“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk along the waters wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander. And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.” — “Oceans” by Hillsong
This song is one of our favorites as we contemplate moving to Papua New Guinea. It is a call for courage as we ask God to lead us. We especially love the line, “And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.” How do we grow our faith? We believe the answer is through being with Jesus. The more we are with Him, the more we know Him, and we are reminded of His love, His power, His sacrifice, His sovereignty, and His goodness. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him.
God has provided wonderfully for us to go to Papua New Guinea, and we are now 99% funded for our monthly support! We have about $3,050 left that we need for costs associated with getting to PNG, in addition to our fund for building our home.
We got our work visas, which is an answer to prayer, and are now working on getting our entry permits. We have begun getting rid of our belongings and are trying to make decisions about what to bring to PNG.
My (Karissa’s) neurologist said that because my symptoms have become more manageable, unless my symptoms get worse or the cyst grows, he doesn’t think we need to do surgery. I have a follow up MRI on November 1st. Please pray that the results will show that God has removed the cyst, or at least that it hasn’t grown. It is very good news that we may not need to do surgery, but at the same time, when I have tough days, I second guess that decision. Please pray for continued wisdom.
We had the blessing of being a part of a missions weekend at our home church, First. We got to share, and got to hear from Bob and Mary Gunn, who are missionaries in Panama with Wycliffe. It was so neat to share our vision of what we hope to do in planting a church and translating the Bible for an unreached people group, and at the same time hear their testimonies about how God used them to do just that for the people group they worked with. God has been and will continue to be at work through His people building His church.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you, and we are so thankful for you.
Till All Know,
Matt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck Long
(Tribal Church Planters in Papua New Guinea)
Please Pray:
– That God would provide the additional startup funds we need
– That our entry permits would be granted quickly
– For healing and wisdom regarding Karissa’s headaches and cyst
Praise God:
– We are 99% funded!
– Karissa may not need surgery
– Our boys are doing well, and are such a joy to us