http://dispellingdarknesspng.com/

The Schworers to PNG, 516 E. Jamestown Road, Jamestown, PA (2026)

06/08/2026

We had a great day at This Rock Baptist Church in Etna, OH just outside of Columbus.

Because they are renting the building from another church that uses it during traditional times, we actually had two afternoon services and Colton said it was his favorite time slot ever.

Rick knew Pastor Aaron Cowgill when he was a baby 👶 and Rick was a teenager, and it was neat to reconnect with him in FL. It was great also to be picked up for support by the church as well!

Pastor Aaron has written several books on neuroplasticity, and mental health from a biblical perspective and as that is my area of interest it was something I was looking forward to picking his 🧠 brain on.

Alas, there is never enough ⏰ time, and Gene Kim was there and he and I are kindred spirits and we end up talking to each other too much. So, sadly, all the world's mental health problems were not resolved this afternoon. 😂

Rick loved being here, too. The message topics were the end times, dispensations and the local church🔥🔥🔥 which are his peak areas of interest.

So it was a great weekend!

Tomorrow hopefully we can find a place to put on new front tires. Apparently, carrying around 🚐 over 14,000 pounds means a lot of maintenance on brakes, suspension systems and tires. We are supposed to have 10,000 more miles on them, but it isn't working out that way.

Lastly, Silas saw this Goodyear Blimp this morning and as there are only 13 operational blimps, it was pretty exciting to see.

Ok. That's all. Night everyone!

06/05/2026

So we knew going into it that Calvary Baptist Church in Dundalk, Maryland wouldn't be taking us on for support because they have this really cool vision to support a missionary in every country around the world 🌏 and every state in the U.S. and they already have someone in PNG.

BUT Rick has a philosophy of "We don't go to places just to get support. We go 🚐 to places where God opens the door, and who knows, we might even be a blessing."

I honestly was super nervous 😅 because as we got closer to the meeting, I googled "Stacey Shiflett" and I saw he had an author and IMDB profile and I thought "Oh no! What if he isn't kind to everyday people?" But, then I thought, "Hey, Melissa! You and Rick also have author profiles 🤦‍♀️ and such. Don't let fear control you!"

Oh man, I am so glad ☺️ I went with an open mind, because what a wonderful group of people they all were. They have a ton of missionaries come through, but never treated us as "lesser." Quite the opposite!!!

The young people 👦👧🧒 were excited and curious about the things of the Lord. The message on loving God's word was edifying and challenging. People even went out of their way to talk to our kids as well.

After the service Rick and I went out with the Pastor and his wife and time flew by. While there, we were grateful 💙 to hear their testimony and later receive the book "Wolves Among Lambs" a biblical approach to transparency and accountability to abuse in churches.

Rick said it is a topic that all people in ministry should be educated 💡 upon and he is grateful for the teachings found within.

Because my empathy is high and stories of abuse linger in my spirit and cause me to be overly grief-ridden, I started with the 2nd half on solutions and found 📚 chapters 24, 26, 27 and 31 to have such good practical, hands on policies to implement.

Isn't it interesting how if I had let fear control me and closed myself off when going to this ⛪ church, I would have missed out on like-minded people and a good resource?

Anyway, now we are outside of Columbus, OH and I am hoping to get in several hours ⏰ of the post-production editing of our music album, "You Arose".

Happy Friday Funday everyone!

06/03/2026

Here is our JUNE 2026 PRAYER LETTER
Download the PDF here: https://dispellingdarknesspng.com/june-2026-prayer-letter/

06/01/2026

Granite State Baptist Church in Concord, NH was our last visit in the state but it was such a great church! ☺️

Pastor and Mrs. Chamberlain went to college with me at MBT in 1997 and I don't think I have seen them since then, but they spent over ⏰ 10 years with the Rock of Ages prison ministry and their sending church was Harvest Baptist in Greenville, PA also.

They have been up here for about 12 years and you can see the love and care they have for the people here. I really appreciate the spirit of the church.

Something neat happened this week! We reached 90% support!!!!!!!! 🤍💜💙🤍💜💙

We have been on the road a little under 2 years and would LOVE to finish deputation in September so that we could avoid another ❄️ winter and also move to the next stage of ministry.

But we know that God's timing encompasses far more than we can see, so we trust Him. But now we are about ready to head 🚐 out towards Maryland.

Happy Monday everyone!!!!

05/28/2026

What a surprise it was to get to Port City Stroudwater Baptist Church last night in Portland, Maine and meet up with some familiar faces from PNG.

We met several of these students in October 2024 at Grace Baptist but we were thrilled to visit with them again at their own church.

Pastor Perry Jones was such a friendly pastor and you could see his heart for his people and the stories they each brought with them.

For us, being with the people of PNG stirs a longing inside us because they feel like home to us. It is amazing the work God does in one's heart when He calls them to a foreign land. We feel like wanderers everywhere else.

Now we are heading back to NH and a day full of errands.

I don't normally like to talk about migraines because I have already figured out how to manage them, but one of the biggest management tools is to listen to the signals my body gives that tells me when I am pushing beyond the energy my body can create.

This week I have had two full days of migraines, so I am praying that God will help me be still when I need to be.

Thanks for following along. ☺️

05/26/2026

Both times we have been in Maine we have thoroughly enjoyed the 🌏 state and the people!

Pastor David O'Donnell and his wife were so down-to-earth and the church people here at Faith Baptist Church in Newcastle were just a fun group. The blend and harmony 🎶 in the church choir and special music was so pretty as well.

We were privileged that the church decided to take us on for support and we look forward to being back some day. ❣️

In case you have never seen a wolf spider, they seem pretty common up here. The picture Rick took right outside the RV is of a female carrying her egg sac. They are not harmful to humans, but a little intimidating at first glance. 😬 Silas HATES spiders!!!!!

Also, look how pretty this Walmart is. I know zoning is super costly and frustrating for builders, but it DOES make places 🌸🌸🌸 really charming!

We were also SO HAPPY to see the Gapski's while we were close to Wiscasset, Maine. They are the people who first invited us to Maine in 2024 and have supported us since. Our families get along so easily. What a great week so far.

Now we are heading to Freeport Village to take Charlotte's Sr. Photos. Bye!

05/19/2026

We have known Pastor Denton Walker and his family since 2015, I believe. His kids 👧👦 are our kids age and Rick was one of his Bible Institute teachers so we kind of just easily got along and then stayed connected after they moved.

We are actually in NY because of them and the other churches invited us due to Pastor Walker's recommendation.

I don't know how we would have managed this trip without them letting us borrow their vehicle while our RV 🚐 is stuck waiting for repair!

Anyhoo! It was our 23rd Anniversary this Saturday but I was sick with a 🌡️🤒 fever as we traveled to and lodged in Messena, NY to be at Central Bible Baptist Church on Sunday.

Their church people all came from such diverse backgrounds and many were new Christians and it was so cool to hear what brought them to the Lord! ❣️❣️❣️

Maybe it's because I grew up in NY, but it is so easy to get along with everyone up here. I love the direct and honest nature of the North.

Now this week several of us are 😷 sick and just trying to take it easy and hoping to recover quickly. In retrospect I am glad the RV is stuck because it would be hard to have a full schedule while heaping piles of tissues 🤧 everywhere. Lol!

That's all for now. See ya! 😁

05/19/2026

Because of our RV situation, our friends the Walkers lent us their vehicle for our stay. That made Thursday a little different because normally we would park at the church, fellowship until late and then just leisurely head to the RV.

But Thursday we knew we had a two hour drive back 🚗🦌 after the service and we totally forgot to get pictures with the pastor and his wife.

Let me tell you the story though about Anchor Baptist Church's building there in Potsdam, NY.

Pastor James Noreau and his wife came up here to start a church when their oldest was a toddler. They had been looking for a storefront or really anything to rent. At the same time their little girl came down with pneumonia and when they finally found a doctor 🏥 he casually asked them why they moved to the area.

They told them it was to start a church. He then said, "Do you need a building?" At that appointment he gave them all the information for this one. 😲😲😲

Not only that, but the Jehovah Jireh Ministry gave them a donation 💲 and after a combination of many factors to where they were able to purchase it and pay it off completely for only $2,000 of their own money.

The group of families that we met on Thursday were growing and enthusiastic about the Lord. It was such edifying fellowship! The night ended too quickly.

Then we dropped the girls off at the Walkers so they could hang out with their friend and also attend a Ladies Meeting in the area.

So Rick, the boys and I headed back in the dark, foggy 😨 rain and it reminded us how grateful we are for the RV. But now it's Tuesday, and I have one more post to write. ❣️

05/19/2026

I can't believe it's been over a week since we pulled into Plattsburgh, NY.

When we got here we realized that the noise we kept hearing since we left PA was our back brakes. We had just recently had our front brakes done and an alignment, so it wasn't on our radar at all until the RV started shaking when the brakes were pressed. 😲

In the end we have an 🛞⏰ appointment this coming Friday.

But we were grateful to be a part of the services at Bible Baptist Church on Wednesday. Pastor Jason Dumas and his wife invited us for dinner at their 🏠 and the conversation flowed easily. We also loved their two mini golden doodles. 🐩

We tried to get around and visit with as many people as possible that night and as we did we realized that several of their young people had attended Vision Baptist College with kids of three families we know. It's a small 🌎 world!

We will probably be able to attend services there tomorrow as well, but this time with no responsibilities. 😂😅

Then last Thursday we headed two hours away to another church in the area. ⛪ Their building was so unique! I am going to go write that post now. ☺️ Bye!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Litchfield, NH!

This church is unique in that we have not had the chance of meeting Pastor Mike Small because he is at PCC for his son's graduation. 🎓 But we did get to meet several of their other sons.

It was very nice too that there were some men at the church with families close to our age and they helped lead and direct the service. Rick was able to present our ministry during Sunday School and then preached his first ever ❣️ Mother's Day message.

Rick is a natural encourager and a wonderful husband, father and son. So I really looked forward to hearing his message. It was on the woman in Shunam who was one of four people in the Bible that God called "great." I really enjoyed it.

The church had a lot of really nice people. I think we stayed and talked until almost 1. ⏰

Silas loves this area of NH and one day in prayer even thanked God for letting us come here because he thinks it's so 😍 beautiful.

Tomorrow we are heading to NY and at two different churches on Wednesday and Thursday and by Friday will get to be with our good friends the Walkers. Yay! 🎉

We truly are blessed to meet and see so many wonderful people! ☺️

I hope you all are having a great day as well! Bye. 😁

The Schworers to PNG

06/08/2026

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

06/01/2026

05/28/2026

05/26/2026

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

05/10/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Place Of Worship

Shortcuts

Share

Category