Prayer Letter - New Guinea News

February 13, 2005

A Valentine Liver

I was sitting in the hut eating some rice and pig meat for the custom that was taking place. Two down from me on the bamboo bench sat a fragile old woman whose skin sagged loosely on her bones. She sat nibbling on the small amount of food she had received. Then I notice her husband from across the hut stand up and make his way across to her. Then slowly the old man held out his bowl toward his wife. She looked up at him and hesitated a moment and then quickly reached up and grabbed a handful of rice from his bowl. Without a word the man returned to his seat and the woman put the rice to her mouth.

This was an act of love that touched me not simply because of the act, but because it is so rare in this culture. Many times husbands and wives rarely associate with each other let alone show acts of kindness. How exciting it will be when from God's Word they will see how husbands are to love their wives and how they are to honor each other. What a day it will be when they understand the greatest act of love that was demonstrated for them at Calvary.

If you need an idea for a Valentine's Card: To express great emotion, the Patpatar use the "liver" as the place it originates, also the word for wife is simply woman. So if a Valentine card were to be written in Patpatar in might say, "To my woman: I love you will all of my liver."

We received an early Valentine gift this year when some family came to visit us. My (Aaron) brother Josh and his wife Julie were able to come spend some time with us and their nieces at the beginning of January. We loved seeing them and it was a great way to start 2005.

Happy Valentines Day,

Aaron, Lori, and the girls