BTW (Back Translation Workshop): For the past two weeks, John has been teaching a Back Translation workshop to 14 Papua New Guineans from 4 language groups. He really enjoys being in the classroom and interacting with the students. If you don’t know what Back Translation is and want to know, shoot him (not me :)) an email (he says he won’t be holding his breath waiting for one though).

Baraka: We are so thankful that God has provided us a renter for our house for the year we’re on furlough! Praise God! Baraka is relatively new to Ukarumpa and she is the Pharmacist at our clinic.  She’s thrilled that our house is right next door to the clinic so that she can come and go easily.  Her roommate, Julia, will also stay at our house for a few months before she leaves for furlough in September.

Baton: You all have been praying for someone to take over my (Brena) jobs with Staff Care. Well, God has answered! My friend, Laura, has offered to organize the Cafes occasionally. Because she has a lot of other things on her plate, the Cafes won’t happen as often as before but at least they will continue! She has also offered to organize the Dinners for 8 here in our community. Praise God!

Passing the rolling pin baton over to Laura :)

Boys: Thanks for praying for our boys. Luke has pretty much decided to take a gap year and work before starting college. He already has a job lined up too, as Joey’s boss is willing to take Luke on in his window washing business. Joey is continuing to fly and should have his private pilot’s license pretty soon. In August he will be starting the online Aviation degree that Liberty University offers. He is also going on a missions trip to India in a couple of weeks with his church. On May 6^th, Grant and Sara are going to celebrate their 1^st wedding anniversary! Where has the time gone!?!

Bungs (the Tok Pisin word for meetings): In our next update we will be sharing about the different Open Houses that we will be having in southern California and Texas this summer. Because we have limited time in each place, Open Houses are a great way to meet with a lot of you at one time. So be looking for a schedule soon! Let us know too if you’d like a new prayer card from us.

PRAISE AND PRAYER:

-We’re so thankful for the way God has been answering prayer with the boys’ future direction, someone to take over my jobs, and giving us a renter for our house.

-Pray for us in these final two months before we leave for furlough. There is a lot to do; finishing up our jobs, preparing our house for renters, filling out paperwork, planning presentations, and planning the summer of connecting with friends and family.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

 

 

Yauko Kasave is one of the Papua New Guineans I (John) have been mentoring as he works to become a translation consultant. In December Yauko finished a four-year degree in Theology as part of his internship and now he is checking translations under the supervision of consultants as the practical part of his training. In February I was the supervising consultant for Yauko as we checked the book of 2 Corinthians for the Gizrra language. There are still very few Papua New Guinean consultants, so it is a privilege to be able to be involved in equipping the interns I work with for this role. In the past few months a number of new interns have started and there are now 14 interns in PNG and 5 in Solomon Islands.

Besides the weekly Cafes Brena puts on for the community, she recently catered a dinner for the managers of the Wycliffe regional centers. These 15 people work in remote areas and rarely come here to Ukarumpa where they can connect with colleagues and enjoy the cool weather. Since they are here attending the branch conference and having meetings with their team members, Brena was able to provide a special dinner for them. She also worked with a friend two days later to host a dessert reception for the international guests that came for conference.

The regional center managers getting to know each other

Brena’s two Staff Care friends that helped her with the dinner — Raessa is a short-tern intern who has also been working alongside Brena at the Cafes and Max puts on retreats for the missionary ladies

One of our branch directors talking with the new SIL Director, Dr. Michel Kenmogne, at the reception

The Staff Care house where Brena hosts the Cafes recently added a deck! It’s still not completely done, but the community is already enjoying it

Luke just finished his LAST high school season of basketball and now has a three-week break before his LAST couple months of high school. Where has the time gone?!? Pray for him as he experiences many more “lasts” before we leave in June.

Need: When we return to the U.S. in July this year we will have some expenses as we travel and get settled in South Carolina. If any of you are interested in helping with these expenses, you can contact us for more information.

COULD YOU PRAY?

• For Yauko as he works to complete the requirements to become a full consultant
• For Luke as finishes up high school and decides on his future
• For preparations for our upcoming departure in June
• For energy to do the work God has for us here

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

I (John) just got back from Solomon Islands last week. This is the third year in a row that I’ve gone there to teach translation software to translators who are working with Island Bible Ministries (IBM), the Bible school that my good friend, Dr Alpheaus Zobule, started. I always enjoy going as the translators are eager to learn how to use the software and resources that will help them produce good quality translations. The first week I taught 9 translators the basics of Paratext – the program used by most translators. The second week I taught 24 translators to use a computer program that contains over a thousand resources (Bible versions, commentaries, etc.) for use in translation. They were thrilled to have access to many resources that can help them in their work.

This year I decided to ask the translators to share their testimonies for the morning devotions and it was so encouraging to hear how God has worked in their lives, both in bringing them to faith in Him and how He led them to involvement in translation.

Ricky Nelson (below) had to live with his relatives from the time he was in primary school because of dysfunction within his family. The Lord spoke to him through a message that Dr Zobule gave at a retreat he attended and later when someone told him of an opportunity to attend IBM he jumped at the chance. While he was only interested in taking Bible classes at first, he is now very interested in becoming involved in translation for his own language, Varisi. It was great to see his interest grow during the two weeks and also to see the great potential he has to be a good translator.

Malachi Haraikeni (the one on the left below) shared how he had a desire to be involved in translation work, but his wife was initially not in agreement and wanted him to find other work. He finally came to a point he had to decide one way or the other and it was neat to hear how God answered his prayers and his wife told him she would support his involvement in translation.

After I went running one day I met a Bughotu man on the street and he told me that Father Culwick (the priest we worked with on the Bughotu translation) and his wife were in Honiara. He said Father Culwick had fallen a few days previously and was recovering at a house in town. I had not seen them in over eight years, so I was thrilled to be able to go visit with them for a couple hours. It was good to see that Father Culwick was recovering and that he still had his great sense of humor!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please continue to pray for Luke in this last semester of high school, that God would lead him clearly as he decides what to do after he graduates, and that he would continue to follow Jesus.
• Brena is catering & hosting weekly Staff Care events until the beginning of May. Pray for stamina and that God would provide people to take over her jobs.
• Please pray for wisdom as I do a consultant check (here in PNG) of 2 Corinthians for the Gizzra language.
• We’re very thankful for all of you who make it possible for us to continue serving with Wycliffe.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

 

(photo credit: Susan Frey)

Merry Christmas from the highlands of Papua New Guinea! We are so thankful for Jesus, who came to earth as a man to die for us. The forgiveness of our sins and a life together with Him while on this earth and after we die – what a gift!

As we look back on this year, it’s been one of great highs and great lows. We’re thankful that He has been with us through it all. The year’s highs included Grant and Sara’s wedding, trips taken and work accomplished, direction for Joey, a job for Grant, and spending time with good friends. But we’ve also gone through the sadness that came when our dear niece Libby passed away.

And as we look towards the new year we are grateful that God will be with us in all the changes that will take place – transitioning back to America for our furlough year, watching our youngest son graduate and find his way in the world, deciding how empty-nesting will affect our place of work. Lots of unknowns, but we are trusting that God will continue to lead us.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the gift of Jesus.

Brena & John

Some December happenings…

I (Brena) put on some Staff Care events, one being a Christmas party for the Village Ladies. Here’s a group shot of some wonderful women serving God in many different villages here in Papua New Guinea.

After several years of fund raising, the seniors were able to go on their “Senior Trip” down to the coast for five days. Pray for the them that God would guide them in their future plans and that they would desire to keep Jesus first in their lives.

Our good friends from our 1997 Pacific Orientation Course, the Owens, were up here in Ukarumpa for a few weeks. They work on the coast with Pioneer Bible Translators. It was so great to catch up with them and to go on some walks with Angela. Who knows when we’ll see them again!?!

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Ukarumpa!

Every holiday overseas we end up spending it with different friends. This year we invited our good friends, the LeMahieus over (and Amanda who is staying with them). John runs twice a week with Doug, I (Brena) have coffee with Benita, and the kids do sports together. Two of their boys are now in the States going to college. They came to PNG in 2008 and since then Doug has been teaching History at the high school and has taught each of our boys. How grateful we have been for Doug and all the other teachers that have made it possible for us to be here. Benita has been involved in a language project and takes care of her family. We are so thankful that even though we can’t be with our real family on the holidays, there are people here that we enjoy being with and feel like family to us.

Speaking of thankful, last Sunday at our center Sunday morning service, we celebrated all of the translated Scripture that was published this past year in Papua New Guinea. Wow. It was so encouraging to see it and realize that things ARE happening (you can sometimes lose sight of the big picture). There were 41 items (written and audio whole New Testaments, individual books of the Bible, or the Jesus Film). And you all are a part of it. Thank you for praying, giving financially, and writing letters that encourage us and keep us going.

Praise the Lord for all He has done this past year, our friends here in PNG, and for all of you!

PRAISE and PRAYER:

• We are thankful that John’s recent trip to the States was productive and that God gave him safety.
• Joey has decided to pursue flying, and he is excited! Thanks for praying for him.
• Continue to pray for John’s brother, Andy, and family, as they continue to grieve the loss of Libby.
• Continue to pray for Luke as he decides what to do with his future.
• Pray that I would be able to find someone to take over my different Staff Care roles when we leave on furlough in June.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

 

Myself with Isaac, Miriam and Allison during the Zabana consultant check

Even though I have worked with people for years now who haven’t had the opportunity to read the Scriptures in a language they understand well, I find I still somehow expect that they will understand what it teaches. So, I usually find myself surprised when someone tells me during a consultant check that they are understanding things for the first time in their life. I had that experience again recently when I was in Solomon Islands checking Romans and 1 Corinthians for the Zabana language. We had just finished going through all of Paul’s teaching on marriage in 1 Corinthians 7, when Allison, one of two ladies there to help with the checking, said,

“I have never understood any of this teaching before.” Then with a smile she continued, “And if I had I think I would have followed Paul’s advice and never gotten married!”

On a more serious note, both ladies said that they are involved with women’s ministries in their church and that the things they learned from Romans and 1 Corinthians would help them know how to advise women they work with. I’m always thankful for the times I’m able to see how the translated Scriptures have a positive impact on people’s lives!

Dr Zobule, myself, and Pat Andrews with the three interns (left to right): Solomon, Isaac and Wilson

Island Bible Ministries (IBM) in the Solomon Islands is overseeing five translation projects now, and in order to build capacity in individuals involved in those projects, three men involved have started three-year internships to become Exegetical Facilitators. Isaac, Solomon and Wilson will work alongside translation teams from different languages to help them improve the quality and accuracy of their drafts. Isaac is the main translator for the Zabana project and I enjoyed being able to work with him during the consultant check, helping him learn some things about the process of checking a translation to determine if it is accurate and clear.

The Village Ladies Lunch

Brena and Luke managed alright while I was away. Brena kept busy with a Village Ladies Lunch and weekly Cafes. One lady told Brena recently that the Cafes every Saturday have been her way of caring for herself this term.  She eagerly looks forward to them to have a chance to get some treats and visit with a friend.

Thank you for being a part of bringing God’s Word to the people of PNG and Solomon Islands!

John and Brena

PRAISE AND PRAYER:

• Pray for Brena and Luke as I take another trip in a couple of weeks – this time to the States for meetings. Pray for encouragement and good health.
• Grant is doing well at his new job and his arm is slowly healing.
• Continue to pray for Luke and Joey as they make decisions regarding their futures.

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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

 

 

 

Luke just completed the first term of his senior year.  That included some extra-curricular activities like playing volleyball and attending the annual spiritual “Encounter” weekend for the High School. He now has a two week break and a lot of it will be spent doing what he loves – motorbike riding.

Luke (standing 4th from left) with his team

Joey had the chance to travel up to New York with his aunt and uncle to see some of the U.S. Open tennis tournament! John was a bit jealous. Ok, more than a bit. :) Here he is taking a day to sight see.

PRAISE and PRAYER:

• Grant was recently hired at a small engineering company in the Charleston area!  Please pray for him as it is a challenge for him to learn many new things. He also recently fractured his arm playing ultimate frisbee, so pray for quick healing.

Grant and Sara waiting out the storm in FL with John’s parents

• We’re thankful for the things accomplished during the last month with our work here. Please pray for John as he leaves tomorrow for a three week consultant checking trip to the Solomons. Pray for me and Luke as we stay behind. I have a number of Staff Care activities planned while he’s away.
• I’m grateful too for the time John has put into making a little private outdoor sitting area for me. I plan to spend a lot of time out there while he’s gone. :)

Thanks for your prayers and love.

Brena (and John)

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451

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)

There are quite of number of friends that just get a yearly paper newsletter from us, so we made this for them (link below). Those of you who are reading this on email or the web can still read this newsletter because there’s information you may not know, there’s a lot of pictures to look at, and things to pray about. So thank you for taking the time. :)

Thank you for your part in our lives this past year. We couldn’t be here without you!

Summer ’17 to Summer ’18

Our dear sweet 28 year old niece, Libby (Bruner) Davis, died a few days ago in Texas. It is so unbelievable and so tragic. We had the privilege of knowing Libby when she was a little girl in the Solomons (our families worked together) and then as we were home on furloughs we would spend time together. We even just saw her at Grant and Sara’s wedding.

When Libby pops into your mind you immediately think of her infectious laugh, her smile, her interest in you, her love, her fun. As a college student she flew to the Solomons so that she could be with us and celebrate with us at the Bughotu NT dedication in our village. That’s the kind of girl she was. To think that she will no longer light up family gatherings and be a friend, daughter, sister, wife, and mom to those around her is unimaginable. But we have hope that because she was a believer in Jesus, we will see her someday. That is such a comfort.

Please pray for her husband, Kevin, and little girl, Michelle, as they carry on without her. Pray for her parents, Andy and Kay. I can’t even imagine losing a child. And pray for her siblings Matt (and wife, Amy), Michael and Jacob. She was their wonderful big sister. Their family will never be the same.

John has been in the Solomon Islands this past week doing checking when we heard the news. After much discussion we decided that it would be good for John to fly back for the memorial service, so that he can be there with his family. He will be leaving straight from Honiara tomorrow and arriving back here to PNG on Friday, Aug. 3. It’s hard to not be going with him.

Libby, at our dedication, already making a friend

Kevin, Libby, and Michelle

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412 – grantbruner27@gmail.com & sarabruner14@gmail.com

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451 – joeydbruner@gmail.com

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)

After we returned from our whirlwind trip to the States for Grant and Sara’s wedding, life didn’t slow down for several weeks. We are just now catching our breath! Here’s what’s been happening:

Sports Day:  Every year in May the high school has a Sports Day. We enjoyed watching Luke compete in the Pentathlon and do really well! He’s also been spending most of his spare time riding motorbikes and working to make an old motocross track ride-able again.

Can you find the motorbike??

Banquet: Every year the parents of the high school juniors and seniors put on a “banquet” for the kids. It’s kind of like the American prom, but it’s centered around a theme. The Teen Center is decorated, games and booths are planned, food is made, etc., etc. It’s a big deal and takes months of planning and work to pull it off. John and I (Brena) helped the week before the banquet and I was responsible for overseeing the preparation of the main meal. The theme was Vikings this year. Luke went with a few of his good friends and enjoyed his time.

The Class of 2019

My wonderful Food Committee

Some of the ‘Viking’ desserts

Graduation Reception: The 11^th grade parents put on a reception every year for the graduating seniors, their parents, and invited friends. Around 150 people attend. I volunteered to oversee it and it happened the night Grant and Sara arrived! Whew! I’m glad it’s over!

That’s a lot of food the parents made!

Grant and Sara’s Visit:  We spent  six wonderful days with the newlyweds. Grant enjoyed showing Sara the place he spent his high school years, and we enjoyed interacting with the two of them and getting to know Sara better. What a perfect pair they are! We played some volleyball, cards in the evening, the guys went on some motorbike rides, and we all drove to the nearest town, Kainantu. We’re so glad they came!

At the local pottery shop in Kainantua

Motorbike riding — the thing Grant misses the most about PNG

Go Team Bruner!!

Spending time with Kairu’s parents and niece

Our 25^th Wedding Anniversary: We are thankful that God has blessed us with 25 years of marriage! There have been ups and downs, but we’re grateful that through it all we have a stronger marriage and wish for many more years! To celebrate, we drove to a city about two hours away that has a reasonably nice hotel and stayed three nights. It was great to get away and relax, especially after all the busyness of the last couple of months.

1993

2018

Greek Refresher Course & Trip to Solomon Islands: John participated in a week long “Greek Refresher” course with a handful of other colleagues. It was a great review for him and will be a help in his translation work. Now he’s preparing for a consultant check of Romans for a language group in the Solomons. He’ll be spending a couple of weeks there in mid-July.

Can you guess what their signs say? :)

THANKS & PRAYER

• We’re so thankful for strength and the completion of so many activities in the past couple of months, time with Grant and Sara, and celebrating 25 years of marriage. We’re thankful too that life is not so busy now!
• Pray for John’s time in the Solomons and for me and Luke as we stay here in Ukarumpa. Pray for good physical and mental health for all of us (I always struggle a bit more with OCD when he’s gone).
• Please pray for Luke as he enters his senior year of high school in a couple of weeks and starts thinking more seriously about what to do after graduation.
• Pray for Joey as he also is making decisions about his future with work and/or school.
• Continue to pray for Grant and Sara as they are starting their new life together. Pray that Grant will get an engineering job soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read and pray. We appreciate you!!

TO BE IN TOUCH:

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

Grant and Sara Bruner, 700 Daniel Ellis Dr., Apt 10105, Charleston, SC 29412 – grantbruner27@gmail.com & sarabruner14@gmail.com

Joey Bruner, c/o Dave & Ceil Bruner, 206 Forest Trail, Isle of Palms, SC 29451 – joeydbruner@gmail.com

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)