Jeff's NBC Radio Spot

Jeff writes:

One of the privileges of being a missionary is to be given unusual opportunities to minister.

Jeff Speaking via Cell Phone to his PNG National Radio Audience from His Office

I just completed giving a ten-minute short subject on PNG's national radio. My National Broadcasting Corporation segment was entitled Impartiality in Justice. I spoke about six biblical ethical issues derived from the Old Testament that form the foundation for many of our western legal systems. They included:

• The Bible’s command not to steal justice.
• Its emphasis on personal responsibility for one’s actions
• Its emphasis on the need for a fair trial.
• Its emphasis on impartial judges.
• Its emphasis on the careful consideration of evidence to evaluate means and motives of an accused to determine appropriate penalties. 
• Its emphasis on the equality of all before the law.

In the piece I spoke about how these six issues were addressed in a recent court case where PNG's prime minister Sir Michael Somare was found guilty of violating the PNG Leadership Code. I contrasted his case with the police who sometimes act as judge, jury, and executioner by intentionally shooting a thief in the ankle or kneecap.

Pray that the piece will be well received.

Again I am grateful to all of you for giving Sue and I these wonderful opportunities to minister. God is so good. Isn't He?

Counseling Class Closes Well

Sue says:
The Spiritual Friendship Counseling class I teach is for the second year students, above. Every year I say, "This is the BEST group of students!" And again I say it.This class has been thoughtful to place a purple cover over the podium and bring new flowers for the lecturers each week.They sing hearty praises to the Lord at the beginning of each class.

One of the features of the counseling class is I pair the students up with a spiritual friend with whom they are to meet for six weeks. I aim to pair people from different locations, denominations, marital statuses and as many other factors as I can find. The idea is to allow the students to see that God can help them identify with their partner across all these barriers. Their testimonies to this at the end of the term are glorious. They are fired up to introduce these partnerships at home. They have seen God's empowerment and the benefit of sharing weaknesses and strengths together in a prayerful, caring relationship. 

As has been mentioned before, pastors and other church leaders often get little training here. To have them catch the vision of what God can do through His word, His Spirit and His people is exciting.

Preaching at Nonga

Sue says:
Last Sunday, it was a joy for us to travel with a student to his home area, Nonga in Dei Council. Jeff preached in Pidgin and the student translated into his local language. They made a great team.

We had been with this church two or three years ago. In the interim, some positive changes have occurred. The little Bible school associated with the church has a second teacher, a CLTC grad, now working there. And Jeff has grown in his Pidgin-speaking ability and understanding of local culture too. He knew to use an example of an enemy's pig digging up someone's garden, a fairly common event here, to illustrate the Bible text.

Everyone knew their reaction would be to kill and eat the pig as just compensation for the damage. But Jeff then taught about the attitude and actions God would want a person to exhibit and the resulting harmony that would follow. The people were struck by the Word being made so clear to them.

We thank the Lord for those special moments when we make connections that bring the heart of our great God into a clearer picture.

 

Cell Group Works and Plays Together

Sue says: It's a blessing to get to know our new student cell group for this year. We do a variety of activities together. One week we played volleyball with another cell group. In the picture above, our students are in the foreground. The score of the game wasn't kept too carefully. It was more a matter of having fun together. You can see our weather is spring-like (all year round) with green grass and delightful blue skies with fluffy clouds.

Another week the students volunteered to come to our house to help us clean up our yard. You can see them cleaning out the drainage ditches (which carry away the abundant rainfall) and weeding in our garden. Notice the corn getting pretty high in the background! Green beans will start bearing soon too. It's pumpkin season now. I just cooked a big one for pumpkin bread and cookies.

This week we wrote notes of encouragement to two students on internship. One is serving in his church in East Sepik. The other is teaching at a Bible college in Western Province. Many times the students have quite an intensive training in their internship. These letters help them continue in stressful times.

Our current cell group leader was serving his internship last year at a Wesleyan Bible college. He was teaching classes, running the bookstore, and keeping the accounts for the college. On week-ends he preached. He knows how much notes from the college meant to him, so he's steering us toward writing too.  

PNG Not Greatly Affected by Japanese Quake

We mourn with those affected by the disastrous earthquake/tsunami in Japan. Who would have believed that a quake would be strong enough to move a large island and cause such widespread destruction?

We've heard reports that modern technology saved many lives in places far enough away from the quake. Mobile (cell) phone companies sent emergency messages in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea to alert their subscribers in low-lying areas to get to high ground. There was some minor flooding in Melanesia, but nothing in comparison with Japan. 

Strategic Plans Made for Bible College

 

Sue says:

To prepare for the Bible college governing board meeting this week, the faculty and staff for this term, pictured above along with the deans of the three campuses, met this week to envision what they would like to see the college become.

The college board is considering the faculty vision and seeing where ts can be matched to their vision and the Office of Higher Education's. We pray our leaders will make wise decisions in leading the college forward to better serve the developing nation of Papua New Guinea. 

Faculty Welcomes New Students

 

Sue says:

Last night faculty and other college employees hosted new students and their families for dinner. There are 32 students in this first-year class. The man pictured above is a new student who pastors in Bunem Wo, a village adjacent to our Bible college. He has ministered several years, but he had a dream to get further theological training. We and his own villagers (from Dei Council, further west in our province) joined together to sponsor him for the two-year theology diploma. 

His wife is enrolled in the Pidgin wives' course. She is learning to read and write. She was brought up by her grandparents, who didn't value education for girls. She is so happy at her reading, Bible training and home making skills progress. She wants to improve at writing too. 

Their son, center, is in first grade at the school on our campus. He is a happy guy who enjoys learning his letters. Their daughter, on her dad's lap, is a curious four-year-old. 

It is always a blessing to hear the students stori (tell the story) about their lives. We pray that trained Christians will help stem the tide of corruption and greed often seen in this country and build a productive ethos here.