Graduation!

Sue writes:

Graduation at CLTC is the high point of the year. Joyous families and friends joined the college community last week-end to celebrate the students' accomplishments. This year 36 graduates finished in five different programs.

A group of mostly Solomon Islanders led us in with dancing and lively music.













This group is several men who received Bachelor of Theology degrees. They each wrote a satisfactory 9000-word English thesis which described a theological problem their denomination is facing and
suggested a biblical solution. Their wives received certificates for a Pidgin Bible course. They will be church or Bible college leaders.






Three students earned diplomas in missions. They hope to go out to foreign mission service. The idea of Papua New Guineans going out as missionaries is revolutionary in some national churches.









The gowned students here received diplomas in theology. They are prepared to be church leaders or religious instruction teachers in high schools. The other two students will be women's and children's leaders in churches.

We pray God's blessing on our graduates as they go out to minister on the larger and smaller islands of PNG, the Solomon Islands and other places God leads them. Please pray their lives will make a difference to those around them.

Faculty Appreciation Night

The graduating students this year started a new tradition. They scheduled one night for all the students to invite all the faculty and outgoing staff to a big dinner. They killed, plucked, cut up and mumued (cooked over hot stones) over 100 chickens along with sausages, kaukau (sweet potatoes), cooking bananas and ferns with other greens. Too, they brought rice while faculty members brought cakes. There was so much food that it was brought in in wheelbarrows. Then the tablecloths were spread with banana leaves and the cooked food placed on the leaves.

The students also prepared flower arrangements that they placed in vases made from banana tree trunks. They involved their children in stringing a live flower necklace for each honored guest. They came up with so many tablecloths that we were amazed. They arranged for music to be played, and one student sang a song he wrote in praise of God. It was an enjoyable time to fellowship with students, their spouses and their children around the tables at the end of the year. We appreciated the efforts that were evident in that memorable evening.

Happy Day!

Sue writes:

It's a day we've long looked forward to. Today the new IT manager, Jonathan Zureo, should arrive!

He seems well-qualified, eager, and honest. We couldn't be happier. With him coming at the end of our college year, Jeff should have some time to orient him soon too.

Many thanks to you who have prayed for this position to be filled. It seems God has supplied a perfect match to the IT needs here on campus. Please pray for his success in his new position!

Great Day to be a Missionary

Jeff writes:

Today was one of those days when it is great to be a missionary! A team of us from the college left at 6:30 a.m. to walk to a "Youth Bible Study" at Michael's house in Bunum Wo. Michael and I hiked Mt. Wilhelm together. He is the one God has really gotten a hold of and is doing a remarkable work in his life. In the past he used to lead a rascal (criminal) gang in this area. He used to supply his mates with steam (fermented pineapple liquor) and marijuana. In days gone by he led them in a life of crime. Now he wants to lead them to the Lord. This study meets out-of-doors at his home, and although we met early today (Sunday) there were over 50 people there, most of whom had never darkened the door of a church. The Spirit of the Lord is moving, and our prayer as missionaries is to try to let the Lord lead. Our desire is to see nationals carry the ministry forward. We epecially want to make this Michael's ministry, which we want to support using local church leaders and students and staff workers from the CLTC. Please pray that this study will continue to grow and that many of these wonderful people will come to know the Lord.

IT Manager Interviews!

Sue writes:

Good news! There are two qualified candidates for CLTC IT manager coming for interviews this week.

Jeff has been diligent to sift through several applications, and he is glad there are two candidates which seem to meet the college's criteria. The candidates' references has given positive reports. On the telephone, the candidates sounded promising. Now it is time to meet them in person.

Please pray Jeff and other interviewers will be able to detect any unreliability or inconsistencies in stories the candidates tell. It would give the college community a boost to have this new employee be an honest worker who is able to teach others.

Saturday, Bread Day

Sue writes:

Saturday is a day to do different things. This Saturday Jeff dealt with how to accurately present spiritual bread. I labored to make physical bread. I'll tell you about these things.

Jeff was invited to preach at an Assemblies of God church on Sunday. Two students at our college are part of that village congregation. It is being torn apart by quarreling, so the students asked Jeff to speak on Christian unity. He has been praying and asking God to show him what Jesus, the Bread of Life, wants this church to know about Himself and life in Him. We would appreciate your prayers for the Holy Spirit to unite this congregation.

While Jeff was working with spiritual bread, I have been kneading physical bread. Saturday is my day to make sure we have the food we need for the next week.

I start by seeing what our garden has ready for me to harvest. This week it was green beans, cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, green onions and cabbage. Then I go to the open-air market outside our college gate. It was a joy to find pineapple, bananas, cucumbers, lettuce, and papayas there this week. Besides the usual sun, the extra rain that's starting to come has brought several new garden foods to maturity.

Those home-grown treasures have to be processed somehow. While my bread was rising, I chopped or grated the cabbage, carrots, celery leaves (Celery here grows lots of leaves and thin stalks.) and the greens of the onions into a coleslaw for tomorrow. The green beans and whites of the onions I cooked for lunch today. The lettuce will make a nice bed for some tomatoes, cucumbers and cold CLTC chicken breasts for dinner, and my bread will taste good along with it. Papaya is a nice finisher.

It's satisfying to work with the materials the Lord provides for us. Whether it's physical or spiritual bread we work with, we know all good things come from our generous God. We ask His blessing on our labor:

And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And do confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

Absentee Voting and Updates

Sue writes:

We were recently delighted to receive our absentee ballots for the upcoming national election in the mail here. We have marked our the ballots, and I tried to send them off this morning. Someone had stolen the stamps from the college secretary, so I gave money to a person who was going into town to buy stamps for me tomorrow and to mail the ballots from Hagen. We are doing our best to take part in this election.

The photo shows Jeff with his absentee ballot. He's still very much alive after his malaria, but he has lost about 20 pounds since we came back here. I think he looks really great slim. He was getting even more fit after our return to the college by running in the early mornings. It seems that vivax mosquitoes feed at dawn, so we think he got malaria from running by the river where the mosquitoes live. He is getting his energy back after malaria. We're thankful for folks' prayers and concern.

In other news, the CLTC employee who was charged with robbery of college funds has been bailed from prison. Bail requirements are that the person cannot leave our province or be in the presence of other witnesses for the trial. The trial is set for 10 November.

There is no more news about our carjacked van or the robbers who kidnapped our college store manager.

Some good news is that the long-awaited Mundhenks, who also serve with Pioneers, arrived on campus this week. They are getting settled to be ready to serve in the college year that begins in February.