Missionary Update                October 2003 Letter

As you all are experiencing the change in tree leaf colors, we are moving into rainy season, which means everything is green and growing. The lawns need to be mown every week mainly because we have this grass that comes up and has seeds that get in your skirt (ladies) or socks (men) and scratch your skin. At least half of us (Martha) likes the weather and it is a good thing the other half (Lyle) is in an air conditioned office most of the day. God knows our likes and dislikes and gives us a way to cope.

Our first regional conference went well. We enjoyed the Village Baptist ministry team from Destin, Florida. They provided child-care so that the families could meet and hear the message brought by the Pastor and participate in the tribal reports as we all heard how each location is progressing. This was an encouragement to all of us. Lyle and the other guys on the Regional Committee met with each team to find if there are some helps that they need and see how they are doing as a team. We had a finance session and a church-planting session. Both of these sessions were helpful and informative.

The team of workers from the Village Baptist Church that came to build a kit house for Tim and Becca Peterson accomplished a great deal. We found that the wood flooring supplied for the two new kit houses was not good quality, and in talking with the company that supplied the houses, they agreed to get better flooring to compensate. Tim and Becca are hopeful of moving into the house sometime in late November.

Lyle and several of the new missionary men did go on an initial survey into the Aiome and Wanuma areas. They found that three different language groups in the Aiome area are wanting them to come. They are planning another survey into an area west of Josephstal in the next month. Due to the many up-coming meetings and a shortage of church-planting consultants it  will be difficult to find time in the next two months to do extensive surveying.  It will be January before any decisions of location for the new missionaries can be finalized. This does not mean that anyone will be setting around twiddling their thumbs. The new missionaries can help with building here and planning for their houses to be built on location. We encourage them to glean from the Resource Library to read up on the culture within different areas and about church planting. God has the timing in His hands and we will rest in that.

We will be attending several meetings in the next two months with Lyle first going to Laplio for Field Education Committee meetings, Nov. 7th to 10th. We will be going to Australia on the 14th of November for APLC (Asian, Pacific, Leadership Conference) meetings. We will be returning here the 29th for five days and then going to Lapilo for a CLA (Culture, Language, Acquisition) workshop. The workshop is scheduled for the 10th until the 14th. We go before in order to prepare and of course we have to figure in our days to fly there and return. We will probably not get a letter to you in November because of these travels and meetings. We will catch up with you again, hopefully before Christmas.

We thank you for the support and prayers that you give. By God's strength we endeavor to see His church grow.

Your Co-Workers,

Lyle & Martha

Mankey