Tuesday, December 31, 2024

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.

Sunday, December 1, 2024

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