He is Risen!

The Call

Skiing in Colorado on Furlough

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were interviewed by KLTV today. To see the interview, go to: KLTV Tyler

An Incredible Journey

PEACEMAKING IN PNG

Godly leaders must be equipped to deal with conflict. For this reason, we include principles of Forgiveness and Christian Conciliation in every Scripture Application & Leadership Training (S.A.L.T.) course. Also, where there is bitterness between individuals and/or churches, we pray for forgiveness and reconciliation; and often God answers our prayers and blesses our efforts.

The story below appears in the Spring 2007 edition of “Peace on Earth,” a quarterly newsletter from Peacemaker’s International Ministries.

COMPETITION OR COMMUNITY? A STORY OF PEACEMAKING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

by Molly Routson, Assistant to the Director of International Ministries

Who gets the building when a church splits? What if it wasn't their building to begin with--who has the right to continue using the facility? Two churches in Papua New Guinea recently faced this very dilemma, and the pastors were gridlocked in conflict as they tried to protect their congregations' rights to the building. But with the help of peacemaker Mick Bandy, these pastors learned to channel their leadership energies toward a peaceful solution that would model God's reconciling power for their congregations and their community.

When Pastor Paul and more than half of the congregation of the Papua New Guinea Bible Church broke off to form a new church, they wished to continue holding their services in the community's meetinghouse. However, their plans for using the hall competed with Pastor Michael and the original congregation's plans for the same space. Eventually, their disagreements became so heated that they erupted into verbal and physical violence, and the frustrated village leaders closed the meetinghouse completely.

Both sides recognized the damaging impact that their conflict was having on their Christian witness and on their own congregations, but they had reached a point where neither wanted to concede to the other. And so the meetinghouse remained closed until missionary Mick Bandy offered to try to help them work out an agreement.

Read the rest of this story of peacemaking in Papua New Guinea.

SIL-PNG Bi-Annual Conference

Mick recently had the privilege of addressing the SIL-PNG Bi-Annual Conference to encourage Peacemaking in the Branch. His comments are below.

SIL-PNG Bi-Annual Conference in Ukarumpa, PNG

Mick Bandy addressing Conference Delegates
My name is Mick Bandy, and I serve the Branch as the Director of the PNG-S.A.L.T. courses and as the Project Resources Coordinator.

From 1985 until 2001, I worked as a Texas Trial Attorney. During most of this time, I helped my clients resolve conflict in a courtroom… relying on the laws of man. However, in 1997, I was introduced to Peacemaker Ministries, upon which the "Dealing With Conflict Biblically" program is based. The idea that conflict was an opportunity to glorify God was a new idea, which I had NOT learned in law school! This idea changed my world view and eventually led me into the mission field.

Seeing conflict as an opportunity leads to an amazingly effective approach to managing conflict, which I refer to as "stewarding." This approach gives the phrase conflict management a unique emphasis. A steward is not supposed to manage things for his own pleasure, convenience, or benefit. Instead, he is expected to follow his master's instructions and look out for his master's interests, even if they conflict with his own personal desires or convenience (John 12:24-26).

The concept of stewardship is especially relevant to peacemaking. Whenever you are involved in a conflict, God has given you a management opportunity. He has EMPOWERED you through the gospel and ENTRUSTED you with abilities and spiritual resources. His Word clearly explains how he wants you to manage the situation. The more faithfully you draw on His grace and follow His instructions, the more likely you are to see a constructive solution and genuine reconciliation. It is exciting that during the last biennium, SIL-PNG has made "Dealing With Conflict Biblically" a priority; and it has been my honor and privilege to serve as a Branch mediator.

2 Peter 1:2 says, "Grace and PEACE be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

2 Peter 1:8 says, "If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

By dealing with conflict in a Biblical way, the Holy Spirit is able to achieve healing and reconciliation; and by managing conflicts according to God's Word, we are able to retain valuable personnel to work in the mission field and to bring about God's Kingdom.

So… in conclusion, let me ask you…

"Are you being a good steward of the conflict God has given to you to manage on His behalf? Are there any conflicts you are "stewarding" today according to your own desires--rather than His desire? Are there any conflicts you are managing by your principles rather than His?"

With God's grace, ANY conflict you're facing can be transformed by seeing it as a stewardship opportunity for which He has given you ample resources to manage.

Thank you!

For more information about Peacemaker Ministries, go to Peacemaker.net

God Is Amazing!

Hi all,

I wanted to thank every one of you who gave (or are giving) towards my trip to Mongolia. It was so amazing to see God provide in such a short time!

About three weeks ago, I needed $3,000.00, and our school had been praying LOTS for the provision of this money. As of yesterday, I have pledges for exactly what I need for everything, as well as a bit extra. God is awesome! All of us in the class really got the point that God was trying to make - That we need to be seeking Him, not the money! He allows these times of need to come into our lives for a time to point us to Him, and set our focus right!

The Walkathon fundraiser we completed as a school went well... if you know Perth at all, or simply want to know, we walked up one side of the Swan river towards Kings Park, across to the other side, and then down towards the bridge at East Perth. It was definitely 12 kilometers, our legs could feel it, but it was worth it to see some needs be met, and to also just have that time to get to know fellow team mates. Thanks to all of you who gave towards that!

Please take time to praise God for the awesome ways He comes through for us, and continue to pray for a real heart and vision for Mongolia AND Australia, as our trip will be about half in Australia and half in Mongolia. I know that as we have met as a team, we can see the result of your prayers and ours. God has really been speaking to us about the needs in Mongolia and also telling us we don't want to forget the Australians! :-P

Thanks again for everything, I really wouldn't be doing this without your support - I appreciate all your thoughts and generosity.

In Him,

Carter Bandy

Prayer Requests for Carter Bandy

Carter is in Australia with YWAM Perth. He asks for prayer for God's blessings and provision for an outreach ministry to Mongolia next month. Carter writes:

"In Mongolia we hope to smash the apathy, darkness and atheism that plague the country by being obedient to God and his Word! One of the saddest things about Mongolia is that atheism is the fastest growing “religion” -- they either don’t care or are too blind to see the truth. I believe God can use us to be SALT in a bland world, and be a LIGHT that exposes deceit."

"Two major things we are praying for in regards to the outreach are: (1) a heart for the people, the ability to see them through God’s eyes, so we can serve and love them as Jesus would, and (2) the finances for travel, accommodations, and food! I need $3,000 USD for this outreach, and I would ask you to pray and seek God’s direction to help me cover these costs. The whole amount is due March 13th, so it would be easy for me to be worried about it, but I know that God is bigger than finances! He can take care of it. I ask you to please bless us by praying specifically for these two things!"

Please pray for Carter! If the Lord puts it on your heart to make a tax-deductible donation toward his ministry outreach to Mongolia, please go to: Donation for Carter

For a copy of Carter's newsletter, go to: Carter's News

Conquering Mountain Tops

Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Climbing to the 14,790 foot summit is hard work, but on a clear day you can see both the north and south coasts of the mainland.

Drew, Nick and Shane at the summit.
In December 2006, Drew Bandy joined a group of guys for a climb to the summit. A slide-show of his expedition can be seen by clicking on the following link:

http://bandyministry.org/wilhelm

Drew writes, "Usually, when someone says base camp you think of a camp at the bottom of a mountain that you intend to climb. However, this was not the case for me. I couldn't even see Mt. Wilhelm from base camp. It was in the neighboring valley. But after 4 hours on the road, 3 hours in the back of a truck on horrible back-roads, and 3 more hours of hiking through the jungle, you aren't really noticing much apart from food and sitting."

"It took us various modes of travel and about 8 hours to get to base camp. The 3-hour hike to base camp was not particularly difficult, but it was a long way to walk with a fully loaded backpack. . . "

"We slept for 4 hours and woke up at midnight. We got our things situated, got our flashlights, prayed, and were off by 1 in the morning. It started off easy and we soon got the hang of hiking with very little light. . ."

"As day broke, we had to stop and gape in awe. I managed to pull myself into a conscious enough state to enjoy one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. Above me was a perfect, clear, starry night sky with a crescent moon and shooting stars. The sky gradually faded lighter and lighter down to the horizon as the sunrise came into view. It was a beautiful night, and an amazing sunrise at the same time, which no picture could ever convey. You really feel on top of the world when you can see both night behind you and day ahead of you simultaneously. It is a sight that I'll never forget and is the highlight of my trip."

Interesting facts about Mount Wilhelm:

During the Second World War in the early hours of May 22, 1944, an American F-7A (a converted B-24 Liberator) named "Under Exposed" crashed into the mountain while flying too low. All crew were killed and most of the wreckage landed in the topmost lake although some can still be seen today.

Numerous people have died attempting to climb the mountain including an Australian Army Sergeant, Christopher Donnan, who died in December 1971 when he fell down a steep slope. There is a plaque at the point where he was last seen.

In August 1995 an Israeli backpacker died after he sprained his ankle and stayed behind while his group continued. He subsequently wandered off the track and fell into a ravine in the pre-dawn darkness. His body was found about a week later.

More recently, on the 30th July 2005, Wilhelm took another life. 58 year old Bob Martin suffered a massive heart attack just below Christopher Corner, around 30 minutes from the summit.