June 2021
Dear Praying Friends,
The verse of Scripture we have claimed for this furlough is “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for ever more.” (Psalm 121:8) What a precious promise that we have seen fruit of already. I will try to communicate some of the highlights, for Father has shown us favour in so many ways, thus far.
Upon requesting an exemption from the PNG Controller, David Manning, we were granted permission to fly with SIL out of the jungle. This exemption was in regards to waive the requirement to have a negative Covid test result 24 hours before flying out of Kaintiba. That was the requirement for all domestic flights for passengers crossing provincial boundaries via airplane. If we could have walked or driven out with a car (along with the other thousands of people), no Covid testing was required. Apparently, the Covid sickness was only being spread via passengers flying in airplanes at the time we were getting ready to make our trip. We praise the LORD that He preserved our going out of Kaintiba, as He said He would.
After flying out to Port Moresby on the 6th of May, I renewed my PNG drivers license and did a few other miscellaneous things to get ready to fly our international flights. We can’t forget to mention how much our son-in-law, Caleb Wilson, did to get our application in for the Australian visas. He spent hours working on it as we sent him all the documentation via WhatsApp (this was while we still were in Kaintiba). The visas were in hand and ready for us as we approached our departure of PNG. The biggest test was to see if any one of us were sick with Covid-19. The International Hospital personnel checked us on Saturday, the 8th of May…no sickness, of course. This is due to another promise we found in the Scriptures: “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;” (Psalm 103:3). Father is the great Physician, and has given us so many good herbs for our healing.
Air Niugini had to check us for the Covid sickness, too, just before we boarded our international flight to Australia. They too, had to verify if Father was a Man of His Word. The SOS medical team that was hired to do this testing came to that conclusion within about 40 minutes. Of course….why were we so anxious? Our God had healed us of all our sicknesses, and the Helzerman family was not contagious, so as to preserve our going out of Papua New Guinea. His name is Jesus Christ, if you are not sure of Whom we speak. He heals the sickness of sin, too….to all who call upon Him.
Upon arrival in Sydney, Australia, it came to our attention of a need for an exemption for our family to leave the hotel to return to the Airport. We had already sent a declaration to the Australian Government, per their request. This was not sufficient for the government officials in New South Wales. Miraculously, an exemption was issued to us within minutes of the government office closing for the day! This is another indication of Father’s preservation of our going out of Australia.
We arrived into Los Angeles, California for a 2 day visit with Tabitha and Caleb with their 2 little girls. (They have since arrived back into PNG to continue their ministry.) We then continued on to Fairbanks, Alaska and spent a wonderful time with our son, Titus. He just finished his Bible School and is now launching into Aviation training. Pray for his safety and wisdom as he follows the leading of God. Bible Baptist Church and Open Door Baptist Church cared for us so much with housing, and helped in so many other ways. We are now in Dearborn Heights, Michigan visiting my mother and sister, Amy (with her family), and sorting out a vehicle to purchase. If any one is interested in helping financially concerning this, you can email us or call (907-251-7428). Pray that we have wisdom and provision as we start on this furlough.
Christi’s Corner: On the plane from Sydney to Los Angeles, we were given food. Glory remarked, “This is really good. I am glad they cooked it for me.” That airplane had our family of 7 and 4 other passengers. We could sleep wherever we wanted and the stewardesses went out of their way to make us comfortable. The girls have done well with the adjustments. One asked if we could go back to PNG after we had landed in LAX. After spending time in Alaska she asked if she could just stay there. I know many more adjustments are around the corner, but it is good for them to learn to be content where they are. Thanks for your prayers for us!
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hadassah,
Grace, Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com