Driggers

days

January March 2014

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8 NIV

Last summer we shared with you that the Lord was leading us to a new overseas assignment at the end of our term here in PNG. God has indeed reaffirmed this in our lives, but in a manner so very different than we previously imagined! When we returned from our time in Australia, we felt the Lord yanking on our heart strings. PNG has become our home, and the Lord spoke clearly into our lives that He has not yet released us from our ministry here. So after our one year home assignment in North Carolina we will be returning to Ukarumpa! Our new assignment will be to work in the auto shop. Thank you for praying. We praise the Lord for so many affirmations in our lives that have allowed us to know His will for our future!

When God gives us things, we dont hold them tightly; we hold them loosely so they can fall through our fingers to bless others. This is how Greg Barkman, Ukarumpa International School (UIS) principal, described his students attitude toward giving.

In December, UIS students in prekindergarten through 12th grade brought gifts such as toys, games, school supplies, clothing and cash to school. The senior class delivered these gifts to children at an orphanage in Lae, a town four hours drive away. Most of the orphans had lost both of their parents to AIDS. While there, the teenagers gave the children an even more precious gift than toys or clothing: their time. They shared hugs, listened to their stories, prayed for them, and showed them Gods love. They held three-year-old Miriam, who had contracted AIDS from her mother. They listened to twelve-year-old Sarah who came from an abusive family and still had scars on her face. And they grieved over ten-year-old Jordon who had been caught stealing

numerous times and as a result had to leave the orphanage and live on the streets. On the last day of their visit the young people gathered the children in a circle and prayed for them. The children and the teens had each experienced Gods love through their mutual friendship. Many of them shed tears as they hugged good-bye. Visiting the orphanage deeply affected all the UIS students, including Meliah Michael. Meliah is interested in pursuing a career in journalism, and she now feels a pull to use her writing skills to serve orphanages and raise awareness of the needs of the poor. Meliah wrote these thoughts in response to the experience: I never thought such little hands could pull on my heartstrings so entirely. My life is changed forever, to put it simply. When they held my hand, looked me in the eye and said, Stay forever, I knew that these kids, these brave warriors in life, were what really mattered. To love these kids was such a blessing, I will never be the same.
By The PNG Experience Photo by Amy Evers

God has been so gracious and kind to allow us the privilege of loving kids during our time in the childrens home. We will never be the same! Thank you for partnering with us, impacting the precious lives of missionary kids and supporting the work of Bible translation!

Marty, Sara and those girls

Marty and Sara Driggers Childrens Home Parents Papua New Guinea

Driggers | PO Box 1 (185) | Ukarumpa, EHP 444 PNG | m-s.driggers@sil.org.pg Wycliffe Bible Translators | PO Box 628200 | Orlando, Florida 32862 | 1-800-WYCLIFFE
Any gifts should be made payable to Wycliffe, with a separate note saying, Preference for the ministry of Marty and Sara Driggers, Account #270928. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is simple! Go to: http://www.wycliffe.org/partnership.aspx?mid=6db362

When we made the commitment to return to serve in Ukarumpa in the auto shop, we prayed the Lord would provide us with stability in a home. He did just that. We bought a house! God has provided for us a three bedroom, one and a half bath home for just $8,500. The seller was very motivated and willing to accept minimal payments until our home in South Carolina is sold. It seems a bit odd, you say, to buy a home that you cannot live in yet. Yes, but let us explain Beginning in April, after the completion of their orientation course on the coast of PNG, our friends, James and Stephanie, will rent our home until we return to live in Ukarumpa. This rental income will help us pay down the indebtedness we owe for Martys medical treatment. In addition to this benefit, owning a home will save us thousands of dollars in rent each term. We praise God for our new home and its perfect location just around the corner from the auto shop and secondary campus! He is so good to us. Please join us in praying as we begin to explore options for the sale of our home in SC, as well as the financial provision for our new home here in PNG.

Praise
Marty received all the necessary medical treatment needed during our time in Australia, and is feeling healthier and stronger than he has in almost 15 years after making huge dietary changes. God lavishly loved us through His church while we were in Australia. It was an incredible time of rest and relaxation. We are so excited that the Lord has revealed His plan for our future, and praise Him for the perfect provision of a home for our future years here in Papua New Guinea.

We bought a house!

Marty praying at the altar during student led worship at Aiyura National High School.
Photo by Sarah Halferty

Prayer
Taylors class travels to the coastal town of Madang for their senior trip on March 22nd 26th. Please pray for their safety. Even with the lower Australian cost of medical care we have incurred over $7000 in medical debt. This is a huge stress in our lives and greatly affects our ministry. When we travel home in June of this year all our debt here will transfer to our Wycliffe USA account and we will not receive any income until the balance is paid in full. Please pray for our debt to be paid in full before we leave. We are still finalizing the details of our trip home, including how to pick up a leased car in North Dakota. Please pray for us as we work out the final touches for our travel and transportation.

Sara and Jade worshipping together.

Photo by Sarah Halferty

In Port Moresby on Christmas Eve