June 2023
Dear Praying Friends,
We are thankful that Christi and Grace had a great trip out to Port Moresby the first week of May. So many prayers were answered and unexpected blessings came their way. Several missionaries that we rarely get to see were in POM that particular week for various reasons. Each missionary that Christi and Grace encountered ministered to them in various ways: from fellowship to driving them to different places as they gathered our supplies. Now, as I plan to go out to POM, we are once again asking Father for some “handfuls on purpose”. I say “we”, because both Hadassah and Glory will be accompanying me (Mark) this time. For Hadassah, she is setting off on a new adventure to minister with Tabitha (her sister) and Caleb Wilson in Alotau and East Cape (Milne Bay Province) for about 6 weeks. From there, she plans to go to Kerema (Gulf Province) to help Sis. Melissa Gray in the Charity Baptist Academy. Please pray for her as she sets out in this manner and as she matures more into adulthood. It is a blessing to us as her parents that she is seeking to do the will of the Father in her life.
Another prayer request we are asking to be answered is that both Hadassah and Grace can get another year extension on their Visas. Although Hadassah is finished with High School, she is in no hurry to “return” to the USA. It is her desire to do ministry with her parents and gaining skill in teaching. Grace, on the other hand, is not finished with High School, yet. The Immigration Office would not really have a problem extending the Visa for Grace, but Hadassah’s request will be more of a challenge. We pray Immigration will understand and show us grace concerning this. It is hard to communicate spiritual things to government personnel who have to follow government policy or do whatever is in the best interest of the PNG Government. Their Visas expire by November, so time is of the essence to commit this to prayer.
As of late, things in Kaintiba still move along at the normal pace. I am nearing the end of teaching the book of Hebrews verse by verse. This book has been a help to clear the minds of our members concerning the false teachings found in Kaintiba. For more than 20 years the false teaching that Christ is NOT seated at the Father’s Right Hand, or that Christ finished the work of redemption has been a strong adversary of The Truth. So many “church goers” in Kaintiba go about their day with fear and doubt, uncertain even of the purpose of their life. We pray, as Apostle Paul prayed, that the Lord would open the eyes of their understanding. If they could only experience one day with the peace and joy that comes from knowing a person is made Righteous in the sight of God through the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This would for sure give them the understanding to break free from all the false doctrines that are holding them in fear and doubt. As all the Christians the world over know, true peace and joy comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing Grace.
Outside of the church/Sunday setting, the other key ministry that is always bathed in prayer is my public preaching at the Kaintiba Market. This is where I am faced with all the enemies of the cause of the Gospel. Heathen, false teachers, religious groups that could care less about the fundamental doctrines of our Lord. “Don’t make waves” or “don’t rock the boat” would be what they would say if they understood English. Adhering to the Gospel and living a life pleasing to Christ would cause a deficit in their sells at Market or minimize their pleasures that they need to exist day by day….at least that is how they process it in their minds. To some degree it is true that their Market of narcotics would decrease, but if they only knew what more glorious things in their lives would INCREASE! Only Christ can replace the fabricated enjoyments of this world with the true joy in this life, and in eternity to come.
Once again, we thank the Father for His care through you all. Every month there is always enough cash that shows up in our account to meet our daily needs. In just a few days, I will be spending the hard earned cash that has been given to us these last 2 months. Since we will be buying supplies for 3 months, we have about $300 to spend on groceries for each week. Christi does a real good job getting a 2 or 3 month menu together and the needed ingredients listed out to be purchased in Port Moresby. Each time we go out for supplies, the amount of money available is always different, and much improvising is done. I do thank Father for a wife that is willing to live in such a bizarre manner when it comes to buying groceries! This is of course supplemented with the local fruits and the limited vegetables that are grown in the Kaintiba mountain gardens. Our property is too small to grow a garden that would even sustain one person. All the garden property allocated to the Baptist Church area is cultivated by our national preacher, Tiwias, and his wife Alu. The Church membership is not large enough to support them fully, so they have much need for their own garden to maintain their livelihood. With that, I’ll sign off for now. We do ask for prayer to the Father for safety from the adversaries, especially those in the spiritual realm.
Christi’s Corner: The big news for this letter is Hadassah has graduated High School! Officially half of our children have graduated! We are so blessed by Hadassah and her desire to live for God. She is in no hurry to go back to the states. We are thankful for the extra time we’ve been given. She will be leaving us here in two days. We will greatly miss her as she goes out to minister to others. Yet, I, as her mother, am so blessed that she can go and be a blessing to others. Please pray for her!
I still continue to give literacy lessons once a week to my ladies. Jeni, Delma, Rut, Sena, and Alu are the students I am currently working with. Pray for them to get recognition of numbers. They count very well. It is just recognizing what the numbers look like. We are diligently working on numbers. It is vital to reading to also read numbers. I am pointing out different ways they use numbers: on their money, finding verses in the Bible and songs in the song book. Thanks for praying for them.
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hadassah,
Grace, Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com