Praying for a nation in transition...

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays... says the LORD Almighty.” 

-Malachi 4:2-3

 

Papua New Guinea celebrates a national holiday called Repentance Day each year on August 26. It is a time for coming together as believers and praying for God’s forgiveness for the wrongs that are happening in the nation. Prayer services will take place in churches throughout the country, as people repent and seek the LORD. This is especially poignant this year, as we pray for the national elections continuing to take place throughout PNG. Election-related violence has occurred in several parts of Papua New Guinea in recent weeks, including the Aiyura Valley around Ukarumpa. Please continue to pray for an end to the violence, and for opportunities for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in villages who have lost homes and belongings. We are also in the midst of a very dry season, with close to drought conditions. Please pray for rain to water the gardens of our PNG neighbors, who are subsistence farmers relying on their crops to feed their families. And pray for us as well, as the rain water is needed for the water tanks that provide running water in our homes. The beauty that we see in creation around us testifies to God’s goodness, especially when the circumstances are challenging. May we all search our hearts this Repentance Day, seek His forgiveness, revere His name, and trust that He is good and is still in control. And may God bless the nation of PNG as they move forward in a spirit of repentance and humility.

School has begun!

Photo credit: Susan Frey

The new school year at Ukarumpa International School (UIS) has begun, and both Scott and Kathy are excited. Scott is teaching an elective class in Self Defense, and Kathy is teaching Grade 8 Science, Biology and Chemistry. Please pray for this team of wonderful teachers at the middle and high school to love their students well this year, and to stay healthy and strong. We all desire that our students not only learn about our subject areas, but more importantly, that they know and love the LORD who created all of it. May our love for Him, as well as our subjects, rub off on our students this year!

Prayer Points...

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for peace and wisdom during the national elections in PNG, and an end to violence. 

• Bible translation: Praise for the Nobnob Old and New Testament sent for printing in Korea, and for the Bible dedication later this year. 

• Our roles in PNG: Praise for the new school year getting off to a good start. Pray for balance for Scott as continues in the Chief Human Resources Officer role, Crisis Management Team leader, and teaches Self Defense at UIS. 

• PNG missionaries: Pray for the translation teams to have safe travels as they move around the country during this election season. 

• God’s provision: We thank God for providing for our needs through His people and for keeping us safe during this election season. 

Thank you for your prayers, and for your faithful financial support of our Wycliffe ministry in PNG. We could not continue to serve here without you!

Praising God for the gift of visitors...

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”-1 Thessalonians 1:2 

We are so thankful for the gift of technology, which allows us to stay in touch with distant loved ones via email, video and chat. It is one of the biggest challenges of serving so far away from the USA. One thing we did not expect was to have anyone make the trip here to visit with us. So we were very excited when our friends from NH made the time, effort and expense to fly for several days to spend time with us here in Ukarumpa! Their desire to be able to pray for us with insight and empathy, having seen where we live and work with their own eyes, means so very much to us. We had the opportunity to take them to visit with PNG friends in their village, so they can also have a deeper insight on how to pray for this country. Continue to pray for peace, as we are in the midst of national elections this month, which often triggers violence. We thank God for bringing the Eisners to visit, and for the lovely holiday they took us on to Madang by the ocean. We are refreshed and ready to continue to serve Bible t r a n s l a t i o n here in PNG though our support roles. Our prayer is that everyone will hear the good news of s a l v a t i o n through Jesus C h r i s t i n their heart language and b e t o t a l l y transformed!

Meet J.C.

People often come and go from Ukarumpa, and one of the challenges here is taking care of pets. Dogs are valuable, both for security as well as for companionship. We first watched J.C. for his owners back in 2015 when we were renting their home and now, seven years later, we’ve adopted him permanently since they’ve left Papua New Guinea. He is older and slower (much like us!) but is such a good dog and we are blessed to be able to help both him and his owners to finish well. It is fun to have a walking buddy again, too, and he’ll help us to keep in better shape as we enjoy cooler winter days here in the Southern Hemisphere.

Prayer Points

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for peace and wisdom during the July national elections in PNG

• Bible translation: Praise for the opportunity for Kathy to assist checking the Sudest Old Testament panorama before its publication.

 • Our roles in PNG: Pray for preparations for the new school year and for some rest during the break. Pray for wisdom for Scott as he learns his new Chief Human Resources Officer role.

 • PNG missionaries: Pray for the families trying to return to PNG for the new school year to receive their visas and work permits, and to have safe travels.

 • God’s provision: We thank God for His love and grace, allowing us time to spend with good friends and to continue to do ministry here. 

Thank you for your prayers, and for your faithful financial support of our Wycliffe ministry in PNG. We could not continue to serve here without you!

Praying for our future leaders...

Kathy and the graduating community group girls and leaders. 

Photo credit: Jonathan Federwitz

 “... Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” -Ephesians 4:1b 

Thank you for your prayers for the students at Ukarumpa International School (UIS) this year. It has been challenging, with many restrictions and two waves of Covid variants causing illness and quarantines, but we finished in-person this week and thanked God for the return of many normal activities during our Term 4. The students enjoyed a track and field Sport’s Day, sports tournaments, a theater production, Banquet (similar to prom for juniors and seniors), band and choir concerts, Awards Night and Graduation, each without limits on attendance and with a grateful Ukarumpa community supporting them and cheering them on. Kathy was able to participate in designing one last Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt for the seniors, with a life skills theme to help them transition to their bright futures back in their passport countries. As each of these students leaves Ukarumpa, they will be saying goodbye to the place where they have grown up, the friends they have known since kindergarten, and the teachers and community group leaders who have poured into their lives for years, pointing them to Jesus and helping each one to make their faith their own. It is Jesus who goes with them now, and we trust in Him to guide, protect and comfort these future Christian leaders as they bravely go out into the unknown, to become the men and women God has designed them to be, and to live lives worthy of the calling they have received