First, be sure to check out these bloggers who are leaving the field (though not leaving ministry).  There’s a lot of great stuff on their blogs, so head on over to:

• Copeland Ramblings (don’t miss Reflections from the kitchen sink…)
• Mercy Watch

In other news, check out this ecclectic group of posts from veteran bloggers around the world…

• El Peñol de Guatapé (Columbia) – An amazing rock, and some amazing history
• Guarding sound doctrine without hurting people (Mexico) – a teacher’s quandry
• PRAY FOR GABRIEL MUGISHA (Rwanda) – Faith and Prayer
• From death to life. (Burkina Faso) – Do you think God was involved?
• Speaking the Truth (Papua New Guinea) – What do you know about the Sursurunga people?  They might be more like you than you think…

Thanks to these bloggers who have faithfully shared with us over the years!

• First, a couple of posts from Chile – first, a glimpse of how Chileans are getting training to serve the Lord, and finally a personal story of the challenges of growing up adopted.
• Next, thoughts on testing from God in Kenya.
• Incredible stories of people coming to Jesus in Papua New Guinea.
• Getting… that… paperwork… can… take…. some…… time!  Adventures in Costa Rica.
• Missionaries are sometimes just outsiders wherever they go (including Mexico)
• Coming back to the field (in this case, Peru) for a second term…
• The incredible value of little tiny coins in Chile.
• Working together in Honduras (with some great pictures to show for it).
• Every missionary family has its own balance, and every missionary has his/her opinion about every person’s role.  Here’s how one missionary wife (or perhaps wife of a missionary?) finds balance serving in Paraguay.

Finally, a couple of posts from Japan.  First, a post entitled simply Earthquake, and then some thoughts on ministering to and praying for Japan.

• How to train fleas (Ecuador) – I know you’ve always wondered.
• Retreat and Prayer Requests (Japan) – just a basic update – always nice to see someone’s face!

And for some other interesting posts, many including some great photos:

• Into Indochina – lots of photos
• Another Busy Day (Haiti) – some great photos of the relief effort
• A Name for God? (Papua New Guinea) – a great illustration of the challenges of Bible translation
• Hot Lava and a Burned up Computer (Guatemala) – Take a hike with the Glicks
• Travel The Road (Guatemala) – what kind of a road would your life be like?

And here’s one more video for you – this one from
the delorenzo flyer (Kenya)  The video is about Sudan, Chad, Congo, and Central African Republic…

It’s time to congratulate those who have completed 5 years of blogging!  5 years is still a good old age for a blog – in fact, these blogs are still older than this site (which started in 2005).

I’ve done this in the past, but I’m not sure if I’ll do it again – the more time goes by the more blogs are celebrating!  But here it is, at least one more time – Happy Blogoversary!

• Adventures With God serving in South Africa
• Musings of a Missionary serving in Thailand
• The Boyds to Columbia serving in Columbia (their former blog is here)
• The Kautz Family serving in Columbia
• Itsara serving in Thailand
• Always an Adventure… serving in Taiwan
• Coxes Quarterly serving in Germany
• les Davey de France serving in France
• Simplicity serving in Taiwan
• Under the acacias serving in Burkina Faso
• Life of a Steward serving in the United Kingdom
• The Ramblings of Norm and Debra Copeland serving in Guinea/Senegal
• Kingsley Clan serving in Ireland
• Into Rwanda serving in Rwanda
• Ramble Zone serving in Guatemala (AAAHHH!  They’re having a baby right now!)
• Kurt, Johanna, Kassia and Luke Metzger serving in Papua New Guinea
• Reflections of Refinement serving in Japan
• garcias2chile serving in Chile
• The Roe’s Garden serving in Germany
• Nanana serving in Mexico
• The Journey serving in the Netherlands
• The Naine’s Cameroon Adventure serving in Cameroon

• Every once in a while it’s worth it to sit back and read a loooonger post.  Over at Papa Chick’s Thoughts you can meditate on Christ in his post Unique – Inalienable (Col 1:15-23)
• Check out Boyd Bear Tracks for news and photos from the holiday season in Busy, busy, busy
• Serving in Bolivia, but currently adjusting to some time in the US, is the 5 cup family.  How about a little shoe shopping with kids?
• Over at Caution: Thoughts of a Missionary we’re hearing about medical concerns and uncertainty…
• A couple things about their relationship as they prepare to move to Papua New Guinea over at Our Blog.

• December:  The Heart of the Matter (Ukraine)
• January:  All My Ish (France)
• February:  Unleashed, Unabashed, and Unafraid (Spain)
• March:  The M Blog (Ecuador)
• April:  Hannatu’s Happenings (Niger)
• May:  Where in the world are the wilsons? (Papua New Guinea)
• June:  mr. t………. on mission (South Asia)
• July:  Surrender don’t come natural to me (Bolivia)
• August:  Missions Beyond Borders (Thailand)
• September:  Martin and Hazel’s Blog (Argentina)
• October:  Chernigov (Ukraine)
• November:  Life by the Word (Mexico)

• Stop by ToddSpot.  Todd is preparing to go to the field – read his Prayer Requests.
• They’ve been in Haiti short term, now preparing to go full time – read all about it in An Open Letter at Our Hearts for Haiti
• In an early post, Derek y Lily Paul tell us a little about Mexican Candy
• “On the borders of two nations” – visit Missions Beyond Borders.  Today Joey wrote about Rainy Days and God’s Faithfulness.  Joey has another blog called Missions and Theology.  Today he wrote about Making Merit.
• And here’s an appropriate title – Where in the world are the wilsons? How about that – looks like they’re in Papua New Guinea!

There are many countries that don’t have a page of their own here yet, so it’s nice to do a quick feature here at Missionary Blog Watch once in a while of individual countries.  For example, how about Papua New Guinea?

Yes, there’s lots of action from missionaries in PNG, and missionaries on their way.  Here’s a sampling:

• Adam and Julie Martin have a beautiful site (in my opinion one of the best designed missionary sites I’ve seen – go there for some ideas!) with more than one blog.  Check out Bush Notes and Praises & Prayers.
• Trevor and Estelle Burns bring us Burning Isles.
• More Burns!  Check out Burns Abroad.
• Getting ready to go – Kurt, Johanna and Kassia Metzger!
• Finally, with the Mibu people, Joe and Brooke Tartaglia.

The Mibu people are a small tribe in Papua New Guinea, who until recently had neither literacy nor God’s Word.  Joey and Brooke Tartaglia with their three children Shiloh, Marietta and Solomon have been working to change that.  Literacy classes have been a success, and more and more are learning to read their own language for the first time.

But the Bible teaching has also begun, and the struggle between God’s power and tradition has begun.  What is true?  What is power?  Why?  These are the questions that the people will continue to struggle with as they learn more.

You can visit the blog of Joe and Brooke Tartaglia, but the post that really caught my attention was this one:
Really Great News!!!!
…and it really is!  Man, moments like this are what it’s all about.  Why there aren’t more people clamouring to get to the mission field after reading things like this, I’ll never know!

You can read more articles about the exciting things that have been happening among the Mibu – this one from December 8, and from last week Bible Teaching Versus Tradition.  In a little less than 2 weeks (9 March 2006) Joey and coworker Chris Walker will be teaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Can we pray that God’s light and power will break through?