Current Support Status and Partner Development Outlook

Tammy and I are very encouraged. Since Kingdom Training online in July and training at Wycliffe headquarters in August, we have been busily engaged in raising support and already are over 12%.

Currently, we have four churches and an unknown number of individuals from a recent Ohio tour that are considering becoming our ministry partners. On that tour, I found blessings coming from every direction. Dear brothers and sisters opened their homes giving me a place to rest. Their love was humbling and encouraging. Hundreds came to the banquets to hear what God is doing in Papua New Guinea. Many prayer cards and invitations to partner were taken from the display table. I met with a group of high school students at a Christian Missionary Alliance church and had a special time with Darrin, Mini, and Grace (the Wycliffe ministry team). To minister along with this sweet, dedicated group was an honor. Glory be to God.



Although it is often difficult to find openings in December, we are already scheduled to speak at 2 local churches, meet with Dr. Ware of Crossroads Bible College to discuss support and networking possibilities, and share our mission and needs with the Missions Director of the Northeastern Conference of the United Methodist Church.

January will be a very busy month, as we return to Ohio to speak in churches and homes. Four families from our church in Cicero, Indiana have opened their homes for us to make small group presentations. In addition to these and other home presentations, we hope to hold a local banquet event in January or February.

We would love to have raised full support by now so that we could be preparing to arrive in Papua New Guinea in March, as planned. However, we are assured that we will arrive at the scheduled time God has planned for us - not before or after.

Until then, we will continue to present our ministry, which is to help provide critical physical support for Wycliffe translators in Papua New Guinea. That rugged island country located north of Australia is about the size of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky combined. PNG has 7 million souls and over 400 of the 860 language groups do not yet have the Good News of Jesus Christ in their mother tongue – as we do.

Please Pray

That God would contenue to provide opportunities to present this vital ministry and raise up ministry partners. That our transportation needs would be resolved and that we would be able to arrive in PNG by March as planned. Lord Willing

Brata, sista blong yu long Jisas Kraist (your brother and sister in Jesus Christ in Tok-Pisin)

Prayer Requests

For opportunities to present this vital ministry to individuals churches and organizations.

For God’s provision of ministry partners who are willing to support us in prayer, encouragement and finances.

That Bible translation would not be hindered because of violence or other distractions.

That God would continue to raise up National bible translators (Mother tongue translators) to assist in translating the more than 180 on going translations and the more than 300 yet to be started.

That God would allow us to arrive in PNG by March to assume our responsibilities and prevent disruption in new translation launches.

Papua New Guinea Bible translations continue despite violence

Papua New Guinea Bible translations continue despite violence
By Anne Thomas

Wycliffe Bible Translators is continuing to translate Bibles in Papua New Guinea in spite of ongoing tribal conflict.

In the last month, the dedication of three New Testaments was overshadowed by a fresh outbreak of tribal conflict in the valley where the main Bible translation center is Located. Violence that flared up around the translation center of Ukarumpa in recent weeks is only the latest disturbance in a long running dispute over access to water.

With three New Testament dedications in the past month and progress in many other translation projects, we shouldn’t be surprised that the devil wants to make things difficult.

Wycliffe said the dispute had renewed ancient tribal conflicts and brought violence inside and outside the center, home to an international team of linguists and support workers dedicated to Bible translation projects.

A criminal gang broke into one Missionaries home and a vehicle was hijacked, but so far center staff has escaped harm.

Despite being a relatively small island, Papua New Guinea is home to around 860 living languages. The three New Testaments were dedicated for the Iyo, Gapapaiwa and Minaveha language groups, while another eleven dedications have been scheduled for next year.

Wycliffe is working on the translations of 185 languages, with around 380 languages still awaiting translation.

New Ministry Developments 9/2010

I know not all of you have heard about the developments in the ministry God has called us to in Papua New Guinea. Because of Tammy and I’s training and experience in business and administration our ministry has shifted to include the role of Project Funding Coordinators and Administrative support and training coordinators in addition to Property / facility Managers and south pacific Volunteer Coordinators. I know on the surface this sounds like a lot, however the responsibilities involved overlap and work in conjunction with one another.

This Ministry, in short, will work alongside The Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea providing to facilitation, mentoring and providing oversight in the use of resources. We help to identify and evaluate ministry projects such as Bible translation, construction, and maintenance of translation facilities and facilitate the approval process for needed funding, as well as provide for accountability for the use of designated funds. We will be providing expenditure reports, progress reports, project milestone projections, and achievement shortfalls to Wycliffe Associates and The Seed Company (a branch of Wycliffe). http://www.theseedcompany.org/about - http://www.theseedcompany.org/project/vital-ig-cluster . This reporting is vital to keeping needed funding flowing into BTA’s Translation Ministry. It is important to note that this ministry literally impacts over two hundred thousand individuals speaking more than 125 distinctive languages. Friends to be candid without this ministry there is no hope of salvation for these people. We, (You, Tammy, and I) can play a role in the salvation of thousands by providing God’s Word to people groups that have never had access to the Bible.

This afternoon I received a call from Brent Ropp (Vice President of Wycliffe Associates) to add even more urgency to our arriving in Papua New Guinea as soon as possible. He called to let us know that ALL funding to The Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea has been placed on hold until our arrival. In other words until we arrive to administrate and account for the expenditures of funds Bible translation will slow down or be suspended due to a lack of funding. This will be like a plane running out of fuel in midflight. Many will perish unnecessarily simply because God’s word has not yet reached them. With the eternal well-being of so many at stake, I don’t think I need to tell you how urgent this situation is. This means that we need to be fully funded no later than February of 2011. We need your prayers for God’s provision and opportunities to present this vital ministry to all who will listen. We are asking each one of you to pray for opportunities to share what this vital ministry is doing and to connect us with anyone willing to hear. We are seeking both individuals and Churches to present this ministry to and to ask that they become our ministry partners. We also ask that you prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner through both prayer and finances. God will provide for this ministry. He will provide through both the local church and individuals within the universal church (His people).

Outline of Our Ministry and Areas of Responsibility

• Our Primary Mission is to support Bible Translators


We will be supporting the start of a cluster of 125 languages effecting over 250,000 people in this generation and untold numbers of those that come after.


The ministry involves Administration, Project management, Property Management, Training, Facilitating, and Oversight.


Our ministry is to come along side the Bible Translation Association of Papua New Guinea to train, facilitate, mentor, and provide oversight. We will help to identify, evaluate, and justify resources needed for ministry projects such as the launch of new translations, maintaining and building translation facilities and other needs as they arise. We will be training BTA’s Papua New Guinean staff on the necessary processes for project justification and approval for the release of resources. We will also train BTA staff in the areas of project and property management.


We will be involved in the Pacific S.A.L.T ministry (Scriptural Application and Leadership Training) as a teachers and facilitators. This ministry works alongside bible translators, literacy workers, local pastors, and leaders from remote bush villages. National pastors and lay leaders, working in the field learn to apply solid biblical principles to their lives and ministries in order to evangelize villages and plant churches in areas that have previously been un-accessible.


Another function of our ministry will be property managers over four translation compounds located in the capitol city of Port Moresby, Ukarumpa, Alotau, and Madang. On each compound, we will periodically evaluate maintenance needs and insure the properties are maintained and provide safe habitable work and living conditions. We will also recommend new building expansion on an as needed basis insuring that needed facilities are available to forward existing and upcoming translation projects.


We will be acting as South Pacific Volunteer coordinators identifying opportunities for long and short-term volunteers and sending them to Wycliffe headquarters then communicating them to our supporting Churches to facilitate active, involved ministry partnerships. When teams come, we will care for all their needs while in country. (Housing, medical, meals, transportation and proper documentation for entry and departure as well and resources to be successful in the ministry they are involved in)

We are asking you to Get Involved. To set up a ministry presentation or to speak with us about Geting Involved please contact us:

You can email me at: Doug@wamissionaries.org
You may Phone me Cell: 317-219-8184
Or you may go to our website http://www.wamissionaries.org/