Welcome to this summer edition of Binbilla ... - Global Interaction

PERSONALIAKEEPING EACH OTHER INFORMED & IN CONTACTIN RECENT YEARS, a number of former Global Interactionstaff who served in Papua New Guinea have publishedtheir story of missionary service. The latest addition isTONY CUPIT’S book, Fire in their Bones. It is a well-writtenaccount of his seven years – from the mid 1960’s – as alinguist, Bible translator and church advisor. Tony weavestogether the story of his life with MARGARET and their threeyoung children and the Kyaka Enga people, amongstwhom they lived, at Lumusa in the Western HighlandsProvince. He also chronicles the development of thenascent church in those parts in what Dr Ken Manleydescribes as a ‘definitive period in the life of the Baptistmovement in Papua New Guinea.’ Copies of Fire in theirBones are available from Tony livingwater@bigpond.net.auand the Global Interaction office in Hawthorn. The cost is$15.00 plus postage.GWENDY RIDDEN (India, Papua New Guinea, Zambia,Zimbabwe and Malawi) has just returned from sixmonths in southern Africa. ‘It was very encouraging andworthwhile, writes Gwendy, ‘and God blessed us with manymore children trusting Christ for salvation.’Early last August BERYL KIRKWOOD (India) had major oralsurgery to remove low grade cancer which had invaded herhard palate, upper jaw, salivary and lymph glands. Berylsays it is taking time ‘getting used to a different mouth heldup with muscle taken from my forearm.’ In the interveningmonths she has resumed teaching Creative Writing atU3A and leading a young women’s Bible study – andother ministries – at her church, North West Community inSydney.TREVOR AND JOAN ROSS (Papua New Guinea) left forVietnam on 10 February to spend time with their youngestson, Peter, who teaches English in a Vietnamese school.Trevor and Joan live at Currimundi, on the QueenslandSunshine Coast, within twenty minutes driving time oftheir daughters Charis and Faith. They are kept busyat the Kawanalife Church where Joan is the Missions’Coordinator and Trevor a Home Group leader.At the end of February LES AND VAL MERRIN (Thailand)are commencing a “Friends of GiA” group in their home atThornlands in the “Bayside” area in the southern suburbsof Brisbane. Les and Val have recently been involved inselecting a Global Interaction house at Wellington Point forthe short-term use of outgoing and returning staff.06HEATHER AND CHRIS PITTENDRIGH will be attending theAsian Baptist Federation Congress in Chiang Mai,Thailand, from 2 – 6 May. Chris has the oversight of themission workshops. He will be assisted by his successor atGlobal Interaction, CHRIS BARNDEN.JOHN WILLIAMS celebrated his ninetieth birthday on 23December. The occasion was marked by morning tea(several days earlier) at the Global Interaction nationaloffice in Hawthorn and afternoon tea on the day at theBaptist church “JD” attends at Doncaster East. Johnis in good fettle. He lives with his sister, Les, at theTemplestowe Orchards retirement village. A number of hisformer Global Interaction colleagues were in attendance,including Trevor and Gwen Farmilo, Tony and MargaretCupit, Bill and Audrey McFarlane, Basil Brown and Geoffand Francis Holland.RAY BURMAN (Thailand) had a bone marrow biopsy andother tests in early February to locate the suspectedpresence of cancer somewhere in his body. Ray asksfor prayer. Nantana has recently returned from Thailand,Andrew is planning to get married in Korea later in theyear, Justin is working part-time producing machines tohelp people with breathing problems and JJ is half-waythrough an accountancy traineeship.SETON AND BARBARA ARNDELL spent most of last yeartravelling round Australia by caravan and took theopportunity to visit many Baptist churches and a numberof Aboriginal communities. Seton continues his work withGlobal Interaction as chair of the Missiological AdvisoryCommittee and Barbara serves as secretary of the GlobalMission Committee in their local church at Gosford NSWTREVOR AND GWEN FARMILO wrote, ‘We had a letter fromVAL JOHNSTON. Val and JOHN have been serving at theBarnes School at Devlali, about 200 kms. north of Mombai(Bombay). They spent the school holidays visiting placesthey know in India to say “goodbye”! Previously theyhave been located in hill country districts and this timethey have found the heat at Devlali hard to cope with. Ontheir goodbye trip the dust and pollution and heat took itstoll and they’ve finally agreed the time has come to returnhome – which they will do in April’.Trevor and Gwen’s grand-daughter STEFANIE (TIM’Syounger daughter) was married on the 17 February – in agarden setting in the Dandenongs. JULIE, their daughter, isthe officiating minister.