A couple of prayer needs:

• Please pray for John and the Ura  translation team as they check the book of Hebrews this week. Please pray for wisdom and that the right questions will be asked to make sure the meaning is clear.
• Please continue to pray for strength, wisdom, and peace during these last few weeks of the school term, as Joey leaves, and as we move houses.
  

Thanks for being an encouragement to us!

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

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)

 

It’s hard to believe the end of the school year is fast approaching! That means that Joey will soon be heading off to college!! But before that happens, there is a lot going on here…

• Lots of homework for Luke, running track, earning extra money by washing cars, practicing trumpet, turning 15.
• Rugby for Joey and Kairu, enjoying “last” times with friends, rebuilding a go-cart, earning extra money by cleaning rain tanks, Joey turning 18.
• I (Brena): catering the food for a Ladies’ Craft Retreat weekend, baking for weekly coffee houses, meeting with friends, cutting hair, taking care of my family.
• John and I: “Banquet” prep (a parent produced evening for the 11 and 12^th graders) which includes lots of practices, meetings, cooking, enjoying a couple of nights away at a nearby mission’s guesthouse.
• John: enjoying his job with the PNG interns that are training to be translation consultants, getting ready to leave TOMORROW morning for another trip. (This time he goes to the U.S. for Seed Co. meetings. He’ll also be able to reconnect with some family members and our home church in California on his way back.)

PLEASE PRAY:

• For John’s trip to the States – safety, fun, encouragement – and for me and the boys as we stay here. John will be gone almost two weeks.
• For Kairu’s older brother, El Nathan. His wife passed away recently. He is left with 2 young children.
• For strength and joy during these last two months of busyness and time with Joey.
• For strength and joy in the transitions ahead this summer.

I’m  so enjoying my weekly lunches with these two sweet high school sisters – Ashleigh and Natasha Mills. They are such an encouragement to me. We get to talk deeply about life (something I don’t do with my teenage boys!). They dorm here while their parents work at a remote hospital and school.

Seven of the eight PNG men in this picture (closing ceremony for an Exegesis class) are interns that John is helping to become Translation consultants. (John is NOT in this picture) :)

Luke, soon to be the only kid left at home

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

There are 100 students at UIS this year in grades 7-12. Can you find the boys??

GOING TO SCHOOL is the job of kids in our society. There’s no choice about the matter. They have to do it. And it is the job of parents to figure out the best place for that to be. In our family, I (Brena) needed to home school the boys while we lived in the Solomon Islands because there wasn’t any other choice. When we have been in the States we have had our boys attend public school to help them adjust to American culture. Thankfully we were able to finish the translation of the Bughotu NT by the time Grant entered high school and we could go to a location where there was a school he could attend. I didn’t feel qualified teaching the boys through their high school years and we also wanted them to have all the extra-curricular activities and friends that come with being in a regular school setting.

So the option in 2010 was to head back to the States or go to a Wycliffe center somewhere overseas where John could continue working with Bible translation. And that’s why we landed in Ukarumpa, the Wycliffe center in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. As we have said before, Ukarumpa International School (UIS) has been a great place for our boys to attend. They’ve had an excellent education, godly teachers, coaches, and youth leaders who have had a positive impact on their lives, and extra-curricular activities to participate in. We are so glad we chose UIS!!

Like Grant, Joey will soon be graduating from UIS and we have asked you to pray that God would clearly lead him to the right college to attend (if that is what he should do). And God has done that!

Joey will be going to East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. With the scholarships he received and federal Pell grant his tuition is pretty much covered. And the amazing thing is that the men’s soccer coach is willing to take Joey on the team even though he wasn’t able to attend a tryout or send in video clips. The coach recently told Joey in an email, “We’re looking forward to you being a part of the soccer family.” As we’ve said before, it’s been Joey’s dream to play college soccer and it looks like God is giving Joey this gift.

So thank you for praying for clear direction!

And with Joey’s decision, it makes things clearer for us as well. We were open to going back to the States if Joey didn’t go to college, but since he’ll be living on campus, he is fine with us being here in PNG.

Please keep praying for Kairu, though, as he still doesn’t know what he’ll be doing and where he’ll be going after graduation.

“For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. “ Psalm 108:4

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

Thankfully we have been able to make good progress on the final read-through of the Fataleka New Testament. We are right at 50% and we have three more days to work before I head back to PNG. We won’t finish but I’m hoping we can be at about 65%. At least three of the men have been here every day and on most days we have had four of them. One of the men, Jeffrey, has not come at all and it is apparent it is because of an unresolved issue from the last time we worked together (Sept 2015). And unfortunately the first cousin of Pastor Sam Fitoe just passed away on Wednesday last week and Pastor Sam had to return to Malaita to do the funeral service. That means we only have three men left for our remaining three days and I would really appreciate your prayers that all of them will be able to come every day. If we only have two, it will be much harder to make sure we are catching things that need to be changed. Because we won’t finish I have already made plans to come back in early July. The more progress we make now means the less time we will need when I come back! Thanks so much for your prayers.

It’s been very nice to be able to keep in touch with Brena and the boys through email and skype. Things are going well there, so thank you for praying for them.

L to R: Joseph Gofi; Sam Sibolo; Salathiel Ulufia; John; Sam Fitoe

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

In a few days John will be leaving for another trip to Solomon Islands. He’ll be gone 3 1/2 weeks and hoping during that time to finish up the checking and final read-through of the Fataleka New Testament! We would appreciate your prayers for him and the team. Pray also for me and the boys as we stay here in Ukarumpa. Pray for peace, safety, and good health.

Click on the link below for more on this and a general update of each of us. Thanks for your prayers!

Bruner Feb 2016

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To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

Vacationing in Papua New Guinea leaves you feeling like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation!! But, in spite of the heat and humidity and incredibly bumpy 7 hour drive to and from the coastal city of Madang, we had a good time with our friends, the Nachtigals. We enjoyed swimming at nice beaches, eating out and even watching some television.

The whole time brought back so many memories for me (Brena) of our years in the Solomon Islands, especially when we motor canoed out to a little island to swim. It was just like the beach we paddled across to every Saturday to spend time as a family.  So it was a nostalgic time for me.  In a way I felt like I was “home”.

And thankfully God kept us safe on our travels: a hold-up happened to a bus just ahead of us and a bridge that we passed over collapsed later that same day!

Some items for prayer:

• John is preparing for his trip to the Solomons in late February. He will be working with the Fataleka team on the final read-through of the New Testament. There are still some issues with a couple members of the team that need to be resolved or they won’t be allowed to participate in the final read-through so please pray for them.
• Joey and Kairu are helping out with a VBS program for the PNG kids that live around here. Pray that many kids will come to know Jesus this week.
• Next week the boys start the last half of the school year. These next few months are also the time when Joey and Kairu will decide on the schools they will attend next year.
• Grant has a very full load of math and engineering classes at John Brown University.

The Nachtigal family and us

Kairu, being a highlands boy, thoroughly enjoyed his time in the ocean

We had the privilege one day of driving up the mountain to revisit POC (the Pacific Orientation Course) where John and I (and baby Grant) spent 3 months in 1997 learning the ropes of life in the Pacific. These are the dorms.

the dining room

VBS!

Joey helping with games

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Bruner house! Christmas overseas means things are a bit different than Christmas in America. We still set up a tree (with all the ornaments we carry around with us), hang our stockings, and cook/bake the usual things, but we spend the day with friends rather than family. Also, all the offices and the one and only store close for 2 weeks so things are quiet and calm. There’s something wonderful and simple about that, but it can also make us feel a bit lonely and distant from people and traditions back home.

Here’s what’s been going on lately:

• The school year is already half over for the boys!?! Joey and Kairu have been applying for colleges, so please continue to pray for their future direction.
• They have also been cleaning rain tanks and recently went on the Senior Retreat down to the coast (photos below). We’re thankful God kept them safe and that they all had a great time together!
• Kairu is spending the Christmas week with his family in a city about 2 hours from here. Unfortunately on the way there, the bus he was in was held up and his wallet and bag were stolen.
• Luke is starting a car wash business during this 5 week break and spending time with friends.
• I (Brena) have been baking for the Coffee Houses and Teas and generally cooking for us and guests.
• John has been mentoring the PNG men who are training to be translation consultants and also preparing for his trip to Solomon Islands in February when the Fataleka team will do the final read-through of the New Testament. He also just started an online Greek course as a prerequisite to a Master’s program in Bible Translation that he is considering enrolling in.
• Grant is spending Christmas week in Colorado with his girlfriend, Aspen (who we had the pleasure of meeting on our recent trip to the States), and her family. He will spend the rest of his break in South Carolina with John’s brother, Dave, and his family.
• And in a few days we’re driving down to the coastal town of Madang with another family for several days of vacation. We’ll stay at the Wycliffe guesthouse, eat out at restaurants, and swim at the beach. Madang is a lot like Honiara, the capital of the Solomons, so I’m sure it will bring back a lot of memories. And this will be the first time John and I have been back to Madang since 1997 when we attended the Pacific Orientation Course with baby Grant! Please pray that God will keep us safe as we drive and while we’re in the town.

So THANK YOU, dear friends, for being a part of our lives and work here in PNG this past year. We couldn’t be here without your prayers, financial support, and loving friendship. We love you.

class of 2016

the traditional senior photos on the senior trip

wow, does this bring back memories of our years in the Solomons!

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

Thanks for your prayers as John and I flew to the States for Seed Company meetings. It was a whirlwind of a trip (a little too busy for our liking) but special and fun in a lot of ways. Here are some of the highlights:

• We were encouraged and inspired through the Seed Co. meetings. We saw a number of old friends and met many new colleagues.
• We got to see Grant 7 days out of the 13 we were in the States! His Ultimate team had a tournament in the city where the meetings were held, and then he was able to spend a few days over the Thanksgiving break with us. It was a special gift from God.
• We were able to spend time with John’s parents, two of John’s brothers and some of their kids, and my sister and family.
• We ate lots of good food and I had a break from cooking. :)
• The boys did great while we were away.

So thank you for praying.  Pray for us now as we settle back in and get back to our jobs.

enjoying time together in Brisbane on the way to the States

a room full of Seed Co. folks hearing what God is doing in Bible translation around the world

Grant (on right) with his grandparents and some of his cousins

we so enjoyed watching Grant (far right) and his team play Ultimate

saying good-bye to my lovely big sister, Beth

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

Trip #1: Luke and eight other band students had the privilege last month of traveling down to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, to help teach some beginning band students. This band was started by Luke’s teacher, Marlene Schutter. They traveled by van and plane and from all that we heard, they had a really fun and memorable time. Not only did they help teach but they performed several times, ate out at restaurants, and even went to a very western mall! We’re thankful God gave Luke this opportunity and that it was inspiring to the young students who are part of the first band in a PNG school. One of the students, after hearing our kids play, said “I’m going to practice a lot!” :) So thank you for praying!

Marlene Schutter and the beginning band students

Luke out on the town with fellow band members

Trip #2: John and I (Brena) have the very special opportunity to travel to the States (Texas) tomorrow to attend 5 days of Seed Company meetings. This is the first work trip I’ve ever been able to take with John and the fact that we’re heading back to the States so soon after arriving, seems very unreal to me! I’m thanking God that not only will John and I be able to make this trip together, but we’ll be able to see some extended family and our very own Grant over the Thanksgiving holidays! How great is that?!? We’ll be gone 2 ½ weeks. Joey, Luke and Kairu will be staying in different homes, so please pray for them while we’re away. I’m sure they’ll keep busy with school and soccer.

Kairu as Keeper

Joey on left and Luke #15

And thank you for praying for rain. It’s rained a number of times in the last couple of weeks!

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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

We thought it would be good to give a summary of the last several months – what God has been doing as a result of your prayers and what we are praying He will do.

~Praise that John’s trip to the Solomon Islands was productive. He and the Fataleka team finished the checking of all the NT books! The final read through will be in February 2016.

~Praise that John is enjoying his job as Intern Coordinator for the PNG men who are training to be translation consultants.

~Praise that we’ve settled in well and are enjoying the different things we’re doing.

~Praise that Grant had a great summer in South Carolina and is now back at John Brown University and doing well.

~John was also able to address the situation that occurred with a couple of the men on the Fataleka team in the Solomons. Pray that these men will be truly repentant and that through the translated Scripture, God will work in their hearts.

~Pray that God will clearly lead Joey and Kairu in their future plans after graduation 2016.

~Pray that the 800 trial editions of the Fataleka scripture will have an impact on the lives of the people who read it.

~Pray that the boys would continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord, follow Him, and know how much they are loved.

~Please pray for rain! It hasn’t rained much at all in several months and predictions are that this drought will continue until early 2016. Because people rely on their gardens for food this has the potential to seriously affect many people.

~Pray for Luke and 8 other band students traveling down to Port Moresby this weekend. They and their band teacher will be helping to teach some students who have just started learning to play their instruments. Pray for safety as they travel by local bus and plane.

To Be In Touch:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea

john_bruner@sil.org

To Give:

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