Dear Friends & Family,
We have just finished a memorable two-week field conference here in our Ukarumpa Center. Many people contributed to its success. For the first time in history, our Papua New Guinean support personnel were also able to send delegates to this biennial conference. Each of them shared a short testimony and in other ways made it clear to the rest of us that they share our vision for Bible translation here and throughout the world!
During the conference we were sobered by two serious road accidents. In the first accident, two Papua New Guinean field leaders were injured on the way to Lae (second largest city). Rambai Keruwa, a leader in the Highlands region, is recovering well from a broken arm. However, Stephen Topoqogo, the principal of the Translators' Training Course, is still in the hospital with a possible spinal injury.
A few days after the first accident, a 15-seater van collided head-on with a semi-trailer truck in a narrow place on the "Highlands Highway" a few miles beyond Kainantu (the closest town to Ukarumpa). Thirteen people were injured, four serious enough to be medevaced the same day to Australia. Two of these are Steve and Tracy Geis, the parents of Noah's friend David, who is now staying with us. You may remember that David stayed with Clyde and the boys a few years ago when his dad, a small-airplane pilot, was injured in a motorbike accident! David plans to move into one or our "children's homes" when they open for the new term of school next week. His mother has already been released from the hospital, but his father is expected to remain in the hospital for some weeks. He suffered hip, femur, and knee fractures. He is in stable condition, and we thank God that the remaining passengers are on well on the way to recovery!
We are also thanking God for the people who have been newly elected to our field leadership team. We would appreciate prayer for our new director, Tim Lithgow, who grew up here in PNG and has served for many years as a helicopter and small-airplane pilot. We would also appreciate prayer for our new field committee chairman, Bonnie Nystrom. She and her family have been in a translation program for many years in the Sepik River region of the country. Clyde was also elected to the field committee as "fourth alternate", and I was elected to the school board as "second alternate" :-).
From our home to yours, we wish you a happy and blessed Easter!
Johanna, also for Clyde & the boys
P.S. Attached are a few photo impressions of the last two weeks.
P.P.S. The seemingly endless rain stopped two days ago!
