Avocado Trees and Changed Lives

In our garden in Papua New Guinea are two avocado trees:

They don't bear fruit too often, but we enjoy huge amounts of avocado when they do.  Even more exciting is when the work of Bible translation bears fruit.  It's been thrilling recently to read about lives that have been changed following encounters with the Jesus Video Bike that Andrew has worked on frequently.

We are not directly involved in the translating itself; but just as a tree's trunk supports its branches, we are supporting translation and literacy work by using our practical skills.

The part of the tree that can't be seen is the roots.  We know though that the tree couldn't survive without the roots.  I'm reminded of those who are faithfully partnering with us through prayer and finances from their home countries.  The gifts of prayer and finances go largely unseen, but are vital; without the financial and prayer support of people around the world, there would be no Bible translation work in Papua New Guinea.  

We're so glad to be able to catch up in person this year with many individuals and churches who are supporting our work in Papua New Guinea.  We're excited that we have several new opportunities to share about this work and let others know how they can be involved. 

This month's prayer points:
*We praise God for opportunities to speak to others about our work in Papua New Guinea.  
*We praise God for a successful medical check-up for Eowyn in March this year.  The consultant saw very little change since our last visit, which is a good thing.  We can wait two years before returning for a follow-up visit.

*We pray that God would be strengthening our 'roots' by enlarging our team of financial and prayer partners.

Many thanks,

Andrew, Clare, Levi, Heidi and Eowyn Koens

We have Stories to Share!

When we are in the UK and the USA next year, one of our assignments will be to share about the Bible Translation work that's going on in Papua New Guinea.

 

       
This photo shows the 'furlough workshop' I've been attending; my goal has been to come up with interesting and helpful presentations.  Gone are the days of the 30 minute slide show!  We'll be aiming to share in a way that's relevant to each group of people, and which gives others a chance to see how they too can be involved.
        
Do you know of people who would like to hear how God is using Bible Translation to change lives in Papua New Guinea?  If so, please get in touch.  This might be in your church services, small groups, Sunday school meetings, children's groups or schools.  Of course we'd love to share with you in your own home too!   Even if it's too early to work out the specific details, it would be helpful to find out about possibilities now, for planning purposes.

Prayer and Praise Points:

* We now have plane tickets!  I'm keeping track of and updating our itinerary here.  We appreciate prayer for good decisions as we prepare for our time away from PNG and that plans would come together well.

* Please pray for good times of transition for our children.  They are excited about the upcoming travels, but the idea of spending a long time away from the place they know as home can be unsettling for them.

* We would appreciate prayer for wisdom in our work, and that we would use our time well during the next few months that we have here.

Thank you so much for your valued partnership with us, expressed in many different ways

Future Travel Plans

This photo was taken last time we were in the USA:

That was way back in 2011.  Clearly it's time to start planning another Home Assignment, so we're working on booking a trip to our home countries next year. In March 2017 we'll travel to Brisbane, Australia, where Eowyn has a check-up with the kidney specialist.  From there we'll fly to England, where we'll be based in Haslemere, Surrey, from April - July.  From August - December we'll live in North Carolina (where our organisation has housing), making sure we fit in trips to Tennessee and Florida.

We're looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible during our time away from PNG.  We'll also have the chance to take some training courses, have health check-ups, and make the most of opportunities for spiritual and emotional refreshment.  The children will get to attend school/preschool in their passport countries for the first time. (The little baby in the photo above will be in year 1/1st grade in 2017!)

Levi says he's most excited to see grandparents, while Heidi's aim is to ride a toy chicken on a merry-go-round!

If you would like to see us, please let us know!

We would appreciate your prayers as we start to plan and book our travel for next year.  There are so many things to think about including tickets, visas, clothing, speaking engagements, road trips, health insurance and preparing our house here.

On a different note, thank you for praying for the staffing situation at Autoshop.  We are very relieved that Andrew now has a temporary manager, and that the permanent manager is on schedule to return after Christmas. 

Back in PNG

Greetings from England!

There are a lot of things to enjoy about living here in the UK:
 1) Seeing family and friends who we rarely get to spend time with.  We've already taken part in four family celebrations.

2) Experiences that we don't normally have.  Can you spot Andrew and Levi on the pirate ship?

3) Being able to buy the ingredients that the recipes in our cookbooks call for, as well as the occasional take-away for a special treat.

Our baby is due on 8th December, so hopefully not much longer to wait! 

We then will need to obtain the baby's birth certificate and passport quickly so that we can all apply for new PNG visas.  We will apply for these in early January.  Please pray for the visas to be granted quickly so that we can return to Papua New Guinea as soon as possible.  We have a house to stay in until the end of January, but would appreciate prayer that we will have somewhere to live until the time we leave for PNG.   Thank you!

In the UK