Bart and Emily Allen Tribal Church Planters in Papua New Guinea
December 14 – 20
- Time to unpack all those things that we shipped over in the container!
- For endurance as we set up our house
- For the adjustment of going to a church where a different language is spoken
- For the boys as they make new friends
- For us to find a good schedule for homeschooling
- For ears to quickly adjust to the sounds of a new language and for alert minds to be able to begin studying full time
December 7 – 13
- We plan to leave Meadville on Monday before noon for Pittsburgh
- For airline check-in personnel who are kind, understanding and in a good mood
- For all of our luggage to be checked in without any trouble
- Saying goodbye!
- For all of our connections to be smooth and on time
- From the time we leave Pittsburgh until we arrive at our final destination in PNG will be about 80 hours of travel!!
- We have an overnight in Seattle and then 23 hours in Singapore
- That the boys (and us too) would be able to sleep on the plane
- For no trouble as we pass through customs
- For our adjustment to the extreme heat and humidity of PNG (it’s been in the high 90’s and is supposed to get hotter)
- For strength and flexibility as we adjust to a new language and culture
- For wisdom and grace as we meet and get to know our new teammates and coworkers
- For the packing process – we are allowed 8 pieces of luggage each no more than 50 pounds. We have to decide whether to spend the extra money to take an extra piece or two of luggage if necessary.
- For wisdom to decide on final purchases as well as possibly deciding what will not go if we don’t have the space/weight allowance in our luggage
- There are lots of little things that need to be wrapped up before we can go
- For the final packing up of things that will be stored in our shed
- For patience and understanding with each other as we have many added stresses
- For the busy day of the commissioning service (Sunday December 6 at our home church in Meadville, PA)
- For strength and courage as we say goodbye to friends and family
- For our immediate family here who will be adjusting to us leaving
- For a peaceful and restful night’s sleep on Sunday night as we anticipate leaving on Monday December 7
Thanks once again for praying for us. Our lives are going to change drastically in the next few weeks. We rest in the knowledge that even though we are facing many unknowns, the Lord will be with us all along the way!
As we countdown to our departure, there are still many things that need to be done and many goodbyes to be said. Here are some specific prayer requests for this coming week.
Thanks for praying with us during this time of transition.
In December 2007 we finished our linguistic training with New Tribes. That concluded 4 1/2 years of study – 2 years of Bible school, 2 years of missions training and then the additional 1/2 year of linguistics.
So, in January 2008 we started Partnership Development (known elsewhere as deputation or support raising). That time is quickly coming to a close as we anticipate leaving for Papua New Guinea in early December. With only one church left to visit to share the ministry of tribal church planting, we thought you might be interested in some stats we’ve been keeping! Enjoy! Oh, and we’d love to hear which one is your favorite! (more…)
Earlier this spring our pastor approached Bart about being ordained before we leave for Papua New Guinea. While ordination is not a requirement for being a tribal church planter, Bart felt that it would be a beneficial thing for him to go through. So, the studying began!!! In reality, he had been studying for this his whole life. (more…)
September 1st is quickly approaching and you may be wondering why you haven’t heard anything about the Allens actually leaving for Papua New Guinea! (more…)
Our family "in" Michigan
As we get closer to leaving for PNG, at some point there has to be a last time visiting friends, supporters and churches. This may have been it for Michigan. (more…)
We just wanted to update everyone on the status of our crate and lockers that we shipped off to California about 3 weeks ago. (more…)
Friday was the big day! After several weeks, we finally finished buying and packing all of the things we needed to ship to Papua New Guinea. There are probably things we forgot, but it’s too late now!! (more…)