Week 4 Update from PNG!!!

[Buddy Baldock]

Hi Everyone, Well we have made it to again to another place that has internet access so its great to be able to update you all on how things are going. We have been awesomely busy as a team the last week with programs and open air street preaching times almost every day. Right now we are staying in a place called little America. which it literally is out here in PNG, it is one of the Missionary bases for the SIL and Wycliff Bible translators. They have a store here full of american food which has been an incredible blessing. Last night we made pizza and ended up going a bit over board making 11 massive pizzas. We could only end up eating 5 and ended up completely full and content. Also now that we are in the Highlands we are actually all pleasantly cold as well, surprisingly!!!

Anyway last week we were working in Yonki, and Kainantu, two places along the main road towards Goroka, and Mt Hagen. Our time was full on with most days involving two 3-4 hour programs of preaching, dramas, and testimonies. Its so awesome as everyone is part of what God is doing, we spend time before each meeting praying as a team and waiting on God for what he wants to say and then all share what we heard God say. I don't think one program has been the same yet as each time God has a unique and specific word for that community. Also we have been doing street preaching which has drawn crowds of around 400-500 people some times. So praise the Lord as we have seen him use us in simple yet significantly ways at each place, all as we grow and continue to learn to hear and obey Gods voice.

Also some great news and praise reports on how our team is doing physically. We are all so much healthier and getting over some of the sicknesses that we faced and really battled with after the first 2 weeks. It was cool to see through a couple really hard weeks how our team really came together and persevered with a desire to see God move, and now that we are healthier how much more effective we are. Its great to have energy for the day. So thank you for all your prayers.

These last two weeks we really believe God is wanting to take us deeper as a team and show us how to be even more effective. PNG has had so much of the Gospel presented to it and its, you hear worship music in all the main shopping centers and often see numbers of street preachers. It was crazy the last week to actually have to line up to preach on the street. We heard two guys preaching powerfully and had to wait 1 1/2 hours before we could preach and do our program, then when we were done someone else got up and began to speak, Its such a different culture to what we are used to. However in-spite of that "true Christianity" and the concept of a "relationship with God" is still a huge need that the people need to hear.

So thank you for your prayers, we will continue to do our best keeping you all updated on what is happening here. Honestly I can not speak more highly of everyone on the team, as team leader I am so excited about what God is doing here through the team. So to the Mom's and Dad's out there you should be incredibly proud of your daughters and Sons who are being used by God in significant ways that I don't think we will be able to truly understand. To highlight that with a quick story that happened when we were traveling back to Lae from a village 5 hours away last weekend. We stopped in a market for some fresh coconuts and while we were standing there a man came out of the market and told our translator that he recognized me from 5 years ago when I was hear on my DTS outreach. It turns out he is from a village that we ministered in about an hour out of Lae for one day, and not only did he recognize me but also remembered my name what what our team did and talked about while we were there. Now I don't know the chances of that actually happening but its pretty incredible the impact a group of young people can make when hearing God and obeying his Voice. So be encouraged and continue to pray that we have confidence and boldness to share what God shows us to share.

Thanks Everyone for reading this blog, its so cool to because right now I am literally in the middle of remote PNG, with villages all around that don't evan have electricity. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Praise the Lord it is so awesome following and serving Him.