Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. – Joel 2:23 (NLT)
Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for loving our family and faithfully praying for us and our ministry here in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Kurt traveled to Lae (an important Port in PNG) the last week of August. He installed new networking equipment to improve the Regional Office's connection to the internet and the center managers were very grateful.
There are people from approximately 20 different countries in the Ukarumpa community where we live. We all work together in several capacities. It is important to learn how to understand our own culture and cultural biases so that we can better love others. This week and next, I (Johanna) will have the privilege of taking part in a Cultural Self Discovery Program taught here in Ukarumpa. This is a one-week workshop and I am looking forward to being one of the facilitators for this course.
(Johanna and Kassia)
We were excited this last week to hear from Kurt’s dad about the Bible translation project he has been working on for the past 15 years and would like to share a portion of his update with you!
"Well the day has finally arrived—at least one major mile stone has arrived! I remember way back in 1992 when my family and I were on furlough here in Dallas that I was called to the International Linguistic Center’s Printing Arts Department. I was told that an advanced copy of the Carapana New Testament had just arrived by airmail from Korea, and that I could see it when convenient. Needless to say, I immediately went over to see what it looked like. And I was not disappointed: it was beautiful in every way. Now, less than two weeks ago, I had the same experience! I was called over to the same building to get to see our second translation: The San Andres Islander Creole New Testament (ICE NT), and it is just as beautiful as the Carapana New Testament was in 1992. All glory goes to the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the one that ultimately made it all come together for both translations. And you my dear friends and family added your prayers, financial support, and other acts of encouragement in so many ways to this mix for so many years. Thank you very much!" - Ron Metzger
(from top to bottom: Kurt’s dad showing Johanna’s mom the completed ICE NT; Matthias’ 5th birthday; Lukas)
Here in PNG we’ve been experiencing one of the most pronounced droughts in recent history. We usually rely only on rain water for drinking but our tanks are now mostly empty. Please pray for rain, and that the people of PNG would continue to have food to eat. Please also pray for wisdom as we consider how best to support those around us whose food sources are starting to dwindle.
(Smoke from grass fires has filled the sky over Ukarumpa recently)
Blessings,
Johanna (and for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias)