MICRONESIA 2013 - Visit to the Island of Dahu Rei Rei

Madolenihmw, Pohnpei

Saturday, December 28, 2013

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Visit to the Island of Dahu Rei Rei

As my son has a two week break from school for the holidays, I had suggested to our Pohnpeian family that we have some fun and go visit one of the lagoon islands for a weekend. I had suggested Nahlap and Black Corral Islands, but NohNoh Dio suggested we go to the island called Dahu Rei Rei in Madolenihmw, as her relatives own it. I was excited to visit yet another new island. For only $3 each per night and $10 for gas, my son and I were able to enjoy an amazing weekend on the beautiful lagoon island called Dahu Rei Rei, which literally means, "Long Island."

Dahu Rei Rei ZOOMED OUT

Dahu Rei Rei ZOOMED IN

Dahu Mwotomwot

Dahu Rei Rei

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We all packed the cars up on Friday morning with food, fishing gear and people and drove to Ohwa Marine Park, where we unloaded everything and then parked our cars at NohNoh Dio's relative's house. It took two trips to get all of our immediate and extended Pohnpeian family members to Dahu Rei Rei. As we fought the trade winds and the choppiness of the lagoon waters, we made our way to the small island. On the way there I spotted another small island that I had thought was our destination. Come to find out, that island is called, "Dahu Mwotomwet," or "Short Island." There weren't any local houses or signs of civilization on that island, though. A little while later I spotted what would be our final destination, Dahu Rei Rei; a beautiful island paradise located between main land Pohnpei and the barrier reef. This beautiful island has a few local houses built on it and is surrounded by crystal clear waters with hues of dark blue, aquamarine, green, orange and yellow as the various corral formations are reflected by the light of the sun from underneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Panoramic from Dahu Rei Rei 

Boat trip to Dahu Rei Rei......................................Traditional nahs where we stayed 

Traditional "war" or hand dug canoe on Dahu Rei Rei.............Tommy jumping from the rope swing 

Traditional house on Dahu Rei Rei.............Picture mainland Pohnpei from Dahu Rei Rei in the evening

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We all stayed in a large "nahs" or traditional feast house made of local mangrove wood and thatched roof. Soon after arrival, we jumped into the waters and went spearfishing using my long, local-style Pohnpeian spear that I had to do an overhaul on before the trip. The current was so strong and the fish were fairly small where the waters were more calm on the west side of the island. After spearing only one small fish while fighting the current, we decided to go net fishing on the east side of the island, facing the barrier reef. As NohNoh Dio and Tommy spread the long net over the reef in waste deep waters, Ryan, Startel, Ivan and I splashed the waters violently, chasing the fish into the net. We caught some small fish along with a huge fish with scary teeth that I needed to spear in the head, killing it and enabling us to safely remove it from the net. As the sun went down, my son and I geared up to go night spear fishing using our Hawaiian sling spears and underwater flashlights. Once again, the current was very strong, making it a lot of work to spear fish. This time we caught many fish as we searched the branch corral for parrot fish and other reef fish that were hiding. My hands still sting from reaching into the branch corral to pull out the fish that I speared. My son and I had a blast spear fishing on Friday night. We used some of the smaller fish that we caught the next morning as bait to go "epiep" or line fishing. I put a whole reef fish onto my hook and cast my hand line into the deeper waters. using a chunk of corral as a sinker. Within moments I hooked into a large "menger" or grouper that had taken the bait and swam into the rocks. After waiting for a while, I finally landed the nice sized fish.

Brianne having fun line fishing

Spreading the net on the corral reef.............Splashing the water in order to scare the fish into the net 

Spearing the large fish that got caught in the net...................The large reef fish the we caught in the net 

Reef fish that we caught net fishing and spear fishing during the day

The grouper that I caught hand line fishing on our second day at Dahu Rei Rei

Ingrid and her friend, Steven barbecued chicken and hotdogs for all of us. We all slept on the floor of the "nahs." We also got to eat "mworopw" or Polynesian chestnuts that were boiled and strong smelling. Apparently, they aren't only strong smelling while being cooked. Our Pohnpeian family and friends explained to us that if you eat a lot of them, you will have a lot of bad smelling gas the next day. We all laughed for hours together as we envisioned our car ride home together and a potential new way of fishing by farting underwater after eating "mworopw" and killing all of the fish. After lots of laughs together, we headed back home in shifts. Once we got home, we all reminisced about how much fun we all had together on our visit to the island of Dahu Rei Rei.

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Christian Young

Steven and Ingrid barbecuing....................................Underwater picture of Ingrid at Dahu Rei Rei

NohNoh Dio and NohNoh Glo at Dahu Rei Rei

MICRONESIA 2013 - Christmas in Pohnpei

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

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Christmas in Pohnpei

Sitting here in the Pacific islands with 85 degree weather and 90 percent humidity on the day that much of the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ is pretty trippy. All around Kolonia town buildings are strewn with Christmas lights and filled with Christmas music. The town seems to have tripled in population as school is out and many from the other municipalities have traveled in to celebrate with family and take part in things like the "madness sale," Pohnpei's version of "Black Friday." Church bells rang last night and this morning and as in American culture, people flocked to church services or mass, perhaps the only time during the year that some of them do so. Yet underneath the veneer of this celebration (that only began after 300 AD with Constantine when the Roman Catholic Church deemed that winter solstice was the day to observe the birth of Christ) there seems to be an unusual mix of the materialism that Western society has brought to this island as families go into debt in order to give extravagant gifts to one another and the underlying spiritism that is rooted deep within the Pohnpeian culture. Maybe I am being too bleak, but I am trying to paint an honest picture. As 97 percent of Pohnpeians claim to be Christian, it is truly difficult to see authentic Holy Spirit transformation in the Pohnpeian culture on any kind of large scale. Religion, when it is not pure and undefiled but is covered with man's fingerprints has become yet another tool in the hand of the enemy to keep people in bondage. Yet even in this reality, we believe there to be hope...

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A revival is looming on the horizon here in Pohnpei and in the Pacific islands. Many have felt it. Some are experiencing it. Others have outright prophesied it. My hope is that while people gather together in families and in churches this Christmas season here in Pohnpei, the Holy Spirit is brooding over the face of the deep and stirring a holy discontentment with the mediocrity that has become a reality. I believe that there is a shift about to take place on this island. I could feel the shift starting to happen this afternoon as my son and I gathered together with our Pohnpeian family to share the story of Yeshua Hamashiach from Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 53:3-6 and then described His birth as the direct fulfillment of prophecy. I felt as though the truth of the weightiness of YHWH's love for us poured from my heart as I spoke of Yeshua's birth, life, death, resurrection and second return. We all sat in silence for a while as the challenge came to invite the Prince of Peace to lead us in every way and to surrender ourselves to Him utterly and completely as the New Year approaches. I was in tears as I began to recollect the events of this past year and how patient and loving Papa God has been with me. I know that in some small way, myself, my son and our Pohnpeian family have a part to play in the coming revival in Micronesia. It was a beautiful moment together, even though we sat on the the floor of our living room rather in the large halls of a church building. We then enjoyed a meal together of barbecued chicken, hotdogs, rice, panset and potato salad.

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Other family members came over and we finished the day going to their home and dedicated their taxi business and taxi car to Yeshua (after one of my Pohnpeian sisters saw an evil spirit in the back of their taxi over a week ago). As my son has had the past week of school off, it has been fun for him and I to spend our time together as well. We are truly blessed beyond measure. May the Prince of Peace, Yeshua Hamashiach lead and guide each of us as we surrender ourselves to Him this season.

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Christian Young

Drinking cappuccinos at Arnold's restaurant

Spreading gravel on our driveway

Spreading gravel on our driveway

Dedicating a taxi business to Jesus

MICRONESIA 2013 - Pohnpeian Funeral

Nett, Pohnpei

Friday, December 20, 2013

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Pohnpeian Funeral

This [past] weekend I was privileged to take part in a Pohnpeian funeral, which is a very important aspect of the culture here. Saturday was the first day of the [three day] funeral which started at the airport as [our Pohnpeian] family went to greet the [other] arriving family members and see [that] the body arrived safely. [One of our extended Pohnpeian family members had a child while living in the U.S. that died before reaching one month of age.] Even though most Pohnpeians would consider themselves to be Christians, much of their original funeral customs still exist today. Funerals typically last three [to four] days on Pohnpei, as they believe that the spirit of the deceased wanders around [for] several days before leaving the earth.

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So my dad and I drove from the airport to the land in Nett where the body would be buried. At first we sat through a service where the Catholic priest baptized the body of the [less than] one month old boy in hopes that [it] would somehow help [him] to get into heaven. After the Catholic service was over, food was served and it was also time for people to view the body in the open casket.

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Later in the evening [many of our Pohnpeian family members gathered around the body of M.J. Hairens, the baby bot that had passed away]. My dad played some songs talking about heaven and how when we get there, there is no longer suffering or pain. At this time, my dad also had the opportunity to share a clear gospel message [with] them, as life is uncertain and [the most important thing is that we all need to be] born again in order to be saved. In short, this funeral was not only a cultural experience, but also a great chance to comfort [our Pohnpeian] family and share God's love with them.

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Jonas Young

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[In Pohnpei, the first day of the funeral is called, "Rahn en Melah" or "Funeral Day" (literally "day of death"). The second day is called, "Rahn en Serdi" when they actually bury the body. The third day is called, "Rahn en Laid" or "Day of Fishing" where fish is caught and given away to those attending the funeral (this used to be a practice only when fisherman died, but now is practiced at all funerals). The fourth day is called, "Rahn en Kamwekel" or "Day of Cleaning." Please see below a short video clip of the second and third day of the funeral that we took part in.]

MICRONESIA 2013 - A Time of Transition

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

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A Time of Transition

These last couple of months have been a time of transition for us. We have had to move twice during this time, which has been challenging, but we are rolling with the punches. Where one door has shut, our loving Heavenly Father has opened another door just at the right time.

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We first needed to find a new place to rent as soon as possible, as our financial support had dropped quite a bit. Herman offered for us to live in a house owned by a member of Every Home for Christ who was living in Hawaii. He and he wife were the care-takers of this house and said that we could rent it for only $50 a month, which is amazing! We took him up on the offer, but had to do quite a bit of work to it in order for us to be able to live in it. The house had been lived in before by a handful of young men who work with Every Home for Christ, but they had been stolen from on a few occasions as there was no way to secure the house. So we installed security wire on all the windows, installed a new exterior door near the restroom, put all new locks and doorknobs on each door, replaced the electrical breakers in the panel box, replaced existing pipes outside as well as installed new pipes and fixtures in the restroom so that we could have a functional sink, shower and washing machine. The house was very dirty and moldy inside, so we painted the interior as well  as the trim outside. After working through the month of October on the house, we were ready to move in at the beginning of November. We were so thankful to the Nedlics for renting their house to us during the previous year, but knew that we would still see them often as we were only moving up the street a little bit in China Town.

The house that we fixed up in China Town

The house that we fixed up in China Town

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Herman had told us that the woman who owned the house that we were moving into would be coming back to Pohnpei to visit for a week or two toward the end of December and that we would need to move somewhere else for that time while she stayed in her house. I guess plans had changed a bit, and a couple of weeks ago, we were told by Herman that she was arriving in the first week of December and would likely be staying in her house for the entire month. Then we found out that she only had a one-way ticket and her length of stay in Pohnpei was not certain. So quickly we had to find another place to stay, at least for the month of December, but probably for longer.

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It was then that we asked our adopted Pohnpeian family in Komwonlaid if we could stay with them. They immediately invited us to stay with them indefinitely, rent-free! They prepared a room in the house for us to stay in and allowed us to store our other belongings in the storage room adjacent to their house. They have blessed us so much! We had already been having "tribal gatherings" in their home on Sunday evenings, and now, after living in the other house that we fixed up for only one month, we are living in community with them. We have known this family for almost fifteen years as I was their pastor in the Salvation Army many years ago. Living together under the same roof as an indigenous Pohnpeian family is more like what I have always understood missionary life to be. We live together, eat together, work together, laugh together and talk to one another almost entirely in Pohnpeian, which is stretching us even further to perfect our knowledge of the language. We have shared the burden of cooking among us all, alternating nights when we cook. Over the past year I have been really stretched by needing to prepare meals for my son and I every day, and so now I am introducing some of those meals to our adopted family. So far I have made spaghetti, curry and last night we had taco night. I thought it would be neat to introduce other international dishes as we are able to find ingredients here on island.

Our new house in Komwonlaid

Our new house in Komwonlaid

Taco night with our adopted Pohnpeian family

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Since we moved in, another friend and I have been able to bless our adopted family by installing new parts for a toilet, shower, laundry machine and kitchen sink, making them functional for the first time in many years. Our Pohnpeian family has also blessed me by allowing me to use the building adjacent to the house to start my furniture making business. This is another door that God has opened for us as just last week the door had shut to us for using a facility in Daini to build furniture. Through this time of transition, we have chosen to cling tightly to Jesus, not stressing about the constant change and just going with the flow. We have learned over the years that this is the best approach to life as a missionary; to hold our plans loosely as in a moment everything can change. More than anything, during this time I have been once again able to understand what real family is all about. I am honored beyond measure that we have been adopted into such an amazing Pohnpeian family and I pray that other missionaries worldwide would be so blessed as we are to have such a rich experience.

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Christian Young

New showerhead in the bathroom

New hoses and parts for the kitchen sink

New fixture for the kitchen sink

MICRONESIA 2013 - More Healings at the Tribal Gatherings

Nett, Pohnpei

Sunday, December 1, 2013

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More Healings at the Tribal Gatherings

This last weekend we and some of our Pohnpeian family traveled to two different homes in the mountains of Nett to hold what we are calling "tribal gatherings," that are unstructured times of prayer, worship, reading the Scriptures and fellowship which probably look more like the early church gatherings in the beginning of Acts. Once again people prayed with us to receive Jesus and many people were healed as well; from leg pains to restored sight everyone who we prayed for was supernaturally healed. We thank God for the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the precious people of this island.

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Christian Young