These two stories came out this week and I would like to share them:
Story 1:
- The NUKUMANU NT was dedicated on Tuesday. This is what [a friend] reported:
In the land of the unexpected, the only thing you can plan for is change. The Nukumanu Bibles were supposed to be delivered to the Tasman atoll on a government chartered ship leaving sometime between January 29 and 31. The barge schedule was revised, making it too late for visitors to go out and be there for a dedication in the timeframe already planned for, so a banana boat was chartered instead to make the 315 mile journey each way, to deliver the Bibles to the Nukumanu people. (a total of 40 hours in an open dinghy – praise the Lord for safety and protection in high seas.)
With a stopover on Mort lock Island for food, fuel and rest, and two days of celebration with the Nukumanu, it was a great chance to see two Polynesian cultures here in Papua New Guinea. The Bible dedication began from the moment we stepped off the boat. The first day was spent eating fish and watching children perform traditional dances. The next morning the celebration continued with a 7am communion service and Bible dedication. Following the service, and more feasting, some short speeches were given followed by more singing and dancing. Many people commented on the historic nature of the event and how they look forward to seeing how God will work through His Word in Nukumanu.
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Story 2:
[a friend whom we support with our ministry ] and the YWAM team (7 participants), who are doing a walkabout through two language areas in Aitape West, arrived in Malol tokples late last Friday night. They were met with a very warm welcome with much singing and dancing. On Sunday night the program kicked off with testimonies from the YWAM team and the first showing of the Jesus Story Dvd in Malol Tokples. One Malol lady after seeing the Dvd commented ‘Seeing the pictures and hearing our own tokples makes everything so much clearer’. This week the team have been able to visit 3 communities. Please continue to pray for them all as they minister to the people of Malol, share testimonies and plan to show the film every other night. May God use this team for His Glory among the Malol people.
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These two stories tell you a tiny fraction of what our ministry is accomplishing, but what does it tell you about what GOD is DOING!? That's always the tough question. Ask a teacher 'do you feel you did any good this year in the lives of students?'. It is hard for a teacher to see what their investment has done, and yet without knowing it, they may have had profound impact on lives.
What we see here in these stories is that our efforts have produced a product that people have seen and heard in their language for the first time. We trust that God is going to use that in magnificent ways. The fact that there was singing and dancing shows excitement, people are EXCITED to get God's Word!
In the process disciples are made, people who help make translations come to know the Lord. The work we do, often results in a small number of people coming to know the Lord and serve Him before the printed Bible ever gets finished. AND THEN, then depending on the language group size, it could affect hundreds or thousands.
Each time you hear of a dedication think 'An entire small town in the US just received their first Bible.'
There are hundreds of languages here, each language ranged from a few thousand speakers to tens of thousands. There may not be a national revival, but there may be several small ones. And it all begins with the Word of God. and that's what we're doing, the rest, we're praying and working and helping God wherever He asks us to.
Join us in praying that His Word has deep impact on thousands of lives.
Join us in praying that our efforts in this country are like the seed landing on good soil.
thank you.
