Made it!

Dear Friends and Family:

Well this is a nice short one to let you all know that we made it. Not only that our bags never got opened the entire trip so all our croc heads, masks, paddles, etc… made it in so that is really nice. We are settling in well here in San Diego, having to work through getting a license (mine expired over the last 3.5 years), registration, and insurance so that is a fun experience, but all in all very well.

 

Thanks for your prayers and we look forward to seeing you all over the next 9 months.

 

Your friends,

Brooks Nina and Beau

 

Time to come home

Dear Friends and Family:

Well it has been a very long and full three years that we have spent in Yembiyembi, but INCREDIBLE to watch what has happened over that period of time. Last week with many tears we said goodbye to our tribal fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters in Yembiyembi (remember we were adopted into clans). This time however, many of them are believers and that backdrop changes everyone's out look.

 

The night before we jumped in the canoe (our airstrip was underwater from flooding so we had to motor canoe to an airstrip 4 hours away) my clan father and mother Lucas and Prisca sat down with me. Lucas and Prisca are probably in their early 60's (there are no birth certificates in the jungle) and know that their time for this earth may not be long. Lucas especially is fading physically and talks often about when he will see the face of "Great One" (the Lord). Mama Prisca spoke for him and said this, "Eldest son, tomorrow we set you in the canoe and you leave us behind for 9 months. We don't know if God has marked this time to close his fingers on your father and I, but we know this, if he does we have no fear, we are his children, we have crossed to his side, we will sit/be with him if it is our time. If you come back and you only see the ground lump (the burial location) and not our bodies your eye water can come, but remember to not let it come like a non-crosser (unbeliever). We will see you again, and we will see your face and you will see ours, we put you in the canoe with that thinking in our heads".

 

As I mentioned, our journey started with a canoe ride and a small Cessna 206 out of the jungle. In 48 hours we fly to the PNG capital, then on to Hong Kong, then to San Francisco and on to San Diego. Pray we can get some sleep, stay healthy, enjoy the trip, and don't loose any bags or items to an over zealous customs agents (sometimes a croc head, bone dagger, or snake skin get them excited).  

 

Can't wait to see you all, and enjoy home with you (March Madness, In-N-Out burger, Starbucks, and some NBA playoffs come to mind).

 

Your friends, Brooks Nina and Beau

 

P.S. the picture is Nina and our co-workers in the canoe coming out of the tribe (Nina's brother and father are in the back to see her off at the airstrip).

 

17 foot Boa constrictor and 2 months till Starbucks

Dear Friends and Family:

Well it is January and we are plugging away into the new year. It is great to have the full team back together (the Shontere and Sutton families) and 3 of our stronger believers that usually are in other villages are here right now as well. We continue to work our way through the book of Ephesians and are seeing some great things coming out of it for the Yembi's. In 2 weeks we will have our first teaching on marriage, and a couple weeks later on parenting, it will be VERY interesting to see how they react. We have a lot of skits (Nina and I portraying a typical Yembiyembi married couple…hope I don't get hurt to bad) and illustrations to try and hammer it home as much as possible. Pray for these teaching days, they are loaded with practical things (forgiveness, true Biblical love, anger, honesty, living the same way as we teach/believe/act on Sunday) that are coming in heavy conflict with decades of traditional thinking. We have seen incredible change in some of the big areas but these day to day issues are more of the stubborn ones that take time, keep praying that the Yembi's (especially the leaders) will grow in these.

On Monday (18^th) myself and a group of 10-15 guys will be setting out on a 3 day hike/canoe trip to visit 2 of our sister villages (Paliagwi and Komombuyo) and another village (Somblinge) that one of the stronger believers (his father is from this language group, his mother a Yembiyembi lady) is originally from. One of the villages has been openly hostile to the gospel and the believers as they travel to and from it, the other village has been neutral and the last one very open to it. The guys with me will be taking the lead on this trip and have a very good plan for fielding questions, responding to opposition, and figuring out where the thinking of the village leaders is at. This is a big trip and we are all very excited to meet up with these sister villages and talk about the big things that have happening in Yembiyembi the past 9 months. Pray for us as we have a 4-6 hour hike through deep swamps (one way) and a lot of canoe travel to get to and from these villages. Pray as well for the Yembiyembi leaders on this trip (Edward, Job, Roger, Robert, Jerome) and how they conduct themselves in some tough situations, pray that we would pave the way for the gospel in these places through our testimony

 

On different note we are now less than 2 months from coming home in late March, and getting very excited about it too. In another few weeks Nina and I are starting Beau on a crash course of American culture and things he can expect that he doesn't see out here that much (carpet, escalators, mandatory shoes, temperatures that don't come close to the 100's, food that is not wiggling as you eat it, and people you call Grandpa/Grandma that are of the same skin color). Yesterday one of Nina's brothers killed a 17 foot boa constrictor (had to rescue the hunting dog from it's mouth) and it took 4 guys to drag it into the village. Beau was pulling it around with 10 other kids asking "do they do this in San Diego dad, cause it's fun".

Not much else, thanks for your continued prayers for the believers/unbelievers pictures that you have, we continue to see the crosser group (that is what the believers call themselves) grow with a really neat addition 3 weeks ago. John-Fisher was there for the last 5 weeks of my village father Lawrence's (the first Yembiyembi believer to die) life and got to see the testimony he was as he left this world. He got back into Yembiyembi 3 weeks ago and despite being groomed to take over the leadership of the opposition turned his back on it and started coming to the teaching. Later our co-worker Tim Shontere was talking with him as they were working on the book of Revelation together and he said this "Brother I have watched many people die but never anyone like Lawrence. People scream out curses and yell for their family to back (retribution) the pain they are getting, but Lawrence….no. He knew where he was going, he had no fear, he was ready….that is what I want. So I am here to hear the true talk now, I want what Lawrence had"

As always a huge THANK YOU to you ones who stand behind us out here. We would not make it if it wasn't for your support, encouragement and prayers. We are privileged to be part of this awesome team.

 

Your friends,

Brooks Nina and Beau

 

P.S. the picture is Beau, his buddies, and the snake.

 

P.S.S. San Diego Chargers….oh my goodness. Any copied articles (no pictures just text) from the internet or wherever would be greatly appreciated....unless they lose, then no e-mails whatsoever please J. But if they win against the Jets, then the Ravens/Colts…send like there is not tomorrow. And know that we will mangle whoever comes out of the NFC, but send articles anyways.

 

Fwd: 17 foot Boa, and 2 months till Starbucks

Dear Friends and Family:

Well it is January and we are plugging away into the new year. It is great to have the full team back together (the Shontere and Sutton families) and 3 of our stronger believers that usually are in other villages are here right now as well. We continue to work our way through the book of Ephesians and are seeing some great things coming out of it for the Yembi's. In 2 weeks we will have our first teaching on marriage, and a couple weeks later on parenting, it will be VERY interesting to see how they react. We have a lot of skits (Nina and I portraying a typical Yembiyembi married couple…hope I don't get hurt to bad) and illustrations to try and hammer it home as much as possible. Pray for these teaching days, they are loaded with practical things (forgiveness, true Biblical love, anger, honesty, living the same way as we teach/believe/act on Sunday) that are coming in heavy conflict with decades of traditional thinking. We have seen incredible change in some of the big areas but these day to day issues are more of the stubborn ones that take time, keep praying that the Yembi's (especially the leaders) will grow in these.

 

On Monday (18^th) myself and a group of 10-15 guys will be setting out on a 3 day hike/canoe trip to visit 2 of our sister villages (Paliagwi and Komombuyo) and another village (Somblinge) that one of the stronger believers (his father is from this language group, his mother a Yembiyembi lady) is originally from. One of the villages has been openly hostile to the gospel and the believers as they travel to and from it, the other village has been neutral and the last one very open to it. The guys with me will be taking the lead on this trip and have a very good plan for fielding questions, responding to opposition, and figuring out where the thinking of the village leaders is at. This is a big trip and we are all very excited to meet up with these sister villages and talk about the big things that have happening in Yembiyembi the past 9 months. Pray for us as we have a 4-6 hour hike through deep swamps (one way) and a lot of canoe travel to get to and from these villages. Pray as well for the Yembiyembi leaders on this trip (Edward, Job, Roger, Robert, Jerome) and how they conduct themselves in some tough situations, pray that we would pave the way for the gospel in these places through our testimony

 

On different note we are now less than 2 months from coming home in late March, and getting very excited about it too. In another few weeks Nina and I are starting Beau on a crash course of American culture and things he can expect that he doesn't see out here that much (carpet, escalators, mandatory shoes, temperatures that don't come close to the 100's, food that is not wiggling as you eat it, and people you call Grandpa/Grandma that are of the same skin color). Yesterday one of Nina's brothers killed a 17 foot boa constrictor (had to rescue the hunting dog from it's mouth) and it took 4 guys to drag it into the village. Beau was pulling it around with 10 other kids asking "do they do this in San Diego dad, cause it's fun".

 

Not much else, thanks for your continued prayers for the believers/unbelievers pictures that you have, we continue to see the crosser group (that is what the believers call themselves) grow with a really neat addition 3 weeks ago. John-Fisher was there for the last 5 weeks of my village father Lawrence's (the first Yembiyembi believer to die) life and got to see the testimony he was as he left this world. He got back into Yembiyembi 3 weeks ago and despite being groomed to take over the leadership of the opposition turned his back on it and started coming to the teaching. Later our co-worker Tim Shontere was talking with him as they were working on the book of Revelation together and he said this "Brother I have watched many people die but never anyone like Lawrence. People scream out curses and yell for their family to back (retribution) the pain they are getting, but Lawrence….no. He knew where he was going, he had no fear, he was ready….that is what I want. So I am here to hear the true talk now, I want what Lawrence had"

 

As always a huge THANK YOU to you ones who stand behind us out here. We would not make it if it wasn't for your support, encouragement and prayers. We are privileged to be part of this awesome team.

 

Your friends,

Brooks Nina and Beau

 

P.S. the picture is Beau, his buddies, and the snake.

 

P.S.S. San Diego Chargers….oh my goodness. Any copied articles (no pictures just text) from the internet or wherever would be greatly appreciated....unless they loose, then no e-mails whatsoever please J. But if they win against the Jets, then the Ravens/Colts…send like there is not tomorrow. And know that we will mangle whoever comes out of the NFC, but send articles anyways.

First YY to be with God

Dear Friends and Family:

This is just a quick note to let you know that one of my fathers, Lawrence Yangisi went to be with the Lord yesterday. Lawrence was the first man in the entire tribe to be baptized (he nearly got speared to death for it)  and was a very outspoken witness for the gospel. A few months back he contracted TB and managed to make his way out to the aid station in the town of Wewak for medical treatment. His wife (Gloria) was there with him as he grew thinner and weaker and he could see the end in sight.

The most amazing thing through all of it was that Lawrence's testimony never faltered. He repeatedly sent back messages to the tribe and his children (5) that he was not afraid to die, and they were not to accuse anyone (the typical Yembi way) of working magic or anything.

The last time we heard from Lawrence he sent a messenger to the radio out in Wewak and passed on this message "If Got closes his hands on me then that is how it is, it is His will alone. You will see this dirty (my body) of mine when it comes in there to be put in the ground, but don't be sad, you will see me again in heaven. I am ready and have no fear, I really have no fear". Lawrence is the first Yembi that the entire tribe has heard of that was not afraid to die, he was ready to meet his maker.

As the news raced around the village yesterday that Lawrence had died the usual chorus of voices from the opposition in here started up and the accusations and threats started to fly. But some of the believers sat down together and went around the group asking each other what they thought Lawrence was doing. Some said he was talking with Adam, some said he was probably talking to Noah, others said he was probably talking to the apostle Paul and telling him how he had just finished studying his letter to the Romans, it was awesome to hear.    

Please pray for Gloria and her kids, the pressure on them will be heavy these next few weeks. And pray for the believers as they prepare to bury Lawrence. This is the first believer to die in Yembiyembi (the first person from this language group to be with God) and they intend on conducting an entirely new type of "service", pray that they would have wisdom and be a great testimony in the process.

Thanks guys,

Brooks

Titus, trip to Iteri, and co-workers back

Dear Friends and Family: 

I blinked and all the sudden we are a week and half into October. Things have been non-stop here (probably where you are at as well) but we have continued to see the church grow, the crossers (believers) mature, the translation move ahead, so we are encouraged.

Three weeks ago our co-workers (the Sutton family) made it back into Yembiyembi and it has been great to have them. The Yembiyembi's welcomed them with the usual volley of mud, coconut milk, flowers and running the gauntlet of sweaty smiling faces wanting to get a piece of you, even our pilot did not escape, it was fabulous. They have settled back into the rhythm of life here and their 2 clans (we were all divided up at the beginning into clans) are especially glad to have them back.

Nina and Beau are doing well, working like crazy on 3^rd grade, but doing well. Beau is elated to have his best friend Logan (Sutton's boy) back and catching him up on all the delicacies (various YY foods) he has been missing. Nina is plugging along at content checking 1&2 Timothy and Titus, keeping ahead of Beau in school and keeping us alive (malaria meds, parasite meds, tropical ulcer meds, etc…), without her we would be hurting.

Last week myself and my father (Robert and uncle (Zaccheus) were able to fly to the village that I grew up in (Iteri) and encourage the church there for 3 days. The Iteri's are economically much worse off than the Yembi's but spiritually much further along, so it was a neat exchange. We were able to be there for the Sunday gathering and 3 late night meetings with all the believers.  Our guys (my father and uncle) were struck with how bad things are for the Iteri's here on this earth, but how good they will be for them in eternity, it was a great lesson for them to see "the least of these" in person.

Robert said this as we were boarding the plane to leave Iteri: "I don't know if I will see any of your faces on this ground, but I call out to you (refer to you) as brothers now because of the talk of Jesus, so I know that I will see your faces when we meet at His ground (heaven) someday. We won't worry about shorts (clothes), food, we won't worry for anything, we always be full".

Because of the radical difference in culture and language between Iteri and Yembiyembi (remember that Papua New Guinea has the highest number of distinct language and culture groups of any country in the world) there were 100's of questions each day from eating styles, dress, language, understanding of the Bible, exposure to the outside world, etc… They Yembiyembi's were blown away by the clear memories some of the Iteri's have of cannibalism and pre-European days. The Yembis too were able to catch the Iteris up on national politics, errant doctrines that were making their way through the town, and the best kind of newspaper to smoke these days. Funny stuff to watch and be a part of.

Guys, I usually have waaaay too much to say but I will cut this one off and save a few recent highlights for November. However I can never say enough how thankful we are for the part each one of plays in keeping us out here, keeping us encouraged, and praying this work through the ups and downs that it has faced. We are grateful for you.

 

Thanks so much,

Brooks for Nina and Beau Buser

P.S. Charger nation, looks like it is going to be a typical year. If they happen to start looking like the Chargers of 06-07 then somebody tape the games if they can, if they lose, save your postage.

Fwd: Nina's Grandmother's death

Dear Friends and Family:

Well it has been a rough week. Early on Sunday morning when we were gearing up for teaching the weeks lesson we received and e-mail letting us know that Nina's grandmother (who Nina spent a lot of time with growing up with and is named after ) had died.

We got on the radio with our base and our pilot/support team did a great job of getting us out of the bush the next day. We debated sending Nina and Beau back but being at least 19 hours of flying away and with a long list of issues that pop up with moving across so many countries so fast it didn't seem to be the right choice.

We have been out at our base for 4 days now and have caught up on all the details and issues with the funeral and memorial and have been able to talk with family through this tough one. Pray for Nina as we get ready to head back in the bush and not being able to be home for this.

 

Thanks for your prayers,

Brooks