Graduating Students Give Testimonies

Sue says:

One of the highlights of fourth term is hearing the testimonies of the graduating students. One of the recurring themes is the hopelessness many PNG youth feel because there is no place to get work. Many descend into drug and alcohol abuse. Marijuana and homebrew are readily available. A number of guys who were in this category have become Christians, and God has really turned their lives and outlook around.

This week we heard from a guy who was one of the first new students we welcomed to our home when we had just arrived at the college. He was full of thanks to the Lord for the ways the give-and-take of the many in the community has had positive influences in his experience here. Though, it's not top quality, his picture is below.



After the soon-to-be grads speak, we pray that God will use them to affect their country as we send them out for the Lord's service.

Farmside Women Host a Fellowship

It's fourth term at our Bible college now. Graduation will occur in six weeks. Those of you who work at a school know that means lots of end-of-year events.

Last night, the women of our Farmside neighborhood hosted a closing up event for seven women students, shown below.



You would have liked to have seen my neighbors and the mountains of food we prepared, but our tentative satellite connection wouldn't allow me to add those now.

Anyway, our neighborhood includes faculty women, and the wives of farm workers, poultrymen, the butcher, and the grocer. These seven women students (actually eight, but one had to go home because she has tuberculosis) have met twice with us this year for a meal and fellowship time.

Last night, I was asked to lead the devotional, so we looked at Romans 12 about many different parts making up the one body of Christ. The section about spiritual gifts being given for the building up of the entire body was something to think about as four of the women will be leaving for new assignments at the end of this year. Three will graduate (from the pidgin training program)and accompany their husbands to his new ministry. One will go out with her husband for a year of internship and then return for a final year of study. So these parts of the body of Christ will be joined to a new group of believers.

We assured them of our continuing prayers while they are away from us here. We hate so see those we have grown to know leave, but we eagerly anticipate God using them to train others to walk more closely with Him.

Jeff's Birthday!

Sue says:

Jeff had a birthday this week. We've been having trouble downloading pictures from our camera lately, but I'll make an effort to show you the birthday boy and his well-wishers here.



In case you can't pick him out, Jeff is at the left rear. The faculty and some staff were smiling about the banana cake we were about to share.

Dependence on God through Prayer

Sue says:

The dedication at our Bible college to talking to God in prayer impresses us. Women meet to pray at 5 on Saturday mornings, students Friday nights, missions students during lunch on Tuesday, and the whole college community one morning per month.

Today was the monthly morning for prayer. The theme was "Many Parts, One Body (in Christ)".

One man gave a testimony about how he could feel the love of the community when individuals came to his bedside to pray for him after a car accident. He's back to work now.

Another told how he was having trouble doing his job at the machine shop because of shortage of parts, which he hadn't been able to find anywhere. Some Christian supporters of our school came up to help out recently, and what did they bring with them? Some of the parts that were needed. He was thanking the Lord.

Our sales manager said his department has been able to sell all we have been able to produce on our farm in the last nine months. That's an answer to prayer. He also asked us to pray that we will do well in selling against a new competitor which has a larger operation than we do and the competitor can lower prices more than we can.

Students and faculty members from different countries led us in praying for their home places. An offering will be taken this week for the relief of the hundreds of people in Samoa who have been left without homes due to the tsunami last week. (We are giving to that country because one our students is Samoan, and he can help us find a worthy organization to give through.) Prayer was also raised for the victims of floods and earthquakes in Philippines and Indonesia.

We were all touched to hear of recent gestures of two benefactors to our college. One was a team of students and faculty from Victoria College of the Bible in Australia. This team came to lead children's Bible activities during their college break a couple of weeks ago. Before they left, they decided they wanted to give us still more. They took up a collection among themselves, and they left 500 kina (about $200 US) with us.

Another was a bequest that was sent from Australia. An anonymous donor left us $500 Australian. With unusual needs as we seek accreditation and oversee other projects, we thank the Lord for sending us these unsolicited funds.

God be praised for meeting many different kinds of needs here at our Bible college by using many members of His body!

On Meeting Physical Needs

Sue says:

There are so many physical needs in the world today. I find it difficult to know which ones God wants me to get involved with.

This week in the news we read about devastating earthquakes in Indonesia and a tsunami that flattened some sections of Samoa and Tonga. Real people are hurting.

The one Samoan student at our Bible college was seriously concerned when he couldn't reach his family after the tsunami. Later he reached a cousin by cell phone, and he found out his family's possessions were washed away, but their lives were spared. Schools that are standing in Samoa are setting up shelters for the displaced. Some people are still trying to locate loved ones. When I know someone who is suffering, it makes sense to help them out.

There are so many physical needs here in Papua New Guinea (and any other undeveloped nation). One could run around all day giving alms or weeping with hurting people.

This week a man from the village next to us came into the faculty building with a note in English saying he needs an operation and he wants a contribution. He told Jeff in pidgin that he is the head of security in the village--thereby suggesting he will send someone to deal with whoever doesn't contribute? Jeff gave a small amount to maintain relationship with the village (but he didn't even know the man).

Today i was at the vegetable market outside the gate of the college. As I came back in the gate, a well-dressed man I didn't know offered a basket for me to buy. I said I had enough baskets. (I do have one just like the one he offered me.) When I got home, I realized that he had followed me. He came up to my door before I went in and asked again. I told him he had already asked me, and he shouldn't follow me. He made a pantomime like he was hungry. I had visions of all kinds of people following me home whenever I go out. (And I think he has wantoks, tribal relations, to help him out.)

I guess this is bothering me. I want to be compassionate. It seems some discernment is required to recognize genuine need. We foreign missionaries look very rich to the nationals. "O, Lord, please give me compassion and wisdom to recognize the ones you want me to get involved with."

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6:10

My Dad's Health

While we were home recently, Jeff and my dad were painting together before Dad took sick suddenly.

Sue says:

Thanks to you who have been praying for my dad.

You may not know that at the end of August he had a blood infection, and he was quite seriously ill. There was never any known cause for it. One night while he was in intensive care, we feared he would not last the night. We asked God to give him strength to turn the corner and come back to us. God did. The next day Dad was doing better, though he needed to stay in the hospital a few more days.

The doctors have done a plethora of tests on him. One medication makes a side effect that calls for another medication. Last Sunday he was able to get out to church for the first time in a month. But after he has a good day, he seems to have a bad one. He hemorrhages if he's having a bad day.

His doctors are attending to him, but he's still having to fight for good health. We appreciate your prayers.

Celebrating Bigger Victories

What a joy it was today to visit once again the new believers at Bung village. Several different students and staff members from our Bible college have continued to lead them in devotions each Sunday as the new believers have studied God's Word.

This week they were studying prayer, so Jeff spoke about Paul's prayer for the Colossian believers. What a delight it was to be a part of their prayer time. They not only praised God and asked Him to supply their own needs, but they also prayed for unbelievers in their community to come to faith in Christ too.

We enjoyed meeting the new babies born while we were gone, and the group liked seeing the birth announcement of our new grandson too. It seemed that this sharing of personal information opened up more conversation about how the individuals and community are doing.

Then a surprising thing happened. The leader of one of the local churches invited Jeff to come to his church to give the same sermon RIGHT THEN. We went, and I must praise Jeff's cool-headedness. He switched to another sermon he had given previously on the Lords' Prayer because many of the attendees had been at the earlier devotion. I guess I should give the Lord credit for helping him not only remember a previous sermon, but also to speak Tok Pisin after a long absence.

At any rate, we were happy to see these new believers continuing to grow in Christ. The changes in the community are marked. This truly is a big victory for the Lord. We are thankful to see Him bring this about.