theunfinishedtask.com

Here is an update and prayer requests from our graduates, our current students, and us!

GRADUATE NEWS

Maisa: (Huruta village)   In the last month, Liberty Baptist Church has seen 7 come to Christ! On Independence day, Pastor Maisa preached and a married couple responded for salvation. They both teach at the primary school. Please pray that the church can gather the funds needed to hire a chain saw operator to cut the support posts and framing timber needed for the new church building.

Murphy: (Harevavo village) On September 24, we got a note from Pastor Murphy saying a man and women had been saved that day! Earlier in the month, he shared the great news of three youth salvations! Shem Baptist Church has been collecting monies for the 32 sheets of tin needed for the roof of their planned church building. Please pray for Murphy’s health. He has been very sick several times this year, and I cannot help but think it is from the workload he takes upon himself.

Ricky: (Ihu Station) God has been giving an increase in Ihu Station as Ricky has seen five come to Christ since our last update! Pastor Ricky was invited to Port Moresby by Lighthouse Baptist Church to give a report about the Ihu church plant. The church expressed an interest in supporting him, and that would be an awesome blessing – an established PNG church supporting another PNG church planter! Lighthouse Baptist did agree to pay for the foundation posts for Rick’s house on the Ihu property. Since there is nowhere to buy timber, everything must be cut by chainsaw, and the saw available to Ricky broke a week ago. Pray for another avenue to open that is affordable for Ricky to get the timber he needs to get the house up this year. It would be wonderful if they could be living on the Ihu Station property.

Danny:  Pastor Danny, here at Baimuru Baptist, has seen serval come to Christ in the past couple months. Two that stand out to me particularly are Ruth, a teenage girl who was recently raped, and Mapo, the son of one of the students! Pastor Danny needs a new parsonage. Please pray that the church would respond to this need. We are glad to be a help too, but it is very important to us the church take the responsibilities given to them. Trina and I gave Pastor Danny and his wife a week’s vacation, paying for their way to visit friends in another village – a place with a great market, and ice cream!

 Richard introduces Alvin, your new brother in Christ!

Richard:  Richard had the blessing of leading a young man named Alvin to Christ! Alvin came buy on a Saturday to sell us some blinds (woven walls). Richard and I invited him to church the next day. He came and responded to the invitation! I know exactly what Richard would like you to pray for this week.  This will be the first time that a new 10 week term has begun that Trina and I are not there! The final term of this school year begins October 2^nd, and we do not return from our current supply run until the 5^th. This will be an excellent test for our intern teacher Richard, Pastor Danny (who will also do some teaching), and the students! Pray that all will give their very best, even though the missionary is not there to “provoke them to love and good works.”

CURRENT STUDENT NEWS

Enock and Elisa:  Enock and his wife were the only students to go to their home on this three week break. They have learned much about the Christian walk this first year of school, and wanted to return home to reconcile  and witness to family members. What wonderful news it was to hearing that not only were relationships restored, eternal ones were created when Enock led his brother and sister-in-law to Christ!

John and Dorothy:   One day after classes Dorothy came over to the house wanting Trina specifically to pray with her over her lost parents, brothers, and sister. Her heart had been really burdened for them by the preaching done that day in school. She was beaming a couple weeks later when she came with the news that her father had received Christ! John and Dorothy also had the blessing of leading their 12 year old son to Christ this month after a Sunday message convicted his heart.

Ilaia and Venessa:  A healthy new baby boy has arrived – and how nice of him to wait until term break to be born! Please pray for this couple as they adjust to having the new baby while completing this final term of the school year. Also, they will need to have a full-time sitter with them next February if they are to continue for year two as both husband and wife must be able to attend classes.

Benson and Betty:  Benson and Betty are our best students academically, both getting top grades on weekly tests and term exams. They were both saved at the beginning of the school year (February), and we have seen spiritual growth too as the lessons sink from their heads to their hearts. But it is a slow process. They come from an undisciplined society, and cultural ways, especially as Benson’s father is chief in their village. Pray that God would continue to work in them, and help them as parents of three young boys, seeking to raise a godly family.

 Independence Day fun!

MULDOON NEWS

Every blessing of the graduates and students above is a shared blessing, since we are a part of the planting, watering, reaping process – as are you!

After 8 months in the bush,Trina and I are currently out to buy supplies in Ukarumpa and Goroka. As we have mentioned before, our options for getting supplies from Port Moresby are either unsafe or horribly expensive. It seems like for most household, school, and hardware supplies, this shopping in the PNG Highlands may be a good plan. Even though the supplies will have to be flown in, at least we will not have the phenomenal expense of a private charter. However, getting barrels of fuel is still a problem. Flying them is just impractical; we really need a barge that could safely carry them our way. (As you may recall, 5 barrels were stolen from a barge in April. Since then we have received many empty promises regarding their replacement.) Or maybe I will need to have them go on the highway to Kerema, and then pick up three at a time with my dinghy. I just hate using nearly a barrel of fuel to pick up 3 others! At this time we are buying fuel locally for $10 a gallon. These are just normal challenges to a missionary in a remote area of a dark, third world country.  Please continue to bathe us in prayer.

We are so thankful for you all; your prayers, notes, and giving keep us going!