The Tone of Posts on this Forum

[temporal1]

ENGA PROVINCE

Drone footage shows scale of destruction in Papua New Guinea landslide
People can be seen pacing back and forth searching for their loved ones in the shadow of the limestone mountainside.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/papu ... rcna154247

[temporal1]

May 29 2024 / Adam’s Newsletter

Landslide and Bridge Collapse
Early in the morning on Friday, May 24, a major landslide covered a large area near Mulitaka in Enga Province. We were about 250 miles away in Ukarumpa when the landslide took place. Our home in Enga Province is about forty miles east of the landslide site, and so it was not affected. None of the Enga translators live near the landslide area, and so they were not affected either. I (Adam) had visited the landslide area only once before, back in November 2017, when we showed the Enga Jesus Film at Mulitaka.

We are very saddened by the news of many lives being lost, but we know little more than what is being reported by international news agencies. The two people I know in the immediate area were thankfully not in the path of the landslide, but they did lose many relatives. Please join with us in praying for those who have lost loved ones and been displaced by the landslide. Please also pray for guidance and direction as we have been planning an event to distribute the Enga New Testament near the landslide area on July 11. At this point, we don't know if that event will still happen. I know that some of you may have a desire to help the people affected by the landslide, but we are still trying to determine what Christian aid organizations are on the ground. Consequently, at this time we are not able to accept donations toward the landslide relief efforts.

Bridge Collapse
On Monday, May 27, we arranged to have a truck pick up 2,560 Enga New Testaments, 2,304 Enga-English New Testaments, and 1,440 Enga New Testament Audio Players, and transport them to Enga Province in preparation for the first dedication on July 2. The truck picked up everything with no problems and made its way to Enga Province. When the truck was about two hours from its final destination, I received a call from the driver informing me that a bridge had collapsed, making it impossible to complete the delivery at this time. We made the decision to have the driver backtrack to Mt. Hagen (which is about 50 miles east of the delivery destination in Enga Province) and store the container in a safe facility while we wait for the bridge to be repaired. (The collapse of the bridge was unrelated to the landslide.) Supplies and equipment to aid in the relief effort for the landslide also have to pass over this bridge. Thankfully, repairs to the bridge have already begun. Please pray for the repairs to be completed quickly so that the Enga New Testaments can be delivered and relief efforts to the landslide area can be expedited.

We recognize that as we get closer to the dedication of the Enga New Testament, we need to put on the full armor of God, because the enemy is actively seeking to discourage us and disrupt what God is doing. But we know that God will prevail, especially as you join with us in praying that nothing the enemy throws our way will succeed in preventing the distribution of the Enga New Testament. Thank you for your continued partnership, and especially for your prayers.

Critical Need for Teachers
The Ukarumpa International School (UIS) that Bella and Asher attend has a critical need for teachers during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. The high school needs teachers for English, Social Studies, Math, Religion, Art, Science, and Spanish as well as for electives like Photography. UIS has small class sizes, and the students are well behaved and do their homework. It is an extremely different experience than teaching in the United States. Living in Ukarumpa is like living in a small town or village. There are about 200 other expats here. It is a great place for a teacher who is retired or who no longer wants to teach in the US school system but would still love to teach and make a difference. There is still so much work to be done, and the school is an integral part of making sure that work continues. Please pray for this need and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested in teaching for a year or two to support Bible translation in the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea. Please feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to check out the following links for more information. (Please note that Ukarumpa International School is affiliated with TeachBeyond.)

[temporal1]

Papua New Guinea ends landslide rescue efforts amid fears of another
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 024-06-07/

.. Enga Provincial Government
on Thursday announced mass evacuations of further areas around the landslide due to concerns around further earth movement.

The government has ceased searching for bodies and the area has been deemed a mass burial site.

The U.N. International Organisation for Migration said more than 7,200 people were displaced by the landslide and the numbers may increase.

Treacherous terrain and tribal unrest in the area meant heavy equipment and aid have been slow to arrive, and PNG government officials a week ago ruled out finding survivors under the rubble. ..

[Sudsy]

I am a relative newcomer to Anabaptist/Kingdom Christian thinking, I have appreciated being able to ask questions and discuss important matters on this site. However, as a newcomer, I have to say that I find the tone of some of the posts on this site to be discouraging. Some of the posts I have read seem to have an air or arrogance, sarcasm, and lack of respect to them that do not seem to uphold the principle of "They shall know we are Christians by our love." This is one of the drawback of online forums--that it is easy for one's tone to be misinterpreted (perhaps the arrogance, sarcasm, and lack of respect is just imagined on my part), and it is easy to be less loving in what you say because you are not looking at someone face-to-face.

In humility, recognizing my own inclination to post in such a way, I would encourage everyone on this forum to post with the expectation that non-Christians, non-Anabaptists, and people exploring the Anabaptist Church will be reading your post and judging (whether it is fair to do so or not) the whole of the Anabaptist Church based on how you interact on this forum. I recognize that it takes a lot more work and effort and patience to compose posts in such a way, but I think it is well worth the extra effort.

At the same time, I see that many posts are composed with great love and concern for others, despite disagreements, and I commend and encourage those posts. I would argue that, in a public forum like this, it is more important to be humble and loving than it is to try to prove that you are right. I am not saying that each one of us shouldn’t state our case regarding a particular issue, but I would ask that we please do so with humility and respect, realizing that we might be overlooking something in our own interpretation. I would also request that we put more effort toward trying to truly understand another’s perspective and giving that person the benefit of the doubt that he/she is trying to follow the words of our Lord Jesus Christ just as we are.

Finally, if I post in such a way that is not in accord with what I am stating here, I ask you to please point that out to me.

I just reread this 2017 post and again appreciate these thoughts by Adam. Imo, this would be a good post by Adam to use as a reminder every so often. His repeated reference to keeping humble and respectful again stood out to me. Thanks Adam, wherever you are.