Steven Ttopogogos, (BTA’s Morobe Province
Language Program Coordinator) asked SIL to send someone to the Garasa village
for five days to film the Waria Multi-Lanugage Project Conference. Since none of our regular videographers were available, I was
elected.
After the SIL Kodiak plane dropped me off at
the grass airstrip in Garasa, we were given a lei and then led from the
airstrip to the meetinghouse by a singsing.
Garasa singsing (https://vimeo.com/134672811)
They
stopped and allowed me to pose with them for a picture, but I don’t think my dance moves would have cut it!
I also learned to eat kaukau—their staple diety each day consisted of cooked banana, taro,
rice, noodles and a cooked green vegetable. One day they killed and cooked
a pig, and then we had a little meat to go along with the cooked vegetables.
Most of the time I was kept busy taking
pictures of the conference.
The Guhu-Saman had a New Testament translation in
1982 but the language has changed quite a bit since then and most of the
younger generation no longer speak that way. They needed to find out if it needed
a revision, and also if three other related languages Kunimipa, Amam, and Weri
need a translation (thus a Multi-Language project), or do they just need an
Audibible and oral Bible stories.
At the end of five days when we were ready to
leave, the singsing led us back down to the airstrip and the ladies gave us
bilums (shoulder bags) as a way of thanking us for coming.
It was indeed a wonderful, and stretching
experience, and God provided exceedingly
more than I could ever ask or imagine!
