Praise the Lord: After various delays with paper work and the lack of a container, the Revised Hamtai New Testaments are now aboard a ship heading for Papua New Guinea. Global Ministry Supply told us the estimated arrival date in Lae is August 26th. Since we will be entering PNG on 2-month visitors’ visas that may be extended for a 3rd month, we wanted to arrive at about the same time. So we waited to buy our tickets until we knew that date, because arrival and departure dates need to included on our visas. The Lord enabled us to buy our tickets last week with some gifts and by dipping into our savings. So we are now applying for visas, to leave here August 23rd via Hong Kong, and return November 20, 2013.
It will be great to be back in PNG with the Hamtai believers, our fellow missionaries, and our daughter Judy Burdett and her husband Jim.
Recently we received an email from our area informing us of the tragic death of a church leader from our village. We heard he was in Tyler’s truck on his way to the yearly believers’ conference in July. Tyler is also from our village. He is a believer that has a thriving trade store and operates a 32-seater PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) truck. PMV trucks are the chief mode of transportation there. Sometimes the believers hire Tyler and his truck to take them to the conference. So when we heard the news of Epos’s death, we feared that the truck was filled with believers enroute to the conference. However, we later heard that Tyler was driving his 4-wheel drive Land Cruiser pickup and overturned on a bad spot of the road about 8 miles from our house towards town. Epos and some of his family were riding with him only to Lae and would catch another PMV there to take them the rest of the way. I think 1 girl died and others were injured. Tyler was in jail. We don’t know what he was charged with. We’ll hear further details when we arrive out there.
We would appreciate prayer for that whole situation, also for badly needed repairs on that road, as we will have to travel over it to get to our house. Tom is dreading having to drive on it, especially if it is wet. If we all pray, God can motivate the right government people to get the needed repairs done, even before we get there. There is a lot of coffee grown back in that area that has to be taken to market, and it is a crime that the road is being neglected.
Recently Tom started editing the 5,500 Old Testament verses translated in the rough by Malcolm several years ago. He would like to continue working on these verses while we are there and get them checked by Hamtai believers with the goal of having them published next year. There are still funds in the translation account that should cover the cost.
Some items for prayer:
- Though our general health is good, we each have a hip giving us problems. Pray they will not hinder us as we go.
- Safe arrival of the 6,000 copies of the Hamtai New Testament.
- For the church leaders as they plan the dedication program.
- For Tom as he prepares Bible lessons he wants to teach while we are there.
- For Hamtai helpers to check the O.T. verses.
- Regarding a few needed repairs on our house.
- Thank you for praying and being on the team with us.
With grateful hearts, Tom and Corinne Palmer
The last few palates being loaded by Bob Yarnell.
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