Twice Egged

family update

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas!!

Teresa and I, together with our children and grandchildren, want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the riches of all that our Great God has done for us!! How blessed we all are because of this marvelous Story that began in eternity past!!  A big hug for you from all of us.  Know that we love you and truly thank God for your part in the work to see solid NT churches established among the P people.

Josh & Josie and their four children

Josh and Josie and their four children are still on medical leave from their country of service and we trust they will see improvements in the health of Josie, and their daughter Katrina, beforelong.  Thanks for your prayers for them as they journey onward.  We will miss them here in the North Land but thankful they can be together with family there in Wisconsin.

Jodie, Brent and Hudson

Jodi and Brent are here in Salmon Arm, BC to have their second child since medical services in their host country aren’t adequate.  We are delighted to be able to hang with them this Christmas and get to know our newest little grandson Hudson!  Jodi is due here shortly and your prayers for a safe delivery for mom and baby would be appreciated.  And yes, thanks for your prayers for them too as they continue on in life and missions.

Here is an approximation of how some of the Christmas Story from Luke 1 sounds in the translation of the beloved P people:

When Elizabeth had been full with child for six moons, the true God sent his servant to the town of Nazareth.  It’s true.  He sent Gabriel to the town that was located in the land of Galilee.  He sent him to a girl named Mary, to her who had never once slept with a man.  For she was promise-given to Joseph who was a descendant of the deceased David.  Precisely to him was she promise-given to become his wife.  And Gabriel, arriving to where she was, said to her:
—Look woman, be joyful, for precisely the Lord sees you with great compassion.  He is with you.
But when Mary heard these words, she really thought deeply wondering:  But what is he saying to me?  Why is this servant from heaven speaking to me like this?
But Gabriel said to her:
—Look Mary, don’t be afraid.  For the true God sees you with truly much compassion.  For you will remain pregnant and after a time has passed, you will give birth to a baby boy.  You will name him Jesus.  And he will be truly valuable / great.  People will say to him that he is the Son of the surpassingly great God.   And above and beyond that, he will live just as his deceased forefather did, sitting on a truly important seat / position.  It’s true!  By the Lord God causing it to happen, he will live as king just as his ancestor David did, becoming the king of the descendants of Israel.  He will live forever as their king, being a ruler —he said to her.
But Mary asked the servant from heaven:
—But how will I give birth?  For I have not ever slept with a man, not even once.
But the servant from heaven answered her:
—Look, the true Spirit will come upon you in such a way that you will be in the sphere of the surpassingly powerful God, in such a way that you will become pregnant.  Therefore, the child that you will give birth to, well, he will be exceedingly holy, being one who will not mix with evil.  And the people will say to him, “You are the Son of the true God.”  However, when you hear these words that I’m telling you, you could think that you can’t really become pregnant like this, that it isn’t possible, but know that the true God is easily able to make this happen.  And look, even your aunt has become pregnant not so long ago.  It’s true!  Six moons ago, Elizabeth also became pregnant. Even though she had become old, even when it didn’t seem like she could become pregnant, it happened by her husband, the true God having caused it.  And the true God can cause the same to happen to you even though you have never slept with a man.  For the true God easily does those things that seem like they can’t be done.  Even when there is nothing one can do, the true God does precisely what is needed, for nothing is impossible with Him —the servant from heaven said to Mary.
And when Mary heard this she responded to the servant saying like this:
—I am the servant of the Lord.  So may he do to me as you have said.  May what you have told me become fulfilled in me.
And the servant from heaven left her.

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us as we continue to provide resource materials for the P churches.  And thanks so much too for your continued prayers for the P nation, for their spiritual growth, and for their homeland that is hurting so badly right now.

Rejoicing in the TRUTH of the Biblical record of what Christmas really is all about,
Merrill and Teresa

Christmas 2016 For The P People & Translations

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Merry Christmas!!

Teresa and I together with Mom Dyck want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the riches of all that our Great God has done for us!! How blessed we all are because of this marvelous Story that began in eternity past!! So hey, a big hug for you all from us up here in the land of ice and snow!!

Here is how some of the Christmas Story from John 1 and Gal 4 reads from the P. Bible:

Way back in the very beginning, the One named the Word existed. He was together with the true God, for He too is the true God. And since he also is the true God, he was together with him back in the very beginning. And it was through this One named the Word that the true God created all things. For if he hadn’t created, not one thing would exist. For only through him does life exist. For he is the one who is the Giver of life. Only in him did it all begin way back. And precisely the Giver of life is the one who gives illuminating thinking to all people. For He shines brightly right in the middle of the darkness, and the darkness is not able to defeat this Light.

On the appointed day, the true God sent his Son. After being birthed by a woman, he began to live among people. God sent him in order to deliver us that we might not live under the rule of the words that Moses wrote down, but rather that we might be untied and set free, and not be slaves anymore. Its true!! He sent him in order that we become God’s children and that He become our Father. And because you have become God’s children, okay then, he has sent the Spirit of his Son to make his home in your bodies. And now precisely by means of this Spirit, we relate to the true God as Father. We tell him, “Father, you are my Father”. Therefore, I tell you all, none of you are slaves any longer for now you have become His children. You have become children of God. And because you have become his children, you will be ones who receive / inherit. Yes, that which is God’s you will inherit, that which He has set aside safely for his children.

Christmas in the land of the P People:

They don’t have Christmas trees or decorative lights….
….but they know that Jesus is the Light of the world….and that they are now children of light.

They don’t exchange gifts or Christmas cards….
….but they know that they have received the gift of eternal life….and the Holy Spirit as well.

They don’t have a Christmas dinner….
….but they participate in The Lord’s Supper using water and yucca cakes to remember the spilled blood and death of their Savior.

There are no Christmas Carolers moving from house to house to sing the traditional songs or manger scenes….
….but they make up their own songs and sing about the True Son who was sent by a non-stingy Father to this earth.

Report on Eye Surgery

Thanks so very much for your prayers for me regarding the surgery on my cornea. The transplant of the endothelial layer went fine and I had my patch off the next day. There was no pain, even though I still had the sutures in.

Well, after three days, I took a short walk down the trail and when I looked down, I was totally amazed at the clarity of the gravel below. I hadn’t seen gravel that clearly for years and years!! I was thrilled and suddenly had a sweet little time of worship there on the trail to the “God of Eyeballs and Sight” as the P people say. Yes, what a joy it has been to be seeing with steady improvement out of that one eye. Now we wait and see when it will work out for the surgery on the remaining eye. Thanks again so much for your prayers on this.

Prayer Items

—we don’t hear much news from the P believers as they are still cut off from contact with all the heavy rains. So there isn’t anything specific to pass on to you all right now. However, thanks so very much for your prayers for their growth, encouragement, and ministries as they walk with their Lord
—pray for our beloved Host Country that God would wonderfully intervene down there and bring His solution to the many problems that only grow worse as the days go by. We just talked to a couple of our national co-workers down there and they have never seen or imagined that anything like this could ever happen to their beloved country. So yes, thanks so much for praying!!
—pray too regarding the proliferation of evil and controlling men who are really effecting the P believers, as well as many other folks
—pray for our dear coworkers there who continue to labor under extremely trying circumstances that they would truly be Jesus in skin to those around them
—pray for us as we seek the Lord’s direction in making another trip down there to connect with the P. saints
—pray for our son Josh, his wife Josie, and their four children as they celebrate Christmas in Asia, and also for our daughter Jodi, her husband Brent, and baby Hudson as they celebrate in their host country. We miss these guys a lot but we are thankful that we can all serve the Lord during this brief stint on planet earth before the big party and family reunion in Heaven!!

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!!

M&T

Update On Merrill’s Eye Surgery

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Update on Merrill

Thanks for your overwhelming response of prayer. God has answered!! The doctor said three different times how well the surgery went. God surely did guide the surgeon’s hands! You all were a huge encouragement and blessing!! Thanks so much for praying. And God gave us both such peace, and a spirit of praise and prayer throughout the day of surgery. God is so good!!

The hardest part of the recovery was that Merrill had to lie flat on his back without a pillow for 24 long hours right after the surgery, getting up only for the bare essentials. Well this was really hard on his back and drove him a little crazy! But he survived nicely and now has the freedom not only to move about during the day but also sleep on his right side as well. Now the challenge is simply to keep the three different types of drops for his eyes straight, giving them 1, 4 and 6 times a day.

He had his post op check the day after surgery, and the endothelial graft was still perfectly positioned. Praise the Lord!! Now please pray that this graft will start doing its job. It can take up to 2 months for the endothelial tissue to start properly controlling the amount of moisture to be retained in the cornea! So he will continue to have cloudy vision in his operated eye (left) till it kicks in. And he will also be living under various restrictions for the 2-month period. So anyway, thanks so much for standing behind us.

Update on Brent, Jodi and baby Hudson

As I write this note, the three of them are on a jet plane winging their way back to their host country. They left for the airport yesterday afternoon and if they make all their connections, they ought to touch down in the town where they live at about 9 PM tonight PST, which would be 4 PM tomorrow afternoon their time. Thanks for your continued prayers for them in this long journey, especially with baby Hudson. We had some teary goodbyes yesterday. Sure do miss them already, but we are thankful that they want to serve our LORD and we cheerfully release them for His Glory.

Thanks for your awesome support in prayer!
Teresa for us both!

Surgery, Departures and Many Strangers

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So much to pray about! Lots to intervene over as we enter the Throne Room of the Most High One. Thanks so much for going to bat for the Lord’s glory!!

Greetings Dear Friends

Thanks so much for partnering with us and tracking the work. We praise God that He continues to work among the P. people and build His glorious church, in spite of many challenges. Thanks so much for sticking with us and intervening for us and the beloved P. Nation before the Throne of God. How we thank God for you all!!.

A Great Need to Intercede!!

—please pray for our dear and loved Host Country as things continue to spiral out of control. How we need God’s solution to be brought to bear as evil and corruption continue to abound
—pray for the P. believers, that they will continue to grow in spite of many difficult challenges. Yes, they are facing many health issues without the needed help, food shortages, and different forms of abuse and persecution
—pray for the new believers in Pretty Water as violent and evil men continue to abound in the region and seek to take control of their lives in different areas, especially regarding what they believe
—pray for the leaders and pastors that they will faithfully teach the Word in spite of hardships and challenges
—pray for our son Josh and his wife Josie, and their family in the Asian-Pacific region as they press forward with many different challenges. They have been plagued with many strange and random infirmities and your prayers would be much appreciated.
—pray for me (Merrill) as I go in for DSAEK eye surgery tomorrow for Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy, and for our Lord’s healing touch. Here is a link to an article that describes my condition: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/fuchs-corneal-dystrophy.htm

Yes, I will be entering the Hospital at noon tomorrow (PST) for surgery on my left eye. This disease started showing up about 6 years ago and has been steadily growing worse. In practical terms, the windshield wipers (the endothelium) of my windshield (the cornea) have ceased to function properly and so I’m always looking out thru a windshield that is increasingly fogged up. So yes, your prayers are very much appreciated!!

—pray for our daughter Jodi and her husband Brent, along with their new little son Hudson, as they head back to their host country on Monday night. Their picture is just below.

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

Hudson, Guerrillas, Pretty Water

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A New Body of Believers!!

A new church of living stones has been born in Pretty Water!!

Many of you have been praying for the people in Pretty Water. Well we praise God that there are about 20 new believers there who have joyfully trusted in what the Payer Jesus did for them on the cross when he paid in full with His blood and death for their sin. They have been thrilled to hear the Bible teaching in their own language and are very excited about having the translated Scriptures in their hands! Yes, they have come to faith in Christ, believing that He paid the sin debt to the One who was demanding blood and death, and so now their tracks of sin have all been erased!! They are rejoicing and partying, and we can party with them!! Yes, praise be to God Almighty as He continues to build His church in all kinds of different contexts. How good it is to know that the very powers of hell will NOT prevail against Him, but rather that He will be the GLORIOUS WINNER!!

But as God works, the enemy is always at work as well to hinder and thwart, and so it is not surprising to see opposition rising up quickly against this new little flock. Just recently a group of violent men moved into the area saying that they would now be the ones in control of their village, and that this also meant deciding what was taught in the schools. They met with the village leaders and pastors to tell them that the people weren’t to embrace foreign ideas but rather stick with the teachings of their ancestors. So who knows where this will all go but yes, the battle rages on ….and yet we praise God that He will indeed build His church among this special people group!! Thanks so much for praying for these dear new brothers and sisters in Christ!

A Report on the P. Work

So many of you have been tracking this work for many years and we thank you for your participation in so many different ways. So we want to give you an opportunity to hear a bit of God’s story as He has worked among this dear People Group. Recently we were able to share a mini-history of what God has done among the P. and specifically regarding the translated Scriptures, and how they have powerfully impacted them.

 Praise and Prayer

—praise be to God Most High for raising up a new infant church there in Pretty Water!! Thanks for your prayers for the teaching of the Word there, and for the growth of the believers. Pray too regarding those violent men who are wanting to take control of their village, that God will use this too for His Glory!!
—pray for our beloved host country, that God would wonderfully intervene down there and bring His solution to the many huge problems
—praise for continued opportunities for ministry, but please continue to pray for our many dear coworkers there who continue to labor under extremely trying circumstances
—pray for God to meet the physical, medical, and spiritual needs of the believers. August is always the toughest month for these semi-nomads to find food. And we just heard recently that 10 women and children have already died.
—praise for God’s Word being in their language and in their hands!! Please pray for this liberating Word to make it into new villages, and that many more will have a desire to learn to read this Book in their own language
—pray for us as we continue to focus more and more on developing additional tools for the growth of the 10 different village churches
—pray for our daughter Jodi, and her husband Brent as they adjust to raising their beloved son, and that God would give them much wisdom in raising him for His glory. Especially pray for Brent as he soon begins a very intense 3 week aviation course, and for grace and strength for Jodi in adjusting to all that comes with being a first-time mom. Pray for all 3 of them as they head back to their host country in a few weeks.

Thanks again so very much for your partnering with us. We thank God for all of you!