Building capacity,,,

 “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

As we support the work of Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea, one of our tasks is to, with God’s help and guidance, build the capacity of our Papua New Guinean staff. While capacity building has always been an important part of our ministry here, personnel shortages have greatly accelerated the process. The fact is that fewer expatriates are coming to the field and those that do come are staying for shorter periods of time. Since our return to PNG in September of 2020, Scott has hired and trained a new Field Security Officer (FSO) and a new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), and he is overseeing organizational changes which have allowed other qualified PNG citizen staff to assume greater levels of responsibility. Scott is now beginning a new role as Security Consultant, where he will support our staff and leadership by providing security advice and training, as well as administrative and project support. Scott will continue to serve on the Crisis Management Team and support the HR department on certain projects as requested. Kathy continues to teach science and serve as the head of department and has recently been involved in a project to make the chemical storage room more earthquake-resistant. Building capacity and continuing to make incremental improvements in each of our departments is just one more way we can honor God with our skills and talents. We are also beginning to prepare to go on a six month Home Assignment in June and we look forward to seeingmany of you while we are back in the States.

Above: Scott with the new CHRO, Nellie Tabie

Photo credit: Helen Krause

Going bananas...

Part of each Term 4 at Ukarumpa International School is a presentation on and discussion about transitions. For Third Culture Kids (TCKs), this involves those who are leaving, those who are arriving, and those who are staying here in Ukarumpa, and all of the emotions and challenges that go along with each type of transition. As much as our students have heard it all before, they are often in a different place in the cycle each time, so the message resonates differently. As teachers, we also need to hear this message, as we experience similar challenges. “Transition brain” often makes us feel like we are going bananas, as we struggle to think and plan ahead for where we are going, while still being fully present where we are. It reminds us that ultimately, Heaven is our home and we are just passing through here, so we can trust God’s presence with us wherever we are. Ironically, the fresh bananas are one of those things we’ll really miss when we aren’t here!

Prayer Points:

• Papua New Guinea (PNG):Pray for wisdom and integrity for those in leadership positions.

• Bible translation: Pray for the upcoming final checking of the Meramera New Testament before it is printed and dedicated.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he completes on-boarding the new CHRO and transitions to his role as Security Consultant. Pray for Kathy and all of the students at Ukarumpa International School to have a healthy and productive Term 4 and finish the year well.

• PNG missionaries: Pray for the new expatriate families in the PNG Orientation Course to stay healthyand be successful while living with local PNG families in the villages.

• God’s provision: Thank you for your prayers, and for your faithful partnership with our Wycliffe ministry in PNG. We are very grateful and we could not continue to serve here without you. We look forward to reconnecting with you while we are in the USA!

Flowers and Fruit...

“I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing”-Ezekiel 34:26

We often get focused on the particulars of our work here in Papua New Guinea. Our goal is to be obedient to God’s call, to serve to the best of our ability, and to support the work of Bible translation here in Papua New Guinea. It is humbling to know there are over 339 languages here in the Pacific, and 1,680 languages world-wide that still have no Bible translation work begun yet. That is approximately 1.5 billion people without God’s Word in their first language. But we are reminded that work is being done in more than 2,800 languages world-wide, and more than 700 languages do have the full Bible (source: Wycliffe Global Alliance, October 2022). The goal of this work is to enable people to encounter the living God through His Word, so that people’s lives, families, and communities can be transformed. Much like when we plant many flowers, we trust and pray for God to bring the fruit. We are always very encouraged to see this happening in many communities, as Papua New Guineans are being trained and discipled to share the Good News about Jesus and His redemptive work on the cross. Now, as we enter the 40 days leading up to Easter, please pray with us for these communities to go deeper in their knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ, and pray for divine opportunities for those who have not yet heard the Good News. May God bring the fruit, and receive all the glory.

Rainy days do bring wonderful blessings...

Another blessing of the rainy season is the flowers it brings. The vine-like passion fruit growing on ourback fence started out as little shoots in cups that we transplanted last June. They barely hung on through the dry season, but with some nurturing and fertilizing, they survived. Then the rains came, andnow they have taken over the back fence, covering it with a green carpet of vines. Their subdued flowers (pictured, left) don’t attract much attention from people, but do draw an array of butterflies and other pollinators. Once pollinated, they have begun bearing fruit; at first, one ripe passionfruit here or there, but now, an entire sink-full (see picture above). What are you nurturing right now? Praythat the Lord of the harvest will bring it to fruition.

Prayer Points....

 • Papua New Guinea (PNG): Praise for peace and a resolution to the local village conflicts nearby inthe Aiyura valley.

• Bible translation: Pray for the God’s Big Story workshop, as trainees from several different language groups teach what they have learned to the Tami people next month.

• Our roles in PNG: Pray for Scott as he on-boards the new PNG Chief Human Resources Officer, and praise for all of the students at Ukarumpa International School who just finished their successful theater production.

• PNG missionaries: Praise for the translation team families who are able to spend time in their villages, and for the new families in the PNG Orientation Course who will be going to the village soon.

• God’s provision: Thank you for your prayers, and for your faithful financial partnership with ourWycliffe ministry in PNG. We could not continue serving here without you.

Embracing a new year...

 “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” -Proverbs 16:9 KJV 

As 2023 gets off to a busy start, we are reminded that it is God who ultimately determines our path, even as we make plans in faith and use the abilities He has blessed us with to serve those around us. Scott will be spending time in the next few months training and mentoring a new Papua New Guinean Chief Human Resources Officer, who will take over for him as we leave to return to the USA in June on home assignment. Kathy will be finishing the semester with her students and making sure there is continuity for the science department for the next school year, and that all of the curriculum materials are up to date and accessible. In each of these endeavors, we are entrusted by God with the skills and abilities to think critically and plan ahead, but we also trust in Him to guide our plans and provide for our needs. We have seen His hand of provision and protection so abundantly since 2020 when we returned to PNG, and even during the challenges, we have had peace. We look forward, God-willing, to our return to the USA in June for a 6 month home assignment, where we hope to visit with many of you and share more details of how we’ve seen God working here in PNG. One of the blessings we never tire of is seeing so many different species of butterflies, and each one reminds us of God’s ability to transform people into a new creation through the work of His Word in their lives. We praise God for the transformation we have seen here and for the work He will continue to do in the future