After 17 years of working with the Gogodala, Laurie and I are transitioning into full-time field directing roles with AFM. We have decided to make our base in the U.S. close to the AFM office and our children and grandchildren. We will miss our Gogodala friends and are happy that the Sliger family can be there to carry the work even further.

The most difficult thing about being a missionary, in my opinion, is having to say goodbye too often. It seemed that once we launched as missionaries, we were constantly saying “hi” and “goodbye.” We had to leave loved ones back home to fly halfway around the world. But we had the same difficult time parting with people on the other end when leaving for our furloughs. Goodbyes, especially on furloughs, came too soon as we parted company with many of our dear friends and family who supported our work. I am really looking forward to heaven when we will no longer have to say goodbye.

It was beautiful one morning, about a month before we were scheduled to leave the village. The sun was already heating things up. The coconut palms were swaying in the breeze when I heard a knock on our door. It was our church elder. “Steve, we want to plan a farewell program for you!” he exclaimed. “I and the other elders will write the program and you type it and print it for us. But you tell us what you want to have in it.”

To people who grew up in Western society, it might seem rather odd that a person wanting to honor another by arranging a farewell program for them would solicit the help of the recipients. However, in patronage cultures such as the one we have been working in, it is a way of life. We do not usually think of it this way, but asking a favor of someone can actually be a way of showing that you care about them — the one who lacks makes a request from the one who has.

We, the missionaries, had the computer, printer and electricity, which our elder did not have. He wanted a nice-looking brochure, not a handwritten one. Laurie typed the program, printed it out and showed it to the elder for his approval before printing out multiple copies. “Okay, now, can you put your pictures at the top of the page?” he responded. It was nice of him to think of us, but who is doing whom a favor with this program? I mused.

This type of exchange has precedence in the Bible, though. One example can be found in the story about the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus didn’t have a water pot, so He asked the Samaritan woman to get Him a drink. Then, later in the conversation, the woman asked Jesus for the living water that He alone possessed and that she realized she needed. It was a friendly exchange between the two parties and nearly a whole village was won to Christ as a result.

We finally got the program to his liking and posted one on the training center door. The weekend drew near, and we were busy with sales and getting rid of clothes and other personal items. People started arriving in their large, carved-out wooden canoes on Thursday. By the time of the farewell program on Sunday, several hundred people from seven different villages had gathered on the lawn of our mission ground. They came from near and far, camping out at our training center grounds to express their appreciation to us for our years of service. It truly was touching!

From a podium and sound system set up on the veranda of the training center, speeches were amplified so everyone could hear. Members from the various church groups sang songs. Our Kewa church group sang a song that brought tears to our eyes. “Goodbye, Mom and Dad. You have brought the good news, and now you are leaving us with the word of God.”

After that followed three or four village leaders and church elders who gave their talks of appreciation and recounted their special memories of us; it was very kind. The master of ceremonies then invited us to the microphone to say a few words. How do you give final words to people whom you have known and worked closely with for so many years? We preferred that our goodbye would not be final but rather a “See you later.” We encouraged people to remember the lessons God had taught them while we were there.

Just as the program came to an end, rain began to fall, almost as if nature itself was mourning our departure. But people put up umbrellas and stayed around to talk with us and showered us with gifts of bilums (colorful, hand-made string bags) and beautiful flower leis. I even received a hand-woven hat! A group of three ladies came to me after the program with tears in their eyes to apologize for the ill-treatment some of their family members had given us while we were building our house many years ago.

Borrowing the words from a Shakespearean play, “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” we could see that in spite of the added work of helping to put together a farewell program, it did our hearts good to see the expressions of love and gratitude from so many people. It also brought a pleasant closure to our Gogodala experience. Thank you to those who have prayed for us and our work and given of your means so the gospel can reach the Gogodala. May the dream God gave me before we went to PNG, of seeing many Gogodala in heaven, become a reality.

Note: The Ericksons will continue with AFM, overseeing some mission projects in other parts of the world. Your continued support will be greatly appreciated.

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