2024 Year in Review

A year ago, we sent out a newsletter with a list of prayer requests for 2024. We want to thank you for faithfully praying over these requests. Your prayers were felt, and I know they made a difference. Here is a brief update on our last year along with new prayer requests for 2025. We cannot do this work without you. Thank you for your prayers.

Jacob
It has almost been a year since we left Jacob at the airport curb on a dark, cold January morning. We left a letter for him that told him we had an army praying for him, and I believe an army truly has been praying for him. We are so thankful for how well he is doing and the growth we have seen in him over the last year. It is no easy thing to be an 18-year-old kid and have to say goodbye to your parents and siblings for 18 months.

After we left for PNG, Jacob spent five months in Costa Rica and had a successful experience serving with Push the Rock as an intern. He learned a lot of Spanish and developed strong relationships with his co-workers and host family and also enjoyed teaching and playing with the kids each day. In July he returned to the U.S. to live with his grandmother and went through another major transition as he started community college and began adjusting to life in the U.S. Jacob's first week of school brought on some anxiety, but after a few more weeks, he began to settle in and ended up doing really well in his classes. He has decided to continue community college and later transfer to a four-year school. He continues to work at Ace Hardware and play basketball at the local YMCA. We are incredibly proud of him.

Now that Jacob's schedule has changed, he has the opportunity to attend a local college group at a church. Please pray that he would develop strong friendships and connect with a community of faith around him. Pray that he would continue to do well in his courses and that he would love learning. Pray that God would give him clear direction for what kind of degree to pursue.

Jacob serving with Push the Rock in Costa Rica

Bella
Bella is in the middle of her senior year. She hit the ground running when she returned a year ago and has participated in sports, band, choir, theater, leading worship, work experience as a teacher’s helper, AP classes, and her latest event, hosting a couple of square-dancing nights. Bella has been accepted to several colleges and is now waiting for the financial aid packages to make her decision. Please pray that God will guide her decision and provide the financial aid she needs. Her first choice is Taylor University in Indiana, but she is praying that God will make it clear. Pray also for Bella to transition well to the U.S. Leaving Papua New Guinea and her friends will be extremely difficult. This is her home, and she has thrived here.

One of Bella's senior photos

Asher
Soon after returning to PNG last year, Asher began basketball season and made the A-team (varsity). This was a big deal since he was only in eighth grade. We are once again heading into basketball season, and Asher is very much looking forward to it. Pray that this season will be one in which he can grow in his skills, display humility, and build strong relationships with his teammates. Asher also started his first year of high school, and though math continues to be a struggle, he has done quite well. Pray that he would continue to adjust to high-school-level academics and strive to do his best.

Asher making a layup at a basketball tournament

Pray that all three of our children would seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Pray that they would seek to please God and not man, that they would not be influenced by this world but would be obedient followers of Christ. Pray that they would build relationships with people who spur them on to greater faith.

Adam
After working for twelve years straight to bring the translation of the Enga New Testament to fruition, Adam is now supporting the Enga translation team as they work more independently on the Old Testament. At the same time, Adam has taken on the role of Finance Office Manager. So many people have supported our translation work behind the scenes in so many ways! It only seems right for Adam to focus more of his time and energy in giving back to the Bible translation community by serving our organization in a way that supports other translation teams. Adam took over the Finance Office Manager role in the midst of a major transition in financial software when it became apparent that the person who was supposed to be coming to serve as Chief of Finance would be delayed indefinitely. Please pray for him as he tackles this big job that has a huge learning curve.

Adam being congratulated by the governor of Enga Province

Martha
I returned to teaching in July, and I am currently teaching sixth, seventh, and eighth grade English. It has been a lot to juggle, but I love the students here. Ukarumpa is an amazing place to teach. The class sizes are small, and the students are attentive and eager to learn. What I love most is that I get to openly share about my faith. Pray that I will be intentional in pointing my students to Jesus. Last year, I asked for prayer for being able to sleep at night. Though there are still nights when I wake up, they are much fewer, and I am most often able to fall back to sleep. I am learning to pray instead of worry, and that has helped tremendously. It also helps to have my Kindle next to my bed so that I can read instead of just lying there letting my brain go to places it shouldn’t go.

Martha serving as a community group leader for her former students

The Enga Bible Translation Project
We thank God that this year we were able to dedicate the New Testament and begin distribution. The bulk of our newsletters this year share the stories, so we won’t repeat them. We are very thankful for all that God has done, and we trust that God will continue to work in the lives of the Enga people. Please continue to pray that there would be an end to tribal fighting in Enga. Pray that the message of forgiveness and loving your enemies will be preached, believed, and lived out in their lives. Pray that the Holy Spirit will do a mighty work Enga Province and that the leaders will seek to be Christlike, choosing to honor peace and humility over power, wealth, and vengeance. Pray also that the Enga New Testament will be read and used, especially by church leaders. Pray that the fourteen Engans who attended a recent literacy course would use what they learned to teach others how to read in Enga and develop reading fluency.

The Enga translators continue to work on translating the Old Testament. We are excited that they are experienced enough to be working independently. Pray that God would grant them wisdom and stamina as they work. Pray also for protection over them and their families.

Two Enga men participating in the Enga Literacy course

Ukarumpa and Bible Translation in PNG
2024 has been a remarkable year for Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea. The Enga New Testament was only one of ten New Testaments that were dedicated this year. Though this is exciting, there are still roughly 200 more languages in need of Scripture in their own language. Some languages have people who have requested help and have been waiting for many years for someone to come.

The missionary center where we live, called Ukarumpa, plays a huge role in helping to produce Scripture in the local languages. In addition to housing missionaries and many Papua New Guinean employees, there is a large training center where Papua New Guineans take courses in translation, Greek, Hebrew, Literacy, Bible background, and more. In addition to translation, there are Scripture Use courses that are held all around the country. The planning, training, and development of the courses all happen here in Ukarumpa. There is a clinic here that serves Papua New Guineans as well as missionaries. There is a store, a recording studio, an auto shop, a print shop, a construction and maintenance center, all of which are needed by the missionaries who serve in translation, literacy, and Scripture Use. Maintaining this center is crucial to continuing the work of Bible translation.

Right now the center is at a critical stage. We have written about our serious need for teachers and administrators for the school, but we also need construction and maintenance people, aviation mechanics, finance, human resources, and IT people. Please pray that more people would have a heart for Bible translation and Scripture Use in the country of Papua New Guinea and that they would be willing to come and serve. If you are interested in serving in PNG or you know someone who might be, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to talk with you about serving in Bible translation in Papua New Guinea.

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

Enga New Testaments Are Here

This month we received the 5,000 printed Enga New Testaments we have been waiting for. Combined with the 5,000 Enga-English New Testaments we received last month, we now have all 10,000 printed New Testaments that we ordered. In addition to that, the Enga New Testament MegaVoice players are also now completed. The MegaVoice players are solar-powered audio players that contain the Enga New Testament. These are especially popular among Enga speakers who have never learned to read or write. The next challenge is figuring out how to get these materials to Enga prior to the dedication on July 2. We plan on shipping a large percentage of the printed New Testaments by truck over the Highlands Highway, and we are hoping to transport the audio players by plane to ensure that they arrive safely and without getting damaged. Please pray for these logistics.

Enga New Testaments

I (Adam) have continued to run Facebook ads promoting the Enga Bible app. As of today, we have 959 active installations of the Enga Bible app, and an additional 125 active users of the Enga New Testament through the YouVersion Bible app. This means that over one thousand people are already accessing the Enga New Testament electronically before the official release of the printed edition!

As people access the Enga New Testament electronically, they are giving us very encouraging feedback. Below are some of the things Enga people are saying.

"I enjoy reading the Bible translated into my own language every day. Thank you, team, for making this successful."

"God greatly blessed those who were involved in this project of converting a foreign language into our mother tongue. It is an overwhelming achievement in the history of our churches and the Enga community as a whole."

"We read the story of Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand in English and Enga, and it was awesome."

"When comparing English to Enga side by side I can confirm that it has been done word for word. The message in our language is loud and clear, and the meaning is just as good as the English version itself."

"This is more than great ... Perfect!"

It is exciting to see that the translation is being well received among the Enga community. Please pray for all the logistics as we prepare for the main dedication on July 2 and the mini dedications to follow in the first week of July. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

So Much News!

A lot of exciting things have happened since our last newsletter! In February I (Adam) took a two-week course on developing a website for a local language. At the end of the course we launched the Enga Bible website (engabible.org). The website is presented in Enga and English. (The default language is Enga, so click the dropdown menu on the upper right if you want to view the site in English.) The website hosts all of the content we have created related to the Enga New Testament, including audio and video resources.

In the process of building this new website, I learned that the Lumo Project had used our audio recording of the book of Luke to create a Luke Gospel video. The film combines breathtaking live action footage with our audio recording of Luke to create a captivating presentation of the gospel. It is a visual translation, so to speak, designed to deeply engage people with Scripture. I also discovered slide show videos that use our audio recording to share short portions of Scripture with color illustrations and photographs. It is amazing what happens once you have an audio recording of the New Testament!

The Enga Bible website

We have also created an Enga Bible app that includes the text and audio of the Enga New Testament. A great feature of this app is that it highlights the text sentence-by-sentence as the audio recording plays. This really helps people practice reading in the Enga language. This app is available on the Google Play Store. A similar app called Scripture Earth makes the Enga New Testament available for iPhone users. And both Android and iPhone users can access the text and audio of the Enga New Testament with the YouVersion Bible app. It also highlights the text as the audio recording plays.

Using the information I have collected over the years, I have also created an Enga Dictionary app. This app is available on the Google Play Store and has proven to be very popular.

After we launched engabible.org, I began paying for advertisements to promote it on Facebook. The first ad I ran (which cost $30) generated over 10,000 visits to the site in seven days. This ad was written in English and targeted people living in Enga as well as people living in the larger towns of Lae and Port Moresby (where many Enga speakers live). This ad simply directed people to the website. I then ran a more targeted ad, focusing only on people in Enga Province. This ad played a short video demonstrating how the Enga Bible app highlights the text of the Enga translation while the audio recording plays. Although this ad has generated fewer visits to the website (just over 2,000), it has resulted in many more downloads of the Enga Bible app. The most recent statistics I have show that over five hundred people have now installed the Enga Bible app on their phones, and the number continues to rise each day. Years ago, when we first decided to come to Papua New Guinea, I never imagined that we would be promoting an Enga Bible app or that hundreds of people would be installing it. So much has changed in the last twelve years, and technology is making it easier to distribute translations of the Bible.

The delivery of the Enga-English New Testaments

In the midst of all this excitement, we received news that the 5,000 copies of the Enga-English New Testament had arrived. Our neighbor, who oversees the men who pick up shipments from the port town of Lae, was the first to let me know. When I saw just how many boxes there were in the shipment, my first thought was: “How are we going to transport all of these up to Enga?” I didn’t realize just how many boxes it would take to ship 5,000 copies of the New Testament. Our initial plans were to transport them by plane, but now it looks like we may need to hire a trucking company to help us out. We also received news that the regular Enga New Testaments would be shipping at the end of March. That will be 5,000 more copies that we need to figure out how to ship. But figuring out how to get New Testaments to Enga is a good problem to have! Meanwhile the Enga translators are working with church leaders to plan the Enga New Testament dedication. The most recent meeting was attended by 18 church leaders, representing 10 different denominations. We are thankful that the Enga New Testament is a cause for unity among the Enga churches. Please keep us and them in your prayers during this exciting time as we ramp up for the dedication on July 2.

Come teach in Papua New Guinea!

Critical Need
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

First Printed Copies Are Here!

On Friday, February 23, we received a DHL Express package from South Korea that contained the first five copies of the Enga-English New Testament! Because Martha and Asher were out of town for an eighth grade field trip, I didn't open the package or share the news until Sunday. After breakfast on Sunday morning, I told the family that I had something special I wanted to show them. I had them gather in our dining room area, telling Martha to film a Marco Polo video message for Jacob and telling Bella to film a regular video with my phone. Martha, Bella, and Asher were all confused, but they did what I asked. I then went into the bedroom and brought out the box. As soon as I announced what it was, Martha was overwhelmed with emotion and tears started streaming down her face. The fact that we were about to hold in our hands what we had spent the last fourteen years working so hard for was a deeply moving experience that touched us at the core of who we are.

The Enga-English New Testament

As I reached into the box to pull out the first copy, I was deeply aware of the promise I had made to my grandmother in 2010. She was the first person to support us, making a generous donation of $1,000, and I promised her that I would dedicate the first New Testament to her. As I held the New Testament in my hand, I declared that it was dedicated to her memory. (She had died in 2016 at the age of 100.)

Feeling the cover of the New Testament in my hand, I was impressed by the quality of the material. The imprinted title and Celtic cross stood out beautifully, and the cover felt sturdy. The sewn binding allowed the New Testament to lie flat as I placed in on the table, and we began examining the print, illustrations, and color photographs.

The spine and gilded pages with rounded corners

After showing the New Testament to Martha, Bella, and Asher, I explained the significance of the colors we had chosen. Because the Enga flag includes the colors green, yellow, white, and black, we wanted the New Testament to have the same colors. Thus we chose a green cover with a gold (yellow) imprint, gilded pages, black braided bookmarks, and of course white paper for the interior pages. The New Testament also includes a custom illustration to go along with Romans 11:17-21. The original illustration is the printer's emblem used by Robert Stephanus, who produced a beautiful edition of the Greek New Testament in 1550 known as the Royal Edition because of the highly skilled typesetting involved in its production. The emblem shows an olive tree with branches grafted in and other branches being broken off by the spoken word of God. While the original emblem reads noli altum sapere, which is Latin for "do not be high minded," I erased this text and changed it to read Kamongo paka kaeyalapape, which is Enga for "fear the Lord," a quotation from Romans 11:20. 

The illustration accompanying Romans 11:17-21

Soon after unboxing the first New Testament, I told Martha and the kids that the last illustration of the book had a very special meaning for me. Last July we found out that Benjamin Leo, the owner of the land where we had built our house in Enga, had been killed by enemy mercenaries who had set up a road block along the Highlands Highway, some distance from our village. In the wake of my father's death, Martha's father's death, and the death of my uncle, it was hard to take this news. At that time we were in the midst of finalizing the typesetting for the Enga-English New Testament. So I decided to add the illustration below as the last page of the book. It is Jesus with his arms opened wide, and the Scripture quotation is from Matthew 11:28, which says, "Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." This illustration is how I picture Jesus receiving Benjamin into his eternal kingdom, where I believe that Benjamin is now at rest from the trials and tribulations of this world. It is a promise for all of us who put our faith in Christ, and I look forward to one day entering Jesus' outstretched arms and remaining in his presence forever.

 We praise God that we now have the first copies of the Enga-English New Testament in hand, and we look forward to receiving the Enga-only New Testament, which should not be too far behind. Thank you for your prayers and partnership, without which we could never celebrate this day. We are thankful for you all.

Click here if you would like to watch a three-minute video of the unboxing of the Enga-English New Testament.

Update on Jacob
In the midst of the emotion of receiving the first printed copies of the Enga-English New Testament, we also received word from Jacob that he had arrived safely in Costa Rica. He is living with a family in the district of Escazú, canton (which is like a county) of Escazú, province of San José. He is about 15 minutes by bus from downtown San José, which is the capital of Costa Rica. The family he is staying with does not speak any English, so Jacob will have great opportunities to learn Spanish. Please keep him in your prayers as he adjusts to a new country and culture and learns more about his role with Push the Rock doing sports-related ministry.

Dedication Date: July 1

The dedication date for the Enga New Testament has been scheduled for July 1. Actually, the plan is to have a large dedication in Wabag town on July 1, followed by six mini-dedications in the various regions of Enga Province from July 2 to July 7. Please pray for the planning and logistics of these exciting, upcoming events.

In our December newsletter, we asked you to pray for the printing of the Enga New Testament. I am happy to report that we received the signature copies of the Enga New Testament and the Enga-English New Testament in December. A signature copy is not a copy that has a person's signature on it. Rather it is the interior pages of the book without the cover. This is the final check before the binding process is completed. We gave our approval for these signature copies in early January, and just yesterday I received word that the Enga-English New Testament is finished. It is awaiting shipment and is scheduled to arrive in the port city of Lae on March 2. The Enga New Testament should not be too far behind. Praise the Lord, and please continue praying for the timely arrival of both editions.

A look inside the signature copies

Jacob
On January 30, Jacob flew to Emmaus, Pennsylvania, to begin his internship with Push the Rock, a sports ministry. He is scheduled to fly to Costa Rica on February 24 to begin the overseas portion of his internship. Please pray for him as he goes through this time of transition.