April 2022
Dear Praying Friends,
Psalm 121:8 says: The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Before our family left Papua New Guinea, I ask Father for a promise that we would be able to return to PNG after our furlough was finished. This is the verse He gave me back last April….1 year ago. His promise to us concerning our going out of PNG and coming back in came full circle and became a reality in mid-February. There is not enough room on this one page newsletter of all the events of the trip from Buffalo to Port Moresby, but I will put it into the text part of the email this PDF will come on.
Friday the 18th of February we arrived safe into the capital of PNG and got right to work on Saturday getting things in order to fly out to Kaintiba. We had to separate things that were priority to have when we first arrived out to the jungle, because the jungle aircraft can only carry a limited amount of weight + our family. After purchasing about a months worth of food items, we had just enough space for two full flights out to the jungle. The first flight was on Friday the 25th of February with the whole family. Wow! It was a huge relief when we landed back in Kaintiba after just 9 months of leaving. The promise God gave was accomplished. But there is more. The second flight arrived the next Tuesday with the remaining supplies and luggage. From Buffalo to Kaintiba, over 14,000 miles, everything that we brought and bought arrived safe, with nothing stolen. That in itself is a miracle! To God be the Glory! ……and much thanks to all who had the heart to give toward this end.
Upon landing, our church family welcomed us with open arms and tears in their eyes. In the 9 months we were gone to the USA, they heard many times that all missionaries were leaving PNG, never to return. They were told the Helzerman family would never return because of covid. It is a common and ongoing problem here in Kaintiba to give people heartaches with false stories and lies. There are many “church” factions that like to oppress other church groups to make them loose hope, even to the point of not trusting in Christ as they should. We are thankful that Father brought us back to show them that there is a God in Heaven Who hears the cry of His children and cares for His own. We can be at peace, because God’s Word will never fails or discourages us. Our trust now is in the part “from this time forth, and even for ever more.” Just as God brought us back with all the expenses paid in a timely manner, we have confidence even more in the extension of this ministry as God directs.
There was much work to be done upon our return, of course. Mending, repairing, cutting grass where it has grown long. It was a blessing, though, to see how much work Preacher Tiwias had done, both keeping the people organized and the church grounds orderly. Please pray for him as he continues to gather jungle materials for his house. It has been an added work to his family to rebuild the church parsonage that was removed by the former “pastor”. On top of this, our “enemies” have been stealing his garden food and the wood he has worked so hard to find in the jungle. We pray he will stay strong amidst all the opposition he faces for the LORD’s work.
Christi’s Corner: From Snowy NY to tropical Kaintiba - we are glad to be home! We took about a week to get settled back in. We are now back to our normal schedule.
I was able to have my first ladies’ meeting since being back on Saturday, 26 March. It was a good turnout of 13 ladies. We enjoyed ourselves and the ladies seemed attentive to the message of “The Finders”. The thoughts revolved around finding spiritual wisdom in Christ.
One of my former literacy students is very sick. Our clinic is not open currently and the only medicine I have to give her is Tylenol. I told her mom that she needed to go to the clinic in Bema, but she (the sick child) refuses to go. She is only about 12 years old. Her name is Jevila. Please pray for her. I am concerned for her life as she hasn’t had much nourishment for a month.
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hadassah,
Grace, Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com