Back in New Guinea:

Kaje tribe: initial bible teaching will begin the 15th of August and continue for the next 4 months. 4 months ??? Yes, it takes that long to thoroughly explain in the local language the foundational truths of God’s Word, starting with an overview thru the Old Testament and the Gospels, building gradually so that the local people will be able to understand more effectively the life and ministry of Jesus, and His sacrificial death for us as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Please be praying diligently for Taylor & Abby Goheen, Jon & Jen Myers, and Christopher & Lilli Meyer as the teaching gets underway. Pray for the Kaje people too, that their hearts might be open to hearing and believing the truths of scripture.

Hewa tribe: More books of their New Testament were recently checked with the translation consultant Jason Stuart. That means 68% of their NT is now “finished” and approved for printing to give to the local people! Please do pray for Jonathan & Susan Kopf as they continue on location in the Hewan village of Yifki translating, teaching, discipleship, supervising literacy classes, dealing with medical cases and working to see a strong local church established.

Due to health issues their coworkers John Michael & Jessi George must live in town but make short trips into Yifki to work alongside Kopfs, doing further Bible teaching. John Michael recently taught 2nd Timothy to the church and is now working on lessons for sharing with them God’s truths from the book of James. 3 other families – – Chad and Martha Earl, David and Emily Rimestad, and Nathan and Rachel Mueller – live in Maliyali, a distant area of Hewa land and are studying the language and culture in another dialect of this ethnic group. Yet another missionary team (preferable 3 families plus single missionaries) is still needed to begin language and culture study in a 3rd dialectic group living in the western part of the Hewa tribe. So much to pray for! The eternal destiny of many Hewan people is at stake!

Amdu tribe: Translation consultant Jason Stuart also did an evaluation at Amdu with Bart & Emily Allen and Ben & Missy Hatton. This team too is gearing up to begin foundational Bible teaching hopefully later this year. Some 340 verses from Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels that will be needed for the beginning Bible teaching were checked. We can be praying to for this team as they work on further scripture translation and writing the “Building on Firm Foundations” Bible lessons in the heart language of the Amdu people.

Meanwhile here in the USA:

I still await sufficient adjustment of my eyes post cataract surgery so that I can be tested for new glasses. All is going well and Lord willing, maybe by the end of August I will have specs that allow me to see clearly again. I greatly anticipate that day! How well I will be able to see will be one of the determining factors in how much Home Assignment traveling I will be able to do this fall. In the meantime I’ve pretty much become the ‘lil ole lady who only drives to church.’ And Wal-Mart. One must make at least occasional excursions to Wal-Mart!

Last month also included a few days of good times with at least a few more family members coming for a brief “vacation.” Much work but some fun was involved – like with antique items in the “What is it?” mystery box. My brothers and their offspring worked diligently to help me rid the house of a bit more of the 4 generations of accumulated clutter. 6 of the 9 sets of “heirloom” dishes have now been rehomed. A mound of books stands ready to haul off to anyone who will take them. 2 trunk loads of books & treasures have already gone to the local Rescue Mission. It’s a mere dent in the mountain of messiness, but at least it’s a noticeable start!

For those of you praying for my sister Faith and her family in California: Her widowed daughter and 5 year old grandson are now moved and living with Faith. For various reasons they have had to make a couple of “fraught with many difficulties” 500 mile trips (each way) back to where my niece lived. Heartaches and “impossible situations” persist in abundance. I continue to pray that God will somehow miraculously get them all relocated to our family house here in Missouri – but that unfortunately will probably not be able to happen anytime soon – if at all. They can certainly use your prayers.

Of course I’ll appreciate your continued prayers for proposed Home Assignment travels and for “what’s next” when HA time ends next summer:

– return to PNG ????
– or Home Staff with Ethnos 360 somewhere here in the USA ???

God will make that evident in His own perfect time.
Your faithful thoughts, prayers and other evidences of support are muchly appreciated. “Thank you” seems so little to say in return for your part on the team. If I were to verbalize my thanks to you in the heart language of the May River Iwam people of Papua New Guinea, I would say “Karat kini haipras eikai” – roughly translated “I sit you inside praise.” Perhaps that conveys a clearer picture of my regard for your help thru these many years of our partnering together that others might know our Savior too.
Co-laboring to bring back Christ as King!
Hope Sharp