October 2020
Dear Praying Friends,
We thank our Father Who has continued to sustain us in our “hedges” ministry. As you all know, God has sent forth His people to go into all the world.....into the highways and hedges to COMPEL them to come in. In Kaintiba, we are still working to persuade men.... It is a great privilege to be saturated in this work, and to be representatives of our King in this land wherein we sojourn. We also thank you all who care for us in prayer and gifts of monetary value. Only eternity will reveal the blessing and reward of our joint labor to bring men to the feet of our Saviour. He is worthy of it all.
It has been over three months since we have sent out our report to you all. Thank you for your patience. One of the challenges we face in the jungle is to get mass emailing done via the Digicel service (cell phone). I (Mark) have not been out of Kaintiba since February and Christi went out to POM in July with Grace. That was the last time we sent out our bi-monthly report. We have not been slack, though, and much labor has been given to preach Christ and Him crucified. This is the sole purpose of our being in Kaintiba: through sound preaching, men might be drawn to Christ Jesus our Lord.
My Religious Instruction class has been intermittent due to the Covid-19 problem. There are no cases confirmed in the Gulf Province, but the “protocols” coming into the jungle are about 6 weeks behind the rest of PNG. So, the Government school in Kaintiba has cancelled school so many times this year, it may be the students have not gained any new knowledge in their respective grades! In spite of this, I have been teaching different key doctrines that are noteworthy and distinctive to the “Baptist” churches down through the many centuries.
This past Sunday (October 4) was the completion of our study verse by verse in Ephesians. Most of this year in our Sunday School hour Ephesians has been the book of study. The majority of the doctrines and instructions found therein are in contrast to the world view of the people in Kaintiba. Children are not to be “crossed” by the parents, lest the parents receive angry attacks from the children. The wives are in constant fear that the husband will become angry and beat them. There is no private property, hence theft is not considered theft if it is a “benefit” to the clan. Lying is a virtue, and the better a person is at it, the more power they have over their clan. I have enjoyed teaching the book of Ephesians, though, even if it will take time and patience to continue showing them the Word of God will never fail them. Confidence in following its principles will only benefit them.
One prayer request we have is the continued fall out from a former church leader’s rebellion. Now, a third man has turned against us, and starting to stir up strife among us in the same manner. The key problem stems from the sowing discord among the brethren and turning family members away from me personally. This turns into lack of interest in church attendance, disregard to the Word of God, and acts of violence (indirectly toward us...like killing trees growing on the church property). Also, beating a wife who is a daughter of a man who supports us in the Work and Ministry is an ongoing situation. The way many of these people think is in total opposition to the Scriptures. If you could imagine a full grown man throwing a temper tantrum like a 2year child in the grocery store, you will understand what I am saying...yet more dangerous. Pray for safety and wisdom as we continue to see Colossians 1:21 become a reality in Kaintiba. The mind is the battle ground for sure.
These first 2 weeks of October our family has taken a break and traveling to a few places and visiting several missionaries. We pray to be a blessing to them, but we are also in need to be encouraged and strengthen among brethren of like precious faith. Pray for our safety as we travel on the road to Lae, Yonki, and Ukarumpa from Wau. We have supplies to buy, doctor visits, internet work, banking, computer problems to fix, and flights to return to Kaintiba with the family and supplies until December.
Christi’s Corner: The literacy class has been going well. The numbers of students are down to 6 that I think will finish the class. The progress is slow, but we are making progress. I enjoy working with these ladies and they enjoy the learning as well. On the family side of things: we have a new grand-baby! Cherith Jordan Wilson was born on 9/11/20. Weight: 7lbs. 14 oz. Length: 20.5” long. Tabitha and Cherith are doing well. We praise the Lord for a safe delivery. Now we anxiously wait for when we can hold our precious little one!! On the same day Cherith was born, Odette Banakato (our adopted mama) lost her husband. A time to mourn and a time to rejoice. We have been helping her during her time of grief. We rejoiced when she was able to again be with us in services. Pray for her spiritual growth and maturity in Christ.
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hadassah,
Grace, Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com