Pray for Martha's Visa

We recently discovered that Martha will have to reapply for her visa. We had originally hoped that we would be returning to PNG this summer, but when Adam’s mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, we felt it best to extend our time in the States until January. At that time, Asher will have completed a full semester of his junior year and will be able to transfer to his high school in PNG without losing any credits. However, a couple of weeks ago, we were informed that, although Martha's visa had been approved for a three-year period, she had to enter PNG within six months of her visa being approved (which would be October 7). So we have to reapply. Thankfully, we still have time to get her visa approved before our departure on January 4. But please pray that there will be no delays.

Pray for Our Kids
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of back-to-school activity. Jacob moved to downtown Pittsburgh to begin attending the University of Pittsburgh. We moved him into a house with nine other guys who serve with the Chi Alpha ministry on campus. Chi Alpha created their own welcome week activities, and it was an intense time of meeting new people while playing games, eating meals, attending sports events, and participating in his athletic training orientation. The week ended with a great worship night. Jacob began classes last week and is settling into a new routine. Asher also started school last week, and we have returned to the world of packing lunches and checking homework. One exciting thing for Asher (and us) is that he is now driving himself to and from school. What a difference a year makes! Bella is also back at school. We dropped her off at Taylor University this past weekend. It was a joy having her around for a couple of weeks. This was a hard goodbye since we will not be seeing her again until Thanksgiving. Please pray for the kids to have a great academic semester, but most importantly, pray that their faith will grow and that they will choose to walk closely with God.

Jacob with the Pitt Panther

Dropping Bella off at Taylor University

Asher's first day of school

Pray for Rain
PNG has been going through a severe drought for the past several months. As a result, people are not able to grow the food they need in their gardens. Please pray for rain so that people will have enough to eat.

We know that God is in control and that we can cast our cares upon him. So, we humbly ask you to join with us in prayer for these requests. Thank you so much for your prayers and for your faithful partnership in the work of Bible translation!

Exodus Is Done

I often joke with Martha that whatever book of the Bible I am currently working on is the hardest book of the Bible to translate. This was especially true for the book of Exodus. The first 20 chapters weren't so bad, but the last 20 chapters were incredibly challenging, especially the laws of Moses and the detailed instructions about the tabernacle. It had me pulling my hair out, and at my age I don't have that much hair left to pull! Most English speakers struggle to read and understand the second half of Exodus even when reading from a good English translation. Nevertheless, the Enga translation team did an outstanding job on the book of Exodus, including the difficult chapters. As I checked their work, I was consistently impressed by how well they handled difficult passages. Of course, I made many suggestions for improvements along the way—that's my job—but it is exciting to see the team that I have worked with for thirteen years exhibit so much growth in their translation abilities. 

Consultant John Miller checking Exodus with the Enga team

After completing my own check of the book of Exodus, I arranged to have a consultant named John Miller do the required final check with the Enga team. In the weeks leading up to the check, John asked me hundreds of questions about the translation. Once we had ironed out all that we could, John met with the Enga team face-to-face to check the book verse-by-verse. John found that the translation was very well done, and the changes we needed to make were minimal. Praise the Lord that another book of the Bible is complete, one that tells the dramatic story of God rescuing his people from slavery, just as he continues to rescue each of one of us from slavery to sin as we repent and cry out to him for his mercy and forgiveness.

Prayer Requests
As I mentioned in our last newsletter, we have bought our tickets to return to Papua New Guinea in January. I wish we could go sooner, but it would be difficult to move in the middle of Asher's school semester. (School in PNG has already started for this academic year.) Please pray that the final preparations for our return would go well and that God would provide all the financial support we will need to sustain us during our next term on the field. Please also continue to pray for my mother Heather's health. She has made remarkable improvements after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in March. Pray that she will continue to improve. Pray also for Jacob as he starts his fall semester at the University of Pittsburgh. Entering Pitt's accelerated master's program in Athletic Training is a dream come true for him, one that he has worked incredibly hard to achieve. Please also pray for the Enga people. There is a severe drought right now, and people's gardens aren't producing enough food. Thank you so much for your prayers! We appreciate your partnership in the work of translating the Bible into the Enga language!

We Bought Our Tickets!

We have bought our tickets to return to Papua New Guinea! This is truly an answer to prayer. Just six weeks ago, Martha and I were going on our evening walk around the neighborhood, discussing whether or not we should give up on the possibility of returning to Papua New Guinea. My mother, who was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a bone marrow cancer) in March, had just spent a week in the hospital and could barely walk, even with a walker, and she could only go upstairs and downstairs with someone by her side. Since one of my sisters lives in Seattle and the other in Vermont, my mother has no family close by to help her. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers” (NLT). So Martha and I were nearly ready to give up on the possibility of returning to PNG, because it was looking like we would need to stay in Pennsylvania to take care of her.

Since that time, however, my mother has made remarkable improvement. The treatments she is receiving for Multiple Myeloma are proving to be very effective. She is now walking on her own without a walker or even a cane. She is driving herself to social events, and this past weekend she was outside for a number of hours working in her garden. This is all an answer to prayer.

So we have purchased our tickets to return to Papua New Guinea on January 4. Months ago we had initially been hoping to return this month (July). But when my mother got sick, everything was put on hold. Now it is not feasible for us to switch gears and return in just a few short weeks. (Asher's school in PNG would have started on July 21.) We don't want to pull Asher out of school mid-semester this fall, and we also want to confirm that my mother continues getting better in the coming months. So I will continue working from home until January 4, and then we will return to Papua New Guinea. Praise the Lord for answered prayer!

Longing for our home in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea

Lessons Learned
When I spoke at Taylor University's chapel in April, I told the students that trusting in God never seems to get easier. No matter how many times God comes through for us and proves himself faithful, we stubborn humans are still so prone to worry and doubt. The past year has been full of unknowns. Will Asher's school in Papua New Guinea have enough teachers to continue operating? Will Jacob and Bella get the financial aid they need for college? Will we be able to pay for college? Will people understand our situation and continue supporting us as we wait to return to PNG? Will my mother get better so that we can return? If she doesn't get better, what will Martha and I do? Where will we find jobs? Will we make enough money to survive? If we do go back to Papua New Guinea, will Jacob and Bella be okay? Will my mother be okay? The past year has been full of unknowns and uncertainties. And I know that we are not unique. You have worries and uncertainties too.

Last fall, as I hit rock bottom worrying about things, particularly paying for Jacob and Bella's college in light of rule changes to the FAFSA that could have a very negative impact on us, I checked my email. There was a message saying that we received a $10,000 donation out of the blue from people we hadn't seen or talked to in about fifteen years. I could almost feel God smiling down on me, saying, “O you of little faith, why do you doubt?” While it is easy to look back on all the times God has been faithful, it is so hard to believe that He will do it again. But this year God has been teaching me to continue trusting in Him and believing that He has a plan for my life, even if I can't see what the future holds. He simply calls me to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness while letting Him take care of the rest. Thank you, Lord, for your patience and faithfulness!

Our new driver

Asher got his driver's license
After finishing six months and 65 hours of practice driving, Asher took his driver's test on May 7 and passed! That day, the two drivers before him and the one after him all failed, so we are thankful that Asher was able to pass. Asher is now looking forward to driving our 1989 Toyota Hilux in Papua New Guinea. Of course, this will be a whole new learning curve as he drives a manual transmission truck without power steering on bumpy dirt roads. But if he can handle driving the PA Turnpike, driving in PNG shouldn't be a problem.

Drop Your Guns and Pick Up Your Bibles

In April the PNG Council of Churches Christian Women's Group launched a campaign called Lusim Gun Kisim Bible (Drop Your Guns and Pick Up Your Bibles). This campaign involved Peace Awareness in all the districts of Enga including the distribution of Enga New Testaments in certain locations. In the video below, students are carrying Enga New Testaments draped with an Enga flag while chanting “Lusim Gun Kisim Bible.”

As part of the campaign, people all across Enga Province were surrendering their guns to the police to show their desire for peace. My friend Max told me that people are tired of all the fighting and want to repent and ask God for forgiveness. In the photograph below, men are holding guns wrapped in leaves as a symbol of peace prior to surrendering their guns to the police. In Papua New Guinea, guns are highly restricted, and most people who own guns have them illegally. This was their chance to make things right and turn away from violence.

Guns wrapped in leaves prior to being surrendered to the police

In places where Enga New Testaments were distributed, people were interested in reading Scripture in their own language. The young man pictured below was just one of many people who received an Enga New Testament as part of the Lusim Gun Kisim Bible campaign.

 Reading the Enga New Testament during the Lusim Gun Kisim Bible campaign

The Lusim Gun Kisim Bible campaign brings to life the words of 1 Corinthians 10:4, which says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful in God for tearing down strongholds.” In Enga the verse reads like this: “The bows and spears we hold for fighting do not originate from this down below ground. The strength of doing God's work for him lies within those bows and spears. That strength breaks down the strong fences of the enemies.” It is exciting to see people exchanging guns for the Word of God. Please pray that the Lusim Gun Kisim Bible campaign will help usher in a new era of peace in Enga Province.

Speaking at Taylor

On April 10, Adam had the opportunity to speak at Taylor University's Chapel service. Chapel at Taylor is unlike most Christian schools. Attendance is not required, but the Chapel services are always full, so much so that Taylor is in the process of building a large auditorium to accommodate the 1,300 to 1,500 students who attend each service. Speaking on the theme of Surrender, Adam shared the story of when he trusted in God to help him rescue two women who had been falsely accused of practicing sorcery (a story we shared on our blog shortly after it happened). The Taylor students, who are normally quite boisterous, were so quiet for most of the service that you could hear a pin drop as Adam had them on the edge of their seats. While the Taylor students appreciated Adam's message, for us as parents one of the highlights was seeing Bella introduce Adam. She did an amazing job. If you would like to see the Chapel service, click on the video below. Bella starts her introduction at the 16:39 mark.

Committing to Pitt
Last month we asked you to pray for Jacob as he considered which university to attend in the Fall. We are happy to report that Jacob has now committed to the University of Pittsburgh, where he will pursue an accelerated Master's degree in Athletic Training. Because he has already completed two years of community college, he will be able to earn his Bachelor's and Master's in just three years at Pitt. When Jacob made his decision, he did so thinking that he would not get any financial aid, and indeed the first financial aid offer he received from Pitt awarded him no grants or scholarships. But after we appealed to the Financial Aid office, they ended up awarding him a substantial amount in grants. And just two days ago, they surprised us by awarding him an additional grant from discretionary funds they had available for the coming school year. Not only that, but the Lord made a way for Jacob to live in a house near campus with student leaders in Pitt's thriving Chi Alpha campus ministry when he starts school in the Fall. God is so good, and he has answered our prayers. Thank you for praying with us!

Jacob visiting the University of Pittsburgh

Translation Work
Adam completed his check of Exodus earlier this month, and the book is now being reviewed by a consultant to prepare for an in-person check with mother-tongue Enga speakers that will happen in June. In addition to responding to the consultant's questions about Exodus, Adam is now checking the book of Leviticus. Ritual laws about sacrifices and purity can be challenging to translate, so please pray for Adam and the team as they work through these difficult books.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. We couldn't do what we do without faithful friends and partners like you.

Literacy Class Approved

Earlier this year Rev. Frank Paiyak, one of the Enga translators, received permission from the Gutnius [Good News] Lutheran Church to add Enga literacy to the curriculum at Timothy Lutheran Seminary in Enga Province. Most Enga speakers are never taught how to read their own language. If they go to school, they are usually taught how to read in English. But English is the third language for most Enga speakers, and the spelling rules for English are incredibly difficult, even for native English speakers. Consequently, Enga students have difficulties learning how to read or write well in the English language.

Unlike English, the Enga alphabet has a consistent one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds, making it much easier to learn how to read. And, of course, it is generally much easier to learn how to read your own language than it is to learn how to read a foreign language. Consequently, with just a little instruction and practice, Enga speakers can quickly learn how to read the the Enga New Testament.

Enga literacy class at Timothy Lutheran Seminary

In America we say that nothing is certain except death and taxes. In Enga, we have unfortunately come to realize that nothing is certain except spiritual oppression when good things start happening. Soon after starting the Enga literacy courses at Timothy Lutheran Seminary, fighting erupted in the areas around Frank’s village. His family had to flee, and he was prevented for a time from to going to the seminary to teach. Thankfully, through God’s faithfulness and provision, Frank was able to temporarily relocate his family to the seminary grounds. They are now safe from the fighting, and Frank is again teaching the Enga literacy courses. Recently Frank made a video of the deputy principal of the seminary talking about how much the students and seminary teachers appreciate the Enga New Testament and the opportunity to learn how to read in Enga. You can watch the short two-minute video below.

Translation Work
Over the past couple of months, I have made good progress in checking the Old Testament. I finished checking the book of Genesis in February, and it is now ready to be recorded. After finishing Genesis, I began working my way through Exodus. The first part of Exodus went very well, but I am now checking the chapters that describe everything related to the tabernacle. Most English speakers have difficulty reading these texts in English, and it is quite challenging to translate them into Enga. The translation team has done a wonderful job drafting these texts, but it is some of the most difficult translation work we have encountered. Thankfully, I am making progress, slowly but surely, and I hope to finish up Exodus some time this month.

Graduation Bibles
My friend and coworker Stanley Piokol was recently able to distribute Enga New Testaments to the graduates of the Foursquare Church’s Disciple Leadership Training School in Yaramanda, Enga Province. In the picture below you can see Stanley standing with the graduates, who are wearing the four colors of the Foursquare Church. It is wonderful to see the Enga New Testament being distributed far and wide in ways that Martha and I are not directing.

Distributing Enga New Testaments to graduates

Family Update
My mother Heather has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a form of blood cancer). Thankfully, her doctor anticipates being able to treat the disease and keep it under control for a number of years. While we are saddened to receive this news, we are so thankful that it happened while we are here to help her. The initial treatments are the most taxing, and so we are blessed that we can walk with her through the most challenging portions of her treatment plan before returning to Papua New Guinea. Please pray for my mother in the coming weeks.

In other news, Jacob has been accepted at the University of Pittsburgh and has also received very good scholarships to Slippery Rock University and Messiah University. His plan is to pursue an accelerated Master of Science in Athletic Training. Please pray for him as he weighs a variety of factors to make a decision about which school to attend. Please also continue praying for Martha’s work permit and visa applications to be approved. We hope to hear back some time in April. Thank you for your prayers!

How Did the Author of Genesis Know?

Nowhere does the book of Genesis state who the author is. Both Jewish and Christian tradition hold that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Numbers 33:2 supports this idea, stating, “At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey.” Of course, Moses couldn’t have written Deuteronomy 34:5-12, which describes his death, burial, and the period of mourning that followed. Scholars later proposed that the Pentateuch was written by various authors over a long period of time. But ultimately we don’t know who wrote the book of Genesis, and identifying the author of Genesis is not an integral part of receiving the book as inspired Scripture.

What is important for Enga translation is deciding whether or not the author of Genesis was an eyewitness to the events described in the book. The Enga language has suffixes that linguists call evidentials. These evidentials are tacked on to the end of a statement so that the hearer knows the source of the speaker’s information. The default is that the speaker is an eyewitness to the information he is sharing. For example, if the speaker says, “Aiyuu epelyamo” (it is raining), the verb “epelyamo” makes it clear that the speaker is seeing the rain come down and basing his statement on that visual evidence. However, if the speaker says “Aiyuu ipumu” (it is raining), the verb “ipumu” makes it clear that the speaker does NOT see the rain but only hears the rain hitting the roof.

There is another evidential that communicates to the listener that an event happened some time in the past and that the speaker did not directly witness it but only heard about it from others. For example, the speaker could say “Gii mendepa aiyuu andake mende epea-pyaa.” (One time a very large rain reportedly came). In this case the word “epea” means “came” and the suffix “-pyaa” means “reportedly” and indicates that the speaker did not directly witness the event but only heard about it from others. Perhaps the big rain happened before the speaker was born, and the speaker only heard about it from his parents.

A rendition of Moses writing the Pentateuch

This has direct implications for the translation of Genesis. Even if we assume that Moses was the author, the events described in the book of Genesis take place long before Moses was born. Furthermore, it is impossible that any human could have witnessed the events described in Genesis 1. Consequently, we know that whoever wrote the book of Genesis, whether it was Moses or later scribes, we know that the author(s) could not have been direct witnesses of the events described in the book. Rather, the author(s) must have received the information either through stories passed down for generations or by direct revelation from God. In either case, the information is secondhand to the author(s), and so the Enga translation must attach the “-pyaa” suffix throughout, indicating that the events were not directly witnessed by the author(s).

Of course we know that all Scripture is inspired by God. Actually what 2 Timothy 3:16 literally says is that all Scripture is “God-breathed.” Just as God breathed the breath of life into Adam, so God breathes life into the Scriptures and into us when we read them and enter into relationship with God. And this happens whether the authors directly witnessed the events or not.

On this topic of eyewitness testimony, our strategy for translating Genesis differs significantly from our strategy for translating the New Testament, which is full of direct eyewitness accounts. Click here to read about how we handled this topic in the New Testament.

Enga Audio Bibles Sold Out!

Last August Martha and I received an unexpected message from Barty Omae, the manager of our Port Moresby office in Papua New Guinea. Barty had just come from the Jubilee Reset Gospel Music Festival in Port Moresby, where he represented our organization at a booth. Barty wrote of the weekend, “It was deeply moving to see people in tears when they realized they could access the Bible in their own language through the Google Play Store, either to read or to listen to … audio.” There are many Enga speakers in the capital city of Port Moresby, and Barty reported that, “A man from Enga stood in tears of joy as he connected with every word of Scripture in his own language through audio.” Barty summarized his experience at the festival saying, “Moments like these gave us hope and reminded us that Bible Translation is indeed a powerful way to instill God’s Word in the lives of Papua New Guineans.”

We’re so thankful for men like Barty Omae, who help us distribute the Enga New Testament in places where we can’t always be. Another couple we are thankful for is Ron and Mary Anne Rall, retired Lutheran missionaries who visit Enga for a few months each year. Ron and Mary Anne have been amazing advocates for the Enga New Testament, traveling far and wide to distribute the Enga New Testament in print and audio formats. Thanks in part to Ron and Mary Anne, the initial batch of 2,000 Enga Audio New Testaments that we bought are now completely sold out! But we have already ordered an additional 500 units that will go into distribution in the coming months.

For people who live in the largely oral cultures of Papua New Guinea, hearing Scripture in their own language is a powerful experience, not only because the message comes through so clearly, but also because it shows them that they matter (even if the outside world takes no notice of them) and that the most powerful King in the universe speaks their language.

An elderly woman hearing the Enga New Testament for the first time

Translation Work
After taking some much needed time off during our furlough, I (Adam) am very much back at work. With the Enga New Testament now published and being distributed, I have turned the focus of my translation work to checking the Old Testament drafts. I’m very proud of the Enga translation team for completing the draft of Genesis on their own, preparing a back-translation in English, and interacting with the consultant. It shows just how much the team has grown and developed since we first started translation work together back in 2013. Nevertheless, an outside consultant who does not know the Enga language cannot catch every mistake. So I have been doing my own check of Genesis. While I am very pleased with the excellent progress the translation team has made in their abilities as translators, there are still a number of mistakes to clean up and improvements to make in the translation. I’m thankful that I can do this work remotely during our time in America. Praise God for the Internet, which allows me to stay engaged in my work from the other side of the world.

Finance Work
In addition to checking the book of Genesis, I have been hard at work helping our Global Finance department review year end financial reports from the Bible translation organizations we have all over the world. I recognize that we could never have completed our translation of the Enga New Testament without people filling the vital support roles that allow our global organization to run. So I am happy for the opportunity to give back and help in other ways to support the work of other Bible translators around the world.

Martin Harty, beloved friend and translator

Martin’s House
Please pray for Martin Harty and his family. Martin is a faithful member of the Enga Bible Translation team who has been serving with us from the very beginning. He is a wonderful man who exudes the joy of the Lord in his life at all times. The day after Christmas I received a message from Martin that his house had burned down due to a kerosene accident. (Enga homes have a fire inside the house that they use to cook meals and stay warm.) Martin suffers from severe vision impairment, and his granddaughter helps him with his translation work. But despite Martin’s visual impairment, he was able to escape the house along with his family. But he is asking for our prayers, so please remember him and his family.

Seeing God in the Darkness of Winter

This will be the first time that I (Martha) will experience a real winter all the way through. Every other time we’ve been in Pennsylvania at this time of year, we've had to leave right after Christmas. But during this current furlough we will be in Pennsylvania throughout the winter season.
I normally get all excited for fall and love seeing the leaves turn their beautiful, brilliant colors. But this year those leaves also brought more than a hint of apprehension, because I knew what was coming next. I knew those leaves were beautiful because they were dying. I knew those leaves would fall and leave the trees barren, empty, and dark. The days would soon be short, cold, and dark. And sure enough, that is exactly what has happened.

As I sit here and write, I can see the dead trees set against a backdrop of gray, dreary clouds. The days are short and dark. Lately, there has been a lot of talk in our house about how God reveals himself to us in nature. We find it hard to imagine that anyone could believe there is no God when there is evidence of God all around us. Last week, that was more apparent to me than ever before when I woke up to a world of white. It had snowed all night long, and every one of those bare and leafless branches was now draped in sparkling white.

    Tree branches draped in sparkling white

It stayed that way for three whole days. I couldn’t get used to it. Every time I stepped outside, I thought I was in Narnia. I decided that, even though it was freezing outside, I had to get out and photograph the trees. They were ornate works of art that resembled a labyrinth of fine lace. I walked around the neighborhood surprised and delighted by the intricate details of each tree’s design—details I never would have seen if the branches had not been stripped bare of their leaves. It was then that I realized they were beautiful because they had lost their leaves. With branches stripped bare, the snow covered every part of the tree, creating a stunning and vibrant outline instead of just dead-looking ‘tree bones’ as they are called in Enga.

What once looked dead and dark had now become alive and bright. In fact, the whole neighborhood was lit up with striking beauty. I was struck by was how white snow is. I just kept saying, “It’s so white.” I didn’t know the color white could be so … white! I then found myself thinking about the words from the hymn “Nothing but the Blood.”

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I never realized just how white and pure the blood of Jesus made us. I had to smile as I became aware of another way that God reveals himself in the natural world around us. I love the imagery of light overcoming darkness, and here it was again in a way I had never seen.

“I didn’t know the color white could be so … white!”

This Christmas we have much to be thankful for. We are all together this year. Adam continues to work with the Enga Bible translation team remotely and is now checking the Old Testament books that have been drafted. He is also helping our organization with year-end financial reporting. Jacob has applied to a few colleges and is very excited about transferring to a four-year school next year. We are so thankful for Adam’s mom, Heather, who watched over Jacob for the 18 months we were apart, and for the faithful prayer warriors who prayed for him and the rest of our family during that time. Bella had a great first semester at Taylor University, and we are so grateful that her transition to the States, though not easy, has gone well. We love having her at home with us. She too had a very exciting first snow experience.

Asher is the one we worried about the most this past year. This furlough we chose to put Asher in school rather than homeschool him. This is the first time he has experienced school in the U.S. We are more than thankful for the experience he has had at Eden Christian Academy. He has made many friends and is on the basketball team, an experience that we did not think he was going to get during our year in the U.S. He is also learning to drive and spending lots of time behind the wheel.

Bella fully enjoying the first major snowfall of the year

After 15 years as missionaries, we now have friends all over the United States and in many countries throughout the world—people who have been part of our lives in various places and through different seasons. We miss you! We’d love to hear from you and know what is happening in your life. Please send an email, a text, a note, or make a phone call. Let us know how we can pray for you. I think that’s all I really want for Christmas.

Every year it can be a struggle to make Christmas about Jesus. It is always a busy time with concerts, sports, and all the obligatory Christmas preparations that have nothing to do with celebrating the birth of Christ. But I hope this Christmas you can steal away a moment to worship the newborn King who brings light into a world of darkness.

Remembering Maniosa

“Is that a word?” This is a question I (Adam) was asked multiple times by Maniosa Yakasa, the lead translator for the Enga Bible Translation team. Maniosa had a rich English vocabulary and a singsong voice that made an impression on any expat he spoke with. He once told me about a theological disagreement he had with pastors who were following a false teaching, saying, “So I confuted their argument. Confute—is that a word?” I wasn’t sure, so I looked it up. It was indeed a word, and Maniosa was using it correctly! I learned so much from Maniosa, who himself had a great love for learning and an incredible aptitude in a wide range of areas.

Maniosa had a smile that would light up a room, and he always exuded the joy of the Lord. Life in Enga is not easy, and there are trials and difficulties each day that can sap whatever bits of joy a person may have left. But by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Maniosa had discovered the secret of being content, even joyful, in all circumstances.

Reverend Maniosa Yakasa

One morning as the translation team and I were sitting at the translation booth in Wabag town, Maniosa received news that a tribal fight had broken out in his home village of Sakarip. There were rumors that his house had burned down, so he went home to investigate the matter. When I called him later that day and asked what had happened, he said with his singsong voice, “They murdered seven of my pigs!” Only an Engan would use the word “murder” with pigs, and only Maniosa could report such bad news with joy in his voice.

Later Martha and I gave him some clothes and shoes to share with others in his village whose homes had been burned to the ground. When we asked him about it later, he told us that instead of giving the clothes and shoes to his tribesmen, he had gone down the road and found the enemy tribe’s hired mercenaries and given the items to them instead. Maniosa understood more than any other Papua New Guinean I have ever met Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. He was truly a man of peace.

Maniosa drove an old red Land Cruiser. Nothing on the car worked unless it had to. I remember once riding with him from Wabag to Mt Hagen (at that time a three-hour trip). The gauges for his main fuel tank and reserve fuel tank both showed dead empty. As we made our way out of Wabag, we passed one fuel station after another, and Maniosa did not stop to refuel. As we started driving through the more remote areas, I began to get nervous, thinking that we would run out of fuel, but somehow we made it to Mt Hagen. Only years later did I realize that neither of the gauges worked!

Maniosa at the Enga New Testament dedication

Our whole family has pleasant memories of riding in the back of Maniosa’s Land Cruiser. During one of our first stays in Enga, Maniosa drove us to Mt Hagen for the weekend so that we could enjoy some restaurant food and a hot shower. He stopped at a roadside stand along the way to get us some chips (french fries). Checking to make sure we had enough to eat, he asked us a few minutes later in perfect English, “How is the potato situation back there?” We all laughed and smiled. Maniosa continued down the road (which was in bad condition back then) swerving to the right and left around potholes and singing hymns at the top of his lungs. Later he told us that we were going through an area where roadside bandits often hold up cars. He confronted this potential evil by singing mightily unto the Lord, and he kept us safe.

Maniosa was a strong man. Even into his early seventies, he would often do push-ups on the floor when we took breaks from our translation work. Nevertheless, he had some health problems, which he described to me once with his singsong voice, a smile, and a chuckle, saying, “The doctor says I eat too much pig grease.”

Maniosa never knew when he was born, but he estimated that it was around 1946. The farther along we got in our New Testament work, the more I prayed that Maniosa would live to see its completion. God granted that request, and Maniosa was there to see the dedication of the Enga New Testament on July 2, 2024. He continued working on translating the Old Testament into Enga for the next year until he died of a massive stroke on August 31. His great joy that he radiated on earth is now made full in the presence of the Lord, and I can only imagine that Jesus received him with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

How Do We Get More Audio Bibles?

A couple of weeks ago a friend of ours who is a Lutheran missionary in Enga sent an email, saying, "How do we get more audio Bibles? So many [people] are asking for them." Thankfully, we had some in stock in Wabag town at the church we work out of, and we could direct our friend to get more there. It is encouraging to know that people are asking for the audio Bibles and that more and more people are accessing the audio version of the Enga New Testament.

The Enga New Testament is also being read from the pulpit in some churches. One of the Enga translators sent the video below of Martha Martin, the granddaughter of translator Martin Harty, reading the Enga New Testament from the pulpit during a Sunday morning service. We are thankful that people can listen to the Enga New Testament not only on audio Bibles but also at Sunday morning services.

After the Trauma Healing course took place last March, there has been great interest in having the Scripture Use team return for another training. Pray for the logistics to come together for this to happen. There are many groups working to bring peace in Enga Province. Pray that these efforts would be fruitful. Pray also that the Holy Spirit would do a mighty work to change the hearts of the warriors involved in tribal fighting.

Plans for the Coming Year
We returned to America (Pittsburgh area) in July for a short three-month furlough to help Bella get ready to attend Taylor University in the fall and also to help Jacob as he enters his second year of Community College and applies to four-year universities. It has been a busy time: doctor's appointments, helping Jacob buy a car (with his own money!), teaching Bella to drive in America (she now has her license!), enrolling Asher in school (more work than it might seem), and just getting situated back in America. It is amazing how many little tasks need to be done to get back into living normal life in America.

At the end of our three-month furlough, we will be doing a remote assignment until June 2026. This means that we will continue our work with Wycliffe, but that we will continue to be based in America from October to June. For a long time, we have felt the need to be in the U.S. for an entire year after Bella graduated, and to stay in one place. During previous furloughs we felt it was important to split our time between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, yet so much transition was never healthy for our family. For this school year, we will be staying in the Pittsburgh area. This will allow Asher to attend school for an entire year without disruption. It will also allow us to be here for Bella and Jacob.

A contributing factor to our decision to stay in Pittsburgh for the entire school year is the state of the international school Asher attends in Papua New Guinea. The school has been facing teacher and administrator shortages for years, and this 2025-2026 school year is going to be particularly challenging as far as staffing for the school goes. Because Asher does best in a classroom setting (rather than online or homeschool), we thought it best to enroll him in school here in America. But please pray for more teachers and administrators for his school in Papua New Guinea. (If you or someone you know would be interested in serving as a teacher or school administrator at Asher's international school in Papua New Guinea, please let us know!)

As always, thank you for your prayers and for partnering with us in the work of Bible translation. May God bless you abundantly!

Enga NT Distribution

During our trip to Enga in March, we were able to spend a few days distributing the Enga New Testament. Joined by Sam Nutter (a mechanic with a vision for Scripture distribution), Malon Kenas (Distribution Coordinator), and Stanley Piokol (PNG Bible Translation Association Assistant Area Program Manager for the Highlands), we targeted churches in eastern Enga Province. We had not previously done much awareness in this part of the province. So we drove as far east as we could while still remaining in Enga Province and went from village to village, visiting every church we could find. We gave the pastor of each church a copy of the Enga-English New Testament along with the Enga New Testament audio Bible.

Giving a local pastor the Enga-English New Testament and audio

As we made our way from church to church, the pastors were grateful to receive the Enga Scriptures. We showed some pastors how to download the Enga Bible app, Enga Library app, and Enga Dictionary app from the Google play store, and we stopped in a couple of market areas to raise awareness for the Enga New Testament and make some sales. As we went along, we told the pastors that they could purchase additional copies at a particular Chinese-owned store in Wapenamanda. We did this in faith, because we hadn't actually been to the shop yet or asked the store owner if we could sell Enga New Testaments there. When we finally went to the store, the owner at first refused to sell them. But after Sam Nutter reminded him that it was an opportunity to make money, he told us that he would stock them but would only pay for them after they sold. We quickly agreed to this arrangement and stocked his store with some Enga New Testaments. In Wabag town, we had a better reception. Last summer Martha had sold a carton of Enga-English New Testaments to a Chinese-owned store where we often shop. When she went back to check on whether the New Testaments had sold, she discovered that they were sold out. The owner then bought five cartons of Enga New Testaments and five cartons of Enga-English New Testaments (160 in total). We were able to get the Enga Scriptures into a few other stores as well.

The store in Wabag town that bought 10 cartons of Enga New Testaments

After distributing Enga New Testaments in eastern Enga Province and in Wabag town, we set up a tent to do open air preaching in Wabag. Malon shared about the importance of Scripture, while I shared my testimony in Enga. I'm always thankful for an opportunity to share about how God has transformed my life, and a foreigner speaking Enga is always a draw for people to come listen. We were able to display the Enga Scriptures, which some people bought right then and there.

Malon sharing about the importance of Scripture in Wabag town

While we only had a few days to focus on distribution, it inspired me to somehow visit all of the churches in Enga Province so that we can give pastors a free copy in print and audio formats. This is a difficult task, and I am not quite sure how it could be fulfilled. Will you please pray with us for God to work beyond what Martha and I alone are capable of to see the Enga New Testament distributed far and wide throughout Enga Province? As always, we thank you for your support, as we could not do this without your partnership.

Bella is going to Taylor University!
Bella will be enrolling at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, this fall to study Elementary Education. Taylor was Bella's first choice, so we are excited that she gets to go there. Please pray for her as she says goodbye to her friends and her home in Papua New Guinea, and transitions to life in the United States.

Trauma Healing

In March a Scripture Use team went with us to Enga Province to put on a two-week Trauma Healing workshop. (We made it there and back safely. Thank you for your prayers!) Most people in Enga have experienced significant trauma due to tribal fighting, domestic violence, crime, substance abuse, disease, and/or other problems. The Trauma Healing Workshop takes people through multiple steps to bring their pain to the cross and find healing. At each step along the way, the participants listen to stories from Scripture along with stories from everyday life. They then answer questions about the stories, learning various strategies for dealing with trauma as well as strategies that don't work (such as pushing the pain down deep inside). As they go through each step, they always consider the question, Where was God?

The Enga Trauma Healing workshop participants

All the participants were given a copy of the Enga New Testament. Every day there were opportunities for the participants to practice reading Scripture in Enga. Longer portions were played from the audio recording of the Enga New Testament, while shorter portions were read by the participants themselves. As the course progressed and people got more and more practice, they became more comfortable with reading Scripture in their own language and discovering how the teachings of Jesus show us the road for experiencing healing from the trauma we have experienced in our lives.

Two participants reading the Enga New Testament during the workshop

To make the teaching come alive, the course leaders (most of whom were trained Papua New Guineans from other parts of the country) had the participants act out what they were learning in dramas. This really caught the attention of the participants and helped them understand the principles they were learning at a deeper level. One drama illustrated the importance of forgiveness by having a man tied up to another man who had hurt him and who he had not yet forgiven. The drama showed that, when you have not forgiven someone who has hurt you, you take them with you wherever you go because the anger and bitterness you carry is always with you. When he finally forgave the other man at the foot of the cross, the rope was untied and he was set free from the anger and bitterness that followed him wherever he went.

Drama about forgiveness setting us free from anger and bitterness

The workshop culminated with participants writing down their deep hurts and pains, putting them in a box, and then burning the box at the foot of the cross. On the day we wrote down our hurts and pains on pieces of paper and put them in the box, one older man named Mark shared a dream he had had the prior night. In the dream, a voice was telling him to "give the paper." Not knowing what this meant, he woke up one of his grandchildren to ask him if he needed paper for school. It was only when he came to the workshop the next day that he realized the voice in the dream was preparing him to give (that is, put) the paper containing his hurts and pains into the box so that it could be burned at the foot of the cross.

Mark with our friend and coworker Stanley

After everyone put their papers in the cardboard box, we all began worshiping the Lord by singing a song in Enga about bringing our worries and pains to Jesus. As we worshiped, we slowly walked out to a grassy area outside the church and got into a large circle. The cardboard box was placed at the foot of the cross and it was set on fire, burning up our hurts and pains as we gave them over to Jesus. As I (Adam) looked around, I saw many people getting teary-eyed as the significance of the moment overwhelmed them and they began to experience healing and freedom. God not only healed people from the wounds of trauma but also delivered people from sin. A member of the hosting church who had secretly been practicing witchcraft confessed his sin to the pastor, who then went with him to bury all the items he had been using to practice witchcraft.

The content of the workshop was completed in the first week, but most people returned for the second week to learn how to conduct the Trauma Healing workshop in their own communities. Four men were in attendance from Mulitaka, where the landslide had wiped out a community in 2024, making international news. What a blessing it was to see people applying the truth of Scripture, experiencing healing, and learning how to help others experience it as well. Thank you for your partnership with us in this work, which makes workshops like this possible.

Meet Stanley

We met Pastor Stanley at our branch conference almost a year ago. BTA, a Papua New Guinean Bible translation association, introduced their new staff members, and we were surprised that one of them was from Enga. It was fun to watch Stanley’s face when Adam greeted him in the Enga language. We soon learned that Stanley has a dynamic personality and is extremely motivated to promote the Enga New Testament. He joined us in Enga and was a great help with distribution during the various dedications last summer, and he has been instrumental in organizing the Foursquare church to host an upcoming trauma healing workshop (see below). The Foursquare church in Stanley’s area has also begun a yearlong Bible school. The leaders of this school made the decision that every student must begin the course with Enga literacy. This past month forty-four students began their Bible school course with learning to read the Enga New Testament. Stanley was very instrumental in making this happen. We are very thankful for Stanley’s determination and passion to see the Enga New Testament used. Please keep Stanley in your prayers as he continues to promote literacy and assist with distribution. Watch this short video of Stanley sharing his vision to see every pastor in Enga reading the Enga New Testament from the pulpit.

Pastor Stanley promoting the Enga Audio Bible

Consultant Checking of Genesis
The Enga translators continue to work on translating the Old Testament, and we currently have two Enga translators and two pastors staying in Ukarumpa for the consultant check of Genesis 26 through 50. This is the first consultant check in which the entire room is filled with only Papua New Guineans. The consultant is a Papua New Guinean and so are the checkers and translators. It is encouraging to see the Enga translators reach the point where they can operate a bit more independently, and it is exciting to see trained Papua New Guinean consultants checking translated portions independently.

Consultant Checking Genesis 26–50

Trauma Healing Workshop
You might remember that a few months back we had plans to hold a trauma healing workshop near Wabag, the capital of Enga Province. This course was canceled due to ongoing fighting. The course is rescheduled to take place in a new location during the last two weeks of March. It will be run by the Scripture Use team based here in Ukarumpa and will involve using the Enga New Testament. Adam and I have plans to travel to Enga to participate in the workshop, as well as check in on the distribution process for the Enga New Testament. However, over the last couple of days, we have heard reports that there are roadblocks and protests along the highway that we would travel on. Several vehicles have been destroyed.

Please pray that these conflicts would be resolved and that nothing would stop this course from happening. Pray that the roads would be clear and safe. Pray that Adam would have peace about driving there. Let me be clear: I am asking you to engage the heavenly realms. Get on your knees, post a note on your bathroom mirror, or leave one in your Bible. Ask your churches, small groups, and friends to pray over this. I do not believe that these conflicts on the road at this particular time are a coincidence. We hope to drive up on March 15 and return on March 29. If the Lord intends for us to go, He will make a way. Thank you for praying.

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