After cancelling their return flights to Papua New Guinea three days before their departure, due to their son Oscar’s health, Steve and Gerdine Stanley spent last month in limbo.
They were all packed up, loose ends taken care of and ready to resume life in PNG only to now be facing six months extra in the UK.
Steve started job hunting and flat hunting; the only problem was his CV starts with “We want to return to PNG in six months”. It was the first time they had really felt the reality of the sacrifice they have made to minister in PNG. They had no place to call their own, no transport, no career and no prospects; dependent on friends and family for their needs and all of this as new parents.
However, through God’s provision they now have a car and accommodation in their own private flat at an Evangelical Church. Steve will be working three days a week at for the church and two days a week in Bradford at a book business. They are grateful for how everything just came together.
Steve and Gerdine are looking forward to settling into a new area, a new routine and productive work while they wait for Oscar to undergo the tests he requires. As soon as Oscar is discharged from paediatrics, they will be able to leave for PNG.
They are excited to get started working for the church. There are four youth groups a week, open-air, preaching and teaching opportunities. There is also a full-time pastor and evangelist based in the church that they can help.
Currently Oscar is healthy, happy, and waiting for the tests he needs to be done at the hospital.
God is faithful and kind.