The new Inapang literacy teachers in Papua New Guinea have a problem -- food.
Since they have mastered reading and writing and are now teaching others in their village, they have no time to work in their gardens. And with the absence of grocery stores, this is a real dilemma.
But Ankrerige, the village chief and a graduate of the program had the answer.
"He got up and spoke to both of the literacy classes," wrote missionaries Bill and Kelley Housley, "and encouraged them to bring food from their gardens or sak sak (their main food staple) every Thursday to help out the teachers who are doing this work for the community and teaching the two classes."
With the Inapang people now in charge of teaching the second set of literacy classes, the village chief was following the example of the missionaries in seeing that the teachers were provided for.
"We did model this in the first class," wrote Bill and Kelley, "by asking everyone on a specific Friday at the end of the program to bring food and thank Antigas, the guy who kept the door unlocked and watched over the building for the community during the first class."
Ankrerige reminded his people of this and added, "that when they all brought a little, it made a lot," wrote Bill and Kelley.
The missionaries are impressed and encouraged by the Inapang people's "ownership" and leadership of their literacy program and their desire to care for those involved in the work.
"We have decided that when there are believers here, they will make better Christians than we westerners do," the Housleys wrote.
As the Inapang people work busily in their gardens and provide for their literacy teachers, pray that God will be working and preparing the soil of their hearts as well for the Evangelistic Bible teaching beginning in July.
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