Taking the next step in faith…

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” 

-Hebrews 11:1

Our home assignment has much been longer than we originally expected. We returned to the US last July 7th with plans to go back to Papua New Guinea in late March. Those plans were delayed due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, so we endeavored to make the best use of our time. Nonetheless, we continually prayed that God would speed our return. Those prayers have been answered, and we now have tickets to leave Boston on July 6th and return to Papua New Guinea on July 9th. Once in country, we will be in quarantine for 2 weeks before resuming our roles. We have been amazed as we have thought back over the last year and all that we’ve seen God do: over the course of this home assignment, we have traveled over 20,000 miles from Maine to Florida and as far west as Missouri. We visited family, friends and churches, attended additional training and became reconnected with the ministries of our home church in Dover, NH. In all, we have been to 17 states, driven 4 vehicles and slept in 25 beds. God has more than provided for our needs through His people, and we are deeply grateful. We are also thankful for your prayers and financial partnership with our Wycliffe ministry and we look forward to our return to service in Papua New Guinea. Traveling is still quite challenging and uncertain during these times, though. Would you please pray for our safe return to PNG?

Praying for our world…

This verse in Micah 6:8 has been on our hearts and minds a lot lately, especially as we read the news. It has become our prayer for the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ here and around the world, that we would all seek to live out the truth in this verse: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” May we each strive to obediently exemplify justice, mercy, humility and peace in our spheres of influence, for God’s glory.

Prayer Points...

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for continued protection for PNG from COVID-19.

• Bible translation: Praise for translation work that continues to progress during isolation.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for wisdom for Scott as he continues to video conference with the acting Field Security Officer and Crisis Management team. Pray for enough teachers to return to PNG in time to start the new school year in August.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for wisdom and safety for those families traveling to and from Ukarumpa this month.

• God’s provision: Praise God for our plane tickets and pray that our flights, transfers and quarantine all go smoothly.

A video update from the Watsons-Thank you for your prayers

Click the link for a video update on our mission, the situation in Papua New Guinea 

Video Update June 2020

Thank you,

Scott & Kathy Watson

Waiting Upon the Lord...

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”  -Colossians 1: 9-12

Many disciplines, including security, are predicated on the notion that human beings can predict a subset of future events and make plans to manage potential negative outcomes. Without this ability, humans could not forecast the weather, financial markets, medical outcomes and a host of other highly impactful events. While our God-given intellect allows us to do great things,we are nonetheless quite limited in our knowledge of the future. We do not know when the pandemic will end or what the “new normal” will look like once it is resolved. We do not know the future of the economy. We do not know the future of our country, our work, or how long we, or our loved ones, have to live. Thankfully, we do know the One who has the answers. When faced with uncertainty, the best course of action that any of us can take is to meditate upon God’s word, pray for His direction, plan as best as we are able to and then act when God opens the doors. We, like many of you in this
uncertain season, are waiting upon the Lord. May God give us all patience and help us to be obedient to His will.

Thankful for Spring

Going for many walks lately means we have thoroughly enjoyed watching Spring literally unfold, as the trees bud and leaf out and flowers bloom in abundance. The scents and colors bring joy, even during times of stress and uncertainty. May the Lord give you quiet moments to enjoy nature and to see Him in His creation, and to be thankful for His blessings!

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” -Luke 12:27

Prayer Points...

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray that the coronavirus will continue not to spread in PNG.

• Bible translation: Pray for Papua New Guinean translators to continue to work during the state of emergency order.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he video conferences with the acting Field Security Officer and advises from afar. Pray for the end of the school year in Ukarumpa, for both students and teachers alike to have endurance to finish well.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for wisdom for those traveling to and from Ukarumpa and favor with the PNG government.

• God’s provision: Praise God for His provision for our current housing and pray for our return to PNG in His perfect timing.