Christmas - Thankfulness and Unfinished Business.

Urgent Request.

This young widow (center) has 7 children. Her husband died unexpectedly and a couple of months later, her baby stepped in a fire, burning his whole foot. She is from the Mesi village furthest away from us - one that has not yet had the gospel yet.

"Please send us a couple of teachers who know God's Word!" - Elisabet, Mesi Widow.

Have you ever felt confused, afraid, or attacked by life circumstances? Have you ever felt that maybe it was something that you had done, some choice that you had made that caused your deep misery? Have you ever searched for answers, repeatedly asking those nearest to you about why things like death, pain, and hardship happen? Have the answers that you've been given left you more confused and scared than you were in the first place? Then you know the fear and anguish of Elisabet. 

Elisabet's story actually starts with her husband, a prominent Mesi man from K-village (about 6 hours hard hiking from our place.) In September, her husband came as part of a delegation to plead with the Mesi church for a literacy school and Bible teaching. I was there when he said; "We are dying, we cannot wait. We are under curses and others are sending spirits to kill us. We need you to come and help us!" We assured the delegation that we are working together with the Mesi church to reach all of the Mesi villages. We cannot reach all of them at once. We do not have the man power. They left reassured, but disappointed.

Fast forward 2 months. Elisabet's husband was working in the garden with her when he suddenly collapsed. They took him to the village and he lived in a semi-coma for 4 days before dying. From what they described to us, it sounded like an aneurysm in his chest. From their perspective, the death was clearly the work of sorcery. Some were even saying that it was something that he or his wife did that left them susceptible to attack by demons. Remember, Elisabet has no true foundation to discount these ideas. 

Then, a month later, as she worked in her garden, her not-quite-2-year-old son stepped into a fire, severely burning both the top and bottom of his foot. She spent a week trying to decide what to do. Should she try to take her son to get help? Where could she go? Who would care for her other children? Why had these things happened to her? As infection set in and her son was not able to sleep because of the pain, her choice became clear, she would hike to see the missionaries. 

She has been near us for 10 days and wants to leave tomorrow - she left 2 of her children back at home and is worried about them and the garden work that she has left undone. Her son is not completely well, but is in a place where his prognosis is pretty good. 

What worries her most, though, is fear of further suffering. She is worried that she is the cause. "I am a bad woman, I've done bad things," she said to me as she requested again that we send men who can help them determine what sorcery caused her problems. Our hearts are breaking for her and her family. She is trapped in a web of lies and fear and is ready to hear the truth. At the same time, we've seen that it takes more than a 1-day presentation of the gospel to break down the animistic mindset that holds her hostage. We'd love it if she were able to move closer and be taught God's truth. That probably won't happen though. It will be a couple of years before our Mesi teachers can get to K-village to teach them. 

Please pray with us for Elisabet, men and women like her, and the Mesi church. Pray that God, in His grace would grow His church to reach their own people. Also, please pray for the Mesi people (and others like them). They are dying to know the only message that will truly set them free. 

At Christmas we celebrate with joy, Immanuel, God with us! Let us not forget that He came as a baby, lived as a servant, and died in our places to take care of our unfinishable business. Now we are His and until Jesus returns, we are his, at work in spreading His good news. It is great and unfinished business. 

More graduates. Mesi literacy school #1 had graduation today. Next week, Mesi literacy school #2 in N-village will hold its second graduation. That is 64 more students through the program! Praise God for His faithfulness.

Opportunity

We know that the end of the year is full of all kinds of requests for donations from all kinds of great and God honoring endeavors. We know that you are all already very generous in your gifts and prayers to God's work. That said, we'd like to give you the opportunity to support full color laminated Bible story picture books that Mesi parents can use to teach their children the truths of God's Word. There will be pictures, notes, and questions that will guide families as they encourage each other in the truth. We expect each book to cost us about $30 and we'd like to sell them to the parents for about $5. The substantial subsidy would allow every parent who really would like this tool to afford it. If you are interested in helping out in this way, you can give to us at our Ethnos360.org page. Please include a note that says "Children's Bible Study Books" so we know how to use those funds. 

Thanks so much for your faithful prayers and support!

Nate for us 5