Reno & Hendo UPDATES

Dear Readers, Supporters, and Fellow Missionaries, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We pray this message finds you all in good health and great joy entering 2026 and we are excited to share some exciting updates/footage of the Mise Lotu renovation project as well as some personal family updates and pictures since our last PNG blog post. 

MISE LOTU RENOVATION

You may recall while we were recently serving in PNG that we partnered with our beloved local church, Mise Church of the Nazarene, for a long overdue expansion project. Please click HERE to read the backstory detailed in a previous post.

Thanks to the many generous donors who $ent us to serve at Kudjip March-May 2025, we had extra funds to invest in a number of local needs, one of them being at Mise Lotu. The Spirit of God in this little bush church has captured our hearts over the years that we have served at Kudjip Hospital and we happily consider the Mise Lotu family our “home church” when serving in PNG. On quite a number of occasions we have been asked to help with services by sharing a testimony, leading a song, and by preaching the message. 

After we felt called by the Lord to hear more about the Mise Lotu expansion project, Rachel and I were amazed with the professionalism and unity of the church leadership in coordinating business meetings (complete with typed minutes!), church board/elder meetings, and gathering official estimates and invoices for the needed materials. The entire church body agreed to match donations with an impressive promise of their own funds and sweat equity, and we met with a number of veteran Kudjip missionaries to obtain formal approval and their wisdom on best methodology for partnering with a larger local project. 

Reverend Nelson with Materials

As briefly outlined in the Blog Post “Your Generosity Multiplied” we purchased Phase 1 materials while serving in PNG for expanding the foundation of the church building, and on the eve of departure from PNG I attended a wonderful ground-breaking ceremony, as depicted below:

One of the church elders helping coordinate the project is David Pia, who is also a nurse manager at Kudjip and a dear friend. Since our departure from PNG, David has regularly sent pictures and videos showing building progress as well as sharing community updates and prayer needs. 

With completion of Phase 1 (Foundation) by August 2025, we then raised $4000 in donations from a wonderful community of friends here in Richmond VA to purchase materials for Phase 2 (Walls). These Donations have been going through our church missions account at WEAG so supporters will have the 501(c)(3) benefit. If you feel called to contribute toward completing this wonderful project, Phase 3 (Roof) and Phase 4 (Interior Remodeling) fundraising will be ongoing in 2026-2027. 

Please E-MAIL us to get involved!

emhenderson24@gmail.com

Thank you donors!

On a final note, we recently learned that communities around/near Mise Lotu were involved in tribal fighting triggered by a local government election. Missionary friends of ours shared a heartbreaking visual of seeing multiple homes on fire one evening across the valley, and casualties being transported across the river the following day to the Kudjip ER. This degree of violence is not uncommon in PNG, but it is rare in the communities nearby Kudjip Station. Please join us in praying for their healing and reconciliation and also for the long term missionaries who care daily for these communities. 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (please read entire chapter HERE)

HENDERSON FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS

Ted's Pediatric practice

Sharing about PNG missions at church

Rachel leading worship - you can tune in LIVE! 

Homeschool reading for the year

Our Beloved "Following Jesus" Spiritual Family

Ted's F3 workout brotherhood

Rachel's Homeless Ministry

Solomon LOVES soccer! (and his bestie Jeremiah)

Penniella LOVES to dance!

Ted LOVES hunting!

Family fun in the SNOW!

FINAL WORDS

We are missing our Kudjip family and had hoped for a 2026 return (converting our trips to annual instead of every other year) but with Ted's practice being down a provider, we will be waiting to return to PNG in early 2027. God continues to enrich our mission work right here in Richmond VA, and we are thankful for following His perfect timing. Now, as a form of benediction and blessing, I would like to echo the Apostle Paul in reflecting how I feel about you all, until the Lord brings us back together again - AMEN!

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God!

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭11‬

A Chapter Closing, The Call Strengthened

Beloved, our time in Papua New Guinea has come to a close, heralded by countless hands held, necks hugged, and tearful farewells. But it is not goodbye - just, 

see you again soon!

Peds Ward staff and students - stickers and all :-)

I have seen some hard days and many difficult cases in the last three months, but they all fade in the overwhelming light of JESUS’ presence - shining into every moment, a comforting cloak of eternity perspective, stirring the heart, inspiring prayer, and revealing Heavenly plans prepared from time’s beginning. 

Jenny and Ruth are great friends from Outpatient Clinic

We are overwhelmed with a sense of fulfillment having seen the Lord move miraculously through our invested time, talent, and treasure. The name of Jesus has been proclaimed to the brokenhearted - His love and invitation to peace accepted by many. Hearts have been encouraged, the Body of Christ unified, and physical needs met. This spirit of fulfillment is closely accompanied by a deep sense of indebtedness - to the Lord for providing this Call, to YOU our supporters empowering us with your financial gifts and prayer power, and to our fellow missionaries at Kudjip who have inspired and encouraged every effort in these three months to bring Heaven down to the people of PNG. Hallelujah! 

Mise Church - ribbon cutting ceremony for breaking new ground

Rach and the kids gifted with PNG Swag from the Peds Ward staff

The Ladies of Konduk Lotu gifted Rachel with beautiful bilums

Our calling to PNG has only grown stronger, and I remain deeply grateful to my Pediatric company in Richmond VA partnering with us to pursue this mission. We now leave behind countless relationships and projects here in PNG (both old and new) but eagerly anticipate the Spirit watering seeds in readiness for our soon return. Our hope is to increase our time at Kudjip by serving every year, to both more effectively continue the work we have started, as well as to provide regular relief to our fellow missionaries spending their lives full time in the field. Please join us in praying for the Lord’s timing in this. 

Extra hugs for Hannah, the sweetest house cat imaginable

Our beloved Missionary Family praying over us. Thank you Lord!

Ombus, our carpenter friend, now pain free after the recent blessing of dental work showed up to say thank you and gift Rachel with a PNG knit cap

John Gari Farewell

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We learned the night before our departure that our first flight out of Mount Hagen would be delayed, causing us to miss our second flight to Australia. This meant an overnight in the capital of Port Moresby and adding 24 hours of travel to our five-flight 42 hour trip home. Oof! While initially we felt disappointed we prayed for God to bless this itinerary change with a relaxing time at a hotel and a Divine Appointment along the way. He gave us both! 

Meet Clint Borle (pictured below), co-founder of CORA Projects, and above mentioned Divine Appointment. Sitting beside me on our way to Brisbane, Clint mentioned he liked my PNG tattoo which kicked off a long conversation about our lives, work, and faith. What a fascinating man! Here's a guy with PNG in his blood (Father's side), was raised in Australia with a touch of Catholic faith exposure, and now lives in California but is bringing Sustainable Agroforestry back to PNG in the most missional way imaginable. I was able to share my testimony about serving at Kudjip and encouraged Clint in his faith journey. Please join me in praying for Clint! 

Our travel home also included a long layover in LA so we bravely ditched the airport and explored nearby Manhattan Beach - it felt GREAT to breath the fresh sea air, eat some ice-cream, put our toes in the sand, and soak up the late afternoon sunshine. 

In the end, we made it home, and maybe it's just my sleep-deprived jet-lagged brain, but what a surreal thing it is to be back in Richmond - like no time has passed at all since we left on March 3rd, and yet a lifetime of PNG experiences in between. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is still in PNG. God is good ALL the time, even when it doesn't make any sense to our feeble minds. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I will leave you with a brief clip from our last Missionary Prayer Meeting, and if you can ignore Solomon's gnarly feet, you'll appreciate the beautiful spirit of this special family. I have pasted the lyrics of this Hymn below - they certainly reflect our hearts, trusting God for tomorrow, whatever HE has for us to do, we're ready. Amen!

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;

He came to love, heal and forgive;

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he brings;

But greater still the calm assurance:

This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,

I'll fight life's final war with pain;

And then, as death gives way to victory,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Greetings friends!  

Below are some recent snapshots of our lives at Kudjip.  We carry you with us in our thoughts and prayers, and hope that these photos/videos allow you to engage and connect with us from afar.  

We would appreciate your prayers for God to prepare ALL of our hearts for the transition back to the US.  Pennie and Solomon are absolute troopers jumping from one culture to the next, but as they get older they are more aware of the differences between the developing world and the western world.  We pray that we can navigate these conversations with wisdom and discernment.  

In HIM,
Rachel (and Ted)

The heavens declare the Glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands. 
Psalm 19:1

The "rot bung" (street market) is just outside of Kudjip Station.  It is our weekly stop for produce, and Pennie and Solomon are amazing helpers carrying large bags of cucumbers, papaya, carrots, pineapple, greens, etc...  The second photo shows Pennie carrying her Aldi bilum like a true PNG Meri with the straps across her forehead and the bag on her back - she saw the other ladies doing it, and she followed suit.  

We finished our school year this week!  Homeschooling can often be a challenge, but I am so grateful for the flexibility to bring school with us when we come to serve at Kudjip.  

Pennie and some of her gal pals playing with a pet cuscus.  A cuscus is a small tree kangaroo - this one particularly enjoys climbing on top of children's heads!

Ted and Mark spontaneously decided to cut new lines for the outdoor volleyball court. 
A weekly pickup volleyball match is a long-standing Kudjip tradition. 

Our caterpillar cocoon hatched! We were greeted by a beautiful creamy yellow moth.  We gave it a day of rest with some papaya to nibble upon, and then let it free in the front yard.  

Ted had the opportunity to join a few gents from the Maintenance Team at a local rugby match. Our Jiwaka Province Team (Waghi Tumbe) crushed the National Champions, the Mount Hagen Eagles, 30 to zero! 

We recently were able to enjoy a missionary family Bonfire Gathering - everyone brings food to cook or reheat over the fire.  

We brought some friends with us on a hike to Mise Church last Sunday.  This is our favorite way to commute on a Sunday morning.  : )

More bugs!  The children have an admirable appreciation for the insects here in PNG.  Pennie has now been trained by local friends how to safely pick up huge banana spiders, and she and Solomon are both willing to let all sorts of creatures climb on them.  

"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.  

All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all."  

For our last Music Class, we took one last field trip out to the hospital and sang a few songs for the children and families on the pediatric ward. We ended our time by stretching out our hands and praying over the children and staff. I am SO proud of these missionary kids for stepping out and sharing the gift of music with others.  We ended our class time with doing some of their favorite games and line dances! 

A beautiful sunset to commemorate the closing of this chapter in Papua New Guinea.