November 5

 Caleb has been preaching recently from Mark 5 about the man with the demons in the cemetery.  It's such a great passage to teach on since they are all too familiar with demons themselves. We have had some great conversations with them regarding the demonic force and how to turn from it. We explain to them that if they let go of this evil and turn to Christ the Holy Spirit will come to live in them and they will be shielded and protected from the demons coming to make camp inside them. Sad to say I believe there was a young girl in our village with a demon. She was "long, long" as they say in pidgin, meaning crazy. I would talk to her and at one point helped her with a sore on her hand that was literally eating away half of her flesh. The sad thing is that in October she drowned in the river. Reality check.... yes demons are real, and yes they want you dead. I was so heart broken by this, but have been using it as a teaching tool to others that they do not have to fear this if they turn to Christ.

On another note, 2:45am Caleb and I were woken up to our names being called outside. It was like a weird dream, for you heard your name being called but there was no knock at the door or anything, just this faint whisper. We both jumped out of bed thinking that there must be something no good happening for why would they wake us up. My heart always starts to pump that adrenaline and get me ready for the fight or flight of what is coming. When we turned on the light and walked outside there was Elsi and Simoi holding a bamboo torch and telling us that MORE FUEL WAS STOLEN. Yup you heard me if it wasn't enough to to steal 15 gallons before they had to steal another 15 gallons~ oh  I was so mad. You see two days before we took down the motor house because obviously it was too easy to break into to steal. So we took it down and Simoi was going to build a bigger and better one. We had the fuel in 55gallon drums on the grass next to his house not thinking at all that someone would dare steal it again and out in the open like that. YUP, we were wrong. We know its an inside job and one of our Moka people stole it. We now have a court order out for them since no one will tell us who did it. I feel like screaming and crying at the same time. I mean I told them we help you, care for you and share the Word of God with you and this is how you treat us. I am not the first missionary nor the last and I know that many, many missionaries have gone through this as well as much worse. 

Please pray for us, 

*that they will not continue to steal from us

*that they will be saved

*that the Lord will protect us and care for us.

*that our hearts will be in the right place!

the new motor house being built

kids on the river fishing

the village

Hard times

October, 23-25th 

Both of these days will be forever burned into my memory. Sunday the 23rd started off as any other Sunday. We started meeting under Jamica's house because the village said they didn't want us meeting in the school building anymore. We waited to see if anyone would volunteer to have the meeting on their property and he did! We sang and had a regular meeting about 5 men showed up so we are thankful. That afternoon Jamica and his wife, Nano said there were going into the bush (the jungle) to get sak sak which is their staple food from a tree. My day went on and we went about our business until it was coffee night. Coffee night is something we do for every Sunday afternoon where we serve coffee and have a devotional. This time normally leads into some great conversation about Biblical things. Well anyway we were all talking when a kid ran up to tell his mom that another kid got bitten by a poison snake. I over heard this and ran into the house to get the snake bite kit and started down towards the river. When I arrived  I found out it was Jamica's granddaughter, and she was already dead. They were wailing over her and holding her up. It is such a hard thing to be a part of because culturally  it is so different. There is no satin sheets or a beautiful box it is just raw straight up reality. A dirty body that died of the poison of that awful snake. But worse then that is the evil one just keeps winning another one. Sandra was about 10/11 and was walking the jungle with her grandfather to cut little trees to make a shelter. She was bit on the leg but not really aware of it and within three hours was dead. I found it to be ironic that it was the granddaughter to the man who had opened his house up to have the Sunday meetings under. The gospel was heard that day and the evil one was not too happy. Satan is real and he is not thrilled about us. Please pray for this village, please pray that the Word will go forth and His Holy Spirit will save. 

Oct 25th

Wednesday was the day Caleb was coming back from the village 8 hours away. I didn't sleep well that night. I had fear and felt overwhelmed by many things. I was making supper around 3:30 pm figuring I would get it all ready for when he arrived. Elijah yelled out to me while I was chopping onions, that a man was in the yard. It was Sibona, I ran to see what he needed and he yelled that his son was bitten by a poison snake. At first I honestly thought he was joking. We just had buried the other girl the day before. I was like are you sure? I saw his wife in the windhouse  (our little gazebo type building on the property) with the boy on her lap. Elijah helped me gather the snake bite stuff and we went running. He was alive and talking. I first went right to the wrapping and then the suction of the poison. I did that for about 15 mins and just started praying. His name is Benjamin so I asked him questions and he knew who I was and was well  aware of what was happening. He told me that his side was in pain and I figured the poison was already raging through his body. Bella and Elijah were sitting there as well. I couldn't get a good timeline of when he was bit so I was not sure what would happen. I told them I would be right back for I was going to call out on the radio to my in-laws to have them pray. By the time I came back the whole village was there and they were doing their custom stuff on him. I think at that point I lost it. I started talking really loud that none of this would save him. Nothing could save him now other then God Himself. I could feel this oppression of evil pushing down on me. Benjamin was screaming now and the pain was making him convulse. Yes people this is real and this was happening.  I was watching his little body die and the people have such fear in their eyes. I was holding his hand at one point and his parents were screaming his name in his ear. We were losing him to the poison. I felt like I was defeated. I felt helpless and surrounded by no hope. Caleb was still gone so I was on my own with Christ as my warrior. Why couldn't he save him? And then he died. I wailed with tears rolling down my face. He was gone and he was only 5. Why? Lots of why's, ran through my mind. Doubt crept in at points. 

My children see and are apart of things not many children in the states are. They see real life is ways many might think they shouldn't but this is reality we all die and there is no sugar coating it here. Right after he died they whisked him down to the village to cry and with that everyone was gone and the kids and I were left alone. As I cried I feared as well, What if it was my children? Lord why do you have so many people here die from TB and snakebites help me... Please Lord guide me through the struggle help me I need you more than ever because I feel so stripped of all things. 

(side note, I found out later that he was about an hour away and his father ran to my house from the bush to get help. So he was bit over an hour before he got to me.)

For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

12 

they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Psalm 91: 11-13

There is no one holy like the Lord;

    there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2

this is the us under Jamica's House.

ole to even in the midst of the dark hours. You can

Oct 19 & 20

Oct 19,

Sometimes... I feel like why does the Lord have us here? 

I'll think about how many don’t come to hear the word. How they lie, cheat and manipulate. Yet they see the need to be a part of the cult and spend all day Saturday at that meeting. They have such fear of their name being taken out of the mission book, therefore they are told not to attend our meetings.

We have come to tell them about the Gospel and we just have to trust that Lord will save his people. I remind Caleb a lot of being obedient to Christ’s call and I too have to remind myself of it as well even if we feel discouraged. Praise God that Christ has done more than we could ever do and never once failed. We always fall, and our small sacrifices and disappointments will never compare to his. 

So as we stand back up feeling defeated  and we look to the Scriptures to guide us so that we may continue to give Christ more every day. Missionary life is no walk in the park but neither is Christianity and being a follower of Christ. Listen to me, wherever God has you whether it's here in PNG or in America we are called to listen to his word and remain obedient to his commandments. 

Pray with us so the Moka people will see the light and understand the truth of his word.

October 20

My  current struggle is joy and finding it. 

I was listening to the sermon by John Piper on “How we only find our joy through Jesus Christ." So many times I feel like I should have such joy and be radiating joy but then again if I’m not looking for it from God’s word  nothing is going to give it to me. My struggle with the people is real. It can be so hard sometimes with them.

 I’ll give you an example, one of the women came up saying that she had an awful stomachache, throwing up and so on. So I handed her a few crackers and told her here’s the medicine for her stomach. ( which would be like a Gatorade) When I handed her the crackers her children went ballistic grabbing for them and crying.  I said, " just keep them to yourself this is for you so that your stomach will feel better."  But all she did was hand it to the children so she didn’t have to hear them yell.  Survival of the fittest is very real and I see it here. It’s so hard for me because I just want to scream. I want to take it back and say no, I'm not going to help you with these sort of problems if your just going to hand everything over to your "well" children! 

Please pray for my heart right now.  It's been a hard 2 weeks. I do love them, I am here serving them. I just get angry or bitter when they do these things. 

 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who had been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith,"-1 John5:3-4

eating a meal and sharing the word at Miria's house

Jamica reading the pidgin bible

the kids looking at a caught cassowary

our house 

Oct 10 & 15

Oct 10, It’s been a year since Caleb had started building this house and by January 2020 we were able to sleep in it. I’m thankful for all of the conveniences I have now. The shower, toilet, kitchen, stove, running water, and the refrigerator.It makes our day easier as we are not in survival mode, but can live more like we are used to. The couch!!! the couch!!! (I mentioned it before but I’ll mention again) makes all the difference.

Oct15

I was talking with a woman today her name is Nano. I helped her with her daughter who had fallen in the fire. She was burned mostly on her belly. She was telling me that the same little girl fell off of the banana boat and sank in the water not that long ago. 

Her story goes like this;

Her husband and her were paddling down from the place where the airstrip is. They were in the front of the boat and the little girl was in the back. She’s about three. She fell off the back into the brown murky water and they couldn’t see her at all. Her husband Jamica jumped in fully clothed with gum boots and all to find his little girl. He grabbed her but apparently she slipped through his hands and when he returned he only had her shirt. The mother went on to tell me that she prayed that the Lord would save her a little girl and cried out to Jesus to help them. She saw something with bubbles in the water and told her husband to go there. He reach down and there was a little girl, apparently she had not swallowed any water which is amazing to me. I pray the Lord has a purpose for her, for this was not her time. I spoke to Nαno about just crying out to the Lord and then going back to normal life after that won't save you. We talked about how Christ saves his people when they do cry out for help but with repentance and realizing that we are sinners and nothing can save us but Him alone. We spoke about how God is the only one in control of our life and death and how it wasn't his purpose for that little girl to die. I later found out that she attended  (years ago) the mormon church in the province next to us. She sees Jesus as a heavenly figure that is there but not involved in her life. I am praying that after all the preaching and conversations that she has heard and has had with us, that the Lord will save her. Please pray for her eyes to be opened to the true Jesus and that He will save HIS people!

" And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" -Acts2:21

October 6, 2020

What does life look like for us upon our arrival. There always seems to be mold and lots of dust... don’t ask me how so much dirt collects because the film that I wipe off the glass is unbelievable. We wash down the mold with bleach as well as all of the surfaces and the chairs. I change our sheets and then I have the huge task of putting everything into its place. We spend so much time packing everything up at the mission house only to unpack everything again here. This time was a little more time consuming because we had to put all the drawers for the kitchen in. I had to decide where everything was gonna be and how it was going to be situated. The kids help but seem to get overwhelmed by all of it so a lot of the time I’m the one Unpacking.

 

         This time we brought in the couch. It really makes all the difference to sit on the cushions versus the plastic chairs always. The refrigerator is running well and is a blessing to us, for we have cheese, butter and meat. 

          Caleb worked on putting the water pipe back on the back of the tank as well as turning the solar all back on and making sure everything is working properly. He was also able to put the shower walls on for we were just using plastic as a wall covering before. It took us a good four days to get everything settled in. 

         As for the village news...we came back to 20 gallons of our fuel stolen out of our little shed. The fuel is what we use to go up and down the river to preach to these people that are in villages further away. We were so saddened to hear this not only did they steal it but they also burned our containers which we had sent over from the United States. So now we have a court case which is not the most ideal situation. 

         Many came to the meeting this week. I think it is because they felt bad for what happened but nonetheless they heard the word and we pray that it went forth.

July 7-9

Yesterday we had 40 adults cut the grass and clean up the yard. We were so thankful for it because, being away from the village from March -June it was such a big mess.  

In the afternoon I saw a ton of people for medical. Lots of coughs and swollen lymph nodes. Many probably have TB but because of the 8 hour trip on the river it is super expensive to get them to the good hospital.  A Although, many have already gotten this treatment and it’s a great success.

We have seen a lot more faces around because of the covid situation many have gone / come back to their home village. It’s been good for the ministry because many have come to see what we are about and have heard the Word!

Caleb left with a bunch of men to go to the town of Kikori. It is 8 hours away by boat( dingy) and part of his travel is on the ocean. Remember we raised the money to buy a fiberglass boat? Well this is the place that he is going to go buy it. I have to admit I was quite worried about him on this journey especially because the kids and I were left in the village.

Once he got to the village he was able to contact us through the sat device. He told me he was able to buy a 23’ dingy and would be returning home later today! Praise be to God! 

Elsi and Salati stayed most of the day in my little wind house. We talked and ate. I made coffee and shared candy with them. I even brought out my computer and showed them books being read aloud. We picked books that they could relate to such as, “Rainbow Fish”, “ Private Eye Iguana”, “Clark the Shark” and “Stella Luna”. I mean I could have played “ Blueberries for Sal” but they have no idea what blueberries are nor what a bear is.

Finally Caleb returned later in the day. We were so thankful to see him drive up with the new dingy and are so thankful to all of you who have made it possible for us to have this. We named it “ The Messenger”. 

Praise the Lord for His goodness to us and protecting us both while we were apart!

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24

blog entry for July 3-4

June 30th 

We flew all the way to Moka only to make it 1700 ft above the ground and not find a hole to get under the clouds. So we turned back around and were told to sit tight until aviation could get us out again another day. We left our house on July 3rd, at 7:30 am to try again to get into Moka, upon our arrival both pilots had been watching the weather and were saying that the storm is right over our area and the 8 O’ Clock departure looked like it was a no go. They advised us to wait till the afternoon and maybe we could reassess it again. We went home to wait it out for a little while. I have to say I was so discontent. I felt like maybe we shouldn’t go in. Maybe we should wait for the end of the month? My uneasiness can quickly turn to worry and despair. I didn’t want to unpack again I didn’t want to wake up another day with the stress of travel. I felt like this 2020 year wasn’t going “ MY WAY” (problem #1) “ MY WAY” is not GODs way! Around 11 am we got the call saying they were ready. The clouds looked like they were breaking (according to the weather app) and they were willing to try. The whole time in flight I prayed that the Lord would protect us and that He would use me. I asked for joy and contentment . The flight was fine up until we got to our area where there was the cloud cover again. Thankfully our trusty pilots maneuvered the plane down through a hole and we were under the cloud cover at 800 ft. above sea level. We were flying through rain (which I hate) but they are very good at what they do and got us to the airstrip! We even flew close to our village and we could see the shining of our roof in the distance. I believe I wrote before that no one knew when we were coming back into the village, so we were a little concerned that we would have to walk with all the cargo to the river… over 1 ½ kilometers. God was good and a truck came within the first 10 minutes after our landing. I paid him with homemade cookies. 

We were at the river in no time and now just waiting on someone with a boat and motor to get us to our village. We were standing there no longer than 5 minutes when I was told that one lady was in the little clinic there with a snake bite on her finger. I always carry the snake bite kit, “the extractor” with me as well as an ace bandage to wrap the limb. I was able to get her arm wrapped up to her underarm and pull some blood and poison out of the wound. I taught the two nurses in that clinic how to use the kit and gave them one to keep there. As for the woman I gave it to her straight for fear she may die at anytime.I really couldn’t sugar coat anything. I told her that her “custom” or any “mission” couldn’t save her from the depths of hell. I explained that only through Jesus Christ can we be saved. “For He is the way the truth and the life”… I asked her if she had children, she said 8. I talked to her about how they need her and we need to pray to God to save you physically as well as spiritually. It dawned on me there that this is where the Lord wanted me. This is why the plane had to divert and this is why we do missions. I can’t save her but I am called to witness. I am called as a disciple of Christ to bring the good news to all the world. Even though I’m not the preacher God has a plan for me and the ministry He wants me to fulfill in PNG. I left that clinic confident that the Lord would take care of her and as I walked up to the river the boat was loaded and they were waiting on me. He answered our prayers about, getting in, getting the truck, getting a ride on a boat, and showing me that He would use me. Praise be to the Lord!!! My prayer is that this trip in the village will be a testimony too many.

Unpopular

I would love for you to watch and listen to this link if you have time. Its about 30 mins and worth it. It's called "Unpopular" by redgracemedia

 https://youtu.be/97k4z6Qe7JM    

As Christians in the western world we are very unpopular. Right now in America there is so much division and judgment on others it's scary. If you wear a mask you are wrong, if you don't wear a mask you are wrong. If we preach the good news of the Gospel to the public, we are haters and don't show love. I am tired of always being put into these categories. The Country is divided and we need to stand on Gods word in order to guide us. Even though I am in PNG that doesn't mean I will take a stand against what is wrong in my own country. My passport still reads, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Key word "UNITED", we are so far from that right now. It hurts my heart when I scroll across facebook and see people arguing and fighting over many things. To see the justice system crumble and our President disrespected. All through the old testament you can read of God's judgement on nations and how He destroys them. He only lets things go so far until he steps in and crushes the nation.

 "Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced."
                                                1 Chronicles 16:12

 When you become a Christian and God saves you. You automatically become "unpopular" Gods word is offensive and that is what people will hold against you. His word talks about sin and judgement but it also gives us hope and joy. His word has rules and order. Thats why so many people hate it. They don't want to be told what to do by anyone especially GOD! FELLOW believers now is the time to be spreading the gospel. You do not need to have a "missionary" title. YOU need to be declaring the good news to nations, especially America. I fear for America and what will become of it but I do truly believe in the sovereignty of God and that the outcome will glorify Him. He doesn’t just allow things to happen for no reason, everything in the end glorifies God.

 "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it." -John 11:4

 Through Lazaruses death and Christ calling Him out of the grave. It gave Him more glory.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”-
 John 11:25/26

 I know I normally write my journal entries and such but this has been weighing heavy on my heart. How long will this continue on no one knows so today is the day to unite with Christ and share the good news.