Dear friends,

In addition to a few prayer requests, this time you get to enjoy Diane’s two-page Christmas letter. The girls and I respect her more each year for her fun sense of humor and selfless service. She taught many classes for women this year, and I never hear the end of how good the classes are. Another significant part of Diane’s year was a very serious bronchitis, which we think may have resulted from her chronic allergies. The good news is that we since installed an air conditioner and it really seems to have reduced her allergies to a manageable level. And if you want to keep up with our family more often, especially the funny side, friend Diane on Facebook. (You can friend me too but it won’t be as rewarding.)Prayer Requests:

• Four of our best church leaders who had no jobs have agreed to start working together in a small woodworking business. They have gone through a short training phase and are working toward their first sale. It is wonderful to see them working hard and growing closer to each other at the same time, but pray for them (and me) because starting a new business is always very difficult.
• We completed the year-long series of training classes and booklets that the present leaders can use to train others. Of course, training never ends, but next year we will focus on less formal methods of training, methods that focus on action rather than class work.
• Pray for three who have been recently baptized: Benson, Leticia, and Saul.
• One of the house churches we work with (Sineada) is putting the finishing touches on a thatched building which will probably be used not only for them but also to host a monthly combined service of three or four house churches in their area. Thank God for their willingness to work hard and to give generously.

DianeChristmas2011

I believe there is some biblical wisdom in his words. I read about Jesus sending disciples to do work and then listening to their reports. I see the apostle Paul doing the same thing, and his letters have affirmation for the good works people have done and advice for their areas of failure.

I felt nervous about how much this might slow down my training program, but with prayer I decided to try it. Most of my trainees have children, so my first goal was to see them training their children as they should. (As 1 Tim. 3:5 says, “if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he care for the church of God?)

(This is a camp photograph that includes a number of the trainees and their children.)

For two and a half weekly training classes we talked exclusively about the training of children, and then (after talking to another advisor) I started to mix in some other training topics while continuing to ask them about their children.

They are not exactly doing everything I hoped for, but I am learning to accept that their way of obeying God may be different than mine. For example, I had hoped that they would all start or continue a daily habit of reading the Bible to their children and asking their children questions about it, but as it turns out, most are adopting a weekly schedule that includes Bible readings on one or two days a week. I am glad for the progress, and I don’t want to become a controlling type of mentor, so I think I will just be thankful for the weekly habit and soon move on to the next foundational practice. Please pray for continued progress.

Other prayer requests follow:

• Joel and Chris did an excellent job with the town church while Craig Ford and his family were away, but they are very thankful to have the Fords back again for another six months (as am I). The town members are also looking forward to having the help of their paid minister John Kirarata and his family who are just completing an extra year of training in another province. They should be back by late September.
• Seven members are attending a national church camp this week–a long way from here. Three of them were sponsored by local house churches. The house churches did not pay the full amount, but it was good to see many of them giving more sacrificially than ever before–and apparently without jealous arguments.
• Please keep praying for marriages, including Robert and Dina, Joel and Elva, Chris and Melva, Henry and Gertrude, and others. Robert and Dina look like they will be separated (but not divorced) within a week or two if things don’t get better. Pray also for the stress levels of these individuals.
• Stress is on my mind because of a good book Diane and I are reading together called Adrenaline and Stress (by A. Hart). We are learning to care for ourselves better, which is important as Diane is still recovering from pneumonia. Please pray that her healing will be complete soon.
• In our family worship times, we have started allowing our daughters to teach each other from time to time, and it is going well. Pray for them as they wrestle with questions of faith.

In July, he and his family came to town for the first time for a customized week of study. I would have had a hard time taking a week “off” to host them, but I prayed and hoped that this would be a chance for my more advanced students to practice both teaching and hospitality.

My prayers were answered. Gabriel and Dorothy graciously kept them every night, even though they are not related at all. And a variety of our more mature Christians taught them. Here is the schedule:

Wednesday a.m.: Robert taught on Ephesians

Wednesday p.m.: Ephraim taught on how to study the Bible

Thursday a.m.: Wesley taught on the Great Commission

Thursday p.m.: Layne taught on Nehemiah, Joseph, and being made holy

Friday a.m.: Gabriel taught on discipline, Lord’s Supper

Friday p.m.: Susan taught women how to show love and I taught Baptist on covenants

Sunday a.m.: Joel taught on personal habits

Sunday p.m.: Chris taught on effective evangelism

Monday: Gabriel, Robert, and I did wrap up teachings.

Baptist’s wife Noris cried for joy a number of times during the week. Wendy, her sister, was baptized on Sunday. Baptist said he was greatly inspired, learning many new things, and feeling equipped for months of continued ministry. And those who taught them felt a new sense of how God could use them as a team for training other workers.

Other prayer requests follow:

• We are enjoying my parents’ visit! They’ll be flying out early next week.
• Marriages are still struggling, and with them their house churches: Robert and Dina, Henry and Gertrude, and others.
• Pray against discouragement in the churches.
• Pray for rapid multiplication of the kind of churches that God knows this region needs.

(Pictured is one of the stronger Christians, Anne, washing the feet of teenager Naomi in a class Anne taught earlier this year.)

More prayer requests follow:

• Pray for the three that gave their lives to Christ in June: Rebecca, Simon, and Linsy (a man).
• The interns have left and we really miss them. It was good to have them in our lives for those 5 weeks. Thanks to God for answered prayers.
• We also feel a little lonely without our North American teammates. We’re fine, but do say a prayer for us. My parents come for a short visit in August and then Craig and Jeri come back for about 6 or 7 months (until about March 2012). We enjoyed having Leslie here for a couple of weeks this past month.
• The second quarter of the new training program is complete. A highlight for me is that Joel, one of the students, has made extra efforts recently to share what he’s learned with the town church. Thanks for continued prayers! We cancelled our appointments for this week to rest before the next quarter begins.
• I hesitate to report improvements that are so unstable that they may reverse at any moment, but then again, that’s what prayer requests are for. In addition to the fragile new church I’ve mentioned recently, organized by Robert and Roy, there is now another even more fragile church organized by a new Christian, Henry, and supported by his mentor Ephraim. It’s not something to submit to a directory of churches yet, but please pray for the Christians and communities involved in these efforts. Please pray especially for the faith of the leaders when they face discouragement and domestic problems.

Harding University thought they couldn’t find us any interns this year, and it is just as well because five of their interns were headed for a part of Africa that became unstable, so all five suddenly decided to come here instead. You can see them in the picture.

Jordan is the male intern, who is staying in our house. He is a big manly guy, and when our toddler Faith said, “Jordan is my sister,” she was pleasantly surprised to find that she had made a funny joke. She has never had a brother, so I think she meant that Jordan already feels like part of the family.

The kids also love the four female interns: Auburn, Erin, Samantha and Tessa, who are staying at the Ford’s house with a local Christian “dorm mother,” Susan.

All the interns got off to a good start. They have already been teaching, doing research, learning language, and shadowing at the hospital, and they’ve only been here for a few days. Pray that their five weeks will be great for them and for the work here.

More prayer requests follow:

• In an earlier report I mentioned “rats, tooth problems, ticks on the dogs, and a broken washing machine.” Let us give thanks that all of these have been resolved! We found and blocked the rats’ entrance, Diane took Rochelle to Australia for dental work (with financial help from a friend), we received effective medicines for the dog’s ticks (from another friend), and the needed part came in for the washing machine. Thank you for your prayers and love. God is good.
• The Fords are away for four months (April-August), after which they plan to return for about six months. Leslie Williams is scheduled to arrive here on Saturday for a short visit. Please pray for all of them–and for us while they’re away.
• Evangelism was slow during April and May. Please pray for that. I find it hard to get out with new people as much as I used to, partly due to the lack of missionaries, the needs of the churches and training program, and now interns. I have been encouraging the Christians to do more on their own. Please pray that they will.
• Pray for Wesley Eyasi, who was baptized in May.
• Diane is doing a new weekly class for some women out of town–a wonderful and needed ministry. Pray that she will not be too stretched! The kids have had a spurt of birthdays, so they are now 11, 9, 6, and 3! Please pray for our family, especially that we will be pleasing to God.

Other prayer requests follow:

• Two leaders, Robert and Ed Layne, are out on a week-long mission trip to the north coast organized by Robert and sponsored by the town church. Robert has also helped some of the new Christians in a nearby area to organize themselves into a house church. At the same time, Robert and his wife Dina continue to struggle periodically in their marriage. Pray for them, and thank God for Robert’s initiative.
• Another leader Wesley finally underwent a long overdue gall bladder removal surgery, and while he recovers, Ed Layne has been leading worship at Gama village.
• Pray for the four people who were baptized last month: Sam, Simon, Alfred, and Meriba. And rejoice with their Father in heaven.
• The area-wide women’s day was a success, with two local women teaching and many first-time attendees. As usual, Diane and Jeri were enthusiastically involved with skits and Bible quiz. They also helped the town church to develop good policies for counseling unwed mothers.
• Diane had a wonderful birthday, thanks in large part to some American Christians who sent her an e-book reader. She was so happy that I thought she might hyperventilate. Her daughters were very happy, too. They’re all big on reading. We thank God for friends and the blessings they send.

Wesley had an infected and swollen foot, but he hobbled from his home probably more than half an hour to get to the road where he waited for us to pick him up. Bobby had intended to take a bus. Then a flooded river stopped all buses from coming to his area, so he walked almost an hour to a place where he could and did catch a bus. Eddie had a good excuse to stay at home because five days earlier a cyclone had literally blown his house down and he was building it again from the foundations, but as soon as he saw our truck he gladly left his work and came along. I don’t know what difficulties the other twelve students overcame, but just realizing the dedication of these three warms my heart as few things could.

Other prayer requests follow:

Ask God to help the four that were baptized in January: Ron, Nibert, Henry, and Henry’s wife Gertrude. And pray for Ron’s wife Jacqueline and Nibert’s wife Meriba who are also interested.

We had a temporary lack of interested people at the end of last year, but now the work seems to be growing steadily again. (For those of you who know the geography, the exciting areas right now are Hagita Estates, Waigani, and nearby villages.) Thank you for your prayers.

I need continued prayers as I prepare lessons for the training program each week. Pray for my wisdom and efficiency. Pray also for Craig, who is helping me with this burden during the time he has left here.

Pray that we will find land for a town church building. It is very hard to find land here.

Some of the new small businesses are doing well, and some are struggling, as you probably expected. But I believe that some of those Christians that are not good business owners would be good employees. I hope that once the responsible “bosses” surface, we can help them to step up to the challenge of employing some of the other Christians. Also, one of the local Christians is dreaming of starting a non-profit organization to help the poor in this area. Please pray for these things.

As you can imagine, the comments they gave were different than what you might hear in America. For example, they said, “In our culture, husbands and wives don’t talk to each other.” And, “In our culture, if someone does well, we keep quiet, but if someone makes a mistake, we talk about it.”

Later, one said, “Since the marriage seminar, when I get home, my wife and I say hello to each other and talk together and even say that we love each other. It is kind of funny, but we like it.” Another was questioned by her daughter, “Why have you and dad been telling stories late into the night?” She smiled and said, “We are just friends.” It may seem strange and new, but we are glad to see them experiencing the joy that God planned for them.

The pictures is of one of the couples, John and Siggy.

Other prayer requests follow . . .

• I interviewed two of the families recently, and both men are already making plans to share the marriage seminar information with their communities. Pray that they will implement good practices first in their own marriages. They need time to practice the skills for dealing with anger and conflict. Pray that the timing of their teachings will be neither too early nor too late.
• Our semi-intensive two-year training program starts in a month! Please pray that we will be ready and that we will set good precedents at this formative stage. (Two years is how long we expect the first group to take, but we hope that the program will continue long after the first ones graduate.)
• Thank you for prayers about the Kolen family. The stress of doing business together has caused a few blow-ups, but they seem to be working through those issues with some help from Craig and myself. Please keep praying for them.
• Keep praying for the word of God to reach and change more people.
• Keep praying for more workers.

“Earn your own living. . . . Then those who are not believers will respect the way you live. And you will not have to depend on others for what you need.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, ERV)
“Whoever has been stealing must stop it and start working. They must use their hands for doing something good. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.” (Ephesians 4:28, ERV)

Craig Ford, our teammate who knows much more about business than we do, is doing most of it, but we are glad to help where we can.

One example is the Kolen family. Diane has been teaching the grown daughter, Fatu, how to start a cake-baking business. I am advising the parents, Gabriel and Dorothy. The pictures show their new chicken house and new trade store.

Extensive rains ruined their gardens recently, so it is wonderful to see them finding alternative sources of income. They are proving themselves to be capable business people. Thank God for them and for other Christians in this program.
One of the hardest parts will probably be the arguments that easily arise when people are working together for money. These arguments have often destroyed not only businesses but also relationships, so please pray that only good will come from this effort!

Other prayer requests . . .

• Please pray for these new Christians, baptized during November: Audrey, Esla, Bobby, Casper, Helen, and Adele.
• That same Bobby, his wife Patty, her sister Cathy, and their mom Althea are four Christians living far away from other Christians but close enough that I can visit (at a place called Waigani). They are trying to start a new worship service for themselves and any neighbors that may join them, so please pray for them!
• I have been spending a lot of time counseling the promising Kolen family, helping them to strengthen their relationships with each other. There is still much to do there, but they have done well. December will probably be the last month for me to focus on this, so please pray for good and speedy results.
• Diane and I are getting ready to run a two-day marriage seminar for up to 12 key married couples on December 24 and 30. The dates may seem strange to Americans who would never do such a thing on Christmas Eve, but we chose those dates because most couples preferred them. Please pray that God will bless these marriages with the best kind of romance.

Dear friends,

As you may know, I have been combining leadership training with visitation by taking people with me as I visit, following the example of Jesus, Peter, and Paul in the Bible. Now, to increase the number of workers, I have reduced my involvement with my friends Wesley, Robert (and earlier John), who at this point are all capable of doing the work, and I have added some new trainees, especially Ephraim, Mack, Abraham, and Fred. (The attached picture shows me, Mack, and Fred.)

Ephraim is in his 50s, and he is a natural counselor and teacher. He is already like a teammate for me. I thank God! Abraham, Mack and Fred are the youngest men I have trained—in their twenties, and I am glad because feel I have somewhat neglected that age group. They are all still in the observation stage, but learning very quickly. I separated them because Fred prefers the Tawala language whereas Abraham and Mack prefer English.

Please pray for these new recruits, and that I will train them well, and also that others will join them.
Other prayer requests follow:

People baptized in the churches this month were Althea, Bernadette, and Jay. There were also twelve baptisms while we were gone: Lilly, Caroline, Martin, Chucky, Madri, Martina, Maryanne, Sarah, Doris, Esther, Daisy, and Johine. Please pray for them, and thank God! An interesting statistic: six of the twelve were children of Christians in the town church.

One of the new Christians just found out she has HIV/AIDS. Pray for her, for her new Christian husband, for her baby who is still HIV free, and for us as we try to educate ourselves and help where we can.

We are learning about and starting to implement counseling techniques and support group strategies in order to help new Christians break their addictions to alcohol and nicotine and other bad habits like excessive anger. Pray for our learning curve and effectiveness—for their sakes.

We are developing a formal training program that will probably involve over 50 booklets. Pray for us as we sort through the available resources and decide which will be in and which will be out.

Our North American team is in the process of announcing our possible dates for leaving Papua New Guinea. Our family hope to stay the longest: 4-5 more years. Please pray that the local Christians will not distance themselves from us, but rather be more motivated to cooperate with our efforts to train them.

There was an attempted rape on a preteen girl in one of the house churches, and that group was so upset that they stopped their worship services for more than two months. Thank God that the girl is doing well so far, but pray for her nevertheless and also for her family and house church.

Our furlough was probably the best ever. I thank God for all of you who made it a blessing to us. Diane and the girls are adjusting well back to life in PNG.

love from Marcus Reese in Alotau, Papua New Guinea (with Diane, Hannah,Hadassah, Rochelle, and Faith)