Overflowing and Sending Out

The Headlines:

This last month has been full and rich with fellowship, encouragement, work, travel, and celebration. Since the end of April, we have been in 4 different tribal areas, met with teams on 3 different mission centers, loved on the Mesi church, watched our kids be recognized for really hard work, and packed up our house for a summer trip back to the USA!

Most of the stories that we have, we will share in pictures below. We do want you all to know that we will be in Northern California (Humboldt County) for most of June and July and would love to connect with as many people as our time allows. That said, we will be meeting some essential family needs during those months as well so, please understand if we have to give out some rain checks. Our email is the same as always and our phone number hasn't changed from last time. 

We love you and appreciate you all,

Nate for us

Now, on to the pictures:

Yup, that is our Tim, resting on his laurels (and supported by the rest of the boys in his class). After celebrating graduation yesterday, we are now on our way back to the States for a couple of months. We hope to get Tim settled into Cedarville University and be back in PNG before Elias's classes begin in August.  With 2 of 3 Claasen boys leaving the nest, we are getting a bit empty in our household! But don't worry too much, next year we will have the pleasure of adding a temporary 'son' who will board with us while finishing up high school coursework.

An "only in New Guinea" moment: Daily rains + graduation in a large tent on the school soccer field = swampy venue. Stylish ladies chose to accessorize sensibly.

Both of the boys were recognized for exceptional efforts. Elias made the most of his time as a member of the student council and Tim won several scholarship awards. 

Adventure awaits in the form of marita - these seeds from large 12-24" long pods are boiled to release the oils. The resulting red oily treat is sucked off of the seeds, spoonful by spoonful. Be careful not to accidentally suck a seed down your throat, gagging will definitely ensue! Believers from the Mihi language group shared this specialty with us during our visit there.

Greeting the Mihi people. We spent time there with the church, seeking to understand what their needs are and how we can help them.

After our visit to Mihi, Nate and another consultant headed off to New Britain to spend time with church leaders from the 23 different people groups on the western half of that island. What a great time to spend with committed men, hearing about their excitement and partnership in the gospel. We are working on how to work better with the local churches - empowering and equipping them to reach beyond even what we can do as a mission.

Nothing unites men like shared misery. Tim has been asking for years to hike over to Kovol and play a board game with our friends there. We came up with an alternative: hike across the Adelbert mountains with Tim and two of his friends, with time spent in Kovol, Pal, and Kuyu (the newest missionary outpost). 4 days and lots of adventure have bonded us in ways that we will never forget! 

Hiking in the rain couldn't dampen our enjoyment of some of the natural beauty of PNG!

The hills that we hiked were incredible. We were glad to have a rest/work day in Pal before continuing on to Kuyu. 

Meeting with the Mesi church! It was great to hear some of the most able teachers share personally from God's Word. You can't see it here, but the boys shared some really cramped space. 

In oral societies, rumors run rampant. Here we are sitting down with the Kuyu people to help put some crazy stories to rest. I (Nate) personally have been named as a man of power by the Kuyu people - and so we spent time talking about how I am just a normal person. Zach (on the left) particularly enjoyed the part where I was talking about leaving butt prints rather than footprints because I had to learn to walk the trails of the Adelberts. "How could one who is so lousy at walking your trails be a man of immense hidden (and ancient) power?"

Elizabeth and I also had a couple of extra days with the Mesi believers. We were encouraged by them and were able to encourage them as well. They have been through some very hard things lately and are seeing depth and reality in their faith that they hadn't felt before. 

Luge says "good bye!" We love you all and are very thankful for your care and prayers for us.