Welcoming a New Year...

Over the Christmas holiday, we spent time with friends from another mission. While the break was a welcome respite, we are glad to be back in Ukarumpa. Looking ahead, we have much to do before July when we return to the US on a 9 month home assignment. Kathy is currently teaching full-time, serving as the Science Department Head and co-leading a community group Bible study for 9th grade girls. Scott is serving as both Field Security Officer and Senior Manager for Regional Centers. Scott will be traveling a bit for work through parts of February and March, and March is also the time for our biennial PNG branch conference. Given our pending July home assignment, we also have to make preparations to ensure a smooth transition before our absence. All in all, it looks like the next 5 months will go by pretty fast. While in the US, we will be serving as missionaries-in-residence at Dover Baptist Church. We will also be traveling to see our partners in mission, family and friends, and attend some additional training. We hope to see as many of you as possible before our intended return to Papua New Guinea in late March of 2020. 

 Above: The Cairns birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorio) was one of the exquisite examples of God’s creativity we were able to enjoy over our break. 

Photo credit: Scott Watson

Marvelous marsupials...

We got to meet Eloise the cuscus before Christmas; she was rescued from the pouch after her mother was shot and hand-raised by an expatriate family in Madang. She has a strong prehensile tail, super soft wooly fur, and she enjoyed licking pumpkin soup off of Kathy’s fingers. Pray for Kathy’s students as they learn about these and other wonderful endemic animals. And pray for Papua New Guineans to recognize God’s blessings in their land and to strive to conserve them and be good long-term stewards of them.

Prayer Points

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for peace in the Aiyura Valley and throughout the country, especially in Alotau.

• Bible translation: Pray for preparations for the Kandas New Testament dedication in New Ireland province in April.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for a successful start to Term 3 at Ukarumpa International School and for Scott’s upcoming work- related travel and our biennial conference planning.

• PNG Training: Pray for the basic Biblical exegesis course for national translators starting on February 6th in Ukarumpa.

• God’s provision: Praise for our partners supplying for our needs and enabling us to continue to serve here in PNG!