Praise God! The Fataleka NT has been dedicated! Thank you so much for your prayers and support which have helped to make this possible. It was so special to be there with John and to feel like I was back home.

Hope these photos allow you a little glimpse into our trip.

PORT MORESBY– John and I spent two nights in the capital city of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. We enjoyed eating out, drinking good coffee, watching tennis and movies, and lounging by the pool (we didn’t enjoy getting really sun burnt, though!)

Celebrating 24 years of marriage at a nice restaurant

relaxing beside this beautiful swimming pool

HONIARA – We then flew to the Solomon Islands where we walked along the familiar streets and saw many familiar stores (but also some new and very nice coffee shops), sweated, reconnected with colleagues, slept under a fan, and sweated some more! It felt like home – but strangely different without the boys with us.

Visiting with our old time friends, Alpheaus and Siani Zobule. We met them before we each had children and now our oldest sons are in college! John will be helping Alpheaus at his translation school in the future.

Enjoying a good cup of coffee!

The beautiful view of the wharf from the Wycliffe houses

The Chinese restaurant that used to be our favorite

Buying some produce at the market

We enjoyed visiting with some Bughotu ladies who work at the main hardware store in Honiara (my Bughotu came back- what a surprise!)

John opening up the box of Fataleka NT Bibles

Take a look!

THE DEDICATION ON MALAITA – After four days in Honiara we flew to the island of Malaita where the dedication was taking place. We spent two nights there. There were about 20 guests/missionaries who attended with us.

The plane that we flew in to Malaita

Riding in the small bus to the village where the dedication took place

A group of translation committee members met us and we walked slowly behind them up the road

Further up the road we stopped and a group of men dressed as traditional warriors came out to greet us

After walking farther, we stopped again where a decorated canoe was being held up by three girls in traditional dress. Inside the canoe was the Fataleka NT.

Men danced in front of the canoe as we proceeded to the church

 

The children in white knelt down as the Fataleka NT passed by them

And then they entered the church

The Bishop of Malaita blessed and dedicated the Bible

Then there was the customary feast for the people from Gwantafu village; rice, fish, and sweet potato

Then the feast for the guests; rice, chicken, sausage, fruit, and juice

The children sang and danced for us

John and a few other people gave speeches

They gave us gifts

The Bibles were sold and later will be distributed in all the other villages

The lady in green on the left is the wife of Joseph Gofi, the translator who died last year

John and I with three members of the translation team. Pastor Sam Fito’e couldn’t get to the dedication because of the poor condition of the road from the east side of Malaita.

The day after the dedication we were able to visit Jonathan Hicks and family. Jonathan came to our village for a month in 2003 as a Discovery student, and now is back in the Solomon Islands teaching at an Anglican Bible school. It was so special to see him again and meet his family.

We hope you enjoyed the photo tour. Thank you for all you’ve done to make it possible for the Fataleka people to have God’s Word in their language – the language they can truly understand. Please pray for the Fataleka people that they would buy the Bibles, read them every day, and then live out its message.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org

Grant Bruner, PO Box 2159, John Brown University, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 – brunerg@jbu.edu

Joey Bruner, ETBU Box 6-331, One Marshall Drive, Marshall, TX 75670 – joseph_bruner@etbu.edu

TO GIVE ONLINE:

https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/Bruners

TO GIVE BY MAIL:

send gifts to:
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862

(The check should be made payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators – include a note that says it is for the ministry of John and Brena Bruner)

 

 

 

 

Thank goodness our house hasn’t fallen down! In the process of enclosing our “basement dungeon”, the construction guys here on our center discovered that most of the posts supporting the house were rotten. So, for over a month now they have been pouring cement and fixing the rotten posts. John has also been working on the bathroom, also discovering rotten flooring and a joist under the shower tub that was about to break. Thank goodness the work is nearing the end of completion which means the house can be clean and quiet again! 🙂

In the midst of all the house chaos, John was able to assist in the consultant check of ten chapters of the gospel of Matthew for the Binandere project. He also organized an event to recognize two Papua New Guinean men who just completed the requirements to become translation consultants. It was a happy time recognizing all of their hard work.

We (John and I) are very much looking forward to getting on the plane tomorrow to attend the Fataleka NT dedication ceremony in the Solomon Islands. This is the NT that John and the Fataleka men have been working on since 2010. We will be gone for a week. I’m also very excited to get “home” again after seven years away, connect with colleagues (old and new), and remember the sights and sounds of life there. En route, John and I will spend two nights in the capital city of Papua New Guinea for a belated 24^th anniversary celebration. This “break” is coming at a good time, as I have been feeling a bit weary of late.

Father Sam Sibolo, one of the members of the Fataleka team, happily looking at one of the 2000 copies of the New Testament which recently arrived in the Solomons.

Luke will stay here with a friend and also attend the annual high school spiritual retreat called Encounter. He’s also one week away from finishing Term 1 of his junior year. He participated in volleyball and also entered the world of physics and pre-calculus. Yikes! Those are two classes I never took in high school. 🙂 So Luke is also looking forward to a two week school break.

PLEASE PRAY:

1. Pray for our time in the Solomons – safety, refreshment, good connections with colleagues, and that God would be glorified in the dedication of the Fataleka NT.

2. Pray for Luke while we’re away that he would stay safe and healthy and that God would work good things in his life through the spiritual retreat.

3. Pray for Joey and Grant as they’ve started their 2^nd and 4^th year of college, respectively. Joey is playing soccer again and Grant ultimate frisbee. Pray for Grant and his fiancée, Sara Banter, as she spends the year in South Carolina going to Pharmacy school, which means long weeks apart from each other. Pray that they can concentrate on school and enjoy time with friends.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org

Grant Bruner, PO Box 2159, John Brown University, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 – brunerg@jbu.edu

Joey Bruner, ETBU Box 6-331, One Marshall Drive, Marshall, TX 75670 – joseph_bruner@etbu.edu

TO GIVE ONLINE:

https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/Bruners

TO GIVE BY MAIL:

send gifts to:
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862

(The check should be made payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators – include a note that says it is for the ministry of John and Brena Bruner)