Sarah went to be with Jesus on May 25, 2024
Celebrating Naomi’s birthday with family in October 2021.
Heading back to the US.
My sister, Ruth, and I
Me, Mom and Dad
A Memorial for Sarah at Pathways (where she hung out)
Chens and Devines and a few Tanguat people
Resting after hiking in the muck
Jacob sharing his story in church
We have coveted your prayers over the last month as Beth returned home to the US for two weeks to be with her family for her sister Sarah’s funeral. God has given great grace, mercy and love during this time. And we have seen God use Sarah’s life as a testimony to His Goodness and draw people towards Himself. My parents will continue to share with Sarah’s friends how her Savior impacted her life on earth and her eternity in heaven. She now has a healed mind and body and is celebrating in heaven with Jesus, and we are thankful.
Miraculously, Beth had an uneventful trip to and from the US. God gave her little jet lag fatigue so she could help her parents with all that needed to be done with Sarah’s belongings and she was able to enjoy being with family that had come from many miles for Sarah’s funeral. It was good to see family and reflect on Sarah’s life and the many memories we had together with her.
A few days afterBethI arrived back in PNG, we had the opportunity to fly into a village, Tanguat, for a 5 day visit. Jacob flew in to this same village in Sept 2018 to help build the missionary houses, for the Chens and Swensons. He successfully helped build one house but unfortunately fell of the roof and broke his femur during the last hour of work. We were all quite excited to be able to visit. Jacob was able to tell the people the rest of the story, how God enabled him to recover from his fall. The people were happy to see him walking! Beth, Jonathan and Naomi were excited to see the place where Jacob helped to build houses. And it was good to see how God is working in the lives of the Tanguat people through the church plant. We got to meet believers, see a functioning church, literacy class and enjoy a few cultural experiences: hiking in the muck, dinner in the village, watch coconut tree climbing and enjoy coconut water straight from the coconut. It was good to see how God’s Word is being taught and the Tanguat people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. It was neat to be able to visit our friends, Derek and Chantal Chen, and their boys because we host them at the guesthouse when they are out for medical appointments or breaks. So it is cool to see the work that we are supporting at the guesthouse by going to the village where the church planting is going on.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Beth caught a sickness on her flight back to PNG or perhaps in the village and has been out sick for two weeks. Thankfully, Jacob and the citizen ladies with Jonathan and Naomi were experienced in running the guesthouse so we are thankful. Now she is almost back to her normal strength and life will soon return to normal. And so on Monday, July 8th, we will fly to POM to help out on the NTM Centre and visit our brother/uncle Nate. We look forward to some good times together as well as helping out with various projects. We will return July 20th, just two weeks before school starts. It is hard to believe Jonathan will be in 6th grade and Naomi will be in 2nd grade! Meanwhile, Jonathan and Naomi are learning how to help out around the house and guesthouse. Plus they enjoy playing every day and learning new games and interesting facts. Jonathan has passed his test for orange belt in Tang Soo Do and Naomi had her first piano lesson!
Thank you all for your prayers as we serve here in the mountains of PNG. We are thankful that we have this opportunity to be here. Please continue to pray as we help out at the Port Morseby centre and then step back into the guesthouse in a couple weeks when the guesthouse fills up again and school starts. Pray we can get into a good schedule for our family with the different roles and responsibilities we have this next school year.
Praises!
- Our doctor has returned and is serving here on our Centre! Another short-term doctor is coming!
- Our support level has increased! (Yay God!)
- God has provided more funds to pay off a lot of our medical debt! (Yay God!)
- God provided the funds for Beth to return home to MA for her sister’s funeral.
- Smooth flights, minimal jet lag, healing time with family in MA for Beth.
- Strength for Jacob and the kids along with the Citizens at the guesthouse as they made sure all our guests were taken care of well while Beth was gone and sick.
- Beth is returning to full strength and no one else in the family got sick (Yah God!)
- Opportunity to help out at the NTM Centre in the capital of PNG and visit our good friend, Nate.
- Jacob has finished repairing the guesthouse golf cart, transforming it into a solar operated vehicle.
- Jacob has even more help in fixing up and maintaining the water system for our centre.
- A God who loves us so much He continues to guide us in our steps day by day and moment by moment.
- Because we are God’s children we have abundant daily life and REST in Him.
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
Prayer requests:
- We need Teachers and Doctors (long term)!
- Comfort and peace for Beth’s parents, Dennis and Corrine Weaver, sister Ruth and Beth as they grieve our daughter/sister’s passing into glory.
- Comfort for Beth’s parents as they continue to grieve and find a new normal, after Sarah’s passing.
- A encouraging and productive time working at the NTM Centre in the capital of PNG.
- Wisdom, strength and safety as Jacob manages the Water System for the NTM centre and is involved in various projects at the Guesthouse.
- Wisdom in making good decisions as Beth represents our coworkers on both the school and community councils.
- Ability for Beth to balance all the different aspects of ministries that she is involved in… Guesthouse, Family and School life
- Provision of the rest of the finances needed for Jonathan’s treatment to correct his jaw.
- Wisdom and strength for Nate in Port Moresby, and more missionaries to join his team at the NTM POM Centre.
- Each of us would continue to allow God to direct our days.
- Leadership discussions about the maintenance department and a plan to move forward.
- New citizen driver to help Kiso, our main guesthouse driver.
- Finances to become 100% supported… we are in need of only $365/month which is only about 15 people giving $25 or 8 people giving $13 a month.
- That we would remember that God holds everything together including us! And He is working all around us.
- Wisdom and Love as we teach our children how to walk with God daily.
- God would continue to raise up more missionaries to come to the PNG and bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it their own heart language.
- More laborers to minister to the Bena people.
Golf cart transformed – now the batteries are charged by the sun!