NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Lena and I had a wonderful trip to minister again at WorldView India in January. James and Toree Overton do a wonderful job leading and teaching the Bible translation students at the college. It was a joy to share how to use Chronological Bible Storying as a tool in church planting simultaneously with translating the Scriptures. These students come from around India and Myanmar, and are a delight to work with. We praise the Lord for all the opportunities to speak in church, chapel, small groups, and one-to-one. Pray with us that the Lord will continue to raise up faithful ministers of the Gospel in this needy area of the world!
NEW NURSES
The clinic at Kunai Health Centre has been extremely busy the last several months. The nurses and our national staff are doing a great job ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of our Kamea people. Next week we will be in Lae city for our medicine and supply buy, and there we will be meeting two incoming nurses: Chelsea Moorman and Danya Counts. Chels was with us for 2017-2018, and this is Danya’s first time.
Pray for them and the team on the ground as they continue to treat patients, and as they labor in discipleship and evangelism.
NEW SCRIPTURE USES
Since we
began translating the New Testament into Kamea almost five years ago, we have
labored to find ways to make it accessible to our people. Pastor Ben has taught
the church directly from the newly translated text, and Sarah and Laura-Lee
have used it in literacy classes. We have produced videos of the Life of Christ
using the Kamea New Testament, and these are shown daily at the clinic as well
as distributed on mobile phones. Now the nurses have begun using the Kamea New
Testament portions to do discipleship with the young ladies in the church. They
said that the girls are really excited to hear and to read the Word in their
own heart language!
NEW VISION
Lena and I believe our next step is to move to Port Moresby and to partner with our son Matt, his family, and the ministry of Capital City Baptist Church. We have always felt welcome there, and the Lord has given us sweet friendships among those believers. We can continue the Bible translation project and keep giving logistical support to Kunai Health Centre, as well as orienting new missionaries as they arrive, plus all of the many ministry opportunities in that growing city.
The move will involve building a place to live and obtaining a vehicle, and we are sure our great God will take care of those details in His way and in His time. As you remember us and these ministries (Kunai and Port Moresby) in prayer, could you also pray for Lena? It looks as though she may need surgery on her neck again, perhaps later this year.
How blessed we are to be such privileged children of the King! He lets us work for Him among His people in many places, He lets us see His power in transformed lives, and He blesses us with His presence, His Word, His grace, and His love. And then He gently reminds us, “Freely ye have received—freely give.” May we all be busy about giving that same good news of the Gospel that He so freely gave to us. The world, near and far, is waiting…
All glory to Christ,
John & Lena Allen
2 Thessalonians 3:1
Enjoy a few photos of our visit to India. The Gospel is being preached in that great land, but there is so much more to do!