Kurt, Johanna, Kassia, Lukas and Matthias

Our family in Papua New Guinea | 2012

Ukarumpa and Aiyura Valley

Ukarumpa is SIL's center of opperations in Papua New Guinea and where we live and work.

Miniafia New Testaments from the dedication in 2010

"God is a Miniafia Man," the loincloth-clad speaker exulted! "Before He was English, and American, and Australian. But today He has become Miniafia!"

Doini Island

Photo by Tim McIntosh (SIL PNG's boat manager in 2008) | Many of the 100's of islands in PNG can only be reached by boat.

Where do you play when you live on an island?

Children from Nubwageta village playing near the shore.

Miniafia New Testament Dedication

New Testament dedications in PNG usually include elaborate processions to welcome the Bibles.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update | "Bible Sunday Celebration 2019"

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. - 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)
Dear loved ones,

Thank you for your encouragement and for the sacrifices you make to love our family through your prayers and partnership.

We are celebrating with the Gumawana people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) who dedicated the New Testament in their language this month. Praise God with us! We also celebrated as a community, on

Sunday, all the Scripture portions produced by SIL translation teams in Papua New Guinea this last year. God truly is faithful!



(Gumawana New Testament Dedication in Milne Bay Province - SE PNG)


(Publications displayed at our 2019 Bible Sunday Celebration)
2019 Bible Sunday Celebration - Publication List
(Alphabetically by language group in each category) 
New Testaments
Gumawana NT - Milne Bay Province | Print and audio
Kandas NT - New Ireland Province | Print
Mato NT - Morobe Province | Print
Migabac NT - Morobe Province | Print and audio
Mussau-Emira NT - New Ireland Province | Print 
Scripture Books
Lote – East New Britain Province | Genesis
Sos Kundi - East Sepik Province | Jonah print and audio
Uni Ramo - Sandaun Province | Titus, Philemon, 1,2&3 John and Jude 
Audio Scriptures
Arop - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Bauni Barupu - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Bauni Pou - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Binumarien - Eastern Highlands Province | Mark audio
Gadsup - Eastern Highlands Province | OT portions audio
Gapapaiwa - Milne Bay Province | NT audio
Halia - Autonomous Region of Bouganville | Mark audio
Kala Laugui - Morobe Province | Mark audio
Madi - Madang Province | Mark audio
Malol - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Nyindrou - Manus Province | NT audio
Onnele Goiniri - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Onnele Romei Barera - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Pele-Ata - West New Britain | NT audio
Sissano - Sandaun Province | 1&2 Peter and 1&2 Thessalonians audio
Sursurunga - New Ireland Province | NT audio 
Scriptures in Film
Nali - Manus Province | Luke Video
Siar Lak - New Ireland Province | Jesus Film
Kurt most recently has been working on rebuilding and upgrading multiple application; file, network control and web servers, that he was involved with building nearly 10 years ago, because soon the operating system software on those servers will be unsupported.




(Johanna teaching Social Studies about Colombia; Lukas and Matthias selling their crafts at Craft Fair; Kassia and Kurt on our way to Church)

Please pray for the health of our family as we were quite sick last month with a nasty cold that lingered for several weeks. Thank the Lord we are feeling better now! Pray also for spiritual protection for our family and community.

Love from sunny Ukarumpa,
Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Monday, October 14, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 10 2019 | Thank you for your prayers!

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." – Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
Thank you for standing with us in prayer and lifting us to the Father of heaven who has conquered death and has won the victory over Satan and the spiritual forces of evil. We have sensed your prayers in the last few months as we have felt spiritual oppression. Thank God we are covered by the blood of Christ and no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

(Kassia | Grade 9)
 
Last month Kurt assumed the role of department manager for the SIL PNG Communication and Technical Services Department as the previous manager had to leave suddenly due to family health issues. Also in September, he began helping the Aitape West Multi-Language Translation Project (AWTP) as a Project Manager helping with administrative tasks and funding initiatives. Aitape is located in the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

(Lukas | Grade 6)

Johanna has started teaching Social Studies to the students in grades 2 and 3 at the Primary Campus here in Ukarumpa. She is teaching them about Colombia this school term and really enjoys doing that.

(Matthias | Grade 3)

Love from sunny Ukarumpa,
Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias!

Monday, September 09, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 09 2019 | Rejoice with the Mato!

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! - Isaiah 55:11

Dear Friends and Family,

Last month (August), the Mato people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) dedicated the New Testament in their language. We praise God for bringing His word to His people! We rejoice with them.


(The Mato people of Papua New Guinea receive the New Testament - photos by Susan Frey)

Thank you for praying and loving our family in tangible ways. The kids are almost done with the first term (of the four yearly terms) of school and are thriving. Kassia just finished Touch Rugby season and loved playing! Lukas continues to enjoy playing the baritone and likes being at the secondary campus in middle school. Matthias had a wonderful Sports day and loves his teacher.

(Kassia playing Touch Rugby; Lukas had "crazy hair day" at school; Matthias at Sports Day)

Kurt has been busy with many things as the Network Manager here in Ukarumpa. This month he and his co-workers ran fiber optic networking to the remote HF radio site that we use for communicating with translation teams in their village allocations.

Love from sunny and dry Ukarumpa,
Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Thursday, August 08, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 08 2019 | 15 Years!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Dear loved ones,

Thank you for praying for us and faithfully partnering with our ministry and family all the way from the United States, Colombia, and other parts of the world. God provides for us through YOUR generosity!

(Our family on a recent trip to Madang on the North coast)

(Matthias' first day of Grade 3)

We praise God for what He is doing around the world and also in our lives and the lives of our children. In July, Kassia began grade 9, Lukas grade 6, and Matthias grade 3. They love their teachers!

We give God the glory for allowing us to serve with Wycliffe for the last 15 years. Today we celebrate that Matthias (our youngest) is turning 9 years old. How time flies and how faithful our Lord is!

(Kurt and Kassia)

(Kurt and Johanna)

Please continue to pray for our families that are in the United States, Colombia, and Russia!
Love from Ukarumpa,

Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 07 2019 | The Word became human!

"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." - John 1:14 (NLT)


Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for praying for our family and ministry as we live and serve here in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

(Steve and Debbie McEvoy opening the shipment of Migabac New Testaments here in Ukarumpa.)

We praise the Lord with Steve and Debbie McEvoy who are thankful for God’s faithfulness over the past 22 years as they’ve served Him among the Migabac people. The McEvoys write “We are so eager for July 26th when the Migabac people will hold God’s Word in their own hands and read his Good News in their own language!”. Please pray for the upcoming dedication of the Migabac New Testament and that people will use it both in its written and audio form.


(Kassia has finished Grade 8 and was awarded Ukarumpa International Middle School's Female Student of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year and Citizenship Award. Matthias completed Grade 2 with flying colors; now reading in both Spanish and English!)

(Lukas, pictured here on his last day at the primary campus of Ukarumpa International School, was awarded with the character trait of "Fearless" from his teachers for his work this year in Grade 5.)

Please keep praying for my (Johanna's) mom; that God would give wisdom to the family and the doctors regarding her health issues.

Thank you also for praying for us when our water tanks broke during the earthquake in May. Both tanks have been replaced and it has rained plenty so that they have filled up. Praise the Lord! Our claim forms have been filed with the insurance company to cover some of the costs of the new tanks, please pray that we will receive the reimbursement.

Love from rainy Ukarumpa,

Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 05 2019 | "Earthquake"

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. - Philippians 4:6(NLT)

Dear friends and family,

Today we praise God for protecting the country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and our family as we serve and work here. Thanks for praying and encouraging us daily.


Yesterday we experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and while our house and water tanks shook quite a bit, we are safe and sound. The Construction and Maintenance guys here on center came to try to fix our water tanks (which are leaking quite a bit due to damage from the earthquake) and they said they can’t fix them and therefore we need to buy new ones. Rain water is stored in those tanks and we rely on that water for drinking, washing clothes, bathing, etc. Please pray as we try to replace our tanks.



This month, Kurt has been working closely with the Aitape West Translation Project (AWTP) when their network attached storage experienced a catastrophic failure. At that exact time we were also having issues with our internet connection here in Ukarumpa so helping them remotely was a real challenge. Even through those difficulties he was able to eventually connect to their network (see note below on how the internet traffic flows), repair the disk array and restore all the data and services from a backup device that was on-site. We thank God for helping us to make that happen!



  • How traffic flows from Ukarumpa to AWTP (which is in the middle of the bush). Ukarumpa is now connected to a fiber optic cable which is physically routed to Madang on the North coast of PNG. From Madang there is a submarine cable to Sydney, Australia. Our traffic is then routed to Singapore, up to a satellite and then down to a solar powered VSAT dish at the AWTP site in the Sepik region of PNG.
Love from Ukarumpa, Johanna for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update 04 2019 | "Future Plans"

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! - Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
Thank you for lifting us up to the Father’s throne in prayer. We know of many of you that pray for us daily and we are so grateful for that. Thanks also for the way you encourage and love our family in other very specific ways.



(photos by Braden Voss) - Lukas and Kassia mud sliding after VBS

Last month we had the privilege of attending SIL Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) biennial branch conference. This included a time of spiritual retreat and God was faithful in allowing us to feel renewed. Meanwhile Lukas and Matthias attended a Vacation Bible School (VBS) lead by a team that came from the United States and they loved it.



(When we do get packages, we are all SOOOO excited; 4- Matthias playing with Legos)

Kurt also had a meeting this month with the Aitape West Multilanguage Project (AWTP) where they discussed future plans. AWTP is an SIL translation project that works with 11 different languages located in the Sepik (Northwest) region of PNG. Kurt and I (Johanna) are partly assigned to this project and we thank God for this opportunity to contribute in this small way in helping bring the Word of God to the people of PNG.



(Legos and Adventures in Odyssey - two of Lukas' favorite things; Kassia ready for her concert)

Love ❤️ from Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea,
Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!


Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update–February 2019 | Weariness and Rest

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for your continued encouragement for our family and ministry as we live and serve in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

This year is going quickly and we have been busy. Kurt has recently been working with PNG DataCo (the operators of the national telecom transmission network) to bring fiber optic cable from the nearby town of Kainantu to Aiyura valley. Our datacentre here in Ukarumpa will host the distribution hub for internet services to other valley communities and entities, such as Aiyura National High School, a national agricultural institute and the local level government offices.


(Kurt and I celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary; Lukas)

I (Johanna) have been helping in Grade 2 (Matthias’s class) two times a week which I very much enjoy. Lukas continues to like playing the baritone and he is learning to give speeches in Grade 5. Kassia, Grade 8, is very busy in school and this term she is playing soccer and loving it!
Please let us know how we can pray for YOU. If you would, please specifically pray for the health of our family. We’ve had lots of colds in the last couple of months. I have shingles and my immune system is weak. However we are very thankful for our clinic here and the doctor that prescribed antivirals that are already working.


(Matthias opening a coconut; Kassia with a frog)

Praise God that Kurt's father, Ron, and step-mom, Jane, were able to visit, encourage and distribute New Testaments to the Carapana community of South Eastern Colombia, last week. The Ron and Lois Metzger family worked with the Carapana for many years in a translation project and have not been able to visit since 1993 because of subversives in the area.


(Kassia scores a goal over the keeper; Kurt's family in one of the Carapana communities in Colombia)
Love from sunny and dry Ukarumpa,
Johanna for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Wednesday, January 02, 2019

Metzger Ministry Update - January 2019 | Only by God's Grace!

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. - Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Happy New Year 2019! Thank you for your faithfulness in loving our family during 2018. Your words of encouragement, prayers and generosity have been evident. 

This month we celebrate 12 years since we arrived in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Kassia was 2 years old the day we landed in this country and she will turn 14 this week. Kurt and I will also celebrate 19 years of marriage this month and at the end of the month Lukas will turn 11. All of this has happened only by God's grace!

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IMG-9152 IMG-0135

(pictures from top: Kurt and Johanna - 19 years ago; Kassia and Johanna; Matthias; Lukas)

God is faithful and we are so grateful for the joyous times as well as the hard times that made us depend more on Him and His grace. He is the one that enables us each and every day as we continue to minister here, parent our children, and grow as a couple.

Love from Ukarumpa,

Johanna and Kurt for Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!