More pics

 

Pictures

These are some of the pictures from the party that night after the baptism.

Weathering a storm

Dear Friends and Family:

Well Nina and I are currently out at our regional base and recouping from a wild last couple weeks. Following the baptisms in the village we had an incident that required us to get Nina and Beau out of Yembiyembi and call in the police.

I won't go into too many details but the crux of it came down to the teaching and some of the changes (in the believers and their families)  that are taking place in Yembiyembi. The leaders of the other side are starting to see where the teaching is leading and what the eventual outcome is probably going to be (as evidenced by the baptisms and some of the testimonies during it) and they are starting to get desperate.  Because of that there were some plans formed by a small group of men to try and provoke the believers into an all out fight and then go after us (Nina, Beau and myself) with the goal of getting us out of Yembiyembi.

 

In the end the police did a good job (it helped that some of them spoke our tribal language) and the men who put the plan into action were charged, forced to pay a massive fine and threatened within an inch of their lives. Keep in mind that the bulk of the village is standing with us and many would do anything to keep us from leaving. Also keep in mind that these guys are baby baby believers and their knee jerk reaction in the past to these type of situations is to fight back  with everything in them and some of them slipped back into that and the violence that erupted from that was too much to keep Nina and Beau in the bush.

 

But the most encouraging part of this whole incident was how the believers stood up and defended the gospel, the teaching, the baptisms and reminded the unbelievers in the tribe that with or without us there they would never leave what they have come to believe in.  Pita, Lawrence and Michael in particular stood up and together gave the gospel to the village and reminded them of how they used to live and how they could not imagine living in the "dark" again, not knowing what this life, and the life beyond was about.

 

This e-mail is purposely vague because we don't want to go into too many details yet, just know that we are doing well and things are cooling down in Yembiyembi. But please keep praying for the Yembiyembi believers and the unbelievers that are still in darkness, we are in truly in a war for the future of that tribe.  We have had some good meetings with our regional leadership and have a good plan in place, but do be praying for us as a family. In 7 days we will be heading back in and the "war" within the village, we are also prepping for the teaching of the book of Romans,  moving the teaching building, the believers doing a re-teaching from Adam to Christ for new believers and ones that didn't get it the first time, and our second baptism. 

 

Again I leave you with 2 quotes.

My oldest father Lucas said this after the 2 men leading the other side had demanded that the teaching, baptisms, and catching new crossers (what our tribe says when some teaches someone else the gospel and they understand).

"How can we stop any of those…those are the posts (the main points) of Jesus talk, those are the posts that He taught. If we take those posts out of the house the house will fall. NO, we will not, we have to listen to God, not to men, just like the first crosser/followers Peter and Jon did."

 

Micheal, said this when the police questioned him about why he left the other "church" (Micheal was the #2 man there before he was saved).

"The eyes of my thinking were opened, just like the fish scales dropped from Paul's eyes (when Paul received back his sight after the Damascus road, a lesson we taught 3 weeks ago) the fish scales dropped off the eyes of my mind. I saw my massive book (sin debt) and realized that I could not remove it, only one man could, only Jesus. How could I give my back to that, it is the true true talk of God, it is the only way to go to his side. So I give my backside to any other talk, it is only lies, I will only stand on God's talk, I will not go back to lies, my eyes are open now. "

 

Guys my uncle Zaccheus took me aside after the police had left and the village was in turmoil and reminded me that the strongest weapon of this fight is going "talking to our papa" (prayer).

So please don't let up in your prayers for the village of Yembiyembi, the entire Bises language group (the believers are beginning to talk about when this talk is heading to our first sister village Paliagwi/Mensuat in 2009), and the safety of our family in the middle of this all. God is building his kingdom in Yembiyembi in an incredible way, and these trials and challenges are the fuel that are producing incredible men and women of God.

 

Love you all,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

 

 

The Literacy Project: Video Update

Death Adders and the book of Acts

Dear Friends and Family:

Hope this e-mail finds you well wherever you are at. Life in
Yembiyembi continues to roll along, but with significant changes
happening in the villages. The teaching program has continued on with
a "crossers meeting" (the believers call themselves "the crossers"
because they have crossed from Satan's side to God's) every week as
well as a Sat night men's meeting, and Wed afternoon woman's meeting.

Some things that have been happening recently that have never happened
before are: singing in the believers meeting, testimonies by new
believers, public prayer by men and women, and a wholesale changes by
some of the believers to drop old customs and beliefs.

One of the neatest things though was the opportunity to take two of
our new believers on a survey trip to a different tribe that is being
looked at for allocation of new missionaries. The new tribe called
"Biem" has a similar background to Yembiyembi (Animistic/Catholic
Syncretism) and the opportunity for our 2 guys (Peter and Job) to
share (in the trade language) what they had come out of and in a
limited way share that there was is much more these guys needed to
hear, was awesome. Most nights they were up past 2 in the morning (a
everyday occurrence here, but still very painful for me) talking and
explaining to the Biem people what would happen if the missionaries
were to come, and asking questions about their belief system. It was a
really neat opportunity and a great growing time for Job and Peter as
they were able to think back on the massive changes that have come
into their lives over the last 4 years and more specifically the last
7 months.

Sometimes I am leery of writing out these quotes only because the
back-story on the individual that gave it is not able to be given. The
people that said these things are growing and changing right in front
of us in ways that we could not have imagined last year, but this
growth comes with sacrifices. Remember that roughly 50% of the
Yembiyembi village is still not saved, and around 10% of it is
adamantly opposed to what is happening in the tribe

The first night when Peter and Job arrived back from their trip to
Biem their canoe strings were cut sending their canoes way down river,
many of the believers have unbelieving spouses or a parent that are
putting massive pressure on them to stop coming to the meetings and
return to "normal" Yembi life. In the last 6 months some of the new
believers have had babies and the pressure to perform customs or
rituals on these newborn children has been….immense. Pray for guys
like Silas, Roger, Paul, Dennis, Andrew, Job, Gloria, Prisca and
Regina, that in the face of these challenges they would stay strong.
Trials challenges and opposition are not a bad thing, they actually
have an incredibly purifying effect on the body of believers
(half-hearted people usually jump ship fast), but we need to continue
to hold them up in prayer through these so they would come out
stronger on the other side.

After hearing that we will have to fly in a plane and boat across 5
hours of open ocean to get to Biem island for the survey some of the
women in the tribe started to wail for Job and Peter thinking they
might die. Job had never been in a plane or on the open ocean but
stood up in his house that night and said this: "Don't cry for me, I
don't feel any fear in my bones about this trip. I sit in one man's
hand and if He closes His fingers then I know it is my time, but He
holds/controls the waves of the sea and of the air (wind) so I don't
feel any fear".

One of the Biem Islanders asked Peter in a meeting if he had left his
beliefs that he was brought up with. Peter said this "I have. I
realized that I had been eating talk that was mixed with maggots, some
of it was good, but some of it was making me very sick. I was not
ready for the time of death, I was on a path that men had created that
was full of lies. Now I don't swallow (believe quickly) talk from
anyone, black man, white man, priest, village elder, none of them. I
hear their talk, I scale it (evaluate it) and if it is true talk I
down it (believe it), if not I throw it away, I only believe what is
true".

In the ladies meeting last week my mother Gloria stood up to talk to
God (pray) in public: "God break our heads in this meeting (open our
minds to understand) so that we see with clear eyes your talk, we
don't want our thinking to be cloudy. Keep your eyes on our 3 who are
on the big salt-water lake (the island survey to Biem), bring them
back here to us, that is the end of my talk".

My brother in-law Dennis whose wife (Vila) was sick said this: "Many
are asking me to make the offering of the spirits (killing then
burning a chicken in the house to satisfy whatever spirit is causing
the sickness), but I will not go down the path of man's talk
(untruth). I know who can make her better and I will only ask Him".
Then he asked if Tony would pray with him right there for Vila. She
has slowly been coming back to health this last week.

Next week we cross into another first for the believers here as we
step into the book of Acts. We are still working like crazy to finish
the necessary scriptures portions of Acts, and laying the foundations
for Romans (to be taught soon after Acts), so pray that the Lord gives
us good health and allows us to stay ahead of the teaching with
translated materials. Already in the translation of Acts we have seen
the believers that are working with us really respond to that book, we
are hoping the same holds true for the rest of the believers.

Last night in our men's meeting we were talking about a man from a
neighboring village who had been bitten and killed by a poisonous
snake when a 4 and half foot Death Adder came slithering right between
the legs of my brother-in law into the middle of our meeting and swung
around back to where me and my fathers were sitting. Nina and Beau
were asleep but heard the yelling and hooting as the men scattered and
climbed up poles to get away. We finally pinned it down with a shovel
as it went in and out of the stools and leaves that everyone was
sitting on. No amount of coffee can wake you up like having a
poisonous snake slither right under your chair. We had a good laugh
after it was over, though I was checking my boxers to make sure I
could continue.

Beau continues to grow like crazy, he is starting 2nd grade in 2 weeks
and is preparing himself mentally for the coming battles with his
mother. She in turn is listing her bribes, methods of inflicting pain
and other "motivators" to get him through.

Thanks guys, we love and appreciate you all, thanks for your continued
encouragement support and steadfastness in keeping us out here. We are
members of a greater team and we are thankful that you are part of
that team.

Your friends,

Brooks, Nina and Beau

P.S. The immensely spiritual job of taping any college or pro football
games (USC, Michigan, or the Chargers makes you extra spiritual) and
sending them to this address is there for the taking J.

Brooks Buser

P.O. Box 625

Wewak E.S.P.

Papua New Guinea

Beau improving and Yembiyembi update

Dear Friends and Family:

Well 4 days ago Beau's low grade fevers were still lingering around so we caught a flight up to Goroka, our mission headquarters in Papua New Guinea, to get some blood tests done and to see the Dr. Beau has been improving on a daily basis but still had the occasional flare up with slight fevers so we thought it would be best while we are out of the tribe to try and get as many answers as possible before we head back in. The doctor said it could be a virus of some sort, Dengue Fever or a couple things complicated with Malaria. Either way he is on the mend and we are really grateful for it. Most of the blood work is being sent to Australia and we won't get the results for another week or so, but we are feeling much better as he continues improving. Thanks so much for praying for and for your encouraging e-mails.

Nina and I are enjoying our time out at our mission bases and relaxing a bit now that things have turned with Beau. The last 9 months in Yembiyembi have been incredible and it has been our privilege to be a part of the things that the Lord has done there. The new believers and their growth has been one of the neatest things to see. Many are coming to grips with what it means to be a child of God and are now re-evaluating everything that they believed to see if it is true or "mans talk". Our first Yembiyembi public testimony from one of the big men in the Toucan Clan (Andrew) was incredible to hear and take in, this is a small piece from the middle of it: "For years I did not understand clearly God and the debt that I carried with him. I have been eating sago with rot in it (believing something that had an element of truth but was overall wrong), I was one who talked well but was carrying sick around. Well now I know, and no one can take push me back to ignorance again, NO, I am done with mans talk, on God's talk alone will I stand."

Another neat thing to watch has been the way God has sent the message from Yembiyembi out to other villages in the area. My lesson helper and brother-in-law, Job, took all his lesson summaries (for every day of teaching there was a one page summary for anyone who attended) and brought them over to his dad and brothers in anther village, a day and half hike away, called Chambri. His brother has been reading them to the rest of the family at night and working their way through them, storing up questions for Job when he came. The week before we came out here to Wewak Job went to Chambri to check on his dad (he is the publically acknowledged witch doctor for that area) . His dad was standing on the banks of the lake yelling "Youngest son, youngest son, I am waiting for you to come explain this talk to me, don't waste time I am not long for this ground, come explain what all this means". So Job sat through the night and taught the entire house from Adam through the fall of mankind. Job had to get back to Yembiyembi the next day but he will continue to go back and forth to review the lessons with his family. Remember that Job is barely a 2 month old believer himself, but when he got back he told me; "If God has spoke/chosen for my family not to be ignorant of this talk, then the only way they will hear is from my mouth, in my hands they sit (he is responsible for giving them the message of life)". It was awesome to hear the Chambri's starting to hear the Word, but even more exciting to see Job realizing that God was wanting to use him.

These past months there have also been some big time challenges that have come forward from ones in the tribe that do not agree with what is happening, and have been very harsh on the new believers. Continue to pray for these five especially: Donald, Kerobim Manu, Sophia, Otto, and Jeffery. All five of them have family members that are now saved (Sophia's husband is Andrew , the one who gave the first testimony), but their "eyes" are still very much blind, don't let up on them, keep praying.

We sure appreciate all of you guys and the encouraging e-mails we have gotten from everyone as we went through this thing with Beau, you guys are great.

Guys that should do it. I feel like a broken record asking and thanking you for prayers on our behalf, but if we didn't believe that it made a massive difference we wouldn't' be out here. So thanks for praying for us, and continuing to up hold the Yembis and this entire ministry in prayer.

Thanks so much,

Brooks Nina and Beau

P.S. Anyone who mourned/is in mourning for the Lakers meltdown at the finals I feel your pain. Next year…..next year.

Beau being sick

Dear Friends and Family:

 

Well the last few weeks have been challenging in ways we did not expect. About a month ago Beau started coming down with these around the clock fevers that would spike and drop all day.  4 different medications and 4 weeks later we still are not sure what it is or how to bring it under control. So 4 days ago Nina and Beau flew out of the tribe and yesterday I made it out to join them here at our regional mission base on the coast.

The first indicators pointed to Chloroquine resistant malaria, then to Dengue Fever, and now there are more things pointing to something called Scrub Typhus.   If in 72 hours he does not shake the fevers on his current medicine we will be flying to our national base in Goroka to see a doctor, get some blood tests done and hopefully find some answers.  Appreciate very much your prayers for Beau during this time.

 

In another week or so we will write about the progress in Yembiyembi and the growth of the new church and the believers. Some very neat things going on not only in Yembiyembi but in surrounding villages that are starting to hear from the "Crossers" (this is what the believers call themselves "The bridge crossers").

 

Thanks so much guys,

Brooks

 

P.S. Because we are out at our base (Internet and fast e-mail connections) I will try and attach a couple pictures to these updates. Nina went on a trip to a waterfall with her mother, and Beau with a tree kangaroo.

 

P.S.S. This is what Acts 1:7-8 sounds like in Bises:  Then Jisas he told them like this "Nope, you ones don't know the period of time when those things will happen, only God Father does, so don't give thoughts to that. But I tell you in a small chunk of time God Spirit will be coming, then He will be living in you, then with strength you will be my mouths  to spread my talk to the village of Jerusalem, to the ground of Judia, to the ground of Samaria and to all of the ground, to the edges,  to all those places will you spread my talk".

 

 

 

Last 2 days of teaching

Dear Friends and Family:

Last night we taught the lesson of Jesus celebrating the Passover with his disciples, tonight is Jesus arrest, and tomorrow is His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. The teaching is drawing nearly the entire village at this point, some for just the excitement that is there, and some to see what this is all about, but most to understand how the bridge-man (Jesus) was able to make a way back to God's side from Satan's.

Last night after we taught the lesson I sat with a group of men as they talked and discussed what has come, and what is coming in these last couple days:

My father Lawrence said this: "This is the first time we have heard the meaning of this talk, our thinking is coming clear on why Jesus came, and how he was the bridge-man (bridge between Satan's side and God's)."

Peter, my brother-in law, had this: "At night my wife (Merryrose) and sons sit and read this talk over and over. This is not a now talk, this promise talk started with Adam and it is coming true, God did not forget his promise, he followed it (fulfilled it) with the bridge-man, he would not leave us with our steal-father (Satan), our true father didn't forget us".

Rodney, my cassowary clan brother, who helped me with the last lesson 3 days ago and we believe is now saved said this: "This talk is very sweet, I tell you the truth, the last day of this talk is so sweet it will make your teeth tickle (it is really sweet)".

And my in-law Job, who also helped with that lesson and knows he is saved said this "The God of this river (pointing to the river by the teaching house), of these stars, he knows me, he did not forget me. He is my only real father, and when my person (body) goes back to the dirt, I will not be pushed far from him (separated from God) to the lake of fire, no! I know the road to the other side now, and I know who bought by book (his record of sins), and for that reason I will go with Him.

I am cutting this note a little shorter today because of the tasks still to do these last 48 hours. As I type Tony is firing up the chainsaw and we are cutting up a couple boards to make the cross for tomorrows lesson, Nina is meeting with a group of ladies to re-explain why Judas betrayed Jesus, Tara is down in the village meeting her mother and sisters, Tim is working on the translating a portion of Luke we will need, and Courtney is reviewing lessons with her family members (tribal family).

Some prayer requests for the last 2 days are these:

1. Our health, (my voice) would hold up for tomorrows 2 hour and the day afters 3 hour lesson. Then as we stay up all night (last Sat night we had questions from about 40 guys till 4:30 in the morning) and talk through all the lessons that we would stay strong and keep our energy level high.
2. That the people on the fence would understand very clearly the gospel message, and why for ones who are searching, this IS sweet talk.
3. That God would do an incredible work in Yembiyembi over these next days, and see many come from Satan's side to God's.

Not much else guys, the specific times for teaching today will be 5:30 till 7:30 at night, and tomorrow 4:00 till 7:00.

Appreciate you all so much, and the way you have stood with us through all of this,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

Week #9

Dear Friends and Family:

Well we completed our second to last week of teaching and are into our last 48 hour break before going for 8 straight days of teaching, culminating in the death burial and resurrection. This last week was….very exciting. One of the lessons this last week was on Jesus healing the paralytic, and when it was explained to them what was meant by taking his sins away, heads started to nod and smiles were popping up all over the teaching house. Some people didn't stop smiling that whole night (which is very un-Yembiyembi), it was an amazing thing to be a part of, just to watch them react to the "bridge-man" the Savior and how Jesus did have the power to bring them to God's side.

 

Comments from that night:

Paul -  "This talk is really getting sweet, this was sweet, very sweet".

Robert - "This makes me very excited to see him (the paralytic) go across, Jesus just….took him across!"

Andrew -  (he was yelling this to everyone in the teaching house)- "Get your sago ready, this talk is getting hot (good), we don't want any words to drop to the ground, make sure your food is ready for next week"

Regina- "Only the ones who saw their sick, only those went across, chest-strikers (the proud) don't get across, I must be clear on my sick (sin), I must not trick myself on the sick I have."

 

Keep praying for some of the older folks, but know that you are making a difference. Last week we asked you to pray for Helen, Sita, Ilen, Regina and Clara. Regina (Nina's mother) has made a complete about face to her previous belief system. Many of us were shocked last week (not just the white-skins, but the Yembi's as well) when she came out and said she was "done with the old ways of thinking", she knew what was "true and only on His talk was she going to stand (believe in)". Clara, Ilen and Helen have been faithfully coming and listening and should be here tomorrow morning for the Thursday ladies get together (the three ladies on the team meet with any women who want to come up and go over questions from the teaching, last week we had over 50 ladies talking about God's Word). Continue to pray for Sita though, and add a lady named Sophia to your list. Both are still coming but seem to be getting harder in their thinking and more contentious as we explain what a Pharisee looks like, and what true repentance is.

As we see others fading, we are watching others come on strong. Salvius a guy who has been a fairly constant pain in our neck since we got here has stepped up recently and been very faithful to attend, and is not shy about telling others that he is following the talk, and he will be one of the first to cross over to God's side when he understands. After last Saturday night's meeting he went down after the meeting and woke up his mother and wife (Sita and Edita) and had a strong talk about repentance and the bridge-man finally being there.

Last week Salvius and I went pig hunting (we got no pigs, got rained on through the night, but had great talks) and said this "I feel like the clouds of my thinking are blowing away and I am understanding clearly for the first time how God sees me, how big of a book (record of sins) I have and big my debt with God is". Others that recently we have seen really coming, seeking, and understanding are Bernadette, Sabina, Prisca, Kevin, Leopa, Marianna, Eric, Julie, Godfried, Matthew, Herman and some others. If you want to put faces to names, their pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/. And if your new to the website, pick out some of those people and pray for them, this next week will be, for some, the biggest week of their lives.

As we head into the last week please continue to pray for your people, this is the last 100 meters of a long race that started in January. The week starts on Sat and goes till next Sat (19-26^th) and will probably not be without challenges. Please pray that things go well, that the kids are able to stay quiet, that the dogs and pigs stay away, that the people would be listening and tracking, that God would move in an incredible way and the beginning of the harvest in Yembiyembi would be great.

Especially pray for these 3 guys, Kerobim (Manu), Otto, and Jeffery. All three are older men raised in the worldview system of the tribe, and have not been able to shake it. Kerobim has missed only a couple lessons and is ready for next week, but remains quietly against the teaching. Pray that something gets through to these guys, that one of their kids, sisters, brothers, fathers is able to make an impact on them, and bring them around.

Not much else guys. When we started the teaching I felt like we were launched into space, and next week I feel like we are going to be landing on the moon. None of us are really sure what to expect, but we do know that God is going ahead of us, and that is on account of you and your prayers. Please continue to be faithful this week, it is a big one.


Thanks guys, appreciate you all very much,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

 

 

Week #7

Dear Friends and Family:

 

Well we finished the week of teaching with the final thought being "Next week we will start the talk of the bridge-man (the one who will be the bridge for the sons of Satan to come to God's side)" and people are getting excited. Many already know that this talk will culminate in this guy called Jesus, and that he did something big and our books (record of our sins) and our Adam part (Sin nature passed down to us from Adam) will get taken away allowing us to move to God's side. They are not sure how it all works though, and why this man is different, but they want to know and badly.

 

2 days ago my brother Roger said this "I know that my Adam part makes me dirty, because of that I am not sure there is anything my hands can work or my mind can think that can bring me to the other side. He (the bridge-man) must do something and that alone will carry me across".

 

Thank you for praying for the river and the flood situation that we were facing. Incredibly as we were getting 1", 2" and even one night 3.5" of rain we did not go under. The river is holding steady and we have been able to stay in the teaching house and continue in the momentum that we have there. Continue to pray for individual people and for the tribe as a whole. The talk of the village (especially from 6:00pm till 2:00 in the morning) is about the teaching and the new ideas brought by this teaching. Some are visibly excited as they hear these new things from God's book, and some are scared of the implications this will have on their life. One of my fathers, Lawrence, was talking last night and said "I know that a chicken and it's feathers cannot make my daughter better, I know that the smoke does not remove our dead ancestor spirits, they are all far far away probably in the fire lake. But these ideas came from our great-great grandfathers, and to give my backside to all of them is very hard to do." No doubt these things will take time for them to grow in, but praise God they are seeing a stark difference between what God says and what they have believed, and recognizing one as true others as false.

 

Last Saturday night's meeting was again a big highlight of my week (9:00pm till 3:00 in the morning). Many in that group are now understanding points of truth that are way passed where the rest of the tribe is at, and applying it to their lives. One of Nina's brothers, Silas, who is our right hand man that drives the boat and motor, cuts the grass on the airstrip with the tractor, and has been faithful with many other things.  Silas (whose wife at the beginning was not attending the teaching very well, but recently has been coming faithfully) talked about this "We are in your hands (us 3 missionaries), but my children and wife are in my hands, if they die and go to the fire lake I will be the one who God will ask the hard question to, I must work hard so they too can be clear in the thinking on God".

 

The highlight by far though of this week was putting together the lesson of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus with my language helper Job. As we read John 1:29 where John says (Bises translation) "Look you ones, this One coming is the sheep sent by God, He will remove the sin debt of all the men and women living on this ground" and Job put it all together. He didn't start crying or jumping up and down he just said "I see it, I see it is just like that" (which means he understands). Then he took me back from the beginning with Adam and Eve and our sin in them, then he walked me through Abraham and Isaac and the sheep taking Isaac's place, then through the Passover and the sheep without blemish was the only thing that could take the place of the Israelite first born, and that if Jesus was the sheep for all mankind then he (Job) counted and He was his sheep, his substitute. It was a….once in a lifetime experience.

 

Guys there are a lot of men and women who are close or right where Job is now at, and in a little over 3 weeks they will be hearing the last lesson we have to teach. Keep praying, keep holding your people up in prayer, that they would be faithful in their attendance, that they would be tracking with the lesson, that they would recognize their immense need for a Savior, and when He comes on the scene they would fall in love with Him.

 

We are in good health just run down a bit. Pray that the next 48 hours we could get some much needed rest and gear up for the next week of teaching.

 

There are only 3 and half weeks to go till we teach the final lesson, if we stay on schedule (big if) the final lesson will fall on the 28^th of April (27^th in the U.S). Keep pressing on and petitioning God for His grace and mercy to these people, your prayers are really make a difference.

 

Thanks guys, appreciate you all so much,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

 

P.S.

The pictures of all the Yembi's are still at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/ and there is a blog of all these e-mail and other links at http://bringingthesecrettalk.blogspot.com/

 

And if somebody could send me an e-mail and tell me:

1. Who was in the final four,
2. Who won
3. Where the Padres are in the standings
4. Who is going to be the next President of the U.S. (in that order of priority)

 

Week #6

Dear Friends and Family:

 

Week 6 for us in Yembi Yembi has been getting back into teaching and gearing up for the final month which will end with Jesus death, burial and resurrection.

 

Last night we taught on the first four laws that God gave to Moses and the Israelites. As normal we had 70-100 for the start, but about 10 minutes into the lesson the bulk (another half) of the village showed up. The neat part was that as we taught the number of people that came did not translate into a louder crowd (which is normally how it works).

 

As always there are ones that are tracking….incredibly well, and ones that are not.

 

Pray for Donald, Kerobim (Manu), Alan, Ana (Lulu), Apronia, Elmina, Gotfrit, Jackson and Janurarias (Sandemel). These ones are having a hard time tracking, not showing up, or out right opposed to what is happening.

 

Vila, Sylvia, Sita, Sophia, Scola, Roy, Nik, Mikelma, Max, Martin, Kevin, Joel and Iginais are there (most of the time) and are tracking, but we are not sure to what degree. These guys really need your prayers.

 

Then there is Roger, Edward, Anastasia, Job, Silas, Paul, Dennis, Lawrence, Kelly, Kerobim (Kafisa), Nikola, Alexia, Edita, Ilen, Stanley and Mariana, that are doing really well, tracking, understanding, and believing that this talk is true.

 

Last week one of my fathers (Robert) said to me " Oldest son,  I was reading the story of Pharo and how he saw with his eyes the strong of Yawe but his heart was strong like Cains. I put my thoughts (thought to) to Yawe that my heart would not be strong like that, that I would be able to see, understand, and scale to be true (believe) his talk".

 

With the death of Leo and Tino still in their minds, Job my brother-in-law, said this to everyone in his house as they tried to persuade him to help them kill and burn the feathers of a chicken to ward off death from the black power men, "Death is with us all the time, but no man on this ground holds me in his hand, only God will say when my time is done, when his fingers close then I will go, but not before."

 

Last night after teaching the first 4 commandments and why the commandments were given, my brother Rodney said this, "Who is able, who that walks this ground is able to keep all of these (10 Commandments) all the time, not us ones of dark skin, not you light skin ones, this cannot be the way, there must be another way".

 

It was the highlight of my week to do the preparation for the lesson on Jesus birth and to look back on how faithful God has been to us these last 3 months, and trust in that faithfulness as we get to the most important part of the teaching. We have about a month to go, and as of now are slated to finish the teaching the last week of April. Please don't let up on the prayers and petitions for these people, they are getting it, the light is encroaching on all they believe and hold to, and it is making a difference.

 

Right now the river is high and we are looking at the village going under in the next few days or so, if the rains don't stop and the river keeps rising. If the river floods and the village goes under (the houses are on high poles, but the teaching house is a dirt floor with benches) then the teaching house will go under and we will have to move to higher ground. Pray that we could stay where we are, keep the routine, and keep the momentum going for the teaching.

 

Our team is in good health, (minus lingering effects of Malaria in a few of us) and good spirits for this final month, pray that we could keep up with the work load, with the 100's of people that could use some discipleship and catch-up time, and keep our eyes on God through this whole thing.

 

Thanks guys, keep it up we sure appreciate you all,

 

Brooks for Nina and Beau

 

The pictures of all the Yembi's are still at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/ and there is a blog of all these e-mail and other links at http://bringingthesecrettalk.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video Update

A brief video of the first teaching of the Gospel to the Yembi Yembis.

Week #5

Dear Friends and Family:

Well, we finished week five plus one day of teaching and we are now looking at a 2 week break and then back to finish the teaching which will culminate with the death, burial, and resurrection.  The last lesson we finished with was the lesson of how God saved the Israelites through crossing the Red Sea.

Because the anticipation of Leo coming (his body) there has been a lot of outsiders in the village and most of them come to the teaching. This has had upsides and downsides, with adding about 70 more people to the teaching, but ones that do not have the foundation of the earlier lessons, it has been a mixed bag. One neat upside is that the outsiders have been asking the regular Yembi's (ones who do have the foundation from Creation till now) about the teaching and it is not unusual to walk down to the teaching house and see a man walking a small group of kids or adults through the pictures (we have pictures for nearly every lesson to help jog their memory).

Thanks to all of you that were praying for the village, and especially the ones that are scared that it wouldn't effect their attendance (with the two deaths of big men many are trying to blame the new teaching). The first day back we were missing quite a few older ones, but steadily we have gotten nearly every one of them back. There are still ones that are very suspicious and the years of animistic influence are too much for them to overcome at this time. Especially continue to pray for Kerobim and Donald, they are at the very center of creating much of this fear, and are not happy with many of the younger guys that do not agree with them and are "breaking customs" by not believing in the dead spirits.

Probably the most exciting time of my week is on Saturday night from 9:00 till 4:00 in the morning. Since the teaching started we have been meeting on Saturday nights with any men who want to come and "talk to understand" the teaching. This time has been great to clearly gauge where some of the stronger ones are at in the teaching, and to understand where we need to make adjustments, re-teach, and clarify. Like I said it starts at 9:00pm but usually does not end till 2 or 4am and each week has been steadily growing in attendance. The neatest thing is that the format is purely Q&A, so all night long they sit and ask any and every question they can think of about the lessons but most especially about the "bridge man". Because we have not taught on Jesus yet there are many times we have to say "Guys that talk is coming, I promise it is coming", but there are many questions we can answer and strengthen their growing knowledge in the process.

Here are some clips from last nights meeting…

Freddy (He married one of my tribal sisters, but is from another language group, he has been coming to the teaching since the beginning) said: "In-law, I watch this God and how he kills the ones of Egypt who do not listen to his talk, but he saves all the ones of Israel who listen to His talk and action it with sheep blood on the sides and top of the door. Like that it must be with me, I must hear this talk, and I must know what to do with it, just hearing will not help me"

Roger my brother said this: "I too see this God and how he deals with men who hear and throw away (sin) his talk, like Cain, and Lot's wife, and the ones of Egypt. And I remember that this is the one who sees me work in the garden, this is the one who sees my thinking in the clear all day long, this is a very scary thought to me"

Peter, another one of my brother-in-laws said this: " I lay in bed at night and think of my book (the record of sins that God keeps for each man), how big it must be that I could probably not carry it. If that book is talking against me when I die then there is no hope for me, it is too big to hide or talk trick (deceive) about".

I answered Peter and he came back with this: "For this bridge-man talk my ears will be sharp (listen well), He will give me the road to come back to God's side and to take that massive book away"

Guys these 4 comments don't do justice to hours and hours of talking about things like, when life begins, where skin colors come from, how does God talk to us today, what happens at death, and most especially what happens after death. All of these get discussed, but all are answered from God's word.

One other note is that we (Nina, Tara, and Courtney) started something similar with the ladies last Thursday morning and the turnout was…..incredible. Be praying for this meeting, it has the chance to impact the Yembiyembi ladies like few other things can.

As we go into the break let me give you three things to pray for in addition to your individual people that you already have.

 

1. Pray that the stories that have been taught would continue to be talked about through this break. Repetition is key for these guys, many do not get the meaning of the stories till it is told to them 2 or 3 times, and some have to hear 5-10 times, critical thinking has to be pounded into them. Be praying that they continue to talk and repeat the stories so they can work there way home to ones who have not fully understood them yet.

 

2. As they bury Leo in the next few days, that the outcome from that bolster the teaching, not scare people away from it.

 

3. That we would not lose any more people to death during the teaching. Few things can scare people like death, but to the animist it is the ultimate reality and there is no way (unlike in the West) to dress it up, hide it, or talk around it, it is simply too brutal and too real. Please pray that God would hold back the death for some of these older ones that are on the edge of understanding, and for the sakes of many in the village that would be terrified if another man was to die.

 

Guys that should do it. Keep up the good work, it is no accident that the Yembiyembi's, some of the strongest toughest people on God's earth, are hearing and responding to His word, keep praying, keep asking Him to be working in the heart of the person or persons you are praying for.

Thanks guys,

Brooks Nina and Beau

P.S. we will try and send pictures over the 2 week break, so sorry we have been unable to this point. All our e-mails go out via radio (meaning they have to be very very small).

 

Resuming the teaching

Dear Friends and Family:

 

Well much has happened since we last wrote and we wanted to catch you up.  

 

Leo's (Kemua's) death has been a huge blow to the Yembiyembi's and their confidence in this life.  Consequently, many are very scared and very worried at this time. Some have openly stated that the teaching has "made clear (explained) the paths of death", and that is why so many are dying now. Some are reverting back to what they grew up with (that Leo's spirit is stalking the village looking to hurt people), and the fear that goes with that, which is not completely unexpected. If you or I were raised to believe something about the afterlife, something that our forefathers for many many generations had believed and passed down, it would not be wiped away in one clean sweep, it would take time, and bravery to stand up and believe in something that goes against years of their ingrained culture.

 

The neatest thing is watching these brave ones, these 40-50 who have heard, understood, and believe that this is the truth. And if it is the truth then EVERTHING else is a lie, and therefore nothing to fear. It has been amazing to hear stories (from other Yembi's) and watch in the back of rooms as these men and women (remember these guys are not yet saved, they simply have taken what they know, compared it to God's word and believe that the Word is true) stand up for what they have heard in the teaching. It is having an incredible impact on the people around them.

 

Part of that group, and ones that Nina and I have been able to spend some time with are Robert, Joel, Roger, Job, Silas, Kelly, Stanley, Joanna, Rodney, Paul, Lucas,  Prisca, Edward, Peter, Dennis, Vila, Zaccheus, Micheal and Ilen.

Continue to pray for these guys and girls, they are out in front leading the change that is starting to grip Yembiyembi. Many are not sure where this talk will end up, what will be required of them by God, what it will take to understand the bridge-crossing man (the man that will be the one to make a way for the children of Satan to walk across to the other side and become children of God), but they want to know badly.

Some ones to pray for that are really worried, are scared of  the teaching and are not doing too well: Donald, Kerobim, Otto, Sevi, Maria (Kalanges), Januarius (Bonambil), and John-Florian. All of their pictures are at this website. http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/

 

This week we will be teaching some very very important lessons, so be in prayer about these and that we would get as many Yembi's as possible out to the teaching. Because of the fear in the tribe, it has scared some (especially the older ones) about coming back, pray that we could get them there, and get them listening well. The 3 key lessons for this week will be: Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac, The Passover, and the Red Sea crossing. These 3 lessons have some huge implications for the Yembi's, and if they grasp the meaning of them they will be so much closer to understanding Christ when he comes on the picture, so be praying for your people.

 

Leo's body has still not been buried (it is in the morgue at town) and will be coming in any day. We are hoping to get a solid week and a half of teaching in before that happens and the whole village shuts down again. There are 5 other people in the village that the Yembis are calling "one leg in" (meaning one leg is already in the grave, they are very close to dying), and a couple that have gotten much worse recently and could go any day. Be praying for these ones, some have been coming to the teaching, others are physically not able to come, or mentally not able to comprehend what is going on, but loosing any of them would be very tough at this time.

 

Not much else guys. Remember this is not a battle, it is a drawn out war with victories and losses, the one constant is God, and our prayers and petitions for His strength and power to move in these situations. Keep up the good work we are so very happy to have you standing with us in all of this.

 

Your friends,

Brooks, Nina and Beau

 

 

 

 

 

Leo's wife

Dear Friends and Family:

 

It doesn't seem possible that 2 weeks ago we wrote about Tino dying and yet today I am writing again to tell you about the death of another village "Chief".   Yesterday, Leo (Kemua) died when a car taking him to the costal town of Wewak, rolled over and crushed him. Leo had a lot of clout in Yembiyembi, and was a strong "Catholic" influence.   

 

Of all the teaching sessions he was probably only present for 2-3 and would not participate in any of the late night talks that were going on. Leo's wife and their son Dennis, (Dennis-Kolevi and Pauline) are a part of the core 40-50 guys and gals that are truly on fire for the hearing this talk. A few days before Leo left, Pauline told Nina "I need to hear this talk to the finish so I can go and teach it to Leo in Wewak."  3 nights ago Dennis, myself, and 3 other guys were talking over the lessons of Noah and the ark, and he asked me directly "In-law, will you talk to my father and try and get him to come to the teaching, I am worried the spirit of this ground (Satan) has his thinking and he is on the path to the fire". The next morning before I had a chance to talk with Leo he left for town, and the next day he was killed.  

 

Leo's death will definitely stir up the village and once again there are 2 possible outcomes to his death. The village could go into turmoil and fear over loosing another leader (we have been here 5 years and only 4 older men have died, but 2 of them have been in these last 2 weeks) and will try and tie his death to the spirits being aggravated over the teaching.  Or, they could see it for what it truly is, that all of us as sons of Adam will all die, it is only a matter of when.

 

Already many are wondering why Leo was not coming to the teaching. Some are openly wondering if God took him because his being/thinking (heart) was like Cain's, he heard God's talk but turned his back on it. 20 minutes ago as I walked up the hill another one of my brother-in-laws said  "This talk that is coming, it is for these times. Death she lies close to our skin all the time, we never know when God will say our days are enough, only He knows. This talk is not play talk, this talk is preparing us for that day".

 

With the background of Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, and last night the Tower of Babel, the Yembi's do have some understanding to lean on in these days, and it has been neat to watch different ones growing in their knowledge of God. The difference between the core group and the ones that are partially understanding (about 100 or so) is significant, but nearly everyone is being impacted in some way by the teaching.

 

Prayer requests for the next few days:

1. That we would be wise in knowing how to handle Leo's passing and when to start the teaching again.
2. That those who are holding to their former teachings as the ONLY way, will stick around to hear the truth from God's Word.
3. That they will understand that Salvation is something they cannot achieve in their own strength
4. As we press into the 5^th week of teaching that their energy, food level, concentration and attendance would not wane.
5. That our team would stay healthy and finish out the next two weeks (up to the teaching of the 10 commandments) strong.
6. That we would always be trusting God for what has/is/will happen here.

 

Thanks guys. Keep praying, keep holding up your individual members in prayer (we will try in the next 5 days to send out an e-mail with a report on different individuals in the tribe) and thanks for sticking with us.

 

Your friends,

Brooks, Nina and Beau

 

 

Week #3

Dear Friends and Family:

Last night we finished the teaching for this week with Adam and Eve being kicked out of the garden, God rejecting their clothing, and providing His way, it was heavy.

The Yembi's are animist's with 40 years of semi-Catholic teaching, and thus have mixed nearly everything and come up with a hybrid "religion" that can be bent to shape any belief.

As they watched God follow through on his promise to Adam and Eve and began to get a better picture of what God thinks of sin, his absolute standards, and that no man can hide anything from Him, the quieter and quieter the teaching sessions have become. We still have over 100 kids under the age of 10 that can really make some noise, and my foot gets a workout kicking all the dogs that wander in when we are teaching, but the adults are tracking well, and the young men are not missing a beat.

2 days ago we taught on the fall and the ramifications of Adams sin and how it applies to us today. As the Yembi's heard for the first time that men don't get bad knees from holding their grandchildren, people's backs don't hurt from sitting on a chair that a menstruating woman has sat on, women don't experience pain in child birth from their husbands planting posts in the ground, and many others, it looked like they had been punched in the gut. Many afterwards were saying something along the lines of "Our fathers and grandfathers were lied to", "How many did Satan trick before our time", "We have been eating and swallowing lies till now, enough!!".

The beauty of following God's story as God gave it (chronologically) is that for every punch in the gut man receives, there is always a promised escape from the pain that we brought on ourselves. The promised redeemer was also in that lesson, and everyone was ready for a little good news. Though many in our tribe know that this talk will end up with a guy named Jesus, none of them really know why, or how He is able to remove sins and take our dead "Adam-ness" and bring it life. One of my brother-in-laws said, " I heard that talk (the redeemer) and my liver (the seat of emotions) jumped. I will hear about this freeing bridge-man (the man that will be the bridge between the children of Satan to the children of God) and no one will keep me from crossing".

As many of you remember only 10 days ago Tino died, and the shock from that is just now settling down. Fortunately, Tino's death has not stopped people from coming to the teaching, but has had much the opposite effect. On the first day back teaching we held up a picture of Tino that had been taken during one of the lessons (Tim happened to have taken a shot of Tino 48 hours before he died, sitting at the teaching, reading the scripture), and everyone got the VERY clear reminder that we are short-term people on this ground, and it could be over for them or I at any moment. The fact that Tino was so faithful at coming to the teaching has been hard for many (us included), but it hasn't deterred them from the main point, that right now is their chance to hear about God and to understand what He requires of them before they go the way of Tino.

Kerobim is still attending and still listening from a distance (he likes to sit 10 or 12 feet outside the teaching house) and sometimes gets up, leaves and then comes back and stands in the back of the teaching house. The last 2 days we have seen a major break from the Animistic/Catholic worldview and it has been hard to swallow for some of the older people, so none of us are completely sure how Kerobim is handling it, but he continues to be there and has yet to stand against the teaching at all. Keep praying for him, he is still very influential and like I said in an earlier e-mail, he would be a major force for the gospel if he were to understand.

The teaching starts back on Saturday, but on Friday night we will be holding the graduation of our 3^rd literacy class. This class is…priceless. The class (22 students) has a handful of older men but is mostly made up of older women from the village. Everyone of them is either an aunt, mother or grandmother to everyone in the tribe, and they have been faithful in the longest running literacy class we have had so far. Because this class as taken longer, other people in the tribe have given them the nickname "stone head class" or something comparably flattering. But these ladies and men are AWESOME. Through floods, death of a relative, short food supply and a good deal of ridicule, they have persevered with many being able to read the scriptures well, and with a huge sense of pride. It is one of the few times in YY history that any group has committed to something for this length of time, without the lure of money or immediate social benefit, and have fulfilled their commitment, it really is a landmark.

Next week we step into these lessons:

Sat- Cain and Abel

Sun- Cain's offspring, Seth and the Enoch

Mon – The setting for the flood and Noah

Tues- The Flood

Wed- Tower of Babel

Cain and Abel and the Flood lessons are HUGE for these guys, and we need you praying for some specific things as we come into this phase of the teaching…

1. That their lost-ness, and their in "Adam-ness" would be pounded home with each lesson.
2. They would realize that in themselves, in their good intentions, there is nothing that can save them (very hard for anyone, let alone animist/catholics to get away from "doing" something).
3. That they would tie their only hopes of getting out from their "Adam-ness" to the coming Redeemer.

Guys I could write pages on the things we have seen and heard that are flat out AMAZING, but I have already written more then I previously said I would. Thanks for sticking with us, keep praying, keep holding up your individual people in prayer, and by faith we will see them respond to the Light.

Thanks much,

Brooks, Nina and Beau Buser

P.S. The pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/ and letters, links and other stuff is at http://bringingthesecrettalk.blogspot.com/

Heavy Hearts

Dear friends and family,

With heavy hearts we write this post, letting you know that one of our village chiefs (Tino or Wondoan) has died.

Tino is the recognized leader of the Black Cockatoo clan and has been an influential man in our favor. He has been faithfully coming to the teaching for the last 3 weeks, sitting in the front, answering questions and understanding very well.

On Sunday we did not see him at the teaching and his wife (Jacinta or Wembis) said he was not feeling well. On Monday she got an extra copy of the lesson and said he was feeling a bit better and was hoping to be back for tonight’s teaching session. Last night she was reading to him the lesson (she is 2 days from graduating from the literacy class) and he was catching all the information and seemed to be doing a little better. In the morning however he took a turn for the worse and word spread quickly that he was not doing well.

Tony and myself went down in the boat (the village and airstrip are about 4 feet underwater right now) and got our first look at him. Tino was tossing and turning, in a great deal of pain and having trouble breathing. We gave him a shot of Penicillin and came back up to our house to organize a boat trip and medivac flight to get him out. However as we got to the radio the drums announced the news that Tino had died.

As in all animistic cultures, a quick and untimely death is NEVER by accident. The Yembi’s are struggling right now with what has happened and how to weigh all of this in contrast to the lessons they have been hearing. 2 days ago we taught on Satan and Hell, yesterday was the beginning of the fall and we ended the teaching session with these words “No one knows how long God has given them on this ground, it could be my last day or yours today, we don’t know. Hear this talk well, you don’t know when your time will come”. Those words are all that is being talked about in the village right now.

Guys, this event has 2 possible outcomes.

1. The enemy is able to throw the village into a panic that the spirits of the dead have come to cause death and destruction, and the fear of this talk will force many to flee and not be a part of it.
2. The people recognize Tino’s death as a warning sign that their own lives are SOOOOOO short and their chance to understand how God will deal with them is happening right now, and they become more energized and motivated to hear it all.
   

Our team is pretty rocked right now, as I said he was a faithful man that was hearing the teaching well, and none of us can reason why God would take him at this time. But God is God….and his plans are not mine, it is to us to walk faithful when we don’t fully see the picture. Someday we will, but for now we know what He requires of us.

Obviously pray for the Yembi’s, pray that this will have an outcome that will get them to the teaching with open ears and open minds. In recent days some have been coming, but not listening well, pray that this would snap them out of their lethargy and into concentration. Pray for our team that we would see the Lord in this situation and be wise in how we communicate, console and encourage our Yembiyembi friends. We will probably be taking a 3-5 day break from the teaching and then gauging when the Yembi’s would like to get back into it.

Thanks guys, appreciate all your prayers,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

Week 2

Dear Friends and Family:

Well the 2^nd week of teaching has come and gone and there is so much to talk about. First off our family.

Nina and Beau are doing well, hanging in there and great troopers about being in the village for night teaching sessions. Beau has a hard time sitting still, but loves the skits and playing marbles (with rubber nuts) chasing dogs and chickens with the Yembi kids. Nina has been having a great impact on her sisters and mothers in the tribe, all of which feel much more comfortable asking her questions than me.

The teaching has been rolling. We have continued with 80-90% of the village attending, with every night seeing an increase. A neat thing to watch has been the young men of the village. Nearly every one of the young guys from 17-30 is showing up and are the center of the excitement, interest, questions and understanding. This has not been lost on the women and older men of the tribe, and has prompted many who were on the fence to keep coming night after night.

The core of those guys right now are, Rueben, Job, Rodney, Joel, Roger, Stanley, Robert, Paul, Dennis, Fidalis, Kevin, Silas, Jerome, Lawrence, Roy, Desmond, and Siril (their pictures, and the rest of the tribe, are still on http://www.flickr.com/photos/yembiyembi/). This is a big deal in our tribe because the leadership structure will always be the older men, and these guys are being groomed now, to step into the leadership that will hold this village for the next 20 years.

One of the inevitable side affects of having a village that has so many people coming and going (from other tribes as well as our own) has been losing people to travel. Micheal, Kelly, Lucas, Max, and Peter had to leave for different reasons like buying a bride for their family, selling some bark to a spice dealer, and attending a government course. We were all sad to see them go, but we are praying and hoping we get them back before Sat and the start of the 3^rd week of teaching, and if you have their picture (or even if you don't) be praying as well.

One of the upsides to the absences came last night as we were preparing to teach. Andrew (from the Toucan Clan) stood up before the teaching and told everyone "Some of our fathers, brothers and sons are not here tonight. So tonight we have to shut the children's mouths well, keep the noise out, and listen well. Who will tell this talk if it is not us." Last night we had great attendance and the people were locked on.

Some highlights to pass on.

On Monday night we taught on the creation of Man, and what God gave us that separates from all other creation, there was almost complete silence as we laid it out. Then as we taught on God knowing what Adam was going to be like, and desiring to be friends, good friends with Adam, Robert (my father in the Ostrich clan) asked if God knew them. As we explained that 6,000+ years ago He knew their names, knew they would be here now, and loves them like Adam, there were whistles (Yembi's way of saying OHHH man) and exclamations of surprise that the creator of the world knew/knows THEM.

Because we end the teaching at 7:30-8:00 at night we usually end up staying around for an hour or so answering questions and going over the main points to those that aren't getting it. After we leave my office helper Job told me on Tues morning "In-law (our reference for each other as he married my sister) don't think that when you white guys leave we stop talking. People are bribing me with cigarettes and food to come over and talk about what they heard, and to explain and give them clues to the next lesson, my jaws hurt with too much talk".

Finally again Kerobim.

He continues to be at every teaching session. His intentions are unknown, but as we taught through the sun moon and stars and the creation of Man he was listening intently and tracking well. He is fighting a loosing battle as his wife, 3 sons and nearly all his good friends are regulars (Roy his oldest son is usually 15 minutes early for every teaching session, unheard of in this culture). Keep praying for him, there is a battle going on in his head.

Next week is probably the biggest week of the teaching we will have.

Sat- Creation of Eve

Sun- Fall of Lucifer and the Angels

Sun- Start of the fall

Mon- Implications of the fall

Tues- Results of the fall and the promised Redeemer.

Wed- Adam and Eve removed from the garden

Many Yembi's are starting to see that this talk is not going where they thought it would go (ie. everyone to heaven, God is a distant grandfatherly figure, warm and fuzzy). The Fall of mankind through their ancestor Adam is going to be a jolt to their system, especially as they realize who's sons and daughters they actually are.

Thanks for your prayers, e-mails of encouragement, and support, we are kept afloat by all of it.

Thanks so much guys, we appreciate you all,

Brooks for Nina and Beau

P.S. all these e-mails and links to other stuff are on the blog http://bringingthesecrettalk.blogspot.com/