Jacob and Beth Devine showing students tribal missions through Interface Leaving on a jet plane!
Beth’s visa approval has come! And now in just a few days we are heading to Papua New Guinea! Friday we fly out of Halifax, Nova Scotia to Boston, MA. We are excited to see Beth’s mom in Boston for a few hours before we board the plane to Phoenix, AZ to visit Beth’s sister and nephews for a few days. Then June 11th we fly out to Australia and then on to Papua New Guinea arriving on June 14th! We would appreciate your prayers for our travels around the world with our little Jonathan!
We enjoyed the last 11 months at home, so thankful for a little extra time to visit friends and family! It was so good to be able to share about our former ministry and future ministry at so many churches! We weren’t able to visit all our friends and family in North America, but we enjoyed seeing so many of you! If you didn’t get a chance to see the video we made about our Interface ministry please check it out on Youtube!! http://youtu.be/lxm1-VcKsMg And sign up to head over to Papua New Guinea for the Interface program! The program has moved to a new location, but it is still an amazing, eye opening and challenging trip for all interested in missions!
Praises!
- Beth’s passport with PNG visa arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago!
- Wonderful time in Nova Scotia the last two months!
- Great family times here in Nova Scotia!
- Many opportunities to share in churches here in Nova Scotia about our former and future ministries!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- God’s provisions for us as we continue to adjust to a little one in the house!
- A wonderful 11 month home assignment watching God provide, teach and grow us in many ways!
- Opportunity to be involved in this summer’s Interface team in the Sepik region!
Prayer:
- Wisdom and guidance as we continue to learn to take care of Jonathan.
- Continued transition of our family of two into a family of three!
- Wisdom, guidance and energy as we sort, pack and finish all the last minute things before we fly out on Friday.
- Ability to process and adjust to our move from the Interface ministry to our ministry in the Sepik region of PNG.
- Ability to jump right into our work helping, as the Interface program starts 4 days after we arrive in the Sepik region.
- Beth, as she helps put together a menu for the Interface team in the next few days.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Smooth and fast process as we apply for Jonathan’s Canadian citizenship.
- Finances for our tickets that we just purchased.
- Ability to focus on God daily and rely on His infused strength.
- Pray for the Bena church and Bena people as they process the move of Interface.
- Pray for a new mission organization to be able to move onto the Interface campus very quickly.
- 15 Interface students and 2 staff will fly over to PNG, arriving June 17th. Pray for safety and God’s work in their lives during their time in PNG.
Thank you all for your prayers and support as we head back to Papua New Guinea! If you would like one of our new prayer cards, just drop us an email and let us know where to send it!
PDF In Nova Scotia, awaiting a visa!
Yesterday we received Jonathan’s passport in the mail with a Papua New Guinea visa inside! Thank you for praying! Now we are just waiting for Beth’s visa approval. We were able to ask the PNG Embassy in Washington DC to send Beth’s passport back to us in Massachusetts so that we could travel to Canada. Then once we crossed the border, we sent it back to the Embassy. So now we are still awaiting approval from Papua New Guinea for her visa. Keep praying!
We had an uneventful trip here to Nova Scotia. Jacob’s parents were able to visit us in Massachusetts and leave their truck there for us to drive back to Canada. We had to return our rental car before we left the states, as we wouldn’t be back before leaving for PNG. But Jonathan seemed to enjoy our new vehicle…. He did quite well in the back seat of the extended cab as his car seat vibrated slightly when we were on the highway… so he slept a lot!
We are enjoying time with Jacob’s parents, extended family and friends here in Nova Scotia. And God has given us a lot of opportunities to speak at churches in the area, which has been very encouraging! We will enjoying waiting here among family and friends until Beth’s visa is approved, hopefully soon. We hope to book our tickets to Papua New Guinea as soon as we get Beth’s passport with PNG visa. We are hoping to leave mid-May but we know that God’s timing is better than our plan. God is teaching us that he makes everything happen at the right time, in the big things and the little things!
Praises!
- Wonderful time in Massachusetts over the last 5 months!
- Great family times and good opportunities to take part in church activities while we were in MA!
- Jacob’s brother, Josh and his wife Rebekah came to visit in MA!
- Danny and Tammy Mixter (former Interface co-workers) came to visit us in MA!
- Jacob’s parents visit in MA!
- Provision of Jacob’s parents truck to drive us and our belongs up to Nova Scotia!
- Safety in traveling, 3 days, to Nova Scotia!
- Many opportunities to share in churches here in Nova Scotia about our former and future ministries!
- We received Jonathan’s passport with PNG visa in the mail!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- God’s provisions for us as we continue to adjust to a little one in the house!
Prayer:
- Wisdom and guidance as we continue to learn to take care of Jonathan.
- Continued transition of our family of two into a family of three!
- Wisdom and guidance as we learn more about our new ministry and figure out what to pack and how to plan.
- Ability to process and adjust to our move from the Interface ministry to our ministry at the Supply Center for the Sepik Region.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Smooth and fast process as we apply for Jonathan’s Canadian citizenship.
- Approval of Beth’s PNG visa so we can book our tickets to PNG!
- Finances for our tickets to travel back to PNG at the beginning of May.
- Ability to focus on God daily for and rely on His infused strength.
- Pray for the Bena church and Bena people as they process the move of Interface.
- Pray for a new mission organization to be able to move onto the Interface campus very quickly after Interface moves out.
Thank you for all your many prayers over the last few months of our home assignment in North America! God has certainly done great things as He has guided us into a new ministry and given us strength and wisdom through the birth of our little Jonathan and continued adjustments!
A New Chapter in our Lives Continues to Unfold…
God has definitely brought us through some unexpected decisions in the last couple of weeks as we found ourselves in need of a new ministry. We didn’t expect that the Interface program would move to the Madang Region while we were on Home Assignment this year. This also means that we are no longer needed in the ministries which we have been serving in for the last 3 years (for Jacob) and 11 ½ years (for Beth). We won’t be returning to our home in PNG but we asked God where He wants us to serve Him next… we have been wondering where we would be living next… and what would we be doing as we returned to Papua New Guinea with our little Jonathan.
Thank you all for your prayers!! As we corresponded with the NTM leadership in Papua New Guinea we learned of two great needs in the lowlands and we begin to pray about them because they weren’t our first choices as we hoped to be able to stay in the Highlands. But God wasn’t opening any doors for ministry in the Highlands region. So as we prayed individually, God changed each of our hearts. So when we talked about it a few days later, we found that we were both in agreement… God was leading us to Supply Center for the Sepik Region, despite our lack of desire to move there previously. We do have an amazing God! The supply center is in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, right on the coast, which means…. Lots of heat and humidity! Pray for our adjustments, as we have been enjoying the perfect weather in the Highlands of PNG for many years. We were concerned about Jacob’s allergies to mold with a move to the lowlands because of 80-90 % humidity levels. But after an appointment with an allergist we found that his allergies can probably be controlled with medicine. Although we hope to keep an ultra-clean house, so he doesn’t have to take medicine all the time.
You may wonder what it is that we will be doing at the Supply Center for the Sepik Region… Jacob will be serving on the maintenance team and Beth will be a wife, mom and help out wherever needed. This center supports the tribal missionaries. The center consists of a store, guest house, business office, workshop and many houses for support staff as well as guest homes for bush missionaries on break. And we get to be a part of this ministry. Jacob might also get to help out some tribal teams as projects come up in different bush locations around the Sepik region.
As we think about our new ministry in the Supply Center for the Sepik Region…we are excited! Yet we are very sad to leave our home and ministry at Interface and the national people there. We hope to be able to visit them before moving to our new home and introduce our friends to our little Jonathan. 
This last week, the Bena people were given the news… Interface is moving… there is great sadness in the village. So far, things are going smoothly as the staff move out many boxes and things. And the people haven’t created any problems…. They suggested that the land be leased to another mission organization and asked for our help to find a group to move in after Interface moves out. Please pray that the moving process will go well and that a new mission can move in smoothly!
After we decided that God was moving us on to the Supply Center for the Sepik Region to start a new chapter of our lives, we found out that this Summer’s Interface program will also be held at the Supply Center for the Sepik Region as well as the new Church Planting Internship. Interface’s new location, in the Madang region, will not have everything ready to begin the program there so soon. So we are excited to have the privilege of interacting with the Interface students this summer, for one last time.
Please pray for our paperwork situation. Right now we are waiting for Beth’s renewed PNG visa to be put into her passport, which is in Washington DC. We can’t head to Canada until we receive this in the mail. We would like to head up to Canada at the beginning of April, but we aren’t sure if we will have her passport back in time. Please pray also for Jonathan’s visa. We received his passport a few weeks ago and now we are in the process of applying for his PNG visa. Fortunately we are able to travel across the border to Canada with just his birth certificate in hand. So we do not need his passport with visa in hand until we fly back to PNG, hopefully at the beginning of May. And we just found out that the maintenance man, Bill Morlang, who Jacob will be replacing, is leaving for Home assignment from Supply Center for the Sepik Region on May 10th. So we would really like to be there before that so Jacob can get a run down on how things work and what projects are in the works. Thanks for praying!
We are enjoying time at home in MA with family and friends. And we look forward to celebrating Easter here with Beth’s family. It will be very sad to leave our family here knowing that we won’t see them for 2 ½-3 years… thinking of how grown up Jonathan will be by the time we return… makes it even hard for us and the grandparents. But we are thankful for Skype! And we look forward to spending a month in Nova Scotia speaking at churches and introducing Jonathan to all his family.
Praises!
- God’s guidance, direction and peace as HE gave us peace for a new chapter in our lives.
- Opportunity to join the Supply Center for the Sepik Region team at the NTM support center.
- Opportunity to work with old friends on the team at the Supply Center for the Sepik Region
- Things are going smoothly and peacefully as Interface moves out… the Bena people are sad but not causing trouble.
- Opportunity to interact with the Interface students this summer!
- We received Jonathan’s passport in the mail a few weeks ago!
- Our Jonathan Dennis!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- God’s provisions for us as we continue to adjust to a little one in the house!
Prayer:
- Wisdom and guidance as we continue to learn to take care of Jonathan.
- Continued transition of our family of two into a family of three!
- Wisdom and guidance as we learn more about our new ministry and figure out what to pack and how to plan.
- Ability to process and adjust to our move from the Interface ministry to our ministry in Supply Center for the Sepik Region.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Smooth and fast process as we apply for Jonathan’s visa and Canadian citizenship.
- Beth’s visa would be put into her passport soon so we can head up to Canada.
- Safety in travel as we drive up to Canada, hopefully at the beginning of April.
- Finances for our tickets to travel back to PNG at the beginning of May.
- Ability to focus on God daily for and rely on His infused strength.
- Pray for the Bena church and Bena people as they process the move of Interface.
- Pray for a new mission organization to be able to move onto the Interface campus very quickly after Interface moves out.
We’d appreciate your continued prayers as we adjust to life of parenthood and prayers for continued health for Jonathan. And for prayers as we process the end of the Interface chapter of our lives and the beginning of the Supply Center for the Sepik Region chapter of our lives. And don’t forget be sure to let us know if you would like us to share about our ministry in your church, home group or personally!
Another HUGE Life Change!
Our Jonathan will be 1 month old on Saturday! Wow… what a great responsibility, privilege and honor it is that God has given us a son… we are enjoying the miracle of a newborn… and learning a lot about diaper changing, crying, feeding and sleeping… the daily life of our Jonathan… we are learning a lot and enjoying this new life change… although wondering when we will catch up on sleep.
And now God has put another huge life change in front of us, not one that we expected, but something very sad… God is moving the Interface program to a different location in Papua New Guinea and closing down the current Interface property.
We have enjoyed being a part of the Interface program in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It has been amazing to watch God work in so many lives over the 11 ½ years (for Beth) and just over 3 years (for Jacob). God has greatly used Interface to open many eyes to all He is doing in missions as well as challenge many into missions and strengthen walks with Himself. Sadly, in the last 10-15 years we have seen attendance at Interface drop off significantly. We know that there are many factors impacting this decline but this decline in attendance has put real strain on Interface in many areas.
Recently the NTM Leadership has made the decision to shut down the Interface facility located in the Bena tribe. We know that it has not been an easy decision. Please note that the Interface Program itself is not being shut down. Interface will be downsizing and moving the program to another NTM property in the Madang region that the Leadership feels will be easier and yet effective. There are a lot of details to work out, and the future is uncertain, but please know that the Interface staff and leadership, are working through all the scenarios and seeking God for the future.
So, what does this mean for the Devine family? Well, we will not be making the move to Madang Region because the Madang Region center already has support staff in place. They are in need of teaching staff. So please pray for us as we look to the Lord for what HE has for us next. We have a great desire to return to Papua New Guinea in May as planned. And right now we are in contact with the PNG leadership about new ministry opportunities. Please pray that God will give us clear direction and a great peace about which way to go in the next chapter in our lives.
Note that the 2013 Summer Interface Program has NOT been cancelled, and that the new Interface Church Planting Internship that is to start this Fall has NOT been cancelled and will begin in early September. The Interface summer program location has yet to be decided, as the Madang region location may not be ready in time.
Please pray for the Interface staff back in Papua New Guinea as they have a huge task ahead of them… packing up the Interface campus and moving out before July 25th. Pray also for us all as we look to God for our future ministries. And pray for the Bena people as they learn of our departure.
Being a part of what God is doing in Papua New Guinea is never what we expect and never lacks in excitement. As we trust Him, we know that He will use Interface in the best way possible, in a way that will bring the most glory to Himself! And God is doing just that… bringing changes to Interface that we would have never expected! But we can trust that He is doing this because it will bring Him glory.
Our Family had Grown!
We are enjoying the great pleasures of a newborn in our lives! Our son, Jonathan Dennis Devine, was born on February 2nd at 2:29 am weighing 7 lbs, 8 oz. He is a happy and healthy baby! We are still in awe of the miracle of our son being formed in the womb and being born as a miniature us. Many people have said that he looks like Jacob… but we aren’t sure why the red hair entered the picture! We laugh at his many facial expressions that sometimes change by the second. And we are in amazement that he has the ability to make so many dirty diapers! He is a great little chap who loves to eat and sleep. We are very thankful that he doesn’t cry too much and he usually is a pretty good sleeper. (Although sometimes he grunts in his sleep and keeps his nervous new parents up wondering if those noises are normal for babies.:) )
We are so thankful that; it worked out for us to have Jonathan on our home assignment. We are working on getting his passport and everything he needs to live in Papua New Guinea. We are also available to share at your home churches, small groups or Bible studies. We are always excited to talk about all that God is doing in Papua New Guinea through Interface! If you are interested in hearing about our ministry, please contact us via email or phone!
We hope to be able to travel back to Nova Scotia at the end of March or beginning of April, depending on the progress of Jonathan’s paperwork. We look forward to spending a month in Nova Scotia speaking at churches and introducing Jonathan to all his family. Then we would like to return to Papua New Guinea by early May so we would appreciate your prayers about this. It will be exciting to start a new chapter of our lives in Papua New Guinea with our son. We are looking forward to showing all our tribal friends our Jonathan and they are looking forward to seeing him!
Praises!
- Labor and delivery of Jonathan went well! Mom and baby got through it. And Dad didn’t faint.
- Health baby boy… healthy mom and dad!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- God’s provisions for us as we adjust to a little one in the house!
Prayer:
- Wisdom and guidance as we learn to take care of Jonathan.
- Transition of our family of two into a family of three!
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Smooth and fast process as we apply for the baby’s passport, visa and Canadian citizenship.
- That we would be able to get to know our supporters and home churches better.
- Ability to focus on God daily for His infused strength.
- Pray for the Bena church to continue to grow in their understanding of God.
- Pray for God to raise up many students for our Interface program this summer.
We’d appreciate your continued prayers as we adjust to life of parenthood and prayers for continued health for Jonathan . And don’t forget be sure to let us know if you would like us to share about our ministry in your church, home group or personally!
New Year, New Happenings
Just 5 more weeks until our little guy enters the world! We are getting very excited, looking forward to God’s amazing miracle of birth. In the meantime, we enjoyed a Christmas week this year at home in Massachusetts with our families… celebrating with Jacob’s family, Beth’s family, Beth’s sister & family visiting from Phoenix and with Beth’s extended family in Connecticut. It has been wonderful to be home with family this year for Christmas!
Papua New Guinea has very little decoration for Christmas and for some in Papua New Guinea, Christmas comes and goes without much happening at all. It was great for us to be here in North America again for Christmas. Many people talk about how North America has lost the true spirit of Christmas. While it is true that the holiday becomes muddled with materialism and selfishness, we have really appreciated all the decorations and the general “spirit of Christmas” that is here in north America. Even the Christmas shopping was fun! Although at times it was overwhelming to see how many people could be shopping at the same time!
Our church had an amazing choir concert and they turned the gym into “Bethlehem” to help people experience a unique nativity scene! (complete with a live donkey). It was great to get a new perspective on the almighty Father who chose to send His Son from paradise into a broken world. It certainly helped Beth and I have a new perspective on the depth of God the Father’s love, since we are expecting a new son in just five weeks. We are looking forward to the New Year and all God has planned for us. We have enjoyed our time in North America and are getting excited as we prepare to return to Papua New Guinea.
Praises!
- Celebration of Christmas with family! And we even had a white Christmas!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- A good report from the Doctor, Mom and baby are healthy!
- Opportunity to see a physical therapist for Beth’s pinched nerve causing bad back and leg pain.
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- God’s provisions for us as we prepare for the baby to come!
Prayer:
- Health during Beth’s pregnancy for mom and the baby.
- Continued healing of Beth’s pinched nerve.
- Smooth delivery of our baby boy… ability to trust God through it all, giving us peace.
- Transition of our family of two into a family of three!
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Smooth and fast process as we apply for the baby’s passport and visa soon after his birth.
- That we would be able to get to know our supporters and home churches better.
- Pray for the Bena church to continue to grow in their understanding of God.
- Pray for God to raise up many students for our Interface program this summer.
We’d appreciate your continued prayers as we prepare to become parents and for the little one as he comes into this world. J And don’t forget be sure to let us know if you would like us to share about our ministry in your church, home group or personally!
Counting our Gifts from God
Thanksgiving in Connecticut this year with some of Beth’s family was so nice! After being overseas for the last few years on Thanksgiving, we really enjoyed being home with family this year! And of course there was lots of yummy food… turkey, mashed potatoes and the works… we especially enjoyed making all natural apple pies this year with fresh apples and no sugar.
This year we read a book called “A Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. It was an eye opening time thinking about daily gifts that God has given us, things we don’t even think about as we go through each day. Sometimes we pray for things yet when God answers we spend less time thanking Him then we did praying for it. Our focus is definitely a little bit skewed. So now we’d like to take a few minutes to list a few of the gifts God has given us in the last few months that makes us very thankful:
- Three years of a wonderful marriage
- Baby boy due in February
- Safe travels from church to church
- Encouraging time speaking at churches
- Thanksgiving with family
- Turkey and organic apple pie
- Beautiful fall weather, especially on Thanksgiving
- Provision of a dependable car
- Lovely apartment close to Beth’s parents
- Insurance and midwife care for mom & baby
- Healthy baby and mom at 7 months
- God’s moment by moment provisions for our needs
- A personal God work lives within us and works through us
- Being a part of all God is doing at Interface in PNG
We left Nova Scotia at the end of October and enjoyed a bit of time in New Brunswick sharing at the New Brunswick Bible Institute and Jacksontown Baptist Church. And we got to see some friends before heading south into the windy storm, Sandy. But we were thankful that we just missed it, arriving in MA a day after the brunt of it. We have also enjoyed settling into our apartment here in MA just a 5 minute drive from Beth’s parents. Although we haven’t had much time in our apartment yet because we’ve been out and about speaking at a couple churches in NY and CT, attending Beth’s cousins wedding in CT, visiting former co-workers at Wayumi (short-term missions) in PA as well as Jacob’s brother and sister-in-law in PA. But now we are finally able to settle in completely to our home here in MA. We look forward to preparing for the baby’s arrival and attending our home church.
We also want to thank all of you for your many prayers and support over the last months, as we have been traveling and speaking and visiting supporters. We’d appreciate your continued prayers as we continue to share at churches and small groups in this area. (Be sure to let us know if you would like us to share about our ministry in your church, home group or personally!) And of course us as we prepare to become parents and for the little one as he comes into this world.
God’s Blessings in Nova Scotia
Dear Friends and Family,
Our time in Nova Scotia has come to an end, very sad. But we have enjoyed the last 5 weeks of home assignment in the Nova Scotian culture. God has given us many opportunities to share about all He is doing through Interface in Papua New Guinea. We’ve spoke at different churches every Sunday, a couple of youth groups, a 5th and 6th grade class and even a Historical Society meeting. Plus we’ve enjoyed hanging out and chatting with many of our individual supporters one on one. It has been so encouraging to hear how supportive everyone is of all that we are doing and even more encouraging to hear testimonies of some of our individual supporters. Plus Beth now has a better understanding of the Devine clan and the Nova Scotian culture although she doesn’t think she will ever know who is related how because there are so many relatives. We met another relative of Jacob’s in almost every church and every place we went in town.
God has provided for us in many ways in our last 5 weeks! We have enjoyed a beautiful apartment right next door to Jacob’s parents with all the luxuries of home…. Including internet! We’ve had fun times with family and friends. And Jacob’s mom organized a beautiful baby shower for Beth. Many of the ladies from all the churches that we’ve spoken at were able to attend as well as many relatives! God is providing in great ways in the preparations for the baby.
It has been great to meet and talk with supporters. We have heard many amazing stories of how God has worked in people’s lives here in Nova Scotia. Some people were at a big crossroads when we saw them three years ago. And talking to them now, we get to hear amazing stories of how God has worked out the situations. As we have traveled around to different churches, it has been neat to see the changes and all that God has been doing in the last three years while we have been away. When you go away for three years and come back, you notice the changes and all that God has done in a place sometimes more than the people who have lived through the changes. Some churches didn’t have a pastor, and now they have one. And other churches have grown, many changes have happened. It has been a blessing to hear and see all these things!
Don’t forget, please let us know if you would like us to stop in and visit to share about Interface! We will be in MA until sometime in March. And then back up here to Nova Scotia for the month of April. Pray that all goes well with the paperwork so we can return to PNG at the beginning of May!
Praises!
- Many opportunities to share about PNG here in Nova Scotia!
- Good times with many friends and family in the last weeks!
- Opportunity to fellowship with our many churches!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- A good report from the Doctor, Mom and baby are healthy!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
- Wonderful baby shower with new friends!
- God’s provisions for us as we prepare for the baby to come!
- Provision of an apartment in Pittsfield, MA! We will be renting from a couple in our home church!
- Opportunity to go to the IWK Medical Centre, a specialty hospital for children to get a 3D ultrasound, tomorrow!! (Then we will know if it is a boy or a girl!!)
- Rich Foster had a good profitable trip to PNG and was able to spend time with the believers encouraging them in the Lord!
Prayer:
- Energy and stamina for Beth and the baby as we travel down to New Brunswick to speak at a church and NBBI (New Brunswick Bible Institute) and then on to MA.
- That we would settle into our apartment and life in MA quickly.
- Travel to speak at churches in NY and CT from Nov 6-17.
- Health during Beth’s pregnancy for mom and the baby.
- Wisdom as we find a new doctor/midwife in MA and think about the baby being born.
- Wisdom with words as we share at many churches and with many individuals about what God is doing through Interface.
- That we would be able to get to know our supporters and home churches better.
- Pray for everyone back at Interface as they continue working together for one more conference and then gear up for the January Interface program.
- Pray for God to raise up students for our Interface programs in January and the summer as well as students for our new Church Planting internship
- Pray for the Swanson family as they have just joined the Interface staff, pray they will settle in quickly.
- Pray for Edgard, Thomas, Matthias and Jephunneh, new interns at Interface, as they adjust and learn their work.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Pray for the Bena church to continue to grow in their understanding of God.
Treking around North America…
Hanging out with family and friends, listening to Christian Radio via the internet, encouragement through friends, churches & family, fresh berries, driving on smooth roads in a quiet car, washer and dryer, dishwasher, clean stores, beautiful fall colors, joys of preparing for our little one, Boston Pizza, well stocked Hardware and Grocery stores, freedom to drive and the conveniences of living in North America are just a few things we are enjoying these days.
We flew in to Nova Scotia from Papua New Guinea about 5 weeks ago. And after spending a week here with family and catching up on life we hit the road again. We were so thankful that God provided a car for us to rent from Christian Missionary Technical Services (CMTS) which we were able to pick up in PA. Then we enjoyed a busy week with Beth’s family in MA as we moved Beth’s grandmother from her assisted living apartment in CT to her parents’ home in MA. Then we were off to western NY to celebrate the Labor Day weekend with Beth’s other grandmother, uncle and aunt. We were thankful for a bit of relaxing time as well after our busy travels and busy week moving Beth’s grandmother. From there we headed to Waukesha, WI where we visited a good friend, Sarah Pauli, now Dean of Women at the NTM Bible Institute there. We also saw quite a few Interface Alumni. And we enjoyed dropping in on some old friends in the area, Josh and Ali & family. Then we headed to the New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, MI where we got to visit another good friend, Nate Eutsey, now Head of Food Services at the Bible School. And we got to see more Interface Alumni! We had fun dropping in on the Bean family, who used to pastor Jacob’s home church in NS. From there we enjoyed a week at the NTM of Canada headquarters in Durham, Ontario. It was good to see more friends and Alumni there as well! Then we ventured across Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick to pick up Jacob’s mom at a Missions Conference at a Malagash Bible Camp. And just a few days ago we arrived back here in Doctor’s Cove, Nova Scotia. We loved traveling and visiting with so many people along the way. But now we are enjoying the fact that we get to unpack our bags for the first time! We will be here for 5 weeks and look forward to all God has in store for us here as we begin to speak at churches sharing all that God is doing through Interface in PNG!
It has been amazing to watch God provide money for us each step of the way. Just when we start thinking and wondering how we are going to find money to pay for something, God provides! J We enjoy watching God work in new ways as we adjust to life in North America, learn more and more about the arrival of our baby and start to speak in different churches about our ministry at Interface.
And don’t forget please let us know if you would like us to stop in and visit to share about Interface! We will be in Nova Scotia until Oct 25th. Then we will be heading to MA. We will be there through March sometime. And then back up here to Nova Scotia for the month of April. If all goes well with our baby’s passport and visa paperwork, we hope to be headed back to PNG at the beginning of May! J
Praises!
- God’s provision for a missionary rental car for our time at home!
- Safety and energy as we traveled over the last 5 weeks.
- Good times with many friends and family in the last weeks!
- Opportunity to fellowship with our home churches!
- God’s continued provision for our needs moment by moment!
- A good report from the Doctor, Mom and baby are healthy!
- Encouraging words and deeds from many friends and family!
Prayer:
- Energy and stamina for Beth and the baby as we travel.
- Health during Beth’s pregnancy for mom and the baby.
- Wisdom with words as we share at many churches and with many individuals about what God is doing through Interface.
- That we would be able to get to know our supporters and home churches better.
- Pray for everyone back at Interface as they continue working together as they serve during the fall conferences.
- Pray for the Swanson family as they have just joined the Interface staff, pray they will settle in quickly.
- Pray for Edgard, Thomas, Matthias and Jephunneh, new interns at Interface, as they adjust and learn their work.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Pray for the Bena church to continue to grow in their understanding of God.
- Pray for the Foster family as Rich heads to PNG for 3 weeks, pray for the logistics of it all, an encouragement to the believers and the translation of Romans to be able to be checked.
Arrival in North America!
Hours and hours in planes, skyscrapers and smog, fun times with friends, delicious Chinese food, jet lag, travel by buses, smooth roads, clean towns, nice cars, German breakfast, more fun times with friends, hours traveling by train, German bread and more hours and hours in planes basically sums up the highlights of our last two weeks.
We flew from Papua New Guinea to Hong Kong to visit long time friends and see the sights of Hong Kong. Check out our blog for pictures! A few days later we flew to Germany and got to see lots of our Intern Alumni from the last 8 years…. So good to see everyone and see what God has them doing these days! And of course it was fun to see a few sights of Germany and eat some amazing German food and fresh summer fruit! It was Jacob’s first time in Germany so it was good for us both to learn more about the German culture together so we know how to relate to our interns in the future. We are thankful that we had these opportunities and so thankful for energy and strength as we recovered from the busyness of program and packing as well as jet lag during our travels. Thank you for praying! Especially for Beth as she is hard at work growing a baby inside of her.
We arrived in Nova Scotia on Monday and we are enjoying time of rest, time with Jacob’s family, time to catch up on email. We are enjoying civilization once again! We are still amazed by the smooth roads and clean towns, the quiet cars, automatic washing machines, dryers and dish washers, ability to call anyone at home anytime and fast internet. And of course the fresh strawberries, blueberries, nectarines and plums are wonderful too!
We plan to spend a lot of time in Nova Scotia and Massachusetts while we are home as well as travel around to see many of you and share about all God is doing through Interface in Papua New Guinea. If you would like us to stop in and visit, just drop us an email. When we settle in at home, we will find ourselves a phone as well, details to come.
Praises!
- Interface students grew in their walks with God this summer!
- Wisdom and energy to pack up our house before heading home.
- Safety in travel from PNG to Hong Kong to Germany to Nova Scotia!
- Good times with many friends along our travels!
- Seeing family again!
- Opportunity to fellowship with our home church!
Prayer:
- Safety on the road as we head down to the US on Sunday to pick up our rental car at a mission organization on the August 22nd.
- Safety as we head out on a road trip on the August 30th to NY, MI, WI and ON before heading back here to NS.
- Energy and stamina for Beth and the baby as we travel.
- Health during Beth’s pregnancy.
- That we would be able to get to know our supporters and home churches better.
- Pray for everyone back at Interface as they continue working together to get ready for our upcoming fall conferences.
- Pray that God would raise our support level to the amount needed for a family with one child.
- Pray for the Bena church to continue to grow in their understanding of God.
- Pray for the Foster family as they plan for Rich to take a 3 week trip to PNG in September, pray for the logistics of it all, an encouragement to the believers and the translation of Romans to be able to be checked.
