They are precious in His sight

Rona is in the middle of the front row, standing to Sylvia's left.  This was a picture of some of the Sunday School workers who had come for training in March just before we returned to the States for home assignment.  Janet is standing just to Rona's left; she lost her younger daughter just about 2 weeks ago.   She is pictured with Sanya her oldest.

Our hearts broke this week as we received the very sad news that one of our Christian ladies in Vanuatu passed away unexpectedly.  Rona lived directly behind our house when we first moved to Vanuatu in 2003 and got involved in our church early on.  She was our dear friend from the very start of our ministry there.  We rejoiced as we watched God bless her life and her marriage and her family.  She was like a lovely flower opening to the glory of God.  It breaks our heart to think about her husband William and their two little boys, Peter (5) and Nathaneal (3) and all the family who called her Mama and Abu and sister and friend.  She was my (Sylvia's) prayer partner and faithfully attended the Lydia Prayer Group meetings that met each week.  She was a faithful Christian woman who served God and her church with all her heart.  She traveled as a representative of the Vanuatu Church of the Nazarene - meeting other Nazarene's in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.  How we wish we could be there to cry with all who like us are grieving her loss.  We are crying here but we are so far away.  As much as we want to come, we cannot get there quickly.  We pray that God, the God of all comfort, will be near as they gather together to cry and to remember our dear sister.  William is one of our Nazarene pastors.  Please pray that he will seek God for comfort and will focus his thoughts on the life God has promised for those who believe.

Please remember Pastor Peter and Pastor Jenny in your prayers as they care for Pastor William and his family and also another of our Nazarene families who just lost their sweet, little 3 year old girl, Maowe, two weeks ago.  Funerals and the customary week-long family gatherings can be exhausting.  Pray that Peter and Jenny will be strengthened and upheld by our Lord's strong hand as they carry on the work in our absence.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
John 14: 1-3

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones."  

Psalm 116:15