Remember the old “story problems” from eons ago math class? “Farmer Jones raised a cow and 2 goats. How many eggs did his chickens lay?” Okay, maybe the calculations weren’t really that preposterously confusing but sometimes it felt that baffling. At least to me. I get the same feeling now in the Finance Office …. But on a more positive note – and certainly in answer to your prayers! — CSR, ATF, WCM, AP and other such devious designations are actually beginning to MEAN something to my befuddled brain! AND, better yet, no common core math is involved! God will certainly be in for a busy year keeping things going efficiently in the finance department while I’m filling in, but I’m confident He won’t assign a task without also giving the ability to DO IT !!!! I can rest absolutely confident of His faithfulness and wholly dependent on Him, come what may! And yes, I can even be quite content with my mathematically challenged frailty because 2 Cor. 12:10 remains so true! When I am most weak — that is when His strength most clearly shines through!

Nuts!

If I had to pick words to describe the past weeks, I’d have to say it’s been a crazy wacky world. Totally a mixed bag of nuts. It’s a good thing God plans my days as I’d certainly never CHOOSE some of what He allots – though it’s obviously all for my good and HIS glory!!!

Update time again. A blank computer screen looms before me. Possibilities folder is equally empty. Intimidating. But fear not! My devoid of ideas intellect is no limit to God! With Him at the keyboard you’ll probably still get a full page report on what He has had us involved in these past weeks! Let’s see what He’s done!

Tribal Resource Center

Books have always been a major part of my life. From an early age I began to see blank sheets of paper as “potential” to become something interesting and exciting! Maybe that’s why the TRC is such a “good fit” for a ministry for me!

This past month was a busy one with projects for the Bisorio, Biem, Hewa and Iwam language groups. Some printing projects take a mere matter of hours. Others take maybe a week to complete. How precious it is that we can be involved in producing materials that will help our tribal folks learn to read, and then also printing Bible lessons and translated scripture portions to help them grow closer to our Savior!

Question at a local school:

A question came up in one of our recent sessions: “Do we have to promise to be good before God will save us?” The unanimous reply from both classes was, “Yes!” This is just one of the ingrained ideas that we seek to explain to these precious children. They are heavily indoctrinated by teachings from legalistic religious groups. Your prayers will be appreciated as we attempt to clearly yet emphatically share the truths of God’s Word! Please be praying too on where we go from here when we finish the 10 evangelistic lessons in The Lamb book. It is hard to know how much each child individually is really understanding as we have only about 30 minutes once a week contact with each class. We’re being permitted to read at the school to help the children learn English (not “religious instruction”) so we proceed with dependence on God’s leading in our choices of materials to share. Thanks for praying with us for His wisdom and direction for this ministry.

April gone already??? How can that be?

American tax day was a happily memorable occasion here as I was privileged to attend the Waxe Bible Dedication. It was held in the village of Wenum on the Krosomeri River – a 40 minute plane ride then 2 hours in a banana boat under the scorching Sepik sun. The village reception there was unforgettable as the local ladies pulled us along in their high style celebration “singsing” – decorated with mud, feathers, leaves and flowers, singing & dancing to kundu drums and traditional bamboo flutes – all to show their praise to God for His bringing His Word to them in their own mother tongue! Seeing the Waxe people accepting their copies of their New Testament was ultra-precious. Do be praying for them now that through God’s Word they will continue to grow in their love and knowledge of our Savior, and teach their children to know and love Him too!

My last update left things rather up in the air as to traveling plans. The literacy trips were finished and I was headed for Australia to be with the Stuart family while Toni battled cancer. God in His abundant mercy promoted Toni to heaven even before I could get to Oz. At that time I, along with several other fellow missionaries did go ahead and go. Though we did not get to see Toni again in this life, we are looking forward to the day when we will see her again in glory.

MAJOR PRAYER NEED !!!

While away the past 10 days on a literacy trip word came from Jason & Toni Stuart – the missionary family extra special to me for whom I
requested prayers in my last update. It is decidedly heartbreaking news. Toni has been diagnosed with the nasty brain tumor known as
glioblastoma. Chemo and radiation will MAYBE prolong her life for a few additional months. Please do pray much for this young family. They need a miracle of healing – in God’s own prefect time and way. Pray for some quality family times for them. Please pray especially for 9 year old Jedidiah and 7 year old Ella Jo as they try to come to terms with all that is ahead.

Prayers have been heard and God’s answer is in — remember that part about “go, or stay”?

Well, for now God’s saying I’m staying put! That means you can rest assured I will NOT be needing to invest YOUR hard earned $upport dollar$ in buying shoe$, jacket$, blanket$, or any other “cold” weather paraphernalia! Nor will we be $pending $$$ to $hip, re-buy or rent furniture, appliance$, etc! Needless to say, I am much relieved!

What God has down the road, I do not know, but for now everything can continue as status quo.

Remember last June when I returned to PNG with my “5 1⁄2 year plan?” I admitted at the time that my  schedule MIGHT have God laughing so I was at least pretending to be open to change. Well, guess what. Due to various reasons, change MIGHT be ahead.

With that possibility I of course embraced  “whatever God has” with open arms, right? — Un-uh. NO WAY !!!! Instead a cutsie Christian song began ringing through and monopolizing my thoughts:

  “Please don’t send me to Africa, I don’t think I’ve got what it takes.

  I’m just a man, I’m not a Tarzan. Don’t like lions, gorillas and snakes …..”

Please don’t send me to Africa – Scott Wesley Brown

A “ghost” of Christmas past keeps tapping my shoulder for attention. I must have been about 7 years old. Dad had taken his first student pastorate in a small town in northern Indiana and we were becoming well versed in what it meant to be the “preacher’s kids.” Times were tight, making one family gift under the tree stand forever embedded in my memory. It was from one of the widows in the church. The smallish white package was extremely heavy. None of us had a clue what it might be. Mom opened it – and we were stunned to silence. Ten silver dollars! Back then that was a fortune! Finally someone broke the quiet asking, “Are they real?” Mom was immediately on the phone thanking the dear donor. Over the ensuing months those coins became the “emergency fund” that carried us thru some lean and dire times. That was one of the first most memorable moments of countless occasions over the years of seeing God provide what was needed for life and service with Him. Each of you receiving this letter have had a part in that as you have prayed, given, and otherwise creatively supported the ministry God has currently committed to our care. Because of you, I have been truly blessed!

Thanking God for you and your prayers! As you prayed…

Literacy

Thank you for your prayers for our literacy teachers training course. Lisa and I taught 7 pastors and helpers from another mission and it seemed to go very well. Please be praying that these folks will indeed begin literacy courses in the villages where they live and work. We may never have contact with them again, but as you pray, they can endeavor to bring students to fluency in reading so that even yet more people around Papua New Guinea will be able to read God’s Word for themselves.