FOUND: Tingon Willy

Praise God! Tingon Willy has just become our first Tobo brother in Christ!

Yesterday he trusted in Christ. Here is what he said:

"Ever since you taught me that the law was like a mirror (that it was there so that I could see how sinful I really am) I have been thinking about my sin. After my family falls asleep at night, I think about it. On the trail as I am walking back and forth, I think about it. In fact, I even forgot where I was going and ended up in the wrong spot because I was thinking so much about my sin. I kept coming to your house to help you translate the Bible lessons, but I felt that I was just helping everyone else in Tobo to find eternal life, but I wasn't going to be able to find it. My sins were too many and too big for God to be able to wash them away. And I would just go to the fires of hell. I was scared. I used to think Jesus could wash away my past sins, but that my future sins would heap up and then in the end God would just throw me into the fires of hell. But now I see and believe that Jesus took my place as the lamb took Isaac's place and he died just once so I could live. And his blood washed ALL my sins away, and he delivered me from my sin, death, Satan's power, and the fires of hell. I feel like the arrow of my sin that has been in my heart and in my head and giving me pain for all this time has been removed. And I am not afraid. Thank you, this is the first time I have ever heard this talk."

- Tingon Willy, 29, August 2006

Please pray that we would have fertile soil as we begin to teach God's Word to the Tobo people of the village of Dengenu in October. Pray that God would have a bountiful harvest.

The true mark of a good Tobo friend

What is the true mark of a good friend here in Tobo?

Someone who will pick out the lice for you.

Thank you for your support and prayers. We can feel you "picking our lice out" over the miles:-).

This is a picture of our people at the Cargo Cult meeting last month.

What does the date October 16th mean for you? For the Tobo people it will mean the first day they will be taught the Word of God correctly in their own language. Yes, for the first time in their lives they will hear God's Word, the Bible, in their own language. After 10 years of preparing for this moment we have a target date to start teaching! Will you rise up and faithfully be in prayer that the hearts of the Tobo people will not be hardened towards God's Word? For Jason as he diligently continues to translate the Bible lessons that will be taught. And for Tingong, Jason's translation helper, for wisdom and health as he continues to help. For Chad as he translates the Bible portions to be used during the teaching. For Chad's helper, Rigo, for wisdom and health for him as well. And for Jason and Chad as they search for the best way to convey God's Word in a foreign tongue.

Later updates will explain the who, what, when, and where of the teaching process.

Clay Pots ~ Reunited

My little trooper and traveling companion...he has more hours logged on an airplane than he has ever been in a car.

21 Doctor's, surgeons, and dentist visits, 6 days of traveling, 1 month of being gone from my husband and kids and it was time to come home!!!!! I just arrived in PNG this morning and yes I am pain free! The final diagnosis was... due to my previous surgery a year ago, my bowels have dropped into that empty opening resulting in a bad kink which then completely stopped everything from working properly. In addition there were cysts that they were concerned about. The surgeon said he had only seen patients in the emergency room with what I had due to the extreme amount of pain it gives you. I was so thankful for God's strength during all of this that allowed me to still function amidst it. I was able to get cleaned out and with the medicine they put me on it will help keep my colon functioning as it should. 2 days before I was to fly back to PNG the cysts burst on their own and so I didn't have to have surgery to remove them.

I'm not going to pretend these 3 weeks were fun because they were the farthest thing from that. I was in the doctor's office every day and went through some pretty humiliating and painful tests and procedures...just use your imagination. There were the very low times of when there was the thought of cancer and the lonely times without my husband there to help make decisions and be the strong one to lean on.

But despite all of that and no matter what the outcome could have been GOD IS GOOD. So thank you for your prayers, concern, and love during this time towards me in the States and towards Jason and the kids here in PNG. I have so many awesome stories of God sending people to help me everywhere I went. Like the businessman who insisted on holding my bags for over 2 hours while we waited to check in at the LA airport or the dentist who paid for all my dental bills. Whether you tell us you pray for us or not, makes no difference, we know there were people praying for us and we thank you dearly for that sacrifice in your own lives to encourage us through that.

God's work is moving forward, thank you for helping us be a part of it.
His fixed up clay pot, Kellie for the family