Welcome 2021 & January Prayer Requests

The Claasen Family, Dec. 2020

We're all happy to welcome 2021 and see out the old year.  It was a long and hard one for many of us!  Revelation 22 encouraged my heart this week as I looked ahead to the future: 

 "Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb...No longer will there be a curse upon anything.  For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads." (Rev. 22:1,3-4)

What hope and courage we have because of Him!  We don't normally do this, but I'd like to lay out a 'calendar' for January and some prayer requests for all you dear praying friends.  It's gonna be a fun, full, and intense month.  Please pray with us:

Jan. 5     Elders from the Gimi tribal church arrive here.  They have spent the last weeks visiting and encouraging local churches among the Hamtai & Pawaian people groups and want to download with Nate.  Pray for godly leadership to be sustained in these tribal areas and for new men to be raised up!

Jan. 6    Our 20th wedding anniversary.  Praise Him with us for twenty years of His faithfulness!

Jan. 8    Nate leaves for a culture and language acquisition check in the Kovol language group along with our co-worker, Chris H.  Pray for the Hansen family as these checks can feel grueling, but they are helpful to uncover areas where we are not yet communicating clearly.  Pray for encouragement and strength as they prepare to share the Gospel with the Kovol people in the next few years!

Nate and I visiting at the baptism service in Pal, Nov. 2020

Jan. 11   On his way back to Goroka, Nate will spend several hours with the Mesi church leaders, hearing how things have been going.  Pray for good connections and conversations.  Chris will stay longer, but Nate has to return for...

Jan. 12-14     Field Leadership Team meetings.  3 days of meeting, 9 hours per day.  Yeah, it's intense.  This set of meetings will be discussing all of the infrastructure and personnel that helps keep missionaries in really remote locations.  Think aviation, education, finances, mission centers and vehicles, etc etc.  Pray for endurance for the men who are meeting as they talk through nitty-gritty decisions that will affect our entire field and every missionary serving with Ethnos360 in PNG.

Jan. 15    An all-day meeting for Elizabeth, with the Missionary Kid Care & Education Team.  Pray for wisdom in the decisions we will discuss that day, and that we will think clearly and well about the needs of the MKs on the field.

Jan. 15-17    Senior Class Retreat!  As advisors, we'll be spending the weekend with the 13 seniors, talking about what godly leadership looks like and challenging them towards individual and authentic faith.  Pray that our seniors will be encouraged and brought closer to Christ through the weekend.

Jan. 19    In-person school starts back up for our boys!  This will be Noah's final semester of 12th grade and Tim and Elias will be completing grades 10 and 8, respectively.  Pray for the staff and students at Numonohi Christian Academy, that they will be spared illness and that teachers and students can 'catch up' after a full 10 months of 'computer-led' learning (insert eye roll).

Jan. 21    Some 60 new and returning missionaries will arrive in Papua New Guinea!  We are so thankful to see doors reopening.  Our small mission center will hopefully be approved as a quarantine facility, and we will be helping coordinate care for 4 new families and 1 returning couple for the following 14 days.  Food purchase and delivery, trash removal and safe-distancing 'check ins' will be an important part of the last 2 weeks of the month.  Pray that our team here will serve these new and returning missionaries well as they quarantine according to PNG government regulations.

End of January    Looking ahead to Noah's graduation and our return to the USA for a 6-month home assignment, we have a lot of work before us to transition well.  Pray that we will be able to make healthy plans for the transition with a couple overseeing connections with local & rural churches, a couple who will be managing the Center, and for a new leadership team who will be overseeing connecting with & caring for remote church planters.

Thanks dear friends.  We are thankful for each one of you...and we're thankful for the privilege we have of serving here in Papua New Guinea, offering the water of life from the Lamb.

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."  Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life....He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!"  Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!"

Revelation 22:17, 20