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Ukarumpa-Interactive Map

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Title	Category	Description
Nearest Town (Kainantu)	Points Of Interest	This is the closest town to Ukarumpa, the SIL centre where we live. Kainantu has two Kmart’s but they’re not like the Kmart you know ☺ There are also three second hand clothing stores and a few small stores selling foods that are far from Western.
Our Translator Friends Village	Points Of Interest	Home of the Menya lanauge, Menyama is the village our friends, Pat & Carl Whitehead have been serving for the past 40 years. This month, they will dedicate the Menya New Testament after years of hard work and perserverance. Praise God!
Highlands Highway	Points Of Interest	This is the road that we take from Ukarumpa to get to Lae, a port city in PNG. It is a very windy road with a lot of pot holes that make travel difficult. When the road was first constructed, it took drivers 3 hours to get from Ukarumpa to Lae. It now takes approximately 5 hours because of poor road conditions
Canadian Bung	Points Of Interest	A bung is a Papua New Guinean word for ‘gathering.’ There are many nationalities serving together here in Ukarumpa and in PNG and, while it is wonderful to get to know those from other cultures, we also love gathering with fellow Canadians. The Whiteheads are a couple who have served in Papua New Guinea for over 40 years and are the translators working with the Menya people and dedicating the Menya New Testament in February of 2018.
Tairora	Points Of Interest	This is a village just across the Ba’e river from Ukarumpa. After you cross the river, it is about a 15 minute walk (maybe 30 minutes if Lucy insists on walking) to the village church that we will visit. The Pastor of this church was a participant in Initial Skills, a course for translators, that Anita helped out with when we first moved to Ukarumpa.
POC Bung	Points Of Interest	A ‘bung’ is the Tok Pisin word for a gathering. We went through our intial training in Papua New Guinea with this group of individuals and families and we try to get together once in awhile with the same group to reconnect now that we are in Ukarumpa and working in different departments.
Pacific Northwest Bung	Points Of Interest	We have been blessed to meet friends from all over the States and have especially connected with a group of friends from the Pacific Northwest. It was great to have a gathering and meet some more people in Ukarumpa that we didn’t realize were from that area.
Port Moresby Airport	Points Of Interest	The flight from Australia to Port Moresby is the only way to get to PNG. From POM, we catch an SIL flight on a much smaller plane the hour and a half up to Ukarumpa.
Lae (Location of 2017 Youth Missions Trip)	Youth Missions PNG	Lae is a port city 219 km away from Ukarumpa on the Highlands highway. It was the location of the 2017 Spring Missions Trip and also the location of the Student Representative Council buying trip. Being a port city, items shipped to PNG by sea freight arrive in Lae before they are transported by truck to the Highlands. It is an extremely hot and humid coastal city and is often a place people here drive to buy supplies for life in Ukarumpa.
SIL Guesthouse	Youth Missions PNG	Lae is a port city 219 km away from Ukarumpa on the Highlands highway. It was the location of the 2017 Spring Missions Trip and also the location of the Student Representative Council buying trip. Being a port city, items shipped to PNG by sea freight arrive in Lae before they are transported by truck to the Highlands. It is an extremely hot and humid coastal city and is often a place people here drive to buy supplies for life in Ukarumpa.
Training Centre	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	The training centre in Ukarumpa is comprised of a kitchen hall, classrooms, and dorms and exists to support Bible Translation directly by offering courses to Papua New Guinean translators. They offer courses ranging from basic English and computer skills (Initial Skills), Discover Your Language courses designed to give people a better understanding of the structure of their language and ParaText courses designed to train translators to use Bible Translation Software.
Kids Talent Show	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	Ukarumpa is a wonderful place for kids, with plenty of other kids just down the street to play with and eternal springtime allowing for endless play outside. We also enjoy the creative gatherings that other families plan that can help bring variety to days that seem to fly by without seasons to mark them ☺
Post Office	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	Getting mail is one of the highlights for us in Ukarumpa. There is nothing like receiving a card or care package sent lovingly from the people we miss at home! If you want to send us something, feel free to connect with my mom, Shelley Turner, and she will help get the package to us!
Meeting House	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	Here at Ukarumpa, we don’t’ have a pastor but we do have church. It is sometimes funny to do everything with the same people. The kids you teach are your youth kids and you run into them at the store, at church and on the street. There are two churches here: Tok Pisin Lotu (Lotu means church) and English Service. Jon and the kids go to Tok Pisin Lotu while I serve at a Junior High service at the Teen Centre on Sunday mornings. We love having the chance to practice our Tok Pisin but we most definitely look forward to coming back to Canada to experience, once again, the joy of having a Pastor who preaches and cares for those in their congregation.
Launguage Resources	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	Kainantu Lodge is a restaurant and motel in the town of Kainantu, about 15-20 mintues from Ukarumpa. It is not a restaurant as you might think of one – with a diverse menu – but it is a place we can go to eat out and feel like we had some time off centre. They also have a pool and, even though it is usually not very clean, the kids have a fun time swimming. We have been lucky to have friends who have been willing to take our family to Kainantu Lodge for outings and to have good buddies for our kids to play with. Having a chance to get outside of the fence and gates community of Ukarumpa is really essential to our overall sanity on the mission field.
SIL Store	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	There is one store here in Ukarumpa and it services all of the missionaries here, all of the Papau New Guineans who work and live on centre as well as many missionaries from all over PNG who visit Ukarumpa. The store carries many items that are shipped and made in PNG, like various crackers, tuna etc and also brings in some items from North America, though the prices on those items are significantly higher. We are so thankful to have a store here but definitely miss the variety of grocery stores that have more than 4 aisles of food ☺
Teen Centre	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	The teen centre is a hub in Ukarumpa for community events and the very famous, Hamburger Nights. On Friday nights, numerous times in a school term, the teens put on a hamburger night for the community. Families come and line up starting as early as 3:30pm to order a hamburger, fries and maybe even a milkshake. The teen centre provides essential work experience opportunities for the youth here in Ukarumpa and a fun social night out for those living on centre.
Market	SIL Ukarumpa Campus
Daycare	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	There is a daycare on centre that runs mornings, 5 days a week, when staff is available. The daycare is run by two Papua New Guinean ladies and is an essential service for households where both parents are working. We are very thankful for the daycare.
CAM Autoshop & Maintenance	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	The CAM departments mission is to support the work of Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea by providing a variety of design and construction services, at Ukarumpa, regional offices and village team allocation sites. There is also an autoshop that provides rental vehicles for those who need to travel around Papua New Guinea and who do not have a vehicle of their own.
Gate	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	A large portion of our monthly rent goes to paying for security services here in PNG. We have an entire security department and the gate is the main checkpoint for vehicles travelling into and out of Ukarumpa. We are very thankful for the security provided.
Upper Oval	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	The upper oval is a great place for kids & the community to gather. Jon meets here almost every Saturday afternoon for a fun game of volleyball with other adults on centre and this is also where Jon’s Aunty Joy’s former house is, from her 40+ years serving as a missionary here in Papua New Guinea.
Elim Haus	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	Elim Haus is a building on centre that used to be used as a children’s home. Children’s homes or dorms were much more common in Ukarumpa in years past and are still utilized but just less frequently. Children’s homes provide a place for high school kids to stay while their parents are in the village so that they can continue to attend school without interruption. After Elim Huas was no longer used as a Children’s home, it became a building used by the Staff Care department here in Ukarumpa to host weekly coffee houses and various workshops. The bottom half of the building is also used as the community library. We are thankful for the ways that staff care tries to help provide unique and different social opportunities for missionaries here to help prevent burnout on the mission field.
SIL Airstrip	SIL Ukarumpa Campus	SIL Aviation exists to provide safe, reliable, economical and efficient air transportation for SIL-PNG and its partners in a courteous, helpful manner. When missionaries come to PNG, they usually fly into Port Moresby on a commercial flight and then take an SIL flight up to Ukarumpa. Scripture use workers, translators and people who are visiting friends in villages around Papua New Guinea also rely on SIL aviation to get them safely to many remote locations. When you fly SIL aviation, you go to a small hangar just 15 minutes outside of Ukarumpa, step on a scale along with your luggage (no weight secrets here ☺ ) and are treated to a wonderful, friendly and safe flight from some amazing pilots. We are so thankful for all of the pilots, mechanical engineers and many more Papua New Guinean and ex-pat workers who make SIL aviation run smoothly.
Favorite Family Photo Location	McCarthy Family	There are so many beautiful locations around Ukarumpa for family photos. We are so thankful to live in such a beautiful place with such a beautiful landscape.
Our Third House	McCarthy Family	Our third house here in Ukarumpa belonged to fellow Canadians who are translators with the Binumarien people group in PNG. People come and go here in Ukarumpa and must go home for furloughs to raise support and connect with family. While people go home, other missionaries, like ourselves, have the opportunity to rent their homes.
Our Fourth House	McCarthy Family	This home has been wonderful for hosting youth events and has a great yard for our kids
Our Second House	McCarthy Family	Our second home in Ukarumpa belonged to a Korean husband and wife, who are both serving as dentists here in Ukarumpa. We are so thankful for all of the roles that people fill here and the many countries they come from!
The Big Snake	McCarthy Family	There are many unique animals in PNG and sometimes, at the market in Ukarumpa, there are even animals for sale. This snake was for sale one morning and a family here on centre bought him to save him from being eaten. They kept him at their house until they were able to get him an on SIL palne to Port Moresby where he is now safe in an animal refuge.
Another Favorite Family Photo Location	McCarthy Family	There are so many beautiful locations around Ukarumpa for family photos. We are so thankful to live in such a beautiful place with such a beautiful landscape.
Art Camp	McCarthy Family	There are many talented inviduals living in Ukarumpa and we are blessed when those individuals share their gifts and provide unique opportunities to the kids of Ukarumpa that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Ben was fortunate to attend an art camp put on by one of the community members over the school break.
Owl	McCarthy Family	Beyond the unique creatures here, sometimes there are animals that need to be rescued and one family rescued this owl and was taking care of it to nurse it back to health.
Goroka Show	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	The Goroka Show is a yearly cultural show that highlights dozens of people groups across Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guineans come from all over, decked out in their traditional dress (‘bilas’ is the Tok Pisin word for decoration or costume) and performing cultural dances and songs (‘Sing Sing’ is the Tok Pisin word for this kind of celebration). Goroka is 96km from Aiyura (Ukarumpa) but is well over a 3 hour drive on some difficult and windy roads. We travelled to Goroka with some lovely friends and stayed in a New Tribes missions centre there for two nights. It was a wonderful experience for us and the kids as we saw some of the true and diverse culture of Papua New Guinea.
Kainantu Lodge	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	Kainantu Lodge is a restaurant and motel in the town of Kainantu, about 15-20 mintues from Ukarumpa. It is not a restaurant as you might think of one – with a diverse menu – but it is a place we can go to eat out and feel like we had some time off centre. They also have a pool and, even though it is usually not very clean, the kids have a fun time swimming. We have been lucky to have friends who have been willing to take our family to Kainantu Lodge for outings and to have good buddies for our kids to play with. Having a chance to get outside of the fence and gates community of Ukarumpa is really essential to our overall sanity on the mission field.
Initial POC Training	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	When we first arrived in PNG, we had to attend a training course on the coast of PNG, just outside of a town called Madang. POC is located approximately 15 minutes outside of Madang up a very steep hill. When we first arrived, we drove up this steep embankment in a huge truck called a Hino, with all 20 of us sitting on benches in the covered bed of the truck. It was quite an experience! We underwent physical training (swimming and hiking), cultural training and language training. It was also at our POC training that we met our wasfemili (the Tok Pisin way of saying ‘gaurdian family’ or host family) – a family that we still keep in touch with to this day.
Wasfemili	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	While attending our POC training, we were assigned to a local family. This family became our wasfemili (or our guardian family). It was their job to teach us more Tok Pisin and give us plenty of opportunities to practice this new language. We stayed overnight in their village and visited them for meals. Jon and I were blessed to meet Francis and Bukai and their sons – Joshua, Noel and Micelle and our kids enjoyed playing with the boys. We still keep in touch with them and are so thankful for their gracious and patient teaching. We could not have learned Tok Pisin without them!
Waterslide	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	Here in Ukarumpa, there aren’t too many things to do but, over the years, the people living here have found ways to make their own fun. The Ukarumpa waterslide is a prime example. Essentially this is a huge roll of rubber that is rolled out down a steep hill on the hillside in Ukarumpa, right beside one of the Children’s homes. The waterslide has to be rolled out and rolled up each time it is used and takes about an hour and a half to fill with water so that there is enough water at the bottom of the slide that no one gets hurt while sliding down and it takes 3-5 grown men to roll it back up. We have had a lot of fun at this waterslide for kids and adult birthday parties alike and also for youth events!
POC Training Camp	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	When we first arrived in PNG, we had to attend a training course on the coast of PNG, just outside of a town called Madang. POC is located approximately 15 minutes outside of Madang up a very steep hill. When we first arrived, we drove up this steep embankment in a huge truck called a Hino, with all 20 of us sitting on benches in the covered bed of the truck. It was quite an experience! We underwent physical training (swimming and hiking), cultural training and language training. It was also at our POC training that we met our wasfemili (the Tok Pisin way of saying ‘gaurdian family’ or host family) – a family that we still keep in touch with to this day.
Mambu Haus	McCarthy Family,Points Of Interest	Mambu Haus is a building out near aviation (about 15 minutes drive from Ukarumpa centre) and it has been used as a place for kids from the valley to come and play on a Saturday afternoon, do crafts, play sports or music and hear about Jesus. Recently, after some election riots, Mambu Haus was closed but we are praying that it will be able to open once again. We enjoyed serving together there as a family.
Tennis Courts	McCarthy Family,SIL Ukarumpa Campus	We had no idea what to expect in terms of amenities in Ukarumpa and were pleasantly surprised to find out there were tennis courts. They are in desperate need of resurfacing but it is a blessing to be able to be active as a family. Jon enjoys playing tennis every Saturday morning with colleagues and Ben and Jacob got to attend a tennis camp put on by a fellow teacher.
UIS Secondary School Campus	McCarthy Family,SIL Ukarumpa Campus	This is where we work everyday. We have really enjoyed teaching Science to the Papua New Guinean and ex-pat students. This is a great school and they are always in need of more teachers. Come and join us!
Store Playground	McCarthy Family,SIL Ukarumpa Campus	We are so thankful that there are places on centre for the kids to play and the playground right across from the store is especially helpful when trying to pick up a few groceries and the kids are in tow! It was also a great place to meet other parents when we first arrived and was the location for Elliott’s super low key 4th birthday party ☺
UIS Primary School Campus	McCarthy Family,SIL Ukarumpa Campus	We are so thankful for the education our kids receive here in Ukarumpa. All three of our boys attend UISPC and have really enjoyed it. It is a beautiful campus filled with teachers who care and who are there because they want to help support Bible Translation. There is ALWAYS a need at the Primary Campus for teachers and we are praying for immediate needs for next year to be filled in God’s timing!
Inoge	Bible Translation	In the 1950’s, Jon’s aunty Joy came to Papua New Guinea to work as a translator. She spent over 40 years working with two language groups and dedicated two New Testaments with her translation partner, Gwen, and the committed Papua New Guinean men who worked as co-translators. One of the language groups she worked with was the Inoge people. We had a chance to meet Pastor Fred and Kay Igami, who worked with Joy and are continuing to actively work in Bible Translation amongst the people of PNG. Fred and Kay work with our friends Luke and Marjan from the Netherlands who are now our neighbors!