Rot and Rejoicing

September 6, 2017 / john & brena / 3 Comments

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)

July 2017 Newsletter (overview of the year)

July 20, 2017 / john & brena / Leave a comment

Dear Friends and Family,

Click on the link below to see our latest prayer letter. It is an overview of our last year for those who don’t get our monthly blog updates. But there is still some new info…specifically our upcoming trip to the Solomons! Woo hoo!!

Thanks for taking the time to read it. But don’t worry, there are a lot of photos. :)

Bruner Prayer Letter July 2017

Grateful for your prayers and financial support.

Brena & John

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)

Our Lives Lately

June 22, 2017 / john & brena / 6 Comments

Work and Play: Luke recently turned 16 and finished grade 10. During the five-week school break he’s keeping busy washing cars, locking up the primary school, working out, playing tennis, going to the river, and riding motorbikes. Recently Kairu and a couple of recent graduates (Joey’s friends) were here and so there was a lot of boy bonding time over food and motorbikes. I (Brena) really enjoyed having lots of boys around again too!

Prayer Requests: Pray that Luke would continue to know how much God loves him and that He is everything he needs. Pray too for safety in all his activities. Praise God that Luke has some good friends to encourage him.

at the recent “Sports Day”

Tim, Luke, Kairu

Luke, Tim, Icy – I did a lot of laughing while they were here!

My Fundraising and Encore Activities: As the parent sponsor for Luke’s class fundraising activities, I have been in charge or helping with different fundraisers this past year and a half. It’s been fun for me to spend time with the kids, but lately the “job” has caused more stress than enjoyment, so I’ve decided to step down. Recently I was the Chair of Encore. Encore is the night after the Jr/Sr Banquet when the adult-directed and acted play that the parents do for Banquet is performed for the community. Luke’s class (with parent help) baked, set up and served about 300 people.

Staff Care: I am continuing my weekly Cafes and quarterly Teas. One lady told me the other week that if it weren’t for the weekly Cafes I put on, she would have left PNG a long time ago! She’s the kind of person that needs a place to go, and the Cafes have offered her a place outside the house. When I heard that it really encouraged me.

Saying Good-bye: The end of the school year marks Graduation and also a lot of people leaving on furlough. It was sad saying good-bye to Natasha Mills, a recent graduate, who I got to know this past year through weekly lunches. I have so enjoyed my times with her and will miss her greatly.

Prayer Requests: Because I’m in a “caring” job, I would appreciate your prayers for extra strength to continue investing in and caring for people. Praise God that I have a few friends here that really care for me and invest time with me. I am blessed.

Encore!

A Village Ladies’ Tea

good-bye, dear Natasha

John’s Bathroom Remodel: John has no shortage of projects to work on in our “new” house (which he enjoys!) and the latest is remodeling the bathroom. In the process of tearing out some of the old structure, he found a leak in the ceiling and the carcass of a rat who evidently ate some poison and didn’t make it outside before he died. It had probably been up there for years!

Preparing for Consultant Checks: In early August John will be supervising a consultant intern, Steven Ttopoqogo, doing a consultant check of the book of Matthew for the Binandere language. Supervising someone is a lot of work as John has to go over the translation himself so he can assess the performance of the trainee during the check. John also plans to consultant check the book of Mark for the Domung language in late August.

Working With the New Translation Consultant Intern: Noel Diru worked as a translator on the New Testament for his own language, Gwahatike. After it was dedicated he and a few other members of the team decided they wanted to help neighboring languages with translations. Noel has been working with the Domung Translation team as an advisor for over ten years. Noel was recently recommended for a consultant internship and it was a pleasure for John to get to know him while he was here at Ukarumpa completing the application process. His commitment to helping others have God’s Word in their language is very evident and he also has a desire to continue learning to improve his translation skills. John is happy he will have the opportunity to get to know him better in the future since he will be his mentor.

Successful Completion!: Korry Reuben, one of the consultant interns that John has mentored during the past two years, just completed the requirements to become a translation consultant. It is exciting to see another Papua New Guinean reach this level and Korry will be able to contribute much to the work of Bible translation in the coming years.

Prayer Requests: Pray that God will give John wisdom as he mentors interns, so that he will know how to help them become well qualified translation consultants. Pray also that as he checks translations for different languages that he will be able to offer suggestions that make them more accurate and clear.

the bathroom remodel

Steven Ttopoqogo

Noel Diru

Korry Reuben

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)

Joey’s Mission Trip to Nicaragua

June 11, 2017 / john & brena / 6 Comments

The mission trip that I was able to go on to Nicaragua with my soccer team was an amazing time and a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it! I just want to thank each and every one of you for the support you gave me for this trip (unfortunately ETBU didn’t keep records of the individuals who gave toward my going). Thanks for the prayers and the financial gifts! They were both appreciated very much.

On our trip, our ability to play soccer gave us an open door to share the gospel with many people in Nicaragua. For the first five days we were based at a Christian school (Donna Holland) where we enjoyed time playing with the kids, both soccer games and other fun games. We also shared our testimonies and helped out by painting over ten of the school’s classrooms. We put on a number of soccer clinics and helped the kids there with some soccer skills. On our last day there I was able to share my faith with whole school and a little bit about what I believe.

For the last five days we were based in the capitol, Managua, where we took part in a number of different activities. We helped out at a mission for the elderly, went to public schools to share, and even did some sightseeing. We also played two soccer teams while we were there, took part in a church service, and spent time at a safe home for troubled youth.

Thanks again for your prayers and support, and know that God was working in my heart, my team members’ hearts, and the hearts of the people we met there. Currently I am in South Carolina working at Chick-fil-A, and enjoying being with Grant and a number of my cousins. In August I will go back to ETBU for my Sophmore year. I have decided I would like to study Construction Management, so I will need to transfer to another school after this next year. I would appreciate your prayers as I head into a future with a lot of unknowns!

Joey

with my bro in South Carolina

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)

May’s Excitement!

May 8, 2017 / john & brena / 10 Comments

JOEY just completed his first year of college at East Texas Baptist University. He’s had his rough moments, adjusting to life in America and starting from scratch with friends, but he seems to be doing well now. Thanks for praying for him.

He left today on a ten-day mission trip to Nicaragua with his soccer team. They will be doing soccer camps, visiting an orphanage and playing against some local teams. For those who gave him money, thank you! And for those of you who would like to pray for him, these are the requests he sent our way:

“That God would give us safety.
That my intentions for going would be to serve alongside and with God and not just doing it for Him.
That when God asks me to do something while there I would do it willingly.
And finally that I would go with a servant heart ready to do whatever God calls!”

When he returns from his trip he will be spending the summer in Charleston, South Carolina again.

Joey, with his back to the camera on the right, was so excited to get on the plane for Nicaragua

GRANT just completed his third year at John Brown University where he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He recently proposed to his lovely girlfriend, Sara Banter, and they are planning to be married in about a year. We have had the privilege of meeting her on the trips we’ve taken to the States, and are so thankful that she loves the Lord and loves Grant. What could make a parent happier?

Grant is again spending the summer in Charleston, South Carolina and then he will return to JBU for his senior year. Sara will also be in Charleston, but will stay on there because she is starting a three or four year program to become a pharmacist. Please pray for them as they are apart for a year; that their relationship would grow stronger even with the separation.

And in a couple of weeks his Ultimate Frisbee team will be going to Nationals!! Congratulations, JBU Ironfist!!

the engaged couple!

JOHN returned home last week from his second trip during April and I’m so thankful he doesn’t have to make another trip until August! :) He enjoyed his Seed Co. meetings and was also able to spend some time with Grant, Joey, Absi, and Sara! Luke and I held down the fort here.

John sure enjoyed being with the boys even with all the rain and mud

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)

John’s Trips

April 19, 2017 / john & brena / 5 Comments

John returned last week from a trip to the coast and then left this morning for a two week trip to the States. During his time in Madang he was able to help this group of Papua New Guineans (photo below) with their translations. They are going at it alone (without an expat adviser), so John’s help was much appreciated by them. He stayed and worked with a colleague named Jon (far right), and enjoyed getting to know him over those two weeks.

Now John is headed to Texas where he will take part in Seed Co. meetings but will also be able to spend time with Joey and Grant on the weekends before and after the meetings. Both boys are nearing the end of their school years; Joey as a freshman at East Texas Baptist University and Grant as a junior at John Brown University.

Please pray for safety for John and peace and good health for me and Luke as we stay here. As we were reminded this Easter weekend…

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives!”

Thank you for your prayers, love, friendship, and gifts. We appreciate you all and thankful we can be serving here in Papua New Guinea.

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)

Us Three

April 1, 2017 / john & brena / 8 Comments

Luke is back from his two-week adventure going out to Kavieng and then participating in the teen mission trip to Lae. He spent his time in Kavieng kayaking, snorkeling, attempting to surf, and eating lots of good food. In Lae, he especially enjoyed visiting an orphanage and playing with the children. This coming week Luke starts the final term of his tenth grade year. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers.

Luke out in Kavieng with friend, Micah

John left earlier this week for a two-week stay at the coastal city of Madang where he is working with four teams of Papua New Guineans who are translating into their own languages. He is assessing the work they have done and helping them to improve their translation process. On April 9th John will fly from Madang to Port Moresby (the capital of PNG) where he will be involved in some meetings with Seed Company staff and the Bible Translation Association (BTA), the national translation organization, to discuss issues related to training translation consultants. When he gets back, he’ll only be here at Ukarumpa for a week and then he heads off to the States for two weeks to attend Seed Company meetings. He will also be able to see both Grant and Joey so he is excited about that. Please pray for safe travel and a smooth time here for me and Luke.

A few weeks ago John consultant checked the final two books for the Mato language translation project (photo below). The Stobers have been working with the Mato people for 20 years and are thrilled to finally be done with all the consultant checks. They still have a lot to do before the NT is ready to be printed, but this was a major hurdle to cross. Pray for the Stobers to persevere and stay encouraged.

I’m still enjoying my Staff Care “job” of hosting and baking for once a month Coffee Houses, weekly Cafes, and quarterly Teas. Different friends help me from time to time. Last night Christy Taylor was my co-host :).

and Christy’s husband and daughter were two of the guests :)

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)

Luke

March 14, 2017 / john & brena / 9 Comments

The three- to four-week school breaks between terms here are always looked forward to by Luke, but often after a few days the boredom sets in. There’s a saying around here that if you want to do something you have to make it or bake it. And since there’s a fence around our center, you pretty much have to stay in a two-mile radius to make it or bake it. :)

Luke has just finished his 3^rd term of grade 10 and is very thankful that instead of being stuck inside the fence over break, he gets to go on a little adventure. Hopefully it will be fun and a time God will use in his life to encourage and grow him.

He was asked by one of his friends if he’d like to join him and his parents tomorrow as they go out to one of the regional centers, Kavieng (map below). They are managing the center so that the regular managers can come here to Ukarumpa to attend the Branch Conference. Kavieng is probably a bit like Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, where Luke spent some of his childhood. Out in Kavieng they’ll be able to swim, surf, and go out to eat.

After about a week in Kavieng, the two boys will then fly to Lae (in the map below), where they’ll meet up with some of the teens from Ukarumpa who are taking part in a mission trip. They will be working at the Lae City Mission to help build a boys’ dorm, do some grounds work, and help out in the orphanage.

Would you please pray for Luke that God will keep him safe but also that his heart would be open to what God has to teach him?

Thank you for caring for our kids through prayer. It means a lot.

And the day Luke gets back, John leaves for a two-week checking trip to the coast (Madang). More details in our next update!

Luke just finished the Term 3 basketball season

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)

A New Opportunity

February 13, 2017 / john & brena / 5 Comments

I, JOHN, RECENTLY RETURNED from a ten day trip to the Solomon Islands where I taught nine people from four different translation projects how to use Paratext, the software program developed especially for Bible translation. I taught the workshop at a Bible school called Islands Bible Ministries (IBM) which has recently partnered with Seed Co. to start three translation projects. I have known the founder of the school, Dr. Alphaeus Zobule, since 1995 when Brena and I were studying linguistics and translation with him and his wife, Sanny, in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Zobule and I in Honiara, Solomon Islands a couple of weeks ago

And us, back in 1995

Alphaeus and Sanny later returned to Solomons and Alphaeus completed the New Testament translation into his own language, Ranonga. They then went back to the U.S. and Alphaeus got his PhD in Old Testament studies. When he returned to Solomons he saw that there was a big need for Biblical training so he started IBM. And because he has seen the value of Bible translation he has incorporated that into his school. Since we have known each other for so long I was thrilled when Alphaeus asked if I would come teach Paratext. The participants had all taken a basic computing course so two week material I took, we managed to cover in just over four days! During the next year, the participants will begin using Paratext to do translation work and I plan to go back next January and teach them how to use the more advanced features of Paratext.

Fataleka N.T. Update

We just received an email letting us know that typesetting of the Fataleka New Testament has been completed and is ready for printing! 2000 copies will be printed in Korea and they should arrive in Solomon Islands sometime mid year. No date has yet been set for the dedication but Brena and I are both planning to attend. The audio recording of the New Testament is currently being finished up so it is looking like it will also be available at the time of the dedication. We are thankful for the good news. If you’d like to hear a bit of the audio recording, go to our Facebook page, Brena N John Bruner, and see a recent post.

Thank you for your prayers and financial report that allow us to continue helping with Bible translation!

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)

Moving Accomplished!

January 18, 2017 / john & brena / 8 Comments

Whew! It’s done. Hopefully not something we have to repeat for a long time to come. We’re now at lot C1, one of the first homes built in Ukarumpa – back in the early 1960s. Thank you for your prayers!!

When I (Brena) think of all the things I like about the house, I realize what a gift God gave us. It’s centrally located, private, has a beautiful view, quiet, large living/dining area (perfect for having people over), a bedroom with lots of windows and even a nook where a comfy chair sits, homey window seats, and a big nice kitchen. There are still a multitude of projects that John would like to do to make the house a bit more livable; cover over the back stairs so that the rain doesn’t blow under the door, enclosing the basement so rats can’t get in, etc., etc., but we’re in, curtains are hung, and things are put away. (photos below)

Luke is back in school and also playing basketball this term. I will start up again with Cafes and Teas the end of this month, and John is back in his cubicle working on translation. He’s been finishing the typesetting of the Fataleka New Testament and preparing for a consultant check which he will do as soon as he gets back from the Solomon Islands. That’s right, John is leaving tomorrow for a 10-day trip (short one this time – woo hoo!) to teach a group of Solomon Island translators how to use some specialized translation software. Please pray for safety and good health for all us.

Thank YOU for the part you play in us being here. We’re grateful that we can be a small piece of what God is doing here in PNG and the Solomons, and we can only be here because of your prayers and support. Thank you.