Silent Memorials
Little remains here in PNG to mark the often heroic efforts of the men who fought here in WWII. Jungle vines and kunai grass embrace the remnants of planes (and other equipment) lost in hard fought skirmishes. Just as the silent, rusting hulks are slowly being swallowed by the jungle, the stories are fading as well. The children of those who remember the war are old now and, although they can recount much, it is without the vivid detail of eyewitness accounts. I had the opportunity to hike through some swamp here on Saturday and there saw no less than four separate planes in various states of decay and dismemberment.
Friends of ours showing off a downed WWII plane.
Another trophy of the sego swamp.
So why are we talking about WWII planes? As I looked at the planes and talked to the guys about them, I began to pray that the impact of the gospel will not fade in the same way. Now we are seeing exciting things happen here in PNG. One tribal church is reaching out to a neighboring language group for the first time this fall. There are believers, leaders in the church, who, two years ago, did not have any idea of what Christianity is all about. We are hoping and praying that the hours and dollars that are spent reaching these folks is the beginning of something - that they will pick it up and carry it on. Will you pray with us to that end? Remember, these folks are real people (we are more aware of that with each passing day), they have the same kinds of fears, same kinds of desires, sames kinds of temptations, and same kinds of struggles that people face the world over.
As for us, you can pray for balance in study, managing household duties, family time, and communication tasks. We so much want each and every one of you to know how precious your encouragement and prayers are to us. We want you all to know that we need you, our teammates, to function as a body with us. Thanks!
PS. You might recall a certain rumor about Nate buying a large tuna fishing/canning outfit here in town fro a previous post. Well, the saga continues... a second rumor that has been circulating is that Nate is a reporter from a major newspaper and is writing an expose on the facility. After quashing that one, we have heard that there is a new one: Nate is supposedly an inspector for the government, looking to shut them down for poor sanitation... we'll let you know more as time progresses...
Friends of ours showing off a downed WWII plane.
Another trophy of the sego swamp.
So why are we talking about WWII planes? As I looked at the planes and talked to the guys about them, I began to pray that the impact of the gospel will not fade in the same way. Now we are seeing exciting things happen here in PNG. One tribal church is reaching out to a neighboring language group for the first time this fall. There are believers, leaders in the church, who, two years ago, did not have any idea of what Christianity is all about. We are hoping and praying that the hours and dollars that are spent reaching these folks is the beginning of something - that they will pick it up and carry it on. Will you pray with us to that end? Remember, these folks are real people (we are more aware of that with each passing day), they have the same kinds of fears, same kinds of desires, sames kinds of temptations, and same kinds of struggles that people face the world over.
As for us, you can pray for balance in study, managing household duties, family time, and communication tasks. We so much want each and every one of you to know how precious your encouragement and prayers are to us. We want you all to know that we need you, our teammates, to function as a body with us. Thanks!
PS. You might recall a certain rumor about Nate buying a large tuna fishing/canning outfit here in town fro a previous post. Well, the saga continues... a second rumor that has been circulating is that Nate is a reporter from a major newspaper and is writing an expose on the facility. After quashing that one, we have heard that there is a new one: Nate is supposedly an inspector for the government, looking to shut them down for poor sanitation... we'll let you know more as time progresses...
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