Tyler and Emily in PNG

So here we are year 2012. 2011 has come and gone and was it a year to remember. (If you are a blog follower of mine, you can view my 2011 Year in Review for more detail.) As I reflected on the past year, I give honor and glory to God for blessing me and holding me close to Him. During the past year, I have done many things in which I never dreamed I would do. Only through God all things were made possible (Matt 19:26). Now with the new year upon us, I glare into the future and see a bright future and many great things to come. With the official notice of my role and long term future with PBT, I am excited to see how God will use me to build His kingdom here in Papua New Guinea. I am reminded that I must continue to ‘Trust and Obey’ as the popular hymn title states.

With the new year comes resolutions, goals, and new beginnings, I like to focus my energy on how I can grow and become closer to God in my relationship with Him. In a recent e-devotion, I captured this which I believe gives me a good focus for 2012:

Consider that we’re on a journey, through Jesus, to become like the heavenly Father, where we become one with his heart, one with his mind, and one with his other-centered focus. We are called to become Christ-like, and when we resemble Jesus, we resemble the Father (John 10:30).

During the holiday season it became known to me that Christmas and any other known holiday is just not the same on the mission field. Being stripped of your comforts and traditions lessens the joy and steals the attitude of being like Christ.

Please join with me in prayer for the annual general meeting, pray for my attitude that it may represent Christ, and pray for my patience and irritability when dealing cross-culturally. Continue to pray for health, safety, and security on the mission field. Pray that God will cast satan out of my life and out of my way.

To read the full January Newsletter: click here