“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8

Life Without God’s Word…

Have you ever imagined life without God’s Word in English? What if you had to learn a foreign language JUST so you could read or hear John 3:16?

“Yanti, kiloa, wiyan bag nurun unnug ta pital katan mikan ta agelo ka Eloi koba wakal lin ba yarakai-willug minki kanun.”
(John 3:16 in Awabakal of Australia)

If God’s Word was in a different language, would you understand it? How would you even know that God loves you and sent Jesus to save you from your sins and give you eternal life?

This is the reality for about 2000 language groups around the world today, they don’t have a single verse of Scripture in their own language… How are they to believe in Jesus without Scripture?

“But these [things] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:31

An Exciting New Role

We have been living and serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 2011. It has been an honor and a pleasure for us to work alongside Papua New Guineans and other missionaries to help bring God’s Word to people in their language. During our time in PNG, James has helped over 200 different language groups with their translation work!

Now, God has clearly led us to an exciting new role…

Wycliffe has asked James to support and train Bible translators around the world to use computers for Bible translation. James’ future supervisor shared this encouragement regarding his new role:

James understands translators and the issues they wrestle with and is ideally suited to creating training materials, videos, and website content where these translators go for training and support.

Doug Higby – Director of Language Technology Use

While it is incredibly difficult to say goodbye to our time in PNG (we can serve remotely from our home in WA state!!), we are blessed to know that James’ skills will continue being used to help bring God’s life-giving words to Bibleless people around the world!

Our Need

Wycliffe would like to release James to start in this new role in January! We are currently only$1300/month $90/month short of the ministry budget that Wycliffe set for us and we must reach 100% in order for James to be released to serve in this new assignment (shortfall updated Jan 18th). Praise God with us for providing partners to help bring God’s Word to those who need it!!

Pray with Us!

Prayer is a powerful thing! We are so grateful for all of the people who have prayed with us that God would bring in the necessary financial partners that we need to be released to this new assignment!

Interested in Financial Partnership?

If you would like to financially partner with us in our Wycliffe ministry, there are a few options:

Sign up online at  www.wycliffe.org/partner/ThePosts

Call Wycliffe: 800-992-5433 (our ministry number is 240439)

You can also mail a check with a separate note saying, “Preference for the Wycliffe ministry of James and Christina Post (240439)” to:

Wycliffe Bible Translators
c/o Receipts Dept
PO Box 628200
Orlando, Florida 32862

Please also contact us so we can thank you!!

Prayer and Praise

• Prayer: For God to provide new prayer and financial partners.
• Prayer: For James as he starts his new role (Lord willing in January).
• Prayer: For our family saying “goodbye” to PNG and adjusting to this new “normal”.
  
• Praise: James will be able to continue using his skills to serve Bibleless people!
• Praise: We get to stay near our church, family, and friends.

Thank you for praying for our family and our Wycliffe ministry,

In Him,

James and Christina

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8

Pursuing God Through Uncertainty

Over the last several months, God has made it abundantly clear that He is WITH us through uncertainty, in trials, and in the darkest valleys, He is WITH us as we seek His face, and He is faithful to complete the good work He started in us. Here are some of the verses that He’s used to comfort and encourage us during this time:

• “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (God started this work in us and He is going to be the one to finish it!)
• Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deut 31:6 (He is WITH us, ALWAYS!)
• “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (First submit to God, then do battle with the enemy.)
• But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (Seek the things of God first and foremost, and He will take care of the rest.)

Our Next Steps

In drawing near to Him and to each other, He continues to lead and guide us.

JAARS – A New Location to Serve

Our next step is to serve at JAARS, a Wycliffe support center in North Carolina. We plan to move in January and hope to be there for about one year before heading back to PNG. While there, James will continue to support and train Bible translators to use computers for Bible translation. James’ future supervisor encouraged us in a recent conversation:

“What you do… fits perfectly with [this] department and I’m perfectly happy for you to come on board.”

What a blessing to know that James’ skills will continue being used to help bring Bibles to the Bibleless!

Our Financial Need

In order to start working at JAARS, we need to reach 100% of our Wycliffe ministry budget. We are currently over $1400/month short.

• If you’re not already part of our partnership team, would you prayerfully consider joining us?
• If you already are partnering with us, would you prayerfully consider increasing what you are already giving?
• We can also share with your small group, Bible study, or church using Zoom!

If you would like to get involved in any way, please let us know! You can also use the information below to get started.

Interested in Financial Partnership?

If you would like to financially partner with us in our Wycliffe ministry, you can sign up online at www.ThePostsInPNG.com/partner.

You can also mail a check with a separate note saying, “Preference for the Wycliffe ministry of James and Christina Post (240439)” to:

Wycliffe Bible Translators
c/o Receipts Dept
PO Box 628200
Orlando, Florida 32862

Prayer and Praise

• Prayer: For God to provide the prayer and financial partnership that we need, including new partners.
• Prayer: For the upcoming transition to JAARS.
• Praise: James can continue using his skills to serve Bibleless people!
• Praise: God provided a beautiful house in the country!

Thank you for continuing to pray for and support our family and our Wycliffe ministry. God has blessed us greatly through you.

In Him,

James and Christina

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12a) (NLT)

God’s Word Comes Alive!

It’s amazing what God can do as He makes His Word come alive to us! This happened recently in Papua New Guinea (PNG), as Bible translators for the Nukna language were checking Colossians. One of the translators couldn’t help but smile and laugh, because the translation spoke directly to his heart. He said, “It’s like Paul knows the Nukna language and is speaking directly to me!”

God’s Word is timeless and crosses all language and cultural barriers! Even though Paul wrote these words almost 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit made them come alive in the heart of this Nukna man. What a testimony to the life-giving power of the Scriptures!

God’s Ways are Not Our Ways

Have you ever tried to get God’s “stamp of approval” on your plans, but God gently and lovingly redirects you? Well, He has done that with the timeline for our return to PNG. For a variety of reasons, Wycliffe has asked us to stay in the U.S. until next year:

• COVID-19 has made visiting churches and partners extremely difficult.
• God has been doing wonderful work in us individually, in our marriage, and in our family, and we are using this extra time to grow healthier in preparation for our return to PNG.
• We are currently over $1000/month below the ministry budget that Wycliffe has set for us to live and work in PNG.

We are also grateful that James will have the chance to work remotely, including revising and updating materials used for training Papua New Guinean Bible translators.

We Need a New Place to Live…

Our rental agreement is up on June 20, so we are looking for a new place to live/rent.

If you know of somebody with a possible place to live/rent in SW Washington state, would you be willing to reach out to them for us?

While God has rewritten our plans for 2020, we know that He is in this, and we look forward to seeing how He will use this time.

Has God changed your plans recently? Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Prayer and Praise

• Prayer: For God to use our time in the U.S. for His glory and our growth.
• Prayer: For God to provide a new place to live/rent.
• Prayer/Praise: For God’s grace in homeschooling our children.
• Praise: For God’s continued work in our marriage and family.
• Praise: God’s Word is going out to the people of PNG.

Through your prayers and financial partnership, you are partnering with us to help bring God’s Word to the Nukna people, and to many other language groups throughout PNG.

Thank you!!

James and Christina

“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number — living things both large and small.” Psalm 104:24-25 (NIV)

Gorgeous PNG

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most beautiful countries in the world! It is full of God’s handiwork: dense tropical rainforests, breath-taking mountains, gorgeous waterfalls and coastlines, abounding wildlife, and amazing creatures:

It’s also home to over 800 unique languages! Take a beautiful tour of PNG and learn about the importance of Bible translation in the short video below:

What Language Does God Speak?

God loves all the people of the world deeply, but many of them have not yet heard His Good News in a way that pierces their hearts. Over 200 of these people groups are in PNG alone! Can you imagine trying to understand God’s Word in another language, like Russian, Chinese, or Swedish? That’s what it’s like for people who do not yet have God’s Word in their own language.

But, God comes near when He speaks their language! One person said:

“It’s like Jesus has become one of us… he speaks our language and knows our culture.”

God’s Word to the Bibleless

Through training/supporting Bible translators to use computers for Bible translation, we are helping bring God’s Word to the bibleless people of PNG.

Prayer and Praise

• Prayer: Our sharing time at different churches in the next few months.
• Prayer: Time to connect with our financial partners.
• Praise: We recently went to a fantastic and refreshing marriage workshop.
• Praise: For God’s faithfulness in our marriage and family.

Your prayers and financial partnership help make it possible for Papua New Guineans to understand that Jesus speaks their language and knows and loves them.

Thank you!!

James and Christina

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! (Psalm 96:3)

Introducing Adalynn Rose Post

Adalynn Rose Post (pronounced “Add-uh-Lynn”) was born on Sept 1, 2019). She is a precious and sweet addition to our family. She enjoys smiling, laughing, and cooing and the kids love to help out and spend time with her. We are very grateful for a happy, healthy baby.

God’s Heart for All People

There is a fantastic course called “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” that Christina and I have both taken. It opened our eyes to how God is moving throughout the world, and that he is inviting all of us to be more involved in sharing the Gospel with whoever he brings into our lives. This could be through local outreach, prayer, giving, going overseas, or any combination of those things. There are so many ways that we can be involved in doing God’s work!

We are excited to have the opportunity to be involved in a local Perspectives course, starting in January! We will be attending weekly sessions, building relationships with and praying for the instructors and participants, and sharing about Wycliffe’s role in Bible translation.

Want to learn more about Perspectives? Check out the video below and find a Perspectives Course near you!

Furlough Happenings

We have also been keeping busy with adjusting to a new baby, homeschooling, sharing about our Wycliffe ministry, and even helping remotely with technical issues in PNG! It’s been great to visit family here and in Michigan.

We are looking forward to sharing more about our Wycliffe ministry during the rest of our furlough. We’d love to get together with you, your church, or your small group! Please let us know if you’re interested.

Prayer and Praise

Without your prayers, we would not be able to do the ministry that God has called us to. Thank you for praying!

• Prayer: That God would use the Perspectives Course to bring glory to his name, draw people to himself, and ignite in them a passion to be more involved in fulfilling the Great Commission.
• Prayer: For a healthy, restful furlough.
• Prayer: Affordable plane tickets to Michigan.
• Praise: Our family is adjusting well to a new baby.
• Praise: Homeschooling is going well.

Grateful for you,

James and Christina

“If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” Psalm 139:9-10

We came back to the US in June for baby leave and furlough. Christina’s pregnancy is going well and we are looking forward to meeting our little one in the next few weeks (Christina is due on Sept 2nd in PNG, Sept 1st in the US).

A Time of Transitions

Many people ask, “what do you do on furlough?” It’s a good question, and one that we can answer in many ways depending on the day. As missionaries, we go through a lot of transition. A. Lot. That’s a lot of packing, a lot of moving, a lot of flying, a lot of tearful goodbyes, a lot of warm hellos, and a lot of timezones. We have packed or unpacked our suitcases almost 30 times since just before we left PNG. We’ve been in PNG, Australia, Hawaii, Washington State, Oregon, Canada, Michigan, and slept in over 10 different places. We’re a bit tired, but God has been with us through it all.

Somebody recently commented how well our kids did on a plane. I said “they’re professional travelers”. :-) Despite being so good at traveling, the transitions do take their toll on us, our marriage, our kids, and our family. In the midst of all of these transitions, we try to stay spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy as individuals and a family. We try to cherish moments like yesterday morning, where our whole family just played outside and sat on the front steps talking. Or enjoying a sunset together. Even though they may be brief moments, they are special.

Reconnecting with Friends and Family

Living and working overseas has taught us the value of our connections all over the world. Our kids have lots of Aunts and Uncles, Grandpas and Grandmas, friends and cousins. Some are in PNG, some are in the US, and others are scattered throughout the world. They all are an important part of the support network that God has given us. One of the main reasons for furlough is to reconnect with friends, family, and churches in the US. We’ve been able to reconnect with many people in our time so far in the US, and look forward to many more warm hellos.

A God of Many Blessings

God has given us many blessings during our stay in the US so far. Here are a few highlights:

• An enjoyable time at a family reunion in Washington State.
• Visits with missionary friends from Malaysia, the Middle East, and Colorado.
• A chance to visit family in Michigan and go to a family reunion there. The last one we went to was in 2015 before Nathaniel was born! For some family, this was their first time meeting Nathaniel and Julia.
• Water spilled on Christina’s computer, but insurance is covering the purchase of a new one!
• The house we are renting (in Woodland, WA) is within walking distance to our church, and very close to several family members. And friends/family helped move in our things before we arrived!
• Victory over intense spiritual attack while in Michigan through the prayers of family. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b)
• Very affordable plane tickets to Michigan, and a generous gift to cover them.
• An affordable and reliable vehicle that will fit our whole family (including baby).

Prayer and Praise

Your prayers for our family and our Wycliffe ministry are crucial, wherever we are in the world. Thank you for lifting us up in prayer!

• Prayer: For Christina, the baby, and the upcoming delivery.
• Praise: For safety as we have traveled and transitioned across the world and across North America.
• Prayer: For emotional, spiritual, and physical health during our furlough.

In Him,

James and Christina

A Co-Worker and Brother in Christ

For a number of months, we’ve asked you to pray for God to provide a co-worker in the Language Software office. Specifically, that Zacc Oraro would be able to join me (James).

God has answered our prayers! Zacc is going to officially be a part of the Language Software team! THANK YOU for praying.

I first met Zacc a number of years ago when he started working with our organization here in Papua New Guinea (PNG). He did computer support for a number of years, and during that time we became good friends. We share a sense of humor and a passion for serving Bible translators in PNG.

Our friendship was greatly deepened when Zacc lost his wife due to complications in childbirth. I had the opportunity to mourn with him in Port Moresby (the capital city of PNG). When we saw each other, Zacc burst into tears and enveloped me in a big bear hug. Through the tears he asked, “Why did you come so far?!?!” My answer was simple, “Because I love you!” We spent the next few days together, mourning the loss of Zacc’s wife, making funeral preparations, and visiting the newly born baby who was struggling for life in the NICU. After a few days, Zacc’s baby also passed away. This was especially hard to watch, but I was very grateful that we could be together during that time. Through this trial, Zacc went from a good friend to my best Papua New Guinean friend. God is good. He also wanted to personally testify to God’s goodness in taking him from a place to despair and mourning after losing his wife and baby to hope in Christ and being able to serve others again.

Over the years, Zacc has helped teach a number of computer courses to Papua New Guineans. He has a knack for teaching them with grace and patience and I’m excited that he will now be more directly involved in supporting Bible translators in the office.

“He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.”
Col 4:7b (NIV)

Zacc has also grown close to our family, and loves it when the kids call him “Papa Zacc.” He and his daughter Aimee celebrated Mikayla and Laurel’s birthdays with us this year.

His heart to serve the Lord and to love life while doing it is so evident. He is a blessing to our family, and to the Bible translators he supports.

My parents were very happy to meet Zacc during their visit. He was full of heartfelt gratitude for their prayers when he lost his wife and baby.

I look forward to working more closely with Zacc, and watching the Lord continue to work in and through him.

Baby and Furlough Plans

We are returning to the Woodland, WA area on June 13th for baby leave and furlough. Christina is due on September 2nd and our furlough will continue until June 2020. We have plans to make a road trip to Michigan (and other states) and hope to see many of you!

God has already been working to prepare the way for our time in the US! We ask for your continued prayers that he would provide for our furlough (see below for prayers and praises).

Prayer and Praise

• Praise: God has provided renters for our house in Ukarumpa (our support center in PNG).
• Praise: God provided a well maintained van for our furlough!
• Prayer: For an affordable house to rent in the Woodland, WA area.
• Prayer: For our Ukarumpa vehicle to be fixed soon.
• Prayer: For the use of a second, smaller vehicle for our furlough.
• Prayer: For a good pregnancy and for Christina’s nausea and sleep.
• Prayer: For the stress of preparing for furlough (packing, saying goodbyes, etc).
• Prayer: For our family to transition well to life in the US.

If you have any leads on housing or a smaller vehicle, please let us know.

Grateful for you,

James and Christina