John Piper (“Don’t Waste Your Life”) describes glorifying God as being something like a telescope.   If we truly glorify God we are helping others to see Someone who is so vast and beyond our understanding by drawing them closer to a small part of Him – much like a telescope helps us to marvel at the beautiful mysteries in the vast galaxies around us.   I’ve been very convicted lately that my life does not emulate that telescope nearly like it should.  Too often I seek people to look at me rather than simply being a mirror to reflect the One who is so much greater.  Piper shares, “God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life.  The wasted life is the life without this passion.  God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of Him in every part of our lives.”  I am praying that God will work in me what is necessary to be a better “telescope” or “mirror” to glorify Him.  I hope you will be able to see Him make that difference in me in these coming months and years – or maybe I should say I hope you will be seeing “less” of me in these coming months and years and more of Him.  May many come to know Him more fully.  What a joy there is in that!

Dangerous hikes are worth it when sharing the gospel.

Above is a picture of one of the parents of students I had in Papua New Guinea.  He writes, “Sliding down the slick path, I tried to be more careful with my footing. My afternoon commute consisted of an hour of vertical hiking down one mountain, crossing a log bridge that straddles a raging river, and up the next mountain. However, my thoughts were on the response of a Kuman man I had just been with and not on the treacherous footing. Matias’s words came back to me, “I don’t know why you would hike so far just to come and talk with a nobody like me. But praise God He sent you for now I am trusting that Christ paid for my sins and has given me eternal life!” Needless to say, I had a new spring in my step.”

Christmas can be a season of hope.  It is a season of Hope for this Kuman man and for many others in Papua New Guinea because so many here make it possible for that Hope to come to them.  We are glad to be a part of that!

We have enjoyed the opportunity to share Christmas with family this year.   Many of our nieces and nephews were born while we were away or were very young when we left.  It is fun to share this year with them – to get to know them a little and to make memories with them for this Christmas.  Being away the last four years seems to make us appreciate the time we can have with family that much more.  Thank you for your faithful prayers for our family- the support and encouragement.  We sincerely wish you all a very wonderful Christmas this year, celebrating the Hope we have all been given!

It has been some time since we were able to experience this time of year.  God is quite an artist!   Along with the beautiful leaves we enjoyed the local high school football game this last Friday with the youth from our church.  Even football is such a big change after four years without it.  (Overseas the favorite sports are rugby and cricket – quite a bit different from the American football.)

Patrick at training workshop.

Above, Patrick looks through material at the cognitive testing workshop he attended in Maine in late September.  We are so thankful that he was able to obtain this training to better meet the needs of students at the school in Papua New Guinea.  Thank you to all of you who helped make that possible.

New Believers in Siar
The biggest news recently has been the sharing of the gospel in Siar.  Thank you for your continued prayers for this work.  Below are a few excerpts from the recent updates from that region.

Jon was emotional from the beginning which is not normal for him or any Siar for that matter.  He started by telling the people that he wanted to share with them what God had done for him.  He said that he could share a lot but he wanted to clearly state three main things.  He started by explaining how he used to call himself a pastor and teacher of God’s Word, but he never understand the true God.  He shared how God’s Word in the creation account revealed to Jon the true God who is perfect, all-powerful, and the creator of all things.  He was just amazed at encountering the one true God through His Word.  Jon’s second point was that God’s Word showed him that no matter what he thought about himself, the truth of the matter was that he was a sinner separated from God and the punishment for his sins was ready for him to bear.  Finally he culminated his talk by touching the promise of God that started back in the Garden of Eden and found its fulfillment in the person of Christ and His work on Jon’s behalf.  The previous day as we taught on the death of Christ, we nailed large nails into a cross that we had made and had laid on the ground in the teaching house.  Jon referenced that cross and shared that as he heard the sound of the hammer hitting the nails, he knew that the death on the cross was meant for him and he deserved it but Christ took his place and suffered his punishment for his sin.  He said he firmly believed it, and was confident that God bought him back and that he was now in God’s clan forever.  Jon’s talk ended with a challenge to the others as he said, “You guys, this is the truth – the only truth.  And this is the time for us to decide whether we will believe this or not!  All other issues, ideas, paths to God, are all lies.  But you all need to decide what you will do with this gospel; this was for you and you must decide!”

There were testimonies from several others from the tribal group.  What a blessing to hear of God’s work in their lives!!  Thank you for playing a part in that work.  Your prayers do impact lives even on the other side of the globe!

Over the past few months Dawn and I have really appreciated the writings of Watchman Nee, a 20th century believer from south Asia with a fantastic gift for communicating practical application from the scripture.  Recently I read, “God never asks us to do anything we can do.  He asks us to live a life which we can never live and to do a work which we can never do.  Yet, by His grace, we are living it and doing it.  The life we live is the life of Christ lived in the power of God, and the work we do is the work of Christ carried on through us by His Spirit whom we obey.  Self is the only obstruction to that life and to that work.  May we each one pray from our hearts:  ‘O Lord, deal with me!’” We cannot do this work, but God can and will do His work through each of us as we let Him deal with us and yield to His control.  We are learning every day how much more we need to have the self-obstruction get out of the way to let Him accomplish His work.

Patrick working with youth from our church.

We are very thankful for the provision God has made for us for this year.  In August I began serving as the interim minister to students and their families at our home church while we are on home assignment.   We have enjoyed this opportunity to invest in the lives of these families.  We are also thankful for the supplement to the support we have been receiving.  We are hoping to save up most of the support received this year to purchase supplies and tickets for traveling back to Papua New Guinea in July 2012.  Thank you to all of you who continue to help meet those needs.  We will continue to seek to be good stewards of all that God provides.

Truth Hitting Like Crashing Waves

People of Siar hearing the teaching.

This summer the people of Siar have been hearing the gospel message for the first time.  The missionaries to Siar describe the teaching as hitting the people like relentless crashing waves against the seashore.  During this phase of the teaching the people are learning about man’s position before God and our inability to meet the standard to be right before Him.  Yelita, a member of the Siar, stated that “the teaching was so heavy that after the teaching I felt like I worked all day in the garden.  I just went down to the river to wash up.”  God’s word is hard hitting and wants to expose us to who He is and who we are in light of His perfect character and nature.  When we are examined by His perfect standard, it should always be a sobering experience.  We are nothing compared to Him.  The waves of God’s truth are pounding away in the lives of the Siar, but the calm of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is coming.

Challenging students to a commitment to Christ as school starts.

We are so thankful for the opportunities we have had to share about God’s work in Papua New Guinea.  We pray that God may call some to come and help with the many needs or to continue to be a part of a team like ours to expand the reach of the gospel.  As we’ve shared with different groups we have often watched the short video about Lucas and what God did in his life when the gospel came to Dinanagat, a village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.  At one point in the video Lucas shares how he and others were traveling over mountains and rivers to a nearby village in order to share the gospel with them.  Though it was difficult, Lucas shared, “He’s done so much for me.  I’m honored to show my love for Him by serving Him this way.”  Lucas’ simple faith and love for others challenges me.  God has done so much for me.  I, too, am honored to show my love for Him by serving in any way we can.

Friday, July 1
We made our first trip to Huntington, Indiana after our 4 years away.   We were offered a rental home from Huntington University, where I formerly taught.  The home is so nice – right next to the campus which is convenient to most things in the small town of Huntington.  We didn’t stay long, but were able to note the 3 bedrooms, 2 baths (such a luxury after 5 people and one bath in PNG!), family room, living room, dining room, kitchen, garage, and nice deck in the back yard!  Dawn had stayed with her parents while we saw the house so we “blew it” by not remembering the colors of all the rooms (oops!), but we were so thankful to finally have a place that would be “home” for us for the year.  We wondered how we would furnish the place.  We had bedroom furniture and a small stack of boxes in a dusty barn.  How would God meet this next step in the journey?

Monday, July 4 (Happy US Independence Day – and Moving Day!)
We were able to obtain a Uhaul for this day, so we took advantage of the holiday to move our furnishings from their stored locations to our new home.  Along the way we were given some nice surprises – a large TV, washer, dryer, and a nice chair that had been sharing storage space with our boxes!  What a blessing!  When we arrived in Huntington we quickly unloaded our cargo and contacted the pastor of our church.  He and his family were waiting to help us with furnishings the church had prepared for us.  What a wonderful group of people!  After a few more trips our house had beds and bedding for almost everyone, a dining room table and chairs, a sleeper sofa, and various other pieces of furniture that would make our house a home.   We didn’t unpack much that evening but took to the beds we were so grateful for.

Tuesday, July 5 and following
The university faculty and staff shared our “wish list” and went to work providing nice things for our new home.  A  few days later – we have a home that isn’t too different from what we experienced before we left!  How could that happen so quickly!?  It can only be God and His wonderful, generous children.  We are so thankful for the gracious welcome we have received here.  And there’s more…

That Sunday I met with a committee from our home church.  They have been seeking a second staff person.  Part way through their process they felt led to contact me to see if I would be interested in serving at the church for the year while they seek a full-time person.    God seemed to confirm this direction for us in several ways.  It had always been our desire to be able to serve at our church, but we had always thought that would be as lay people.   We will seek further confirmation from more of the church body in the next few weeks.  How amazing that God would give us the desires of our hearts for this time back in the states – and all this in one week!!  Friends always tell us, “Just trust!  God will provide.”  They were right!  Oh, we of little faith!!

Ministry in Papua New Guinea Continues – Snow and Pilots?

While we adjust to life in the USA, those dear to us in Papua New Guinea continue in their regular ministries.  We regularly worked with those serving with the aviation program.  (In fact, most of our neighbors at our support center were with NTMA – New Tribes Mission Aviation.)  The story below tells a little about what they face on a regular basis!

This time of the year in Simbari is the worst time for flying in and out of the tribe and that was proven this month. We’ve had more rain and fog (which the people here call “snow”) and mud this month than we’ve had in quite a few years. This is also the time in which a team from my co-workers’ church planned to come and visit us, doing some work and spending time with the Simbari people. The day of their flight dawned but the rain and fog that had already been a part of our lives for weeks continued to rule the day and there was no window of opportunity for the plane to come in. The next day dawned and we prayed for a break in the weather. Still nothing. On the third day there were some breaks in the clouds and the plane landed safely with the first load of passengers and left to pick up the second load. As we kept a close eye on the clouds and gave weather reports on the radio, we wondered, would the second plane make it in? An hour later we heard the sound of the plane as it flew overhead looking for a hole in the clouds. Just as the pilot was about to give up and return to town, he found a hole. I saw the plane briefly behind the clouds, then it disappeared. The clouds were quickly descending, making the airstrip approach more and more difficult. Suddenly the plane appeared from among the clouds again and I gasped as it disappeared between the clouds and the mountain, then reappeared, banked steeply, and dove towards the airstrip for a dramatic landing. By this time, both us and the Simbari people were cheering, both at the pilot’s skill and also the relief of finally having the church team arrive safely. After the wild ride, I think the passengers were glad to be on the ground again, too. �  I praise the Lord for the excellent missionary pilots that He has brought here to New Guinea.

We, too, are thankful for the wonderful missionary pilots and the many others who make work in places like Simbari possible.

As we began serving with New Tribes, God gave us this verse – Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  (1 Peter 4:10).  God definitely gave Peter the correct description for how God’s faithful ones serve Him – “administering God’s grace”.  Many have administered God’s grace to us in these last few weeks.  We hear of pilots in Papua New Guinea risking their lives in the mountains and clouds to help the missionaries – administering God’s grace.  That is the privilege He provides to each of us on a daily basis – to administer His grace.  I pray you will know the joy that follows from being His agent of grace today!

The Blue and the White
Above you can see the big tug of war contest that culminated our annual field day recently.  Each year we take one day to have school-wide competition – the blue team versus the white team.  Captains are chosen from the senior class and they work with our PE teacher to organize the teams and plan the day.  Our son, Nathan, was captain of the white team this year.
The day started with the students – K to 12 – working together on some fun games.  In the game shown below, each of the older students had to team up with a younger student for a relay race.  They raced down to a tub of water.  They then filled a container with water and the younger student had to hold it above the older student’s head while they raced back to a tub they were trying to fill.  The team to get the most water in their tub won the points for that game.

The students did a lot of competitions throughout the day.  Since our school has so few athletic options, this is one time when the students can compete in track and field events.  We usually take a few days to let them practice throwing shot puts, javelins, and discuss and doing long jumps and high jumps.  Then on field day they get a chance to see how well they can do.  We were surprised that both Nathan and Timothy placed in different events.  Nathan got 3rd place in shot put for his age level and Timothy won several awards including high jump, shot put, and javelin for his age level.   You can see one of Timothy’s high jumps in one picture.

In the pictures above you can see Timothy with his younger partner in the relay race and  Nathan with one of his discuss throws.  I am in the background with Nathan’s discuss throw.  All of the teachers take responsibility in different events.  Though I have no experience, I became the ref for badminton, discuss throw, and the tug-of-war!  We had a lot of fun!
What is the most valuable thing on this planet?
Sunday morning we had the opportunity to hear from one of the national pastors from a church that had been planted years ago by New Tribes missionaries.   This humble man of God  walked to our pulpit in his barefeet and shared with us scripture after scripture from the depths of his heart – all in English!   It was amazing.  What a privilege we had to hear this man share from his heart.  When he quoted 1 Peter 1:18 “we were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to us from our forefathers” he followed it up, as he did with so many scriptures, with a simple “thank you”.  We spent our worship time thanking Jesus for the new life he provides for all of us – the most valuable things on the planet – our souls.  These national believers are very active in sharing the gospel in other areas.  Even with the sharing of the gospel from national church plants, there are still many who haven’t heard the good news.  It is so hard to believe – but it is true.  Thank God that men and women continue to commit to serving in the many remote locations so that others can hear, understand, and grow in a relationship with God.

Welcome to the NCA Math Room!

It occurred to me that I had never given you a tour of my classroom here at NCA.  Each term this year I have given the room a theme.  First term the theme was based on the movie “Up” with Russell and Mr. Richardson challenging us to do math problems.  Second term it was based on the movie “Finding Nemo”.   Dory’s “I saw a quadratic!  It went this way!” may not have come from the movie, but it was fun for the classroom.  This term a student suggested “Calvin and Hobbes”, so I gave that a try.  There is not a lot that Calvin does that I wanted to show as a model for my students, but I did find some pictures (and created some of my own captions) to let the classroom have this fun theme.

Last term my geometry students did a project where they had to create a frame with 5 or more sides that was properly miter cut.  They did a great job of learning something about the angles needed, so I chose to use their frames for my primary bulletin board.  I was very impressed by their work!

Each day my students start with a “Problem of the Day”, so the picture of Calvin with Hobbes “solving a math problem” (my idea – not usually a Calvin thing!) became the bulletin board at the front of my classroom.  The caption states, “Solving problems is more fun with a friend” – and it is!  I’m very grateful for the hardworking students that I see each day.  They are making great progress while their parents are off translating scripture in a tribal village, or flying planes into that village!

Prealgebra students hard at work.

Algebra 2 students crunching the numbers!

Recently we had the joy of hearing from missionaries who work with the Inanbimali tribe.  We shared in 2008 how the gospel came to this village.  This group of believers and the missionaries undergo regular opposition from the unbelievers in their village.  A group of about 10 try very hard to discourage the missionaries so much that they will leave.  The missionaries are regularly encouraged, though, by the new life they see in the believers.

One story that was shared was of a man named Lawrence.  Lawrence was one of the first believers among the Inanbimali.  This last year he became very sick and then died. Death in the culture of this tribe is usually a very traumatic event.  People are afraid of death and they often will threaten to have their spirits return to cause problems.  Lawrence’s death is still talked about by the people.  He died very peacefully.  He even told people that he was ready to die.  His widow, Gloria, could have responded in the way of her culture – with different rituals and accusations of spirits who caused the death.  Instead, Gloria has become a leader among the women believers.

In this culture there is a common practice of “pay back”.  Nothing is done for free.  If someone were to give you a hand of bananas there would be an expectation of something given back in return.  After studying scripture in the women’s Bible study, Gloria said that this tradition needed to change.  She challenged the women to meet every Thursday before their regular meeting to go and help a family in their village.  After helping, they would share a meal together with the family.  The missionaries were even skeptical if this could really take place in the village.  They decided to not provide any food for the meal to see if the people would really do this on their own. Before their first meeting, the ladies came to the missionaries and told them that they would do this all by themselves – and they have.  The unbelievers in the village are simply “floored!” They don’t know what to think of these believers in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”  This is so evident among the people here.  As these stories from Kuman and Inanbimali share, the gospel is changing lives. Many people here live with what is often called “animistic fear,” yet the believers lose this look of fear and understand a peace that can only come from God.    They are truly “new creations”.

NCA teachers visiting the MAF hangar.

MAF or Missionary Aviation Fellowship provides air transportation for many mission groups while also providing a low-cost travel alternative for national pastors and Christian leaders.  They run regular routes among many remote airstrips – a service that is a great help to the people and the missionaries here.  There are currently 4 pilots and their families living in Goroka.  Many of the families with children request to be located in Goroka so that they can send the children to attend Numonohi Christian Academy.   One of the pilot wives is now helping at the school by teaching music classes twice a week.  We really appreciate the collaboration with this ministry.

Lots of technical needs aided by CRMF.

Another vital ministry for bush ministry is the radio. CRMF or Christian Radio Ministry Fellowship provides many services to missionaries and remote villages by assisting with technologies that are helpful to the ministry.   They erect towers for antennas, service and repair radios, provide connections that allow radio users to access email and telephone, and much more.  Currently three families working with CRMF send their children to our school.

The Evangelical Brotherhood Church is a mission from Switzerland.  They have schools, Christian book stores, and other ministries scattered throughout Papua New Guinea.  Three of the families from this mission also send their children to our school.  Though the children speak German at home, they must learn to work in English at our school.  It is amazing to watch their development with English as they attend classes at our school. Learning in a second language is very difficult, yet these children do a wonderful job each day, in addition to the nearly hour commute they travel each morning and evening.

Trained counselors share the gospel with those visiting the GBBC clinic.

The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism provides a Bible college in Goroka for national students.  Goroka Baptist Bible College (GBBC) provides a seminary-like education for national Christian leaders.  They try to meet the needs of the students by providing low cost housing and gardens for food.  The students reach out with evangelistic efforts on a weekly basis and will eventually accept leadership in a church, often back in their remote tribal locations.   GBBC also provides a clinic ministry to the national people. Over a hundred patients are seen every clinic day and each has the gospel shared with them personally by students from the school.  It is a blessing to be able to support this ministry by providing an education for the children of the missionaries.

As we visited each of these ministries this week we were told over and over again how much they appreciated that God provided Numonohi Christian Academy to meet the needs of their families.  Many of the ministries mentioned above could not be happening now if the families had to educate their own children at home.  We are very thankful to play a small role in supporting these ministries.