May 2026
Dear Praying Friends,
These last 4 months have passed with not much change in regards to our visa situation. Many of you have been praying concerning this, and for that I am most thankful of your concern. Currently, my Passport with the visa is in hand. On the other “hand”, the Passports for Christi, Serenity and Glory have been at the PNG Embassy in Washington DC for over a month now. The officials in that office are waiting for instructions from the Immigration Office in Port Moresby so they can do the 1 hour work of putting the visas in the Passports. That is the extent of where we are. According to what I have actual information of is this: the application for Christi and Serenity were officially “lodged” with the officials in the Immigration Office the 2nd of April, but nothing definitive concerning the application for Glory. It was recommended to us not to buy any tickets for the flight to PNG until all this is sorted out and completed by the PNG Government. Even so, my visa will be terminated if I do not “enter PNG within six months from the date of issue 04-March-2026….Failure to do so will render [my] visa invalid.” This is dictated by the official document in my possession. That means I will need to enter with or without my “dependents” before the 4th of September.
On a more joyful note, our daughter Hadassah was happily wed to Silas Champlin. The event happened on a cold windy Saturday….March 28, 2026. Since the wedding, this newly married couple have been traveling to different places in the USA presenting the work in Suriname, South America. Father has granted them many meetings and safety in their travels. We rejoice with them that several churches have committed to financially support their work. Many other individuals have committed to pray for them. It definitely is a joy to see our children growing in the faith and especially those who are willing to commit to serving the Lord with all their body, soul, mind and spirit. There may be some timidity in some regards to the unknown, especially for Hadassah in her future in Suriname. Please pray for God’s Grace to fill her heart with the courage for all that may come their way in this new field of service.
The newest news concerning our family is another upcoming wedding in the later part of September for our daughter Grace. Last year a young man from Fairbanks, Alaska came “calling” for her, and their relationship has blossomed to the place of asking for her hand in marriage. Kyle Gray is a fine young man with intentions to continue serving the Lord at his home church (Bible Baptist Church), as he works a full time job. We don’t expect all our children to be in “full-time ministry” or even to marry preachers. We do pray, though, that they all will be involved in this Great Commission given to us by Christ to some degree or another. Laying up treasure in Heaven is the most important thing as we live this life. There is no greater joy than knowing our lives count for Christ and Eternity. He is WORTHY of all our effort.
PRAYER:
-Visas to be Completed
-Fruit for our labors and witnessing
-Tabitha and Caleb on the PNG island called Normanby
-Our adult children to make wise choices in life
-For God to get all the glory in this waiting time
-Preacher Tiwias as he continues in our place in Kaintiba, and Truth Baptist Church (Tok Tru Baptis Sios)
Christi’s Corner: In our last prayer letter, I ended with the
phrase, “What Hath God Wrought!” I continue to feel blessed
and amazed by the spouses God has provided for our children,
and we are delighted to officially welcome Kyle into the
Helzerman family as Grace’s fiancé.
While we wait, we are grateful for the opportunity to spend
time at our home church. Now that the weather has warmed
up in New York, we are enjoying participating in the various
outdoor ministries held throughout the summer.
Personally, the Lord is continuing to teach me that without
Him, I can do nothing. I am deeply thankful for His ongoing
mercy and grace.
For His Glory,
Mark and Christi Helzerman
Hope, Serenity, and Glory
E-mail: mhelzerman@gmail.com