Giving Thanks

Yes, I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but hey, being thankful should go the whole year round, right? I've been challenged this month to really focus on being thankful. I've been attempting (and failing quite often) to think of at least 3 things that I can be thankful for whenever I encounter a frustrating situation where I normally would tend to complain. It's amazing to me how gratitude can change your entire outlook on a situation and can make your day so much more enjoyable. Paul was definitely right when he exhorted believers to always be thankful!

There are so many things that we have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for God's unconditional love. I'm thankful that He calls me His daughter. I'm thankful that He never gives up on me. No matter what.

I'm thankful for an incredible husband who loves me, takes care of me, and is my best friend. I'm thankful for the new life growing inside me. I can hardly believe I'm halfway done with pregnancy!

I'm thankful for my wonderful family. For my loving, caring parents who hunger after God and His Word. For my beautiful sisters who are so much fun and love me, God, and others. For the beauty of adoption. For wonderful in-laws who have welcomed me with open arms.

I'm thankful for a warm, dry home. For the truck God provided for us so Clint can haul firewood. For food to eat each day. For how God has met all of our financial needs.

I'm thankful for my church family here and around the world. For the freedom to worship God. For having access to God's Word in our language.

There are so many other things I could say. God's goodness is overwhelming. His mercies know no end. What a reason to give thanks!

PNG Fact of the Day (4)

Question: What's the first step in taking the Gospel to an unreached tribal group in Papua New Guinea?

Answer: I would love to say it's something glamorous and very missionary-ish like eating grubs or sleeping in a mud hut with mosquitoes eating your insides out (because after all, isn't that what all missionaries write home about?) while you then use a few simple phrases to speak to the tribal people about Jesus and then about 200 people accept Christ and there is a huge revival. (I'm not really sure if all of that counts as only one step, though some people kind of try to lump it all together like that)

BUT... that's not reality

Really, the first step is a lot of work, and most of the time, it's done way before the missionary team actually gets there. It's called People Group Assessment (PGA for short). What's PGA you ask (even if you didn't know you asked)? Basically, it's where small teams of missionaries visit various tribal groups in a country to find out where is the most need for new missionaries to come. Currently, there are at least 15 new people groups in Papua New Guinea that have had a People Group Assessment and where New Tribes Mission would like to place new missionary teams. We will most likely be going into one of these groups in the future.

Here's a pretty cool, short video just released by New Tribes Mission that tells a bit more about PGAs. Check it out. May not seem "glamorous", but it's definitely necessary!


First Step // New Tribes Mission from New Tribes Mission on Vimeo.

The Ways of the Lord

My heart breaks for our missionary friends, Jon and Adie Leedahl and their three young boys. We have so many wonderful memories with this family from our training days in Missouri. They have such a heart for God, for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the lost.

In mid-October, almost a month ago, Jon, who is a highly skilled missionary pilot working in Papua New Guinea, had a terrible motorcycle accident. Both his legs were severely injured, and he lost almost all his own blood. Blood donations from other missionaries kept him alive until they were able to fly him to Australia for treatment.

Jon lost his right leg. His left is battered and scarred.

When we heard the news, we sobbed. Hard. Why, God?

"Well, I guess this must be God's will." Some might say.

Yeah, but just because He allows it to happen doesn't make it easy. Doesn't make it fun.

Sometimes God's ways are definitely not my ways. I wish I could be like Jesus, crying "Not my will, but Yours be done," even in the midst of terrible tragedy. But my humanity gets in the way so often. I hurt. I question. I don't like the results. I don't understand.

Through it all, I have to remember that God is good. So, so, so good. God is loving. He is kind. He hates evil and suffering as much as I do, yet He uses each bad situation for the good of those who love Him.

If He is the most loving Being that exists...that will ever exist, I know I can trust His ways, even when I don't understand. Even when I don't see the beauty in them.

And there will be beauty in Jon and Adie's lives. There already is. There has been an overwhelming unity of believers around the world who are coming together for one purpose: to lift the Leedahls before the throne of God. Such beauty in the midst of brokenness!

Perhaps Jon's accident will call others to go. Will challenge others to lay down their lives in the service of a King who is so worthy. Who is so, so good and loving.

Perhaps it will cause others to pause. Take inventory of their lives. Ask "What am I really living for? Am I really willing to count the cost of following Christ?"

All I know is, God will bring beauty. That is His way. Even though all I see is the broken, He sees the beautiful.

The ways of the Lord are good.

You can follow Jon and Adie's story at http://theleedahls.com/.

PNG Fact of the Day (3)

A lot of people ask us about the weather in Papua New Guinea. Let's just say, it's hot there. Like really hot. It wouldn't really be so hot if there wasn't like 98% humidity all the time (ok, well, I might be exaggerating a bit. It's probably only 95%).

So basically, it's hot and humid, at least most of the time. There are definitely times when it cools off, and certain locations at higher elevations (like over 4,000 feet or more) have slightly cooler temperatures. But usually, it's pretty hot and pretty wet (if it's not wet outside from rain, you're wet from sweat). Yay for being close to the equator.