've raise $650 so far, only $3350 more to go!

Unexpected Gift

I was sitting in class today waiting for Old Testament History to start, when a girl whom I had seen before, but did not know, walked up and handed me an envelope and said blessings on your trip to PNG. I said thank you, and waited till she walked away to open it. Inside was a check and a note, saying, "blessings brother, as you go out in joy and may you be lead in peace."
I am humbled by her generosity. thank you Amy.

Community Development

I just signed up to audit a community development class this summer, it was recommended to me by the Dr Bruces.
I though I'd list some of the objectives, this course should enhance my experience and work in PNG
btw, the course is taught by Rhonda M. McEwen, Ph.D.
(click her name its a link to her linkedin status pg)
she works in Chatt town, fun:)

Cognitive Objectives
1. Articulated biblical foundations for development, incorporated key ideas from the readings with
personal insights, and synthesized these in their own understanding of development from a
Christian perspective.
2. Examined essential skills of a Christian development practitioner and some key tools for practice.
3. Identified principles for effective Christian community development drawn from case studies, core
text and articles, and supplementary readings.

presenting in revelations

Today Mike Messerli let me speak for a few minutes in class explaining what I'm going to PNG, I had a quote I wanted to give before I left, but I forgot. "Our job is to sit at Jesus feet, and go tell others what we saw." - Elizabeth Inrig
Dr. Inrig spoke in chapel today, and that was her parting comment, I thought it was appropriate.

Alamblak New Testament and Wiki

I thought I might show you some of the work that has already been done among the Alamblak people. here are two pics of a NT that the Bruces translated for them like 20 or so years ago.




i thought the sparseness of this wiki entry was humorous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamblak_language

Who I'm Goin' With

I thought I might introduce you to the two folks I get to go to PNG with.
They are currently my prof.'s in my Intercultural Communications class.
There area of expertise is linguistics and anthropology especially as it applies to missions, as i said in earlier posts, I will be doing lots of observing from these two and others.



Kathy Bruce has served with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1967. Her roles with Wycliffe have included Bible translation in Papua New Guinea (1971-84), International Training Consultant, and Instructor in Pre-Field and In-Service Training Courses. Since 1999, Dr. Bruce has also served as Associate Professor of Bible Translation with the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) in Dallas. Previous teaching roles include Associate Professor of Missions and Anthropology at Christian Heritage College in San Diego. Dr. Bruce has as Master of Arts in Social Science from Azusa Pacific University and a Doctor of Missiology from Biola University. She and her husband, Les, live in Duncanville, Texas, and have three sons.

Doctorate of Missiology, 1992. Biola University; M.A. in Social Science, Human Resource Leadership, 1986. Azusa University; B.A. in Biblical Education, 1966. Columbia Bible College, Summer Institutes of Linguistics, University of Oklahoma, 1966-67. Various courses, no degree, 1965. Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Canberra (Australia) Teacher Training College; Jerusalem (Israel) University College

and the second person is...


Since 2000, Les Bruce has served as Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) in Dallas. Dr. Bruce began his career as a field linguist and Bible translator with the Alamblak people of Papua New Guinea. He has extensive experience as a linguistics professor, including Associate Professor at Biola University (1985-1988), and visiting and adjunct teaching positions at institutions of higher education in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the South Pacific. Dr. Bruce has as Master of Arts in Biblical Education from Columbia Bible College–School of World Missions and a Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics from The Australian National University. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Duncanville, Texas, and have three sons.

B.A., John Brown University, 1967; M.A., Columbia Bible College, 1968; Ph.D., The Australian National University, 1979