After some late drama before leaving Papua New Guinea, John and I (Brena) had an enjoyable week of travel through Australia (visiting friends and sightseeing) before we arrived in Dallas, Texas on November 10^th.

The drama: The afternoon before we left Ukarumpa John was on top of the carport roof washing the outside walls of our house. He accidentally stepped on a fiberglass skylight panel, fell through, and hit his head on the concrete floor. The first thing he remembers is walking out of the x-ray room at the clinic and wondering how he got there! After several hours of assessment, the doctor gave John permission to fly out the next morning. The side of his head was swollen for about a week and his shoulders are still sore, but we’re so thankful he is alright and that God allowed us to leave on schedule.

Since we landed in Texas, it’s been a whirlwind of activity: a visit from our son Grant and his wife Sara, a visit with John’s brother, sister-in-law, and some of their kids, my sister Beth and I flying to Minot North Dakota to pick up the van we will use during our home assignment, the long (four day) but fun drive back to Dallas, John in Seed Company meetings that whole week, Luke arriving from Virginia for a week, Grant and Sara arriving for Thanksgiving, spending Thanksgiving day with some of the Andrews, and recently moving over to a mobile home on the Wycliffe center in Dallas where we’ll be for a couple of months.

Both John and I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and in culture shock, but I am reminding myself that this is typical of being in transition. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get much easier with practice 😊. But as I shared on Thanksgiving, I’m thankful John is alive and that God got us through all the work of leaving Ukarumpa. And now as we have moved again and are getting settled, I am reminded to take one day at a time, to remember God’s love for me, and be thankful for all the many gifts He’s already poured out on us. Thank you for praying and we would appreciate you continuing to do that.

Below is a gallery of pictures from the past few weeks. The pictures and text are small, but just click on them and they’ll enlarge!

PRAYER:

• Praise God that John wasn’t hurt worse in his fall and that we were able to leave Ukarumpa when planned.
• Praise God for a good week in Australia and that we’ve already been able to see a lot of family since arriving in the States.
• Praise God for a safe and fun road trip from ND to TX and that God provided a reliable van for us to use during our home assignment.
• Pray for our continued adjustment back to life in America

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

*NEW ADDRESS: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington TX 76017

*NEW PHONE NUMBERS: John (682) 364-4015; Brena (682) 364-4009

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 (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)