Praying for more workers for the harvest...

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” -Matthew 9:37-38 KJV

Over the years, we have seen fewer missionaries coming to the field from traditional sending countries. Financially speaking, fewer personnel means that less funds are available to run Bible translation programs. Fewer missionaries also means that those who are here end up doing more work. It is not uncommon for someone to hold one major role and one or two secondary roles. Add to this unexpected departures for medical or other reasons, and continuity becomes a significant challenge. One may come to the field to perform a certain role and find themselves the head of another department because they were the most qualified person available at the time. In other words, faith, flexibility and grace are a necessity to continue the work of ministry. Since this personnel shortage is a world-wide trend in missions, we are not alone. Here in Papua New Guinea, we are addressing this issue by going into deeper partnerships with local Christian organizations, as well as with other missions that lack the level of infrastructure we have in place. As the head of Human Resources, Scott has been part of a team working out agreements with other missions who want to co-locate a portion of their staff here in Ukarumpa. In addition, we are continuing to actively recruit Papua New Guinean citizens to assume more leadership roles. We know that God is the Lord of the Harvest and that He will provide the workers. We also know that every Christian is called to the Great Commission, whether serving in their home country or overseas. So, if you have ever wondered if you are “called” to missions, the answer is yes. If you believe that God calling you to leave your home country and serve overseas, we’d like to hear from you and pray for you as you seek confirmation of your call.

Almost normal...

It has felt good at school to see normal activities taking place beyond the academics: sports, dress up days (like Twin Day in the picture), pep rallies, the Uka from Scratch Craft fair, and so many others. After a very long season of not being able to do so many of the things that make school fun, we are thankful for every opportunity. It is easy to take things for granted and only appreciate what you have when it is gone. In this season of Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for today? What blessings has the LORD poured

Prayer Points...

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Pray for peace and an end to tribal conflicts in the Aiyura valley.

• Bible translation: Pray that the successful Trauma Healing workshop in the Nek language area continues to bear much fruit.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he continues interviews for a PNG Chief Human Resources Officer, to fulfill localization in that role. Pray for Kathy and all the students as they finish Term 2 at Ukarumpa International School.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for God’s provision for families who continue to try to return to their roles in PNG.

• God’s provision: We thank God for this season of Thanksgiving - we are thankful for you!

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 His provision and protection...

 "We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                          1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NIV)

On the morning of September 11th, a 7.6M earthquake caused significant damage to our center. Several water storage tanks ruptured and some header tanks, including ours, flew off of roofs. A couple of chimneys collapsed and there was damage to both personal items and departmental supplies. Many of the families here had no running water or propane gas for cooking. Over the following two weeks, we and others obtained clean water from vacant homes with intact systems. Also, the undersea cable which provides our fiber optic internet connection was severed, making communications and even day to day work problematic. Yet, through it all, God blessed us as our community came together to serve each other, and as you were praying for our needs. Almost as soon as the shaking ended, people began checking in on friends and began assisting with the cleanup. Many of our support departments were overwhelmed with calls for service, but with that increase in work came a flood of volunteers from the community. We are now a month out from the event and significant progress has been made toward recovery. On a personal level, we are so thankful to now have running water, gas for cooking, and minimal damage to our home. There have been two new satellite dishes installed to provide additional internet bandwidth until the fiber optic cable is repaired as well. Most of all, though, we are thankful for God’s provision for our community. Miraculously, no one in Ukarumpa was injured in the earthquake, and the work of Bible Translation continues. Thank you again for your faithful prayers on our behalf. And it is good to have our header tank back on our roof where it belongs!

What do teachers do between terms?

God has been teaching us to continue to faithfully serve in all circumstances. During her break between school terms, Kathy was able to participate as part of a team to check the typeset New Testament before it is sent to Korea for final printing. Without speaking Lokep, she could still use her teacher’s eyes to catch formatting errors, punctuation mistakes and pagination issues. A team of 15 people were able to scan the entire Lokep New Testament in half a day! It is a rare treat as a teacher to be so directly involved in the process of Bible translation, and a blessing to be a small part of the Lokep people receiving God’s Word in their heart language. It is another example of ‘many hands making light work’, where serving together as a community involves many people pitching in to do their part.

Prayer Points...

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Praise for PNG lifting all Covid restrictions for international travelers entering the country.

• Bible translation: Pray for the dedication of the book of Luke in the Kope language to be received with joy and to bear much fruit.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he continues the search for a PNG Chief Human Resources Officer, to fulfill localization in that role. Pray for Kathy and all the students as they begin Term 2 at Ukarumpa International School.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for healing for those impacted by the earthquake and other traumatic events in the last few months.

• God’s provision: We thank God for regaining running water in our home and for His protection of us and others during the earthquake.

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!

September Note...

 As many of you are aware, on September 11th, 2022 we experienced a 7.6M earthquake here in Ukarumpa. Thankfully, none of our staff were injured and recovery efforts are underway. We were about to post the following three articles the day of the earthquake and were delayed until now. Our October newsletter will contain more information on the earthquake.

Thank you,

Scott & Kathy