April 2019

Because you prayed….

• Our annual regional Conference proved to be a refreshing AND challenging time for all! Fellowship and family frivolity added to the fun. Feasting for the Soul came from passages in 2 Corinthians as 2 of our mission leaders shared that we are:
  • Christ’s Fragrance – 2 Cor 2:14-17;
  • His Letters — 2 Cor 3:1-6;
  • His Reflectors — 2 Cor 3:7-18;
  • His Vessels — 2 Cor 4:1-18
  • and His Ambassadors — 2 Cor 3:7-18

• As anticipated the Tribal Reports were inspiring and challenging to hear – how God has worked over the past 12 months and the goals each team has for the year ahead. Please do continue to pray especially for the missionaries in the Amdu, Kaje and Pei tribes as they work on lessons to begin teaching the foundational truths of God’s word in their respective language groups later this year.
• Handover / Takeover !!!! A new family (Chris & Ingrid Hughes) and a single lady (Nikki Cogan) are coming to the Sepik to take on the duties of our regional finance office and the Tribal Resource printing office! They should arrive 11th April so will get to do a couple of payrolls, plus “close the books” at the end of the month with me before I leave. This is a MAJOR answer to prayer! God is going before us each step of the way, bringing about His perfect will to His honor and glory!
• Upcoming travels: Dates are set, itinerary planned, and tickets are in hand for my travels back to the USA early in May …..

Wewak ⇒ Port Moresby ⇒ Manila ⇒ San Francisco ⇒ St. Louis

Yes – Manila. My first furlough traveling home thru there was such a nightmare I vowed I would NEVER take that route again! But …. – God has provided traveling companions so the long legs of the journey (includinga 9-hour layover in the Philippines) will be spent making memories with precious members of the Sepik missionary family 🙂

On the agenda and needs for prayer this April …..

• Training the new missionaries to take over the office tasks that keep the field functioning smoothly. While praising God for His provision of these new co-workers please pray for Chris, Ingrid & Nikki as they will have much to learn in a short time. Thankfully Ingrid has a “finance background” so will be way ahead of where I was when I started in the business office. Hughes also have a toddler though which will add a bit of a challenge to her office
  hours.
• Accumulation of photos. My external terabyte hard drive (where I stored all my pictures) had the gall to DIE on me late last year, taking with it ALL the photos I have taken this entire 2014-2019 term. When it first bit the dust our computer department was hopeful they could salvage my treasured images. Now – not so much. Instead I’m currently “gleaning” from everyone else’s pics, plus restocking my own digital prints whenever and wherever I can!

• More sorting, sharing, discarding, packing, and somehow disposing of a house full of the material blessings God has lavished my way. Scanning, shredding years of old documents … Decisions, decisions. What can I take — and what must I leave behind?

• There are mountains of paperwork yet to begin and complete for the action packers I’ll be sending home. I had vowed I would ship no more than 2. Somehow that has grown to 5 as books, personal papers, books, PNG treasures to share, books, craft items & materials, did I mention BOOKS ??? keep demanding they be included in the trip home. SIL-PNG will do the shipping for me – and – since I may be on the road when the totes arrive in the USA in the fall, FIA – Friends in Action Mission (located 3 hours from where I’ll be residing in the states) is kindly letting me ship my stuff there! I can drive over and pick them up when my Home Assignment travel agenda allows!
• This one should maybe be first on the month’s list for when I hit the states. I am trying to arrange an eye doctor appointment BEFORE I leave PNG so there will be as little delay as possible once I hit town. It’s suspicious that I’ll need more than just new glasses this time. I’ll appreciate your prayers that my eye issues can be dealt with quickly so that I can keep the various commitments already on my calendar. [Okay, okay, I confess — some of the appointments on my proposed agenda are “optional” fun stuff — like attending my 50-year High School graduation reunion in early June. I’ve missed all the previous class get-togethers so would REALLY like to be there for this one!]

Many of you have been standing faithfully together with me with your prayers and support since my early years in Papua New Guinea. You have been a tremendous blessing and encouragement thru the decades with the May River Iwam and now more recently in my support role doing the printing and finance duties God has put in our hands. Thank you for your part in allowing me to spend the major part of my life among people God desires to reach here in PNG. I yearn to return after my year of home assignment — but that rests entirely in God’s hands. I will follow where He leads.

Co-laboring to bring back Christ as King!

Hope Sharp