Well we have been back in PNG for just about 1 month. We have been so busy of late that I had to check a calendar to figure that out. Busy isn’t bad though. The Lord has given us many opportunities to serve and help out here as a family.
One benefit to being back in PNG is that I get a lot more opportunities to talk with the Malaumandan believers. Pastor Jim has been out of the village quite a bit of late which has made that easier. I have found myself encouraged by his willingness to serve in other locations but also concerned that the church back in Malaumanda could use their pastor spending more time in the village. There have been some challenges in there of late which we are talking through. For instance broken marriages can be a problem in any church. In Malaumanda it tends towards being husbands getting a second wife. One young man who had been an up and coming leader in the church fell into this trap. Pray for Jim and for the rest of the church in Malaumanda as they look to the Lord to work their way through this situation.
Daniel has started to do some work here and did a project at the school a couple of weeks back. We now have him doing a painting project at our house. While there are no lack of projects to be done at our house and on the centre here pray for us as we work to coordinate these various projects. I don’t have a lot of time to be engaged with this directly so this will be a bit tricky.
Judith has set up the house as much as she is going to do for the time being. She is still working with Timothy each morning for school. We are going to begin integrating her into the centre management task that I am involved in though that could take some time to figure out. We are serving together by encouraging different people who are starting into new ministries here which is fun.
Timothy is doing well at school and tried out for the high school soccer team last week and made it. That will be good for him as he does miss being in classes with everyone else during the week.
Thanks so much to all of you who so faithfully pray for us and give towards our ministry here.
In Him,
Eric and Judith, Stephen, Daniel and Timothy
Prayer and Praise
- Praise that we are healthy and content in our lives and ministries here in PNG.
- Pray for Eric as he has a lot on his plate these days. The centre operations department here is seriously understaffed which is taking a lot of his time and focus. Pray for wisdom to find creative solutions to these difficult problems.
- Praise that the boys are doing well. Timothy continues to do well in his online school. He is also trying out for the boys soccer team so that should be a fun experience for him.
- Pray for Daniel as he adjusts to living here at Lapilo post-high school. He is enjoying himself but it is different.
- Pray for Judith as she figures out her new ministry ‘mix’. Loving and encouraging people is the focus but in what context.
- Pray for Stephen as he is getting close to being done with the mechanics side of his program. The pilot flight portion starts up in January so please pray for God’s direction and provision for him. Pray for Judith and I as we engage with him from a distance.
- Pray for Judith’s green card paperwork. We had a discussion with the US consular officer last week as she visited Lapilo. From that discussion it was confirmed that we have done everything that we need to at the moment. Hopefully the first application will be approved early in 2025 and then we can quickly apply for the second part of the process.
- Pray for us as a family to rest in God, rejoice in His provision, and persevere in serving Him.