ON MISSIONARIES: A PERSONAL VIEW (12)

When I was director of our work in PNG for several years, I had the opportunity to visit many countries where our organization was working. I was particularly impressed by the work of SIL in Peru and Mexico. They had incorporated citizens into their plans and programs, and I knew that in PNG we needed to do that as well. It was 1973 and the country was about to be granted self-government, which would lead to it becoming an independent nation in 1975.

With the encouragement and help of my fellow administrators and colleagues, we began a modest effort to incorporate citizens more directly into our work by initiating an SIL advisory committee. It consisted of the SIL directors, as well as PNG citizens who knew the work of SIL and supported it in various ways. We also learned about a prominent PNG pastor, Tom Polume, who was available for work. We contacted him and eventually hired him. He and his wife, an Australian, came to live and work at our center at Ukarumpa. Tom was a leader in promoting Bible translation and assisting in administrative tasks.

Following Kirk’s graduation from high school in 1976, we left for an extended furlough to the US. Largely due to the efforts of the new director of SIL, Bruce Hooley, and Tom, the advisory committee expanded and morphed into what is now the Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea (btapng.org). To date (mid 2025) at least 40 BTA language sponsored groups have published NT books and there are 20 OT books in progress.

When we returned to PNG in 1979, the director asked us to start a linguistic course for PNG students. It turned out to be controversial idea and during the delay of getting it started I supervised a survey of Manus Island, which was Tom Polume’s home area. I spent a week on the island living with Tom’s brother Cholai and helped an SIL couple begin the survey. 

Tom later decided to leave the work of SIL and BTA and work for the government. However, he searched for someone to take his place and when I was in Port Moresby with Tom in 1980, I met David Gela. He had just finished a degree in education at the University of Papua New Guinea, was about to get married, and had a job lined up. However, God called him to the work of BTA and the SIL director asked Joice and me to mentor to David and Sineina for a year. They became family to us.

The linguistic course began in 1980, with only 6 students, but several of them became national translators in their own languages. Training national citizens has continued in various shapes and contexts.

Our daughter Karol graduating from high school in 1983, and we asked if we could take an extended furlough, helping her back into the US culture and teaching at our center in Dallas.

We returned to our house in Duncanville, and I taught linguistics at SIL and at the University of Texas, Arlington, where I was eventually an Adjunct Professor. Joice also taught at the SIL courses and was involved in other ways, often with social responsibilities, which she loved.

Leaving PNG had been a difficult choice, but we fully intended to return, which we did in 1979. In the meantime, Kirk was invited to return to PNG as a short-term worker to train national workers in offset printing. He was also working with the media department. He met an Aussie school teacher there named Christine Tierney, and they were married within a year.

It did not turn out to be short term for Kirk and Christine. They joined Wycliffe and we were on staff through part of their orientation in Idyllwild, California. They still work with Wycliffe.

in 1990, we were asked to take a three-year assignment at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria, Australia and direct our training school. I would be the principal of the school and teach, and Joice would teach as well as help direct student activities. Kirk and Karol were busy with their own lives. Karol was studying at the University of Texas, Austin, and Kirk, now married to Christine, was heading up the Media Department for Wycliffe, Australia.

Joice, in a way she had not anticipated, had been trained for her job. While we were in PNG, she had begun an MA program through Azusa Pacific University, specializing in Human Resource Management. Each American summer, professors from the university would come to PNG and teach courses. Students would attend and then complete assignments during the academic year. Joice wasn’t thrilled about doing the degree and said, “Karl must think I’m getting boring and wants we in a study program.” That was not true, of course, and she loved the interaction with her fellow students and the professors.

While we were in Australia, Joice completed her MA courses (straight-A student—no surprise). Karol was visiting us, and she also had completed her MA program at UT, Austin, about the same time. We had a great celebration with my two “women.” Karol left us and went to Guatemala for a year to teach and we continued at Kangaroo Ground. One of our favorite walks was early in the morning when the kangaroos were out and sometimes around our house. We could get very close to them but were careful. If they have young joeys, they will guard them.

We loved Kangaroo Ground, the students, and our family, who lived only a few houses away. Every Saturday morning one of my grandsons would go with me on a walk. When school was out during the summer months on two occasions, we went to New Zealand to either head up their summer school.

God was giving us a variety of experiences.

Karl Franklin