So... What's the Plan?

Sometimes, weekend plans do not stick. For a person who likes to make plans, keep plans, and plan into the future (though I am puzzled how this need remains after spending 27 years of my life succumbed to the change of missionary life) this can be irritating. Amazingly, this time, it felt more like a choose-your-own-adventure book. Have you read one? They are some of my favorite books. At certain points in the book the author gives the reader two choices. Each choice will continue the story but will take it in a different direction. 

Plan #1: A Village Stay

A few weeks ago my friend, Leah,  wrote to my group of friends and asked if we would be interested in going to visit a village this weekend. We would be helping to show the Jesus Video in the language of the people, eat with them (bung kai kai), talk around the fire at night, and spend the night in the village. We all, excitedly, agreed to this plan.

A week later we were told that the missionary in charge of leading our expedition would no longer be available. The trip was postponed to after Christmas.

Plan # 2: Connect

On occasion, ladies from our community gather together, on a Saturday, to connect with each other and with God. This Saturday different activities were planned. After a word from one of the ladies we are given the opportunity to attend different classes. The classes this time ranged from hair-cutting to cake decorating to other things such as weigh room instruction and Korean food demos. Since my plans had been canceled I figured it would be fun to learn to decorate cakes! I wrote the lady in charge of this class and asked if there was a spot available for me. She said it was full but she could squeeze me in…because I was her friend. (It helps to be kind to folks, even if you don’t know them real well) I was happy with this new development and began to look forward to learning a new skill.

Plan #3: Hike to Lone Tree

I am a community group leader. Did you know that? A community group is the youth department’s name for a discipleship group. There are six, oh-so-lovely-and-energetic, eighth grade girls in my group. On Sunday nights, the teens, 7^th - 12^th , meet at the Teen Centre to worship, fellowship, and hear from a speaker. As a community group leader I am also encouraged to come and worship. During our community group time on Wednesday nights we discuss what happened at Soul Purpose and share with one another. 

Last week I felt a bit disconnected from my girls. Only seeing them twice a week was not enough time to really get to know them. One of my passions, other than teaching at the primary school, is to be invested in the lives of teens. Convicted by this, I decided that this Wednesday would be a “hang out” night rather than a deep conversation where we stare at one another. Trust is built in time and with relationship. We made pretzels and told stories. They enjoyed themselves and actually ended up sharing more than I had anticipated.

They also shared that their eighth grade class was going on a hike to Lone Tree. Lone Tree is outside our centre gate, about a two hour hike away. It is named “Lone Tree” because it used to be defined by just that…a lone tree, but now it is a row of trees cascading over a mountain top. They informed me that they were still in need of some adult sponsors. Thinking about my recent commitment to attend Connect, I declined their offer, which was retorted with many sighs. Before they left I told them that I would consider it, I would talk to a friend and see if he was interested in going, and get back to them. The last thing I asked was who was in charge of this sporadic event. Their response: an eighth grade boy.

The girls had asked me to be a sponsor on Wednesday. My boyfriend, Alan, was asked on Thursday. And somewhere in there they had asked a mother of one of my girls. The trip was intended to take place on Saturday. Did you see how I wrote intended? This plan, sadly, did not come to fruition. Now, do not hear me wrong, I am not against events planned by teenagers. I do feel, however, that often we adults do one of three things. I have seen adults not allow teens to try but also not help them. There are other adults who do everything for the teens. And lastly, I have seen adults who allow teens to lead and yet make themselves available to help think through each step.

My question to the first two groups of adults is: how are they going to learn if they aren’t given the chance to try or given the support to be successful?

Let me continue my story. On Friday afternoon I decided, as a sponsor/chaperone, I needed to know what Saturday looked like. I tracked down the boy in charge and asked him what the plan was. He informed me that we were leaving at ten o’clock, hiking, having a picnic, hiking, and returning around three o’clock. I then asked him who the sponsors were. He told me it would be me, Alan, and Mrs. Lenn. Knowing that three of us were unfamiliar with the trek I then asked: who knows the way. He informed me that he did. Again, I am neither against teen leadership nor teens taking initiative but I do have an issue when safety is not considered. I promptly informed him that he needed to find one if not two more male sponsors, who know the way, to go with us. I also did my best to remind him that in order for girls or women to leave centre we need a number of men to accompany us. If they were doing a youth event on centre the sponsors he had secured would be satisfactory.

He proceeded to look for sponsors but was unsuccessful. I’m sure we can do it another time.

Plan #4: Gummy Trip

Waking up on Saturday morning and cooking with Alan and my roommate Mandy, was not a bad beginning to my weekend. Different than what I had expected, sure, but not bad at all. Mandy and I take great joy in our PNG coffee with fresh cow’s milk. YUM! Alan proceeded to make a hardy meal of potatoes and eggs, which were quite delish!

Afterwards we took a walk and happened by our friend’s house, who lives close to the river. It had been raining heavily the previous night so the river was high and fast. Remembering that our friend had some gummies, or inner tubes, that could be used in the river, we decided to ask. Throwing us her keys, she gave us free access to her storage shed where we found just enough tubes for our newest idea…tubing down the Ba-e River. Excited about this sporadic venture, we rushed off to find others willing to join us. We successfully found seven teens of who quickly changed and followed our lead. Oh the bliss of jumping into a freezing cold, caramel colored river. We jumped in close to our friends house and climbed out at the main bridge. Surprisingly this was a longer trip than we had expected. After climbing the muddy bank up to the road we agreed to make the trip a second time.

So even though my first three plans for the weekend were repeatedly altered it was still fun and memorable for all.