MICRONESIA 2013 - A Time of Transition

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

.

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.

.

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

.

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.

.

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

.

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.

.

Christian Young

New showerhead in the bathroom

New hoses and parts for the kitchen sink

New fixture for the kitchen sink