Greetings from sunny, hot Southern California. Our deputation travels have brought us full circle back to our home town of Yucaipa where we are staying with old friends enjoying their fellowship and hospitality. We praise God for safety over the 17,000 miles that we traveled during the 4 months on the road. Until we return to PNG, God willing, at the end of July we will be dividing our time between here and El Cajon (two hours away near San Diego) where Heather and Darren live.
We have about four weeks to sort, pack and get some things ready for shipping. Time seems very short. Some have asked about tickets for our return to the field. We have made tentative bookings but are not in a position yet to actually purchase tickets. We are also waiting on our passports and visas to come back from the PNG embassy in Washington DC. We mailed them almost two weeks ago but there was a bit of a snaffoo with FedEx and everything is running late. So we just give it all to the Lord and wait upon Him.
In the meantime we stay busy not only getting ready to go, but visiting with so many of our wonderful friends both here in Yucaipa and down in El Cajon. We also will have the opportunity to share our work in a NEW church in the area this Sunday. What a blessing! Jim is also picking away at some translation related work on the new laptop computer that a sweet Christian couple donated to us just recently. Jim’s old clunker had suddenly and finally died (fortunately everything was backed up on a thumb drive) as we were traveling so this provision is a huge help and blessing. The Dom New Testament will be polished up and finalized for printing using this new laptop.
There has been no new word from the Dom regarding our house so we assume that no news is good news. We still do not know which direction God wants us to go regarding our house, whether to stay and fix it or to move and rebuild. We do have an account set up for funds for repairs or rebuilding.
Ilai is working for now for which we are thankful but he needs a more permanent job. Brian is still working, but it is a very stressful work environment. Darren is volunteering at camp this month. Heather just recently moved to a house of a lady from church, sharing a room with a friend. She is taking one college class this summer and working 30 hours a week at her job.
Thank you so much for your prayers and interest in our travels, family and work. Continue to pray as we return to PNG for another term, Lord willing to finish up the Dom New Testament for printing. We are excited about what God has in store for us in the months to come. We will keep you posted as things develop.