August 2023
Dear Praying Friends,
We pray this letter finds you all doing well and strong in Christ. So often as I think of the privilege Father has given to Christi and me to minister in this foreign country, I am filled with joy! Who are we to have been given an opportunity such as this to represent the Saviour in these last days. How rich the sweetness of being a witness of the sure mercies of the Lord to a dying world. Christ has laid hold of us for this purpose and to this end we yield ourselves.
Some pressing decisions are on us now that Hadassah has finished high school. It is apparent at the present time that Immigration will not extend her visa under our work permit. Their policy is that she would need to get a college education in a particular field and then apply to return under a work structure that is active in PNG. Although there have been exceptions to this policy for some persons with connections to high ranking government officials, we don’t have those connections as of yet. Since Hadassah would rather stay and minister with her family in PNG, and is very active to minister as Father has opened the doors, we will next pursue the option of a “visitor visa” for her. We don’t know all the new post-Covid requirements yet, so please pray we will be able to navigate this new trial of sorts.
It may be that the “visitor visa” application process will need to be started AFTER Hadassah is out of PNG, or she would have to activate the “visitor visa” by a reentry. If this is the case, we will need to fly to Australia in December to accomplish this. That will be an added expense for sure, but we could turn it into a “vacation”. Anyways, without the wisdom and necessary understanding to do this correctly according to the PNG specification, this could be a great trial of affliction….even more so than it already is. Also, if she is not accepted back as a “visitor” into PNG, this will be a huge change for both her and her family. What will she do in the USA? Where will she live? Who would be willing to take responsibility for her until she gets on her own feet? So many questions, and our prayers cry upward to the Father.
Back to updates of the work in Kaintiba: The BIGGEST ministry that Christi has is teaching the children in school. The School year has started and is in full swing. Grace is a Senior in High School, and we also pray that her visa will be renewed for another year. The other 3 girls are doing well at their grade levels and each one (including Grace) has a musical instrument (or 2) they are trying to master. We do thank the Lord that we have high speed internet (limited GBs) to do research and video calling to do lessons (piano and violin) with a real live teacher. We do appreciate Naomi Parfitt, who has, for many years, been a great music teacher for our girls. She is so helpful in other ways, also. If anyone is interested in live video lessons, she can be reached at: pleasantphotography@icloud.com
This month I finished teaching the Book of Hebrews verse by verse that we had started in February of last year (2022). Now, we just started to study the Book of Colossians. It is my prayer that important and valuable lessons can be distilled to the hearers, and that the Christians will mature in their faith. Apostle Paul, under Inspiration, gave so many wonderful and encouraging thoughts that need to be embedded in the minds of these baby Christians. I ask for wisdom from the Holy Spirit to bring these truths home to where they live in their everyday life. It will bolster their confidence as born again believers and strengthen their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christi’s Corner: Life is full of adjustments. It seems the next few years will bring many adjustments as our children transition one by one into where God wants them to be. We are praying much for this upcoming transition for Hadassah. She loved Alotau and was able to teach some music lessons to several people. She is currently enjoying helping in an ACE Christian school in Kerema. She will begin to teach a children’s Sunday school class this upcoming Sunday. We are thankful for the ministry opportunities she has had. These current ministries are helping her transition back to teaching in English.
As far as ministries here, I continue to plod away at teaching literacy. Praying that they will, through much repetition, get it and thrive in reading. Some of them are very close to being independent readers. My monthly ladies meeting is always a joy to teach. We are working through a book by Terrie Chappell that was translated into Tok Pisin by Verda Keck. These ladies come from all different churches, so it is an avenue for me to reach them with the gospel!
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hadassah,
Grace, Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com