Wrapping up a field term...

                                                       Photo credit: Amy Evers

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” - Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)

On September 16th, 2020, we were among the first group of people to return to our mission in Papua New Guinea during the pandemic. Travel had been difficult, but after 6 failed attempts, and with lots of prayer, we finally made it back to Ukarumpa. Each of our field terms has been filled with unique challenges and this one was no exception. The pandemic, staffing shortages, medevacs, criminal activity, warfare among local villages, an election cycle, civil unrest in various parts of the country and a 7.6M earthquake made this term even more interesting than most. We’ll be honest: we are tired. Yet, throughout all of this, God has blessed, strengthened and encouraged us in a variety of ways, including being able to host our first visitors from the USA last July. We are now winding down this term and preparing to return to NH for a Home Assignment from late June through December. Our goal is to spend the first three months in New England before heading south to Florida to see family and friends down the East Coast. We are so thankful for all of your prayers and partnership and we look forward to seeing you while we are back in the States. Thank God with us for all He has done!

Banquet...

Our students are currently preparing for semester exams, but a couple of weeks ago, they got to enjoy Banquet. This is a prom-style event hosted by the community to honor the juniors and seniors. The theme was “Deep into the Woods”, which included an indoor zip line and live animal encounters, plus a formal dinner and other fun activities that ran throughout the evening. Kathy was all into helping with the animals, which included a koi pond, snapping turtle, two green tree pythons, a cuscus (a PNG marsupial, similar to a possum), and a bunch of baby bunnies. It was a lovely night to bless our students, and enjoy God’s creation in a unique way. The helpers dressed up as Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers and it was difficult to tell who was having a better time, the community helpers or the students!

                                                        Photo credit: Amy Evers

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for God to continue to move and bring peace, unity and revival in the Aiyura valley and PNG.

• Bible translation: Praise for the upcoming dedications of the Vitu and Kaluli New Testaments; pray the events go smoothly and God’s Word changes hearts and lives in those language communities.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he wraps up his role as Security Consultant. Pray for Kathy and all of the students at Ukarumpa International School to finish the school year well.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for the families who will be leaving PNG, those who are coming back, and those who are staying; each will experience challenging transitions and lots of goodbyes.

• God’s provision: Thank you for your prayers, and for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry in PNG. We are so very grateful and we look forward to reconnecting with you while we are in the USA!