Serving the Lord in Papua New Guinea

The Woodard Family

   

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Welcome to our website!  

 

Mark's weekly email updates will be posted, as well as photos of the family and their home in Bagwido, Papua New Guinea.

 

NEW! We now have a video of the teaching in Bagwido posted on our News & Updates page.  Click here to watch the people of Bagwido hear the Bible for the first time!

 

OF SPECIAL NOTE!  We love when you reply to our emails, but please, when you do, delete the bottom portion (our email to you).  This saves lots of time for everyone as we send and receive email over high frequency radio waves.  I know, it's hard to imagine anything slower

than dial-up.  :)  Thanks so much.


LAST DAY of 2009

“Great Creator Being,

You are the Only One that could make time start over. 

The years began when you created the world and Adam and Eve.

Then it went, and went, and at the time you sent your Son Jesus to be born,

then You made time start over.

Only our Getting-Back Man Redeemer could start the years again.”

 

(- Papa Rafail, at our Christmas service with Bagwido believers on Dec. 24th)

 

Some highlights from this past year that you may be interested in:

JANUARY:

  • 34 Bagwido believers were baptized; our daughter Allie was among them.
  • Mark’s parents made a visit to this very hot, humid part of the jungle & survived!
  • A dentist & his assistant wife came into Mariama and pulled a lot of rotten teeth! (Not ours, thank the Lord!J)
  • We continued teaching the book of ACTS. 

FEBRUARY:

  • Holly struggled with back and neck issues and ended up in Australia for treatments.
  • We attended a member-care training workshop for a week.
  • Our coworkers, the Holmquists, started their long trek across the ocean to arrive here.
MARCH:
  • The first Mariama adult believer, our dear friend Sepinus, graduated into the arms of Jesus.
  • Our coworkers returned March 6th …yippee… and we both enjoyed visits into the village from relatives.
  • Men’s and Ladies’ Discipleship Classes continued throughout the year. 

APRIL:

  • Allie, Brandt, Trenton, and Sophia dyed their hair bleach blonde (boys) & red (girls) for April Fool’s Day.
  • April 4th marked ONE YEAR OLD BELIEVERS here.
  • April 11th, our son Bryce Thomas understood and joined God’s family.
  • Mark’s elderly tribal mother, Tresya, left this ground for heaven.

 

MAY:

  • We finished another year of school … Allie from 6th and Brandt from 3rd grade.
  • Holly’s last sister graduated from high school & is in college to be a nurse.
  • We traveled to the capital city to renew our kids’ passports … 

JUNE:

  • We met Holly’s family in Cairns, Australia – Allie bungee jumped from almost 200 feet; Holly’s brother flew thousands of miles and jumped out of a box to surprise us all.
  • Brian and several Mariama dads began teaching the Bible weekly to the village KIDS…
  • June 29 began our sister church plant to the village of Anganamai.

 

JULY:

  • Bible teaching in the Anganamai village
  • Hosted a Village Health Workers training course
  • Week of July 12th, we got 22 ½ inches of rain in one week … 

AUGUST:

  • Aug 13th presented the Gospel in Anganamai; several believed …
  • A prominent man from our language group, Dominik Niro, passed away leaving a wake in his path …he understood that he was born in Adam’s family (Rom 5:12) but never put his faith and trust the Redeemer.  He did clearly hear the Gospel.  This was a real difficult month.
  • Teaching in the book of Romans pressed on as well as opportunities for discipleship.

 

SEPTEMBER:

  • Anganamai began meeting as a church body of believers to worship.
  • 25+ Tourists from Israel showed up on the top of our mountain. 

OCTOBER:

  • Translation check – the book of Romans & Galatians were gone over with a fine tooth comb by a translation checker to make sure all books are ready to print.
  • Allie turned 13; We are now parents of a teenager.

 

NOVEMBER:

  • Surprise helicopter ride for the kids.
  • Teaching and meeting with people continued …
  • The Gospel was clearly presented to the Mariama KIDS group – almost all of them are now believers. (*Look for testimonies in the next update.)
  • We received, signed, and sent out our kids’ new passports to renew their visas … and they got lost in the mailL. 

DECEMBER:

  • Finished teaching the truths of Romans on Dec. 5th.
  • Christmas service with believers on the 24th, sweet fellowship & a ‘Christmas play’ put on by the Mariama kids (both black & white kids).
  • Monday Dec. 28th, our passports were FOUND & returned! J

 

END of YEAR STATUS REPORT:

Translation this year: Romans, I Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 + 11 Timothy, Titus (some of these not complete books)

Teaching: Completed Acts & Romans – headed for Ephesians in 2010, verse by verse.

More believers added to the family of God!

Discipleship continuing ....


2nd week of DECEMBER 2009

Bagwido Update ~ What Believers are saying, as we pour over the Scriptures:

 

“Oh Great Creator Being,

in your big grace and mercy alone,

You sent your true talk to us …

Only You, Only You, Only You.”

 

 

I Timothy 4:5 translated from Bagwido back to English says this:

5 Great Creator Being has said, "You are to eat all foods." And also, He said, "If we get food, pray with thanks and eat, there is no talk (it’s no problem), I am pleased with that." Great Creator Being's talk is like that so therefore we shouldn't speak against eating any kind of food.

 

Vincent stopped us here and said, "Wow, this talk truly courts me (tells me that I am doing something wrong).  How many rules do we have? We have so, so many rules and customs! These have been given down to us on what we can and cannot eat. They are from our forefathers, passed on from generation to generation.  Enough!

We are afraid to eat the sago that we have ourselves have planted.  Why? It is because we believe that our blood (soul substance) goes into it when we plant it.  So then if we eat from that very sago tree, it will make us old very fast.  So we go to other trees and other trees, but never eating from the ones we ourselves planted with our own hands.  Enough! Enough! 

I tell you truly, that is enough!  Before we heard this true talk, we listened to ALL these lies.  We didn't know that they came straight from Satan.  Now we have found out that God put all these things here for us to eat

‘Oh God, our Great Creator Being, thank you so much for bringing these guys here to us to teach us the true talk.  I was going to be good fire wood for hell (headed for hell) but God, in your big grace and mercy, you sent your true talk to us through these 2 families.  Oh, God, you have saved us.  Only you, Only you, Only you!’”

 

God is using the Mariama people to grow us missionaries in our knowledge of who He is daily.  We are so grateful.

 

 

POINT OF PRAYER!

Many of you have asked about Andrea’s health and Holly’s back; Please be praying for our girls! Andrea has had a great stretch of good health, but recently has a lot of pain in her shoulders and a few other random symptoms.  Holly has been dealing with pain in her back and neck.  So if you could hold them up in prayer, we would appreciate it much.

 


1st week of DECEMBER 2009

Bagwido Update ~ from Holmquists & Woodards

 

“It seems to be far reaching now-a-days…

…for the serious Christian seeking to have the mind of Christ Jesus

and the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit.

For the majority of us,

what is most real is the world of our material existence;

what is most unreal is the world of God.”

-Brennan Manning

TURKEY DAY:

Hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.  Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, we had a blast sharing the afternoon with the Holmquists.  We were blessed with a cool, drizzly afternoon that was not 100 degrees.  Well, after the chicken was thoroughly cooked it might have been 95 degrees in the house but, anyway, it was a cooler dayJ  The water in the river and lake is coming back up and we are getting lots of rain lately.  We have much to be thankful for in the rain that comes down to fill our water tanks and give us water, and the sun that shines upon our solar panels, to charge our batteries and give us electrical power.  Thanks so much, LORD!

 

SHOPPING:

So the other day, we loaded up our families (Woodards & Holmquists), along with some tribal friends, in a dug-out motor canoe to go for a picnic/exploration day.  There is this small island in the middle of our lake that is surrounded on all sides by water, and is home to a massive rock that is underwater most times of the year.  However, when the water level drops, this rock sticks out in the open lake and is a fun place for the kids to swim, climb, and play.  They have affectionately named it ‘Plymouth Rock.’  We took a slew of fresh fish along, some edible green leaves to cook, and some pineapples to slice up for dessert. 

            We reached the island and the kids immediately took off to explore with their dads.  There is a massive tree that has extending roots & vines from all sides and makes a really cool Tarzan-like place to climb.  We women followed behind…Andrea & I, and 2 Mariama friends: Justina and Belta.  We 2 white women made our trek, carefully stepping over sharp twigs, vines, and other paraphernalia on the jungle floor and stood at the bottom of the tree watching the kids.  Meanwhile, our 2 tribal friends tromped barefoot through the same area, basically like they were walking on a flat, smooth sidewalk, and began to ‘go shopping.’  Within minutes, they had fronds from a coconut tree to use for protection from the wind and rain, dry wood to use as firewood, a large, scooped piece of bark that doubles as a serving tray, and some thin, fabric-like strips off the side of a palm tree which work like a strainer in cooking. 

            We are so used to seeing our friends do this, but this time it struck us: When they step into this jungle, they see it totally differently than we do.  This is their shopping mall.  We see trees, sticks, leaves, green, brown, tan, more green, more sticks; they see the hardware aisle, the cooking utensil aisle, and the grocery aisle!  It is a bit like one of us American women stepping into Target or Wal-Mart.  Within 5 minutes, we could take you to the section where you buy milk and cheese or get the battery replaced in your watch.  These women are no different; their ‘shopping mall’ just looks different!

 

GRATEFUL:

We are grateful God allows us to be a part of His big picture – of making a name for Himself among every tribe, tongue, and nation.  Thanks so much to each one of you that make it possible for us to be living here.  This week, 3 Mariama dads will teach the Death/Burial/Resurrection lesson to the group of CHILDREN here.  These kids have been closely following God’s plan from the Bible for the past 6 ½ months.  Some are already believers; pray for clear understanding for each of them.

 

We, as a team, have been working hard this past month on getting Scripture translation ready to be checked.  While Brian is the main translator, there are many other steps to checking, back-checking, and cross-checking to make sure everything is accurate.  For the next couple weeks, look for updates that tell some of the amazing things the believers here are saying as we pour over these Scriptures.  They are indeed, the WORDS OF LIFE!   


 

November 15, 2009

Bagwido Update ~ from Holmquists & Woodards

 

“Oh Great Creator Being, Thank you,

Oh, I just thank you, for giving us your Holy Spirit. 

My thoughts are like a canoe. 

Your Holy Spirit is in front of me, paddling. 

Your Holy Spirit is behind me, steering the canoe.

Your Holy Spirit is on the side and the side. 

Me?  I am standing in the middle, paddling along. 

My choice is to either paddle with Him or paddle against Him.

Thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit to steer me.”

 

Greetings from the land flowing with fish, greens, papaya, coconuts and bananas!  We would love to have you here and be able to share some of the abundance of produce with you that we are currently receiving.  With our lake being low right now, the fish just drift into the nets and everyone is getting their fill!  It is a steady stream these days of villagers, both local and from places farther down the river, that bring their produce to trade for soap, salt, fish hooks and string, and kerosene.  These are the things that help to make their lives just a little easier.  In our western age of affluence, imagine for just a moment that these are the items you would hope for most … a bar of soap so you don’t have to use leaves as a scrubbing brush to get your clothes, your pots, and your children clean; a little kerosene to pour into the lamp at night so that you can stay up past the kids and read God’s word; or some salt to sprinkle on your coconut fish soup to give it that extra zest.  Indeed, let us be reminded again how very much for which we have to be grateful.

 

We are in the midst of very exciting times here in Mariama. We are seeing the Holy Spirit move and stir hearts.  Here are some of the highlights:

 

ROMANS TEACHING:    

We are nearing the end of a 9 month journey through the book of Romans with the believers here.  We meet on Saturday and Monday nights to teach through Romans.  What a joy it has been to help the people understand who they are in God’s sight because of what Christ did on their behalf. We look forward to teaching Ephesians the beginning of next year.  Last night as we shared together, the believers were like popcorn standing up to share how the Holy Spirit is alive and working in their lives, steering and guiding them.  “God, thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit. He is in front of us, behind us, & in us, steering our thoughts along, like a canoe.”

 

CREATION to CHRIST:

 We are currently re-teaching creation to Christ on Sunday morning. This has been a great time for the maturing believers to get involved in teaching the truths that first brought them to Christ.  There are also some folks who are still unclear of the Gospel message; this gives them an opportunity to hear the truth once again.  We wish you could be a fly on the wall to see the teachers growing.  The first time Vincent stood to teach, his entire body was physically shaking, his mouth quivering and his words slow and disjointed because he was so nervous.  We are now seeing a completely different man as the Holy Spirit is shaping him and giving him strength and confidence as he teaches.  He stood to give credit to the Holy Spirit last night working in his life.

 

KIDS TIME OUT:

On Thursday afternoons, we have a weekly meeting with the kids. Two Mariama fathers do all of the teaching to the 50-80 youngsters that come to hear God’s Word from Creation to Christ.  We know for a fact that some from this group have already come to know Christ. Please keep praying for these children, some of whom will be the future church leaders here. The two Mariama men, Vincent and Henri, have 3 weeks to go and the teaching will be completed.  To see these kids grasping truth is simply priceless.

 

OUR SISTER CHURCH at ANGANAMAI:

Please pray for this group of people.  Mark and two Mariama believers, Jeniten and Lambert, completed the creation to Christ teaching in Anganamai, the 2nd of our 4 villages, in August. There are now a group of believers who meet in that village. One of the hard things to see is the hardships that some of the new believers down in that village face. There are a few believing women in Anganamai who face the wrath of their unbelieving husbands; these men actually beat their wives for being believers. Please pray for these dear ladies and their families. 

 

Thank you for your faithful support of the work here in Mariama. We sometimes feel bad that we are here on the front lines seeing all that God is doing and you all have to hear it second hand from us.  I hope that you don’t get tired of hearing that we appreciate the sacrifices that you make to support us financially and prayerfully. Satan’s stronghold has been broken on these people, but he continues to put up a fight for their flesh.  What a privilege it is for us to continue on to bring the great commission to completion in “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you...” (Matthew 28:19)


 

October 11, 2009 ….

What God in Calling Out a People for Himself Among the Bagwido Believers:

 

“Our Great Creator Being God,  We’re Your kids.

We look at the moon; it came up full tonight … You made it.

We look at the sun that shone strong today  … You made it.

We eat the fish out of our lake …  You made them.

God, we’re not short of anything. We have everything we need.

But God, You know, there are people in our community that are short of something:

...they are short of Your Word. (speaking of unbelievers)

There are some among us that have not yet scaled your Word to be true. 

They’re still short on the thinking/understanding that

You sent Jesus to come down and die for them.

Oh God,  we put those kind of people in Your hands.

Oh Holy Spirit, work in our lives to steer us. 

Help us pull others into Your thinking and help them to understand well.”

 

Thank you, family and friends, for keeping us out here!  You are the body, the support, the ligaments, the legs, the elbows, and the knees … we are just the hands and the mouth to your brothers and sisters in Christ here in this corner of the jungle.  So please do not take your job lightly – you are an amazing and necessary part of all that God is doing here.  Thank you!

 

So last time we wrote, we told how we are transitioning into a time of going deeper with the core group of believers here.  We are striving to pull the stronger believers into some discipleship training; as well, we are continuing to walk them through the book of Romans.  At the same time, we are working towards assisting the believers in starting another ‘Creation to Christ’ teaching, starting at the beginning of the Bible again and culminating in the salvation message. This is primarily for the unbelievers and for those who are still quite young in their faith.  There has been some opposition here surrounding all of this.  The believers call these the ‘stone-throwers’. 

 

Last Saturday afternoon we met with the core group of believers up here on our mountain, to evaluate and talk through where we want to go as a body.  The meeting went well into the evening as we watched a full orange moon rise.  The prayer at the top of this message was from that evening.  Instead of trying to put it into our words, we will just let you read the words from the lips of a Bagwido tribal believer as he stood to exhort and strengthen his fellow brothers and sisters that evening:

 

“Listen guys! We are just a little community here in Yebedo (our village name in their language).  It is not like we are a people of thousands and millions, no, it is not.  Now is our time.  Who will lead us?  What will we do after the white man is gone?  Do we hang up (depend) on the white man or do we hang up (depend) on Our Great Creator alone?  What will we do after Mark and Brian move out of here?

My brothers and sisters, let us go easy (tread carefully).  Go to the Bible alone.  That is where the Truth is.  When I believed in my Getting-Back-Man (Jesus), I didn’t follow Mark and Brian.  No!  They didn’t bring America to Mariama.  They just came and gave the truth of the Bible.  I saw the truth in the Bible alone and that is how I am saved.  It is not of Mark and Brian’s words that I am saved, nor is it of their American culture ways.  No, it is the Truth of the Bible alone.  That is where we will find our answers.  If we just follow the talk of Mark and Brian, we will fall.  No, we must stand on the Bible alone.

We are a small community.  We can scale (discuss & assess) things together.  We are tight.  We aren’t a big company in a city.  We are just a group of HIS kids.  God has made us.  We are specially made.  When I was in my mom’s belly forming up, my dad and mom didn’t see me or know me.  They didn’t know what kind of child I would be. They did not even know if I would be a boy or a girl.  No, only God saw and already knew me.  And he put me here.  He put us here.  For what?  To follow the talk of the Bible.  We have nothing to fear of man.  Only fear God!  I am telling you, brothers and sisters, I am not afraid of men.  I am not afraid of those who throw stones (criticize us for our faith).  Go ahead and throw your stone.  Bring your Bible and we will talk.  The truth in the Bible will always win.

I want to tell you guys, let’s dedicate this small community, this little place in our corner of the world, let’s dedicate this corner of the world to God’s work.  Every hour, every minute, every day, we must be ready.  All of the time, we must be ready.  Not just Sundays.  Not just during meetings.  No, we are to be on standby to do God’s work.  Our family (literally: “Jesus Christ’s believing group of God’s kids”), we all have work.  Who will hold the work when Mark and Brian leave us tomorrow (in the future years)?  All of you hear me well, when the stones come our way, we must hold God’s work well and do what work He has for us.  We have roots.  We are attached to the vine.  We are truly joined back to Christ and we are true brothers, so we must stand strong.”


 

Bagwido Update ~ from Woodard’s & Holmquists

 

Hello friends & family,

We are so grateful for each and every one of you.  We wanted to write, briefly, to bring you up-to-speed in our lives and the ministry together here! You are as much a part of this ministry as we are through your gifts, prayers, and encouragement.  So, thank you!

The past few weeks have been full.  The Holmquists were away from the village for a few weeks doing a number of things, the biggest of which included doing a final check on the books of Romans and Galatians verse by verse.   These 2 books of the Bible are now ready to print!  They also were able to supervise a 2-week hands-on medical training course at the local hospital in town where women from each of our 4 villages received some practical training.  Along with these things, the Holmquists were able to take care of doctor & dental needs, get online and on the phone, and squeeze a little R & R in around the sides.  They are back home as of last week and it is great to be together as a team once again.

Meanwhile, we (Woodard’s) continued to meet with and disciple the believers here in the village.  There are always situations that come up in the daily life cycle that provide opportunity to look to God’s Word for answers.  Lately, we are seeing the believers really taking a hard look at all the intricacies of their old cultural ways and work to weed out those things (even small) that don’t line up with God’s Truth.  Also in the Woodard household this week, Holly got a year older, and Allie became a teenager! 

 

For about a year now, we have been randomly jotting down details of things we see here in everyday village life.  Thought you might enjoy reading a few interesting differences & similarities, in the culture here vs. home:

Ø       When we went down to the village in the evening for our women’s Bible study time, we would carry with us our Bible and study lessons, along with a small bottle of kerosene* to pour into the lamp in the village house. 

*This would be in lieu of our Western culture’s custom of bringing a plate of ‘sweet or savory’ to the women’s night out.

Ø       Many things are acceptable in these meetings, including tribal kids peeing on the floor, large spiders crawling up through the cracks of the floor near your legs, and swiping a flying cricket out of your hair as you talk about God’s Word.

Ø       It is Sunday morning worship time and everyone is barefoot.

Ø       Things in my “purse” to go to the church meeting: bug spray, sunscreen, water bottle, lesson papers, Bible, pen, a small rag for wiping sweat or noses, perhaps a box of matches…

Ø       This morning Brock was holding & playing with a grasshopper during church.

Ø       The “nursery” is an old canoe for small kids to play in outside the meeting house.

Ø       Mark’s tribal dad, Rafael, has his glasses strapped to his head with a jungle vine.

Ø       He leaned forward while Brian was teaching this morning during church and gave a loud, solid whack to a stinging orange spider on the bench beside him to kill it.  No one flinched or looked, and the mood was not broken.

Ø       There would commonly be chickens or dogs wandering into the meeting; simply shoo the dogs away with your foot.

Ø       Everyone sits in the same ‘pew’, just like back home.  Once they settle into a section, that is where they always sit.

Ø       Many things are acceptable, like waiting 1-2 hours to start a meeting is not uncommon.

Ø       It is okay to pick your nose, burp, or blow snot on the side as you teach.

Ø       You would commonly see several long machetes in the service … one of which might be used to crack open the coconut shell for the communion drink…

Ø       The smell, the sweat, the dirt ---

Ø       A couple months ago, there were too many people gathered to fit into the meeting house.  What to do?  Simply remove part of the bamboo slat walls so that folks can stand around the outside and hear the message.

Ø       There is a simple, unabashed, solid faith.  It is a no-frills faith, in the framework of their own cultural grid, hanging up on HIM (Jesus) alone.


 
Woodard Update: Sept 28, 2009
What God is doing among the Bagwido Believers
 
"I am so grateful to God that He chose to save me. 
He made the way.
I had nothing to do with the way that He made (sending the Getting-Back-Man to die in my place). 
He gave me that road and the exact moment I agreed with/believed in the Getting-Back-Man, Jesus,
He took me out of Satan's prison and placed me into His family. 
I am very grateful for that day and that I am in God's family." 
 
~ testimony from a Bagwido believer this week
 
A TIME TO EVALUATE:
On furlough, some folks ask,
"So is your job in P.N.G. almost done?  Will you be able to come home soon for good?"
 
We came to Papua New Guinea in 2001 and moved into this village the end of 2001 with the goal of learning their language and culture, translating God's Word into their language, teaching them God's Word in their own language, and teaching them how to read God's Word in their own language.  All of this with the goal in mind:
...to plant a church...
...to disciple the believers in that church along the way...
    to reach out to others,
    to grow in their walk with the Lord,
    to lead the body here and disciple their children & children's children ...
...and ultimately work ourselves out of a job. 
Can that all be accomplished in this life time?
 
That is funny you ask.  Last weekend we sat down with some missionary consultants that have planted churches here in the jungles of P.N.G.  They have seen, or are in the process of seeing their church plants stand on their own with church leaders in place.  What a great encouragement it was to hear from these missionaries and evaluate together where the church plant is here and where we need to go to 'stay on course,' if you will.  They gave us many great things to chew on and reminded us that we are the elders of this church here in Mariama.  It is quite a challenge to be the elders of a cross cultural church.  That's why you can pray for wisdom for us whenever you think of it.  Thank you so very much for doing so.  
 
We are coming to a very exciting time in the life of the church here.  This coming Saturday we will ask all the believers to join us in a time of evaluation in the life of the current Bagwido church.  We will be putting ideas from the Scripture to them and allowing them to evaluate where the church body is and how we can better function and grow.  In some ways our believers are only 1 1/2 old in their faith.  But listen to some of the things that they are hearing in their own language about who they are in Christ:
"We have been made right in God's sight by faith in Christ." Romans 5:1
"We are no longer in Adam, but in Christ." Romans 5:12
"We have died to sin and no longer are slaves to sin." Romans 6:1-7
"So now we can yield to God -- and not to sin." Romans 6:12
"We have died to the law and are now in Christ." Romans 7:1-4
"We can live in obedience to the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 8:2-4
"We are God's kids without fear -- headed to heaven." Romans 8:14-25
"God loves and looks out for His kids." Romans 8:26-39
PHENOMENAL!!
 
The other phenomenal thing is the team that we have, the body that works together in all parts of the world to help "GOD'S NAME GET PUT UP HIGH," as they say here.  Thank you SO VERY MUCH for all that you do with us and for us.  It would sure be fun to introduce you to some of our great believing friends here in Mariama and now Anganamai, but that probably won't happen here on this ground.  So please remind us to introduce you to them in heaven!  They are quality men and women of God.
 
AND ON A LIGHTER NOTE:
Here are some reminders from our week that we are still living in the jungle:
*  We found a 5-inch green centipede crawling across the top of our solar fridge this week.  He had long pinchers and was not pleased after Mark found him.
 
* Our 2000 gallon rain tank sprang a leak .... on the inside .... last week.  What to do?  Put on diving goggles and go to the bottom of the tank to patch it with epoxy from the inside out.  Holly is glad we have a filter on our water before it comes into the house after Mark was swimming around in it!
 
* Walking to the village yesterday a small black snake slithered across the path in front of Brandt and Mark.  "Look, dad, a snake just slithered across the highway!"  (This part of the hiking trail was recently enlarged and it is now about 3-4 feet wide instead of the normal 1 foot winding trail.  The tribal people call this wide section of the trail "the highway.")
 
* Currently in my freezer: the leg meat of a wild boar, wild cassowary meat, and a small claw of a crocodile that my boys would like to cut the skin off and save the claw-nails.   
 
* And my favorite, this afternoon as I was walking hand-in-hand with our son Bryce (who turned 5 last week), he asked, "Mom, how long do you think we will live here in Mariama?" 
I told him we would live here until our job was done, but probably not his whole life.  He wanted to know where we would live next ... "Michigan? California? Somewhere else in P.N.G.?" 
Then he replied, "Well, mom, I am thinkin' that our family could just get on a plane, and then in whatever country that plane lands, we'll just live there."  (How is that for a 3rd-culture kid?)

September 14, 2009 ….

What God is doing in our corner of the Jungle:

 

“You just never know what a day will bring.”

We can all say that since we know that we are not in control;

God is the One in Control.

We think about that quite often lately as we hear our Mariama believers say,

“That was just God’s plan.

He made us and everything we see.

He is the One that knows best for us.”

 

Dear Family and Friends,

 

We woke up last Monday morning going about our business like it was “just another day” here in Mariama.  At the end of the day, when we fell into bed, we said to ourselves, “Did this really all happen in one day?”

 

Here are the cliff notes from this past Monday:

 

1. Brian began his translation day in the office, working with 2 Bagwido helpers on the book of Galatians.  Andrea and Holly started their normal responsibilities of teaching school, making food, and taking care of all the morning visitors that stop by.  Mark and Ismail got into the canoe to go across to the airstrip and meet the single engine plane that was coming to deliver vegetables – a real treat!  As Mark and Ismail walked the strip, they noticed that the river that runs nearby is beginning to cut into the top of the airstrip …. which means we’ll need a maintenance team on that soon.  (Ismail is now beginning to head up the work of collecting a tribal "maintenance team" to re-route the river once again.)
 

 

2. As  Mark and Ismail worked, 3 teenage boys came paddling over to the airstrip with a message, “Please, you guys need to come back to the village right away! Your tribal brother has been seriously injured by a knife.  His head is cut down to his skull and the top of his right wrist has been cut.  He is bleeding badly!”  There was a loud ruckus in the village as a fight broke out between brothers over a martial dispute.  The result was not pretty.  Brian, Andrea, and Holly ended up spending the morning in the village doing what they could to help. (BTW … This man was taken to the closest hospital and is going to live.)

 

 
3. Shortly after lunch, the Holmquists’ 6-year-old son, Cade, fell from their 8-foot attic.  He suffered a concussion and was not conscious when Andrea first found him.  Immediately we contacted the doctor via. radio and after describing Cade’s symptoms, he recommended that they get on the plane to the closet town in case he had a serious injury like a brain bleed.  It is a little different living so remote, in that you can not just jump in the car and run to the emergency room for help.  Gratefully, the pilot was able to get here in a matter of hours, things got rolling, and they were safely on their way by about 4:00pm.  (PTL … Cade is doing fine now, and just had a very sore neck and head for a week.  We were all so concerned for him.)

 

 
4. As Mark was leaving the airstrip again, sending the Holmquists off, a tribal guy stopped him to talk.  He is the son of the prominent man who recently passed away. This man just wanted to know if the things he was hearing people say were true regarding death and spirits
    • “So is it true that now that my dad is dead, his spirit is still hanging around in the betel nut and coconut trees?
    • Is it true that people can pray and offer sacrifices to help his spirit go to the good place?
    • Is it true that some time my cell phone might ring and it will be my dad calling me up? (This man normally lives in town where he can use a cell phone.)
    • And what I want to know most, is will I ever see my dad again?”

These are real and legitimate questions that the unbelievers from surrounding areas have been asking in the recent weeks following this man’s death.  As you can imagine, this has opened up all kinds of opportunities for teaching the Truth!  These are just some of the many things going on in our lives ….  More next week! Thank you so much for praying and supporting us here.

 

 

 

 

Mark_Woodard@ntm.org