We are on the March again, making preparations for our return to Papua New Guinea. As we consider our last month in the USA our hearts are filled with gratitude and expectation as well as sadness.
Missy has had to think through our kids wardrobes for the next couple years. She has also been ordering homeschool curriculum for the next three school years. Benjamin has been organizing some essential supplies for maintaining our solar powered bush house in Amdu.
We have already begun to say our ‘goodbyes’ to different family members we won’t see again before we leave. We recently visited Missy’s brothers in Florida and her sister in North Carolina. In two weeks we’ll say goodbye to Missy’s parents as they head out-of-state for the remainder of our time here.
Despite the difficulty of the ‘goodbyes’ we are very much looking forward to our return to Amdu. Our coworkers Bart and Emily Allen just had a culture and language evaluation that places them at stage 7.5 of the 9 stage grading scale. That puts our entire team within 2 or 3 stages of completing this first phase of our ministry in Amdu. It is highly likely that we will all be finished with our formal culture and langue study by the end of 2016. Can you pray with us towards that end?
We have written before about the important next step in bringing the Gospel clearly to the Amdu people. A literacy program is already in the initial stages of development. As we finish with language study ourselves we’ll be able to perfect this program and launch the school sometime in 2017. Like laying a firm foundation is so important to constructing a house, this literacy program is one of the foundation blocks for effective discipleship. These are the next steps necessary before we begin evangelistic teaching in Amdu.
In church our pastor recently reminded us that when God introduced Himself to Moses as I AM THAT I AM He was saying, “I Am the God who needs nothing, needs no one. I AM completely sufficient in myself.” He is sufficient, His grace is sufficient and the portion He extends to us each day between now and the day we depart and beyond.
Please pray that we will not allow our circumstances to loom larger in our view than our all sufficient, Heavenly Father. Pray that we’ll use wisdom in each decision we make with our resources and time in the coming weeks. Pray that we’ll rely on the Lord’s daily portion of grace for us in the Holy Spirit. We are privileged to have you as our friends and partners in this Gospel endeavor in Amdu.
Thank you for sticking with us in prayer and giving.
Benjamin and Missy
