January - March 1994

Dear Brethren & Friends;

VANUATU WORKERS
Steven Felix graduated from the South Pacific Bible College in December and has returned home to work with the church there. Steven has since gotten a job with the government working with the courts. I hear he is serving summons.

It is good to have the Vuhus here in the South Pacific Bible School. They have settled in well and the children, Titus (4) and Kathy (3) are attending preschool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The children, Titus and Kathy are learning to speak more English as not many people speak Bislama (national language of Vanuatu). Len, who just turned 1 year old, is a little cutin. As you would expect he and I get along splendidly. He scoots along in his walker. Even took it down the three stairs into their garage where Paul has his study. The trip down was alright but the sudden stop at the bottom left a nice little knot and scab. They put up a blocker board across the top of the stairs to keep him from duplicating the feat.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA WORKERS
We keep in contact with Jab and Becky and they are kept busy. After Jab (and John) returned from their sojourn there in the States at the end of last year he has been working overtime with the Bible School and everything else. Both he and Becky continue to experience medical problems. Jab recently had malaria again.

After Jab returned last year we received a letter from the grave. Or at least it was assumed that the writer was deceased as we had not heard for many years from him. Many of you will remember a young A.I.M. (Adventures in Missions) student who came to Papua New Guinea and worked with us in Goroka. Mr Lance Friis by name and a Family Therapist by fame now. We received his letter and it struck me as pretty neat that here Lance was in Family Therapy and Terasa is working on her psycho doctorate (Clinical Psychology). I still remember the night Lance was in our house playing board games and the dogs were barking up a storm outside. Lance looked out and reported that they were only barking at someone pushing a motorbike up the road. It wasn't until he went out to get on his motorbike to go home that he realized it had been his bike they were pushing up the road. (Hem Lance, I still have the other license plate.)

SPECIAL MONTHS
January was a very special month for Kathy and myself. It was 25 years, January 17th, 1969 that Kathy and I were married. To say the least it has been a very eventful 25 years. Immediately following our honeymoon, or should I say our strep throat moon (which I caught after running out of gas 5 miles from Joplin returning from Texas) I returned to Okinawa (in the USAF) and Kathy joined me there three months later. That's where I obeyed the Gospel and we have not looked back since. Bob George and Joe Cannon (both missionaries in Okinawa then) have a lot to answer for!

The month of February saw us starting our 19th year in full-time missionary work. We praise and thank the Lord that we have been allowed to be thus involved in the lives of His people in the Kingdom here in the South Pacific. It has not always been easy to remain here in the field but the Lord has always provided what was necessary at the time and continues to do so. We praise and thank the Lord also for the faithful brethren (of which some of you are) who have provided our needs and continue to provide so that we are able to be used here as servants for the Lord's kingdom.

FUTURE PLANS
Right after I became a Christian Kathy and I attended sessions of the Asian Missionary workshop that was being hosted in Okinawa in 1970. Over the years we have wanted, but not been able, to attend these annual gatherings of like minded men and women in the field. The last workshop we attended was in Hong Kong when we were headed back on furlough from PNG. We were able to renew friendships and fellowships and even went into China.

While back in the States last year we talked with Thailand missionaries when we attended services at the Overland Park congregation in Kansas City. They said that the 1994 missionary workshop was to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. One of the missionary families who live and work there were students in our class at Sunset School of Preaching in 1971-74. We would like to sit down and talk with Kim & Becky as they are involved in the printed ministry like we are. So, because we have a sufficient number of free air miles with United we looked at how we could attend the 1994 workshop. We had enough miles to fly free to Melbourne (Australia) from there we were going on to Perth where we could catch a special flight to Thailand. In Perth we were going to stay with missionary friends from PNG days and hold a gospel meeting for the church there. The workshop would have allowed us to touch base with workers here in the South Pacific and the Asian field in view of our more active involvement in full-time missionary work. The workshop is scheduled for the first weekend in August.

So was our plan. Early in the year we received a phone call from our son Jason who mentioned that he was making plans for marriage in 1995. What did we think? I asked if he would reconsider the time as I do not like coming back to the winter from our summer. Wouldn't June or July 1995 be better? He rang off saying they would talk about it. They did and the date was moved up to August 6th 1994 and they desire that I perform the ceremony. (He asked if I would marry them but I had to remind him that I was already happily married.) So another workshop bites the dust! (But to a good cause.)

Kathy & I will be going to Vanuatu April 16-20th to visit with the brethren and talk with them about future needs.

I am scheduled to teach in the Melanesian Bible School in Papua New Guinea May 19th - June 29th. I will be teaching Old Testament Survey and Scheme of Redemption in Pidgin English. My travels take me through the Solomon Islands. I will be there 2 days going to PNG and 3 days going back to New Zealand. I will be talking with the brethren there about future plans of a 2-3 month training course and talking with current World Bible School students.

While in Papua New Guinea I will be trying to finalize the proofs for the World Bible Course in Motu. We still hope to be able to print this course before the end of the year.

This year again looks to be a busy one. Please pray for our monthly financial needs (to get back into full-time work) and our travels to the islands and back to the States this fall.

In Christian service,

the Huffs