The Joy of Giving

Mother Theresa once said, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” Jesus knew this truth when He summed up the Mosaic law as “Love God and love people”. We have had wonderful opportunities in the past year to spend quality time with many people as we have served in PNG and while on furlough in the US, including family and friends we haven’t seen in many years. God also gave Kathy an additional opportunity, as she traveled back to NY to spend time with her Mom and siblings after her Dad’s death. Our prayer has been that we would love people well, and not just in word but also in deed. We were reminded anew that our mission field is wherever God plants us, and that is true for every Christian who seeks to follow Jesus Christ’s example. He showed us perfect love and perfect obedience by coming to Earth as a child, to save and redeem us from sin and death while upholding God’s righteousness and perfect justice. Jesus is our Emmanuel, “God with us”, and in God’s Word, we see the physical embodiment of God’s characteristics in the life of Christ. Amazing grace and love— what a gift! Please take the time to stop, amidst the hustle and bustle of this special season, and really ponder this gift. It is as wonderful to give as it is to receive and we are deeply grateful to have been the recipients of this love from many of you— thank you. 

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the Gospel.” Colossians 1:3-5 

Prayer Points and Answered Prayers in 2016

God has provided for us in amazing ways in 2016, allowing us to return to PNG and continue to serve in our support roles for another three years. He also brought Kathy back to help her family after her father passed away. God provided a substitute for her classes, travel mercy, good health, and the kindness of His people. God is good, all the time, but especially during the difficult times. 

Papua New Guinea shines at the Goroka show...

We were privileged to attend the 60th annual Goroka show, where tribal singers and dancers from many provinces come to perform in traditional costumes and headdresses. It was crowded, visually stunning and quite a sensory overload. Wherever we looked, we saw different tribal costumes and heard different languages as each group sang traditional songs. It was a taste of Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb”. But the sobering reality is this: not all of the people we met have access to God’s Word in their heart language yet, and some of the songs and dances we heard reflect warfare, fertility rituals, and animistic beliefs. Romans 10:14 reminds us, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Yet, God’s Word promises that people from every tribe will be represented at His throne in the end; please continue to pray for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ   to reach every tribe and language! 

Staff and students at Ukarumpa International School dress up in PNG colors and styles for the 41st Papua New Guinea Independence Day celebration. 

Photo credit: Bob Noble 

 Meeting a tribal dancer at the Goroka Show. 

Photo credit: Kristy Johnson    

Prayer Points

• Papua New Guinea: Pray for God’s grace and wisdom for those serving in government.

• Bible translation: Pray for the Baruga people, as our friends Jim & Joan Farr serve in their village and ready their New Testament for typesetting and printing.

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for Kathy’s successful Term 1 at UIS and for changed lives at Encounter. Praise for progress as Scott mentors his assistants and can work on strategic plans.

• Family needs: Pray for Kathy’s dad Jim, who suffered a stroke. Praise God he is out of the hospital, in rehabilitation, and making progress, but pray he regains his mobility and will be released to go home. Pray for strength for her mom, Lynn, who is his primary caregiver. 

The blessings of a good team

God has blessed our center with a time of relative peace. The number of significant security incidents that my staff and I have had to deal with has decreased and I have had the time to focus on furthering relationships and developing longer term projects. Part of the way God has blessed me is with a great team of people. Prior to leaving for furlough, I was able to hire two assistants and obtain a new manager from our contract security firm. My two assistants, one of which is a Pastor, are local men who help me to navigate the culture. Our contract Security Manager is a Gurkha who has greatly improved the operations of our contract guards. I am quite blessed to have these men on my staff and, more importantly, to count them as friends. 

Scott and his security staff, along with their contract security manager, are serving the community by providing a reasonably safe environment for Bible translators, support staff and their families in Ukarumpa. 

Photo credit: Stephanie Tobiana 

God is working in and through PNG

We recently met a Papua New Guinean man who had returned from Southeast Asia. There, he worked with college students translating Bible stories into their local languages, to minister to the Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims with whom they live. Another PNG family supported by our local church is serving Syrian refugees in Greece. The third man works with Faith Comes by Hearing, and is helping produce and distribute audio copies of the Bible in his “tok ples”, or local language, so that those who are illiterate can still hear the Word of God. And 1,900 Urat people just received the New Testament in their language last week. Praise God, He is certainly working in and through the PNG people! 

Above: Urat dedication, photo credit Susan Frey 

Prayer Points

• Papua New Guinea: Pray for God’s continued guidance and provision in PNG government.

• Bible translation: The Urat New Testament dedication was a success! Pray for the Urat people to be transformed by God’s Word. See more at: https://t.co/7nHKJRu6al

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for our continued health and for strength in our ministries here; pray for wisdom as we serve.

• 2016-2017 school year: We are half way through our first term at Ukarumpa International School and are off to a busy but good start. Please pray for the students (and the teachers and pastors who will lead them) as they prepare for Encounter, a spiritual retreat from September 16-20 held in Goroka.