Christian Leaders’ Training College

CLTC has begun another school year and Patrick is teaching two of his favorite subjects – Bible Interpretation and the book of Romans. He loves the classes but not so much the mode of delivery! He is zooming once again and although not his favorite way to teach, he is thankful that it is an option.

Cru Club

Jan was asked to relaunch a Cru Club at Clarkston High School. (Cru is part of Campus Crusade for Christ.) The purpose of the club is to disciple and encourage the students who are already Christians as well as reach out to those who don’t yet know Jesus. At our first meeting we were thrilled that 10 students came! By our 3rd meeting 20 came! (Pictures coming in next update.)

Clarkston Bible Institute

Clarkston Bible Institute (CBI) is up and running again. The new students include two in-person (Chris who is American and Oo who is Burmese) and seven online.

Chaos (aka tutoring)Time!

Jan has begun tutoring a small group of girls (which becomes larger if/when they bring younger siblings) who were part of the Summer Safari Club. Every Monday afternoon they meet and work on reading skills. They are a handful but I, Jan, really enjoy the time with them. Pray I will make and take opportunities to share about Jesus and our Heavenly Father’s love for them.

Clarkston International Bible Church

We were excited to be able to meet again with the ethnic churches that share our building. Jamshed from the Pakistani congregation preached a great message from Exodus 4 titled, “What is in Your Hand?” A Swahili speaking group led in some worship songs and a “mix” of musicians also led us in worship. Listen to the video at the bottom of the page. 🙂

Praise Points:

1. CBI has begun their new school year after having to delay for a semester.
2. Between CLTC and CBI Patrick has a very full teaching schedule.
3. A successful “relaunch” of Clarkton High School’s Cru Club.
4. Textbooks on Bible Interpretation that Patrick sent last May (estimated 3 week delivery time) arrived in PNG 7 months after being sent! We are so thankful these books are there for the students!

Prayer Points:

1. Pray for wisdom and strength for Jan as she leads Cru. Pray for a core group of Christian students whom the Cru leaders can help to grow in their faith and in their outreach to friends.
2. Pray for Patrick’s teaching – for God’s Word to have impact in the students’ lives, and for Zoom, the internet, and computers to work well & for the power to stay on at CLTC!
3. Pray for an open door for Patrick to return to PNG to teach in person.
4. Pray for Karis as she completes her last semester at Toccoa Falls College and (Lord willing! :)) graduates in May.

Summer Safari Club! 🙂

Wow! What a summer it has been! We began a Summer Reading (aka “Safari”) Club in a new (to us) apartment complex in Clarkston. It was exciting, challenging, difficult, and rewarding. We are sooo thankful for the awesome summer interns that GenSend sent us and for the apartment that the Envision Atlanta ministry allowed us to use. The goal of our club was to increase literacy among our refugee students and to share the love and hope of Jesus during our Bible story time as well as when we interacted with the kids. We hope you enjoy the slideshow below. 🙂 The last four slides are of our final party. (Yes, school begins again here on August 2nd!)

Clarkston Bible Institute

Congratulations to the 4th class of CBI graduates! All of them were able to finish the school year – seven attending in person and two online. These students from Burma, Thailand, Iraq, and the U.S. now have a better understanding of the Bible and some tools to help them in their various ministries.

Sha Ko is a young man from Burma whom Patrick mentored this school year. Sha Ko’s family moved to a refugee camp in Thailand when he was 4 months old and he lived there for 20 years before coming to the U.S. in 2014. He became a Christian in 2017 through two Burmese friends who explained the gospel to him. Sha Ko will be helping his church with preaching and through music.

Together Again

As COVID concerns began to lessen this past spring our church was able to hold an outdoor combined worship service with the congregations who share the building. It was great to hear Pastor Gorashi (from the Sudanese fellowship) preach a solid Biblical sermon, and we enjoyed a variety of music – including some special songs by the youth choir of the Swahili Evangelical Refugee Church.

Zooming

Technically, Jan “Microsoft Teamed” (not Zoomed) her students for the entire school year. They were finally allowed to attend school in person beginning in March. At that point Jan began teaching virtually and in-person at the same time. Not easy, but she was DELIGHTED to be able to teach again from her classroom (instead of from home) and to have some real live students to interact with each day.

Meanwhile, Patrick was busy Zooming across the world. In addition to teaching at CBI he was asked to teach a class for CLTC during March – June. So, he supervised a study of Revelation for 7 students via Zoom.

Patrick is continuing to teach via Zoom for the 3rd term of the school year (July – September). His courses are Eschatology and Bible Exegesis & Exposition (using the book of Galatians). “Zoom teaching” is definitely not his favorite, but he is thankful that he is still able be part of the program at CLTC.

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As COVID infections have decreased in some parts of the world they have increased in others – including PNG. In March there was a COVID outbreak at CLTC. About 80 (out of 500) had symptoms. 5 had to be hospitalized but thank the Lord, they all recovered. Because of the increase in cases, travel restrictions have tightened even more. The PNG government is requiring arriving international travelers to self isolate for 21 days in a hotel room in Port Moresby at their own expense. So, we continue to wait for the door to open…

Family…

We enjoyed seeing both sides of the family this summer. See slideshow below.

The Young Halls…

Praise:

• Summer Safari Club – great interns and good connections with the kids
• CBI’s 9 graduates
• Jan able to teach in person again
• Patrick able to teach at CLTC via Zoom
• Zoom working well across the world (10,000 miles!)
• Safe travels and time with friends and family
• Preaching opportunities for Patrick

Pray:

• CBI students for next year. There are not many applicants so pray for the leadership as they consider how to move forward.
• CLTC depends on rain for its water supply and it has been dry for about 8 weeks and the dry season is only just beginning. Please pray for rain for them.
• COVID will decrease in PNG so that Patrick and others can return for in-person teaching
• Kristin. She will begin working on a Master’s degree in Christian counseling in early August. She has taken a job with Capital One so she can pay for school as she goes. She will be very busy working full-time and schooling full-time!
• Good communication and connection with the students in PNG, despite having to teach remotely.

That’s probably what ALL of you are saying! When you prayed Patrick home from Papua New Guinea last March we never dreamed that now – 10 months later – he wouldn’t be able to get back in. The College has applied for his visa but we have not heard back. Regardless, there are no available flights. The flights are either too expensive or too complicated. For example, going through Hong Kong is expensive. Plus, there is only one flight a week to Port Moresby. If a flight was cancelled Patrick would have to spend two weeks self-isolating in Hong Kong. Even staff from New Zealand cannot get flights. However, CLTC has asked Patrick to teach the book of Romans online! PTL!

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Meanwhile, we have had a full semester teaching & ministering in Clarkston. Below is a slide show (Click on the arrows.) of our afternoon “Homework Help” program. Due to security issues we cannot show the faces of several of the students so that is why some of the pictures are from behind.

The mom of the children above expressed her thanks by bringing us a treat – twice. 🙂

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Family News

Because of Covid 19 all of our normal family gatherings were small. However, Jan’s family was still able to celebrate her dad’s birthday.

Praise Points:

1. We are thankful that we are all healthy. Jan still loves teaching at Clarkston High School – just not the online part! She is hoping they will be able to teach “in person” sooner rather than later! Patrick is continuing to teach at CBI (Clarkston Bible Institute) and mentor students.
2. Even though Patrick is unable to return to PNG at this time we are very thankful he can continue to teach his PNG students online.
3. For all the volunteers we had with Homework Help. A total of 14 tutors came at various times to love and encourage the students and help them navigate online learning.

Prayer Points

1. Pray for Patrick’s teaching:
   • as he shifts his Romans course to online. Pray he will have wisdom to know best how to teach Romans in a way that is clear and allows good communication between him and the students.
   • that the internet at CLTC will work consistently!
   • that the Clarkston CBI students will grow in their understanding of God’s Word and effectively teach it in their ethnic churches
2. Jan is very thankful that instead of teaching from home, she is now able to return to the classroom to teach online. Pray that soon Jan’s students will have the option to learn in person. Online is so very difficult for many of them.
3. We continue to be as burdened as the rest of you about our country.  Please keep praying that God will use His people in the midst of all the heartache and division to point people to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Clarkston Bible Institute

Nine students graduated from the Clarkston Bible Institute (CBI) in June as we finished the 2019-2020 year via Zoom. This was the 3rd year of the Institute and the first year of ever teaching via Zoom!

We were disappointed, but not surprised, that Patrick was not able to return to PNG in July, as he normally does. (Of course, nothing much about 2020 feels normal!) There were travel and visa restrictions that made it impossible for him to go. However, PNG is beginning to open up and ease restrictions which makes us hopeful that he will be able to return in January. Meanwhile, he is continuing to teaching at CBI. CBI began a new school year in July with six students attending in person and two joining online.

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The students this year come Burma (Mynmar), Iraq, Thailand Refugee Camps and the U.S. Their languages include Arabic, Aramaic, Karen, Karenni, and Burmese.

Special speaker!  Michelle graduated from CBI in 2018 and then joined Africa Inland Mission.  She was able to share her missions vision and journey with the new CBI students. She completed French language school in Canada in July and arrived in Africa a week ago!

Clarkston International Bible Church

CIBC Pastors’ Fellowship

While in the U.S one of Patrick’s new responsibilities is to work with the pastors of the churches that use Clarkston International Bible Church (CIBC) facilities.  This includes a Pakistani, a Congelese, a Nepali, and a Swahili – speaking church. Currently Patrick is leading a book study of Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar.

Homework Help Team

Dekalb County, GA schools (where Clarkston is located) is currently teaching 100% online. This is extremely difficult for the many students who are still learning English and computer skills. We are so thankful for the great team God has raised up to offer in-person “Homework Help” at the church 2 afternoons a week.

Praise:

1. All the Halls are healthy and have work (or school) to do!
2. Jan loves her new group of high school students for 2020-21.
3. God has provided a great group of tutors to work with the students needing “Homework Help.”
4. For the ministry opportunities Patrick has been given – teaching, preaching, and mentoring.

Prayer Requests:

1. We are as burdened as the rest of you about our country.  Pray that God will use all the chaos and uncertainty to show many their need for changed hearts and lives that comes only from Jesus.
2. For Jan to continue to learn all the new online teaching skills she needs.  It is extremely difficult for both teachers and students. The “Digital Divide” is very great for most of Jan’s students and it is draining for Jan to try to meet their needs. Pray that schools will soon open up for in person-learning.
3. For travel restrictions to be lifted so Patrick can return to PNG in January.
4. Pray that “Homework Help” will soften the students’ and their parents’ hearts towards Jesus and open them to the hear the gospel.
5. For continued blessing on Patrick’s teaching at CBI and developing relationships with the ethnic pastors.

Made it!  When I, Patrick,  began my journey home in March, circumstances changed so quickly I did not make it out of the PNG in time to fly through Australia.  Australia closed its boarders so there was no way forward.  Two days later all PNG domestic flights were cancelled so there was no way back.  I found myself stranded in Port Moresby (PNG’s capital).  About 11 other Americans and I spent 4 days at the airport trying to get out.  We changed tickets numerous times as everyone applied and reapplied for a special exemption to transit through Australia.  Alice, one of the Qantas employees, was especially empathetic and compassionate.  When she discovered that I was from CLTC  she told me her story (written below). Wow!  Talk about a small world!  When I emailed her to let her know that I had safely arrived home, she sweetly wrote back that she missed her “airport family.” 🙂

Alice was brought up in Topopulhu village near Ialibu in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea which is about 100 miles from CLTC.  Even though her parents were devout Catholics she knew nothing about having a personal relationship with God until she went  to high school. (Most high schools are boarding schools in PNG.) While in high school Alice began attending Religious Instruction classes that were taught by evangelical missionaries from Denmark.  In 1977 a group from her school attended an Easter Camp that was held at CLTC.  Alice wrote “…attending a camp was my 1st ever experience.  CLTC was ‘heaven…’”   Toward the end of the week Alice accepted Christ as her Savior.  She wrote,  “It was overwhelmingly joyful but with a sense of sorrow  (knowing I was living in sin- no one ever told me what sin does….)…I knew deep within me, something extraordinary happened.”  Alice writes “My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the CLTC Campus for hosting the Camp the year I got saved and also to the Late Rev J & S Sode for taking the WORD of GOD from across the world to my village in the 60’s.”

Alice has continued her journey walking with Christ and is active in Boroko Baptist Church in Port Moresby and in a ministry called The Fellowship of Christian Airline Personnel. She was definitely a bright light for Patrick and the other stranded Americans.  They were thankful to have her “in their corner” as they were trying to get home.

Alice was not the only one helping the stranded travelers.  One of the Americans had a daughter who knew an Australian diplomat working in Washington, DC.  This diplomat contacted Australian Border Patrol and  the exemption applications to travel through Australia were finally approved!  Thank the Lord!

TEACHING

Before the pandemic began I had a great time of teaching at the College.  As mentioned in the previous post I taught 2 classes – Romans and Bible Interpretation.

I have been teaching the students in my Romans class for 4 years and they are like family – especially since I really miss my family when I am at CLTC.  Now that I am back in the U.S. I am really missing my students. Please pray that classes will continue so that this group can graduate in December.

Mary Jane (MJ), one of my Bible Interpretation students,   has a special connection to our family.  Her parents, who are now missionaries in West Papua, Indonesia, attended CLTC when she was young, so we helped raise her. 🙂  Jan especially remembers MJ and her sister  being involved in AWANA.  MJ attended Toccoa Falls College (where Karis attends) and spent her Christmas break 2014 with us here in Georgia.

OUTREACH

This is the ministry group I worked with as they went on outreach once a month.

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PREACHING

AWANA

It was a joy to visit the AWANA club one night.  As you can see (and hear!) they are still going strong and enjoying the game time. 🙂

PNG and COVID-19

At the present time there have been only 9 confirmed cases of  the coronavirus in Papua New Guinea. Kudjip Hospital (20 mins from CLTC), set up a screening tent and is involved in education and increasing awareness, but thankfully the virus has not really spread.

Because of limited COVID cases CLTC is continuing with classes. They are taking precautions with an adapted schedule  and  meeting in large rooms in order to social distance.  However, social distancing is very difficult in a communal culture!!

PRAISE GOD

1. For making a way for Patrick to return to the U.S. when all doors seemed closed.
2. For very few confirmed COVID-19 cases in PNG
3. CLTC has been able to resume classes.
4. Clarkston Bible Institute (here in Georgia) has been able to continue with classes so Patrick is teaching using Zoom.

PLEASE PRAY

1. There will be no more spread of the virus in PNG.
2. Patrick is scheduled to return to PNG on July 15 for Term 3. Pray that it will be safe for the country to open up by that time.
3. For classes to safely continue until the end of the school year so that students can graduate in December.
4. The College (CLTC) is really struggling financially due to various reasons.  Please pray for God’s miraculous provision  and for a new finance manager and for expatriate help with the farm and business arm of the College.
5. Patrick had cataract surgery on his right eye on May 14 and is having the left eye done May 21.  Please pray the surgery will go well and for a smooth recovery. (May 29 update…All is well. :))

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your prayers for us.  We found a house to rent in Lilburn, GA and were able to move in at the beginning of November.  We are now  17 minutes from Clarkston –  much better than racing (literally – you Atlantans know what I mean!) up and down I 85 for 2 hours every day.  This puts us in ministry and relationship range with the nations who have settled in Clarkston.

In addition to teaching at Clarkston Bible Institute Patrick has been asked to network with the pastors of the different ethnic churches that meet in Clarkston International Bible Church’s building.  He has met with the leaders of each church – Nepali, Pakistani, Congolese, and a Swahili speaking congregation. When he returns from PNG he will be spending more time with these leaders to develop relationships and to  help them coordinate ministry in the Clarkston area.

I, Jan, have begun my second semester at Clarkston High School and  have a new group of students.  They come from Thailand, Burma/Mynmar, Tanzania, Somalia, Nepal, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and one from Mexico.  They are (mostly :)) an absolute delight to teach and I have many stories I could share. Below is one of  my favorites…

One of my more verbal students kept saying “I appreciate it” in class.  His friend asked me one day what that word was.  I wrote “appreciate” down for him and told him that it means “to be thankful” for something, so it is a way of saying “thank you.”  The next day the newly enlightened student walked into my room and said, “I appreciate you, Mrs. Hall.” 🙂  Later during class I handed him a worksheet and he said, “I appreciate it.” He “appreciated” everything for the next 2 weeks.  It was so sweet!

My Wednesday night ESOL class is growing!  I now have 3-4 regular attenders – two from Thailand, one from Madagascar, and one from Sierre Leone.

We enjoyed family time over Thanksgiving and Christmas…

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We also were able to spend the weekend with some special friends from early Papua New Guinea days.  And I was able to see bee-keeping “up close and personal.”

As Karis returned for her 4th semester at Toccoa Falls College we had a wonderful answer to prayer.  She was accepted into one of the off campus houses that is for college-age MK’s (missionary kids).  They provide FREE room and board to full-time students in exchange for 7 hours of work each week.  This will enable her to continue to attend Toccoa Falls next year. Praise the Lord!

Patrick is back in PNG and below are the 2 classes he is presently teaching.  (We will share about this current trip after he returns at the end of March.)

Praise:

1. The provision of free room and board that enables Karis to continue at Toccoa Falls College.
2. An affordable house close to Clarkston.
3. The opportunity Patrick has to work with ethnic pastors in Clarkston.

Pray:

1. For wisdom and strength for me, Jan, as I teach students with a WIDE range of English ability.  I find myself too burdened by outside factors that I cannot change.  Pray I will be faithful in loving and teaching these students and leave the outcomes to the Lord.
2. For fruit in the lives of the students that Patrick is teaching.  Pray they will learn and apply sound Bible interpretation principles so that their teaching and preaching is true to God’s Word.
3. For direction as we connect in Clarkston – that we will know where and how to invest our time in order to be able to share the gospel and make disciples.

No, we are not making “The Big Move” back to PNG, . . . yet!  But we are moving to Clarkston, GA.  Here is an update on Patrick’s recent ministry in Papua New Guinea as well as what’s happening in Clarkston.

Patrick returned from Papua New Guinea a few weeks ago extremely excited about his evangelism class.  After he taught on evangelism in the classroom for 2 weeks, the students were eager to put into practice what they learned.  They went on outreach several times at a nearby hospital and in a small town near the College.  They had a flat tire the first two times they went to the hospital but it did not dampen their enthusiasm!

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The 3 men standing in one of the pictures above noticed Patrick and his students as they shared the gospel.  They asked Patrick who he was and what he was doing so he had a wide open door  to answer their questions and shared his testimony and the gospel with them.  Not only was he able to share with these men, but over the course of the 5 weeks he had the opportunity to talk with over 15 people.

Joseph is one of the 5 chaplains at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital where Patrick took his students.  Joseph and the other hospital staff followed up any positive responses to the gospel.  Plus,  whenever possible, the chaplains helped create an open environment in the hospital wards as the students began sharing.  This openness increased the students’ confidence and eagerness to share.

CLTC Scenes

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Twelve nurses came to the College from village clinics for a two-week training in tooth extraction.  Two visiting dentists and a NZ nurse who lives full-time at CLTC provided teaching and supervision of the students.  In seven days of practical, the nurses removed 310 teeth from 287 patients.  The demand to remove rotten teeth is huge so it was not hard to find patients! For three days they set up “shop” in nearby towns, and other days patients came to the College for free treatment.

Meanwhile… back in the U.S…..

Jan is one of the English teachers on Wednesday nights at the Clarkston International Bible Church.  Jan’s student and her mother are from Madagascar.  During the day Jan has a new teaching job that she loves!  She is teaching physical science at Clarkston High School to ELL’s (English Language Learners) – almost all of whom are refugees.  They are from all over the world – Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Malaysia, the Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Tanzania, Vietnam, Somalia, and Nepal.

Meanwhile, Patrick is back in the classroom at Clarkston Bible Institute. He has already taught “crash courses” in Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Matthew and will be teaching Acts, I Corinthians, and Philippians in the next few weeks.

Giving Praise to God!

• For Jan’s new teaching job with refugee students at Clarkston High School. What a wonderful opportunity!
• Patrick’s evangelism class at CLTC. Praise for the students’ enthusiasm and growth in their confidence and ability to share the gospel.
• For the 15 new students at Clarkston Bible Institute for 2019-2020.

Prayer Requests:

• CLTC’s poultry farm is struggling with management and financial issues. Profit from the farm is invested back into CLTC and lowers student costs.   Please pray for good farm leadership so the farm can contribute more to the cost of training the students.
• For strength and peace for Jan as she adjusts to her new job.
• We are hoping to move in early November. We’ve been diligently looking but we just aren’t sure where yet!  Pray for a house to rent that will meet our family’s needs and enable us to minister effectively, especially in terms of mentoring and discipleship opportunities.

20 years ago Mark and Marion Kave were students of ours (1997-2000) at CLTC.   They graduated in 2000 and have been involved in ministry ever since – including 9 years as missionaries in West Papua, Indonesia.  They recently completed a 2-year church planting course in Greenville, SC and their daughter just graduated from Toccoa Falls College (where Karis attends). Patrick was teaching in Clarkston that morning but Jan was able to have a sweet reunion with them at Toccoa.  Mark and Marion are soon returning to PNG  to work with the Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea.

Praise: For the many CLTC graduates who are helping grow the church in PNG and throughout the South Pacific and the world.

24 years ago this young lady was our neighbor at CLTC .  She played with our little ones and we had many meals  and sweet times with her and her family.  Rebekah is now a medical doctor and is working for 2 years at Kujiip Nazarene Hospital. (Kudjip is 20 minutes from CLTC  and is where Benjamin and Karis were born.)

30 years ago when we were working at the Highland Christian Mission in PNG we visited CLTC.  Patrick met Bruce Renich who encouraged him to apply for a teaching position.  Retta fed us our first meal when we moved there 6 months later. They are a wonderful couple and we have appreciated their spiritual maturity  and love for the Lord and for the people of Papua New Guinea these many years of ministry.  They are “going finish” to the States but Bruce will continue to “commute” to CLTC like Patrick does.

Pray: for Bruce and Retta’s transition to life in the U.S. and Bruce’s commute (We know it is not easy!)

Students

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Praise: for the excellent students that Patrick had the privilege to teach in his Romans and Bible Interpretation classes

Pray: as Patrick develops a new evangelism course that he will be teaching when he returns in July.  It will involve a lot of planning and coordinating as the students will be sharing the gospel in different settings – markets, hospital, prison (possibly).

Pray: that the faculty will  be faithful to God’s Word in teaching and that all of the staff will be good mentors and role models for the students.

Around CLTC…

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Life in PNG

 

Pray:  This is the only road (presently open) that connects CLTC to the main highway -which links CLTC to the hospital, main markets, airport, etc.  The government is trying to  to fix the road but is being hindered by locals wanting money/compensation.

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support.  Patrick and Jan

P.S.  Our next update will cover all that is happening in Clarkston.  Stay tuned…We have exciting news to share! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Papua New Guinea

Patrick has been back in PNG for a three weeks now.  One day this past week he entered his Bible Interpretation class and they (politely) asked him to remove his shoes.  It is the rainy season and they don’t want anyone (including their teacher!) to track mud into their new classroom.

PRAY: For good connection and communication as Patrick teaches Bible Interpretation and Romans for these 8 weeks. Pray the students will gain understanding of both subjects and that their lives will be impacted by the truths they are learning.

Clarkston

English classes are continuing down in Clarkston and we are thankful that the number of ESOL students is increasing.

PRAY: Students will see Jesus in all of us who are working with them and that we will have opportunities to share the gospel in sensitive and appropriate ways.

Clarkston’s 3 year program (that met only on Saturdays) “Bible Training for Christian Leaders” had its first graduating class.  

PRAISE:  For the students who put forth the time and effort in these classes for the last 3 years in order to be better equipped for ministry.  Joanne, the American, has been involved in refugee ministry.  Mounira is a nurse from Sudan and plans to be involved in medical mission trips to Sudan.  The four men are in leadership roles in their Burmese churches.

Big Plans

The North American Mission Board is committed to reaching out to the thousands of refugees in Clarkston.  They are replacing old buildings with a new complex that will include a refugee sewing society classroom and store, classrooms for ESL, after school programs, a health clinic, a counseling center, a program to help refugees start businesses, and housing for mission teams.  Below is a “before” picture and we’ll post an “after” picture when the complex is completed.

The Big 30!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 30 years since we went on our first “date” – a tractor ride along with 15 other people – in Papua New Guinea.  We are so thankful the  Lord took both of us halfway around the world to meet each other and the He has grown us ever closer during our 30 year journey together.

Family News

Probably our most surprising news (even to ourselves) is that we have a new family member, Daniel, from Korea.  He is living with us this semester and attending a nearby Christian school.

PRAY: Daniel will see, hear, and understand the life changing message of Jesus while he is here.  Also, pray for good communication and understanding.

Mark and Julie, Dylan, and Luke –  We all traveled to Ohio (to the house of the famous “Aunt Irene” 🙂 for Thanksgiving.  It was nice to be able to spend some relaxed time together.

Kristin – “I am coming up on the year and a half mark of living in DC! I spent my first year living right outside DC in Arlington, VA, but in September of 2018 I moved into DC and am living in Capitol Hill in the District. Life in the city has been wonderful – I live within walking distance of most of my friends, and am also very close to local coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. I am learning how to live in the cold, and we’ve already had more snow this year than I have experienced in my whole life! Work with the church keeps me busy, and one of my favorite things is exploring more of the city and finding new places.”

Benjamin – has made  a lot of  progress towards a Business degree (concentration in finance) at the University of North Georgia.  However, due to various circumstances he withdrew from classes this semester.    He keeps busy buying and selling on Amazon and has even applied for and received a small business license.

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PRAY: Benjamin is struggling with medical issues as well as the stresses of school.  Pray he will trust the Lord and follow His leading concerning work and school and life.

Karis – settled in well in her first semester at Toccoa Falls College, celebrated her 19th birthday over the Christmas break, and is now back for the second semester. She is particularly enjoying her work study job with the Athletic Department.

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PRAY: that we and our children would be …”rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all God’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God. ”  (Eph. 3)   Pray we will live in light of eternity.

Thank  you for all your love, prayers, and support.

 

 

CLTC Classes

Patrick just spent a great 8 weeks teaching Eschatology and Church & Ministry classes.  As usual, he loved teaching these men and women.

One student from this class wrote ” Looking at what is happening in my church denomination and comparing that to the early church’s priorities, I am rebuked by the scriptures, burdened and challenged that we are not actually living up to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ….Studying this course and doing this assignment has dawned on me that something urgent is needed in my church to revitalize its purposes” (of fellowship, discipleship, worship, ministry, and evangelism).

Praise:  that the Word of God is living and active and making a difference in the lives of CLTC students and the places they serve

Pray: that students will humbly serve and minister as they seek to implement Biblical principles in their churches.

Thanksgiving Service

One Sunday each year staff and students bring a special offering to share and they present a dance and/or song from their home area.    Enjoy! 🙂

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Outreach Weekends

Students continue to go to nearby churches once a month to put their “book learning” and faith into action.

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Praise: For the open door to share the gospel in PNG – in churches and in schools

Pray:  The students will strengthen the churches they attend and effectively reach out to and especially encourage the men to follow Christ. (A large percentage of church attenders are women.)

CLTC Staff Development

Maxon first attended CLTC as a student in 2001 and eventually joined the staff in 2011.  He earned his Diploma, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees at CLTC and has spent the last few years in New Zealand completing a PhD.  Wow!

Praise: The Lord for Maxon’s dedication and hard work and for enabling Maxon to complete his PhD.

Pray: For Maxon and his family as they re-join the teaching faculty at CLTC.  (We know from experience that they will have many adjustments to make as they return.)

Around CLTC…

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Clarkston Refugee* Ministry

10 days after Patrick returned from PNG he was back teaching in Clarkston.

Praise: For an increase in the number of students!

Pray: For the establishment of a Wednesday night program  for refugees at Clarkston International Bible Church.  Pray for Jan as she teaches a beginner ESL class.  This is new territory for her!

*Refugee – a displaced person who has been forced to cross national boundaries due to war or persecution, and who cannot safely return home.

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support! Patrick and Jan