Makki Diary 09-01-2002

Another diary entry... on Jo's birthday!

~ Pete

9th January 2002

Again, writing in the morning rather than in the night time... Can't really remember what happened yesterday... my brain is still waking up even after doing the radio this morning. Boy! were there heaps of messages this morning... at least I was able to say "Happy Birthday" to Jo. Miss her very much. Hope she has a good birthday.

Yesterday, the Wiegand family left to go back to Arba Minch. Danielle, the STA from Germany remained behind to leave with the Geddes. The Geddes will be leaving tomorrow. Helped Rohan cleaned the storage tent yesterday and also had a look at the literacy project. The Mursi are producing their own newsletter! This is truly amazing! Barb has asked me to keep an eye out on the Literacy press when they leave for Addis... and also try to work out a sorting system. Yesterday also fixed up the broken door handle on the bathroom door!

Also had time to do some reading and personal reflection. Reading Chuck Swindol's book, "The Mystery of God's Will". Been thinking about what are the things that keep me from taking risks to do God's will, and whether I'm willing to take risks to do God's will. I guess the things that make me hesitant to take risks to do God's will are: fear of the uncertainties, the costs involved... personal sacrifices... and sacrifices on the family, loss of creature comforts, not living a 'normal' existence.

Having lived with the Geddes family for nearly a week now, I can see the great costs involved in living as a missionary family... I admire their courage and dedication to God, and their love for the Mursi that they would stick at sharing the Gospel with them. There has certainly been great rewards and sacrifices.

Being here has really challenged me about the promise I made to God that I would go wherever He leads and do whatever He tells me. Being here has opened my eyes to the reality of what the promise may entail. I pray that God would empower me with the courage and faith to follow through on the promise.

Makki Station (Photo courtesy of The Mursi Team)

Makki Diary 05-01-2002

I have been reading my Makki diary entries and reflecting on the experience I had in Ethiopia in 2001/02. This was a 6-7 week short term mission that Jo and I went on with SIM (Jo was posted in the capital city, Addis Ababa while I was posted down in Makki). Makki is a place in Mago National Park in the southern part of Ethiopia where a team of SIM missionaries serve a nomadic people group called the "Mursi". Makki is one of about 5 Mursi settlements (I think?).

I thought i would pick out some diary entries to put on the blog... lessons and thoughts that I learnt there that I would want to remind myself of in the future. Some of them make interesting read! Here goes!

Saturday, 5th January 2002

Woke up at 5:30am today to fly to Jinka! Went to the airport by taxi which cost me 35 bir. It was pretty scary catching a plane down to Jinka especially when you are not familiar with the way people do things. e.g. not knowing where to line up to check in luggage and not knowing Amharic made things even more difficult.

Thank God that I was able to find out about the way boarding flights work in Ethiopia in time. I was getting worried that I would miss my flight. Eventually, got onto the plane and arrived in Jinka about 10:30am! It was quite a view from the plane... seeing the terrain and things from above.

Jonathan picked me up from Jinka with his evangelist friend. We spent some time in Jinka before heading down to Makki. we visited some Mursi believers in prison, visited a sick Mursi believer and his wife, did some shopping in the market, got fuel. Also had lunch... Ingera and Wot! It was authentic Ethiopian cuisine!

On the way down to Makki, out 4WD got bogged in the mud and spent some time getting our hands dirty putting chains on the wheels. As we were doing this, 2 other 4WDs turned up with some tourists from Holland and Belgium. And we got stuck! It was quite an experience ! Talk about being flexible!

Arrived in Makki at around 7:30pm. had dinner and spent some time with the Geddes and Thomas.

Hope Jo is not feeling too lonely up in Addis! I pray that God would really look after her!

Mount Mago, Mago National Park (Photo courtsey of Thomas Kuhley)

Timing timing timing

We've been talking about having no.3. I know, I feel crazy just saying it.

We've always wanted 3 kids. We have our girl and we have our boy, people say to us that we can stop here now... but it feels incomplete, in our minds we still have no.3 waiting to join our family.

Our original plan was to have 2 year gaps between kids. So far so good.

But we keep coming back to when to have no.3, as the timing seems to coincide with when we had originally planned to leave for Africa...

We've even discussed the possibility of getting pregnant now with an 18 month gap between Lucas and he/she. Yes crazy.
Or having no.3 later and have a 4 year gap.
Or get pregnant while we're in Africa and possibly even have the baby there! I like the sound of an Australian Chinese born in Africa! :o)

Here are a few scenarios we've discussed so far. Haha...multiple choice for God, or he'll probably choose 'none of the above'!!

Scenario 1 (Pete does 2 year degree):
2010 - Pete studies at Bible College (SMBC) full time. Jo gets pregnant. Teaghan 3 years (preschool), Lucas 1 year.
2011 - Pete studies at Bible College full time 1st semester, no.3 born, Teaghan 4 years (prep), Lucas 2 years. Apply with SIM (Serving in Mission). Raise support.
2012 - Put house up for lease. Pete Jo 34 years. Teaghan 5 years (kindy), Lucas 3 years (preschool), no.3 1 year. Leave mid 2012.

Scenario 2:
2010 - Pete works part time (pays off debts), studies part time. Jo gets pregnant. Teaghan 3 years (preschool), Lucas 1 year.
2011 - Pete studies at Bible College (SMBC) full time, no.3 born, Teaghan 4 years (prep), Lucas 2 years. Apply with SIM (Serving in Mission)
2012 - Raise support, put house up for lease. Pete Jo 34 years. Teaghan 5 years (kindy), Lucas 3 years (preschool), no.3 1 year. Leave end of 2012.

Scenario 3:
2010 - Pete works part time, studies part time. Teaghan 3 years (preschool), Lucas 1 year.
2011 - Pete studies at Bible College (SMBC) full time. Teaghan 4 years (prep), Lucas 2 years. Apply with SIM (Serving in Mission)
2012 - Raise support, put house up for lease. Pete Jo 34 years. Teaghan 5 years (kindy), Lucas 3 years (preschool). Leave end of 2012.
2013 - no.3 made in Africa :o)
2014 - no.3 born. Teaghan 7 years, Lucas 5 years. Pete Jo 36 years.

Scenario 4:
2010 - Pete works part time, studies part time. Teaghan 3 years (preschool), Lucas 1 year. no. 3 born end of year.
2011 - Pete studies at Bible College (SMBC) full time, Teaghan 4 years (prep), Lucas 2 years, no.3 0.5 year. Apply with SIM (Serving in Mission)
2012 - Raise support, put house up for lease. Pete Jo 34 years. Teaghan 5 years (kindy), Lucas 3 years (preschool), no.3 1.5 years. Leave end of 2012.

Scenario 5 (Pete does 1 year degree):
2010 - Pete studies at Bible College (SMBC) full time. Jo gets pregnant. Teaghan 3 years (preschool), Lucas 1 year.
2011 - no.3 born, Teaghan 4 years (prep), Lucas 2 years. Apply with SIM (Serving in Mission). Raise support.
2012 - Put house up for lease. Pete Jo 34 years. Teagha 5 years (kindy), Lucas 3 years (preschool), no.3 1 year. Leave beginning of 2012.

Dirty feet

Today we were washing our car after the recent dust storm...

'We' as in Pete, Teaghan, and I.

It was all going well, until Teaghan started her dramas...

"My feet are dirty!!"
"My feet are wet!!"
"Err...errr.... daddy daddy, my feet are dirty!!!!"
"Waaaaaah!!! I go inside now!! Wwaaaaah!!!"

And our plans are to go to dusty Africa.

Let's hope this is a passing phase!

Crossing home cultures

We've been going to Dural Baptist for more than 3 years now. We'd come out of a Chinese church background into this majority caucasian church.

Many of our chinese Christian friends who go to Chinese churches ask us why we'd decided to go to a caucasian church.

Well, we decided that with missions in mind, we wanted to stretch ourselves to 'cross cultures', rather than going to a church where it would not take much effort to understand the culture. Though we've grown up here in Australia, sometimes it still takes a little time to warm up to caucasians. I guess growing up in Chinese families means that you automatically understand the culture of others who have also grown up in Chinese families. It is not strange for us to see plastic on couches or shoes at doors, because we've grown up in that culture :o)
We thought, if we don't even feel comfortable attending a caucasian church -the culture in which we are immersed and have grown up in, then how are we to feel comfortable in a third culture when we reach the mission field?? or when we are surrounded by other caucasian missionaries when we are in Africa, as will most likely be the case. At least this way, it is one less thing to have to adjust to when we get there.

So with that in mind, we started at Dural Baps and have not regretted it. It did take us a little while to warm up and we did feel a bit strange the first few weeks there being the only Asians walking into a sea of white...! But now we don't even think twice about it and at times probably even forget that we look a little different! People know us, the Ongs, now and I no longer wonder if poeple are wondering if we can speak English!! We have learnt so much from being at DBC. It's great to see how another church does things.

~ Jo

Throw it away or sell on ebay

Our house is full of stuff, some days it feels as though our house is shrinking. Especially with two kids' worth of stuff. It's an ongoing project of ours to clear stuff, to sort out our garage, throw stuff away or sell on ebay :o)

I'm a keeper, I keep all sorts of things, mainly for sentimental reasons, and to me everything has a sentiment behind it! Seeing as we will probably sell our house when we head off to Africa, as we again tackle our garage full of stuff, I have come up with a new reminder for myself in order to be ruthless in throwing stuff out, and that is: 'If we can't take it to Africa, throw it out.'. This will include my M&M dispenser collection.... :o)

That's a good reminder for heaven too :o)

~ Jo