Last month we were able to fly out to the village with some visitors and spend a few hours on the ground showing them around and sharing with them about the Simbari ministry. While we were walking around the village we came to the church and were excited to see the small Sunday School house that the believers had completed. It was planned, paid for and built by the Simbari church and it represents another step towards maturity. Before, they were always relying on us for planning and implementation of projects like this to address the needs of the church. Now they are taking more ownership of the responsibilities.
Translation Progress
These past few months have been busy as David works with the translation consultant on content checking the remaining 16 books of the Simbari New Testament. Please continue praying that we will be able to complete the final check before Jason graduates from high school in May. Shari has recently begun a new project and is putting together a children’s Bible lesson book with pictures for the Simbari church, so she would appreciate prayer for wisdom.
Exciting News
Our daughter, Rachel has been attending the Ethnos360 missionary training center (MTC) in Missouri and will be graduating this month. Last fall the Lord brought along a new missionary candidate to the training center by the name of Albion Merrick, and it wasn’t long before he and Rachel started spending a lot of time together. Albion is from Pennsylvania and comes from a family who have been involved in missions for many years. Well, in January after Rachel and Albion returned from their Christmas break, we received the news that Albion had asked Rachel to be his wife!
We are so thrilled that God has brought this wonderful couple together and we look forward to attending their wedding in July. They will be getting married in Missouri and then finishing their missionary training. We know they would appreciate your prayers as they continue this exciting adventure that the Lord has for them.
Jason’s Graduation and Future Plans
In May Jason will be graduating from high school and is planning to attend Ethnos360 Bible Institute in Wisconsin in the fall. Please pray for him as he transitions back to the USA after spending most of his life here in PNG. This summer we will be returning to the USA for our six-month home assignment to get Jason settled, spend time with family and friends, get medical and dental work done, beginning the process of publishing the Simbari New Testament, etc. Our heads are spinning already! Thanks so much for your prayers for our family and the Simbari church.
David and Shari
ps. Interested in missions? There are still a few spaces open for the upcoming Interface program. Check out this video to learn more: https://vimeo.com/321335847