PNG Starting a New Year - Day 1 (of 8): Getting ready for 30 Jan and 21 feb

Hello again!

I came a bit early to Papua New Guinea this year.  We have the opportunity (& the funding) to send our 3 PNG missionaries to Fiji for the year (more on that later), so my schedule of trips to PNG this year will be different. There are 3 major times in the next 5 weeks (4 major in the next 7 weeks), but instead of coming here for 5 weeks (which would wipe me out), I'm here for only 1 week, then home (New Zealand) on 2nd Feb for 2 weeks, then back here (PNG) for 2 more weeks - with Kaylynn :-).

Elton, Dianne & Lillian - our 3 PNG missionaries

My goals this trip are to: 

1. Help Elton, Lillian, & Dianne, our 3 PNG missionaries, to get everything ready for their 8-month move to Fiji;
2. Help Elton, Lillian, & Dianne form goals for how they want to coach the students in the next 4 weeks - before they leave for Fiji on 21st of February;
3. Help help to get things ready for the project coming up on the 30th of January with 6 Australians and 8 (hopefully) PNG students (more on that later).

Thanks for praying for the Gospel to flood Papua New Guinea!  I'll write again in a couple of days...

PNG End of the Year-Day 11: "Straddling the Countries!"

As we pack up and prepare to fly home...and as we prepare for the last-minute meetings lined up until we get on the plane, I feel like we have a leg in one country while attempting to step into the next. We still have things left undone here that we will try to do from New Zealand. 

Last night we had our farewell dinner with our little staff team.  Lillian couldn't make it because she just found out she has malaria and typhoid.  (Because of the drought here, I guess the water quality is becoming compromised in some places.)  We brought her chicken and a case of bottled water on the way home.  I was so glad to see her standing at her gate when we dropped off the stuff.  I was grateful to God for the medicine He provided   that enabled her to be standing there.  (Malaria and typhoid are not things I normally deal with in New Zealand and sound a bit scary to me.)  Bottom line?  I got my hug from Lily, and I saw God was in the process of healing her!

Let the record show:  We believe all three PNG banks are now on line!  (This is after 2 1/2 years of attempts!)  Although one bank is still untested, this has been a major step!

We still need to see 2 miraculous solutions:  storage for the extra office supplies stored in George Puipui's house as the family is in the process of selling the house; and housing for our staff between when the university year ends and before they go to Fiji next year for training.  We'll be working on finding God's solutions to these needs from New Zealand.

Thank you to all who have prayed for us!  Blessings upon you!

 

PNG End of Year Celebration-Day 10: "Can You See the Stars?"

Staying at a place like a missionary guest house is a pretty humbling experience.  We meet all sorts of people doing some amazing things.  For instance, we had dinner with a couple who are involved in church-planting in the southern area of the Fly River just across the border from West Papua (Indonesia.)  It's a pretty isolated, hard area to work. Papua New Guinea is going through a drought at the moment and that particular area is really dry right now.  The couple have just returned from their furlough and are wondering if they'll have any drinking water when they get there.  The wife was telling me that she was teaching once in their village about creation.  She found out that the islanders there were afraid to look at the stars.  They believed something terrible would happen if they did.  Can you imagine?  "The heavens are telling the glory of God."  I'm glad God put that couple just where He did so that the people can now get a glimpse His glory!

I also get to hear stories about my husband who helps people when I'm not around.  Last trip he helped out this same woman who was having booking issues with the rooms here.  Her husband thanked Dan yesterday for coming to the rescue of his stranded wife.  (I'm married to a knight in shining armor!)

PNG End of the Year Celebration-Day 9: "Coxwain!"

It was only for the space of 3 minutes, but I saw Coxwain today!  He dropped by the Mapang Missionary Guest House.  How good it was to see this old friend from the Solomon Islands.  He was there when Laurie was just born.  He was there when she went into heart failure.  He was the one singing hymns with Dan during their devotion time together.  He's the one that had a contest with Dan about who saw the newest car on the road, evidenced by the license-plate number.  He was the one who supervised Norm Edney's emergency air-lift rescue after his bike accident.  He was in our house in New Zealand when he first told our CCC staff family about a special girl in his life:  Doreen.

Coxwain is now working with the Jesus Film project and travels all around.  He's on his way to Goroko, PNG as I write this.  His son, Norm, is 11 years old already.  

Christian family makes the world a smaller, much more appealing place!

PNG End of Year Celebration-Day 8: "More Pics!"

Here are some more photos of our celebration day!

Dan's challenge to hear God's voice this summer

A ministry partner & board members

I gave a devotion

2015 and 2016 student leaders

 

PNG End of Year Celebration-Day 7: "Omega Celebration!"

What a day...from set up to clean up!  A day like this takes a lot out of a person, but there was so much to celebrate.  In spite of struggles and set-backs throughout the year, God changed lives.  Many came into the kingdom, many learned what it meant to step out in faith, and many discovered the joy of being with other like-minded students who want to follow God.  Some learned that even after mistakes, there's forgiveness.  The Christian life is certainly an adventure...full of excitement, scary bits, hard times, and triumph.  I wonder what next year will hold.

PNG End of Year Celebration-Day 6: "My friend, Kindle!"

Waiting.  It's not an easy job for me, but required here in Papua New Guinea.  Waiting for a taxi, waiting for people to arrive, waiting for Dan to finish his work so that we can travel together to the next place, waiting, waiting waiting.  My culture is clock oriented, this culture is not. 

Today Dan gathered once again all the necessary information for applying for online banking for ...are you ready for it?...the 4th time. This involved waiting for Lillian to bring her passport picture, then waiting for Elton to bring his passport picture, then waiting for a board member to come and sign some pictures. At this point I begged off and let Dan wait in line at the bank on his own. Our application keeps getting lost somehow.  Each time we apply we are assured that THIS time the bank will make it happen.  We'll see.

I've found that with a Kindle in my bag, waiting is not such a hard job.  (I won't tell how many books I've read so far this trip because it's embarrassing.)  I'm so grateful to whoever invented the thing.  It's small, portable, and gives me access to many stories which entertain me while I wait.