Friends! How we miss you. The holiday season is upon us, and much of our memories are full of spending these times with you. A huge chunk of our hearts are sitting back at home with you, so remember us and pray for us as you jump in the piles of leaves, bake pumpkin pie, visit the christmas lights, attend candlelit services and celebrate the joys of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season as we remember it.
We are really doing well here; our family is flourishing. We are still trying to figure out the new balance of life, and how to use our time, resources, and energy best to glorify our Father… but we are overflowing with thankfulness for the calling He has on our lives.
Thank you for praying with us and for us. Here is a breakdown by person this month.
John- Please pray for John as so much is changing at his job in CAM (Construction and Maintenance). Two men are leaving the department this next month: one is going finish (meaning he won’t be retuning at this time to PNG), and the other (who is the director of the whole CAM department) will be on furlough through May 2016. Their departure leaves a lot of weight on the shoulders of the managers that are left (4 left in a department of over 50). There is more work to be done than they could ever finish, and now with the drought they have all been working overtime to figure out and implement some more long term solutions for the community here. Pray that God will give him wisdom, endurance, and patience. Please pray for his relationships with both Papua New Guineans and other missionaries, that they would continue to grow and deepen despite cultural differences, and pray for him to remember to use his sunscreen!
Kristi- Pray that I can continue to find ways to be intentional in sharing God’s grace, mercy, selflessness, and love to everyone around me: my husband, our kids, friends (nationals and expats), and to myself. Pray that I see the moments when my children’s hearts are soft to soak in His truths and pray that some of these new friendships here can deepen into full, rich relationships.
Nori- Pray for Nori’s heart. God has blessed her with such exuberance and passion, pray she learns how to use those gifts well to show Christ’s unbridled joy and love for those around her. Pray for more fruits in self-control.
Banner- Please pray for Banner to be thoughtful and gentle. This guy is all boy, and we live in a land that suits him perfectly. Banner spends most days shirtless and shoeless, with a toy dagger tied to his belt as he is running, defending, and exploring. Pray that in the midst of all this fun he can me mindful of others feelings, and also not hurt himself or others.
Millie- Wow, this girl has changed so much since we arrived here in May… she is growing up so fast! She has even started being on her own team when we play board games as a family. Please pray for her as she tries to keep up with older siblings, and pray that we see moments to spend time with just her. Pray that she will stop wetting herself in class. This does not happen often, but she cannot attend school unless she is fully potty trained. Her teacher is extending her some grace and she is currently still going to class but she has to wear a pull-up, something Millie is not happy about. If we have anymore pee accidents she will have to leave the class till next year.
Some Big Family Prayers:
Extracurricular Ministries- The longer we are here, the more needs we see. Pray for the following opportunities that are all vying for our nights and weekends:
- The village church that we go to in Kwina is about to fall down. Our involvement in this project could mean that it is fixed in weeks versus months. We missed going the past few weeks because John was out of town. This week (as I am writing this) Banner is sick so I was planning on staying home with him and Millie so John would only be hiking out there with Nori. When Millie found out she got quite upset and started crying for Kwina. She said she was missing her church, so he took her too :) It’s moments like this that God affirms we are right where we need to be!
- Glasses for Missions. Our kit that can make some 300 pairs of glasses has arrived from our partners at Fruitland Baptist Church. The interest here has been profound, just by word of mouth, and we are working to find a good time for our first workshop (of probably a few).
- Steven Pikus is a young (that's mid-30's y'all...) Bible translator that we met at the training center here during our POC training. He is stepping out in faith to work 5+ days a week on the Gadsup Old Testament for his language group. He has a wife and three little kids and is working full time now for no pay, so we are walking with him through this, whatever it entails. Pray that he can get some funding through the BTA (Bible Translation Association...I think), whom we hope to meet with in the coming weeks.
- And that is just the top three!
A House to call Home- This is a big heavy on our heart. So much our our ministry happens in and through our home that not having this settled has been hard for us. Pray for wisdom, discernment, certainty, and for God to provide the finances needed.
Time in the Village- We are trying to plan a trip to get back and visit our wasfamily that we lived with for 3 weeks during POC. A member of our family there just has her first baby — a boy she named Banner! Pray that we will know the right time to go, and that we can be a blessing in some way for them and the community when we go.
Write us!!!!! Let us know how to pray for you too!
Love you,
John and KristiA