Change

(Hindu annual ceremony)

Bonjour Friends and Family!

I hope you're enjoying the change of season! Just wanted to update you on my life since I began teaching in August in Dallas. I'll be sending out an update every month on what God's doing here! Please let me know if you have an email change or want me to take your email off the list.

August 25th->my 1st day, Sam Tasby Middle School, 6th grade science. My first month teaching, I cried often. The transition out of college was uncomfortable- new faces, no routines, constantly getting lost behind the wheel in the metroplex, living in the largest city I've ever resided, yet I felt more alone than I've ever experienced! I found a roommate, (through a college roommate) praise to God! Erica is from St. Louis, Missouri and teaches in a private school for urban children, very ministry focused. I was just flooded with awe one morning (which has occurred a few times this semester) running outside,remembering two things I had prayed for one day this summer. 1) For a Christian roommate, and one who is firmly rooted in following Jesus, and 2) to live by some type of body of water. It hit me, Erica matched that definition down to the adjectives, and secondly, White Rock Lake in Dallas is our backyard, our apartments line the edge of the lake! I'm notorious for not re-visiting the things I've asked in prayer, and sometimes miss recognizing how God answers every word!





*School Days*
My first two weeks were a shock. I almost had a fight in my room the first week, thankfully one of my tall 6th graders stepped in before a 2ndpunch was thrown between 2 girls.
I teach Hispanic and African American students, and about 4 white kids. I had a few refugee students in my class, but they were placed back into ESL classes :( Big disappointment, since these were the main ones who wanted to learn in my class! Every day I've left school with some level of frustration and anger from kid's lack of care and rudeness.

Our district is also going through a budget cut because of a debt close to$100 million, they will be cutting over 500 teachers in Dallas! All faculty have been on edge from the news, especially new hires. My job is on the line and next Wed-Fri, we will find out the 3 teachers who are cut from our campus. Please pray for God's hand to cover those He's placed in this school to bring change.

*Good things*
I'm getting involved with a prayer group who reach out to refugees in an apartment complex and sex-trafficking victims in Dallas. We're hearing of and have found close to 50 brothels that have opened in the Dallas area, where women are being sold to service men. Some of the ladies have met with a few women who have wanted out, please be in prayer that God will continue to build bridges of trust. Today, a group of us picked up some Bhutanese girls and boys for church and were invited to stay for a annual ceremony at one of the families homes over lunch. So fun!

*Ways to Pray*
-> That God would connect me with my students (cause it's really hard to love some of the little jerks right now...arghhh!)
-> Refugee ministry and sex-trade victims
-> Budget cuts

Love you all! Please let me know how your lives are these days. Oh, how I miss Sweet Home College Station.
Til all have heard,


Kirsten Wingate

Last update

--Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much
fruit.--John 12:24

Apinun!

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement over
the last month. Tomorrow, we are leaving for our side
trips into tribes where biblical churches have been
established. Our group of 9 students are going to a remote
village in northern Papua New Guinea, we'll take two
planes and then hike a few hours in. I'm excited about
our last week together, but also very sad as this time
comes to a close. I've been given new eyes here and I
can't wait to share about our God. May He establish your
hearts for His coming and refresh you in His word today!
This is the last time I'll be talking with you before I'm
home. See you soon!

~Kirsten

PS. I'll be mailing out a prayer/event letter of the trip
this summer when I return. If you'd like to receive one,
please email me your mailing address at
joytothenations@gmail.com with Subject line- Prayer
Letter. If you supported me financially, I already have
your addresses. Thank you!

Hello friends!

*Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at
hand...
James 5:8

--It is the goal of missions to bring the nations into the
enjoyment of God's glory.

Hello Friends,

Great things are happening in PNG! Mostly, God is working
among our team of students and changing our worldview. The
people live on so little here and the surrounding Bena
tribes have yet to respond to Christ's message that the
missionaries have presented atleast once now
(chronologically from Genesis to Christ). There are 2
families living within the Bena tribes and a group of
support missionaries living next to the tribes on a campus
called "Interface", which hosts students like me year
round, and serves as a backbone resource for the
church-planters.
Because syncretism (mixing former animistic beliefs with
teachings about God's word, creating a new distorted
belief) is seen quite often here, it's important for us to
be cautious in talking about spiritual things with the
Bena. There's only a handful of believers in the 5 tribes
we visit each day, most title themselves "Christian" but
there is no change from their former lives. Also, the
missionaries here have found it necessary to learn the
language and culture first to share Christ to eliminate
misunderstandings- the trade language we're learning
(Melanesian Pidgin) used in PNG has no words for love,
heart, sin, etc...
We went to a tribe market this week and on my birthday our
team took a 3 hour hike to a high rapid river and went
swimming. It was a special birthday!
Ways to remember me in prayer:
1) Psalm 27:8- When you said "Seek My Face", my heart
said to you, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." Activities
start everyday @ 7:30am and go until about 8pm. Pray that
God would keep me steadily seeking knowledge & wisdom of
Him from His word....
2) In order to discover my role in missions in the future.
Pray that He will strengthen my faith to follow Him.
3) Also, pray for humility, and against people pleasing
and busy-ness, for my time here and for when I get back to
the states. God is showing me how I often find worth in
"doing" and accomplishing things (ministry) instead of
"being" a child of Him. Also, He is beginning to break me
of saying things to please people around me instead of
living out of who I am in the present.
I love you all. Let me know how your lives are going as
well, please. Time to go to the villages, talk to you next
week.

Lukim yu bihain,
Kirsten Wingate

Apinun!

Apinun!- Good afternoon,

I'm amazed how God is everywhere, even across oceans and
into the remotest parts of the earth! Col. 1:17 --He is
before all things and in Him all things hold together.

After spending a little over 48 hours traveling we finally
made it! Let me know how Independence day was, we
basically missed it because of flying over the time
change. <I flew from Houston to Los Angelos to Taipei,
Taiwan to Singapore to Port Mortsby (in PNG) then Goroka,
PNG.> There are 27 students here like me, coming from all
over the world! We stayed in LA for one night to have
travel & culture orientation. It was neat how God almost
instantly bonded our team. Last Friday, we trucked in to
the Interface campus (New Tribe Missions training base),
near Bena which is in the middle of several PNG tribes.

There are 3 families, and two single ladies who live on
campus plus two extra missionary couples traveling with
us. When we arrived, we started our study and teaching on
church planting. The missionaries rotate teaching everyday
on chronological bible storying methods,pheonetics, lang.
learning, prayer (even photography tips) :), etc. Yeah,
for running water, we have a good system on campus. No air
conditioning, but it's not really necessary with the
incredible climate. Everyday so far the surrounding tribes
have come onto campus to play sports with us. They're
beautiful, and they have steel toes from running around
barefoot. I wish I could send you pictures, but sadly the
computers here couldn't handle the gigabytes, ha.
We're going to a nearby village tomorrow! Thank you for
keeping PNG in your prayers! I'll keep you updated
weekly on happenings here. Love you all!

Lokim yu (goodbye),
Kirsten Wingate

-->I apologize if I'm missing some emails, I couldn't
retrieve my list from my USB port here. I appreciate you
passing along the word. :)

* For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the
whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart
is blameless toward Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

>PNG is 13 hours ahead of Central US Time.

The mailing address here is:

NTM Interface
P.O Box 1079
Goroka, EHP 441
Papua New Guinea

And we're Off!

Well I'm off to Papua New Guinea this summer for six weeks beginning July 2nd- August 10th! I will be sending out email updates on the trip and sending out ways to be in prayer for the work in PNG. Thank you all for your support. May God bless you richly with insight and wisdom in following Him today!

My email address in PNG is: (active July 5th)
itf_kirsten_wingate@ntm.org.pg
Please email me, if you would like to receive my updates.