Jay and Lisa Franicevich Training this Generation of Church Planters 
Happy 2008!!! We pray that this update finds you having had a good holiday season and doing well in the new year. We had a very busy semester being involved in teaching, part or all of, 7 different classes. We ended our year "flat out" as both Lisa and I were teaching classes at the same time right up until the Christmas holidays began. Needless to say, we were pretty wiped out when the holidays came and were very thankful for the time off. Our Christmas and New Years were spent at home this year which was nice and quiet.
Now that 2008 has begun and we are rested up, we are looking forward to the students returning to classes on January 15th to continue on with their studies here. Please be praying for them as they get back "into the grove" and as some of them will be graduating at the end of this semester. For those who graduate, that means they will be getting ready to move on to the ministries the Lord has directed them to both this side and across the ocean.
Besides that, some neat things are happening in the Sepik:
1. The Foundational Bible Teaching from Creation through the Life of Christ is going to begin in two more Sepik tribes (Bagwido and Inanbimali) this month. We are sure that the missionaries in both those tribes would appreciate any and all prayers you would lift up on their behalf as they prepare and begin teaching. We will let you know how things are going as we get further reports from them.
2. As far as Inaru is concerned, Jason reports that he has mostly been working on getting our chronological Bible lessons (88 lessons in all) revised and printed in order to put on an Indigenous Language Bible School for two other villages that are a part of making up the Inaru’s language group. The church in Inaru will be inviting the church leaders from these other villages as they have evangelical churches in these villages but not much Bible teaching, and what they do have has been taught in the trade language (Melanesian Pidgin), rather than their mother tongue.
So, in February they will kick off their first "Bible school" in which Jason and the Inaru Bible teachers will be teaching foundational Bible stories chronologically to provide a background for why Christ had to come. Hopefully if any of the students are unclear on the essentials of the Gospel, this will clear it up for them.
Please be keeping this in your prayers as the school is projected to start up on February 19. Pray that they will have a good response, with lots attending from the other villages. Also pray as there is still a lot of work to do (revising and printing) before the Bible school begins, thanks.
Lastly, we can’t sign-off without bringing you up-to-date and bragging a bit on Anthony. He came home with his grade card and made us proud by making it on the A/B honor roll. He is also back into wrestling and in his last two tournaments he brought home a gold & silver medal respectively. This year he not only wants to qualify for the State Tournament but also medal by placing in the top eight out of around 100+ kids in his age and weight division. Needless to say, he has his work cut out for him and would appreciate your prayers.
Well we have gone on long enough. Thanks for taking the time to read through this and for your supportiveness in every way. You are very much a part of what is going on in the ministry here and we couldn’t do it without you. God bless you for it and have a great new year!!!
In His Love, Jay, Lisa & Anthony
