We thank the Lord for this year, the reloading and preparation for further service in Papua New Guinea. Not only was I finally able to translate the first book into English and Ukrainian, and write the second one, but as a family we were also able to seek God’s face more and receive a more accurate vision of our service in PNG. Although we are still waiting for confirmation of our three-year visa (please support us in prayer for this), little by little, we are starting to prepare for departure and further service on the edge of the earth.
As part of this, I (Ira) plan to take MMI (Missionary Medical Intensive), a short course for missionaries without medical training who have to handle medicines. The cost of this training is 1000 USD, and it will take place next March in the USA
A little about how we carry out medical service in remote villages in Papua New Guinea, I write in this book my book, and of course, we plan to continue doing it, hopefully even more effectively. Thank you to all who sacrificially support us!
Eugene and two ardent brothers, whom the Lord put on their hearts to spend these 5 weeks in ministry at the ends of the earth, are preparing to leave for Papua New Guinea! Pray for them, they all have families, children who have remained on prayer support here in the States, while the ministers will carry His Word to the ends of the earth.
Eugene plans to camp and encourage all of our (five) churches, trips to remote villages – They won’t be bored, that’s for sure. Please support those brave men in prayer. Also, we hope, we will be able to extend our volunteer visas in order to return to Papua New Guinea again soon.
Pray for a speedy resolution of this issue as well. I’m in the states now, sitting on an easy chair with a mug of steaming black coffee. It doesn’t matter if I have a microphone in my hand, a pencil or a cutting board. If my heart is right before God, it is equally important to Him.
Therefore, breathing in the aroma of American coffee, I pray for Eugene, who will be at home on “Promise Land” this Sunday.
We live by prayers for peace. I think the events in Ukraine have forced many Christians around the world to unite both in prayer and and in help. Sometimes, we hear comments from “well-wishers”, well all dear, with war in Ukraine, all your support will stop, and you might as well pack up and go!
And although it is true that last week we received only 30% of the usual financial support, but we are not going to leave the ministry. There were times when we slept in a hut and ate frogs and worms, And in which case, we will gladly return to them. But we have no plans to stop missionary work here in PNG, no matter what. As part of the medical service we could visit the villages of Kamufa and Hagunamura.
We spent hours in prayer for these people, and then hours in conversation with them. Yes, we bandage wounds, but only the Lord can heal broken hearts. I met a woman who has a chopped off leg with a machete by her husband, just below the knee. When we began to preach the gospel, many wept and in prayer invited Christ into their hearts. Thanks to everyone involved in this ministry!
I can’t even describe how great the need here is – the farther we go into the jungle, the more terrible the conditions are under which people live. There is a huge number of patients with AIDS, typhoid and tuberculosis, people with open wounds, twisted bones that were broken for many years, but did not heal properly. Bones are sticking out from under the bloody wounds, and are all wrapped up with one piece of torn and dirty rag, or worse, wrapped in an old greasy plastic bag on which flies crawl out – and this horrible smells of cadaverous, deadly stench, from which I literally had to put all my strength in order not to turn away. People are coughing up blood, their bellies are swollen, and worms are crawling inside their wounds. They lie and wait for death – on a dirty floor, on a dirty pillow, in a hut without windows, and fleas jump all over from ripped blanket.
To reach before them, we need to go through the mountain that are overgrown, deeper and deeper into the jungle. We go on foot for a prolonged time, this is the only way to reach them. Thank you to everyone who supports our medical trips financially and prayerfully! We are indebted to you.
I can’t even explain what God does during our short medical visits. On another trip, we were stopped by tribal warriors, armed in full ammunition with spears, bows, and arrows, and they delayed us for a whole hour.
People here live in extreme poverty and that breaks our hearts, repeatedly. We see the eyes of the blind. The eyes of the sick. The eyes of the poor, the widows, and orphans. The woman’s eyes, whose husband’s hand was cut off. The deaf, paralyzed, broken bones, and broken hearts all look at me. The white woman, of course, she knows. Certainly, she will help. In their eyes, I see pain, hope, and a desperate cry for someone who can tell them they are loved. They are found and not forgotten. And even if I can’t “fix” everyone and everything, in the end, ultimately, I can love them and I will. I will climb one more mountain. I will sit with them in the dust, in the mud, under the rain. Yes, we give food, medicine, and seeds, but the most that we give is the love and heart of Christ. Thank you to everyone who makes this possible!
On the weekends we were able to hold a youth convention from all our subsidiary’s churches. Over 100 people who were up to 20 years old gathered to worship the Lord together and study His Word. We were able to provide three meals a day and prizes for sports achievements, and thanks to your prayers, many of them used the time to repent. So happy to see the youth, who voluntarily got up at 4 am without reminders, for prayer and worship! Let the fire which they undoubtedly carry away to their villages, that will not fade, but will grow! Thanks to you, we were able to visit the tribal victims of the wars in the village of Atuka and Anditapa and evangelize.
We also blessed especially needy families who have lost literally everything – with shovels, axes, mattresses, and other necessary things to start life over from scratch. We saw many repentances. In that area, there are no evangelical churches, and people are very hungry for the Word of God, so we decided to send pastor Matthias and his family to live here permanently and minister here. Lord willing, we plan to buy a piece of land and start building a house of prayer in Atuka/Anditapa region in very soon.
