Laura Aijian Revelation 5:9-10 
What a privilege it is to be here learning about and experiencing God’s creation. April was my last month of language study. God has provided many opportunities to practice and learn. I am so grateful that I had time to transition into life here in PNG. 
I had a wonderful time celebrating Easter. We celebrated in a few different ways including a sunrise service (literally while the stars where out), a breakfast feast, and a morning service. It was so neat to wake up and gather outside in nature. I felt like we were in a more tropical version of the garden of Gethsemane (picture bamboo instead of Olive trees). 
As the sun rose and the morning haze began to burn-off, I felt the Spirit of the Lord present among us. What a wonderful time to praise the Father and remember the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. I hope that you all were able to come together and worship and see the Spirit move in powerful ways. It is such an amazing thing to know that believers all over the world came together to praise the name of God.
This month I spent significant amounts of time studying language structure and grammar, and then going out and applying it with people in the village. I have made several great relationships with various women and families in the community. I can now hold a decent conversation in Pidgin, which is a lot of fun. It is a very unique language in that it was developed as a mixture of languages for trade purposes. It is easy to mix it up and throw in really anything you want. I have (unconsciously) used English and Spanish while speaking it…oh well. It has been so fun to just get out and spend time with people. Some of my cultural highlights this month were working in local gardens, cooking in traditional cook houses, going to veggie and food markets, hanging out and talking with people, going to a weekly children’s AWANA program, and the list goes on. 
I have learned a ton about local produce and food which is very beneficial to the ministry I am a part of. People live off the land here, and love to share their wealth of knowledge for growing fruits and vegetables. Every day provides a new opportunity, and I never really know what to expect here. Hence everyone calls it the “Land of the Unexpected.” I can’t even begin tell you how true that is!
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to one of the original New Tribes church plants on this field. It was about an hour drive from where I am. The church was so full that people were spilling out the doors and had to sit outside! The floor was covered 2 feet deep with lumber. This turned into a blessing because we all sat on top of it instead of the usual cold cement. The service was done both in Pidgin and the “tok ples” or local language. It was incredible to experience their singing; and I truly mean “experience.” I have never heard singing like that. The words meld together in drawn-out notes, and it was so powerful that the whole room was reverberating. I was right in the middle of the room, and it is hard to describe what it felt like. Two things I am sure of: the Holy Spirit was in that place, and the people were praising the Lord with their entire beings! It was very beautiful. 
To ensure that everyone could here the sermon, they hooked up the microphone to some loud speakers placed at the windows. I understood about 80% of the sermon, which is good considering that 4 months ago I never heard the language. Praise the Lord! The pastor preached on Ephesians 2 where it talks about sinful humanity and the riches of God’s grace through Christ. Let me just tell you that the idea of “unity” in Christ as a body of believers holds an entirely new meaning when hearing it preached in a foreign culture and tongue. Experiences like this continue to expand my vision of who God is and what he desires for his children.
I hope that you are encouraged and feel apart of what is going on here in PNG. I appreciate your encouraging words and prayer. The Lord is really moving in amazing ways.
