For a number of years now John and I have been talking and praying about when would be good time to leave Papua New Guinea and start living in the U.S. When we returned to PNG in August 2023, we thought we would be here for two years because our son Luke had a Missionary Kid scholarship at Liberty University which required us to be serving overseas. But Luke decided to not return to Liberty in January and that allowed us to consider moving back to the U.S. sooner. So, after more talking and praying, we have just made the decision that we will move to the U.S. by the end of this year or in early 2025.
This does not mean we will stop working with Wycliffe Bible Translators since John can continue to do his same job from the U.S. It just means that he will have to make regular trips the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea to manage interns and do consultant checking.
The main reason for the decision to base in the U.S. is because I am very tired of all the moving. Since we left the States 27 years ago, we have moved houses about 60 times. That’s a lot of transitions and with that comes a lot of stress. I am at a point where the thought of doing it again (after another furlough/home assignment) just exhausts me. I have also struggled the last few years with feeling more down than up and not enjoying my work and life like I used to.
The second reason we’ve made this decision is because we feel like after all these years away, now is a good time (especially considering how I’m doing) to be close physically to our parents, kids, grandkids, and extended family.
As you can imagine, this decision doesn’t come lightly, and we’ve gone back and forth many times with all of the pros and cons. Even though I am wanting stability, I will miss having a ministry overseas that meets a need and that God has gifted me in. We will also miss the simple and slower pace of life here, the mission community, and feeling really comfortable in a developing country. Overall, we’ve had a wonderful experience living overseas and raising our boys in the Solomon Islands and PNG. We have so much to be thankful for!
Since we are staying with Wycliffe we will continue to need monthly gifts from partners. We hope those of you who already partner with us will continue to do so. Because the cost of living in the U.S. is higher than here, we will likely have a higher budget, though we don’t yet know how much that will be. We are so thankful that for so many years we have had all the financial gifts we have needed, and we are trusting that God will provide what we need when we return to the U.S.
Please be praying that God will make it clear where we should settle in the States (right now we think it will be the Dallas, TX area). Pray for all the adjustments that transitioning full-time to the States will bring. There will be a lot! I am confident, though, that just like God has helped us these last 27 years, He will continue to do so with whatever lies ahead. And finally, please pray for us that we will finish up well our remaining time in PNG.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Please pray for those things listed in the paragraph above.
- Thank you for praying for John’s recent consultant check of the book of Esther for the Domung language. It was their first consultant check and it was encouraging to see they have a team able to produce a good quality translation.
- John and I will be making a trip to the States the end of this month so that John can attend Seed Company meetings. We will be visiting immediate family as well. We will return the end of May.
- Please pray that more people will join the Staff Care department here at Ukarumpa. Quite a number of us are leaving which leaves big holes.
Here are a few pictures of our family over these 27 years:
TO BE IN TOUCH:
john_bruner@sil.org
Permanent Address: 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington TX 76017
Overseas Address: PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea
WEB ADDRESS FOR PARTNERSHIP:
https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/Bruners
MAILING ADDRESS FOR PARTNERSHIP:
Send gifts to: Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200 (The check should be made payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators and include a note that says preference for the ministry of John and Brena Bruner.)