Red Light, Green Light, Moon Light...

Ever the optimist, I (Elizabeth) have more than once convinced myself that the struggles we are facing with a world-wide pandemic will resolve quickly.  "It's a red light now, but soon it will be green!"  

Last month our mission leadership made a careful and well-thought-out plan for our mission school to reopen in September.  All of the pieces were slotting into place, and we mentally geared up for the start of Noah's senior year.  Tim will be starting 10th grade and Elias, 8th.  (Green light!  Right?)

(And speaking of light, I love these pictures Nate caught of Elias marking the 'size' of the moon.  So often I want to break our life down into small, comprehensible pieces...pieces that I think I can understand and control. "Measuring the moon," so to speak.  Looks like we've got it all figured out...right?)

When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers - the moon and the stars You set in place - what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them? ~ Ps. 8:3

 This week, we learned that due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in Port Moresby (our capital city), flights into the city were significantly delayed for a few weeks.  The delays affected the missionary teachers who had planned to return with time for quarantine before the start of school.  Now, starting 'normal school' won't be possible.  (Red light...)

So what does our future hold?  While I may want to measure all the pieces (Moon light...) we just have a few specific things to ask you to pray for our family:

• We will be homeschooling this fall.  Please pray for wisdom and stamina as we oversee and teach our kids and also come alongside others who are serving!
• Nate hopes to travel into another jungle location to help assess culture and language aquisition progress of the missionaries there.  Right now they are awaiting government permission for the helicopter flights to take place.
• Pray for the Kelly family, who are still praying and working towards coming to PNG in mid-October!

And, for those of you who have made it this far, a few more needs we are carrying on our hearts for other missionaries in our area:

• Two families had planned to send their older teens to a dorm for the start of school, but now must make the hard decision of whether to keep their teens in very remote, lonely locations for the semester or to return to a mission center.
• One single missionary had to leave her location very quickly a few weeks ago due to violence between two warring clans.  Please pray with her for peace and for lives and homes to be spared in her village.
• A missionary team is wrapping up evangelistic teaching this week!  We have prayed for and supported this team through the last few years and we have loved watching a new people group hear about the promised Redeemer.  We are praying for energy and unity for the team and for MANY to believe and trust in Him!
• A missionary went through chemo for cancer last year and really needs her follow-up one-year scan, but right now she isn't allowed to travel to the normal places where PET scans are offered. (Hint: not in PNG).  Our mission clinic is doing their best to assess through blood-work, ultrasound and x-ray.  Please pray that Australia and Taiwan will re-open for travel soon.
• Another missionary team wants to build a team office and is trying to make the hard decision about whether or not they should travel right now - flights were recently restricted again, and road travel may also be limited.  Should the wives and kids stay at a mission center while the husbands take the opportunity to build?  

We're involved with each one of these dear individuals, families and teams.  We're waaaaaaaay out of our depth as we seek to care and come alongside them.  Thanks for praying with us and for us!

Nate and Rodney take a break during a visit to encourage and assist missionaries in East New Britain.