Good evening. We are grateful to have this opportunity to share with you our church family about what God is doing in Bible translation around the world. As pastor, I guess it wasn't our pastor that introduced us. We weren't choosing ourselves. We are James and Christina Post, for those of you who don't know. It's an honor to share with you this evening. Thank you for having us here. Woodland Christian Church and many families in this church have partnered with us, prayed for us, and encouraged us in our Wycliffe ministry from the beginning. Thank you. Thank you for being here. This is very encouraging. Pastor Scott always says, there's not much more encouraging than to come and hear a missionary present. It's very true. We work with Wycliffe Bible Translators, a mission organization dedicated to seeing God's word translated into a language that penetrates to the heart and soul of every person in the world. One of the amazing benefits of being missionaries is that we get to involve our kids. We have six children, ages 10 to just over one year old. Michaela, Laurel, Timothy, Nathaniel, Julia, and Adeline. Many of you are familiar with many of them. I'm sure you're familiar with the song, Jesus Loves Me. Would you join me in singing the first verse together? Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Hold on, hold on just a sec. Did you hear that? The Bible tells me so. Your Bible tells you so. Did you know there are over 170 million people in the world without a Bible that tells them Jesus loves you? in their language, a language that speaks to their heart. I'd like to hear some guesses. If you know the answer, shh. How many languages do you think there are in the world? 5,000. OK. Anybody else? 6,000? 7,000. Did you read my notes? It's on the screen? There it is. There are about 7,000 languages in the world. You guys had good guesses. Sometimes people guess about 40. And approximately 2,000 of those have no scripture in them at all. Can you imagine never having read, heard, or seen the Bible in your language? This is how Jesus Loves Me might sound for any of those 170 million people without God's word in a language that speaks to their hearts. Does Jesus love me? I don't know. I don't have a Bible that tells me so. Without the Bible in your language, would you know that Jesus loves you? Would you know that he died to give you eternal life? We would like for all of you to imagine that you do not have a Bible in English. You don't know who Jesus is. You've always wondered where you came from, why you're here, and where you're going. And now you hear that there are missionaries here who have God's word with answers to these important questions. Good evening, everybody. I came from a faraway place to share about Jesus Christ. This is the most important message. You need to listen carefully and understand this message. It will change your life. How did you feel? Did you understand anything? This is what it feels like to have the Bible in another language. Now I'm going to read to you from a Bible that is more closely related to English. See how much of this you can understand. God, when get slow plenty love and aloha for the people inside the world, that he went send me, his one and only boy, so that everybody that trust me, no get cut off from God, but get the real kind life that stay to the max forever. Did you understand more? Did you get the full meaning? What about this? For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. That's the exact same verse but in your language. When people finally get God's word in their own language, it's a joyful occasion and they say things like, before the scriptures came to my people, Jesus seemed to be distant and foreign. Now, we have the scripture in our language and it's like he's walking with us on this mountain. God is with us. Somebody else said this. When we read God's word in another language, it was like a piece of blank paper. We got nothing from it. But now, when we read the scripture in our own language, it is like a crystal clear stream. We can see to the very depths of it. What language do you read God's word in? What language do you pray in? What language do you share the truths of the gospel with your family, coworkers, and your neighbors in? What if you had to learn one of these languages just to read God's word? Would you understand it very well? Would the truths found on every single page of scripture speak straight to your heart? Or would you have trouble even grasping them? God reveals himself through his written word when it is translated into a language that people can understand. Take a look at this. In Kenya, we have communities that they do not speak Swahili. We have communities that, of course, cannot interact with God's word in English. And therefore, for many years, God has been a foreign God to them. They cannot relate with a God who does not speak their language. They don't even know that God, because God reveals himself through the written word. I am seeing God moving in a very marvelous and wonderful way in Bible translation in Kenya, where Bible translation has become actually a national conversation. We've seen the church just get the grip of the passion of wanting to have God's people receive God's word in their language in Kenya. Not only the church, but also government officials who've come through to make sure that there's no community in Kenya that does not have God's word in their language. Once we complete a portion of a book or the New Testament, either in audio or in a text form, it's really being received so enthusiastically by the communities. We've just dedicated the Giriama Bible. That actually was a partnership between BTL and the Weekly US. We printed 4,000 copies. People are reading God's Word. I can see great transformation in some of those communities. If you speak to a man through a foreign language, that goes to his head. If you speak to that same man in their language, it goes to his heart. Translating God's word in the hearts language of the people is so important because we want them to hear God speak to their heart. There are about 2,000 language groups around the world still waiting to hear the good news of the gospel, still waiting to hear Jesus loves you in their own language. As missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators, we are helping bring God's word to people in a language that speaks directly to their hearts. Since 2011, we have worked in Papua New Guinea, or PNG for short, which is a country just north of Australia. While we were there, we supported many missionaries and Bible translators in their work to translate the Bible into the languages of PNG. How many of you have ever had trouble with your smartphone or computer? What did you do? Where did you go? What would you do if you couldn't figure something out? My role in Papua New Guinea and continuing on is to help Bible translators use the apps and computer programs that make the Bible translation process easier and better. I'm that guy that you go to with tech problems related to Bible translation. Before we went to PNG, I received training in computer science, Bible translation, and linguistics. I had no idea there was a role that would utilize all of these skills simultaneously, but God knew. and he equipped me to be a missionary in PNG specializing in language technology. With millions of people around the world still waiting for a completed Bible translation, there's a lot to do as I train translators, troubleshoot issues that are hindering the translation process, and encourage translators in the work they are doing. As translators learn how to use the computers for Bible translation, they become even more excited about bringing God's word to their own people. As I said, one of my main roles in P&G has been to train Bible translators how to use computers for Bible translation. Computers are incredibly important to Bible translation. Paratext, the main translation software that we use, is the best translation software in the world. It can help us with so many things. Like Logos or Esword, if you're familiar with those, it shows multiple translations and commentaries on the screen at the same time, including the language they're working on. How many of you are grateful for spellcheck? Can you imagine spellchecking in a different language without a computer? Translators also can share their work online in the cloud. A translator can be in the village with a solar setup and a satellite connection, save their work online, and a consultant can download it from anywhere in the world, make notes, send it back to the cloud, and the translator gets it in the village. It's remarkable. Accurately translating God's word is vitally important, and I cannot imagine doing it without the help of computers. Just as God called us to go to PNG to train Bible translators, He is calling people to do translation in their own language. One of these men is named Sui, a Bible translator from the Ba'u language group of Papua New Guinea. Sui came to two different courses that I taught. He told us that they used to have a white skin missionary, Bible translator in their village, but they had to leave suddenly. So we didn't know how to use a computer apart from typing. So they wrote their translation by hand and put it in a notebook. Once that notebook was full, they put it in a box. They filled up another notebook and they put that in a box. Because they didn't know how to use the computer, they were waiting for another white skin to come along, take the box and put it all in the computer. However, after taking these courses, he said, we no longer have to wait for somebody else to do the work for us. Now we can do the work for ourselves. It's exciting and encouraging to work with and support Bible translators, because we get to hear stories like this all the time. So after serving in Papua New Guinea for many years, God has pointed us in a new direction. one with many opportunities for expanding our impact all around the world. Wycliffe has invited James to serve in a similar role to what he did in Papua New Guinea, but now on a global scale. There are so many translation projects in progress around the world and so many languages waiting to begin, but there's just not enough people equipped to do the kind of work that James has done in supporting the technical side of translation. So Wycliffe wants to take the skills that James has developed in training and supporting Bible translators in Papua New Guinea and use them to support Bible translation worldwide. Their vision is that James will not only continue to do what he has always done, but that he would also train up others in doing what he does so that the impact can be even more widespread and further reaching. In the words of his future supervisor, we want to clone him, is what he said. So we're excited about this new opportunity. God has given us a heart for missions and particularly for the Bible is people around the world. We are passionate about seeing God's word accessible to all people in a language they can understand. While we are excited about this new direction and grateful for the chance to settle into life here in Woodland. Yes, we can finally make our home here. The truth is, it's also really hard to say goodbye to Papua New Guinea. P&G has been our home. It's been home for our family for a long time. Yes, it's hard and it's had its challenges, but up until now, it has been where we raised our family, where we have had normal life, everyday routines, structure, traditions, relationships, meaningful work. We lived there day in and day out, experiencing blessings and going through trials, all the while knowing that God had us there for his purposes. Whenever people asked us how long we planned to work in P&G, we always said, our plan is to be there until God shows us otherwise. And we honestly thought that that would be until we retired. Well, our plans aren't God's plans, and he has now clearly shown us a new direction, and we see his goodness and his kindness towards us in it. What are the benefits of this? Apart from having a more global impact, we get to be here. James will be working remotely from right here in Woodland, so that means no more international moving, no more transitions around the world. no more goodbyes. You may remember from other times that we've shared that since I was a little girl, my dream has been to be a missionary, a wife and a mother. God has made those dreams come true. And now I get to live my dream and be close to my family and friends right here in Woodland where I grew up. What an unexpected blessing. We are so grateful that God has provided this opportunity for us to put down roots and still continue to support Bible translation around the world. Whether we live in Papua New Guinea or Woodland, Washington, or anywhere else, the role that God has given me is to honor and glorify him by using the gifts that he's given me. I get to love and support and encourage my husband in the work that God has called him to. And I get to love and nurture our children, pointing them to Christ, teaching them and discipling them in daily life. And I get to minister to those he brings into my life using the gifts that he's given me in hospitality, in women's ministry, Bible studies, intentional friendships, listening, encouraging, and praying for those around me. In PNG, the tasks of daily life felt a lot more time consuming and took a lot more energy because there are less modern conveniences available there. Living in a third world country taught me how to do life at a slower pace and prioritize what is essential. Keeping our family healthy, feeding our family, managing our home, being supportive to James and his work, and nurturing our children. These were my priorities as a missionary wife and mom in Papua New Guinea. And while I loved our life in Papua New Guinea, the truth is there were also many times when I felt tired and overwhelmed and discouraged. The cross-cultural challenges felt difficult and exhausting. And sometimes I would entertain thoughts of quitting. We should just go back to America because it's too hard and I miss family. What helped sustain me through those challenges? Focusing on the reality of God's presence with me and the life changing truth of his word. Those were the two reasons we were there. No matter how hard it was, God's word and his faithfulness is life-changing, and the gospel is a message that everyone should have access to in a language they can understand. Life in P&G was definitely not all hardship and challenges. One of the most encouraging things I experienced during our time there was when someone would stop me to tell me that they were recently in James' office I was stuck. My computer program wasn't doing what it was supposed to. I couldn't get any work done. I was up against a brick wall. I went to see James, and he fixed all my problems, and now I can continue with the work of translation. Thank you for being here. I don't know where I would have turned if it wasn't for James there to help me. It's a good reminder to me that, yes, I can cook and clean and take care of my kids in America just as well as in PNG. But God had us in PNG for that season because he cares deeply for the people of PNG and he wants the people of PNG to be able to hear his word in a language they understand. His heart is for all people everywhere to be able to understand and receive the hope of the gospel. And by the way, the sacrifices we made during our time in PNG were most definitely worth it all. We have a number of other interesting stories we could share with you, but we'd like to take some time to answer any questions you might have about Papua New Guinea, our new role, Bible translation, or missions in general. So, questions, any questions? The question is, is there a tech that will replace me? That is a very good question. The answer is not really. And that's really hard. One of the things that my future supervisor said was I might have the opportunity to go back and run training courses for techs who are there already to encourage them in the work that I've done before. Part of my role coming up should be to encourage people in that and to help train people up in that. There's so much knowledge in Papua New Guinea with other translators who have been there for five, 10, 15, 20, 30 years. They need to use that to mentor other people in that as well. It's a really good question. And it's one of the things that we just have to trust God in. and pray for it, please pray for it. We need more, doing work with linguistics and Bible translation and computers is a very narrow field. You need to have skills in all of those areas and without that, if you're a really good computer guy but don't know linguistics or Bible translation, it's really hard to help. So please pray for that, that's a really important thing. Yes, Eldon. I'll probably just be using fairly standard remote software to be able to log into their machines. Whether or not I'll be doing it in Papua New Guinea is kind of up for grabs. They have one internet connection for the entire center, basically. So a couple of hundred people share one connection. So being able to actually do that might be fairly difficult. But there's a lot of other people around the world that have much better internet connections, people in the US, in Asia, all over. So I will have that opportunity. Yeah. Pastor Nathan. The question is, do I need to have more training in order to do the role that I'm going to do with a further reach with more linguistics? The cool thing about learning linguistics is that you learn how languages work. So I don't have to learn all the languages that I'm working in. I just know general principles about Bible translation and about linguistics that help me navigate the various problems that I come against. It's a good foundation from which to build the work that I do. Yes? Do we ever feel afraid to live with the natives? Do you want to answer that or me? Many, many Papua New Guineans are very kind. There are many Christians there. We have a number of friends. We've shown some of them. These two right here, dear friends of ours that we're going to miss. Solid, godly Christians. And there are many people that don't know Christ. And that was why we were there, to bring them the gospel. If you think of the riots and all the stuff that's going on here, a lot of that doesn't result in much beyond violence, which is horrible and hard. But sometimes in Papua New Guinea, it results in just fighting and tribal fighting and killing. And if one person is killed, They take revenge and they go kill somebody else from the other tribe or from the other family. And sometimes they may kill two. Well, now you're off balance. And then you, it goes on. There was, I don't, you know how long the Onamuna thing was going? Years and years and years. There was a group close to us that were just fighting. And every once in a while it would rile up and more people would be killed, violently killed. And it's hard. We personally didn't feel, and many of the missionaries that are there aren't involved in that. And the Papua New Guineans don't really involve white skin so much in that. But it's definitely an area for prayer for them. And we've heard wonderful stories of complete transformation. There's a language group within a day's walk from our Center, I work with, we're close friends with one of the missionaries that works with them. They were close to extinction, their language group was, because of fighting within, and because of fighting, they were completely surrounded by another language group, and they were almost extinct. And then they got the gospel. They got the whole New Testament in their language. And God has completely turned that around, and now they are thriving. Now they are at peace with each other, They have peace around them and God is doing wonderful things because they have the gospel in their own language. Did you wanna share? Yeah, that language group learned what forgiveness is. They received God's forgiveness and then they were able to forgive their enemies and change that trend. It was really, we got to visit that village and it was amazing to see all the people it was like they were missing people from about 35 to 60 were just there weren't any hardly because that was when all of that fighting was going on in that age group but it was incredible because they went from like a few hundred to thousands. It's like 4,000 just in a matter of years after getting the New Testament. So it was just a really visible, wow, God's Word really made a difference for this people group. But going back to your question about being afraid, I can't think of a time that we were scared to be there. And largely, I think that it's because we knew that God called us there, and where can you be more safe than where God calls you? So God really gave us a lot of peace. Even when we would hear about fighting going on, we knew that God was with us. That people group that we were talking about, they actually just reprinted the New Testament plus, I think, five Old Testament books. And they had a video that they showed a picture of the Old New Testament that they had in complete tatters because they used it and used it and used it and used it. They couldn't even read it anymore. And they said, we need more. And our kids don't have any. We need some for our kids. What a fantastic testimony to the power of God's word in their own language. Any other questions? That's a good question. All of those details aren't worked out yet. Wickliffe has asked us to basically just take our time, not make any permanent decisions not sell the house right now. And COVID is having an effect on that too. International travel is very difficult right now. So we'll just wait and see. The Lord knows. Yes. Oh yeah, were there any other missionaries besides us? Ucarrampa is our support center that we live in. That's where our house is, that's where my office is, that's where a lot of translators are based. And there are anywhere between 500 and 700 people there on a regular basis. A lot of those are missionaries with families and children. A lot of other, where there's Papua New Guineans that live there as well. And one of the really neat things about working with Papua New Guineans is that many of them are coming from different areas of the country. They're very intelligent, have training that they could use somewhere else and get way more pay. for what they're doing, but they are also committed to the work of Bible translation, so they come and they join us, and they don't get as much money as they could in the real world, in the business world, but because they want to see people in their own country get God's word, they are also dedicated to that. Yeah, Ucarrapa is a really neat place. It has all of the modern conveniences of a third world country. There's... There's a store about the size of a big 7-Eleven where we can get some comforts of home. There's a small clinic where they can help take care of a number of things. If you have a major medical emergency, they send you to Australia. There's an auto shop where we can get vehicles or motorcycles repaired or whatever. We have church there. There's a lot, but we definitely miss some of the modern conveniences of here, too, while we're there. Who else had a question? Scott? Yes. Yes, the question wants me to explain the relationship between being a missionary and being in the States and being with Wycliffe. We are still with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We are still raising support for our ministry. We'll talk about that a little bit at the end. And we do still need prayer and financial support in order to do our ministry. Wycliffe doesn't just pay us a salary. we have to raise our own support and trust that God will provide for that. So that is also a crucial aspect of our ministry. We're planning on starting this new role, this new assignment in January, but we have to be at 100% of our budget by then in order to start. So if that's something that God lays on your heart, please do talk to us. Any other questions? Woo. That is a really good question. Do I have, I've dedicated to PNG, but do I have a top 10 group of languages that I want to work with? Huh? I haven't ever thought about that. That's pretty cool. As a linguist, I just like language. It's really interesting because when I was in grade school, I took Spanish from like first grade through 10th grade. And I learned not very much, unfortunately. And I didn't like language because it was all bookwork. I was a good student, but I don't like bookwork for that. And then I realized that language is all about communication. What? And all of a sudden, the whole world opened up. And it's just a real joy to discover something in a language that this is something that God put there so that they could understand him. What's Eternity in Their Hearts? Is it Don Richardson? If you get a chance to read Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson, he talks about ways that God communicates the gospel in a way that is so perfect for their culture. One group talked about, they had this saying from a long time ago that someday, somebody's gonna come, and they're gonna have writing on banana leaves, and that is going to be the truth. And then they got the Bible, the scriptures in their own language, and they said, this is it. These are the banana leaves with the writing, and you're the one that was gonna bring it to us. They had been expecting this for who knows how long. And that was something that God put there in their hearts. Very, very interesting. Any other questions? Last call. Let's move on to this. One thing that can be very challenging for Papua New Guineans is that literacy rates are really low in PNG. Many people don't even know how to read in their own language. They don't know how to read in any language. So audio Bibles have become very popular. We heard of one man who was illiterate, but he became a pastor for other illiterates because he had an audio Bible. He couldn't read God's word, but he could listen, and he could share what God had taught him. Let me tell you another story about the importance of audio bibles in Papua New Guinea. One morning, our friend and fellow missionary, Terry Seery, witnessed a powerful reminder of the importance of having God's word in your own language. Terry noticed an older woman looking in the window of the office where he worked. She was accompanied by a younger girl, maybe about 15 years old. She seemed to be hesitant, so he went out to the door, invited her in, and tried to make her feel comfortable. They sat down at the small wooden table and chairs in the middle of the office. He noticed her clothes were tattered and worn. She smelled of wood smoke, which is normal in Papua New Guinea. She spoke very little, so he asked why she had come. She said she had traveled from the language community of Kambira, a language group surrounded by the much larger Gatsub language in the highlands. This map shows approximately where she's from. She shared with Terry that a few days ago, because of fighting between clans, her house had been burned down along with everything she owned. She explained that she had come in today in hopes of buying another solar-powered audio Bible. She said that her own audio Bible she had for several years, but when the enemy came to burn her house down, her audio Bible was burned up, and she found it melted in the ruins of her house. Terry was heartbroken and amazed at the same time. She had traveled this far by foot, not to ask for food or money or even clothes or blankets, but simply to ask for a replacement audio Bible in her language. He was able to give her one, and as she listened to God's word, she heard it in her heart language. Hear this? Hear this. As she listened, tears filled her eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks. This older woman went from quiet and timid to excited and joyful. Her face lit up as she smiled from ear to ear, having God's word against once again that she could hear speaking to her heart. Terry prayed with her and she left the office full of joy, tears still on her cheeks. Job 23.12 says, I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. This woman demonstrated the true value and importance of having God's word, despite heartbreaking circumstances. All over the world, the need for Bible translation is incredible. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of my heroes, a missionary named Marilyn Laszlo. In the 1960s, Marilyn went to the village of Hauna in Papua New Guinea to translate the New Testament for the Sipik Iwam people. Many years after her arrival, they were visited by a neighboring people group who stayed for about a month receiving medical care. While they were in Hauna, they saw the people reading God's word and singing songs to Jesus. And as they were preparing to return to their own village, one of the leaders said to Marilyn, is my talk rubbish? Is my language no good and worthless? Marilyn responded, no, of course not. God made all languages. Each one is special. Will you come with us and help us? I would if I could. but I still have a long way to go until God's talk is translated into Sepik Iwam. I'm sorry, but I can't come right now." Well, if our language is worthy of writing, why don't we have someone giving us God's carvings in our language? Marilyn found it hard to answer his question. Why didn't they have a translator in his village? No one knew you were out there, she answered at last. Sadly, the leader asked, will you at least come and visit us sometime? Marilyn promised that she would. A few months later, Marilyn made the trip to visit this people group. When she arrived, she was given a tour of their village by the leader. She saw many typical village homes, but noticed a sturdy, newly built building on the ground at the far edge of a clearing. What is that building, Marilyn asked. That is our church, the village leader proudly told her. Your church? Do you have a missionary here? No, he answered sadly. We don't have a missionary yet. Well, has a national pastor come to teach you? No, we don't have any pastor. We have no books. We have no one to teach us, the headman told her. Then why do you have a church? When we visited you, we saw everyone going to church. We saw people learning to read God's talk and singing songs about God and Jesus. When we came back here, we told our people about your church. We decided we needed to build a church so Papa God will see we're ready. We're just waiting now. Waiting. there are almost 2,000 language groups around the world who are still waiting to receive God's word. Do you want to help make that happen? Missions is done by the feet of those who go, the knees of those who pray, and the hands of those who give. As we have served in Papua New Guinea for the last nine years, we have been incredibly blessed by our relationships with other missionaries, the feet, We have been showered with prayers from our friends and family, the knees, and we have been blessed by the generosity of those who gave financially, the hands. We cannot thank God enough for providing for our Wycliffe ministry, for calling us to serve in Papua New Guinea, and now for calling us to serve globally. God has pointed our feet and our hearts towards this new role of supporting Bible translators around the world, and we're excited. Lord willing, we start in January, but we can't make it by our feet alone. We need people like you to be our hands and knees. Is God calling you to join our team of prayer or financial partners? We are currently about 80% of our monthly budget, and we must reach 100% in order to be released to serve in this new assignment in January. Financial partners can give monthly, quarterly, or annually, as well as giving one-time gifts. There's even a cattle option if you're interested. I'm serious. Prayer is what keeps our ministry going and makes it effective. Prayer is the backbone of all mission work because we have an enemy who does not want to see God's word going out in the world. Could you pray for our ministry? It's God speaking to you about becoming the feet who go. There are many needs in Papua New Guinea and hundreds of positions that need to be filled throughout the world. God can use your skills and knowledge in missions. I've said many times, if you have skills, God can use them in missions. Please talk with us if God is leading you to partner with our ministry in any way. You can get a prayer card. I have that somewhere here to show you. Hidden. We have prayer cards for your fridge. There's a form on the back if you want to get our newsletters. If you're interested in financial partnership, please talk to us. You can give this back to us tonight. We also have newsletters. We have a photo book. You can come and join us in the Fellowship Hall and talk with us. We'd love to connect with you. You can also connect on our website or that QR code. We'll put that back up in the end. If you're interested in partnering with us in our Wycliffe ministry, we would love to talk with you and have the opportunity tonight If you're watching online, please reach out to us through our website or this QR code. Thank you so much for joining this evening with us. It's been a pleasure to share with you. Thank you for caring for us and for praying for us and our family and our Wycliffe ministry. You have been a blessing to us. So you finished a little early. And I wanted to share something. I want you to correct me if I say anything incorrect, OK? So you're kind of hearing them share about the end of this journey regarding where they were going to go. But it was pretty recent, like only a few months ago that you guys weren't sure. We're going back to Papua New Guinea. We're going to the East Coast. And now you settled in Woodland. But that was really pretty much up in there. I mean, we were having a conversation in our backyard about what you guys are going to do. So we're really thankful you guys are settling here. I feel like when you were in Papua New Guinea, we were praying for you. How would you have us pray for you now, I guess? Yes. OK. I even have some prayer requests. OK. One of the things that's really important This is a new norm. This is different. It's a challenge to adjust to being here. Christina shared that. Reverse culture shock is a real thing. Yep. There was a time where we came back from PNG and I almost had a breakdown just getting money out of the ATM machine. We're doing fine now. Please pray for our kids as they adjust to not going back. If we do go back to sell the house and everything, they won't be going with us. So that's hard. Pray for us to be able to figure all that out. Pray for us as we move into this new norm. Lord willing, we'll start in January with this new assignment. Also pray that God provides the prayer and financial partners that we need. Can't start until we have that. So thank you for asking. I wanted to share something that James couldn't very well share because it's unprideful. I was talking to Kathy. What's Kathy's position? Karen. Oh, Karen. What's Karen's position? She's our supervisor. Okay, so I was talking with Karen, who's James's supervisor, and Karen shared And I don't want to embarrass you, but that you're truly extraordinary was what she said regarding this software program. And she basically, she wasn't putting down PNG, but she was just saying that James should be working globally because of his expertise. He has a level of skill with Paratext, the translation software. that the gentleman, who's the gentleman you'll be working for? Doug Higby. Doug, yeah. Okay, so James is going to be working for this gentleman, Doug. Karen said that Doug was drooling waiting to get you. That's what, that's what. He's been waiting five or six years. Yeah, Karen said five or six years this gentleman Doug has been waiting to get James to be able to use you in this global way. And so it's really exciting. I just, I kind of was listening to Karen and I thought, boy, I really, I'd be really neat if our church could appreciate the ways that God wants to use this gentleman who gets to be part of our church family. And so sign up for their newsletter, follow their ministry. They're different in that. They're part of our family here. I mean, we support other missionaries, but they are part of our Woodland Christian Church family here. But also, it's just going to be really exciting to see what God's going to do with them. I mean, when I listened to Karen talk about James, it was like, wow. In a little bit, it was like, wow, in this world, I kind of feel privileged to know him and be his pastor and just see the ways that God wants to use them. So I'll be lifting them up in prayer in James's ministry and the ways that the Lord wants to use them. After this we're going to go to the fellowship hall for some snacks and invite you to join us there. I'm going to go ahead and pray for these requests and pray for James and Christina. Father, thank you for James and Christina and the friends and really family that they are to us. It's a privilege to be their pastor and friend and have them as part of our church family. We thank you for the way you've worked this out selfishly We're blessed that they are staying here now. If you want them to go someplace else, we'd support that and maybe you will in the future, but for this time it's sweet to have them remaining here and being with their children and having them just be part of our lives in this way. Help them make this transition. We pray that it goes wonderfully for them that you use James in very powerful, mighty ways for your kingdom and for the translation of your word as he trains people who can do this translation work. So we lift up these requests, Lord, that their family, especially the children, can settle into this new normal. Help the kids to process not going back to PNG. It's a big change for them. We pray that the children in our church can develop good, healthy, strong friendships with them so that they can be blessed being here. And for maybe most of them, they've spent most of their lives in PNG. And so it's a big change for them that we pray can go very smoothly. Pray for James as he starts this new role that you would use him in wonderful ways, help him to receive the rest of the finances that they need, help Doug as he oversees all of James' work and directs his efforts, and let James just be a blessing to those that he trains in translation. Use his skills to the fullest ability for your kingdom, Lord, and for the spread of the gospel. And we pray that you'll provide all the prayer support and partners, financially and prayerfully, that James and Christina need, Lord. We thank you for them and pray that we can be a church family that loves and supports them and is a blessing to them. Bless our evening together, the fellowship we have to follow as people head home tonight and begin their week. Give everyone a good restful night's sleep and a good week serving you, Lord. We pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen. And all right, you are dismissed.