Is One Enough?

Tim and Nate hiked 4 hours each way to see another missionary family – just finishing up their term of service in a completely different language group.

Encouragement and Fellowship

As busy as we are doing what we do here, we are so very thankful to be able share the load with our friends/partners. I honestly could not imagine what it would be like to take on a remote tribal work  like we are doing without folks to shore us up and share the load. Well, that is what has been happening in the neighboring language group. An SIL family moved in there in 2000 – and has been working away ever since. Due to health and other concerns they have had many setbacks and are now forced to return to their homeland (Malaysia) permanently.

They are in the middle of a last trip to the bush – one in which they must say good-bye and try to settle their affairs in a careful way. So very hard to have lots left to do, and yet to need to leave.

Tim and I walked over last Saturday to meet them for what may be the first and last time.  It was a good ( but rugged trip – GPS says it was only 12 miles altogether…). We listened a lot and felt as though we could relate to them in many areas. What we came away with as well, was a request to continue their work if we possibly can…

Which just highlights one of the biggest issues that is facing us and other indigenous missionaries: How can we challenge and prepare those we work with to, thus enabled, duplicate our work among their neighbors? We are looking for exponential growth here that crosses every boundary – Pal and Pamosu folks have developed a pretty good level of distrust – to the point where only the truth and humility will break down the barriers.

Not to be premature or anything but, there are three other language groups surrounding Pal lands – all will have need of some kind of outreach. Will you pray with us for a Pal church to be raised up to meet that challenge? 

No, that is not a river we are crossing, that is the trail that we are climbing to get back over the mountain to home! Between the two of us, we picked off 31 leeches…(Holey ankles batman!)

School Update

Writing practice, in only 7 days of school, we have seen marked improvement. These guys and gals are really trying!

Not much to add here yet – although we have just finished up a week-long pre-reading course about how to hold books and how to read from left to right and top to bottom. Today was our very first day to introduce specific letters and syllables. One guy was putting the pieces together a little and got really really excited  -

“Guys, it is our talk, it is really our talk!” he said with a big smile.

Would you pray for our students that they would continue to be faithful in coming and that they would learn well and quickly.

Thanks so very much,

Nate for us 5

PS: We are still working frantically on translation as well. Working through corrections and rough patches in the initial drafts has taken some time – with over 250 recordings to transcribe and process – but it is so very worth it!