A Fire and a Spark

Last Friday, Jems and his family finished eating and went to their garden like any other day. Only this time, when they returned all three of their houses in their little hamlet had been reduced to ash. Nothing was left except a few metallic remnants of what used to be useful tools. Even their cooking pot was molten. Clothes, money, hundreds of kilos of dried coffee they had planned to sell... everything except what they took to their garden was destroyed.

What would your expectations be in this situation? Jems' family's expectations were blown out of the water as the community around them, many of them believers, rallied together that very day and were able to put together some of the bare essentials for survival; blankets, clothes, dishes, pots, etc. and present it to them to help them get started out again.

Jems and his family are wildcards. Nobody has been really sure where they're at spiritually. It is guessed that, nice as they are, that they are not believers. But Jems, reduced to tears over the help that the community gave them, was heard saying that before God came to Mibu, this kind of gracious help would not have happened like this. God's grace, shown through his people here has brought honor to his name in Jems' eyes. Perhaps this could be the spark that flames up genuine seeking, and we know that God is faithful to show himself to those who seek him!

Evangelism in Mibu - Please Pray

In Saturday's team meeting the big topic of discussion was the start of a 4-5 month stretch of teaching which aims to make the message of the gospel clear to those here in Mibu who either haven't heard or haven't yet put their trust in Christ. There are a wide range of folks who we anticipate will come; some who have heard but have rejected in the past and who have actually participated in persecuting the church, then those who previously just kept their distance, and then even those who believe but just love any chance to hear about God. Along with the community wide evangelism lessons, which are scheduled for the weekday mornings every other week, there will also be lessons geared more for the youth after school. If you remember there are many children sent here to go to school. They're living here away from their families, and most have never really heard clearly the message of God's grace.

The lessons are scheduled to start TODAY! So please be in prayer for the teachers and the hearers. There are two teachers, Weng and Nooka, who are heading up the lessons. They will be working with a small group of teachers-in-training who will be teaching most of the lessons under their guidance and supervision. This is an intense time of teaching. It is hard, after not too long, to feel the pressure of the busy-ness of it all. It's easy for the teachers to feel burnt out. Would you keep them in your prayers please? Pray for a pure motivation for what they do to drive them forward so that they find joy in their service and not a burden. Also pray for those attending the lessons that they might hear God's message to them for the first time, and for those who believe already to be strengthened and encouraged as they hear the basics of the gospel laid out for them once again.

Something Good in Store

There is an effort here, failed in the past, which we're currently trying to resurrect. Along with their literacy skills, the Mibu people need a regular venue through which they can be supplied in all things reading and writing. There also needs to be a way to generate enough funds to help subsidize costs of printed literacy materials in the future. A simple store seems to be the best solution. It's something we've tried in the past, but it flopped and has lain there dead for several years now.

Keteng is being trained in bookkeeping and will be given charge of running this small literacy supply store. He struggles with certain of the concepts related to keeping track of stock and of finances, so it will take some time and personal investment to get things running smoothly with minimal mistakes. We just purchased a small supply of the needed materials and are looking forward to getting this going again. Someday here Keteng's efforts should be able to significantly reduce or even completely cover the costs of a long term literacy program that carries on from generation to generation.

Please pray for faithfulness borne out of an eagerness to see more people literate so they can better learn about God.

Mibu Ministry Garage Sale

It's that time of year again. There is a fund raising garage sale planned for Saturday, November 8th and 9th. Garage sales of the past have been a huge success, having raised significant finances to help us, the Husa family, as we continue to serve the young church in Mibu, Papua New Guinea.

Do you have things you've been looking to sell or get rid of? Or maybe you're feeling bogged down by the 'too much stuff' syndrome many of us constantly find ourselves in. This is a great chance to go through and make that stuff matter. You can donate it to the fundraising garage sale to benefit the Mibu Ministry. We live in a remote tribal location in a 3rd world country where there are many costs associated with living and doing Bible translation and training leaders. Your stuff can help! Please, no clothes though.

If you'd like to help, you can contact Gary Husa at (480)980-3854 to arrange a drop off at their address in Tempe. The garage sale will be held at 245 W. LaVieve Ln., Tempe, AZ 85284.

Thanks!!

We just got the final numbers from Macayo's yesterday! The fundraiser was a hit, and someone was relating to us that it seemed that people were constantly pouring in who were there to support the Mibu Ministry! Thanks SO much to all who participated! There were folks from as far as Casa Grande! The effort helped raise over $500! In addition some specific donations were given totaling $200!

Reminder - Sept 8 Macayo's Fundraiser

Just wanted to send a reminder about the Macayo's fundraiser coming up this Sunday. Macayo's is hosting an all afternoon fundraising event (lunch and dinner). If you print the attached flyer and present it with your bill, 20% of your food bill (minus drinks) will be donated by Macayo's to help cover ministry costs for us as we live and serve full-time here in Mibu, Papua New Guinea.

Please note that if you want to participate YOU NEED TO PRINT OUT THE ATTACHED FLYER and give it to your waiter or waitress.

Also note that this is only good at the Macayo's at 1920 S. Dobson.

If you have other friends and/or family who you think might enjoy having a restaurant meal with a purpose, feel free to invite them too! The more the merrier! Be sure to print out duplicates of this flyer to give them.

Hope you can make it!

Please Pray

Please remember to be in prayer for the work here in Mibu. There is still so much to do... much more than just this one family can do. Often times when it comes to missions, the goal stops at sharing the gospel message and seeing new people come to faith. It goes way beyond that though. What about the resulting church and their continued growth into a mature body of believers who are faithfully leading and teaching and taking the message to the next generation and to other places?

That's where we're at in the Mibu Ministry. We're trying to train and develop leaders who will continue to lead the church forward. Again though, it's so much more than just our family can handle and so we're constantly playing a juggling game... and, to be honest, feeling like we're dropping balls. This is where we need your continual prayers.

The Mibu church is at a critical stage of early growth right now. Leader types have emerged, but it's a constant struggle to see them encouraged and consistent in their roles, moving ahead with a strong vision and sacrificial love for the church. There's no magical formula that just makes it all happen. There's no perfect strategic plan which, if we'd just follow it perfectly, would give us the results we're after. We're working with very real people here with very real struggles and problems. We don't pretend that these instantly go away as soon as they become believers. It's a process of learning and growing and seeing faith worked out. The pool of dependable servant leaders tends to cycle, waxing and waning between around 15 and as low as just 2 or 3.

Here are just a few of the areas currently needing the most help and where we try to focus our attention.

Unity among the leaders and believers. It seems there is always a schism somewhere. It's no surprise that Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, makes a direct correlation between the issues of unity and the maturity of the church. It's a constant battle, and divisive attitudes emerge with so many different flavors.

Family life is another area needing much attention. The struggles many families face here are very real. Abuse, neglect, apathy, and even immorality... it all threatens the well being of the family. It also fails to reflect God's will for the family. Most emerging leaders struggle with family issues, sometimes having to withdraw from service so they can focus on the family. While the escape of divorce, while possible, is almost unheard of here, the settled nature of long standing unresolved relationships often permeates a family. Not only between husbands and wives, but between children and their parents.

Community life. Within the last year or so many children from other areas have been sent to Mibu to attend the school that was started here recently. This means there are more than double the amount of children here. Many of them come from non-believing families, and are now here without their parents. They stay here with a host family. There's been a huge increase, since their arrival, of theft and destruction of property which has caused a lot of bickering and heartache among the believing community here. It's important for them to recognize the need, if they're going to have a school here, that they're going to have to take on parental responsibility for the children they are hosting. Right now the visiting kids pretty much just roam free and can do whatever they want. This is a golden opportunity for these kids to learn about their need for a savior and to hear about God's provision for that need. Unfortunately the idea of taking responsibility for these children that are not theirs is taking a while to instill. But recognition of the need is being expressed more and more. We're starting to see the church leaders take action here.