We have been busy the last couple months, both in America and in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In May I (John) traveled to the U.S. for Seed Company meetings. Our Field Operations division hadn’t met in person in almost four years so it was nice to get reconnected with colleagues! I was happy that our meetings were held in North Carolina as that made it possible for me to see our 3 boys and 2 daughters-in-law before and after the meetings. That made the over 100 hours of travel a little less painful!

The Seed Company Pacific team (part of Field Operations)

KORRY:

About a year ago, I had asked for prayer that Korry Reuben, a former consultant intern, would be able to become more involved in translation consulting. Just last month he was hired by the translation center here on a six-month trial basis to do consultant checking and training. I’m supervising Korry and it has been great to see him enjoying being more involved in the work of Bible translation!

EXIT INTERVIEWS:

Part of Brena’s job with Staff Care is doing exit interviews for those leaving on furlough or leaving for good. It’s a way for the missionaries to debrief their time in PNG and also for Staff Care to hear what people have been struggling with and hopefully find a way to fix the problems. While I was gone, Brena did a number of interviews. Here she is with Jo Miller. Jo came at age 55 to teach at the elementary school. She’s been here 15 years and feels like it’s God’s time for her to retire. The community will miss her. It’s people like her who allowed us to come to PNG after our time in the Solomons was over.

OUR KIDS:

Grant and Sara will be moving this month from Charlottesville, Virginia to Houston, Texas because Sara was matched to MD Anderson Hospital for a year of residency for oncology pharmacy. Pray for them as they adjust to living in a new city and pray that they will find a good church and make new friends.

Joey and Moriah are residing in Charleston, South Carolina. Joey is finishing up his business degree online and working part-time and Moriah is an assistant to several pastors at East Cooper Baptist Church. Please pray for them as they continue to adjust to married life and make plans for the future.

Joey & Moriah (left) visited Sara and Grant up in Virginia over the Easter weekend.

After several years of working, Luke has decided to start college. He was accepted to Liberty University in Virginia and received a scholarship for full tuition. Please pray for Luke as he transitions to a very different life and pray that God would direct him to a degree that suits his gifts and interests.

Luke on his 21st birthday

Kairu just graduated from Cornerstone University in Michigan with a degree in Bachelor of Science, Pre-Dental. We are proud of him! Please pray for him as he tries to find a job in the dental field and also decides on a graduate program in dentistry either in America or Australia.

Joey and Moriah were able to attend Kairu’s graduation in May

PRAISE AND PRAYER:

• We’re thankful that I had a good trip to the U.S. connecting with colleagues and our kids. Brena did fine on her own while I was gone (keeping busy with Café’s, haircuts, interviews, etc.), so we’re thankful for that.
• Thank you for praying for Brena’s talk to the teens few weeks back. There were only 15 teens there, but she did well in sharing how she has experienced God’s unconditional love and grace in her life as she has lived with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
• Thank you for praying for Brena’s need for more help at her Cafes. 5 new people signed up recently.
• Brena’s boss (Carl Campbell, the manager of Staff Care) is retiring in August. Please pray that another person comes along that can take over his responsibilities. Carl and his wife Pam will be greatly missed here!
• We would appreciate your prayer for our kids and the requests mentioned above.
• We plan to leave for America in November for a 6-month home assignment (since it will have been a 2 year term overseas). There’s quite a bit of planning that goes into transitioning back to our home country; finding housing and a car, figuring out how to see many of our supporters who are scattered all over America, spending time with family, and fitting in work. We trust God will make the details come together as He always has in the past but we would appreciate prayer.
• On my return to PNG, Brena and I were able to take a little time in Port Moresby (the capital) for some R & R and to celebrate 29 years of marriage.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea (OR send to: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington, TX 76017 because of COVID delays in airmail)

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)

EDOLO CHECK

Brena and I got to know Jan and Debbie Gossner when they came to Solomon Islands in 2010 for Jan (below left) to serve as the Director for our group. They had previously been working on the Edolo translation in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Recently they have started making trips back to PNG to continue working on the Edolo translation. In April I was able to consultant check five Epistles for them and it was a pleasure for me to be able to work with Jan and the three Edolo men who came to Ukarumpa for the check. Edolo has a grammar very different from English (the verb comes at the end of a sentence), so it was often challenging for me to understand the back translation. But it was very helpful for me to see how Edolo communicates things.  Here is Colossians 1:27 in the NIV and then the Edolo back translation so you can see for yourselves.

NIV: To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Edolo: By his own desire, what was hiding put, Gode (God) to those his people revealing showed. So (they) would understand that talk is uniquely good and, then, so (they) would understand that talk can help people in all clans too, (he) did like that. What was hiding put was this. That Geleso (Christ) he is with you in your insides. Because of being like that, thinking to be able to be there where Gode’s (God’s) uniquely good life is, be anticipating in (your -pl) minds.

FUN RUN!

Last month Brena and I organized a 1m/5K/10K Fun Run for the missionary community here. And it was fun! Around 100 people showed up (probably half of them were kids) to run or walk and even enjoy some cinnamon rolls and ribbons at the end.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• Thank you for praying for my check of five Epistles with the Edolo team. It went smoothly, we found ways to improve the translation, and I enjoyed working with the team.
• Please pray for Brena on May 8 (May 7 U.S. time) as she shares with the high schoolers at their weekly meeting. She is planning to tell her story of how God has helped her through some significant struggles (legalism, anorexia in college, and OCD) through an understanding of God’s grace and acceptance. Pray that the teens would understand that as well.
• I leave for the States May 9 to attend some Seed Company meetings. I’m thankful that the meetings are in North Carolina so I’ll be able to spend some time with our kids in South Carolina and Virginia. Pray that things will go well for Brena as she remains behind.
• We had asked for prayer that more people would volunteer to help Brena out with the Cafes she puts on. Please continue to pray for that.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea (OR send to: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington, TX 76017 because of COVID delays in airmail)

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)

It has been a difficult past two years for the five translation consultant interns I (John) work with here in Papua New Guinea. The training center here at Ukarumpa has been unable to offer the courses they need because of COVID and lack of staff so the interns have been unable to make progress toward becoming consultants. For that reason, I decided to bring them to Ukarumpa in late February and mentor them for two weeks. A few weeks before they came, it looked uncertain as to whether the training could happen as the Omicron wave hit Ukarumpa. Fortunately, it passed through fairly quickly (I got sick, but Brena didn’t) so we were able to go ahead.

During the two weeks with the interns, I was able to focus on teaching them the practical aspects of consultant checking Scripture passages. I spent most of the time teaching them how to analyze back translations. You might well ask, “What is a back translation?” Well, A back translation is a fairly literal translation of the local language back into English (or sometimes the trade language Tok Pisin). Since the consultant doesn’t know the local language, it allows him/her to see how the translation team has decided to translate different passages and determine if it is accurate or not. I had the interns analyze back translations from many different languages and taught them how to identify places where there were errors or possible misunderstandings. It was encouraging to see them start to be able to apply what they have learned in the past to the practical work of being a consultant. I also was able to get to know them much better and I was impressed by their love for the Lord and dedication to helping their own and other Papua New Guinean languages get access to the Scriptures.

Below is a picture taken at a recent Candlelit Cafe with some of my (Brena’s) helpers who enable these Cafes to happen. To my left is Evie Wade, a 9th grader, who dreams of eventually doing some type of culinary schooling and career. It’s been fun to have her help and also to give her an opportunity to start using her gifts. To her left are Carl and Pam Campbell. Carl is my boss and the two of them enjoy helping at these events.

My friend Max and I just put on a dinner for 31 ladies who spend time out in PNG villages. We did a Fajita Bar and served ice cream pie for dessert. The ladies spent time getting to know each other and then Karen Schlatter, who lived for many years in a PNG village, shared her story of God’s healing and grace in her life.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• Thank you for praying for the two-week training John did for the interns. God answered prayer with a productive and encouraging time for all of them.
• Thank you for praying for me as I put on Cafes and a Village Ladies’ Dinner this past month. I appreciate so much the volunteers who help with me with each event. I couldn’t do it without them. Please pray, though, that I would be able to find more helpers so that the events can continue to happen.
• John has been preparing to do some consultant checking for the Edolo language group this coming month. Please be praying for those checks, that problems will be identified so that the correct meaning will come through.
• And thank you to all of you who read our updates, pray for us, write to us, and give financially. We couldn’t be here without you! It definitely takes a team to make Bible translation happen.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea (OR send to: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington, TX 76017 because of COVID delays in airmail)

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)

WORKSHOP: In our last update, Brena and I were in Wewak, PNG where I was helping with consultant checking for an Oral Bible Translation workshop. Brena was able to be there for two out of the three weeks, so it was nice to not have to be separated for the entire time! There were over 30 people from three languages attending the workshop and I was responsible for checking the 17 Scripture passages that the One (Oh-nay) team produced. It was my first time in almost twenty years of consultant checking to check oral translation and it took me a while to adjust. But when I got the hang of it, it was a really good experience and I was impressed with the quality of the Scripture passages the One team recorded. During the course of the workshop, it was evident that the participants really want to grow in their faith and the Scriptures they recorded were chosen because they addressed issues that their communities struggle with (fighting, sorcery, sickness, etc.). Pray that the participants will have opportunities to share the Scriptures they recorded and explain to people how God can help them in their lives.

Below you can watch a 38 second clip of Colin Anisi, of the of the One speakers, recording a story. He’s very gifted in recording stories and enjoys it!

CAFES: I (Brena) have been able to put on two cafés since returning from Wewak. One was a special one for married couples to enjoy a night out for Valentine’s Day. My Staff Care colleague and friend Max Voss and I hosted 45 couples in two sittings with music and candlelight.

The construction department recently added another covered area in back of the Staff Care building, and just in time for the Valentine’s Café! This allowed for more couples to sit outside and stay dry if it rained.

Max and I baked 13 different desserts and if the couples had a hard time choosing, they could order a “Splurge” platter and try 4 different kinds!

Max (3^rd from left) and I were thankful for the ladies and men (our husbands) who helped with serving, washing dishes, and cleaning up the night of the café.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• Praise God that John and the team he worked with all remained healthy during the workshop! Thank God that I was able to go with him.

• Pray that the participants from the OBT workshop will have opportunities to share the Scriptures they recorded and explain to people how God can help them in their lives.

• Next week there are 5 interns (preparing to be translation consultants) who are coming to Ukarumpa for two weeks for John to teach them. Please pray that they will stay healthy while they are here and that their time will be profitable. There are numerous cases of COVID on center now and John just had it as well.

• I have two cafés and a dinner for ladies who work in villages coming up next month and would appreciate prayer for strength and that those who attend would be encouraged.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

john_bruner@sil.org

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea (OR send to: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington, TX 76017 because of COVID delays in airmail)

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)

Right now, John and I are in the coastal town of Wewak, PNG. John is one of three consultants doing the checking for an Oral Bible Translation (OBT) workshop. All the translation work is done by audio recording, so it is a new process for John to learn. I was able to come with him this time (a rare treat!) and am fondly reliving our years in the Solomons (minus the heat :/), since Wewak is very similar to Honiara. Please pray for the checking that God would give wisdom & good health to John and the men he’s working with. We will update you on how it all went in a few weeks.

The participants at the workshop are from three language groups

John is checking for the One (oh-nay) language group

EMAIL & OVERSEAS/STATESIDE ADDRESSES:

john_bruner@sil.org – PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea (Or send to: c/o Andrews, 4807 Ruidoso Dr., Arlington, TX 76017 because of COVID delays in airmail)

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)

Click on the link below to read our newsletter summarizing this past year of 2021.

We are thankful for your friendship, prayers, and financial support. Hope you have a special and happy Christmas, remembering Jesus, our Savior and friend.

EMAIL & OVERSEAS ADDRESSES:

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

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)

I RETURNED TO UKARUMPA (and Brena) on Nov 19^th after spending 2 weeks in Ubuo village in Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea, where I did the consultant check of Luke for the Kope language. I can’t say I was looking forward to the trip beforehand – I knew it is in a river delta area that is very hot and swampy. Thankfully it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had made it out to be in my mind, and the checking of Luke turned out to be a very encouraging experience. I’ll use pictures to tell about my trip there:

After a 35-minute ride in a small plane, and then just over 2 hours in a 30HP motorboat through tidal rivers which serve as the roads in Gulf Province we arrived at Ubuo, a village of around 500 people.

You can see when we arrived the tide was out (bottom left). The picture beside it was taken at the same place at high tide!

I realized that I had not lived in a village for over 10 years! It brought back so many memories – most of them good: cute kids, kids playing games, dugout canoes, using an outhouse (wiping maggots off the toilet seat was a new one for me!), bucket showers, roosters crowing, people sitting around and talking for hours and hours.

The only place in the village where you can get a phone signal is here by the river. I was so thankful for this spot as I was able to talk with Brena for an hour every afternoon!

A translation project in the Kope language had been started in the mid-1980s but for a number of reasons it stopped around 1990. About 6 or 7 years ago Hanna Schulz was looking at various language groups to work with and felt God leading her to work with the Kope. She has a great team of people to work with and it is exciting to see them making progress on the translation. I was very impressed with Hanna’s dedication to the work and her willingness to work alone in the Kope project. I was also impressed that she drives her boat on the rivers!

Tompkin Aumari is the Paramount Chief of half of the Kope villages and the translation project coordinator. He has been working for many years to get the translation work going in Kope and he is a very gifted individual. When I told him that I was surprised to see there were not many people in church he told me that he had said to a church leader, “You will have more Kope Christians when there is a translation in the Kope language.”

I stayed in this translation building which was built by the construction department at our mission center at Ukarumpa. It was great to have such a nice building with lights, fans and enough power for a hot water kettle!

Every day we had between 10 and 20 people come for the consultant check. About half were part of the translation team and half were others who came to answer the comprehension questions I asked.

Pastor Mark came from a different village to help with the checking. He was such a sweet man and I enjoyed getting to know him. It was a bit of a shock to find out that he had lost his wife to a crocodile attack – something that happens once or twice a year in the area!

It was clear to me as we did the check that the Kope people don’t understand the Bible very well (not surprising since they don’t have it in a language they understand well). That made it really encouraging to see people’s expressions as a section was being read. A number of times I would see their faces light up as they understood the meaning. After reading the sections where the Pharisees and teachers of the law kept trying to trap Jesus, but Jesus keeps outwitting them, Sandra (above middle) said, “Wow, Jesus sure has tricky talk!“ Another time, someone said, “Hearing this in our own language is frightening (convicting).”

After the section where Jesus says that only the sign of Jonah would be given to the people, Elijah, upon understanding that Jesus was referring to his rising from death after 3 days being like Jonah in the belly of the fish for 3 days, just kept shaking his head and clucking his tongue in amazement.

I’m so thankful I had the chance to do the consultant check for the Kope as it once again confirmed to me that the work of translation can have an impact on people’s lives. Thanks so much to all of you, who through your prayers and financial support, make it possible for Brena and me to be involved in this work.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

1. We are thankful that the check of Luke for the Kope language translation was able to be completed and that it went so well. We’re also grateful that Brena’s time in Ukarumpa while I was gone went well and that we were able to communicate daily.

2. Please pray for my scheduled trip mid-January to Wewak PNG (Sepik area) to help with a consultant check of languages doing Oral Bible Translation. Pray that all the arrangements for that trip will go well and that Brena will be able to go with me for 2 of the 3 weeks.

3. After a big surge in COVID-19 cases in PNG in September and October, it has died down recently so life seems almost back to normal. Brena has been able to resume her Staff Care work and socializing with colleagues has been a little easier.

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)

I (John) have recently come back to Ukarumpa from Alotau where I spent two weeks checking the gospel of Luke for the Kaninuwa language. It was both a humbling and encouraging trip for me. Here’s why:

I, along with Joseph and Joyce Park (the Wycliffe advisors for the Kaninuwa translation), had an easy 2-hour flight to Alotau in a small plane and enjoyed seeing the beautiful mountains and coastline on the way. The five Kaninuwa speakers, however, had a 6-hour motor canoe trip in rough seas (they actually ran out of gas before they reached the mainland and had to paddle the last half hour!). Then one of them, Phocus, was feeling sick during the checking. He spent most of one day in bed but the next morning showed up and told me that he was really sorry he had missed some of the checking as he felt like he was letting down the team. He didn’t miss any more of the sessions even though I could tell he was still not feeling well! It was very humbling to me to see what the Kaninuwa were willing to go through for the sake of translating the Scriptures into their language.

Kaninuwa Team: (L to R): Jack, Rose, Phocus, Lynette, Lebi, Joyce, Joseph

Alotau, being on the coast, brought back memories of our years in Solomon Islands

My job as a translation consultant is to find places where there are either mistakes or the translation is not communicating clearly. It can be difficult for the translation team to be told many times during the check that they need to change things. However, Jack (photo below), the main translator, would thank me almost every time I pointed out something that needed changing! I was so encouraged by his desire to make the Kaninuwa translation accurate and meaningful.

Phocus and Lynette (photo below) are not part of the Kaninuwa translation team, but they came as helpers to answer my questions to see whether the translation was accurate and clear. After the check Joseph asked them to write down their thoughts about the time spent checking. Phocus said that he was thankful for the new insights he gained from the check and was looking forward to sharing what he learned with people in his village. Lynette said that she was thankful to learn more about how to dig into God’s Word to understand it and, “I understood God speaking to me in the Kaninuwa language.” Hearing those types of comments makes me very thankful I can be involved in this work!

Thanks for your prayers while I was away doing the consultant check. Brena managed fine at Ukarumpa, but because of a large surge in COVID cases (in all of PNG but especially in the highlands where we live) she wasn’t able to put on Cafes, Teas, or cut hair. Currently all the different departments here on the missionary center have to shut down every day at 2pm and we are only allowed to get together inside with one other family. It has made life more difficult and we would appreciate your prayers that the situation would improve so the restrictions can be eased soon.

I am scheduled to leave on Nov 5^th for another consultant check (also the gospel of Luke) for the Kope language. I plan to be gone until Nov 22^nd. We would appreciate your prayers that the check would go well and that we will stay healthy. Please pray for Brena too as she will again be staying here at Ukarumpa.

Thank you for your part in the work here through your prayers and gifts. We are so blessed and humbled by your partnership.

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)

Many people have asked us, “How was the wedding?” or “How was your time in the States?” So much happened that we thought it would be best to “describe” our stay in the U.S. in August and September through pictures. We also value your prayers for the items listed at the bottom of the update, especially for John’s consultant checking trip starting tomorrow.

Our first stop in August was Texas. We stayed five days and were able to see a few family members in that area like John’s brother Bill and wife (picture above), and my sister and her family (picture below).

From Texas we flew to Charleston, South Carolina, but because Joey had COVID we weren’t able to move in immediately with him and Luke. So we picked up a car and drove down to Florida to spend a few days with John’s parents. What a sweet time we had with them and with another one of John’s brothers, Brad.

After Florida we drove back up to Charleston and stayed with this hospitable, sweet couple the Huletts (prayer partners of ours and the caterers for Joey and Moriah’s wedding) for a few days before we moved in with Joey and Luke. We lived with the boys for three weeks during which time we shopped, made plans for the wedding rehearsal dinner, and shopped some more (sigh).

Although our time was busy, it was very special to hang out with Joey, Moriah, and Luke. It was also so nice to get to know Moriah better (since we’d only seen her briefly a couple of times before) and be able to attend her bridal shower! Here I am with Moriah and Moriah’s mom, Denise.

John, Joey, Moriah, Gabe (a friend of Joey) and I ran in a 5K while in Charleston. I love doing races when we’re back in America so that was one of the fun things we did on the trip.

The first week of September we drove up to see Grant and Sara in their new place of residence, Charlottesville, Virginia. Grant is working as a mechanical engineer at a commercial refrigeration company and Sara is in her first year of pharmaceutical residency at the University of Virginia Health System. What a special five days we had with them. They are very near Washington D.C. so we enjoyed sightseeing with them. Here’s our cute tour guides on the streets of DC.

We also saw Mt. Vernon and some sights in Fredericksburg.

On the way back to Charleston we stopped briefly in Waxhaw, North Carolina to see our good friends from Papua New Guinea, Brad and Toni Guderian. We were so happy to hear Toni’s colon cancer is in remission.

Then the wedding week began! What a busy week, but there were many sweet moments with so many friends and family. It was heartwarming to see “the boys” together again: (left to right: Luke, Grant, Icy, Jesse, Amaechi, Kairu, Stacy).

We hosted the rehearsal dinner in the gym of the church where Joey and Moriah were married. Since we couldn’t get in to set up and prepare until 3:00 p.m. it was a mad rush to get it all done, but we managed with the help of others. What a wonderful evening of celebrating what God has done in Joey and Moriah’s lives.

We shared an Airbnb with my immediate family. It was very special to be together with my sister, brother, and dad, a very rare occurrence.

We felt so blessed to have several sets of dear friends from around the country share the weekend with us like Robin and Lee Montgomery (left), Rick and Jolene Nachtigal (top right), and Keith and Karen Anderson (bottom right). *you can click on the tiny pictures to enlarge

and….The VERY Happy Couple!

Joey and Moriah spent their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and are now settling into normal life in Charleston, South Carolina, where they intend to stay for a couple years before serving as missionaries wherever God leads them. Joey is working part-time and finishing up his degree. Moriah is working as an assistant to John’s brother, Dave, who is the missions pastor at East Cooper Baptist Church.

Here is a barely coherent John on the last leg of our 50+ hours of travel! We arrived back to Ukarumpa and to our home on Friday, Sept. 24. A friend had made sure it was clean and put some meals in our freezer so that we would have an easier time settling back in. It sure made a difference.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• We thank God for how He answered prayer and met our needs so wonderfully during the entire time we were in America. Some examples: a car being loaned to us for the exact number of days we needed it, being able to get a quick and painless root canal done on the spur of the moment, finding an Airbnb so close to the church and the right size for our family, and a quick and easy wedding dress find for me.

• Pray for Joey and Moriah as they begin their new life together.

• Please pray for John’s consultant checking trip in Alotau PNG from Oct. 8-22. He will be checking the gospel of Luke for the Kaninuwa language. Pray that he and the translation team will remain healthy, have wisdom in knowing how to correct any errors and find ways to improve the translation, and that John would be able to come back when scheduled. Things are constantly changing in regard to COVID regulations. Please pray for me as I remain here in Ukarumpa. This will be the first time to be kid-less while John is away on a trip.

• Pray for contentment and remembering why we are here.

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)

It’s official! We gained another lovely daughter-in-law! Joey and Moriah were married two days ago and we are so thankful for how God led them together, and that we were able to be here for the wedding.

It’s been a VERY busy but good two months in the States and hopefully we will start the long journey back to PNG tomorrow (as long as our COVID tests come back negative this afternoon!).

We will send more pictures and stories once we get settled in PNG, but for now we just wanted to let you know we are thankful that God answered prayer regarding Joey and Moriah’s wedding and to ask you to pray for our trip back.

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:

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