Today marks the beginning of a one hundred day long effort we're calling "100x20".

God has been doing great and exciting things for his kingdom among the Mibu people in Papua New Guinea! From the birth of a new church, to the extension of that church into other areas, and also their ongoing maturity as they grow in their understanding of the authority of God's word in their lives and their identity as God's people... through it all, God has been working powerfully in the Mibu people's lives!

Over the years and through a great deal of generosity many folks have found great encouragement and excitement as they've backed this work financially. Truly, without those gifts we wouldn't have made it this far! And yet, there's still a great deal of work to be done in Mibu. Bible translation, training and discipleship, and lesson development and teaching all have a ways to go before the church in Mibu is at a point where our presence is no longer needed. As for us, it's a huge blessing to wait and see how God works through people to provide for our needs each and every month. That's where you come in. Currently we're about $2000 per month short of what is recommended for most effective ministry in a location such as Mibu. 100x20 is a way of getting the word out so that we can see this need met as we continue to serve the church in Mibu. If we can find one hundred new people to commit to $20 a month this need can be met.

If you've not yet taken the opportunity to be a part of Mibu Ministry through your financial help then maybe now would be a good time to hop on board and put some of your financial resources to work for the Mibu Ministry. Would you prayerfully consider a commitment to help with $20 or more each month? Or if you're currently giving, would you please keep us and the 100x20 effort in your prayers over the next one hundred days?

Here are the different ways you can give:

Automatic Monthly Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT): Go to http://usa.ntm.org/eft to find out about the benefit and ease of setting up a monthly automatic electronic funds transfer.

Give Online: You can give online using a credit card or debit card. Go to http://usa.ntm.org/give and search for "Husa" in the "Give to a missionary" section toward the top. (Because credit cards and debit cards are processed the same way, transaction fees are the same for both. There is no fee for using EFT.)

Give By Phone: To give by phone with a credit or debit card, please call 866-547-2460. Credit card and debit card transaction fees apply.

Give By Check: To mail your gift, send it to:

New Tribes Mission
1000 East First Street
Sanford, Florida 32771-1487

Please make your check or money order payable to New Tribes Mission and include a note designating the ministry or project you would like your gift to support.
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Over the next one hundred days (ending July 27, one week after we're scheduled to return to Mibu) we will provide periodic updates about the progress of the 100x20 project. If you're not already, be sure to sign up for our regular email updates about the exciting things God is doing in Mibu. Just go to http://mibu-ministry.blogspot.com.

Blessings!

Ethan Wade Husa

Ethan Wade Husa was born this morning (April 20) via c-section this morning at 8:43! He's a very healthy little baby boy at 8lbs 1.3oz and 21 inches!

Celebrate with us this new little life with which we're entrusted!

Mibu Ministry now on Facebook

Mibu Ministry just got its own facebook page! This will allow us to keep you posted on some of the more day-to-day things we experience as God works to both grow and mature the church in Mibu. Go to http://www.facebook.com/MibuMinistry to check it out. Be sure to 'Like' Mibu Ministry so you can follow what's going on!

Just FYI: We're still planning on maintaining our current system of posting articles to the blog and distributing via email as well.

Update on CTTS

We just got a report that the six men from Mibu are doing great in Inapang for the Citizen Teachers Training Seminar. To put this whole thing into perspective, the Mibu guys had to travel two days by foot, one day by boat, and then catch the Papua New Guinea equivalent of a taxi, called a PMV, out to the New Tribes Mission headquarters. For all that, they had to scrounge up a great deal of money. I don't know for sure, but I think the church in Mibu helped with some of those finances. From the NTM headquarters, they took another PMV for several hours where they hopped into large dugout motor canoes which they've never ridden in before - see picture - for an all day ride up river. Most of the people that the Mibu guys are seeing right now are strangers. The Mibus have travelled a very long way and are in a totally different setting than what they're used to. The weather is hot. The food is different. The culture and language is different (other than a shared trade language). Yet the report that I'm getting is that they seem right at home with their host family in Inapang. They don't seem uncomfortable at all. If I know these six men like I think I do, I imagine that they're really super excited to be in this situation. Why? Because they know that the people they're with right now are, like them, redeemed people, bought by the same blood and adopted as part of God's family. Jesus' work on the cross is at the center of all this. Their confidence and their hope is made the same because of him. Their affinity for other believers, even those they've never met, is strong. It's a pleasure to be together with others who are in a relationship with God! That's what makes the Mibus look past the discomfort and long difficult travel. That's what makes them just enjoy meeting and spending time with other believers. We are really looking forward to seeing how these relationships play out in the long run as God's kingdom advances in PNG!

Prayer for CTTS

Just yesterday, what is being called the Citizen Teacher Training Seminar (CTTS) began in Inapang. A number of believers and missionaries from the churches being planted in the Madang region came together for a time of fellowship, learning and being encouraged together in God's word. Six men from Mibu have been able to make it out to this training seminar. They've been looking forward to it for some time.

This is a great opportunity for these young churches to meet and to be encouraged by what God is doing among other groups in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. Please be in prayer over these next few days as they continue to meet. We're hoping that the encouragement and training they receive at this seminar will further strengthen and encourage these men from Mibu as they serve the church in Mibu. Their connection with other PNG citizens who love God and desire to grow in their relationship to him ought to prove invaluable.

A tremendous amount of logistics all had to happen in order for the Mibu guys (and all the others) to make it out to this conference. We're so thankful to have heard that all six of the men from Mibu were able to make it. Specifically, you can pray for Sesi, Keteng, Make, Posilongge, Banaro, and Jeri. These gentlemen make up a cross section of the different locales of the church in Mibu.

A closed door and a new beginning

--- CLOSED DOORS IN FIRST OUTREACH ---
Do you remember when we updated you about the possibility of the teaching of God's word returning to the village where the first outreach happened? There are a fair number of believers there (about 70 based on what we can tell). Yet a number of years ago one person in particular ended up leveraging his influence to put a stop to any further teaching. Recently some concerned folks from Mibu went there to scope things out and see if there was any possibility of bringing God's word back to this village. It turns out that many folks, including that influential individual all wanted God's word to come back.

However, just weeks after we updated you on that development, and as things were gearing up for the teachers to go and begin their sacrificial work there, that most influential fella there who had put a stop to the teaching began insisting that he do the teaching. Because of how he was seen to mis-handle God's word in the past the church in Mibu wasn't comfortable putting him in that role of responsibility... not till we could see a more sustained willingness to submit to God's word in his life. We told him to hold on, that maybe we could talk about it again in a year or so. This gentleman's heart began to show through right there when he began insisting that this teaching wouldn't be successful unless he was the one doing it. He has declared that the teaching won't happen unless he is the one doing it. Even more so now, the Mibu church sees the need for this gentleman to sit under the teaching for a while, see his own self-worth crucified, and out of that begin showing himself faithful with the things God is revealing to him through his word. This would need to happen before any consideration is made which would allow him to take up a teaching role again. At this time, he remains stubborn. And as such, he again is effectively closing the door on any teaching that may happen there.

Lord willing, when we return to Mibu in July, we'll be discussing different possible strategies that would allow those in Tariknan who wish to continue being fed by God's word to do so. Accompanying those strategic discussions may need to be some preparation for the possibility of dealing with persecution by those opposing God's great message. Please be in prayer for the believers in that village who are being kept from being fed by God's word. Also pray for the church in Mibu that they'd have the wisdom and discernment to be able to effectively shine God's light over there through teaching of his word and living lives that shine God's mercy and grace.

--- NEW OUTREACH; NUMBER FOUR ---
Now, if you've been looking at the attached diagram, you may be seeing something you're not familiar with yet. That's right... a FOURTH outreach. This recent outreach effort has just recently begun in a nearby village. The little bit of information I have so far says that there are about 50 people attending the initial evangelism lessons right now. The people there have been waiting for the gospel message to come their way for some time now. The church in Mibu is pleased to be able to accommodate! Please keep the people of that village and the Mibu folks who are teaching there in your prayers!

Stateside Update

It's hard to believe that we've been back in Arizona for nearly a month and a half already! I was just realizing the other day we're LONG overdue for an update!

Our travels went really well. The kids behaved excellent on those flights, which makes all the difference in the world. We were so thankful for that on this trip. After arriving home, as usual, we were 'reacquainted' with American germs. Seems after the first month, everyone got what everyone was going to get and we're all feeling good for the moment.

Shannon has begun her regular doctor visits for the new baby and we've been blessed to find out that we're going to have our first boy in the family! We're really excited about that! Now we're just duking it out over what to name this young person. Shannon's health remains good. However, she is now feeling a fair bit of discomfort that limits her a bit and has made sleeping difficult sometimes. We have scheduled the c-section for April 20th. That date is coming up fast!

The kids have been enjoying being back too. They love being able to spend time with their grandparents. They've had lots of special time together. They've also been attending school. Madelyn is in preschool at the Bethany Learning Center, and Skyler is attending first grade at Bethany Christian School. Both are doing so well there and have teachers who really care. Highlights for the kids include things such as playing in the snow up north, Skyler going to see the spring wildflowers in the Superstition Mountains, Maddie getting music lessons from grandma and through a 'musikgarten' class, and Abigail getting a whole lot more daddy time than she's used to.

I'm still amazed that this can even happen, but I've received a number of phone calls from Sesi in Mibu since we've gotten back. No, that doesn't mean there are phones there now. But cell phone signals are just a few hours away from Mibu now and so when Sesi is out and about he makes it a point to give me a call. This way he's able to give us some periodic updates regarding how things are going there in Mibu. There are some exciting things as well as some tough things going on right now. Among the items which are more exciting are the rebirth of efforts to build an airstrip and also the startup of evangelism lessons in Mibu and in a nearby village called Dagave. Then among the tougher things that challenge the church in Mibu are resistance to the planned startup of bible teaching in the village of Tariknan and some difficult and possibly divisive issues that have come up in the outreach areas.

Regarding those things we'll provide more details in the coming weeks so that you can better know how to pray.

As to the rest of our time home (scheduled to return to Mibu on July 20th) we're planning on doing several things. First and foremost is taking care of all things 'baby'; delivery, healing, and all the paperwork required to bring the new Husa back with us. We also want to spend this time catching up with our friends and family. Finally there is a need to broaden the base from which prayer and monthly finances come which help us serve most effectively in Mibu. Interspersed with all that, I'll be hoping to fill things in with a little bit of work furthering our translation efforts in Mibu.

Thank you all for your much needed prayers and support. Thank you for being a part of the team!