Behold, HE IS RISEN….and that message has touched the P nation, PTL!!

If we believe in the one who raised the Lord Owner Boss Jesus from the dead, then we will be made acceptable, just like Abraham was.  For the true God gave His Son on our behalf in order to exchangingly die for us.  And in order that we might find acceptability before God, He raised Jesus from the dead.  Romans 4:22b-25

Christ is Risen!!

At this time of year, we celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!  How wonderful that many different People Groups around the world also know about and believe in the Risen Christ!!  And how sweet it was to see some of the P believers reveling in this amazing truth too.  Praise be to God for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!!

Here is an approximation of Matthew’s account of this blessed event as written in the P translation:

And on the next day right after the resting day, early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene, as well as the other Mary, went to the hollow in the stone.  And suddenly the earth trembled severely.  It was surpassingly severe.   For when the servant of the Lord came down from heaven, the land severely trembled.  Its true!  Because he moved the heavy stone to the side, and because he sat on the shut closed-rock, well the earth trembled severely.  And the servant who came down from heaven, well he was exceedingly bright like extreme lightning, in such a way that the human eye couldn’t look on him.  And his clothing was surpassingly true white.  And when the soldiers saw him, they became very fearful, thinking with trembling.  And they fell over like dead ones to the ground, fainting.  But the servant from heaven said to the ladies:
“Don’t be afraid. I know regarding you.  I know that you are looking for Jesus, the one who died on the pole.  But look, he isn’t here.  He has risen, just as he said he would,” he said to them.  “Come see the place where he lay.  And after looking carefully, run over to Jesus’s companions to tell them.  Go tell them that Jesus, having died, has risen.  And look, precisely Jesus himself goes before you to Galilee land.  You will meet him over there.  You will see him over there.  For in order that you not be ignorant, I have told you”, he said to the ladies, the servant from heaven.
And because of what he said to them, they entered the rock hollow in order to see the place where Jesus had lain.  And after seeing it, they took off quickly.  And even though they were afraid, they ran thinking with surpassing joy, in order to inform Jesus’s companions.  And as they were running, Jesus himself suddenly appeared before them.  And greeting them he said to them:
“Are you still living?
And the ladies kneeled before him.  And grabbing his feet, they thought about him prettily.
Then Jesus said to them:
“Don’t be afraid but rather go to my brothers,” he said to them.  “Go tell them in order that they go to Galilee land.  For there you will see me.  Go!” he said to them.

A great trip!

Praise the Lord that we had a great trip down south!  The great Door Opener went before us and opened up the way to connect with some of the P pastors.  What a treat to hang out together again and fellowship around the Word and together with the resurrected Christ!  We missed their wives and some of the other church leaders, but we thank God for those who could come out.  Truly things have changed in huge ways in this land.  Thanks so much for your prayers during this stint.  God greatly undertook in multiple ways.  Truly this is His work, and He continues to lead and guide and build His glorious church among this beloved nation!

Bits and Pieces of This and That:

• On one of the trips that our coworkers took to a remote location where the P believers live, a bunch of young guys suddenly ran up to the stopped vehicle.  What were they asking for?  Not for fishing hooks or garden seed or matches, but for Bibles!!
• On that same visit into P-land by some of our V coworkers, they were amazed with what rapt attention the young people were sitting and listening to the Word of God being taught!
• More and more P bilinguals are reading the Scriptures in their own language!
• Three elderly men who were believers have died in P-land.  And before they passed on, they gave strong testimonies of their trust in the Payer, and the uselessness in believing in the old teachings.  They encouraged the teachers to continue to faithfully teach, and the young to follow the straight truths of written word
• On the road trip to meet up with the P pastors, we passed through multiple check-points and PTL there were no difficulties whatsoever!  God opened all the doors!  God sent distractions to so many guards as we drove through the checkpoint.
• Due to a total lack of matches and salt, the P people are back to lighting all their fires by rubbing sticks together, and eating all their food in a bland sort of way
• It was exciting to hang out with two new pastors in training and see how well they are doing in their reading and spiritual understanding
• We were thrilled to hear of the new freedom some of the pastors are experiencing as they live before the Lord and not before people
• It really was surprising to suddenly see many of the P people looking much better physically than the nationals.  PTL that they have their gardens, wild roots and fruits and seeds, as well as their fishing and hunting to sustain them during this tough time in the country
• Some of the P pastors are more committed than ever, others seem to be pulling back a bit.  They all need our prayers for growth, encouragement, and Spirit-filled living
• An item of concern is that formal literacy classes have stopped.  Some teachers are discouraged, some are hungry and need to get out to fish or go to their gardens instead of sitting in a classroom, etc. etc.  Please make this a prayer priority as READING is key to the ongoing development and growth of the P churches
• What a joy it was to meet with these three men during an eight-day period and talk about the bigness of God, life in the Vine-one, shepherding the flock, raising kids, and reviewing the first 24 chapters of Genesis.  Pray for continued growth for all those teaching and shepherding the flock
• When the Scriptures are read in Spanish among the bilingual folks, the ladies don’t pay attention at all, but when they are read in the P language, they all listen and quickly hush their kids up, telling them to listen too.  Thanks for your ongoing prayers for the many bilingual communities
• Some nationals have coerced several bilingual P to steal from the homes of our V coworkers, and are now threatening to kick them out of the area, that is out of Pretty Water.  Thanks so much for your prayers regarding that too

Thanks Again…..

….for your partnership with us, for your prayers, for your encouragement, and for your fellowship in the Gospel.  God is working and is building His church among the Unreached People Groups of the world.  Thanks so much for being a part of the team!

Rejoicing in the Resurrected Christ,

Merrill and Teresa