Merry Christmas from the Husas!

Merry Christmas and happy new year to all our friends, family and supporters! Can you believe we’re approaching the end of 2023 already! What a year it’s been! We are so grateful for your gifts of support to help us keep moving forward in our service to Mibu!

While ministry stuff has been a bit slow this year with my three surgeries and limited ability to work on the computer, that doesn’t mean the year has been boring! Shannon has been supplementing our income, working outside of the house part-time for a company that manages and files construction liens across the US. She is also busy taking care of the house and carting the kids around town. The kids’ schools and activities have kept us hopping! Skyler is a senior at Valley Christian High School. She’s been working every day after school for 2-3 hrs as an after school caregiver at Gethsemene Christian preschool. She recently had to quit to focus on school a bit more, but hopes to start working again after graduation. She’s raising funds to hopefully be able to go on a short term ministry trip to serve a group of aboriginal children in the outback of Australia over spring break. Madelyn is a sophomore at the same school and is shaping up to be our next driver (Lord help us with this insurance… and for safety on the road!). Abigail is in 8th grade, and is looking forward to going to Valley Christian High School next year too! She has been involved in gymnastics for the last 2 years but has recently decided she to take a break, which is probably for the best since she wants to play basketball and be in the band in high school. She enjoys being in the recorder ensemble at her current school and also loves playing piano. She has been preparing for an educational trip to Greece this Spring with her middle school. She’s worked very hard baking and selling her super popular cupcakes to raise the nearly $4,000 for this trip! Just a few hundred dollars left! Be sure to order yours if you’re local and would like some for a family gathering or party! You won’t regret it! Ethan is doing great in 5th grade this year! He also takes piano lessons from grandma and loves art. He and Abby are always playing, and singing, and doing art together! They’re both so goofy and creative together! We’re trying to figure out how to get him into some much needed braces soon. If anyone knows of any braces options that don’t cost $6,000 let us know! Who’d have thunk that some wire, glue and skill would cost that much! As for me, I’ve been able to maintain some level of ministry responsibility (as long as it doesn’t involve lots of typing on the computer… haha) as well as continuing to slowly grow our real estate investment business. All while doing physical therapy, and icing for what seems like forever. The elbow surgeries are very slow on the healing and recovery side.

We were gifted some money for me to be able to travel to PNG and into Mibu which I did for a few weeks back in October. It was a huge encouragement to see the church rooted so strongly in their faith as they have been navigating the pain of all the havoc that was wreaked by the terrorist gang over the last 2+ years. The church remains strong, though physically a bit tattered. I was able to get some wonderful time of fellowship with my brothers and sisters there, and get some practical ministry stuff done as well. We were also recently given some money for a new translation laptop for my translation helper in Mibu, which I’ve now purchased and am configuring appropriately. I’d like to be able to travel back to get Sesi set up and trained on the new operating system sometime in the Spring. We’ve already been given $1500 toward the total $4000 needed and are still looking for the Lord’s provision to be able to travel.

As far as the surgeries and other medical stuff is concerned… thanks to all who have prayed and given us grace to step back and focus more on repair and healing. Taking care of all this stuff this year was made possible by God’s very gracious provision through our church. Their deacons’ fund covered our out of pocket medical expenses! I’m shaping up to get back into more of my full-time ministry tasks mid to late January, assuming physical therapy goes well to help me recover from my last surgery on my left elbow! I'm looking forward to getting going again on some lesson development and translation for Mibu! Shannon also has some arthritis in her hip which she wasn’t able to resolve completely with physical therapy. We had hoped to get that fixed as it’s so limiting for her (she can’t even go with walks with me around the block 😢) but she does have some new exercises to help strengthen and lessen the pain.  

I get asked a lot about our real estate endeavors. I don’t talk about it as much as I should on social media (important for business credibility) because “Real Estate Investing” comes with certain assumptions that are not necessarily true. I had to hold back a chuckle when someone recently indicated their assumption that we must have and make a lot of money to be able to buy real estate. Our cash flow from real estate, while slowly growing, is fairly paltry right now. We’ve learned how to invest in real estate with little to no money out of pocket by collaborating with funding partners/investors. It’s a slow difficult business to grow. But will certainly be worth it in the long run! This year we were able to add 3 more properties to our portfolio! We’re trusting the Lord with our plans and hope to have the business be able to cash flow most of our ministry and life expenses in the next 5 years or so. We’re thanking the Lord for the investors he’s put in our lives that we’re able to collaborate with to see this dream become more of a reality. We continue to trust the Lord for our daily, monthly and yearly needs. He has always been faithful.

We appreciate all of you very much! We hope you have a blessed Christmas, and are encouraged and strengthened as you celebrate and reflect on the profound importance of the birth of Jesus!

This is coming out late, I know. I’ve been picking at it over the last week since getting back from Mibu! And then my email system for posting to the blog isn't working all of a sudden.

 

I’m thanking the Lord for his mercy which got me the rest of the way home after my first international flight out of PNG was delayed causing me to miss all the rest of my itinerary, and having to overnight in Sydney, and rebook all the rest of my flights. After my knucklehead travel agent accomplished nothing for 30 hours, I finally just went back to the airport hoping and praying I could get on the next flight. The agent at Fiji Airways service desk was extremely gracious and helped me even though technically she didn’t have to, and the rest is history. So glad to be back with my family now after 2.5 weeks away.

You’re probably used to me posting more on social media, but I’ve had to be very careful of that because we assume the terrorist group sees those posts and we don’t want to give them information. It does make it more challenging to update though. Certainly not real time like we’re used to anymore. I have lots of pictures and video clips and feel like I can’t post them.

I get asked a lot how our brothers and sisters in Mibu are doing, and I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my impressions after being in there. One thing that was very clear to me was that the church isn’t struggling in their faith, and I wasn’t there to try to fix anything (other than computer hardware that wasn’t cooperating… haha). But the church is strong in their faith as evidenced in how they talk about all the difficulties of the last couple years, and by the things they continue to prioritize in their lives. They prioritize looking to the Lord in all of it. They prioritize continuing to share the gospel, which they’ve done, with people who haven’t heard. They’ve even prioritized somehow getting the gospel message to these terrorists. The church in Mibu has served others in need even when being in need themselves. And listening to them talk about the struggles, there is still a hope and a joy there which only comes from the gospel. So I was super encouraged to be in there and interact with them and see the fruit of their faith!

It is interesting to hear how the gang has splintered into 3 or 4 groups who are now sometimes fighting and even killing each other! The terrorists haven’t been very active in their attacks on the communities and their threats against Mibu. So that’s good, for right now. But the reality that the church is having to grapple with is that while the terrorists seem to be in a lull right now, they never have been dealt with. All their evil ways of thinking and their motivations are still there. So whenever they feel like it they probably will start attacking again. The Mibu church and the community is trying to do what they can to be more ready for it, but that’s difficult to do out in the remote jungle.

 

The highlight of my trip was actually having plenty of time to just sit and listen to my friends as they talked about life the last couple years. Most of it revolved around the terrorist group and the extreme challenges they brought on the community. We talked about many other things too of course, but I just appreciated being able to sit and talk life together and catch up on things. People were fascinated to see my hearing aid implant and hear about how that works. They also enjoyed hearing about how our family is doing.

I was able to get done everything that I wanted to with some translation work, and re-training on some of the tools we use to work together virtually. I did notice the equipment is a bit ‘rusty’ and needing replacement so I’m making plans that way as well. I’m thankful for a recent gift specifically for replacing the computer that Sesi and others use to work with me. The current computer, an old Dell is on it’s last leg and I’d like to try a macbook this time to see if we get more trouble free usage from it over the long term. It was comical seeing how we were having to jerry-rig his computer to try to get a workable system going again.

 

I’m hoping that I can return to Mibu again in 6 months or so, so I can take the new computer and get it set up and working with our system and with the software needed. And being a different kind of computer, with different operating system, Sesi will need some more training on that as well.

 

One thing that I’ve come to realize is that I likely will need sponsors for future trips. Finances aren’t what they used to be and it’s just not been possible to save what is needed for travel to Mibu. We’re so thankful for the generous gift that allowed me to make this last trip. I need to raise about $4,000-$4,400 specifically for the next one. And I’m hoping one of these days I can go back with the whole family to give the kids especially a bit more closure after leaving the place and country they grew up in. I can discern the need there as I talk with the family about my time back there myself.

 

 

 

Made it to Mibu!

Thanks to everyone who has been praying! My flight itinerary had me arriving in Goroka after 41 hrs of travel. However, due to a cancellation, and an overnight in Brisbane, and then another in Port Moresby I didn’t actually make it there till after 75 hrs! While that sounds exhausting, having two nights to sleep in a proper bed breaks things up nicely, and I was able to arrive at my final destination fairly well rested.

 

I spent the first day primarily focused on purchasing supplies needed to go into Mibu; food, toiletries, and whatever else I could think of that I might need. It’s always hard to tell when you’ve been away so long just what is needed. So in many ways you just go in prepared to deal with the realization that you didn’t bring many needed things. Now that I’m actually in Mibu I can say that’s a good number of things that I missed. Haha.

 

But whatever… I’m glad to finally be in Mibu! I arrived on Thurs morning and was greeted by a huge crowd on the airstrip! Wow! So happy to see my friends and brothers and sisters here after so long being away! The rest of the day was going back and forth between trying to get systems up and running (as much as I can in a reasonable amount of time) and just hanging out with my friends here, and hearing about all they have to fill me in on!

Then this morning we started work on some comprehension checking on translation. Spent 10 hrs pushing through that and still weren’t able to finish before the guys’ minds just pooped out. So we’re going to try to finish the last chapter tomorrow morning when I hike down to Beng for the Saturday morning church team meeting. Hoping to grab some time either before the meeting or right after to wrap up that task.

 

Then Sunday I’m planning to hike down to Mibu for the Sunday morning service, and then likely spend the afternoon hanging out with friends, eating food together before heading back up to Tibu where our house is.

 

Speaking of our house, that’s always interesting. I find every time I come in now gets harder as I experience a weird, kind of sad, heavy nostalgic feeling the first day back. Just seeing the house empty, my mind is filled with many many memories of our family here, raising our kids, hanging out together, telling stories, and all the laughs, hurts, excitement, and everything we had here. As happy as those memories are, it’s sad as each visit marks further and further we are away from that.

 

I wasn’t sure if I was going to have any gas for cooking, hot water, etc. So I came prepared with a mini kerosene cooker so I could at least heat up food. However I was thankful to find a half full bottle of gas that I could hook up under our house for those basics! Our fridge also no longer works, so I have to switch ice packs in and out of our freezer every day to keep food cool. I was planning on using our generator as needed (and I need it now because weather has been cloudy since I got here. Need to top up my solar system) but someone snagged the plug for inputting the generator to the system. I could fix it easy enough except the police stole my map gas torch so I have no way to solder a new plug/cord onto the cable. Oh well. Our washing machine also no longer works. Bummer because I don’t plan on buying another one at this point. So I will either be using our co-worker’s little machine at their house or just hand wash my clothes. The problem is that everything is soooo moldy smelling so I really have to wash a fair bit when I first get here as I’m concerned about all that mold.

 

Things to be praying about…

• Continued inactivity by the gang which is still around, but have just been quiet the last few months.
• For my knee which just underwent surgery about 8 weeks ago. It’s about to undergo some abuse. It’s healed, but still not 100%
• For my short time here in Mibu (just 6 days) that it would be super fruitful, and that I could get everything I’d planned finished.
• For my family back home as Shannon is holding down the fort on her own.

 

 

Heading to Mibu

I'm really excited to have the chance to go back to Mibu in Papua New Guinea in just a week and a half here! Actually I've been looking for the opportunity for at least 6 months. I have three surgeries I'm needing to have done before the end of the year and so finding the time between each, where I'm done with rehabilitation has been a challenge. But the Lord orchestrated things so that I was able to put something together even fairly last minute here with pretty decent ticket prices! I'm scheduled to leave on Aug 18^th and return Sept 4^th.

 

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to connecting with my friends in Mibu! While there, along with just generally being a mutual encouragement to each other, I have a few tasks I'm hoping to accomplish. With everything that's happened over the last couple years with the gang, there's been a slow down, and even halt on some of the ministry work that needs to continue to move forward. I'm hoping to re-up some of the training with those I work together with, so that they're comfortable using the tools we need to use to work together from opposite sides of the world. I'm also hoping to wrap up a bit of comprehension checking that's been hanging in limbo a bit too long. And then finally I'd like to help get the literacy store back up and running again. The gang stole everything and all those years of work came to a screeching halt. The literacy store was very successful at raising capital to help fund literacy efforts in Mibu and other local villages.

 

It was fun today to share the news with some of my buddies in Mibu and talk for a while!

 

I'm so thankful for the generous financial gift that allowed me to make this trip! Even when finances are a challenge as they have been this last year or so, we still see God providing. We couldn't continue ministry to Mibu without your support and your prayers, and we want to thank everyone who has contributed, prayed, or otherwise shown their support over the years, and those who continue to support us now! Thank you!

 

Just a little side note here for our friends in AZ: We'll be at the ministry fair at Arizona Community Church in Tempe this weekend for anyone who might want to come catch up face to face and ask us any questions about the ongoing ministry in Mibu. It'll be this Saturday, Aug 12 in the evening for the 5:30 service, and Sunday during all the morning services. Come by and take the opportunity to chat with us and grab a prayer card!

Quick Addendum to Recent Update

Despite the really cool news I reported in our last update about the gang saying they are done and actually wanting to hear the gospel, there's a bit more complication I thought would be good to add and ask for your prayers…

 

There's also a third party in all this mix, some leader types out on the coast who have been pushing for 'peace' negotiations with the gang for quite some time. This particular brand of peace talks lets the gang off the hook for everything they've done, and even places blame on the Mibu church, and their involvement in communicating with the police, for how intense things got with the gang and how long it dragged out. They want the Mibu people to apologize for calling the police in to help when the gang was ransacking and killing and all the rest.

 

There is a 'peace' meeting on Aug 5^th that we'd ask you to be in prayer for. There's an incredible amount of injustice being pushed by leaders in that meeting. Please pray for the Mibu church as they will have a contingent there, along with the police, to represent their side. Please pray that while they strive to maintain peace they can do so without having to cave to pressure to allow the gang to save face as is so typical in PNG culture.

 

This is an additional dynamic that will have a role in how things play out and I thought it was important to let you all know so you can be praying with us!

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

Latest With Ministry and Family!

Hello everyone! We're enjoying this near perfect weather here in Phoenix lately, with warm afternoons and cool mornings and evenings! We're bracing for the crazy heat just around the corner! We've been busy with kids' school, ministry, Shannon working outside of the home, and still trying to get ahead of some medical stuff we're trying to take care of. The kids are in their final stretch of the year (Ethan 4th grade, Abby 7^th grade, Maddie 9^th grade, Skyler 11^th grade).

 

I am still slowly pushing through development of Revelation lessons and the last bits of the Elder Training lesson corrections. Moombi is helping me, as he can, to go through the elder training lessons to make sure they're communicating clearly before we format for printing.

 

Please be in prayer for the community in Mibu who are now trying to put their lives back together after the devastation caused by the attacks of the gang, and the influx of people who were displaced from their homes. My main translation helper, and others who help me understandably find it difficult to give the time needed to work with me on lessons and translation so that can slow things down a bit. For now I mostly work on things I can do on my own.

 

Speaking of the gang… We have an amazing update! The church leaders in Mibu sent word to the gang recently, highlighting all the devastation that they have caused with stealing, murder, abductions, rapes, destruction and burning of property and gardens, etc. But they rounded up their message to the gang with the notion that with all they took, they neglected to take the very best thing, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ who died to pay completely for their sins and make them right with God and give them hope. We were all shocked to hear that the gang leader responded saying that they were done with the attacks, and that he issued word to the rest of the gang that if anyone else continued to cause trouble he'd kill them himself! What a complete turn around! He went on to say that the gang no longer has a grievance with Mibu and even acknowledged that they, the gang, were the ones who did wrong, not Mibu. Then even more shocking; he said that they want the gospel message to be brought to them! Taking this at face value, we're praising God for this amazing turn of heart. But it's also with some hesitation as we have a bit of skepticism about their intent. Also, our idea of justice is offended as we're looking at the probability that there may be little to no consequences for all the horrible things they've done over the last couple years. But the big picture sense of things has us thankful that there seems to be a change of heart and desire to hear about Jesus. We've all seen the power of the gospel in Mibu and beyond, and so the expectation is that it can have its effect here too!

 

Ministry stuff is slowing down a bit again as I need to prioritize some nagging medical stuff. I tried everything but surgery last year to resolve some issues with debilitating elbow pain that's been getting worse for a number of years. The last thing on the table is surgery. We're so thankful God stepped in and graciously provided the needed funds specifically for us to be able to move forward with these two surgeries and also another one on my knee for a nagging meniscus issue. So three surgeries this year along with a number of other medical things we're trying to get taken care of. Shannon's hip has been bothering her for some time too. It turns out that living and hiking in the jungle, and also lots of hours at a computer comes with physical issues! Pray that we can get these resolved and resume normal living again. Right now both of us struggle to get the exercise we need and that's getting us down a bit. Glad to have the first of my three surgeries scheduled for this Tuesday, the 25^th on my right elbow! If you think of it would you please pray that this would resolve the issue, and for a good recovery.

 

Along with the medical stuff we're trying to schedule through the rest of the year, I'm also looking for the right opportunity in between surgeries, and after some level of rehabilitation, to return to Papua New Guinea so I can have the opportunity to visit and be an encouragement to the church in Mibu (and they to me), and just generally be of service anywhere needed. I had hoped that I'd be able to make it out the middle of this month, but my work visa has not been processed fast enough. The helicopter is also booked solid through the end of the school year anyway, so it would have been a challenge getting back into Mibu. So for now I'm looking like maybe sometime this summer. We're also trying to plan a short two week trip to Michigan this summer as well to visit with Shannon's parents and some friends and church up there, as well as our co-workers, the Walkers.

 

Skyler and Maddie both went on their short term mission trips over Spring break! Skyler to Kenya, and Maddie to Mexico. Both really appreciated the opportunity to go and serve kids in a different cultural setting! Thank you so much for those who so generously contributed to their mission trips!

 

Abby wants to go on an international field trip to Greece with her school next year. We told her we didn't have the nearly $4,000 needed, but if she would commit to working for it we could sign her up. She's been doing odd jobs to get there, but what she's really settled on and has been doing very well with is baking these fantastic cupcakes and selling them! She's managed to cover the monthly payments since January and is funded well into June at this point! She even supplied cupcakes for a wedding recently! Her little business is aptly named "Blissful Bites"! It's exciting to see her take the initiative with this, and her little entrepreneurial spirit kicking in to accomplish her goal!

 

And we're realizing we've not mentioned we have an addition to the family. Meet Rex! He's a rescue dog whose previous owners abandoned him when they vacated a friend's rental property. Rex is a super sweet, well behaved, and energetic addition to the family. We all love having him around!

 

Latest Mibu Ministry Update

Hello everyone! We're thrilled to be continuing with ministry efforts to the church in Mibu! Lately I've been getting some momentum with the lessons for the book of Revelation. Honestly it's so difficult to figure out how to keep lessons at an overview level, without getting caught up in the weeds; all those little details that are so fascinating and raise so many questions. I've got a rough outline (several actually… haha) and will be hammering that out more as I go I'm sure. It'll be just as much of a challenge actually teaching the lessons as well since I'll likely need to do that virtually like all my work.

 

I'm also slowly working through the corrections for the Elder Training Lessons that I drafted up last year. My friend, Moombi (also an elder in the Mibu church) is helping me through those as he has time. So it'll be something we just pick through slowly as the year goes on.

 

I'm super grateful for the gracious gift of a supporting church recently which will allow me to travel back to PNG, and hopefully Mibu, for 2-3 weeks in the coming months. I'd like to go mid-late April if possible, but my work visa is only recently processed, and the whole thing will need to be completed before I can buy tickets. So for now I sit and wait and watch ticket prices. If needed I may bump it a month or so. A trip back to PNG will give me a chance to reconnect face to face with our coworkers-in-Christ in Mibu as well as our other coworkers, the Walkers. It will also be my opportunity to sort through and sell or give away the remainder of our belongings from all those years living in PNG.

 

There hasn't been much news of the gang in the last few months. Mostly just communities sorting through the aftermath. The government, true to form, did nothing. Even the allocation of funding by the government which was promised toward relief expenses was not paid out, and so that's left us overall about $30,000 that we need to raise to fill the void. Overall though there's not been much activity from the gang. This makes us nervous because it likely will appear to not be a problem anymore, and not hold the attention of the government who we'd hoped would take some strong action to put a stop to it and exact justice. We still hope and pray. But our concern now is that after the communities work so hard to rebuild their lives, the gang is still there, and could just as easily pick up their activities where they left off. So regarding the gang, please keep praying. I think maybe we can shift, or add to our prayers the need for wisdom and grace for the various communities to get things back to normal.

 

In family news, the kids continue to work through school. Skyler (junior) and Maddie (freshman) are doing well at Valley Christian High School. Abby (7^th) and Ethan (4^th) are doing good at Center for Educational Excellence! Skyler started a job a while back working just 2 hours a day after school for an after school care program. That's helped her begin paying us back for her car for which we loaned her the money. Maddie just applied for a job at In-N-Out down the street. We're waiting to see what happens with that!

 

Back to education… To any and all of our AZ friends; if you pay AZ taxes, would you consider utilizing the wonderful ACSTO program here to help fund our older daughters' school at Valley Christian High School? It's a great program that allows you to contribute at a NET ZERO cost to you! You can apply this to your 2022 taxes all the way up to tax filing date this year, so there's still time! And did I say it costs you nothing? Here's a link if you'd like to help. Please reach out if you have any questions! https://pages.acsto.org/sxwe2k/

 

Oh, I forgot to mention too that Skyler and Maddie are both scheduled to head out (less than a week away now) on short term mission trips of their own! Skyler is heading to Kenya, and Maddie is heading to Mexico where they are going to serve mostly underprivileged children in local communities in conjunction with ministries already on the ground there. We're excited to see them serve in this way. Maddie is completely funded now, and Skyler has just $162 more to go to be at 100% funded. We're so thankful for those who have generously given to help them on their way! This will be a great opportunity for them not only to serve others and be a bit of the light of Jesus, but also an opportunity for them to discern God's direction in their own lives. I'll drop a couple links here if you're interested in reading a bit more about what they're doing. And if you feel so inclined, Skyler just needs a bit more to be 100% funded. Gifts are tax deductible.

Skyler - https://vcs.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/skylerhusa

Maddie - https://vcs.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/maddiehusa1

 

And then Abigail is signed up to do an educational trip to Greece next year with her school. We took this one on hesitantly, but decided together with her that if she could work to pay for the trip she could go. She has to find a way to make $288/mo for 14 months to completely pay for the trip. So far she's 2 months in and has shown a real entrepreneurial spirit as she works hard to make this money! She started by washing and waxing our cars, and is still doing that on a limited basis. She's even put a carwash sign out on the street and pulled in a number of drivers by who loved the idea! But now she has perhaps found her entrepreneurial calling as she is making these FANTASTIC cupcakes and selling them! Not only are they beautifully created, but they taste so so delicious! If anyone here locally is interested, they're $20/doz. She makes $10 profit per dozen toward her trip!

 

 

Thriving in the Midst of Turmoil

This last year has been one of great heartache and angst for all of us as we've followed all that's been going on in Mibu with the Hetwara Terrorist Group. The incredible pain we're watching our friends go through, the seeming helplessness, the frustration as we try to get help from the government… it's all been overwhelming for us watching and helping and praying from afar, but much more so, as you can imagine, for our friends on the ground in Mibu.

However, it's encouraging to know that despite the ongoing threats to their safety, the refugee situation with so many displaced from their villages and relocated to Mibu, and the resulting shortages of food and other basic supplies, as well as increased illness, THE CHURCH IN MIBU IS STILL LIVING OUT THEIR IDENTITY AS GOD'S PEOPLE, THE CHURCH, A PILLAR AND BUTTRESS OF TRUTH IN THIS WORLD!! Many of the refugees in Mibu are from areas that have been asking for the gospel to be brought to them for years. The church in Mibu, always eager to share the good news that they've so passionately embraced, have been teaching the gospel to these refugees over the last few months. Just recently we got word that out of about 40 people they've been teaching, about 28 have come to faith, with a number of others still contemplating the radical message they've just heard! How amazing that the message of God's love supersedes even these circumstances and gives hope to those who have none!

I'll put a link to some pictures and video we compiled here.

This last year was a very busy year for us, with Shannon taking a part time job, Geoff helping in any way he can for the situation in Mibu, consulting with church leaders, and also continuing to develop lessons. We're seeing good momentum with the lessons again! We're getting closer to being done with the book of 40-something lessons prepared for the training of elders in Mibu. This year we should also make some great progress too on the lessons for the book of Revelation, which was the latest thing translated. Geoff also put a lot of energy into looking for great deals with real estate. That business is moving too, though more slowly than we'd like. We have funding partners ready to bring all the capital needed to buy the real estate when the deal is right, but getting the right deals to buy is the tough part! Clearly it's going to be some time to really start to see the difference real estate can make in our monthly income.

The kids continue to do well in school. Skyler is a junior and Maddie is a freshman at Valley Christian High School. We're so thankful for the ACSTO tax credit program which allows folks in AZ to contribute to their school at ZERO cost to them. Both girls' school is nearly paid for this year! We do need a bit more for Madelyn to finish the year. If you're in AZ and would like to know how you can help at NO COST to you, please let us know so we can get that info to you! Actually here's a link… https://pages.acsto.org/sxwe2k/

Abby and Ethan are at Center for Educational Excellence in Tempe and both are doing well there, though they can often feel out of place being at a non-Christian school.

Coming up soon, in the Spring, the older 2 girls are planning on doing a short term missions trips with their school.. Skyler  to Kenya and Maddie to Mexico! They're both really looking forward to the opportunity to go to another culture and language outside of what they know and serve some of the needs in each place. Maddie's trip is completely funded, but Skyler still needs to raise about $1700 before mid-February. If you'd be interested in helping her on her way here's a link to help you read and understand more about her trip and consider a tax deductible donation… https://vcs.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/skylerhusa

And then we hesitantly signed Abby up for an educational trip with her school to Greece in 2024. Hesitant only because of the cost, and the fact that it's not really something to do fundraising for. We ended up deciding with Abby that we were going to try to see if she can work to earn the money for the trip. We have until Feb 1 to decide if that's going to actually work or not. We've got a few jobs lined up, but we're not actually sure she's going to be able to make the needed $288/mo for the next 14 months to pay off the trip. So we're looking for ideas appropriate for a 12 year old to work in the next year or so! Yes, we're feeling a bit crazy for trying this, but excited to see our kids wanting to spread their wings.

For us as a family 2022 marked a year of getting established back into a different kind of life, at a different pace, and really a different everything after moving back from PNG. The Lord continues to be so so good in providing for us each step of the way. These kinds of transitions don't happen quickly or easily, as we're learning first hand. And to be honest, it comes with a bit of crisis of identity for us.

We're looking forward to continuing to serve and grow this year and for many after! Thank you to all who are praying for the church in Mibu, for the situation there and for the resilience of the church. And thank you for your prayers for us as a family and your financial support of the Mibu Ministry!