Romans 15:13 in the P vernacular
Look, hope truly comes from the true God. And because of this we ask God on your behalf that as you live believing, your hearts will be as if full with joy (thinking with no liver) and peace (thinking with a refreshed liver). And then by the power of the true Spirit, you will live with truly much hope in a surpassing sort of way.
So Where’s The Hope?
Looking at the news we see suicides are way up across the board, especially among female adolescents. Drug use is also abounding with more overdoses than ever. Lawlessness is on the rise and law enforcement seems unable to control the chaos and violence. Markets are volatile and our dollar is getting weaker and weaker. And we hear about wars and rumors of wars. Honesty and integrity used to be the common virtues of one’s character but that has been tossed out the window long ago, especially by many of our political leaders. And people today aren’t content anymore with who they are and so go to wild and drastic measures to change how God has created them. As one peruses different news sites, it isn’t hard to sense the hopelessness and despair that seem to be raging everywhere.
I was struck as I listened to a recent audio message that was sent out by Pablo, one of the P believers, via our national coworkers. We were living among the P people when Pablo was born, one of 10 children whose father had three wives. As a young boy, he was quiet and more in the background, seeming to live more in a dream world. When he got a little older he wanted to learn to read and write but struggled a lot with it. At one point he was bitten by a snake and so we treated him and brought him back to health. Anyway, this young man came to Christ. He clearly understood the Gospel message and put his faith in the completed blood-death payment of Jesus, the Son of God. How encouraging to hear from him 20 +years later as he shared regarding life.
Here below is a picture of Pablo and further below is an approximation of some of his message to me:
“Brother, are you still there. Are you still living. I’m your younger brother, Pablo. I think you are probably still living. I think you are probably still carrying on. You are still probably there even though I don’t see you. In that land so far away that I don’t know, you are still probably there living. So I’m sending you you a few words.
Look my brother, you are living in the continual gaze of the true God, for He is over there with you, just as he is here with us. Yes, we have come to believe his word, the true words. We all continue to live here believing his message. Not having known anything about God previously, we now know him. I myself truly know him. And because of that I live with great joy, and having joy I send you this message. Yes, Jesus is coming soon, and I have salvation. I have a destination to go to, and my arrival there is certain. I’ll soon be in Heaven! Yes, I’ll be going. I know about our going to heaven because I’ve learned a bit of God’s message and live believing it. And should I die, well, my spirit will ascend. This body from Adam, well, it will go into the ground. It has death in it. But my spirit will go to the place where God is. And that is why I’m sending you this message with joy. I’m just sending you a few words here and not a lot. Yes, we are still living. And right now we are living well with no sickness. We carry on, even without medicine, without any medicine men, we live in the sphere of God’s care.
I have my daughter now, Zonia is her name. I have a child, not having had one previously. Our Father in heaven has allowed me to have a child. I want her to grow up.
We want to see you. We remember you. We miss you. We remember you and Teresa, and your two children too. You are like our father. You taught us and now we are knowers of the true and straight words.
Keep on living there. God sees you. He’s watching over you. Keep on living. Yes, God watches over you as you write, as you work with God’s word. And he watches over us here too living in this dangerous place.
You being as my father, being as one who conceived me through teaching us the truth, I send you words, always remembering you, and wanting to see you. Now on this ground where we all live, there is no seeing one another face to face, but on the day when Jesus comes, we will again see one another. There in heaven we will encounter one another. Yes, there in that most beautiful place we will again meet and see each other close up. Truly filled with joy we will meet again. Others will be left behind but we will go there to the place of no death, no sickness, and no dangerous biting things. And therefore, living with much joy I send you these few words. So carry on living brother.
That is all. I’m your younger brother Pablo, the one who is talking to you.”
Pablo lives in a palm hut on the dirt. He is semi-nomadic and hunts with a bow and arrows. He works his garden too, weeding it with his machete. His wife had her child on the dirt. They cook over a fire. They live very simply in a world without electricity, running water, internet, electronic gadgets, vehicles, stores, medical help, and so forth. And yet how sweet to hear his audio message as he shares about his huge hope in Christ, and the resulting joy. The theme of his whole message was salvation, hope, and joy. How wonderful it has been to see the hopelessness and despair dissipate as we have continued to present truth to them, giving them the very worldview of God Himself. It truly has given them a totally different perspective with HOPE being huge in their lives!
Here below is Pablo and his wife before they had Zonia, their daughter.
My dear brother Howard (pictured below) died on July 14th, just a few days ago, at 63 years of age. Our hearts ache with grief as we remember him but rejoice with great joy as we picture him there in Glory with our beloved Savior, and with many P believers, whom he came to know and love during his many visits to our place in South America. Yes, we’re hurting and grieving, but not as those who have no hope, because we have loads of hope in the wonderful truths of Scripture. Praise God for the huge hope He has given us as believers. Howard knew this hope, his wife and daughters know this hope, and the P believers know this hope too. It wonderfully dispels the despair and hopelessness.
Howard and Susan served with us in South America for 22 years and then moved to Mexico where they founded a Bible School. Howard touched many lives in both countries and people fell in love with him as he lived his particular brand of Christianity peppered with humor, service, silliness, humility, and Christlikeness. Yes, he fought the good fight, ran the race, kept the faith, and finished his course. There is therefore laid up for him a crown of righteousness. We look forward to seeing him again real soon!
Praise and Thanksgiving to God….
- for the great HOPE we have in Christ that takes away the hopelessness and despair
- for the many hope-filled believers who have arrived in Heaven from P-land!
- for His continued work among the P believers to grow them and conform them more and more to be like their Older Brother Jesus.
- for His passionate heart to reach the nations of the world through His body, the church
- for His grace and strength, and for healthy eyes and decent backs with no signs of cancer in our bodies
- for His direction on when we can get back to connect with the P pastors
- for continued progress with the Bible curriculum for the P believers
- for preparations and the needed guidance to begin broadcasting via the air waves in the P language this coming January of 2024
- for Howard’s arrival in Glory. Please pray for much grace, encouragement, and comfort for Howard’s wife Susan, as she journeys onward without her beloved man. Your prayers are also much appreciated for their two daughters, Katie and Hannah and their children, and our mom, Esther. She has lost two of her sons in the last 10 months.
And Thanks Again…..
….for your partnership with us, for your prayers, for your encouragement, for your notes, 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!
Living with great HOPE,
Merrill and Teresa
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