Life in Samoa

I taught in the Discipleship Training School (DTS) on the topic of Inductive Bible Study last week. It was a fun and busy week. We went through an overview of the Bible, did some skits and activities, and then we went through the book of Titus, using Inductive Bible Study (IBS.)At the end of the week we prayed for the students and staff as this was their last week of lectures and now they are preparing to do the outreach portion of their course. I was again reminded of the value of IBS and why it is so needed in the Pacific. Young people in the Pacific are not taught to think for themselves. They are not taught to ask questions. Quite the opposite, really. If they question their pastors, teachers or parents, they are seen as rebellious.So, as you can imagine, trying to teach these young people to ask questions was quite the challenge. But, as we practiced asking questions in class together and practiced using context and historical background to answer the questions… something clicked in them. I gave them homework, unlike other speakers. Not the best move if you’re going for popularity points. But, surprisingly, they loved it! They felt challenged to study God’s Word for themselves, but they also felt encouraged that they could, in fact, do it.

I realize some of my readers may have no idea what I’m talking about… this whole Inductive Bible Study thing. I’ll give you a VERY basic outline of the IBS steps. You can use these steps to study any book of the Bible. If you want to know more, send me an email… I’d love to help you in your study of the Bible however I can.

INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY

1. Pray! We need the Holy Spirit!
2. Read the book aloud in one sitting. (Titus has 3 chapters and only takes about 10 minutes to read… Genesis on the other hand, takes about 4 hours. It’s doable.)
3. Consider the type of literature. There are four main types in the Bible: Historical Narrative, Prophetic/Apocalyptic, Wisdom, and Epistle (Letter.)
4. Research the Historical Context. For this step, look first in the book itself for clues.You can also look in other books of the Bible. After looking in the Bible, you can look at reliable “external sources” like Bible Dictionaries. Try to avoid Study Bibles and Commentaries. Here’s some questions to ask about context.
1. Who is writing? Who is the story about? Who are the original readers?
2. Where is the story taking place? Where is the author? The readers?
3. When was the book written? What is going on in history at that time?
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the original readers?
5. Observation. Look at the facts. What does the text say? Use color-coding to look closer.Look for commands, contrasts, figures of speech, repeated words or ideas, progression of thoughts or author’s logic, etc.
6. Interpretation. This step is not about us… its about the people to whom the book was written. Turn your observations into why questions. Why did the author use this command? Why was this contrast significant to the original reader? Etc. Then answer the questions using the historical context you compiled.
7. Application. The most important step of Inductive Bible Study. We should be doers of the Word and not only hearers! (Thanks, James.) Look at your interpretations and ask, “Is there anything I can pull out from this that is true for all people, places, and times?”This nugget of truth is called a Timeless Truth. Once you have a Timeless Truth, now you can ask, “How can I apply this to my life?” And answer this question prayerfully.

So… that was last week, and that’s the Inductive Bible Study Method!

This week…

I have been leading worship and intercessory prayer for YWAM Samoa. I’ve had fun introducing a few new songs and learning some Samoan songs as well. My favorite is a song called “E Lelei Ieova.” My roommate, Lina helped me write out the words for the Samoan slides.

I’ve also been fighting some sort of a cold or flu since last weekend. I’ve had various symptoms from runny nose and sore throat to fever, dizziness, and nausea. Not all at one time, and none of them super severe. I thought I was getting better yesterday, but I woke up today with my throat sore again. And I’ve just been tired… fatigued. So… I think I’ll visit the doctor tomorrow to make sure its nothing serious. Please pray for me to get my energy back and to get over this silly sickness once and for all! And yes, Mom, I’ve been taking my Emergen-C and a clove of garlic a day. And I’ve been drinking hot water with lemon, honey, and ginger… you should be so proud of me! J

Oh, and one more exciting piece of news: The Efakasa Church in Moata’a was a church (I mentioned in previous updates) where we taught an IBS seminar. The Pastor has since spoken with Fono and Sose, the leaders of YWAM Samoa and shared how valuable this teaching was for his church. He said this is just the sort of training he wants to have for the teachers who are teaching Religious Education (RE) classes in the schools. Since Samoa is a Christian nation, they study RE in public schools. He said so many of the RE teachers come in with their opinions and theologies instead of letting the Bible speak for itself. They teach their Pentecostal doctrines or their Catholic doctrines, or even their Mormon doctrines… And so each class looks very different. He said he wishes they all taught the Bible because then students can make up their own minds about it. Now comes the cool part: this Pastor is the guy who oversees all of the RE teachers for Samoa! He has the ability to make things happen, and he saw the value of IBS. So… I’d say God is up to something here! Pray with me that God will continue to open doors in Samoa for people to know His Word and know Him more because of it!

And now, for your viewing pleasure… here are some photos of life in Samoa.

RUGBY WORLD CUP FEVER

Dressed up in Blue for the Manu Samoa Game against Namibia... GO MANU!!!

The DTS at YWAM Samoa - made up of 2 Fijians, 2 American Samoans, and 6 Samoans (from Western Samoa) and me... the palagi (pronounced paw-long-y) in the middle!

Fatty Patty's is CLOSED???

When did THAT happen??? Maybe this is old news, but I just found out. News doesn’t travel so quickly in Samoa… well, not unless it is related to the Rugby World Cup, anyway. Go Manu Samoa!

Anyhow, I know some people don’t think as highly of my favorite Battle Ground establishment as I do. They claim that it’s too greasy, that there are too many health code violations, and that the décor is too tacky.

But… I will miss Fatty Patty’s. I will miss their infamous “Slop” with dippy (over easy) eggs on the side. I will miss going there with friends. Mainly I will miss the memories the place held for me. Jeff and his chicken fried steak smothered in country gravy and pools of Tabasco, me and my Slop… all the problems of the world eclipsed by the fusion of hash browns, grilled ham, green peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, sausage gravy, dippy eggs, and green Tabasco.

To you, Fatty Patty’s may be a thing of the past.

An eyesore.

A heart attack waiting to happen.

No big loss.

But to me, it was special.

And the Slop wasn’t what made Fatty Patty’s special, though it will be missed.

It was special because it was our spot.

My brother’s and mine.

So, thank you Fatty Patty’s for all of the memories and tasty food.

I will never forget you.

week one of staffing - earthquake!!!

As I write this, I can see the sun shining through my window. I can also hear the percussion of rain on my corrugated tin roof. Ah, Samoa. I took a shower to cool off, since the wind must be on holiday today, an unfortunate side effect of the rain and sun combo. But, now that I’ve put some coconut oil in my hair and sat down with my laptop and instant coffee, I suppose it’s time for an update!

It’s been just over a week since the team left. My understanding of Samoan culture is still… growing. I seem to learn new things every day through observations I make, or mistakes that are corrected. My role on the YWAM Base is not fully defined yet. I am what they call “Base staff” which basically means I am not staff for a particular school. But what I do varies from day to day. A few things I have done…

• I have been asked to help offer tips for hospitality, so I’ve created a cleaning checklist for the Guest Fale (house) then cleaned and prepared alongside the hospitality staff, Mariana.
• I’ve been asked to help with organization in the kitchen and purchasing of food, so I’ve sat down and planned a week’s menu with Apelle, the kitchen manager, and we’ve gone to Apia for grocery shopping.
• I’ve been asked to just help out wherever I see a need, so I’ve weeded in the taro patch with Lina, another base staff. I might mention that weeding here involves machetes, a lot of elbow grease, singing, and frequent “breaks” for papaya and coconut. It’s glorious.
• I’ve also cooked breakfast and helped cook a few dinners.
• I’ve joined in with worship, playing guitar mostly as I am not quite confident in leading the Samoan songs yet. Perhaps next week.
• Since I will be teaching in the DTS next week, I have been also preparing for my teaching, which will be 3 hours a day, from Monday to Friday.

Despite this list, I must say I’ve still had a lot of free time. Free isn’t quite the right word, because I’m not quite free to do whatever I want. Down time… that’s a better phrase. Fono and Sose, the base directors, have said they will sit down with me this week to give me some more responsibilities, which is very exciting. But in the meantime I will just continue doing the little tasks asked of me and helping out however I can, and trying to learn the Samoan art of putting the relationships before the tasks.

Speaking of the relational culture here, I have a new friend, which is wonderful! The School of Missions (SOM) from YWAM Samoa was on outreach in Fiji and Vanuatu, but they just returned on Tuesday and graduated on Friday. One of the graduates is a girl named Emily from Missouri. She will also be base staff now that she has finished her course. I think I have been cautious to not be exclusive or only hang out with the other American and I have been very intentional in building relationships with all of the girls on the base. But… it is so nice to have someone who is from the same culture and speaks English well. Plus, she’s been in Samoa for over a year now, so she’s been great at brushing me up on some of the language and cultural subtleties.

I do have a few prayer requests mostly from what I’ve mentioned above:

• Please pray for my teaching next week in the DTS and for my preparation time this week… I really want these students to grasp the value of Bible study and a passion to know God’s Word for themselves. In a church culture where self-study by lay-people is discouraged, this is a huge prayer point.
• Pray for my role for the next 7 weeks with YWAM Samoa and for clear communication and relationship between Fono and Sose (the Base Directors) and myself. I want to be a blessing to this place and these people!
• Pray for Samoans to respond to God’s call on their lives. I was so touched when Fono shared about the School of Mission’s time in Vanuatu. In 1841 Samoan missionaries went to Vanuatu and were martyred. They were cooked alive and eaten by the locals. Believers in the island where this atrocity had happened so many years ago welcomed the SOM team as the first Samoan missionaries since those martyrs. They had a powerful time of reconciliation and the Samoan students were particularly challenged as they thought of their own forefathers’ sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel and the fruit that came because of their sacrifice. Not white missionaries. Samoans just like them. Pray that many more Samoans would count the cost and take the Gospel to the nations!

Well, the rain has stopped and sun is setting, so I suppose it’s time for me to wrap this up. I wish I would capture the night sky on camera to share with you… dusk in Samoa is simply stunning. As the moon rises above the coconut tree silhouettes and the stars appear… the Southern Cross, the cloudy stretch of the Milky Way… I can’t help but be amazed at our great God who created it all. And for some reason, a song from “An American Tale” comes into my head every time I see the moon and think of my family who sees the same moon from where they are. Just at a slightly different time of the night.

* Side note… I wrote this yesterday before there was an earthquake! It happened about 11:50 pm and the first one felt like someone was moving furniture in the room next to mine… then the second one started shaking everything, complete with the things on top of my bed moving quite close to the edge and a long enough time for me to consider moving out from under the bunk, then deciding against it because the frame is metal and my roof isn’t exactly going to crush me if it falls on me. Haha… it wasn’t that big of an earthquake, just lasted a long time. When it eventually stopped, I opened my door and called out to the boys in the fale next door (I don’t have a roommate yet.) “Did anyone else feel that???” One of the DTS boys, Mark, said, “Yeah, but you don’t need to be scare, its only a little!” ...“Okay, I’m glad it was a small one, I’m going to sleep!” And that’s my Samoan Earthquake experience from last night. :)