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| FRIDAYMay 24, 2024 |
| “My dad was raised in an animistic household, and so he would beat my mom. Then he became a believer, and missionaries kept discipling him and telling him that he shouldn’t do that, and now he hasn’t done that for years and years.” -Tara* (name changed) |
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| “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” -2 Cor. 5:17 |
| I had packed all of the kids’ toys and costumes, the lids were on the boxes, and the boxes were in the shed. However, then a Star Wars-themed event was coming up, so of course the kids needed their lightsabers and costumes, so all the boxes had to be re-opened and things spilled out on the floor. Now, I knew that all the things would eventually get stuffed back in the boxes, albeit differently, but it still felt stressful and chaotic because I had already packed them! That’s what preparing for this home assignment has felt like. Plans had been made for our timeline, Matt’s internship, our house here, etc., and then they changed, and then changed again, and then changed again. Now, I know that the Lord is working everything out, and everything will be good, but I keep feeling like, “I already packed that! Don’t open that box again!” The truth is, I want to be in control, and I don’t like for things to change. Change is hard. However, the Lord gave me a sweet reminder a couple of weeks ago, that not all change is bad. In fact, change is the very reason that we are here- to see lives changed by the gospel. I was talking with the students in my Bible class about the power of God’s Word to change cultures. That’s when Tara*, a PNG citizen in my junior high class, spoke up and shared how God’s Word had changed her family. Some people think that missionaries shouldn’t come to remote places like PNG because we might change people’s cultures, as if everything about them is already perfect. However, the truth is, when people are without Christ, their cultures are impacted by the sin and darkness that is in the world. I won’t describe here the horrible impact of animism on many people here in PNG, but I will tell you that I have heard story after story of how Jesus’ transforming work in people’s lives have helped them to break free from the oppression and pain caused by these beliefs. Tara’s* story is not unusual, and I praise God for how He is working to redeem both the people and the cultures of PNG. The goal is to preserve what is good in a culture, but to let God’s Word challenge what is bad. Change is not easy, but sometimes it is so, so good. Till all know, Matt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck By the way, one of the changes that has been made is that we plan to stay in Minnesota for a year and a half for our home assignment, rather than a year. This will allow Matt the time he needs to finish his counseling internship, and Lord willing, to finish getting his degree in Mental Clinical Health Counseling. Then, our plan is to head back to PNG and be able to use that degree to help missionaries as they walk through the stresses, hardships, and trauma that come with being a missionary. |
| Please Pray: -For us as we are feeling overwhelmed with our jobs, packing up, and getting things done we need to before we leave -For final details to come together -That we can say goodbyes and help our kids transition well -For our team here in PNG as there are many ministry roles needing to be filled -For safe travels and made connections as we head out on June 4 Praise God: -Matt got an internship at Bethel University! -Liberty granted Matt an extension for getting his paperwork in! -It seems likely that a great couple is going to step into the member care role! -We got to have a sweet goodbye party with our small group -We are looking forward to seeing you all soon!  One of many re-opened suitcases  Our small group  What are we supporting? This month’s tribal focus: Pray for the Malaumandan church. The first Malaumandan Bible was dedicated in 2015, but the work has continued. The missionaries have continued to make revisions and hope to bring 300 revised copies to the believers in June! The church is also in the middle of an outreach to another village, who asked the Malamandan church to come and teach them the gospel! This teaching has caused so much excitement that now there is a neighboring people group that is asking for someone to come and teach them too! |