<^ V-^7

FORWARDING

jro.

AGENTS:

FORWARDING AGENTS:

lA^fki

Ttie 'Wilcox "Tamily^

Paul & Louise Faxon

k3 Trap Cr.
Toledo, OR
ur

97391

Phone: 503-875-2280

serving tlje ^ofd

OUR CURRENT ADDRESS:

Dan & Rosalind Wilcox

^ible ^r'anslatofs /'/

Pioneer Bible Translators

rii

Box 997

Madang, Papua New Guinea

^apua

3-i

Quinea

MAY 1985

t' ^

'

Recently the 1st two v^ks of March)

., d

we

had Martha Wade coine visit and help us

revise our Phonology (the description of
the sound system of our language).
S#-3r^ f:

Rosalind had to Lt-ctcli Befcii

iii cite iiorii

ings, but she enjoyed coming in the

afternoon to participate in the work.
-vT ^

Especially, I suppose - though she would

never admit it - when she gets to cor
rect iry mistakes.

/!(
Wfe went through our data and listened to

it all over again.

;w

It really helps to

have an "outsider" come help because she

heard and saw things that I was missing
due to my being "too used to" the
language.

... i'

\]L.2cr"Sfc...._
^ u\ -^\
Martha did a lot of work.

She acted as

advisor and secretary, typing all of the

analysis into the computer to be taken
to Madang for processing and printing in
order to present us with a Rough Draft and guidance in areas still needing re

V,

im

search.

Normally our work is to be done as a co

operative effort between Rosalind,

my

self, and our people. We do not often

work together - but we took the
chance
to do so for the photograph. You don't
often see both of us in one photo.

After Martha left I was so wrung out

(she keeps quite a schedule) that I had
to have a change of pace. So I chose to
put in our fixDnt steps (instead of the
ladder we'd been using.)

'--=a,a

lUi

With this last photo we tell you hew you

make us feel vtei we think of you.
We
are encouraged by your letters, sup
ported by

your prayers

and

cared

for

physically by your siipport.

:. -

id '

I hired logs brought, then put them in

place. Then, because iry chain saw won't
work, I tried to chop the steps out with
an ax - I am not an

artist

with an axl

The nen saw rre working and felt

for me. Here is one of the three,
Mali, as he hews them smooth. The
he is using is an adze made fran
rattan, and a piece of iron.

sorry
Nlann
thing
wood,

Thank you.

We love you.

PRAISE AND PRAYER

Please praise God for:
1.

Our health being generally good.

2.

Progress linguistically.

Please pray for:

1. The church - it is not doing much
unless we do it. We are trying to. avoid
paternalism.

2.

The

Sunday

School. -

Pray

for the

teachers and their students.

3.

Our language work.

4.

Wisdon

to know how

to divide

our

time between church work and linguistics

Church work is rather ineffective on the

long

term

unless

the

linguistics are

cone first, but we can't concentrate

Since there are not enough Pidgin Sunday

School papers available to us, our Sun

day School Teachers have to print

their

own using this silkscreen mimeograph.

The older of these two is

Maju

Gabang,

Bath's Sunday School Teacher.

He is
also our best Sunday School Teacher, and
he wants to go to the Pidgin Bible
School next time around {January 1986).

809

SE

and

let

the

church die

either.

5.

our

area.

scattering of

New Christians

in

6. Our transportation situation. It is

probable, unless the Lord intervenes,
that starting in June we will not have
any dependable route to and frcm the
village or to receive mail and si:5)plies.

Non-profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Newport, OR
97365

First Christian Church

Second Street

Newport, Oregon

linguistics

on

97365

PERMIT NO.

MISSION SERVICES
P 0 BOX 2427

KNOXVILLE TN

37901

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

v\
December 1985

oA/ew^ Jiom

/'.' \\^

\ m \\

' FOR'ilARDim AGiCI'lTS:

Tije ^ilcox

Paul Sf Louise Faxon

^3 Trap'o Cr. Pd.

Oregon

serving tfie l^otd

W'*

9739

Mf \, i'hone: 503-875-2280
OUR CURRjjllT ADDRESS:

^ible Translator's

Wfr3^-

f.,7

^ Oan Rosalind wilcox

Pinreer Bible Transl

'"
,k''' M
Vapua (fNeW~ Quinea '

Hadang, Papua New Guinea

' """" '"-

'

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord^ and ourselves as
your servants for Jesus' sake."

II Corinthians 4:5

It's an old broken clay pot with a

long and colorful historya fetish
from the people's traditional religion,
v^henever the people were planning an
attack on their enemies, they consult

DLAH FRIENDS:

Greetings in the Name of the Lord from

the

beautiful

country

of

Papua New

Guinea.

ed the

oot.

Results

The

STINGING ANTS.

before it takes place!)

BEES,

found

another

closer

location.

It's

to our house so,

needless

say, we are pleased with it.

problem

with it is

clear Jungle
airstrip.

in order

direction

filled

to build

nending

attack

much

not suitable

to
to

the

vhiat v;ere

the worst
problems
bhey encountered"?
Stinging ants,
bees,
and a clay pot.
I'm sure most of you can understand
the bee and ant problem, though it may
be hard

to visualize bees

'li

,tv;o inches

long with stings so powerful they ra alte

a grown man pass out.
But what's this
about a clay pot?

in

of an im-

by an enemy

for a newsletter.

to clear the site,

in

The pot also

to warn

village.

Tlther parts " of the pot"'""s history"

This work has already begun.

Armed
with axes and machetes,
a crew of men
and women attacked the heavy jungle
growth

of the blood flow

with blood

The main

that we nave

seen

dicated the loser.

(How convenient to
know the results of a proposed battle

AND A CLaY PuT

Ag most of you know, last term we seLected an airstrip

site.
But it has
proven to""be unsuitable,
so we have"

were

blood rising up and pouring out of it.

I'iany exciting things have been hapsoning in our ministry here and we v/ant
to share them with you.

'

' '-.-Xsp?

f..vv pA ' i

" '

are

The pot had been kept in the village

spirit house until the building fell

A lot of serious discussion followed.

Finally it was decided that the Church

down.
That's when the pot broke.
Later one of the men took it into his

leaders

house,
but strange things started
happening.
His oldest son started
having fits of madness.
So the pot
v/as taken into the jungle, and the
problems stopped.
And there, in the
jungle, the pot stayed, until.......
v/hoops! One of the women knocked into

spot.
The generoil consensus is that
the pot should be desposed of in a

it with her machete.

Traditionally
v/omen would be killed if they even
knew of the oot's existence, and they
still blush
with it.

at the stories associated

would gather

around the

Y:>ot

and pray^before removing it to another

more permanent manner.

be thrown

into a

It will either

river

some anthropologist

or given

to

to be carried

to

some unsuspecting museum.

The ques
tion in the people's minds is whether
or not this piece of history is safe
to preserve.
We were pleased to see

that the aeonle trusted God and sought

a solution to the situation that is in
keeoing with their Christian faith.

SWANpp

Ar

ttotiSc

^ a DD \l

/WAN/OA LO

^ aaa
t

/ COTT

CD

cf-., V

'

Well,
in spite of the stinging ants,
the bees,
and the interlude with the
clay pot,
the airstrip site has been

Tractor?
what tractor?
S/Ve were able
to purchase a used Kabota tractor
for
about half
the price of a new one.

Now v/e must wait until

The process of transporting it from

Hadang to G+ling is a story in itself,

(mostly) cut.

the weather is dry enough

to allo'w us

to burn off the area.

Then the lai'ger
trees need
to be bucked
and
removed

from the site,

At that time our tractor will be put to v;o.r'k.

we'll save it for our next newsletter.

After

lage.

get the tractor

to the vildan v/ill
work about one day a

v;e

v/eek cleaning the downed timber

the airstrip and pulling stumps,

hope

this work will be

off
V/e

completed

by

the time the dry season starts in i.ay,

so that the
begin.

Orarth moving

r.hase

can

the airstripwe plan

come help so

and shaping

to have someone

that we can devote

our

selves to our linguistics and transla

tion.

for the financial

aspects

of the

strip, we have good news to share with

you.
We v/ere recently given
#2,000; v/e used this, along with
to purchase our tractor,

told

that a group

ness

men

Tht^n we

of Christian
Oallaf
fexas,

from

experienced

them

several

have

before!) v;e

to some other vjorthy

Vi/'e are thrilled to announce (no, we

are not expecting!) about 13O new
in

our

familyall

black.

Since the beginning of the year there

have been over 13O baptisms among the
Kenyele people, and there are many
who are

expressing interest

following the Lord.

came

P,T,L,

to G+ling

small church.

the churches.

in

when v/e

there was

one

Now there are churches

in three of the Kenyele

There are Sunday schools,
about 100 children in each,

villages.
averaging
in two of

The third one has asked

us to train Sunday School teachers for

their church, too,

de are pleased

to see the growth

progress but must

ihasn't
alone.
language

would

be brought.

Instead,

For the occasion they wrote a "musical"

in their traditional style.
Some of
it was in the local language, while
other parts v/ere in Pidgin, Naturally
we were very pleased and encouraged
about the event even though it meant
that we were to have a night of dis

turbed sleep,

(v/e

outgrew

the

all

night sprees during our college days, I

NEW BABIES

first

to mark

in the festivities this year at the

village where they normally have their
sing-sings, because they knew that

guess,)

more

of celebration

werei

busi-

project.

"babies"

days

Papua New Guinea's independence day in

September,
However, the Christians
from G+ling didn't want to participate

alcohol

your gifts would be welcome.

never

is traditional for our friends to have

they asked if they could have their

sing-sing in front of our house.

If we have any excess funds (something

we've

we
It

some

undertaken to raise another 5510,000

for the airstrip project. If you wish

will apply

a sing-sing (the traditional style of

song and dance) using their own tra

o^eh'

of our regular income and a small loan,

to help,

For over a year nov/ v;e have been en

couraging the Christians here to v/rite

ditional music.
This September
finally saw this become a reality.

For this phaselevelling

As

SONG AND DANCE

been

just

tell you

through

that

our

and
it

work

Churches from
neighboring
groups have sent Christian

workers to help our people.

And a
great majority of the work has been

accomplished by the Kenyele Christians

themselves. We consider that quite an
accomplishment! The Church here still
does have need for strong
Please pray about this.

leaders.

The only

trouble

was

that

they were so pleased with the way it

turned out that they held the singsing two nights in a row!

Attending the celebrations were some

visitors from a highlands village,
v/here the sing-sing style is quite
different.

The visitors

v/ere so im

pressed that they asked our people to

go to their village in the highlands
and present their sing-sing again.

They were

pleased

at the invitation,

and readily acceoted,

Thoy were goneand G+ling

desertedfor about a week.

was almost
It seems

that after they got up to the high

lands village, it started raining, the
rivers rose, and they couldn't get
back down again,
When they finally
returned, Posalind asked one of the
men what he though about their trip.

He reulied, "There were a lot of moun

tains!"

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Maybe

you prefer not

to be reminded.

However, we are already beginning to

get ready for the big day.
^-^ur major
project is to translate Matthew's ver
sion of the Christmas story.
As of

this writing the first chapter is done

and the rough draft of chapter two is
also complete.
It v/ac a lot of fun.
Part was easy but boringthe first 1?
verses.

But

that will be a

special

portion to the villagers,

to whom
genealogies are very important. Tran
slating the second chapter was more
involved.
But the work is fun and

will certainly~b'^r^\^rdin^

TovTcan

keep this in your prayers, too.

Our language

going well,

work

too.

in other areas

is

Pan can preach

in

the local language if given enough

warning, and Rosa]-ind has prayed in it
several times.

Bach time

we know

v/e

make many mistakes, but it encourages

the people to realize that God under
stands their language, and therefore,
them, too.
SCHOOL WOES

W'e ordered.her

in

late

July, and were told that they

sent August 5 or thereabouts.

back in June, paid

were
They

for them

were supposed to hcive been sent airmai.lbut have never arrived. Because
we are confident that they will even-

tuaJ-ly shov/ up,

to re-order.

So

we are most reluctant

we are constructing

our ov/n course for Beth,

to use while

v/e wait. If the material doesn't ever

'e, w e-iwkLlgi-ve h^ran ac hie ve

ment test at the end of the year. This

'i'G"* legal in Oregon as long as Beth
continues to be up v/ith her class. Our
only difficulty with going this route
is

that it takes so much

of our time

to keep up this typo of programmuch

more than the programmed correspon

dence materials we have been using and

are now v/aiting for.

Please keep this

matter in orayer as well,

Grace and Peace to you.

May the Lord
shov/er His blessings on you.

Vi/e
Beth completed her first grade.
were most pleased with her progress,
She can read quite well. In fact, she
reads in preference to other forms of
play and is suffering in areas of
physical skills because of it.

In His oorvice,

Ban, Rosalind, Beth and D III

Non Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

First Christian Church

809 S.E. Second St.

Newport, Oregon

second grade materials

Newport, Oregon

97365

PERMIT #5

Mission SmvICES

VO SOX 24^
KnoXVILLE,m 37901

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

97365