Two Mengen ladies decided to attend believers meetings on Easter Sunday and created an uproar in the entire village.

Thankfully very little blood was shed and only a few houses were destroyed but for a bit things were tense.

Typically these two ladies, Kona and Trin-day, attend services held by another religion along with their unsaved family. Their spouses had forbidden them to attend the meetings of the Mengen church so when these two ladies asserted themselves and attended Easter Sunday services, many in the village were angry.

The two men had been on a drinking binge and were not thinking clearly. They blamed the believers and threatened many of them causing some concern.

 “It has been really encouraging to hear about the responses of the Mengen believers during this time,” wrote missionary Rebecca Preheim. “On Thursday evening, they all got together for a time of singing and testimonies. I guess it was one of the first times where nearly the entire village was there, even people who haven’t been around in years. Many of the believers gave impromptu testimonies, which they don’t usually do, so it was great to see their courage as they lifted up God’s name in front of everyone.”

The next day the first copies of the book of Acts in the Mengen language arrived and people sat around reading from the book either in small groups or by themselves.

“What a special time for them to have God’s Word in their own language and to read about the persecution of the early church, while undergoing some persecution of their own,” wrote Rebecca.

Pray for the Mengen believers. Pray also for the two ladies who desire to attend church.

.

Brooks and Nina Buser are heading back to their home in a Yembiyembi village and there are lots of things to prepare.

The couple was at the mission center for three months helping new missionaries learn the culture and language of Papua New Guinea. They also visited some of the churches planted in people groups near the Yembiyembi church.

“Yesterday our co-workers told us that Nina’s tribal brothers and sisters and a couple of my mamas were sprucing up our house and getting it ready for our return,” Brooks and Nina wrote. The couple was packing up supplies necessary to life in a remote tribal village, such as batteries, milk powder, hot sauce, fish hooks and malaria medication.

Their 11-year-old son, Beau, is looking forward to getting back into the village because of the opportunity to go fishing and hunting with his friends. Of course, he has to give up a few things, like having to keep up his home school schedule – it’s so hard to hide in a small village. And then, of course, the restrictions on solar power – Nintendo Wiis run better on regular electricity than they do on solar batteries.

Pray for the Buser family as they prepare to return to their home. Pray that as they transition back into Yembiyembi culture they will experience God’s grace. Pray also for the continuing growth and maturity of the church leaders.

While talking to a Mwinika friend recently, Nadia Hattingh asked the woman about her husband.

“He has changed completely,” the friend said. “He does not go away for long periods of time anymore and has not seen any other women.”

The husband, one of the first men that Nadia and her husband, Francois, got to know after their arrival in Mozambique, had a wild reputation, having been married and divorced 22 times.

“He is clearly intelligent, but was very restless and did not seem to be able to stick with any one thing -- or person -- for very long,” Nadia wrote. “However, he has been going to the Bible teaching over the last year and seemed to be tracking very well.”

In fact, the wife told Nadia, “His heart has turned.”

“In Mwinika this means he has had a complete turnaround or life change,” wrote Nadia. “It is also the words we have been using to describe a conversion. Looking at this guy, you can literally see the difference.  Something in his face changed.  He looks at peace.”

This man and his wife recently bought the piece of land behind the Hattingh’s house and plan to build a house there soon.

“Praise God for the opportunity to walk a road of discipleship with this family,” Nadia wrote.

Winding down their visit, Andrea asked once again, “And you guys? Is it the same for you? Do you do that?”

They were talking about dances, and these are questions that Andrea asks Katie repeatedly as they visit about culture and language. 

Katie says that many times the answer is “Yes.”  “Yes, we have dances in our culture.”  “Yes, sometimes boys and girls start liking each other in school and then get married.”  “Yes, babies grow in our bellies, too.”

But Katie writes that sometimes the answer is much more complicated.

A few weeks ago, Andrea was explaining the local gods of the mountains. She said the gods were “clean” and the people were sinners. Andrea maintained that if a person brings corn and fish and peaches to the gods, then the gods will make certain there is rain for the next season. 

Then Andrea asked her usual question, “And you guys?  Do you do that?”

Katie responded that some people in her land thought like that, but she didn’t. She told Andrea that is why she was studying so hard to learn about her people and her language; so that she could speak to the Nahuatl people in their own language and clearly share what God’s Word teaches about the Creator.

“Please pray,” Katie asks, “that our team will be diligent students while we work at learning how to communicate the God’s Word to the Nahuatl people. Pray that they will begin to have questions and doubts about their beliefs that can only be met by the truth of the Bible.”

Or, Dan Dore asks, “How would you like to depend on books in French or Susu for getting your information or for getting your spiritual food daily?”

Dan and Michelle Dore, who are part of a multi-national missionary team in West Africa, are themselves memorizing Scripture in three languages:  Susu, French and English. 

A large goal of their current ministry is to partner with local churches to raise mission awareness. The goal of this awareness, Dan writes, is “educating and challenging urban African believers to be involved in reaching the unreached people groups in West Africa.”

Dan and Michelle grew up in New Hampshire and heard a missionary speaker shortly after they were married. His message greatly impacted them. Dan says that after that, they were “never the same” and that they committed their lives to serving Christ “anywhere in the world He would lead us.”

Where God led them is West Africa. And Dan shares the blessing and realizations of memorizing Scripture that reads like this:

“N noma fe birin na, nMarigi sabui ra, naxan senbe fima nma.”  Didn’t get that? Oh, maybe that’s because it was in Susu.

Well, try this:

“Je puis tout par Christ qui me fortifie.”  That was the same verse in French.

OK, if you really prefer English:

“I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Did you breathe a sigh of relief when you were able to read the words in English?  Dan says that a West African feels that same way when he is able to hear the Scripture in Susu. 

Pray for Dan and Michelle Dore as they serve Christ through sharing with urban African believers how they can participate in reaching unreached people groups in West Africa. Pray that the Church Liaison Team will effectively partner with local churches in urban areas to raise mission awareness. Pray that as a result, local churches will grow in their passion for reaching lost people around them with the Gospel.

“That’s nothing new,” Greg wrote. “I guess most everything in Nakui happens in short spurts, but showing up to blow a little wind in their sails will hopefully get these new believers back into daily Bible study.” 

The believers are now studying Firm Foundations Bible lessons from the book of Acts five days a week.

“The last time we taught through that series of lessons was 2004, so we encouraged the whole church to participate, and I pray they will,” Greg wrote.

One very encouraging thing the Greenlaws found during their visit is that family life has taken a turn for the better among the believers. 

“After seven years of teaching and encouraging our believing couples to stay faithful to each other, the younger generation is breaking some strong cultural taboos to follow God’s plan for married life,” Greg wrote. “Typically polygamous and immoral, this change has been slow in coming, and is still in progress, but it thrilled us to see couples like Suse and Alia, Sobai and Nauwulo, even Kibo and Mana living faithfully for two years now.

“We’re so thankful to see the Holy Spirit transforming our Nakui leaders.”

There next to him in the bush church building sat the man Jack had walked along the river with for most of the morning. The river area was home to this man and to the 300 other people who sat waiting for their turn to be served bread and juice. 

Jack noticed the man’s hands were wrapped tightly around the little black wooden cup that held the juice representing the blood of Jesus that had set him free from sin and death. And Jesus’ words came to him powerfully, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Jack thought of those words that Jesus had first spoken to His twelve disciples—the disciples who He had walked and talked with for three years. The familiar words were now being spoken again in a small bush church in Papua New Guinea. They took on new meaning as he remembered Jesus’ sacrifice for him and for this group of believers that he fellowshipped with. 

Because of that sacrifice, Jack shares, the Gospel had been delivered and received by these brothers and sisters. It had powerfully changed lives, bringing people from darkness into light.

Sitting preparing to take communion, Jack pondered the significance of Jesus’ words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

And watching that man next to him clutching his cup of juice, Jack realized, “I have preached and broken bread in churches from Northern Canada to Southern Tasmania.  But as I looked at those hands holding that old cup, I realized that this is the best it gets.”

The first thing he noticed was that the people in the village were basically unfriendly and didn’t seem to want him there. Then one of the missionaries working among that tribe told Jason that the people are angry with the missionaries because they’ve been there several years and haven’t revealed their “secrets” yet.

A few years ago a cult was formed and one of the tribal leaders declared that he was the messiah.  He told the villagers that the only way to heaven was if you had a picture taken with him. That led to the insistence that everyone should bow before him and kiss his hand.

The people had a partial introduction to the Gospel in the past, but had perverted that into some strange variation of the truth. The missionaries were learning the culture and language of the people but were not yet fluent enough to present any Bible lessons.

When Jason wanted a bark basket for his wife, Jonie, he went to the village to buy one, but found no men there. He was told they were all away preparing for a festival. That night the ceremonies began with blowing the trumpet all night to awaken the spirits of the forest so that they would help summon the most powerful spirit, Satan.

One man said, “Do not go to the end of the village, we have asked the devil to come to us from his tree and he is there. We have been speaking to him and he is speaking to us. If you listen you will hear his voice.”

Jason listened and heard the chanting of the men deeper in the jungle. Periodically the chants became frenzied, echoing eerily around the village. Then silence, followed by the mournful sound of a flute, a sad, haunting sound – not really music – floating over the village from somewhere in the jungle.

One man told the missionaries that Satan had promised to destroy them if they went into his territory. After the warning he walked away into the darkness.

Jason could not sleep that night and found that only talking to Jesus, the One who casts out fear, could give him the peace to rest easily as the people summoned spirits.

Pray for the missionaries who are learning culture and language. Pray that when they begin to teach the people will be receptive. Pray too for Jason and Jonie as they minister among students at the missionary training center and use their experiences in tribal situations to help the students understand cross-cultural communication.

Find out more about missionary training.

Now, at age 20, he is graduating at the top of his class after two years of Bible school in Mexico.  And he is thinking and praying about what comes next.

“My plan is to go to teach the Word of God to people who have not heard anything about Christ, our Savior … whether to my own people, or in another ethnic group.”  Vicente adds, “Many people still have not heard of the Liberator that can save them from the domain of Satan.”

Terry Reed, who has worked extensively with him in translation, shares that from the start Vicente displayed a great maturity “and a work ethic beyond his years.” Terry, a Bible translator, added that “he has a very gifted intellect,” in spite of having a sixth-grade education.

Dennis Bender, also a Bible translator, writes, “Vicente has been an incredible help to us with translation.”

Vicente’s exceptional capabilities have proven extremely valuable in translation work. He clearly sees the need to communicate the Scripture message accurately and naturally in Guarijio. Confusing and complex areas of grammar that could have resulted in serious errors in translation have been guided by Vicente’s careful expertise. Terry is thankful that this translation assistance has been part of God’s plan for Vicente.

Vicente’s love for ministry and his willing heart have cultivated an interest in continuing on with NTM’s training in Chihuahua. He talks of one day serving the Lord in another country—perhaps in a place where it is difficult for American missionaries to gain entrance. 

At the same time, Vicente is seeking God’s will carefully because he is also drawn toward ministry to his own people and continuing to work on the Guarijio Bible translation.

It is not hard to imagine that God has big plans for Vicente. Dennis summarizes, “I am proud to call him a friend and brother in Christ.”

And Terry adds, “Just a few years ago, I would have never believed that I would hear a Guarijio man say that he wants to serve the Lord in full-time ministry, either at home or abroad.  God’s vision for this work has been grander than my own.”

Please remember to pray for God’s Hand on Vicente as he finishes Bible school and continues to seek God’s will for his life. The closing words of his letter are,

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that God would greatly bless you … Thank you. Stay encouraged, Vicente.”

Learn about Bible school in the USA.

The Lord, knowing how painful cancer can be, mercifully took Kwaelom home after just six days. And as his time drew nearer, he urged his family to not follow their old customs of tearing down his house or cutting down his fruit trees. These customs were to keep the spirits from haunting the living.

Kwaelom told his family, “Go to my gardens and eat the food. Don’t refrain from eating sago pudding. (a Siawi staple).” He told them he knew where his spirit was going and he wasn’t afraid.

His funeral was a time of rejoicing. “One of the ladies said, ‘It was not a time of mourning but of celebration.’”

Others told of how the Lord had used Kwaelom through the years. He had helped Ron Lindsey, the original missionary working among the Siawi, to become fluent enough to share the Gospel the first time. He helped with Bible translation when most others were not interested.

“While Kwaelom was, by nature, a fearful man, he remained faithful to the Lord when many others turned their backs,” wrote Linda. “Over half of his life was spent being indoctrinated with the lies of Satan, being taught that sorcerers have greater powers than any other being, even surpassing God's power. He was over 30 years old before he heard the truth from God's Word.”

But Kwaelom did hear the message of freedom because some were faithfully praying and giving so that the missionaries could continue to teach the truth. Praise God he has gone to a place where there is no more pain and no more fear.

Pray for the Siawi elders who are leading the church. Pray for Linda Krieg, the only missionary currently working with the Siawi church. She desires to finish the Siawi Bible translation before she leaves.

Feeling at times as though you are on the outside of an inside joke or wondering what is said when you walk away can be difficult. And Casey keeps reminding herself that in a small village where everyone is related to everyone, acceptance of newcomers takes time. Skepticism about foreigners abounds and Casey admits it can make their family feel a little paranoid at times.

So she takes a lot of joy in the small milestones of progress. “I am encouraged with every bit of progress,” Casey writes, “I’m so thankful to see how much has changed since we first moved here.  Several times recently someone has said to me, ‘How do you know that?  You really know what’s happening.’ That’s exciting stuff for me!”

The Cretsinger family has lived in a village in Guinea for three years. Casey shares, “We spend the majority of our time in community development … medical issues, care of babies, hosting Bible studies, building up a rice/peanut co-op, working with village schools, and acting as a liaison to many other villages in our area …. We have been blessed to have a ministry like this.”

Their family works hard to be good neighbors in many ways. They make an effort to spend quality time with people in their village and to just be part of their lives. 

Sometimes that looks like sitting around and talking with them or being part of their village’s social occasions. Other times, it means that they pitch in on work that needs to done.

Recently one of their neighbors’ homes needed some work. Bricks of one wall were crumbling and needed to be taken apart brick-by-brick and then put back together. The entire Cretsinger family joined the work team and had the damaged section quickly dismantled down to the foundation. Then their hard-working crew rebuilt the wall with new mud and new bricks.

The job was quickly done. Casey shares, “Everyone got in on the action…We pray that these times of joining our neighbors in the daily grind of life continues to show them how much we care about them.” 

Relationship-building, Casey says, “doesn’t happen overnight.” But brick-by-brick and day-by-day, Steve and Casey Cretsinger hope and pray that their neighbors will powerfully see Christ’s love living in them and that God will use that love to bring many people in their village to faith in Him.

Dan and his three oldest children recently went out with friends from the village to collect some wild honey. They’d seen it done many times before and Dan worked up the courage to try it.

“You go right after dusk, when the bees have ‘calmed down,’” Dan wrote. “In this case, the hive was in a hollow section of a tree just a few feet off the ground, which made things easier. The process is simple – you light a small bundle of hay, which you wave in the hole to smoke out the bees, then you reach in and pull out the combs.”

The family ended up with a bucket full of honey comb, but Dan suffered more than 15 bee stings.

“Our kids watched from a distance so they did not get stung more than once each,” Dan wrote. “It was all exciting. But it was also more stings than I have had in my whole life put together. So the next few hours were not too pleasant with swelling, turning red and general discomfort. Our Benadryl got some good use.”

Dan’s wife, Ginny, didn’t sleep well that night as she monitored Dan’s breathing. The next morning Dan’s language helper appeared all swollen. He too had gone out for honey.

The sobering experience caused Dan to think about “How you would prepare for death, if you knew you were about to die?” He asked this question to a couple of Landuma people and the answers saddened him. His language helper mentioned two specific things.  

One is to ask the local religious leaders to come and pray for you, partly for healing, but the language helper stressed in particular for forgiveness in the afterlife.

The second thing is to ask your wives and children for forgiveness, and you forgive them. The belief is that if another person does not forgive your sin against them before you die, then God cannot forgive either. If there is no forgiveness, you must suffer for it, often by having your pain prolonged before death.

“Interestingly, neither of the people I asked said anything about telling your family that you love them or will miss them,” Dan wrote. “It is sad to see the bondage that people live under when it comes to being unsure of forgiveness.”

Please pray that the Bryants will make good diligent progress in their culture and language acquisition in the next couple of months so they will “be able to clearly share the assurance of forgiveness that Jesus has made available to all.”

Before his death he had urged his family and friends to celebrate his passing as he knew he was going to meet Jesus, the One who died for all. But when his oldest son, Timoti, became ill the same folks who pressured his father to go to the local witchdoctor began pressuring Timoti.

They said, “Your illness is caused by the same thing your father's was (meaning black magic). And if you don't call in the witchdoctor, you are going to die, just like he did.”

Then they tried to shut down the church service saying, “You can't meet now. You have to quit all your teaching and meetings. It is dishonoring to Kwaelom to continue to meet.” However, several believers did meet and the elders shared from the Scriptures and tried to encourage those in the meeting.

“The fact that Kwaelom himself, before he died, told them not to go back to the old ways helped them to resist these men,” wrote missionary Linda Krieg. “While the traditional way to deal with grief, guilt, or any big burden is to turn your back on God and go off by yourself, this is not what God's children should do.”

Okweb, one of the believers, told Linda that some of the stronger believers were going house-to-house to encourage the others thru the Word, helping them to see that they need not fear Satan or the spirits and that God’s protection is sufficient.

They intend to do this every week to help the weaker believers to stand strong against this latest assault. Pray that the Siawi believers will continue to trust in God for protection and strength.

Recently Jason and Nisae Williamson felt led to stop meeting with the believers in Tobo and leave the tribe. It seemed that the believers were not interested in meeting together.

Jason and Nisae grieved over the seemingly dead Tobo church. However, Jason continued to work with Ambox to develop Bible lessons in the Tobo language, hoping for a future revival.

Then Ambox came to Chad Mankins to tell him that God had provided money for him to go to a conference for believers being held in another tribe. He also said he would like to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.

Jason wrote, “Please pray that Ambox will be able to help bring new life to the small group of Tobo believers. Pray also for Jason, Chad and Ambox as they head into a tribe the week after Easter to attend the Citizen Teachers Training Seminar – an excellent opportunity for Ambox to be encouraged to stand up for His faith when He returns to Tobo.”

They left the village last May.  On their return, they found a few uninvited houseguests waiting for them.  Rats, bats, shrews and cockroaches had moved in during their absence. 

Dealing with these issues took some time, but soon Lance was ready to settle into the purpose of their visit. He is working full time on Higaunon Old Testament translation.

Lance started his work translating Old Testament books several years ago, completing his part of the translation process in Genesis and then moving on to Exodus, Ruth, Psalms and Proverbs.

Lance really enjoys being a  Bible translator.  His Higaunon co-workers, Popong and Dagay, have both worked with him faithfully for many years and continue to assist him. 

When Lance and Laura return to the USA in June, he plans to continue to serve the Higaunon itinerantly working on more Old Testament books.  Lance shares, “We would like to return here for three or four months a year for as many years as God allows us to do what we’re doing.  Returning allows me to check the work I’ve been doing and refreshes my language.”

Please pray for Lance and Laura as they work on translation and minister to the Higaunon people.  There are a few new people in the village who are now hearing the Gospel for the very first time.  And there are several surrounding villages that have asked for someone to come and teach them the Word of God.  Pray that God will work in hearts through His Word and that He will send Higaunon believers to take the Gospel to villages that are still unreached.

The call for help came loud and strong to the Yagaria church. And when Zebedee heard that an Abelam church plant was struggling greatly, his heart was burdened to help.

Zebedee had just finished several years of ministry in planting a new church in a neighboring area. It was a ministry that required walking two hours to help build up a church that has now grown strong and mature. 

And now Zebedee is ready for God’s next step for him. The new ministry will require relocation. It is three provinces (about 200 miles) away.  Missionary Greg Greenlaw says, “It would take two months to walk—if you were a billy goat.” 

But Zebedee is preparing to move his family to this new place and begin a new ministry of encouragement and leadership.  The journey will be first by road to the coast, then by ship and then again by vehicle to the new little village.

Greg and Heidi Greenlaw recently invited Zebedee and Kolaiso to their home to visit with them and share what they know about the coming challenges of the new location.  Greg writes, “It was amazing to hear their testimony and the struggle of faith it was for them to count the cost and make this sacrifice.”

Zebedee and Kolaiso’s land is a small parcel. When they move away, their land will be absorbed by others, leaving nothing for their sons when they grow up. For subsistence farmers, this is huge. Their land equals their livelihood. 

Though following God’s lead will cost them their son’s inheritance, Kolaiso told Greg, “These two boys were born according to God’s plan and they will grow up according to God’s plan.” 

Greg shares, “God has settled this issue in both of their hearts and now they are ready to move. These are true heroes of the faith.”

Please pray for Zebedee and Kolaiso and their two sons and two daughters. Pray that God will protect and encourage them and provide for them in amazing ways as they move far away from their home to nurture and help this struggling church. Pray that hearts will be opened to God’s work in their midst; that believers will be strengthened and many lost people will be drawn to Christ. Pray that God will use Zebedee and his family to help build His church mightily for His glory.

Recently the pig took up residence below missionary Linda Krieg’s home. With this new development the villagers decided he needed to go – somewhere, somehow. They hoped that it would decide to go to a neighboring village downstream. It was another people group but the pig didn’t understand either language.

“Still don't see how this could disrupt translation? Well, firstly, a pig living next to the airstrip is a major danger to any planes arriving or leaving Siawi,” wrote Linda. “Secondly, said pig has nasty bathroom habits, leaving my house smelling like a barnyard, with accompanying fly population. Thirdly, his vocal satisfaction with his quarters, coming in the middle of the night, greatly disturbed the sleep of the primary translator.”

Linda had a young Siawi man cut sago fronds, hoping that the nasty thorns would discourage the pig and it would find another place to sleep. She expected a good night but the first thing she heard was the pig stepping over the fronds and going to the lower floor to sleep.

“Time to try another method of pig eviction,” wrote Linda. “Considering the consequences, I hired two young teens as ‘pig security patrol.’ Their job was to chase the pig off, so that he didn't find refuge under any of the structures near the airstrip. The idea was that this would make him shift residence, relieving the dangers to the airstrip and curtailment of my sleep. The problem was, I failed to think this through and it didn't take me long to realize that I had made a big mistake.

“The first night of the pig security patrol, at about 11 p.m., I was awakened by a thud, thud, thud of rocks and clods hitting the intruder, then the galloping of pig hooves, and the rattle, rattle of dry sago leaves.  Not once, not even twice, but three times that night, the pig came back, and the teens came back, and the scene played over.

"OK, call off the pig patrol. But that was easier said than done – these young guys were enthusiastic and loved their job. Next night was replay of the night before.”

The pig’s owner agreed to sell Linda the pig for $150 so that she could have it killed. She attempted to call off the pig security patrol but these enthusiastic young men weren’t ready to relinquish their job.

And a spiritual problem emerged. Sorcerers who were hired by the Siawi villagers to call down Satan’s power on their enemies were close relatives of the pig owner. So no one would kill the pig. The same people who thought that Kwaelom’s death was caused by sorcery were now afraid to kill the pig. 

The owner of the pig was a believer and was not going to object to the killing of the pig. Still no one would touch the pig.

After another night of the pig patrol chasing the offending pig, Linda received a letter from the owner who made it clear that the owner was totally agreeable to killing the pig. The Siawi translation team posted the letter for all the village to see.

Saturday the offender was executed and the meat passed around the village in celebration.

“I added $150 to my Bible translation expenses and wondered how the officials in IRS would feel about it,” wrote Linda.

Please pray for Linda and the Siawi translation team to remain diligent in their task in spite of the interruptions.

They are now reviewing the book of Romans and have just finished chapter seven. But the difficult thing is to internalize the truth of transformation. God wants to change more than our position and our understanding of Him, He wants to make us into a new person.

“In other translation news,” missionary Eric Hedeen wrote, “I am currently doing the final clean-up work on Romans and 1 Timothy. Actually, of late, this has been a full team activity. John Hutteman has been doing the back translation for my translation and then doing a thorough check as to the content of the translation. A back translation is done by translating the Malaumanda translation back into English so that the consultant can have something to evaluate before we actually sit down together. This is a bit of a complicated process that I won't try to describe in total.

“Needless to say John has been very busy helping out with that and his wife Christina has been doing the content checking for 1 Timothy. Working together as a team is such a blessing. We have until the middle of next week in order to get everything buttoned up so pray that I can stay focused. The exciting thing about finishing translation, of course, is that we then get to print it up and hand it out to the believers.”

Pray for Eric and the team working on translating the Scriptures into the Malaumanda language. Pray that they will stay focused and that the complicated process of translation will result in more of the Word to bless our Malaumanda brothers and sisters.

When Manfred and Nadine Zimmermann joined them from Germany two years later, the Jordans were excited.  But while Stephen, in spite of his best efforts, continued to struggle with fluency and speaking without errors, Manfred learned the language quickly.  Stephen worked very hard, but it was Manfred who first mastered the Agutaynen language. 

As a result, Stephen assisted and supported Manfred in developing the Firm Foundations Bible lessons in Agutaynen language.  Yet to his great disappointment, he was not sufficiently advanced in fluency to teach the chronological  Bible study himself.

Ginger shares, “In August of 2011, we returned to the Agutaynen work with the goal of finally finishing formal language study.  We as a family set a goal of finishing language study within 12 months.”

The past six months have been hard for Stephen, especially emotionally.  Discouragement has plagued him and he began to wonder if he would ever “get” the Agutaynen language.  But he was determined to keep working toward the goal by God’s grace and strength.

And joy was waiting at the end of the struggle.  March 27 was a landmark day. The entire Jordan family attended the teaching meeting as they do every Tuesday night.  But this night was an especially joyful one for their family.

Manfred Zimmermann started the teaching with a review time.  Then he announced that Stephen had finished language study and would be teaching that evening’s lesson.

Ginger writes, “The Agutaynens were excited to hear this news!”  Stephen taught the story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus”—a lesson that he and Manfred had first prepared four years earlier.  But now, Stephen was able to teach this lesson from the chronological Bible study fluently in Agutaynen.

Culture goals of building friendships and understanding Agutaynen life were achieved years ago by the Jordan family and continue to develop.  The language goals have taken much longer. 

Ginger shares, “Our ministry story isn’t ‘he went—he learned the language in a short time—and now he is teaching.’  God has taken us on an adventure for His glory.” 

At times, God’s glory meant cheerfully supporting their co-worker who was able to quickly learn the language.  And now, they rejoice that God is giving Stephen the opportunity to speak forth His truth in the Agutaynen language through Firm Foundations Bible lessons.

Culture and language studies are full of challenges for missionaries.  Sometimes the journey is long and requires a lot of patience and humility.

Stephen and Ginger Jordan are in these challenges for the long haul -- and for the glory of God.

In the distance, Tony and Lauren could see the bonfire already blazing. Arriving, they rejoiced to sit around the fire and chat with the handful of believers who had gathered. Tony surveyed the band of Tarahumera followers of Jesus as they waited for others to arrive and wrote, “They never cease to amaze me with their responsive hearts to the Lord …. As the rest joined our small band, I felt privileged to be a part of their sweet fellowship.”

Gathered in the little group were former sun and moon worshippers who are now committed followers of Jesus Christ. Tony observed their joy: “This was His day and they were going to celebrate it!  We shared Scriptures together, sang and encouraged one another …. We ended our time greeting one another with the words, ‘Cristo ma ku o’winali’ which means ‘Christ is now resurrected!’”

Then one of the believers excitedly threw his arms into the air and joyfully exclaimed, “Let’s praise the Lord!”  Tony says everyone began applauding in agreement.

Tony says he would have liked to stay at the mountaintop a lot longer, but there were things to do. The little group headed down the mountain to the church building. There they continued preparations for the Easter celebration meeting for which Tony and Lauren had helped cook goat stew for most of the night.

Because they served food after the church meeting, there were many visitors on Easter Sunday. In fact, there were so many in attendance that dishes had to be washed to continue to serve the crowds that came.

And since it’s been a hard year with little rain for crops, the Tarahumara church was able to hand out famine relief food bags to everyone before they left for home.

All in all, it was an Easter celebration that Tony and Lauren are thankful for and that they rejoice in being part of.

Their purpose was to reconnect with village friends and to pack up Lynne and Chris’ former village home for furlough.  And every mile of the way was saturated in God’s grace and care.

First there was the 27-mile trip there through substantial mud, part of it on motorbikes, most of it on foot.  Lynne isn’t sure which was worse. “The mud was over knee-deep for 90 percent of the journey. Not only did it bog down the bikes, but it grabbed and held tight to our shoes.” 

Progress through the mud was a quite a chore. Yet in spite of the exhausting hike through the deep mud, there were no sprains or pulled muscles. And in spite of a tipped-over motorbike, there were no crushed legs.

And then there were the rivers. Three of them, in fact.  Lynne writes, “One was very swollen and deep where we had to cross in a little dugout canoe.  The bikes were conservatively over 800 pounds with cargo and passengers and the dugout was only buoyed with lengths of bamboo.” In spite of some woeful imbalances, everyone made it across the raging river without mishap. 

It took over seven hours to reach their village destination. “In spite of it being the end of the rainy season in the rainforest, we only had to face rain during the last hour of our exhausting trek, which was a lovely gift from the Lord,” Lynne shares.

With all the obstacles and dangers, there were no injuries. And Lynne has no doubts about Who accomplished that.

God’s help was obvious during their stay in the village, as well. “The Lord clearly laid out the plan for that ten days and then helped us get it all done!” With the help of beloved village “daughters”, Lynne and her town friends dug through the dark corners of their jungle home which had been empty for nearly a year during their town ministry. They encountered no cobras or rats, though the evidence of their former presence there was profuse.

The water system, which involves water piped 2.5 miles from a waterfall through the jungle, worked flawlessly during their visit. Lynne says, “We could drink, cook and shower every day.  That is a huge gift.”

Lynne delighted in getting caught up with village friends. She listened to their stories of all that had taken place in the village since their departure. And then Lynne explained that she and Chris will be away at least through the year 2014.

In clearing out their house, Lynne was able to make gifts for their friends of many things that will be useful for life in the jungle. Every village family received something to eat or wear. “The big pile of gifts filled two rooms. Each thing will be a help in some way.” God provided comfort for Lynne in giving these gifts from their home and she hopes the gifts will continue to lift the sadness of the good-byes to their dear friends.

The return trip to the lowlands was no less treacherous than their journey in. They left at 2:30 a.m. in the extreme dark of the jungle. Lynne marvels that God provided a canopy of stars overhead and no rain that night. Through landslides and along cliffs on the route, they could see enough to make careful progress.

“I said a prayer of thanksgiving when the light of the sun finally helped us see our muddy path,” Lynne recounts. “It was full daylight when we reached the most dangerous river crossing and though it was even more swift and deep this time due to rains, we smoothly crossed and continued on our way.”

God’s care and tender protection were highly visible in every detail of this hazardous journey. It was a journey of love – both love for Christ and love for the Banwaon people who have become like family to the Stranges. Lynne writes, “When I’m in the village, it’s the only time I truly feel ‘home’ in this foreign country. I will always praise the Lord for that.”

So is a ministry journey like this—with all its dangers—worth it?

The rewards that come from the risks and sacrifice of their ministry are, to Chris and Lynne, profoundly worth it. They treasure the memory of their village chief’s words of thanks. “I am grateful to the Lord that missionaries left their families and homes to share about God and His Son bringing salvation for all the world. Because of that, many people all through the jungles here are now His children and have an eternal home.”

“They are being equipped to develop healthy, loving relationships with people in the countries God will send them to and acquire fluency in the  … trade languages of those countries,” wrote Mike.

“Some will then become part of teams in [existing] works in different people groups which are in desperate need of more teammates. Others will enter new people groups who do not have access to God and His Word in their own heart language.

“[While still] others will enter what is often called ‘support ministries’, being the hands and feet, eyes, … so those who live and minister in remote people groups will be able to do all that is needed to see Christ’s church birthed and then built up to healthy maturity.”

Mike discovered that the students were not just interested in their future ministries but were focused on abiding in Christ and giving of themselves as instruments of His righteousness so that the Holy Spirit is able to energize and enable them to glorify Him. They realize that as the fruit of the Spirit flows out of them they will be able to draw others unto Christ.

So it’s not about being an awesome translator or Bible teacher or pilot or supply buyer – it is about walking in the Spirit and evidencing the fruit of the Spirit consistently. One is not effective without the ministry of grace.

“I was so impressed with the hearts I listened to,” Mike wrote.

Several students were definitely interested in serving in Papua New Guinea where Mike serves while others were heading for different countries. Please pray for those who are being equipped for the work of the ministry and for those who are equipping them that all of this will fulfill His purposes. 

Find out how you can train to be a missionary.

Embera voice actors who recorded their individual lines without hearing the other voices had a hard time envisioning what the final result would be.  But after the recorded voices were mixed together, the four-member Embera review committee sat entranced watching the movie. The potential impact on the Embera people was very visible.

Doug writes that the premier of the Jesus Film in the Embera language took place on March 17. There was a large crowd and the the film was received with great enthusiasm. He feels that the success of the project was best summed up by one Embera viewer who commented with joy, “Jesus speaks our language.”

The film was also shown the first week of April in another province with around five hundred Embera people viewing it.  Pray that the Jesus Film will continue to draw crowds of Embera people and that as a result, the Embera church will have opportunities to teach Firm Foundations Bible lessons and make the Gospel clear after people have heard the film  in their own language.

Except, that is, for one thing. This year for the first time, missionary Lori Morley writes, the Simbari believers included children in their singing and celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

She writes, “This morning as we entered the church, we were told that instead of calling out the numbers of the songs to sing like we usually do, we were to call out the names of the children who were standing at the front.” Lori says that as each name was called, the child would turn around to reveal a number on his or her back.  This was the number of the next song to sing.

“All of the songs were about Jesus and what He has done for us, so in this way, the children ‘taught’ us about Jesus,” Lori shares. 

The believers had also planned a drama about the Gospel to be acted out. The story began with Adam and Eve and at one point, the children entered the scene wearing bark capes and carrying digging sticks that are used to work in the gardens. These things represented the cares of this life and the weight of sin.  Some children acted as if they were sick and dying. Adam and Eve lamented over the children and the sad weights that they carried.

Lori continues, “Then Jesus entered and said, ‘Here, I have come to take away your burdens.’ And He took the children’s burdens away.”  After this, they depicted King Jesus (with a paper crown on his head), and the children threw flowers while they sang a welcome song to Him. This was to symbolize that they were accepting Jesus and what He had done for them.

Lori shares that after the drama, there was a time of Bible teaching and prayer, followed by communion, and that this Easter worship service was not only a time of blessing and encouragement to the Simbari believers and their children, but to Lori’s own heart, as she remembered powerfully “Jesus, Who is our life.”

“God will win.  Righteousness will triumph.  And the truth will prevail,” Mike and Cher Riepma affirm emphatically.  And yet, they share, it’s very obvious to them that the father of lies is working overtime to blind people to their lost condition and to try to destroy the faith of God’s children.

“Spiritual battles are raging all over the world,” Mike observes, “and they are in our little corner of the Amazon jungle as well.”

One Ese Ejja young man who grew up in their village has felt for a long time like a son to Mike and Cher. As a child, he never missed a Bible Club or Sunday School class. God blessed him with a very sharp mind and lots of talent. The Riepmas had great expectations for him and hoped he would grow into a strong church leader.

“He married a sweet Christian girl and they have four beautiful children,” Mike shares. But this young man, who started out teaching in the village school, was eventually lured into local politics. And sadly, this political culture he got involved with has apparently been instrumental in distorting his sense of right and wrong. He has been unfaithful in his marriage vows, actively promotes sinful activities, spends little time with his children and basically lives life to please himself.

Mike shares sadly, “Satan has deceived him into thinking that God’s Word has no relevance in his daily life … When confronted, he is very much closed and not wanting any help or advice. This young man has broken our hearts.” 

And, Mike says, he is just one of a growing group of rebellious and reckless young men who have embraced this sinful lifestyle which is manifested in having no respect for authority, refusing to work, being frequently drunk, and unashamedly stealing whenever the need arises.

As disappointed and burdened as they are, Mike and Cher are praying and hoping in God’s power. They remind themselves that in Christ, “we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.”  Mike shares, “Our adversary has not given up and the spiritual battles rage on, yet almighty God is still on His throne, and He will complete His church.”

Pray for God’s encouragement and strength for Mike and Cher Riepma and their ministry. Pray for the power of God’s Word to permeate Ese Ejja believers and make them strong against spiritual attack. Pray that those who have crumbled and fallen prey to Satan’s plots will be convicted and transformed. And pray that unbelievers will see visible transformation in the Ese Ejja believers that recommends Christ as Savior and Redeemer.

A group of Simbari believers were headed out to one of their gardens in order to collect pandanus nuts, a delicious nut that is only in season at certain times of the year.  In order to get to the garden, they had to cross a pole bridge over the river.

Our rivers here are not the kind that you swim in, except in certain safe locations, and this particular river is full of waterfalls and huge boulders.  The current is swift and dangerous.  On this day, not only was the river high, but the bridge was located over a place where two boulders were close together, constricting the water and making the current extra powerful there.

As the group was crossing, some of the men observed that it was difficult for those carrying burdens to cross without anything to hold onto.  They decided to get some poles in order to construct a handrail.

As they were working, one of the men, Pita, was holding onto one of the poles.  The current was so strong that it jerked on the pole and threw Pita into the water, pulling him down into a pool below.

Not all of the believers heard him fall, but those who did cried out.  They waited to see him surface, but though Pita is a very strong man and in spite of the fact that he struggled and struggled, the force of the plunging water kept him pinned to the bottom of the river.  He tried to surface three times and each time the current pulled him back down.

Pita said later that it was like being wrapped in a wet blanket.  The believers, seeing that he wasn't surfacing, began weeping and crying out to God, "Oh God, please help him!"

Pita told us that at this point, his strength was gone.  He said that he managed to get his hands above the water to wave and say good-bye to his family and friends and he thought, "I'm going to die, but that's okay.  I am ready."

Those on the banks of the river saw him wave and in grief, one man wanted to jump in to try and save him.  But the rest held him back in order to prevent an additional death.

Then the believers who were watching all say that something amazing happened.  Suddenly and unexplainably, God brought Pita right to the edge of the river.  He says, "I was like a butterfly and I flew out of the water." 

As the believers fished him out, they were weeping and praising God.  They had believed that Pita was dead, but he was alive.  One man said that Pita was like Jonah in the belly of the whale, because God had rescued him.

That night it seems that no one could sleep. They ate together and thanked God and sang songs.  Some of the believers slept next to Pita that night because they said that the incident was playing over and over in their minds like a video and they just wanted to be close to Pita and to thank God that he is alive.
Pita's near- death experience reminds me of how dear the Simbari people have become to me.  As I heard the story, I, too, was crying and praising God for His mercy in sparing Pita's life.

Later, when I saw him, I shook Pita’s hand and said, "Oh, Pita, I heard the story about how God saved you out of the water and I'm really thanking God about it."

Pita smiled, but he had tears in his eyes.

Pita's experience reminds me of how we were before God reached down to save us.  We were under the power of sin, a weight that would crush and condemn us.  All of our own efforts to free ourselves of sin's punishment, which is death, were fruitless.

But then God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, reached down and through faith in Him, we were miraculously saved from the death that we deserved.  It was like we had died, but then God raised us to new life in Him.  What other reason do we need to praise His holy name?

Missionary Dan Burke and his friend, Rosauro, were stranded quite unexpectedly.  But in looking back on it all, he and his wife, Judy, both feel certain that every detail of the story was part of God’s perfect timing and plan.

Dan had departed on a ministry trip by plane with a load of books for the Chimane people.  At the first stop, he and the NTM Aviation missionary pilot, Dwight Brown, were joined by Adrian, Rosauro and Sandalio, who are Chimane church leaders. 

The first part of the journey went just as scheduled. They stopped in a village on a Monday morning to visit believers and hold a community meeting that evening.  (Dan says he was served a nice, big piece of fish for supper.  Because it was dark, he wasn’t able to tell until later that it was the fish head.) 

When it was time to leave the following morning, Dwight, the missionary pilot, surveyed the short airstrip carefully and determined it did not include enough distance to safely take off with all four passengers. 

So an alternate plan was adopted.  Dwight would take off with just two passengers and land at a nearby village that had a longer airstrip.  Then he would return for the other two passengers.  With the longer airstrip at the other village, they would all be able to take off safely and head toward their project of Bible translation work. 

So Adrian and Sandalio were the passengers on the first flight and Dan and Rosauro stayed behind to await the plane’s return for them.

On that first 8-minute flight, however, Dwight noticed an apparent oil pressure malfunction.  Although he was able to land the plane intact in the neighboring village, it was definitely not safe to fly any further without the needed repairs. 

Another plan was set into action.  A mechanic would be flown into the village with parts and tools to repair the plane. 

Only one problem with that idea.  The weather.  It had suddenly clouded up to prevent any incoming flights.  Another delay.

Meanwhile back at the first village, Dan and Rosauro prepared to stay another night—a night longer than they had planned.  But not a minute longer than God planned. 

Dan and Judy Burke write, “We can surely see God’s Hand in the timing … it was the best possible scenario; much better than if it had happened when they were on top of the Andes, or out over a jungle where there are no airstrips!”

And Judy adds, “Dan was well-prepared. When he was packing, I was giving him a hard time about what he wanted to take along.  I felt it was unnecessary for him to bring peanut butter, instant coffee and cheese.  After all, he was only going to be gone for one night and the people would feed him.  But he said, ‘You just never know.  It’s better to be prepared.’”

Dan turned out to be right.  “He usually is,” admits Judy. 

But she also sees a larger truth about plans.  Judy feels thankful in the realization that, unlike people, God is always completely prepared.  And that His timing and plans, though often different from ours, are always perfect.

So just what does it look like for God’s Word to be effectively at work in a culture? Chris and Erin Lujan say that the power of the Gospel looks like changed lives. “God is truly at work in each of our lives and He is doing amazing things in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ here in Siar,” Erin writes.

Three times a week, the Siar believers meet to study the book of Romans.  As a result, Chris and Erin have heard story after story of what God is doing in their lives.  Here are just a few examples:

Only a few months ago, Nelson was making fun of his wife, Paska, for her attendance at Bible teaching sessions. Then one day, while reading a translation of Romans 1-3, Nelson realized his desperate need for Christ and salvation. Since he has come to Christ, Erin says Nelson “has written some pretty amazing songs solely based on the truth of God’s Word” as well as being a faithful attender of teaching times.  He is open to sharing Christ’s work in his life and desires to learn and grow.  Erin shares that Nelson also has expressed a heart for taking the good news of Christ to another language group.

Then there’s Sali and Mata, who have pretty much always had a rough marriage. Sali has a quick temper and spousal abuse is tragically common in the Siar culture. But in recently studying Romans 6-7, Sali has come to realize that as much as he needs to change, he cannot change his life in his own strength. And on Easter Sunday, Sali was able to publicly admit to the church that he desperately needs the work of God’s Spirit. Erin notes that only God’s Work through His Word could make such a radical change in someone’s life.

Or consider the older married couple, Tande and Kelestin, who have struggled with being consumed by pride. Their exalted view of themselves has made them constantly critical of others. They were said to gossip “about anything and everything.” But because of the cutting edge of God’s Word in their lives, Tande and Kelestin have seen their sin and come to Christ. Erin says, “All they want to talk about now is the Gospel and what Christ has done for them. The change in their lives has been obvious.”

God’s quick and powerful Word at work in lives should make a dramatic difference. Praise God that it is doing just that in visible ways in the Siar church. Pray for Siar believers to continue faithfully in reading and studying His Word and for God’s Spirit to enable them to walk on in obedience. 

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Missionaries Don and Julie Flower ministered among the Pai Tavy Teras for many years, and each new cultural tidbit they discover helped them understand the darkness surrounding many of the Pai people.

Now they minister at the Missionary Training Center using the skills they gained from tribal ministry. Future missionaries are able to profit from the knowledge the Flowers learned first-hand.

Recently they reported a cultural tidbit they had discovered – the Pai people are afraid of the rainbow. What we recognize as God’s eternal promise never again to send a flood to destroy His people is to them an object of evil causing great fear.

The Pais say that you should never look at the rainbow or point your finger at it. Looking at the rainbow may cause a person to be paralyzed or die.

When someone sees a rainbow they begin to chop at it or draw a rainbow shape on the ground and chop at it to protect themselves from the dangers of the rainbow.

At one time Cenidia said to her husband Chito, “The missionaries must be teaching us lies. They are teaching things that are different from what our ancestors taught. When the big flood came Grandfather saved himself by climbing up into a palm tree and chanting. As long as he chanted the tree grew and he was saved from the flood. Grandmother drew a circle on the ground and stepped into the circle chanting, it floated like a tub and she was saved from the flood. We have always been taught the rainbow is evil, not a promise from God.”

But as Don and Julie faithfully taught through the Firm Foundation Bible lessons, Chito and Cenidia realized that God’s Word is true and that the promise of the rainbow was from Him and not their ancestors. Chito and Cenidia have trusted Christ and now look at the rainbow with joy not fear.

Pray for Don and Julie as they teach the students at the missionary training center and tell them about the Pai Tavy Tera

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Missionaries Kent and Jenny Schafer made a long, arduous trip to visit a possible place for their future ministry and were rewarded by beginning to build some relationships.

After taking a ferry across the river they met one of the few trucks available to take them further. However the next leg of the trip was taking a boat ride upriver proved a little more difficult. After they waited several hours along with 60 others who wanted to make the trip upriver, the boat was finally ready. They climbed aboard along with eight motorbikes and eight bicycles. A message had been sent the truck that normally picks up passengers on the other side of the river asking the driver to wait for them as they would be six hours late.

The regular truck driver didn’t get the message but God had arranged for a truck driver to haul some logs to the river and arrive just in time to take them to a motel where they were able to fall into bed at midnight.

The next morning they were able to begin walking around the neighborhood with their friend who introduced them to her relatives. 

One of the ladies was clearly terrified when she saw them. Their Mozambican friend who accompanied them, Marcia, was a relative of this lady and greeted her. She sidled over to Marcia but still looked at the Schafers with terror in her eyes. After being introduced she hesitatingly walked over to Jenny. When Jenny greeted her in the Maindo language, her face broke into a smile and she greeted Jenny back. So it was a great help that Marcia and her mom introduced the Schafers as their friends.

After walking around talking to people all morning they knew they had to greet the local regulo or king. Each neighborhood has a descendant of a tribal chief who rules that neighborhood and is also the local government authority. Marcia took them to visit the regulo and he was honored that they had come to his home to visit from such a faraway place.

Their attempts to speak the Maindo language pleased the people and Kent and Jenny feel that God has opened the door to ministering in this area.

Pray for the Schafers as they prepare to minister in the Maindo language in Mozambique.

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Ruth Patton says one of her favorite quotes, by C.T. Studd, goes like this, “Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of Hell.”

Ruth Patton calls herself a “country girl.”  She says she was raised in a “Mayberry-type” town.  And the above quote is an inspiration and reminder to her, because the truth of the matter is, Ruth, in her heart-of-hearts, humanly speaking, would rather live within the sound of a chapel bell. 

But God has located Ruth and her husband, Charlie, somewhere very far from chapel bells in Mayberry. By His grace, God has planted them in the center of a hot and humid city in Brazil. It is a city, Ruth says, that “sprung up in the middle of a vast expanse of jungle on the side of a well-known river where once only animism and the occult existed among tribal communities.” And at times, Ruth confesses, it has felt like she was living within a yard of Hell.

“It seems the Lord would have me learn a life where theory becomes blessed reality. He has joined my life with the lives of a few light-bearers in a land that is very dark indeed. It is impossible to fathom the extent of evil weaved and knotted tightly into such a landscape,” Ruth writes.

Yet Ruth knows that she is there because God has orchestrated it. And she prays for God’s Holy Spirit to be so visible in her life that she will used to influence lost people toward His Kingdom. “Sometimes, though, I have to confess that I focus on the size of my flickering flame and forget to see the brilliance and penetrating power of Jesus Christ, Who is the Light of the World.”

Ruth says it is dangerous to focus on her limitations. It is dangerous to wonder if it’s worth it to miss their kids and grandkids so much—the joys of holidays and creature comforts.  When she focuses on her own strength and ability, Ruth says that she is easily discouraged about the extent that Satan has gripped the city around her with spiritism, alcohol, drugs, prostitution, abuse, immorality, materialism and the prominence of the “prosperity gospel” among those who claim to be evangelicals.

She concludes with the psalmist, “I would have despaired if I failed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” 

“I remember that it is not fragile me up against the powers of darkness around me.  This is His work, these are His battles. The outcome in the end has already been determined,” Ruth adds.

Ruth is cheered to remember that God is doing His faithful work. Though many Christians are battle-worn, there are churches that are reaching out to the lost. There is a new awareness and interest in some circles toward the unreached people groups in the vast outreaches of Brazil. Some evangelical churches are growing spiritually and in their discernment.

Ruth shares, “Although living here does make me long for Heaven … or at least Mayberry … something inside me has given me hope, purpose, renewed strength when mine is exhausted, and even joy amidst the unpleasant realities.  I have this when my focus is on Jesus Christ.”

“May I always be discerning enough,” Ruth adds, “to catch myself when I focus on my limitations instead of on our great and awesome God … nothing is impossible with Him.”

Pray for Charlie and Ruth Patton and for many other missionaries who have left the comforts of home and family in order to bring the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to locations far from the sound of a chapel bell. Pray for their lives to shine brightly in the spiritual darkness. And pray for God to encourage and strengthen their hearts in His deep love for them and in His great faithfulness to them.

Gustavo, a Guanano believer, continued to trust God through difficult times.

Gustavo and his fellow believer, Jhoni, work each morning with missionary Lindy Drake to prepare lessons on the book of Romans to teach in the church.

They were working through the verses about the hard things God brings into our lives to produce patience and endurance. Just as they were discussing the verses , some of Gus’s children rushed in to tell him he was needed at home. His daughter had just delivered a stillborn child. On top of her grief over her loss she had malaria and was seriously ill. As the ambulance raced through Lindy’s back yard, he decided to give up trying to prepare lessons.

Later that day Gustavo was closing up the little café he runs in town and laid a bag containing two months profit – approximately $1,000 US – on a table, then turned to secure the metal door. When he turned to pick up the bag, it was gone.

“Two big blows landing on Gustavo’s family the same day; God now had his full attention,” wrote Lindy. “Because we had been talking about these very things and how God uses the hard times to grow us up, Gustavo was actively seeking God’s presence in the middle of all the chaos.”

God heard Gustavo’s plea. As a cousin began to accuse him of causing the death of his grandchild, he was initially angry but a strong impulse told him to bite his tongue and pray that his cousin would see God in his calm reaction.

The loss of money was also a huge blow. He had to tell his landlord, a fellow believer, that he did not have rent money for the store. The landlord looked at the security tapes had and saw the three culprits. The young kids were filmed grabbing the bag and running off.

Odilom, his landlord, helped him to find the offenders and when confronted they admitted to taking the money. Odilom wanted to involve the police but Gustavo encouraged him to trust the Lord to resolve the issue. Eventually a portion of the money was returned.

“Gus’ faith has definitely been stretched and strengthened through these hard things, just as God had promised. Please pray that the Lord would continue to teach His Guanano people to trust Him in the good times and in the bad,” Lindy wrote.

Simon Flanagan has just completed his language and culture study.

Testing lasted for three days. Some of the things Simon had to do to show his proficiency in the Mengen language were to explain how paper is made and then how the rain works from evaporation onward. Simon passed with flying colors and is now able to help his teammates with the work load.

“Get out your knee pads, as we need your prayers,” Simon told his partners.

Simon will begin teaching the Firm Foundation Bible lessons and writing lessons to be translated back into English. These lessons will be used by more experienced missionaries to check whether the lessons communicate the message well in the Mengen language.

As Simon begins to teach the Firm Foundation Bible lessons he will be teaching in one home where a cult member lives. The cult family member is exerting pressure for their relative to stop listening to the Gospel teaching. Many Mengens are experiencing adversity but they continue to listen faithfully.

“Pray that God would help me to be clear as I teach the gospel lessons and that I would have freedom in the Mengen language,” Simon asked.

Simon’s wife, Annika, is still in the midst of studying the culture and language of the Mengens. Pray that she will soon finish. Pray that the Mengen believers who work with Simon and Annika will grow in their understanding of God’s Word. Pray, too, that God will work in the hearts of the cult members who are so opposed to the Gospel message and that they will desire to hear His Word.

After a health home assignment, Wayne and Gail Chen are very excited and eager to return to their bush life among the Biem people in Papua New Guinea. This is a ministry task that they plan to resume in June. 

Gail is anticipating the joy of discipling Biem sisters who she believes will come to Christ.  Their daughters are enthusiastic, too, and “would start packing right now if they could,” Wayne writes.

Wayne himself is looking forward to, in just a few months, presenting the Gospel to the Biem people in their own language for the first time.  “We have spent three years living with the Biem people, learning their culture and language, bandaging their wounds, mourning with them at funerals and simply sharing their life.  Our biggest prayer is that, through all of these shared experiences, we have earned enough trust and credibility with our Biem friends to challenge their world views and animistic beliefs and to present God’s Story to them.”

Another major undertaking will be the beginning of a Biem Bible translation “so the Biem folks can read God’s Word for themselves,” Wayne adds.  “We can’t just stand up and tell them ‘Jesus loves you.’  Who is Jesus?  Who created the world?  Who put this island in the middle of the ocean?  Who makes my garden grow?  Where do sickness and death come from?  Where did my ancestors go when they died?” 

These are pressing questions to the Biem people, questions that teaching from God’s Word will address.  This summer, Wayne will be presenting God’s salvation story in the Firm Foundations series.  And he looks forward to this teaching with joy and with great confidence in God’s help.

Wayne fondly remembers one night from their past time in the Biem village.  He was working with his Biem friend and language helper, Aklu.  They were working on the Biblical account of Noah and the flood.

Wayne prepared to share with Aklu that God decided to punish and destroy mankind by sending a big flood because everyone had sinned and turned their backs on God and “every inclination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil all the time.”  Wayne wondered what feedback Aklu would give.  He could imagine a reaction of “This is not fair—God cannot do this!” 

But when Wayne finished explaining the passage to Aklu, his reaction was quite different.  He paused for a minute and then responded, “We are all like that.  The entire island is like those people in Noah’s time.  Everyone is doing evil and no one is good.”

Wayne shares that when he thinks back on that encounter and how Aklu responded he is reminded that “God doesn’t need to be defended.  He doesn’t need a publicist to put a spin on His character.”  The memory also gives Wayne anticipation for what God’s Spirit will accomplish as the message of the Gospel is delivered to the Biem people in a few months.

“Would you start praying for the Biem people?” Wayne requests.  “This awesome message will soon be declared on this island.  Please pray that hearts will be opened and challenged and that many will trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.”

They were grateful to the Lord for the many who helped with the airstrip repairs.

• Many people gave sacrificially to provide labor costs and supplies.
• Their co-worker, Albert Castelijn, flew from Australia for the month of April to supervise the ground work.
• They praise God for the safety of the villagers working with picks and shovels and a great deal of muscle power in heat and pounding rain.
• Many of those villagers rotated the work on the airstrip as this is the busiest time of year and many are behind on their own work.
• The missionary pilot used his skill to direct the workers in necessary repairs.

 Pray the Strange and Castelijn families and that the pilot will be able to finish the needed repairs. Pray with the Sranges and Castelijns and NTM Aviation pilot Joel Davis for the safety check when the strip is finished.

As Libanya lie on his deathbed, he told missionaries Gene and Carol Trudeau that he was looking forward to going home.

Libanya, a Manobo man, was a strong believer for many years. He even taught Firm Foundation Bible lessons from memory since he could not read.

“He had a fantastic mind and probably never forgot anything he was taught from God's Word,” wrote Gene Trudeau. “He was a greatly beloved man.”

He had a wife, a teenage son, two blind daughters and two young children who will sincerely miss their kind father, teacher and caretaker.

Libanya pointed his hand toward the sky and said, “I’m going – there,” with that he left his earthly body and joined the Lord he loved for so long.

Pray for Libanya's family and for the missionaries who will miss an able co-worker.

Missionaries Dan and Judy Burke say that their work on the book of Exodus includes many intense hours of brain-straining. They are working, together with their Chimane co-workers, on the Chimane Bible translation.

“Seeing the pictures of the tabernacle with all its furnishings and the priestly garments was a tremendous help,” Judy writes. “The descriptions in the Bible are extremely detailed.  It was a challenge to find the words for things that don’t exist in the tribal setting.  As you know, even when you read a very clear translation in your own heart language, it is often difficult to picture in your mind how it would look.”

Judy gives an example of a verse that contained several concepts that were especially challenging to translate: “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord.”  Judy challenges, “Imagine trying to say that mouthful in a tribal language!”

But a picture is worth at least a thousand words.  After seeing the tabernacle pictures, Dan and Judy’s co-workers, Adrian, Rosauro and Sandalio have a much clearer idea of what the tabernacle was and how it functioned.

Judy writes that these men put in eight or nine hours a day, grinding away to find the precise way to word the Chimane translation of Exodus. Translation requires intense concentration and at the end of each day, everyone was exhausted. “When you are dealing with the Word of God, you want to get it right,” she says.

The translation process is one of stringent and exacting standards. After checking the book of Exodus, Dan is re-reading it all again, looking for any possible detail that they might have missed. Judy is starting the huge job of doing the back-to-English translation, so it can be checked by a missionary experienced in translation who does not read Chimane. 

Judy adds, “There is plenty of work to do and no one else is standing in line to do it. We feel privileged to have a part in getting God’s Word out to the Chimane people and we are so thankful for each of you who pray and give to make it all possible.”

Praise God for Dan and Judy Burke and for many other missionaries who are working painstakingly to translate God’s Word into tribal languages. Ask God to give them wisdom and strength for this task. Pray that God will oversee the Chimane Bible translation, especially in the areas of intricate descriptive language and in words that don’t even exist in a tribal language. Pray that God will preserve and mightily use His Word in the hearts and lives of the Chimane people.

“This teaching through God’s Talk has led me to praise.  It has led me to God’s Son ... I am not a righteous man.  But if we know this and believe in Him, God will make us new.  That is enough and I will finish my talk like that.” 

These words were the reaction of the Patpatar man that Aaron Luse calls “Grandpa” and were his first verbal expression of faith since the beginning of the Firm Foundations Bible teaching. 

After he finished speaking, Aaron says, “The smile on his face remained.”

For months Grandpa had sat quietly in the background during the teaching.  At the end, Aaron says, “He summarized all the lessons in less than a minute.”

Another older man expressed his new-found joy in Christ like this: “When you wake up in the morning, you can look out on the ocean and see dolphins jumping in the water.  That is like the joy that I have.  I have joy jumping up and down because of the teaching from God’s Word.”

Aaron and Lori Luse are rejoicing to see many joy-filled evidences of God’s work in the Patpatar people in drawing them to Christ through the teaching of His Word.  They share, “Please continue to pray because some have heard, but have not yet placed their trust in Christ.  Also, pray for those who have become Christians, but their spouses and children have not yet heard and understood the truth.”

One impact of the Gospel, God’s Good News, is that distress and fear are replaced with peace and joy.  Aaron shares further, “Many of those who got saved have formerly practiced a mix of traditional beliefs and religious beliefs.  Now they are wanting to go and tell people about the lies and deception of sorcery, magic and spirits.  Others who have formerly led religious meetings are now apologizing for misguiding and misinterpreting God’s Word.”

God’s Word accomplishes what He sends it forth to do.  Praise God for the joy and transformation that is evidenced daily in new Patpatar believers.  Remember to pray for them to grow in Christ and in obedience to Him.  Pray also for those whom God’s Spirit is urging to share with others the wonders of what God has done in their lives.  Pray that God will use their testimonies to bring many others to trust Christ as Savior.

The young groom, Jose, had been the security guard at some condo units where Al and Carol had recently lived for a few months. He had grown to become a friend and had extended to them the honor of asking them to be sponsors or ninong and ninang (godfather and godmother) at his wedding.

Al shares that it was a great chance to participate with their Filipino friends and to absorb more of the culture where they live and minister.

On the morning of the wedding, Al and Carol picked up the groom and several of the wedding party and drove to the house where the pre-wedding breakfast was held. Al shares, “They filled us with a delicious Filipino foods; rice, dinuguan (pig blood soup), chicken livers and other assorted delicacies.

Then they proceeded to the wedding, which was a civil ceremony with a magistrate. The wedding took place in the municipal hall in a hearing room which had been arranged especially for the ceremony. Civil ceremonies are the usual choice in the Philippines. Al explains, “Church weddings are very expensive here, but civil weddings are considerably less so.”

After the wedding ceremony, the wedding party and guests returned to the bride’s family house for another nice reception, with lots more food.  Al shares, “It was a day spent entirely immersed in the Filipino culture and language, which was very enjoyable for us.”

To be a ninong means that Al will continue to take a measure of responsibility for Jose’s ongoing instruction and well-being.  He and Carol see this honor as a great opportunity to share the Gospel as well as truth and wisdom from God’s Word with this young couple. 

Please pray for God’s continued work in Jose and his young bride. Pray that God’s love will pour out of Al and Carol’s lives and that the Gospel which compels their ministry and love for their Filipino friends will grip their hearts with truth and draw this young couple to Christ.

While this is a true story, the names have been changed for the safety and security of the missionaries and the people among whom they minister.

Sometimes God plans time for His people to pray and wait and prepare for a future ministry in a place that is yet unknown to them. For Robert and Amanda Kay and their family, the last few years have been like that.  Their days have been filled with culture and language studies as essential preparation for a ministry that they knew God was opening up -- somewhere.

Last week, Robert and Amanda took a big step in knowing more about what God's plan for them may look like.  The field leadership has approved a timeline for the next stage of their ministry.

Robert shares, “The Bolon people group are far off the beaten path. They are of the dominant religion here and they have nobody to shine the light into their darkness. Many missionaries and believers nearby have been praying that the Lord would send somebody to this people group. They have no Bible translation work being done for them. They have nobody there to teach them. They have no access to the Gospel.”

But Robert and Amanda are convinced that these factors do not make people unreachable. And since first hearing of the Bolon people, Robert and Amanda Kay have felt burdened to pray for them and for the God’s direction for a possible future ministry to them.

The exciting news, Robert shares, is that “we are planning a move in late August.  We will be relocating to a large city near the Bolon people to continue culture and language studies and we are very excited. From the first ... the Lord has been creating a desire within us ... burdening us with this need.”

The plan is to move, continue in culture and language studies and trust God to lead and open doors to future ministry. 

And in case you’re wondering how you can be involved, Robert shares, “Pray. Prayer is our number one need. It always has been and always will be.”

Pray for God's direction, provision, protection, and encouragement on the Kay family. Pray for His Hand on their moving, providing a vehicle, and mounds of paperwork to be completed.  Pray for safe travels and governmental stability in the areas they must travel through. Pray for their children who will need to start over in a new place and make new friends.  Pray that God will open doors for ministry to the Bolon people and draw many to Christ through building relationships that will open the way to sharing the Gospel with them.

Matt Hamb says he and his wife, Christine, were greatly encouraged and challenged by an amazing Bible teachers’ conference they attended recently in a remote tribal location.

“It was an awesome time of fellowship and teaching and it was exciting seeing that most of teaching was done by Papua New Guinea citizen believers, not missionaries. How awesome to see God growing and maturing these men to the point where they can teach us about our own walk with God.”

Another blessing for Matt and Christine was the opportunity to visit with three Manam Bible teachers.  These men are from an island where a young church has been struggling for several years, a place that Matt and Christine have felt burdened about for some time. The Hambs had grown discouraged at the lack of obvious progress in moving toward this ministry.

As they visited with these Manam believers, they were encouraged to see their unanimous excitement at the prospect of help and reinforcement in the Manam church. 

Later, as Matt and Christine read from Psalm 94 together, they were powerfully encouraged. From verse 19 they were reminded that even in the middle of doubts and anxious thoughts, God is present and that His Presence brings comfort and hope.

In looking back, Matt says they saw that they had been consumed with what wasn’t happening in their hopes for ministry instead of trusting the great faithfulness of the God Who is in control. He shares that they now feel a confidence that God is moving things ahead, “even when it is not at a pace we would like.”

With new trust in God’s timing, Matt writes that he and Christine “are again filled with hope and excitement as we think about the opportunity to move in with this people group and help a fledgling church to grow and mature in the Lord.”

Pray for God to open doors for Matt and Christine Hamb to minister to the Manam people. Pray that He will prepare them for this ministry and help them to continue to trust His timing. Pray for the Manam believers; that God will orchestrate the building and maturing of His church for His glory.

In just a few weeks, a huge blessing will descend upon a group of children who are tucked away in a remote mountain location in the Philippines. A team from a city church has heard God’s call to get busy and involved in tribal ministry.

Nine people from this city church, including the pastor and his wife, all of whom can speak the Ilocano language, will be traveling by boat to run a Daily Vacation Bible School in the village home of missionaries Don and Char Epp. 

Don writes, “The team will be leaving in a van at 3 a.m., driving north for three hours to a pier where a boat will be waiting. At 6 a.m., (the Lord willing and weather permitting) they will start an eight-hour boat journey to the village where we live, arriving at about 2 p.m.”

Typically someone is sick upon arrival after spending many hours in the rocking boat, Don says. And in spite of the long, rough journey, just a few hours later, the team will need lots of energy and enthusiasm to begin the ministry task of teaching and playing with tribal kids in a new, strange place. 

Lots of planning and preparation have gone into this tribal VBS. Everyone is eager and waiting in anticipation to see what God will do through these city believers who have sacrificed their time and stretched their own budgets to be faithful to His call on their lives.

“We invite you,” shares Don, “to pray for all the kids who will be involved in the VBS program. Pray also for the team that will be coming to run the VBS out of our house in our jungle location.”

Don asks prayer for safety in travels and for physical health and strength for the city team.  Pray also for open, responsive hearts in the Ilocano children. Pray that God will mightily bless this jungle VBS for His glory and make this week one of great eternal profit for His Kingdom.

Vicente is a young man focused in on eternal values. We introduced you to him last month and asked you to pray for God’s Hand on his life as he finished Bible school and continued to seek what God had for him next.

Missionary Terry Reed writes an update on Vicente. “As a team, we are especially excited about the plan that God seems to be laying out before us. We have offered Vicente an associate missionary status.  Essentially Vicente would be recognized as a short-term missionary with New Tribes Mission of Mexico … whereby he can be supported as a missionary.”

Terry says that they are looking a two-year term for Vicente to start out. He would be a co-worker in Guarijio Bible translation. Vicente, a Guarijio native speaker has already done a tremendous job translating the book of Jonah into a Guarijio version that is “clear, accurate and natural,” writes Terry. 

“Our idea is to have him begin with Matthew, Luke and John (Mark is the only Gospel we have translated completely). From there, he would probably go on to the book of the Revelation. It is exciting to think how much his help would propel the work of translation forward,” Terry continues.

With Vicente returning to help in this work, Terry feels it is quite possible that the rest of his family will return, as well, to help in the work of reaching out to more Guarijio people. “We don't know what God's whole plan is for this place, but we are seeing potential for God to raise up workers to continue on in their ministry. ... Slowly God's work among the Guarijio is picking up steam.”

During a recent translation check, Terry was encouraged by Vicente's own testimony about the value of the Guarijio translation in his own life. Vicente shared, “Even though I have several Spanish translations of the Bible, and I have done two years of Bible School in Spanish, whenever I struggle to understand something, I can pick up the Guarijio Scriptures, and when I read them, I know exactly what it means.”

For Terry as a translator, this was a confirmation in his own heart that the Guarijio translation work is well worth all the effort. Terry concludes, “God is raising up His church .... To God be the glory!”

Pray for Vicente as he officially joins Terry Reed and the Guarijio Bible translation team. Pray for God’s assistance in this essential work. Pray that God will provide his support as a missionary, encourage him mightily and lead him in the path He has planned.

"We'll all leave together because the children are so afraid of the spirits that live in the vacant house next door to you," said Mark and Joanne Hunter's guests as they departed after sharing a meal one evening.

"Apparently there are more than 20 spirits that live in the house," the Hunters wrote.

The cleaning lady quit when she discovered the footprints of children upstairs.

"Those were the footprints of the children spirits," the cleaning lady concluded.

Others have commented about the "haunted house."

"The gardener still works there, but he never enters the house."

"Many people have seen faces in the windows."

"You [the Hunters] don't need to worry because the spirits stay inside the house. But it is good the former renters of your house didn't rent the house, because no one from this village would have gone to visit them in that house."

The Hunters, who are ministering at Grace International School in Thailand, are learning more about the culture of their neighbors. Despite being in Thailand since 1994, there is still much to learn.

"Please pray for us now as we try to understand our neighbors and their beliefs,” the Hunters wrote. "Even now we try to plant seeds -- thoughts in their minds that would lead them to ask questions of their personal belief system."

Rachel Chapman is asking us to pray for Milo.

She says that she first met him in November. After serving several years in the military and working for awhile on the coast in construction, Milo had moved back to his family’s home in the mountains to live.

First he started dropping by for casual visits to talk. And then, abruptly, Milo’s question pierced the evening air during a social visit. “Do you guys know God’s Word?” he asked.

Rachel writes, “We said ‘Yes.’ And then he said that he would like to study the Bible and know more about God.”

Rachel shares that several weeks ago, her co-worker, Pete, began to teach Milo from God’s Word “starting in Genesis 1:1, with who God is.”

Milo is an indigenous man, but his parents spoke Spanish to him during his growing-up years. His years of working and travel have also made him quite fluent in Spanish, so his life course has prepared him well for the teaching.

Pray for Milo as he is confronted from Scripture by the very God Who has placed this hunger in his soul. Pray that God will open his heart to the light of God’s Truth. Pray that nothing will hinder or prevent him from coming to meet with Pete regularly to study the Bible through Firm Foundations Bible studies. Pray that God will be glorified in drawing Milo to repentance and faith in Christ.

Francisco, a believer in Paraguay, recently shared his testimony of God’s wonderful supply of his needs.  And his story focused on shoes.

“I was born into a family of ten children. We were not believers and we were very poor. I walked six kilometers (about 3.5 miles) to school. To save money, I would cut my paper into four pieces and copy everything the teacher wrote on the blackboard in letters as small as an ant might write. I used each pencil until it was so small that I could not hold it anymore.  I would study by firelight at night,” Francisco began.

He shared that then he became a believer. He left the family farm to continue his studies. He wanted to be a teacher.

“I was also growing in the Lord and the brothers would help me,” Francisco continues. Local believers would allow him to sleep in the chapel. He would sleep on a pew and wrap himself in curtains to stay warm, carefully putting the curtains back in their proper place in the morning. 

One day, these believers asked him to share a message with them from God’s Word. Francisco wanted very much to do this. But he felt there was one big obstacle: his shoes.

“I wanted so badly to share from the Word of God, but then I looked down at my shoes and I felt I could not. I only had one pair and I had sewed and glued them many times … my toes were poking way out of the front of the shoes.” 

Francisco knew of only one thing to do. He prayed. “Lord, You know how I want to preach for You,” he cried. “But how could I dishonor You by wearing these shoes?” 

All night Francisco prayed and asked God to give him shoes. He reminded God that he hardly had money for food and that he truly had none for shoes.

That very week God answered dramatically. “A friend I had lent money to a long time before sent me a pair of shoes from halfway across the country!” And, Francisco says, God went beyond what he had asked. He also gave him two additional pairs from other sources.

“When I stood up in front of everyone that Sunday, I said, ‘Brothers and sisters, we have a good God Who gives good things to His people.  Make sure you are asking for what you need, and asking in faith!’”

Since that time, God has continued to bless and use Francisco.  He is now a teacher in a Christian school, teaching science and the Gospel to a student body that is made up of mostly unbelievers. Missionary Elijah Hall shares, “Francisco is active in the local church, and he and his sweet wife are expecting their first child.  We are blessed to call them family in the Lord.”

Pray for Francisco and his wife as they long to shine brightly for Christ. Pray that God will continue to bless them and provide for them and that the power of their testimony will touch many hearts.

Social pressure is a powerful tool for getting what you want. Mengen cult leaders know this well and are able to use it to full advantage, Lourens Laureti writes.

The worship service began as a joyous event in the village. Twenty Mengen believers were able to take part in reading through the story of Christ’s last days on earth. Then, just as the reading was finished, a local cult leader showed up, threatening these believers. Soon more unbelievers appeared and were drawn into the conflict, attacking believers and damaging their property.

Rumors began to circulate that more unbelievers would be coming to continue attacks on believers. Lourens shares, “Village elders requested that the police be flown in to help … The guys who caused the trouble hid out in the jungle … The police made every effort, but were unable to find them. The village where we live grew quite empty … Many went and hid in the jungle or slept in their gardens for fear of further trouble.”

It appeared Satan had won. The village was in disarray. Fear and despair reigned.

But God has been at work behind the scenes, Lourens shares. For now, He has brought about a resolution to the conflict and relief from persecution and trials for believers.

The community came together last Sunday and talked. With the encouragement of police, the culprits emerged from their hiding places in the jungle. A village court was called and took place.  “It seems,” Lourens reports, “that the situation is resolved for now.”

Church history shouts the truth that the fire of persecution is a great faith-grower. Lourens writes that the Mengen church has been growing through these trials and troubles. “They came together like never before. They sang, prayed, and shared, encouraging their hearts in the Lord.”

“It was amazing—hearing even the unbelievers speaking among themselves about the joy and peace that are evident in believers.”

Lourens says that one unbeliever was heard to remark, “It is not good that the believers are happy in this difficult time. How can they sing and eat and be happy? They should be sad and scared and hide.”

Praise God that His Spirit at work in His church removes fear and gives strength and joy and boldness, even in the face of very difficult circumstances. Pray for His grace in this Mengen village. Pray for believers to be encouraged to stand for Christ and live and respond in faith and obedience to His Word. Pray that the testimony of their response will be a big dose of salt and light to unbelievers and that they will be drawn to Christ through the transformed lives of those who walk by faith.

Missionary Beth Devine says that generator hours on the Interface campus in Papua New Guinea are limited because their generator is on its last leg. There is a replacement generator on its way, but the time factor in shipping overseas has already been extended and the waiting time is longer than the Interface staff had anticipated. It could be awhile.

Meantime they are able to run the generator long enough each day to charge all the batteries on campus. But power must be conserved when the generator is off, so that the batteries will last as long as possible.

Beth writes, “I am sitting here in the dark, thankful for the power to run my computer, send email and update our blog. Power is not something that we think of very often … power to run our computers, power to run our refrigerators, power to keep our food frozen in the freezers, power to run our washing machines, power to pump our water up from our well … I’m sure you get the picture. We need electricity for so much!”

Beth says that last Tuesday neither generator was working. One had been down for a couple of weeks, and the other generator, after thousands of hours of use, a rebuilt engine, and subsequently thousands more hours of use, had finally died. The imagination of all the complications which would result from having no generator at all were enough to drive everyone to prayer, Beth says.

“We are thankful that God gave Jacob (Beth's husband) and the rest of the maintenance guys wisdom.  Jacob phoned a generator technician who walked them through the process of reprogramming the generator’s computer unit. We were also very thankful for Jerry, an engineer with New Tribes Mission Aviation, who was able to come out to help on the spur of the moment. So after three hours, we heard the sweet sound of the generator running!”

The sound of the generator running was a sweet sound indeed. And though Beth wrote her update from her computer while sitting in the dark, she expressed much gratefulness for the power to “run my computer, send email and update our blog.”

Power to run all kinds of things is something we can easily take for granted, Beth says. This season of power shortages has given her a new appreciation for the blessing that it is. “We are so thankful for electricity!”

And Beth says she is even more thankful for such a powerful, wise God Who supplies, not only power to their campus, but power to live their lives for His glory.

Pray for God’s grace on all the missionaries who live daily life in dependence on generators.  Pray for those who are responsible for maintaining and repairing this kind of equipment so that life will run smoothly.  Pray that the encouragement of God’s unlimited supply will be a daily blessing as they live in total dependence upon His power.

Find out more about Interface, a college-level missions course.

Missionaries Grant and Marianne Bayfield recently wrote a review of projects they’ve been working on and helping with.  Home-baked cookies at video nights for tribal villages, a children’s feeding center, developing plans for a literacy class, piping water into the village, taking patients to the hospital, and arranging for doctors to do medical clinics.

Oh, and there’s also -- helping their co-workers, Allan and Lorena Capili, with a very exciting project. Grant and Marianne are helping to plant a banana farm.

What was that about planting a banana farm? Grant explains the project and their hopes for it.

He says that bananas grow very well in their area. Banana trees produce constantly without replanting.

“With enough volume and organization,” Grant explains, “the families could have a consistent source of income, instead of constantly digging themselves out of debt.”

Grant and Marianne plan for this first farm to be a sort of prototype. As families are helped to earn enough to help them reclaim their mortgaged land, they can also take cuttings from the trees to start their own banana farms.

The first trees were planted all around the perimeter of the chosen plot of land. The cooking bananas from these trees were designated for the consumption of everyone who helped in the planting.

Later, they planted a different type of banana in the center of the plot which are intended for selling. The proceeds of these sales will be used to buy food for the children’s feeding program.

Grant adds, “Eventually the future church can also use these crops to support their own missionaries to other villages in our area.”

Pray for God to prosper the banana farm for His glory, for the good of His people and eventually, for the spread of the Gospel. Ask God to bless Grant and Marianne Bayfield as they help to minister in many ways to tribal people in the Philippines.

Missionaries Paul and Marina Briggs are on home assignment in Northern Ireland. But thanks to modern technology they can telephone Joel, one of the Loron church leaders in northeast Ivory Coast.

Joel was a teenager when the Briggs came to the Ivory Coast 25 years ago. He was one of the first Lorons to accept Christ when they gave the Gospel message.

Currently he is an elder in the church and is leading and guiding the believers as well as reaching out to help others understand the light of the Gospel.

When Paul called on a crystal clear cell phone connection, Joel was more than glad to give him an update on the status of the Loron church. He also told Paul about an evangelistic outreach to a small village nearby.

“Please be praying that Joel and the other Bible teachers will be able to clearly communicate the Gospel to these dear Loron folks who ‘sit in darkness,’” wrote Paul. Pray that the light of God’s grace will penetrate the hearts and minds of these tribal men and women who have never heard about the Lord Jesus or what He has done for them.”

Pray that as Joel and the others teach Firm Foundation Bible lessons that the message will resonate with the hearts of the Lorons in Gori and that they will trust Christ as their savior.