Happy New Year!!

We pray for a happy and safe New Year for all of you, and for God's abundant blessings on you and your family in 2020! 

We are needed back in PNG by the end of March, but by January 31st, we hope to have regular, committed partners to cover 100% of our budget, so we will be released to purchase plane tickets.  Would you help us reach our goal? Did you know that your pledge for a specific amount helps us reach that goal, and your year-end and/or monthly donations are tax-deductible? Would you prayerfully consider becoming a monthly, quarterly or annual partner with our Wycliffe ministry?

If you prefer to partner through the mail, use the instructions below:

Tax Deductible Checks can be made out to:

"Wycliffe Bible Translators"

Please leave the memo line blank, and include a separate note:

"Preference for the Wycliffe ministry of Scott & Kathy Watson - Account # 305081"

Mail to: Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200

Click here to Send a Note or Partner with our Wycliffe Ministry

Merry Christmas from Scott & Kathy!

This Christmas is a long way from Papua New Guinea as we celebrate in the Northeast!  We are clearly adjusting slowly...

Prayer Points: 

• Papua New Guinea: Pray for God’s grace and wisdom for all those in government and a peaceful new year.

• Bible translation: Pray for the  New Testaments to be dedicated in their language groups this year.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for wisdom as Scott and Kathy prepare to return to their roles in Papua New Guinea in March, God-willing. 
• 
  

• Go's provision: Pray for God to continue to provide through His people; we are still short $1024 per month to reach 100% of our Wycliffe budget in order to be released to return to PNG. We pray for His abundant blessing on our partners & their families throughout 2020.

Partner with our Wycliffe ministry by clicking here!

Living in Two Worlds in 2019

Over the last 5 and a half years, Hegio and her daughter Nene Koki (above) have been instrumental in helping us to learn about Papua New Guinean culture. In June, as we prepared to leave for home assignment, we wanted to give Hegio a gift. Since she had never learned to read or write, we gave her a solar-powered audioBible in her Kamano-Kafe heart language. Her grateful response was that it “strongim bel na bilip b’long mi”, which is Tok Pisin for it “strengthened her heart and faith”. That is exactly what God’s Word does for all who read, hear and meditate upon its precepts. The Bible has made all the difference in our own lives and we are grateful to play a role in supporting the translation efforts in Papua New Guinea. During this home assignment, we have also been deeply blessed by all of you who have welcomed us back so warmly to the US. Living in two worlds comes with many challenging transitions, but being a part of the body of Christ means we never have to go through them alone, and for this we are eternally grateful!

We were so grateful to attend the Wycliffe Connection in Orlando, FL in October. The training and debriefing helped to further equip us to be successful in the field. It was also a huge blessing to reconnect with colleagues from PNG, as well as meet others serving with Wycliffe around the world- God is  working in wonderful ways!

You and your family are in our prayers. We appreciate your prayers and your financial partnership with our Wycliffe ministry; you allow us to continue to serve in our roles in Papua New Guinea.

COACH WORKSHOP

MORE NEW TOOLS TO

HELP STUDENTS

BIBLE TRANSLATION

GOD’S WORD IN

AUDIO & PRINT

WYCLIFFE CONNECTION

TRAINING AND TIME WITH

OUR COLLEAGUES

Glimpses of 2019...

The Joy of Loving

It is our continual prayer that God would help us to love and encourage others in the same way that He loves and encourages us. Over the last year, Scott made strides in mentoring, equipping and empowering his Papua New Guinean colleagues to take on greater security responsibilities.Kathy has poured into her students and her 9th grade girls community group by teaching and investing in their academic and spiritual growth. Together, we have enjoyed the camaraderie of our fellow missionaries at work and in Bible studies, and have been challenged to love deeply, to be family and to serve those around us. We have been extraordinarily blessed to serve in Papua New Guinea, and we invite you to be a part of this team effort as well. Would you prayerfully consider joining our Wycliffe ministry team as a prayer and monthly financial partner so that we can return to our roles in PNG in March 2020? We need to raise $1054 per month to reach 100% our Wycliffe budget in order to be released to return to PNG. The joy of loving others flows from the fact that God first loved us, and Christmas is an annual reminder of that love. Through His grace and mercy, God has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Himself through His son, Jesus Christ. This truth compels us to continue to serve in Papua New Guinea as long as He would have us there. We love the team of wonderful people that He has used, both in the US and PNG, to make this possible. To God be the Glory! “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2: 8-14 (NKJV)

Blessings to you and your family,

Scott & Kathy Watson

JOIN OUR PARTNERSHIP TEAM OR MESSAGE US AT: 

WWW.WYCLIFFE.ORG/PARTNER/SCOTT-KATHYWATSON

Thank you for being a part of our team…

We have been so privileged to be able to serve in Papua New Guinea these last 5 1/2 years, and we could not have done it without you. Your prayers have made the improbable come to pass, have protected us from harm, and have encouraged and sustained us in difficult circumstances and situations. Your financial partnership has provided for our daily needs and allowed us to also bless and serve our students, colleagues, and Papua New Guinean friends. While it has been wonderful to reconnect and visit with friends and family here in the US, we realize more and more that PNG has become our new home and is where God has called us to live and to serve, for as long as He would have us be there. And we are more convicted daily by the knowledge that there are Bibleless people dying without knowing their God and Creator, or their Savior Jesus Christ. Please know again how grateful we are for each of you, and pray with us that the Church would increasingly take up the call to see all ethne (Greek for people of the same race or nationality who share the same culture) have access to God’s Word and receive His hope and peace.

Annual Financial Update

 We’ve been asked what our needs are to be able to return to the mission field in March, and we wanted to share our financial update. The graphic below shows our financial status over the course of the last year: 

• The higher green line represents the budget that Wycliffe established for us and the upward trend shows the change in that budget due to increases in cost of living adjustments and medical insurance costs.

• The blue line represents the way funds have actually come in each month, with a gold trend line showing a rolling average of the funds that have been received.   

• The difference between the two lines is the budget amount we are responsible to raise before we will be released to purchase plane tickets to return to our Wycliffe ministries in Papua New Guinea.

Financial Status: September 2019-October 2019

Total Income, with gold trend line

Total ministry budget quota with green line

Would you pray with us that God would provide new financial partners with our Wycliffe ministry who want to be a part of this team?  We have a gap of $1200 in monthly donations to close by January 2020 so we can begin looking for plane tickets and preparing to return to our assignments in Ukarumpa.  We are so grateful to all of you who have faithfully partnered with our Wycliffe ministry this year and we are eager to share our passion for supporting Bible translation with others who want the Bible to be available to every people group. Thank you for praying!       

May God bless you,       

Scott & Kathy 

The Wycliffe Connection…

 We have been blessed to be at Wycliffe USA headquarters in Orlando, FL, to participate in a week long debrief and opportunity to reconnect with other missionaries who serve in Bible translation here and around the world.  It has been so encouraging to see and hear what God has been doing in many different regions and to experience the unity of the Body of Christ as we seek to end Bible poverty and reach every language and tribe.

Photo Credit: Megan Reed

Where will we be next?

• November 2019: Attending The Wycliffe Connection in Orlando, FL, and connecting with family and friends 

• December 2019: Returning to Dover, NH and then traveling to Lancaster, PA for Christmas with family 

•  January 2020: Returning to NH and connecting with partners in New England

•  February 2020: Traveling to NC and GA for more meetings and connecting with partners

• March 2020:  Completing our time in GA, returning our vehicle to St. Louis MO, and Godwilling, flying back to Papua New Guinea! We’d love to visit you! Contact us and we will gladly schedule a time to share about our Wycliffe ministry with you, your small group, or your church.

Prayer Points...

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for a positive resolution to conflicts in the Aiyura valley. 

• Bible translation: Pray for  the Gumawana New Testament dedication on November 6th. 

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for  a fun and successful Carnival fundraiser at Ukarumpa International School to benefit local PNG ministries. 

• PNG training: Pray for the Translation Training and Consultant Training workshop for PNG translators going on until November 6th.

• God’s provision:  Please pray for God’s provision of new financial partners for our Wycliffe ministry so we can continue to serve in the ministries God has called us to in Papua New Guinea.

Home Assignment Travels...

On August 23rd, we flew to St. Louis to pick up a long term vehicle rental from Righteous Rides, a ministry that specializes in providing low cost vehicle rentals to missionaries on home assignment. We drove through 15 states in 13 days and it was a blessing to see so many ministry partners, family and friends.  We were also graciously gifted with tickets to see the Lancaster, PA, Sight and Sound Theater’s exceptionally professionally performed production of “Jesus”, based on the Gospel of Matthew.  And we were even able to spend time on the NC Outer Banks with Kathy’s family before being evacuated due to hurricane Dorian; not as long as we would have liked, but we were grateful for every moment. Thank you to all the families that offered us kind hospitality and encouragement during our travels- we appreciate you so much and are praying for you! We will continue to reconnect with ministry partners and friends in New England, attend two Bible studies and participate in various ministries of our home church until we travel again at the end of October.  Please let us know if you are available, if we have not been in touch yet, because we would love to reconnect with you and know better how we can be specifically praying for you.

Perspectives...

We participated in the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” course in 2012, where we first learned about the unfinished work of Bible Translation, and it planted a significant seed toward our current service in Papua New Guinea. We’ve been blessed to be able to take the course again as alumni; this 16 week course examines missions from a Biblical, historical, cultural and strategic perspective. If you are looking for an in-depth study of how God has been and is now working redemptively in the world, we highly recommend this course.

Prayer Points...

Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for the local pastors as they mediate the conflicts in the Aiyura Valley.


Bible Translation: Pray for preparations for the Gumawana New Testament dedication in Milne Bay on November 6th.

Our roles in PNG: Pray for the student retreat at Ukarumpa International School to bring revival and encouragement.

PNG Training: Pray for the upcoming Translation Training workshop for PNG translators and pastors in October.

God's Provision: Praise for our  travels, including  our NC evacuation. Please pray for God's provision for those who were severely affected by Hurricane Dorian.

Settling in Stateside...

We’ve been blessed to settle in to the mission house (pictured below) at Dover Baptist Church, where we are serving as Missionaries in Residence during this 9-month home assignment. Thankfully, the normal “re-entry” stresses of returning “home” have been minimal, as we’ve been surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ who have helped ease our transition stateside. Over the last month, we’ve had opportunities to speak at Dover Baptist and The Church at Spruce Creek, attend a baby dedication and baptism at Be Free Church, visit with a lot of partners and friends, get some rest, and even host another missionary who is seeking to return to Papua New Guinea. Next, we’ll travel to St. Louis, where we’ll pick up a vehicle from Righteous Rides, a ministry that specializes in providing long term rentals to missionaries on home assignment- thank you to all of you who prayed and helped financially to make this possible. Afterward, we’ll travel through OH, PA and NC to visit with partners, friends and family before returning to New Hampshire. We intend to spend autumn in NH with trips to visit partners and friends in the Northeast. While we miss PNG, our friends and our work in Ukarumpa, we are so thankful for this time in the US and we look forward to getting to see as many of you as possible. Lukim yu (see you, in Tok Pisin)!

A Mountaintop Experience...

Reuniting with friends and family is always the highlight of our return to the US. It is difficult to be away from people we care about so much, for so long, but we still believe serving in PNG is where the LORD wants us to be, doing what He has called us to do. But while we are here, we’ve been blessed with some genuine mountaintop experiences, like experiencing Soulfest, a 3-day concert and spiritual renewal, and spending time with good friends, for which we are very grateful!

Prayer Points...

Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for resolution and peace in the conflict in the Aiyura valley.

Bible translation: Pray for a new project manager to serve the Oro Cluster Translation team, and for the health of the previous manager.

Our roles in PNG: Pray for the missionaries and PNG citizens who are serving in Scott and Kathy’s roles.

PNG training: Pray for the upcoming Biblical Exegesis course for PNG translators and pastors in September.

God’s provision: Praise for a good transition back to the US! Thank you to all of you who have helped us with housing, vehicles and even gift cards for groceries. We appreciate it more than we can express in words!

We are back in the U.S.A.!

July 2019

… We are so grateful for all of you who have been praying for our transition back to the US. We arrived in Dover, NH on July 7th and have been slowly reacclimatizing to the Eastern time zone and extended daylight hours of summer in New England. It has been wonderful to see our church family and we will be moving into the church mission house in a week or so, as we begin our home assignment as Missionaries in Residence at Dover Baptist Church (DBC). We have already had some wonderful opportunities to serve by helping another missionary family to move, and by being a part of the Vacation Bible School (VBS) story time, looking at Moses and the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt and helping kids to understand that even when life is unfair or scary, God is still good, and is with us and for us. That is an equally great reminder to us, and we have seen Him work and felt His presence with us throughout this time of transition. We will be here in Dover for a month before we begin traveling and we’d love to meet with you to share more in person. Please call or e-mail to get in touch with us and we really look forward to seeing you soon!

Above: Kathy serving at the “Roar” VBS at DBC. Going from dissecting toads to talking about plagues of frogs seemed somehow natural! 

A brief wombat encounter...

July 2019

… We were blessed to spend a few days recuperating in Brisbane, Australia during our transit back to the US, and enjoyed meeting many marsupials, including a wombat, one of Kathy’s personal favorites. We also met with other missionary friends we rarely see and it was a healthy way for us to reconnect with developed world culture and rest a little before resuming our journey to the US. And it is always a privilege to interact with such adorable examples of God’s creation!

Preparing for Home Assignment...

May 2019

… We are grateful once again for all of you who have so faithfully partnered with our Wycliffe ministry, both financially and in prayer, while we have been serving here in Papua New Guinea for these last three years. We have seen God working in miraculous ways, and are thankful for our up-coming 9 month home assignment, when we will be able to travel and visit with many of you and share about what we have seen and experienced. We will return to New Hampshire on July 7 and will be in the US until late March, and we plan to travel down the East Coast from Maine to Florida this autumn. We will also be serving as missionaries-in-residence at Dover Baptist Church in Dover, NH. Please continue to pray for all of our preparations to return to the US, for us to hand off all aspects of our jobs here in Ukarumpa well, and for us as we say goodbye to the many wonderful people here who have become our family in our new home away from home. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Above: A sign of God’s blessing, promises and provision in a lovely double rainbow, right over the high school quad! 

Toads, rats and final exams...

May 2019

… It is the end of the school year here at Ukarumpa International School. That means dissections in Biology class, finishing a term of electricity and magnetism in Grade 8, and preparing final exams. The book of James 5:11 reminds us, “ Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” I don’t know if that exhortation will calm my students before their final exam, but it should encourage us all to persevere in whatever test the Lord has for us!