Author: Keith and Elspeth Campbell

As we near the last month of our visits with partner churches, we have returned to where it all began in one sense. We spent the past week in Atherton with Tablelands Presbyterian Church (TPC), joining in Bible study, youth activities and sharing at the Sunday services. It was greatly encouraging to see so many new faces, across all ages, at both morning and afternoon services.

As we were finalising our past working lives to enter service with Wycliffe back in 2013, our last act of ‘part-time’ ministry involved Elspeth catering for the Mid Year Camp for Christian Students from James Cook Uni. While up at Tinaroo Dam preparing for the camp, we took the opportunity to engage with TPC on the prior Sunday as invited mission guests. This was our first formal speaking event, so we were a bit nervous, definitely unsure of the path ahead, and light on details of what our service in PNG would look like. In spite of these shortcomings – or perhaps because of them – one dear couple from the congregation committed to partnering with us in prayer and financial support, and became our very first individual supporters!

We have continued to connect with Don and Grace ever since, both in Atherton and in Brisbane following their relocation to be with family in 2016. These times are always encouraging, surrounded in prayer, and full of the shared joy at what God is doing in PNG.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now …   Philippians 1:3–5 NIV

Prayer points

• Praise God that He calls us to be united in Christ, and for the way that this lays a foundation for relationships within the church.
• Pray for the TPC congregation to be steadfast in their commitment to the Gospel, showing the love of Christ to their community.

In “The Land of the Unexpected” – an informal title often used here for PNG – we tend to develop a preparedness for any outcome. This past week, Elspeth arrived for another day in the Basic Exegesis course and was advised by a PNG course participant that they would organise the morning worship time, “… and you can give a devotion.” Thankfully, Elspeth had prepared a talk some time previously, and was able to share this with the students.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Philippians 1:27-30

Many of Paul’s letters express a similar concept, which the current generation might define by the expression, “Whatever!”, though unlike the complete emotional disregard involved in this expression, Paul is rather acknowledging that all things are in God’s hands – his personal ministry to the Phillipians, the opposition to the church, their struggles and suffering, and the spread of the gospel.

He calls us simply to be prepared to live lives “worthy of the gospel of Christ”, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. We are to be firm in our stance, ready to leap into action in the strength and leading of the Spirit.

In Ephesians Paul tells us that all our good works are “prepared in advance for us to do”. (Ephesians 2:10) Often we are completely unaware of how God is drawing events together for our service of Him. At the beginning of January we determined a date for our work here to conclude before returning to Australia. This involved identifying a suitable arrival day between Easter and the Anzac Day public holidays. Then working backwards from our departure from Ukarumpa, we settled on April 9 as being our last official work day based on the permitted 10 days of special leave to pack up our home and be ready to leave.

Only later in January was Elspeth advised of the upcoming course dates and her involvement – firstly February 12 to March 5, then the second course running March 19 through to…. (you guessed it) April 9. God is good!

Prayer points
 Praise God that His sovereign purposes are always for our good and His glory.
 Pray that we continue to trust Him for each small detail of our departure from PNG, our time visiting our partner churches and individual supporters, and eventual resettling at Kangaroo Ground.

Over the past 10 years in PNG, there always seems to be one thing or another coming to an end. When it does occur, generally it carries with it some significant impact for our mission community.

The community recently celebrated the graduating Year 12 students from our mission school, with a formal dinner and other fun activities. Our old Volvo even got in on the act, acting as a limousine for a couple of students. I had to get a photo… it may never be that clean ever again!

The school year ends early June – in line with the US system – after which the graduate students usually return to their ‘passport country’ to commence the next stage of their lives – employment, tertiary studies, or possibly a ministry internship. It is a significant time of parting friendships, and saying goodbye to what has been their home – for some their entire life has been in PNG other than a handful of furlough trips.

When the ending in question involves colleagues returning to their home country and leaving PNG, we even have a specific term for it – “going finish”.

Perhaps the most noteworthy ending during our time here will occur in June, as Carl and Pat return to Canada after 51 years of service translating the Menya scriptures, with a New Testament dedicated in 2018. Carl will continue working remotely part-time to support the ongoing Old Testament translation work. Pat is not sure what she’ll be doing but in keeping with their servant hearts, she says she “will find something to do”, possibly with recent immigrants to Canada.”

In similar fashion, we will be “going finish” of sorts in April, with Keith leaving to take up a role as Chief Financial Officer with Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia (WBTA) based in Victoria. Elspeth will continue her teaching role with the Academic Training Centre (ATC) in Ukarumpa, involved in course development from Australia and returning twice a year for several months to coordinate and teach in several courses.

Prayer points
 Pray for the graduates adjusting to life in their passport countries. It can be quite a daunting prospect for them and their families.
 Pray that the Spirit would continue to work through the Menya scriptures, for the ongoing OT translation work. Pray that Carl and Pat’s return to Canada would be a source of great joy for their family.
 Pray that we may “finish well” in terms of our work responsibilities and relationships here in PNG.

Students participating in the recent Old Testament Introduction course were trained in a method of memorising key aspects of Old Testament narrative. The intention is for them to share this with their communities, and to stimulate interest to learn more of God’s great plan to save His people.

We added subtitles in Tok Pisin, so have fun working out the references. If you need some assistance try this handy online dictionary https://www.tok-pisin.com/

As last week ended, I could not let an opportunity pass to highlight the changing face of Bible Translation ministry in PNG. Including the guy taking the selfie in the foreground, there were just three expats amongst 28 staff in our regular 8am prayer circle.

With two pilots already in the air after a warm fog-free morning, others on rostered duty leave, three management staff absent, one senior maintenance person on a training course, and three engineers taking a day off after several weeks of overtime, our numbers were, admittedly, skewed from the norm.

However, looking through the photo archives at 2004 (left) and 2014 team photos, the changing face of our Aviation team is evident, with our current staffing levels in country consisting of 18 expats and 31 citizen staff. It is encouraging to see PNG employees filling significant senior roles, providing a sense of stability to our ever changing team. However, we are constantly reminded of the shortage of expat personnel, who generally bring diverse experience, current professional practices, and a range of complementary skills to the workplace…. and who also work for free!

The current situation emphasises the importance of training and professional development of our PNG colleagues. As the expat staffing levels decrease, our focus turns to ensuring effectiveness and sustainability into the future, with a core of PNG national personnel.

Prayer points

• Pray for the challenges facing Aviation next year, as twelve current expat staff will either be taking furlough or finishing during 2025 – including the Campbell’s in April.
• Praise God that up to nine new staff – engineers and pilots – are aiming to come to PNG in 2025.
• Pray for the training processes – both for current PNG staff and any incoming expats.

Elim Cafe Everyone loves an outing to the local café and missionaries are no different. Occasionally we get together at an internal café in the Staff Care building, tasting other missionaries baking. Yummy!

Aussie Bungs We Aussies love any excuse for a get-together, particularly when we have Wycliffe Australia visitors. Bung is the Tok Pisin word for gathering or meeting.

Uka Fun Run Once a year we have a day to run  or walk around the Ukarumpa centre. We can sign-up for the 1km walk / run, or the 5km walk / run, or the 10km run. It is a great way to catch up and chat with others as we get our yearly exercise!

Ukacon Once a year we have a fun community day for Ukarumpa residents and other missions to get together to play cards and board games from 8am until midnight.

Praise…

• We are thankful for the encouragement of friendship and fellowship in Ukarumpa.

Before joining Wycliffe, we had limited understanding of the actual methods of Bible translation. Our primary focus as support personnel is on our immediate areas of responsibility, and investing in the lives of the PNG people we work alongside. However, every now and then we have an opportunity to ‘get our hands dirty’ as part of the extended translation process.

Elspeth has been able to participate in a ‘checking party’ on several occasions, where the initial hard copy of a new translation has been received from the typesetter, and needs to be closely reviewed before giving approval to print the final bound publications.

Often a dozen or more people from the mission community will come together, and after some basic training, choose one specific aspect of the printed material – quotations, footnotes, parallel passages, general text, page settings, etc.

This month, Elspeth participated in a party where she read the introductory information regarding the Bwaidoka translation, including details of the people group, and a history of the translation work. Stan & Patty Gibson are involved with our Thursday night home group, and commenced the translation work on Goodenough Island, Milne Bay, in 1984. The publication of a New Testament is not the end of their commitment to this ministry, as they are already working on the Old Testament with a team of local translators.

Prayer Points…

• Praise God that earlier published Scripture portions are already impacting the Bwaidoka communities, growing their understanding of God’s will for His people.
• Pray that new co-translators will join the Old Testament translation team, and be prepared for the long term commitment this involves.
• This year there are expected to be another 6 Bible dedications, so pray for all of the logistics.

Of the many cultural differences we experience in PNG, perhaps one clearly evident example involves the grieving process. It can be very confusing to the outsider, and easily misinterpreted. With the recent tradgedy of the Enga landslide being shown on our TV news, there have been many images of mud plastered faces, from sombre adults to young children looking slightly confused by it all.

Outsiders can be quick to judge such public displays of communal mourning. Does everyone participating feel the burden of grief? Possibly not. It may be seen to be something akin to the scene in Mark 5, when Jesus confronts the crowd of mourners at the home of Jairus, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” Their insincere mourning turned immediately to mocking laughter.

In PNG, grief is not a private affair. There is an expectation within the community that a bereaved family will open their home and their lives to others, to participate in that moment. Often large meals are prepared, at great expense to the family and with support from relatives, employers, and perhaps local leaders depending on the status of the deceased person or their surviving spouse.

While managing our mission centre in Lae, we represented our organisation at a haus krai, a very public gathering of family and community following the death of an older woman who had, for a time, been an employee many years earlier. We had expected to feel like intruders on a very personal situation, but a young man led us past over a hundred people sitting in family groups, to where the grieving widower – who we had never met – sat in silence surrounded by immediate family. Our guide bent to whisper in the old man’s ear, explaining our presence, and when he saw our work shirts with our mission logo he embraced Keith heartily and wept. For him, our being there was quite understandable, and genuinely appreciated.

This public grieving in PNG is a process which binds a community and reinforces their shared experiences and beliefs, something the people refer to as wanbel in tok pisin – being of one heart. This is a concept which extends far beyond family connections, and can even embrace a visitor from Australia in the most unexpected ways.

Prayer points

• Pray for the Mulitaka community as they continue to search for family members.
• Pray that survivors would cast their anxiety on God, and know that He cares for them (1 Peter 5:7)
  • Pray that the response of governments and aid agencies would be appropriate to the circumstances, and that tensions around the situation would be eased as a result.

In June 2023, the Isnarg language community of the Philippines celebrated the complete Bible, with many of the scriptures handed out personally by Nard Pugyao. Nard had given his life to God sixty years previously, and his powerful testimony features in this video produced by JAARS, a mission Aviation and logistics operation working in partnership with Wycliffe and SIL. Nard went on to overcome a terror of flying to become a pilot, serving his and other Philippine communities in Gospel ministry.

At 2:45 in the video Nard poses the question, “What if they didn’t come?” No matter how many times you view this it still makes a powerful impact. So many events had come to pass over the preceding decades for the Gospel to reach this remote Philippine village, where the people had no knowledge at all of the true God.

During the Bible dedication, people were able to exchange their existing New Testament Scriptures – published in 1982 and revised in 2006 – for the completed translation. These well used copies impacted one of the Wycliffe US visitors to the dedication, who commented “There’s a real person on the other side of this Bible”, noting the highlighted sections and personal notes written in the margins.

Prayer points

• Praise God that His grace extends to every part of His creation.
• Pray that the Isnarg community will continue to grow in their relationship with the powerful God who has made Himself known through His word.

One morning a week, we have people from the local community provide help with the house cleaning and yard maintenance. This is a source of income for them, and for us, an opportunity to develop relationships in the community.

The real significance of this was highlighted when Frida, who sweeps and mops our floors, and keeps our windows clean and free of cobwebs, came to me as I worked in our little study space. She held in her hand a missionary prayer booklet from our Australian church that I had left on the coffee table, beside where I sit for my morning devotions while Elspeth is away in Australia.

“I know some of these people.” she stated, very pleased with the discovery.

I immediately thought of another current Ukarumpa family listed in the booklet along with ourselves, but Frida’s recollection went far beyond that. Not only did she point out several who had moved on to other international fields or returned to serve in Australia, but also a family from another mission organisation in PNG who were not based in Ukarumpa, but would visit occasionally.

When I asked how she knew them – wondering if she could have possibly worked for all of these households – Frida explained that she simply remembered seeing them in Ukarumpa over the years, as she went about the routine tasks of visiting the Store or Clinic, or being at the local produce market.

For Frida, this was a basis for a relationship. These people had come to PNG to serve the Kingdom, caring enough about her and her community to share Christ with them. She remembered them. It impacted me at the time, and moves me still as I write this. We often fail to appreciate what it means to the PNG people for us to be here. For us, it is a privilege, and we praise God for enabling us to serve here in PNG.