GKY GAT PNG 06 Sharing By JOY LOPEZ
Imagine a place full of darkness, guns fired almost every day and night, lives of children and families feared every time they choose to step outside their shanty homes. Imagine a place where you experience rascals and criminals dumping stolen vehicles and hiding in your own backyard, leaving you the opportunity only to make money from the stolen vehicles brought in day and night.
Imagine, not being able to get sleep worrying whether your family will have a dry place to sleep in. Before, a breeding ground for criminals and rascals well known for poverty and violence wherein local people living in the outskirts would never even set foot in the grounds of this place.
These are just some of the stories we have heard and shared to us by families living in Gerehu Stage 6 until it became the first GK site in Papua New Guinea. It was hard to imagine how such a dark and violent place ever existed in Gerehu which is for myself and others that came can call Gerehu Stage 6 as one of the safest place with beautiful and big hearted people that I now call family too.
I arrived in Port Moresby (2nd visit) for my regular pastoral visit for the Oceania Region. But this was different because GK existed here in PNG. I say it to be different because GK is really a concrete expression of our love for God and neighbour and our work in the community becomes even more concrete through GK. I joined 3 other youths who were there 3 days before me as part of the GK Youth Great Adventure Tour (GKYGAT) – Joekarl Diaz, Josanne Musa and Stephen Tutoka.
We were also blessed that our visit in PNG was also in line with Dylan Wilk’s visit, through this blessing, we found ourselves moving as a team of GK advocates! From the Corporate/executive/government official Breakfast forum to GK workshop for CFC to GK & Gk Youth presentation to schools, National Youth SUMMIT to 3 hour radio talk show interview, courtesy visit with the Governor General, Interview with The National Newspaper and more…Dylan was able to speak of GK and where it is now and his personal experience at the same time, the 4 of us were able to witness about the practical side and reality that IT is happening now. That GK is also about Loving God and Loving Country and if we want a better future for the next generations to come or even for young people to have a better country ahead of us, it will need to start with each one of us. It needs to start within and set the example and nothing is impossible because this is God’s work and He will bless all those who will do His work for His greater glory.
Some Priceless moments:
1. Sharing of our culture and resource in cooking - Cooking our dinner (Sinigang- ‘Sour broth’) together with the Beneficiaries – since there were no Sampaloc (Tamarind) mix, we used Green Mangoes picked from trees.
2. Life in the bush - Experienced their Fishing and Hunting as their meals of livelihood and to provide food for the family. – It taste like Chicken! We it really tastes good…you gotta try it!
3. Priceless diet - Have never eaten so much Wallaby, Crocodile and Deer in my life! Not to mention having green and ripe mangoes almost everyday from the trees.
4. Staying at the GK site felt like a resort accommodation – peaceful, cool breeze in the mornings and nights, the GK house is comfortable! I would have slept throughout the morning but when you have about 3 families humbly inviting you to a tea they had prepared for you for breakfast makes GK: God’s Kingdom because you experience God through every person and the providence of God is never ending.
5. Trip to Hedoa – Uncle John and Aunty Monica had organised a trip to Hedoa together with some SFCs and YFCs. An 1 hour bus ride and a 15 minute dinghy ride by the river/lagoon. Such a beautiful and pristine hideaway with the community filled with great cooking and exciting Amazing Race for all!
6. Experience the full culture of Papua New Guinea – At the end of the SFC National Leaders Conference, the brothers and sisters in SFC had prepare the morning for us (4 of us) to be dressed in traditional attire (which is part traditional for us because full traditional means nothing but grass skirt!) and ceremonial face painting/tattoo. This was more than a dress up - This was an honour and a privileged to be given the opportunity to be dress in traditional attire. They had dressed me as a Hiri Queen of Motuan Clan and even aunties and sisters dressing me up have never worn the full attire. The only one who’s worn it is the Hiri Queen herself (whom they borrowed it from). Preparing and getting dressed for this was also very emotional because it’s something that means a lot for them and honour and respect is carried with it.
7. It is NOT in our culture to SAY ‘Thank you’
It is their culture to not say “Thank you” but living out and doing something to another to show that we are thankful. It is really through action and not speech alone. The first time I heard this, I just taught that it sounds nice and it’s true. However, I didn’t really experience and understand it in a deeper level until the farewell day. As the group was ready to leave for Sydney, we had planned to visit them one more time, but not realising that they had prepared some lunch, gifts and a farewell song. It was a very sentimental moment. Many mothers who we now all call ‘Aunty’ couldn’t stop crying. Eventually I also found myself in tears especially because of how much this one clan had welcomed us as one of their family, how despite the little that they had, their hearts to give was far greater, the fact that I tried to think of as many gifts or things to buy to give our thanks but I only felt ‘cheap’ buying those things because they were not comparable to what they had shared with us.
What was happening and taking place is that it’s not in the amount that you give that matters but how you give of yourself (and your heart) that counts the most. I felt that they had really given so much of themselves – more that what you could ever ask for – considering it was their way of saying ‘thanks’. How much they given of themselves is priceless. For us who have an abundance, to share our resource is already minimal. Because we can part from our resources because we know we can earn it back. This is why everyone is called to share what we have because there’s no great loss in giving it, actually all of it was never really all ours but we’re called to be stewards of it. However, the greater challenge lies beyond that in knowing that to truly embrace the work of GK is to be one in heart with our brothers and sister in GK, to really love them, be one with them and to really GIVE OF OURSELVES.
They are just to name a few of the priceless moments within the 17 days.
It has been a very fruitful mission, where we met people who came to Papua New Guinea to work but in turn share back what they earn to the country that has allowed them to be financially blessed through GK and many locals are aware of GK and are keen to be involved.
GK is about good news. We often hear bad news in newspaper (ex. The troubles in PNG, Philippines) but it does not have to be that way. We can be the good news! We can bring and spread the good news of GK. So after 17 days of being with the family of CFC and GK in Port Moresby – we share this good news. God’s hand is at work and present amongst the beautiful people of Papua New Guinea.
1. Sharing of our culture and resource in cooking - Cooking our dinner (Sinigang- ‘Sour broth’) together with the Beneficiaries – since there were no Sampaloc (Tamarind) mix, we used Green Mangoes picked from trees.
