NTM

Dear friends and family,
Many of you have asked where we are at with a vehicle for furlough, so we thought we\’d send out another update to let you know how you can be praying!
We are definitely in need regarding our finances and have been convicted of the necessity of sharing that with you. Between the cost of plane tickets home, settling in (food, clothing, etc), and Stacy\’s medical bills already, we have yet to be able to afford to purchase a vehicle for our year home. We have looked at several possibilities and have one we would buy today if we had the money, so it\’s just a matter of the Lord\’s timing and provision. A huge praise to share is that one of our supporting churches just gave us a $2000 gift towards the purchase of a minivan, so we\’re almost halfway there!
Here are the financial needs we are currently facing:
• Outstanding medical bill – $1,670
• Current medical expenses (estimated) – $800
• Remaining costs from furlough plane tickets – $2,030
• Minivan – $3,200
• Glasses for Aaron – $415
Plus, Aaron has the unique privilege of accompanying a church on a 10-day missions trip in the middle of July to minister in an orphanage in Bolivia. We felt it was a great opportunity to worship God in a whole new way and gain some missionary experience outside of Papua New Guinea. Although the international tickets have already been provided, there\’s still several hundred dollars that need to be raised for this trip (Aaron agreed to go several months ago).
We are resting in our Father and know that He will provide for each of these needs, and in His time, as He always has! We cannot thank each of you enough for your involvement in our ministry! The Lord has chosen to use all of us in the Body of Christ to fulfill His Mission and it is such an AMAZING privilege! THANK YOU for your prayers and financial sacrifices on our behalf! They do not go unnoticed!
In His Love,
Aaron and Stacy

Here\’s some quick updates for those of you who have asked and who are praying —
• Stacy had her first doctor\’s appointment last week in Boston. The doctor added another preventative medicine to help with the migraines, so we\’ll see over the next few weeks how that is helping.
• Stacy has an MRI scheduled this coming Friday. She will then take the results to her next doctor\’s appointment in August.
• We are looking for a minivan to use for this year while we\’re home.

Our general schedule for the next year or so —
• June-December \’09 — be in the New England area, living with Stacy\’s parents. The kids will be going to Seacoast Christian School and we will be getting our many doctor\’s appointments done! This is also a time to visit with family, friends and supporting churches.
• January \’10 — quick trip to Florida for a workshop and visiting family and friends.
• February-May \’10 — living in or traveling to the Ohio/southern Michigan area to visit family, friends and our supporting churches.
• June-July \’10? — pack up, visit with family, head back to PNG (the actual date will depend on visa renewal paperwork).

We cannot begin to thank you for the amount of prayers that you all have sent to the Throne on our behalf! Thank you all SO much! We would never have gotten this far in our ministry without the incredible foundation of prayer you have given us!

- Aaron and Stacy Jex

Thank you all SO much for your prayers!! Our flights to the US went very smoothly and the kids did remarkably well! We are all still adjusting to the time difference, so sleeping isn’t going so well, but that’s to be expected!

The week in Australia–our first break in a LONG time–before the flight across the world was very restful and fun for all of us! It was very nice to have that time as a family while getting a head start transitioning back to a Western culture. Plus, it’s actually been almost 2 weeks since Stacy had a migraine, which is a new record! We plan to spend a few more days catching up on sleep and settling in and then start in on doctor’s appointments this week.

If you remember, Aaron and Kobe came back last summer for Aaron’s sinus surgery, so this trip was old hat for Kobe. But Stacy hadn’t been out of PNG for over 3 years and the girls were just babies when we left the US, so here’s some of their “firsts”!

For Stacy–the first taste of real ice cream… the first sip of her favorite Starbucks’ drink… the first time driving (it’s not safe for women in PNG)… the first time going alone to the grocery store (also not safe in PNG!)… the first time in a mall… the first glass of cold milk… the first cold cut sandwich…
The girls — first time on an elevator and an escalator (Kiera was clawing Stacy and screaming the first time!)… first time in car seats… first time eating at McDonald’s… first time at a grocery store… first time at a mall… first Dunkin Donut… They thought they were incredibly cool getting served their own drinks and meals on the flights and couldn’t wait for the beverage service to start every time! Kiera would look at the drink choices right away on each flight and want her tray table down so she was ready! Remember, they’ve been on lots of our smaller NTM planes and even the helicopter, but the last time they were on a “normal” flight they were infants! So fun to watch them experiencing all this!

We really have been SO impressed with how well the kids have done, especially the girls, considering how new everything is! They just seem to be taking it all in stride and honestly enjoy tackling the newest thing we are experiencing! We are SO thankful for this!!! They are settling in at Meme and Papa’s house (Stacy’s parents) and have already been playing with some of their cousins.

What will we be doing on our furlough? Aaron will be studying for upcoming meetings, and hoping to get some extra Greek study in — as well as helping with the house and kids and escorting Stacy to doctor’s appointments. Stacy will be trying to get healthy and do her best to keep up with things when she’s not feeling well. It’s good we have Stacy’s parents to help! We will all be spending time with supporters and building relationships with those who are willing to be used of God to support us in prayer and finances. If you would like to schedule a meeting with us, let us know and we’ll see if it will work.

Praise — That our trip to the USA went well!
Please pray — That we will get Stacy’s health figured out.
Praise — For how God is supplying our needs and that He knows what they will be before we do!
Praise — Stacy’s sister is allowing us to use her car until God’s timing is right to provide one for us!

Just a quick update with some points of prayer. . Praise the Lord – Stacy’s Australian medical visa came through a couple of weeks ago – so she will be getting the MRI done in Cairns, Australia before we head back to the States! . Please continue to pray for the kids’ passports to come through! We had to renew them a few months ago and are still waiting for them to come out of the offices in Port Moresby! Obviously, we can’t leave without them! . Praise the Lord – Stacy’s migraines have gotten considerably less frequent in the last few weeks, since she stopped taking the triptans (the treatment meds she was taking for them)! They are still once or twice a week though, and she has nothing to take when she gets them, so continue to pray that we will get Stateside appointments quickly to determine what else can be done! . Praise the Lord – the packing and cleaning have been coming along very well and we hope to be done in plenty of time! Two of our friends here, the high school science teacher and one of the nurses, will be living in our house for the year we are gone. . Praise the Lord that we are able to live with Stacy’s parents for the next several months in Maine and for all the help our families have provided already! . Please continue to pray that we would have wisdom to know what vehicle we need for the next year or so and have the money to pay for it! . Please continue to pray for our work meri, Anna. She is in the first two pics here with our family at the Bird. We mentioned in our last email that the doctor thinks she has widespread cancer and doesn’t have much longer to live. This was the first time we saw her since she had surgery to remove two of the large masses. We were encouraged with her weight gain and general health and the kids were so glad to see her!

The last two pictures are just the girls keeping busy while we pack! The Lego creation is their version of the water park in Cairns we have been telling them about! J Kobe has three more days of kindergarten to go! He has really enjoyed school this year and has already cried thinking about no more kindergarten! He’s a bit sentimental! J

We are so much looking forward to spending time with you all over the next several months! It so often goes with missionaries that you all get to know us through updates, etc. and we’ve not gotten to know you at all, so we are excited for that opportunity!

Thank you for your prayers!!!!

Serving Him with you, Aaron and Stacy Jex

Dear friends and family,

Once again, we are asking that you be in prayer for us regarding travel plans! Stacy’s migraines have gotten very frequent (right now they are about every other day) and she has been on some different preventative medications. The one she is on right now is working OK as far as the severity of the migraines, but not the frequency of them. We had already planned to take a family break in Australia this summer and were going to extend it and see a neurologist there as well, to see what help he could offer. The problem is that this would be a one-time deal. We would have an MRI done there first, and if it showed nothing, he would probably not be able to help us at all, and then we’d be back here trying to get through for the next year. We feel that Stacy’s ministries of mom, friend, her love of hospitality, etc. – all have been greatly hindered over the last several months as she’s simply trying to survive from day to day.

Just in the last week, it has come to our attention that it would make more sense to go ahead and do our year of furlough, or home assignment, a year earlier than we had planned. We had intended on heading back to the States in June 2010 for a year of visiting with family, friends and our supporting churches. We have just been told that Aaron’s job would be very hard to cover if he left then, though not impossible. If we left this summer, there is actually several men available to cover it. Also, Aaron’s work load is all caught up for the first time in two years! This would mean that Stacy would not have to put up with another year of constant migraines and we could spend the next year at home trying to get some treatments figured out for her before we come back in the summer of 2010.

So, our plan right now is to head down to Australia in June for a family break and to have the MRI done (it is considerably cheaper in Australia). We will then fly home from there and hopefully start having some appointments soon, with the MRI results in hand. After our year of home assignment, Lord willing, we will return to our ministries here in PNG in the summer of 2010.

Obviously, leaving within the next few weeks will be a huge change in plans for us and will entail A LOT of planning and last minute preparation, so it’s not ideal, but we desire to do what God has planned for us. We will have to clean our house and pack it up so that it’s livable for someone else for the next year while we’re gone. We will also need to buy tickets and make housing, school, medical, etc. arrangements Stateside. We will be able to stay with Stacy’s parents for the first several months, but will be needing a vehicle, car seats, etc. So, please be in prayer with us as we try to get it all done and stay sane! J We are getting very excited at the prospect of seeing so many of you again! Feel free to contact us and start setting up times to get together and speaking engagements. You have been our faithful prayer support here these past 3 years, and we are so excited to share with you all what God is doing here in PNG!

Some other prayer requests: . Our house helper and friend, Anna Alepai, has cancer. She is having surgery in town this week, but it does not look good and our doctor here is not hopeful that she has very long. This is the hardest part of leaving, as it does not seem we will see her again this side of heaven. Our kids are very close to her as well. . The kids’ passports were renewed back in February and are supposed to take 2 months to be done, so we haven’t heard anything yet. Please pray that they will be ready for us to leave in June. . Stacy had to apply for a medical visa in order to get the MRI appointment in Australia. Please pray the paperwork will go through in time for our June appointment.

Glad to be in HIS arms, Aaron and Stacy Jex J

"That’s why they came!"

“That’s what the old guy kept saying to me,” said Aaron Luse, missionary to the Patpatar tribal group. Recently, they had heard the story about Jesus dying for them. Aaron finally sat down and asked him. “Who came?”
The old guy responded, “That team, the one that came to help build your house out here, do they know this message?” Aaron said, “Yes”.
“The pilot who flies you in here, does he know this message?” “Yes.”
“The consultants who come to help you with translation and literacy, do they know this message?” “Yes,”
“That’s why they came —because they know this message, and they wanted us to know it too. That’s why they came!”
Testimonies like this one remind us that we have an important ministry in reaching these tribes. We need to be reminded often that somehow, reconciling accounts or watching kids helps get the gospel out to those unreached with the truth of His Word. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we have our ministries here at the main center of New Tribes Mission in PNG. We are here to aid and assist the tribal missionaries who are out in the bush, reaching the unreached.

Family Update

Aaron continues to be swamped in his demanding ministry in the business office. This last year, a new accounting system was installed, and he has been recovering from it ever since! He has also recently joined the speaking rotation (men who take turns speaking in our Sunday services). Please pray that he can stay on top of things and do the best he can with the work he needs to accomplish.
Stacy, though, has the more hectic job at home, taking care of Kobe(5), Kiera(4), and Kaili(3). She also helps out at the school, hosts a Bible study, schedules meals for those in need, and is a good hostess for many who are invited for dinner. Please pray that her health will be good to allow her to continue her ministries.
The kids loved having a helicopter ride recently when we visited the Mibu work. It was a great time visiting with Geoff and Shannon Husa, and our co-worker Moses Truong!

How many tribes…

In 2008, five tribes in Papua New Guinea heard, in their own heart language, how Jesus Christ died for their sins in their place.  Three new works have been opened!  What an amazing thing to be part of what God is doing here in Papua New Guinea! We haven’t been the hands that touch these tribal people on a daily basis, but we, along with you, are part of the body of Christ who have helped reach these people with the gospel.

Stateside Trip

July /August 2008—Aaron and Kobe went back to America for Aaron’s sinus surgery. THANK YOU to all who helped with the cost and prayed! The surgery has been successful! While they were home, Kobe’s cheek was infected, and he had to be hospitalized. Even though he was hurting, he could still down a cold Wendy’s frosty! Thank you again for praying for Kobe and our trip to the States. It was a short trip, but we got to meet eight new cousins and see many of you!

Home Assignment

June 2010—We are beginning to look forward to our first furlough, or home assignment! We will head home to the States after 4 years and 3 months on the mission field. Who will replace us when we leave? Where will we be living? What about a car? These are the questions we’re beginning to think about. We’re wondering how our girls will do adjusting to a foreign culture—Kobe, having done the trip this summer, remembers it all very well, but to the girls it won’t be home!

Mom and Dad Jex Visit

December / January 2009—We had a great visit with Grampapa and Grandmama. It was so neat to show them where we work and play. We played rook, dad helped around the house, mom helped Aaron in his office, and, of course, they spent time with our kids playing games, doing puzzles, and reading books. We had a PNG Christmas together, complete with candy canes, Parker House rolls, and warm weather! In early January, we travelled to the Tobo tribe again to let them experience what tribal ministry is like out in the middle of nowhere. They loved it! They were thrilled to meet some of the tribal believers and worship along with them in a church service—Tobo style— until the pouring rain ended it. It was great to visit with our friends, the Williamsons and Mankins. Chad Mankins is teaching in Romans and Jason will be done with culture and language learning this summer! Thank you for praying for the Tobo work!

- Aaron and Stacy Jex
Tribal Church Planting in Papua New Guinea
aaron-stacy_jex@ntm.org
http://aaronandstacyjex.blogspot.com
http://www.ntm.org/aaron-stacy_jex

Stateside Address:
28 Sand Pond Ln.
North Berwick, ME 03906
(207) 490-1376

Papua New Guinea address:
Aaron and Stacy Jex
c/o New Tribes Mission
P.O. Box 1079
Goroka EHP
Papua New Guinea

Here at our mission center, there are so many connections. I’ll explain what I mean.

The same person:
Is Kobe’s Kindergarten teacher
Is our neighbor
Is on the playground committee with us
is married to one of Aaron’s co-workers
Goes to the same church
Goes to the same restaurants
Knows some of the same people back home.

And, probably more, that I haven’t thought of. Ever heard of "Degrees of Separation?" There are none here. There’s some adjusting to going to church, work, school, and being a neighbor of the same person. Not that there’s something wrong with this person, it’s just, that’s how it is living on a mission center. Normally, if you don’t happen to get along with someone at church, you don’t have to worry about seeing them at school, at home, and at work. But, here, it’s different. Here, if you enjoy talking with someone in the office, you can look forward to sitting next to them at church, can say hi when they walk by your house, and see their friendly face when you visit the school. There are obvious adventages and disadventages to this. The same person that you play hockey with is your family physican, and oh, yeah, he’s the same one that has those annoying all-night-long barking dogs next door.
One interesting quirk with this type of situation, using the analogy of wearing hats, is that we’re always switching hats. You could be mentioning to someone "Our road’s really dusty, it’s been dry lately," (neighbor hat) then switch to, "the antibiotics are working," (patient hat) and then, "we’ll see you at the school open house," (fellow parent hat) and, "That was a great shot last night!" (teammate hat). Or, like what happend just recently, "Yes, we’ll have to get together to go over our plan for the playground," and "When did you want to have a parent-teacher conference about Kobe?"
We do love it here, aside from missing our family and friends. But, it is interesting to adjust to living in this commune!

- Aaron

It’s a regular occurance for caskets to be flown up here from the capitol city Port Moresby. Apparently people from this area go down to Port Moresby to work, and are brought back to their home area when they pass away. It’s not uncommon to see a casket piled along with the other luggage at the airport. Or, to see a crowd of mourners with their face painted wailing. Here’s a woman mourning at the airport as the plane comes in.

Although our focus as a mission is out in the bush, not in the cities like these pictures, we are bringing hope to so many that have no hope. That’s why we’re here!