Feb. 2018 PNG Trip - "Dan's Dad Always Said..."

As we finish up our stay in PNG, it's always a rush to try and get everything accomplished before the airplane takes off for home.

Yesterday, we should have remembered what Dan's dad always said, "Just think of the next thing."  We were trying to think two steps ahead of where we were and arrived at the mall (which houses a post office, office supplies, grocery store, etc.) with our list of tasks and realized we forgot to bring our money (as well as driver's license and credit card.)  Oops.  We missed that step!  We had to retrace our steps, calm ourselves, and begin again.

Here we are, packing up, with one meeting to go before going to the airport.  It's always a crazy time of wondering if we did all God intended for us to do...Did we choose the right things to attend to?  That's when it's a comfort to remember Who is in charge.  We are just God's servants, doing the best we can.  We take great encouragement from the fact that so many people are praying.  As we leave, and the country of PNG gets smaller in the distance, our staff seem so vulnerable...until we remember Who it is that has their back.  This ministry stuff is definitely God's business, and if we hold on to that, then whatever happens will be gold, silver, and precious stones...not wood hay and stubble.  We just have to look to Him for our next (and each) step, one at a time.  

Feb. 2018 PNG Trip - "View From the Middle!"

Here we are at the half-way point of our stay here in Port Moresby.  I've been having computer internet issues, so here's a summary of what's happened in our story so far:

We helped our 3 new staff girls celebrate completing their training in how to develop their ministry partner team (to find people to pray and finance their ministry on the campus.) Eroni from Fiji came to help with their training, so we were also on hand to hear his report and thank him for the wonderful job he did.  (Because Eroni is an islander himself, our girls felt quite comfortable learning from his training, advice, and encouragement. He had a great impact in their lives.)  Front row:  Elidah & Tanya (new staff), Diane (coach during the training), Beautlyn (new staff).  Back row:  Dan, Kaylynn, Eroni, Elton.

We've helped celebrated Elton's birthday!

Beautlyn, Elidah, and Tanya (new staff girls)

We've had good conversations with all our staff, both as a group and individually.  (Face-to-face communication is so needed and treasured when the majority of the time we communicate from two different countries.)  We are constantly grateful for the gifted and good-hearted staff God has entrusted to our care.

We got to observe the giving out of the first year gift-packs to the incoming new students at UPNG during the orientation week.  These gift-packs contain a Jesus Film DVD, a devotional book, a brochure about our ministry, and a survey card to see if they are interested in more information.  The interested students are contacted and invited to a party where they can choose to be in a small group bible study.  One father of a student picked up a gift pack for his daughter standing nearby.  He pulled out the survey card and gave it to her.  He offered his pen, but then filled out the card for her.  We'll find out if the daughter is as interested as her father when our students contact her!  

 

Feb. 2018 Adventure in PNG - Days 1-3: "Back in the Saddle Again!"

Here I am...back in our "home away from home."  The Mapang Missionary Guest House feels familiar and the the hosts are so welcoming.  I've only walked into the wrong room once!  (There are several rooms along a corridor, all of which we've stayed in at one time or another.  Automatic pilot is a dangerous setting for me around here.  Fortunately, the darkened room I burst into had a man  looking at his phone while listening to something through his earphones. Someone else was snoring away.  I quickly and quietly whisked the door shut, berating myself for not paying attention.  I think I got away undetected...at least no one confronted me the next morning.  Sheesh!)

Being with our staff is such a blessing.  It's reassuring to see them clinging to their faith, taking on responsibilities that take them out of their comfort zone, and bravely moving forward.  There are so many things that could derail them, but God has faithfully kept them, nurtured them, and is growing them to be beautiful men and women of God.

Part of our job is a lot like ironing.  Wrinkles appear, whether it be in relationships, paperwork, or finances, etc., and we attempt to smooth things out through prayer, and God's grace and truth.  I've come to the conclusion that only by God's grace and miraculous power can we be used to have any lasting effect.  This is very freeing because if I compare myself to the other missionaries staying at this guest house, I feel under-qualified and a bit lacking.  If I stick to looking at God, I do much better.