Another Opportunity to Trust the Lord. — rachel's breath of a life

A long story short, without warning to me, I lost data connection back in the middle of December. Meaning I currently no longer have the ability to text, email, go online, talk via facetime, send updates, get anything off the icloud, do my taxes (ha), prep for my furlough this next year, etc. Since this came without warning, our aviation department was incredibly gracious and reworked the schedule to get me out to town for 2 days so I can set myself up to be off-line for the foreseeable future.

On the day after I lost connection and I was trying to figure out so many things, my heart and mind were racing…then despite no rain for days and a clear sky there was this beautiful rainbow over my house. I felt like the Lord was reminding me, “Rachel, I am with you. I have promised you that I will be with you. Do not fear, only be strong and courageous.

Being in Bisorio without connection is not quite ideal, but I know the Lord is able to sustain me for however long until we can figure out a solution. I’m prepared to return to Bisorio in 24 hours, knowing I may be cut off except for short 100-character messages on my Garmin inReach, possibly for the next four months. The hardest part is adjusting while the village still reels from one man’s terrible choice. In September one Bisorio man killed another, and the effects of this keep spreading. One clan demands growing payments and pigs to ease their anger; another forces people to work gold so they can attend upcoming court cases, leaving the village empty and lonely. And some days it just feels like a dark cloud hangs over Bisorio.

In Papua New Guinea the word for something difficult/a trial is the word “hevi”...and it feels so fitting in this circumstance because it truly does feel heavy. And YET...amidst the weight of it, I have already experienced a deeper communion with the Lord in this last month and I can see Him working in the midst. His light still pierces through and even though it is not easy, there is still good in the midst. I resonate with 2 Corinthians 4 as I feel like I am this clay pot that feels fragile while also feeling the power of Christ sustaining me, giving me peace and discernment on what to do as I quiet my spirit. Many days I do feel hard pressed on every side, but I am not crushed; I find myself perplexed by situations going on in the village and the opposition, but I am not in despair; I, along with a crew of the faithful, have felt persecuted for wanting to see the work of the Lord continue amidst the “hevi”, but we are not abandoned; some days, yes, I have felt low and struck down, but I am far from being destroyed.

I believe this harder season and these “hevis” will some day pass, the cloud will eventually lift, but in the meantime, I do feel the Lord is calling me to stay and be faithful. For the past six to seven months I’ve been prayerfully creating a course with elders and friends to help the Bisorios grow in reading, writing, comprehension and knowledge of the Bible. The course has four levels; students will advance through each level as they individually are able to complete the tasks. It covers basics like the books of the Bible and locating them, a general layout of the New Testament, bible verse memorization and weekly deep dives into passages of scripture.

Making desks from any scrap wood they can find!

Carving out their own 2×4s from the jungle trees

The guys have worked into the night making it as nice as they possibly can. I have been encouraged by the few that have worked faithfully.

They came back!! These are the faces of some of the students getting ready to start on Monday! Lots of smiles a few days ago!!

We spent a day and leveled out the ground, cut the tall jungle grass down and planted flowers along the edge.

Been training and discipling the teachers three days a week. We have studied to see what God’s Word says about how we are to lead and serve

We have also been practically organizing all the materials and training how to teach.

Through the persistence of some faithful leaders calling families back, some people have returned and as of 3 days ago, we now have 32 students filling up two different classes starting the post‑literacy/Bible course on Monday, AND 24 students beginning a basic literacy class to learn to read and write for the first time. I’ve been training and discipling four young adults to help teach, with the goal that they’ll take over full‑time. A week and a half ago there were only five students in the village total; now there are over 50, ages about 10 to late 20s and this feels like a miracle to me. I keep seeing these faces and reminding myself that this is the future of the Bisorio church. I am believing the Lord will transform hearts through daily reading of His Word.

Three of our leaders and a few others built a raised, flood-safe schoolhouse with the coolest desks. They started back in August and this project may have taken a few years off my life but I am so thankful for how it turned out. The church pulled their money together to buy the roofing and the flooring, used some of the wood I had left over from my house build and the rest they cut down in the jungle and carved them into timber and planks for the walls. It is better than I could have imagined. I haven’t gotten the greatest pictures but I will...they will come at some point!

Thank you to each one of you who have reached out to say you are praying and are in this with me believing the Lord’s name will be lifted high and made great. I pray we are being renewed day by day and that we see that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. May all of us, whatever we are going through and wherever we live, whether in America or the remote jungle of Papua New Guinea fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I’m believing and hoping the next time you hear from me there will be great rejoicing over all that the Lord has done. Love you guys and can’t imagine doing this without those of you who are committed to praying, thank you for partnering with me. Rach

For Christmas, we made a paper chain with 400 links representing the 400 years of silence that the Israelites waited for the coming Messiah.

One of our leaders shared how we too are waiting right now, for Christ will someday come back. The question is how will we choose to wait? Will we be faithful to what God has called us be and do? Or allow the things of this earth to consume us?

There were not many people in the village and some tried to hunt for a pig but kept coming up empty handed. Then this family gave one of the pigs they have been raising so we could have a Christmas dinner. It was a sweet day.

I had brought sausages from town to add to the mix and had kept them in my freezer so that was very exciting.

We met every day as a church the week of Christmas. Our numbers were few but it was a tender time remembering and being in the Word with other believers every day. Those who were there were blessed, I was too.

Thankful for my house, God’s Word that is my rock and steadfast companion.

Christmas Day decorations!!

Christmas night we gathered and a large crowd came back for the day from their bush camps and the gold fields. Simon taught, people shared testimonies of how Christ’s light has changed their life, I put together a video of pictures telling the Bisorio story of how Christ came to them to current day and then we had a candle light service. (When handing out the little candles, one lady said, what is this? What do I do with this?:) ) The whole night was so special.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1- A new satellite dish has been ordered but I am told it will be 2-6 months before it arrives in the country. Once it arrives in PNG, it will have to get shipped to our mission base and then find a time for someone to come in to Bisorio and install it. So it could be as early as March or there is a real possibility that I won’t gain connection before I leave for furlough in June. There is also a chance that at any moment the issue with my current provider would get resolved and it could just get turned on at any moment. Pray the Lord would sustain me no matter what ends up happening.

2-Pray with us for these students and the 4 teachers! We will have a school house dedication on Sunday and everything gets kicked off on Monday. Praying that this season brings life back to the village and that the Word of God takes root in many of their hearts that creates eternal impact.

3-The leaders would like to start a course of reteaching through God’s Word from creation to the death, burial and resurrection in February. They are trying to get the village back and hoping this would be a time would be a season of remembrance for some and first time belief for others. This would be 3-4 days a week and chronologically would be going through God’s Word.

4-Pray for this huge hevi the village is still walking through, the hurt, anger, burden, grief that is felt throughout the community because of what Wani did. Pray the Lord would speak truth into those trying to cause division and that their hearts wouldn’t be hardened. That they would know how to take their anger and brokenness to the Lord.

5-Please pray for the health of the Bisorios ,as well as my own, in this season without the ability to get help easily. Pray the Lord sustains me physically these next 4 months that I can teach and continue to grow in my ability to communicate at deeper and deeper levels.

6-Pray I stay close to the Lord and that His voice would be louder than the voice of the enemy.

7- Pray for my co-workers as they come back in April-May that it would a sweet time of fellowship and strengthening of the church before I leave on furlough.

8- Pray God would work out all the logistics of my time in the US (July-January) from housing to a vehicle to getting doctor’s appointments to connecting with supporters and communicating all that the Lord is doing here.

9-This is a bonus prayer, if you made it this far...ha. My dear friend Holly and her husband are visiting PNG for a month to connect with the people group they worked with. They have figured out a way for her to come in to Bisorio from January 30-February 2 for just the weekend. Pray this can actually happen as it would be such a blessing to be together. Pray as we travel to and from the airstrip that the 4+ hours on the river would be sweet. Pray for nice weather, smooth flying, special time together for those two days, praying, laughing and encouraging one another. A lot can go wrong for this to either not happen at all or for it to be very difficult in the coming or going.