Clay Pots ~ Blood

This is a picture of Bafi putting "blood" on some wood on both sides of the door to his house. We put a shield there, so he could paint it with "blood" as well. Jason had him show everyone at the teaching on Tuesday of what it was like for the Israelites to do what God had said. Only by believing the Word of God spoken to them by Moses, and by doing what God told them to do would the Angel of death pass over their homes and not kill their first born sons. Just like the Tobo people used to hide behind these wooden shields so that their enemies' arrows wouldn't kill them, in like manner, the Israelites hid behind the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and were safe. The angel of death saw the blood, and just like an arrow would reflect off of a shield, so he "reflected off" of the blood and their children were saved.

Soon the Tobo people will be told that there is only one Lamb worthy enough to be sacrificed Whose blood is sufficient to "hide behind". Only through his spilt blood can we gain eternal life and forgiveness of sins.

Please Keep Praying, we are at the HALF WAY mark today!!!!!

The Cat

Rain, Rain Go Away

WANTED ~ Morisin

WANTED
By the Savior

Name: Morisin
Family: 5 children and one grandchild (and one due in January)
Village: He lives near us on the airstrip.
Stats: Morisin is one of our land owners, and has taken it upon himself to help us with all the physical aspects of living here (cutting grass, firewood, trail maintenance, and any other project around the house). Before a year ago, we hardly ever saw him. He would only come around from time to time... but as we started getting nearer to the teaching, I believe the Lord caused him to take interest in what we were doing. He started to really ask why we were here and then he would think about it instead of coming to his own conclusions. And then he wanted to help in the physical ways so that we could continue translating in the office, and we were more than happy to oblige. Originally, we never thought we would see him at the teaching, but he has been faithfully coming every day, and he is the man that stood up in the center after the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and admitted that he was a sinner and on the road to judgment.
Pray: Please keep praying that God will draw Morisin to himself. That the Holy Spirit would continue to convict his heart of his sin, of the impending judgment, and of the righteousness that can only be found in Christ as He completely frees us from sin, death, and the power of Satan.

This Weeks Teaching:

(Scripture: Exodus4:27-31, 5:1-2, 6:1-8, 7:4-5, 20-21, 8:5-6, 16-17, 24, 9:3, 6-7, 10, 23-26, 10:13-15, 21-23, 28-29, 11:1, 4-7, 12:1-7, 12-14, 22-23, 28-33, 46, 51, 13:21-22, 14:1-31, 16:1-3, 11-16, 35, 17:1-6, 19:1-25 )

November 27th: God displays His power through the 9 plagues of Egypt
November28th: The Passover Lamb
November 29th: God delivers Israel through the Red Sea
November 30th: God provides food and water in the desert for Israel
December 1st: God demonstrates His Holiness at Mt. Sinai

Jason and Kellie Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Thanksgiving

To be honest it was really hard for me to conjure up Thankfulness this Thanksgiving. I know you are all gasping with shock at this supposedly spiritual missionary lady!:-) I miss family, I miss Mom making the turkey, not me! I miss going to the grocery store and having eggs at any given time. I'm tired of oatmeal! I'm tired of not understanding this language, not especially liking this culture, and I would give anything for a babysitter, a night out with my husband, a school for the kids, and a doughnut!

But (you knew that was coming didn't you:-) what is going on here is so much bigger than ME. I am thankful that God chose to use me here despite my millions of flaws (and lack of contentment). I am so very thankful for the many e-mail addresses in our address book and our overflowing inbox. I am so thankful for the sacrifice of many of you who financially and prayerfully give to us. I thankful for my husband who loves me despite the fact that his wife is going through an emotional roller coaster called menopause (I can hear many men groan in agreement with that statement:-). And for my kids who still give me a hug when I have had to discipline them.

Every day I see hundreds of people who do not have the scriptures in their own language and who live in fear of death. As Paul said, .."I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." The secret is simply this: remembering that I have eternal life, and a home in heaven. And I don't have to be strong because He will give me the strength.

His Clay Pots, Kellie for the family

PS I have a favor to ask all of you. Would you send us a picture of you & your family? We would like to have a visual for our family and for the Tobo people of the many people who are praying for them. Our mailing address is below (if you add candy to the envelope I will put your picture at the front of the photo album...only kidding...sort of:-):

Clay Pots ~ 9 Weeks and Counting

Jason and Micah acted out Abraham taking Isaac to be sacrificed. It was hard to hold back tears as it became so real watching your son carry his own wood, get tied up, laid on the alter, and his father raising a knife to him. The people were completely silenced. In this culture if you as so much raise a knife to a person (even though you don't cut them) you have killed them in their eyes. Some are starting to realize that God's Word is more important than anything in this life. Even your own son.

This Weeks Teaching:
(Scripture: Genesis 24:67, 25:20-34, 27:41-44, 28:10-15, 29:1, 31:13, 32:28, 37:1-35, 39:1-23, 41:1-8, 14-16, 25-49, 42:1-20, 43:1-5, 11-17, 45:1-11, 25-28, 46:5-7. Exodus: 1:1-22, 2:1-25, 3:1-20, 4:1-20)
November 20th: Esau sells his birthright, Jacob see the vision of the ladder
November21st: Joseph Part 1
November 22nd: Joseph Part 2
November 23rd: Moses is born
November 24th: God sees Israel suffering and comes to Moses in a burning bush

Clay Pots ~ Sodom and Gomorrah

Komite is Malachi's Assa (Grandpa) here in the village

This week we taught on Sodom and Gomorrah. This lesson proved to be the most stirring of all of them yet. It convicted and cut right to their hearts. It was quiet all around, at times you could hear a pin drop. Especially when I said, “Don’t be like Lot’s two sons-in-law, they heard God’s warning and thought it was a joke, that it was nothing, and went on their very way. The next morning, they both died!” They were cut to the heart. When I named off the sins, they were super quiet… yeah, we don’t do sins like Sodom, where they slept with men, but do we sleep with women that aren’t ours? Do we lie? Do we steal? Yes, we are just like Sodom, we desire to sin, and want to sin and love to sin because it is fun, it is like a game to us.

After the teaching, Morosin got up, crying openly, and said, “I am a terrible sinner, you all know it. We all are sinners. I am going to die unless God helps me. These two guys (Jason and Chad) are like Noah, who are telling us that God’s judgment is going to come, and I/we need to listen. This is true talk, we are ready to die. I am a sinner.” He said that in front of all the people, he was gripped with conviction of his own personal sin. How powerful is God’s Word! Afterwards, people were just sitting there almost shell shocked. They didn’t get up but were discussing their sin, God’s word, how they don’t really want to go to the garden because of all this, etc. I was just in awe and sat in silence for a long time just listening.

Megelin Mama came up and asked, "if we died in our sins, and got the punishment for our sin, would we just be destroyed, or would we go on living, or would we go to heaven?." I said that if you died in your sins, you would live forever in fire and torment, but if you believed in what God says, then you would live with him forever in the joy of heaven. He sat thinking.

And then Komiti got up and said that you didn’t come here of your own accord, but that God sent you so that we could hear this message. He said, “I don’t know God’s word, I thought I did, but I don’t. I am on the verge of death. The material things of this life are not going to help me, it is just fuel for the fires of hell. I can't even listen to talk about other things, such as politics and such... it is a bore to me. The only thing that can help me is God’s Word, it gives life. I say truthfully, I am sooo happy to wake up and hear the message every morning, because I know it will give me life!”

Alis and Bafi both got up and said, “We need to get our friends and other family members here to hear this message, or we will all die in the flood. Our Noah is standing here building the boat, and if we neglect the words he says from God, we will all die. We need to believe them and get in the boat and live happily. Please, come. You must come, or you will die.”

God is indeed at work here in Tobo land!

Clay Pots ~ Discipling Tingon

Tingon (in the red) talking with guys after the teaching..

Tingon, whether at the teaching, before the teaching, after the teaching, or at his home, has been giving his testimony left and right to anyone who will listen to him. This is roughly what he says,
"You guys all know how bad of a person I was. I was kicked out of the Jehovah Witness church, I have 2 wives, and I have done many bad things, and I tried, but couldn't make myself pleasing to God all these years. But Now, I am free, totally happy, totally forgiven, and when God looks at me he is satisfied because my sins are washed away. Please keep coming to the teaching so you too can be happy just like me!"

This man is on fire! He isn't witnessing because some book tells him to, or because that is what you are supposed to do to be a part of the "church". He just witnesses because Jesus has made such a completely amazing transformation in his life, that he can't contain it. He is bubbling over with praise and joy for what Jesus did for him.

But what do you do when you have a brand new believer there in the States? Yeah, you give them a Bible right away! We wish we could do that for Tingon! But there is not a complete Bible written in his language to give to him. So we have given him the portions of Genesis that we have finalized, and we are going to give him Exodus here soon. You can be praying for the day that the Tobo people can hold the whole scriptures in their hands. There are OT potions ready and NT portions being prepared for them to read at the end of the teaching. But the whole Bible won't be ready for another couple years. It is a long, tedious process. At this point, Tingon meets with me twice a week to talk. We go over his questions and I continue to tell him about the wonderful things God has written in His word to us believers as we continue to translate the lessons on the life of Christ. As we read the drafts of the scriptures in his own language he can barely contain himself in my office as we go over the incredible power Jesus had over nature, spirits, and death! God's word is very powerful.

Continue to pray for Tingon, that he would continue to grow and continue to share his faith. He is being used by God already, and I know that God will be able to use him even more than us in reaching the hearts of the Tobo people... because Tingon is one of them. And because his testimony is so amazing, they won't be able to deny it.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support that makes this possible!
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Machetes at the tower of Babel!?

Jason showing the people a drawing of the Tower of Babel

Mondays teaching was of the Tower of Babel. In order for the people to understand what it was like when all of a sudden no one could understand each other's language we did a skit. There was 7 of us who could speak different languages and so we all stood there trying to communicate with each other. What was the people's reaction? They ran to go get their machetes!!!! They were so confused and scared with so many people talking in different languages, some thought we were going to have a fight... they weren't too sure what was going on. That is exactly what the people felt at the Tower of Babel. Confusion and Fear.
The sun continues to shine during the teaching and instead of the numbers decreasing, they are increasing.

Keep Praying! God's Word is SO Powerful!
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi

Clay Pots ~ 10 Weeks and Counting

"And they brought their old, their lame, their sick, and their blind to see Jesus"

Every day, Sania-alla, this old, lame, and mostly blind lady comes to the teaching. She arrives an hour early and sits on her banana leaf as she waits for the teaching to start. Sometimes she has a hard time staying awake but when the review questions are asked she quietly answers them to herself. She is one of the oldest people coming to the teaching. Pray that she will soon rest in the awesome provision of Jesus Christ.

Why do we still have 10 more weeks of teaching? Why does it take so long to get to Jesus' death, and resurrection? Because we need to build a foundation for these people. They have had many different religions and cults come in here and they mix it up with all their animistic thinking. They need to know who God is, what His attributes are, how they were created, how they are born sinners because of Adam, and they need to see that they are sinners, lost, and need a Savior. And what better way to do that, than to teach the Old Testament stories which explain it so well?

Can you pray with us as the countdown continues? His Clay Pots, Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

This Weeks Teaching:
(Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9, 13:5-17, 15:5-6, 12-16, 17:1-5, 15-17, 18:20-21, 19: 1-17, 24-26, 21:1-3, 22:1-19)

November 13th: Different languages and cultures explained in the story of the tower of Babel.
November14th: God calls Abraham out of his country
November 15th: God promises the Deliverer and descendents like the stars to Abraham
November 16th: Sodom and Gomorrah
November 17th: The lamb takes the place of Isaac

Clay Pots ~ The Kids

Could you be praying for Micah, Sophia, and Malachi? Every morning they wake up early and walk up to the village with us. Once there, they sit quietly for hours listening to the teaching (in a language they don't understand), then walk home and eat lunch. Right after lunch we start school. By the time we finish school it is time to make dinner and go to bed. It isn't always easy on them, but they are doing it with a smile. Pray for continued endurance:-)

His Little Clay Pots, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi

Clay Pots: Tears

A reenactment of Cain and Abel at the teaching

The Tobo believed for a long time that they were Cain's descendants. And we white people are Abel's descendants. Because God didn't like the smell of Cain's sacrifice he cursed him with hard work, therefore the Tobo people are cursed to have to work in their gardens and not live a "life of ease" that they assume we Americans do because Abel did it "right".

Jason taught them this past week that no, we are ALL born out of the garden, separated from God, and we are ALL sinners. ADAM was the one that sinned and caused "hard work" to be the norm. Adam sinned so God kicked him out of Paradise and he became God's enemy, separated from him forever and doomed to die in the lake of fire. There is no way back into the garden, and no way that we alone can gain eternal life. Adam is our ancestor, both blacks and whites, therefore we are all sinners. We white people are also cursed to do hard work, and we also work hard to get the things that we do.

He also taught that Cain's heart attitude was wrong, he thought he could come to God in his own way. He believed there was a God but didn't believe he was a sinner and needed God's help. And that is why he was not accepted by God.

What was their reaction? Tears. Because they are realizing that they are sinners and that there is no way for them to get back into the garden to get to the tree of life. There has to be another way or we will all die and go to the lake of fire.......?

The Best is yet to come!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

This Weeks Teaching:
(Genesis 6:1-3, 5-22 7:1-17, 21-23, 8:1-4, 14-22, 9:1-19, 11:1-9)
November 6th: God said He would punish the world, but He promised to save Noah and all who entered into the boat.
November 7th: God destroyed everyone in the world except Noah and his family who were in the boat.
November 8th: God scattered the rebels at the tower of Babel.
( Our people ended up not going to the cultural event last week and are going this week so we taught through Cain and Abel and Seth last week)

Set the Stage!

Even in the middle of nowhere we like to have fun!:-)

Jason as Adam, Kellie as Queen Shulamith, Micah as David, Sophia as Lydia seller of purple, Malachi as Zaccheus (in his sycamore tree) and Turtle as Paul in the basket

We wish each one of you could be here to experience everything that we are during the teaching. We were thinking if you could just create the same environment that we have here for the teaching it might help you experience it with us.

Here is a step by step process on creating your very own mock teaching setting!
1. First thing you need to do is go find a large dirt area. Flood it with water, make sure there are lots of holes so you have puddles everywhere.
2. For seating, just go find some pieces of firewood. Make sure they aren't round, sanded, or smooth in any way and have lots of splinters.
3. Get 3 pigs. Set them in the middle right where Jason is standing.
4. Get 3 dogs. Set them in the middle right where Jason is standing.
5. Get 3 chickens. Set them in the middle right where Jason is standing
6. Get 3 toddlers. Set them in the middle right where Jason is standing.
7. Get 25 sheets of newspaper and 25 leaves of tobacco. Roll up cigarettes and hand them to all the men in the crowd.
8. Get buai (the local chewing tobacco, it is bright red in color) Hand that out to any other guy that doesn't have a cigarette.
9. Make sure the pigs, chickens, dogs, and children use the dirt floor as a bathroom right by Jason.
10. Get one crazy lady, make sure she dances and swears in the back.
11. Make sure everyone has a lice partner to pick out the lice as they listen.
13. Now, go get 200 lost people and be prepared for what God is about to do!!!!

Because God created laughter..and if I didn't laugh about this I think it just might get to me after awhile!:-)
Kellie for Jason, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp