Tuesday, March 25, 2008
This is the News as It Is Happening
Here are a couple of letters explaining the work that is being done and that is delaying my allocation. Please keep praying.
Dear DJ & Arnie,
At this time with the preparation for Rick's visit, the jetlag of the last lot of visitors and then McIlwains to follow Ricks Visit, we are not ready to allocate Arnie the first week of April. We would ask that you put your plans on hold until we give you a go ahead which may be when Rick comes or in May.
We suggest that you do not bring a pastor until after he decides where he wants to stay after trying out 3 places or so. If Arnie would like to come with Rick, if that would be helpful for a 'kick-off' then he is welcome to do so. And/or come with McIlwains/Germanns (although the car might be very full by this stage), that is fine too.
with thanks,
Matt & Debi
Greetings praying friends,
On this Easter Sunday my thoughts are about Christ being raised from the dead that we might have life, not only life after death, but true life while we are on here on Earth. Did God create man to do good works or to be saved? It seems to me that in the beginning God created man to his steward on earth, ruling the earth according God's plan. Did Christ die on the cross that man might do good works or that he might be saved? Bad question. Better put, he saved us that we might do good works and accomplish that purpose for which God created man to serve from the beginning, to live on earth as His stewards according to God's plan. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:10. How encouraging these words are in these busy days.
Here we have a lot of work to do and there is no end to it in the near future that we can see. I need to prepare for a language check in mid April which consists of for example, doing some conversational speaking on debatable topics then writing the whole conversation, translating it back to English and reviewing it with my language helper for him to correct my errors. I need to do three of these speaking tasks, so that among some other things will keep me busy. If all that goes well, I will be cleared for writing Bible lessons and once I get a bunch written and into that far enough to see that they are communicating well, then I want to begin public teaching. So that is pretty exciting. Our prayer is that this time next year there might be some Lolo's who are rejoicing with us that, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We appreciate all the prayers. It is amazing to think that the Lolo have for countless years, not yet the heard the gospel of God clearly and that Lord willing and enabling, in the next year at least a few of them might hear. While we do not know all his ways, we know that Satan will do everything to thwart God's message being proclaimed to the Lolo. We earnestly desire your prayers for the Lolo that they might realize their spiritual needs. May you also pray for us, we feel unable in so many ways. Please pray that God will give us better minds to understand His word and how to teach it in the Lolo language among the Lolo people that captivates them with His greatness. The word 'God' is in the Lolo language, but 'God' to the Lolo is some distant, uncaring, being that has little or no interaction with man.
All this alone is enough for prayer but we would also ask for prayer for health for us especially Melody who has a cold and some fever probably associated with a mouth full of teeth she has coming in now.
In Christ,
Matt & Debi and Melody
Dear DJ & Arnie,
At this time with the preparation for Rick's visit, the jetlag of the last lot of visitors and then McIlwains to follow Ricks Visit, we are not ready to allocate Arnie the first week of April. We would ask that you put your plans on hold until we give you a go ahead which may be when Rick comes or in May.
We suggest that you do not bring a pastor until after he decides where he wants to stay after trying out 3 places or so. If Arnie would like to come with Rick, if that would be helpful for a 'kick-off' then he is welcome to do so. And/or come with McIlwains/Germanns (although the car might be very full by this stage), that is fine too.
with thanks,
Matt & Debi
Greetings praying friends,
On this Easter Sunday my thoughts are about Christ being raised from the dead that we might have life, not only life after death, but true life while we are on here on Earth. Did God create man to do good works or to be saved? It seems to me that in the beginning God created man to his steward on earth, ruling the earth according God's plan. Did Christ die on the cross that man might do good works or that he might be saved? Bad question. Better put, he saved us that we might do good works and accomplish that purpose for which God created man to serve from the beginning, to live on earth as His stewards according to God's plan. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:10. How encouraging these words are in these busy days.
Here we have a lot of work to do and there is no end to it in the near future that we can see. I need to prepare for a language check in mid April which consists of for example, doing some conversational speaking on debatable topics then writing the whole conversation, translating it back to English and reviewing it with my language helper for him to correct my errors. I need to do three of these speaking tasks, so that among some other things will keep me busy. If all that goes well, I will be cleared for writing Bible lessons and once I get a bunch written and into that far enough to see that they are communicating well, then I want to begin public teaching. So that is pretty exciting. Our prayer is that this time next year there might be some Lolo's who are rejoicing with us that, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We appreciate all the prayers. It is amazing to think that the Lolo have for countless years, not yet the heard the gospel of God clearly and that Lord willing and enabling, in the next year at least a few of them might hear. While we do not know all his ways, we know that Satan will do everything to thwart God's message being proclaimed to the Lolo. We earnestly desire your prayers for the Lolo that they might realize their spiritual needs. May you also pray for us, we feel unable in so many ways. Please pray that God will give us better minds to understand His word and how to teach it in the Lolo language among the Lolo people that captivates them with His greatness. The word 'God' is in the Lolo language, but 'God' to the Lolo is some distant, uncaring, being that has little or no interaction with man.
All this alone is enough for prayer but we would also ask for prayer for health for us especially Melody who has a cold and some fever probably associated with a mouth full of teeth she has coming in now.
In Christ,
Matt & Debi and Melody
