After much planning and anticipation we arrived in Papua New Guinea on January 3rd. We got in too late to make our connecting flight to Goroka, so we spent the night in Port Moresby courtesy of the airline, who thankfully booked us a hotel near the airport. The next morning we got on the first flight to Goroka where a van picked us up and brought us to our new home at New Tribes Mission PNG.
We had just over a week to adjust to time change and settle in before we began our language and culture classes. There were two other families and one single women in our class. Our teachers were really wonderful and we enjoyed the five weeks we spent together learning Tok Pisin through classroom time and cultural activities. Last Friday was our last formal day of class. Now we will spend the next 2-3 months working with language helpers and visiting in the local community to continue to learn the national language. Once we pass our language evaluation Travis will begin working in the aviation department.
In addition to language study, we’ve been participating in day to day activities here at the New Tribes Mission PNG support center. We were able to visit the hangar as a family one day while we were in town, and Travis was also able to go on a few ride along flights on a separate day. Nathan has been attending first grade at Numonohi Christian Academy and loves it. We’ve been able to meet and visit with church planting missionaries as they come to the center for a break, training, or as they pass through on their way to and from home assignment. This past month there were three families here for some medical training that we knew from our time at the training center in Missouri two years ago. Nathan got to reconnect with one of his friends from pre-school and they had a blast playing together the two weeks that his family was here.
We recently started a facebook group called “Lesickas in PNG” where we post more frequent pictures and updates. Follow this link to request to join the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1166195874367650
We are also starting an e-mail prayer request group where we will send more frequent, short prayer requests. If you would like to join this prayer group send an e-mail with the subject ‘prayer’ to Travis_Lesicka@ntm.org
Praises
- Smooth and safe travel to PNG
- The kids have adjusted well and have many friends to play with
- The body of Christ continues to grow in Papua New Guinea!
Prayer Requests
- That we would learn the national language well enough to move into our support role by summer.
- That we would be patient, diligent, and humble learners of language and culture.
- For wisdom in parenting our children.
- For the current fuel shortage situation in PNG to be resolved
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support as we serve church planters is PNG through aviation!
Love,
Travis & Becky
