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)

 

 

What can we say? It was a beautiful, Christ-centered, and fun wedding! And not having seen Grant and Sara’s relationship develop over the past couple years, it was great for us as parents to witness their deep love and commitment to each other.

It was also a pleasure to meet Sara’s family for the first time. What a wonderful bunch of people! And it was great to see our boys together again and also have our three Papua New Guinean “sons” be a part of the big event. All in all, it was a wonderful time and we are thankful to God for His blessings.

First off, little Patrick stole the show with his side-stepping down the aisle :)

Sara’s immediate family

Absiez and Kairu (unfortunately the one picture we have of Amaechi is blurry)

The Peters and Bruners

What a lovely wedding party!

Singing the Doxology and praying for the newlyweds was a special way to end the day

Grant and Sara are currently in the Solomon Islands on their honeymoon because Sara really wanted to see where Grant grew up. Next week they’ll be HERE for six days! :)

Thanks for reading the four-part story of our whirlwind trip to America. Until next time..

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org, j-b.bruner@sil.org.pg

** (new address) 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)

 

 

As the parents of the groom, our responsibility was the rehearsal dinner. Grant and Sara requested that we do a Mumu (or Motu as we say in the Solomon Islands) – a traditional Solomon Island/Papua New Guinea meal. A Mumu is a way of cooking using hot stones. First a pit is dug in the ground and stones are put in and then heated up. When they are hot, food like meat, sweet potatoes, and greens are put in and covered up with banana leaves and dirt and then allowed to cook.

We weren’t sure how this was all going to work in America, BUT God provided what we needed and it all came together!

• A house where the owner was fine with us digging Mumu pits in his backyard! The house was Grant’s bachelor pad he shared with some buddies.
• Sweet potatoes that were almost identical to the ones in PNG (not the American orange yam). We found them at a small Asian foods store in the small town in Arkansas where John Brown University is located!
• A nearby river that had good rocks for a Mumu.
• Two PNG boys that masterminded it – Kairu and Amaechi – and two others to help with all the work- Joey and Luke.
• And a park with a pavilion we could rent that was a minute’s drive from Grant’s house!

Grant’s house

Pits were dug and lined with rocks

The rocks were heated up

It wouldn’t have happened without Kairu and Amaechi!

The food waiting to be covered up and cooked…

…with foil (instead of banana leaves) and dirt

Before we ate, we did a mock Solomon Island/PNG bride price ceremony for Grant and Sara and her parents

We presented little carved pigs (instead of real ones!), a woven bag and hat, and then smeared mud on Grant and Sara

The menu included chicken, pork, beef, rice, noodles, greens, sweet potato (some of those things cooked in coconut milk), watermelon, and banana cake

Over 60 people came which included the wedding party and extended family (so fun to see so many people!)

What a wonderful day!

Thanks for reading and soon we’ll post the final update, The Wedding!

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org, j-b.bruner@sil.org.pg

** (new address) 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)

 

 

On May 5^th our oldest son, Grant, graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from John Brown University in Arkansas. Besides lots of hard work Grant got to enjoy being a part of the school’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Ironfist, and was one of the captains his last two years. What a great bunch of guys that he was able to hang out with all four years – godly and fun loving – what a great combo!

One benefit of Grant graduating a day before his wedding was that we were able to attend, along with several other family members. It was a special day. Pray for Grant as he is in the process of looking for a job in Charleston South Carolina where he and Sara are living while she attends pharmaceutical school.

In a couple of days we’ll post Wedding Trip Part 3 – The Rehearsal Dinner! Until then, thanks for reading.

The next day they were married!

How special to have both sets of grandparents there

The family that we could gather for a photo. Some had already left to prepare the mumu! (more on that in our next update)

The Ironfist gang :) (well, some of them)

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org, j-b.bruner@sil.org.pg

** (new address) 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)

 

 

What a fun trip! What a whirlwind of a trip! Only 10 days on American soil! But we’re back now and we’d like to share a few highlights, scattered through several posts. Too much to say in just one!

We saw God’s hand during the whole time and we’re so thankful for how all the details came together for this one BIG event. And we now have a DAUGHTER! Yay!  Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Grant Bruner!!

On the way to the U.S. we stayed for two nights in Brisbane, Australia with the Vanderduys family. They have been friends of ours here in Ukarumpa, but left in December as their son, Joel, graduated from high school early. Joel was Luke’s best friend and so it was great for them to see each other. They had a fun time together (along with classmate Levi who traveled with us) and it was also wonderful for John and I to catch up with Craig and Sharon.

John and Craig wishing they were a Bee Gee :)

Sadly, there were a lot of people that we saw during the wedding week that we didn’t get a picture of (or even get to talk to for that matter), but it meant so very much that they were there, wanting to be a part and a support of this big day in our family’s life. Thanks to all of them!!

Here’s a few random pictures of friends and family:

Kairu made it! … Seeing Grant for the first time at his Ultimate practice!

Spending time with my sister and niece :)

Some of our Solomon Island family at the wedding

Grandparents, nieces, and a new to us grand niece :)

some of Grant’s Ukarumpa classmates!

Having my dear Solomon Island friend and her daughter share a motel room with us was so special

We’ll post another update about Grant’s graduation in a couple of days. Until then, thanks for reading!

TO BE IN TOUCH:

PO Box 1 (134), Ukarumpa EHP 444, Papua New Guinea – john_bruner@sil.org, j-b.bruner@sil.org.pg

** (new address) 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)