When just a few months ago we had no idea when we would be able to return to Papua New Guinea, I (John) must admit it still seems a bit surreal that we are back now. And since there were many hurdles to clear in the process of getting back, we know that God answered prayer! We got our COVID test results back in time, all our paperwork for flying was approved by the airline in Los Angeles, and all our flights were right on schedule (it was 4 flights and over 30 hours of flying). Thanks so much for your prayers!

Upon arrival we had to quarantine in our house for two weeks. That was actually nice as it gave us time to recover from jet lag and get the house organized again. Now that we have been released, we are busy getting back into life here in Ukarumpa. It has been great to catch up with friends and coworkers after such a long time!

Brena has started her work with Staff Care, doing what she did before; organizing and baking for weekly Cafes for the community and quarterly Teas for village ladies, cutting hair (since there are no salons here), and spending one-on-one time with ladies.

I (John) have gotten my old office set up and I’ll begin doing preparatory work for a consultant check on the book of Revelation for the Zabana language in Solomon Islands. To do the actual check I will have to wait until the Solomons open up again (maybe mid-2021), or I might be able to do it virtually. I will also continue to manage the internships of the Papua New Guineans who are training to be translation consultants. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to make much progress because the training center here that offers courses they need has been closed since March and it isn’t known yet when it can reopen. Hopefully I will be able to meet with some of them who live nearby and do some mentoring.

Brena and I are thankful that we can be back here and contribute to the work of Bible translation. We know that it is critical for the spiritual growth of people here to have God’s Word in their own language and we feel privileged to be a part of that. We are thankful for all of you who have encouraged us and helped us so that we can serve here.

the last game of volleyball in Charleston with our kids, my brother, and Noah, a PNG MK

we were very thankful we had a few days in CA with Brena’s family before we returned to PNG

Brena and her dad out for breakfast

getting ready to board the Wycliffe plane for the last leg of our trip to Ukarumpa

we had to stay inside the caution tape for our two week quarantine period

it was special to spend Thanksgiving with some of our colleagues

PRAISE GOD:

• for the wonderful time we had in the U.S. and the many ways in which God blessed us.
• that He answered prayer in allowing us to return to PNG.
• that our house had a renter the whole time we were in the U.S. and was clean and in great condition when we returned.

PLEASE PRAY:

• that we will quickly adjust to a very different life back here in PNG and that we will be able to contribute positively to the work of Bible translation.
• that the Training Center here will be able to open again soon so that the interns I work with will be able to resume training.
• that we will stay healthy, both physically and spiritually.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

TO GIVE ONLINE:

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

TO GIVE BY MAIL:

send gifts to: Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO 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)