SILVERLININGS

March 2010 Geneva Silvernail

What’s for Lunch?

heated on the ground away from the pit. The
Donors in March bottom and sides of the pit are lined with ba-
(Books, scholarships, nana leaves before
computers, clothing, some of the hot stones
shoes, etc.)
are put in. A freshly
 Sweetwater Church of killed pig and garden
the Nazarene, E TN vegetables with wild
 H. Hamlin Scholarship greens are placed into
the pit with layers of
 J Jones Scholarship
banana leaves to keep
We can’t have a celebration in
 Decherd Church of the in the heat.
Nazarene, E TN PNG without having a mumu. (A
mumu is not a Hawaiian dress.) A mumu in
 Salem Church of the The temperature in the mumu can be as high
an earthen oven in PNG. Because it is
Nazarene, North AL as 250°C (482° F). Experienced cooks do not
strenuous work, men usually do the hard job
 David and Michele
overcook or undercook the meat and vegeta-
of preparing the pit and the food for a mumu.
Silvernail bles. When you come, we will have a mumu!
 Ben and Dee Kaney A deep cone-like pit is dug. Stones are then
 Debbie Silvernail

 Cody and Amanda

Lambert
HANDS OFF!
 Books for Pastors When I spoke at their commencement, I had
no idea of what the next few days would hold
 Ellen Syvret
for the graduates of the Nazarene College of
Nursing. I spoke on the importance of taking
their “Hands Off” the future and acknowledging
Inside this issue: God’s will. I reminded them that we must put
our plans, our families, and our jobs in His
Installation 2 hands and trust Him. I warned them that the sorcerer who may have worked “poison”
Highlights on the man causing him to die. After point-
heartache comes to all, but God will be there
for us. He will even bring people into our lives ing out two such persons, the tribe tortured
Bragging Rights 3
them.
to lean on in times of trouble.
Contact Information 4 Just a few days later, I visited the village of Blaming witchcraft for unexplained events is
one of the nursing graduates whose father had common in rural PNG. If a person dies,
they believe somebody should be held re-
Calendar 2011 4 died unexpectedly. We approached the village
sponsible. They accuse someone of sorcery
with the customary wailing. I noticed friends and the whole village decides what should
Calendar 2012 4 and family who had gathered to express their happen to them. Consider what you would
sorrow—some having spread mud over their think if you had no scientific knowledge and
Two-Day Vacation in 4
face and body, some with clothes torn, others someone suddenly died.
Brisbane with hair shaved off, and even one had pulled
his teeth. I did not notice anyone who had Please be in prayer for spiritual break-
chopped off their fingers, but later heard that through and deliverance for the Miamka
tribe. Pray for the medical missionaries and
one had. We stayed a short while, prayed with
Chaplain Taime and Chaplain Moses at
the young student’s family and village mem- Kudjip as they continue to organize prayer
bers and left. meetings with the tribe who live near the
hospital. Pray that Christians will stand for
While Christians brought comfort and hope;
the right against those who wish to use sor-
others brought confusion and sadness. A me-
cery and ways of Satan.
dium was called in to discover the identity of
 SILVERLININGS Page 2

NE
ARE
AZ E
I A N LEG
S
NE COL TS
L A E LI GH
ME BIB L H
N HIG
T IO
ALLA
T
INS

The thought of faculty and students; missionaries and

church leaders; alumni and church members; and family
and community friends all praying for me will remain a
precious memory.

Rather than celebrating a person, an installation

Uncle Jerry (Jerry Porter) reunited with David and Deb-
bie. They enjoyed talking about their time together in the
Dominican Republic when David and Debbie were in pri-
mary school.
service is actually a celebration of a college. The
National Board of Trustees, and the faculty and
staff of Melanesia Nazarene Bible College are to
be commended for their leadership. They are the
ones who have the vision. The principal is just
the one who takes the vision and turns it into
something practical and attainable. I am honored
to be led by such a group of committed men and
women. I wish to thank Rev. Dave Kerr and his
committees for all their dedication in planning
and working to make our celebration a success.

Dignitaries on Platform from Left to Right:

Regional Education Coordinator Dr. Melvin Rigsby

MNBC Principal Dr. Geneva Silvernail
National Executive Board of Trustees Chair Rev. Andrew Akus
Asia-Pacific Regional Director Dr. Verne Ward
General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Porter
Melanesia Field Strategy Coordinator Harmon Schmelzenbach
Dr. Jerry Porter led the dedication prayer as family, board
members, and faculty gathered nearby.
 May I Introduce You to My Mother… Page 3

How humbling of great integrity, with a strong work ethic and desire to serve
to have my son those around her.
David introduce
me at the Instal- I believe my mom has a particular gifting and passion for the
lation. If anyone development of educators, in other words, she desires to build
knows my people as well as educational programs. I think one thing that
Christian char- sets her apart from many leaders is that she is a servant
acter, my stan- leader, always pushing others to the front to share in the deci-
dards, my life- sion-making and leadership….
style, it is my
children. . . . As important as her educational credentials, however, is
the call that God has placed on her life and the spiritual gifting
With tears in my that makes her effective on a practical level.
eyes, I listened
as he spoke: My mom was born in East Tennessee, which in some ways is
like this place--with its beautiful mountains and friendly, hard-
working people. She responded to the call to be a missionary
Being here reminds me of my childhood as a Missionary Kid. at the age of six. Since then she has become well known as a
Growing up I lived in places like Guam, Dominican Republic, Virgin storyteller preacher.
Island, and Africa. Whenever people asked me, “Where are you
from?” I’d have to stop and think what my answer should be. Since Students and faculty go to her for counseling and for perform-
my Mom was a missionary, I flew before I walked. Airports felt like ing their weddings. She has never met a stranger. She al-
second homes to me. ways has a smile and a hug for those she comes in contact
with. She is loved and respected by all, including her family.
I am honored to introduce to you the Principal of Melanesia Naza-
rene Bible College, my mother, Dr. Geneva Silvernail. You have May I introduce you to my mother, Dr. Geneva Silvernail.
already welcomed her into your country, your community, and your
college. You have worked side-by-side with her to continue the
mission of this college. So you already know that she is a person
Of the many gift I received, the stone axe of the
faculty pleased me the most. The card read:
“The Stone Axe given to Dr. Silvernail today
From my daughter Denise: Con-
represents authority and strength of leadership in
gratulations, Mom. I miss you.
the Melanesian culture. In Europe a mace is
I'm glad David & Debbie got to go
often given with the same meaning. This axe
see you...maybe I can come one was carried before the Principal’s procession
day? Or there's always BINGO or today showing that she enters with strength,
Shuffle board in a few years! :) dignity, and authority over Melanesia Nazarene
I love you, Bible College. As a faculty we recognize this
Denise authority and welcome Dr. Geneva Silvernail!”

I received many greetings, but a special one was from my

daughter-in-law, Michele, who wasn’t able to make the trip
from Tennessee to PNG. A daughter-in-law’s love is a TS
blessing from God. IGH
GR ype
GG
IN i l s, Sk ent.
“Geneva, David’s introduc- A ma em
tion reminds me of what a
BR
yo ur e ourag y very -
c a
for f en nd reci
terrific person you
k you otes o tallatio nd app rayer
n n s a p
are. Just want to let you Tha s, and the in loved g my
know that I'm proud of all l l e e e i n
ca mad u ar or b
o f
you have accomplished
You ial. Y k you ners.
c t
and all that you are as a
spe . Tha n par
person. Congratulations d
on another milestone! I ate
know your job there isn't
easy, but if anyone can do it, you can!
Love, Michele”
 -
r 2 011 2011 DEPUTATION
fo -
n d ars th Prom is- May 1 AM/PM Sparta, MI
al e ai rD
y o ur c rve a F our o uld May 7 Nampa, ID
ck ese ct T wo
Che 2 and r , Distri tion. I May 15 Sitka, Alaska
201 ervice onven ain.
S
ise NMI C you ag May 17-18 Ketchican, AK
t
tric to see l May 19 Juneau, AK
love e r nai
ilv
aS
May 20 Cordova, AK
n e v
Ge May 22 AM Anchorage Jewel Lake, AK
US Contact Information
May 22 PM Anc Hillcarest/Samoan, AK
PNG Contact Information
1617 Woodhaven Ct. May 23 Kodiak, AK
Lebanon, TN 37087 USA
Melanesia Nazarene Bible College US phone SKYPE 1-615-692-1651 Palmer/Eagle River/Wasilla,
May 24 AK
PO Box 376
Mt. Hagen, WHP 281 EMAIL CONTACTS May 25 Chapel/Souljourn, AK
PAPUA NEW GUINEA genevasilvernail@hotmail.com
Cell Phone 675-7264-8288 May 26 Seward, AK
gsilvernail@apnaz.org
To call from US (011) 675-7264-8288 May 27 Nikiski/Soldotna, AK
May 29 AM Two Rivers, AK

Two-Day Vacation in Brisbane May 29 PM Fairbanks First/North Pole,

AK

June 2 ALASKA District NMI

wrote book reports and answered Convention
questions for her online MBA June 5 AM Alva, OK
studies, David and I roamed the
wharf area, choosing the spot for June 15 CANADA West District
NMI Convention
out next home away from home.
June 25 -26 AM Potomac, IL
The greatest sight of all was see-
ing my son and daughter laugh- Aug. 3-14 Georgia Tour
ing, teasing, enjoying their time
Aug. 6 PM Sandersville, GA
together and knowing that they
love one another. Aug. 7 AM Sandersville, GA

What more could a mother ask Aug. 20-21 AM Mercy Hill, N AL

for?
Aug. 27-28 AM Cookeville, E TN
What a joy to spend two full days in
Brisbane with son David and daughter Sept. 4 AM Crossroads, E TN
Debbie. The vacation was a quick one,
but we used every minute possible to Sept. 18 AM/PM Auburn, IN
see the sights.
Oct. 9-16 Texas Tour
Perhaps our favorite stop was the Koala
Sanctuary where we held koalas and
fed kangaroos. We learned not to say
kola bear since they are not really
bears. We watched a baby kangaroo DEPUTATION SERVICES 2012
pop out and in its mother’s pouch. We Ends April 22, 2012
even sang along with the Kookaburra February 17-19 Georgia Youth Quake
“sitting in an old gum tree” and called
February 20-26 Georgia District Tour
sweetly to the Tasmanian Devil which
looked quite harmless locked in a cage. March 11-18 Indianapolis District Tour

In the mornings while Debbie read,