'I had better learn how to be a Pal man'
Chris and Maggie Hostetter have lived in the Pal tribe for about three months. They are currently in the midst of culture and language studies. “Every day we spend a good deal of time with the Pal people learning and practicing their language, and then too, a good deal of time by ourselves analyzing and memorizing.”
But gaining insights into a culture and language can come in other ways, too. For instance, Chris says, “Last Friday, I had the privilege of learning how to put a roof on a house.”
Chris says that he and his friend, Nate, hiked 30 minutes to a nearby village where this cultural event was to take place. “When we first arrived, there were not many people around and we hung out in a house, munched on sugar cane and told stories. About an hour later, guys from nearby villages started pouring in and the work began.”
“At first,” Chris shared, “I stood and watched and snapped pictures, but it was not long before I was itching to take part. If Pal is going to be my home, I had better learn how to be a Pal man. I walked into the house and then climbed up the posts and beams until I was at the apex where half a dozen young men were working. ‘Put me to work,’ I said.”
Chris says that bamboo leaves, called mebia, are sewn together to create the roughing material. These sections of mebia were handed up to Chris and the other workers and they placed them and tied them on. Because he was a beginner, Chris says, “The crucial places I was not allowed to tie. They had to be done just right. But the spaces in between, well, that I was allowed to do.”
Gaining experience is everything. Chris says he definitely gained skill as he worked. This tying method was quick and easy to learn and in no time at all, he was keeping up with the rest of the workers. “I was keeping up, and they weren’t redoing my work anymore.”
In less than two hours, the roof was not quite finished, but they had to stop because the supply of mebia was depleted. “The big work was done,” Chris explains. “The papa of the house will finish the roof by himself.”
Chris joined the other workers for lunch—a nice bowl of hot yam stew. He shares that this was a pleasant and welcome surprise after his roof work.
It was a good day. He learned some cultural perspectives. He learned some language. He built some relationships. And, Chris says, he gained something else important, as well—“Now if my tin roof ever falls apart, I know how to fasten a leaf roof,” he quipped.
Please pray for Chris and Maggie Hostetter. Chris shares how you can pray for them. “Pray for good health for us and our co-workers. Pray that we live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Pray for our co-workers, the Lockwoods, who will soon be traveling back from the USA after a nine-month medical absence. And pray for this fall—we have a regional conference, a team translation workshop and the biggie—building our house.”