Ellie is a fabulous second grade student. Im blessed to have her in my class.

Ellies parents, Ben and Mandy, have worked in the Aitape West translation project since 2002. They train Papua New Guineans from eleven language groups to do Bible translation and literacy. Ben is the advisor for the Onnele group and the Aitape West team leader. Mandy is involved in training literacy teachers and using the newly translated scriptures to create literacy materials. I love working at Ukarumpa International School where the main goal is to support the work of Bible translation by providing a quality education for the children of translators and support workers. Thank you for joining with me to support Bible translation.

My regular monthly support is still not meeting my financial budget. However, since my last newsletter, Ive been blessed by many unexpected one-time gifts. One of these gifts allowed me to purchase a small house on the Ukarumpa centre. The house had been on the market and empty for over a year, and I was able to buy it for a very reduced price. Its a bit of a fixer-upper, but Im thrilled to have a permanent place to stay and an opportunity to reduce my regular expenses.

Praises

The new school year is off to a great start with 21 new 2nd graders. The opportunity to buy my house.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:6-8

Prayer Requests

Finding a compatible roommate. Wisdom, skill, and patience as I begin my fix-it-up homeowner tasks during the upcoming school break.

Snapshots and Lessons-Learned

Bilums are hand-woven string bags. Theyre made in all sizes and colors and are used by men and women to carry everything from firewood to babies. These are the necessities that Ive learned to put in my bilum before visiting friends in their village: Water bottle Clean drinking water is not guaranteed. Umbrella Protection from rain and sun. Banana bread A treat to share with the host family. Rice To supplement the regular meal. Toilet paper Village outhouses or liklik houses are not stocked. Anti-bacterial gel Handy to use before eating the meal and after petting the family pig.

My second-grade class posing for their yearbook photo.

During school break, I spent a month on Buka Island looking after a regional office.

How many girls can you fit in a truck? We managed 12 on our biannual shopping trip to Lae but had to be creative when transporting our purchases.