We would like to ask for prayer for our upcoming trip to the U.S. in a few days for Joey and Moriah’s wedding. On Tuesday, July 27, we fly down to the capital city, Port Moresby (as long as the COVID tests our clinic does come out negative). Then we are scheduled to leave Port Moresby on Thursday, July 29 (as long as our COVID tests AT the airport come out negative). And then it’s on through Singapore, Doha, Dallas, and then South Carolina. We have return tickets for September 20th.

PLEASE PRAY

• for negative COVID tests
• that the countries we fly through will stay open
• and that the flights/connections will go smoothly

It feels a bit weird to be leaving after getting back to PNG just 8½ months ago. But I, Brena, feel like we’re both ready for a little break and to see family!! So excited!

FUN FACTS

Here are 24 fun facts about PNG and these last 8½ months for us. We thank Him that He’s given us the strength to accomplish the work; me encouraging fellow missionaries through Staff Care, and John with checking and translating.

• Our trip home next week will be 30 hours on planes and 10 hours in transit.
• Approximately 250 languages in PNG have not yet had any translated Scripture.
• I was able to put on 21 Cafes and Teas.
• John has been able to check about 3000 verses of Scripture for six different languages.
• Last week was the first time in 6 months for me to go anywhere outside our mission center.
• We will be staying with Joey and Luke until the wedding.
• One of John’s favorite activities is going on motorbike rides with friends.

• There is 1 small grocery store on our center and an outdoor produce market once a week.
• I have about 20 colleagues who volunteer their time to help me with serving, baking, or making specialty coffees at the Cafes.
• Over the years, our organization has published New Testaments in 217 of PNG’s 840 languages.
• We drink locally grown coffee every morning.
• Our organization here in PNG has workers from 19 different countries.
• Our routine in the evening is to watch a show together while eating some dessert and drinking tea. So fun!
• Because the roads on our center are dirt and the windows in our house are “louvered” (photo below), our house gets really dusty.

• I’ve recently taken up tennis (guess who my instructor is? 🙂 ), but normally go on a run for my exercise.
• Translation work here in PNG is happening in 134 languages.
• I did about 100 haircuts.
• We have an English church service on our center where different missionaries volunteer to preach and lead music.
• Around 250 Papua New Guineans serve as full-time employees in our organization. About ½ of them live in local villages.
• Our missionary center is enclosed by a 2-mile perimeter chain link fence.
• Ata works as our yard man and usually brings his wife and one-year-old daughter with him. They walk about an hour to get here. We are thankful for his help and expertise in gardening!

• The different missionary jobs here on center include pilots, teachers, doctors, nurses, computer specialists, literacy workers, Bible translators, linguists, accountants, principals, staff care workers, store manager, managers for all the departments, auto mechanics, construction workers, and the list goes on. It takes a lot of different skills to make Bible translation happen!
• Worldwide, 1.5 billion people still do not have the whole Bible in their own language.

Thank you for your part in helping us stay working with Wycliffe. We couldn’t do it without your prayers and financial support.

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)