Serving in COVID times...

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father though him.” 

                                                -Colossians 3:17

In addition to his other duties, including successfully teaching a high school Self Defense class, Scott is serving on Ukarumpa’s COVID Response Team. This consists of monitoring developments throughout the country, interpreting government measures and providing advice to our leadership, managers and colleagues. Here is how things are looking right now: The PNG government set forth a number of measures designed to mitigate the impacts of COVID. These measures include social distancing, mask wearing and limits on both inter-provincial and international travel. The measures have had some positive results to date. Papua New Guinea was averaging 300+ new cases per day in March and April, but has now decreased to an average of less than 100 new cases per day. Locally, our Clinic staff have reported a drop in cases as well. Current government statistics indicate that PNG has experienced 15,415 reported cases with 162 deaths nationwide. To put things into perspective, PNG has a total population of approximately 9 million people. Vaccines have also arrived in the country and steps are being taken to vaccinate front line health care workers, pilots, teachers, police and other high risk individuals. Please continue to pray for Papua New Guinea and its government during this pandemic.

Above: Scott debriefing students & actors after the scenario based examination for his self-defense class called "Club Mayhem". 

Another school year is over…

It has been a challenging and stressful year, but we are thankful that God has allowed all of us at Ukarumpa International School to provide in person education, with masks and temperature checks, right to the end of the school year. Our graduates enjoyed modified end-of-year celebrations, like Banquet and Graduation, and will now be flying back to their passport countries or moving on to higher education opportunities here in PNG. Please pray for these students, who finished well under all circumstances!

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for more available COVID vaccinations, here in Ukarumpa and throughout PNG.

• Bible translation: Praise for the Binandere New Testament portions being dedicated in Nindewari this month!

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for school remaining in-person for the entire year! Pray for Scott to have wisdom in his COVID Response Team role.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for peace and good transitions for all of the families leaving PNG this month.

• God’s provision: We are so thankful for God’s grace in allowing us to get our first vaccination; please pray we continue to stay healthy so we can faithfully serve here!

Teaching in COVID times...

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”

 -Galatians 6:9 NIV

We are grateful to have been able to teach school in person into Term 4 and we continue to modify our classes to meet needed social distancing and mask requirements. Even Dr. Bones the skeleton is complying! Scott continues to teach Self Defense as well, and his students look forward to taking their final practical exam, affectionately dubbed “Club Mayhem”, in a few weeks. Kathy is also assisting with external exams and helping to proctor the SAT and AP exams in early May. Our seniors prepare for Banquet and Graduation with the hope that they will be able to finish well and have healthy closure with these meaningful traditions. However, there are families in Ukarumpa in quarantine with COVID-19 and others in isolation due to contact with infected persons. Please continue to pray against the spread of the illness here, so we can continue to finish this school year well. It is our joy to help support Bible translation in PNG through providing a high quality education for each of these wonderful students.

God is faithful…

A rainbow is always a reminder to us of God’s faithfulness to His promises. It seems like we’ve seen more spectacular rainbows in the last couple of months than usual, and it has been an encouragement to us all. We place our hope and trust in Him with full assurance, even when the circumstances around us are challenging and we do not know what the future holds. We are so glad to have an eternal hope that we can fix our eyes upon especially during times like these! Where does your hope and peace reside?

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray against the spread of COVID-19, here in Ukarumpa and throughout PNG.

• Bible translation: Praise for the Halia New Testament revision being dedicated in Bougainville this month!

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for school to remain in-person for the rest of Term 4. Pray for wisdom for Scott’s new role on the COVID response team.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for wisdom and knowledge for new missionaries taking the PNG Orientation Course in May.

• God’s provision: We are so thankful for God’s grace in keeping us healthy so far; please pray we would be able to continue to stay healthy and keep faithfully serving here!

Preparation...

 “The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the LORD”

-Proverbs 21:31 KJV

Each week, we go to our local fruit and vegetable market to stock up on fresh foods that are not available in our center store. Before we eat them, we must prepare them by soaking them in bleach water. The ability to prepare is a gift from God, but we never forget that ultimately all things are in His hands. Kathy is busy preparing a new elective class in Marine Biology for Term 4, and Scott prepares for his new advisory role on the COVID response team. Ukarumpa prepares for new government requirements regarding mask wearing, temperature checks, and limited gatherings of people. The PNG government prepares for its first real surge in COVID patients across the country. As Christians, we prepare ourselves this Holy Week to remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We fix our eyes on an eternal perspective, our preparation to spend eternity with Him because of His mercy, grace and sacrifice. But until that day, we continue to serve those in our spheres of influence, knowing that, ultimately, the battle belongs to the LORD. May you be blessed this week as you prepare to celebrate Easter with your family, and we trust that Jesus is working in you and through you as you seek Him this Easter season!