An Unexpected Thank You from Mibu

Dear friends,

I recently enjoyed an hour-long conversation with my good friend Sesi in Mibu. We talked about all kinds of things—church, leadership, current struggles, and some of his recent conversations with leaders and teachers from the various outreach areas.

During our conversation, Sesi told me that the leaders wanted him to pass along their gratitude to us. What he shared really touched me.

As these men have carried more and more of the responsibility of shepherding the church over the years, they’ve begun to understand just how heavy the work of ministry can be. There are problems to work through, people to encourage, difficult issues of growth and discipline, decisions to make, and the constant responsibility of helping God’s people continue toward maturity.

As they were talking together about these things, they reflected on the many years that we as missionaries carried much of that weight alongside them. Sesi said they simply wanted us to know how grateful they are that we were willing to come and do that for them.

I can’t adequately express how encouraging that was to hear. They’ve experienced enough of the weight of ministry themselves now to understand it in a way they couldn’t have years ago.

But then Sesi told me about something else they were thankful for that I really wasn’t expecting.

They were thankful for all the times I said “no.”

That probably needs some explanation!

Cross-cultural ministry can very easily expand into trying to meet every conceivable need. Over the years there were requests involving medical needs, logistics, materials, business ventures, community development, and all kinds of other things. Many were legitimate needs! There were even times when I completely agreed that something would be beneficial for the church, but taking responsibility for it would mean setting aside something else—Bible translation, lesson development, teaching, discipleship, or training. I could only do so much.

So I said no. A lot.

Sometimes I would tell the leaders, “Yes, I agree—that really does need to happen. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I need to do it.” Instead, I would encourage them to think about how they or the church might take responsibility for it themselves.

Those weren’t always easy decisions. Over the years I sometimes wondered whether I was being too hard-nosed or unwilling to help.

That’s why what Sesi said next meant so much to me.

He explained that the leaders now recognize how valuable those “no’s” were. They helped keep the main thing the main thing: understanding the gospel, gaining greater access to God’s Word, and developing leaders who could shepherd the church themselves.

And apparently it taught them something else as well. Now that they’re carrying the responsibility, they’ve learned that they also have to evaluate the endless things demanding their attention and ask, “What is truly important? What do we actually need to be doing?”

What an encouragement!

Years of wondering whether some of those decisions were the right ones were met, all these years later, with an unexpected affirmation from the very people those decisions were intended to serve.

We certainly don’t do ministry for recognition or gratitude. But I won’t pretend it wasn’t deeply encouraging to hear! More than anything, I think it’s another small window into the growing maturity of the church in Mibu. These aren’t simply people who received ministry from missionaries years ago. They’re now carrying the joys, burdens, decisions, and responsibilities of ministry themselves—and learning through experience to depend upon the Lord as they do it.

And Sesi’s message of gratitude really extends to you as well. For more than two decades, so many of you have prayed, given, encouraged, and sacrificed alongside us to make this ministry possible. These are some of the fruits we all get the privilege of seeing as God continues His work in Mibu.

Thank you for being part of it!

We also continue to ask the Lord to grow our team of regular monthly financial partners so I can devote the time needed to Bible translation, lesson development, discipleship, and supporting the Mibu church. If you’ve considered joining us, the giving link at the top of this email makes it easy to give either monthly or through a one-time, tax-deductible gift. We’re deeply grateful for every person who helps make this ongoing work possible.

In Christ,

Geoff

Summer Update from the Husa Family

Dear friends,

Greetings from the Husa family!

We hope you’re all doing well and enjoying your summer. Things have been a little slower on our end, but there have been some exciting family milestones as well as steady progress in the ministry.

Probably the biggest family news is that our second-born, Madelyn, has officially moved to northern Michigan!

Shannon, Maddie, and I crammed ourselves—and as many of her belongings as we could possibly fit—into her little Prius and made the 2,100-mile drive together. We spent a little over a week helping her get settled into the apartment above Shannon’s parents’ garage, where she’ll be living for now. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family, help her get established, connect with a good local church, and find her first job.

We’re thrilled that she's enjoying her work, is really enjoying life there, and is learning what it means to live more independently. As our first child to leave home, it has brought with it all the emotions that I’m sure many of you have already experienced as parents. We’re incredibly thankful for how smoothly this transition has gone so far.

Back in Arizona, I also had the opportunity to take Ethan on a short camping trip up north to escape the summer heat. It was a great chance to teach him some camping skills—setting up a tent, building and extinguishing campfires safely, cooking outdoors—and of course, spending many hours fishing together. It was time well spent.

Skyler continues to work and is currently looking for a position that will be a better long-term fit. Abby and Ethan have now started another school year as a junior and an eighth grader.

Ministry Update

On the ministry side, I’ve continued plugging away on the formal Revelation lesson series for the church in Mibu.

One of the greatest challenges has been resisting the temptation to get bogged down in the many fascinating details of Revelation while keeping the lessons focused on the author’s main message and how it applies to the church. I’ve created… and scrapped… more outlines than I’d like to admit! But I finally feel like I’ve found a clear path forward, and the project is moving ahead in a way that’s been genuinely encouraging.

Later this month I’m planning to begin working through these lessons together with several of the teachers and leaders in Mibu over video. This has become one of my favorite parts of the ministry. Not only does it improve the lessons themselves, but it gives the teachers an opportunity to help shape the material while also serving as practical discipleship and training.

Please pray that the logistics work out well for these meetings, especially with the significant time difference, and that the internet connection remains reliable. Most of all, pray that the Lord would continue giving wisdom and discernment as we work together through this important material.

I’m also beginning to look toward another trip to Papua New Guinea in the coming months. It has become increasingly clear how valuable regular face-to-face time is with the church and leaders in Mibu. At this point, the primary factor determining when that trip can happen is simply having the financial resources to make it possible.

As I look ahead to another trip to Papua New Guinea and continue investing in Bible translation and lesson development, I’m reminded again how much this ministry depends on a team of people who faithfully pray and give. We continue to ask the Lord to raise up additional regular monthly partners who share the vision of seeing the Mibu church strengthened through God’s Word.

If you’ve ever considered joining us in this ministry, this would be a wonderful time. Your partnership helps make possible the ongoing work of Bible translation, discipleship, lesson development, and regular interaction with the leaders in Mibu. It’s a privilege to be part of what God is doing there, and we’d love to have you share in that work with us.

Whether you’ve been praying for us for years, have recently begun partnering financially, or are simply reading these updates to stay connected, thank you. We genuinely thank God for each of you and are continually encouraged knowing this ministry is carried forward by so many faithful people working together.

With gratitude,

Geoff & Shannon Husa

A Fruitful Visit to Mibu

Dear friends,

I just returned from Mibu after being away for about 2.5 weeks. As always, I’m so glad to be back home with my family!

Traveling there was a bit of an adventure this time. One cancellation had quite the downstream effect on the rest of the itinerary. After a lot of scrambling by our aviation department and several others who graciously adjusted their schedules, we were eventually able to get into Mibu just one day later than originally planned.

One huge encouragement right away was that we were able to get the internet back up and running very quickly. We are extremely grateful to have that communication tool functioning again after it had been down since mid-December. We had really been feeling the loss of that connection.

Angie and Titus were also able to make it in for a brief stay. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to say goodbye to the Mibu community and let them know they continue to be in their thoughts and prayers.

After they departed, I remained on in Mibu and spent most of my time teaching informally through the book of Revelation together with the teachers and leaders there. I say “informally” because while I am actively developing formal Revelation lessons, they are still far from complete. Even so, I really wanted the opportunity to sit together and work through the entire book passage by passage to begin to bring the leaders and teachers along in the process of lesson development.

So that’s what we did.

Over the course of my stay, 19 of us gathered together for 5-7 hours each day to read, discuss, and think through Revelation, focusing on the main point of each section and trying not to get too bogged down in speculative details that can distract from what the author intended to communicate. It was such an encouraging and fruitful time together, both for them and for me personally. It also greatly helped prepare me for continuing development of the formal lessons.

Another exciting part of the trip was bringing over a suitcase full of the newly printed 1 & 2 Thessalonians and Revelation booklets. It is always deeply encouraging seeing people finally able to hold newly translated portions of Scripture in their hands to read and study for themselves.

I also had the opportunity to preach an encouraging message from 1 Peter 5:6–11 during the Sunday church gathering. And of course, no trip into Mibu would be complete without a handful of house and system repairs needing attention as well!

All in all, it was a whirlwind 9 days in Mibu — very busy, very encouraging, and very fruitful.

Thank you to all of you who continue to partner with us through prayer and generous financial support. It is humbling and encouraging to know how many people stand behind this ministry. We hope these updates continue to encourage you as you see all that God is continuing to do in Mibu.

With gratitude,

Geoff

Internet Costs Provided For!

Just a quick praise for those who have been following and praying. A very generous donor has covered the entire cost of the new internet system in Mibu! We’re always amazed and blessed by how God provides and sustains!

Now we just keep praying for the logistics to get the equipment delivered to our IT guys out in town, and for the logistics to get it into Mibu and installed and working on or before our planned trip out there which is only a few weeks away.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Geoff and Shannon Husa

Rewind that good news

Just a quick update here on the internet situation in Mibu. It turns out the equipment we thought was going to work, did not end up working. So we’re in a place now where we’re having to consider purchasing a whole new internet system, through a different provider. It’s a tough call, but our internet system is essential to being able to continue effective ministry, so I think that’s the direction we’ll be going. You can be praying for the finances and the logistics to get the system where it needs to be in time for our upcoming trip into Mibu.

Thank you for your prayers!

Geoff and Shannon Husa

A Summer Trip, and Some Good News

Dear friends,

I wanted to share a few updates with you as we look ahead to the coming months.

I've begun making plans to return to Papua New Guinea and get back into Mibu sometime this summer. I'm really looking forward to being there again and spending time face to face with the church. With the internet having been down since December, I haven't been able to work together with the teachers on developing the Revelation lessons. That collaborative process is such an important part of discipleship, and it's been greatly missed.

My hope for this trip is to take what I've been able to develop on my own and sit down with the teachers to work through the material together—refining it, discussing it, and continuing to build toward something that will serve the church well long-term. Just as important, I'm looking forward to simply being present with the church—listening, encouraging, and helping discern together how to navigate some of the challenges they've been facing and continue moving forward in faith.

Another highlight for this trip will be bringing a box of printed booklets of 1 & 2 Thessalonians and Revelation in the Mibu language to distribute to the church. This has been a long time coming, and I know it will be a meaningful moment for many to finally hold these portions of Scripture in their hands.

On the technical side, there is some encouraging news regarding the internet situation. While it appears the original equipment cannot be repaired, we've been told that a replacement has been located—possibly even at no cost—and is on its way. We're hopeful that this will resolve the issue. If so, the remaining need will be arranging another flight to bring technicians back into Mibu to reinstall and bring the system online again. Please continue to pray that this solution works.

On a more personal note, Shannon and I have also begun talking about using some of our miles to take a short getaway together sometime soon. We're not sure exactly what that will look like yet, but we recognize the need for some intentional time together—it's been a while!

Thank you again for your continued prayers and faithful financial support. We are deeply grateful for each of you. We're still working toward reaching 100% of our regular monthly support, and if you've ever considered partnering with us, this would be a great time. Giving is simple through the "Donate Now" button at the top of this email, with multiple options available, and all gifts are tax-deductible.

We truly couldn't do this without you. Thank you for being part of what God is doing in Mibu.

With gratitude,

Geoff (for the Husa family)

Mibu Trip Update: Progress, Setbacks, and Continued Trust

Dear friends,

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the recent trip into Mibu to restore the internet system. We are so grateful for your prayers.

The flight into Mibu went smoothly, and the team was able to accomplish several important tasks. Unfortunately, the internet was not able to be restored due to an equipment malfunction. This was especially discouraging because this particular piece of equipment had somewhat recently been replaced at significant cost.

The malfunctioning equipment has been removed, and the team is now exploring possible solutions other than full replacement. At this point, we are unsure how hopeful those alternatives are. It may be necessary to purchase new equipment again, which would likely cost somewhere between $1,000–$2,000 (hopefully not more). Once that is resolved, we will need to arrange another flight to bring the team back in to attempt to bring the system online again.

While this outcome was disappointing, we are incredibly thankful for those serving alongside us. Our IT department sent someone in to troubleshoot, and several others took the opportunity to go in as well—helping with the lawnmower and conducting an important airstrip check. We're grateful for the pilot who flew them safely, and for the mechanics who keep the aircraft operational. And of course there are many of you who are doing the work of prayer, and who contribute their finances. It truly is a team effort.

Even though the internet failure leaves a real gap in communication—one that both we and the leaders in Mibu feel deeply—we are resting in the truth that God knows. He is good. He loves His church in Mibu. And this situation is not outside of His hands. We continue to trust Him for wisdom, provision, and the right path forward.

As for the lawnmower: further troubleshooting is needed there as well. It's an all-electric, walk-behind mower, and currently one of the blades is not spinning properly. Please pray that Josh Simmons can determine what is wrong and find a workable solution.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers—not only for this specific situation but for the ministry as a whole. Please continue to lift these things before the Lord with us.

With gratitude,

Geoff