This summer has been a really good time for us as a family. The girls, Naomi and Rebekka joined us as we went down to M. town to be part of the Interface program. Interface is a summer Missions internship program for young adults who are interested in church planting overseas. 26 students (picture below) arrived from North America to learn and see firsthand what Missions is like here in PNG. Ralf was part of the teacher staff and got to teach and show these young adults who were so excited about Missions and everything they saw over here in PNG. It was so much fun to get to know them! Most of them know for sure they want to go into Missions and the Lord has already shown and taught them many things over here at the Interface program.
The last three weeks we got to come back here to Dinangat as a family. Ralf started working again with his translation helpers and the Bible teachers while us girls cooked, baked and did school with Mimi (yes, Naomi taught Math and Rebekka taught Science and Art! :)). We played a lot but also worked hard in our front yard and in our co-worker’s, the Smith’s house because they will be coming back in about 1 week 🙂 from their one year home assignment. After we’ve worked here alone without co-workers for many months, we are very excited to get to have the Smiths back with us!!! This time, they left Charis, their oldest daughter, behind in America who will be going to Bible school there. Please be praying for them as the separation has been very hard for them. Our other co-workers, the Markleys, are now back in the US for their furlough and we miss them a lot! 🙁 Please also be praying for them that their time there will be encouraging and uplifting to them.
At the end of July, we will finally start working as a team again here in Dinangat. We are so thankful for the hunger that the church here still has for God’s Word. They want more, they want to learn, and they want to mature in their faith in Christ. There are still challenges that come with living in a small community. One of them is that for all the past generations their worldview has been based on their Animistic beliefs. And even though they have access to the truth now remnants of their old worldview still show here and there. So for us as the Dinangat team there is still lots to do to help them to fully replace their animistic world view with God’s worldview, to disciple them as they’re trying to walk in the truth they know, to continue to teach them God’s Word and to keep working on the Bible translation. Now, as a team, we can move forward faster again and for that we need your prayers. Please PRAY for good unity as a team and for our own walk with Christ so that we can give the Dinangat believers whatever they need to grow in their own walk with the Lord!
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