Namesake

In this culture Namesake is a common tradition...naming your child after another person whom you admire, respect, or feel a family obligation to. Sometimes, it is a way of placing responsibility in the hands of the senior "Name" to pay school fees and/or otherwise provide for the namesake. Sometimes it is a way of saying "You are my friend and I am naming my baby after you." I now have 4 namesakes in town and hopefully I fall into the friend category in at least the majority of those individuals. :)

Pray for this sweet namesake Stacie as she leaves next week to return to her Kiriwina village in the Trobriand Islands. It has been a pleasure to get to know her family and share in their lives. We met them when they came into town when the Mom, Irene, was very sick. The father, Timothy, came looking for work to pay medical fees and food for Joyce, his 9 year old girl and 5 year old twin boys Cain and Able. We found him to be a very hard-working man and a very loving father. He shared the difficulties of the loss of their oldest daughter this past year and what mourning looks like in their culture. He humbly shared the challenges they faced while living in an expensive town without many resources to meet their family needs. We shared food, stories, an opportunity to learn from each other, and  the love of Jesus Christ with them.