Twice Egged

health update

M&T Updates, Twists and Turns During the Journey of Life

By Leave a Comment

Off they go again!!

Even in the midst of intense hardship and difficulty, God’s work moves forward on thousands of different fronts all around the world, and one of those fronts is our beloved Host Country. Yes, even in times of severe upheaval, turmoil, corruption, suffering, hunger, fear, and death, God Almighty continues to work to open doors and prepare the way for his servants to move forward.

And so YES, our coworkers are indeed moving forward!! In spite of many delays and setbacks, this past week they were back on the road once again with their beat up vehicles heading out to Pretty Water to minister to the beloved P people. Even with the many challenges of finding the needed car parts, getting sufficient gas and oil, as well as groceries, God has brought this together for them and they were excited to be heading back their homes among the P people. And as they passed checkpoint after checkpoint, they finally let us know that they had cleared all the potential problem areas, and none of their supplies were taken away, PTL!! Yes, they had wanted to get back in there a long time ago but circumstances didn’t permit. They made their plans, but God directed their steps, in HIS time and in HIS way.

As they were heading out, we were in contact with them, praying that God would open the needed doors for them. And as we communicated and saw the pictures they were sending to us like the one above, well our eyes teared up as our hearts filled with emotion, wishing we were going back out there with them. But no, God has us in the north writing Bible curriculum for these dear believers. Again, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways and thoughts so much higher than ours!

As far as a trip for us to rendezvous with some of the P pastors this Dry Season, it isn’t looking too likely. However, we continue forward trusting our Chief Strategist to work things out for His honor and glory when it comes to the P work. Thanks again for your prayers regarding this. How good to know that our great Lord Owner Boss God is all-powerful and that He is the one who sits at the helm of world events…. and so we continue to rest in Him for the future.

Another Twist in the Road

For at least the last year, I have been having a slight discomfort in my throat. It would be there sometimes, and at other times I never felt it. However, I felt recently I should get it checked, and here it turns out I have a lesion on my vocal chords. So on the 20th of March I’m slated for surgery for a micro laryngoscopy with laser. The specialist plans to take a biopsy from the lesion, which is about 3 mm long, and then cauterize it using the laser. He said he doubted that it was cancer but that we needed to find out for sure. He also mentioned that the procedure could be damaging to the vocal chords. So this is a call to pray for God’s healing hand. He could easily heal that lesion completely before surgery! But he may want to use the surgery to take care of the problem too. So yes, your prayers are much appreciated!! Again, as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are His plans and thoughts higher than ours!

Prayer Items

  • Please pray for our coworkers as they continue to encourage literacy among the bilinguals and share truth with them, and as they make a trip out to the monolinguals where the 9 village churches are. Because of all the turmoil in the country, they were delayed from going sooner. Usually they get out there in December or January. So the people will be very anxious to see them
  • Please pray for continued freedom for our coworkers to minister to the people, as there are a several dangerous groups living in that area
  • Please continue to pray for this wonderful country as bad leadership has brought it into severe ruin. Pray for God’s will to be done, and that His Name be hugely glorified in it all
  • …and thanks for praying for healing and the upcoming surgery. Pray for the safety of my vocal chords, and that no complications take place
  • Thanks for your continued prayers for the Bible curriculum. We plan to get a book published this month and sent to the P before Rainy Season sets in

Rejoicing in the God whose thoughts and plans are higher than ours,
Merrill and Teresa

Christmas 2016 For The P People & Translations

By Leave a Comment

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

Surgery, Departures and Many Strangers

By Leave a Comment

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!!