Thank you for your love, prayers and gifts! We are deeply grateful for your huge part in sharing the love of Jesus with the Hewa tribal people of Papua New Guinea. Thank you!
Mikenna will graduate from high school next Month!!!
We are so very proud of Mikenna, for her perseverance and growth, and for the wonderful young woman she has become. She has been a joy in our lives and we will miss her terribly as she heads out on her own, but we can’t wait to see how the Lord directs her paths. Here are her thoughts which she would like to share with you:
Hello, this is Mikenna! I am so excited to follow God’s path for me as a young woman in Christ. Although I will miss home greatly, I am excited to return to America and further my knowledge of our Savior at Ethnos Bible Institute. Please pray for wisdom, and financial stability as I embark on this new journey into adulthood. Thank you for all your years of praying for my family, and please continue to pray for my parents as their favorite daughter finally graduates and leaves the nest.
You may recall from our December letter that following Mikenna’s graduation we had planned to remain in PNG for another month in order to host a Bible Dedication with our Hewa believers to celebrate soon-to-be published New Testaments in the Hewa language. However, recent developments have made it clear that God has different plans for us. In early March, my mother, who has been battling advancing dementia, suffered a fall that fractured her L5 vertebra. When she was rushed to the ER, doctors discovered she has a stomach tumor and a pulmonary embolism. In light of these serious health concerns, I flew back to the States to spend four weeks in Idaho helping my parents.
While in Idaho, we received devastating news: Susan’s mother, Mary King, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has already spread to her liver and lymph nodes. After this terrible news we are now waiting to hear from Susan’s siblings whether Susan should travel to South Carolina immediately, before Mikenna’s graduation from High School, or if it would be better to wait and return together as a family after graduation. Please pray the Lord provides special wisdom and that Susan and Mikenna will still be able to share valuable time with Mary this side of eternity. Our comfort lies in knowing that both my mother and Susan’s mother are followers of Jesus, and we rejoice in the assurance that we will one day share His presence together for all eternity.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him!!!
At the end of December, we shared the exciting news that preparations were underway to print the very first completed New Testament for the Hewa people. What happened next was truly remarkable! Through your sacrificial generosity, God provided the entire remaining amount of $45,000 printing goal! We were overwhelmed and remain deeply moved by your outpouring of love and selfless giving. Thank you for faithfully praying and giving to this need.
Since then, I have been working closely with a wonderful missionary consultant who carefully type-set every book of the NT along with 45 chapters of the OT before sending them off for printing. The manuscripts are now with the Jungbloed Publishers in the Netherlands, with a target completion date of May 14. Please join with us in praying that the Lord gives clear guidance on when we should return to Hewa to place these newly printed Scriptures into their hands.
Thank you for your years of investing in the hearts of the Hewa tribal people. In the picture above, taken in 2008, you can see our friends reading the portion of the New Testament that we had translated by that time and we are grateful that their love for the Lord and His Word has continued to grow. Our hearts are now filled with gratitude because not only has the Lord granted translation progress throughout these years, but He has at the same time been using His truth to shape tribal hearts into the image of His Son.
Thank you once again for your amazing love, prayers, and faithful support each step of this journey. Paul said it best when he wrote, “I thank my God every time I remember you. . . I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5)
Thank you!!!
Jonathan, Susan & Mikenna
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