Face to Face…Digitally

June 1, 2016

Living in a village on an island far removed from technology has limited my ability to connect with the ever growing social network across the world. But times are changing, even in these remote jungle corners. Now, while walking with the Patpatar people down a muddy road through the village or on a narrow path […]

Fourth Quarter Finale

December 31, 2014

2014 was quite the year. We had our moments abroad traveling by car on the dusty roads of Africa, hiking up mountains to remote villages in Papua New Guinea, crossing open seas in a small banana boat, and gazing down on passing islands from a helicopter. But most of our time was spent in our […]

The Sweet Smell of Death

June 16, 2014

Are there certain foods you taste, or songs you hear, or smells you smell that instantly take you back to an earlier time and place? You know those small aerosol cans of deodorant/body spray that you can buy in stores? You can get them here in Papua New Guinea as well. They smell really good, […]

Babies in ICU

May 4, 2014

I sat between two men on a bench made from pieces of bamboo. Stanley began to explain what was on his heart. “I knew that Jesus had died on the cross. I had read this part before [pointing to Luke 24:6-7 ‘He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he […]

The Hope of New Life

April 19, 2014

Resurrection Sunday…it’s nearly here! And it has huge significance for a small group in a hamlet a few miles from our village. For the last several months, nearly once a week, I have been able to walk down early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and join two of the Patpatar Christian families from our […]

New Guinea to Guinea and back

March 6, 2014

Writing updates has not been near the top of my priority list lately, but that doesn’t help you all know what is going on here and how you can pray. So let me try to catch you up just a little. In the meantime, we have appreciated a number of emails that have come […]

Hurt by Herod

December 23, 2013

Black magic leading to death, stealing property, causing God’s judgment on others, starting a revolt…these are some of the charges that have been leveled against the believers here in the last 6 weeks . Though untrue these accusations have been damaging and at times has hindered the teaching and the meeting together. I think that […]

Happy Birthday

October 30, 2013

It’s her birthday today! My wife is 35. I won’t be taking her out for a fancy birthday dinner though. I won’t be giving her a gift. In fact, I won’t even get to see her. Thousands of miles stretch between us while I am at meetings this week in Thailand for church planting and she is back in Papua […]

A Hike, A Helicopter, and A Hiccup

September 15, 2013

After several hours in the pickup we reached the northern tip of the island. From there we bounced along in a small fiberglass boat with a 40HP outboard motor for two hours with sprays of saltwater acting as a rhythmic timer counting off each wave. Finally we reached dry ground. Dry ground is figurative, for […]

Heavy Rain and Light Burden

July 25, 2013

Aaron had left the village ahead of me to head home with the 3 older girls. As I walked in the rain down the dirt road holding Briella and an umbrella, I sensed someone behind me on the road. I turned to see who it was, and it was one of the ladies that comes […]