God is our loving Provider & God is the Grand Weaver… those are two themes that have been woven through our days over the last two months. We have seen God provide for us after He allowed a robbery. We have seen God change our plans from a full Summer at Interface in the Madang region to just three weeks. We have seen God send Cheryl Devine here to help us set up for Interface and enable us to do so much here at the Sepik Support Center to support the missionaries in the tribal locations. We have experienced great encouragement from Cheryl and watched as she took in so many sights, sounds and smells…. seeing more of what God is doing in Papua New Guinea. We have seen God send our co-workers home over the last months AND we have seen God strengthen and give wisdom! Our faith has been very stretched over the last few months here with so many things happening and changing. The next few months before we go on home assignment seem very intimidating, due to lack of personnel. We would appreciate your prayers… that we would be able to have a good perspective these last few months… and that we can believe that no matter how ‘big” our situation seems, God can handle it, because He is the one that orchestrated all the details and is weaving them together for His good.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Interface in the Madang region with Cheryl. We were able to be a part of what God was doing through Interface by helping set up the newly renovated kitchen, help finish some building projects, plan a menu and order food for 50-60 people, and do a massive shopping run to stock the kitchen shelves. It was a lot of fun to work with our good friend Nate Eutsey once again. He arrived a week after we did so he could help get the kitchen ready for the students arrival. We were returned to the Sepik Support Center to fill in the needs here. It was wonderful for Cheryl to be able to meet the Interface students (she got to travel over with two of them) and be a part of the first few days of the Interface classes. She got to experience what we got to be a part of when we lived in the Highlands for many years at the old Interface campus and learn about the big picture of missions. It was great to be a part of the Interface program once again. It was Beth’s 30th Interface program and the 20th year anniversary of Beth’s first arrival at Interface in the summer of 1995! We are so thankful that God continues to use the Interface program in the lives of many students!
We returned to our home at the Sepik Support Center just a few days after the Interface students arrived. We were excited to get back home to help out where we were needed. Jonathan and his “Nannie”, Cheryl, had a great time hanging out together! Beth was able to completely catch up on her work in the Business office as well as write an instruction manual for her ministry to help her replacement while we are on home assignment. She was also able to start helping out in supply, ordering food and stocking shelves for our NTM store that provides food and supplies for our missionaries here on center and in the bush locations. Beth hasn’t ever been a part of this ministry before and realizes that it is something that she enjoys! Now that Jonathan’s “Nannie” has gone back to Canada, Jonathan is having a great time helping his mom stock shelves and gather food for bush missionaries. 🙂
Jacob’s daily work is quite random now as he is helping out in so many areas due to lack of personnel. His days include building and repairing things around the campus (for example: fixing a solar hot water heater, air conditioner and pressure washer) and overseeing two national workers, making a security schedule, airport runs, paying bills, trips to the post office, buying food supplies with Beth for NTM Supply, helping our NTM ICT man fix the VSAT internet connection, cleaning cars, plugging rat holes in the walls in Supply, and ordering a new part for the weed eater. He plans his day in the mornings yet God changes them each day as many things come up. So we are learning to relax and rest in what God has in store for our days. 🙂
Praises!
- A God who sent His Son to die for our sins and rose him up so that we could have daily life abundantly and REST in Him!
- God has provided and replaced the things that were stolen!
- Opportunity to help out with the Interface program!
- 80% of the Interface students are heading into missions!
- We are all healthy!
- Jonathan is growing and curious about everything – now 2 ½ years old!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Safety at work for Jacob!
- Wonderful time with Cheryl Devine for 10 weeks here in PNG!
- Provision of an apartment to rent while on Home Assignment in Nova Scotia… Arriving in MA for American Thanksgiving!
- David and Wendy Lee will be returning very soon to ministry to the Bena people in the Highlands, close to where we used to live!
- First NTM Kodiak airplane has arrived in Papua New Guinea! The Second Kodiak is heading this way soon!
- And God provided a third Kodiak plane just recently!!
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.
- Continued healing and finances to replace all of the stolen electronics after the robbery.
- Wisdom as Jacob works each day to repair and maintain the NTM Center.
- Ability to wrap up our ministries here and pass them on to others well, in the next few months.
- Healing of our friend, Elissa, so she can work full time in PNG – there has been an improvement in her kidneys!
- Jason, Jedidiah and Ella Jo Stuart as they adjust to their new lives without a wife and mum as Toni went to be with Jesus on March 6th.
- Provision of the rest of the finances needed for our tickets and while on Home Assignment… leaving mid-November!
- Logistics and planning that is involved in traveling around the world and living in our home countries for a time.
- God would continue to raise up more missionaries to come to the Sepik and bring the Gospel to those who have never heard it their own heart language.
- More labors to minister to the Bena people.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!
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