Do you all understand the "chain of command" in Nazarene World Mission? It's like this. The world is divided into 7 regions, and the outreach of the church in 6 of them (excluding North America) is in the hands of Nazarene World Mission, under the leadership of the General Director, currently Dr. Louie Bustle. We work in one of those 6 regions, the Asia Pacific Region, under the leadership of Rev. Verne Ward. Many of you know that the Wards started their missionary career here in PNG. The region is divided into fields, and we are in the Melenasia Field. Fields are lead by Field Strategy Coordinators. The position used to be called Field Director.Up until 3 1/2 years ago, Verne Ward was our Field Director. Then Rev. James Johnson was appointed. He and his wife Joy have been missionaries for 28 years, serving in Samoa and Fiji before coming to the field job. After the death of James' mom, his dad asked him to come home, and James felt clearly lead by the Lord to say "yes" to his dad's request. They will be living in Laurel, Montana, but the details haven't been settled yet. Read their "farewell blog" and see "before and after" photos here.
When we heard that James was resigning, I immediately wondered who might be appointed as his replacement. My first thought was Rev. Harmon Schmelzenbach, but since he has fairly unique qualifications for his work with the Fiji Boat Project, I assumed that they would find someone else. But no! The boat ministry is to the point where a change is tenable, and Harmon has been appointed as our new FSC. January was the designated transition period, and today is his first official day on the job. He has been in PNG for the past couple of weeks traveling with other leaders to conduct the district assemblies, and his family will be joining him tomorrow. They will spend a month with us, orienting and learning Pidgin. The final move will come sometime later. We're excited to have Harmon, Cindy, Danielle and Quinton join us here. Read Harmon's summary of the past 10 years, and of the transition that they are facing here. They also have a cute pair of "before and after" photos!
Please pray for James and Joy as they transition to life in Montana. I know them too well to think that they aren't going to be missionaries, regardless of what job titles they may have. And pray for the Schmelzenbachs as they face a big change, and particularly for Danielle, who faces rapid-fire changes with the move to PNG shortly followed by a move to college in the US. And pray for the ministry if the Melanesia and South Pacific fields during this time of change.
Photo: Harmon in the Jimi Valley
COMMENTS
Hey it's cool that the hospital is "finished". or sort of... that has to be exciting.
ReplyDeleteI only get around to reading these about once a week, but really enjoy keeping up on what's happening.
thx for the update!
JEff Maguire
HI, And...
ReplyDeleteIs this Harmon III ? Was his father one of the ones who inspired you to want to me a missionary? He was very inspirational, you know! What a story-teller!
Sister
How many Schmelzenbachs have been in missionary service through the Church of the Nazarene? How many of them were named Harmon? I remember an occasion in the 1950s when Harmon taught us grade-school boys in one of the Sunday School rooms in the Nampa First Church basement. He might have been twice our age at the time, making him very old and wise, indeed!
ReplyDeleteDenny Ellis
Jeff! Thanks. It is exciting.
ReplyDeleteCam and Den: This is technically Harmon III, although the name skipped a generation, so his dad is Harmon, his grandpa was Elmer and his great-grandpa was Harmon. (There was someone with Harmon as a middle name, maybe a brother of Elmer?) I think he said at dinner this evening that he and Cindy are the 13th and 14th members of their family to serve as missionaries. I assume that it was his dad who taught your SS class in the 50s.
This Harmon's voice sounds very much like his dad's, and he tells stories nearly as well.
1)Is this Harmon the brother or nephew of Dennis? I'm getting mixed up on how old everyone must be, mostly because I can't get my mind around how old I must be.
ReplyDelete2)I live right next to Laurel, in Montana miles. Too bad I'm only a Baptist :)
"This Harmon's voice sounds very much like his dad's, and he tells stories nearly as well"
ReplyDeleteThis comment inspired me to google "Limpopo river" and I wanted to pass on that it's flooding just now.
B--I don't know who Dennis is, so I can't answer. Harmon's daughter, Danielle follows this blog, so maybe she'll see your question and answer.
ReplyDeleteThe great, gray, greasy Limpopo seem so often to be flooding.