Recent Time in Mibu

A view of Beng Village

Recently I had the opportunity to get back into Mibu for 2-1/2 weeks. The purpose of my visit was primarily translation, but there were many other reasons to go. It was so good to be there and to spend time with my friends, catching up with the goings on in the church and with the leaders and other individuals! It's a huge encouragement and benefit to all parties to be able to spend some time on the ground, checking the pulse of the church, what their needs are, and maybe seeing areas where they need uplifting and/or direction. My time there caused me to praise the God who sustains and cares for his people! I saw that the church as a whole and its leaders continue to stand in their faith and dependance upon Jesus. Like any church, the Mibu church has its struggles too. But it's encouraging to see how God has equipped his people to deal with the various issues that come up with the grace and wisdom that only he can provide!

Marking up scripture translation in areas that need further revision for clarity

While there, Sesi and I worked through Revelation chapters 12 and 13 together. Then after that I worked with a few other folks, doing a thorough check of those and previous chapters for comprehension. This was a chance to see how the text is communicating and to find areas that are problematic. The whole check gives opportunity to diagnose where the issues lie and make revisions that will make it communicate the way it's intended.

In addition to translation, I also kept busy with many other areas of life and church. Here are some bulleted points to give you an idea.

- Trying to encourage and provide direction for a dad who is struggling to teach his two older wayward sons.

- Maintenance on house and office (the jungle has a way of quickly taking over our homes left out there!)

- Talking with leaders about strategies regarding several outreaches they're currently involved in.

- Handling a small medical emergency or two!

- Giving input regarding the resolution of conflict between a couple families in the church (resolution still in progress)

- A teacher in the church who was found to be smoking pot. I was mostly just listening to how the leaders are dealing with it.

- Helping the church deal with the ongoing scourge of pornography that always finds its way even into places as remote as Mibu. (People in PNG carry it around on micro sd cards and share via bluetooth on their phones. As such it's become very widespread.) Thankfully in Mibu it seems to be something that the occassional person brings in, and not necessarily as widespread as it is in the communities around them. However the threat, especially among the young people is very real and requires constant diligence and attention.

- Working on a technical solution giving us more options in the process of translating remotely.

Needless to say, 2-1/2 weeks was not enough to get everything done I had planned. But honestly I always plan way more work than I can actually get done, just to be sure if something goes quicker than planned I've still got plenty to do to keep digging away at this mountain of work!

Unfortunately my family was not able to join me on this one, and so it was difficult to leave them for that length of time. But Shannon was a champ as she managed the house and kids and homework on her own all that time! We know there were people praying for her! We appreciate that more than we can say!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Huge thank you to all of you who are praying and giving each month! We could not do this work on our own. We're dependent on the Lord's provisions both physically and spiritually. You all are a part of the team as you participate each month through your heartfelt prayers and faithful giving! Thank you! If haven't yet had opportunity to give and are desiring to do so, you can follow this link which will give several options for how to give. https://ethnos360.org/missionaries/geoffrey-and-shannon-husa

Keteng and son, Joey, make a great team for comprehension checking of the Bible translation

Sesi is a close friend, my primary translation helper, and a wonderful leader