Rollercoaster Ride Prayers

My bug-eyed appearance in this ancient picture from 2016, ready to go up the Matterhorn rollercoaster, is a pretty good representation of how we're feeling now.  *As a side note, Tim is no longer this tiny.


 

Nate's got a countdown to graduation on his phone's lockscreen, and I keep doing a double-take whenever it catches my eye.  Really?  Just that many more days?  Really?

We are so grateful for you who are praying for us during these intense weeks in PNG, as we wrap up our current work here in Papua New Guinea and head towards a 6-month home assignment.  Here are some specific needs:

May 3-7     Nate and our co-worker Chris H will travel to a mission center on the coast of PNG, where 17 missionary adults (8 families and a single) are learning the trade language and culture of their new adopted country.  Please pray for Nate and Chris as they will do language and culture evaluations for all 17 of them.  Nate will also be teaching several modules for the newbies and Chris will take an afternoon to drive corrugated roofing tin as far up the road as he can get towards Pal.  Believers will hike down to carry it up.  The tin was purchased from money that the believers freely gave and will be used to cover the physical structure that the church is meeting in.  It has been reroofed several times with bamboo and sago palm leaves, but right now a rainy Sunday morning makes for a damp and muddy Mesi church service.  *Please pray for Nate and Chris to have strength to cover heavy responsibilities and to walk alongside new missionaries with loving care and strengthening direction.  Please pray for safety for Pal believers as they carry roofing materials on slippery mountain trails.*

In the air again!  So thankful for our faithful aviation staff making travel in country possible.

May 12        Nate will travel to a tribal location to help with language checks for two ladies.  Both of these ladies have worked faithfully and are praying that they will be done with their language and culture study.  *Please pray that they will remember all they know and that the checks would give clarity and direction!*

May 15        Noah's Senior banquet is tonight, but his date will likely not be able to attend due to complications with COVID restrictions.  *Will you please pray for him as he goes through 'last time' events here in Papua New Guinea?*

May 20         We will move out of our rental house on our mission center and into a guesthouse so that deep cleaning can begin.  The checklist includes washing nearly every surface in the house, pulling out appliances and cleaning behind them, and the like.  A friend will help me but it is going to be a lot of work to clean, pack and sort our home.  *Pray that I won't be overwhelmed with decisions about what to pack away and what to leave out (our house will be used as an overflow guesthouse).  Pray for Noah as he packs up his room and his earthly belongings and gets ready to settle in a new home across the planet.*

June 3        Noah's graduation ceremony.  In past years, graduation ceremonies here have felt like a combo graduation/wedding/funeral!  Worship, speeches, spiritual encouragement, goodbyes, a receiving line, many tears and many goodbyes until heaven, perhaps.  Most of that will still happen this year with a much smaller group, but goodbyes and hugs are going to be really problematic because of the COVID outbreak in country.  *Please pray that God will provide opportunities for the twelve seniors to say healthy goodbyes to beloved friends and coworkers.*

June 4        We will begin our long trek back to the USA: 3 COVID tests before our international flights even begin.  4 flights total.  30+ hours of flight time, heading around the world from Papua New Guinea to Singapore, on to Doha in Qatar and finally arriving in San Francisco on June 6th.  We'll quarantine with family for a week after arriving in Humboldt County.  Aaargh, those time-sensitive COVID tests!  *PRAY with us that we will get our results from the hospital in the capital city in plenty of time for travel.  Pray with us that we are all negative!  And pray that we will have calm hearts to trust Him through long hours of travel and the jet lag that always messes significantly with our sleep once we arrive in California.*

We are remembering that life is short and eternity is long.  As we face lots of change in our family, we are reminded that LIFE is all about HIM and making HIM known.  Last weekend, our fellowship was reminded of this promise from Rev. 3:11-12 - "I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.  All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of My God, and they will never leave it.  And I will write on them the name of My God, and they will be citizens in the city of My God - the new Jerusalem..."

Grateful for that citizenship and for your prayers and partnership alongside us,

The Claasens