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 (19-26th) 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
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