A month or two ago we launched our Bush House project with a catalog describing some of the major items that we will have to purchase before we can “set up shop” in a tribe. We had a purchase deadline of mid-July for some of these items in order to get them on a container headed our way in August. The deadline has come and gone and we are happy to report that we were able to make all of the necessary purchases.

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Thank you for praying us through last week’s extraordinary events! While Benjamin was gone on survey there were two near medical emergencies. Silas stuffed a bead up his nose, but thankfully after being forced to sniff black pepper it came out without the need for invasive procedures! I suppose that’s not really a near medical emergency, but when Judah came running home with a shirt soaked in his own blood, Missy wondered if a flight out of the country was going to have to happen. It turns out that all the blood came from a superficial scalp wound that just bled buckets! The Lord was indeed merciful. Benjamin had one good tumble on the trail, but came home no worse for ware; just tired and meat hungry! We had the opportunity to depend on the Lord in new ways through this experience and are so thankful for your thoughtful prayers and comments.

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On the last Sunday of our bush orientation our dear friend, Ishmael,  stood with us and prayed over our family.  Ishmael’s commissioning prayer marked the unofficial end to our time of orientation.  He prayed specifically that the Lord would clearly direct us to a people who have yet to be reached with the Gospel.  As we returned home from the bush, answering the question of where the Lord would have us allocate became our main focus.

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Our first Easter in Papua New Guinea finds us encouraged in the Lord and challenged with fresh thoughts and images of Christ enduring the cross with His gaze firmly locked on the joy that was set before him. These fresh thoughts and images come mainly from the reading of The Master: A Life of Jesus http://www.amazon.com/Master-Life-Jesus-John-Pollock/dp/0896932443/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303865769&sr=8-2 by John Pollock. We highly recommend the book to all of you. In reading it we have stumbled on a good annual, family tradition.

Other familiar traditions are being maintained in the Hatton household. We had fun including Meta in our egg decorating. As our children get older we are trying to help them grow in their awareness of the significance of these special days. Tiernan (our 4 nearly 5 year old) is getting a good grasp on what Easter is all about. During a Skype session with his Granny in Ireland, he informed her that “Jesus rised” on Easter.

Other special days that we have celebrated this past month are the days that we have received packages from home. We’ve been spoiled this month by some dear friends in America who have been thinking of us. We are so thankful for the ways that many of you express your love for our family. Among the many treats that we dug out of these boxes were pepperoni sticks, magazines for Mom, fun things for the kids, and chocolate chips! It’s great to be loved! Thank you so much!!

Our annual, regional conference was another great experience for our family. Every family from our region came together for five packed days of fun and encouragement. A team from the States visited especially to take care of all the kids so that the grown-ups could enjoy some time together during the mornings. They pumped our kids full of sugar and ran them around each day doing games and activities. It was a great experience for our children. Ron and Carrie Lindsay came and challenged us each day from the Word and their own lives. They were serving the Lord for years here in the Sepik. Having them return to challenge us was a real treat. Along with the daily meetings there was lots of fellowship and fun as we got to know the rest of our Sepik co-workers.

Since then, for the past month, Benjamin has been working on a new project. Since he has completed his language study he was asked to give his energy to assessing the needs of the region to try and determine where the next church planting team (hopefully us) should allocate. He is working alongside Tony Sutton and some others who have experience in this. It is exciting work that calls for a lot of research and field work that will see Benjamin visiting some pretty remote areas of the Sepik region in search for the next people group for us to work with. We will dedicate our next update to giving you more details, pictures and footage of this process so that you can be praying with us effectively.

We are continually aware of our need for miracles these days. The work of church planting in a tribal location is an extreme ministry that requires more than we have to give. We’re asking the Lord to provide for us so that we can continue to move forward in this endeavor. Without each of you standing behind us we couldn’t manage any of this. Thank you for your faithful sacrifice on our behalf. We are deeply grateful.

Benjamin and Missy Hatton

Balus is the pidgin word for plane (pronounced BAA LOOSE!) We would like to share some video footage of our recent flight into the tribe. This was definitely an adventure for our family. If it weren’t for a balus in this country missions outreach would be seriously hampered. Our flight was only about 40 minutes long. By motor boat the same trip takes two days; two weeks by regular canoe. Twenty years ago a regular canoe was the only way for missionaries to get to the interior, unreached areas of this country. It is amazing to think that families just like ours made the sacrifice and endured the hardship that took us only minutes to overcome. We are very privileged! Enjoy the video!!

Saksak rule #1 watch your step!

The Sago Palm grows in abundance here in the Sepik. In this flat, lowland terrain there is a lot of swamp and that is where the Sago Palm thrives. The Papua New Guineans call the Sago Palm Saksak. If there was no Saksak in the Sepik there would be no men living in the Sepik. That is the testimony of Sangi, the man who we accompanied on our Saksak expedition.

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It was four weeks ago, today, that we arrived in Papua New Guinea.  We are so thankful for the grace of God shown to us in many ways this past month.  As you have prayed for us the Lord has encouraged and challenged our hearts and continues to stretch our faith in Him.

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After 20 days in transit we are finally at our destination!  A roller coaster of emotions describes best what we are feeling now that we are here.  Sometimes excited and confident, other times sad and apprehensive.  Overwhelmed with all that is new, but relieved that we are done traveling.  There are moments that everything seems quite normal, and others when we feel like having a good cry.  So much has transpired in the past few weeks that it is hard to know which of these feelings is appropriate.  All of them, is probably the right answer. 

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Jet lag is a strange thing.  After a full night of rest we still feel like our heads are twice their normal weight.  In our minds the past 21 hours of globetrotting seem more like a dream, but our bodies remind us that we didn’t imagine even a second of the journey.  It actually happened, and we are actually in Australia.  It just doesn’t seem real.  We are thanking God for the internet because we have already been able to Skype with our dear families.  Familiar faces in this unfamiliar landscape are so comforting.  Thank you so much for all your prayers, gifts and well wishes during the past few days and weeks.  We are very aware of your support. We’d like to share a few of the highlights from the past few days so you can rejoice with us at God’s grace, mercy and faithfulness.

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Commissioning Service

This past Sunday, October 3rd, was a momentous day for our family as we were commissioned and officially sent off by our home church, Cascades Baptist.  Our pastors, missions team, family and many church friends had so many kind words of encouragement and pledges to stand behind us in this new ministry endeavor.  We appreciate each relationship that the Lord has given us from this body of believers, and not from this church only.  The Lord has given us precious relationships with 7 other churches that have expressed their care and concern for us too.  It has just been overwhelming and we are filled with gratitude. 

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