Fundraiser Concert Sat, Apr 12, 7-9pm (Brush Arbor Revival)

Come one, come all, to a fundraising event put on by Brush Arbor Revival, a bluegrass gospel band who'll be playing live this Saturday, April 12 from 7pm-9pm at the Husa's house (245 W. LaVieve Ln, Tempe, AZ, 85284) It'll be tons of fun in a nice cozy and relaxed backyard setting with great bluegrass music! Admission is free! A free-will offering will be taken for those who wish to contribute to the financial needs of Geoff and Shannon Husa serving among the Mibu people in Papua New Guinea.

Bring your own lawn chair and snacks/drinks, and come along for a great night of great bluegrass gospel music!

Seeing the Fruit

Sesi, Toowo and me were sitting on the small veranda of the rugged little office building yesterday. We'd been working on translation in the office and were taking a breather outside before getting back on task again. Sesi, enthralled as he always is about what he's learning in God's word, was reflecting on how it's affected the community here in Mibu. "Yeah, we've got problems, but looking at the big picture you can see clearly that God is working in us. Before you came and brought us God's word, the kinds of problems we busied ourselves with never bore fruit. It was a total waste. Worshipping ancestors and spirits, sorcery, and all that other stuff... we were always trying to fix problems we perceived in relation to those things. But we see it was a waste. Nothing ever came of it. God is showing us the truth through his word and we believe it and have put all those worthless things aside. Now the problems we work on have to do with relationships with each other, how to care for and manage our families, how to live the way God wants us. We see that God is working in these things and we see the fruit of it happening in us!"

Right on! This is the kind of reflection we love to hear. This is why we enjoy so much that God has us serving here in Mibu!

Thank you so very much for your continued prayers and financial support as we continue to serve in Mibu. God is using your prayers and finances in huge ways here!

Something in Store for Mibu

Part of our job is to see the church here in Mibu mature to a point where they are self-sustaining and reproducing themselves in others. There are several things that need to be in place for this to happen. One of those is a strong literacy program. If people can't confidently read and comprehend God's word, then how will they possibly carry the teaching from one generation to the next.

Currently one of the hurdles in the race to keep literacy moving forward is the lack of finances to cover costs of much needed new literacy materials for course itself. Every so often these materials get worn out and have to be replaced. After working with the Mibu folks for more than a year to try to put together the funds for these materials (as a side note, they've come up with about 75% of the funds!... almost there!... Praise God!) it's become clear that they need something in place that will help generate funds to aid the literacy program in the future.

You may remember a couple months ago, we reported the startup of a literacy store, where almost all the profits generated would go toward the literacy program. We're thanking God that though Keteng (who is being trained to manage the store... and to train others to help) struggles with the math, he's been doing very well at tracking all sales and inventory. He's also enlisted his oldest daughter at home to help, and is considering who else might be brought on board. The store has even grown beyond just selling supplies specific to literacy, such as pencils, pens, rulers, chalk and paper. It's become more of a full fledged general store with many of the things that people generally have a hard time getting their hands on in this off-the-beaten-path kind of place; Bush knives, ramen noodles, rice, salt, sugar, batteries, second hand clothes, sewing supplies... The list is extensive and we wouldn't want to bore you. But suffice it to say that as well as beginning to generate funds for the literacy effort here, it's also providing the benefit of putting a sustainable system in place that brings many of the hard to get goods closer to home for people to purchase. These are things that folks typically go all the way to town to buy. So far, Keteng has managed the sale of almost 700 Kina (about $270) worth of inventory, which is a lot here.

Once the store is able to repay it's debt (we put up the initial capital) the hope is that enough funds would be generated to fund costs of literacy here in Mibu primarily, but also to be able to bless some of the outreach areas by subsidizing some of their literacy supply costs.

While things are going well with the literacy store, there are still many things that still need to be in place before we can say with confidence that it has become something truly sustainable to keep the doors open to God's word for subsequent generations.

We would appreciate your prayers for all the work that is still needed for the literacy program here in Mibu;
- for people to be convinced of it's importance and for interest to be high
- for people to actively work to improve their reading/comprehension skills
- for faithfulness to keep teaching and training in literacy skills
- for faithful management of the store to generate funds for future literacy efforts

Build That Dam - Part 2

Considering how much preparation and work went into it, the resulting dam is small and unimpressive (not that great looking either). But we think it should do the job. None of us really knew what we were doing, though I did try to learn about it beforehand by reading about stone and mortar walls. It was very difficult to do right, using less than ideal materials in less than ideal conditions. It's going to be all God's grace when the thing proves to last!

We were so thankful that God saw fit to give us nice weather during the construction. The first day we finished most of the actual dam. The second day we finished the remaining bit, and then built a kind of make-shift flood diversion system above the dam. It sounds more complicated than it is. It's just that there needed to be something to slow down and divert flood waters and debris to minimize damage to the actual dam below over time. Literally, as we mortared the last stone in place a massive downpour began, very quickly flooding the stream, and ruining that whole diversion system whose mortar had not yet hardened. It was all we could do to keep the water out of the dam so as to let that mortar cure properly. We still thank God for all his goodness despite the ruin of a full day's work. We're also thanking him that there is just enough cement leftover up there for the folks to rebuild the diversion system.

Skyler did extremely well on the difficult and slippery trails. And she was a huge help with the dam too. What a trooper! She enjoyed the 'camping' experience, saying that one of her favorite things is how everyone helps each other live out there, cooking and eating, hunting and fishing, working together to build shelter, and more. She enjoyed the whole thing immensely!

I wish I'd been able to see the dam in action before we left, but we wanted to let the mortar harden for several days before letting it fill with water.

Thank you all for your prayers for us while we set about this project. Overall we feel it went very well! Just one more step in the construction of the airstrip here in Mibu. Now we just need to get the pipe purchased and hauled up.

Build That Dam, Part 1

Since last Saturday, the Mibu people have been working very hard out in the bush, in a place called Sigeng (SEENG-geng) spring. They've been preparing a site for building a permanent stone and mortar dam which is the first key element in providing water to the ongoing airstrip construction project. The water is needed to aid in earth moving. The first part of the water project is to build this dam. The second part, which will hopefully begin next month, is to buy and haul up 1.5 kilometers of pipe which will bring a continual stream of water down from the dam to the airstrip.

So starting this last Saturday, many people have been out in the 'big bush' preparing the site by clearing all debris, diverting all the water, and digging out all the sand, mud and stones until the huge stones which will be the dam's foundation are bare. Others have collected stones and hauling sand up in bamboo from the river below. They've also prepared a temporary shelter to stay the night while we're building. It's been a massive undertaking so far, but all the work so far has been just the preparation.

This morning (just a few hours after this email shows in your inbox) Geoff is planning on taking a break from translation and taking Skyler up there to help build build the actual dam. The site is far enough away in the bush that we'll plan on spending the night since we expect it to be about two days of work to do all the stonework.

If you remember, the airstrip project is an element of our work that helps the community here in Mibu. These kinds of projects provide some amazing real-life opportunities for putting into practice the many things they're learning in God's word. It's also a chance for other lessons to take root that in the past may have just been shallow 'book knowledge'. We're all excited about the possibility of having an airstrip in here someday... hopefully soon. And of course, if we build this dam to last, once the pipe is installed and the airstrip finished, the year round water source could be the basis for improved hygiene and health for the Mibus.

Skyler is excited to go on a hiking-'camping' trip with her daddy. Please pray for safety not only for us out in the bush, but also for Shannon and the rest of the kids who will be at home alone during those two days. Also we're in the middle of a MEGA rainy season right now. Can't do cement and mortar work in heavy rain. So would you please pray for good weather today and tomorrow.

A Lousy Christmas

Actually we're having a wonderful Christmas celebration here in Mibu! Though we discovered and are trying to treat a lice infestation (hence the title... got your attention didn't it?).

We've been enjoying some visiting and fellowship with Mike (our helicopter pilot) and his wife Kelly and their kids over christmas here. It's been wonderful to have them in here!

We wanted to write to tell you that we hope you have a wonderful day remembering the birth of our Savior!

We also wanted to say a special thanks to all of you who support us through prayer and finances each month. Your prayers and your generosity have been a huge part of another year of fruitful ministry here in Mibu!

Merry Christmas to all you, our friends and family!

Geoff and Shannon
and Skyler (8), Maddie (6), Abby (3), Ethan (20mo)

Ongoing Evangelism Lessons in Mibu

One of the things we're praising God for is to see new cycles of God's truth moving through as those who mature in their faith do what they can to pass it on to others. In this case we're seeing bible teachers faithfully teaching through another round of evangelism lessons. This time, not away in another village, but right here in Mibu where it all originally started.

It may seem strange to us to hear about evangelism lessons, especially ones that take months to go through. We might be more used to the idea of the sharing the gospel message being constrained to one time encounters, maybe on a train, in the park, or in a church service. Here, the gospel message is presented starting all the way back with the creation story, the fall of man and his sinfulness and resulting need of a savior. The lessons progress through the story as God has revealed it in his word, weaving in the theme of the promised deliverer. The final handful of 55 lessons brings Jesus front and center as the perfect solution put forth by God; the one he promised all the way back in the third chapter of Genesis.

These are the teachers who have been sharing the workload of teaching through the lessons one week at a time, teaching every morning for a week, then taking the next week off, and then resuming the next week to make it through all the lessons. It's exciting to see their resolve as they persevere through the time consuming task of teaching all these lessons, not just once, but twice; Once in the morning, and then another in the afternoon at the school. From left to right: Nooka, Nokone, Devit, Roifo, and Jep, and not pictured is Keteng.

The workload is great enough that they barely have enough time to collect and cook and eat their meals through the day. So the church has been encouraged to them out by gathering and cooking food to provide for their needs. How awesome is that!

Each day there are consistently 50-60 people gathered to hear the teaching. Among them are a number of folks who either have not heard this message before or who heard but have yet to place their trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Some of those attending have actively persecuted the church here.

Right now, they're not quite half way through all the lessons. Soon to come will be the lessons talking about the law. This is often a make it or break it point on the path to understanding their need for Jesus. It's easy and natural for folks to get hung up on the idea that following some set of rules is going to make them acceptable in God's eyes. The law was given with the intent of showing God's holy expectations, which much like a mirror, shows us just how much help we really need. "Who can follow these laws perfectly?! God help us!" Should be the sense one walks away from God's revealed law with. For those who realize they can't possibly meet God's expectations on their own, there tends to be a readiness to accept the truth that Jesus takes care of all that for us. This is the point the Mibu teachers are hoping to bring folks to here in the next couple weeks. You can be praying for this.

Please continue to lift up the Mibu church in their efforts to share the message of God's perfect provision in Jesus. Lift up the teachers as they feel exhausted at times and certainly struggle with doubts about continuing and with feelings about just giving up. Pray for those who might be hearing this message for the first time, that God would be softening their hearts and germinating seeds of faith. Pray for those who already believe, that the basis of their faith is strengthened, providing a foundation on which strong conviction in the power of Christ leads to more heart level change in their lives.

And thank you so very much for your continued support for us, both prayerfully and financially as we serve the maturing church here in Mibu!