Illness, exhaustion, ideological conflict, Cambodian hacky-sack, beach volleyball, singing, prayer, inductive Bible study, suturing turkey legs, worldview issues, The Crucible, church planting, bush hydrotherapy, inner healing, language learning, flavorless tapioca. What do these all have in common? They were all part of our summer of training. We’ve been pushed to our limits, but we’ve also had fun.

I thank God for the work that John Kent and other experienced missionaries have put into preparing such a comprehensive program to help prepare us for the mission field. As they’ve shared with us about the mistakes they’ve made, they’ve told us, “You can make your own mistakes, but don’t make the same ones I’ve made.” I’ve come to appreciate even more Jesus’ counsel in Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Understanding a people’s worldview, we’ve learned, is prerequisite to evangelizing them. Superficial changes in behavior without a shift to biblical worldview do not result in conversion. Establishing a vibrant church-planting movement requires an investment of years of time, but the return on investment is priceless.

When you invest in frontier missions, you are investing in heaven. Many of you are investing your means in us, and we thank you for that. With your help, 30,000 Gogodala people of Papua New Guinea will have the opportunity to find true freedom in Jesus. Thank you for your support and prayers.

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