VOLUME 8; NO.2                                                                                                                   FEBRUARY 1985

Dear Brethren;

Greetings in the name of our saviour, Jesus Christ.

HAVING WORKED MYSELF TO THE BONE...

During the last weeks of January our family will be going to New Zealand for a much needed rest break. (I am hoping to put a little meat on the bones.)

1984 STATISTICS
Like most missionaries the keeping of numbers is an importantl part of our work. Through the review of numbers we can see how our work is or is not going. Eachyear the congregation here in Goroka sits down and sets goals that we would like to accomplish that year. In 1984 we set and reached the following:
Sunday am: 150/95 average
Thursday pm: 150/ 55 average

Baptisms: 60/ 14 actual
Contribution:$ 330./ $177.mo. average

During January one of the members we had withdrawn fellowship from last year was restored. Please pray for Rex !

MONEY PROBLEMS OF ANOTHER SORT
Money has become a wall of division with some of our brethren. The problem being encountered is that if you loan money or you don't loan money they get mad at you and quit coming to services. During the middle of last year one of the older attending members wanted to buy a puppy from us. We have always sold the puppies as if you GIVE them away everyone wanted them and you have a very hard time deciding who to give them to. Well the person being discussed came and had only half the $20. asking price. He had a job so I "loaned" him the balance until the next payday. M-A-N-Y paydays went by and no money. From time to time I would ask and he always had a good reason (for him): the dog had been sick, the dog had chewed up some of their clothes, etc. Well, in early December the person came and wanted to "borrow" some (5) chickens for a celebration feast he was going to host. I said, "Sure. How about the $10 you still owe me from the dog? And that will be $25. for the chucks before you get said chucks in hand.," He told me that he would be more than happy to pay me Friday for the chucks that day. (Shades of Wimpy.) Didn't happen!

In the society here the people will borrow money or things and when they don't or can't pay it back they become ashamed and will hid from you whenever you try to see them. They even quit coming to services. Also if you don't loan money or things then the people say you don't have compassion on them and they quit coming to services. That is what happened when I wouldn't loan the chickens to one of the members. SO as you can see one can get caught between the two extremes and loses both ways.

For several weeks the rejected member was absent from services and non-catchable to discuss out the problem. When he was finally tracked down he told several of the men that he didn't need to attend "our" church, he would find a church that would help him. (This is the same person who borrowed $1000 from a local bank and paid it off in 7 months. So I know he CAN pay back loans. The only problem is, as a brother he didn't feel compelled to repay kin.) He has since attended service once and has the attitude that he is waiting for ME to repent of what I did to him.

Please pray for brother Peter. He has been keeping his family away as well.

AND WE KILLED THE FATTED CHICKEN
For six days we were thrilled at the opportunity to share our labors with Ken and Landon Samuel from the "Land of the Golden Arches". Ken is one of the elders from our sponsoring congregation in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He and Landon stopped through on their way to Korea where they are scheduled to teach a week course in the winter BCC Bible School. (If you think they just stopped on their way through look at the map again. In fact they flew to Seoul Korea first, back through Hong Kong and then down to here.)

In the days we had them we tried to share with them our work. We made a trip into the village of Bima Piau (BEEMA PEA-OW). They said one trip was enough! (Ask them if the movie I showed in the past did justice to the road). They visited the hospital here (it had been cleaned up that day too!). They thought the market place was SOMETHING ELSE! Two nights in a row we had thunderstorms and had to operate off the generator for several hours. We even served some of our homegrown chickens to the two visiting dignitaries.

MONTHLY WRAP-UP
Before the Samuel's arrived to liven up the month we had been sharing with the Fred Burrows family as they opened up the boxes that had come in the crate they had shipped from the states. We oh-ed and ah-ed and thoroughly enjoyed the action as they unwrapped their possessions. They even let us feel some of the articles from time to time. (And who said the time of cheap thrills was past.) Not many people have little camp lights, little pup tents and little camp eating and cooking utensils for those little camping trips.

During January I printed 32,230 sheets of information. This included two new books put together by Lois Voyles. Jab Mesa's brothers spent their school break collating pages for the song book.

January 17th, Kathy and I noted our 16th anniversary. We will celebrate it in New Zealand. It has been a memorial 16 years.

MANY, MANY of you have sent cards and letters this year over the holiday season and we appreciated them so much. Many times it was your card or letter which provided the encouragement for the day.

We have also been notified that some of you have given over and above to help meet the needs was have been burdened with over the past several months. We continue to thank the Lord for your faithfulness and fellowship.

Please continue to remember the Papua New Guinea brethren and the work in your daily prayers.

Your servants in Christ,

the Huff