Happy Easter!
He is Risen! That is why we are here! To proclaim the gospel to every one God brings in our path and to support the ones who fly, translate, nurse, and work directly with the nationals here. We have been asked to extend our “Year” stay for another year. Many teachers will be on furlough next year and the need is great! I was told by a fellow teacher that if he can’t have his children educated here, he will have to take his family home. This is a reality that will be repeated annually if other folks don’t heed the call of Christ!
Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV)
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
This is our fervent prayer. Staffing needs, Key slots include: Elementary/Middle School principal, lower elementary teacher, upper elementary teacher, MS Language Arts, MS Math, ESL grades K – 8, Special Education: reading/learning disabilities/dyslexia, HS Science for 1st semester, HS Bible for 1st semester, HS electives: shop/practical electricity/psychology/foreign language/personal fitness (weight training or aerobic exercise), dorm parents, additional teacher in Wamena. Please continue to pray and ask the Lord to provide for these needs.
These are just the facts of the needs for staff at HIS for the 2012/13 school year. I will be able to fill the ESL slot as I am now doing, or I can fill one of the elementary positions, or one of the MS slots. Since I am here and flexible, all are posted as needs.
In order for us to stay for another year, we need to hear from all of our supporters that they agree to support us for another year or we need new supporters to replace the ones that are unable to continue beyond their original commitment. This decision must be made by the end of April. We need to begin the Visa renewal process. We would not dream of staying without our support team firmly placed underneath us.
If we are to stay for another year a language school will be necessary so that we will be able to share our faith with the average Papuan on the street. For me, I will be better able to speak with our Pembantu and share with her, as well as better able to share with the folks at the “Pasar” (market) that I have been building a relationship with. I buy similar things each week from the same merchants. They help me with language and understand that I don’t do “chit chat” yet. I want to! We are better able to understand some conversations and more of the written word. Miles is doing better on the language front as he works daily with nationals so he speaks more than the 3 hours a week of our tutoring which is all I get. All that said, our tutor has agreed to come daily during the summer to take us over the hump and bring us to fluency.
Speaking of Miles, he is going to Wamena in the next 2 weeks to work on an airplane. I will join him on the weekend after has worked for a week. I am looking forward to the cooler weather I hear is there. Wamena is in the mountains. Everything that is there has been flown in as there are no roads into it. The cost of living is greater as a result. We look forward to seeing some of the other parts of Papua.
I have a lot of things to share that have happened since I got back from the states. I will share them as I get caught up.
