Serving God by serving other missions…

Photo Credit: Pastor Ham

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

There are several Christian missions working to advance the gospel in Papua New Guinea. While each mission has its own focus, the kinds of risks they face often overlap. In an effort to help one another, the missions regularly share security-related information, particularly about travel issues. Representatives of these missions also meet in person once a year to discuss the state of the nation. This past April, Scott spoke at their annual gathering at the Lapilo New Tribes mission station near Goroka, and shortly thereafter was asked to provide security help to another mission. In early June, Scott and Pastor Ham, one of our public relations officers, travelled overland to a mission hospital in Jiwaka province, which is about a six and a half hour drive west from Ukarumpa. Over the course of two very full days, Scott provided five anti-fraud training sessions, conducted two site security assessments and preached a sermon at the associated Bible Training College. Our brothers and sisters from the other mission showed Scott and Pastor Ham great hospitality as they shared meals, their experiences and how God is working in their lives. It is always a blessing to experience the many ways that the body of Christ works together, even in the management of organizational risk. It is also an honor and privilege to serve those in need around us, whether through practical teaching or simple words of encouragement over a shared meal. What divine appointments has the LORD led you to this month? What a blessing it is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us!

Praise for a new fire truck…

 

Our Volunteer Fire Department, including Scott, trains twice a month to respond to various types of fires. Recently, the department was blessed to replace our aging truck with a newer retired one from Australia. The new vehicle is larger, better equipped and steers more easily on our small dirt and gravel roads. Though structure fires are rare here, a family lost their home to a fire just a couple of years ago. It is also winter in PNG, which is the dry season, so grass fires become more common and can get out of control. We are thankful for the volunteer fire fighting team here in Ukarumpa who keep us safe!

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for wisdom for PNG leaders and for peace in the Aiyura Valley.

• Bible translation: Praise for all of the spiritual breakthroughs witnessed by the Scripture Use team in Pamosu last week; pray for continued open hearts to God’s Word and translation efforts there.

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for a good finish to the school year and for a beautiful graduation! Pray for wisdom and discernment for Scott and the SIL Global Child Safety team.

• PNG missionaries: Praise for the safe travels of families who left after school ended. Please pray for families who are still waiting for visas to be approved before they can return to PNG in July.

• God’s provision: We pray for you always and thank you for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry. Thank you for enabling us to continue serving faithfully in PNG.

God is with us, especially in the transitions…

                                             Photo credit: Anita McCarthy

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”      1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Another school year is rapidly coming to an end, and with it all of the “lasts” for our students, especially those preparing to graduate. It hits a little differently here; not just our graduates, but their entire families leave for their passport countries shortly after graduation. This means younger siblings also have to say goodbye to their friends, home and pets. It means adults in the community need to say goodbye to their friends and colleagues, too. Sometimes it is just for a short home assignment, sometimes it is for good, as people finish their time in this mission field. It is part of the ebb and flow of life here in Ukarumpa, as we prepare to grieve the loss of friends and those we hold dear, even as we have the joyful expectation of others returning in July. We remind our students about transition tools like RAFT (reconciliation, affirmation, farewells, thinking ahead) but frankly, we need to use those tools ourselves. We reflect on all of the growth we’ve seen in our students as they take final exams and finish projects. But we don’t always stop to reflect on our own journeys, like the blessing it was for Kathy to teach the Anatomy and Physiology class for a semester, and see students ready to launch and pursue medical careers, to put their knowledge to use. We will continue to pray for each of these students as God leads and directs their steps. And we will rejoice and give thanks for the opportunities we’ve had to speak into their lives for a season. We will say our goodbyes, but know that thanks to Jesus, we will see our friends again, either in heaven or on earth, and that is always worth celebrating!

Self Defense 2026 completed…

 Photo credit: Anita McCarthy

Scott teaches part-time elective courses at Ukarumpa International School when needed. This semester he taught Self-Defense, which includes very basic and simple-to-remember physical skills and covers diverse topics designed to increase situational awareness and avoid putting oneself in unnecessary danger. Next semester Scott is scheduled to teach Consumer Fraud. It is a blessing for him to be able to share his knowledge and practical skills with our students. They can return to their passport countries with the tools and savvy to transition well, as many have grown up here in PNG.

Prayer Points...

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for wisdom for PNG leaders and for peace in the Aiyura Valley.

• Bible translation: Pray for Lynda and the Scripture Use team traveling to Pamosu next week, for open hearts to God’s Word and the continued translation efforts there.

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for a good finish to Term 4; our students take final exams next week and seniors will graduate on Friday! Pray for wisdom and discernment for Scott and the SIL Global Child Safety team.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for peace and healthy goodbyes for families of graduating seniors, who will be flying back to their passport countries shortly after graduation.

• God’s provision: We pray for you always and thank you for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry. Thank you for enabling us to continue serving faithfully in PNG.

God continues to equip us for the work He has called us to do…

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” -Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) 

As Christians, it is important to support and spur one another on in our walk with Christ. This is especially poignant for those whose work is necessary, but always in the background. Risk management doesn’t readily come to mind when most people think about overseas missions. Yet, taking reasonable steps to protect missionaries and especially children is not only a legal duty of care for mission organizations, but an ethical and moral responsibility as well.  Last month, our mission sent Scott to the 20th annual Child Safety Protection Network (CSPN) conference and program management training in Penang, Malaysia. Thankfully, the event took place during a school break, allowing Kathy to come as well. Despite a few travel hiccups, including food poisoning and jellyfish stings, the trip was quite positive. Kathy was able to get some needed rest and developed some new ideas for her classes after visiting a couple of local nature parks. Scott was blessed to meet with people from various mission organizations and Christian schools to exchange ideas and to support one another in Child Safety roles that often feel stressful and isolated. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that we should sharpen one another in our work and in our walk with Christ. This is true no matter where we are or what role we have in advancing the gospel.

Praise for Easter Sunrise service…

Our favorite church service of the year is Easter sunrise, when we celebrate the resurrected Christ Jesus at dawn. Our Savior did not remain in the tomb - He is risen! We carried stones to the foot of one cross to represent the weight of our sin. But the Good News is, we can leave that sin at the cross because of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. The flowers are a lovely representation of life from death, and we are eternally grateful that we get to experience that joy and new life every day, as Jesus works in our lives through the power of His Holy Spirit. May the joy of Easter be with you throughout the year and let spring flowers remind you - He is risen!

Prayer Points:

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for PNG leaders and for PNG as a nation to continue to trust God and seek His will.

• Bible translation: Praise for the biennial Conference and 70th anniversary SIL celebrations; they were encouraging to attendees and glorifying to God.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for a good finish to Term 4 at UIS and praise for completing all of our accreditation meetings. We are accredited for another six years! Pray for wisdom and discernment for Scott and the SIL Global Child Safety team.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for families of graduating seniors, who will be preparing for significant transitions at the end of Term 4.

• God’s provision: We pray for you always and thank you for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry. Thank you for enabling us to continue serving faithfully in PNG.

70 years of God’s faithfulness…

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3: 22-23 (NIV)

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) work in Bible translation in Papua New Guinea. Established in Ukarumpa in 1956, it has served as the main center of operations for SIL’s work in PNG, serving over 400 remote language communities around the country. We are part of an ongoing team of thousands of missionaries who have come to live and serve here over those 70 years. As members of Wycliffe Bible Translators, we are seconded to SIL when we are in PNG, and SIL obtains our work permits and visas, enabling us to serve. SIL works with many different ministries, bringing together people from Wycliffe Canada, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and other organizations. JAARS, SIL Global and Wycliffe USA were all founded by the same man, William Cameron Townsend, with the vision of bringing the Bible to every language on earth and seeing it transform lives and communities. Those partnerships continue, with JAARS now running aviation operations here in PNG. It is humbling to see what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done, but we trust in the LORD to complete the good work He began here so many years ago. Pray that we would remain faithful in our service, doing our parts to see the Good News of Jesus Christ continue to reach the ends of the earth. Thank you for your love and support of this amazing work!

Praise for another birthday…

Scott will celebrate his 58th trip around the sun on March 8th! He exemplifies what a lifelong learner looks like: he is always willing to try new things, from taking on his role as Child Safety Director to serving the Ukarumpa fire department as a volunteer firefighter. He continues to go deeper in his faith and study of God’s Word, and is working on his Master’s degree in Theological Studies with Nations University. He also regularly challenges Kathy to games of Scrabble and often wins. :-) She is frequently encouraged to try new things because of his example, and considers herself blessed to have such a wonderful husband and best friend.

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for PNG leaders and for PNG as a nation to continue to trust God and seek His will.

• Bible translation: Pray for the biennial Interact conference for Language Programs and Services on March 10-13 to be encouraging and insightful for each attendee.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for a good finish to Term 3 at UIS and for our March 9-13 accreditation team meetings. Pray for wisdom and discernment for Scott and the SIL Global Child Safety team.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for new families who are completing their orientation training and will be living in remote villages for the next two weeks. Pray for the SIL biennial Conference in Ukarumpa to be glorifying to God.

• God’s provision: We pray for you always and thank you for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry as you enable us to continue serving faithfully.

God’s blessing on you in this New Year…

Photo credit: Lynda Wick

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10 (NIV)

We pray that you each had a blessed Christmas and New Year with family and friends. Hopefully, you enjoyed fellowship (and cookies!) and fun. It is one of the challenges of being overseas during the holidays, knowing that family is far away. We are grateful for the technology to video chat with loved ones and stay in touch. We are also thankful for the family of brothers and sisters in Christ that we have right here in Ukarumpa. The holidays provide wonderful opportunities to share meals and games, birthdays and breakfasts, laughter and worship of Jesus Christ our Savior. All of the departments in Ukarumpa shut down for the two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s, to allow our PNG colleagues to return to their home regions. It is a healthy opportunity for rest and reflection for all of us as we go into 2026. Now, our departments have reopened, school is about to begin again, and life will return to its normal routines. Many families are returning from their home assignments, just in time for their students to start Semester 2. It is a great blessing to the community to have so many people return to resume their needed roles. Please pray their transitions back go smoothly, and for each of us to be refreshed and ready to continue to serve the LORD. It is such an honor and privilege to serve alongside so many faithful and servant-hearted people. We appreciate your prayers that God would continue to receive all the glory this year!

Pray for the Onobasulu…

The Onobasulu New Testament will be dedicated on Saturday, January 17th and this is a cause for great rejoicing. Our translation teams will tell you, though, that there is frequently great resistance and spiritual warfare leading up to a Bible dedication. Often, this is experienced as divisiveness and conflict within a language community. Pray for the light of God’s Word to shine in dark places, and for their hearts to be ready and open to His truth. Pray especially that this will lead to repentance, revival, and reconciliation among the Onobasulu community. God’s promises are true and we know that His Word will accomplish His will, in His perfect timing.

Prayer points...

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for peace and wisdom for leaders in PNG, on both the local and national level.

• Bible translation: Pray for the Onobasulu Scripture dedication on 17 January and for God’s Word to bring peace and unity to this language community.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for the new school semester beginning this week, that students and teachers would be excited to learn and ready to work. Pray for peace, wisdom and discernment for Scott and the SIL Global Child Safety team.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for families trying to return to PNG who are still waiting on visas, and praise for those who have recently returned.

• God’s provision: Thank you for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.