On December 20, I received an email from one of my Engan co-translators, Nete Talian. He told me that during the Christmas break, when the translators have some time off to be with their families, he had been conducting evangelistic meetings in the village of Immi among the Dyuapini tribe. These meetings were being held in the market area just in front of our village house. Nete told me that he was conducting these meetings preaching in the Enga language and reading the Bible to the people from our Enga translation. Not only that, but he had been showing films including the Enga Jesus Film, a film against tribal fighting, and another promoting Aids awareness. He also played the Enga public service announcement that we wrote condemning the practice of falsely accusing women of sorcery and then torturing them.
As a result of these evangelistic meetings, as well as prior efforts to share the gospel with the people in Immi, fifty-four members of the Dyuapini tribe, the tribe we live among, received baptism in the week before Christmas. Leading the way was a man named Manus, who is a leader among the Dyuapini tribe. (Manus is the one wearing a blue suit in the picture below.) Knowing that Manus is a leader, I have prayed for him to become a Christian, and so I was delighted to see him leading the way among those who were baptized. Praise the Lord that fifty-four people have made a public demonstration of their faith in Christ and have been cleansed and forgiven of their sins!
The goal of our translation work is to make the Scriptures available to the Enga people so that they themselves can do the work of the ministry, and that is exactly what happened this past month in Immi. Please pray for these believers that they will be strong in their newfound faith. Pray for my coworker Nete as he tirelessly works to share the gospel. And pray especially for Manus that he will be a capable and blameless leader in the church and that others will follow his lead.
Translation Progress
We are moving ever closer to our goal of completing the New Testament. During our furlough, I have continued to chip away at the work of checking the last books of the New Testament. Since our return in July, I have completed my advisor check of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians, which brought to completion my advisor checks for the New Testament. I have also completed the back-translation into English of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and the first five chapters of 2 Corinthians. Please pray for endurance as I hope to complete the back-translations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians over the coming months. That will bring to completion the process of doing back-translations. Then we will be prepared to do the consultant check of Romans through 2 Thessalonians, which is the last major hurdle before completing the New Testament.
We are applying along with two other language groups to receive funding to finish the New Testament. This will allow us to fly in consultants for the consultant checks as there are currently very few consultants in Papua New Guinea. It may also provide funding for literacy and Scripture use projects, so please pray that we will indeed receive this additional funding.
Back in California
On December 22, after a three-week cross-country trip, we arrived in Alhambra, California, where we are staying in a two-bedroom apartment that is part of Atherton Baptist Homes. This apartment is made available to us as missionaries already furnished and at a reduced rent, so we praise the Lord for his provision, and we thank all of you who prayed that God would provide housing for us in California. We will be here in California until the end of June 2020, at which point we plan to return to Papua New Guinea for a three-year term. We would love to see our friends in California while we are here, so don’t be shy in reaching out and contacting us. Please keep us in your prayers as we transition to life in California. Even though we have lived here before, we are in a new place, and California does not feel like home to our kids. We also miss our home and our friends in Papua New Guinea and the feeling of being settled rather than living in a temporary housing situation.
As a result of these evangelistic meetings, as well as prior efforts to share the gospel with the people in Immi, fifty-four members of the Dyuapini tribe, the tribe we live among, received baptism in the week before Christmas. Leading the way was a man named Manus, who is a leader among the Dyuapini tribe. (Manus is the one wearing a blue suit in the picture below.) Knowing that Manus is a leader, I have prayed for him to become a Christian, and so I was delighted to see him leading the way among those who were baptized. Praise the Lord that fifty-four people have made a public demonstration of their faith in Christ and have been cleansed and forgiven of their sins!
The goal of our translation work is to make the Scriptures available to the Enga people so that they themselves can do the work of the ministry, and that is exactly what happened this past month in Immi. Please pray for these believers that they will be strong in their newfound faith. Pray for my coworker Nete as he tirelessly works to share the gospel. And pray especially for Manus that he will be a capable and blameless leader in the church and that others will follow his lead.
 |
| 54 members of the Dyuapini tribe preparing for baptism |
We are moving ever closer to our goal of completing the New Testament. During our furlough, I have continued to chip away at the work of checking the last books of the New Testament. Since our return in July, I have completed my advisor check of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians, which brought to completion my advisor checks for the New Testament. I have also completed the back-translation into English of Romans, 1 Corinthians, and the first five chapters of 2 Corinthians. Please pray for endurance as I hope to complete the back-translations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians over the coming months. That will bring to completion the process of doing back-translations. Then we will be prepared to do the consultant check of Romans through 2 Thessalonians, which is the last major hurdle before completing the New Testament.
We are applying along with two other language groups to receive funding to finish the New Testament. This will allow us to fly in consultants for the consultant checks as there are currently very few consultants in Papua New Guinea. It may also provide funding for literacy and Scripture use projects, so please pray that we will indeed receive this additional funding.
 |
| Nothing says California like In-N-Out |
On December 22, after a three-week cross-country trip, we arrived in Alhambra, California, where we are staying in a two-bedroom apartment that is part of Atherton Baptist Homes. This apartment is made available to us as missionaries already furnished and at a reduced rent, so we praise the Lord for his provision, and we thank all of you who prayed that God would provide housing for us in California. We will be here in California until the end of June 2020, at which point we plan to return to Papua New Guinea for a three-year term. We would love to see our friends in California while we are here, so don’t be shy in reaching out and contacting us. Please keep us in your prayers as we transition to life in California. Even though we have lived here before, we are in a new place, and California does not feel like home to our kids. We also miss our home and our friends in Papua New Guinea and the feeling of being settled rather than living in a temporary housing situation.
