Returning to the village…

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) — Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Happy New Year greetings to all! This will be our last communication with most of you before we return to the Philippines next week; so here’s the latest Ostman news from Oklahoma:

Translating Isaiah — I (Lance) have been re-reading the rough-draft translation of Isaiah I finished in December. Apart from the encouragement I find in the truths of God’s Word, I’ve noted some passages that need improved translation work before I review the text with my translation assistants in the village. Thank you for praying for this important work.

Back to the village! — God willing we will arrive in Manila on February 13; waiting for us there will be our daughter and her family. We’ll spend a week together before they leave for meetings and we travel on to “our” Higaunon village. Please pray for safety as we travel.

Prayer needs in the village — Please continue to pray that our Internet connection in the village will be reliable. It’s a useful tool, and we need it to function dependably. Also, please pray about our supplies situation: Unfortunately we have no one in town to buy supplies for us like we’ve had in the past, so we will have to make monthly trips into town to purchase them ourselves. It’s an added expense—and time away from our primary mission in the village—but it can’t be helped. Pray for efficiency and safety as we make those trips.

Planned SYIS workshop — We’re planning to facilitate an SYIS (Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills) workshop in Manila (June 7-12). However, we need at least 16 participants for the workshop to go ahead, and we don’t yet have any committed. Thank you for praying!

Potential house purchase — Thanks to everyone who is praying with us about buying a house in Oklahoma. We’ve found a house we like very much, and a local bank started to work with us on buying it. However, when they found out we were about to head overseas, they said it wasn’t worth working on until until we return in July. Please continue to pray for God’s will to be done. We want God’s best and we know that’s what He has for us. We’re especially grateful to everyone who has donated or is planning to donate.

Finally, our most heartfelt thanks to every one of you for partnering with us as we continue to serve our wonderful Lord and Savior among the Higaunon people in the Philippines!

Secure in Christ’s love,

Lance & Laura