Update and Prayer Request

We wanted to make you aware of some friends that have become very close over the last half a year or so. Although we have only known them for a short time, we know they will be lifelong friends of ours. There names are Jon and Adie Leedahl and they have taught us much about what it means to follow Christ and trust in the Lord day to day.

Jon and Adie with their three boys were living in Ukarumpa in order to have Jon receive training on flying in Papua New Guinea. They are with New Tribes Mission and had the desire to bring the gospel message to the far corners of Papua New Guinea. They were going to do that through the service of aviation. The realization of that plan is now uncertain.

On Oct 15, Jon was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him in critical condition.  After a medivac to Cairns, Australia Jon began undergoing surgeries to repair the damage. The doctor's did what they could for Jon's right leg, but it was too badly damaged to repair. They amputated Jon's right leg out of necessity.  Jon's left foot and knee required surgery as well. Needless to say, the road to recovery seems long and challenging.

Us with Jon and Adie

When Jon was medivaced, Adie went with him. We stepped in and helped watch there three boys for a week before flying them to Cairns to be reunited with their parents. This was the way that we could practically help them and we considered it an honor to be able to meet their practical needs this way. We ended up spending a couple weeks in Cairns supporting Jon and Adie and the boys in any way that we could.

The Leedahl boys. Jace, Jaeden and Levi

Jace and Macy

Candace and Adie

Both Jon and Adie have shown such strong faith through this testing period that the Lord has given them. We have seen through personal conversations and through the updates that they are relying on the Lord for there daily bread. Check out this blog for the latest updates and more specifically how to pray.

Please pray for this amazing family. We are going to miss having them in Ukarumpa but also know that God has something amazing planned for this family. Jon is still being watched closely by the doctors and recently has had a nagging flu. Please pray for that the reason for this flu would be found and his recovery wouldn't be interrupted.

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

1 Peter 1:6-9

Program Planning Workshop Completed

The program planning workshop was a huge success!  Thank you all for praying for this team and for their work in planning their programs.  All of the teams were able to give good vision and direction to their plans that will help guide decisions for the years to come.  One of the really great things that happened was the sharing of ideas from many language and literacy teams from across Papua New Guinea.  Many teams have good ideas and we can all learn from one another.

Here are some pictures from the workshop.

The Gwahatike team

Roman, Robert, Talam, Martin (Asaro'o and Muratayak programs) and Jon hard at work

Samson, Mark, Nafian and Nangsi (Madi program)

Lukas, David, Nosingke and Noel (Domung program)

Program Planning

This week all of the translators and literacy workers from the Gwahatike came to Ukarumpa to be involved in a Program Planning workshop. They each brought 1 or 2 men with them. Jon is also going to be taking the course with them. The course is about 2 weeks long.

Please pray that Jon and the other 14 men will learn a lot of new things at the course and be able to apply the things that they learned to the language programs and literacy programs that they are working on.

Please also pray that we would be able to be very hospitable to the men. We would like to have them all over in small groups for dinner.

Gwahatike Video

We have recently had a video produced that tells the story of the Gwahatike Bible translation project.

Check it out here:

There's a 4 Year Old Ladybug in Our House!

Clara turned 4 this past weekend. She was so excited for a couple of weeks leading up to her birthday. We planned a birthday party for her. She loved helping us get ready for the party. 4 little girls came over to celebrate her birthday. We played games, ate cupcakes and made some necklaces. Then we sent them home with candy!

Clara couldn't wait for the girls to come!

Playing games outside.

The day of Clara's real birthday she woke up really early, walked into our bedroom and asked if she could look at her presents. We told her the night before that when she woke up there would be presents on the table. She was spoiled with gifts that we had brought with us, gifts from Nana and Papa, and we are still waiting on a package from Grandma and Grandpa. 

We are so thankful for our big girl. As she gets older we have many joys and trials. The Lord uses the girls to teach us everyday! Thank you Lord for entrusting them into our care. 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly

 lights,who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

A Week in the Village

We made a trip out to Saidor from Monday May 12^th to Friday May 16^th. We were really excited because it was the first time that the whole family was going. I (Candace) was excited to see where Jon had been going and where the translators that I had met live. It was also exciting because we brought some other people with us as well. My brother Jason is visiting us and so he got to experience village life with us. Our good friends Evan and Sarah came with to shoot some video.

Our family with four of the Gwahatike team

On Monday we were picked up from out house at 6:00 am to fly out at around 8:00. It was such a beautiful flight, the landing especially. The airstrip is in the middle of a coconut tree plantation.

View just before landing in Saidor

Noel (one of the translators) met us at the airstrip and him and another man drove us up to Umboldi which is where we stayed.  When we got to Umboldi all of the school children were waiting for us and cheering as we drove up. It was such a nice welcome.
 

The welcome in Umboldi

Our house in Umboldi

This is the house where we stayed. The top level has 3 rooms; 2 offices for the translators and a guest room.  The bottom level is used for preschool during the week and church on Sundays.

Jon got to talk with the translators about how their programs are going, workshops that they plan on attending and possible funding options. Of course he helped with whatever computer problems they were having. He also got to talk with a new language group in the area that would like the Bible translated in their language. It was pretty exciting to hear about new language groups that would like to have their own Bible.

Jon meeting with a new language group interested in starting a translation project.
They walked 4 hrs to come talk with him

Our friends that came with us shot a lot of video. They brought 4 camera batteries and used them all up! Sarah will be putting a video together to tell the Gwahatike story and the stories of the Gwahatike men going out and starting new translation projects in neighboring language groups. It was such a blessing for them to come with us.
 

Sarah filming an interview with one of the Gwahatike team members

Jason really enjoyed being in the village too. Some of the men took him on a hike one day to see some waterfalls. Another day he helped cut open cocoa pods and helped prepare them for drying.  We had the opportunity to eat dinner with one of the translators and his wife at their house. He really enjoyed the PNG food!

Jason helping with the local community project harvesting cocoa

One thing that I was praying about before we left was that we would all stay healthy and have a good experience our first time together in the village. Sometimes it is difficult with the girls because they are not used to living that way. All of us stayed healthy. Praise the Lord! And both of the girls had a really great time. Clara participated in the preschool class. She fell in love with her teacher.  Macy really enjoyed spending time with Evan and Sarah. They have become like an uncle and aunt to her.  They also both loved having Uncle Jase around to play with!

Jason hanging out with the girls

Clara participating in one of Umboldi's classes recess

Macy really enjoyed her time in Umboldi

The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful trip. It was so beautiful in the village. The people were all very welcoming. They repeatedly asked us to come back. We are so excited for the efforts of the translators. They work so hard to give the people a Bible in their own language while continuing to look after their families.

Isaiah 45:22 – “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” 

Finally! An Update

Even though we haven’t updated our blog for a while, this doesn’t mean we haven’t wanted to.  It has definitely been a busy first quarter of this year.  We have been juggling priorities between programming work, translation program management, dental related work and family life.  We are very thankful for all of the opportunities to serve.  Please pray for wisdom in time management.

In December we enjoyed the company of Jon’s parents.  It was really nice to have them here for Christmas and Clara and Macy really enjoyed them too.  It was definitely nice to have family here for our first Christmas away from Canada.

Decorating the Christmas tree with Grandpa

Gift opening time

Jon had the opportunity to travel out to the north coast of PNG to visit the Gwahatike language teams in February.  It was a short trip of 5 days but was very productive.  Through meeting with each of the six leaders, Jon learned a lot about the needs of each of them and how we can best serve them in their important work.  We are both excited about the potential of these teams and the prospects for the future.  We are especially excited to see how God uses these men over the coming years to accomplish His purposes.

Over this past Easter weekend we had some more visitors stay with us.  Curtiss and Sandy Hartley who work with the Salvation Army in Port Moresby came for the weekend.  We enjoyed good fellowship and it was a blessing to have them over.  The girls really liked having new people to play with. J

Macy and Sandy enjoying some quality time

We now have Candace’s brother Jason visiting with us.  He arrived near the beginning of May and will stay with us until the second week of June as part of his trip around the world.  All of us are enjoying time with him as well.

The Madi Bible translation team joined us for dinner.  Afterwards we enjoyed a game of Uno followed by a showing of the movie Fireproof

Uncle Jase and Macy

We also just got back from a trip to the Gwahatike language area.  The whole family went along with Jason and some friends that work in the media department here in Ukarumpa.  More on this later.

Birds of PNG - Part II

During our village stay in Bongu, I had the opportunity to add two new birds to my list.  Both of these birds hung around the village throughout the day.  They were even bold enough to go into people's houses and steal food.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Blyth's Hornbill

Blyth's Hornbill

Okay, these aren't birds.  But aren't they cute?