Look for the Light

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with four other families yesterday. Bella and Asher finished up their sports seasons (girls’ basketball and boys’ soccer). Bella’s team ended up winning a tournament, which was super exciting since it was a first for her. Bella was also in a one-act play, helped lead worship last Sunday, and hosted a square dance party for her 18th birthday. (Bella’s birthday is on December 23, so we often celebrate in November.) Adam loved relearning all the square dance songs from his childhood and teaching them to the youth here. The kids had a blast and did a great job.

Bella performing in a one-act play

On top of all that, fourteen Enga speakers spent nine days here in Ukarumpa taking a literacy course. The students learned how to teach the Enga alphabet, to read Enga more fluently, to create and implement reading activities such as crossword puzzles and reading games, and to ask comprehension questions. Each student gave a presentation in which they demonstrated how they would use the activities they had learned to teach others how to read Enga. The course ended with a presentation of certificates and Adam sharing the meaning behind the English metaphor the pen is mightier than the sword, in which he emphasized the power of ideas that are written on paper to ultimately overcome the seemingly non-stop violence in Enga Province.

The Enga literacy course participants

Enga Province continues to experience fighting. Just yesterday Adam received the news that one of our translators had to flee his village because some men from their tribe had engaged in fighting. It is no longer safe for him in his village or in town. It seems like it never ends, and sometimes it feels completely hopeless. But we know that no one is without hope. Our prayer is that the Enga people will put their hope and trust in God, who has something better to offer them than constant payback killings and the burning and destruction of homes and churches. Please pray for the church leaders who came to the literacy course to use the knowledge they gained to teach others to read the Enga Bible and use it in their churches. Pray also for peace. The people of Enga are weary of the violence and tension.

A few nights ago, as I (Martha) drove around the center, I was surprised to see various houses decorated with Christmas lights. There are no decorated stores here to remind us starting in early October that Christmas is coming. The days are long and warm as we enter the summer season here, and nothing feels like Christmas to me. So, the brightly decorated Christmas trees in the windows and the twinkle lights strung along the verandas felt like a shock to my system, and not a good one. Instead of joy and excitement, which is what Christmas should feel like, I felt a heaviness in my chest—a sensation of dread. The last Christmas I spent here was hard. This time two years ago we had just gotten the news that Adam’s dad had pancreatic cancer. A few days later Adam left for the U.S to say goodbye to his father. We spent Christmas apart, grieving and stunned by a loss no one expected. I tried to make the best of it here without Adam, but a terrible sickness swept through us all. Though we hoped and prayed we would be through it in time to spend Christmas day with friends, the sickness culminated in Asher having a 104-degree fever on Christmas day.

I think everyone has a Christmas or two they would rather forget, but that’s easier said than done. I wondered how I was going to fake Christmas joy this year, but I didn’t have to wonder long. There is nothing I love better than perusing a book list, and I found myself perusing a book list from a blog I subscribe to—an Advent book list. All I really needed to read were the titles, and I felt the weight lift—titles like God With Us and Watch for the Light. All of a sudden, I remembered that all I have to do is look for the Light. I received that advice during a Christmas Chapel at Azusa Pacific University when I was nineteen years old, and it has served me well—when I remember it.

I always have good intentions about making Christmas about Jesus, but it never actually happens to the extent I would like. It is always more about the stuff under the tree and trying to get my house in PNG to smell like a Christmas tree with the one candle I brought from the U.S. I’ll probably fail again and get distracted by all the things I am supposed to do to make our lives more Christmasy. But this year I have two things going for me. One, I hardly have anything to put under the Christmas tree. I didn’t bring gifts here this time since the kids don’t really know what they want anyway. The most exciting gift Bella and Asher will get are giant containers of Nutella that we were able to buy at another mission center two hours away. Don’t feel sorry for them. Trust me, they will love it. They have enough. We all have enough. The second thing I have going for me is this heavy ache in my chest, because it makes me look for the Light. I’m thankful for the heavy ache. I’m thankful for anything that compels me to speak the name of Jesus. What a beautiful gift that draws me nearer to the God of peace, love, and mercy!

As I sit here trying to think of what to write next, I can see your faces—all the people we’ve known over a lifetime. How I would love to gather you in my living room and tell you how much you mean to us! We are so thankful that you have walked this journey with us and that we ever had the privilege of doing life with you. We would love to grab your hand and tell you Merry Christmas, to stand next to you and light a candle at the Christmas Eve service, to serve alongside you in the old, carpeted gym at Covina Assembly, to sit next to you on Christmas morning unwrapping gifts or helping you wash dishes at the kitchen sink after a meal of ham, mashed potatoes, and pie. You are loved and missed more than you know, and we feel it strongly this time of year.

I don’t know where you are on the Christmas joy spectrum. Maybe you’re the one surrounded with twinkle lights and bright red bows, sitting with a cup of hot chocolate while watching your favorite Christmas movie; or maybe you’re just white knuckling it through the holidays. Either way, look for the Light, for unto us a child is born.

Merry Christmas dear friends and family!

I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me will remain in darkness.
John 12:46

Old Testament Translation

Now that the Enga New Testament has been published and dedicated, many people are asking if we will translate the Old Testament into Enga as well. The answer is that the Enga translation team has already been working on the Old Testament for a few years now. In fact, the team has already drafted eighteen Old Testament books! In October, the team had the first 25 chapters of Genesis checked by a consultant. The remaining 25 chapters are scheduled to be checked in early 2025.

Checking Genesis 1–25

Promotion and Distribution
In the past, the distribution of New Testament translations in Papua New Guinea was restricted to transporting physical hard copies to remote destinations. However, thanks to technological advances, we are now using a variety of promotional strategies to distribute New Testaments in electronic formats to people we may never meet face to face. Watch the video below to learn about the innovative strategies we are using to promote and distribute the Enga New Testament

Two More Dedications

In August we had the opportunity to hold two more dedication events for the Enga New Testament. The first event took place on August 10 in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Although Port Moresby is nowhere near Enga Province, the capital city is full of Enga speakers. For example, the day before the dedication, I went to a mobile phone store to get a SIM card. I began speaking with the employee only to find out that he was from Enga. When I showed him the Enga Bible app, he said, “Yes, I have that app already on my phone.”

The dedication was hosted on the outskirts of the city by the Christian Apostolic Fellowship (CAF) church. We were grateful to have the SoCal Network Assemblies of God Missions Director, Dan Campbell, with us for the dedication, along with his son Andy, who is my coworker and friend. Soon after we arrived at the dedication event, reporters from National EMTV News arrived and did an interview with me while also getting video footage as we were getting things set up.

Engan pastors from many different denominations came to the event along with many church members. Although it was not a part of the program, the attendees were so moved by the efforts of the Enga translators that they decided to take up an offering to show their appreciation for the translation work. At the conclusion of the dedication ceremony, there was a long line of people waiting to buy copies of the Enga New Testament. Many people bought multiple copies to give to friends and family, and the printed editions ended up being much more popular than the audio editions (presumably because people in Port Moresby have a higher level of literacy).

When I got back to the hotel and turned on EMTV news that night, I was happy to see that they ran a three-minute segment about the Enga New Testament dedication, which you can see here.

Enga pastors at the Port Moresby dedication

Kompiam
Kompiam is a remote government station located in the Kompiam-Ambum district of Enga Province. Due to persistent tribal conflicts in the district, the road going to Kompiam has not been safe to travel. Consequently, we did not include Kompiam in our original list of locations to dedicate the Enga New Testament.

However, we received word that there would be a combined church crusade in Kompiam the last week of August in observance of the National Day of Repentance. I heard a report that the Chairman of the Enga Ministers Fraternal had traveled to Kompiam by car to make arrangements for the church crusade, so I sent him a WhatsApp message to see if the road was clear. He said that on his return, “five gunmen” were waiting at the top of the mountain. Because of his work with the church, they let him through. But he advised me not to travel on the road without a police escort (which can be difficult to arrange).

However, a combined church crusade is an ideal time to do a New Testament dedication because the hard work of organizing the pastors and Christians has already been done. So we arranged to fly directly from Ukarumpa to Kompiam, which has a nice airstrip. Instead of an eleven-hour drive, we had a 50-minute flight to Kompiam in a ten-seater Kodiak airplane. (You can see a video of the airstrip landing here.) Because we flew, we were also able to bring some colleagues with us to participate in the dedication.

After touring the area and the amazing hospital that had been built with help from the Australian Baptist Union, we went into the large tent where they were holding the outdoor crusade. Although I didn’t do an official count, I estimated that there were 300–400 people in attendance, which was remarkable for this remote area.

Pastors dedicating the Enga New Testament in Kompiam

After some preliminary speeches, the Enga pastors held up the Enga New Testament to dedicate it to God. It was a powerful moment to see pastors of various denominations and churches united together. After the dedication ceremony, people rushed forward to buy copies. I was pleasantly surprised at the response and the number of people who came forward to buy, because we had given a free copy of the Enga New Testament to every pastor pictured above. We left the remaining copies at the hospital store for them to sell for us, and then we got in the plane for the return trip home. Praise the Lord!

Dedication Video

A New Testament dedication is the culmination of many years of work in which the translated Word is dedicated to God and presented to the public. Our coworker Susan Frey made a wonderful video of the main Enga New Testament dedication in Wabag, capturing not only the ceremonies of the day but also the history of the project and the future hopes of the translators. Martha and I were both moved by how Susan captured the essence of the Enga New Testament project in one short video, and it is our pleasure to share it with you all. Thank you so much for partnering with us to make the completed Enga New Testament a reality.

Critical Need for Teachers
The Ukarumpa International School (UIS) that Bella and Asher attend has a critical need for teachers during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. The high school needs teachers for English, Social Studies, Math, Religion, Art, Science, and Spanish as well as for electives like Photography. UIS has small class sizes, and the students are well behaved and do their homework. It is an extremely different experience than teaching in the United States. Living in Ukarumpa is like living in a small town or village. There are about 200 other expats here. It is a great place for a teacher who is retired or who no longer wants to teach in the US school system but would still love to teach and make a difference. There is still so much work to be done, and the school is an integral part of making sure that work continues. Please pray for this need and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested in teaching for a year or two to support Bible translation in the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea. Feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to check out the following links for more information. (Please note that Ukarumpa International School is affiliated with TeachBeyond.)

How TeachBeyond Supports Bible translation in Papua New Guinea

Ukarumpa International School videos

Learn More at TeachBeyond

Holding a Miracle in Your Hands

On July 11, I (Adam) received a message from John Johnson, our former senior pastor in America, saying, “This is what it feels like to hold a miracle in your hands!” With the message was a picture of him holding the Enga New Testament. I can think of no better way to summarize the completion and dedication of the Enga New Testament.

It was Pastor John who had encouraged Martha and me to stay the course when Martha suffered a completely unexpected heart attack just months after we made the decision to join Wycliffe Bible Translators. And just six months later, the miracle began as Martha’s heart improved dramatically.
The miracle continued as we settled in the village of Imi among the Dyuapini tribe, notorious for their history of tribal fighting. Other Engans were afraid to go to Imi, and many Engans advised us not to live among the Dyuapini, but as long as we have lived in Imi, the Dyuapini people have lived in peace, even while so much of Enga is at war.

The Enga translators themselves have faced enormous challenges. Frank’s village was attacked, and many of the houses were burned to the ground as Frank and his family fled to the hills. William has been confined to his home for many months because hired hitmen from the enemy tribe are roaming around Wabag town. Martin lost most of his eyesight three years ago but still faithfully plugs away at the translation work each day with the help of his daughter. Reuben’s home was burned to the ground by an enemy tribe, while Maniosa has dealt with persecution from church leaders for seeking needed reforms in his denomination. But in God’s grace, each of them has persevered.

The miracle of the Enga New Testament is now in the hands of thousands of Enga people despite the best efforts of the enemy to stop us every step of the way. We can now attest through experience that “Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world.”

Enga people holding the miracle of the Enga New Testament in their hands

Dedications and Distributions
The first dedication event took place in Wabag town on July 2 and was attended by more than four hundred people. We had been hoping for a larger turnout, but ongoing fights in three areas may have hindered people from coming. Furthermore, organizing nearly a dozen denominations to come together for a dedication turned out to be a bit like herding cats. But one prominent visitor, who we were not expecting, did come—the governor of Enga Province. He gave a great speech, encouraging the people of Enga to read the newly translated Enga New Testament. We also had fifty visitors from Ukarumpa and two visitors from overseas, who were all a great help and blessing to us. One of the overseas visitors was David Addington, the founder and director of Unabridged Truth. He came with a traditional Hebrew scroll, which he displayed at the various dedication events as he talked about the reliability of Scripture. We also had a number of people who wore traditional Enga dress in celebration of the momentous occasion.

After the main dedication in Wabag, we had a number of other mini dedication and distribution events throughout Enga Province, both in churches and in public market areas. We also showed the Enga Luke Film in the public market area of Imi village on the nights of July 7 and July 9 to a crowd of about seventy-five people.

Receiving the Enga New Testament with joy

Everywhere we went, I shared my testimony in Enga, demonstrating what it looks like to repent of your sins, ask God for forgiveness, and put your faith in Christ. The sheer joy in people’s faces when they heard a foreigner like me speak their language was sufficient evidence in and of itself that it is worthwhile to translate the Bible into Enga. At an Assemblies of God ministers’ gathering in Wabag town, I read a couple of passages from the Enga New Testament, and the pastors began cheering and applauding as I read.
At each stop we gave people a chance to purchase the Enga New Testament at a much reduced price. The most popular format was the solar-powered audio player followed by the Enga-English New Testament. But we sold a number of Enga-only New Testaments and Enga Bible memory cards as well.

It impossible to do justice to our time in Enga in a short newsletter, so I invite you to watch this slideshow of pictures from the various events. In the coming weeks we will also release a full video. Stay tuned!

Critical Need for Teachers
The Ukarumpa International School (UIS) that Bella and Asher attend has a critical need for teachers during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. The high school needs teachers for English, Social Studies, Math, Religion, Art, Science, and Spanish as well as for electives like Photography. UIS has small class sizes, and the students are well behaved and do their homework. It is an extremely different experience than teaching in the United States. Living in Ukarumpa is like living in a small town or village. There are about 200 other expats here. It is a great place for a teacher who is retired or who no longer wants to teach in the US school system but would still love to teach and make a difference. There is still so much work to be done, and the school is an integral part of making sure that work continues. Please pray for this need and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested in teaching for a year or two to support Bible translation in the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea. Feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to check out the following links for more information. (Please note that Ukarumpa International School is affiliated with TeachBeyond.)

How TeachBeyond Supports Bible translation in Papua New Guinea

Ukarumpa International School videos

Learn More at TeachBeyond

NT Dedication Tomorrow

After ten years of translating, a year of recording and typesetting, and many months of planning, the Enga New Testament dedication will take place tomorrow (July 2) in Wabag town. This is the first of at least six dedication events, and it is the main dedication for the people of Enga. In the last two weeks, I along with four Enga pastors (two of whom are translators) have been traveling throughout the Wabag district of Enga Province to raise awareness and invite people to the dedication. Meanwhile, representatives have gone out into the other districts of Enga Province to raise awareness about the regional dedications coming up in their respective areas. We have visited approximately 75 churches, made public proclamations in town, and passed out two thousand flyers advertising the events. I am proud of the Enga translators and pastors for doing their due diligence to get the word out about the dedication events. This is no small task for a language group of 370,000 people spread across an entire province.

Pastor Jonathan Lapan raising awareness in Irelya

A Significant Moment
In the course of raising awareness for the Enga New Testament dedication, we drove to the summit of a mountain range near Wabag town, ascending to an altitude of 8,600 feet. We then drove across the ridge and down the other side of the mountain, stopping at each village along the way to tell people about the upcoming Enga New Testament dedication. As we stopped in the village of Tole, I was suddenly overcome by the incredible significance of me being there together with Pastor Timothy Pesone, the Enga Bible translation committee chairman, who was traveling with us to raise awareness. Pastor Timothy is from the village of Tole, an important place in the history of Enga. As I stood there with him, I knew that I needed to get a picture of us standing there together to capture the significance of what was happening.

Standing together with Pastor Timothy in Tole village

You see, almost ninety years ago to the day, Australian gold prospectors Mick and Dan Leahy set up camp in the village of Tole in Enga Province. It was the first time foreigners had ever entered the heart of Enga territory. That evening, an Engan man named Pingita rushed toward the camp, attacking with a spear. After Pingita released his spear, Mick Leahy shot him dead, sparking an onslaught in which additional Engan men were killed and injured. It was an inauspicious start to the relationship between Engans and foreigners.

Pastor Timothy, the man I am standing with in the picture above, is Pingita's grandson. The place where the two of us are standing is the very place where Timothy's grandfather Pingita attacked the Leahy camp and was shot and killed. But as Pastor Timothy and I stood there together, there was no hostility between men of different cultures. Rather, we were there together spreading the news about the upcoming dedication of the Enga New Testament. What an amazing turn of events, which can only be attributed to the restorative power of our Lord Jesus Christ! Praise God that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, and there is neither Engan nor foreigner, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

They Leahy camp in Tole in 1934, hours before Pingita's attack

Repaired Bridge
Last month I asked you to pray for the collapsed bridge that blocked the delivery of the Enga New Testaments. I'm happy to say that within hours of sending out that request, the bridge was repaired. Just a couple days later, the Enga New Testaments were delivered. Thank you for your prayers! The Enga New Testaments are now where they need to be for the dedication tomorrow. Below is a picture of the bridge as we crossed it on our way to Enga last month. (If you would like to watch a short video of our road trip to Enga and experience what it is like to travel along the Highlands Highway, please click here.)

Crossing over the repaired bridge on our way to Enga

Critical Need for Teachers
The Ukarumpa International School (UIS) that Bella and Asher attend has a critical need for teachers during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. The high school needs teachers for English, Social Studies, Math, Religion, Art, Science, and Spanish as well as for electives like Photography. UIS has small class sizes, and the students are well behaved and do their homework. It is an extremely different experience than teaching in the United States. Living in Ukarumpa is like living in a small town or village. There are about 200 other expats here. It is a great place for a teacher who is retired or who no longer wants to teach in the US school system but would still love to teach and make a difference. There is still so much work to be done, and the school is an integral part of making sure that work continues. Please pray for this need and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested in teaching for a year or two to support Bible translation in the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea. Feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to check out the following links for more information. (Please note that Ukarumpa International School is affiliated with TeachBeyond.)

How TeachBeyond Supports Bible translation in Papua New Guinea

Ukarumpa International School videos

Learn More at TeachBeyond

Landslide and Bridge Collapse

Early in the morning on Friday, May 24, a major landslide covered a large area near Mulitaka in Enga Province. We were about 250 miles away in Ukarumpa when the landslide took place. Our home in Enga Province is about forty miles east of the landslide site, and so it was not affected. None of the Enga translators live near the landslide area, and so they were not affected either. I (Adam) had visited the landslide area only once before, back in November 2017, when we showed the Enga Jesus Film at Mulitaka.

We are very saddened by the news of many lives being lost, but we know little more than what is being reported by international news agencies. The two people I know in the immediate area were thankfully not in the path of the landslide, but they did lose many relatives. Please join with us in praying for those who have lost loved ones and been displaced by the landslide. Please also pray for guidance and direction as we have been planning an event to distribute the Enga New Testament near the landslide area on July 11. At this point, we don't know if that event will still happen. I know that some of you may have a desire to help the people affected by the landslide, but we are still trying to determine what Christian aid organizations are on the ground. Consequently, at this time we are not able to accept donations toward the landslide relief efforts.

Landslide near Mulitaka, Enga Province

Bridge Collapse
On Monday, May 27, we arranged to have a truck pick up 2,560 Enga New Testaments, 2,304 Enga-English New Testaments, and 1,440 Enga New Testament Audio Players, and transport them to Enga Province in preparation for the first dedication on July 2. The truck picked up everything with no problems and made its way to Enga Province. When the truck was about two hours from its final destination, I received a call from the driver informing me that a bridge had collapsed, making it impossible to complete the delivery at this time. We made the decision to have the driver backtrack to Mt. Hagen (which is about 50 miles east of the delivery destination in Enga Province) and store the container in a safe facility while we wait for the bridge to be repaired. (The collapse of the bridge was unrelated to the landslide.) Supplies and equipment to aid in the relief effort for the landslide also have to pass over this bridge. Thankfully, repairs to the bridge have already begun. Please pray for the repairs to be completed quickly so that the Enga New Testaments can be delivered and relief efforts to the landslide area can be expedited.

The collapsed bridge and ongoing repairs

We recognize that as we get closer to the dedication of the Enga New Testament, we need to put on the full armor of God, because the enemy is actively seeking to discourage us and disrupt what God is doing. But we know that God will prevail, especially as you join with us in praying that nothing the enemy throws our way will succeed in preventing the distribution of the Enga New Testament. Thank you for your continued partnership, and especially for your prayers.

Critical Need for Teachers
The Ukarumpa International School (UIS) that Bella and Asher attend has a critical need for teachers during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. The high school needs teachers for English, Social Studies, Math, Religion, Art, Science, and Spanish as well as for electives like Photography. UIS has small class sizes, and the students are well behaved and do their homework. It is an extremely different experience than teaching in the United States. Living in Ukarumpa is like living in a small town or village. There are about 200 other expats here. It is a great place for a teacher who is retired or who no longer wants to teach in the US school system but would still love to teach and make a difference. There is still so much work to be done, and the school is an integral part of making sure that work continues. Please pray for this need and share this information with anyone you know who might be interested in teaching for a year or two to support Bible translation in the beautiful country of Papua New Guinea. Please feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to check out the following links for more information. (Please note that Ukarumpa International School is affiliated with TeachBeyond.)

How TeachBeyond Supports Bible translation in Papua New Guinea

Ukarumpa International School videos

Learn More at TeachBeyond