Ukarumpa P.O. box 267 EHP 444 Papua New Guinea

c-a.brown@sil.org.pg       charlieandamie.multiply.com

Brown’s July Newsletter

note from Charlie:

          Well, we are finally at the one year mark..  I would not call us seasoned yet but I am getting the hang of it. I think I have worked through the theological and practical issues of being a missionary and have decided to move forward towards doing it full time.  The deciding factor for me was that God obviously moved my heart to want to come over here. Then he equipped my family to enjoy living cross culturally. Then he put me in job that fit my gifts. And finally there is big need for hostel parents so I feel like I am filling a need while at the same time furthering the work of translation. Before I came over here I was convinced that you can only see God’s will clearly in hindsight, and I believe time is showing God’s will for me to be here.  As I look back over the last couple of years I see God moving us here and my heart feeling complete to be here.

          As we move forward our next decision is whether to join Wycliffe or MTW.  We have talked to the Director’s here about joining Wycliffe, and we have contacted MTW to inquire with them.  Please pray for wisdom as we decide which organization is best for our family.  Feel free to email us with any insights about this decision.  Hopefully, with two years under our belts the application process will not be too difficult. 

          Two logistical notes: First, we would like to apologize for any prayer or financial supporters who have not been receiving our newsletters.  We are learning the process of how to properly mail our newsletter, and there has been a learning curve.  If you see this newsletter, and would like to receive one, personally, please contact us and let us know you are not getting one.  Secondly, we have received 96% of our support for next year.  Praise the Lord for his generous provision for us again- we are humbled at his provision and your generosity.

prayer concerns:

-        pray for our family as they adjust to our decision to continue overseas

-        pray for God to show us His will by opening and closing doors as we go through the acceptance process

-        pray for our kids as they say good bye after a good visit with Amie’s parents- they are feeling a bit homesick

-        Pray for wisdom as our managers make hard decisions since we only have three sets of hostel parents and enough teens to fill four hostels.

- Am I following the Biblical model of being a missionary?

- Is it okay to just take care of teens if it causes me to neglect taking care of the poor, hungry, those in prison? (parable of sheep and goats)

- Is it okay to take ask for support from people/churches that don’t know me personally?

- Is my motivation for being here pure?

- Is God calling me to missions just for this season in life, or for the rest of my life?

                                Browns April Newsletter

        It is April the 9^th and I am just now getting to our letter.  We are on a 10 day break.   It has been a busy break, but a good one. On Monday I got to drop the youth group off in a remote village where they will show an AIDS video and the Jesus film. They will be traveling to different villages showing the films until Friday when I get to go and pick them up. I phrase it like this because it was so much fun taking them out there. We had three four wheel drive trucks and we got to basically go four wheeling for two hours through the mountains of PNG in order to get them to their destination.  We actually did not even get them all the way there before we got two of the trucks stuck in the mud. The kids had to hike in the rest of the way. I never imagined I would get to go four wheeling for Jesus! God is so good. He allowed me to help build his kingdom, while at the same time, doing something I love.

        Today, Amie and I attended a 7 hour workshop for strategic planning of the next 5 years here at SIL.  Amie and I were dreading the length of the meeting but were pleasantly surprised at the way the workshop was put on. The day seemed to fly by and the leaders running the meeting did a great job of organizing all the ideas and grouping them together into manageable pieces. We also learned a lot about some of the needs of which we were unaware. Overall, it was a good day.     One of the girls, who lived with us during the school term, watched our kids for us so that we could go to the meeting. It was such a blessing to have someone, who my kids love, to watch our 5 kids for 7 hours, and allow Amie and me to go. We had someone like that back in the states who ministered to us in a way that she will never know- We love you Beth!

        Another family on center volunteered to watch all 5 kids for 3 days while Amie and I got to go to Ramu, a sugar company with a bed and breakfast and pool about 1 ½ hours away, for 2 nights. Again, what a blessing to have a family recognize our need to get away and get refreshed before another term starts. The same family did this for us last term and my kids had a blast with them, so the kids were looking forward to them babysitting again. I have to say it one more time, God is so good. Even though we don’t have family around to give us these kinds of breaks, He knows we need them, and He provides for our every need.

        Speaking of providing every need, we have now confirmed that all of our support has been raised. If you are one of the ones who pledged to support us for the next year you are welcome to send your check to East Ridge Presbyterian Church. Just make sure you put Charlie and Amie in the “for” spot on the check. We would like to have all the money in by July of this year since our support from last year runs out in June. I know I ultimately need to thank God for providing the funds to stay here another year but I also thank each and every one of you who chose to support us from the depths of my soul. The Bible says its better to give than receive and I am still not comfortable being on the receiving end of the equation. So I hope God blesses your gift and returns it to you pressed down and overflowing.

Charlie,

For The Charlie Brown Family

Feb Brown’s news letter

Sorry it has been so long since we have written. If you watch our blog at all you will see a pattern start to emerge. During the term we don’t write very much but during the breaks we have a lot more time to post pictures and write. We were also trying to hear from our last Church so we could give an update on where we are in our support for next year. It looks like we were able to reach our goal so we will definitely be here another year. Beyond that, I do not have a peace about what to do. When we first arrived here I told Amie “this is where I want to raise my children”. So God has obviously given me a love for this place. When I talk about the job we are doing, I tell people that I am doing what I was made to do. In a vacuum I would live the rest of my life here and not think twice about it.  But, it is more complicated than that. My mother wrote me an insightful email where she explained that when she talks about us, she talks more about us living in third world country than the fact that we are missionaries. I am afraid that she may be correct. This begs the question whether I am over here for the right reason. I am not sure whether God gave me the desire to live in a third world country in order to get me over here to do this job. Or is it that I want to live in a third world country and being a missionary allows me to get what I want. These are the questions that keep me up at night, and if you know me that is a hard thing to do. I love my sleep. Either way we are here until June of 2009. Please pray that God will give me clarity about our long term future. I need to make a decision this year in order to know whether to pay for round trip tickets when we return home.

          On another note we have had some interesting developments this week here in Ukarumpa. First, the bridge that crosses the river to get out of the highlands has dropped about 2 feet making it impassable. This bridge is the life line to our community.  Everything from food to fuel for both cars and airplanes has to come across this bridge to get to Ukarumpa. We are currently pleading with the government to come and fix or replace the bridge. Their response is that they do not have the money right now.

          Secondly, our water supply from the river is now going to be cut off. A section of the piping that runs from the river to Ukarumpa runs through an individual’s property. He is threatening to dismantle that section if we do not pay him for letting the water flow through his land. Apparently we paid him a one time fee to install the piping on his property, but now he wants to charge us a monthly fee as well. The administration has refused to pay and has taken him to court over the issue. I went to take a shower this morning and there was no hot water so I guess this individual is winning as of now. Pray that both of these issues would be resolved quickly and that the name of Jesus would not be smeared in any way as we pressure the government to act quickly to get our water and roads back on track.

          When I first became a missionary people asked me if I had any prayer cards so that they could put it on their fridge and remember to pray for us. I cynically said no. God is obviously working on my cynicism. To my defense, until now, we have not needed urgent prayer. Now I am pleading for your prayers. In addition to the above problems both of my grandparents are in separate hospitals back in the states and are near the end of their lives and I cannot be there to see them, or support my parents as they deal with this. On top of this we have an 18 year old mentally handicapped boy who will be with us for the next six weeks as his parents are out doing their translation work.

          Sorry this letter is so long. Most months it will be short and sweet. Yes, we took care of 12 teens again this month. But this month seemed to be filled with so much I just had to write it all out. To end on a note of encouragement this experience has strengthened my dependency on God in a way that nothing else could. I am also attaching another list of prayer requests to this letter so that people can put it on their fridge and remember to pray for us. God bless all of you who continue to support us both financially and with your prayers.

The Charlie Brown Family

Prayer requests for the Brown family

 1.  Wisdom to know what to do in the future. As a missionary your future is always uncertain.

2.  Our marriage. By the middle of each 10 week term Amie and I start to fight because we get so emotionally exhausted.

3.  Our finances. We got hit hard this year with income tax from both countries. Pray that I would be a good steward of our money.

4.  Our “in touch skills”. As a missionary part of our job is keeping our supporters up to date with what is going on. This does not come naturally to Amie or me.

5.  Family relationships. Being away from family puts a strain on those relationships. We need wisdom to handle our families in a just and Godly way.

6.  Vision. There are lots of needs here in Ukarumpa. Pray that I would recognize those needs that I could help with, without distracting me from my hostel parent job.

7.  Discernment. Dealing with teens. Enough said.

8.  An attitude of gratefulness. The lack of privacy here sometimes gets me down. Sometimes I just want to take my wife out for the evening, but that is not possible here. However, there are 100 reasons why I love it here. Pray that I would stay focused on those.

9.  My children. That they would catch the vision of what Wycliffe is trying to do here in PNG, and get behind it, even if they have to do without sometimes.

10.  Me. That I would love the Lord my God with all my heart soul and strength and mind. That I would seek first his Kingdom and His righteousness and then the rest of this list will take care of itself.

Before I even get started I want to say that I am not saying American Christianity is necessarily un-biblical- I am just processing something:)  Since I have come to Ukarumpa my beliefs have been under somewhat of a struggle, and I am interested in hearing your thoughts on them.  Ukarumpa is a community with people from 17 different countries working side by side to further the gospel.  What I have noticed is that there are differences in the "sins" that we feel passionately about.  I was talking with one of the boys from Switzerland and he remarked how funny it was to him that Americans felt so strongly against drinking and smoking in the church.  He says that in Switzerland getting drunk is frowned on, but no one cares about drinking or smoking.  He questioned the fact that we made a major issue out of alcohol while we didn't seem to care so much about the Sabbath.  His point was that you have to really look to find verses that prohibit alcohol (he agrees that deliberately getting drunk is taught against), but the Sabbath is right there in the ten commandment.  So, why do we make such a big deal about alcohol and smoking (I think, even if we allow drinking, we judge other people in the church for drinking and smoking, and we feel we have  to keep it a bit hush hush) and neglect the Sabbath?  Is our culture affecting the way we interpret scripture?  I have previously written a post on the fact that I had begun to wonder if our culture affects our ideas about parenting and other moral issues, but the fact is that the questions are only getting bigger in my mind.  Our German boys say that in Germany cussing is not a big deal. They are taught never to take the Lord's name in vain, but a little "s" or "d" word is not considered a sin.  They don't use those types of words in front of me out of love for me.  I must note that I never asked them not to, but they assumed that I would be offended because I am American.  Here it is culturally acceptable to have multiple wives.  We definitely frown on that, and I certainly don't want Charlie picking up another wife.  My first reaction to this custom, is what I believe most of you would feel: it is sinful. But why?  Where is it clearly taught in scripture that you cannot have more than on wife?  I see it clearly taught that the leaders in the Church are not to have more than one wife, and I see it as beneficial to have only one wife, but is it a sin against God to have more than one wife?  Here the law is that the first wife must be in support of you taking another wife or you cannot do it?  Why would the first wife allow it?  I don't know, but it happens regularly here.  Should we teach that this is an abomination to God?  Another culturally acceptable thing here is to kick a disrespectful, disobedient child out of the village.  The child then loses the protection of the village and the help of his line (or family, which is huge here, but takes too long to explain).  I have heard that a beating sometimes occurs when the child is kicked out.  Feels harsh to us,  we certainly err on the side of forgiving our children.  But is it wrong?  So what things get me fired up because they "feel" wrong, and what things get me fired up because they are upsetting to God?  I find it interesting that the same "sins" that upset me upset other Americans, but might not upset other Christians from other countries.  How do we make sure that we are passionate about the sins the Bible teaches against and not so passionate against the things that are frowned on just because our culture doesn't like them?  I believe that the answer is to throw myself into God's word.  I do not think the answer is to lose all righteous anger towards any sin.  I just want to make sure I am angered by the things that anger God.  

Before I even get started I want to say that I am not saying American Christianity is necessarily un-biblical- I am just processing something:)  Since I have come to Ukarumpa my beliefs have been under somewhat of a struggle, and I am interested in hearing your thoughts on them.  Ukarumpa is a community with people from 17 different countries working side by side to further the gospel.  What I have noticed is that there are differences in the "sins" that we feel passionately about.  I was talking with one of the boys from Switzerland and he remarked how funny it was to him that Americans felt so strongly against drinking and smoking in the church.  He says that in Switzerland getting drunk is frowned on, but no one cares about drinking or smoking.  He questioned the fact that we made a major issue out of alcohol while we didn't seem to care so much about the Sabbath.  His point was that you have to really look to find verses that prohibit alcohol (he agrees that deliberately getting drunk is taught against), but the Sabbath is right there in the ten commandment.  So, why do we make such a big deal about alcohol and smoking (I think, even if we allow drinking, we judge other people in the church for drinking and smoking, and we feel we have  to keep it a bit hush hush) and neglect the Sabbath?  Is our culture affecting the way we interpret scripture?  I have previously written a post on the fact that I had begun to wonder if our culture affects our ideas about parenting and other moral issues, but the fact is that the questions are only getting bigger in my mind.  Our German boys say that in Germany cussing is not a big deal. They are taught never to take the Lord's name in vain, but a little "s" or "d" word is not considered a sin.  They don't use those types of words in front of me out of love for me.  I must note that I never asked them not to, but they assumed that I would be offended because I am American.  Here it is culturally acceptable to have multiple wives.  We definitely frown on that, and I certainly don't want Charlie picking up another wife.  My first reaction to this custom, is what I believe most of you would feel: it is sinful. But why?  Where is it clearly taught in scripture that you cannot have more than on wife?  I see it clearly taught that the leaders in the Church are not to have more than one wife, and I see it as beneficial to have only one wife, but is it a sin against God to have more than one wife?  Here the law is that the first wife must be in support of you taking another wife or you cannot do it?  Why would the first wife allow it?  I don't know, but it happens regularly here.  Should we teach that this is an abomination to God?  Another culturally acceptable thing here is to kick a disrespectful, disobedient child out of the village.  The child then loses the protection of the village and the help of his line (or family, which is huge here, but takes too long to explain).  I have heard that a beating sometimes occurs when the child is kicked out.  Feels harsh to us,  we certainly err on the side of forgiving our children.  But is it wrong?  So what things get me fired up because they "feel" wrong, and what things get me fired up because they are upsetting to God?  I find it interesting that the same "sins" that upset me upset other Americans, but might not upset other Christians from other countries.  How do we make sure that we are passionate about the sins the Bible teaches against and not so passionate against the things that are frowned on just because our culture doesn't like them?  I believe that the answer is to throw myself into God's word.  I do not think the answer is to lose all righteous anger towards any sin.  I just want to make sure I am angered by the things that anger God.  

Last one's.  Here are Krista and Chase's thoughts:

Krista:.

My favorite thing about last year was getting to spend time with my friends and family

The hardest thing for me was leaving America to come to Papua New Guinea.

Something I learned last year was how to get along with teenagers better.

My New Year's resolution is to stop biting my fingernails and to stop being so selfish.

Chase:

My favorite thing about last year was getting to go to Lae in December.  There was a swimming pool, and we could buy movies there, and there was air conditioning, and I liked it there.

The hardest thing about last year was moving to Papua New Guinea because I had to leave everyone I knew and a lot of my things, and I had to come to a whole new house and make new friends. 

I learned how to make a blow dart thing from bamboo last year, which is cool.  I also learned how to shoot a bow and arrow- but either I am not very good at aiming, or my bow and arrow shoots off.

My New Year's resolution is to be more responsible because I have not been very responsible most of my life and I think it is good to be sort of responsible.

Okay, these are from Philip:

My favorite thing about last year was getting to go to Australia.  When we were in Autralia my bedroom was in the kitchen and that is awesome!!  Lots of people never get to sleep in a kitchen, but I did, and I kind of wish I could tonight.

The hardest thing for me last year was , hmmmm..Mi No Save (I don't know) nothings hard for me, I am strong and all that stuff, and nothing made me sad.

Something I learned new this year is how to talk in Rose's language.  She teaches me what to say, and then I know how to say it in her language, and then we talk to each other in her language, and I like Rose.  So I say Mi no save (I don't know) and mi stap all right (I am doing all right) , and stuff like that.  They don't say that stuff in America.

Next year I am going to just be big. I turned four, and so I am going to be four like Empoo, and that is big,  I am also thinking I will poo-poo with my mom not even coming with me, and that is what four year olds do, they don't even have to talk to their mom while they poop. 

In keeping with the New Year tradition our family took the time to remember last year, the good, the bad, and resolve to do some things better.  Here are our thoughts:

JEFF: 

1.  My favorite thing about last year was that I got to go to a bunch of different countries.  A lot of people never get to go to a new country, but I got to stop in New Zealand, and visit Australia.  We had fun in Australia, and then I got to come to Papua New Guinea.

2.  The hardest thing about last year for me was leaving all my friends and family.  I wish America would move and become neighbors with Papua New Guinea then I could visit all the people I miss like Gracie, Josiah, Austin, well, really all the Noonans, and Bennett and Joseph, and Nana and Grandpa, and Mimi and Papa- but if we were neighbors I could see them and live here, because I like it here and don't want to leave, I just want them to come here or something.

3.Something I learned this year was that I love animals.  Animals die, and they really are nice to people.  I like to read about them and see about what happens to them.  Sometimes people are not always nice to animals, and I don't know if they go to heaven.

4.  Next year I want to try to be kinder to people, and not get angry at some of the teens,and I want to not be so prideful.

KATE:

1.My favorite thing about last year was getting to go to Australia.  Also, I got two pet cats, who I really love, and I got to ride horses, which is really fun. Mercy got me a present of riding a horse during break, so I will get to ride again.

2. The hardest thing about last year for me was that I had an ear infection on the plane and when we first got to Australia. It really hurt, and we had to fly for a lot of hours, and that was really hard.

3.  This year I learned that I should be kind to my brother's and sisters because people don't like to play with mean people, and it is sad when no one wants to play with you.

4.  Next year I want to try not to think about how handsome some of the teenage boys are, and just love my daddy.

That's all for now.  We will post the other family members thoughts when we return from our trip to Madang. We will leave you eager with the anticipation to know what the rest of the family thinks, and perhaps, we will get back to it, perhaps you will always have to wonder.

            I feel like I keep writing about how happy I am over here because I don’t understand it. As time goes on I feel like God is starting to reveal the reason to me.  I was watching the movie First Knight, the story of King Arthur. In the movie Malagant, the bad guy is arguing with the king about the control of a city. Malagant says to king author “you’re fine words are talking you out of peace and into war.”  To which King Arthur replies, “There is a certain peace that is only found on the other side of war.”  The Bible says if you are willing to leave the things in life that bring you security like family and job to follow God then you will be rewarded a hundred times in this lifetime.  My security blanket in life was a close-knit family and a steady income.  When I was willing to give those things up to follow where God was leading me I found a joy on the other side of that sacrifice that I had not known before.  Now, I don’t want to categorize my life before as not having joy.  I enjoyed many blessings from God like a hot wife, five beautiful children, and a successful business.  I guess before I thought that I had the best life that could be offered a man.  I think the reason I keep writing about the joy is that I am completely shocked by it.  I had no idea that there could be more joy in life than what I already had.  I mention this because I don’t want people to think that I came over here to attain this greater joy.  The happiness this job brings is simply a byproduct of going where I think God was leading.  It was not the end.  I guess I would like to encourage you guys who read this blog to be willing to go wherever you think God is leading. I think sometimes we feel the Holy Spirit tugging at us to do something but the things we find security in hold us back from going for it.  I want my experience to testify to the fact that you will never regret letting go of this world and following God.

            So what is this joy that I keep talking about?  In the same verse that God promises to give us a hundred times more in this lifetime he promises that it will be with persecution.  So I am not saying that I never get sick, or fight with my wife, or that I never get criticism of my motives for coming over here.  It is just more of an underlying joy that helps me through when those things come.  When my wife was in labor they gave her a shot of Nubain (a member of the cocaine family).  Now, she was still in labor, and having contractions, but it helped her emotionally handle the pain.  I still live in a sinful, fallen world, and I am not yet perfect.  But following God here has given me a joy that has helped me emotionally handle the troubles that come my way.   I do not want to imply that the joy is euphoric, like a drug, it is more of a peace or contentment.  I think one of the things that God is showing me is that I did not give enough credit to my flesh.  I fought temptation daily, and found victory over certain sins, but I think part of the reason God called me here is because he knew my flesh was weak. I cannot handle pornography at the click of a button, or disposable income, or alcohol, or anonymity. I have been accused of running away from these temptations and I admit it freely.  The Bible says “If your right hand offends you, cut it off.  Better to enter into heaven without a limb than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”  Translation, be radical in your fight against sin. If that means moving half way around the world, then do it.

             That being said, I also feel that Amie and I are gifted with teens. So when I give my speech about why we came over here I mainly talk about the job we came to do. But, one of the motives that helped get me over here was this idea about radically fighting sin.  I felt like I was sliding down a slippery slope of the easy life and I did not know how to stop. I am reading a book called “The Cost of Discipleship” and somehow before I even read the book I inherently knew that there was not much cost to my discipleship and it did not feel right. I do not believe that God sent his Son to suffer and die, and then required his disciples to suffer and die so that we could have the easy life. If we are to be followers of Christ then we must be willing to sacrifice in order to receive the promises of God. This is a whole new concept for me.  It has been pounded in my head that salvation is a free gift from God. Somehow in my mind I confused the free gift of salvation with the “free” promises of God. Because of that confusion all of the “if then” statements in the Bible did not make sense. I do not believe there are free promises in the Bible. There are only if then promises. If you obey your parents then you will live long on the earth.  If you forgive your brother then your heavenly father will forgive you. If you obey the Sabbath then you will ride on the wings of eagles. Most of these issues sound like obedience rather than sacrifice. Yet when the rich young ruler said he had kept all these commands since his youth Jesus said to him you lack one thing “sacrifice” go and sell your possessions and give to the poor. David understood this principle he said I will not give to the Lord that which cost me nothing. The point is, I am now convinced that obedience to Christ requires sacrifice and until I can figure out how to do that in the states then I am going to stay where I am so that I can point to tangible sacrifices in my life.

            Sorry for the tangent. I just wanted to let you into my mind as I was making the decision to come over here. I was pretty sure that we would like the job but was worried that the teens might not gel with my younger kids. I also was not sure if I would like the people in my department, or the directors. Fortunately we have had very little conflict since coming over here. We still have not found intimate friends like we had back home. This, and leaving our family, has been the biggest sacrifice we have had to make. Some people would think that leaving the safety and comfort of America was the biggest sacrifice, but those things were the easiest for me. I believe that all the verses about joy and peace have become a reality for me because of the sacrifice we were willing to make. I believe this is how the disciples were able to sing while in prison, or count it a privilege to have suffered for the cross. I don’t say this to brag but as an encouragement to your faith. If you have never seen the link between sacrifice and joy then I encourage you to put God to the test and you will not be disappointed.

            One last point. My father in law pointed out to me that my first priority is being a husband and father. So if this job somehow takes away from these priorities then it is probably not of God. I agree; the problem is defining what takes away from those priorities. I definitely give less attention to my kids than I did before. I am now split 12 ways instead of 5. But the teens have come along side us and helped us raise our kids. They have also served as guinea pigs so that I can make mistakes on them that I might be able to avoid on my own kids.  My kids might be temporarily sad to be away from their grandparents and friends but I believe that this experience has done more to grow my faith than any other thing in my life. Ultimately this will trickle down to my children and grow their faith which then is serving my first priority.

What a privelage to live in a community of people following God.  One of the things I love about this community is that there is a public forum on the "intranet", not to be confused with the "internet", where people can raise concerns about the community. For example, people complain about motorbike riders not fastening their helments. This one I did not personally like because it was about me. On the other hand it gives people a chance to discuss how we should live.  You can still see people"s pride and arrogance shine through in their writing, but I think it is a good way for iron to sharpen iron. Here is an example that I really enjoyed, so I thought I would post it.

This posting describes the proper use of this newsgroup.

The Member_Forum is the discussion forum for members of the branch. Please be polite and considerate of other cultures. Please review every message you are about to post and maybe even sleep on it. This forum is not widely read because of insensitive or hurtful remarks that have been made in the past. Messages stay on the server for one month.

Please address all questions about these guidelines to CTS-NetSupp@sil.org.pg

Because things on the Forum have been a bit dull of late, and because I've
been mulling this subject over for a while, I have decided to post my
(heretical??) thoughts so that others can put me straight:O)  By raising
this question I am not trying to have an indirect "go" at anyone or any
department (including our most excellent and and highly esteemed school),
neither am I trying to start a grassroots rebellion going to try and change
current policies and practice!

OK - now I've got my disclaimer out the way...

Just what is so important about memorising scripture?

I was brought up in a fairly anti-Christian family (I was banned as a child
from going to Sunday School!) so I have nothing in my childhood experience
to help me understand this emphasis I see that kids (or adults) need to be
memorising Scripture.

I have a terrible memory, always have had, and it ain't getting any better.
I'm not a detail oriented person either, which certainly doesn't help since
I go for the principles rather than the exact wording.

Does all this seem like one big excuse??  You can tell me - I can cope:O)

But... Just what is so unique about memorising Scripture - are there other
ways to store up God's Word in your heart?  If so, what are they?

When I was very first a Christian and completely devouring God's Word my
pastor challenged me to memorise Scripture.  When I asked why he said
because if I was ever put in prison for my faith and didn't have access to a
Bible, I'd still be able to meditate on God's Word.  My reply at the time
was "as if that's ever gong to happen!!"  Yes, feel free to feel sorry for
my pastor:O)

Other times I have been told that I shouldn't take the Bible for granted -
as if there's a direct correlation between taking the Bible for granted and
NOT memorising it.  Hmm - I struggle to agree that so-called correlation is
as strong and as simplistic as that.

Apologies for my garbled thoughts - but if I wait to polish this posting
it'll never get posted (maybe some of you think that would be a good
thing...)

Let me know your thoughts - don't be shy:O)

Noni "sacred cow questioner" Voth

Dear "sacred cow questioner",
Good question. I think that Christians should explore the reasons why they
do things. Too many people live shallow, dogmatic, and reactionary lives
based upon church tradition or because "that's the way its always been
done - hmmmp." I think that each of us should know what we believe and why.
We should explore what God's word says, and not just take someone else's
word for it. (Though God provides many wise and godly leaders we need to
learn from, too. Just don't check your mind at the door while doing so.)
After giving you that affirmation it is too late in the evening for me to
write answers from my own personal experiences and beliefs on this matter.
However, upon reading your question the following two verses immediately
came to mind. This I attribute to time well spent in scripture memory.
(Notice that I said, "WELL spent", meaning I have no regrets for doing
this). Anyway, life's questions are best answered from God's perspective
rather than our own.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin
against you...

I Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have....

There are many more reasons but these are a good start.

Ruth

"John & Noni Voth" <j-n.voth@sil.org.pg> wrote in

Memorising scripture is clearly a very helpful and effective thing for many
people.  Have the people who have found  word-for-word memorisation helpful
wrongly assumed that it's something everyone should do?

I haven't yet memorised a lot of scripture, but I do find myself remembering
verses I've learnt at times when they are helpful.  If I just read the
Bible, or even hear a sermon on it, I soon forget what I've read or heard.
If I memorise it, it really sticks with me.  I'm not someone who picks up
meanings easily, and I tend to skim read, but if I memorise something it
encourages me to think about it a lot and understand what it really means.

Andrew, like Noni, is more a 'concepts' person.  He finds it more helpful to
spend time reading a wider range of the Bible, learning and exploring
concepts, than to spend a lot of time concentrating on a few verses he is
trying to memorise.

Clare "Likes-to-answer-questions-with-questions" Koens

I do not know this from personal experience, but I think it would make your
arguments far more effective if you say the reference and exact quote of the
verse if you are evangelizing.  If you are trying to convince someone of
God's love for them and they say "How do you know?", it would be more
powerful to have an exact quote and reference from Jesus himself about how
much he loves us all.  I can't really imagine how ineffective it would be to
say, "I know that God loves us, but I can't remember where it says that..."

See what I mean?

Ben

Yup, I see what you mean, and I could see how this would be important to the
older generation who's worldview includes the acceptance of the existence of
absolute truth.  However, I'm unsure how effective it would be in
evangelising anyone from an unchurched or post-modern background.  I don't
think being known for our knowledge of the truth is what makes us Christ's
ambassadors in a fallen world, and arguing on an intellectual level about
Bible stuff won't reach many - it is our love for one another that will draw
folk to Christ.  When non-Christians ask us how we know God love's them, our
answer shouldn't be merely speaking the truth at them - rather it should be
living/being the truth before them in how we treat others.

What do you think?

Noni

Yeah, I've always wondered why a non-believer should be impressed with
Bible verses.  A non-believer most likely doesn't believe that the Bible is
true, (or believes that its truth is subject to the interepretation of the
reader, or believes that the truth therein is not supreme, etc.), so why in
the world should he care if you can quote chapter and verse?  Big whup. If
he doesn't recognise the Bible as truth, then honestly why should he be
impressed?  (At this point, one might argue that the Holy Spirit may be
working on the unbeliever, causing him to be more recptive to the concept of
the Bible as absolute, supreme Truth).  Anyway,  I agree with Noni, our
lives should be our testimony.

    I want to make it perfectly clear at this point that I think scripture
memorisation is a good thing and using verses during witnessing is indeed
important, but I think that memorisation may be more important for
meditation, reflection, and for helping one to be able to give wise counsel
than for evangelising.

     Andrew

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin
> against you...

OK - but why do we assume that the ONLY way to hide God's Word in our hearts
is through Scripture memorisation?  I agree that memorisation is ONE way of
doing that but it isn't the only way.  When the psalmist wrote this he
certainly didn't mean memorising chapter and verse - which is a medieval
addition to Scripture.  What DID he mean?
>
> I Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
> to give the reason for the hope that you have....

Yes, giving the reason for the hope that we have, again, CAN include
divulging verses we have learnt.  But again, this isn't the only way.  In
fact, when first saved, it would never have occurred to me to use memorised
scripture verses alone to explain the reason for the hope that I have;
personal testimonies of how God has worked in my life or in the life of
those I know are just as powerful (if not more so) to the average
non-Christian than quoting the Bible.

Again, what do you think??

Noni

It seems there is "memorizing" and then there is "memorizing".

I learned a lot of verses growing and they come back to me at very
appropriate and needed times. They are often out of context or the context
isn't known. The result is more a litany of unconnected concepts/"truths"
that serve to draw me to Scripture for more when the pop into my head now.
This type of memory can be taken to heart or not depending on one's attitude
when being forced to memorize (as at school). I consider it useful for many
reasons. In some ways, it parallels a catechism or similar often memorized
statement of truths/beliefs. But, there is also a danger in "using" these
memorized words inappropriately, especially if they are understood to be the
whole of the matter on the particular topic the verse may be referring to.

As an adult, memorizing has taken the form of prolonged meditation on one
particular passage - this usually happens at bedtime or when I wake up in
the middle of the night and the mind starts to race. It's also a mind
occupying activity when doing other more menial chores.

When I have taken a chapter or portion of a chapter that has a particular
challenge or draw to me and begun to memorize it (my process requires much
analysis of how concepts are connected and thought flows) certain
implications and applications begin to dawn in my consciousness that I would
never have seen if I had "just" been "reading" through the passage on the
way to the next. Some of God's most powerful works of change in my life have
come through memorizing a passage. I am very much a "concept" person and
most of my understanding about big concepts such as suffering, God's
character, etc., have come as a direct revelation through the process of
trying to memorize a passage. Again, memorizing for me at this stage is not
getting the words into my head but absorbing the words so the concepts they
express take root, grow and bloom.

I like it when the exact words eventually stick in my mind because they
usually are much more concise and powerful than my own rambling
explanations. When the words and concepts do come to mind to share with
someone else, I have done enough processing of truths/concepts in the
passage (in the memorization process) that I can express the meaning of the
words without using the words (for those for whom the words themselves have
become cliché and would be a distraction) or state the words themselves if
that will have the most impact. Although, if the later is the case, I
usually end up getting out the book and reading the words. Something about
needing/wanting to actually quote the words on the spot temporarily sends
those same words to the nearly inaccessible recesses of the mind.

Bonnie

I have a couple of answers.  First, my personal experience.  Scripture
memory, besides helping me catch the girl I wanted to marry, has brought a
lot of blessings into my life.  Some of my best times with the Lord have
been reviewing some passage that I was trying to memorize.  I remember one
time I was working on a passage, and for two or three days it kept playing
again and again in my mind, even when I was not trying to review it.  I was
seeing more in that passage than I have ever seen through a Bible study,
sermon or reading.  I was meditating on it, literally, day and night and the
joy and sense of closeness with the Lord was the best I had ever had.  There
have been other times like that.  Recently, I was walking around the center,
and I started reviewing a passage I had memorized years ago, maybe even a
couple of decades.  And then something strange happened.  I saw something in
it that I had never seen before.  How can you stare at something for close
to 20 years and still find something new?  So for the last few days, this
truth the Lord taught me has stuck with me, and it has been something I have
been able to share, to enjoy, and one more reason to worship the Lord.
I suppose you could accomplish the same by having a Bible with you 24/7.
But it would be hard to read when you are driving or even walking on some of
our roads.  Imagine all the activities that you might do during the day that
do not involve your mind to a great extent, cooking, cleaning, visiting the
lik-lik house, walking to the office, combing your hair, and then imagine
doing them with the Word of God playing back in your mind, faithful,
unchanged by paraphrasing or
Second, there is my experience with my kids.  I am commanded to teach them
God's Word when we sit at home or when we are walking along.  I have been
teaching my son a passage, so the other day we were riding on the
motorcycle, and he asked me if I could help him review it right there and
then.  Hard to pull out a book when you are driving a bike.
Third, to your comments about not being detailed oriented.... I tend to not
be either, but the truth is that all of us can be detailed oriented when we
want to.  I bet if I had to, say, check a survey report, I could make myself
be detail oriented for a while.  I have seen people who were utterly
convinced that they did not have a good enough memory or the right
personality, and I have seen them memorize passages and be blessed by it
beyond their best expectations and far beyond the cost of the work they put
into it.
I can not think of a mandate in Scripture to memorize it.  There are times
when it is implied (Psa 1, Josh 1:8) and there is the example of Jesus and
others, who obviously memorized Scripture and had it on their lips while
they were teaching or while they were suffering the worst of trials, but I
can not think of a single passage that says you must do it.  Still, the
benefits are so great, that I strongly encourage you to do it.  Even if it
takes more work than for the average person, I would challenge you to give
it a push.  Try Psalm 139, and even when you are just halfway through, tell
me if it is not among the best times you have ever had in God's Word.
It keeps getting harder and harder to memorize, and I am by nature a very
undisciplined person.  But the day might come when my eyes and body might
fail me altogether, so I will keep pushing to have the most I can stored up.
The only thing that really scares me is that the day might come when my mind
might cease to work.  But that is just too scary to contemplate.
In Him,
Gil

I found Scripture memory very handy the day I was weekend radio operator and
there was no Bible; luckily I could recite a whole 4 verses in a row (and
challenged the hearers to check my memory). ;o)

On a very different occasion, after my Mom died, my mind was flooded over
and over again with a certain passage that I had not memorized. (I was on a
bus for a couple hours after clearing out her house); When I got a chance I
looked up the entire passage (to fill in the blank spots) and found it to be
a real blessing. At least I did have a clue of where to look so familiarity
without the word for word bit was helpful.

I'm not sure where I stand... there are times when I have a particular
struggle that I try to use the verse or verses as a weapon - I guess as part
of "taking every thought captive" to fill my mind with postive words of God
rather than listen to the negative repetitive "tapes" that seem to autoplay
in our minds from Satan.

Mary

I do believe that that Holy Spirit can bring scriptures to mind when we need
them, but only if they are already there (hidden in that dark corner or
something...)

To pick up on something Gil said, even though the Bible doesn't have
specific mandates to memorize it, my understanding of Jewish culture was
that a boy would have memorized the Torah by a certain age, and he would
have gone on to memorize other big chunks of scripture if he were going to
be a Rabbi.  I'm sure other more knowledgable people could elaborate on
specifics since I've only heard this from one source several years ago.

Colin

On 5/11/07 13:28, in article kPaR3v1HIHA.5868@rebekah.sil.org.pg, "Colin
Lord" <c-d.lord@sil.org.pg> wrote:

> I do believe that that Holy Spirit can bring scriptures to mind when we need
> them, but only if they are already there (hidden in that dark corner or
> something...)
>
> To pick up on something Gil said, even though the Bible doesn't have
> specific mandates to memorize it, my understanding of Jewish culture was
> that a boy would have memorized the Torah by a certain age, and he would
> have gone on to memorize other big chunks of scripture if he were going to
> be a Rabbi.  I'm sure other more knowledgable people could elaborate on
> specifics since I've only heard this from one source several years ago.
>
> Colin
>
>
So does that mean that female, non-Jews are exempt?

(Or maybe our brains are just too small to cope with it ...)

;-)

I struggle with memorising too, though in practice more than in principle.
Growing up in a non-Christian family, there wasn't any reason to memorise
anything much (unless you were in a school play - and I could mess up single
lines pretty well!), and as an adult Christian in the UK, scripture
memorisation was never even an issue in church or at Bible College (maybe I
just went to the wrong sort!).  That is not to say I don't have scripture
stored inside me - it's just rarely in chapter and verse form.  I tend to be
much better at remembering stories and themes, rather than detailed
sentences, unless they are in songs.  Generally it makes more sense to me to
learn small chunks rather than isolated verses.  I tried the Navigators
Topical Memory System once, but never really got the hang of it.

I think people who start memorising things as children have a much more
developed memorising capacity than those who start as adults, which is why I
try to help my kids learn theirs.  For myself, I find it really hard to
retain them unless they have been important for a while, so I have a few
"chapter and verse" verses in my head, and lots of bits of scripture where I
have to run for the concordance. I'd like to be able to learn more, and
maybe I simply lack discipline - but I know that if I compare my abilities
in this with most people here in Ukarumpa I'll probably be too depressed to
even bother trying!!!  (I might make you feel better though, Noni!):-)

Lizzie

What is my job?

There is a swirl of confusion around the hostel dad job.  I am often confronted with the question “So, what do you do all day?”  This has been difficult to adjust to.  I assume maybe pastors get this question asked of them “does it take you 40 hours a week to prepare a 20 minute sermon?” Jobs in ministry are what you make of them.  What people do not like is the fact that you could abuse the system and be lazy and still get the job done.  I could run this hostel like a hotel where I was just in charge of their physical needs.  This would be a very easy job if that was all I had to do.  From an economic standpoint it would make more sense to have a huge dorm where all the translator’s kids stayed while their parents were in the village for weeks at a time.  Fortunately SIL saw the flaw in just housing these kids and separated the kids down into 6 houses.  They wanted each house to be a home where the kids were nurtured emotionally, physically and spiritually.  A full hostel is not supposed to have more than 12 kids at a time, but sometimes it could be as many as 16.  Someone asked me today whether I liked being a hostel dad.  He asked if I was busy enough during the day.  My heart said yes but my mouth said no.  I told him that doing domestic work like cooking and watching kids did not feel like real work, even though I do feel like it is real work.  I was afraid that he would not think that I was a real man if that was all I did. The fact is everyone here keeps telling Amie that this job cannot be done with small kids.  All of the families that have come before us with small kids have burned out in a couple of years. I think that the reason might have been that the men have tried to keep their traditional roles by volunteering for different needs around center instead of helping their wives with the domestic roles and staying rested enough to be a good parent to that many kids at once.  Those of you who have ever been on a retreat to prepare food for a group have the best idea of what it takes to prepare meals for large groups. Amie was at Bible study this morning and one of the women had to leave early because she was having a family of 5 over for lunch today.  Amie smiled inside and thought I have to do that for 10 people every day, because the secondary students come home for lunch every day.  Preparing 3 meals a day, seven days a week, for a group of 12 is a huge job.  It takes careful planning, lots of trips to the store, and hours and hours in the kitchen. And, there is none of this business of I’m tired tonight so let’s order a pizza, there’s not even let’s put in a frozen pizza. This is the bulk of our measurable work.  What is not measurable is knowing where 12 kids between the age of 3 and 17 are at all times. A good parent not only knows where they are geographically, but also where they are emotionally and spiritually.  I feel like most people would say that’s impossible.  And if you are trying to hang on to your traditional roles it is impossible.  What we have to train ourselves to do is look at this job like a second shift job.  This means from 8:30 in the morning until noon we have to relax and rest and spend time together while everyone else on center {except the other hostel parents hopefully} are working.  I find myself trying not to go outside during this time so people around the center won’t think I am lazy. Another thing that makes it difficult is that we have a house meri that is working her tail off doing everyone’s laundry and sweeping and the house.  The next time you want to sit and watch some TV or relax, try doing it while someone is furiously cleaning your house. It’s hard. So I find it difficult to relax inside or outside.  But if we don’t take that time then the rest of the day until 10 or 11 we have children fighting for our attention. If we are not disciplined enough to block off that time we would have no marriage which is one of the greatest gifts we can give these kids.  Not only would the kids be missing out on watching a marriage that really worked, but our marriage might not make it if we tried to go at that pace for too long.  So, we have all that working against us and we have a hostel parent meeting every Tuesday morning and Amie has a women’s bible study on Wednesday mornings, and we are supposed to start a pidgin language class on Thursday mornings. Life seems to be filled with too many good things to do but the trick is to identify the big rocks and put those in the jar first. Let me explain.  Amie is studying a book called “Being a Mary in a Martha World” and in this book it gives the illustration of someone putting rocks into a jar.  First he put the big rocks in then the smaller pebbles then sand and then water.  The point is, if you started with the smaller stuff you would not be able to fit all the big rocks in.  You have to put the big rocks in first and then the smaller stuff will find its way in through the cracks.  In our lives we are trying to identify the big rocks and make sure those get done and let the smaller stuff fill in the cracks.  In my opinion spending quality time together in the mornings is a big rock and the bible study and the language class may have to go.  Saying no to good things is maybe one of the hardest things to do in life.  I guess if were easy most of us would live quiet simple lives. I Thess 4:11 says make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.  The writer sees that we need to make this our ambition because our natural tendency is to overbook our lives in such a way that we can’t fit all the big rocks into our lives. 

            So what is my job again?  I am a hostel dad. I help Amie with the enormous task of food preparation and more importantly I try to live a life that is rested enough and has enough emotional points to properly help the 12 children I have been put in charge of.  My dad once told me that everyone starts out with a certain number of emotional points a day and that the trick is not use up all those points at work or play so that you don’t have any left for your family. Good advice.  Please pray for me that I would have the wisdom to identify the big rocks that God has for me to do and that he would give me the strength to say no, to even things like Bible study, if it is distracting me from His goal for my life. One of my favorite definitions of sin is: Sin is what ever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, or obscures your sense of God. In short anything that empowers the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin no matter how good it is in itself.  Pray that I would identify those things in life that empower the spirit over the flesh and that I would prioritize them in my life.  Pray that God will give me the wisdom to do a job that seasoned missionaries say can’t be done. Pray that I would fight the worldly definitions of manliness and be content to help with domestic duties and just being available both physically and emotionally to give each kid what they need.

Hostel dad

            One of the things that I have been thinking about lately is cultural differences and how it relates to what we consider “Godly” or “moral”.  One of the girls in our hostel is from Malaysia.  She challenges me often with her Godly example.  I see real fruit of her love for the Lord.  We have had several conversations that have caused me to question my definition of what it means to be a good parent.  In Asia, parents are more hands off.  They expect their children to be seen and not heard, they are not as physically affectionate, and they expect them to be more independent.  Yet, this girl has no question of her parents love.  She seems to have a very close relationship with her parents in the sense that she attempts to please them, and respects their opinion.  It causes me to wonder about our assumption that good parents need to play with their kids, and snuggle them, and be super involved in their kid lives.  Also, on sport’s day one of the Australian parents remarked that American parents are so much more encouraging than Australian parents.  She noticed that the Americans were all cheering for their kids and after the race telling them what a great job they had done.  She said in Australia the kid only gets a good job if he wins, they hold their praise until the child has done something wonderful.  Is this bad?  How many ideas about parenting come from what our culture says a parent should do, and how many come from God?  Here in Papua New Guinea the girls care for their baby brothers and sisters by the time they are 7 or 8.  Often mom is at work for the day, and big sister is in charge.  They also marry between the age of 13 and 17.  I have to wonder if they are ready for marriage at such a young age because they are given such big responsibilities when they are so young.  So do we protect our children from huge mistakes by giving them plenty of time to grow up, or do we keep them from growing up?  My daughter is nearly 11, and the thought of her marrying in two years is atrocious to me.  Is this because it is wrong, or is it because I was raised in a society that marries at 25- 30 years?

             Rose challenges me with her attitude towards the creature comforts.  I see things like electricity as good but she has no desire to have electricity.  She could live here, in a house like ours with refrigerators, running water, all the things we depend on.  She doesn’t move because she loves her life.  Who needs a microwave when you have a good piece of bamboo?  They warm up their meat by stuffing it in bamboo and then throwing the bamboo in the fire.  I go to her house and understand why she loves it.  She lives in a beautiful spot, untouched by technology.  She may have dirt floors, but her village is a true community.  They work hard all day, and then eat together, and sit around a fire a visit until bed time.  Everyone helps one another and they share land, money, and hardship.  I am a wimp, because I love the way she lives, but I could not work as hard as she does.  I am like one of those yuppies who sit at Starbucks sipping on their latte talking about simplicity and how much they hate technology and what it is doing to our land.  Rose walks an hour to work, and an hour home.  She has to walk at least an hour to work in some of her gardens.  They use bush knives to dig up the dirt, and carry 50 to 100 lbs worth of produce to sell at the market.  Charlie and I had to laugh yesterday.  Our yard meri had to ride home with us to carry something for Charlie.  Is technology better?  I have to admit that the romantic in me loves the way Rose lives, but the practical side of me praises the Lord for technology.

              It is considered immodest here to show the outline of your thigh.  Women here wear skirts and lose fitting long shirts.  Modesty is a huge issue here in Ukarumpa.  Many high school girls choose to wear jeans on center.  This summer they had a meeting to discuss this issue.  They nearly made a rule that all women had to wear skirts to be culturally modest.  Many people feel like our daughters should be allowed to wear what is modest in our culture rather than Papua New Guinea culture.  They decided to let the girls parents decide whether to let them wear pants or not (it was a close vote, but pants won by one vote).  Who decides what the definition of modest is?  If I live in a culture were everyone goes topless at the beach then is a bikini modest?  Is modesty simply staying one step behind the culture we live in with our clothing, or is some clothing immodest by nature?  I am now rambling. My point is that I wonder how many things I accept as good simply because of the culture I was raised in, any thoughts??  

 Things in PNG that promote the simple life:  First is the water.  All of the hot water spickets are fed by a river; the water is simply pumped straight to the house so that all the bathing and washing of clothes and dishes is done with this water.  All of the cold water spickets are fed from a holding tank that collects rain water off the roof.  This is our drinking water.  God made our body to be able to function correctly drinking this type of water.  When you first get here it gives you the runs for a week or so, then your body adjusts and you are fine.  The second thing that adds to the simple life is the energy conservation.  The houses are all heated with fire places and have lots of windows to open and keep things cool in the afternoon.  Another way to conserve energy is through cheap lighting.  Most people don’t like the look of fluorescent lighting fixtures, or the light that it gives off.  But they definitely use a lot less energy.  They also conserve energy by not having dryers.  Everyone has clothes lines and hangs their clothes out to dry.  The third thing that makes life simpler here is the way they get food.  Outside of our house we have fifty banana trees; therefore bananas are used a great deal in our diet.  My wife has learned to make excellent banana bread and the kids have learned to snack on them.  We also get cheap vegetables at a local street market.  Nationals from outside the SIL centre bring there vegetables and crafts in to the centre three times a week from 6:30 am-8am and make their fresh produce available to us at a great price.  We do have to go home and soak them in bleach water to get all the bugs off.  This is a small price to pay for true organic vegetables at incredible prices.  Most people around here (including us, very soon) also supplement their diet by having their own vegetable/herb garden.  Much of the food is made completely from scratch, which takes longer but is so much less expensive.  The thing that probably saves the most money in relationship to food is that there are absolutely no restaurants within 100KM to eat at.  Life is also made simpler by having a community where everything is within walking distance.  We walk to church, the store, the post office; people’s homes for dinner, tennis courts, floor ball, and the kids even walk to school.  This eliminates the necessity of having a car.  As a matter of fact, most people here don’t even own a car.  There are almost no TV stations here; some people can get one channel fuzzy if they hold their antenna just right.  Without TV we are forced to interact more and be more social as a community.  Evening activities include bible studies, sports, visiting neighbors, and eating with one another.  Something I feel must be explored is that many areas of temptation are minimized here.  Alcohol is not allowed here, so it is socially acceptable not to drink, not that drinking is wrong, but it erases any temptation to do it too often or too much.  The other thing is the issue of lust:  pornography is illegal in this country, and most definitely prohibited on the centre.  All internet activity is not filtered, but is monitored.  There are three anonymous women on centre whose job it is to go through the logs and look for anything that has been flagged for potential pornography/gambling usage.  They are able to track backward and figure out exactly who was looking at unwanted sights.  They report to the director’s of the centre and it is taken care of with a couple of warnings and then expulsion from the centre.  Another constraining facto is the fact that internet use is charged by the megabytes downloaded.  This keeps people from setting in their home surfing the internet for hours and hours.  Another benefit of living here is that we live in a symbiotic relationship (to quote from Star Wars) with people who live in absolute poverty.   The Nationals work run work in every department here:  they do everything from working in our homes to the store, the more educated ones work in places like the director’s office.  <