Korry Reuben!

Over the last six years I, John, have worked with a lot of Papua New Guinean interns who have wanted to become translation consultants. Not all of them have succeeded, so it is really rewarding when some do. One of those is Korry Reuben, and it has been really encouraging to see how he has stayed committed to the work of Bible translation in the four years since he became a consultant. Korry lives in Kainantu, the closest town to the missionary center where we work, and after he finished his internship, he was asked by his denomination to start a Bible school there. So he did that while also assisting with a revision of the Bible in his own language, and consultant checking from time to time for various translation projects. Korry has finished with his commitment to teach at the Bible school and the revision of the Bible in his own language is completed so he has had more time available. He has been telling me for some time that he would really like to be more involved in consultant checking and also do more Biblical studies. For a number of reasons, I wasn’t sure if there was much of a chance of either of those happening, but in just the last two months God has been opening doors so that both now seem possible. There is a lot that needs to be done in the coming months to make these things a reality, and I am responsible to do quite a bit of that work. So, I would appreciate your prayers that I will have success in completing the work that will enable Korry to become more involved in the work of Bible translation here in PNG. That will be cause for celebration!

Korry (top left) checking with the Fore translation team

Vaccine!

Several weeks ago, out of the blue, the clinic here on our missionary center informed us that they had obtained COVID vaccines and that we could get vaccinated if we wanted! And we did! We are so grateful that we are now more protected.

Trip to the U.S.!

As you all know, our Joey is getting married to Moriah Cassano on September 18th in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We recently purchased our tickets and are set to leave PNG on July 29th. We are giving ourselves a little extra time in case we are delayed due to a positive COVID test. To explain, we are required to take one test before we leave our missionary center, and another before we depart from PNG. There have already been two missionary families who have had positive results on the last test and had to quarantine for ten days.

I will also be having meetings with the Seed Co. Pacific Area Team in the middle of August, so we’re grateful that the timing works out for that.

Me with the Pacific Area Team in 2019

Work Completed!

We have had a productive last month here in PNG. I have been continuing to prepare for two consultant checks and will be doing the checks when we return from the States at the end of September. Brena has been keeping busy doing Cafes, a Village Ladies Tea, and hair cutting in spite of the COVID restrictions.

Village Ladies at the latest Tea

Baked Items that Brena and her team prepared for one of the recent Cafes

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• We are so thankful that a COVID vaccination was available for us to get, especially before our international travel.
• Please pray for us in this final month before we leave; that we will stay healthy and get a lot of work done. Pray too that we won’t be delayed when we are ready to leave for the U.S.
• We are thanking God that Grant’s new engineering job up in Virginia is going well, that Sara has started her residency program, and that they are getting settled in their new place of residence.
• We are grateful that it is looking positive for Korry Reuben to become more involved in Bible translation work and ask you to pray that I will be able to complete all the work so it can happen.
• Continue to pray for Joey and Moriah as they prepare for their wedding and marriage. We are so thankful that God brought the two of them together.

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)

Since our last update in March there has been some not-so-great news regarding COVID in Papua New Guinea, but some good news regarding our kids.

COVID

It seems that COVID in Papua New Guinea is about a year behind COVID in the U.S. In the past two months the cases have risen rapidly in PNG – and there have even been a few positive cases here on our center (thankfully, none of them severe). Since vaccines aren’t yet available to the general public and health care here is very limited, we have been taking more precautions lately (which you all know isn’t fun). Up until a few weeks ago, the clinic here didn’t have any tests and people had to isolate whenever they felt sick (along with people they had been in close contact). Thankfully the clinic has tests now, so it has made life less stressful. That being said we would appreciate your prayers!

COVID is unfortunately affecting the work of Bible translation. Most travel between provinces is banned by the government so people from different languages that John works with aren’t able to travel to Ukarumpa. He has been preparing checks on the book of Luke for two different language groups and one of them has been postponed. The other one is scheduled for July, but we don’t know yet if it will go ahead or not.

I (Brena) am continuing with my Cafes, Teas, and hair cutting but with COVID protocols. Pray that I’ll be able to continue.

KIDS

A recent picture of the kids at Luke’s 20^th party (left to right: Moriah, Joey, Luke, Sara, Grant)

GRANT AND SARA: We are very proud of Sara for finishing pharmacy school and becoming a Doctor! Because she would like to eventually work in a hospital, she applied for a residency program and was accepted by University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, VA. She and Grant plan to move there the beginning of June. Grant was also offered a mechanical engineering job there and he starts in mid-June, which is a big answer to prayer. Please pray for them as they adjust to their new surroundings and jobs. Pray that they would be able to find a good church and Christian friends.

JOEY AND MORIAH: Joey’s fiancé, Moriah, recently returned to the States from her 1 ½ years in Turkey and she and Joey are enjoying living in the same city (Charleston) and not having to communicate virtually anymore. Moriah is applying for a job at a church and Joey is finishing his bachelor’s degree online and washing windows part time. They are still planning a September 18th wedding, so please pray for them as they prepare for married life. We are so thrilled to be getting another wonderful daughter-in-law! We hope to return for the wedding, so please pray that in spite of all the unknowns related to COVID, we will make it back.

LUKE: Luke just turned 20! Time flies. He and Joey have been living with John’s brother and his wife but they will move into Grant and Sara’s apartment when they leave for Virginia. Luke is continuing to wash windows, make music (@kalawaymusic), surf, motorbike, longboard, and jump off bridges! (it’s nice to know after the fact what he’s been up to :) ). Pray for Luke that God will continue to lead and direct him.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• We’re very thankful for continued good health even with the increase in COVID. Please pray that translation work (and my Staff Care work) would continue to go ahead here in PNG, that we would have wisdom in our interactions here, and that God would keep the doors open for us to return for Joey and Moriah’s wedding.
• Praise God that Sara was offered a residency program and Grant a job up in VA. Pray for them as they move up to a new city and that God would provide a wonderful church and friends for them.
• We’re thrilled that Joey and Moriah are living in the same city now. Please pray for them as they prepare for their wedding and marriage and that Moriah would find a job.
• And pray for God to continue to direct Luke as he decides on work/school/career. We are so thankful that God has provided housing and good church and friends for him thus far.

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)

 

 

 

The last couple of months provided lots of opportunities for Brena and I (John) to be busy in our respective jobs. Things were operating pretty much normally here at Ukarumpa so translation work was able to go ahead as well as the cafés and coffee houses that Brena does. Unfortunately, there has been a large increase in the number of COVID cases throughout Papua New Guinea recently, and we now face restrictions that will make work more difficult for both of us (like a limit on the number of people who can gather indoors and no travel between provinces). We would appreciate your prayers that we would trust God each day and remember that he is faithful and sovereign over our lives. Here are a few highlights of our last two months.

Wampar Training

Five of the interns that I work with are translators for the Wampar language translation project. They are a talented group and dedicated to getting the Bible translated into their language. For two weeks in February, I had the pleasure of teaching them how to use the more advanced features of the specialized translation software (Paratext) that is used by translators. Besides enjoying interacting with them in class, it was an encouragement to me to hear their testimonies (in our devotions each morning) of how God brought them to faith and then led them to be involved in the work of translation.

The Wampar language translators at the completion of the Paratext (specialized translation) training.

It was encouraging to hear Jack Kase’s testimony of how God brought him from darkness into a relationship with Him.

Migabac Consultant Check

The McEvoy family, whom we have known since coming to PNG, are currently in the U.S. after having finished the New Testament in the Migabac language. There is a relatively new Migabac translator, Karis, who is working on the Old Testament and as part of his training he needed to have 11 chapters of Genesis consultant checked. I spent three days doing the check and it was a pleasure to work with and get to know Karis and the two other Migabac men (Cromwells and Leune) who helped with the check by answering my questions.

It was fun working with and getting to know the Migabac translation team (Karis, Cromwells, and Leune).

House Guests

Matt and Liz Gentry have been managing a Wycliffe center on the island of New Ireland in PNG. We have known Matt for many years as he grew up in Solomon Islands. Liz and their two kids Lucy (age 7) and Tasman (age 5) needed to come to Ukarumpa for a couple of weeks and are staying with us. It has been fun to have them and they brighten our days!

Our house guests for a couple of weeks: Liz, Lucy and Tasman Gentry.

Cafes/Coffee Houses

Brena has been doing cafes on most Saturday afternoons and then night-time coffee houses about once a month since mid-January. I enjoy going by and seeing how many people are enjoying the time to get to together and have a cup of coffee and special dessert. There are usually lots of people who go, and one of the cafes had over 100! I’m thankful Brena has a job she enjoys and is obviously gifted for.

The Wampar translators enjoyed going to a Saturday Cafe and eating some desserts they had never tried before.

Family News

We just heard this past week that our daughter-in-law Sara (Grant’s wife), was accepted for a pharmacy residency program at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. We are proud of Sara and excited for her and Grant as they begin this new chapter in their lives. They will be moving to Charlottesville in the next month and Grant will likely be looking for a new job there.

PRAISE:

• that we have been able to have a time of productivity in our respective jobs
• that we have continued to have good health
• that Sara was accepted into a pharmacy residency program at UVA Health

PRAY:

• that God will protect us and others here at the mission center in PNG from COVID-19 as medical care is very limited
• that translation work will be able to continue here in PNG even with the rise of COVID cases
• that Grant and Sara will be able to find suitable housing and work (for Grant) as they move to Charlottesville Virginia

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)

With about 250 languages still needing God’s word in Papua New Guinea, we are thankful to be back here where we can help with the task. This last month was full so thought we’d show you through pictures what we’ve been up to.

The Christmas holidays were definitely different without our kids or extended family with us, but God provided many colleagues and friends here who helped fill in that gap. It was fun to visit with old friends and get to know new ones.

We were able to spend Christmas afternoon at a gathering with some of our colleagues

Here we are with Hilkka Arminen who was in our Field Training Course here in PNG in 1997 (before we went to the Solomon Islands)! She has been working in translation ever since.

Enjoying an afternoon trip to a nearby town with our good friends, Terry and Cyndi Cirre

John has been very happy to be back in PNG and have plenty of translation work to keep him busy. He was able to do a consultant check of Ephesians for the Kaluli language in January. He was thrilled to do it, especially since it was the last book of the New Testament that they needed to have checked!

John with the Kaluli translation team

Noel Diru (below) is one of the consultant interns John mentors. He came to Ukarumpa last week to meet up with a Wycliffe expat consultant and they planned to go to a remote location for a consultant check. Unfortunately, the expat consultant had a medical emergency and the trip was canceled. While Noel is waiting to return home, John is mentoring him by having him practice checking some translations and reading articles on translation theory.

John has also been preparing to teach five other interns he works with how to use specialized translation software. They will come to Ukarumpa for two weeks in mid-February.

Noel Diru with John

I (Brena) have been enjoying getting back into my Staff Care job. In December I put on a Tea for ladies who spend time out in the villages doing translation or literacy work. I’ve also been scheduling Saturday Cafes and have put on two so far, with the help of a great team of bakers and servers. Around 90 people come each time to spend time with family members and/or friends. One mom told me her teenage daughter loves to come to the Cafes because it’s the one time all week she feels like she’s away from our fenced-in center.  It does my heart good to hear that! I’m so thankful that I can do something that I dreamed about doing almost 20 years ago. I’ve also been cutting hair two days a week and that’s been a humbling experience (since I’m not a professional), but also fun.

Village Ladies sharing around the tables

With one of my rotating teams at the Elim Cafe

This translation family from Germany enjoys coming to the Cafes every Saturday to have a late lunch of desserts so that the mom doesn’t have to think about making a meal

cutting hair in my “salon”

 PRAISE AND PRAYER:

• We are very thankful that there haven’t been a significant number of COVID cases in the area of PNG where we live and because of that we have relatively few restrictions. Pray for continued good health.
• Solomon Islands has been closed to nearly all international travel for almost a year, which means John isn’t able to make his usual trips there to teach and consultant check. Pray that the country will reopen for travel before too long.
• Please pray for wisdom, peace, and strength as we carry on with our lives and work here. We are thankful for those of you who give financially and commit to pray for us.

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)

Merry Christmas from Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea! We are so thankful that God allowed us to return to our work here and that you have been a part of that through your prayers and gifts.

Thankful that we found our 27 years worth of Christmas ornaments that we thought we had lost when we went to the U.S.! Unbeknownst to us they were sitting right here in our storage!

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)

Brena and I are now in California and are cleared to return to Papua New Guinea tomorrow as our COVID tests came back negative. Thank you for your prayers! Starting last March we had been planning to travel to visit many of you, but unfortunately COVID-19 put an end to those plans. Because we weren’t able to see you in person, we recently updated a short video (*click on the link below) we made about our ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and we hope you will take a few minutes to view it. We are so thankful for your prayers and support as we continue to work to give people access to God’s Word in their own languages.

PRAISE & PRAYER:

• We are so thankful that we were able to spend some quality time with our kids and extended family this past week. Thankful too that God has kept us healthy and free from COVID!
• We will be traveling on four different flights before we land at our missions center in the highlands of PNG on Wednesday, November 11. Please pray for safety and good health.
• Pray for us as we set up on our home again, quarantine for two weeks, and then get back into our work.
• We are thankful for you!!

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 MY 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)

In mid-September we heard the good news that eight Wycliffe members who work with us in Papua New Guinea (PNG) were able to make it back! Most of them had made a number of unsuccessful attempts to return since June, so it was great that they finally made it. Since they were the first ones to make it back since March, it is understandable that the other missionaries at the Wycliffe translation center in Ukarumpa were thrilled to see them arrive. (photo below)

Our colleagues were able to make it back on a World Food Program flight from Malaysia to PNG and we have heard that these flights will hopefully happen once a month. We have decided we will try to get on one in November, but we won’t know for sure until sometime in mid-October if it is indeed going. Then we will need to find tickets to get to Malaysia to catch the flight. The list of steps to take and forms to fill out for returning to PNG is pretty daunting so we would greatly appreciate your prayers.

Before we could prepare to return to PNG we had to get medical clearance from the Wycliffe clinic there. After what seemed like innumerable medical exams, we recently received approval. While all those exams weren’t exactly fun, it is good to know that, at least according to the doctors, we don’t have any major medical issues.

I (John) had mentioned in our last update that I was going to be doing preparatory work for the book of Revelation for the Zabana language in Solomon Islands. I subsequently found out it was not ready for me to check and the team is currently working on getting it ready. They are hoping to have it ready in the next week or two.

We’ve enjoyed our time up here in Waxhaw getting together with friends and supporters, a visit from Brena’s sister and husband, and a weekend in the mountains with our kids. (photos below)

Please Pray:

• that we will be able to successfully navigate the complicated process for returning to PNG
• that God will give us wisdom as we plan what to do during the time we have left in the U.S.. (The coronavirus makes it more challenging than it normally would be.)
• that our remaining time with family and friends will be special. We are grateful for the connections we have already been able to have since coming to Waxhaw and look forward to more.
• that the Zabana translation team will be able to complete work on the book of Revelation so I can begin doing preparatory checking on it in October.

To Be In Touch:

john_bruner@sil.org

*New Address – PO Box 248, Waxhaw, NC 28173

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)