Some Photos

Malachi and Turtle


Sophia's Tree Swing


Sophia


Micah getting dinner with his sling shot


Micah walking on stilts


Malachi in his tree


Micah's Tree Fort


Inside of Micah's Hut

Kellie's 29th Birthday and yep Jason made the cake all by himself

Clay Pots - discouragement

Just like this baby, Sassiya, the Tobo Church is only 5 months old

I have had a sort of discouraging couple of days… I don’t know about you; but I will sometimes take my eyes off of the Lord and put them on my circumstances. I was thinking how it just seems like sometimes you don’t see the growth in people you want to. Many people here in Tobo land are involved in this year’s election campaign and so everything else has taken second fiddle… even our believer’s meetings, and times of prayer. At times I will talk to these people and it seems like nothing has changed, and it gets very frustrating. I was discouraged and asked, “God, when will we see some fruit?” But God gave me a Psalm 127 this morning which I always applied to our physical families, but today I applied it to the “church” family:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” I often feel like it is my job to build up the church and to guard them and protect them; but who really is their shepherd and who is the one who will build the church?

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Boy, have I been up lately strategizing and thinking and planning… how much better to just pray and give it to my Father to do?

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.” If we have “converts”, they are like children, and children take years to grow and mature. But God’s Word says that we are blessed of the Lord if we have children. So why should I be frustrated when only after a few months I don’t see leaps of growth? I shouldn’t be.

Also, God looks at children as a weapon to continue the fight with the enemy. “They are like arrows..” We are in a spiritual battle, and they too are God’s weapons.

I continue to learn that it is not up to me and my abilities; but it is up to God and his great abilities. This is God’s work and He is going to do it in spite of myself. Why do I fret and worry about the future? Because I am not trusting in the power of God enough, that is why. I need to believe God for the impossible and go out and let him do it through me.

So, as only God can do and as He always does, he has encouraged me with some amazing stories lately, which has shown me that these believers are growing:

Tingon has understood the concept of our identity in Christ, and has given me some great words and terminology to use to explain it. Like, “All the wrath which God had sitting ready to pour on us, he turned and poured on his son Jesus instead.” I really liked how that came out.

Doctor Zango went on a trip recently and came back and said that he heard a preacher down the way during his travels who was telling the people that they needed to follow the law and go to church on Sundays, or they would not get to heaven. He said, “I heard it and I knew it was false. We can go to heaven only if we believe in Jesus and stand on the road of his blood. There is no way we can do those things and get to heaven.” It was so cool to hear him saying that; and then the rest of the believers chimed in and were going on about how it is not what we can do; but only what Jesus did for us.

Also Morisin said this to me, “Before when I didn’t believe, I would pray to God with really long prayers and I would tell him ancestor stories and try to go on for long, long periods of time. But then I heard you teach on prayer, and I am very clear now. I understand that prayer is just talking to God and thanking him for Jesus and what he did. So now I have tried like you said, and I pray short prayers thanking God for Jesus and asking for help for the day; and it is so much easier. I am very happy now.”

I was talking to Kips (Ankl) about Klifford’s wife, because she is saved, and understands everything, but Klifford does not. And Kips said sort of matter of factly, “Well, God will see that a husband’s heart is too hard, so he will work in the wife, and even in the kids; and then possibly later on in the life of that man again after he has seen the change in his wife.” I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that. He also said that he hoped he had done a good job with me that day on the lesson. When I asked why he said that; he said that he usually likes to wake up in the morning and pray and ask God to help him translate with me… that he will get the right words and get the meaning correct and such; but today he thought he was just going to his garden to work and not come to help me; so he hadn’t prayed first. What a testimony that was to me.

May you be encouraged today that God is very much alive and working in the hearts of His children,
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Found ~ Ambux

“A few weeks ago, when that man stood up in our meeting and said that he had seen Jesus, and that Jesus had told him to forsake all his sins and his old ways, and to straighten his life out, I heard it and I wasn’t satisfied with what he said. I know that no one can see Jesus, because he went to heaven and is sitting at God’s right hand. I also know that Jesus washed our sins away when he died on the cross, and that all we must do is believe in him. All that we will learn of Jesus is in the Bible, if it comes from somewhere else, it is a lie. I knew he was not telling us the truth. I think that he and his group came that day to pull us into their false belief. And I wasn’t happy with that.” -- Ambux

Ambux is Asa Salap’s son. He too was saved at the end of our teaching on the life of Christ back in January. He has been faithfully coming to the believer’s meetings along with his wife. He is a quiet guy, but has said some very profound things to us lately. He and his wife have one young son and a baby due any day now. He also has been helping Chad with translating the Bible, and has been a huge help and encouragement to us as he works with us in that.

I was greatly pleased and excited to hear him say what he said above. He had come to Chad to do a translation session with him, when Chad asked him what he thought of the previous weeks meeting. I just happened to be passing by, and stopped in to say hi. We couldn’t stop this man from talking, he just wanted us to know that he wasn’t in agreement with what happened, and that if they kept coming, he was not going to come anymore to the meetings; because it wasn’t correct. This means that he is learning and putting into practice what he has been hearing from God’s Word, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Continue to pray for these believers, that their faith would grow stronger, and that they would be able to comprehend more and more the love that God has for them in Christ Jesus.

Also, for those of you who are wondering. I never did make it to the other village with Nikos a few weeks ago to confront these false prophets that came into our midst. To make a long story short, one of the leaders of that group came to see me after I didn’t show up at his place. I was able to talk to him, and tell him that this was not just my thoughts; but the thoughts of all who were present on that day, but that he and his group were no longer going to be allowed to break in and lead in singing or prayer or give testimonies. They are allowed to come and listen and learn; but not to lead in any way. He was an interesting fellow to say the least; but he agreed and went on his way. We haven’t seen any of them for the past 2 weeks.

Thank you for your prayers concerning these issues.
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, Malachi Knapp & the Tobo Church