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December 10, 2006 |
Volume
1, Number 12 |
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Thanksgiving in Alotau: For Thanksgiving we got together
with several other families in town.
In addition to our team mates we got together with some families who
work with an organization called Summer Institute of Linguistics. A couple of the families who work for
this Bible translation organization are Americans. Fortunately, they even allowed me and
some Aussies to attend ‘American Thanksgiving.’ Alotau is
starting to come alive with the spirit of Christmas. Outside the Papindos grocery story is
a 6 foot tall mechanical Santa that dances. The local villagers stand for long
periods of time staring at this amazing sight. While shopping at TST you can hear
songs like: “Let it Snow” and “I’m Dreaming of a White
Christmas”. Sure the
environment is different, but everyone is gearing up for Christmas all the
same.
Downtown
Alotau Our mailing
address: Craig and Jeri Ford Alotau,
MBP 211 E-mail
OR Prayer Requests: o
Contacts in the
community. Pray that as we meet
individuals we will be able to discern those who are willing to pursue a
relationship with God. o
Evangelistic
studies with Negila group. o
An openness to
the gospel so we can reach people through evangelism o
Development of
additional male leadership o
Our cultural
adjustment o
Patience as we
wait for our own home We thank each one of
you for your prayers and support.
May God Bless You!
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We just wanted to let everyone know
that our plans are to start doing a bimonthly newsletter in 2007. Church lnvolvement: November was a busy
month for most the church members who semed to be heading out of town for
many different reasons. As
December approaches we have been told to expect even more people making extended
trips to their villages. In the
first week of December most of the school children will be out of school as
this is the start of their ‘summer break’. We continue to focus
on teaching peole the importance of having and maintaining a relationship
with God. This continues through
my regular weekly activities.
Each week I continue to have Bible studies with a couple of
familes. We also have a group
Bible study at the house on Wednesday night. On Thursdays we have our men’s
meeting. In addition, I study and
wait. Each day is filled with an
unexpected activity that could neither be planned or anticipated. These interuptions, I am finding, are
an important part of my ministry to the local people. I simply pray that God is leading and
overseeing the events of each new day. Feature Activity: Ladies Retreat Since I did not
attend (nor was I invited) the ladies retreat, I thought Jeri could share
some information about the retreat.
The venue was a place about a 20 minute drive away. There were about 50 ladies plus some
children in attendance. The theme
of the retreat was the Wisdom of Proverbs. Loopie and I were asked to do the
lessons. We also performed a skit one night. I was “Folly” and she was
“Wisdom”. The ladies
thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the ladies did the lesson
on Sunday morning. The lessons
focused on practical wisdom for living – working, friendships, family,
speaking, and listening. We enjoyed a 45
minute hike to two waterfalls. It
was a highlight of the weekend for me.
The people assured me that it was an “easy hike”. I’m not in that bad of shape,
but I certainly wouldn’t say it would be categorized as
“easy” in the States.
And half of them did it barefooted! Having the opportunity to spend
that time with our Christian sisters was valuable since I’m trying to
develop relationships with them. I left Hannah
overnight for the first time with a very responsible person, Craig. They spent Friday night through Sunday
afternoon together while I enjoyed the retreat.
House: as this newsletter is being written
our house construction is underway.
At this point the cement foundation and support posts are set. We are likely looking at a February
completion date. We were blessed
to find housing from the start of January until the house is done. Once the Reese family returns we will
move to the location of our construction company who will house us in an
apartment until our house is done.
At this point we
just hope the construction continues wihtout any major delays and the major
services (water, electric, phones) will be completed by our move date. Please pray that God will bless our
time of transition.
Check it out: o
Visit our blog:
pngfords.blogspot.com! J o
Visit the church website: www.championschurch.org |
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