We are still rejoicing over God’s great goodness to us in allowing Benjamin’s dad, James, to die so peacefully and in the presence of his entire family. It was truly a profound moment for all of us and we are still being carried along and comforted by it. The moments since James died have been spent together grieving and yet praising the Lord with thankful hearts. We have been enjoying the outpouring of thoughts, emails, prayers, and memories that so many people have shared with us. And we look forward to sharing some time with those of you who can make it to the memorial service that we have planned.

The service will be held at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, MI. It is located at 1210 E. Michigan Ave., Jackson, MI 49201. Thursday the 12th of April at 7pm. We are honoring my father’s wishes by focusing our time together on worshiping the Lord. There will be a worship service followed by some thoughts from Scott Keen, a close friend and co-worker at NTBI, along with some thoughts from the family. Afterwards there will be an opportunity for us all to fellowship together with some refreshments in the school dinning hall and lounge.

James and Lisa have dedicated their lives to taking the Gospel to the unreached, tribal peoples of this world. In lieu of flowers you can give a gift to the ministry of New Tribes Bible Institute, helping to further the ministry of equipping the next generation of tribal church planters and workers. Make your check payable to New Tribes Mission and included “James Hatton Memorial” on the memo line. Send your check to NTM 1000 E. First Street, Sanford, FL 32271.

Thank you all for your heartfelt prayers on our behalf these days. James passed into eternity and the presence of the Lord at 7:15pm April 10th. He passed quickly and peacfully and we are so grateful for God’s mercy and compassion on us all in this. Our entire family was present and we were all holding his hands as he took his final breaths. We have wept togther and sang James’ favorite songs together and are presently just enjoying this profound, eternal moment together as a family. Crying and rejoicing. Thank you for standing with us in this, we are so grateful! Pray for us as we make decisions, enjoy a memorial service and begin this transition and new chapter in our lives. Thank you is not enough.

Benjamin and Missy Hatton

Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried.” This is true and has been demonstrated, but is often hard to accept when circumstances seem to declare the opposite. This week was supposed to be our big decision making week as a church planting team. We have all imagined this point in our ministry and gathered with excited anticipation at the thought of being able to bring some finality to our plans for the future. Then we got the news that Benjamin’s dad, James, was doing poorly.

We asked you to pray and thank you for doing that with us. But in the last couple of hours we have learned that James’ condition has worsened and while he is in no immediate danger the doctors have detected a return of his cancer and have no other treatment options to offer. The most hopeful prognosis at this point is that James has some months to live; probably less than four. Shortly after hearing this news we also heard that Benjamin’s mom, Lisa, has been admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. They have found a small hole in her colon that might repair itself with strong antibiotics, but may need to be operated on. Benjamin’s three younger siblings, Christopher, Deborah and Martha, are all there with James and Lisa and are doing a marvelous job caring for their parents.

We believe that God’s ways are perfect. We believe that His timing is flawless. We believe that because the word of the Lord is tried, we can trust Him with all our hearts especially when we do not understand the circumstances. We don’t know why the Lord has allowed this to happen. We don’t understand why this is happening now, right as we are attempting to launch into life in the tribe! It is not for us to know these answers; but as for God, His way is perfect. We will hold on to this, because it is enough!

There are some very immediate questions that we need to answer and would ask for your prayers as we seek to do so. Our desire is to return to the US for some months to be of assistance to James and Lisa and family, and to enjoy some quality time with James. We want James to be able to see us as a family again and to form some lasting memories with him. We are being urged by different ones here on the field who have gone through similar circumstances to get home and enjoy what time there is left. Our church planting team is fully behind us, and have committed to waiting for our return before moving into a tribe. And because we haven’t taken that all important first step into a tribal location we have this opportunity to leave the field and return with little impact on our overall plans.

The dilemma in our hearts is the extraordinary expense of a round trip ticket for our entire family. Many have told us to not think twice about this, but it is difficult not to, when we consider the sacrifice on the part of so many; not to mention the other ministry expenses we are trusting the Lord for (house building, and setup costs etc.) We understand that the Lord is not surprised by these circumstances or by our need right now, and that is truly a comfort to our hearts. Please pray with us as we look to the Lord in the next few days and try to make decisions.

Benjamin and Missy Hatton

Pray that they would continue on with an eternal perspective and that they would be successful in thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Speaking with my Dad recently he mentioned how difficult it has become to concentrate and focus his mind when he is reading the Word. Can you pray for a special clarity for James in his mind and heart as he endures this procedure, so that he can be strengthened in his spirit while his body is ailing. Pray also for Lisa, that she will know the sufficient grace of God as she ministers to James.

This is difficult news for us to process especially during this very intense time of team building and strategizing that we are in the midst of presently. We have been meeting each day with the Allen’s and the Parry’s working to determine which people group we will be ministering to, as well as building a church planting strategy. We have had to work hard to make progress in these meetings but have been able to do so. It has been a challenge to juggle the domestic needs and remain sharp mentally and spiritually! Adding to this the recent news of James’ struggling health reminds us of just how much we need your prayers!

We are asking the Lord, daily, for direction and clarity in regards to which people group to begin ministry with. We still need some important information to be able to make this decision. Can you pray with us that this information would come in very soon so that we can make this decision. We are also praying that the Lord would help us to talk through all the necessary strategy points expediently and remain united. We are so thankful for this time that we have as a team to discuss and make plans. We know that every minute is pure gold and we want to make each one count. Picture Below – Our team meeting with the Literacy Consultants who will help us to teach tribal people to read and write in their own language.

Thank you for praying with us and for supporting us in this ministry. The Lord continues to encourage our hearts with the way that He is making provision for us, especially in regards to our House Building Project. God’s timing is perfect and God has used many of you to demonstrate to us His limitless generosity. Some of you have asked us what still remains on our needs list. There are still a few items that we are trusting the Lord to provide – a radio for communication with our support team, some basic tools (cordless drill, skill saw…), lumber for building furniture, plywood for interior walls and cabinets, and fasteners (nails, screws, hinges etc). If you are interested in giving toward this project click on the GIVE tab above for all the information you will need.

Benjamin and Missy Hatton

The Next Steps: We were able to cover a lot of ground in our discussions last week, but there is still so much preparation to be done. Because we live in different parts of the country this important planning is going to be a challenge. We have asked our leaders to help us find a way to come together all in one location! There are a few different options for us to consider and we would like to ask you to pray specifically for a solution to this geographical challenge!

Once we are all in one location our stratgizing can begin in earnest! But that will depend heavily on knowing which tribe we are going to allocate in. Will you pray with us for a swift conclusion to this question! There are a number of different people involved in this decision with us. Pray that we would all clearly see the way ahead on this extremely important point!

In the meantime we continue to do what we can to prepare for our life in the jungle. We have pruchased some of our building supplies and Benjamin will be working to organize them. This will include putting a coat of polyurethane on 70 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood boards. These will be used as flooring for our bush house. There are other supplies that we will need that we haven’t purchased yet. We will be making these purchases as we are financially able to do so. We have a catalog of these supplies available at this link for those of you who may be interested in helping us with this project.

We can clearly see how the Lord has faithfully prepared us for this moment in our lives, and we can’t wait to see how He continues to equip us for this ministry. Thank you for the indispensible part that you play in this ministry. You have been “wanbel” with us from the start and have faithfully and generoulsy expressed that in so many ways. Thank you is not enough!

This Tuesday we begin a week of special meetings with David and Robyn Parry and Bart and Emily Allen in the Madang province. On Tuesday morning Benjamin and David will help load the wives and children onto our mission plane and they will fly on ahead. Instead of chartering another flight for just two guys, we have decided that the men should go by ship. It will take about 12 hours by boat but it is significantly cheaper than flying and a bit of adventure besides!

These meetings in Madang province are designed to help us go through the process of establishing ourselves as a Church Planting team. Over the next nine days we’ll spend nearly all our time together as families – sharing meals, fun and fellowship and getting into some pretty deep discussions (us adults). We want to determine how much unity we share in the areas of doctrine, managing relationships, child rearing, finances, work ethic, marriage and ministry philosophy. Our conversations will touch on other topics besides these but will be focused on answering the basic question of compatibility between our families.

Even though we have all received the same missionary training we cannot assume that we will automatically make an effective Church Planting team. We’ve been encouraged by our leaders to consider this decision as one of the most important of our missionary careers. Many families set out to accomplish great things for the Lord on the mission field, but because of tension arising out of their relationship with coworkers they never get that satisfaction. We want to do all we can to avoid such a scenario and believe that spending time together in open and honest discussion will help us arrive at a confident decision.

We have 10 children between us – pray that we’ll be able to strike that magic balance of time with kids and time without kids. Pray for the ladies as they plan and prepare meals together. Pray for the men as they prepare and lead our discussion times. Pray for the kids as they log lots of time playing together. Pray that we’ll be able to be ourselves with each other – that we’ll be able to discuss things freely and get beyond the potential awkwardness. Please pray, most of all, that we will know the Lord’s direction and will confidently follow it!

Thank you so much for praying with us through this important time!

We’ll keep you up to date as we are able.

Benjamin and Missy Hatton

Learn more about the process of locating an unreached people group with which to work: Home Early – Survey Success

We’re super glad to be back in our own home after several days out-of-town to see our mission Doctor about Tiernan’s tummy. After a round of antibiotics we were given the “all clear” to come home and on Monday morning we boarded our mission plane and took one of the last flights home before things shut down for the holidays. Tiernan has been making progress with less bloating. One of the things we’re doing is keeping him off any dairy products for the next two to three weeks. It seems to have been making a difference. Apparently after a bad infection the gut can be damaged rendering it temporarily lactose intolerant. So far Tiernan has been doing great with the new diet restrictions.

When Benjamin traveled home last month to visit with his Dad who is battling a rare case of cancer of the liver, he was able to share a report in several of our supporting churches about what the Lord is preparing us for this coming year. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to hear from Benjamin we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to David and Robyn Parry and Bart and Emily Allen.

One vital piece to the success of our tribal church planting venture is a solid church planting team – a team of dedicated, like minded, highly motivated, mature in the Lord missionaries who are willing to sacrifice what is necessary to bring the Gospel message to people who would otherwise never hear the goodnews of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Parry’s and Allen’s we believe that we have found this vital piece. Over the past few months we have been talking and visiting with each other discussing the exciting potential of joining in this ministry together. So far the Lord has confirmed what all our hearts have been feeling and that is a confidence that our gifts, strengths, weaknesses and personalities combine to form a strong church planting team.

From January 10th – 19th our three families will be meeting together to discuss, and finalize this decision about establishing a church planting team together. We have a compiled list of questions from many experienced church planting teams that will aid us in our discussions. Real honesty and humility are required between us in all of our upcoming discussions. In a very real way we are going to be laying the foundations of a future church as we make commitments to one another to be unified in the Spirit and in ministry together here in PNG! We’re depending on you to pray with us during this vital time. We are hopeful that after January 19 we’ll be able to begin looking to the Lord as a team for a tribal location to begin ministry in! What a way to start 2012 – we couldn’t be more excited.

Thank you for the part you all play in making this a reality for us and for faithfully giving each month and praying us on. Please continue to pray for Benjamin’s Dad, James and Tiernan.  These two are heavy on our minds and often in our prayers.  Thank you for joining us in praying for their good health.  We are so thankful for how the Lord has used each one of you in a special way to bring us through our first year in Papua New Guinea in such an abundant way!

After sleeping on it and seeing Tiernan again today the doctor has decided to prescribe an antibiotic and see what happens. He has heard nothing from other doctors that has made things any clearer. Having gone full circle in pursuit of the right diagnosis we’re back to waiting and seeing! Can you pray with us that Tiernan responds really well to the antibiotics and that we’ll be given the clear to head home on Monday! We’re so grateful for an excellent missionary medical team here in PNG that we can lean on in times of need. While it is impractical and expensive, it is worth the investment to have the peace of mind and confidence to continue on in the direction the Lord is leading us. We will keep you informed!

Thank you for praying with us. It is so good to hear from so many of you who are assuring us of your prayer support and have taken the time to share your concern with us. Thank you for sacrificing financially for us to be here and giving so faithfully to what the Lord is doing in our lives here in Papua New Guinea.

Gratefully,

Stranded in Sydney: I arrived an hour late in Sydney which carved my layover time down to 20 minutes. Delta and Air Niugini don’t work together so I had to get my bags, run through customs and check-in again in order to make my connection. Needless to say there wasn’t enough time and I was left stranded in Sydney. I needed to get in touch with my travel agent but I couldn’t get the pay phone to make an international phone call. As a last resort I flipped open my laptop and discovered free wifi in the terminal. Thank God my niece, Joy Cusimano, was on Facebook and she gladly became my ‘middle man’. She was able to track down my travel agent and we began to swap emails immediately!

Credit Card Fiasco: Our travel agent was able to book me on a domestic flight to another city and on to PNG, but when I arrived at the domestic terminal to purchase my ticket I found our credit card had been frozen. We didn’t alert the credit card people to my travel plans and so they locked it up thinking that attempted expenditures in Australia was suspicious. I got back on to our travel agent via email and free wifi in the terminal (only airport in all my travels to offer that service – thank you Lord) and she paid for the ticket using our Discover card from the US. This got my ticket purchased, but when I attempted to check-in I was charged a $30 baggage fee! Of course I had no money and no other way of paying. I offered to wash dishes or even donate my new Nike tennis shoes, but the Qantas lady let me off but gave me a good scolding for not being prepared. I ate my humble pie willingly and rejoiced to be moving forward again.

Fathers and Mothers, Brothers and Sisters: In the Gospels Jesus talks about his disciples inheriting new family members amidst the sacrifice of leaving their own. Fellow New Tribers living in Cairns, Trevor and Estelle Burns, treated me like a son and came and picked me up from the airport. They brought me to their home and put me up for the night, fed me the next morning and got me back to the airport on time – and all this on the first day of their Christmas vacation! Now that’s family treatment.

Port Moresby And No Further: I was able to get on to Port Moresby a day late, but was not able to make a connection home. There were only two options for me – be put on standby for a sold out flight the next morning or buy a ticket on the next available flight home, December 27th. It would take a miracle to get on that flight. There were already 125 people vying for the 101 seats. I would need a personal favor from the pilot to get on that plane.

It’s Who You Know: Missy called me just before supper time to inform me that our miracle had happened. The pilot for the flight I was on standby with is an old friend. My parents sang in his wedding years ago. He used to fly for New Tribes Mission and was more than happy to pull a few strings for me. It was a great feeling to get a hug from the pilot as he strode through the departure lounge early this morning, and an even bigger thrill to sit in the jump seat in the cockpit for a dawn departure headed for home!

Back To Normal: There are no words for how good it feels to be reunited as a family again. We’ve spent the day just being close to each other and taking the time to tell the stories of all the missed moments of the past month. The well was dry and now it is full again – I pray that in the abundance of each other’s presence we wouldn’t lose sight of just how precious the gift of family is. Thank you so much for they way you have shared our sorrows and delights in this intense time.

Many of you have asked about Tiernan. He continues to suffer from a bloated stomach and loss of appetite. It seemed, over the weekend that all of this had passed and Missy decided to not go to see the doctor. Now it seems to be back, and we are again entertaining the idea of flying to the clinic again, whether all of us together or Missy and the boys on their own. Looking to the Lord for wisdom!

Sincerely

There is an opportunity for Missy and Tiernan and Silas to fly up to see the doctor on Monday morning (the day I arrive home) so we’ll miss each other by 3 hours! As I left  to begin my journey home we weren’t really able to settle on a decision over the phone – but a few minutes online at 38,000 has given us the opportunity to decide together what’s best. Be praying for Missy as she takes the boys up to see the doctor. Our full family reunion will have to be delayed for a few days more. Missy will come home on Wednesday, but Judah and Gianna will be there to welcome me!

Saying goodbye to my Mom and Dad wasn’t easy, but with a heart this full of gratitude to the Lord there is little room for sorrow! This month has been such an incredible gift – from the tremendous generosity that has underwritten the cost of the travel completely, to the calm on the day of the surgery, and God’s amazing grace every day since.

Yesterday we sat through our final follow up appointment and consultation with the doctor in charge of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan. They have confirmed that James has a very rare cancer of the liver that has a high recurrence rate. They have recommended treatment that includes both chemo therapy and radiation, and we are very thankful that it sounds like it will be very manageable with slight fatigue and nausea being the worst of the symptoms he’ll face. This treatment regimen will likely begin in January. Between now and then James needs to continue to gain weight and exercise so that he is as healthy as possible, as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers said in support of our family. We’re continuing to pray for joy in suffering, an eternal focus, a passionate and useful present, health and healing, opportunity to serve, and the hope that comes from a developed Christ-like character, that comes from enduring and persisting with thankfulness under the God ordained trials of this life. As the cancer has left a mark on my father’s body we are asking the Lord to leave His marks on our souls; He is answering this prayer already!

Exciting days lie ahead of us in PNG. We’ll take time to share all the details with you soon – after the reunion!!

Thank you will never be enough,

Benjamin and Missy