How Much Do You Value Your Education?

Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (NIV)

It has been a genuine pleasure to begin my second year teaching at Ukarumpa International School. The school exists to provide a quality education for the kids of Bible translators and the staff who support them. But missionary kids (MKs) are only a part of our student body, as we reach out and enroll kids from the the wider Papua New Guinean community. The average level of education completed in PNG is Grade 6, which significantly limits the opportunities of adults for varied employment. The Papua New Guinean students I teach in Grades 7, 8 and 10 know this and are truly appreciative

of the education they are receiving, thanking me each day for teaching them. The mother of one bright, Grade 7 girl asked to meet with me last June, just to tell me how much she appreciated me and the school. She tearfully said how much her daughter would miss it, as she would be unable to return this year due to financial reasons. We prayed together and I boldly asked God for a miracle, so this lovely girl with such great potential could continue her education at UIS. I cannot express how overjoyed I was to see her smiling face in my Grade 8 class this year! God is working in powerful ways here, preparing these young girls and boys to be future leaders of their nation. Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership that are an active, vital part of this process. 

Students at UIS

The international flags on the middle school lockers reflect the cultural diversity at Ukarumpa International School well. Many different nations and cultures come together in a robust learning environment where Jesus Christ is the central foundation and binding common ground. Please pray for good relationships between students and each other, their teachers, and the community in which we live. 


-Kathy

Saying Goodbye to a Mentor and Friend...

This week the Ukarumpa Community and indeed the entire Aiyura Valley said good bye to Arua Tepi, a good friend, mentor and co- worker who supported Bible Translation efforts for 34 years. Arua spent his last several years working as the Assistant to the Security Operations Manager and he excelled in his work. Even though I was his manager, it was he who mentored me; helping me to understand cultural differences, improve my Tok Pisin and keeping me focused on the big picture of what God is doing in Papua New Guinea.  Shortly after my arrival, Arua came into my office and asked if I was OK with him conducting prayer walks around the center during the overnight shift. You see, Arua had a good understanding of physical security and its limits in a mission environment. More importantly, Arua understood that God has no limits and his life reflected that reality. 

Arua had a sixth grade education and yet could just as wisely counsel Ph.D’s as he could contract security staff or market vendors. Despite the fact that Arua was from the Southern Highlands and not local to the Aiyura Valley, he was able to make peace between opposing parties. During Arua’s memorial service, many people came forward to tell how he’d led them to Christ, mentored young people and come to the aid of several others in difficult circumstances. While we mourn the loss of our mentor and friend, we take solace in the fact that he is in the presence of Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. One of Arua’s favorite verses was 1 Corinthians 15:58:

“Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV) 

-Scott

Frost and Drought in PNG

This article makes a good point about the cascading impacts that these kinds of issues have on people. Please keep this matter in your prayers.

http://www.pg.undp.org/content/papua_new_guinea/en/home/presscenter/articles/2015/08/26/frost-and-drought-strikes-papua-new-guinea.html

Special Edition for Our Transition!

Thank you for all of your encouraging messages following our last newsletter. We are excited to begin serving as career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Our transition date from Wycliffe Associates to Wycliffe Bible Translators USA will officially be on August 1, 2015.

We especially appreciate everyone’s prayers during this time. Even though WA and WBT are partner organizations, this transition means we must change health plans and evacuation insurance, data bases, e-mail addresses, and where our funds are sent. For those of you who are financial partners, you will need to cancel your donations to Wycliffe Associates and send them to Wycliffe Bible Translators USA instead. While the financial gifts currently received by WA to partner with our ministry will be transferred to Wycliffe Bible Translators, this will be temporary until our transition is complete. Thank you for bearing this change along with us; we truly appreciate your partnership with us in God’s work here in Papua New Guinea very much.

Last month, we announced that we will be returning to the U.S. in December, when we will attend additional training, serve in our home church, visit people and churches. We believe God will raise up partners for 100% of our Wycliffe ministry budget. As Wycliffe members, we are required to have 100% of our financial partners before returning to PNG. We will also be attending Equip, a two-week training course in Orlando, FL, in mid January. We hope to see friends and family while we are in that area, and will be driving back up the East coast in February. We would love to see as many people as possible while we are back, so please keep in touch. If you would be interested in introducing us to your home church or scheduling an evening with friends where we can share what incredible things God is doing here, please let us know. Thank you for encouraging us in this process.

Our prayer is that God’s will be done, and that He would make it possible for us to return to PNG in July of 2016, so Kathy can begin the new school year at UIS and Scott can reassume his role as Security Operations Manager. We know that “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Please consider joining our partnership team, and thank you once again for all of your prayers and support as we continue to serve in faith here in Papua New Guinea! 

What your support means to us

We are so grateful for everyone who has financially and prayerfully partnered with our ministry since we arrived in Papua New Guinea in January 2014. You are a partner in the work that God has been doing here, through us, in the people of PNG. We know that, from an eternal perspective, the two things that will last from this earth are the Word of God and the souls of men and women. Thank you for allowing us to follow God’s calling to come to Papua New Guinea and invest in both!

Above: We were able to return to Aufan, where we lived for a month during the Pacific Orientation Course, to encourage our host family. God has given us the opportunity to speak His Truth into their lives in the wake of several family tragedies. Please pray for the people of Aufan. 

God directing our steps through new transitions...

Over the last three years, we have undergone many challenging transitions. In every situation, God has been faithful.Well, another transition has arrived and He is once again directing our steps. Our sending organization, Wycliffe Associates (WA), has undergone significant changes in their approach to  mission. Previously, WA sent support personnel to assist mission organizations. Going forward, WA is directly working in Bible Translation projects. Many support personnel were given a choice; change positions to better align with WA’s new structure or switch sending agencies. We elected to switch sending agencies and have been accepted to serve as career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. We prayed about our decision and it became quite clear that we are called to stay in our current location and roles. We are still with WA but will be transitioning soon. WA has assured us that the financial gifts received to support our ministry will be transferred to our new Wycliffe USA account once our transition is complete. For those of you who are financially partnering with us, we will provide detailed information on how you can continue through Wycliffe USA. This change means that we will be returning to the U.S. in December, where we will attend additional training, serve in our home church, visit people and churches and, Lord willing, raise 100% of our ministry budget. We hope to return to PNG in July of 2016 so Kathy can begin the new school year at UIS and I can reassume my role as Security Operations Manager. Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to serve in PNG.

Teaching for the future...

1 Timothy 4: 11-12 “Command and teach these things.  Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”  

I have always highly valued education.  Maybe it was watching my Dad work full time, while completing his college degree at night, that inspired me to complete my own Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.  Or perhaps it was when God led me to teach high school at PCA, and I saw how each student developed the gift God had blessed them with, and then graduated and went on to become a blessing to others. Now, after teaching my first year at UIS, I am deeply reminded again of the power of education. 

With this power comes great responsibility; to teach and learn the truth, through the lens of God’s word, and then to live it out in practical ways.  For these students, it means preparation for life back in their home countries once they graduate, or when their parent’s complete Bible translations in PNG.  For Papua New Guinean students, it is a firm foundation, that they might continue their education here or abroad and come back to serve and lead their country.  I see these students stepping up, setting good examples, and leading now,  and I am joyfully reminded of the Bible verse from 1 Timothy 4.  I don’t teach just so the students can gain present knowledge, however useful, I teach so they can become present and future Christ-like leaders in their nations and in the world.

Kathy accompanied her grade 7 class to serve at a church in Kainantu, where they were able to bless the PNG congregation with music and drama for a special children’s day service. 

First school year at UIS is accomplished

Kathy is so proud of all of the work accomplished by her students at UIS this year.  Whether it was the grade 7 and 8 students building and launching water bottle rockets, or the grade 10 students dissecting toads and rats,  all of the students put forth great effort.  She especially enjoyed working with so many students from different cultures and countries, and seeing them work together harmoniously.  She is preparing for the new school year now, and looking forward to meeting her new students already!

Above: Stacey, a grade 10 biology student, is enjoying her toad dissection, while Kathy helps  other students discover their ‘inner surgeon’.