VOLUME 2, NO.1 JANUARY 1979

DEAR BRETHREN:

THIS NEWSLETTER WILL BE A WRAP UP OF 1978 NEWS. KATHY WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING AT THE FIRST AND THEN I WILL TRY TO GIVE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORK DURING 1978.

KOTES FROM KATHY
DEC STARTED OFF GREAT. WE MOVED INTO OUR HOUSE! NO CLOSET IN OUR ROOM OR LINOLEUM ON THE FLOOR IN THE HOUSE BUT WE'RE IN. TERASA AND JASON THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A ROOM OF THEIR OWN (EACH) WITHOUT THE KITCHEN STOVE, REFRIGERATOR AND DINING ROOM TABLE IN IT, THAT IS UNTIL CLEAN UP TIME. THE FAVORITE PHRASE OF THE MONTH WAS "STAY OUT OF MY ROOM".

TOBEY WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE KITCHEN CABINET DOORS BEFORE NEW YEARS DAY. BEFORE THE DOORS, IT WAS REALLY FUN WHEN LITTLE SARA SCOTT (18 months) CAME TO VISIT AND SAW EVERYTHING IN THE CABINETS WIDE OPEN. HERE A CAN, THERE A JAR, EVERYWHERE A CANDY BAR!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE SO THANKFUL TO THE LORD AND TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BUILD THIS HOUSE. WE HAVE GIVEN IT TO THE LORD TO USE IN HIS SERVICE AND PRAY THAT WE MIGHT HAVE THIS ATTITUDE ALWAYS.

ALSO IN DEC, TOBEY, THE KIDS AND I WENT ON A TEN DAY BREAK RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL WAS OUT. (THE KIDS ARE ON SUMMER HOLIDAY DEC - JAN.) FIRST WE FLEW TO LAE INSTEAD OF DRIVING THE "HIGHWAY". THERE WE WORSHIPED WITH THE OTHER MISSIONARIES AND OUR ENGLISH SPEAKING BRETHREN A EVENING SERVICES. TOBEY WAS ASKED TO SPEAK. WHILE JOE CANNON WAS INTRODUCING TOBEY HE SAID THAT TOBEY WAS A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH AND THAT I HAD BEEN POLISHING HIM FOR YEARS. WELL, WHEN TOBEY GOT UP TO SPEAK HE REPLIED BY SAYING, "MY WIFE HAS BEEN POLISHING ME SO HARD THAT I'M LOSING ALL MY HAIR." (WHICH IS TRUE, FOR HE HAS A NICE LITTLE HALO WHERE HAIR USED TO BE.)

IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO LISTEN TO HIM IN ENGLISH AGAIN. WE HAVE ENGLISH SERVICES HERE IN GOROKA ON SUNDAY NIGHTS. BUT AS EVERY PREACHER KNOWS THE LARGER THE CROWD THE BETTER THE PREACHING. FROM LAE WE TOOK A COASTAL CARGO BOAT ON AROUND THE COAST TO MADANG. THEY HAVE SLEEPING ACCOMMODATION ON DECK FOR 22 PEOPLE. WE LEFT LAE TUESDAY 10 PM AND ARRIVED IN MADANG THURSDAY 9AM. WE GOT TO SEE TWO LARGE SCHOOLS OF DOLPHINS AND SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COASTAL AREAS IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER.- BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED IN MADANG TERASA WAS RUNNING A FEVER. HER FEVER DISAPPEARED IN TWO DAYS BUT THEN JASON PICKED IT UP. HE HAD THE FLU. FOUR DAYS AFTER WE WERE THERE TERASA BROKE OUT IN HIVES. AT FIRST, WITH THE FEVER AND ALL WE THOUGHT CHICKEN POX. SUNDAY MORNING SHE WAS SO BROKEN OUT THAT TOBEY TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL. AFTER WAITING TWO HOURS FOR A DOCTOR SHE RECEIVED A SHOT AND SOME MEDICINE FOR THE ITCHING. WE WERE TOLD THEN THAT IT WAS JUST A BAD CASE OF THE HIVES. (BUT WE DIDN'T SEE ANY BEES AROUND. ed) THE REST OF THE WEEK WE WERE THERE THE KIDS WEREN'T IN TOO FESTIVE A MOOD. IT WAS A WELCOME BREAK FROM THE WORK FOR TOBEY AND ME THOUGH.

HERE IN GOROKA I HAVE BEEN TEACHING "LIKLIK PIKININIS" (LITTLE CHILDREN). THIS CONSISTS OF BABES IN ARMS UP TO 7 YEARS OLD. SUNDAY MORNINGS I AVERAGE 30-35 IN CLASS AND ON THURSDAY NIGHTS AROUND 60. (OUR SERVICES WERE CHANGED FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO THURSDAY BECAUSE TOO MANY PEOPLE WERE RIDING THE BUS INTO TOWN AND THEN SKIPPING OUT TO THE MOVIE HOUSE JUST UP THE STREET. (THERE ARE NO MOVIES ON THURSDAY NIGHT.) BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN IN A 10x12 ROOM. THEY DON'T MIND THE CLOSENESS BUT SOMETIMES I CAN'T WALK AROUND WITHOUT STEPPING ON THREE OR FOUR OF THEM. THEY ALL SIT ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE BENCHES IN OUR CLASSROOM. THEY WOULDN'T SIT ON THEM EVEN IF WE HAD BENCHES. I TELL THE BIBLE STORY AT THE FIRST OF CLASS AND THEN WE COLOR PICTURES ABOUT THE STORY TO TAKE HOME. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE GO THROUGH SEVERAL BOXES OF COLORS (CRAYONS). IF YOUR CLASS COULD HELP US OUT IN SUPPLYING US WITH CRAYONS WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE A READY SUPPLY EACH MONTH OR SO.

DURING THE LAST YEAR I HAVE SHOWN AND COMPLETED THE OLD TESTAMENT USING THE FLANNEL FELT SET TO TELL THE STORIES AND HAVE NOW STARTED ON THE BIRTH OF JESUS.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US AND GOD'S WORK HERE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

PERSECUTION
IN THE LATTER PART OF 1978 SATAN HAS BEGUN TO STIR UP HIS WORKERS AGAINST US USING DENOMINATIONS AS HIS TOOLS. OUR BRETHREN IN LAE WERE INVITED TO AN AREA TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND THE THUS CHARTERED AN AIRPLANE AND FLY INTO ITS REMOTE AIRSTRIP. UPON ARRIVAL THE PLANE WAS SURROUNDED BY SCORES OF ANGRY LUTHERANS WHO DEMANDED THE BRETHREN LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. THE LUTHERANS THEN BEGAN TO THROW BAGGAGE BACK INTO

THE PLANE AND BEGAN TO ROCK THE PLANE. AT THIS TIME THE PILOT TOLD OUR PEOPLE TO GET BACK ON THE PLANE AND HE FLEW BACK TO LAE IN FEAR OF HIS LIFE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS LEGAL ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE AIRLINE AND SEVERAL OF THESE LUTHERAN HEADMEN ARE NOW IN JAIL. THE LUTHERANS ARE SEEING THAT THE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THEIR GROUP AND FOLLOWING NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY IN ITS PURITY AND THEY DON'T LIKE IT. THE LUTHERANS ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR GLENN FARMER AND I BEING THROWN OUT OF PLANTATION WHEN WE WENT TO SHOW FILM STRIPS ONE EVENING. THEY ARE THE ONE'S WHO ARE CALLING FOR THE GOVERNMENT HERE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO BAN ALL "NEW" MISSIONS AND TO FORBID OTHER CHURCHES INTO AREA WHERE MISSIONS ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED. "THE DOG WHO HOWLS THE MOST WAS THE ONE' WHO GOT HIS TAIL STEPPED ON." PERHAPS THE REASON SATAN DOESN'T BOTHER SOME PEOPLE IS THAT THEY AREN'T BOTHERING HIM.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LORD'S WORK IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 1978
TOTAL BAPTISMS: 530+
TOTAL CONGREGATIONS: 34
NEW CONGREGATIONS: 12
TOTAL CHRISTIANS: 1500+
GOROKA CONGREGATIONS HIGHLIGHTS FOR 1978
BAPTISMS: 74
RESPONSES: 165
RECORD ATTENDANCE: 424 (DURING-GOSPEL MEETING)
SUNDAY ATTENDANCE: JAN.- 118 DEC.- 100
MIDWEEK ATTENDANCE: JAN.- 174 DEC.- 188
Two additional busses purchased
A new printing press put into use
Four new village congregations started
Full support of native missionary, $75 per month
Brethren have taken over local benevolence program
Three Village Leadership Training Schools held

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Lived in three houses
Built two houses
turned 30 Years young

78 WAS GREAT BUT 79 WE CONTINUE OUR CLIMB

YOURS BECAUSE OF THE CROSS

THE Huffs