Tyler and Emily in PNG

This past Sunday I heard a familiar passage of scripture from Matthew 6. Matthew 6 ends with the Jesus telling the disciples, do not worry or be anxious. Do the birds worry about what food they are going to eat? Do they worry about what they will drink?

Jisas i tok moa olsem, “Olsem na mi tokim yupela, yupela i no ken tingting planti long laip bilong yupela na tok, ‘Bai yumi kaikai wanem samting? Bai yumi dring wanem samting?’ Na yupela i no ken tingting planti long bodi bilong yupela na tok, ‘Bai yumi pasim wanem laplap?’ Ating laip em i winim kaikai, na bodi em i winim ol laplap samting.” Matyu 6:25 (Tok Pisin)

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25 (ESV)

As I sat on the wooden bench with my mind racing forwarding towards the upcoming holidays, then next year, then coming back to the USA, etc…. I was gently reminded that I am not to be anxious or worry about life. God is in control and I fully trust in Him. God has proven himself over and over again to be faithful and just. The good news is I can still hold to that promise for tomorrow.

As the passage reads on Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God” (Tasol namba wan samting yupela i mas mekim i olsem. Yupela i mas larim God i stap king bilong yupela) v33.

Everyday the challenge is to seek first the kingdom of God. Not to be anxious or fret or worry about the day or even tomorrow but Jesus challenges us to seek first the kingdom of God. Why? Because all these things will be added to you.

I hope you have a blessed and thanks filled Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday.

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With the season of Thanksgiving fast approaching, I find myself blessed and still counting the many reasons why I am thankful. The biggest development in my life over the past six months has been a new relationship with a girl from Montana. Her name is Emily Hinebauch. Emily is bright, beautiful, and well a wonderful cook. She knows the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

She is one of six children and four of them are boys. She has been through the mill when it comes to putting up with brothers always picking on her, though she is the second oldest. Emily is a missionary with PBT and acts as the resident Scripture Use Specialist. She serves on the field as a missionary in many other roles as well. Her humble, servant heart is what shows the most and is one of the key traits that caught my eye early on.

We officially meet at the airport when I flew into the Madang airport. She along with a few other teammates met me at the airport. She not only greeted me with a smile and a hello but with a hot cup of Papua New Guinea coffee. I knew right then that this person whom I have never met had to be special. Just as I, she enjoys a hot cup of Java; black without any additives.

As she was winning my heart by her fine cooking skills and lady charm, I started to win her heart with stories from Alaska. As Emily loves the cold, cool weather along with snow and mountains; my Alaskan adventure stories started to sound very appealing to her. I brought out all the stops and showed her all my Alaskan DVD adventures from kayaking in Prince William Sound to canoeing on the Yukon River. I think Emily was starting to fall in love with Alaska before she was falling in love with me.

It is apparent that God is crafting this relationship together. Neither one of us decided to leave the USA in search of love. It is our hearts desire to serve the Master and His Kingdom first. As we both shared stories, we both found out that we have been praying for many years for the right time and right person to come into our lives. I would never have thought I would have to fly away to some South Pacific jungle nation to find such a beautiful young lady with a heart sold out to God.

On the day I told Emily I wanted to pursue a deeper relationship with her, Emily was speechless and could not utter any other words than…Can we pray? As we prayed, I told Emily the only way this relationship we are beginning will work is if God in in the center of our lives.

It is my pleasure to introduce Emily and that you will please include the both of us in your prayers.

Please join us in prayer as we seek God’s wisdom and discernment in our relationship. Pray for God to ease any anxiety or stress and God to give patience in our growing relationship with one another.

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Last month I gained another role outside my normal call of duty, Technical Services. As I become more and more aware of missionary life it is a fact that all missionaries will sometime take furlough or an extended time away from their field of assignment. Last month the person heading Tech Services left for a three month furlough back to the USA. With this role being unfilled, I was approached to step in for a three month fill in period. Let me explain what technical services is.

Tech Services is basically a fancy name for maintenance man. It includes keeping vehicles running, housing fixed, yards mowed, and well anything else that needs fixed. PBTPNG has two national work men who are laborers. They help with mowing of the 10 properties, keeping yards in good shape, and just all around hands for whatever needs arise.

In the past month I have helped with taking a washer machine to get serviced, moving a refrigerator and getting it serviced, painting ceiling fans, transporting the workmen to yard mowing, troubleshooting a car battery, replacing a battery for an automatic gate, plus many more other duties that come with the day.

Being responsible and supervising two other national men does increase the daily stress and adds complexity as I try to maintain my regular role in IT at the office. However, I have learned that being on a team everyone must pick up some slack and take on additional job duties as needed.

I do pray for Bob to return safely and quickly. In the meantime, I pray that God will empower me and strengthen me as I assume a temporary assignment leading technical services.

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