Harper's Nov 2025

Hannah teaches at Nungalinya College, training Indigenous Bible translators in several language groups. As a linguist, she also works on language projects at ARDS Aboriginal Corporation. Geoff is a GP, and regularly visits health clinics in rural communities. He also provides telephone medical support to remote area nurses.

Are you a regular reader of the Bible?  If so, have you ever thought what it would be like to only have access to the New Testament, or some part of it?  Since July this year, Geoff has studied Old Testament Prophets and Writings.  These ancient books cover such a broad spectrum of human experience and God’s patient plan to save people, played out over many, many centuries.  Geoff has enjoyed all the evidence of God’s good character in the Bible and here are just a few highlights of his learning:

• Human enjoyment of the physical world, including sexuality, is important to God;
• There are ways to understand God’s creation properly (wisdom) but God is higher still (as in his response to Job);  
• God is sovereign over all nations and the complete course of history (as in the oracles against the nations and Esther);  
• God longs to be in relationship with people, in spite of our fragility and failures (hope in his promises);
• God engages meaningfully with our emotions (as in Psalms, Lamentations and Jeremiah).

This week, Geoff will write his exam in this Old Testament subject.  Over build-up and wet season (summer), Geoff will study a Theology subject, then more OT in semester 1 next year.  Here are some ways to pray for us in this time:

• Thank God for opportunities we’ve both had over the years to study theology, mostly by distance.  
• Thank God that Geoff has been able to keep up with study using his 1 day off every fortnight (in lieu of long working hours).
• Pray for Geoff as he writes his OT exam soon.
• Pray for Indigenous Christians who have limited access to all the action and character development that we enjoy in the English Old Testament.  Pray for people who learn at Nungalinya College, and for Bible translators who are working on new or revised portions of the Old Testament, for example, the recent revision and reprint of the Gumatj Shorter Bible which is on track for 2026.
• Thank God for recent and upcoming celebrations in our family - year 12 graduations for Lydie and close Yolngu kin.
• God’s help and direction for each day and in our long term service alongside Indigenous people.

Thanks and love,

Geoff and Hannah