Well it is a Monday here and we are doing the usual routine. Nina is in the middle of educating Beau (2nd Grade is testing both of their character), doing the laundry from our time at the river yesterday and getting ready for her ladies meeting on Wed. I am in the office with Romans translation work, lesson writing and going over a new teaching schedule with some of the "crossers".
Things have settled down really nicely in the village and there are some neat breakthroughs with some of unbelievers in the village. The believers have done a good job showing kindness (a very un-Yembiyembi quality) and a little grace when dealing with some of these guys. Right now our believers are living and breathing in the book of Acts and watching Paul in action is infectious. How Paul was willing to sacrifice body, ego (a huge one in our tribe) and the comforts of this ground (another big one) to get the message to those who had never heard is a message that is resonating among them.
5 nights ago I was about to go to bed when I heard some guys sitting around talking outside and went out to investigate. 5 of our believers were outside making a fire and were all excited about something. My brother-in-law Job invited me over and explained that 2 of the believers had been to our sister village (Changriman) to buy Kerosene for their lamps and had been asked by the village chief about the "God talk". The 2 believers went to the Chiefs house that night and the whole village sat inside or outside on the ground and listened till 3:00 in the morning as they started in Genesis 1:1 and talked through till the fall of Man. One of 2 believers said this later, "They were like baby birds just eating everything we were giving them, it was amazing to watch God squeeze their livers like that (desire something greatly)". The two believers had to leave early in the next morning (a 6 hour hike) but promised that next time they came they would bring their notes (the lessons they have gone through) and "fill up everyone's thinking good".
These next few weeks are going to be busy for us as we hang out with some visitors (Thanks so much Rob and Becky for coming, we can't wait to see you), tear down our old meeting house and re-locate it to a new site, have a translation check for the first few chapters of Romans, and finish teaching the last few lessons of the book of Acts. We are really excited about finishing teaching in Acts and starting into Romans. So many of the Yembis are asking questions about the "Christian life" and are wanting/asking us to start teaching them about faithfulness, living with the Holy Spirit and what to do with that law (10 commandments) now that they know they don't help them get to God. We are also starting to gear up for an outreach to one of our sister villages and in the next month or so will be doing another baptism. Like we said, we will be busy, but it is so encouraging to be seeing first hand how the believers are growing daily by their time in the Word and from the persecution they are facing. Keep praying for them, especially for Jenny (Paul's wife), Helen, Ipona, Kerobim and Otto. These are the one's who have been causing the most friction in the village lately. We know though that God answers prayers, and we are hopeful that their hearts will be softened and their eyes opened to the truth of God's Word.
Thank you so much for your prayers. Nina and I have been so encouraged these last few weeks by all of the e-mails and notes we have received from you.
Appreciate you all,
Brooks for Nina and Beau
P.S. the pictures are of the baptism, clearing the site for the new teaching house, one of my fathers reading the Christmas story on Christmas night, and Beau with his friends.
