February, 2010 Update

Late February News from the Burns:

Greetings from Florida.  It has been so cold this year with temperatures below normal.  We are still having lows in the thirties.  Our snowbirds have to remember that, yes, this is cold for Florida, but it is still a lot warmer than where they come from.

It has been great having our volunteers here again this winter.  The time has gone quickly and in a month all will be headed north, usually around the first of April.  I was pleased that Doc Wally was able to be here again.  He is 88 years old, but was stronger this year than last.  I had a lot of wood ready for him and he has already turned most of it into beautiful cabinets.  The kitchen we are working on right now is that of our main tax man and his wife.  Brain and his crew are very busy this time of year filling out 1040 forms and filing them for many of our missionaries, both here and abroad.  You can imagine what a blessing this service is to our tribal missionaries who already have much to trust the Lord for without having the IRS being another worry.

Thank you for all of your prayers while Phil was sick.  He spent five days in the hospital, and at last the chills stopped. He had a serious infection that went to the blood.  He just completed two weeks of antibiotic and is again at work, full time.  God is good!

We are excited that our son, Jason, his wife, Tiffany, and our one and only grandson, Jaxon, will be here for a visit the last of this month.  Hopefully we can really spoil Jaxon before they go back to Colorado.

Our daughter, Heather, came home really excited last Monday.  She has been given a pilot slot and will commence pilot training once she graduates from University of Central Florida in December.

Recently, our church Awana and youth helped prepare meals for the Haiti earthquake victims. It was exciting to see all the kids involved in helping others.  Together, with the adults of the church, thousands of meals were packaged and shipped to Haiti.

Mibu tribe in Papua New Guinea- We have mentioned this tribe to you before as it hasn’t been that long since they first heard the Gospel.  Several deaths among the Mibus have the people nearly reeling with grief – a believer died of cancer and then the small child of another believing family was drowned. In spite of the difficulty of dealing with grief and loss the Mibus are evidencing growth in their walk with the Lord. At a past meeting, Jemsnannya, a Mibu believer, stood and said, “Before, when someone would die we were without hope and used to follow our ancestors’ customs, like spitting to the sun. But now is the beginning of the harvest of our people going to Heaven.” It is exciting to hear them talk that way – please continue to pray for the Mibu.

We count it a privilege to serve God and our tribal missionaries through our work here at our mission home office.  God is building His church around the world and it is great to be a part of His plan.  Thank you for being a part in our lives and ministry through your prayers and financial support.  You are a very important part in reaching the unreached with the Gospel.  May God bless you.

Phil and Jackie Burns