Prayer Update 3 October 2008 (Oct5/08)

Dear Prayer Partner,

 Telephone Lines destroyed:

Yes this past week end our telephone lines to our area of Honiara were destroyed.  This means no email, internet, phone calls, etc.  I'm writing this letter not knowing when it will go out, but I'm planning a trip to town today and will use an internet café or something to hookup.  I suspect when I return from town we'll be the proud owners of a mobile phone.  I have put off purchasing a mobile because they are so expensive.  Now may be the time! 

 

Here is what happened to our phones.  There was an accident last week (Thursday or Friday afternoon) when a drunk driver ran off the road and down an embankment, crashing into a house below.  At the top of the hill, he hit the telephone pole, bending the line closer to the road.  Then on Saturday a large truck hit the telephone pole by our property further damaging the telephone system and lowering the lines.  Another accident or something happened Saturday night or Sunday morning that took another telephone pole down.  Now the large phone cable was really close to the road and essentially our road was closed except for standard sized vehicles.  Our land cruiser just had enough clearance to pass under the cable.  Do you think this large cable running across the road deterred the gravel truck from barreling through?  Not on your life, so Monday Morning about 8:30 the gravel truck ripped out the lines, and pulled down the telephone poles.  The sad thing to me was the driver of the truck just laughed about it, with no feeling of remorse or responsibility.

 Please keep the emails coming, but if you don't get an immediate email response from us this is the explanation.  We get to town maybe twice weekly these days so don't expect an immediate turn-around.  We will try to reply immediately to emergency messages that can be answered with short answers and do not require much investigation.  

 Bible College Class:

We just completed the Bible College block classes.  This is our final block class for this year as our next block courses will be March 2009.  Dr. David McEwan came up from Australia as our guest lecturer.  He taught 2 courses Pauline Epistles and Theology 2.  Nancy and I together taught one course, Gospel and Culture.  19 students took the Pauline Epistles, 12 took Theology 2, and 9 took the Gospel and Culture class.  We hope to graduate our first class in May 2009 with a diploma in ministry.  Currently we have 4 student on target to graduate.

 Nancy is teaching the Christian Education program through our South Pacific Nazarene Theological College.  Last term she taught two courses, "Christian Worldview" and "Theology of Education".  This term she is teaching 2 classes, "Teaching Methods", and "Curriculum Planning and Evaluation".  She holds these classes after school so our teaching staff can attend.  Each class meets one afternoon per week from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.  Upon completion of the eight classes the students will be awarded a certificate in Christian Education.

 100^th Anniversary:

Our church is gearing up for the 100^th anniversary of the Church of the Nazarene denomination.  This will be held in each of our local churches on Sunday 5^th October.  In our Zion church in Honiara we have been promoting and making preparations for this event.  It looks like everything is coming together beautifully for a wonderful time of celebration.   We will begin with a Saturday night service at 7 p.m.  Then our Sunday morning service begins at 10 a.m.   We will have a number of special items, show the centennial DVD made for this occasion, celebrate the Lord's Supper, and have our centennial message.  Following the service we will have a feast.   Pray for Pastor Dickson Manongi, and the Zion congregation during this time.  Also pray for our other pastors who will be traveling and holding special services in various local churches.  Pastor Simeon at Nukukaisi; Dolasi traveling to Bethel community in NE Malaita; Lazarus to Alisisiu, E. Malaita; Geoffrey to Macedonia, on W. Guadalcanal; Caleb and Joshua to Vella la vella; Barnabas to Kwailatutu and W. Kwaio; Jeremy to Beri and E. Kwaio (Jeremy is delayed due to no ship to his place so their celebration will be delayed); Revelation and Eric to the Churches in Central Kwara'ae, Malaita Province.  Many of these are student pastors who were just in Honiara for Bible College classes and are now being sent out or in most cases back home with the centennial message for this special weekend.

 Geoffrey and Churie:

Our son Geoff and Churie are planning on arriving in the Solomon's on December 9^th.  Pray for them as they make preparations to come.  Geoffrey is preparing to help us begin a vocational training school and Churie would like to help in our Zion Christian Academy and in other areas too.

 The funeral service for their daughter, Natalie, who died shortly after birth was beautiful, according to the reports we received.  We want again to thank you for your prayers and support for them during this time.  At the funeral the children (sisters and cousins) released pink and white balloons.  She was buried at Redrock cemetery which is beside the Redrock United Methodist Church, near Calumet, Oklahoma.  Walking through this cemetery is like walking through the family tree as our ancestors on my mother's side settled in the Redrock community and many of our relatives are buried there.  The cemetery also allowed the family to

open and close the grave.  I have never seen this done in the USA before.  Of course where we've served for the past 19 years that is the common practice.

 

 

 

Other Prayer Needs:

1.     District Assembly, along with the worship and evangelistic services and the workshops will be held November 9-16.  Pray for the following visitors planning to come.  Our General Superintendent, Dr. Jesse Middendorf and wife will be here from Nov 11-13; Baru Dirye, Nazarene Health Ministries, Health Secretary, in Papua New Guinea, will be visiting from Nov 7-17; Verne and Natalie Ward, Regional Director and wife, will be visiting from Nov 11-13; and Harmon Schmelzenbach, the assistant to the Field Strategy Coordinator, will be here from Nov 11-14.  We are looking forward to a great time serving the Lord.

2.     Our Jesus Film Ministry – We are at a cross-roads in this ministry and need some divine direction. Pray for ministry and use of the "Proclaimers", which I mentioned in a previous prayer letter.

3.     Pray for Zion Christian Academy, our elementary and high school. 

4.     This is a World-wide problem but our Solomon Islanders are really feeling the squeeze from the world economic situation.  Rice our staple food product has recently doubled in price.  Fuel prices have more than doubled.  Of course when fuel prices go up, everything goes up, but the wages have not kept up.  This leads to much discontent.

5.     Pray for James.  James is an elderly man, who is an excellent carpenter and builder.  He is currently working around the mission.  He is basically working as a volunteer with us just providing food and a modest stipend to keep him going.  He is helping with some building needs and stretching our budget.

6.     Pray for Jimmy and Miriam Olofisau.  Jimmy is a Solomon Islander who has graduated, three years ago, from the Melanesian Nazarene Bible College in Papua New Guinea.  While in PNG he married Miriam, also a Bible College graduate.  They have been serving as a pastors in PNG.  Pray for their paper work getting completed so Miriam can immigrate to the Solomon's.  I'd love to get them back before District Assembly in November.

 Thanks for your prayer support.

George Miller PO Box 712 Honiara, Solomon Islands phone: (677) 25 109 george_nancy@reachone.com