Of Confrontation and Fear

Thank you for praying!

Last week we wrote a bit about the tragic events in Mesi-land and asked you all to be praying for the Mesi people and the Mesi church. We are very grateful for the many who have faithfully prayed for our friends this week. Here is an update for you.

Of Confrontation

Last week wrote that Mesi church leaders were about to meet with leaders from the village that sparked the fighting and we asked you specifically pray for that meeting. 

Well, as with many situations that potentially involve social friction here, the meeting was put off for a bit by the non-appearance of the far away village leaders. It was not easy for the Mesi church leaders to decide what to do next. On the one hand, they knew that somebody needed to speak up for the fighting to stop. On the other hand, they knew that going to actually say that out loud could very well be putting their lives at risk. 

After much prayer and discussion, they sent a team of 11 men to the far away village on Wednesday. They spoke with the whole village there, saw three freshly made grave sites, and heard of three more victims that were not recovered. They found out that it was one extended family in particular that instigated the violence, but the others in the village had not sought to stop them. Thank the Lord with us that the village leaders accepted some responsibility for the fighting and agreed to put a complete stop to it.

Of Fear

A little after our Mesi bible teachers returned home with news that was at least a little encouraging, our fellow missionaries that work in the next language group over sent us a note. They let us know that their people were afraid and hiding in the bush. They told us of a single survivor, a woman who made it back to her home place with two arrow wounds. They told us that the Kovol people would not let them see her – even though she is in critical condition – because they were afraid that word of her survival would get back to her attackers and they would come for her again. 

You see, the village where the fighting was happening is almost exactly between where our Mesi believers live and where the Kovol missionary team lives. And, because they had been married to Mesi fellas that were attacked, two Kovol women were also among the casualties. 

Remember, in 2017, we took Mesi bible teachers along to every Kovol village in the hopes of opening a door to the gospel there. We had, from the start, hoped that the Mesi believers would play a key role in building a gospel centered church among the Kovol people.  

What a travesty that the people we are seeking to reach with the message of real, life-giving grace, instead associate the Mesi people with aggression and death. 

Out of Ashes

So many times over the last 18 years, hard situations have brought clarity of purpose and grown our faith in ways that easy times never could. And, although it would be presumptuous of me to claim it with certainty, I believe that is the function of the current crucible that the Mesi church finds itself in. They have been prompted to pray for wisdom and safety with a fervor that we haven’t seen for a while. They have been challenged to say hard things to outright dangerous people with no outside support. They also realize that they face the challenge of reaching both sides of this conflict with the story of God’s redemption.

Please pray for the Mesi church. For unity. For wisdom. And for a love of their Savior that will sustain them through this.

Thanks so much for all you are doing on behalf of the Mesi people and our family,

Nate for us 

PS: I’ll be making a visit in to see the Mesi believers in about a week. Please pray for travel in the midst of tough logistics and for our family to take care of each other well while I’m gone.