Hello again from Lae. I pray that you are well and growing in Christ each day. It has been two months since the last report and the time has sped by. I am now preparing for leave and things are coming together slowly, but not without hiccups, such as waiting for the bank here to issue a credit card I ordered (two weeks ago) in order to pay for the airline tickets, and also the Air Canada strike and flight cancellations (yes, I had planned to book with them!). I appreciate your ongoing prayers and know that this trip will come together in His timing. Here is a recap of the past couple of months:
June-July
Block (term) 3 at the Melanesian Bible College started on June 16th and the students were kept very busy over the following six weeks. I have been running the library sessions since 2014, and this marked the first block in which not a single student used the library! When I asked a couple of them, they told me that they were up to their ears in work in the classroom and just hadn’t had time.
Graduating Literacy Students Moreen (left) and Jenny (right) and their families
Jenny and I continued our literacy battle together and made great strides through June and July. When school ended, she still couldn’t cope efficiently with numbers, and we pretty much gave up on printing, but SHE WAS READING!!! albeit very slowly. Thank you for your prayers for both of us! Sight problems were one of the contributing factors and using the Tok Pisin Baibel (Bible) app on my phone helped as we could increase the font size greatly. We also went for an eye test and got reading glasses for her, which should help to some degree. Please continue to pray for her. Her husband, Nickson, promised to continue to work with her in coming months. They are also expecting another baby soon.
Lendo Bal, a brother and evangelist from Chimbu Province and former board member for M.B.C., suffered a stroke during the National Men’s Workshop, hosted this year, from June 26
th-29th, by the Pare congregation. He ended up hospitalized in Port Moresby until his passing on the night of July 17th. He was a well-loved and well-respected brother in Christ, and his death has left many Christians grieving. Not long before brother Bare’s death (reported in the last report), Lendo stepped in to work with the Dinima congregation. Now, within the space of less than four months, the congregation has lost two preachers. Please also hold them in prayer. There has been an increasing amount of community interest, and they are now left without a preacher (Matthew 9:38).
The latter half of July was busy as we neared the end of the school year. On the 19
th, the students hosted the ‘One Day Youth Camp’, which they have prepared for over the past two years. It went well and was well attended by several of the local congregations. On the 21st we had our last day of classes and then spent the 22nd preparing for the closing meal which took place on the 23
rd (also Remembrance Day here). The 24th was cleanup time on campus, including the classrooms, chapel and grounds. And finally, the 33rd Tok Pisin and 1st English graduations were held on the 26
th, bringing the 2025 M.B.C. session to a close. Incidentally, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of having a church of Christ-run Bible school in Lae: Lae Bible School was started in 1975, becoming The School of Life in 1979, and eventually The Melanesian Bible College in 1988. Our students left us during the 28th
30th, and it was bittersweet saying goodbye as we both rejoiced with them and mourned their leav
30
th, and it was bittersweet saying goodbye as we both rejoiced with them and mourned their leaving. Many of them have been with us for five years now.ing.
Many of them have been with us for five years now.
Saying Goodbye
Ladies Class at One Day Youth Camp
2025 MBC Graduating Class – Tok Pisin
2025 MBC Graduating Class – English
August
The start of August brought on full-blast preparation for traveling to Canada, as well as catch-up work from the past 5 months of school. At the library, the last of the books on hand for processing were completed and shelved as of August 8th, bringing the library to just over 4,000 volumes, and the Excel card catalogue has been updated. This is a mountain I’ve been climbing since 2013 and it feels a bit unbelievable that we currently have NOTHING left to process! On August 11th, Miring and I cleaned, packed up and covered everything for the coming months of inactivity.
I have also started some cleaning projects at the house as I wait, as well as doing the ‘monthly’ cleaning at the Missionary Centre. Our tropical houses are all built on posts and are nearly equal parts wall and ‘flaiwaia’ (fly wire: screens). Some of the windows have glass louvre blades. We rely on ceiling fans, which run practically 24-7 (when the power is on, which it isn’t as I write this). Every few months, we have to remove the louvres, for washing, and vacuum and brush the screens to get rid of the build-up of dust and cat fur. How does a country with so much rain, get so dusty?!! They were a little more overdue than usual this time due to school being in session, and I spent hours last week just on the living room and kitchen windows. We have since finished the veranda as well, with just a couple of rooms left to do. It is truly wonderful to be able to see out and feel the wind coming in.
August also saw the completion of 350 more song books for this year, bringing the number we have produced at M.B.C., since 2014, to 4,250. I have decided to investigate whether an app could be developed, and plan to pursue this while in Canada. If you have any experience, it would be appreciated along with your prayers. After 33 years here, I feel very dinosaur-ish with regards to some newer technologies. At present, M.B.C. is the only source of the Song bilong Lotu song book, and it has been getting more difficult to keep up with demand as the church continues to grow in P.N.G. Maintenance on our copier has got more expensive (and it is currently broken down again now!), and often I am unable to get toner, book binding tape, or the plastic covers we now use. It recently became more apparent to me, as well, that the technicians don’t do what you expect them to. Thanks to YouTube, I now know how to properly clean two main parts of the machine, and it had never been done on this machine before! We also have limited ability to get printed song books to people in the southern region due to the cost of postage and the lack of roads. Having an (hopefully free) app available, in addition to the printed books, would be greatly helpful to everyone.
Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse nation on Earth and has a unique culture for every language. There are also times of division between the coastal and highlands peoples because of the vast difference in beliefs and practises. This is further complicated when families have lived in Lae, or other towns, for generations and have lost much of their cultural identity and language, not to mention the cultural values that go with them. The current economic climate is also impacting everyone. Crime becomes the norm, along with drugs and alcoholism.
Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse nation on Earth and has a unique culture for every language. There are also times of division between the coastal and highlands peoples because of the vast difference in beliefs and practises. This is further complicated when families have lived in Lae, or other towns, for generations and have lost much of their cultural identity and language, not to mention the cultural values that go with them. The current economic climate is also impacting everyone. Crime becomes the norm, along with drugs and alcoholism.
Over the first weekend in August, an ethnic clash took place in the settlement beside us, spilling over onto the church property. It was started by someone from the Timbe people (coastal), who stole something. A Wabag (highlander) betelnut seller witnessed the theft and called the police. After the thief’s apprehension, some of his family showed up and knifed the Wabag man for his trouble. He then turned around and recruited some of his extended family from another area of Lae, who came on the 4th and wreaked havoc on anyone of coastal appearance who got in the way, Timbe or otherwise. The result was chaos with four intentionally run over and/or hacked to death, others injured, and a community (and nation) in absolute shock and anger. Word went around that the coastal people were planning to revolt against the highlanders but prayer has worked. Thankfully, arrests have been made on both sides, and the Morobe government has been working with the Timbe community, who have not retaliated. The past two weeks have been quiet and tense, but the local schools have finally resumed and people are starting to breath again. Please pray for the Kapiak St. settlement and for P.N.G. as a whole. We are approaching the 50th anniversary of independence (September 16th) and more and more crazy is happening.
Through it all, construction of the new fence (wall!) for the neighbouring property continues. The water pipe has been broken several more times since the last report, including this morning, but we are taking it in stride, getting along alright with the workers, and looking forward to seeing the final outcome.
Sheet-Iron Fence – Work in Progress
Prayer Points
I always appreciate hearing from you, but don’t expect to. I’m also looking forward to seeing many of you during my upcoming leave. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments.
With love and prayers in HIM,
Ruth
Sponsor information:
Fenwick church of Christ, P.O. Box 416, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 Canada (cofcfenwick@gmail.com)
Malaga church of Christ, P.O. Box 105. Ballajura, WA 6019 Australia (malaga@perthchurch.net)
Contact:
Ruth Zimmerman P.O. Box 1112, Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (ruthzimm@gmail.com)
Greetings again from the land of puddles. Apart from trying to get laundry to dry,we’ve been enjoying the cooler, very wet weather. The 2024 Melanesian Bible College session is now finished and all of our students have returned to their families. Also, all of our U.S. visitors have come and gone.
Thank you for your prayers for each of us over the past few months.
When I last wrote to you, we were two weeks into Block 2 of the school program. All went well for our English and Tok Pisin students throughout their studies,concluding on July 24th. We rejoiced on June 26th, when Tok Pisin student Jonam was baptized into Christ, bringing the total to three new Christians among our students this year (Jonam, his wife Moreen, and Macklyn). The first year of the English program has been well received and we look forward to continuing next year, along with welcoming back each of our students from both programs.
In the literacy program, student Moreen and I completed our time together at the end of Block 2 and she spent all of Block 3 as a full time Bible student. She did really well. Student Jenny had much more of a struggle and didn’t complete the basic literacy course. Jenny’s baby (a girl; misreported as a boy in the last newsletter) continued to struggle with breathing problems. Her parents weren’t content to remain in the hospital and left early. In the following weeks, we saw the baby losing ground and urged them to return for further healthcare. Eventually, with the encouragement of a sister in Christ who works at Angau Memorial, they did go back and were admitted, but then ran away again the same day. After a few days, the baby’s condition got to the point where they had to go back, and they spent a week there before returning to school. All of the disruptions to Jenny’s schooling, along with a likely undiagnosed learning disability, took their toll and led to a lot of frustration for both of us. Jenny will be back with me in Literacy during the 2025 school session instead of continuing as a Bible student. Please continue to pray for the baby, for both Moreen and Jenny, and also for me for patience and understanding in the coming year.
Pictured above are MBC staff & students with Jimmy, Kim & Randy, during our last
day of classes.
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Part 2
We were very blessed this year to welcome three teams of Americans during the months of June and July:
P.N.G. missionaries Woody & Judy Square,along with brothers Tim Raibley and Antoine Stitt, and sister Jaszmyn Ponder, arrived on June 27th from California, and were joined by friends Alvin &Carolyn Bartel, Erik & Kylie Brenneke, and Courtney Bartel, from B.C., on July 5th. They traveled toZumangurun (in the Markham Valley), Goroka, Tami Island, and Kapini (Menyamya) before starting their return journey on July 2oth. The Bartel family worked in Lae at the same time as Woody & Judy (late 1980s). Alvin was employed with the Department of Works, and Carolyn taught at Bugandi Secondary School. Younger daughter, Courtney, was baptized during their trip to Tami Island.
Pictured in the two photos above are Woody and team, during one of their skits at MBC.
Brother Sandy Detherage, along with grandson Tyler Benedict, arrived and spent a few days teaching classes and visiting Christians in Lae, before continuing their travels to Cambodia on the 18th. Please pray for Tyler as he starts his Grade12 year.
Sandy & Tyler (stolen from Sandy’s facebook page. My phone died.)
Highland church of Christ members Jimmy &Kim Adkins, and Randy Gaddy, arrived on July 23rd in time to conclude the 2024 M.B.C. school year and join us for the student meal on the 25th. Brother Jay Shappley was supposed to come as well but the cyber-chaos of July 19th led to his ticket being cancelled. Highland (formerly Highland Street) has supported the school here since 1975 when the Lae Bible School (1975-1979) was formed, followed by The School of Life (1980-1987) and the Melanesian Bible College (1988-present). Their long-term support and frequent visits are a great encouragement to us. We enjoyed a trip to Tami Island with them,as well as other outings, before they started their journey back to Tennessee on July 31st.
Fellowship meal at Mission Centre (Agape House) where visitors stay while in Lae.
With love in HIM,
Ruth
Greetings from smouldering Lae. We are currently in drought conditions with 90 °F+ temperatures and intense sunshine. It is quite windy, but even the wind is blowing hot, and there is no such thing as a cold shower! Somehow my laptop has remained set for weather updates for Vineland, Ontario and it is currently reading 26°F. I wish!! (Even for just a few minutes!) I hope that this report finds you well and much less sweaty then we are!
January
If you follow world news, you have probably heard about the riots that took place in P.N.G. in January. The country was left in shock after opportunists took advantage of a peaceful police protest and did an estimated one billion kina (around CDN $390 million; Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce report) in damage to shops and property in Port Moresby on the 10th. Several supermarkets and chemists were burned down, the Parliament building was breached, and other businesses were looted and re-looted. The initial protest was over a computer glitch which affected the pay of civil servants. The next day, rioting took place in Lae, and the police, defense force and security companies were ready. At least one business in Lae was burned, and others had their windows smashed, but overall, Lae got off lightly in comparison to Port Moresby. The death toll over the two days was in the twenties. Some of the rioting occurred on the road outside the church property and we had a very tense morning.
On the home front, January continued to be eventful. On the 10th, the plane that brought us out of Indagen the week before, crashed while landing at another airstrip in the same area (no casualties). North Coast Aviation, the small company that services rural airstrips in Morobe Province, the Waria Valley, and elsewhere,is now down to one small Norman Islander, which currently isn’t flying into Kabwum District. Miring –waiting for a flight out of Indagen – was left with no other option than to travel to Wasu Station (by foot and car) and wait for a boat coming to Lae. She finally made it back on February 17.
Other highlights from January include:
February
Prayer Points:
1. The current tensions within P.N.G. as mentioned above.
2. Miring – says thank you for your prayers for her safe return to Lae. The eye clinic in Madang has told her that she can go to our local hospital in Lae for her review. Once she has been cleared, she can make plans to go back to Madang for her second cataract surgery.
3. Preparation for the upcoming start of the M.B.C. school year (March 18th) and travel for our students,especially considering the fuel crisis.
4. The plan to host the inaugural Morobe Provincial Ladies ’Camp in October 2024, and the fund-raising the Melanesian Bible College congregation has started.
5. The 7th Morobe Provincial Youth Camp (2025) will also be hosted by M.B.C. Please pray for the planning and fund-raising for that as well.
6. For our visiting teams for this year: Woody& Judy Square and team arriving in late June, and a team from Highland church of Christ, arriving in late July.
7. Brother Rick Niland in Toowoomba, Australia –for continued healing amid frequent stays in hospital due to complications of his surgery last March.
8. Brother Taylor and wife Robyn – continued healing and open doors for further medical assistance.
Special Message:
The benefits of having the materials printed and bound are:
1. The teacher is free to focus on teaching and discussing the lesson, instead of spending his/her time writing on the chalk-board;
2. The students have prepared materials as a resource to take home with them when they are finished;
3. Some of the students (especially within the ladies’ class) have low grade levels and copying reams of notes from the chalk-board means they get very little out of what they are being taught.
If you have questions or would like to know more about this project, please email me. Regardless of whether you decide to help financially,please keep this in prayer. Thank you.
May God continue to bless and care for you everyday.
With love in HIM,
Ruth
Sponsors:
Fenwick church of Christ, P.O. box 416, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 Canada (cofcfenwick@gmail.com)
Malaga church of Christ, P.O. Box 105. Ballajura, WA 6019 Australia (malaga@perthchurch.net)
Hello from “Rainy Lae”. It has been pouring for much of the past couple of days and is a cool 82°F (28°C) right now as I start to write this. This is the last day of our week-long break between terms at the Melanesian Bible College, and a good opportunity to get this overdue report sent! I pray that you are well and enjoying His blessings.
The past three months have been busy and focused. Getting through eight months of financial reports, etc. (from my leave) took up a lot of spare time, while simultaneously settling into life here again, and the start of the school year. God is good and He allowed me a one-week rest period (a.k.a. Malaria) in the thick of it . We have now completed the first two ‘blocks’ (6-week terms) of classes at M.B.C. As mentioned in the last report, this is a transition year from the current 3-year Tok Pisin program to two years, and the introduction of an English program next year. We currently have a smaller student body than usual, with no new students, and the 2nd and 3rd year students completing their time at M.B.C. together. I opted not to run a literacy class this school year and have been using the time each morning at the library (book processing and printing).
M.B.C. student body, 2023 (on a tilt!?!!)
The 3rd year students enjoying the new PowerPoint projector during a morning class
Each year, for practical experience, the final year students plan and host a “One Day Youth Camp”. It will take place this year on July 22nd. Youth from the congregations in and near Lae (13-14 in number) are invited and the turn-out is usually 250-300. As part of the experience, the M.B.C. students work out a budget and raise the amount needed to host the event. As part of their fund-raising, they came last week and cleaned the Missionary Centre, the very large house used for overseas visitors. Because of mold, it has to be washed each year, regardless of whether we have company or not (the last visitor was in 2019!). What usually takes a small group of us a week or two to clean, the students finished in two days! Their energy and humour made a large job fun, and we had a great time of fellowship each day, afterward, while we ate together.
After 3+ years of retyping, revision and editing, we finally were able to tackle printing a new lot of Het Tok (“Head Talk”; a topical index translated and printed by missionary Tobey Huff in the 1980s). Printing started in late March and was finished on May 4th. Whereas other materials printed at M.B.C. are sold at cost and without profit, all money raised from the sale of Het Tok goes back to supporting M.B.C.
Brother Bafi Donao – an M.B.C. graduate from the 1990s, and preacher in Sio, Morobe Province – helping with the binding process while visiting Lae. Current M.B.C. student, Sent (from Mati, Western Highlands Province; not pictured) has also helped greatly in the past few weeks, first with finishing Het Tok and now with Song bilong Lotu (Songs of Worship).
200 copies complete, May 23!
A few of the M.B.C. students in our haus kuk (cook house) following the massive cleaning session.
Our ladies’ class this year, at M.B.C., has been challenging and has meant re-adjusting how we teach. We currently have three ladies in class: Hane, from Port Moresby (pronounced “Honay”), is doing her second year of classes. She has learned Tok Pisin well but has a fairly significant hearing problem which has left us wondering how much she is actually hearing in class! Raqawec, from Indagen (pronounced “Rakawa”), was a literacy student last year and should have repeated the course this year, however due to the change to a two-year program, she is now in full time Bible classes. She has tackled each class with bravery, helped by her daughter, Tatila, our third student. We have all been encouraged that Raqawec’s reading continues to improve each week. Tatila, a young Christian, was taken out of elementary school this year to help her mother but seems to be enjoying her time with us and learning a lot. She even prepared and presented a lesson at the weekly ladies’ Bible study held on Thursdays! Please keep each of them in prayer. I enjoyed teaching the course Plan bilong God bilong Kisim Bek Man (God’s Plan of Salvation) to them last block, and will start teaching Beten (Prayer) tomorrow. This will be the first time I’ve taught this course.
Timbit and Oreo Also known at times as “Termite” and “REO Speed-Demon”. Timbit recently ate a large hole in the back door, leading to its replacement, and when accidentally locked in the bathroom, decided to go out through the window screen (which didn’t have any holes before that!). Looks can be VERY deceiving!
Prayer Points:
1. The Melanesian Bible College – for the students as they enter their last block of classes with us and prepare to return to their homes; Also, for the continuing changes taking place in the school.
2. Brother Rick Niland in Toowoomba, Australia – Rick had major spinal surgery in late March and remains in hospital nearly three months on. Shortly after the first surgery, a second was done to fix a broken vertebra. The incision from that surgery became badly infected and healing has been slow. Rick has also had complications and has had a hard time with the medications he is on. Please continue to pray for Rick and Ruth and for continued healing. (Rick worked as a ‘kiap’, or patrol officer, in Papua & New Guinea prior to the arrival of the Cannons in the early 70s, and then he and Ruth worked as missionaries beside Joe & Rosa Belle).
3. Roommate Miring – experiencing dental and sight issues.
4. Brother Taylor David, and wife Robyn – for ongoing physical healing approaching two years after his brain surgery, and for safety (he still doesn’t have a titanium plate and has weakness in one side of his body, making him frequently off-balance).
I always appreciate hearing from you. At this point, I am FAR behind in replying to emails. The workload (teaching, printing and library, and preparing for my class this block) has meant that I have been really poor at keeping up with writing. Please be patient if you write. I will eventually answer! .
May God continue to bless you.
Love and blessings in HIM,
Ruth
Sponsors:
Fenwick church of Christ, P.O. Box 416, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 Canada (cofcfenwick@gmail.com)
Malaga church of Christ, P.O. Box 105. Ballajura, WA 6019 Australia (malaga@perthchurch.net)
A crisis was unfolding, late one night, as I switched on the bathroom light. Making the slow but steady climb up the moulded back-splash of the bathroom sink was an earwig. Now, the presence of an earwig in the bathroom is only slightly unusual. Here in Lae, “wildlife” in the bathroom (and everywhere else in the house) is the undefeatable ‘norm’. My house isn’t much different from a camp cabin. It has gaps and floor-to-ceiling screens, and it is far from bug proof. If they aren’t coming through holes, then they are following the plumbing or even coming through the screens (yes, some little, bitey, bright green “tree hoppers” are that small!). I’ve counted up to six different kinds of ants in the house at one time and one of them is carnivorous! And my roommate, Miring, was brushing her teeth one day and a 4-inch-long centipede came up the pipe and out of the drain! I could go on telling you about random insect encounters for hours, but that’s getting off topic. Time to go back to the unfolding crisis instead.
I watched the traveller for a short time, without much interest, before realizing it was heading straight for a spider perched on top of the back-splash. A very tiny spider. It was not much larger than the head of a pin and the earwig was easily 20 times its size, likely more. I stood transfixed and the realization that I could relate to the spider hit me between the eyes. Ever feel like life is bearing down on you and you can’t get away? I’ve felt that a lot over the past three years – the feeling of being on the point of being swallowed. For me it’s been death, and more death; frequent Malaria; overwhelming work pressure; fractured relationships; the frequent feeling that I’m a commodity and not a person with needs and feelings; mourning with dear friends experiencing a paralyzing situation; seeing spiritually immature decisions being made by Christians who should know better, etc. etc. And then Covid-19.
Covid has taken everything and turned it upside-down for all of us, wherever we are on Earth. Being here, during this pandemic, has given me the possibly unique perspective of being envious of those of you who have been in frequent lock downs! With so few vaccinated in Papua New Guinea (less than 4% as I write this!) and so much disobedience, life has become frightening. Even a short shopping trip guarantees contact with huge crowds and very few wearing masks. P.N.G. was slow in joining the pandemic, but in recent months Delta has taken hold and numbers continue to climb. And this week, the thought that the new Omicron variant could further delay my already delayed furlough, has nearly tripped me over the edge. I have felt like I am that tiny little spider, and that my “earwig” is the size of a transport truck.
As all these realizations ran through my head, the earwig continued to climb. It was approaching the end of its journey and I stood wondering how to help the spider, but before I could come to a decision, the earwig reached the top. What happened next left me slack-jawed and awestruck. The spider, recognizing its adversary and the danger it was in, didn’t hesitate. It didn’t turn-tail and run (do spiders have tails?) but it took a mighty leap right at the earwig’s face. I watched as the earwig, in its total surprise, lost its grip and tumbled back into the sink. By then I was cheering and applauding the spider while reassessing my life.
In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul, writing of his struggles, said, ‘For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…’ (2 Corinthians 4:6-9).
God gave the little spider the ability to jump (and a lot of bravery!), but for us who have obeyed Him, He has given us His light and His Spirit. We are frail, but with God’s strength, and with Him living in us, we are able to weather everything that life throws at us.
A few verses later Paul continued, “Therefore, do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-18).
The little spider made me realize that my focus has become skewed over the past few years. I pray while looking at the problems and sorrows and pressures and frustrations. Too many times I rely on my own strength, not His. My eyes have been fixed on what is temporary, not what is eternal. Instead of taking a mighty leap in the face of Satan whenever he pops up at eye level, I’ve been more prone to turn tail and run, unlike the spider. I’ve been feeling overcome, but thanks to the bathroom ‘wildlife’, I now remember that I’m not.
Lae, Papua New Guinea
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you have all had a wonderful time, despite Covid-related restrictions, and that 2021 will be a better year all around. We continue to hold you in prayer for good health, safety and perseverance through the coming months.
Christmas and New Year’s in P.N.G. are linked to broiling hot weather and lethargy! I didn’t even put the decorations up this year. The drawback to assembling and decorating the (artificial) Christmas tree, when sweating, is getting coated with fake snow and glitter and then having to shower to get it all off. There is absolutely no static cling here. Despite the less-than-Christmas feeling, we still enjoyed it. The highlight was doing all the preparation for Christmas dinner and then not having the promised chickens to roast! (We had a really good laugh over that). We enjoyed ham sandwiches and fruit pies instead on Christmas day, and then I went and bought chicken at the grocery the next week for a late celebration. With temperatures in the mid-90s (34.6C as I write this), cooking and eating are just not that enjoyable anyway. 
The past couple of months have been slow. In normal times, things tend to wind down at the end of the school year (late November/early December). In 2020 it happened much earlier. Miring and I have both recovered from our game of Malaria-volleyball which I mentioned in the last report (thank you for your prayers), but soon after – when doing my repeat blood-slide – I found out that I had mild Typhoid. A couple of weeks of antibiotics sorted that out and I am well now.
Due to the heat, I haven’t been spending as much time in the library. The building has no shade and ventilation is poor (despite 4 ceiling fans and a floor fan). It is significantly hotter than my house. I’ve spent quite a bit of time, instead, working on Bible lessons (in simple English and Tok Pisin) that I hope to make available to our students for their personal study or in ladies’ classes in the villages. Tok Pisin resources available in Christian bookshops here tend to follow denominational teachings, so aren’t always that useful. Another goal is to have more pamphlets/brochures available as a resource. Over the past couple of years, we have been printing 3 or 4 different brochures for an evangelist working in Lae. He distributes them to different hospitals and health centres, as well as in the prison ministry, along with The Voice of Truth International magazine when we have it. I would like to have a greater selection available to anyone visiting the library. Do you have any pamphlets that you have found useful, that can be reproduced and possibly translated? Please contact me if you have anything to share (or any questions) by either replying to this email, or at ruth.zimmeran@aol.com.
M.B.C. Plans
We are looking forward, Lord willing, to the start of the Melanesian Bible College school year. As the number of cases of Covid-19 continues to rise we know that it is very much one-day-at-a-time and greatly appreciate your prayers. As of this year, the new starting time will be early March (instead of late January/early February). The schedule change is to allow more time for the students to register their older children in school in the villages and travel to Lae before the start of school (later-arrivers have been a growing problem over the years). Another benefit will be that overseas visitors arriving in June/early July will have a chance to visit with the students. (We don’t anticipate any overseas visitors any time soon, but thinking ahead… ).
Classes this year will be a repeat of last year since we ended half-way through, with new students coming for block one (March 8-April 15), and then being joined by 2nd and 3rd year students for blocks two (April 19-May 27) and three (June 3-July 15). Literacy classes will resume on March 8th.
Covid-19 Update
My heart and prayers have been with many over the past months as, increasingly, word has come of friends and fellow Christians struggling with Covid-19, especially in Canada and the U.S., and others struggling with loss of work or the extreme lock-down measures being taken. May God’s healing and protective hand be with all of us. In P.N.G., case numbers have now climbed to 799 with 9 deaths. There have been positive cases in 16 provinces now, and West New Britain is currently in lock-down. Testing remains low, with only 39,761 tests having been done since March. Lae remains highly unaffected. At any given time, there will be a handful of us wearing masks in public, but life (behaviour) is pretty much the same now as it was before March 2020.
Photos Taken Near the House:
Bougainvillea growing on the front fence
Orchid
Orchid
My friend Siggy. Someone recently referred to her as “turkey”.
I think it may have been wishful thinking.
A mushroom which suddenly made its appearance behind the house.
Prayer Points:
1. The Mesa family, currently visiting Tami Island for a break and time of Bible classes.
2. Taylor & Robyn David. Both have recovered from the Malaria, which brought them to us in November. Taylor returned to their village soon afterwards, and Robyn has continued to stay with us as she battles school assignments for the completion of her diploma. Taylor continues to struggle with seizures and it has been suggested that another C.T. scan is needed, but in order to get a scan they will have to travel either to Kundiawa (10+ hours over a really rough road) or fly to Port Moresby. Neither Kundiawa nor Port Moresby are an option financially right now. The doctors still haven’t decided whether his condition is the result of a brain tumour or Tuberculosis (which they treated him for). The fact that he hasn’t progressed past seizures is being seen as a good sign. Please continue to pray for him as your prayers are truly helping. Taylor hopes to join the literacy class at M.B.C. this year and is really excited about it.
3. Migi (also called Hezron) Jimi, a young Christian from Indagen, currently in hospital here in Lae with cranial Tuberculosis. His mother, Ziring, was one of my literature students a few years ago. Update: we visited Migi a couple of days ago and he is much improved. He is slowly getting back the use of his legs and is sitting up and talking clearly. We expect that he will soon be released. He has been in hospital for more than 6 months.
4. Ruby Ford – P.N.G. missionary and dear friend – currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
5. The Covid-19 situation worldwide, as well as here in P.N.G. and the government’s handling of it.
6. My own plans to travel home, and for God’s timing.
Thank you for all of your support – in prayer, finance, or correspondence – over the past year. Please know that you are greatly appreciated. May God continue to guide and bless you despite whatever hardships and challenges you face in this new year, and may His peace and comfort be ever present in your life.
With love in Him,
Ruth