Rubbing Elbows
As we are seeking to have God’s Word be made real in the minds and then lives of our friends, we are seeking to spend time with them on their turf doing the things that they like to do. The other evening we had a great time with some friends just sitting around watching our kids play together.
Evaluation
As we work here in the bush, it is a difficult thing to plan our days. Sure, there is the ever present work that we do in translation and development of written Bible lessons in the Pal language (and that alone could be a full time labor for many years). The thing is, we are working with people, real people with real ideas and real misunderstandings. People with history and bias. People who have varying degrees of intelligence and varying degrees of hunger for God’s truth. This means that sometimes we are working along and are diverted from what we thought we were supposed to be doing. For example. A couple of guys came to the office to help me go through some of the translated sections of the book of Acts. As we worked through one section, a couple of other guys came to the door. They stood around for a while and then, seeing that we were really working on something, went to speak to our partners. Immediately when they had left, the office helpers launched into a story of sorcery and fear. A story which was related to the folks who had just stopped by, and revealed that lots of our guys are still struggling with how they should think about the power of evil as it relates to their lives.
We ended up stopping the checking for a bit and taking care to really remind each other of God’s authority and power, of man’s lowly position in the spirit world, and how God promises to take care of those who trust Him.
Please pray for us as we spend time with Pal folks – we are so grateful for their openness and willingness to let us in on their thinking and we are asking the Lord constantly for wisdom in how we respond to their questions. Pray with us for these baby believers, that they will learn to commit themselves to God’s good Word and that they would hunger after it.
No way, the Claasens will complete their current 4-year term in June!
Coming home
Although the kids and Elizabeth have been home for a couple of visits since our departure in 2011, I (Nate) have not. With our departure from the bush set for May 25th, we are working hard to sort the house, finish different work projects that we have taken on, and spend lots of time strengthening relationships here. Please pray for us as we balance all of these challenges and work to transition to temporary life in the States. BTW - We want to see you. If you’d like to see us or have us share what is going on here in Pal, please let us know. That said, we’ll not be scheduling a full summer of meetings – these have been stressful years and we need a little space to settle in.
Thanks for praying,
Nate for us
O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:13-14
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