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.
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