What? No names??

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.
Isaiah 9:6

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

What?  No Names??

When we first arrived in P-land back in the middle of the 70s, we soon discovered that most of the people had no names.  Only a few of the men who went out to work for the nationals had names…and they were quite hesitant to let us know what they were.

So how did they refer to one another?  By kinship terms.  Since everyone was related they would only refer to one another using these terms.  No names were ever mentioned.  And even when interacting with the few who had names they only used kinship terms.  In a conversation when people were talking about a third party, if just mentioning the kinship term wasn’t enough to give clarification they would give additional information saying something like this:  “our brother-in-law upriver who has the wife with the crooked foot” or “the uncle who is the brother of the chief downriver by the place called ‘Sucking Killing Woods'”.  So yes, there were always ways to make it clear who they were talking about.

Now, if they met someone they didn’t know, the first thing they would do is chat and figure out who their common relatives were and how they could relate to one another.  And before long they would have their proper relationship established and begin referring to one another with the new kinship term.  Yes, before long they would speak ‘kinshipizingly” to one another  It all worked very nicely!

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus“.
Luke 1:30,31

Names, Names, and More Names!

When we started teaching the Bible story to the P people, they started hearing all kinds of names.  Names like Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Seth and Enoch, Lamech and Noah, and Abraham Isaac, and Jacob. They also saw we had names and that we named our children.  It wasn’t long before there were a lot of little Moses’s running around, and Abraham’s too!  Yes, people started naming their kids left and right.  But no one wanted to name their child Adam.  They weren’t happy with him nor with his wife. They had blown in it the garden and so their names wouldn’t be used.  They also didn’t like that Cain didn’t listen to God and that he killed his younger brother.  So nope, no little Cain’s running around.  So yes, in time names soon caught on and now everyone has a name.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17

God Speaks ‘Kinshipizingly’  to the Believers

So once the P people heard God’s beautiful love story regarding His salvation for all people, they put their faith in the “Payer”, the one named Jesus, who paid interveningly to the Universal Judge with his own perfect blood and his own sinless death. And then what happened was amazing!!  The believers discovered that God now spoke ‘kingshipizingly’ to them!  Here the great Creator God was now addressing them as their Father, speaking to them as his sons and daughters, because of the sacrifice of the one named Jesus.  This was huge for the P people.  Here this beautiful one whose Name was Jesus had provided such an amazing gift for them.  They were thankful indeed!

Christmas in the Yukon!

On Dec 15th Teresa took off for the Yukon to celebrate her 70th birthday and to spend Christmas with Jodi and her family.  I, of course, was going to go too but suddenly had a vicious coughing spasm due to a respiratory virus I had that put my back way out so I couldn’t travel.  However, after recuperating and enduring 5 canceled flights with Air Canada and a night in Vancouver airport, I was finally able to arrive on the 22nd which meant I didn’t get there in time for Teresa’s birthday on Dec 17th.  However, it happened just fine without me.  And the big birthday surprise for Teresa was the arrival of Josh, our son, from Wisconsin. Teresa felt extra blessed!  What a joy it was for her to have both her kids with her for this special time. We can’t remember the last time both kids were with her on her birthday!  What a treat it was for her!

We were blessed to be with Jodi and Brent and their children during this special season.  How great it was to see them all!  The temperatures were low outside but the spirits were high inside. Brent kept the fires stoked in the log cabin and everyone stayed nice and toasty!  How fun it was to hang out with the three little grand kiddos.  They are full of life for sure and always ready for some more action!  Grandma and grandpa had to go for therapy after the visit.  Just kidding!!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for our national coworkers as they make their way once again out to P-land. They have been prevented from going earlier due to heavy rains but now the roads are open again so its time to go
• Praise the Lord that 400 pre-tuned, solar powered, short wave radios have now been sent and are on their way to the P people. Lord willing we’ll soon be able to put out radio broadcasts for them. Thanks for your continued prayers about this
• My surgery was canceled on Jan 3 because of being sick with some nasty virus (not Covid). Thankfully I’m on the mend and waiting for it to be rescheduled. Thx for your prayers regarding a successful surgery and quick recuperation
• During our time in the Yukon, Teresa broke her wrist when she fell with her ice skates on. She presently is experiencing life with a cast for the first time ever.
• Please pray for Jodi and Brent as they continue to work to reach one of the ethnic groups in the Yukon Territory. It is a challenging work with many obstacles. PTL that Christ will build his church among this people group and include them in the completed body of Christ!!
• Pray for the P believer’s ever-growing love for the Scriptures, to learn more and to see the Word of God boldly proclaimed
• I ask you once again to pray diligently with us for many more good readers of the Scriptures and the Bible lessons. Please pray for God to do a mighty work in this area
•  Pray that the literacy teachers will continue to be motivated and encouraged to teach the next generation to read, so that the Word of God will continue to be passed on to their children and children’s children, etc.
• Thanks again for praying for the pastors and leaders, that they would be getting “fat” on the Word, and that they would continue to boldly proclaim the truths of God’s Word
• Thanks for your ongoing prayers for me as I continue to revamp the Bible Lessons for the people, and as Teresa works on formatting and adding graphics to each lesson. This is a huge job but will be so worth it. When the Bible teachers have asked for more lessons that is like putting “gasoline in our tanks”!! But yeah, thanks for praying for wisdom, clarity, and diligence
• Please continue to pray that the Word of God in the P language would go far and wide. We have heard many reports of a few bilingual P who know how to read in Spanish who are desirous of also learning to read the Bible in their own mother tongue language. Pray that God would open the needed doors for His Word to go forth all through the P world which numbers about 11,000
• Pray for the growth of the P believers, that they will live in the joy and strength of the true Vine, and that walking in the Spirit would evermore become a constant way of life for them
• Please pray for my brother Howard who continues to suffer severely from encephalitis. He got the West Nile Virus many months ago and has been a vegetable pretty much since the middle of Oct last year. The doctors did all they could for him in Canada and now Susan, his wife, is taking him back home in Mexico where the doctors feel he will have a better chance of recuperation. Thanks much for your prayers for him so he can continue with his ministry of running the Bible School down there that he started back in 2009. How good that we can trust God through all of this
• Please pray

Thanks Again…..

….for your being part of the team as we push forward to cross the finish line for the glory of God. We count it a huge privilege to invest our lives to see His church established among this beloved nation. So yes, thanks so much for praying and giving and encouraging and tracking with us down through the many years. We truly appreciate you all and thank God for you.

Resting in that Beautiful One named Jesus,
Merrill and Teresa