Missionary stories filled with the heart of God. Please keep them in your prayers.
October sped by mostly spent on the road visiting supporters and friends. What a precious time it was! Every day that I was on the road I was confronted with the fact that I was blindly trusting and following my car’s navigation system. I knew the destination but had NO idea what route I’d beContinue reading November 2019
Back in PNG: God is certainly at work answering our prayers for the Kaje people as Taylor & Abby Goheen, Jon & Jen Myers, and Christopher & Lilli Meyer teach the foundational truths of God’s Word to them. Remarkably the entire village continues to come to the teaching sessions – a miracle in itself asContinue reading October 2019
Back in PNG: God is at work! Please continue to pray for the missionary team (Taylor & Abby Goheen, Jon & Jen Myers, and Christopher & Lilli Meyer ) at Kaje as they teach the foundational truths of God’s Word. The missionaries teach 4 days a week, each lesson requiring subsequent one-on-one and / orContinue reading September 2019
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, buildingContinue reading August 2019
What happened to June??? Yet another proof – the days may drag but the weeks, months, years fly by.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 — “The conclusion of something is better than its beginning, and a patient attitude is more valuable than a proud one.” (ISV) With much longing and lamenting so ends this era of life here in Papua New Guinea. It’s certainly been the best 39+ years a person could hope to live. Though myContinue reading May 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 — 2Continue reading April 2019
Our race through the month of March is two-thirds over already! Most of our missionary co-worker families are here here in town as the annual testing of all home schooled students begins tomorrow. This includes a lot of evening meetings for the rest of us too, including serious stuff like security and child protection seminars,Continue reading March 2019
Mega thanks to those of you who were praying for the Youth Leaders workshop last month. 70 men and teenage boys attended and seemed to really benefit from the time of teaching, as well as having the chance to be together and interact with like-minded Christians from other language groups. It was a great opportunityContinue reading February 2019
“…must be a generational thing,” someone said to me recently as we were discussing proper etiquette on an important versus inconsequential matter. That “generational thing” rears its head all too frequently in this day and age. Even in isolated villages the effects of our current era have an impact on the youth of today. SoContinue reading January 2019
Great Expectations! What does that phrase bring to mind? Maybe Charles Dickens unforgettable classic? Hopefully it suggests some happier prospect for you — perhaps some potential you foresee soon coming to fruition? Maybe optimism regarding happy holiday plans? The things we dream of in life may or may not transpire according to our highly wishedContinue reading December 2018
For once this was an easy update to write since someone else did the groundwork! Thank you, Sepik Regional co-ordinator Greg Greenlaw! The attached update states a current need for prayer on behalf of 6 unreached people groups in our region of PNG. Won’t you please be praying with us for laborers to be aContinue reading November 2018
Instead of the usual BORing “same ole, same ole” news from the life of a support missionary, this update will be a “round the region” overview of some of the people groups where our missionaries are currently working.
It’s been awhile since I’ve sent along updated prayer requests for our local employees. The weekly teaching of foundational Bible truths continues with the men who work around our center. Only about 6 of the 9 men come and some are very inconsistent. Please do pray for Thomas Depner and John Hutteman as they teach,Continue reading September 2018
Another month of the “same old, same old” routines in the finance office and printing department so there’s nothing of import or interest to share. Maybe I can cheat and fall back on an idea from eons ago that a dear friend Kathy has previously allowed me to copy and use! You who have beenContinue reading August 2018
Last month this timely and highly relevant note came out on the Ethnos360 weekly prayer bulletin from our mission headquarters in Sanford Florida: How does this process of discipleship work? Not quickly. It requires years of patient modeling and mentoring. Thriving Churches Need Disciplers – What does it mean to have a ‘thriving church’? AccordingContinue reading July 2018
Two of our security guard employees are “cousin-brothers” and always come to the office together on pay day. They like to just sit a spell soaking in the quiet in the air-conditioning away from the heat, humidity and hassles of life. I often have to remind myself that silence, though awkward for me, is probablyContinue reading June 2018
May is the month of the great missionary exodus from the country. As the academic year ends, families of high school grads head home en-masse to help their children settle. Other families too depart for their transitory Home Assignment (HA) time. Those left behind function as a skeleton crew. We’ve worked as bare bones beforeContinue reading May 2018
Mega thanks for your thoughts and prayers this past month during our Sepik Conference meeting days and the recovery period aftermath. Some of us are still feeling the fog of “jet lag” fatigue after the full and frenzied days!
Our Sepik’s March Madness has begun — that fast-paced full-court press toward our annual regional conference! No competition is involved other than the traditional men’s RISK tournament. Instead just lots of opportunities for encouragement with Bible teaching, prayer, singing, Ladies Nite, Men’s Nite, Skit Nite, Song Nite, Kids Carnival, Wom Day and a host ofContinue reading March 2018 -Hope Sharp
“Ring of fire” – what runs thru your mind? The Johnny Cash version? Try again. To deter his song loop-taping thru your thinking, let Wikipedia help you mentally shift gears to the Pacific Ocean’s 25,000 mile long horseshoe shaped basin of earthquake prone “oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and plate movements. It has 452 volcanoes (more than 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes).” That’s the “ring of fire” this letter is about!
I have a feeling I’m not alone in this…. by year’s end rationed reserves are depleted. I’m running on fumes. Finally Christmas morning arrives. After dealing with the tyranny of the urgent (which anyone else so blessed with the coveted clause of “staff to a cat” among their various job descriptions understands) the Annual Event arrives! I settle in with my Bible, Cds of Handel’s Messiah and a much tattered paper listing the Bible references for each of the songs so I read the verses as the epic oratorio unfolds. My co-worker Linda and I started this tradition back about 1980 when we first arrived in PNG and it has become my rejuvenating haven at year’s end. Everything else fades away as the lyrics straight from God’s Word replenish and refresh my heart. By the time the “Pastoral Symphony” plays the cares of this world have fled. My heart bends in reverence before God! Indeed, He has again recalibrated my mindset to focus on His bountiful mercy and grace so lavished on me in Jesus.
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“…. wanpela pikinini man i kamap pinis long yumi, em anpela pikinini God i givim long yumi. Em bai i stap king bilong yumi, na em bai i gat ol dispela nem, `Man bilong givim gutpela tingting tru’ na `God i gat bikpela strong’ na `Papa bilong i stap oltaim’ na `King bilong kamapim gutpela sindaun na bel isi.’” Aisaia 9:6 |
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 |
It’s Christmas again! Each December, among other holiday activities, comes the fun of creating a card for our employees. With a bit of tweaking we also use these cards to give out, along with some baked goodies, to our town business associates and the hospital staff. God always brings it together. The verse in this year’s card is undoubtedly one of the most well-known prophesies of the 1st coming of Christ – and the promise of His return! Oh, what an encouragement it is to ponder that the day He’ll come again could perhaps be even TODAY!
Thanks to YOUR prayers – last month’s literacy trip to Amdu happened! And equally in answer to prayers, God made it clear the literacy trip to Kaje was NOT to be on my agenda.
What does “autumn” conjure up in your memories? Changing leaves? Apples & pumpkins? Black cats & Halloween? This year for me has been fallen to all things pertaining to Literacy!