Twice Egged

Updates

Trip for Renewed Visas, Team Meetings, to Host Country

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Heading South!!

The door has cracked open for us to return!

We are excited to report that our great Lord Owner Boss has cracked the door open so we can head south to take care of some important items in our country of ministry. We thank the Lord for this opportunity to go down there to renew our paperwork, meet with our team, and catch up with some other important partners. And as we think about going in a few short days, we reflect on God’s bigness and these truths:

Isaiah 45:5-7

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.”

Isaiah 40:10

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Exodus 14:14

“The LORD will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still.”

As many of you know, conditions in our country of service are far from normal. Things continue to deteriorate there and people across the land are suffering in so many sad ways. However, Almighty God continues to build His church there, and we praise Him that the very gates of Hell will not be able to prevail against what God has up His sleeve. And we sure want to continue to be a part of what God is doing there as long as doors remain open. So we are going in order to maintain our legal status in the country and also to have team meetings with our national coworkers. Things on the ground continue to change and so we will be spending a lot of time in prayer, seeking God’s direction as to how to continue working and encouraging this beloved people group.

Please Pray:

—for these many different believers, whose faces you see on the pictures, who represent the believers in the ten different village churches. Pray for strength, courage, and wisdom as they journey on in their lives as children of the Most High God
—for success in completing our paperwork so we can have many more years of ministry in this great country
—for profitable times together as a team as we seek God, talk strategy, and encourage one another in the Lord
—for continued open doors for the Gospel in this country
—for God to be hugely glorified in and thru our trip down there
—for the continued growth of the churches among the P people; that more would learn to read, that more women would rise to the task of teaching their children and encourage other ladies, and that they would learn to read well without any embarrassment
—for our many national coworkers that they would be courageous and continue to move forward in the work with great boldness and urgency
—we praise the Lord for a great report on my new Cornea transplant. I’m seeing much better!! The one eye that hasn’t received a transplant yet is holding it’s own and even a spec better. So thanks so much for your continued prayers for good eye health
—for our children, Josh and Josie and their four kids, who are home from the Asia Pacific region to deal with certain health problems. Some of them have been struggling with different ailments during the last two years on the field and though they have been to numerous doctors, they haven’t been able to see improvement there. So thanks so much for praying about this with us that they get back to feeling up to par.
—for Jodi and Brent who are heading to their home country the end of this month from their host country to have their second baby. Jodi is due at the end of December and so we are thrilled that we’ll be able to have them close for a time and just enjoy them along with the little descendants!!

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us. We are indeed thankful for the ongoing opportunities to serve the P. believers by preparing additional resource material for them. Thanks again for all you do to keep us going!!

Evacuation

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In Daniel 2:21 we read: He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

In recent days, we have learned that our few remaining coworkers in our Host Country have been evacuated. The government there has taken radical steps to gain complete power and so who knows what is coming next. We are grieved as we have been following the news, and yet our hearts are calm and at peace as we continue to lean heavily upon the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Yes, in spite of the difficulties and challenges for those who seek to work there and for our many beloved brethren who are experiencing it close and up front, we trust the great LORD OWNER BOSS JEHOVAH! It is as the P believers say, “Even when the situation doesn’t resemble a believing time, we will still believe in the ‘over and above’ God.” And so we wait upon Him, knowing that He truly is in control, and that He rules supreme, and that His purposes will be advanced, even through this whole fiasco.

Praise!

  • Praise God that He is all powerful, and that He is building His church and that the very powers of hell will not prevail
  • Praise God for all that He is accomplishing even in this strange and difficult context. We hear many good things of God’s great works!
  • Praise God that He is much more concerned about the building of His body than we are, and that we can confidently hang our hammocks in Him (trust Him) and relax.

Pray!

  • Pray for God’s Name to be gloriously honored through this whole situation and that the schemes of the enemy will be thwarted
  • Pray for the many different People Groups who have come to Christ in this country, that they will grow strong through this time of hardship and evangelize others
  • Pray for God’s wisdom for us in how to proceed with plans for the future regarding our visas and so much more. We were going to be heading down there to take care of some visa renewals but now we will wait and see how He leads
  • Pray for continued wisdom as we work on revising the Bible lessons, as well as the dictionary
  • Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send forth many more career workers who will joyfully surrender their lives to His purposes and bring in some of that ripe harvest

Banking big on God’s sovereignty,

Merrill and Teresa

Graduation To Glory And An SOS

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Two Shamans, Two Village Chiefs, Two Sons of God!  

From Death to Life!

When we first began teaching the message of the Bible to our dear friends, many from distant villages strongly opposed us. Many felt we had been sent by evil spirits and that whoever embraced this message also turn into evil spirits. And so several of the shamans went to work to sing their power songs to ward off all “evil” they believed was emanating from us, and to create protective barriers around their villages. One of those guys was a fellow we’ll call JP. He was both an influential village chief and spiritual leader. Well, as time passed, this dear fellow came to understand that we truly cared for him and his people, and that the message that we brought wasn’t one of death and destruction but rather one of of life and truth! What a beautiful thing it was to see this guy really take interest in the teaching and then put his faith in Jesus, and what He did as his Substitute on the cross. It was glorious indeed to watch! And now this dear brother is in Glory! It wasn’t so long ago that we heard that he had graduated, that he had been promoted, that he had put off the old dwelling and headed for divine turf! How we praise God for the bigness and greatness of the Gospel Message, for this dear brother arrived there with the very righteousness of Christ put to his account!!

Transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light!

Another shaman who was not too excited about the teaching when we first began was a guy we’ll call Monty. He was a wild man and always getting into trouble with his own people. He was also a village chief who believed very strongly in all that the ancestors had taught. I remember going to the village one time, and he was about to to lead an all-night singsong to communicate with the gods, the ancestors, and the good spirits. However, there was a vicious storm brewing close by that was threatening this out-door event and so Monty quickly pulled out a stingray barb from his palm satchel and pulled the sharp jagged edge across the front end of his tongue, ripping it wide open. Well the blood began to flow and he right away blew / spit this blood up toward the heavens to placate the god of thunder, in order that the storm might not be sent their way. Yes, Monty strongly believed in and acted upon the teachings of the ancestors.

As time passed however, this ardent believer in the old ways became a close friend and eventually began listening to the teaching and put his faith in the Payer Jesus who paid ‘interveningly’ with his blood and death to the Judge of the universe who was demanding the payment. And how sweet it was then to see him teach his own family the eternal truths of Scripture. And now this dear brother, well he too has moved on to better things. He has joined his Heavenly Dad, as well as his Older Brother Jesus, arriving there with no-condemnation status!!

SOS

  • We just heard that a malaria epidemic is sweeping across the state where the P people live, and that many are getting sick. And what is so sad is that there are no prevention meds available, nor the needed remedies. This is serious indeed!! Please be praying for God’s protection of the P. nation. We truly are needing our great Lord-Owner-Boss God to intervene here for His great Glory!
  • Please continue to pray for our Host Country as things continue to worsen. Many there have written saying they never ever imagined that they would see their country get so bad but they are living in that horrible reality right now. Many are fleeing the country and some of our coworkers are trying to leave as well to take their kids where they can secure jobs, and just to get a time of reprieve themselves. So thanks in advance for spending time in the Throne Room on behalf of the many Language Groups there, and for the whole country, that God’s solution be brought about.

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us and for your prayers as we continue to revise the Bible lessons for the P. churches.

Contrasting Biblical Themes With Cultural Themes In Curriculum

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Contextualizing the Message

As we continue to revise old Bible lessons that were made some twenty years ago and prepare to write additional ones for the beloved P people, we are always reminded of the huge need to make the teaching “scratch where it itches”. Back in the early days of the work when we first began to teach, we sought to contrast the themes of God’s Word with the pillars of their worldview. We discovered that teaching in this way created the needed tension between what they had always taken for granted to be true in key areas of their lives (or/ of their own belief system), and to make them really sit up and take note of what God’s Word was saying. Here are some examples of the huge differences when we contrast key themes from God’s love letter to them with what their cultural pillars are:

 Man is made in the image of God and exists for God’s glory  I’m central and life is about me, my survival, and what benefits me
 The penalty of sin is death  I’m not guilty and will never be ashamed, but will always blame others to show my good standing
 God is holy  I’m acceptable because I don’t do bad things, and besides, sin is never an issue
 Man can only approach God thru His way and plan  The ancestors, shamans, and our dreams have shown us the way, and their way is right
 Man is a sinner and helpless to save himself  I am truly a good person and can do what is needed to manipulate all the gods and save myself

As we taught them up on the sand dunes so long ago, it was so exciting to see the pillars of their worldview slowly be replaced by pillars of truth based on God’s message to them. Yes, Biblical themes replaced their cultural themes that were counter to the truths of Scripture. It was exciting to see them exchange their story or meta-narrative for God’s ultra-narrative. And so, since the Bible lessons have played such a key role in their understanding the Gospel message and growing in Christ, they are wanting more lesson material. And so we continue on joyfully working to provide that for them so they can continue to use it in conjunction with the Scriptures, as you see below.

Praise and Prayer Items

—Praise the Lord that doors continue to be cracked open in our Host Country and so work continues on different fronts. Thanks so much for your ongoing prayers for the work there, and the 33 different People Groups that live there
—we are so pleased that our coworkers down there continue to make regular trips into P-land to hang with the brethren and take them different supplies. How good to hear of their continued encouragement and growth
—thanks for your ongoing prayers as we continue to revise the Bible curriculum. Pray for much wisdom, strong backs, and endurance as we sit and stand in front of our computers
—Praise the Lord for His huge GRACE! Ever since we have had to move away from P-land, we have found a certain emptiness in our hearts as we dearly love those guys and so enjoyed living among them. Praise the Lord for His comfort as we continue to live away from those precious saints. How good it will be to get together in GLORY and celebrate with our LORD!
—some of you have been praying for our son Josh, his wife Josie and their family who have faced some chronic health issues during their third term in the Asia-Pacific region. Well they have decided to return temporarily for a medical break to try to get to the bottom of these issues. Pray that these different medical questions will be resolved.
—Thanks for your prayers for Jodi and Brent too as they continue to labor in their host country. Brent is getting checked out on more and more airstrips, and Jodi is busy being a mom to their new little boy, and also involved in counseling at the Mission School.
—Thanks for your ongoing prayers for all those P. who have the gift of teaching and shepherding. Pray that God will continue to work mightily thru them to tend and nurture the flock.
—Thanks for continuing to pray too for the literacy programs. Pray that they will produce many new readers, including many gals!!

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us. We are weak indeed BUT HE IS SO VERY STRONG!!!

Pig Illustrations, Host Country Situation, Kids And Coworkers

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Pig illustrations to Communicate Truth

“Just as the Pig Herder gathers his pigs together, so in the same way Christ will come and gather us all together!!!”

When we first moved in among the dear P. nation, they were mainly hunters and gatherers. However, some of them mentioned how they would like to raise their own pigs. So we came up with a plan and helped them get some, and in time many of them came to have their own little herd. They didn’t pen them up during the day however, but rather let them lose on the plains to find their own food. The people had no way of feeding them and there were plenty of wild roots out there for them to dig up. So they herded them out to different spots where there were lots of roots. And it was interesting that as they got to know the characteristics of these animals better and better, the teachers of God’s Word began to use different illustrations about them more and more!

Pigs, and the Coming of the Lord

For example, Doidamo got up one day and was teaching on the return of Christ. He was talking about how there are so many believers scattered all over the earth in many different plains, jungles and woods. And then he said something like this: “Just as the pig herder goes out into different plains and woods to gather all his pigs from all over the place and put them safely in the pen, so also in the same way Jesus will suddenly come with great power and gather all His people together from all the different woods and plains, and put them safely into Heaven.”

Pigs, and Believers being alert

Another time Dago got up and challenged the believers to be more alert in their lives. He told them something like this: “We believers are often just like pigs. And what do pigs do? Well, they go out into the plains and woods thinking only about living and about food. They don’t go being alert. They don’t go being watchful but rather go thinking only about the para and yipe roots. It is like they go without proper thinking. When they ought be aware, when they ought to remember that there are many dangerous cats and venom-having snakes out there, they go like those having no capacity to think. They should eat being alert but no, they go thinking only about food. And so what has happened? Have some of them been bitten? Have some been attacked and killed? Yes, they have. And look, we too can be attacked by the one who opposes us. We too can be as if bitten by sin, for we live in a dangerous place. Therefore we can’t live being like pigs but must live always being alert, living with our eyes wide open, living thinking about the true Word.”

Bible Curriculum

And so, as we continue to work on developing more Bible Curriculum for the P. believers, we want to always contextualize the message and package it in such a way that everything is really making sense to them. Whether it means including illustrations about pigs, snakes, shooting with bows and arrows, etc. we want to put these lessons together in such a way that it really communicates in a meaningful way with them. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. That is, faith comes by hearing and truly understanding the message. And so we want to do all we can to insure effective communication and deep understanding as we carry on to provide these beloved saints with more spiritual resource material.

A Part of the Team

These four families are just a few of those who make up the pastoral team among the P. people. Look at them! Remember them! And please pray for them!

Here below is one of the many village churches gathering together:

More Praise and Prayer Items

—we did not travel down to our Host Country to see our beloved brethren as things continue to get worse there. However, we are resting in our LORD about this and trusting Him for an opportunity when He opens the door. We’ll see what He has up His sleeve. Thanks for praying about this with us.
—during this past Dry Season, our coworkers were able to get out to see the believers on quite a number of occasions, encouraging them in the Word, and taking them items like soap, fish hooks, fish line, garden seed, and other things that they are desperately in need of.
—thanks for your ongoing prayers for our national coworkers as they continue to live and work inside this broken country.
—thanks for your continued prayers for the P. believers too. Pray that they will continue to walk in the Spirit, and allow the gifts that the Spirit has given them to flourish and blossom for His glory, even in the midst of all the adversity.
—praise the Lord that my new eye continues to improve and that so far there is no rejection of the new part!! Thanks for praying for no rejection!
—praise for God’s provision of a different vehicle for our coworkers who had the car accident.

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us. We are indeed thankful for the ongoing opportunities to serve the P. believers by preparing additional resource material for them.