Chris Plays Mr. Mom

            Starting Saturday morning, Chris will be filling the roll of dad AND mom.  Saturday I leave for the Discovery training in Manila, Philippines for 2 weeks.  During that time, Chris will be working out of the home, taking care of 2 active boys all day long, providing meals, running a household….send a few extra prayers up for him during this time, I know he’ll appreciate them! J

            We also want to thank ALL of you for your prayers concerning this trip.  The Lord has heard, and provided abundantly and timely.  Everything has fallen so nicely into place.  Besides the stress of our family being apart for the next couple weeks, these last weeks of preparing have been relatively stress-free!  Another answer to prayer is that I will be joined by another NTM missionary in Port Moresby who is also going over to take this training…so I will not be traveling alone.  WE are reminded again and again of the greatness of our God.  Through folks like you, God has again answered prayers.  We are so blessed to have such a team behind us.

 

Pigin Bible Study

            Chris, and co-worker Aaron DeRidder are a couple weeks into the Pigin Bible study with our national store workers.  They are teaching the Bible chronologically, just as we did in Mibu.  This week they are covering creation, and next week will be getting into the fall of man.  Some of these folks have been exposed to Bible stories, but there is no context or continuity for them, while for others this is the first time they've ever been presented with any teaching on God's power as displayed in creation let along the lengths to which our creator has gone to redeem us.  Pray with us that as this foundation is laid, that the Holy Spirit will be able to impact their lives with truth and that their lives will be forever changed as a result.  We’ll keep you posted as the class progresses.

 

The Next Step

            As this next step of Discovery training is on our doorstep, we are already looking ahead to the next thing, as it comes immediately on it’s heels.  Homeschooling!  Materials have all been ordered now (another answered prayer), and now we ask you to pray that these materials will make their way here quickly and safely, so that I can have time to prepare and plan before starting school.  Our plan right now is to take the month of June to enjoy being a family again (after being apart for a couple weeks) and get organized and jazzed up for starting school in July.  Please pray for all of us as we prepare our hearts, minds and resources for this undertaking.

 

Laborers Needed

            You know, not much has changed in 2000 years.  The Lord told his disciples to look on the fields…they were ready for harvest then, and the laborers were few.  There is MUCH work to be done here in PNG.  Many people groups have yet to hear, and without people to come and tell them, how can they hear?  While there is a great need for church planters, there is also great need for support workers.  ICT (the computer department where Chris works) is going to be feeling this keenly in the weeks to come, as over half of the department leaves!  For a few weeks, it will be Chris and one other guy managing the tech support of over 300 families and dozens of departments field wide.  They will be joined by the end of summer by another returning guy, which will help the work load tremendously.  It takes all kinds of people with all manners of gifts and abilities to see church-planting become a reality.  As we prepare ourselves and our family for what we believe is coming (another church plant down the road), we ask you to please pray for more laborers.  Both church-planters, and support workers (even nerdy computer geeks) so that we can see His Kingdom advanced here on this earth.

Because of HIM,

Angie (who happens to be married to one awesome compute geek) on behalf of all the Walkers

 

Chris Plays Mr. Mom

            Starting Saturday morning, Chris will be filling the roll of dad AND mom.  Saturday I leave for the Discovery training in Manila, Philippines for 2 weeks.  During that time, Chris will be working out of the home, taking care of 2 active boys all day long, providing meals, running a household….send a few extra prayers up for him during this time, I know he’ll appreciate them! J

            We also want to thank ALL of you for your prayers concerning this trip.  The Lord has heard, and provided abundantly and timely.  Everything has fallen so nicely into place.  Besides the stress of our family being apart for the next couple weeks, these last weeks of preparing have been relatively stress-free!  Another answer to prayer is that I will be joined by another NTM missionary in Port Moresby who is also going over to take this training…so I will not be traveling alone.  WE are reminded again and again of the greatness of our God.  Through folks like you, God has again answered prayers.  We are so blessed to have such a team behind us.

 

Pigin Bible Study

            Chris, and co-worker Aaron DeRidder are a couple weeks into the Pigin Bible study with our national store workers.  They are teaching the Bible chronologically, just as we did in Mibu.  This week they are covering creation, and next week will be getting into the fall of man.  Some of these folks have been exposed to Bible stories, but there is no context or continuity for them, while for others this is the first time they've ever been presented with any teaching on God's power as displayed in creation let along the lengths to which our creator has gone to redeem us.  Pray with us that as this foundation is laid, that the Holy Spirit will be able to impact their lives with truth and that their lives will be forever changed as a result.  We’ll keep you posted as the class progresses.

 

The Next Step

            As this next step of Discovery training is on our doorstep, we are already looking ahead to the next thing, as it comes immediately on it’s heels.  Homeschooling!  Materials have all been ordered now (another answered prayer), and now we ask you to pray that these materials will make their way here quickly and safely, so that I can have time to prepare and plan before starting school.  Our plan right now is to take the month of June to enjoy being a family again (after being apart for a couple weeks) and get organized and jazzed up for starting school in July.  Please pray for all of us as we prepare our hearts, minds and resources for this undertaking.

 

Laborers Needed

            You know, not much has changed in 2000 years.  The Lord told his disciples to look on the fields…they were ready for harvest then, and the laborers were few.  There is MUCH work to be done here in PNG.  Many people groups have yet to hear, and without people to come and tell them, how can they hear?  While there is a great need for church planters, there is also great need for support workers.  ICT (the computer department where Chris works) is going to be feeling this keenly in the weeks to come, as over half of the department leaves!  For a few weeks, it will be Chris and one other guy managing the tech support of over 300 families and dozens of departments field wide.  They will be joined by the end of summer by another returning guy, which will help the work load tremendously.  It takes all kinds of people with all manners of gifts and abilities to see church-planting become a reality.  As we prepare ourselves and our family for what we believe is coming (another church plant down the road), we ask you to please pray for more laborers.  Both church-planters, and support workers (even nerdy computer geeks) so that we can see His Kingdom advanced here on this earth.

Because of HIM,

Angie (who happens to be married to one awesome compute geek) on behalf of all the Walkers

 

Chris Plays Mr. Mom

            Starting Saturday morning, Chris will be filling the roll of dad AND mom.  Saturday I leave for the Discovery training in Manila, Philippines for 2 weeks.  During that time, Chris will be working out of the home, taking care of 2 active boys all day long, providing meals, running a household….send a few extra prayers up for him during this time, I know he’ll appreciate them! J

            We also want to thank ALL of you for your prayers concerning this trip.  The Lord has heard, and provided abundantly and timely.  Everything has fallen so nicely into place.  Besides the stress of our family being apart for the next couple weeks, these last weeks of preparing have been relatively stress-free!  Another answer to prayer is that I will be joined by another NTM missionary in Port Moresby who is also going over to take this training…so I will not be traveling alone.  WE are reminded again and again of the greatness of our God.  Through folks like you, God has again answered prayers.  We are so blessed to have such a team behind us.

 

Pigin Bible Study

            Chris, and co-worker Aaron DeRidder are a couple weeks into the Pigin Bible study with our national store workers.  They are teaching the Bible chronologically, just as we did in Mibu.  This week they are covering creation, and next week will be getting into the fall of man.  Some of these folks have been exposed to Bible stories, but there is no context or continuity for them, while for others this is the first time they've ever been presented with any teaching on God's power as displayed in creation let along the lengths to which our creator has gone to redeem us.  Pray with us that as this foundation is laid, that the Holy Spirit will be able to impact their lives with truth and that their lives will be forever changed as a result.  We’ll keep you posted as the class progresses.

 

The Next Step

            As this next step of Discovery training is on our doorstep, we are already looking ahead to the next thing, as it comes immediately on it’s heels.  Homeschooling!  Materials have all been ordered now (another answered prayer), and now we ask you to pray that these materials will make their way here quickly and safely, so that I can have time to prepare and plan before starting school.  Our plan right now is to take the month of June to enjoy being a family again (after being apart for a couple weeks) and get organized and jazzed up for starting school in July.  Please pray for all of us as we prepare our hearts, minds and resources for this undertaking.

 

Laborers Needed

            You know, not much has changed in 2000 years.  The Lord told his disciples to look on the fields…they were ready for harvest then, and the laborers were few.  There is MUCH work to be done here in PNG.  Many people groups have yet to hear, and without people to come and tell them, how can they hear?  While there is a great need for church planters, there is also great need for support workers.  ICT (the computer department where Chris works) is going to be feeling this keenly in the weeks to come, as over half of the department leaves!  For a few weeks, it will be Chris and one other guy managing the tech support of over 300 families and dozens of departments field wide.  They will be joined by the end of summer by another returning guy, which will help the work load tremendously.  It takes all kinds of people with all manners of gifts and abilities to see church-planting become a reality.  As we prepare ourselves and our family for what we believe is coming (another church plant down the road), we ask you to please pray for more laborers.  Both church-planters, and support workers (even nerdy computer geeks) so that we can see His Kingdom advanced here on this earth.

Because of HIM,

Angie (who happens to be married to one awesome compute geek) on behalf of all the Walkers

 

Direction.. Getting from here to there.

            We’d like to take a few minutes and share where we feel the Lord may be leading us in the coming months ahead.  We know that we’ve alluded to plans, but have been hesitant to share them since they are so very fluid.  However, the more we think and pray about these thoughts and plans, the more we realize that these plans are so HUGE…so beyond us and our abilities…that we covet your prayers over the specifics as we continue to look to the Lord for direction and wisdom.

            Basically, we feel the Lord leading us to another tribal work…somewhere in the Madang region of North-central Papua New Guinea.  There are a couple of possibilities that we have been asked to consider that have us excited…one possibly would involve joining a work NTM began a work among the people of Manam island.   Currently there are no missionaries there to continue establishing the baby church.  Another possibility would be participate in on-going NTM surveys of the Madang region to determine other viable locations for future church-planting ministry, particularly some dear co-workers have suggested the Bel language group as a possibility worth exploring.  These possibilities have begun to capture more and more of our thoughts and imagination!  Nevertheless, before we even get to the point of moving yet again, we have a number of things that do need to happen that we would especially ask for your prayer about.  We will list them in the order in which we see that they need to happen, though the actual dates for most of them are somewhat fluid:

1.       NILD training for Angie in Manila, Philippines….This May 17-28.  This step is vital because it will give us the necessary tools to meet Jael’s special learning needs as we seek to take schooling WITH us to another location (a tribe somewhere).  This date is NOT fluid!  J  Angie has almost completed the pre-course assignments, however we are still waiting on a few things.  Please pray for a speedy acceptance letter (3^rd world countries are SO notorious for anything BUT speedy correspondence…but we are hesitant to purchase airline tickets before we have confirmation, and yet waiting too long may jeopardize seat availability as we fly from one 3^rd world country to another).  Please also pray for the remaining finances needed for the course.  Currently we have about $1000 of the needed $2500.  Nine weeks left and counting!

2.       Obtaining homeschooling supplies….by July of this year.  This date can be somewhat fluid, however we would hate to start any later than that.  Starting earlier would be preferable.  After some careful research into curriculums, and collaboration with others…different curriculum has been chosen that we are confident will meet our needs in schooling Jael.  Some of this has already been ordered.  About $200 worth of material remains to be ordered.  Pray with us that we will be able to order this material in a timely fashion so that we can have it here on the field in order to start by our projected July date.  Pray also for wisdom for Angie as she prepares for this undertaking yet again.  She’s very excited about the things she has learned with her year and a half off of homeschooling, and continues to seek wisdom and direction as she prepares to integrate different programs and execute the tools she has been honing.

3.       Remainder of our stuff out of Mibu…summer to fall of 2010.  As we look towards a second tribal allocation, it would be very nice to have the remainder of our things out of Mibu.  This includes not only the remainder of our household goods (many of which are still in transit in Saidor), but also our electrical equipment, appliances, and the building supplies of our house itself!

4.       Moving to Madang…Januaryish 2011.  Provided that we can illustrate that Jael’s schooling needs are being met after 6 months or so of homeschooling, we feel the move back to Madang may be a good one as we look at doing some survey work, and preparing for moving bush again.

5.       Purchase of vehicle and/or boat….spring 2011.  The works that we have in mind are assessable by road or water.  Depending on where we end up, sometimes there are public transportation options, however for our safety it is obvious we’ll need a more reliable mean of transportation.

6.       Funds for surveys….Jan. to spring 2011.  This will be essential to us assessing the needs of different possible tribal works.  Even after a tribe may be decided on, further surveys will be needed for us to determine a strategic placement within the tribe.

7.       Logistics and purchase of house building supplies….spring to summer 2011.  As the work is beginning to wrap up in Mibu, one daunting task is the deconstruction of our house in Mibu.  This will help considerably in providing building materials for building again elsewhere, however the very remoteness of most tribal areas in PNG including Mibu so difficult.

8.       Allocation…possibly, summer to fall 2011.  Once we know where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there…then will come the monumental task of moving our family and supplies to start our new ministry.  Beginning the process of learning yet another language, culture and establishing relationships that will be vital for effective communication of the gospel and establishing of a New Testament church.

 

This is a tentative timeline with projected needs.  The Lord has shown us time and time again that He is not limited to this, but this is what the Lord has laid on our hearts in the past 6 months or so.  It’s a lot!  But again, the Lord has shown us tremendous things this last year.  So much can happen over the course of a year…or even 6 months…that no amount of obstacles can hinder.  If any of you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to ask!

 

 

IN THE MEAN TIME….

And on another subject, Chris was recently encouraged by NTM leadership to join a local pastor, Joel Kamaya on an evangelistic outreach to share the gospel among the Kanite people.  Chris, as an observer, hopes to witness the teaching of Pastor Kamaya and other Bible teachers from the Bena Bridge church among these people.  From what Chris has seen so far, speaking, preaching & teaching primarily in Melanesian Pidgin, Pastor Kamaya has demonstrated an amazing command of cultural understanding to help illustrate Biblical principles.  Tentatively one of these outreach trips will be taking place next month.  Please be in prayer for the Bena Bridge church, the Bible teachers and particularly the Kanite people, that they would be a prepared & fertile soil to understand and believe God’s talk from members of their own tribe.

 

With great anticipation,

Chris, Angie, Jael, Baruch and Titus Walker

Fabulous February!

Creature Comforts

            It’s a small thing, but it’s amazing how the little things can make a house a home.  Over the past 6 months or so, our stuff has been slowly making its way out of Mibu.  A couple weeks ago, we hired a truck to go to Madang and bring up the stuff that had been collecting there.  Among the things that came were our couch (oh, so comfy), some book shelves (needed badly to help keep our books from molding further), material for curtains (that actually matches our décor) and more toys for the kids.  To be surrounded by our own things again, after about 3 years, just feels so good!  Not everything has made its way out yet, and we’d ask you to just pray about that.  Some things are still sitting in the trade store in Saidor, and it seems to be left to the whim of the store workers there as to when it gets put on the boat.  It’s starting to feel like it’s been a long time since everything has been together, and I think we’d just like to have it all here.

 

Birthday Girl!

            Jael has just celebrated her 9^th birthday!  It’s crazy how fast time flies with your kids!  It has occurred to us that we are half-way through our time of having Jael in our home.  While it is a sobering thought, we are also so very proud of the young lady she is becoming!  She is one who has shown perseverance over and over again in her schooling.  She demonstrates a deepening compassion for those who are lost and hurting around her, and her desire to help increases with each passing year.  She is such a wonderful gift to our family, and a vital part of our ministry!

 

Training Needs

            It is almost official…Angie is heading to the Philippines for her Discovery training course to be well-equipped to work with Jael’s special learning needs.  It’s almost official since we are still waiting to hear back on her application (but from what we’ve heard, this is totally to be expected).  Airline tickets are booked (though not yet paid for) and accommodations for her are lined up in Manila (at two different mission’s guest houses).  Things seem to be falling into place very nicely.  Except perhaps the finances.   We’d also ask you to pray about those.  We figure the cost of the trip to be about $2500 for everything, and we currently have about $800 saved up to put towards it.  Angie is scheduled to fly May 15, and her classes start on the 17^th.  Pray also as she continues to prepare for this course…that she’d be able to retain all the information she is reading, and be able to apply it appropriately.

 

Mibu Update

            The things that we continue to hear coming out of Mibu are very encouraging.  I’d like to include a story from the Tartaglias about a tragedy that happened to some friends some weeks back that shows just how much our brothers and sisters there are growing.

            “After the church service, when many of the people had dispersed, Parenoowe grabbed my skirt as I walked by pulling me down on the rough bench next to her. Her face was drawn and tight, eyes still shining with tears carefully held in check. She leaned her face very close to mine, and with great emotion asked if we could talk about her daughter. It has been less than three weeks since her 9 year old, Joonoomeng, had run down ahead of her friends to the river, and whose body been found days later washed up on the shore a few miles down the steep river ravine. Parenoowe 's searing pain showed in her eyes, her voice, and the tight grip she held on my hand. Her questions are the same that anyone would wrestle with... "Why did this happen? Did I do something wrong that God allowed this? Where is she now? Will I see her again?"

             “I wish I had something to say to Parenoowe that didn't sound trite. "My friend, God is not angry with you, He is not punishing you. You know this, don't you. He loves you and He loves your children. We all die.

We do not know when—today, tomorrow, when we are young or when we are very old. Only God knows all of this. We cannot know. But we do know that we can trust God with this. We will have to leave it with Him." I paused, thinking.

"What does Weng tell you?" I whispered, her face still very close to mine.

Parenoowe 's oldest, married son, Weng, has carried the family through this time. He has been a Bible teacher and helped teach through the Bible to other villages, and has a very evident love for the Lord and His Word."Yes, this is what Weng tells me," she quietly answered.

               “Even while they were still searching for little Joonoomeng's body, our family had hiked over to their village to see what we could do, and be there with them as they waited for news. In the past, we would have been needed at the forefront, reassuring and reminding everyone of God's love for His children. Instead, when what we found were other brothers and sisters in Christ ministering to the family, and to Joonoomeng's mother in particular.

And when Weng's faith was brought to the test, his little sister missing and feared dead, his faith was steady and shone through brightly.”

 

 

 

 

A New Year in store

Greetings from a very wet and sloppy PNG!!!

While we were “raining” in the New Year, we trust that all of you have had a wonderful time of reflection over the ways that God has provided and directed you this last year.  While this past year has had some radical changes for us, we rest completely in the knowledge that God is in control of our lives, and that He is leading us where we will be most effective in furthering His kingdom here on earth.  While our path took a sharp turn away from Mibu and all the wonderful things that continue to go on there, we have seen God remain faithful and true, and have seen our family and personal walks grow so much stronger through it all.  We have also seen the addition of Baruch into the family of God!  Precious times.

As many people do upon the start of a new year, we look back on the last year and all that has happened, and also forward at the things we see coming our way!  We are SO excited about what the Lord seems to be bringing our way for the year 2010.  Let me share a few with you!

 

A National Bible Study!

We have mentioned this before, but it looks like it will soon be under way!  Back in July, some friends from another work in Madang came out and shared with the national workers on center here about how the gospel is effecting eternal change in the lives of tribal folks among the people they work with.  Nearly every worker attended this meeting, and afterwards, some workers from our center store approached their manager (another missionary friend) and commented how they have worked here for many years, and have still not heard this message that was referred to in the meeting (the message of salvation).  This manager then approached Chris to see if he would be interested in leading a Bible study with the store workers…bringing them from Creation to Christ.  OF COURSE he was interested!  It is always a privilege to share the gospel.  However, just as we would take the time to develop relationships and learn the local culture in a tribal setting, so Chris needed to do that with the folks here.  With a keen advantage in already knowing and understanding Pigin (which most folks speak around here more than their tribal languages), he is now ready to start!  He’s hoping to start before the end of the month!  We’ll keep you posted!

 

School for Angie

As in…Angie going to school!  In order to gain the tools she needs to help Jael with her learning needs (and in an effort to resume homeschooling), Angie will be taking a course this spring.  It is a post-graduate level course that she has qualified for.  We are hoping that she will be able to take the course in Manila since it will be much, MUCH cheaper to do so there.  However, we are still waiting to hear if they will be offering this course there this year.  If not, the next alternative is California (which holds its own appeal, but at more than double the expense).  We’d like to ask prayer for her as she prepares not only for this course, but for the added expense this course will incur (around $2,000-$5,000, depending on where it will be available). 

This course could be key to whatever future ministries might be open to us.  We have enrolled Jael in a program here at the school that will meet her learning needs with ongoing intervention (the same program that Angie will get training in).  This program requires a three year commitment, and by Angie getting this training, we significantly increase the odds of us being able to take schooling with us and look at perhaps another tribal ministry!!  We will take this step-by-step, with the training first, and then homeschooling next school year (complete with this intervention program for Jael), while living here on center where educational help is readily available.  From there, we are looking forward to seeing what doors the Lord might open for us!

 

As you can see, we have some exciting things down the road for our family!  A ministry with national folks now, and the opportunity for more down the road!  We want to thank each one of you for all the many prayers you have offered on our behalf this last year.  Our experience has proven that we have an excellent support team behind us, and we look forward to all that the Lord will use us for in 2010!

 

Serving with you,

Chris, Angie, Jael, Baruch and Titus Walker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where We've Been and Where We're Going....

Being a Pal in Pal

 

Back in June, Chris was invited to help some friends build their house in the Pal (pronounced Paul) tribe.  This trip took place mid-September.  Chris, and a handful of other guys, went in for 10 days, and following a work team ahead of them, were able to see both houses for the new team enclosed, plumbed and wired!  While it was very exciting to be back in the bush helping our friends so they can start their tribal ministry, he was reminded just what “roughing” it means!  Conditions were hard, sleeping in the midst of the construction site, they collected rain water for showers, when there was rain, otherwise the closest water source was about a mile away!  When they returned, they all looked lean, tired and sore!  But what a privilege to help in that way!

 

Madang Conference

 

I and the kids ended up meeting Chris in Madang after his work trip.  We hung out there for a couple days before attending the Madang Region Annual Conference.  Conference is the highlight of the year, as we get to see so many friends all at one time!  It was so exciting to hear what was happening in each of the tribal works.  Many had very exciting reports of rapid and consistant church growth and maturity.  Some had reports of persecution of believers with some standing strong and some slipping and falling down.  Some shared honestly about how difficult it is with just a small handful of people who are faithful, much persecution, and even since their return back into the tribe, slimmer numbers yet.  BUT GOD is working mightily all over our region, and each of the works gave clear testimony of seeing His hand at work.  Isn’t it great that we can see the effects of Him working, even if we don’t know what the end result will be?  GREAT time of fellowship…so glad we went!

 

Looking Ahead

 

As the school year continues, we continue to see progress with Jael.  We had a bit of a set back at the beginning of the year perhaps due to her transition into the combined 2nd-3^rd grade.  We’ve worked at making more adjustments, both at school and at home, and are confident that we’ll be seeing her progress well again with the start of this next school term.  In looking ahead, we have a couple matters of prayer we’d like you to pray with us about.  The first and foremost is for wisdom.  The special education program available at the school here (Discovery), offers a training course.  It’s a post-graduate class offered yes, in the states, but also in the Philippines.  It has been suggested that it would be beneficial for me to take this course, if I can.  It’s two weeks in length, and sometime this spring.  Needless to say, this will be an added expense, which is the second thing we would ask you to pray with us in.  Amazingly enough, it seems that I would qualify for taking this course,  which will allow me to better meet the needs of our daughter wherever the Lord brings us next.  We are yet unsure how everything will play out…she will be re-evaluated sometime in the coming months, and that will give us a clearer picture of where she’s at, and how to plan from there.  We find ourselves thankful to be in such a place right now where help is available not only for her, but also for me, as I seek to be as well equipped as I can as we continuing in growing and training (and Lord willing eventually resume homeschooling) this wonderful gift we call Jael.  Some time this month, Chris is possibly looking at a trip to the capital city of Port Moresby in order to gain certification in some technical services to strengthen our work permit renewal application

 

In AWE of HIM,

Chris, Angie, Jael, Baruch and Titus Walker