I have a confession to make. It has been months since I’ve posted here. OK, so you already knew that. Whew! I’m glad we got that out of the way!

I last posted a few weeks after we arrived in Papua New Guinea. Our initial weeks here were spent in the provincial capital, and then we transitioned to Uria Village, where we live most of the time.

One challenge of living in Uria Village is that, while there is a cell tower nearby, its data transfer rate is very slow. Most of the time it is impossible to upload blog posts to shakethegates.org. I’m currently looking for an elegant solution to allow me to upload from Uria.

We invite you to pray with us regarding a possible solution to the challenge. The current tower is owned by a company called Digicel. While they provide excellent service in the urban centers, their rural service apparently hasn’t been upgraded since the original towers were installed in 2008. Digicel’s competitor, BeMobile (partly owned by Vodafone) is erecting two new towers, one to the north of us, the other to the south. I’m guessing that the BeMobile towers have upgraded equipment (3G or 4G LTE). If so, it is likely that we will be able to get data speeds fast enough to keep up with the website and social media. Please pray that we will be able to get increased access while in the village.

Pictured above is a portion of the track we hike on into Uria Village. Fortunately for us, there is a lot of work being done to improve physical access to our area. It is likely that by the end of rainy season (toward the North American summer), we will be able to drive into and out of Uria–something that we’ve not been able to do for a very long time. Pray that increased physical access will be a blessing and not a curse. Much is changing in Papua New Guinea, much of which is being used for evil.

Finally, we invite you to pray with us as we launch a very busy 2016. Our part in shaking the gates of Hell involves translating the New Testament into the heart language of the Somau Garia people of Papua New Guinea, a people created for God’s glory. Among other things, we are conducting a translation workshop (beginning February 8), a preaching workshop (later in the year), and a spiritual retreat for Somau Garia translators. Pray that the Holy Spirit will stir the hearts and minds of the participants, bringing transformation and renewed passion for Jesus Christ.

Thanks for stopping by shakethegates.org–and thanks for praying!