And so it begins...

Hello/ Gude...

 Where to start..it's been quite the year!  Many ups and downs.. lots of time with friends, family and our beautiful  grandchildren.  Mia turned six last week, Dayton is two and we have another on the way arriving in May 2014.  Upon our arrival in the states  last year we didn't feel God was done with us yet but couldn't imagine serving anywhere at that time.  He blessed us with a year to rest, rejuvenate and find peace.  We were  "beat up", saddened and so tired.  Spent lots of sleeping, eating (way too much junk food) and crying.  During this year, many of our partners have continued to help and lift us up and for that we are truly grateful!

We had no idea how hard it would be to step back into the American way of life.  After  five years of adjusting to life at a much slower pace, we fought  daily thoughts of being behind and never getting anything done.  Very frustrated, disillusioned and out of place.  Blessed to have a house to live in and employment, but we truly couldn't settle in, the round peg in the square hole.   People kept saying aren't you glad to be home?  but was this really home and why didn't we really feel  "glad"?  There was a period where we truly isolated, life was so overwhelming here and it didn't make sense, we'd survived here all those years before God called us overseas...what was the problem? 

Things kept triggering such profound emotions, the first time I threw out leftovers... started crying and all I could see was a sea of hungry faces.  How could I be forgetting so quickly?    Visiting the zoo with family, entering the "African" exhibit with all the animals and breaking down bawling.  David standing in Lowe's and wishing all his Zambian friends could have seen all the "toys".  Everywhere brought something to mind and we kept digging for answers to make sense of our feelings. 

Praying continually we knew that God had not given us five amazing years to come home and feel such uncertainty and sadness. We kept  thanking Him in all situations, happy or not,  and continued moving. Then...the light bulb moment... BANG!   The realization came....  What had been important prior to life on the field, no longer held the same priority to us now.  We somehow,  mistakenly,  thought we were suppose to "fit" right back in and it's not possible. WE had changed!  Once a person has experienced a life changing event, they can no longer be the same.  One who has cancer never looks at each day quite the same as before the diagnosis, one who has lost a loved one never truly fills that gap that has been created by the loss.  We heal, we change and we go on... but we are never the same.  I can not begin to tell you ( but I will) what a gift that realization has become.  It has led us to the threshold of another magnificent opportunity to serve God.

In the summer  we began to feel the pull... you know that unconscious tugging at your heart .  We prayed,  talked and began researching opportunities and agencies.  We kept ending up back on the Wycliffe Associates website.  Many had told us that they didn't offer many opportunities for developing ministries but as we kept "stalking" the website a position jumped out.  In fact, I saw it the day it was posted and we called the same day.  I liked that they described it as " This volunteer position, could suit a couple where one person has ministry in the city, or is part of another mission . It could also be a good fit for a couple where both share the guesthouse responsibilities as well as both serving elsewhere in part time roles".  How amazing is that? 

The next step was submitting our resumes, references, etc.  and three weeks ago the board of MAPANG met in Papua New Guinea and approved our application.  We then waited for all the paperwork to be finalized and approved by Wycliffe in the US.  

Now It's official!   We have been appointed to serve through Wycliffe Associates as managers for the MAPANG (Missionary Association of Papua New Guinea) guest house in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.  The guest house has been in existence since the early 1950s' and has served as a blessing to missionaries as it provides affordable accommodation while travelling through the city to areas of service throughout the nation.

We are so thrilled about this position, David and I thrived in our roles serving and hosting teams in  Zambia and Haiti.  It's exciting to think of all the new people we will meet on this new journey.  The guesthouse will be expanding so David will be in charge of that.   In talking with the current guesthouse managers (who have been there 10 years) they are very active in outside ministry, preaching and teaching at various churches and organizations.  We know that God will lead us to ministry work and are excited to see how that will unfold.

It is very exciting,  we will be attending  a 14 week Pacific Orientation Course in Papua New Guinea beginning in August 2014.  We will be learning the language (Tok Pisin) and culture, our last four weeks will be spent living in a village with a local family (that speaks no English). This is something we always wished for in our other placements but the opportunity and time was never in our favor.

Our appointment begins in November 2014, right after our POC course is finished, and initially runs for three years.  The couple who currently manage the guest house are returning to their home in New Zealand in December 2014. 

We ask first (and most important)  that you would once again become our prayer partners (although I know many of you never stopped and thank you!).   

Secondly and critical to our missions is to prayerfully consider financially supporting  our work.  We would love to visit your church and share what God is doing now in our lives and in Papua New Guinea.   Our ministry costs will be more than we have previously raised and we have additional one- time expenses such as the  cost of language school, shipping a container of household goods, plane tickets and a used vehicle.  But we are confident that God will provide!

You may contribute in a number of ways:  send your check to  Wycliffe Associates, 11450 Translation Way, P.O. Box 620143 Orlando, FL.  Our ministry number is M10731, please enter it in the memo portion of your check.  You may also donate on line by going to http://give.wycliffeassociates.com, and then either type our names in the search field or click on the Staff Sponsorships  button and search for our names and follow the instructions.  Wycliffe already has us on the web!!!

This past year a reading (one of my favorites) comforted us many times.. "I Love you for who you are, not for what you do.  Many voices vie for control of your mind, especially when you sit in silence.  You must learn to discern what is My voice and what is not...Many of my children run around in circles, trying to obey the various voices directing their lives...do not fall into this trap... My sheep know my voice and follow wherever I lead."  Thank you Lord that we are able to discern your words to us!!

In closing, please pray... and join us on our next journey following Jesus!

In Him,

David and Beth            

P. S.      Any ideas for the name of our "new" newsletter?  November edition of the Papua New Guinea......??