I remember one morning when I woke to a huge bang. It was the battery blowing up on the generator! My first thought was, “Really God?? With all the other things that are going on this week, couldn’t you have made the battery blow up next week instead?” 🙂
When you live in the “land of the unexpected,” (Papua New Guinea) sometimes you find yourself longing for order and calmness, not the perpetual change and disorder of PNG. But God has been slowly helping us change our perspective. Sometimes, God makes circumstances change because He is changing us into the image of Christ through these changing circumstances.
If life is about achieving greatness and the pursuit of happiness, then it is great if everything stays the same. I work hard to keep the NTM Centre’s homes functioning with power and water, termite free structures, etc…. and then I work hard to keep everything that way with nothing changing. However, if life is about God working everything together for good, and earth is just a shadow of heaven (CS Lewis) then maybe the people of PNG have some things they can teach us. Perhaps we need to learn to go with the flow of changes that God brings our way, accepting things as they come and learn what God has to teach us in each situation instead of complaining about how everything keeps changing.
As you can tell, life is always busy and changing for us here in the Sepik region… Jacob is sweating like crazy working outside on various projects over the last month including: pouring cement for the new boat house, making new dog kennels, digging and filling in holes and uneven ground, replacing doorknobs, installing locks and closely monitoring the generator. 🙂
Beth is enjoying some prep cooking for our Sepik conference, quantity cooking, once again! It is quite challenging doing this in our small kitchen with our small pots in between office work and time with Jonathan. But it is neat to see how God plans each and every day so that things are accomplished in His timing.
Jonathan just turned two years old! So fun to watch him learn and grow each day! Sometimes when we ask him to do something, he says ‘no problem’. 🙂 And other times he just runs away, especially now that we are potty training, but we are making progress. 🙂 Jonathan loves to play outside on his bike, scooter and little car… and play with all types of balls and trucks.
Praises!
- A Savior who loves us, takes care of us and knows every detail of our lives!
- We are all healthy!
- Jonathan is now 2 years old… loving our time together watching him learn to talk and discover the world around him!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Safety at work for Jacob!
- Finished pouring all the cement and started the roof on the new boathouse!
- There are 25 students this summer for the Interface program in the Madang region, the max!
- Jacob’s mom, Cheryl, is preparing to come to PNG this summer to take care of Jonathan so Beth can work in the kitchen!
Prayer requests:
- Ability to choose gratitude instead of our default of ingratitude in the circumstances of our daily lives.
- Rest in God as we enjoy being parents each day.
- Wisdom as Jacob works each day to repair and maintain the NTM Center.
- Wisdom for Jacob and Bill as they plan and work on the new Boat House.
- Wisdom and strength as we get ready for the Sepik Conference, where all the missionaries gather for a type of encouragement.
- For Beth as she plans and preps food for the conference, feeding about 100 people.
- Healing of our friend, Elissa, so she can work full time in PNG.
- Jason and Toni Stuart and family as they are home in Australia for medical care for Toni who has an abscess in her brain causing her left side to lose function.
- Jen Myer, as she returns home with her children for 5 weeks, to be with her father who has stage 4 cancer.
- Opportunity to help out with Interface – Prayer for Jacob’s mom as she plans to come over to help and take care of Jonathan
- Provision of finances for Cheryl Devine’s trip to PNG at the end of May – mid August! (See below for info on how to give to Cheryl’s trip.)
- Provision for an apartment and car to rent while on Home Assignment… leaving mid-November!
- God would continue to raise up more missionaries to come to the Sepik region and bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it their own heart language.
- David and Wendy Lee as they pray about returning to minister to the Bena people because the Fosters are unable to return at this time due to health.
- More labors to minister to the Bena people.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!
Because of His Love and Grace,
Jacob and Beth Devine & Jonathan
If you would like to give financially towards Cheryl Devine’s trip to PNG, please make your check out to New Tribes Mission and send it to your countries NTM Home office (address below) with a note designating it to Cheryl Devine’s account. Thank you!
New Tribes Mission, 1000 E First St. Sanford, FL 32771 USA
New Tribes Mission of Canada, PO Box 707, Durham, ON N0G 1G0 Canada
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