Metzger's Papua New Guinea

{Metzger Ministry Update} Christmas 2011 | “Fragrant Aroma”

2011-12-14T22:42:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We want to wish you a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with joy! We are rejoicing with the Nehan, Ata Kume, Agarabi, Bola, Saveeng-Tuam and Saveeng-Oov that received the New Testament in their own language this year, 2011. Now these people groups can learn of and understand in their hearts the joy that our Savior, Jesus Christ, brings. What an incredible Christmas gift that is!

(New Testament Dedications in Papua New Guinea)

We thank God for a very fruitful year since we have returned to Papua New Guinea (PNG). You, our partners, have been a blessing to us encouraging us through prayers, notes, and giving. Thank you!

(from left to right: Matthias, Lukas & Kassia)

At the beginning of December, Kurt was able to travel once again to the Sepik Province of PNG (North West Corner) where he went to in October. This time he was in Wewak, a small town where SIL has a regional center. This center is also a main hub for many of the translators located in the Sepik province.

While in Wewak, Kurt was able to install a VSAT (satellite dish) and networking equipment to bring the regional center online. He also trained one of his co-workers in the installation of the VSAT system. At this regional center, they used to depend on two different internet providers that they accessed via a USB broadband modem. One of the providers would be down for weeks at a time and the other was so slow many of the workers at the center couldn’t even download their email. They would have to wake up a 3 or 4 am to connect and get a decent connection to check email. Now they have a faster and more reliable connection. The connection is still very slow compared to what most of you have in your homes, but it is fast for PNG standards. This internet connection will enable translation and support teams to be much more productive while they stay at the center. They will also be able to upload and backup their translation data much faster now.

(Wewak Center VSAT installation)

The Pehrsons are a translation team that works in the Sepik with the Aitape West multi-language cluster translation team. We are their support team while they are in the village. Please pray for the Pehrsons as they will be in the village for 5 weeks starting in January. Please pray for Ben as he juggles being the project administrator and translation advisor to the Onnele languages. Because there are so many administrative tasks, it is hard for him to find time to do translation advising. Arop translator Emil's son David has TB. Emil and his wife Alexia will be in Aitape town for the next three months with him at the hospital. Pray for the translators as they continue revising the book of Acts. They are preparing for consultant checking. Also, Andy Weaver and Dan Bauman plan to join the Pehrsons for a month to record the book of Luke. Please pray for them.

(from left to right: Matthias, Lukas and the moth & Kassia and Johanna)

Thank YOU for being a faithful part of our ministry and the work that God is doing in Papua New Guinea!

Blessings,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too!)

Speaking the Truth

2011-11-02T19:24:00.000-05:00

“Sursurunga people grow up with the belief that if they allow their young children to cry, evil spirits will come to take the child's spirit, and the child will become sick and die…”

Papua New Guinea

Bible reading, speaking the truth, showing forgiveness, and other basic elements of Christian discipleship are all part of a two-week course called “SALT”. The name stands for “Scripture Application and Leadership Training.”

When the Sursurunga people attended this course in May 2011, the New Testament had only been available in their language for 10 months. Now they were learning how to dig into the Sursurunga Scripture and apply it to their lives. God's Word spoke to them in many areas of their lives, and one in particular was the way they relate to their children.

Sursurunga people grow up with the belief that if they allow their young children to cry, evil spirits will come to take the child's spirit, and the child will become sick and die. In order to keep their children from crying, parents start lying to their children from the day they are born. One example of this can be seen in the interactions between Tala and his mother. “Tala, we need to go.” Little Tala refuses and cries so his mother says, “There’s a truck waiting on the road. Do you want to go for a ride?” There is no truck, but Tala stops crying and goes with his mother. Both missions are accomplished – Tala obeys his mother and stops crying. The evil spirits have been thwarted and Tala will not get sick and die.

Because of this belief, lying has become an integral part of their culture. However, when Sursurunga parents learned in the SALT course that lying is a sin against God, they were convicted to change the way they relate to their children.

After the first lesson, one grandfather went home, called his family together, and confessed to them his sin of lying to his kids when they were small, saying that the moon would eat them if they cried. One of his daughters had started telling her kids the same lie. He picked up his 9 month old grandchild, told her he was sorry, and asked her forgiveness. He asked his whole family to do the same thing, and he prayed, asking God to cut this sin from his family.

Another man said, “The talk about truth really pierced my liver, causing me to feel sorrow and begin new behavior. I am committed to speak the truth to my new grandchild.”

A woman who has been a believer and teacher for many years confessed, “I must always speak the truth. I have been manipulating my grandchildren with lies. I need to focus on speaking the truth in every situation.”

Praise God that He is using the Sursurunga Scriptures to bear fruit and change lives. Pray for the people who participated in this SALT course that they would stand firm in their convictions and continue to apply the lessons they learned.

III John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

by Karen Weaver

This story can also be found on TheWordisLife.net

Ethnologue entry for Sursurunga | Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages.

Where do the Sursurunga people of Papua New Guinea live? Here’s a Map.

{Metzger Ministry Update} 10/2011 | "Internet in the jungle"

2011-10-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV)

Dear Friends and Family,

How time flies! We have been back in Papua New Guinea for almost a whole year now. God has been faithful as always and given us above and beyond what we asked for or imagined. Thank you for being such an encouraging team to us as we serve here in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

October has already been a busy month. Last week Kurt was in the Sepik province of PNG (North West corner). Thank you for your prayers for him as he was working in Arop village. He and his co-worker were able to install a VSAT (satellite) internet connection for the Aitape West Translation Project (AWTP) running off of 12Vdc power from solar panels. The AWTP is a multi-language cluster translation project with up to 11 language groups working at any one time. The new satellite connection will allow the teams to backup translation data via the internet and make Skype calls with their advisors. The teams will be able to keep working together, even when team members are in other parts of the world.

(left to right: PNG Map with Aitape located; Kurt with the AWTP manager and co-worker Wayne Ferris)

Kurt really enjoyed being at Aitape West where our good friends Ben and Mandy Pehrson work. We are the Pehrsons’ support team while they are in the village. When they are there and need something from Ukarumpa, we help purchase it and get it to our aviation department so they can receive it quickly.

I (Johanna) was able to attend Encounter (the retreat for our youth in Ukarumpa) from October 1^st through the 5^th. I really enjoyed being able to deepen my relationship with my 10^th grade Bible study girls. Our speakers theme was The Gospel and he took us on a journey through Romans 1-3. Please pray that the Lord would continue to teach and challenge the students as they return to normal life and routines in Ukarumpa.

(left to right: Johanna with her Bible study; Kassia and Lukas on his first day of pre-K)

Thank you for standing with us in prayer!

Blessings,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too!)

The Word | Translation Training

2011-09-01T01:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | HIV/AIDS Education Book

2011-08-15T22:11:00.000-05:00

HIV/AIDS Education Book

Through established HIV/AIDS community education programs, translators are able to begin work in language learning while quickly benefiting the communities they serve on a piratical level. | Photo by Matt Taylor

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

{Metzger Ministry Update} August 2011 | "There is no law..."

2011-08-11T20:02:00.000-05:00

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! -- Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Dear Loved Ones,

First of all we would like to thank you for being a part of our ministry team through encouragement, prayer and partnering with us financially. We have now been back in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for 9 months and feel much more settled than when we first arrived. Kurt has been busy at work and he continues to enjoy what he does. In mid-June, he took a work trip to Madang (a town on the North coast) to help install a 8.5 km wireless link from the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) Center into town. POC is the training center where all new SIL/Wycliffe field members in the Pacific area come to receive basic culture- acquisition and language training. Kurt was gone for 5 days and it was a very effective trip.

(right to left: Kurt installing the wireless link at POC; our family on Matthias’ first birthday)

At the end of June, Kurt and Kassia were able to attend the Agarabi New Testament Dedication. This took place about 30 minutes from Ukarumpa (where we live) and it was a privilege for them to attend this life changing event for the Agarabi people.

(Agarabi New Testament Dedication) – for more pictures see our facebook album: Agarabi NT Dedication

Near the end of July, I (Johanna) began leading a small Bible study for a group of 10th grade girls from our community. I have really enjoyed getting to know these girls and am looking forward to growing with them in our knowledge of the Lord and in loving Him and each other more.

Kassia started 1st grade a few weeks ago and she stays in school until past 3pm! She loves computer class, music, and art. Lukas is starting to play more with his little brother and asks us to bring him into his room in the mornings. Matthias is 1 year old as of August 8th and he is crawling all over but not quite walking yet. We thank God for the gift He has given us in our three precious children!

(our family on vacation in Madang)

Kurt will be taking another work trip this coming October. This time he will go to the Sepik region of PNG (North West corner) where he and coworker will install a VSAT (satellite) internet connection for the Aitape West multi-language cluster translation team and a second one for our SIL regional center in Wewak. Kurt is really looking forward to going to the Sepik, specifically to Aitape West where our good friends Ben and Mandy Pehrson work. We are the Pehrsons’ support team while they are in the village. When they are there and need something from Ukarumpa, we help purchase it and get it to our aviation department so they can receive it quickly.

PRAISE:

Kurt’s trip to Madang went well and his computer skills were much appreciated.

For YOU our great partners who pray and support us so faithfully.

Kassia is enjoying school and our two boys are doing well.

For the girls’ Bible study I (Johanna) have the opportunity of leading.

For the Agarabi New Testament Dedication in June.

PRAYER:

For Kurt as he travels to the Sepik in October. For his work to go smoothly.

For me (Johanna) and the kids as we stay home without Kurt for 8 days.

For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to those around us.

(Matthias and Lukas)

Once again, thank YOU for being a faithful part of our ministry and the work that God is doing in Papua New Guinea.

Blessings,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too!)

The Word | Old and New

2011-08-03T00:48:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

Scripture Application Changes Lives

2011-07-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

“People have to know God. He is the only answer." | Yopno Church Leader

Papua New Guinea

After more than two decades of tedious translation work, the Yopno New Testament and Psalms was printed and ready to be placed in the hands of the Yopno people. But would they know how to study it and apply God's truth to their daily lives?

That's an important question, and it's the reason Wes and Lee-Ann Reed followed the example of some other translation teams in Papua New Guinea in inviting a SALT team to come to their village following the New Testament dedication.

SALT stands for "Scripture Application and Leadership Training." Marjan Sikkema and three others formed the SALT team that went to Tapmange village to teach basic Biblical truths and how to use God's Word and apply it to daily life.

The building was full of people, so some sat around the outside listening intently to the lessons on God’s word through the thatched walls

More than 200 participants were enrolled in the course, and many of them had purchased the Yopno New Testament and Psalms at the dedication. They were eager to attend the SALT course which began two days later. In fact, so many people wanted to hear the lessons that there was not enough room for them in the building. Some sat outside, listening intently to the teaching through the thatched walls.

SALT teacher Marjan Sikkema said, "The people sat on the ground inside the building from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day for two weeks. The first several days we could hear their tongues clicking to express their wonder as they learned things that were new to them. They especially responded to the part about God's love and his holiness."

Another topic that touched their hearts was the teaching about families. They studied II Timothy 1:5, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother Eunice . . . " This verse taught them that it is important for children to grow up with the example of parents who put their faith in Christ. They also studied Ephesians 5:22,25 to learn how husbands and wives should treat each other in the home. God's Word in their own Yopno language spoke clearly to them and motivated them to change the way they treat each other so they can live for God's glory.

One church leader testified, "Our village has had programs to teach us about the dangers of AIDS and how people need to change their lifestyles. Even though there has been a lot of money put into these programs, they haven't worked. But having the Scriptures will be the key for solving all our problems. People have to know God. He is the only answer."

Studying the Bible

Another man told Marjan, "Now I am sure of my faith in Christ. But I wonder how people will react. How do I go back to my village and tell them what I believe?" Marjan showed him Scriptures to help him remain strong in his faith. She assured him, "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (I John 4:4)

Each morning of SALT, participants were given the opportunity to share what God was teaching them. Early in the second week, a young man stood before the group and told his story. He said that previously he had been involved in a life of sin, but now he wanted to follow Jesus. He pointed to the chart that showed the evil things the devil puts in our hearts: greed, envy, wrath, etc. He told the group, "I am turning away from all these things." Later one of the Christian leaders put his arm around him and said reassuringly, "God still loves you and with Christ you have the opportunity to start again." He burst into tears upon hearing this message of hope and forgiveness.

Each of the 200+ participants left the SALT course knowing how to dig out the truth in God's Word and how to apply it to their lives. They returned home to their villages armed with a two-edged sword for combating sin, fear and hopelessness. When friends and family ask questions about the Lord, they will now be able to open God's Book and read to them the message of life and hope in the language that will speak to their hearts - God's Word in Yopno!

Story by Karen Weaver and photos by Marjan Sikkema

This story can also be found on TheWordisLife.net

Ethnologue entry for Yopno | Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages.

Where do the Yopno people of Papua New Guinea live? Here’s a Map.

The Word | Learning Trade Skills

2011-07-18T17:24:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Learning Hebrew

2011-07-04T17:11:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Hearers of the Word

2011-05-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

{Metzger Ministry Update} April 2011 | "An eternal prize"

2011-04-05T06:22:00.000-05:00

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NLT)

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for being such an encouraging team to us as we serve here in Papua New Guinea (PNG). We have been busy the last several months.

Kurt had the opportunity at the beginning of March to travel to Port Moresby (the capital of PNG) for his work. There he was able to help at the SIL regional center with their computer and internet connection needs. The kids and I (Johanna) missed him greatly, but we were thankful to know that he was able to support the Port Moresby staff.

Kurt was also able to help here in Ukarumpa to install network access, via fiber optic cable, to our new National Training Center (this is where SIL’s Translator Training courses (TTC) and Strengthening Tok Ples Education (STEP) courses are taught).

(National Training Center dorms, dining hall and fiber optic cable install)

Kassia (6) is enjoying her time in kindergarten and has taken off reading and writing in English. She loves to read in her bed on her own and likes for us to read to her as well. Lukas (3) continues to grow and make us laugh daily with his Spanish accent as he speaks in English. Matthias is seven months now and is trying to crawl and smiling constantly.

The kids keep me busy at home but I also enjoy being able to help our Latino colleges translate their newsletters from Spanish into English or edit their letters in Spanish. I have also been able to help translate a new document that our SIL PNG branch is producing called “The Word”. It is sent to many weekly and gives a glimpse of what the work of SIL is in PNG. SIL PNG has been publishing this document in English and in Spanish. If you would like to take a look at it, check it out on our blog: www.kurtandjohanna.com

(from left to right: Matthias; Kassia)

As we write we are in the middle of our biennial SIL PNG Branch Conference. We are working through how we can best get the Word of God translated into the 300+ languages in PNG that as yet do not have it. Please join us in prayer as you think of it how we can effectively do this task.

Praise:

For YOU our great partners who pray and support us so faithfully.
Our health has improved much since we last wrote and we have adjusted to the food and water here in PNG.
Kurt’s trip to Port Moresby to help at the regional center with his computer skills was much appreciated.
Kurt’s involvement in installing network access to the new National Training Center.

Prayer:

For the upcoming New Testament Bible Translations here in PNG in 2011.
For Kurt as he makes more trips in the country to help regional centers with network access, and for Johanna and the kids as they stay home.
For our biennial SIL PNG conference.

(Lukas loves playing with Matthias)

Thank YOU for being a faithful part of our ministry and the work that God is doing in Papua New Guinea.

Blessings,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too)

The Word | Encouraging Scripture Use

2011-03-29T19:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

Immeasurably More

2011-03-07T19:48:00.000-06:00

Papua New Guinea

It’s fascinating the way God plants a vision in people’s hearts and moves heaven and earth to fulfill His purposes.

Steven Hong’s family moved from South Korea to Los Angeles in 1973. Steven was 19 years old and still not a Christian. Before long, he was working full time, pumping gas at a local filling station. After graduating from college, Steven worked as a computer engineer for Hughes Aircraft company for six years.

{Holly and Steven Hong in Papua New Guinea | Photo by Alan Hood}

Back then, could Steven imagine that God would bring him to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to serve the Mandara people? Or that he would one day be honoured as a chief of this isolated language group?

Probably not, because our God is the one who is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Back in Steven’s homeland, God had drawn another Korean, Holly Park, to Himself through a college Bible study. The daughter of a pastor, Holly also committed to become a missionary. However, she moved to the U.S. in 1976, to work as a computer programmer.

But God had something very different in mind. In 1980, Holly had a chance to visit the Wycliffe Bible Translators office in Huntington Beach, California. As Holly heard about the Bibleless people, she recalled how her grandmother became a Christian through the Bible written in Korean, her heart language. She also remembered her grandmother’s prayer that someone in her family would become a missionary.

Holly shared the news about Wycliffe with her fiancé, Steven Hong (now a believer). He also began sensing God’s calling to serve with Wycliffe. Their new journey began.

God knew the Mandara had no written language, and no translation of Scripture they could clearly understand. Out of His love for them, and His intimate knowledge of Steven and Holly, God called the unlikely missionary couple—who never even intended to translate Scripture when they moved to PNG—to change careers and move to an island with their four young children.

Because they did, the Mandara Church now has God’s Word in its heart language. And He is changing lives in some remarkable ways.

Immeasurably more—that is what our powerful God is all about. So often He smashes through our low-ceiling expectations with His sky-high results. Should we really expect anything less? After all, our God is the creator of the universe.

Adapted from the Foreword to the Spring 2011 issue of Word Alive (a publication of Wycliffe Canada), covering the Mandara language project in Papua New Guinea.

by Dwayne Janke {Dwayne Janke is Editor of Word Alive magazine | Wycliffe Canada}.

This story can also be found on TheWordisLife.net

Ethnologue entry for Mandara | Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages.

Where do the Mandara people of Papua New Guinea live? Here’s a Map.

The Word | SALT Course

2011-02-28T16:47:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Cooking for Jesus

2011-02-14T23:29:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Healing the Wounds of Trauma

2011-01-31T16:04:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Engaging the PNG church

2011-01-18T22:13:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Celebrating the Word

2011-01-06T19:06:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

The Word | Tok Pisin Bible School

2010-12-21T21:43:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

"Great joy to ALL people!" | December 2010

2010-12-19T05:26:00.000-06:00

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today...” -- Luke 3:10b-11a (NLT)

Dear Loved Ones,

We want to wish you a blessed Christmas and a new year filled with joy! Right now we are rejoicing with the Malei people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) who have just received the New Testament in their own language this past weekend. Praise God! Now the Malei can learn of and understand in their hearts the joy that our Savior, Jesus Christ, brings. What an incredible Christmas gift that is!

(Pictures of the Malei NT Dedication celebration)

We are back in Papua New Guinea! We arrived safely in Ukarumpa (our home and place of work), without any delays or complications, on November 19th. We have had many things to do since we arrived and are still settling in. One setback we have experienced since getting here is our bodies getting adjusted to the stomach bugs that are so prevalent here. Our family, all of us except Matthias thankfully, has been sick at one time or another (several of us are sick as I write this update). Please pray with us that God would return us all to health quickly.

(from left to right: Matthias and Kassia; Luke helping to set up our Christmas tree)

I (Kurt) started back to work with the network team at the Communication and Technical Services department and am getting up to speed on the changes that have been made while I was on home assignment. I have been able to put to good use the experience and training I gained while working with the network team at SIL’s Dallas offices. We are in the midst of virtualizing almost all of our datacenter in order to more effectively and reliably provide the services we do to translation teams and support personnel.

Johanna is busy, at home unpacking our belongings that have been in storage and organizing our house. We have been blessed with a home here so the transition has been easier than when we first came to PNG in 2007. Kassia has started kindergarten and was already involved in the primary campus’ Christmas presentation.

(from left to right: Kassia’s Christmas presentation; Kassia and Johanna in our back yard)

Thank YOU for being a faithful part of our ministry and the work that God is doing in Papua New Guinea.

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! – Revelation 22:20 (NLT)

Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too)

Finding His Words Again

2010-12-17T03:55:00.000-06:00

Papua New Guinea {2010}

It was three in the morning and the lights were on. Someone was walking around the guest house

Taitus, a national Bible translator, was staying at the Bible Translation Association (BTA) offices in Ukarumpa, along with his sister Fesi and her husband Rumu, far from their village home in Somba Siawari.* They had completed a week-long translation workshop and planned to spend extra days in town.

That night in the guest house, Taitus was suddenly awake, and aware of a thief.

A man had broken down the door and was now inside. Upon seeing the intruder, Taitus thought first to defend himself and his family members. But the man’s face was covered and he seemed unafraid. In his hand, he clutched a machete. Taitus backed away.

Rumu and Fesi came into the room and the man charged at them. They fled and hid in the bedroom. Undaunted, the intruder grabbed two laptop computers and left.

And just like that, in the dark of night, all their hard work was gone.

A year of translation work was on those computers. Several books of the Bible were drafted and ready to send for checking. Now they were lost. Discouragement overwhelmed the small translation team. They felt like a part of them had been snatched away.

Together they wondered, what is God showing us? Even though they were afraid, they thanked God that none of them were hurt and prayed for the man who stole the computers. Maybe God would bring the man to Jesus through this. They also prayed that somehow God would bring back their computers.

He answered in ways they never expected.

A year before, some colleagues who had worked with Taitus, Rumu, and Fesi had noticed their decade-old computers. Unknown to them, these colleagues had already sent new laptop computers in the mail, to be delivered to a translation team in need. Only three days after the robbery, the translation team learned of the gift and their colleagues’ wishes for them to have the new laptops. All they had to do was go to the post office to pick them up. Shocked and amazed, they realized God had answered their prayers months before they had even prayed them!

And He wasn’t finished.

They took the new computers to their IT department to install all the programs they needed, and while they were there it was discovered that an even older computer they had turned in for a data transfer still had all of the past year’s work on it! Miraculously, it had been preserved and all of it was recovered.

Their hearts filled with praise to God! Together, the translation team reported, “We thanked Him for giving us more than we ever imagined was possible. And now, we can’t wait to get back to work, translating His mighty Word so that people in our village can know His power!

“We can’t stop praising our Lord…we just can’t!”

* Taitus, Rumu, and Fesi are national translators and literacy workers with the Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea.

-- by Jon Bilbro

This story can also be found on theWordisLife.net

Ethnologue | Languages of the World entry for Somba-Siawari (also known as the Burum-Mindik)

Map of where the Burum-Mindik live

The Word | Teacher Training

2010-12-08T03:32:00.001-06:00

Greetings from Papua New Guinea!

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption detailing the impact of Bible translation.

Thank YOU for praying for our return travel | Nov 2010

2010-11-09T16:52:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Please pray with us for these last few days we have here in the US. We are getting the last minute things packed and preparing to leave. We leave on Monday, November 15th… in less than one week! Our itinerary is as follows so you can pray for us a we travel (all times are local):

{1} Monday, November 15th | Leave Dallas for Los Angeles at 12PM – 4 hour 20 min flight

{2} Monday, November 15th | Leave Los Angeles for Brisbane, Australia at 11:40PM – 14 hour flight (we arrive Wednesday, November 17th)

{3} Friday, November 19th | Leave Brisbane, Australia for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea at 10AM – 3 hour 10 min flight

{4} Friday, November 19th | Leave Port Moresby for Ukarumpa (as soon as we clear customs and board SIL Aviation’s plane) – 1 hour 30 min flight

Please pray that we will make all the connecting flights and pass through customs without any issues. We also ask that you pray for our family to stay healthy as this is a big transition for us.

Thank you for praying!

Blessings,

Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too)

Thank you Lord!!! We are at 100%!!! | November 2010

2010-11-08T18:20:00.000-06:00

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. - Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Dear Loves Ones,

God has been faithful as always and given us above and beyond what we asked for or imaged. On Thursday, October 28^th, we received Matthias’s passport with his Papua New Guinea (PNG) visa inside. That afternoon we purchased tickets to return to PNG. And, as of Friday, October 29^th, we were pledged 100% of our field support quota. Praise God for being our provider and the one that moves hearts!

(Pictures of the kids! | left to right: Kassia; Lukas; & Matthias)

(Kurt has been working with the Dallas SIL Network Team while we were here in Dallas | left to right: adding a fiber channel card to an existing server; installing VMware ESXi on a new server)

Thank YOU for being a faithful part of our ministry.

In Him,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas, and Matthias too)

“God is a Miniafia Man”

2010-11-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

Papua New Guinea

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

A steady beat of drums and trumpeting of conch shells gave voice to the excitement that everyone felt as the 1st of the Miniafia-Oyan New Testaments was carried into the village on a model canoe. Traditionally dressed dancers proceeded and followed the bark cloth wrapped New Testament, their voices thundering praise: “Orokaiwa, Regah Keriso! O a merar ayiy! (Greetings, Lord Christ! We greet You!)”

Walking in front of the “canoe,” Fran and I laughed and cried our way up from the water’s edge, through Utukwaf village, to the especially prepared veranda and speakers’ platform where the Dedication service would take place. We laughed with joy over the obviously enthusiastic reception of the Scripture: 750 copies of the 1000 printed had been purchased before this first had even arrived in the village. We cried in memory of our friends who had died without seeing the Book we were now celebrating. Among them was Utukwaf village chief Gideon Yowen. Not long before he died he said, “My son, you have lived with us now for many years. I love the stories you have translated, but I am now an old man. Soon I will die. My heart is most sad about this: I will never hold the finished Book in my hands.”

The Book that Gideon Yowen died longing for, his children and grandchildren now hold in their hands. It was a day we sometimes despaired of ever seeing. We had begun the project on December 7, 1973, but had to leave it barely half done in 1993. Thanks to the perseverance of national translators Stanley Oyabuwa and Josiah Javeve, translation was finally done and we were able to return to the project and help complete final editing and typesetting early last year.

Miniafia Church leaders, though, were anxious about one thing. “David,” they said. “When you speak, please be sure to let the people know that our work is not finished. As soon as we have rested from this celebration, we need to finish the Old Testament, and we need their continuing support.” Indeed, Stanley Oyabuwa has drafted 70 chapters in Psalms already. He and his wife, Ethyl, have committed to finishing the Old Testament.

Even before the echo of celebrating voices and drumbeats had faded from the air that weekend, the Translation Committee reported that the 900th copy of the New Testament had been sold. “How can we get more?” they asked in alarm. I couldn’t help but smile. What a wonderful problem with which to end a most memorable weekend!

by David Wakefield

This story can also be found on TheWordisLife.net

Ethnologue entry for Miniafia | Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages.

Watch the Jesus Film dubbed into Miniafia

Faces from Papua New Guinea

2010-11-01T09:19:00.001-05:00

“Remember to pray for our friends” collage by Vico Solano

Praise God we are almost there! Less than 3 weeks...

2010-10-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. -- Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT)

Dear Friends and Family,

We wanted to share with you the great news! We have just purchased our return tickets for Papua New Guinea. Praise God!!! We leave on Monday, November 15^th. Later we will send more details on our itinerary. God is good and He has been working in the hearts of people He would have to partner with us. We are now only lacking $33/month in support and are confident that God will provide that remaining amount.

(some recent pictures of the kids)

Thank you for being part of our ministry through your prayer support and encouragement. We could not do this without YOU!!!

Blessings,

Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, Luke and Matthias!)

Did you know that you can follow our ministry on Facebook? Click our badge below and then “like” to add our page to your feed:

A New Way to Work Remotely

2010-10-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

An open letter from Wycliffe USA President, Bob Creson | October 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Board a plane in Dallas, Texas. Travel for four days on 8 flights far into Southeast Asia. Now climb into a truck and journey up into lush green mountains on a deeply rutted, often muddy road. Hike over slippery landslides if necessary. Eventually you'll come to a little village nestled into a mountain valley, where the local language is Yawa, but where the people have traditionally worshipped in the national language.

As you walk through the village, stop and talk to church leaders. Ask if anyone preaches from the Yawa Scripture portions published over the last 20 years. "Elder Sefnat does all the time," they'll say. Sefnat will show you two small worn books protected by brown paper covers-Yawa translations of John's writings, Acts, and nine epistles. Tucked into the pages are little slips of paper with dated sermon notes, references to Scripture passages in those two little books, and unpublished verses that mother tongue translator Andowa has handwritten for him.

Stop by a thatched-roof home and ask if anyone there reads from the Scriptures in Yawa. Everyone will point to a bearded old man called Grandfather Bertasar. "He read to us this morning," they'll say. "He told us how to apply it to our lives, too."

Walk on and you'll come to the village church. Take a deep breath because you're about to encounter an amazing scene! In this very remote village, where there is neither electricity nor phone service, translator Andowa sits at a laptop computer. A dozen people cluster closely around him, listening as he reads aloud a Bible passage in Yawa. The volunteer reviewers enthusiastically discuss it, looking for ways to improve awkward or unclear sentences. When they're satisfied with the way it sounds, Andowa revises it on his computer. Then, since his specially-designed software has a send/receive function, he logs onto the internet and "syncs" his draft.

Halfway around the world in Arlington, Texas, Wycliffe translator Linda Jones will get up tomorrow morning, sync up her computer, and read the draft that Andowa has revised. She'll check to make sure the meaning hasn't been altered and send back suggestions for the next round of discussion.

This is how the final revisions are being made to the Yawa New Testament. It's all possible because a new geostationary satellite began circling the equator in early 2009. Just two weeks after it went into service, IT specialists from Wycliffe's Seed Company brought a computer and a small satellite device to the village, showed Andowa how to connect to the satellite, and taught him to use OurWord-the special software for mother tongue translators created by Wycliffe member John Wimbish.

Andowa and Linda have been working together long-distance for 17 years now, ever since Linda and her husband, Larry, had to move away so Larry could take on various leadership roles in Bible translation. Scripture drafts went back and forth by mail and in hand-carried packets. Linda and Larry made trips to the village. Andowa made trips out of the village. Always God helped them find a way forward, but they thought they had reached the end of the road when it came to the final revision process. "We did not see how we could finish the final revisions without greater community involvement," says Linda. "It just looked impossible. I could not go there for any length of time, and they could not come here." And then came the satellite-and IT specialists who knew how to take advantage of the satellite!

There have, of course, been a few maintenance problems with the equipment and satellite connection, but IT personnel have repaired most of them remotely. Only once did a faulty part have to be hand-carried to the city and back. That led to two and a half months without communication, but eventually the connection was repaired and revisions moved forward!

Soon the final draft of the New Testament will be sent to the printers, and the Yawa people will begin preparing for the dedication, set for June 2011. Elder Sefnat, Grandfather Bertasar, and translator Andowa are waiting. Dozens of reviewers and their relatives are waiting. The Scriptures are reaching yet another group of people, isolated, but not forgotten by the God who loves them all. He has conquered space and distance.

Warmly,

Bob Creson

President

Wycliffe USA

People are Praying for Me!

2010-10-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

With shouts, groans, and laughter, a beautiful new canoe is hauled up from the river bank into Iowa village (say, YO-wah). For the Bamu people of Papua New Guinea (PNG), dugout canoes are a vital means of transportation, and the rivers are the highways.

World of Mud and Water

The Bamu River cuts a wide brown swath through southwestern PNG’s vast sago palm swamps. Twice each day, salty tides from the Gulf of Papua rush up the river, reversing the direction of its flow. This tidal activity floods most Bamu villages regularly.

There are no rocks; there is no dry ground. The people’s world is one of mud and water. If they can’t quite believe that God separated the land from the sea, nobody could blame them.

Bible Translation overcomes Fear

It is in a canoe, of course, that Domai Gaida and her husband, Adau Kaniwa, commute from their home to their office several days each week. Adau and Domai are Bible translators working to make the Scriptures available in their mother tongue, Bamu.

The couple hopes that through their work, many Bamu people will come to experience the joy and freedom Christ offers. Today, most Bamu people live in intense fear of sorcery and evil spirits. Many burn their hair clippings and fingernail clippings, lest someone should find them and use them to work deadly magic. Others feel spirits come to them at night, pressing their bodies until they cannot breathe.

“Their base state is fear,” explain Phil and Chris Carr, New Zealanders who assist Adau and Domai in their translation work.

Though a few churches are present in the Bamu villages, the Christian message is not well understood. Scriptures are read in English, a foreign language of which most Bamu people have little or no comprehension.

As a result, very few people understand the relevance of the gospel to daily life. Instead, they rely on sorcery and prayers to manipulate the spirits that they dread.

People are praying!

Domai herself recalls a terrifying encounter with the powers of darkness. She felt an evil spirit whisk her physically away. She felt branches whipping past her face as she moved at great speed. She could hear people calling her name, but she was unable to respond.

She could think of only one thing: “People are praying for me!” Domai knew that Christians in Papua New Guinea were praying for her, and the Carrs had told her that Christians in New Zealand and elsewhere were also lifting her up in prayer.

Finally, the spirit left her alone in the forest, where her friends found her. She was shaken but unharmed.

Every important undertaking, whether building a canoe or translating the Bible, requires the participation of an entire team. And prayer supporters are absolutely essential to the Bible translation team.

“If people stop praying, there’s no point in us going back there,” says a translator who works in another part of PNG. “The battle is so fierce that unless you have an army of prayers and supporters behind you, you don’t stand a chance.”

The next time that Domai or anybody else cries out, “People are praying for me,” let’s make sure that somebody is.

(Story by David J. Ringer)

www.wycliffe.org

Closed Door…Opened Window

2010-10-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

Arrested because a revival among the people upset the religious leaders. Three days in an unlocked cell because he promised he would not try to escape. Reading God’s Word, singing, praying and praising God. A second revival – this time among the prisoners.

It reads like the biblical story of Paul and Silas but it’s not – it’s the story of Mumure, a gentle pastor living in a small village of Papua New Guinea.

Mumure Ttopoqogo began working with linguist Ernie Richert because he wanted to learn English. Soon he added Hebrew and Greek to his language repertoire as together the two men translated the New Testament into the Guhu Samane language. News of their work spread throughout the area. By the time they finished the translation, the Guhu Samane people were so anxious for God’s Word that the initial printing of 1200 New Testaments sold out almost immediately and a second printing of 1600 copies sold out in just two weeks. Even those who didn’t read purchased a copy of the Bible to save for their children or grandchildren. The people believed in the power of that Word.

And the Word didn’t disappoint them. Revival broke out. The people turned from witchcraft and previous forms of worship, burning their idols and other spiritual relics. They sang the Psalms back to God in their own language, and even learned to play the guitar to enhance their worship. They used scripture songs as tools for spreading the Word among those who couldn’t read. In fact every verse of the Guhu Samane New Testament and all the Psalms were set to music. They did all this to the glory of God and the consternation of several church leaders, who condemned such practices.

The Guhu Samane people began to embrace even deeper forms of personal worship, and the church leaders became more and more displeased with this new group of believers. When this new, united body of believers began to grow exponentially, the displeased leaders conspired with the police to arrest Mumure and six of his friends, hoping to put an end to what they considered a cult. But prison walls cannot restrain the power of God’s Word.

While in prison, Mumure read aloud from an English Bible, translating the words into Guhu Samane as he read. Fellow prisoners listened to God’s Word in their own language and responded from their heart. Almost immediately, twenty men in that jail gave their lives to Christ and joined Mumure and his friends in singing, praying and praising God.

After three days, a government official came and ordered Mumure and his friends to leave, saying, “You must not go back to your home. Instead, you must go around and preach in all the remote places where we cannot go.” Like the Apostle Paul, Mumure left that prison commissioned by God to preach the Good News to people everywhere; but unlike Paul, Mumure had the blessing of the local government official to do that work.

(Mumure’s son Steven outside the Translator Training Centre classrooms)

Soon thousands of people turned to the Christ of the Guhu Samane Bible. Today, 35 years later, this body of believers has sent more than 50 pastors to preach the Good News throughout Papua New Guinea.

The revival never died out: it continues to reach a new generation. The vernacular Psalms and songs are still being sung in churches today. Youth and literacy programs promote the on-going study of the Guhu Samane Scriptures. Mumure and his son Steven have shifted from training pastors to training translators, encouraging Papua New Guineans to assist in translating the Word into other languages of that nation. Their desire is to see more and more people changed by the power of God’s Word in their own language.

Written by Chad Owens & Dawn Kruger

www.thewordislife.net

Metzger Ministry Payer Card | October 2010

2010-10-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

We have a new prayer card which includes Matthias! Click here or on the picture below to download a high resolution copy.

Metzger Ministry Update | October 2010

2010-10-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

Quick report

Since our last update we have seen God’s provision for a portion of the remaining funds we need to return to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in November. We are now only lacking $400 per month of the original $540 that we are required to raise by Wycliffe before we are allowed to leave… praise God! It is only by His moving that this is possible.

We are trusting that God will provide the monthly support that we are lacking so we continue to prepare to leave for PNG when we are finally granted Matthias’ visa. We have his US passport in hand and have sent off the application for his visa. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

From our PNG co-workers

We would like to share with you this letter from a translation team that we support in Papua New Guinea.

Dear supporters of Kurt and Johanna,

My husband and I are part of a multilanguage project in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. Our goal is to train Papua New Guineans to do Bible Translation and Literacy in the eleven languages represented in our project.

In our multi language project, computers are an essential resource for all of our work related to Bible translation, literacy and Scripture Use. Right now we are getting ready to consultant check the book of Luke, which will be the first big book published in all eleven language groups. Thank you for sending Kurt and Johanna to Papua New Guinea to do this vital work of supporting the technical side of Bible translation! Last year when we were on furlough, Ben's computer stopped working while he was completing an MA thesis and also checking translations remotely. He was able to get a hold of Kurt who spent literally hours helping him recover data and reconfiguring the computer. Not only are Kurt and Johanna helping us with the technical side of translation, but they are good friends and are good at talking through the issues we face in our village, parenting, marriage and life in general. If we didn't have people like them caring for us here in Ukarumpa, we would not be able to work in our project. We are looking forward to having them back in PNG again!

Again, many thanks for partnering with Kurt and Johanna!

Mandy and Ben Pehrson

Literacy Specialists

Aitape West Translation Project

Papua New Guinea

Would you be our advocate?

An advocate is anyone who shares about our work in their church, Sunday school, Bible study, home or just with their friends and family. Advocates provide an opportunity for us to share about our ministry in ways that may not be possible for us. Please let us know if you are interested in being a part of our ministry in this way.

Thank you for your investment in our ministry. We could not do it without those of you who so faithfully pray and give generously!

In His hands,

Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, Luke and Matthias!)

The Word – Weekly Photo – 10/17/2010

2010-09-17T09:25:00.001-05:00

“The Word” is a weekly photo and caption, from Papua New Guinea, detailing the impact of Bible translation.

"...it tasted so sweet, like honey on bread!"

2010-09-14T15:19:00.001-05:00

"Darasi's Testimony" -- This Papua New Guinea man, Darasi Bafimi, who worked for many years to translate the New Testament into his own language of Agarabi, testifies to the power of one's own language to speak to his heart like none other.

Praise God for His Faithfulness -- September 2010

2010-09-07T16:02:00.001-05:00

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” - Psalm 46:10 (NLT)

(to left: Molima NT Dedication)

Dear Friends and Family,

$540 per month?

"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God; first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." - Hudson Taylor

During the past week we received word from the Wycliffe finance department in Papua New Guinea (PNG) that they had determined a final monthly quota for us to return and serve in Ukarumpa starting this November. The amount we need to receive per month needs to be increased by $540. We were disappointed at first because we had been given a smaller increase as an estimate at the beginning of this year. Then we realized that this was an opportunity for God to show himself strong in our weakness. For us it seems impossible to increase our support level by this much in such a short amount of time, but with God nothing is impossible! Wycliffe will not release us to leave for PNG until we are able to raise a 100% of our monthly quota.

Our Wycliffe administrators have asked us to explain to our partners why there has been such a large increase in our monthly support level and why it is so sudden. The PNG finance department has been doing a detailed study of member’s cost of living. They just recently completed the study and realized that the cost of living used to estimate a member’s financial support level was 35% less than what it should be. Food and utility costs have increased dramatically in recent months and will most likely continue to increase in the future. Here is a quote from the finance department -- “At the moment in the store, an item that was costing 7 kina a few months ago costs 13 kina. Canned goods that were 6 kina are now 8 kina.”

If you feel that God is calling you to be part of our ministry serving Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea, please let us know. You can find information on how you can donate to our Wycliffe ministry on the sidebar “Ways to Give.”

God answers our prayers!

We have many things to be thankful for this month and we would like to share them with you.

First of all we want to praise God for the birth of our son Matthias Andres Metzger Penaloza on August 8th, 2010. Thank you to all of you who prayed for a healthy pregnancy and for a good labor and delivery. God heard your prayers and labor and delivery went quickly and smoothly and we are now joyful to have Matthias as a new member of our family.

(from left to right: Matthias with Johanna’s parents; Matthias with aunt Miriam and cousin Ashleigh; Matthias sleeping)

Praise God for the Molima (pictured at top), Yopno and Surasunga New Testament Dedications that took place in PNG during July and August. We celebrate with these people God’s word in a language that speaks to their hearts for the first time!
Thank you for praying for our move to another house at the end of June. The move went as smoothly as possible and we are hopeful we won’t have to move again until we return to PNG.
Since the end of June, Kurt has been able to help at the SIL Dallas Network Services department and is thankful for the opportunity to serve while they have been short staffed.
Our trip to Maryland in the month of July went very well. We were blessed to be able to visit several of our partners there and visited with Kurt’s family. We also visited a supporting church, Mount Paran Presbyterian Church, and were able to share an update on our ministry in PNG.
On August 6th, we were able to send our belongings to North Carolina to be shipped PNG. Believe it or not, Matthias was born that Sunday, August 8th, and we sent everything on Friday without having a clue that this little one would come two weeks early. But God knew, and we thank you for praying for us as we packed our things.
We also want to thank you for praying for our return travel to PNG. Through the generosity of our partners we have received about 50% of the funds needed for purchasing our tickets. If you are considering a special gift toward our return travel, please include a note with the gift specifically designating it “for Metzger’s return travel to PNG.”
On September 3rd, we received Matthias’s birth certificate. Praise God! Now we can apply for his US passport and PNG visa.

Lord willing, our plans!

Our desire is to return to PNG in November as planned. Tickets are less expensive if we travel in November, but prices will go up if we travel from December on. Also, our PNG Branch will begin the renewal process of all the members work permits and visas in January of 2010 and we would like to be in PNG before the process begins. If we are still in the US by the end of January, we will have to do all the paperwork related to the visa renewal ourselves and get many medical tests that are not required when we are in PNG.

Please Pray!

Please let us know how we can pray for you! Pray for us as we do the paper work required to be able to return to PNG with Matthias. Now we can apply for his US passport and lastly (but not least) his Papua New Guinea visa so he can travel back with us.

(from left to right: Matthias with Johanna’s mom; Lukas thinking; Lukas and Kassia with uncle Peter)

Ukarumpa has had more and more break-ins occurring. Please pray that this will stop and for wisdom for the PNG Branch Directors in talking to village leaders to gain their cooperation in solving the problem.

We truly look forward to returning to our ministry in Ukarumpa. We feel privileged to be a small part of what God is doing to bring His word to the Bibleless people of PNG. We could not do it without our ministry partners that faithfully pray for us and support us financially. Kurt is excited to get back to his job at the Communication and Technical Services Department as a Network Administrator and I (Johanna) cannot wait to settle back at our house as a “new” mommy of 3 children.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!)

Follow up – Please Pray!

2010-08-29T17:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a follow up to the meeting that we asked you to pray about yesterday… no sure answers but a starting place!

Thank you for praying, Kurt and Johanna

Papua New Guinea - Security situation, Ukarumpa.

SIL-PNG leadership did have a meeting in the neighboring Ukarumpa village this afternoon, Sunday 29 August. A number of members, employees and friends mingled with the Ukarumpa village people in a positive demonstration of togetherness. I (Tim Lithgow) felt I conveyed the pain and anguish that the security situation is causing our members and employees, highlighting that extended security issues could close our Ukarumpa centre, leading to the Bible translation work and support needing to happen elsewhere in the country.

Disappointingly, but not entirely surprisingly, the community dialogue centred on a number of issues in the past, some years in the past, that distracted and deflected from the ownership of the current security situation. However, it highlights that these issues of the past, are important to the Ukarumpa village community! We have good grounds to
continue to dialog with the village leaders and work toward a solution. This just a step on a very long and changing road.

Please keep praying for peace, for safety and for good communication as
we move forward in continued dialogue.

Tim Lithgow
Director SIL PNG

(view from SIL Ukarumpa toward Ukarumpa Village)

Please Pray!

2010-08-28T21:10:00.001-05:00

29 August 2010 (Ukarumpa time)

Dear Prayer Partners,

The following message is from our Director. It has been a long and very stressful month for our friends in Ukarumpa and we would greatly appreciate your prayers. The meeting he mentions will happen in 1 hour.

Thanks, Kurt and Johanna

Papua New Guinea--Over the past three months the SIL Linguistics Centre in Ukarumpa has seen a dramatic increase in home invasions and burglaries. To date, no one has been injured...and we praise the Lord for His protection. The SIL-PNG leadership has been actively talking with community leaders and police about the escalation in crimes throughout the valley and how to best respond. After much prayer and advice from surrounding neighbors, SIL-PNG leadership is planning to meet with the village leaders and community where the perpetrators come from. The current plan is that on Sunday, 29 August 2010, around 1 pm local time (GMT+10), SIL-PNG leadership will meet with the Ukarumpa Village community to talk about restoring law and order to the valley and stopping all predatory actions upon SIL-PNG residents and other neighboring groups and organizations.

We ask for your prayers in the coming days and weeks as tensions could worsen before they improve. Although additional security measures are being put into place, please pray for peace! Please pray that the SIL-PNG leadership will seek and speak God's words of truth, justice and mercy with cultural sensitivity; pray for the protection of all the valley residents and security personnel; pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage the village leaders to stand strong when faced with the perpetrators' anger and frustration; pray for God's glory to be manifested through this difficult time; pray that God's conviction will lead to repentance, forgiveness and restoration.
In Him,
Tim Lithgow
Director SIL-PNG

Faithful for 60 Years – A letter from Bob Creson, President of Wycliffe USA

2010-08-11T17:35:00.001-05:00

(Folopa New Testament – Papua New Guinea)

August 2010

Dear Colleagues,

In the 1930s, while Cameron Townsend was establishing Wycliffe’s work in Mexico, Jenny and her husband were planting a church among the Yazai* people of Southeast Asia. Understanding, as Uncle Cam did, the need for Scripture in the mother tongue, they devised an alphabet and translated a catechism and the Gospel of Mark. But just three years into their ministry, her husband died of typhus, and Jenny was driven away by political unrest, never to return. Her prayers, however, did not cease.

Jenny was 37 years old when she left the Yazai village. She was 93 years old and still praying for the Yazai and other language groups every morning from breakfast to lunch, when an SIL translator named Mark visited her. By then the church she faithfully watered with her prayers had grown to 10,000 believers…but they still did not have the Word in their mother tongue. Mark had the joy of telling her that he was working towards starting a translation project. He was studying the language with three Yazai speakers he’d met far from their homeland, and praying for an opportunity to meet church members interested in launching a translation project.

The next year, 1997, Mark met two brothers who were Yazai church leaders. They told him they’d been praying for four years for someone to come help the Yazai do a Bible translation. “Four years?” said Mark. “I’ve been studying the language for four years and praying for a translation team related to the church!” The Yazai joyfully formed a translation committee and Mark became the translation advisor who checked the material. The Seed Company funded the project.

Individuals and whole communities threw themselves enthusiastically into the project. The lead translator was so committed that when he married, he and his bride spent their honeymoon at a training event. The future chairman of the translation committee, a paralyzed man, read in the Gospels that Jesus healed paralytics, so in faith he stood up and walked…and then went to work leading the committee. Villages formed their own support committees. Though poor, villagers agreed to drop a handful of rice into a bag every day. As the bags filled up, they sewed them shut and sent them to the translation team.

The translation committee prepared books, songbooks, audio materials, and the Jesus Film, so that everyone, readers or not, could have access to the Word. The church held literacy workshops, eventually training 100 people to serve as volunteer teachers. Each time a Scripture portion was completed, the church published it, and people carried copies around in their shoulder bags, snatching moments to read them in the fields.

Even non-Christians became interested. Fifteen animists attended one literacy workshop; during the week every one of them found Christ and was baptized. Entire villages of non-Christians asked for someone to come read the Scripture portions to them so they could understand who this God was. With breathtaking speed the church grew from 10,000 to between 30,000 and 40,000 believers—a quarter of the entire population.

In 2009 the New Testament was printed and, in spite of opposition, imported and dedicated. One well educated woman, having read the national language Bible for many years, said, “Reading the Scriptures in Yazai is like finding a whole new Jesus. The national language went to my head; the Yazai goes into my heart.”

Now the Yazai have their eyes set on the Old Testament. “The New Testament is like a shirt, but we need pants!” said one man. “The Old Testament is those pants. Please help us get a complete outfit so we can be fully dressed!” The main translator is now studying theology so he can translate the Yazai Old Testament and serve as consultant for other translations.

Jenny passed away in 2003 just a few days short of her 100th birthday, her part in the Yazai story complete. I know that by faith she celebrated the completion of the New Testament and the rapid expansion of the Yazai church, but I wish she could have heard what one old man said: “Now the light of God has come to the Yazai people. Now the Yazai people will grow and be blessed.”

Language by language, the light of God is coming to people He loves all over the world. Sooner rather than later, the last one will be blessed. Thank you for the role you play!

Warmly,

Bob Creson

President

Wycliffe USA

connectus_orlando@wycliffe.org

*Name changed to protect work in a sensitive area

He's here... Matthias Andres Metzger Penaloza

2010-08-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

We thank God for blessing us with Matthias Andres Metzger Peñaloza!

Born: August 8^th, 2010

Time: 10:45 PM

Weight: 7lbs 15oz (3600g)

Length: 20 ½” (52cm)

Johanna and Matthias are doing great! Thank you so much for your prayers.

Blessings from all of us, Kurt for Johanna, Kassia, Lukas and Matthias too!

Our Wycliffe Invitation to Partnership

2010-07-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

We don’t want to forget what life was like before we had the Word

2010-07-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

We don’t want to forget what life was like before we had the Word

June 30, 2010 by Bob Creson

The single-engine plane circled and landed in a remote village in Southeast Asia. As translators Andrew and Anne Sims stepped out, they were immediately surrounded by several hundred Ketengban men and women—all dressed in full celebratory dress with feathered headdresses, and even some with bones in their noses, and plugs in their earlobes. Brandishing bows and arrows, hooting, chanting and dancing, they swirled in and around Andrew and Anne, honoring them by draping net bags around their necks.

Andrew and Anne were caught completely off-guard. Even though they were responsible for the Ketengban translation project and this was Anne’s first visit since the New Testament dedication 11 years earlier, they hadn’t expected such an exuberant welcome. They were further baffled when they noticed that not everyone was celebrating.

My Enemy is Here | Impact of Bible Translation | PNG | Matt Petersen

2010-07-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

My Enemy is Here | Impact of Bible Translation | PNG | Matt Petersen

“The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.’” —Gen. 4:10, NLT

Sivini was ruthless. He took the lives of many people. He taught others to kill effectively and ordered the destruction of many Papuans listening intentlyof his enemies. His skills were highly respected by his people, and as a village elder, his word carried power in the Usarufa community.

Usarufa speakers live in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Their community and the nearby Kamano-Kafe language group have been in conflict for years. It began with a series of rapes and murders—soon it was all-out war.

The Gospel is Coming... to the Mandara!

2010-06-22T17:07:00.001-05:00

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. - Psalm 25:4-6 (NLT)

Dear Friends and Family,

The Gospel is Coming... to the Mandara!
We want to thank God for the Mandara New Testament dedication on Thursday, May 20th 2010… 19 years after the project began. About 1000 Mandara New Testaments were sold including the 400 that were presold before the dedication day! The two main churches, United and Catholic, were working together in preparing for the dedication, calling it “The Big Peace Ceremony.” Saber MP3 players containing recordings of Scripture were also distributed. Many people came from other islands of the Tabar Islands group and people traveled 2-3 hours on the sea from some language communities of the main island of New Ireland Province.

The Mandara people live on three islands just north of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.

The Mandara NT Dedication.

Please also pray for God to work during 3 New Testament dedications in Papua New Guinea (PNG) coming up in the next few months: July 27, 2010 – Molima NT dedication; August 07, 2010 – Yopno NT/Psalms dedication; August 15, 2010 – Sursurunga NT dedication.

We need your help!
We also want to thank God for continuing to provide for us while we are here on home assignment. We have been blessed with nearly 25% of the $8,000 we need for our return travel to Papua New Guinea (PNG). If you are considering a special gift toward our return travel, please include a note specifically designating it “for Metzger’s return travel to PNG.” We hope to return to PNG at the beginning of November after the PNG visa for our new baby has been processed. We are also still lacking partners that are led by God to join our team and commit to support us on a monthly basis. Since being in PNG for the last 3 years, the cost of living has gone up significantly and so also the amount Wycliffe requires us to raise before we can return. Currently we are looking for 10 to 20 new team members. Would you prayerfully consider your part in our ministry?

From left to right: Amount needed for return travel to PNG; Need of 10 to 20 new partners!

Matching gifts
We have an exciting opportunity for some of you that work for a company that has a matching gift program. Did you know that there are over 1600 companies in the US that will match your gift when given to SIL or Wycliffe through their gift program? Here is a short list of some of the companies: Boeing, Chevron, Dell, GE Foundation, Google, Home Depot Foundation, SAP, and Starbucks. If you are interested in knowing more about how you can partner with us in our ministry through the company you work for, please let us know!

Our plans
This next Saturday, June 26th we are moving to a duplex across the road from the SIL center here in Dallas. Could you please pray for us while we are moving? It is one more change for Kassia and Luke and it is starting to be a little stressful for them and for us as we pack. I (Kurt) will also begin to work at the SIL IT department shortly after we move as they are currently very short staffed.

In mid July we have a trip planned to Maryland to visit my dad’s side of the family, partners and a supporting church there. Then we are back here in Dallas for the birth of our 3rd child on or around August 24th.

Lukas is ready to go back to PNG!

Praise:

For the Mandara New Testament Dedication.
For what YOU our supporters have already given towards buying the tickets for our return trip to PNG.
For your faithful prayers and financial support of our ministry.
For a house that we can move into for the rest of our furlough.

Prayer:

For the 3 New Testament dedications coming up in PNG.
For God to provide the rest of what we need per month for our quota in order to return to PNG.
For our move to another house this weekend.

From left to right: Kassia in her red shirt; Kassia, her cousin Valeria, and Lukas; Kassia in her uniform.

In His hands,
Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, Luke and baby!)

Bible translators hope to have every language covered in 15 years (article by the Denver Post)

2010-06-22T09:10:00.001-05:00

The open Bible is a translation in the Bughotu language of about 4,000 people in the Solomon Islands. The Last Languages Campaign that was set to be finished in about 140 years might be done in 2025 due, in part, to better technology. (Judy DeHaas, The Denver Post)

Bible translators hope to have every language covered in 15 years

Contemporary missionaries, armed with technology and making greater use of apprentice native translators, might now be able to oversee transcriptions of several languages in their lifetimes... (read more of this article by the Denver Post)

Bible translation moving forward, but needs help to make 2025 goal

2010-06-12T20:29:00.004-05:00

Bible translation moving forward, but needs help to make 2025 goal.

The Need is Great (Wycliffe Video)

2010-06-10T17:48:00.005-05:00

The Need is Great (Wycliffe Video)

-- April 2010 Update --

2010-04-24T13:15:00.002-05:00

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” - Romans 10:14-15 (NLT)

Dear Loved Ones,
Thank you for your prayers and support during the time that we have been here in the US and Colombia on our home assignment. Also we want to thank those of you who have spent time with us and whom we have been able to catch up with after serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the last three years.

First of all we would like to update you on the two mission conferences we had during the month of March. The first weekend of March we were able to share our calling to missions during a coffee night at Faith Bible Church (our home church in DeSoto, TX). It was also a great time for us to hear about other missionaries that our church supports. We had the privilege of being guest speakers at one of the children’s Sunday School classes and were able to tell the children about our life and ministry in PNG.

(Left to Right: Kassia with her cousins Juan Pablo and Valeria; Luke is enjoying eating some chocolate)

On March 10^th we traveled to the Chicago area and participated in a missions conference at Western Springs Baptist Church, the church where Kurt’s mom grew up. We had the opportunity to informally share about our ministry there first on Friday night. We were also asked to speak on Saturday morning at the conference’s breakfast. Then on Sunday morning we shared at one of the adult Sunday School classes. Many people asked specific questions about our life in PNG and about our current ministry needs. What a joy it was to spend a week in Western Springs and to feel loved by our brothers and sisters in Christ there.

Kurt has been able to work from home remotely helping other Wycliffe members that are on their home assignment with their computer needs. He has also been working on figuring out what our one time needs are to be able to return to PNG as well as looking into getting all of our documents up to date.

(Kassia and Luke pose for the camera)
As a family, we have enjoyed reconnecting with friends and family here in the Dallas area and we look forward to reconnecting with many more that we have not been able to see yet.

I (Johanna) am 23 weeks pregnant now and am feeling great. We had a sonogram at 20 weeks and it looks like everything is fine with our baby. We didn’t find out the gender of the baby as we would like to wait and be surprised at the time of his/her birth. Kassia hopes to have a baby sister, but we already told her we can’t promise her that!

(Metzger Baby #3 at 20 weeks)

In our February newsletter, we informed you that due to the fact that we are having another child and the increase in the cost of life in general, the quota that Wycliffe requires for us to return to PNG has changed. We want to praise God as in the last couple of months a few of our partners have decided to increase their monthly support and a new partner has joined our team. Therefore now we only need to raise approximately $325 dollars per month.

Currently we are estimating that we will be able to return to PNG in early November. It will take about 2 months after our baby is born to obtain his/her passport and PNG visa. We would like to share with you our one time financial needs to be able to return to PNG. We need to ship clothes for our children for the next 3 years while we are on the field. We will also ship other necessary items for our life there that are difficult to get or are very expensive. For shipping from the US to PNG we will need to raise approximately $1,000 dollars. We will also need to buy our return tickets to PNG which will cost around $8,000 dollars for our family of 5. Would your church, family, or small group be able to help meet one of these vital needs through a one-time gift? Please see the Ways to Give info on the side bar on how you can help (Please designate the special gift – “for the Ministry of Kurt and Johanna Metzger, Return Travel to PNG”).

What a great God we serve. To Him be the Honor and Glory forever! Thank you for allowing us to serve Him. We are thrilled to play some small part in getting God’s Word into the hands of some of the “tribes and tongues” we read about in Revelation. Thank you for the important part you play in our team!

Praise the Lord with us:

For providing a house for us to live in during our time in the United States.
For providing a car from a missionary agency that we can use the whole time during our home assignment.
For being able to reconnect with friends and family.
For partners that have increased their monthly support and new partners in our team.
For a great trip to Western Springs, IL.
For a healthy pregnancy.

Please Pray:

For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to those around us.
For a continued healthy pregnancy and safe delivery.
For God to provide the $325 dollars per month that we need for our monthly quota in order to return to PNG.
For God’s provision of our one time financial needs to return to the mission field.

In His hands,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Luke and baby!)

-- February 2010 Update --

2010-02-23T10:06:00.002-06:00

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. - Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)
Dear friends and family,
We have been in Dallas, TX for almost a month now. We had a blessed time during our two months in Colombia visiting family and also our supporting church there. It was sad to say goodbye to family but my (Johanna’s) parents came to the US with us. They are living about 30 minutes from us and we still see them often.
During our time of home assignment here in Dallas we plan to do several things. Mainly we will be visiting and reporting back to our partnering churches and to those individuals who have been involved in our ministry. In March we have two missions’ conferences that we will be attending. The first one will take place at Faith Bible Church (our home church) in Desoto, TX. The second mission’s conference will be at Western Springs Baptist Church. We look forward to visiting friends from these churches and sharing about what God has been doing in our lives during the last three years while we have been on the field.

While we are in the US, Kurt will do some IT training and I will take some continuing education courses to keep my teaching certification up to date
Thank you for praying for Kurt’s knee. He was able to have about 15 sessions of physical therapy while we were in Colombia and now he is doing his exercises here at home. Please pray that he will be diligent in doing his exercises daily so that his knee will continue to heal.

Kassia and Lucas are doing great. They were able to learn quite a bit of Spanish during our time in Colombia. Kassia is enrolled in bilingual pre-K here in Desoto and attends 3 hours each morning. She enjoys having a teacher and friends that speak in Spanish. Lucas just turned two at the end of January and he is now speaking full sentences in Spanish. He keeps us busy and we admire his ability to speak so clearly! I guess he has a good teacher around (his sister).

There are many reasons to celebrate this year in Papua New Guinea. Just this January the Lote New Testament was dedicated and there are 10 other New Testament dedications planned. A shipping container has arrived in Ukarumpa and it contains boxes of 6 New Testament translations for the Kalam, Miniafia (dedication in February), Ama (dedication in April), Mandara (dedication in May), Wantoat and Haruai (dedication later this year) people groups!

Lote New Testament Dedication
Another reason we have to celebrate is that we are expecting baby #3. I have had my first ultrasound and I am 14 weeks along! I was able to see the baby’s heart beat and his/her head, body, legs, and arms. It was pretty awesome. We praise God for this pregnancy.
We are planning on returning to PNG in November of this year after the baby has been born and we have his/her US passport and PNG visa. We estimate it will take at least two months after the baby is born to get all the paperwork done. Due to the fact that we are having another child and the increase in the cost of life in general, our quota for PNG has changed. In order to return to PNG, we will also need to raise our support by approximately $450 per month. Wycliffe will not release us to return to the field until we have met our support quota.
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for us and caring for our family. We look forward to seeing many of you during our time here in the US.
Blessings,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, Lucas, and the baby)

Metzger December 2009 Update

2009-12-15T20:50:00.002-06:00

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." - Matthew 9:37-38 NIV
Dear Loves Ones,
First of all, thank you for your prayers for Kurt’s knee surgery. The procedure went really well and Kurt has only had minor pain that can be controlled with medicine. Yesterday we went in for a check up with the doctor, and he said Kurt’s knee is fine and he will see us again in a week and recommended that Kurt start physical therapy soon. He will not be able to play sports again for about 6 to 8 months.

(Luke likes to ride in the car seat!)
We also wanted to let you know that we have enjoyed our first month on our home assignment. Our time in Colombia has been blessed beyond measure. We have one supporting church here that we have visited almost every Sunday since we arrived, and they have been very welcoming and loving towards our family. We spoke during two of their Sunday services and were also able to share in two of their Bible study groups. We are excited to get to know the members of the church better so that we when we leave we can remember each other in prayer. We also feel privileged to be able, to talk about the work of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
We have really enjoyed our time with family here. The kids are having fun with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We are making special memories that will last a lifetime!

(Top to bottom: Kassia with her Aunt Adriana – Johanna with her sisters and mom)
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support during the year 2009. Many people received the New Testament in their heart language this year in PNG for the very first time. What a privilege for us to be able to see the results of many years of work by many translators, support personnel, and partners in home countries. Some of the New Testament dedications in PNG this year included the Iyo, Gapapaiwa, and Minaveha. There are about 820 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea but still more than 290 living languages do not have one word of the Bible and no project in progress. Please pray with us that the Lord of the harvest will bring workers to complete the task.

(Top to bottom: Iyo New Testament Dedication – Gapapaiwa New Testament Dedication)
We are thrilled to play some small part in getting God’s Word into the hands of some of the “tribes and tongues” we read about in Revelation. Thank you for the important part you play in our team!

Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
In His hands, Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

In Colombia!

2009-11-15T14:49:00.001-06:00

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8 NIV)
Dear Loved ones,
Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for our trip from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to Colombia. We have been here for five days and are now just getting over the jet lag from crossing 10 time zones. Our trip went mostly as planned except for when we got to the airline counter in Cairns Australia I remembered that I had forgotten Luke’s paper ticket for an infant in PNG. We were able to re-purchase his ticket in Sydney and the rest of the trip went very well but as you can imagine, it was very long.

Our return trip from PNG (Start – Ukarumpa PNG – Port Moresby PNG – Cairns Australia – Sydney Australia – Los Angeles USA – Miami USA – Bogota Colombia – Finish)
In the few days we have been here in Colombia, Johanna and I (Kurt) have already had doctor’s appointments to check Johanna’s eye sight and my knee that I injured more than a year ago in PNG. I had an MRI performed and the results indicate that I have a complete tear of my ACL and a small tear in the meniscus. This next week we will be traveling to Orlando for a re-entry program with Wycliffe. When we get back we will schedule a date for my knee surgery.

Johanna with her two of her sisters (Olga & Patricia); Luke with Johanna’s mom (Fanny)… they just met for the first time!
Please pray with us:

For our family as Johanna and I travel to and from Orlando.
For the plans and successful completion of my knee surgery.
For our family to be able to develop a routine during this time of many transitions.

Praise God with us:

For our safe travels to Colombia.
For being reunited with Johanna’s family.

Blessings,
Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, and Luke too!)

Update from the Metzger's – October 2009

2009-10-19T04:46:00.002-05:00

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NASB)
Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for your prayers for Kurt as he served as the Director’s Assistant for Security (DAS). Things have been quite calm during the three weeks he has been serving in this position and we can definitely sense that you have been praying for us. Kurt will be done serving as the DAS tomorrow, October 20^th. Please continue to pray so that he will finish the job well. You can also pray for peace in the valley where Ukarumpa is located as there continues to be tribal fighting.
We also want to thank you for your faithful contribution to the work of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea (PNG). We have been serving here in Ukarumpa for almost 3 years now. Kurt has enjoyed his work assisting translators and support workers in the Communication and Technical Services Department. His time at the Helpdesk and Network Services has been a blessing to him. We have both enjoyed working with the youth group here in Ukarumpa for the last two and a half years. I (Johanna) thank God for the opportunity he has given me to help at the Primary School and put my teaching abilities into practice during our time here.

In November we will be taking our first home assignment. November 5^th we will leave for Colombia and will be there until January. From there we will be traveling on to Dallas, TX. Part of our return assignment will be to visit churches, friends and family. Please pray for us as we pack up our house and get it ready for our renters. Two single ladies will be staying here while we are gone.
Our home assignment is a time to reconnect with our home culture, take care of our medical needs, and visit our partners—YOU. We will have vacation time included during this time, but that is not the primary goal. While we are in the US, Kurt will do some IT training and I will take some continuing education courses to keep my teaching certification up to date. Although the cost of living in PNG has risen somewhat over the past year, it still is not as expensive as living in the US. Many missionaries find their home assignment time especially stretching on the financial side. We’ll need your prayers just as much as ever, especially as we travel and share what God has been doing in PNG. THANK YOU so very much to all of you who have stood with us in prayer and financially.
Please also pray for our long trip back to the other side of the world! We will leave Australia on November 8^th and will travel from Cairns to Sydney (4 hour flight) and then on from Sydney to Los Angeles (14 hour flight). We will spend one night in Los Angeles and fly the next morning to Miami (5 hour flight) and on from Miami to Bogota (3 and a half hours). We should be arriving in Bogota on Monday, November 9^th at 8pm. It will be a challenge to travel with a 4 year old and a very active 1 and a half year old.

We look forward to visiting with you while we are in Colombia and the United States.
Blessings,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke too!)

Update from the Metzger's – September 2009

2009-09-24T06:58:00.001-05:00

(Dancers at the Gapapaiwa New Testament Dedication)
The above quote comes from a song. Whenever we hear the song we remember why we came here and why we joined Wycliffe Bible Translators, even though it never gets easier to live and work so far from family and friends. We aren’t living in Papua New Guinea just because we like to live in strange places or because of the great pay :) or because we just love adventure. We live here because God wants us here, supporting the work of Bible translation. We are thrilled to play some small part in getting God’s Word into the hands of some of the “tribes and tongues” we read about in Revelation.
This kind of work has its ups and downs, its mountaintops and its valleys. In August we’ve had some of both. We’ve had intense tribal fighting in our valley, homes and lives in nearby villages have been lost; there has been grieving, funerals and many tears. There has also been much rejoicing as we’ve celebrated New Testaments dedicated into three different languages, all within a few weeks of each other.

(Funeral in nearby village)
We hurt with our neighbors as they begin to rebuild their village and mourn the loss of their family members. Please pray for them as they seek peace, reconciliation and forgiveness. Pray for us as we seek to help them, come alongside them, and be a reflection of Christ.
We rejoice with the Iyo, Gapapaiwa and Minaveha people, who all received God’s word in their language in August. Pray that people would embrace God’s word and lives would be changed.

(The Iyo New Testament Dedication)
Praise the Lord with us:

For the Iyo, Gapapaiwa, and Minaveha people groups that have received the word of God in their heart language.
We always praise God for you who faithfully partner with us in prayer and financially.
For Kurt’s work here in Ukarumpa and the opportunity he has to help those who are translating the Bible into the many different languages of Papua New Guinea.

Please Pray:

For Kurt to have wisdom as he will be helping as the DAS (Director’s Assistant for Security) for 3 weeks starting Monday, September 28^th.
For wisdom, patience, and love in raising Kassia and Luke.
For our marriage to grow stronger in Christ each day.
For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to our PNG friends and coworkers.

In Christ,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

-- July 2009 Metzger Update --

2009-07-22T22:34:00.001-05:00

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. “ Philippians 1: 3-7
Dear Loved Ones,
I (Johanna) am writing with a heart full of gratitude to God and to you our partners. God is faithful and His goodness is beyond measure. We truly don’t deserve anything, and yet He gives abundantly. Thank you God!
Since May Kurt has been working to support the network services part of CTS (Communication and Technical Services). At the beginning of June, he helped prepare for and install a new 3.7 meter satellite dish that will improve communications for the Ukarumpa center. The new connection is about to go online. He continues to help translators and support personnel with computer hardware and software issues but enjoys this new aspect of his job and continues to learn new things.

(New VSAT; Kurt, Kassia, and Luke sitting on the rocking chair)
Kassia will start pre-Kindergarten this Friday and she is counting the days until the beginning of school. We visited her new classroom on Monday and she had a lot of fun looking at all the centers that she will learn in. She will attend school three mornings a week and the other two mornings we will work on “Spanish School” at home. She can now read two syllable words in Spanish and knows all her letters and letter sounds.

(Kassia playing with her doll)
Luke will be 18 months old next week and is finally beginning to walk. It is exciting to see him taking more steps now and learning to talk. He can say many words now including: hi, bye, ciao, shoe, banana, mama, papa, Kassia (sounds like cha-cha), etc.

(Luke eating homemade pizza!)
This semester, Kurt and I will continue to help the youth here in Ukarumpa specifically being the youth group leaders for the 10^th graders. We look forward to getting together with these kids, as we have been working with them for over two years now!
I praise God for the opportunity I will have this semester to help out in the Primary School, assisting in the 3 year old pre-school class. I look forward to using my skills as a teacher to support the missionary kids in Ukarumpa.
I thank God for the opportunity I had to go on a Ladies Retreat called “Come Before Winter” from June 1st through the 5th. It took place in Madang, which is a town on the coast of PNG, and all I had to pay for was the transport to get there. I was truly blessed spiritually and physically. Madang is a beautiful place and I was able to go snorkeling and swimming, which I don’t get to do here in Ukarumpa. We meditated on Psalm 103 all week and I came back with much that I had learned. We serve a great God!

(Johanna and her friend Heidi at the Ladies Retreat in Madang)
In the last three years we have been asking God to show us His will for our family. We have asked the Lord specifically if we should stay here in Papua New Guinea or not. Kurt and I have felt a peace about staying here long term. God has provided a house that we were able to buy at the beginning of July. This is really a big answer to prayer and we can see that God is confirming our commitment to serve here in Papua New Guinea. This house will give us more stability as a family. We will not have to move as often and will have a place to return from our home assignments to. Since we arrived in January of 2007, we have moved 4 times.

(The front of our new house!)

Praise the Lord with us:

For the home that God provided for us to buy!
We always praise God for you who faithfully partner with us in prayer and financially.
For Kurt’s work here in Ukarumpa and the opportunity he has to help those who are translating the Bible into the many different languages of Papua New Guinea.
For Kassia’s school and her friends here in Ukarumpa.

Please Pray:

For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to our PNG friends and coworkers.
For Kurt to have wisdom in his new network administration role at the CTS.
For wisdom, patience, and love in raising Kassia and Luke.
For our marriage to grow stronger in Christ each day.
What a great God we serve. To Him be the Honor and Glory forever! Thank you for allowing us to serve Him here in Papua New Guinea!

In Him,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke) Metzger!

-- April 2009 Update --

2009-04-13T07:45:00.001-05:00

"For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ' Do not fear, I will help you.' (Isaiah 41:13 NASB)
Dear friends and family,
Happy Easter! He is risen! Thank you for being faithful as a very important part of our ministry here in Papua New Guinea (PNG). We pray for you and would like to pray for you more specifically. If you would like, please send us any prayer requests that you have.

(Luke with some friends in Madang PNG)
2009 has been a very busy year already. Kurt continues to work at the Communication and Technical Services Department. He has been training to support our network. In June, one of his colleges will go on furlough and Kurt will be supporting communications for over 160 translation teams and the many support people who are joining in the Bible translation task. CTS is responsible for the operation, support, security, maintenance, and upgrading of a medium-sized installation. There are over 200 corporate workstations spread out over the Ukarumpa Center connected by a local area network along with about 500 personal use computers. The mix and ages of the technologies can cause problems due to the shortage of computer personnel with appropriate knowledge. Corporate servers provide sophisticated services equivalent to those found in North America – email/calendar, SQL database, intranet, file, print and data backup/recovery. Because the Ukarumpa Center is located away from normal urban infrastructure, we operate our own Internet connection to supply email and Internet services to the Centre. There are over 800 user accounts on the system. Our Internet connection is severely limited and expensive due to our remote location.

(Kassia and Luke)
For the first three weeks of March, Kurt also helped part time as the Director’s Assistant for Security (DAS). During that time he was a part of peace talks that took place between two clans that live just outside of Ukarumpa. Thank you for praying for Kurt as he served as DAS.
SIL Papua New Guinea Branch Conference began on March 26^thand ran through April 8^th. Kurt and I (Johanna) attended conference every day (we had meetings from 8 to 12 and 1:30 to 4:30). In the afternoon we took turns to be at home with the kids. During conference we elected the Directorate and Executive Committee that will be serving our branch for the next two years. We also worked on developing a new comprehensive branch strategy that will help us to finish the task of Bible translation here in PNG. There are still more that 300 language groups that have need of adequate scriptures that speak to their hearts. Kassia attended Vacation Bible School each morning during conference. She memorized several Bible verses such as Romans 10:9 and Isaiah 41:13.

(Kassia and Luke)
Kurt and I are a support team for one of our translation couples. Dave and Sarah Troolin work in the Madang province of Papua New Guinea with the Sam people. While they were in the village in January, we were able to talk to them on the radio once a week to see how they were doing and how we could help them while they were away. We also were able to buy food for them from the store here in Ukarumpa and send it on a helicopter so that they could store the food in their house until their next village stay. In March I was also able to help Sarah work on some primary school books that she was preparing for some teachers in the village.

(Dave and Sarah Troolin - children from left: Rebekah, Samuel, Matthew and Joanna)
He is risen indeed!
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)
Praise:
-We always praise God for our faithful prayer partners and those who support us financially.
-For the opportunity that Kurt had in March to be DAS and help with Ukarumpa’s security.
-For the SIL PNG Branch Conference where we could work on developing a branch strategy.
-For Dave and Sarah Troolin’s work the with the Sam people in the Madang Province.
Prayer:
-For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to our PNG friends and coworkers.
-For our marriage to grow stronger in Christ each day.
-For wisdom, patience, and love in raising Kassia and Luke.

-- Metzger's Year 2008 Reflections --

2008-12-20T22:24:00.002-06:00

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. {They} are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)
Dear Friends and Family,
We have seen God’s hand in many tangible ways this year, 2008. Praise God for his faithfulness! Here are a few things that have happened where we were able to experience God’s unchanging character and love for us.
· Luke’s healthy delivery at the end of January in Australia and God’s provision to cover the costs.

(Luke is getting ready for his first Christmas)
· Safe and quick return of our new family of four to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in March to continue supporting the work of Bible Translation.
· The provision of a house that we moved into in June and where we can stay until we go on furlough. Thank you God!
· Slow but continual healing of Kurt’s knee which he injured in June. He was even able to enjoy coaching the Ukarumpa High School boys volleyball team from July to September.
· We were able to be involved with the 9^th grade Youth Group from July until December and will continue to do that next year.
· The opportunity that Kurt had in September to go with the more than 80 High School students from Ukarumpa to a 5 day Spiritual Retreat called Encounter. 19 students were baptized while at the retreat!
· The quick medical care Kassia was able to receive here in Ukarumpa and in Australia at the end of October when she fell and broke her arm. She had surgery in Australia where they placed 3 pins to hold her arm in place for one month!
· The financial provision for Kurt and Kassia to go back to Australia at the end of November to have the pins removed from her arm. Praise the Lord her arm healed quickly and there is now new bone where the bone was broken!

· At the end of December we will celebrate 2 years of serving in PNG!
· The joy that God has given throughout the whole year to Kurt while he works at the Communication and Technical Services Department through software support and computer repair. Thank you God for giving us the opportunity to be a part of the team that is bringing the written word of God to the Bibleless people of Papua New Guinea.
· The never ending provision and faithfulness of God for our ministry throughout the year through your prayers and financial support. Thank you!

(Kassia loves to hold her little brother Luke!)

· Many people received the New Testament in their heart language this year here in PNG for the very first time. What a privilege for us to be able to see the results of many years of work by many translators, support personnel, and partners in home countries. There were four New Testament dedications: Kuman, Ipili, Bimin, and Mape. There are about 950 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. Other than the 3 national languages (Melanesian Pidgin, English, and Hiri Motu), Kuman is the language with the third highest population of speakers.

PNG Pastor - "For years now I have read to you from God's Word in Kiwai or Motu. I just read it; I didn't understand it. I thought that God's words were too hard for human minds to grasp. But then I read them in our own language, and they spoke to me. I could understand what God was saying! It isn't hard. God from Heaven wants to communicate with us!"

(Folopa New Testament; Bimin NT Dedication)
What a great God we serve. To Him be the Honor and Glory forever! Thank you for allowing us to serve Him here in Papua New Guinea.
In Him,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

-- November 2008 Update --

2008-11-24T17:33:00.000-06:00

Dear Loves Ones,

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for Kassia’s arm. Thanks also for those of you who gave gifts for our extra expenses in taking care of Kassia when she broke her arm. We have seen God’s hand of provision in every moment of our lives and especially during this time. We continue to trust in His faithfulness!

Yesterday Kurt and Kassia flew in the morning to Port Moresby (the capital of Papua New Guinea) and in the afternoon they will be flying to Cairns, Australia. On Wednesday Kassia has an appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon who will check her arm and do an x-ray to see how her arm is healing. Lord willing, on Thursday the doctor will do surgery and remove the “wires” that have been holding Kassia’s arm for a month. Luke and I (Johanna) stayed here in Ukarumpa and will wait for them to return on Friday afternoon from Australia.

Kurt continues to enjoy his job at the Communications and Technical Services Department working at the Help Desk. He has also been asked if it would be possible for him to help out in our security team here in Ukarumpa. There is a group of men that have agreed to help and take turns being the Director’s Assistant for Security (DAS). There is no one being the DAS full time right now, so our director has asked for help in this role.

In our October Update I mentioned something about the possibility that came up for me to teach in the Mother Tongue Studies(MTS) program here in Ukarumpa. I met with the Principal of the Primary School last month and we talked about this possibility and discussed some options. In my other update I told you that I would be teaching children whose mother tongue is Spanish. The principal explained to me that the purpose of the MTS program is to prepare children whose mother tongue is Spanish, to be able to go to school in their home country in Spanish. We came to the conclusion that at this time, there are no children here in Ukarumpa (except for Kassia and Luke) who will be studying in Spanish in their home countries. So, we have decided not to offer the MTS program in Spanish until we have more students that would qualify for it.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and financial support that allow us to serve the Lord in Papua New Guinea. We truly could not be here without your part in our team!

Praise:

We always praise God for our faithful prayer partners and those who support us financially.
For the opportunity that Kurt has to be a part of the DAS team.
For the healing that Kassia has had in her arm already.

Pray:

For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to our PNG friends and coworkers.
For wisdom for Kurt as he becomes a part of the DAS team.
For Kassia’s surgery this Thursday to remove the “wires” from her arm.
For continued healing of Kassia’s arm.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke Metzger)

God is good!

2008-10-30T23:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We just wanted to let you know that Kassia and I (Kurt) are now back in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea. We arrived Wednesday afternoon and are settling back in well, but are maybe just a little tired. Thank you so much for your prayers and support during this time. I cannot remember being anxious at any point during our medivac to Australia. I believe that God gave me a peace about the whole situation so I would be able to comfort and take care of Kassia.

Kassia is doing so much better now that she is back here in Ukarumpa with her friends and her mother and brother. She was so excited to come to be with them. Now that she is back, she is acting as if her arm is not broken. In one month’s time we return to Australia so that the wires holding Kassia’s bone together can be removed. Please pray for protection and healing for her arm during this month as she does not have a cast on (the doctor said it was not necessary). Thanks again.

Blessings,

Kurt for Kassia, Johanna and Luke too!

Update on Kassia

2008-10-24T03:31:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks for praying for Kassia. I have talked to Kurt throughout the day today and he was able to tell me what happened. He says that he and Kassia were taken to the hospital right away when they arrived in Cairns yesterday afternoon. They waited in the hospital room until about 6 pm and then Kassia had surgery on her arm. The doctor said she had a very delicate fracture. Kurt says she was in surgery for about an hour and a half. They had to put some "wires" to hold her arm in place.

They think she might be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. However, the doctor also said that Kassia needs to be in Cairns again to get the “wires” removed from her arm in a month.

Please pray for us to have wisdom at this time. We want to glorify Him with the decision we make and we are thinking about two different options. The first option is for Kurt and Kassia to come back to Ukarumpa next week (if the doctor gives her permission to come back this soon). The second option for them to wait in Cairns for a month until they can remove the wires from her arm, and Luke and I would join them there.

Pray also because Kassia continues to be in a lot of pain and does not want to take the medication to relieve it. And finally pray for our finances during this time.

As always God is faithful in meeting all of our needs. This morning some friends from Cairns, offered Kurt and Kassia to stay at their house instead of staying at a hotel. Thank you Lord!!!

In His hands,

Johanna (for the Metzgers)

Pray for Kassia

2008-10-23T06:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Kassia was playing on the monkey bars in our back yard this morning and she fell and broke her arm. After doing an x-ray, the doctor at the clinic here decided that they could not take care of Kassia here and she needed to go to Australia. Kurt and Kassia went to Cairns, Australia at 12pm today to be seen by an orthopedic surgeon.

Praise the Lord that she was able to go on the scheduled Cairns flight, thanks to a few passengers who were willing to fly commercially in order to provide the space for Kassia, Kurt and the doctor.

Please pray for them as they are away from home and pray that the doctors in Australia will be able to take care of Kassia's arm. Pray that her arm will heal quickly!

Blessings,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

-- October 2008 Update --

2008-10-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

(Sunrise over Kokopo, Papua New Guinea)

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family. Being here in Papua New Guinea, we always think about how we could not be here if it wasn’t for your very important part in our ministry!

In September, Kurt had the privilege to go to Encounter. Encounter is a spiritual retreat for the High School kids from Ukarumpa. 81 students ranging from 9th grade to 12th grade attended this year. Kurt was asked to help as one of the adult sponsors. He had four 12th grade guys in his cabin and four 9th grade guys in his discussion group. They traveled two hours from Ukarumpa towards Goroka and stayed at a training center run by New Tribes Mission from Friday to Tuesday. The last night 19 of the students were baptized. Kurt enjoyed getting to know the guys better and also learning from the Encounter speaker. It’s great for us to see how God is using Kurt’s unique experience growing up as a missionary kid in Colombia in relating to the kids here in Ukarumpa.

(Encounter 2008)

The Communication and Technical Services Department (where Kurt works) has experienced some changes lately. The manager of the department, Chris, had to leave suddenly as his mother was sick in Canada. She passed away shortly after he returned home. Now the current acting manager (filling in for Chris) is going on furlough and the SIL PNG directorate has asked Kurt to help out as the acting manager until Chris returns from Canada. Please pray as Kurt will be learning some new responsibilities for the time he is a manager.

Kassia just returned to school this week after a two week break. She enjoyed being at home more and playing with friends here and at their houses. We were also able to go to the river one day with a group of families and she loved swimming and playing at the river! I continue to teach her Spanish on the days she is not at school.

(Kassia with her friend Jadia)

Some of you might remember that my (Johanna’s) dream about coming to PNG, was to eventually be able to teach at the Ukarumpa International School. I taught Bilingual kindergarten for almost 2 years in Texas before Kassia was born. Well, this week I received an email from the Principal at the Primary campus here; asking me if I would be interested in being a Mother Tongue Studies (MTS) teacher. I would be teaching those children whose mother tongue is Spanish. The Principal talked to the Associate Director for Member Services (who is over the schools here in Ukarumpa) and she is excited about this plan. The Primary Campus Principal will present our proposal to the School Board on Monday October 13th, and then we will know how to proceed. I have been asked to do some research on the curriculum we would use. I would probably start teaching at the end of January.

Luke is eating and growing a lot! He is eight months now and can sit unassisted. He’s not very interested in crawling yet, but he continues to move around by pushing himself on his back.

(Left: Luke eating banana. Right: Luke with his friend Ryland)

In Him,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

PRAISE:

-For Kurt’s job here in Ukarumpa and the opportunity he has to be help those who are translating the Bible into the many different languages of Papua New Guinea.

-For the good health we have been enjoying in the last couple of months.

-For Kassia’s school and her friends here in Ukarumpa.

-For the possible opportunity for me (Johanna) to be an Spanish MTS teacher.

PRAY:

-For the four of us to continue to have good health.

-For Kurt to have wisdom as he is the acting manager at the Communication and Technical Services Department for a while.

-For Johanna to have wisdom in preparing to teach in January.

-For Kurt and I to grow stronger in our relationship with God, and therefore to grow in our marriage.

-For Kassia and Luke to come to know Jesus as their Savior one day!

-- August 2008 Update --

2008-08-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you so much for being faithful in praying for our family. Your partnership in prayer and financial support allows us to serve in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and richly blesses our family.

We especially want to thank you for your prayers for Kurt’s knee. Last time we wrote you we said that Kurt was going to be seeing the doctor weekly to get his knee checked. At the end of June, the doctor saw Kurt and said he did not have to return to the clinic for a month. Kurt went in to see the doctor last Monday and his report was great. The doctor says that Kurt’s knee is doing good and that he doesn’t need to return to the clinic unless his knee feels loose or bothers him. He said when we go back to the USA or to Australia, he should have his knee checked by an Orthopedic Surgeon and get an MRI. We praise God for healing Kurt’s knee to the point where he can even jog now! Kurt has been doing the exercises that the Physical Therapist recommended and those have helped him very much. He tries to do those every day if possible.

(Kassia and Luke; Luke on the 4th of July)

Since we wrote our last update we moved houses. Thanks for praying for us as we moved. The move went very smoothly and we had many friends helping us. We have been in this house for over a month now and we love it. It has a fire place which helps keep us warm during the “winter” time here in PNG. Kassia also enjoys having a play room where she can read books with mommy and play with her friends.

Kurt is very busy working at the help desk at the Communication and Technical Services Department. He works alongside a Papua New Guinean, a Korean, and a Costa Rican. His coworkers from Korea and Costa Rica have left for several months, so now it is just the man from Papua New Guinea and Kurt at the help desk. They have had much work lately (fixing and configuring computers) and thankfully Kurt loves what he is doing!

This school year Kurt will be coaching the High School boys volleyball team. This will keep him busy Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after work.

Kassia is now in pre-school two days a week and loves it. Also, two mornings a week she and I are working on pre-school in Spanish! She says I am her teacher and enjoys her time with me.

(Kassia’s first day of pre-school; Kassia posing for the camera with her new pen)

Luke is six months now! He has been sleeping through the night for a month or so now, and we are very happy about that. He has also started eating rice cereal and doesn’t quite know what to think about that. It is fun to see him staring at Kassia and looking at her as if he really would like to play with her. He gets around pushing himself backwards like a crab.

At the end of July we began our work with the 9th grade youth group again. We are glad to be in a bigger house now, where we can actually host some of the youth activities.

Again, thank you for allowing us to be a part of the process of translating the Word of God into the heart languages of the Bibleless people of Papua New Guinea.

In Him,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke)

PS - Below we’ve included a note of encouragement from a Wycliffe member that we support here in Papua New Guinea:

--------------------------------------------

Dear supporters of Kurt and Johanna,

My husband and I are part of a multilanguage project in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. Our goal is to train Papua New Guineans to do Bible Translation and Literacy in the eleven languages represented in our project. Our computers are essential for the work that we do in Bible translation and literacy.

I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate Kurt's computer support role. He has spent countless hours locating problems on our computers, backing up data, and helping us get set up for e-mail once we reach the center in Ukarumpa. Kurt is incredibly proficient with computers and gives us very sound advice when we need to purchase new equipment, for example. Thank you for partnering with Kurt and Johanna as they serve the Bible translation movement in Papua New Guinea! We would be very hard pressed if we had to make all of our own repairs, decisions and maintenance to our computers on our own.

Kurt and Johanna have also been a big support to our family emotionally and spiritually as well. If we didn't have people like them caring for us here in Ukarumpa, we would not be able to work in our project.

Again, many thanks for partnering with Kurt and Johanna!

Mandy Pehrson

Literacy Specialist

Aitape West Translation Project

Papua New Guinea

--------------------------------------------

Prayer Request Update

2008-06-23T06:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

This past week my knee has felt quite a bit better each day even to the point where I was able to walk on it with a slight limp starting on Sunday. We went in to see the doctor here in Ukarumpa again today (Monday) and were very optimistic about not having to have surgery. However, the doctor’s first impression was that the knee was still quite loose and he was thinking that I would still have to go to Australia. He conferred with an Orthopedic surgeon in Cairns, Australia who said that there is a 30% chance that the ligament will heal on its own and that we should try waiting several weeks to see how the knee progresses. In the meantime I will go in for weekly checkups and also meet with a physical therapist to try and strengthen the knee. Please continue to pray that God will heal my knee.

Please also pray for us tomorrow as we are moving houses. I can’t really help too much but we are blessed with lots of friends here in Ukarumpa that have offered to help out.

Blessings, Kurt

Prayer Request

2008-06-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I just wanted to let you know about something that happened over the weekend so that you can be praying for us. I was playing Frisbee on Sunday afternoon and twisted my knee. At first I thought it was just a sprain but when I tried to walk it off my knee would not hold weight any longer. I saw a doctor at the clinic here in Ukarumpa yesterday and he thinks it is most likely a torn ligament. I need to keep off of it for a week and check back with the doctor next Monday. He will decide then if the knee needs to be operated on. That would mean going all the way to Australia for surgery. Please pray that God would heal my knee without the need for surgery. Also, pray for Johanna as she has to take care of all of us. It is tiring for her when she has to get up at night to feed Luke and then get up early in the morning to help Kassia when she wakes up (I used to be the one helping Kassia). Finally, we really want to glorify God in all this, so please pray for good attitudes, patience and endurance.

Blessings, Kurt

-- June 2008 Update --

2008-06-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your faithful prayers and your financial support that allow us to continue serving in Papua New Guinea. We are grateful to have you in our partnership team and know that we could not be here without your part in our ministry.

We are doing well. Life has been very busy here in Ukarumpa since we got back from Australia three months ago. Kurt continues to enjoy his work at the Communications and Technical Services Department working at the Help Desk alongside a Papua New Guinean and a Korean man. We thank God for the work he supplies for Kurt.

(Kassia and Kurt reading; Kassia and Luke getting ready to go to bed)

Kassia and Luke continue to grow and learn many things. Kassia now recognizes the letters K (for Kassia of course!), O, and L (for Luke). Luke is four months old now! I (Johanna) took him to the clinic last week for his check up and the doctor said he is doing great. She also said he is a healthy little guy! He gives us huge smiles and can laugh now too. He is also sleeping better so thanks for your prayers in that regard.

For two mornings this week, I am going to be involved in strategy meetings here in Ukarumpa. In these meetings I will join several other SIL members in order to discuss what needs to be in place in SIL-PNG (Papua New Guinea) in the next 5 to 10 years and how we will be engaged in Bible translation. Kurt will attend the same meetings next week.

(Little Luke is getting bigger)

In about three weeks we will be moving. We are living in an apartment right now, but we will be moving to a house that we will be renting for about one and a half years. We are excited about being in a house, though we know yet another move will be stressful.

At the end of this month (after we move), Kurt will be going to a village with some of our friends who are Bible translators with the Sam people in the Madang province. They are building a house in the village where they work and Kurt has offered to help them build it. He is very excited about the trip and will be away for about one week.

Thanks again for lifting us up to the Lord in prayer and supporting our work here in Papua New Guinea.

(Kassia at the Ukarumpa International School Sports Day held this May)

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke too!)

Praise:

• For good health in the last few months.

• For Kurt’s work at the Communication and Technical Services Department.

• For Luke who is growing steadily!

• For the house we will be moving into.

Pray:

• For all of us to continue to have good health.

• For us to have wisdom as we attend the strategy meetings this month.

• For a smooth transition and move into the house.

• For Kurt as he goes to help our friends build their village house. For physical, mental, and spiritual protection for him during the time he will be gone.

April 2008 Update

2008-04-03T05:43:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and financial partnership. We are grateful for the part you play in our ministry here in Papua New Guinea (PNG)!

We have been back in PNG for 4 weeks now. Thanks for praying for our PNG visas to come through quickly while we were in Australia. God truly answered your prayers and we were able to come back sooner than we expected because our visas were granted very quickly. We arrived here in Ukarumpa on March 5th.

Kurt is back working at the Communications and Technical Services Department. He really enjoys working at the Help Desk and it has been very busy lately, which he really likes. He is also happy to be back in Ukarumpa where he can play sports on the weekends such as soccer, volleyball, frisbee, and basketball.

Kassia is learning how to be a big sister and she really loves her baby brother Luke. She protects him when others try to hold him and she likes to talk to him and make him smile. It is fun to see the sibling relationship developing so early in Luke’s life!

Luke is growing nicely. Today I took him to the clinic for his two month check-up and the doctor said he is doing great. Soon we will go back in so he can get his shots. I (Johanna) am learning how to be a mommy of two, keep up the house, take care of my husband, and keep in touch with our friends and partners.

Thanks again for allowing us to be a part of the process of translating the Word of God into the heart languages of the Bibleless people of Papua New Guinea.

Praise:

We praise God for the one time gifts that helped us cover the cost of Luke’s birth.

Prayer:

Please pray that God will keep us healthy and allow Johanna and Luke to get enough sleep during the night.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke too!)

Johanna and Luke are back!

2008-02-10T00:31:00.000-06:00

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:3-6 (NIV)

Thank you to all of you who prayed while Luke and I (Johanna) went to Sydney on Thursday. We had an uneventful trip and were able to go to the United States Consulate to apply for Luke’s passport on Friday morning. Then we flew back to Cairns on Friday evening and were happy to be reunited with Kurt and Kassia at that time!

Thanks again for your prayers and love.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and Luke Metzger)

Travel to/from Sydney and US Passport for Luke

2008-02-07T02:27:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As I am writing this email, Johanna and Luke are on a flight to Sydney. Johanna will meet a cousin at the airport and stay with her overnight. In the morning Johanna and Luke have an appointment at the US embassy. Would you please pray right now for Johanna and Luke that traveling will go well and the paperwork for Luke’s Passport and Consular Report of Birth abroad will be in order and completed quickly. Then tomorrow night Johanna and Luke will be traveling back here to Cairns. Thank you for praying.

In His hands,

Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, and Luke Metzger)

Luke Timothy is here!

2008-01-29T20:50:00.001-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Praise God with us! Luke Timothy was born this morning, 29 January, at 6:15 AM local time (Cairns, Australia). Johanna and Luke are doing great! God is so very good. Johanna’s labor and delivery went as well as you could ask for. Luke weighed in at 7lbs 9ozs and measured 20 1/4in long. Thank you so much for praying.

(Luke in Johanna’s arms.)

(Kassia was so excited her baby brother finally came she screamed when she heard the news.)

In His hands,
Kurt (for Johanna, Kassia, and Luke Metzger)

Metzger year 2007 review... What's to come?

2007-12-30T19:49:00.001-06:00

Dear Loved Ones,

On December 31^st we will celebrate one year since we left the United States to begin our journey to Papua New Guinea (PNG). What a blessed year it has been for our family! From January until mid April we were able to attend the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) in Madang, PNG. There we studied many things including the main PNG trade language (Tok Pisin), anthropology, cultural acquisition, and we had many physical activities such as swimming a mile and many hikes.

In mid April we moved to Ukarumpa (the base of operations for SIL in PNG) and we were there until December 19^th. Kurt has been working at the Communications and Technical Services Department at their Help Desk and also doing hardware repair. I (Johanna) was able to tutor a 5^th grade student from July until December and truly enjoyed that. As a couple, we have also been involved with the 8^th grade Youth Group in Ukarumpa. We meet with them every Sunday night and have gotten to know them better in this last semester.

We arrived here in Cairns, Australia on December 19^th. Praise God for that! The policy of SIL PNG is that all members must return to their home country or go to Australia for any major medical reason because of the limited health care resources in PNG. We thank God for you, our partners, who make it possible for us to come here to await the birth of our second child. I met with my OBGYN last week and he did a sonogram and said everything with the pregnancy is on track. I also was able to register at the hospital where, Lord willing, I will be giving birth. I am 36 weeks pregnant now and feeling great! Sometimes I feel tired but Kurt and Kassia are great helpers.

(Kassia with her friend Corrie, from Ukarumpa, at the Cairns Zoo)

We had a wonderful Christmas day. In the morning we celebrated here at our flat with a special breakfast that I made (Colombian style) and then we had a little devotion and opened presents. It was fun! At 12:30 we were invited to a get-together with all the guests from the missionary guest house where we are staying here in Australia. There were 6 other missionary families. What a blessing to be able to celebrate with family, our brothers and sisters in Christ!

(Kassia and Johanna in Cairns)

While here in Australia, besides medical costs we will need the finances to cover extra one-time costs of airlines tickets, lodging, visa fees, passports fees (for the baby), car rentals, and some baby supplies. We have carefully made a budget with the input of several other families who have recently had babies in Australia. Our estimated increased financial need for the 2 ½-3 months we will be here comes to $8,000. Would you please pray with us that God will provide for these expenses? Thank you in advance.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and financial support that allow us to serve the Lord in Papua New Guinea and while here in Australia. We truly could not be here without your part in our team! We will be sending news as soon as our new little one arrives.

Praise:

• For our safe arrival in Cairns, Australia and that we can peacefully await the birth of our second child here.
• For a wonderful OBGYN who will be helping Johanna.
• For a blessed year serving as a family in Papua New Guinea.
• For our faithful prayer partners that lift us and our ministry up to our Heavenly Father and for our faithful financial supporters who sacrifice time and money to be able to give to our ministry.

Pray:

• For God to provide for our increased financial needs while we live in Australia.
• For wisdom, love and patience in raising Kassia.
• For our unborn baby to continue to grow strong and healthy in the last weeks of pregnancy.
• For a safe delivery and a healthy baby to be born in January.

In His hands,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and baby Metzger)

December/Christmas 2007 Update

2007-12-11T21:32:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It has almost been a year since we arrived in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Thank you for your prayers and financial support that have made it possible for us to serve in this country.

We continue to praise God because Kurt is able to support Bible Translation providing computer support at the Communications and Technical Services Department. He really enjoys the work he does there. He also recently helped the Director’s Assistant to Personnel here in Ukarumpa by making a form that will allow all SIL PNG members to lodge a visa extension required for working in PNG during the next six months. His work was very much appreciated and allowed the task to be completed more efficiently.

The last week of November I (Johanna) was able to help input data into the applications for visa extensions (our team worked on about 800 applications). I helped in the mornings when Kassia was able to attend child care.

(Johanna helping with the visa extension paperwork. Can you see the baby?)

I finished my tutoring with a fifth grade student last Thursday. I have enjoyed helping her since July, but since it is almost time for us to go Australia I had my final morning of tutoring last week.

Kassia is very excited awaiting the birth of her baby brother or sister. I am 33 weeks pregnant now and my pregnancy is going very well, so we thank the Lord for that.

(Kassia posing for the camera)

We want to praise God because on Friday (December 7^th) we found out that our Australian Medical visas have been approved. This means that, Lord willing, we will be heading to Australia on December 19^th to await the birth of our second child. The policy of SIL PNG is that all members must return to their home country or go to Australia for any major medical reason because of the limited health care resources in PNG. For us it is much cheaper to go to Australia. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for our visas to be approved, your prayers have been answered. We arrive in Australia 5 weeks before the baby is due and as soon as the baby is born we will apply for his USA passport (which takes about 4 weeks to obtain). So, we are looking at being in Cairns, Australia for about 2 months.

(We celebrated Kassia’s 3^rd birthday early this year, last Saturday, so she could spend it with her friends. She will turn 3 in Australia on January 4^th.)

Praise

· We always praise God for our faithful prayer partners and those who support us financially.
· That our Australian Medical Visas have been granted and we can go to Australia to await the birth of our second child!
· That we have been much more healthy in the past two months.
· For the opportunity Kurt and I had to help in the process of the PNG visa extension for our SIL PNG branch.
· For a healthy pregnancy for me (Johanna).

Pray

· For our relationship with the Lord to become deeper and stronger and that we can be an example to our PNG friends and coworkers.
· For our marriage to grow stronger every day.
· For wisdom, love, and patience in raising Kassia.
· For our unborn baby to continue to grow strong and healthy in the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy.
· For a safe delivery and a healthy baby to be born in January.
· As we pack and move all our belongings to a storage shed while we are in Australia.

In His hands,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and baby Metzger)

October 2007 Update

2007-10-23T22:09:00.004-05:00

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. – Hebrews 11:13,16 (NASB)

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for our ministry here in Papua New Guinea. We have been here for almost ten months now and we thank God for His faithfulness and provision for our family.

Kurt has been enjoying his work at the Help Desk and doing some hardware repair at the Communication and Technical Services Department.

In the month of September he was asked to help at a STEP (Strengthening Tok Ples Education in Papua New Guinea) course here in Ukarumpa. He was able to help a group of Papua New Guinean Educators learn the basics of using a computer. This included teaching them how to use a keyboard, a mouse, and the basics of Microsoft Word. The STEP course enables Bible Translation as the Tok Ples “talk place” or mother tongue educators go back to their villages of origin and promote literacy. As literacy is promoted, the people in the villages can learn how to read the Bible in their own language. We praise God for the opportunity Kurt had to be a part of this course!

(Kurt helping at the STEP course)

I (Johanna) have been tutoring a fifth grade student at the Primary Campus here in Ukarumpa. This is my second term helping her and I enjoy meeting with her to work on her spelling, writing, reading, and math. I give her a spelling test every week and then we review new words in which I will test her the following week. We have worked on teaching her how to write a satisfying paragraph that includes an introduction, details, and a conclusion. I will be working with this student until we go to Australia to wait for our baby to be born!

Kurt and I have also enjoyed working with the Eighth Grade Youth Group since July of this year. We had a girls night with some of the girls in September and that was a lot of fun. Also we had a service project where our group helped set up a worship event that we had here on center.

In the last month we have encountered some health problems but God has been faithful to heal us in His timing. First of all at the end of September, Kurt got a boil on his leg which became celullitis. Celullitis is a deep tissue infection that is akin to staph. Once it takes hold it is very hard to get rid of. The area affected will become very red. Kurt's infection became very bad. Treatment at the onset was oral antibiotics but since those didn't work right away, the doctor here in Ukarumpa recommended intravenous antibiotics for 3 days, every six hours, around the clock. Needless to say it was a very painful experience but praise God, Kurt's infection is now gone. At the same time as Kurt had celullitis, he and I got very sick with a stomach virus. We have had this stomach bug for about three weeks off and on and it is very tiring. Praise God Kassia has not been sick of her stomach at all! Kurt developed another boil last week and he went into the doctor promptly. Thankfully they were able to treat this infection with oral antibiotics and it is looking much better now.

(Kassia on the back porch with our Haus Meri)

My pregnancy is going very well and we thank the Lord for that. I am 26 weeks pregnant now (six months) and can feel the baby move constantly. Kurt is also able to feel the baby and he can also look at my tummy and see the baby moving without even having to touch it. Kassia constantly asks me when they baby is going to come out and I have to tell her it will still take a while. She says she is going to share with her baby brother or sister.

(Kassia posing for the camera)

We shared with you in our last newsletter that we will be going to Australia to have our next baby. We asked you to pray for the Australian Medical Visa paper work and all that it involves. Well, we are 8 weeks from going to Australia and we still don't have our medical visa. We have been working on the paper work since July but it has taken a while to get everything done. Also, at the beginning we filled out some forms and they were approved by a panel doctor; but in the last few days we found out that the forms have been made obsolete this month and therefore we had to fill them out and have the doctor sign them again. Needless to say, this is a very tedious process and we want to ask for your prayers so that we can complete every step of the process soon and that our visas will be granted on time to go to Australia in December. The baby will not be born until January of 2008 but the clinic requires us to go when I am 35 weeks pregnant and the SIL flights will not permit a pregnant woman to fly after that.

Praise

• For our faithful prayer partners that lift us and our ministry up to our Heavenly Father and for our faithful financial supporters who sacrifice time and money to be able to give to our ministry.
• For the medical staff here in Ukarumpa (nurses and doctors) who have been so helpful to our family in the last month.
• For the opportunity Kurt had to help at the STEP course in September.
• For the opportunity I have to tutor at the Primary Campus in Ukarumpa.
• For a very healthy pregnancy for me (Johanna) so far.
• For Kassia who has remained healthy despite all the sicknesses we her parents have had.

Pray

• For us to honor God through our work here in Papua New Guinea.
• For wisdom, love, and patience in raising Kassia.
• For our unborn baby to continue to grow strong and healthy and for a great rest of the pregnancy.
• For good health, especially for Kurt as he has been sick in the last month.
• For the visa paper work that we have filled out to get an Australian Medical Visa. That the paperwork would be sent to Port Moresby (the capital of PNG) soon and our visas would be approved so that we can go to Australia in December.

Thanks again for supporting us and enabling us to be a part of the team that brings the word of God to the Bibleless people in Papua New Guinea!

Blessings,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia and baby too!)

July 2007 Update

2007-07-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

Below is the link to our latest update from our side of the world. If you ever want to hear more or have any questions, please let us know. We would be happy to give you more info if you ask.

We're sending our update to you as a PDF file. You will need a PDF reader, such as Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view it. Please let us know if you have any problems viewing the letter.

Blessings,

Kurt and Johanna Metzger

May 2007 Update

2007-05-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

Dear loved ones,

As new SIL members (SIL is Wycliffe’s partner organization in Papua New Guinea - PNG) we were privileged to attend a 14-week training course entitled Pacific Orientation Course (POC). The location for this course is just outside the coastal city of Madang, PNG. The POC camp is situated on top of a small mountain approximately 1200 ft. above sea level and has a beautiful view of the coastline below. We spent our first 8 weeks learning a main PNG trade language, Tok Pisin, taking hikes through the jungle, swimming to build up endurance, meeting with a national family, and learning about PNG customs and the work of SIL in the country. We did reading assignments, journaling and reports, learned to cook over an open fire, and took a 3-day survey hike. The hike was a chance to spend nights in 2 different villages, doing research and reports on the land and people we met. Our training also gave us opportunity to build relationships with missionaries from other parts of the world – England, Australia, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland as well as the US. Our trainers were veteran missionaries and PNG nationals. By the end of these 8 weeks we were ready for our next challenge: 5 weeks of living in a village with the mentoring of a Papua New Guinean host family. During our time in the village we were able to improve in our language skills, learn more about many aspects of the culture in the country, and build relationships with Papua New Guineans.

(Kassia with friend Jadia)

God’s Faithfulness

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting” Psalm 136:1

There were several times during our training time and village living that I (Johanna) had to rely on God’s everlasting lovingkindness. I would pray to Him while cooking in our “haus cook” (our kitchen in the village) or when Kurt was sick. I would ask for wisdom to handle personality differences and to be a better wife and mom. I would also go to God for comfort when I was lonely, and in times of not having the comforts that I have in the United States. God was faithful to meet my weak times with His presence, His love, with answers to prayer and with friends to share the burdens I was feeling. I am being stretched to rely more and more on God and less and less on myself.

Where are we now?

Our new home is now the SIL center at Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Kurt has begun working at the Communication and Technical Services Department here in Ukarumpa, doing primarily hardware repair and learning the ropes. Kassia is making new friends and loving it. I am taking care of Kassia and have gotten involved in a Ladies Bible Study and Mom’s Group. Kurt and I also attend a Couples Bible Study on Tuesday nights and we love it.

Praise:

For a wonderful POC experience that enriched our relationship with God, enriched our marriage, and enriched our relationship with our daughter.
We were able to learn so much about the people, language and culture of Papua New Guinea. We have developed a love and appreciation for the people here.
For a great time settling here in Ukarumpa.
For new friends.
Many of your prayers have been answered as God has met our financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.

Prayer:

That Kurt would get settled in his job and honor God with what he does.
That Johanna and Kassia would have a good time adjusting to a new place to live and that they would have wisdom in deciding what to be involved in.
That our marriage will remain strong and Christ centered.
That God will give us wisdom in raising Kassia.
That we can develop relationships with Papua New Guineans.
For God’s continued protection and grace in our lives.

Thank you for supporting us and enabling us to be a part of the team that brings the word of God to the Bibleless people in Papua New Guinea.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia too!)

April 2007 Update - We're back!

2007-04-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

We are back from village living and are enjoying our last days here at the Pacific Orientation Course (POC). Thank you so very much for all your prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support during this time.

We left for the village on March 9th to live there for five weeks. We had a wonderful wasfamili (literally translated - watch family) who cared for us and watched over us all the time. Our waspapa “watch father” Tamanik and his wife Moinas have nine children: seven girls and two boys. I (Johanna) got to know some of our was “watch” sisters quite well since they helped me wash dishes, do laundry, and even showed me where to bathe while we were in the village. Kurt got to know our waspapa too since they spent a fair amount of time together.

(Johanna with wasmama “watch mother” preparing food picked from their gardens & Kurt next to waspapa “watch father” with the bow and arrow used to kill the pig being cooked in the background)

As you might remember, we mentioned in our last email update that Kurt got sick during our three day hike, about seven weeks ago. Well, apparently his sickness faded for a week while we were here at POC before going into village living and then it returned our first Sunday in the village. His symptoms included a very sore throat, pain in his stomach, lack of energy and sore swollen lymph nodes. After two weeks in the village his symptoms intensified and by that time I had to watch Kassia and do all the village living assignments and work with little help from him since he was so tired and sleeping much of the day. The nurse from POC came to the village and decided it would be better to take Kurt into town to check with the doctor and see what was happening. Various blood tests were run and the doctor concluded that Kurt had some type of mono (mononucleosis) virus.

After the doctor's diagnosis and talking and praying with the POC directors and staff, we decided it would be better for our family to come out of the village for a while until Kurt regained some strength. We came back to the POC campus and Kurt rested and slept quite a bit during our time here. We also were able to receive tutoring in Tok Pisin for two hours a day by one of the Papua New Guinean ladies who works at POC, which was a real help for us.

(Kassia with friends in the village looking at pictures of our families)

God has been so faithful to us during this entire time and we praise Him for that. Kurt began to feel better and we were able to go back to the village and spend 4 days there before we were picked up with all the other POC students from their village allocations. It was an answer to prayer to be able to go back to the village and get closure of our time there.

On Tuesday, April 17th we will be going to Ukarumpa, the missionary community where we will be living for the next three years. There Kurt will be working at the Communication and Technical Services Department doing computer primarily hardware repair. We are very excited to go to Ukarumpa and get settled into a house and a routine. At the same time we thank God for the 14 weeks we have had here at POC and all the things that we have learned about the people in Papua New Guinea.

When we get to Ukarumpa we will try to send an update of how we are settling into our new life there and the many things we learned and experienced in the village. Thanks again for all your prayers and letters. We could not have done village living and gone through Kurt's illness without you praying for us. Please continue to pray for Kurt as he completely recuperates from this sickness and for our family as we make yet another transition. Thank you so much for praying for Kassia as she has done exceptionally well through all the transitions we have been going through… thank you Lord.

(Kassia posing for a picture)

In His hands,

Johanna for Kurt and Kassia and Kassia too!

March 2007 Update

2007-03-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

“Olsem na yupela i no ken tingting tumas long tomora. De tumora em i ken tingting long samting bilong em yet. Hevi bilong wanpela de em inap long dispela tasol.” – Matyu 6:34 (Buk Baibel) Matthew 6:34 (Tok Pisin Bible)

Wednesday, March 7, 2005

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

We find it hard to believe that we have been in Papua New Guinea for the last two months. Time has truly passed by quickly as we have been learning and doing many different things. God has blessed us in many ways during this time of training.

We have been praying for you and we would love to know how we could better pray for you. Please let us know how you and your family are doing.

Our days here at the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) are filled as we have classes from 8AM to 12PM and 2PM to 4PM each day. Our classes include subjects such as: Tok Pisin (language learning), Spiritual Vitality, Anthropology, Cultural Adaptation, Medical Care, Conflict Resolution, and Physical Endurance (hikes and swimming).

(POC students and staff)

Both Kurt and I (Johanna) have done distance swimming and have gone on many different hikes through the jungle near by. Last week we went on the three day survey hike. We chose a very sweet family that is in training with us to watch Kassia while we were gone on the hike. We hiked for two days and stayed in two villages where we had to do basic surveys of their language and culture. The experience was incredible and the people we stayed with unforgettable. Unfortunately, Kurt got sick with some type of virus on our second day of hiking. In the evening after radioing the nurse here at the orientation site, she decided that it would be better if Kurt was brought back to the orientation site to spend the night and recuperate. He had a high fever and chills as we were picked up at the village. We were sad to say goodbye to the people in the village and to the group that we had been hiking with for the previous two days. We really wanted to hike with them on the last day, however it was a blessing for Kurt to be able to have a good night sleep and to rest and recuperate. The rest of the hiking group joined us at the orientation site the next day around midday.

(On our 3 day survey hike with a family in the village)

POC is a total of fourteen weeks of training. The first eight weeks are for learning the language and culture of Papua New Guinea. Now, we have completed these eight weeks and the next phase of the course begins when we will go to a village and live there for five weeks. Each family here at the course will go to a different village in order for them to be able to concentrate on learning the language and culture without having other English speakers around. After the five weeks of village living is over, we will return to the POC site and have a week of debriefing before we go to Ukarumpa. This is the missionary base where Kurt will be working in the Communication and Technical Services Department.

(The village house we will be staying in for the next five weeks)

This coming Friday March 9^th, we will be leaving the POC site and going to our five week village living site. God has been faithful above and beyond our expectations and has been revealing himself to us during this time. Please pray for us as we are in the village. Pray for protection and good health during our time there. Also pray that we will be able to get to know the people in the village and be able to establish lasting relationships with them. Pray also that we would be able to learn Tok Pisin well so that we can better communicate with the people we will serve and work with.

During the next five weeks (starting Friday March 9^th) we will not have email access. We will try to send an update when we get back to let you know how this time went.

(Kassia with the guard dog Herman)

Thank you so much for your prayers, financial support, and encouragement. We truly could not do this with you.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia too!)

In Papua New Guinea

2007-01-09T20:49:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We just wanted to write a quick note and let you know that we arrived in Madang, Papua New Guinea (PNG) safely. Thank you so much for your prayers. Our trip went well after the first day and we felt that God was with us every step of the way. We were supposed to leave Saturday, December 30^th but the flight we were to leave on was canceled. We were rebooked on the flight the following day, but we were going to miss our connecting flight in Singapore which only makes the trip twice a week. We called Air Niugini in PNG and they were able to rebook us on the next flight. In Japan while we were running to make the connecting flight, I left my jacket with all our passports at a security check point and did not even realize that we had left it until a security agent caught up with us downstairs. Praise God for that!

Madang will be our home for then next 15 weeks as we learn the language and culture so that we can better serve and minister to the people of PNG. We will make every effort to update you with our progress as our time here continues.

Blessings,

Kurt for Johanna and Kassia too!

Colombia is Passion

2006-12-10T16:11:00.000-06:00

December 2006 Update

2006-12-08T12:18:00.000-06:00

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8

Dear Friends and Family,

We are in awe of what God has been doing in our lives in the last month. What an awesome God we serve! We thank Him for His constant provision and faithfulness.

We asked you to pray for us as we spoke to individuals and churches about our ministry. This last month we were able to speak at a church here in the Dallas area and we had a great time worshiping there. The Lord touched the hearts of individuals in that church and some of them have joined our partnership team. Thanks for praying for that!

(Kurt and I sharing about our ministry at my home church in Bogotá, Colombia in October)

WHEN DO WE GO TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG)?

At the end of November we were able to buy our tickets to go to Papua New Guinea (PNG). Lord willing, we will be leaving Dallas on December 30^th and arriving in PNG on January 2^nd, 2007. We will have an overnight stay in Singapore. Some gracious friends from our church offered accommodations for us at a hotel in Singapore near to the airport. Thank God for friends!

ABOUT OUR SUPPORT

We had also asked you to pray for our support, as we wanted to go to PNG with 100% of the quota that Wycliffe requires for us to live there. Well, God has answered your prayers and we can now say that we have been pledged 100% of our support. Praise God for His constant care for us! It is a blessing for us to be able to go to PNG knowing that we are fully supported.

(We leave for PNG December 30^th, Praise God for all He has done!)

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed so faithfully for our ministry and for our upcoming trip. God has answered each one of your prayers in His timing and in His way. Thank you also to those of you who are supporting us financially so that we can live in PNG. And thanks to those who have given us special gifts that have allowed us to buy our tickets and ship our belongings overseas. We could not serve the Lord in PNG if we did not have partners like you!

PLEASE PRAY

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to go to PNG. We are packing the things we will need for the 14 week orientation course. Please pray that we will take everything we need and that we will leave things that we can buy there.

Pray also for Kassia and for the plane ride. We will go from Minneapolis Saint Paul to Narita, Japan (12+ hour flight). Our next flight will take us from Japan to Singapore (7+ hours). Then we will fly from Singapore to Port Moresby, the capital of PNG (5 hour flight). And finally we will go from Port Moresby to Madang where our orientation course will take place.

Pray for us as we say goodbye. It is very exciting to go to PNG but at the same time it is sad to say goodbye to friends and family here in Dallas. We will greatly miss our church, family, and friends! However, it is a blessing for us to be a part of what God is doing in Papua New Guinea!

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia)

(Pictures from left to right: Kassia eating nuggets with “salsa”; Kassia in her winter jacket with Papá)

November 2006 Update

2006-11-20T16:44:00.000-06:00

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for praying for us as we were in Colombia visiting my (Johanna’s) friends and family. Thanks also for praying for our financial support. We have seen God’s hand in a very tangible way during this last month. We also would like to know how we can pray for you as well.

OUR TRIP TO COLOMBIA

We had a wonderful time during our trip. We were able to visit my home church in Bogota during their Missions month and were able to share about our ministry on several occasions. We spoke in the two morning services one Sunday; and during the week we spoke to the College group, the Young Adults, the Men’s Group, and the Missions Group. We were also invited to speak one Sunday at my home church’s sister church in Bogota. My father also organized three different home groups at his house. Praise God for all the opportunities He gave us to share about our ministry!

My family was thrilled to have Kassia with them. God opened the door for us to be able to visit my oldest sister Patricia in Ibague, my sister Olga in Bogota, and my sister Adriana in Medellin. Kassia had great fun with her two great grandmothers, her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. It was also a special time to pray with my family and to say goodbye to them as we will not be seeing them for the next three years while we are in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for our first term.

(Pictures from left to right: Kassia with her grandma Fanny; Kassia with her cousins Juan Pablo and Valeria; Kassia playing)

WHEN DO WE GO TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG)?

We have been cleared by our Wycliffe personnel administrator to buy our tickets to PNG. Once again, praise God for His answer of prayer and His confirmation that it is time for us to go to the mission field. We are in the process of buying our tickets right now. We want to leave in late December or early January since the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) starts in January of 2007.

POC is a course that will be fourteen weeks long. During the first nine weeks we will be living in Madang, which is located on the North coast of PNG. In those first nine weeks we will be learning the trade language (Tok Pisin) and learning about the culture. During the last five weeks we will be sent to a village where our family will be the only family that speaks English. There we will have to put into practice what we learned during the first nine weeks of POC. In April 2007, after POC is over, we will be heading up to Ukarumpa where Wycliffe has its main center in PNG. That is where we will be living and where Kurt will be serving in the Communication and Technical Services Department.

ABOUT OUR SUPPORT

We have been blessed to see how God works in miraculous ways with the gifts that are given to Him, no matter what size those gifts may be. We thank Him for allowing us to be a part of His awesome miracles! We would like to thank the many of you who have so faithfully given to us either by supporting us monthly or by your special gifts that will allow us to travel to PNG. Right now we can say with great joy that we have received pledges for 90% of the monthly support quota that Wycliffe requires for us to receive while we live and serve in PNG. We are only lacking about $310/month in pledges! Praise God for His faithfulness and everlasting provision!

PLEASE PRAY

Pray for us as we continue our partnership development, speaking at churches and sharing about our ministry with individuals. Pray that through these speaking engagements God will raise up more people that will pray for us and that will support us financially. Please pray that we will reach 100% of our quota so that we can leave for PNG in late December or early January!

Furthermore, pray that God will prepare us for the training we will be receiving in January. Pray that we will be able to pack everything we need before we leave and that we will also have time to spend with friends and family here in Dallas as we say goodbye to them.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia too!)

(Pictures from left to right: Kassia with her aunt Adriana and cousin Valeria; Kassia getting ready to got to bed in Bogota)

October 2006 Update

2006-10-10T20:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Click HERE for our latest newsletter. Let us know how things are going and how God is working in your lives.

The letter is in .pdf format, which is readable with the free software program "Adobe Acrobat Reader." If you cannot open the attached letter, the reader program is available for download at the following website: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Also, please do let us know if you have any problems opening the file.

Blessings,

Kurt (for Johanna and Kassia too!)

Update on my Mom

2006-09-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. The last 11 days have been very emotional, but we as a family have been blessed to have been able to spend some quality time praying, crying, and at times even laughing with mom. Lois Jean Metzger, my mom, my friend, and one of my biggest supporters throughout my life passed away last night and is now in the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ. We thank God for the life she devoted to his service and our care, and we rejoice that she is in his presence now.

For those of you who would like to attend, a memorial service will be held at 10AM on Friday September 22 at:

Prestonwood Baptist Church 6801 W. Park Blvd. Plano, TX 75903 972-820-5000 Google Maps Link: Prestonwood Baptist Church

In his hands, Kurt (for Johanna and Kassia too!)

September 2006 Update

2006-09-17T16:38:00.002-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

In April of this year we wrote letting you know that Kurt’s mom had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Since then, she has gone through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for this cancer. Just last week, we found out that the cancer has metastasized and is very aggressive.

Her left lung collapsed and some cancerous fluid accumulated and was pressing on her heart, which made her struggle to breathe. Last Wednesday, she had surgery to drain the fluid in her lung and around her heart in order to relieve her breathing. The doctors have suggested that no further radical treatment for the cancer take place as it may even shorten her life. However, they said that they would like to lessen mom’s potential discomfort that can come along the way.

Please pray for Kurt’s mom to have comfort, both spiritual and physical, and for her peace. Pray for Kurt’s dad to have strength and grace. Also, pray for comfort for Kurt, his two brothers - Eric and Peter, and for his sister - Miriam.

Before this most recent turn of events Kurt and I had been packing our belongings to take to Papua New Guinea (PNG). A ship will be leaving at the end of September or beginning of October. It will take approximately four to six months for our things to get to PNG. If God allows, we be in PNG in December. A JAARS truck comes in to Dallas this coming Wednesday and will take our boxes to North Carolina where they will be put in a shipping container. Most of the things we will be taking have been packed, although we still have some last minute items that need to be purchased, organized, and boxed. Please pray for us as we try to finish up this task in the midst of what Kurt’s mom is going through.

We truly appreciate your support during this difficult time. Thank you so much for praying!

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia)

Pictures of Kassia

2006-08-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

From top left: Kassia coloring; getting on her stool to color; playing with her toys; and having fun with "Ma Ma"

July 2006 Update

2006-07-27T12:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for your prayers, the cards, words of encouragement and meals that you gave us last month when we lost our little one. How comforting it is to know that we are part of the family of Christ and that we are surrounded by His love during happiness and during sorrow!

Thank you also to those of you have now been supporting our ministry for many months and for those new individuals that have recently began to support us. We could not be a part of this ministry without your generous gifts.

Please let us know specifically how we can pray for you and your families!

God Provides

We had asked you to pray for us as we needed a place to live in after the month of July, and the Lord answered your prayers. Last month, a gracious lady from our church called and let us know that we could use her house while she would be gone on an extended trip to Peru. We have been here for about four weeks and have enjoyed getting settled in and having our own little place.

We are also grateful to God for his answer of prayer concerning our support level. This month we learned that a church that we visited during our partnership development trip in April will be supporting us financially. Also, in the past couple of months several individuals have come along side us in our ministry. This brings our support up to 68% of the approximately $2,900/month quota required to live and serve in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you go to the field?

Many of you have asked us when we are planning to go to PNG. Our current departure date is set December of this year (2006). Our passports have already been stamped with our visas, so as far as the paper work is concerned we are ready to go! However, we have to reach 100% of our support quota before we will be released to leave for the field. We have been in contact with the Wycliffe personnel administration in PNG and they have let us know that we can come as soon as we reach 100%. We will not have to wait until December to leave if we reach our quota earlier. The remaining 32% of our quota represents about 1 to 2 more supporting churches and 12 to 15 more individuals or families that will partner with us in this life-changing ministry.

Will you pray about partnering with us so that together we can support the work of translating God’s precious Word into the heart language of the Bibleless people groups of Papua New Guinea? If you would like more information about our ministry or know someone who would, please download this response form and email it back to us.

(A presentation, earlier this year, of the 159 New Testaments completed in PNG during the last 50 years)

How can we pray for you?

You can pray for us as we have five (or less) busy months ahead of us before we go to PNG. Please pray for us as we continue our partnership development, speaking at churches and sharing about our ministry with individuals. Pray also as we begin to sort and pack the things we are going to take. We will be shipping some of our belongings to PNG before we leave and we will also take some things with us in our suitcases.

Kassia’s Korner

Kassia is eighteen months old now! Time goes by quickly. She runs around the house talking and playing all the time. She loves to swim in her kiddy pool and enjoys going to water parks during this hot Texas summer.

She has been speaking much more lately and we enjoy seeing her improvements. She can sing the ABC song and loves singing Jesus Loves Me in Spanish. She speaks quite a bit of English now and some words in Spanish. Kurt talks to her in English most of the time and I speak to her in Spanish. We want her to be at least bilingual as she grows up – she will probably learn Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin) in PNG also!

Praise and Prayer

Praise God for the comfort and encouragement He has provided through many of you as we mourn the loss of our baby.
Praise God for providing a house for us to stay until we depart to go to the field.
Praise Him for providing a new church and new individuals to support us. Praise Him that we have reached 68% of our support quota to go to PNG!
Pray for us as we share in churches and with individuals about our ministry.
Pray that God will provide the 32% that we are lacking of our support quota.
Pray for us as we begin sorting and packing for our trip.

In His hands,

Johanna (for Kurt and Kassia too!)

Rejoice in the Lord Always!

2006-06-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Loved Ones,

This past week has gone by so quickly for us. Sunday afternoon Johanna noticed that she was bleeding slightly, which is not normal during pregnancy. She was able to go in to see her doctor on Monday morning. After performing a sonogram, the doctor determined that the baby had stopped developing over a month ago (this is medically called a Missed Abortion). Just this morning we went to the hospital for day surgery and her doctor was able to remove what was left of the pregnancy and clean Johanna’s uterus. It was quick, about 30 minutes for the actual operation, but it was still surgery! Johanna will have to be still for about 24 hours and then take it easy for the next two weeks. Her doctor said that the procedure went well and for the most part Johanna is doing well except for some discomfort that was expected.

We want to thank God for this little one that He brought into our lives, even for this short while, and has taken home to be with Him. We had so many plans and hopes for what we were going to do together… we loved this little baby. We now look forward to the day, in heaven, when we do get to meet.

Kassia has been such and encouragement to us during this time and always brings joy to our hearts! We thank God for her and those of you who also have encouraged us. Likewise, we thank God for allowing us to have Johanna’s mom with us right now. She came to visit not knowing all that would happen, but is glad to be able to help us during this time.

Thank you for your prayers!

In His hands,
Kurt (for Johanna and Kassia)

May 2006 Update

2006-05-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for praying for us as we were traveling during the month of April. Also, we want to thank those of you who have partnered with us financially. We had a wonderful trip and the Lord opened many doors for our ministry. Let me tell you a little about our itinerary!

We first visited Western Springs Baptist Church near Chicago, Illinois on Sunday April 9th. Monday the 10th we met with the church’s missions committee and had a successful meeting. Tuesday the 11th we traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana. On Wednesday night we spoke to the Franklin Road Baptist Church Senior High youth group and had a great time sharing with them about missions. Friday April 14th we traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan and spent Easter weekend with Kurt’s older brother Eric and family who live there. Tuesday April 18th we went to Northern Michigan to a little town called Hale. Through some friends from our home church here in Dallas, God provided for us a beautiful log cottage to spend the week. Sunday April 23rd we spoke to the congregation at Hale Baptist Church about our ministry. Then finally on Monday April 24th we began our trip back to Dallas and arrived here in Desoto, TX in the afternoon of Wednesday April 26th.

Kassia with friends (Dave and Judy Wagner) in Western Springs, Illinois

Kassia with her cousin Stein in Kalamazoo, Michigan

We are also grateful for those of you who remembered to pray for Kassia during our trip. She did great most of the time and really enjoyed getting to meet new people and make new friends. In Chicago we were able to go to the Brookfield Zoo and she absolutely loved that! Of course on our way back to Dallas, after being in the car for 3 days, 8 hours each day, she was ready to get back home!

Kassia sleeping in the car with her bunny!

As you know, we were prayerfully hoping and preparing to go to the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) this August. Well, we had a little surprise come along our way. We recently found out that we are expecting our second child! We were very surprised because we were not planning on having a baby right now, but God has a perfect plan for us and we rest assured in knowing that to Him this was not a surprise! We know this little one is a gift and a blessing from our Father and we are greatly thankful for that.

We wrote to the Director’s Assistant for Personnel in PNG and after she spoke with the Assistant Director they have given us some advice knowing our current situation. First, they suggest that we stay here in Dallas until we have our child so that we can be at home near friends and family. They think that we will be able to travel to PNG when the baby is two months old (our pediatrician has said this is a good time also) and will have had his/her first round of immunizations. That means we would possibly be arriving in PNG sometime in March of 2007. We will first go to Ukarumpa, Wycliffe’s center of operations, where we will be living. There, Kurt will begin working in the Communication and Technical Services department until August of 2007, Lord willing, when we will attend the Pacific Orientation Course in Madang, PNG.

We know that the Lord’s plan for us is better then anything we ourselves could plan and we are grateful that being able to stay here for a little longer will allow us to be close to Kurt’s mom as she learns to live with lung cancer. We are also still lacking about 50% of our monthly financial support, but we know that God will provide the remainder in His perfect timing.

Finally, we would like to let you know that because of our change in plans we are looking for a house to rent from August of 2006 until March of 2007. If you know of anyone that is renting a house here in Dallas (South Dallas, Cedar Hill, Duncanville and South Grand Prairie area), please let us know. We would greatly appreciate any information regarding this matter.

Kassia on Easter Sunday!

Thank you again for praying for us and please let us know specifically how we can pray for you!

In His precious hands,
Johanna (for Kurt, Kassia, and baby Metzger!)