KONOMALA

Hey everyone! 

We hope you had a meaningful Christmas this last week! 
Thank you to each of you for praying for us throughout our transition back into Konomala. It’s been almost two weeks now since we got back into the bush. The travels from the U.S. went as well as can be expected. Amazingly all our people and luggage made it to the final destination! In total it took almost 2 weeks to get from door to door. That was mainly due to an extra few days of supply buying and giving time for the helicopter to dodge all of the weather on its way to us. 

In the past we were always able to travel in and out via the road, but multiple bridges have been knocked out by heavy rains and lack of maintenance. So now most of our logistics have been narrowed down to using the mission helicopter in order to get in and out for supplies etc. A 25 minute flight feels a lot different than an 8-9 hour road trip!

Luke & Ellenie did an amazing job and a lot of work to clean/fix up the house before we got back … such great teammates! 
The inescapable deterioration is definitely showing up in different parts of the house though. We were almost immediately dealing with solar electric problems and a there’s a project list that’s growing daily with things to be fixed/changed. 

The church seems to be doing well. Joe’s death is still fresh, but everyone seems to be doing okay in light of all that’s happened. There are just a couple of faithful guys right now, and it’s been really encouraging to reconnect with both of them. For years one of them has been pretty antagonistic towards us. He had pushed back pretty hard against the initial teaching and chose to distance himself from us pretty early on. His demeanor has completely changed in recent months. He’s very smart and has a lot of religious baggage, but he is showing great humility and really wanting to understand the truth and grow in it. 

Keep praying that Michael and Silas would continue to choose humility and faithfulness. And pray for opportunities for more conversations where the truth can continue to affect real life. 

Some of the ladies are growing in faithfulness as well (including Joe’s wife, Teresia!). That has been so great to see. There are a lot of dynamics at play with social tensions, family issues, and pressures to go back to the old religious stuff. But overall, there is a lot of growth happening in the ladies who are committing themselves to walking with Jesus in the messiness of it all. 

Keep praying for continued growth and courage as they face all kinds of opposition against their engagement in the church. And pray for opportunities and courage for Ellenie and Kaitlyn too as they come alongside different ladies to help encourage and disciple them. 

Pray too for Natalie, Lauren, and Olivia as they are trying to adjust to a new routine and some new circumstances. Pray that we could train them well and continually point them to Jesus and His new way of living even in uncomfortable circumstances. As they grow, there are more and more moments where they are faced with things that require a new level of purposeful engagement with the Spirit. 

School will be starting back up as we speak, and that will re-introduce a lot of moments where grace will be needed and hard work will be required … for students and teacher alike! 

Thank you again for praying and being with us as we continue to fight for the things that God wants in our own lives and in the lives of our friends here in Konomala.