If I ride the wings of the morning,
If I dwell by the farthest oceans,
Even there Your hand will guide me,
And Your strength will support me.
Psalm 139:9-10
These verses first came to me just 2 weeks before I left for Papua New Guinea in January of this year. What an encouragement! I can tell you from experience- it is TRUE. No matter where you are, He is with you, He wants to guide you, and His strength is more than sufficient. Nothing is beyond God!
Friends, I continue to beg you to reflect: what stirs your heart for God’s sake? For me, it’s the thought of one day witnessing people from every tribe, tongue and nation standing together worshipping God. It is holding the hand of one the world may call “unwanted”, but who God looks at and says “MINE”.
This past January and February, I traveled to Papua New Guinea to participate in New Tribes Missions’ Interface program- a course designed to provide a realistic look at the process of making the Gospel available cross-culturally and establishing a functioning tribal church. I learned a ton about language, support roles in missions (yay!), literacy, mission methods, presenting the message of the Gospel chronologically, and the importance of using one’s heart language and cultural mores to present the Gospel in the clearest, most meaningful way.
I saw the seriousness of language barriers when I visited the Pawaia tribe. Although I’d picked up a bit of Tok Pisin (the trade language in PNG, and the language used by many missionaries to reach people), I found communication to be a challenge. Only the younger to middle-aged adults in the tribe spoke Tok Pisin (in addition to their tribal language). Regardless- what an amazing awe-inspiring experience to be gathered with Believers on the Far Side of the World! To listen to them sing, share testimonies of faith, and pray was like a foretaste of Heaven.
God has placed the unreached and unloved of this world on my heart. I want to continue to reach beyond this comfortable realm, until all who doubt know that He is God. At this time, I am continuing to be involved in short term missions. There is, though, a foreseeable day when full time placement becomes my reality. My desire (both now and future) is to serve by assisting in support roles.
God has indeed blessed me with the opportunity to take a “next step” in my personal involvement in missions! I will return to PNG- this place I’ve grown to love- from January 8 thru February 13, 2007. I’ll go back to INTERFACE- this time as part of the hospitality team. You got it- I will be serving!! My joy at this prospect is more than I can put into words! I am so very thankful to Our Father!
My faith in God’s provision is firm- and I have you to thank for that. Thank you for your support and encouragement of me in the past, present and future. Please pray with me concerning the following:
1. Preparation- I am only 6 weeks away from departure!
2. Finances- I am trusting the Lord to provide the $3200 to cover the expense of my trip, as well as for separate transportation to and from L.A., AND home expenses while I am gone.
3. Roommate- That God would send the best person my way prior to me leaving.
4. Spiritually- I really implore you to pray that my words and deeds would be pleasing to the Lord- both here, among my friends and acquaintances, and abroad, among people of a very different culture. Please pray that God would change my heart in some ways, and that His will and mine would be more in alignment.
Would you prayerfully consider becoming involved in sending me to New Guinea? You will play an important part in this experience as you do. If God is leading you to support me thru prayer or financial means, please fill out and return the enclosed “commitment card” and / or contact me for additional information.
I encourage you to visit http://losttakenback.blogspot.com. This site will include lots of trip-related information, and will give updates on support raised, prayer requests, even accounts of what I’m up to when I’m actually over there! You can also make secure online donations by clicking on “GIVE at NTM.org”.
This is all done
For the sake of His Beautiful Name.
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