Move to Brazil

Thank you for your prayers for our family as we moved to Brazil this month. It has been a slow process of getting our little apartment set-up with the basic appliances and furniture, but things are moving along, and God is teaching us PATIENCE as we adjust back into a culture where time is not much of a concern, and if a store tells you your refrigerator will be delivered “tomorrow”, this most likely means “sometime in the next two weeks, but definitely NOT tomorrow”. We were able to receive internet this week, and having this line of communication open again is a huge blessing to us.

The kids are adjusting well over-all. Our apartment complex has a safe place for them to play sports as well as a swimming pool which they have been taking advantage of every afternoon. This pool has been a great way to cool off in the afternoons, though Kayla has NOT been impressed with all the critters, including a dead scorpion, we’ve found in it. She got stung four times by winged ants which stay at the surface of the water. People have told us that monkeys come to play in the water every morning at sunrise, but we haven’t actually seen them for ourselves yet. Please continue to pray for the kids’ adjustment. They have met several kids in the neighborhood, and are looking forward to getting to know them better. We, as a family, are praying for opportunities to share about the Lord with four kids in our apartment complex. These kids all speak some English, and when they realized we are missionaries they began asking the kids questions about their “religion”. Please remember Cecilia, Andrea, Adam, and Gabriel in your prayers.

There has been a significant increase in the cost of living here in Brazil. We appreciate your faithful prayers and financial support through this transition. We are excited about what the Lord has for us here. Thank you for partnering with us to reach people with the Savior’s love.

A Reflection on 2009

We hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We have spent some time the past week reflecting on all the Lord has done for us in 2009.  We have faced many good times, as well as many difficult times.  Through them all, we have seen the Lord’s hand in our lives, and have experienced His peace in every situation.

We remember back to beginning the year in Missouri where we were serving with NTM at the Mission Training Center while Jessica received treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  We are still amazed with the Lord’s provision in this area as he provided a wonderful therapist who He used to help Jessica begin to heal.  He provided housing and the finances to cover many medical and travel expenses.

In March we began a “praise trip”—a testimony of God’s healing in our family.  We traveled from Missouri to Ohio where a couple whose children are missionaries in Indonesia graciously opened their basement apartment to us.  We then traveled to Pennsylvania, and then out to the west coast. We had so many encouraging visits with friends, family, and supporters all along the way, and were sorry time didn’t permit us to see everyone this time.  We arrived in WA the end of April where we spent time preparing for our return to PNG.  The Lord provided housing for several weeks with some dear friends of ours who have five kids near our kids’ ages.  This was a healing time for our whole family.  We were even able to leave the kids with this family and attend a Family Life Marriage Conference which was such an encouragement to us as a couple after the stressful year with Jessica’s sickness putting a strain on our marriage.  It was so good to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness in our lives, and to recommit our marriage to Him.

For the remainder of our time in Washington some friends of ours opened their beautiful home on the bay to us.  We felt as if we were on a vacation with the ocean right outside our door.  Our yard was home to several bald eagles who we enjoyed watching each day.  Isaiah 40:31 often came to mind as we observed the eagles.  “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”  The Lord was preparing our hearts to return to the place where our daughter was carjacked at gunpoint.  We knew he was clearly preparing the way, and He would take away the fears we had.

The beginning of July we traveled back to PNG with a special stop in Tokyo to visit a college friend of ours and her family whom we hadn’t seen in ten years.  We arrived at Lapilo on July 5 and took several weeks to get over jet lag and get settled into our house.  We were once again so thankful for our family’s overall smooth transition back into the country.

The end of July brought school starting for the kids, and Phil starting back into his ministry in the computer department.  The coming months brought many struggles and times of discouragement.  We are thankful for how the Lord brought us through and allowed this to be a growing time in our lives.

Mid-November, Phil, along with three other men from Lapilo, had the privilege to travel to Indonesia to finish constructing his sister, Joanna’s house in the tribe.  He thoroughly enjoyed his time and was so thankful for the opportunity to be a blessing to the single girls who are working hard and making such great progress in the language of the people they desire to soon be able to share the gospel message with.

The end of November through December brought many activities for the kids with Christmas programs and piano recitals, etc.  It was difficult as always to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas without our family, but the Lord provided some special times with co-workers during this time.  Kristi and Karina were able to go with a group of co-workers to the local hausik (hospital)the day after Christmas to sing carols, share the Christmas story, and give toys and clothes to all the patients in the children’s ward as well as snacks to the many family members and hospital staff.  This was a growing time for us as we looked at the living conditions in the hospital and realized how blessed we are to have nice clean hospitals in the States where we can receive quality treatment.  The children’s ward we visited had thirty beds in one room, and the adult ward had 45 patients(men and women) in one big room separated only by a half wall in some places.  Jessica was also able to visit this same hospital with the Student Council where they passed out toiletry items—soap, toothbrushes, and toilet paper which is not provided by the hospital and most patients have none of their own.

As we reflect on this year, we are grateful for all the Lord has taught us.  We are thankful for how the Lord used each of you in our lives to encourage us in our endeavor to return to the field.  Thank you for opening your homes, providing meals, and fellowship.  We thank you for standing with us through your prayers and financial gifts.  We do count it a privilege to be partnering with you to help reach the people of Papua New Guinea.

Phil and Kristi Jansma

Trip to Indonesia

My sister, Joanna Jansma, and her co-worker, Kubili Condit, allocated to the Nagi people group of Papua, Indonesia last January.  They spend many hours each day working along side the people, building relationships.  They are doing an outstanding job learning the language and culture. When they first moved in, a group of national builders came in and built a shell of a house; however, they were unable to finish the job properly.  And so the house still sits.  Joanna and Kubili have been staying in their co-workers home while they are on furlough, but this family will be returning soon.  I felt God leading me to take a trip to Indonesia to help my sister. I decided to ask around here to see if any other missionary would be interested in joining me on the trip.  We were so thrilled when three men said they’d love to come help.  All three of these men are skilled in construction.  The team will be leaving tomorrow, the 16th of November and will return the 1st of December.

Please pray we will make all our many connections.  We will first take a twin engine plane from Goroka to the border town.  Then we will take a taxi to the border where we will walk across and then meet another taxi on the Indonesian side.   We will overnight in the mission guest house and will then fly in a small plane to a nearby village where we will shuttle into the tribe in a helicopter.   In a country where nothing goes as planned and you plan for the “unexpected” , we learn to keep flexible.   Pray we will have good weather and will be protected from the many diseases in this area.   Pray also for our families we leave behind.  They will most definitely need an extra amount of grace and strength during this time we are away.  This trip has already been a HUGE encouragement to the girls.  Thank you for your part in making it possible through your prayers and giving!

Sincerely,
Phil Jansma

Life returns to normal

Move to Brazil

Thank you for your prayers for our family as we moved to Brazil this month.   It has been a slow process of getting our little apartment set-up with the basic appliances and furniture, but things are moving along, and God is teaching us PATIENCE as we adjust back into a culture where time is not much of a concern, and if a store tells you your refrigerator will be delivered “tomorrow”, this most likely means “sometime in the next two weeks, but definitely NOT tomorrow”.    We were able to receive internet this week, and having this line of communication open again is a huge blessing to us.

The kids are adjusting well over-all.  Our apartment complex has a safe place for them to play sports as well as a swimming pool which they have been taking advantage of every afternoon.  This pool has been a great way to cool off in the afternoons, though Kayla has NOT been impressed with all the critters, including a dead scorpion, we’ve found in it.  She got stung four times by winged ants which stay at the surface of the water.  People have told us that monkeys come to play in the water every morning at sunrise, but we haven’t actually seen them for ourselves yet.  Please continue to pray for the kids’ adjustment.  They have met several kids in the neighborhood, and are looking forward to getting to know them better.  We, as a family, are praying for opportunities to share about the Lord with four kids in our apartment complex.   These kids all speak some English, and when they realized we are missionaries they began asking the kids questions about their “religion”.  Please remember Cecilia, Andrea, Adam, and Gabriel in your prayers.

There has been a significant increase in the cost of living here in Brazil.   We appreciate your prayers and financial support through this transition.   We are excited about what the Lord has for us here.  Thank you for partnering with us to reach people with the Savior’s love.

The end of the road…

We praise the Lord for giving us safety as we traveled over 10,000 miles since leaving Missouri the beginning of March.  It has been such a blessing reconnecting with so many people who have been praying for us during the past year.  We will be staying in Lynden, Washington until we leave for Papua New Guinea at the end of June.

On the road again…

Our time in Missouri is quickly coming to an end. We are so thankful for how the Lord provided for us to be at the NTM Missionary Training Center for the past nine months. The Lord brought just the right people into our lives to help our family find healing. Jessica was able to get the treatment she needed to help her find victory over the symptoms of PTSD that were so greatly affecting her day to day life. Since Jessica is doing well now, we plan to spend the next few months visiting as many of our churches as possible before our return to PNG in June. It is our prayer that as we travel, people will be able to see first-hand what the Lord has done in our lives.

Thank you for supporting us in prayer.

Return to PNG…PTL!!!

We want to let you know we appreciate SO MUCH all your prayers for our family. God has not only answered your prayers for healing, but has taught us so much along the way. Jessica, in the last month, has made some huge steps in her recovery process, and for the first time we can say we feel as if we have our old Jessica back again! What a releif it is to be able to say that! During this process we often wondered, feared, and questioned whether we would ever see what we remembered her being like. Anyone who knows anything about PTSD marvels at her unbelievably quick recovery. Initially, we were told recovery could take at least two years. It has been eight months since her diagnosis, and we are preparing to return to PNG. God has worked a miracle in Jessica’s life, and we praise Him for answering all your prayers on her behalf.

Please continue to pray for the details of our return to PNG. We are confident God will meet all our needs in the coming months.

Thanks for your partnership with us.

Family Picture

As Thanksgiving Day approaches we want to express to each one of you how much your prayers, support, and gifts have meant to us this year. We are thankful God has provided such a loving and caring support team.

We continue to see growth in Jessica’s recovery process. Although we are encouraged by what we are seeing, we would ask that you continue to pray for us as parents that we would have wisdom and discernment to know how to handle each situation we face.

* Keep praying for Jessica’s complete recovery.
* Pray for our plans to return to PNG, possibly in June.
* Pray our kids would continue to be “little lights for Jesus” at school.
* Pray for Kayla’s health as she has had a continual struggle with allergies or colds since we have arrived here in Missouri.
* Pray for time to heal as a family.
* Pray for wisdom as we work out the details of what our health insurance will cover regarding Jessica’s medical bills.

* Praise the Lord for many of the opportunities the kids have had to share about Papua New Guinea at school.
* Praise the Lord the kids have developed good friendships here in Missouri.
* Praise the Lord for Jessica’s improvement.

Praise

Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We want to once again let you know how much your partnership with us has meant during these difficult months. Your prayers, packages, emails, and financial support have been a blessing to us. These gifts of love have encouraged us to continually wait upon the Lord for strength in every struggle we face.

Thank you so much for your prayers on behalf of Jessica. We are encouraged that she has been able to improve so rapidly. Her counselor is amazed with the progress she has made, and has said “God has worked a miracle.” Please continue to pray Jessica would completely yield her will to the control of the Holy Spirit, so she can find victory in her remaining struggles.

The kids started school here in Camdenton the middle of August. Going from a small missionary school in PNG to a big school in the USA has been quite a transition for them. The first few weeks they seemed overwhelmed, but are now getting used to the routine and are enjoying it. We were so excited to learn that most of the kids teachers are believers. Both guidance counselors at Jessica’s school are believers as well, and the Lord has used them to be instrumental in the process of helping to ensure Jessica’s transition went smoothly. Even though the kids really miss life at Lapilo, they are blooming where God has planted them. They have had many opportunities to share with their classmates about life in Papua New Guinea. This has given them an excellent opportunity to share Christ in a personal way. Please continue to pray they would be courageous little missionaries at their school.

Lord willing, if Jessica continues to improve, we should be able to return to Papua New Guinea next summer. Please begin praying to that end.

Sincerely, Phil and Kristi Jansma

P.S.

We hope to post some more recent pics of the family on our blog at www.jansmajournal.com later this week.

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