December 1986

Dear Brethren;

'Tis the season for family reunions and sharing with friends who we haven't seen for some time. May your holiday season be joyful and full of cheer. We thank our heavenly Father for your support both financial and prayerful which encourages us and makes it possible for those in darkness to walk in The Light.

TIME HAS REALLY FLOWN
How time flies. Why only yesterday it was the day before today.

For some this is the first newsletter you have received from us since we left the States in May of this year. There is a reason: we no longer enjoy the privilege of a sponsoring congregation for our work and have no congregation to print and mail our monthly newsletter at 3rd class postage rates there in the states. To mail 1500 copies a month which would cost approximately $120 there costs us over $600 to mail (airmail) from here. The low level of support which we now maintain does not allow such a luxury (or even the thought of such.) Even by sending to the states for final mailing we are looking at over $380 with regular 22¢ postage. Those who are receiving this after a long period can insure future copies if you will write and let us know you wish to continue to receive the monthly newsletter. Some of the brethren at Highland St. in Memphis are graciously acting as our 'temporary sponsor' until a permanent situation can be arranged with another congregation. Funds can either be sent to them or straight to us. A monthly accounting is available on request.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
The year 1985 ended with anticipation of entry visas for New Zealand only to be denied on the grounds of insufficient justification. Kathy was given an ''all clear" on her skin cancer. Prayer continues to work!

Jan. 1986: Jason and I had to have surgery on our wrists. Jab and Becky Mesa left Papua New Guinea to begin 2 years of Bible schooling at the South Pacific Bible College in Tauranga New Zealand. A congregation who had said they would help the Mesa's with support in their schooling called to say that they would not be doing so after further consideration. Due to the uncertainty of our receiving entry visas to NZ our sponsor indicated their desire to no longer provide sponsorship for our work

Feb.: Still awaiting visas with much prayer.

April: Word arrived that we had been granted a two year visa to allow us to put into place the ground work for the Oceania Outreach printing ministry. Due to the nature of our airline tickets we have to leave by May 30th or the tickets would be invalid.
Before we could leave though we had to go to New York for an interview with the New Zealand embassy. On the way we visited with Jeffersonville Ind. who had served very sacrificially as our sponsors for 8 years. We flew the NY from Nashville and returned the same afternoon. Before returning to Joplin we traveled to Memphis, Vicksburg Miss., Avenger Tex., Shreveport, Morrilton Ark., and Ft Smith Ark. seeking the ever elusive support. Even though we still did not have a sponsor or all the support we needed we had to leave to make full use of the tickets we held back to New Zealand.
The children were able to complete a full year of schooling before we left back to the field

May: We left Joplin for NZ on May 23rd via Tahiti. We arrived in NZ at the onset of winter and found the south wind and cool rains very uncomfortable after leaving the states at the beginning of summer.

Due to not raising sufficient funds before we left the states we had to use funds we had realized from the sale of household items in Papua New Guinea to pay off the shipping bill for the shipping of the printing equipment, car and personal items from PNG to NZ. We had hoped to use these funds to help us reestablish ourselves here in NZ.

June: We had our container we had shipped from PNG released from Customs and had it shifted by a crane over beside the Bible College where I would eventually unload the printing equipment into a garage/shed. I began printing again with the purchase of a used plate making machine.

July: We moved from the matchbox house we were living in into a large 3 bedroom house. Tobey Lewis Mesa was born to Jab & Becky, July 13th. The Mesa's have settled into school life and Jab is doing real well in his studies. We are continuing their support out of our support still seeking support for them in the meantime.

I finally unpacked the printing equipment and began printing Bible Correspondence courses, tracts and English chorus books.
The kids are enrolled in school and had to get used to wearing school uniforms

August: Getting our house set in order, my office in the basement. A time of adjustment with the printing equipment. The presses are showing their age and had to be overhauled, the folding machine doing its last effort of driving me up a wall.

Sept: Began publication of a monthly magazine called "The Communicator" which is being sent throughout NZ, Australia, PNG, Fiji and numerous other island nations. We also began the quarterly publication of a magazine called "South Pacific Focus" for the Bible college. We took the youth group snow skiing.

Oct-Nov: The printing is gaining momentum but is restricted in growth due to lack of funds. Funds are needed to purchase a folding machine and a more capable plate making machine. Our landlord informs us that the house is being put on the market and we might have to move at any time.

Total printing for 1986 (July-Nov.) 252,312 copies

OUTLOOK FOR 1987
We are praying for the necessary support for the Mesa's to finish their schooling and be able to travel back to Papua New Guinea to help the work there. With the establishment of the printing work begun we will be seeking to travel out into the islands to access how we can assist existing congregations with literature needs and the holding of village leadership training schools. Bible Correspondence programs have begun to literally explode into the islands and there is a need to follow up the programs with personal visits to those who are expressing a desire to be baptized in areas where the church does not presently exist.

May the Lord continue to bless your labors for His Kingdom,

the Huffs