Tenkyu Tru...

To Birney & Nancy Boyd, Al & Susan Boush, the Bruce gang (Les, Kathy, Robert, Dalta & Ann), Ed Condra, Lisa Detlefsen, Ellen Ferris, Karl & Joice Franklin, Yu & Kie Fukunaga, Wally & Jeannette Hagoort, Newton & Susan Hamlin, Paul & Marcia Heineman, Jim & Anne Henderson, John & Helen Hobson, Brian Hodgkin, Hanna Marie Hoel, Julia Hupfer, Tarja Ikaheimonen, Alison Kassell, Jeffrey Kittrell, Kevin La Counte, Litz Liew, Tomomi Minamino, Michiyo Nozawa, Mark & Lynn Onken, Pat & Sammee Pearson, Barbara Reimer, Mike Rueck, Shawn Smith, Rene & Lydia van den Berg, Badi Vila, Shirley Weng - brothers and sisters whom I met in PNG and owe so much:

Tenkyu tru!

What can I say but TENKYU TRU!

Thank you for your precious time and patience talking with this taciturn young woman, sharing with me your story, your life and your work (and some of you, your delicious food - it's like a week of international food festival for me). Thank you for not hiding your struggles and difficulties and letting me see the reality. I'm really gratefully touched by your kindness and generosity.

In this short visit, I've seen a bit of what bible translation, linguistic research and literacy work are like, though I still cannot imagine how bible translators (who look so clean and neat and elegant in front of me) could have persisted for 10, 20 or more years working in the toughest condition, giving their lives for an NT translation for a language group. The passion for, and deep knowledge on the Word of God of these humble and humorous servants make me stand in awe.

I'm also surprised by the variety of support work in Ukarumpa, just as I'm surprised to have met so many teachers among you. As I have said to some of you, there're many kinds of work you are doing that interest me. Though I don't have expertise in any area (shamefully, cos I've been working for 9 years already), I think a generalist can still be of use in Ukarumpa.

If you don't mind reading on, I'm going to share my thoughts and puzzles.

Bible translation & my "passion" for languages

I visited Ukarumpa because I always believed that I had the passion and some talents for languages. After years of avoiding to check it out, my mid-life crisis (for fear it's too late) pushed me to get in touch with Wayne Leung (now working on Asian Diaspora Initiative) whom I briefly knew. He then connected me with the Wycliffe Hong Kong Office for possible places to visit. Very quickly, I ended up visiting PNG.

Yet after meeting so many world-class bible translators and linguists here, I really started to doubt.

Indeed I have hardly made any effort in learning English. Among ordinary Hongkong people who go to average schools and who have not lived, studied or worked abroad, I think my English is relatively good (no apology for this arrogance). Some of you were even so kind to praise my English and asked me how I learnt it. Thanks for your compliments though in fact I've missed a lot of jokes in the conversations. But your kind words have made me desire to improve my English, and for the first time in my life, I reviewed how I learnt languages.

Almost everybody in HK started the nightmare of English learning at the age of 3. Strangely, I had no difficulty at all. When I was in Form 1 (Grade 7), a good English teacher taught us IPA system. Most probably I was the only one or two students who really learnt and used it. From then on, I liked to check the dictionary and was annoyed to find so many mistakes from my teachers. After checking for some time, I grasped the rule of pronunciation of English (I think so!) and no longer needed to check except when I felt unsure. I have always been sensitive to pronunciation and grammatical accuracy for both English and Cantonese (few HK people are really accurate in pronouncing Cantonese) and I enjoyed writing in Chinese since I was in Primary 2 (Grade 2), and in English since Form 1 (Grade 7). In fact I love to write but I'm no good in speaking. Anyway, later I learnt German at the Goethe-Institut and then in the university, where I also did NT Greek and Hebrew. Wherever I travelled, I grabbed a phrasebook and tried to speak a little bit of the language.

I love my mother tongue very much, and my adrenalin goes up when I hear or read other languages. I thought this was passion, because nobody around me was like that. But now I'm puzzled if this is only that the failure of bilingual education in HK has killed the natural interest of other people. A typical Hongkonger is neither good in English or Chinese, neither written or spoken. It seems to me foreigners are not like that!

When I met the professionals in Ukarumpa I began to doubt whether I could persist in linguistics study or work like they did, taking the real tedious stuff into account. And also, I'm afraid I'm a bit too old for this. Well, there're still other concerns, such as now that so many translation projects are done or being done, are those of lower priorities really that worth doing? (I know it's a big topic and a controversial one. As an ignorant visitor, I'd better not go further.)

Support work is nice too

Thinking about support work is a bit easier because it can be of short-term, and I may help in areas in which I already have some background or experience. My work experience (as well as my boss) tells me that I'm real good in administration, planning and organising things to get them done on time. I don't like to say that but I realise that I'm good at copying and following instructions too (so my bosses, school teachers, music teachers, taichi master and swimming coach all love me). By profession, I'm an in-house trainer. As a person, I'm no expert in any area but I'm flexible, versatile and I learn fast. (Now it sounds like I'm looking for a job in PNG.) If, crazy enough, I were bring in some new things too, maybe I can hold a Taichi class (people like Shirley really need it), introduce Taize prayer sessions for spiritual health etc.

I thought I needed to be called to come to PNG again. Well, I still think that a serious calling is necessary for ministries like bible translation. But for support work, just as I needn't be called to visit PNG, a willing heart will do.

My difficulty - disorientation

In short, up to the moment, I think it's less likely that I'll get involved in bible translation and linguistic stuff, but am open and flexible for other sorts of work (actually these seem to me more like fun than service/work). My puzzle is only that I still don't know what I should focus on for the rest of my life. I don't expect to live long, and I always assume that I've already lived half of my life (I'm 31 now), which means I don't have much time left.

Some say I should get my feet wet in some aspects, and actually I did. I've tried many things including music ministry, writing (devotional articles, co-authoring a romance for Christian teenagers, contributing to a weekly column to a local newspaper, etc), and active involvement in the graduate Christian movement which advocates marketplace theology in HK.

Everything seems possible for me and I'm really confused. I'm a bit tired of searching for myself and discerning my calling these years. Now that September is coming, I'm again struggling whether to do an LLB or a master's programme in drama education (I've basically ruled out linguistics now), or should I concentrate on my Taichi, recorder and guitar for the coming year (the latter two to prepare for Taize prayer sessions and low-profile reconciliation with the catholic community).

I really wish that God will save me from disorientation, tell me who I am, and I'll be totally willing to respond to His call without looking back.

Final words of thanks

Though (or "Because") I'm getting nowhere, I'm really grateful for your hospitality and what you've shared with me, and not regarding my visit as a waste of your time. And I can't be more grateful for those who have prayed for me that God's calling will become clear to me.

Special thanks go to 4 people:

Shirley Weng who welcomed this trouble of my visit and took excellent care of me, taking me to meet you and your work. We didn't know each other and we're not totally wantok. So I should thank Brian too who found this babysitter for me for 8 days.

Ed Condra who, unluckily(?), stayed in the Mapang Guesthouse for 3 days, in the same period as mine. Apart from sharing his own story and work and views and everything, he caught me (an introvert who would naturally hide away) to talk with other people (whom I shouldn't have missed) appearing and disappearing in Mapang. And, he bought us a great Chinese dinner in Port Moresby when his daughter arrived from the States.

Wayne Leung who didn't look like the kind of missionaries I met in my earlier years, who first gave me a picture of the ministry of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, and who recommended me to make a field visit and helped me materialise it. I'm stunned by his openness in helping people seek God's guidance, whether that will have anything to do with the Wycliffe's ministries. The Kingdom of God is very big in his heart.

Rev Joe Kok, a fan of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, who housed the Wycliffe HK Office inside our church premise and inspired us to admire them, and who said this after I returned from PNG:

Many people get really excited about short-term visits, but unfortunately like seeds on thin soil, they're often short-lived. I see short-term visits as pieces of puzzle of a life's journey - a little part of the big picture but an important piece for formation. So savour it, meditate on it, nurture it, & let it take root & grow until the big picture presents itself. I can't wait to see what God desires to do in your life.

Gratefully, I'm gladly following his instructions now, and will share with you when things become clearer for me.

Thanks for reading and may God bless you, your families and your work.

holly

 

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