multiple DISCOVERY team updates
Solomon Islands:
The team is all doing well in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific after two weeks here.
Everyone relatively healthy, but one of the two team members doing linguistic research had a tummy bug for a day which was not pleasant given their lack of local facilities.
This week the team is perfecting their Pijin presentations for the SALT course (Scripture Application & Leadership Training) to be held after the Pijin Bible launching on 6 July. They'll be having assignments in town with their Pijin language and culture learning friends. On Friday & Saturday they're doing skits at a Trade Show for 4 hours.
Prices are significantly higher than two years ago. We're hoping to stay within budget or close to it. We can all pray for each other in this area.
"The Solomons Group sees the Discovery program as the best way to expose interested people to the ministry of Bible translation and to do recruitment."
-Dr. Brenda H. Boerger
SE Asia:
Time goes has been zooming by very fast and now we are approaching
toward the end of the 3rd week. A few more days, the leader will have to go back
to Switzerland to undergo a complete exam and assistant leaders will take over with the team.
So far so good. Despite some glitches here and there, things are
running smooth and I think both the participants and the leaders
are learning a lot. Most of them have been healthy.
A couple have been suffering from runny nose, a few with
stomach upset. Yesterday, a participant didn't show up and his roommate
told us that he has been throwing up so decided to stay home. A leader went to see him at
their home-stay. Before long, the roommate was also throwing up
so, it was definitely caused by some kind of food that they ate together.
So, we decided to trace it back to the host family.
As they arrived at the host family, he saw the sick Discoverer
laying on a couch on a white robe, eyes closed, while a lady
giving him a foot reflex message. Well, the host family owns 2 foot
massage parlors and instead of taking the sick ones to the clinic, they
decided to give them foot message instead. What a tough life hey ...!
The hotel I normally use for debrief dropped a bomb shell on me –
they are having dispute with the land owner and cancelled all the reservations.
Because our debriefing time will hit right at the middle of high season, searching for
a suitable hotel was a nightmare. Thank the Lord for providing 2 hotels but with higher rates and less
rooms. Another challenge is the cost of domestic air and land transportation.
They increased the rate at least 20%.
Ghana:
Our participants are now in the final week and a half of their internship/ministry assignment phase… let’s pray for them to “turn the corner” and to be successful the final week in their projects.
All reports from them are very good so far and for the most part they are learning many interesting things and serving a lot. They are getting to know lovely people and places, they are helping in literacy workshops, attending nighttime literacy classes, helping with translation, dictionaries and surveys of churches…
Please pray for one of our participants who has treated for malaria 2x since our trip started. He is responding to treatment and we are also asking for God’s healing.
Over the weekend, I took a day trip to Kintampo with a church group and some friends which was a very bonding and lovely cross cultural experience.
Most of the Ghana discoverers will be traveling back to Tamale on Thursday 17th and would appreciate your prayers for the long journey, the Benin team’s travel dates are 18/19th. And to make it unanimous with all our trips, cost of living and traveling in Ghana is way above what we budgeted this year. We’ve all read or heard about the global food crisis and it seems to be a fact we are experiencing along with the dramatic rise in fuel costs…
Monday 4pm update… a 2nd Discoverer feels like he is getting malaria and is starting treatment today;-(
choosing joy under cloudy skies,
john
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