I lost much but gained everything

27 Jan 2021

*B is a valued Papuan-born member of Pioneers Australia. She studied microbiology in SE Asia and attended Bible College in Australia. Here, she writes about the challenges and blessings of traversing two cultures for the sake of the gospel and precious peoples.

What were the reasons these foreigners came to our unsophisticated area and shared their lives with us in Papua?  They must have something high and unparalleled to bring us. What were the things they have left behind so that they might adapt to our lives? I count in a privilege to have spent four years learning firsthand from them.

The risen Christ of the Bible and His promised soon-return gave me a sense of peace, destiny and the only hope in my heart in answer the questions I had since mother passed away. These two facts cemented in my heart the decision to share Christ and engage in cross-culture work.

Living overseas, being adopted and living with the *SS family, I had the privilege to learn and adopt acceptable cultural norms – what is normal and what is not? Consequently, I had to unpack my own culture which I was born into and grew up with, and learn to live the life of Christ in my adopted culture.

Being a family and event-oriented culture, the rites of life and its cycles play significant roles in the two cultures that are now a part of me. They both pay attention to birth, initiation, marriage and death. The first three involves celebrations with nuclear and extended families; there are many roles I am expected to actively to play. It has been my non-negotiable conviction that the message of Christ ought to be communicated and linked to these events in life.

How do I tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and His conversation in the Temple when He was 12 years old to my nieces and nephews and their parents back home and abroad, that they might see themselves in this story?

I had to arrange the meeting of two families for my niece in preparation for her marriage since her parents had died and because my older siblings were not available. I was asked several questions before that day about what the Bible said about pre-marital counselling as they discussed the bride price, and questions about life after the wedding, such as where would they live, how would they eat and meet their needs?

At one point I went to the city with my adopted sister by the time my oldest nephew had to write his thesis before graduation, He was facing difficulties, and, although I was in the middle of doing some ministry-related work, my help was needed. I spent three weeks helping him with his writing and challenged him about his purpose in life after his graduation.

There are all sorts of areas in which I am stretched. Such as when dealing with death, mourning, and grieving. My two cultures have their ways of processing loss. After several months living on the island, I learned that my adopted brother-in-law had a heart problem. I decided to visit his family every day and help as much as I could. When he passed away, my adopted sister gave me money to manage the burial and an anniversary celebration. On the one hand, I wanted to help her to grieve; on the other, it is an Animistic view that requires dead anniversary celebrations. So, I explained to her in a way that is acceptable that I might be relieved of that responsibility, and, after asking some inputs, another sister managed that instead. I felt a great sense of lostness with all rituals they have to perform from the mosque up to the cemetery and during the next forty days. “Oh, Jesus they need You here as the answer to these unfinished rituals that so cost them financially and spiritually.”

At this time, I am back in Papua because of another death within my family. It has been an answered prayer to be back as we grieve together. My family and I have had some discussion about the blessed HOPE in Jesus as we talked about His birth, death, resurrection and ascension, and the next events for His church and followers before His second coming. And we have conversations about what is happening around the world today.

I am the recipient of family, both in terms of earthly relationships this side of heaven, and eternal realities in the life to come.

What were the reasons these foreigners came to our unsophisticated area and shared their lives with us in Papua? They must have something high and unparalleled to bring us. What were the things they have left behind so that they might adapt to our lives? I count as a privilege to have spent four years learning firsthand from them.

The risen Christ of the Bible and His promised soon-return gave me a sense of peace, destiny and the only hope in my heart in answer the questions I had since mother passed away. These two facts cemented in my heart the decision to share Christ and engage in cross-culture work.

Living overseas, being adopted and living with the SS family, I had the privilege to learn and adopt acceptable cultural norms – what is normal and what it not? Consequently, I had to unpack my own culture which I was born into and grew up with, and to learn to live the life of Christ in my adopted culture.

Being a family and event-oriented culture, the rites of life and its cycles play significant roles in the two cultures that are now a part of me. They both pay attention to birth, initiation, marriage and death. The first three involves celebrations with nuclear and extended families; there are many roles I am expected to actively to play. It has been my non-negotiable conviction that the message of Christ ought to be communicated and linked to these events in life.

How do I tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and His conversation in the Temple when He was 12 years old to my nieces and nephews and their parents back home and abroad, that they might see themselves in this story?

I had to arrange the meeting of two families for my niece in preparation for her marriage, since her parent had died and because my older siblings were not available. I was asked several questions before that day about what the Bible said about pre-marital counselling as they discussed the bride price, and questions about life after the wedding, such where would they live, how would they eat and meet their needs?

At one point I went to the city by my adopted sister when the oldest nephew had to write his thesis before graduation, He was facing difficulties, and, although I was in the middle of doing some ministry-related work, my presence and help was needed. I spent three weeks helping him with his writing and challenged him about his purpose in life after his graduation.

There are all sorts of areas in which I am stretched. Such as when dealing with dead, mourning and grieving. My two cultures have their ways of processing loss. After several months living on the island, I learned that my adopted brother-in-law had a cardiac problem. I decided to visit his family every day and help as much as I could. When he passed away, my adopted sister gave me money to manage the burial and an anniversary celebration. On the one hand, I want to help her to grieve; on the other, it is an Animistic view that requires dead anniversary celebrations. So, I explained to her in a way that is acceptable that I might be relieved of that responsibility, and, after asking some inputs, another sister managed that instead. I felt a great sense of lostness with all rituals they have to perform from the mosque up to the cemetery and during the next forty days. “Oh, Jesus they need You here as the answer to these unfinished rituals that so cost them financially and spiritually.

At this time, I am back in Papua because of another death within my family. It has been an answered prayer to be back as we grieve together. My family and I have had some discussion about the blessed HOPE in Jesus as we talked about His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, and the next events for His church and followers before His second coming. And we have had conversations about what is happening around the world today.

I am the recipient of family, both in terms of earthly relationships this side of heaven, and eternal realities in the life to come.

-B.

*Name changed for privacy.

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