NTM

I Praise the Lord that the two summer programs went so well and I am praying that the students return home with a passion that overflows to all they come into contact with. Their testimonies of God’s work and faithfulness spoke to my heart and I can’t wait to see what the Lord does through them.
We have one small retreat at the end of this month. Pray that it is a time of blessing and encouragement for those attending.

The kitchen transition has gone well. There were some ups and downs along the way, but we have really gotten into the swing of things. I have been stretched in many ways, but the Lord has proven faithful. I am learning so much about being a co-worker, boss, and friend. It is a joy to be in the kitchen and I am continually amazed at how God uses us with all of our various gifts and abilities to grow his kingdom. Please continue to pray for wisdom and strength as I cook both here at ITF and travel to various other locations for conferences. God provides so many amazing opportunities to serve!

Summer Time

Our July – August program is now over and it is so quiet on campus! Praise the Lord for an opportunity to rest now. I wanted to thank you all for your encouragement and support. It was a very full summer, and I felt the prayers and support as the Lord gave me the strength I needed everyday. This two programs went really well. We had a large group of students and even a work team joined us as well. It is so neat to see how God brings these groups together and teaches them.  As a staff we were encouraged by all of their questions, lively discussions, and motivation to embrace every opportunity presented. It was a joy to see the Lord speaking to their hearts.

The kitchen was bustling the entire summer. I am so grateful for the 3 alumni who came over to serve on hospitality with us. It was fun to get to know past students and see how the Lord has lead them since last summer when they attended Interface. We did face some challenges when half of our kitchen team got sick, but the Lord provided staff to come in and help out. There were so many times that the Lord showed me this summer how he has every little detail covered. Often in ways I could not have planned.

Towards the end of program the students go on a side trip to various regions of Papua New Guinea and visit a tribal church plant. I went on one of the three trips to the Islands region of PNG and I cooked for the students, staff, and missionaries. It is an opportunity for them to see a local New Testament church and interact with believers. This is really where the entire program’s teachings and experiences cement in their hearts and minds. It was such an incredible time. Our flight got in just in time to have a church service and a large mumu (PNG feast) with the believers. We stayed late into the night singing songs that the believers had written. All of us were given a bound book with all the songs in their tok ples (heart language) and English so we could sing along with them. I have traveled to many different places, but one thing that always connects me to where I have been is being able to worship with the body of Christ. To hear the music and know the Spirit is moving is such an incredible thing. I will never forget that night.

During our time there we were able to meet with believers and hear their testimonies, have good discussions with the missionaries, and do some cultural excursions as well. One of the fun things we were able to do was “float” down a river nearby on inter-tubes. When I say float, however, I mean shoot down rapids. A 45-minute hike to the river and then an 1.5 hour trip to our destination! White water rafting on tubes is way more fun than on rafts! I was challenged in so many ways alongside the 12 students that were there.

The church has a literacy ministry that we visited, and one of the pictures below shows a group that graduated. What hit me the most was hearing the testimony of an elderly man who struggled long and hard to learn to read and write. I heard about his desire to read the Scriptures, and then to see him stand up in church and preach the Word was incredible! Truly there is nothing better than seeing the kingdom of God being built in every corner of the world. How amazing to know that one day we will worship again together in heaven and all fall down before Christ who was slain on our behalf.

I‘m back at Interface now, and our first summer program has begun. It is in a more remote location than where I was for my language and culture study. The first couple weeks here I worked on some menu preparation and scheduling for the kitchen. Beth (the kitchen manager) and I went out into the village and handed schedules to the ladies I will be working with. It was fun to get to know them more and meet some of their families. The village is literally right next to our campus, so it is just takes a ten-minute walk/hike to go around. I enjoyed using my pidgin a little and getting to know the ladies I am serving with. Later in the week I did more prep in the kitchen for the program, which included cleaning and making items from scratch like brown sugar, granola, sauces and syrups, and chips out of banana, tapiok, and kaukau for both summer programs (this is an all day project).
Last week many of the stores in town were closed, and we were not able to do our regular supply run. Beth and I went around the village and got local produce from local farms. It was quite a sight to see. We walked up to every adult and listed off veggies that we needed. Some people would bring us 2 pineapples, some people would bring a pumpkin, and others would bring a bunch of each! It was quite the experience. The stores are open again, so we were able to get our meat order and the rest of the veggies in time.
I am really enjoying learning about local produce and culinary tradition. It is such a joy to be able to get creative and have fun and then share it with people around me. There are 8 singles on staff here at Interface, and we have formed a little family. I trade off cooking one main meal a day for them during non-programs times. I love it because every day we get together over a meal and enjoy each other’s company. Plus we have consistent recipe testers who never get sick of eating!
During my move back out here, I found out that a fire broke out in Santa Barbara (my home town). It was hard to be away from my family while they were all evacuated and wondering what was going to burn. However, I did get an amusing email from my mother describing how they had become a “menagerie.” They were camped out at our good friends house with 11 adults (including 2 exchange students), 1 baby, 4 horses, 4 dogs, 2 cats, 30 baby chicks, 9 vehicles and a horse trailer. I can just imagine the chaos that ensued!  In this process I lost my car that was stored at a friend’s home. My prayers go out to all who lost their homes in the fire. I am grateful that my family and friends are all safe and that the community came together and served one another.
So now we have launched full-swing into our summer program. It is so exciting to have the students here. The campus is alive with activity and the fires are burning in the kitchen! We are cooking for around 30 people for now, and that number will probably double in the next session. I can’t wait to get to know these students better and see what the Lord is doing in their lives. It will be a very intense 6 weeks for them, and I pray that they Lord breaks through barriers and expands their vision of him. They will have many opportunities to experience missions work and see what the Lord is doing here on the field first hand. I have the opportunity to work with 3 alumni from last year’s program as well as 12 women from surrounding villages. Our job is to keep the students well fed and ready to get as much as they can from their time here. The staff has many opportunities to connect with the students one-on-one as well, which is a wonderful time to share testimonies and encourage them in spiritual growth.

Very soon students will arrive for the 2nd program here at Interface this year! I am so excited for them to come. All of us staff are gearing up for their arrival, and we definitely need your prayer. There are many jobs to be done that come together to make this program run successfully. Here are some prayer points as we prepare:

• Pray that as a staff we remain focused and unified as we work together, and that our hearts are continually sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It is our desire to be the Lord’s vessels in regards to these students, to encourage and uplift them, and show them Christ. So please pray that we remain connected to Christ our vine so that He can work through us to expand the reach of the Gospel!
• All the students are packing up and probably nervous and excited. Pray that the Lord prepares their hearts to receive his word and are challenged. Also for the safety of their journey to Papua New Guinea.
• Pray for the arrival of new staff here. There are those who will arrive soon and some that are still preparing to come this summer. Pray that the Lord continues to provide direction and that they are encouraged in this process. Pray for them as the finish raising support and get all their paperwork done.

Em Nau!
I have finished my language course. Praise the Lord for granting me motivation to get out there to learn Pidgin. God provided many opportunities to interact with people and develop relationships. I feel like part of a family out here both with my fellow missionaries and local families. I have gotten to a conversational level in Pidgin, which will be very beneficial as I will be working with national women in the kitchen.

Off to the Kitchen…
I am packing up and ready to head out to Interface where I will be serving in the kitchen. June is when the 2nd group of students arrive for our summer program. Please pray for preparation and planning. We have more staff joining us this year, so please keep them in your prayers as they transition in. Pray that in the hurried pace that lies ahead I will remain focused and in tune with the Holy Spirit as he guides me every day.

What a privilege it is to be here learning about and experiencing God’s creation. April was my last month of language study. God has provided many opportunities to practice and learn. I am so grateful that I had time to transition into life here in PNG.

I had a wonderful time celebrating Easter. We celebrated in a few different ways including a sunrise service (literally while the stars where out), a breakfast feast, and a morning service. It was so neat to wake up and gather outside in nature. I felt like we were in a more tropical version of the garden of Gethsemane (picture bamboo instead of Olive trees). As the sun rose and the morning haze began to burn-off, I felt the Spirit of the Lord present among us. What a wonderful time to praise the Father and remember the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. I hope that you all were able to come together and worship and see the Spirit move in powerful ways. It is such an amazing thing to know that believers all over the world came together to praise the name of God.

This month I spent significant amounts of time studying language structure and grammar, and then going out and applying it with people in the village. I have made several great relationships with various women and families in the community. I can now hold a decent conversation in Pidgin, which is a lot of fun. It is a very unique language in that it was developed as a mixture of languages for trade purposes. It is easy to mix it up and throw in really anything you want. I have (unconsciously) used English and Spanish while speaking it…oh well. It has been so fun to just get out and spend time with people. Some of my cultural highlights this month were working in local gardens, cooking in traditional cook houses, going to veggie and food markets, hanging out and talking with people, going to a weekly children’s AWANA program, and the list goes on. I have learned a ton about local produce and food which is very beneficial to the ministry I am a part of. People live off the land here, and love to share their wealth of knowledge for growing fruits and vegetables. Every day provides a new opportunity, and I never really know what to expect here. Hence everyone calls it the “Land of the Unexpected.” I can’t even begin tell you how true that is!

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to one of the original New Tribes church plants on this field. It was about an hour drive from where I am. The church was so full that people were spilling out the doors and had to sit outside! The floor was covered 2 feet deep with lumber. This turned into a blessing because we all sat on top of it instead of the usual cold cement. The service was done both in Pidgin and the “tok ples” or local language. It was incredible to experience their singing; and I truly mean “experience.” I have never heard singing like that. The words meld together in drawn-out notes, and it was so powerful that the whole room was reverberating. I was right in the middle of the room, and it is hard to describe what it felt like. Two things I am sure of: the Holy Spirit was in that place, and the people were praising the Lord with their entire beings! It was very beautiful. To ensure that everyone could here the sermon, they hooked up the microphone to some loud speakers placed at the windows. I understood about 80% of the sermon, which is good considering that 4 months ago I never heard the language. Praise the Lord! The pastor preached on Ephesians 2 where it talks about sinful humanity and the riches of God’s grace through Christ. Let me just tell you that the idea of “unity” in Christ as a body of believers holds an entirely new meaning when hearing it preached in a foreign culture and tongue. Experiences like this continue to expand my vision of who God is and what he desires for his children.

I hope that you are encouraged and feel apart of what is going on here in PNG. I appreciate your encouraging words and prayer. The Lord is really moving in amazing ways.

He is Risen!

Ok, so I know it is a week late, but I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter. Last weekend was the first holiday I have spent with my New Tribes family here in PNG. I had a wonderful time celebrating in a few different ways including a sunrise service (literally while the stars where out), a breakfast feast, and a morning service. It was so neat to wake up and gather outside in nature. I felt like we were in a more tropical version of the garden of Gethsemane (picture bamboo instead of Olive trees). As the sun rose and the morning haze began to burn-off I felt the Spirit of the Lord present among us. What a wonderful time to praise the Father and remember the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. I hope that you all were able to come together and worship in spirit and truth. It is such an amazing thing to know that believers all over the world came together to praise the name of God.

What a privilege it is to be here learning about and experiencing God’s creation. I am now fully back into the swing of things in terms of language study. I was a bit demoralized when I got back and felt that I had an insurmountable amount of language study still to do. However, God has given me the grace I need to continue on. He has provided me with so many opportunities to practice and learn.  I am so grateful for this time to adapt and transition into life here in PNG before I begin the crazy summer sessions where I will be cooking up a storm.

I have developed a pretty good routine here. I spend a significant amount of time studying language structure and grammar. My pidgin dictionary is starting to look worn with creases and marks…however, all of this will do me no good if I don’t get out there and use it. So I try and get out into the village about four times a week. I have made a lot of great relationships with various women and families. I can now hold a decent conversation and talk about many different things. It has been so fun to just get out and spend time with people. I love the pace here in PNG. I don’t know how I will ever adapt back to the hurried pace back in the States.

Some of my village activities include working in local gardens, cooking in traditional cook houses, going to various markets, hanging out and talking with people, going to a weekly children’s AWANA program, and the list goes on. I have learned a ton about local produce and food. People live off the land here, and love to share their wealth of knowledge for growing fruits and vegetables. Every day provides a new opportunity, and I never really know what to expect here.

Just thought I would share that with you in the hope that you would be encouraged and feel apart of what is going on here in PNG. I appreciate all of your encouraging words and prayer. The Lord is really moving in amazing ways.

The Sepik
Praise the Lord for safe traveling and an effective time of ministry. I was able to provide childcare, cook, and do home projects which helped the bush missionaries both rest and do ministry. The two weeks I spent challenged my faith and continued to cultivate my desire to do missions in the future.

Back in the Highlands
I am back for another few weeks of language study before I move out to Interface and begin more permanent ministry in the kitchen. Pray that I remain focused on language study and that I continue to expand me knowledge and fluency of the language.
Pray that as I interact with my language helpers, that I have opportunities to share the gospel with them. And please pray that every day I remain focused on the Lord as he reveals himself to me.