NicholasNews 2009 Yearbook
December 23, 2009
We have been in the village now for over a month. As we first arrived I had come down with a mild case of Typhoid. I spent most of two weeks resting recovering from the effects. Just was I was getting my strength back, Gertrude came down with an intestinal bug the day before she was to share at church. This and other little things that were happening seemed to come our way to question if we should be here. During times of testing like this, even when the doubts come, the Lord gives us the peace and strength to continue resting in the call He placed on our lives.
The translators also are having their struggles with sickness Matthew has needed some minor surgery and after three trips to town he still has not been able to have the surgery. At present it is scheduled for January. On top of this his father-in-law just went home to be with the Lord. He and his wife had much to Pray that it will happen and he will have a speedy recovery. Another translator is Seli who has been suffering with TB. It seems that the other translators are discouraged. I do rejoice that we have started reviewing the translation of Galatians in preparation for village checking. Pray that we will have it reading for checking by the new year and that the translators will be able to do the village check during the month of January.
These things did slow us down with our language learning, but we are beginning to make slow progress at last. The big part of learning the language is the development of relationships. Gertrude and I make a point to go out daily to visit with neighbors and the practice what we have learned and ask questions to learn something more.
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November 29, 2009
As we been back to Lossu there are a number of things that we found needed to be repaired as it would be with any place. Since our house sits above the ground we have a fence around the bottom to keep the pigs out. Our neighbor was giving me a hand with the repairs and two-year-old son, Rhema, came to help. How he wanted the hammer to put in the nail. As we were done his father let him use it. How carefully he was holding the hammer and hitting the nail, but it did not go in any. He worked at it for a while.
One of the big blessings we have he is a refrigerator. At first while we were here we were using the generator to run it about 8 hours a day. I finally figured out how to run it with propane gas. Now the it is running all day it has been great. In the middle of the a hot day we can go and get a cold glass of water. (I added a few more pictures below.)
An important part of learning the language is spending time with the people. We have been making a point to go out late in the afternoon to take a dip in the ocean. The beach here is beautiful. Then on the way back we will stop and visit with different people along the way to practice some of the things that we have learned and learn something new. We try to take advantage of different opportunities like this to learn Notsi. It is slow process be we are doing it.
November 12, 2009
Back to Our Village Home
We are so thankful to be back to Lossu Village. In the last three months we did plenty of traveling sleeping in so many different beds. We sleep so much better as we are now in our own bed.
Gertrude and I enjoyed our time at VITAL. It gave her some good ideas as what she needs to do to prepare for the literacy course that she is planning for NITI. It has also given me more training as a mentor for a language project to do an Advisor check of the translation work that has been done. I was most of my time was working on developing the back translation for the Book of Genesis for the Kakabia. I knew nothing of the language which made for slowing going. One of the struggles as I worked with a Kakabia speaker giving me the English translation was that the word order was so different from English and we would have to go back and further to make sure we did get the correct meaning from the translation. We finished Genesis my last day I had for this. I was beginning to wonder if we would.
Here is a picture of Gertrude working with one of the literacy workers at VITAL reviewing some of the work she had completed.
Water, Water Everywhere . . .
Our only source of water as we are in our village home is rain. Two weeks before we arrived it had not rained at all. The water level in the our 3,000 liter (792 gallons) water tank was low. We started to pray for rain and the next day we had a heavy shower, but we noticed that much of the water was not reaching the tank because the gutter was clogged. Gertrude was saying when the Lord's sends His blessing we need to be ready for it. A couple of days later we were able to get the gutter cleared and within a half an hour we had a tremendous downpour of rain. We were certainly ready to receive it this time. Since we have been in the village there has been rain at least every-other-day if not everyday. It reminds us how God is taking care of us, His children.
October 18, 2009 Update
VITAL (Vernacular Initiative in Translation And Literacy)
For the last three weeks Kevin and Gertrude have been working with VITAL. This project is similar to NITI which is a cluster language project to provide Papua New Guineans with the training needed to translate the Bible into their own language. Here at VITAL they are working with nine different language groups. Gertrude is heading up the literacy portion of this course. Because AIDS/HIV has become more and more of a problem here in PNG the first few days we worked on translating a booklet to help to educate the people prevent the spread of the disease.
Eight Wonderful Years Together
October 1, 2009 Update
September 22, 2009 was our 8th anniversary. At the time we were attending the National Education Conference in Goroka, not far from the SIL headquarters in Ukarumpa. We were there with five others from SIL so it was not a quiet, romantic get-away for us. That night we went out for pizza at a local hotel, which we all enjoyed. While at the conference we were able see a number of different groups perform traditional dance with their colorful costumes. As we arrived Gertrude was saying that she may not know anyone there. It turns out that the lady who is the head of the Education Department of Goroka University was a friend from Kavieng who I met in 2003.
After the conference we flew down to Port Moresby. We planned a couple of days there before continuing on to Milne Bay. This gave us time to visit with a friend of Gertrude's named Rachel. She is the personal assistant to the Prime Minister Michael Somare. We were able to visit Rachel in her office and she took us into the Office of the Prime Minister to show us around. The P. M. was away at international meetings in NYC so we did not get to meet him.
I was a little disappointed with the traveling that we were doing this week that I was not able to do much in line of celebrating our anniversary. Friday, just after lunch we went to the airport to continue on to Milne Bay. We were there plenty of time before the flight was to depart. After we cleared security to enter the terminal there was a large crowd of people waiting to check in to get their boarding passes. After waiting they finally had the people line up at particular counters for different flights instead of just waiting in the one line. At last we got into the line that we were suppose to be in. After waiting another hour we were up to the counter to check in. What we did not know was that the flight was over booked and there was no room for us. We waited another two hours for them to make sure we were booked on the next flight. Then an hour more in another line where they would issue vouchers for us to stay at a hotel. Then we had another wait for the hotel van to come to pick us up. After a half hour drive we arrived at the Crown Plaza Hotel. It was beautiful. 
Neither Gertrude or I could believe the wonderful accommodations that were given to us. After we got settled into our room we went downstairs for dinner. The Cafe was full so we waited as I played the piano. After a while I took note of a nicer restaurant. I thought if they would accept the vouchers I would pay the difference for the meal. We had wonderful service to go with a wonderful meal, that was finished with Crape Suzzette.
We thank the Lord for the way we could celebrate Eight Years Together. It was totally beyond my means, but that did not hinder what God had planed for us. After all that waiting at the airport, it made for a very special time for us to spend time together, just the two of us.
VITAL (Vernacular Initiative in Translation And Literacy)
As we were in Ukarumpa the leadership asked if we would go down to Milne Bay to help with VITAL. Tuula, who heads up the literacy portion of the course, was called away unexpectedly and is not able to teach or part. Gertrude was asked of she would fill in for Tuula. This delays our return to New Ireland for a month, but we decided to do so. VITAL is a similar program to NITI, being a clustered language project to provide training and support for Papua New Guineans to do the remaining translations in the area. This will give me more experience in the area of translation. I will have some pictures to post in the coming weeks.
September 20, 2009 Update
Commissioning
Our last day at Ukarumpa we were commissioned by the leadership for the work that we have started in New Ireland. It was at this time that were were officially assigned to work with the Notsi. I shared a few words about what our plans were and a group gather around us to pray for us. Part of this group was this couple James & Natalie Nelson. They are our support team in Ukarumpa. They have been such a blessing to us helping us in different ways. It is great to know that if we need help with something we can just give them a call or an email and they will take care of it.
New Testament Nearing Completion
Exciting News! Gertrude is holding in her hands the signature copy of the Sursurunga New Testament. Sitting with Gertrude is Emma who did the typesetting of the New Testament. Emma will review this copy to make sure that there are not any errors. If everything looks good it will then go to the printers in Korea. We are looking forward to celebrating with the Sursurunga in August next year. This is the first language group that Gertrude had spent time learning their language and developing a literacy program for them. This is the reason why we have come here. To help people get the Word of God in their own language, that they can grow in the know of Christ and His love. (If you check on the map below, you will find Sursurunga further south on the island.)
September 4, 2009 Update
While Gertrude was at NITI most of the time she spent helping in the kitchen and taking advantage of the time with a personal Bible study on the Book of Jeremiah. The focus of her study was "The Mission Heart of God in the Book of Jeremiah." If you are interested I am sure she would be happy to share some of her thoughts with you. During the last week of NITI Gertrude was given an opportunity to develop a plan to do a literacy workshop during the next NITI course in February. Everyone was very excited the way things were coming together for it. Please pray that the Lord will raise up the right people to be a part of this.
Above is a map of New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. We are living in central New Ireland on the east coast with the Notsi people. (I have Notsi circled on the map.) Going to the south is the Papatar people where the NITI courses are held. (That is also circled).
August 15, 2009 Update
NITI Participants of August 2009
It has been such a blessing to be part of the New Ireland Translation Institute (NITI). In New Ireland Province (NIP) there has been 10 New Testament translations that have been completed by members of Wycliffe Bible Translators. There are another 15 languages that are in need of translation along with a few additional dialects. NITI was started to provide training and help for the Papua New Guineans to do remaining translations in NIP. Gertrude and Kevin has been assigned with work with the Nosti language group. Below you will find a picture of the house that we are living in as we are in the village.
Kevin has been working with the translators to develop a back translation from the translations of Philippians and 1 Timothy. A back translation is a very literal translation back into English. The process has helped Kevin to learn read much of what has been translated. As he returns to the village, he will have opportunity to put to practice what he has learned. It has been one thing to read it, but to speak it will take much more work.
July 20, 2009 Update
Dolphins
What an unexpected pleasure. Our regional directory was coming from another island where he has done translation work. Just as they need the coast there was a large number of dolphins splashing in the water around the boat. They reached shore and invited us to join them on the boat to watch the dolphins. We rode around in the boat for about 30 minutes.
Life in the Village
We are making slow progress in language learning. This has been more a time of getting to know the people here in the village and getting settled in our home in the village. It is very comfortable, but it is in need of a few minor repairs here an there. It will take time for us to clear out all the dust and dirt that has accumulating for years.
Gertrude is enjoying her time with the ladies of the village. As part of her language learning she gave the ladies a cooking class on how to make Ratatouille (A dish made with eggplant and tomatoes). As Gertrude gave them the receipt the ladies helped her translate it into Notsi.
Travel Plans
Tuesday (July 21, 2009), we will be leaving for NITI (New Ireland Translation Institute). I will begin to work more closely with the translation team for Notsi, checking their translation. We will be there for four weeks. Afterwards we will travel up to Ukarumpa, where the mission headquarters are located. This will be a time for us to relate to leadership there. Receive our shipment from the US, and connect with some friends. By mid September we will be back to Lossi.
June 12, 2009 Update
Our Latest Travels
For the last month we have done plenty of traveling in Papua New Guinea (PNG). At the beginning of May we returned from the village of Simbini where we spent five weeks we returned to Nobonob where we started POC (Pacific Orientation Course). After being there for a few days we went to our missions headquarters in PNG, at Ukarumpa. As it was in the highlands we were able to enjoy some cool weather for the time we were there. We then proceeded to Kavieng, New Ireland Province (NIP). After a few days we took a bus about six hours south to Sohun, NIP. At Sohun is where the New Ireland Translation Institute (NITI) is run and that I will be a part of. NITI provides training for Papua New Guinieans to translate the New Testament in the remaining languages that need it. We were thankful that our schedule allowed us to get to Sohun before the NITI course ended. It gave us opportunity to be introduced to the participants. This is the house we stayed in during our time at NITI.
Home Sweet Home
We have finally made it. After years of preparation studying at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) we are no located in the village of Lossu, NIP, PNG. The language that is spoken here is Notsi. In the coming months Gertrude and I will begin to learn this language. This will allow me to work towards helping the translators with exegetical support. This is a picture of the house we will be staying in. It is quite different from the house we stayed in while in Simbini. There is a full kitchen with stove, refrigerator, washing machine and sink with running water. There is even a 12v fan that runs from our solar power. We are so thankful that we have been blessed with such a wonderful place. When we first arrived we were given opportunity to get the place setup. In a few days we will start our language learning in earnest.
Another blessing as we are here is that we have cell phone access. This allows me to be able to connect to the internet to upload and download my email. We are always thankful to hear from you, but please don't send forwarded emails to us with pretty pictures. Back
June 2, 2009 Update
New Photos Posted
Life continues to move on at a busy pace. We are now in Kavieng, the capital of New Ireland Province. In just a few days we will be moving to a village where we will start learning the local language. The last few days has kept me busy in shopping for things that we will need for the house. One big expense is for the water tank for storing rain water. Please pray that the Lord will need our needs. Enjoy the pictures under the photo menu Village Life.
May 12, 2009 Update
Thank You for your response!
In March I sent out a request for birthday cards for Gertrude. It was such a pleasant surprise for her. She received over 60 cards over the course of the last month before her birthday. The timing was perfect. What an encouragement it has been for her. She would like to thank each one who sent a card, but that will take some time. She has yet to read them all.
Our Village House
We spent five weeks in a small coastal village named Simbini in the northern part of the Madang Province. We were about a 5 minute walk away from a beautiful white sand beach. Taking a dip in the ocean was a great way to cool off in the middle of the day. We so enjoyed our time there, thought the living conditions were not quite what we are used to. We were able to make ourselves quite comfortable. Since our place was so small we put up the blue tarp and built a table with benches to give us a place where we could visit with our neighbors and share a meal which we did nearly daily. This would provide with ample opportunity to practice Tok Pisin. Gertrude was able to show the ladies in the village how to bake bread and cakes using a drum oven on an open fire. I (Kevin) also taught a couple of men how to bake banana bread. Coconuts were plentiful I made use of coconut milk instead of powdered milk. Everyone made us feel quite welcomed and were very generous. Nearly everyday someone will come by to give us fish, vegetables or fruit from their gardens.
Palm Sunday & Easter
During our time there we celebrated Palm Sunday. As people gathered together they brought palm branches with them. It was amazing to see the many different things the people had woven from the Palm leaves for decoration. The service started on the beach with some songs and prayers. We then proceeded to the church for the service. The service was in Tok Pisin and at that point I could only follow some of what was said. On Friday Gertrude and I participated in the Good Friday observance of the Stations of the Cross. There were 14 stations each depicting different events that took place on Good Friday as a way of remembering what Christ has done for us. The different stations were setup at different peoples' home from the church. We walked about a mile to get to the starting point and it ended at the church which was after walking an additional 3 miles or more. Easter Sunday morning I preached a message at church about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John in Tok Pisin. It was not one of my better messages. I read it the best I could as I stumbled along, but people came to me afterwards taking me for the word that I shared.
Visit with Old Friends
As our time was coming to a close at Simbini, I so wanted to visit the village where Gertrude did village living when she first came to Papua New Guinea over 20 years ago just 15km (about 6 miles) north of where we were in Simbini. We were not sure about how transportation would work for us to get there, but we were able to hire someone to take us there in his pickup truck. They gave us such a warm welcome. The family that Gertrude stayed with made us both feel right at home. It was the first time for them to see her since she had left. Since we could only stay a couple of hours with them, they were able to make plans for us to come back and spend the day with them. On our second visit Gertrude was busy backing with the ladies, different kinds of breads and cakes. I sat back and visited with the men there. I surprised myself how well I was doing with Tok Pisin.
Farewell Celebration
When we first arrived at Simbini the five weeks seemed late it would last forever. Now that the time was nearly finished we were surprised how quickly the time past. What was even more surprising how close we have become to the people in such a short time. We had gifts to give to them to thank them for their generosity and kindness towards us. Anything we gave them could hardly express our appreciation to them for all they had done. The one man who took care of us in the village was the translator for the New Testament for his language group here. Over time he had become discouraged and has not worked on it for a number of years. As a result of our time there he so desires to get back to work on the translation. Pray that he would get the help he needs not only to get the work started again, but to be able to finish it and the people will use it. In a way to honor us as we were leaving they had a big celebration. There was a group that came from church to sing a few songs for us which was followed by a few touching speeches. They highlight was the dance that the young ladies performed. They have worked on it for over a week every evening. It was a memorable experience. We hope to be able to visit them again in the not to distant future. We are grateful for the time that we were able to have with them.
March 25, 2009 Update
Time is close at hand for our departure for village living. At long last I have updated our prayer request online. Please remember to pray for us during this time that we are out of touch.
March 22, 2009 Update
The three pictures are from a short hike we took today to a water falls. The water was so cool and refreshing. The last week we have been busy preparing for village living. We will spend 5 weeks in a village with a Papua New Guinean family. They have prepared a hut for us to stay in during this time. We will be out of touch with during this time, since there is not electricity. There will be limited cell phone coverage. I will need to walk to a particular location to get a signal. Please remember us in pray during this time from March 27 until April 30. This will provide me a greater opportunity to improve with Tok Pisin (the national trade language).
After our village living time we will have another week here before we finish here. It will be a few days following will be Gertrude's birthday, May 7. It would be great for a number of people to send her a birthday card. Mail getting to us has been very slow almost month so you will need to send a card right away for her to get it in time. Our mailing address is SIL-POC, P.O. Box 872, Madang, PAPUA NEW GUINEA. This will only be good till May 1.
No I am not sliding down, I have found a great place to sit on the rocks to let the water wash by me.
I am not sure when I will be able to upload the next up date. It has been a good way to keep people posted about what is happening. I hope to be able to do more of this in the future. Shalom!
March 10, 2009 Update
I am sorry that this update is brief. I have not had the time to work on it as I normally would. The picture that I am uploading shows the staff and participants of the Pacific Orientation Course. There are a number of families, six single ladies and one single man along with the staff. They come from six different countries, the U.S., Canada, Korean, England, Finland and Australia. This evening we were saying good-bye to 5 people who were here for only six weeks. They will soon be going to their assignments in Papua New Guinea and also Vanuatu.
March 3, 2009 Update
The last few weekends we have been getting some experience with simpler living. A couple of weeks after we arrived here we put up an outdoor kitchen (haus kuk) pictured to the right. Over the weekend we (or should I say Gertrude) has been preparing meals over an open fire. 
It has not been too easy to get a fire going as much of the wood is not dry. Once the fire is started then the challenge is to keep it going to be able to finish cooking. Our Papua New Guinean family has come to visit with us during weekend. They have helped us with getting some things setup in our haus kuk and with some cooking. We have been enjoying to get to know them better (see below). Last week we stayed the night in their home. They made us feel very welcomed.
Tomorrow (March 4) we will be going on another of many hikes. This will be an all day hike. We will leave about 8:30 in the morning and take our time to reach our destination about noon. Everyone will be hiking together including the children so getting there will be slow which will be fine. On the way back we will break up into four different groups and the pace will be faster. We will be part of the slower group.
Today marked the end of my Tok Pisin language class. I still have much to learn, but much of it will be learning to use what I have learned. On Monday I shared my testimony in Tok Pisin. I did not have the time to do all the preparation work for it. I would have avoided some of my grammatical errors if I was able to go over it with Gertrude. Today I did a skid with the other two couples in my class in Tok Pisin. We had great fun with that.
We have very limited internet access as we are at POC. I am trying to download my email each time I'm in town. I am trying to update our website every Tuesday evening as my schedule allows. We do have a cell phone, the country code is 675, and our number is 710-92-317. I am not sure what you will need to dial first for making an international call, it is either 001 or 011.
February 24, 2009 Update
This is the fifth week of the 14 weeks the Pacific Orientation Course (POC). On Monday Gertrude and I went on another hike. In some ways it was as difficult as some of the other hikes we have been on. We were going on narrow trails through the bush that were slippery with mud. We did see some beautiful views along the trail as we looked out over the valley. 
The picture does not begin to show the splendor of the views.
Today (Feb 24) we were to spend a relaxing day at the beach. Only one problem the weather did not want to cooperate with our plans. It was raining very heavy all night and was still raining when we got up this morning. Just as it was decided that we would try to go tomorrow the weather began to clear up.
This is my Tok Pisin class as we are going to my teachers garden (I am behind the camera). In my Tok Pisin class we recorded a story that our language teacher told us. Now we will have to transcribe it. I am thankful that the language has very phonetic that will help make the task easy. I am so pleased that I was able to follow the story pretty well. I also began to write my testimony in Tok Pisin. I will have a number of opportunities to share.
Gertrude has been in her element as she is helping others with their language learning. She is a teacher at heart. The Sunday before last she shared her testimony at a church in town. As she spoke in Tok Pisin, many people said that she should like she had just come from New Ireland (where she has worked for many years).
We have been relating to a Papua New Guinea family that has been assigned to us from POC to help me with language learning. On Thursday night we will stay that night with them in their home. It has been fun getting to know them. They really take the idea of helping me with learning Tok Pisin seriously.
February 27, 2009 Update
It has been so good to be here in Papua New Guinea. As you can see from the picture we are still as happy as ever as we are preparing to serve the Lord together here. The evening this picture was taken we were celebrating Valentine's Day. We were presented with a special candle light dessert that evening.
In some ways the pace of life for us is much slower than it has been for many years. We are not busy traveling around the country visiting family and friends or speaking at churches or conferences. We are living a simpler life as we expected coming to the Pacific Orientation Course.
Hiking through the Bush
We are facing a number of challenges as we are here. The biggest for the both of us are the hikes through the bush we go on each week. We are situated on top of a mountain so every where we go means going down the side of the mountain than back up again. Between the heat and the mosquitoes it is very important to make good use of bug repellant and drink plenty of water. Next week we will be going on an all day hike and after that a three day hike. These hikes are helping us to get into better shape. Pictured here you will find Kevin & Gertrude with others on one of several hikes.
Another challenge for me (Kevin) is learning Tok Pisin, the national trade language. There are a lot of borrowed English words that makes it an easy language to learn, but it does have its difficulties in learning the grammar and it many idioms. I am pleased with the progress that I am making with the language.
Beauty all around us
The beauty of the country can hardly be shared with a few photos. Everywhere we go I am carrying my camera. I have taken a few hundred pictures. There is not a practical way to share them all with you but I thought I would share a couple with you. This first is the blossom of the passion fruit vine growing right outside our doorway. Lord willing we will be able to enjoy its fruit in a few weeks. There are just so many beautiful flowers and butterflies, I would just like to go on a hike capture images like this.
This next picture is a view I see everyday from the classroom. Everyday it is different, just the way the clouds cover the mountains and the sunlight hits it. At times we are able to get a clear view of the distant mountains. Most times they are shrouded with clouds. Living so close to nature is a reminder of God's goodness to us as we see the beauty of His Creation.
Created on May 16, 2009
Last edited May 16, 2009