Part of me wishes I had written this newsletter last weekend.
I had had a great few weeks (pictures below), when I ran into some discouragements that kind of took the wind out of me. But today, as I was looking back at my prayer journal from 6 months ago, right before I returned to PNG, I read this:
Dig in and trust Him. Don’t let confusing and discouraging circumstances derail you. He is who He says He is, even when my expectations go unmet.
Yes. That’s what I need to hear today. It was from a Bible Study I was doing this summer. And right after that I reread a question I had been asking myself and God then—
Does my ministry matter?
We all ask ourselves these sorts of questions sometimes, right? Is what I’m doing impactful? Does it benefit people? Is it important? Six months later, I know the answer is yes. The Lord has been very faithful to bring that answer over and over again from those I serve alongside.
. . . may be preparing us for tomorrow
But I wonder, if I hadn’t been asking that question because of the challenges I faced last year, would I have been ready for the challenges I’m facing now? Would I be confident enough to say my ministry is worth fighting for in the battle of misunderstanding, if the Lord had not been sending me affirmation and encouragement for the last 6 months in answer to my questioning heart?
So what am I meant to learn today from the questions I am currently asking, that He will use for my good tomorrow?
When I last wrote you, I was trying to get to Hoskins for a Ladies’ Debriefing Retreat in the islands area. I did finally make it. I think it was 8 hours later than I intended, but the time couldn’t have been more of a gift! It was wonderful to get to spend time with the five ladies participating in the retreat and to see how the Lord moved in their lives as a result of spending time with Him. Then afterwards, I was able to spend some time with others serving in the Islands area who I rarely get to see.
The weeks leading up to and following Christmas were full of fun and laughter and good fellowship. And of course lots of baked goods and games. I’m so grateful for the times when we can take a break and enjoy being together. I’ve had a tradition for at least the last three years now, of having a game night for New Year’s Eve and a New Year’s Day brunch.
2026 started off well with a couple of ladies’ dinners, a game night, praying with visiting church planters in three different small groups and a pancake breakfast! I’m also grateful to be back into a Bible Study through Hebrews with the same ladies plus one new one and one joining online.
2025 Annual Report
Check out the NTM PNG Annual Report I produced for our team to share (click on the image for a full-size view). The front lists the scope of our work and the back lists out milestones that happened across the field in 2025.
Please be praying for more laborers. While 319 adults sounds like a lot, it’s 21 fewer than last year. We are especially in need of teachers again this year, especially for High School Science and Math and in the Elementary School. You can find more information at www.ntmpng.org/nca
Past and Present
I’ve loved my ministry here for the past 7 years. I have loved providing tools for our missionaries to share to help their churches and supporters understand what they do. And I’ve loved providing tools for recruitment and mobilization, material that can be shared to help other people catch the vision of what God is doing here and how they can be a part.
I’ve loved working with churches and seeing the light bulb come on about care and relationship with their missionaries. And I love building relationships with our missionaries and praying with them and for them and reaching out to encourage them. I love offering debriefing retreats and enabling ladies to spend time with the Lord and one another. It really has been a gift to be able to walk alongside our missionary families in these ways.
Pray for open doors and clear direction from the Lord to be able to continue doing these things well.
I’ve been trying to put together a Missionary Care Discussion group since the beginning of December. I’ve had a hard time hearing back from the churches I’ve contacted about being part of it. Could you please pray for this to come together?
I’m very excited about a Ladies’ Debriefing Retreat that I have coming up next week. Please pray that the Lord will meet them each where they need to hear from Him and that I could be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading as I listen and facilitate the conversation and activities.
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