Melanesian Scribe

Writing a draft

2011-03-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Here at CLTC, I have often seen people struggling to write. The problem is that they just go straight to the computer and work on their assignment, essay or documents that they want to write. I remember what one of my Journalism lecturer told me many years ago at UPNG. This particular lecturer said that if you want talk on the phone, you must make a list of what to say. This will save you time and money. Now that we have mobile phones the same principle will apply.
You will find that someone who has not done a draft or brain storm over what to write, will keep looking at the empty space and really struggling. Therefore it is important to have an outline, do brain storming and make draft copy. When you have a draft, it will save you time. As you type and carry on, you will work fast and effeciently. You may change some things as you go along but it will be helpful to have a draft.
The same thing can be done, if you are giving a speech. Some people are good at keeping mental notes while others want to have a draft of a speech which will help them to say what they want. When there is no draft, the writer will be lost. So much time will be lost as there is lack of planning. Someone said that good writing starts in the mind. I hope you will keep draft to save time and to write effectively and effeciently. See you later. Sorry that my busyness has kept me from writing regularly on this blog.

Failure

2011-03-16T14:49:00.001-07:00

These are some thoughts to help us keep going in tough time. I hope you will enjoy them.

Failure doesn't mean - "You are a failure,"

It means - You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean - "You accomplished nothing,"

It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - "You have been a fool,"

It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - "You don't have it,"

It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - "You are inferior,"

It means - You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - "You've wasted your life,"

It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - "You should give up,"

It means - "You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean - "You'll never make it,"

It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - "God has abandoned you,"

It means - God has a better way for you.

[forwarded by JR Whitby]

Evernote a computerised way of taking notes

2011-03-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Writing Therapy

2010-11-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

There was a man who wanted to do some important things in his life. However all his plans went down the drain as he was attacked by a serious sickness. This man never gave up. He still wanted to do something worthwhile. The time spent in bed resulted in a great novel. If he was not sick there would not be a great novel for people to read. We should never give up in the midst of trials and all kinds of setbacks.
A Roman Catholic priest in PNG was ill for several months and that illness led to the PNG Tok Pisin Dictionary. We should not be discouraged in times of trial but spend that time doing something while like painting, singing, writing poems and even learning new hobbies.
My daughter was bullied by some of her class mates including a best friend of hers. That threat resulted in helping her father and mother more and more. She even memorized some Bible verses like Rom 8:31. She had to read this before she leaves for the school each day.
One simple way to start is write down things to do in your dairy or a piece of paper each night or in the morning. If you planning something then get it down on paper to clear your mind. If you want to write a book, a clan history or translate something, then do it while you have the time.
I once wrote a feature and it was not used in one of the weekly papers. I kept that same copy and send it to one of the daily papers and it was used as a feature article.
Someone sent me something that encouraged me therefore I want to share it with you.
One day a young lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, what should I do?" He said "keep driving". Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse.
"What should I do." The young lady asked? "Keep driving," her father replied.
On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"
Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"
Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out. Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."
She said "But why now?" He said "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is now over. This is a testimony for anyone who is going through "hard times".
Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up. You don't have to...if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.
Happy Writing. Write one page at a time.

Cheers

Timothy Kwara
Banz
Jiwaka Province

Learning from the internet

2010-10-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

I am back again. Last term I was teaching two ministry courses and one discipleship course. This meant that I had no time to write.I even neglected my journal writing and had no time for this blog. However I am so happy to see that I have eight followers. Never mind, I just want to share what I have been learning for the past few months.

One thing that I learn was searching the internet for information and even looking for answers on some health issues. Internet is fun and you will get all your information at your finger tips. When I was connected some years ago I used to browse the internet all the time.

I even use the internet to read news and to read commentaries for my theological assignment. This is a great help for those who are students. Sometimes I am so busy. The only problem is that because I work in a country side and the internet is so slow at times.

Sometimes you will feel that you are hiding somewhere in the jungle and there is no time to read. Well try and contact your email buddies or go to these new social technologies like skoost and facebook. Sometimes I have seen so many people communicating with me through Skoost and I cannot confirm their request.

At times my email is full of all kinds of email. I only read those that I want to read. I delete the rest. Sometines there is hardly time to read everything. One day I decided to delete all the skoost email in my computer. When I returned after a few days my computer was full again. I kept deleting again.

I am still learning. There are many good uses for the internet and there are bad influences as well. But always keep your eyes open and do not let this new technology control you. Keep reading and listening to news.
Therefore friends do not let this new technology control you. Learn to use them and find good things you can get out of them. Have a happy week.

Writing in quietness

2010-09-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

It has been five weeks since I wrote in this blog. It was quite a busy time for so therefore you have not seen anything posted. However I am quite free now to write this.For the last term (8 weeks) I was busy teaching and therefore I had no time to write. In between I travelled to Kiunga and stayed for four days to get use to the heat. Well, let’s start now.

One of the subjects that I taught was ‘Spiritual formation’ and this has resulted in the title of this article. Many people want solitude and silence so that they can think and meditate. It is good to be quiet rather than living with noise all around. You can get away to a quiet place or shut out the noise.

I just came back from a recording studio and it was good to sit in silence and be interviewed. Sometimes we need quietness to sleep, relax as more sounds can cause headaches and restlessness. I once went to Lae and stayed at a settlement because the extension students all lived at the settlement. That night as I went to sleep the tape record was playing full blast and there was noise all around. Somehow I managed to sleep and had a good rest. In the morning there was no noise.

It is good to get away and find a quiet place to write so you will also find time to do something you want to do. For a long time I have wanted to write a devotional book but I have not find to do it. It will be good to block some time off to think, meditate and write outlines so that when there is space and time, you can write as much as you want.

Find time to read what others have written so that this will help you in your writing

How the internet is proving useful

2010-07-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back again. It has been quite a busy time for me as I prepared course notes and prepared my teaching schedules. My journalist training comes in handy as I have to follow deadlines. I have been out of active journalism for the last 10 years but my knowledge is updated through the internet.
Besides preparing theological course notes I was also correcting my 9,000 word thesis. The internet has been a time saver as I was doing research. Instead of going to the library you can just press a button on your computer and the internet will answer questions or show you where to go. Internet has also helped me with all the information that I needed. I am writing about discipleship in Melanesia and I sent some e-mail to some South Pacific countries and did not receive any response. The best way was to browse the internet and find the answers to my questions. Sometimes one can be addicted but you must also control yourself. It is through the internet that you can network with others and also collaborate as well. I am really learning a lot and also knowing about current events through the internet. You can learn so many new things on the internet. There are Bible commentaries, thesarus, dictionaries and even encyclopaedias on the internet. One University in PNG has internet in the Library so through the net students can have access to so much information. There is no need to order library books or build more shelves to put library books on. All you have to do is know how to use the internet. The computer certainly is bringing more changes and we have to embrace these changes. However each department, school or other institutions need to have an IT policy in place to protect themselves as internet has its own disadvantages as well. Cheers and happy reading.

Long Distance mentoring

2010-06-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's great to be back to send you this new post. Well, I want to talk about long distance mentoring. I have looked through the internet and found that many people are making business in mentoring, selling their products and trying to help people.

In 2006-7 some of my students who were in my cell group communicated with me through the e-mail. I was able to reply through e-mail. I also sent letters to students on internship. Each month faculty members write to students. I termed this as long distance mentoring. In the Bible the Apostle Paul sent letters to churches and this letters make up the many epistles in the New Testament.

Long distance mentoring can also be done through the the mobile. That is if you want to be brief to answer problems in your family. Here at DTE we also write letters and send newsletters to all our 1000 plus students.

I was also mentored long distance as I was writing my thesis. The friend whom I asked for advise however told me that face to face mentoring was better. However due to busyness and so many things that occopy our time long distance mentoring is very helpful.

This is one way of helping people to develop their potential and it is also a good way to use your writing skills. Three weeks ago I attended a seminar and one of the exercises was to thank all who mentored us in the past. I have not done mine yet but I made a list of those who mentored me and I will write a thank you letter later. A female staff member came around to look for an email address for one of her mentors who encouraged her to go to Bible School.

Will you send an email to someone who mentored or give a phone all? It's all up to you.

Bye for now.

Hibernating but quite busy.

2010-05-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

I am now back but I felt that I was hibernating. Yes,I was quite busy trying to complete the formating of a Tok Pisin TEE course. The course has been completed. In the middle of that I was asked to teach proposal writing to second year students. Well, I managed and the three -day course has been taught. I decided to stop everything and focus my energy and attention to this particular course. I am glad it is over but I had to pay a price.I decided not to take up any part-time class to study.
I also found that proposal writing can be fun but it also will be hard work. There must be hard work so that a project can be funded. While surfing the web, I also found some good hints for writing submissions. In a writing can be used to help others so that they can help themselves. I also learnt a lot from the students as well. In fact there was a student in the class who started a project and he had to ask others to help him with his proposal.
Another good news I found was that a local Bible College in PNG has started training its staff to study online in partnership with some of the Theological Colleges in USA and Philippines. That college is still searching for more partners and this has helped them in their extension studies. This is quite a big leap in technical theological learning. Students are studying at Masters and Bachelor programs.
See you later.

Blending the old and the new

2010-03-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I was doing research on the traditional meeting house (hausman) for my BTh thesis. I had to read and ask people and find books. As a result of this research I named one of my blogs –Hausman. You can read about this blog by visiting
I found many good concepts about family unity and good ways of communicating through the study of the hausman. Despite many good ways of learning and achieving unity there were some bad practices followed as well.
Through reading the Melanesian Journal of Theology, Point and Catalyst. These are good theological publications that specialize on culture and the Bible. I found some ways which caused the young people to submit, to be humble and respect the elders and the culture of that day.
A missionary did his research on education by concentrating on initiation is some parts of PNG. Some of customs followed brought pain and some were weird but there were lots of good core values like respect, submission, humility, discipline, cultural survival, education, teaching on human reproduction and other traditional wisdom which are still valid and are found in the Bible.
For example the younger generation were told to work hard, taught to protect themselves and make good gardens, help other people in the community, to be obedient and helpful to those in need. These are some of the core values that we badly need in country today.

Happy reading

Finding time to write journals.

2010-03-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

22/03/10

I have been quite busy and do not have enough time to write my journal. However sometimes I find it hard but as long as I can pray. Sometimes we survive by prayer alone knowing that God alone can help us to carry on His work. Often there are challenges when our family members ask us to help them with finance.
Sometimes we must learn to trust the One who has called us. Just by eating dry kaukau or eating starch with noodles mixed with all kinds of greens, sometimes we caan survive. That is what you do when you live among people who love to eat kaukau and other starch with only greens. Yes, you can say that beans provide the protein.
This morning we had to wake up so early in order to get out of the house by 7.15 am.
We still had the time to say our morning prayers. If it was in POM there would be a traffic jam. We briskly walk out of the house in time so we were thankful that we woke up quite early in the morning.
We wish we were back in POM. However I still remember a prophetic utterance that a Board member made. At that time I was contemplating to leave Banz just for family reasons. The board member just before praying said this, “You are in the right place at the right time”. Some years ago another board member said this in his prayer “God, this family is needed by their church and by their loved ones at home.” We said Amen and those thoughts haunted us for many years. I was so surprised when the latest prophetic word was ‘to remain at CLTC’. No wonder we had to stay on.

Happy reading.

TKwara

Songs to encourage

2010-03-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I was depressed because I was told that I would do one subject per semester. I thought of all the years that I have served God in the College where I work. Every time I wanted to do a subject I was always warned. However God is good because it is half way to a Bachelor of Theology with only 2 more courses to go. That will result in Advanced Diploma of Christian Studies.

Then not knowing a friend in Switzerland sent me this song by Don Moen and I want to share it with you. You may be oppressed, hurting, restless and feeling helpless. Do not worry, just sing a song to cheer you up. If you do not feel like singing then read the lyrics.

Why not compose songs to help you get out of depression. Below are the words of the Song. "God will make a way".

God will make a way – Where there seems to be no way.

He works in ways – We cannot see
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide – Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength – For each new day
He will make a way. - He will make a way.
By a roadway - In the wilderness
He'll lead me.
Rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His word will still remain
And He will do - Something new today.
With love and strength - For each new day
He will make a way. - He will make a way.

What a busy writer can do

2010-03-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks, I have been so busy with so many things to do. I had to correct the Tok Pisin in one of the TEE courses. I started work on it five years ago. That is not the first time I did that. In 1994 I wrote something about a book that was written about the Rev Sue Rankin, the first woman Minister in the London Missionary Society mission in Papua. I just left the story and was busy with other things. Then one day I worked on it again and sent it to one of the daily newspapers and it was published. The weekly paper had rejected it.

I just located an e-mail in which I was kindly reminded to let some things go and focus on the important things. I agreed but sometimes it is quite hard in Melanesia. Last year I had the privillege to visit some places to visit TEE students in West and East Sepik. It was tiring but I completed all my schedules and I even visited the local FM station in a small town known as Maprik.

Since it had taken my five years to work on the TEE course now I am committing this term or quarter to complete this study. I am also thinking of writing practical ministry assignments for some of the English courses as well.

I hope that those who see this blog will be encourage. As Melanesians sometimes we are carefree but at other times deadlines are important. I learnt this in my journalism career. At the same time one must not neglect their family duties and time with God. A successful writer is the product of a disciplined, loving and carefree person.

So do not allow writing and deadlines stop you from pursuing your hobbies and other local community activities. Em tasol and happy writing.

Saving your work

2010-02-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Several years ago a pioneer missionary who was translating the Bible into Toaripi encountered tragedy. His house at Moru London Missionary Society station in Gulf Province was destroyed by fire. The missionary, Rev Dr Bert Brown had almost completed the Bible and all his work went into flames.

However the late Rev Brown who has been a well loved missionary by the Toaripi people was determined to continue the task. In 1980 the complete Toaripi Bible was dedicated. This determined missionary persisted in those days when there were no computers.

Recently a SIL translator had her computer stolen. She had worked very hard to write a TEE course. However she will have to start all over again.

In the DTE department two years ago our main computer used by the Secretary crashed. All our typed course notes were lost. Fortunately we were able to recover the data base.

These three stories show that we must save our work on CDs, floppy disk, flash drives and other means. Even if you have a hard copy somewhere in a book, keep the book in a safe place as well. Keep all your notes that you scribbled on as well.You never know that you will need the copies in the future.

Do not forget to make back up copies. Keep all your copies of work safely stored away in a filing cabinet.
It is better to work on a few books at a time. Here at DTE since we want our books to go out on the hands of our students, we are working on several books at the same time.

Here at the DTE department we are typing some of the books while other notes are being scanned. It is good to have a scanner and CD burner. When you want to record something you can easily copy it. The good thing about CDs is that they are lighter then carrying 5-6 books which may cost you so much if you travel by air.

Not only that but ants and other insects will eat the paper and therefore it is good to save you work as soon as you can. In places where there are frequent blackouts, you must keep saving your work in the computer.
Keep you computer hidden away, if it is a laptop.

After publishing your book, send a copy to any Library so it will be kept safely. I will be back with more tips and hints but at the moment always keep your work in a safe place stored physically or digitally.

Wonders of technology

2010-02-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

A few months ago someone in Finland contacted me after reading my blog. Then just last week a former student of CLTC emailed me from Malaysia after reading Melanesian Scribe. I had few more people writing to me.

Just yesterday another old friend of mine now living in Lae contacted me telling me that he read MS. This person wrote to me via Face Book. This is the wonder of technology. Writing these days is not focused on books only. With the arrival of the new technology- blogs, Face Book and other computer programs are becoming popular.

And it is quicker and effecient to use e-mail to send notes all around the world in one day. Then there is skype and other ways of communicating. I live in a small rural town so I am still learning all these new developments.

Only when the internet goes fast then communication will be effective from my end. There will come a time when you will not need paper to communicate. Already Divine Word University is following this trend. Not only that but all students are given laptops and flash drives.

Here at Banz, most students have digital cameras, flash drives and laptops. This was something unheard of 10 years ago. Not only that but there are more mobile phones around. So we now live in a small world. However there is the bad side of things such as texting unwanted photos through mobile phones. So we all need to be cautious as well.

Back to work

2010-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am back to work. It takes time to het back to the routine. Well, I had to check my email and delete all the old ones. Then clear my table. You see I was down with malaria and I have just recovered.

I had to get all the correspondence done, reply all the emails and then start working on a Tutor's guide for Efesus Buk 2. Sometimes phone calls and people wanting to see me disturb the editting process as well as proof reading.

Sometimes I am organised but in Melanesia sometimes people can come to see you any time so you get side track again. Anyway I am almost finishing this book but then there are administration work to attend to and meetings.

I sometimes write when my wife and daughter are watching TV. At other times I get up so early to write. I cannot manage to get away somewhere at a Guest House I prefer to write while my family is nearby.

The secret to writing more is being disciplined. Yes, I get carried away or do other things but when I am disciplined I can manage to write as much as I can no matter what.

Back to school

2010-02-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter is only 10 but she asks me so many questions. She is learning somethings that I never learnt at her age. She will probably make a better reporter than me. She is so observant and can remember many things. She learns so fast and is good at memorising Bible verses. Yes, young minds are so keen and alert. They need to learn many good things to become better and productive citizens.
My daughter, is so fortunate that she has learnt to use a computer, mobile phone and other new technological innovations. She can use the e-mail and send SMS. I never did this things at her age. She can also operate a DVD player and use a digital camera. One day she made some video clips, and that was when I sarted learning from her. What a genius? However for sure I am wiser in many ways.
Let's look after our children and guide them in their future. When I look at the young kids they are blessed with so many technological innovations. Let's give proper education to our children and help them in their learning.

Distributing theses of all PNG PhD holders

2010-02-07T16:15:00.001-08:00

More Nationals getting PhDs.

2010-02-07T15:21:00.001-08:00

Getting ready for Christmas

2009-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

My family and I are quite busy preparing to go to Port Moresby then to Hula village. After a few weeks we plan to go to Gulf Province, my wife's home. Yes, I have lived for the last 9 years in Banz which will soon become part of the new Jiwaka province.
Being away from home I have seen so many changes but I am also harnessing the new technological developments like blogs, face book, twitter and friend feed etc. These are all new to me.
I am seeing the good things that can come out from the internet. Although there is a bad side of the internet as well. Internet has helped me in my assignments and quick information, I needed.
One day my daughter wanted to know the names of some governors of certain provinces. I just got the information in a few seconds. The other time my wife wanted a recipe, it was available in seconds.
My e-mail is so full these days because I can get in the net and register to receive certain e-mails. At first when I started I was addicted but now I have slow down a bit.
Thank God for the new and latest technology. However we must discipline ourselves when to get to the net.
Happy reading.

PNG courses used overseas.

2009-12-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

An Australian College has shown interest in CLTC TEE courses written in PNG.Amos Leana, who has been a great supporter of TEE now plans to introduce the CLTC TEE to the Bimbadeen College in Australia.
Amos was recently in CLTC with some of his colleagues to look at the TEE courses and do negotiations to sign an agreement. There were four leaders
who were at CLTC Banz, who attended the Langham Preaching Conference which from November 29th to December 4th. In the past the Bimbadeen students have studied “Come Follow Me” and “Come Let us Worship”. The College Board and the Training Committee have asked for Discipleship courses to be taught at the College. This is not the first time for CLTC TEE courses to be used overseas. Previously the discipleship and Ephesians courses were used in New Zealand. TEE course have been translated into Bahasa Indonesia, Fiji and Swiss languages as well. There was a quiry from Cambodia to translate the marriage courses into that language. So you can see that we are importing our courses as well. We have something to offer to the world.

Aboriginal symbolic writing

2009-12-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

IMG_0002

Writing courses and being involved in curriculum

2009-12-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would be a reporter for several years. After the closure of the Niugini Nius I in 1990,I ended up at the Bible Society as a part-time staff. However I worked for 4 years using my journalism training to write newsletters and do promotions as well as writing some brochures about Easter. After that I went back to the print media which was now computerised.In the early days of my career I was using electrical an electrical type writer. Then after a few months I went to work as the Media Coordinator with the PNG Bible Translation Association. This worked helped me to work on a magazine and do profiles for the translators and use a Risograph. Then I left to work with a someone who was self employed and I had to do administrative work and work on visas, passport and work permits. After two years I ended up with the print media again and then left to work in the Highlands for the last 9 years. I had to deal with student matters which were mostly administrative issues then for the last 4 years I have been involved in curriculum development writing course notes. This is something that I never learnt but my writing skills in the print media were put to good use. I also found that someone who is running a correspondence school in Australia was a former journalist and he has written so many new courses. Therefore do not think that all the skills you learnt were not appropriate. Some day somewhere you will utilise those skills in another field or profession

Self publishing in PNG

2009-12-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

I met Rosie a week ago at a conference and she has been living in PNG for the last 13 years. When I saw her interest in writing books, I asked who was paying for the books she printed.
She replied that her supporters back in UK were helping her to pay for the cost. Some of her books were printed in Tari while others were printed overseas. Rosie keeps on writing and she is a doctor by profession. Seeing patients and attending to their needs does not stop her passion to write.
Melanesians can do that too. We can start a bank account for writing. Rosie's books are sold cheaply and the funds go into an account to get more books printed. Check the nearest bookshops, library, stationary shops and even schools to see what books or topics have not been written about. This will give you an idea to write issues that are relevant to Melanesians. Well, you may say that I do not have any money. You could start by writing a 2 page newsletter or even start a ezine, ebulletion or egazette. There are many opportunities and we need to harness them to work for us.

What careers can writers be involved in

2009-12-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

You may see this heading in the post with the photo of a trained journalist. Caine Ruruk completed studies in 1981 at UPNG but after his graduation, his brother passed away. The only option was to return home and be a villager. However Caine still held onto his dreams. He was involved in the youth ministry as well as other community activities.

After living at Wanigela village, Oro Province for over 10 years he became involved in the literacy program and later ended up to work with the PNG Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA).

His work involved encouraging literacy teachers, training them and publishing literacy materials like big books, shell books and even working on curriculum. Well, you can see that Caine's journalism training became handy.

Come on you writers, authors, roving scribes and photo journalist, there's lot of opportunity out there and grab one if you can.

What careers can writers be involved in

2009-12-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Dikana

Help me know more about blogging

2009-12-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about blogging. At times I do not have the time to write. With the students now on holidays, I seem to have some time.

One thing I want to do now is to have a new mail to blogger. Can someone who is reading this help. I have made some changes so you will now see more changes coming.

Thanks

How to write despite being busy

2009-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

As Melanesians we seem to lag behind in writing. This is because we are oral learners. However we do have our own writing which was so symbolic. Such writing is seen in designs on tapa cloth, designs in lime pots, even tatooing of bodies.

This should not stop us from striving to write. I just attended a conference conducted by some Australian preachers and their idea for people to continue preaching is to start a preaching class. The preachers will meet and discuss their outlines and encourage each other. This is the same concept use by the TEE department.

I believe Melanesian writers can form such groups in their towns or villages and start encouraging each other. The writers can share ideas and be accountable to a leader. They may write book reviews, short stories, legends, poems and other forms of writing.

In the past there were writing competitons but I hardly see one these days. I remember while I was at High School,the English teacher offered a prize for the best essay. There were rules made to stop people from speaking their languages. Such regulations helped us but I also value my own language.

Any we need to encourage a new breed of writers. Now with the internet and the different programs writers can write as much as they like. That's all for today.

Naming a child the Jiwaka way

2009-12-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

On Saturday my family and I were invited to attend a child naming ceremony at Bung village. The child was about three months old and his name was not called until the ceremony was made. The child had two other cousins and one of the cousins was almost six months but his name was not given yet.

We walked for over 30 minutes and reached the destination. When we arrived there were a group of people making a mumu. Other ladies were cooking and preparing greens to be boiled in a huge pot.

The family decided that they would also make their eldest daughter's birthday. We brough five banana cakes. All the invited guests were busy preparing food. The ceremony which was supposed to be held on Christmas Day had to be rescheduled as I had planned to be at home for Christmas.

Table were taken and food was put on two tables while waiting for the mumu. We celebrated the birthday and then later the grand father, chief of the Asamp clan stood up and shouted: "Who is waiting at the back of the house, you must come out. My wife carried the child in the bilum and the child's grand mother was there as well. The grand mother shouted: "Oh hhh ohhh!". The she accompanied my wife to the table. The grand father called " Timothy John, you come and get your food". The crowd cheered and shouted and they congratulated me as the child is my name sake.

Grand father Ali read Psalm 139:15 and prayed. Then he dedicated the child to God so that the Lord would protect him and keep him and use him for his glory. That was the event that I witnessed and it is similar to the naming of John the Baptist. However in the olden days the Jiwaka people worshipped the sun god. All the babies were dedicated to the sun god. These days as the people are Christians they dedicate their children to God.

Keep writing

2009-12-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

I have kept exercise books which I use as journals. This is good. Whenever you think of something you need to write it down. Always keep a pen handy. One day I got a few TEE courses and I marked when I was travelling on my way to the hospital. I am motivated to see such people as Governor General Grand Chief, Sir Paulias Matane who keeps on writing. He has written so many books. We need more Melanesian writers who can write about their experience to motivate others. There is no need to wait. We must also look for printers or people who will fund the books that we will be writing. Furthermore we need to start networking and starting writer's guilds or start small writing groups to keep everything going. We cannot wait. I was challenged by a friend who never had any experience in carpentary and building, but these person who was good at organising found some people to work with him. My freind learnt from his experience. Do not think that you are not good at writing so that you can just sit and wait. The best thing is to team up with gifted artists, proof readers and teachers who can help you out.
Make friends with people who have IT savy so that they motivate you and help you. Think of a subject or a theme and start writing now. When I was about to start my thesis I sought advice from people who were academics to get ideas from them.

Writing in busyness

2009-12-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

For the last few months I kept writing my thesis. I wrote at night, early morning and when my wife and daughter were watching TV. I even wrote after eating lunch. I had to be disciplined and I manage to write 10, 300 words or so.

Now I will be working on the bibliography and to do the corrections and reduce the number of words. It is not easy but one must put aside other work and interest to complete the thesis. It has been a challenge for me.

Besides that I counsel and help other students who write their thesis especially proof reading them. My dream is to write a book of my own. For the last 5 years that I have been in the DTE department, I have written at least 5 Tutor guides. This is a small achievement but I must write more and more. I completed one TEE course but now I will have to work on the corrections. There are more books or studies to be worked on.

Never give up. If you do not have the time you need to collect items and also to make plans to write and set aside some time and write. Even if you spend five minutes to correct a footnote or locate some of the books or notes that you have used. These days modern technology has made write much easier. So keep writing and think about Melanesian issues.

Thanks and have a enjoyable time reading. TKwara

I am now working on my thesis

2009-09-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well friends,

I am now back. I have been busy writing my thesis. It will be 9,000 words and I have already written 5,000. A friend lent me his computer, so I can write any time when I feel like writing. Sometimes I write at lunch hour or at night. When I am free then I will write also.

To write, you must be motivated. You need to start collecting materials such as magazines, journals or find as many books as you can on the subject. Where there is an internet, you need to make use of it as well. Write questionaires to give to peopel who can help you.

Read lots of books on the subject you are writing, take notes and listen to conversations. Seek advice from people. Read thesis written by other people. Email your friends to help you. Also pray a lot so that the Lord will give you the inspiration to write.

There will be setbacks, opposition, lack of interest but you must prevail and persist. Know that what you are writing is for your people, your community.

I had a friend who wrote his thesis and after six months of his graduation, he passed away so suddenly. I was lucky enough that this man gave me a copy of his thesis to keep. We had discussed and sometimes I read his paper.

Although my friend is no longer around, what he has written will be a legacy to his people because it talks about spiritual growth.

That's all for now.

Bye

Timothy Kwara

The Grand Chief is on the right track

2009-09-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

So busy these days.

2009-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hi fans,

I have been quite busy with so many commitments. I had to rewrite a Children's ministry course and then start to work on course notes that I left unfinished in 2005. The problem is that I do not have my own computer.

For the month of August I was trying to learn to use the facebook program. I have managed to find 97 friends. So in August I did not manage to do anything on my blog. However it is good to have a blog of your own. A friend of mine has several blogs, since he works in the newspaper some of his articles are posted on his blog.

I may try to post some of my assignments on the blog. During the last few weeks we had seminars on sorcery in Papua New Guinea and how this problem can be solved. So many innocent people were murdered for no reason.

Community leaders need to find ways to handle this issue that is tearing the society apart. Maybe there should be laws made to deal with this issues. An Australian lady is now working on a TEE course on sorcery. This will be good as the issue will be dealt with in a Christian manner.

Now that I managed to find some time I decided to write something. I also managed to find that while I did not write there was a someone who decided to follow my blog. So let's all keep writing and never give up.

There was a followed who emailed me to encourage me to continue writing. Let's be balanced and not stop along the way. Better stop here knowing that time is precious.

How keeping assignments will help in the future

2009-07-08T14:36:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers,

I have been kept so busy trying to complete teaching notes on Children's ministry Ministry Training Group. Now I will be preparing the course outline for TEE leadership therefore my articles are quite few at this stage.

I am now posting a new article. At times I wonder why I have been working in a Bible College for the last 9 years. Yes I have often been questioning God when I think of my family members at home. It was at CLTC that I have completed my Diploma and now I look forward to getting a Advanced Diploma. When I look back I see the experiences that I have gained.Take for instance email, digital camera and internet, I learnt all these things in Banz.

Anyway, happy reading,

TKwara

Banz

WHP

What to do with your assignments

2009-06-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I have been quite busy for the last 14 days. I am taking a study and busy working on manuscripts for TEE courses that have been in the computer for several years. Often teaching, preparing notes for courses and mentoring students often take up time. Besides that there are administration work like dealing with emails. letters and attending to phone calls or attending meetings. This has made me quite busy. I do not time to write letters since these days as I can rely on a mobile phone to talk to my relatives or friends. It is only those who live in the remote areas who rely on letter writing (snail mail).

Well, what can you do with assignments? I am still working on a degree course while I work and at the same time I am also teaching. This maybe too much but I know how to manage as I have done all my theological studies part-time.

I keep all my assignments in different folders. You never know that one day those articles will be helpful. I still keep some of my assignments from my High School days. I have keep speeches that I have used before. I take notes when I attend a gathering or even take notes when listening to the radio or watching the newspaper.

Whatever information you gather can be a gold mine one day. In 1987 I attended a ceremony in which a Minister was installed to look after the work of Lifeline. That same man was posted to be my pastor and the notes I gathered were used to write a story.

Do not throw your articles. I still keep a note book with all my newspaper cuttings with my byline and those news articles that I wrote. I may use them to write a book one day or use the articles for some of my lessons.

I even keep all my sermons, Bible teaching notes and even secular subject notes. Such articles come handy when I need them. I also cut newspaper articles of interest and file them away. So keep your letters or diaries as well. One day you will need them and they can refresh your memories.

Good luck to all the readers, stap isi tasol.

FW: For PNGOD

2009-06-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hi this is the latest article for Hausman.

Thanks

Tkwara

From: Timothy Kwara [mailto:tkwara@cltc.ac.pg]
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 9:18 AM
To: 'rsos@naufm.com.pg'
Subject: For PNGOD

Well friends, I have been quite busy lately since I have visited the Telefomin area in West Sepik and the Wewak and Maprik Districts in East Sepik. As I was doing some studies in discipleship I see the importance of face to face communication. During my visits I see people excited and interested in God’s Word. I get to answer questions raised by the people. At the same time I am learning about the people’s cultures and their way of life. This will help me to relate well to the people.

A sad thing that I find is that some people are misled by others and join a cult. Others have lost interest because there was no tutor at hand to help them. I also witness how life is going on in other parts of the country. This gives me an idea of how to minister to others. I Iearn a bit about history, languages and even get to know the people better. It’s fun and exciting to go on such adventures. As a former journalist, I love travelling and meeting people. At present I stay in one place only but I also get to know the Bible college students. It is fun to mentor the students and encourage them to face life’s journey.

Some weekends I go to a village which is 30 minutes by foot from CLTC and run Bible studies. Already a literacy group has been started so that those who are unable to read and write can learn. The leader of the Bible study group has been asking me about starting a school. I do not have the time but I have asked some students to help me. There are some trained teachers at the school and they will provide their support. Another student is a literacy specialist and has offered to help as well.

Believe it or not the Bible study group is made up of former gang members. There was even someone who had harvested a big marijuana plant when the Bible study was started. However that person is now learning about rice growing at the College. He changed his life at the time when the Bible study was started. It is great to be involved with these kinds of people. They are forgotten people group but now find place in God’s ministry.

We plan to set up a committee so that the people can manage the ministry themselves. The group was started by an American missionary, Dan Anderson. Then later an USA missionary, Jeff Graf took over. Since Jeff is now teaching at POM for the time being so he asked me to take up the leadership of the group. I also take some students to go with me when it is my turn to lead. I have enjoyed the long walks and the joy of knowing more people at Bunum Wo.

On Wednesdays afternoon, I am involved in helping out at the Awana ministry. It’s a long time since I participated in teaching children. Sometimes I get tough on the children. However the kids that I am with are now getting to really understand their memory verses. I know I am quite busy but at least I can help in some way or another.

Last Sunday I visited a church nearby known as the Kar Waghi or Kalvary Lutheran Church. It is a new congregation and the people are so keen to take up TEE studies and they really want to know more about God’s Word. I preached on Psalm 1 and the importance of meditating on God’s Word. I have been an urban dweller but God brought me to the bush so that I can be involved to help others come out of their bad ways and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore let me encourage you now. You do not need to go long way to minister to other places. The neediest mission field may be near your door step. Go out now and find it. Please pray for this people that God will work in their lives. Yes through knowing God they now have a big dream to help themselves be educated, be literate and be adventurous.

Anyway, I better stop here and see you around next time.

More time to write

2009-05-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well my friends,

I am now back after a month long break. It was not a break after all. I travelled to Telefomin from April 9th to 16th. When I returned I had to write a report. After that I was planning for my next trip to Wewak, Maprik and West coast. That is the reason why I have not written anything for a month. This does not mean that I was not staying idle. I was still writing reports, replying emails, replying letters and preparing for both trips.

When the Dean and I travelled we are also asked to promote the work of the Distance Theological Education (DTE). Therefore we have to write down what we will say. When I was at Telefomin, I was asked to talk to interested people so I shared on how studying God's Word will help the people.

I found that our studies in Theological Education by Extension (TEE) will equip community leaders and help young people to be confident. The people in the rural areas can improve their English by studying TEE courses. They will also learn about marriage, youth ministry, worship, discipleship etc.

In Maprik I also spoke to Bible College students. At Walahuta I spoke at a TEE graduation and at Brugam, I shared to Bible College students. Well, I had to write all my speeches. So you see it was not a break at all. I also visited the Central Sepik FM station at Maprik and shared about TEE studies.

Well I was writing reports, letters and replying e-mails and had no time to get on the internet. But since I am back and for the sake of my readers and fans I am writing this piece. This shows that we need more time to write.

I have always told my students- write everything down on paper then take your work and type it into the computer. To go and sit down and type straight away will be quite a difficult task.

Bye for now,

Tim Kwara
Banz. WHP

Usefullness of the hausman (ceremonial house)

2009-03-31T21:01:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday I went to Kala village which is 30 minutes away from CLTC. The college van took us and we were dropped off at the turn off which leads in to a bush track. Eight students and I walked for 1 hour before reaching our destination. It was the cell group ministry weekend and my cell group was sent to Kala Revival Lutheran Church. We had to walk back to the road and wait for the bus. It was a good exercise and a test of spiritual endurance.

As we were walking, I caught up with one of the final year (Diploma Th 4) students from West Sepik. He was talking about how the young people were being influenced by movies and from what they hear from their peers. He also referred to sex aids used by young people. This trend is very frightening because there is no proper teaching for the young people.

As we talked and discussed along the way I thought of how teaching and nurturing was done in the olden days in the hausman (ceremonial house). The same trend can be seen in the Old Testament as the Israelites were warned by Moses to pass on teachings which they heard from Moses onto the next generation. And that the next generation would keep passing on the tradition. (Refer to Deut 4). In Deut 4:9-14, there is a trend that emerges in the OT- where parents are the teachers, Bible as the text book and house as the classroom. Deut 6:7-9 also talks about teaching the younger generation. This kind of instruction was done in the hausman or the rupu as my people call it. Nowadays such places for instructions are not around therefore the onus is now on the church.

How can we do this in the modern age? Well in Africa a church has come up with a youth program that relates to young people. The youths are taught how to handle peer pressure, how to abstain from fornication, how to relate to the opposite sex and so on. I think it would be good for the churches in PNG to address such issues. Now that we have improved and state of the art communication systems we need to be prepared in advance.

In the past such issues were taken care of in the hausman o hausmeri. However due to modern influences we need to consider doing what the African churches have done. Think of Bible studies, TEE, cell groups or other small groups were people can discuss and come up with ideas to help the younger generation before it is too late. Due to the sensitivity of the issue, we can come up with relevant, biblical and Melanesian ways of reaching, encouraging and strengthening our people. Remember our young people are our future and our destiny.

Usefulness of hausman

2009-03-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I went to Kala village which is 30 minutes away from CLTC. The college van took us and we were dropped off at the turn off which leads in to a bush track. Eight students and I walked for 1 hour before reaching our destination.

As we were walking, I caught up with one of the final year (Diploma Th 4) students from West Sepik. He was talking about how the young people were being influenced by movies and from what they hear from their peers. He also referred to sex aids used by young people. This trend is very frightening because there is no proper teaching for the young people.

As we talked and discussed along the way I thought of how teaching and nurturing was done in the olden days in the hausman (ceremonial house). The same trend can be seen in the Old Testament as the Israelites were warned by Moses to pass on teachings which they heard from Moses onto the next generation. And that the next generation would keep passing on the tradition. (refer to Deut 4)

How can we do this in the modern age? Well in Africa a church has come up with a youth program that relates to young people. The youths are taught how to handle peer pressure, how to abstain from fornication, how to relate to the opposite sex and so on. I think it would be good for the churches to address such issues.

In the past such issues were taken care of in the hausman o hausmeri. However due to modern influences we need to consider doing what the African churches have done.

Always write down what you hear and are taught

2009-03-23T20:24:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine who was a computer wiz was so helpful and always shared his knowledge about computers. He was so friendly and helped us those who are computer illiterate. Being close to such a person really helped me. Even if we were typing on the computer and encountered problems that took us hours to solve, he would be there to help us.

When we had questions, the answers were on the tip of his fingers or the tip of his mouth. As a result of our constant nagging from the DTE office, this person made a manual for us. He taught us many tips and tricks but today I cannot recall some of the lessons that I learnt. It was because I had not written them down. However I have some good IT contacts who have given their time to help me when the similar questions popped up. After being a fool I have become wiser by keeping a small note book to glue any print outs from the internet or to write down anything that I find interesting or helpful from e-tutorials.

I am so grateful for those who have shared their knowledge with me. Yes, knowledge is for sharing, empowering and helping those who are unfortunate. I remembered an overseas staff member who walked into my office one day and showed me several things about the email. I did not ask this person for help. E-mail is one thing that I just picked up by exploring the program myself and experimenting what to do. I did the same with blogging. I am not an expert but there was someone who just gave me some instructions and I just picked up from there. Partly I had read some newspaper articles and did my own research.

What a pity as I ask the same questions today about computing, I feel like a fool for not recording what I was taught. As usual since being Melanesians who belong to an oral culture, we take things for granted. It pays to record what you are taught. Thanks to some good IT friends that I have today, they give their time to help me.

I have several journals which I recorded my devotional thoughts. After some months and years I always look through the journals and they reveal to me my spiritual state in those times. It shows how I have grown in the Lord. I would like to encourage you to keep a spiritual journal for the future.

Likewise recording helps in our spiritual journey too. Keeping a devotional journal is part of a spiritual discipline. For example some spiritual disciplines are fasting, memorizing scriptures, studying God’s Word, Fasting, prayer etc. You can learn about some of these spiritual journals in a TEE course called “After God’s own heart”.

It reminds me of a student, who went to the phone booth to make a call but realized that he had forgotten the phone number. In a similar way another person rang the number but forgot what to say. It is like shopping with a shopping list. If we have good memories we can buy what we want. Keep recording things down today.

As a result of loosing many of the good things I learnt about computing, I still keep my assignments at CLTC as well as sermons and devotions and other work that I have done. I have copied all my sermons at CLTC on CD for future use and as resource for teaching in the future. Yes, I better stop here; remember to make a note of all good and helpful things. Cheers.

This is a picture taken by some friends in North Wales, UK in a small town called Prestatyn. I was there some years back to attend a Media conference in Sheffield, UK.

Journalism helps in course writing

2009-03-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

When I was selected to do Journalism in UPNG in 1985 I thought I would spend the rest of my life as a reporter in some of the newspapers. Being a son of a teacher, I also thought of being a teacher as well. However my English teacher at Sogeri National High School encouraged me to take up journalism. At that time I was the editor of a literary magazine writing poems and collecting articles from students.

So I applied to do Journalism and was accepted. After a four years with Niugini Nius until it folded and went into liquidation. I then joined the Bible Society as the Distribution Officer but also wrote newsletters and sent in prayer requests to the Asia Pacific headquarters. Most of the prayer points were used in the Bible Society publications.

From 1987 till now I have worked in several newspapers and another Bible translation organisation as a media coordinator. I also did some part-time work with an employment agency doing visas, work permits not knowing that such skills were preparing me for the role of the Registrar of CLTC from 2000-2004. I wrote the College's magazine for former students and the college newsletter.

Then at the end of 2004 I was transferred to the Distance Theological Education department as the Assistant Dean. In this job I have editted, checked, proof read course notes in English and Tok Pisin. Certainly my journalism training has really been put into good use.

I have just completed a course on leadership and will be continue to format a Tok Pisin course. Here at CLTC I have also taught journalism to students especially print media. I have helped in making brochures for special events as well.

So all of you scribes there be thankful for your training and do not be surprised that if you end up somewhere your journalist skills will be greatly needed.

That's all for now

Just cruising-photos from a visit to UK in 1991

2009-03-12T03:41:00.000-07:00

Keeping Diaries

2009-03-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

This year I received my 2009 diary in March. This was because the lady who was supposed to give us the diaries went on leave. For the last two months I kept writing down things on paper. I even bought a note book to write "things to do".

Well, I am not use to writing down tasks on any book. It was quite hard for me. Now that I have got a diary, I feel more organised. I can write down dates for deadlines for assignments and other events that I want to attend.

There was a diary in the email but I am used to writing down things on a diary. I only used the in-built diary in the computer when I feel like doing it.

Em t'sol

Happy writing

Good to remember recipees.

2009-03-12T03:18:00.001-07:00

Melanesians never had recipes and they just cooked their meals according to what they knew was right for those that they had invited. Pictured here are people at my daughter, Hephzibah’s birthday party which was held on 17.01.09. It was two days earlier.

We decided to make something simple and delicious.

More Melanesian theological books needed

2009-03-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I have been studying salvation as part of my Bachelor of Theology course. We were given an assignment to write about salvation in the Bible and in Melanesian culture. To my dismay there were very few books written on the topic.

This means that I have to think back to my culture and write up something about it. It is good that the Melanesian Institute has done so much research and written on some of the topics. Books such as Catalyst, Point and Umben provide a valuable service to theological students.

The books written by Melanesian Institute provide good materials when it comes to writing essays, assignments and thesis. The thoughts are useful and opens up the minds of students who have forgotten their culture.

So all the intellectuals out there, you need to write and share openly about what is on your mind.

em t'sol TK

Calling on theologians

2009-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

The Distance Theological Education section of the Theological Departments needs course writers. There is a great need for Melanesians tp start write writing Theological Education by Extension (TEE) courses.
In some countries these TEE courses also include themes such as health, first aid, community development. The courses are offered at Diploma, certificate and at Masters level as well. In India TEE courses are offered at Master's level and the award is called Master in Theological Studies (MTS). They also offer Bachelor of Theological Studies (BTS).
As for developed countries, they have online schools and provide their lessons through correspondence, through CDs and through the email. This is something that our people in PNG and all Melanesian countries need to do so that we can develop our home grown TEE materials.
Since TEE was developed 33 years ago courses are still offered at certificate level. We need to have big dreams and pursue them. We can do it when we have the faith to do something new.

Melanesian Journal of Theology

2009-02-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

Melanesian Journal of Theology (MJT) published by CLTC is a journal worth reading. Since there are not many books, comentaries and encyclopaedias about Melanesian theology, MJT is so helpful. Non Melanesians also contribute articles.

When students are given assignments based on Melanesian thinking, MTJ proves to be useful and helpful.

For further details contact deanofstudies@cltc.ac.pg

Thanks

Tim Kwara
CLTC

Writing about personal experiences

2009-01-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

The other day, I read titled 'The land of the unexpected' it was written by Shirley Fountain, a lady who had lived and worked in certain parts of PNG. As I read the book, I was moved to write about my experiences in CLTC, Banz. Shirley and her husband had also lived and worked in CLTC.

The experiences in the book were similar to my experiences at CLTC. I shed a few tears because I went through the same experiences when I first set foot at CLTC.

Therefore it is good to write personal journals and diaries and record the history for the future.

Hope I will get some comments on Melanesian writing. Even when searching for anthropological stories most were written by expatriates.

This is something to think about.

To learn more about blogging

2009-01-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

It is so good to blog and express yourself. I want more people to follow this blog but I am just a new comer so I will be learning. Thanks to a good friend in China who was able to help me out.

Is it possible to use cut and paste and put in articles that I have written some time ago. I would like to see more Papua New Guineans using this medium to express themselves and promote what they are doing.

I started a writing club at the institution that I worked in. At first there was so much interest but when the students graduated that the was the end of the club.

I believe that if we are serious in writing then, we will see more PNG books in the Library, archives, bookshops etc.

I hope that this dream will come to fruition in the years to come.

TK

Christians Writing for Melanesian

2009-01-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

It is so great to read books written by other people. One of the books that I really wanted to possess after seeing it in the Library was the African Bible Commentary (ABC). A few days later someone gave me a copy. This Commentary has been so helpful to me in my assisgnments, research and reading for understanding.
I wonder if there will be a Melanesian Commentary for people in Melanesia to use. The ABC is so helpful and since African and Melanesian cultures are quite similar, I easily understand what I am looking for.
PNG needs more books written for its own people. There is the Melanesian Journal of Theology which is helpful with lots of Melanesian issues discussed. Some of the articles may be one day used in the Melanesian Bible Commentary (MBC).
There are organisations in the country writing and printing books for Melanesia but more needs to be done. When the missionaries first went to Fiji, they told Bible stories and this stories were told to others. The church in Fiji made large print Bible and other Bible helps. You can read about all this in "The Deep Sea canoe" a text book for the name of the same TEE course supplied by Christian Leaders' Training College(CLTC) in Banz, WHP.
I would like to encourage Melanesian to keep copies of their sermons, teaching sessions, journals all other materials that one day will be turned into books.These days there are CDs, DVDs and mobile phones which are useful since PNG has an oral culture. People get lazy to write. I would like to encourage nationals to keep writing. Let's make some Melanesian books for the future generations.