Girl in Sigri Village Dies

Sue writes:

Kids everywhere are full of life, aren't they. So, it's especially distressing when a little, innocent one dies. That happened again last week in Sigri, a village next to CLTC.

It is the second time since we have been here that a child has died for a reason that was not obvious. And the second time talk of sorcery has started circulating.

When talk of sorcery starts, the conversation will at some point get around to compensation claims and possibly taking physical revenge against the sorcerer. The father of the girl who died put that talk to rest this time.

At the funeral of his daughter, the father said, "Our girl's body is dead, but her spirit is with the Lord. We will not listen to any talk about sorcery. We will not seek compensation. We will feed all those who have come to be with us today (as opposed to shunning the person who was said to have performed sorcery to kill the girl)."

This talk of forgiveness and trust in God rather than seeking revenge is rare even among Christians here in PNG. We rejoice in the faith exhibited, yet we grieve for the family which has lost its child in the here and now. Please pray God will comfort the family and use their example of faith to inspire others.

First Day of Fourth Term!

Sue says:

The fourth and final term of the 2008 college year at Christian Leaders' Training College opened Monday. That means we lecturers ran around making sure there were enough chairs and desks in our classrooms. Jeff will use powerpoint slides this term for his Church History class, so he had to hunt up the proper plugs and other equipment.

Besides Church History, Jeff is also teaching computer skills, preaching and an Ephesians class in which he instructs the students in inductive Bible study to prepare for their own teaching. His class notes for Church History still need to be bound.

I am teaching History of Missions. Like Jeff's history class, mine will try to speed through a couple centuries of developments. I'm enthused about my class because we will talk about different people groups, some famous missionaries, and the way God has been reaching out to mankind in graciousness for the last 2000 years. All my sixteen students are already interested in missions, and they are asking God where He would like to use them in spreading the Good News of His kingdom.

Graduation takes place at the time of Thanksgiving in the US. Thesis students (doing a fifth year of study) are working hard to finish their big writing projects, and excitement is in the air as students anticipate concluding their studies.

Please pray that we all will be growing in our relationships with God and each other in this term.

Updates

Thanks for your prayers for us. We are trying to get to the point where we can print out our students' notebooks today so the binder has time to bind them before fourth term classes start Monday. Jeff is preparing two notebooks, and I am working on one.

In another area, the CLTC employee who is awaiting trial has been suffering asthma attacks. She has been taken to the hospital twice because the other inmates smoke and she has trouble breathing the smoky air. The guards have allowed her to sit in and sleep in the reception area so she has purer air to breathe. Please pray for her improved health, and that a just trial will be held 29 September as (re)scheduled.

The last update is on our washing machine. Our CLTC delivery truck transported it safely to Kainantu (a four-hour drive away) and technicians picked it up and took it to Ukarumpa (another half-hour drive). The technicians say the trouble was with the transmission. If all goes well, the delivery truck will bring the washer back next Wednesday. We are so glad our neighbors have allowed us to use their loaner in the meantime.

Back Home Sore and Safe Pictures to Follow

Jeff writes:

We made it back yesterday from Keglsugl, which is the village below Mt. Wilhelm. My feet are a wreck, but I am glad to be home. I will post some pictures later. God had some other plans for my trip other than climbing that mountain that I will also like to comment on. Thanks for your prayers.

Mt. Wilhelm Update

Thanks for your prayers. God gave all four guys the strength to get to the top of the 15,000 foot mountain Sunday. Two guys arrived back at CLTC yesterday (Monday) bringing news about the other two.

Jeff and a national guy are still on their way back. Jeff said he needed to rest up some more before completing the walk down the mountain. He and his friend stayed another night at a wayside lodge and plan to PMV (public motor vehicle) back today. Please pray that Jeff will have the strength to complete the walk down. He isn't injured, the high altitude and soreness and his shoes slipping are just a challenge.

Updates

This picture is of some fruit and vegetables that were recently given to us as thanks for helping some needy national friends. May they be a reminder of our thanks to you who pray for and give toward our ministry. Your giving enables us to give to others. God is eager to make Himself known to all people, and your prayer for us is an important part of God's name being given the honor it deserves here in PNG.

Thanks to you who prayed for our relations with the College Council which met recently. I'm not sure the strain of the workload is sufficiently understood by the Council, but we did have a friendly working relationship.

The saga of the ransomed van continues. Someone is holding the van. The college doesn't want to pay ransom.

The story of the broken washing machine continues too. The people whom we helped and who offered us the pictured goodies have loaned us their old machine while ours gets fixed.

The college employee accused of complicity in robbing college money was supposed to appear in court last week. I haven't heard any news about what happened there, but there is joyful news about her ministry in the prison. Large numbers of women are listening to her witness to them, and they want Tok Pisin Bibles. People from the college are gathering them to send.

Jeff and his team must have climbed Mt. Wilhelm today. The plan was for the four guys to take it easy back at the lake camp the rest of today after coming half-way down. They should return tomorrow.

This week as I was preparing for a History of Missions class, I was struck by Isaiah 45:22:
"Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other."
He is the one true God. He wants all people to know of His kind intentions and His provisions for relationship with Himself.

On His Way!

Sue says:

Jeff left yesterday to climb Mt. Wilhelm, the highest peak in PNG. He's traveling with another missionary and two national guys. The nationals have been quite helpful in arranging transportation, since they know other guys who drive PMVs (public motor vehicles).

Friday at seven in the morning, the first PMV had pulled up in our driveway to pick Jeff up. (We had no idea how a PMV was admitted by the college guards!) When the group got to Kundiawa, Eastern Highlands, another driver met them. The second one is from Chimbu, the province where the mountain is located. He drove them to a lake on the mountain with huts for climbers to sleep in.

Saturday, the guys are taking it easy at the higher elevation. Tomorrow morning, they will be awakened by a guide at 2, so they can ascend to the 15,000 peak before dawn. If the morning is clear, those at the top should be able to see to the northern coast of the country!

Can't wait to hear the stories from this trip!