[Williamson Update] Change of Direction

 

 

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Is. 26:3

 

 

It’s been several months since we wrote to update you all.  Much has taken place in our ministry during that time so we’d like to take a few minutes to share with you with you about some new direction for our family.

 

In past updates we have referred to our ministry in Tobo as working in a garden.  We have been working here since 2007 tilling, planting, watering & weeding; attending to the seeds and giving them what they need to grow.  There have been times we’ve seen growth and there’ve been times where we’ve just kept working in the garden by faith not seeing any growth at all but praying and trusting that one day we would reap a harvest.  Our knees have gotten muddy as we’ve toiled and toiled to protect each seed and provide it with the right climate in which to grow.  They’ve gotten muddy as we’ve been on our knees praying for God to do His work in growing each plant and bringing it to maturity to bear fruit.  We’ve grown closer to the Lord through many times of disappointment and hardship and do not regret the opportunities we’ve had to depend on the Lord and to thank Him for the lessons in perseverance and faithfulness He’s taught us.  He’s become a caring Father to us, along with being our anchor and hope (Heb 6:18-19; 1 Tim 4:10) and we have found His love has always satisfied us.  However, recently we have not been given peace to continue working in the same manner in which we have been.  The Tobo church is in poor spiritual condition and needs more than we can give them.

 

In December we met with our NTM leadership, church planting consultants, and teammates about the condition of the church and the concerns we have with its growth.  Nisae and I have poured our hearts into the believers here and have given much effort into seeing them grow in maturity and adapt a Biblical Worldview that is lived out among their unbelieving community.  What we have seen in response has not been what we have hoped and prayed for, but rather our efforts have been met with resistance and callousness.  The believers have closed the door themselves on our family’s ministry among them and ultimately on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in their lives.  At the conclusion of our meetings, we all decided that it would be best to take a step back from the Church here in Tobo and allow them some time to decide for themselves if they are going to follow after the Lord or not or continue to live in the shadow of their prideful community.

 

Nisae and I have done everything possible to spur on growth in the believers’ lives and to facilitate the possible reigniting of the church.  We’ve built friendships, laughed, cried, admonished, preached the Word and modeled it, pursued, and encouraged each believer in hopes that God would use these efforts to produce fruit in their lives.  However, the Lord has not chosen to bring about a harvest at this time and we think that leaving the Tobo church on their own is now what is best for them, and us.   Therefore, with the support of our leadership, consultants & teammates, we have decided to move out of the tribe in February and live in Madang (the town where our support center lies).  After we’ve put a stop to our teaching in Tobo and explained why we are moving out and the reasons we are all stepping back from the church, our co-workers, Chad & Janeene Mankins, will continue to live in Tobo to translate God’s Word and other materials in hopes that down the road the church will reignite and desire growth.  Out in Madang we will continue to assist Chad & Janeene in developing materials for the Tobo church but also plugging into some new ministries there supporting the church planting effort with other missionaries in their respective tribes within our region here in PNG.

 

There are mixed emotions as we have prayed over and considered leaving Tobo but we know without a doubt that the Lord is driving this change of ministry and are confident of our decision to move. He has used the above verse in Isaiah in our lives recently to give us peace in difficult circumstances.  He’s given us joy and has miraculously provided moving expenses and we are excited about the ways in which we can be a blessing on our support center and be involved in other aspects of tribal church planting. 

 

We hope and pray that God will use this difficult time in the few Tobo believers’ lives to draw them to Himself and we are confident that He alone can break through the tough soil to continue building His church.  Please continue to pray for the Tobo believers to respond to the Lord and desire growth.  Pray for our co-workers as they press on through the difficult spiritual climate in Tobo to finish Scripture and materials for the future church.  Pray also for our family as we transition to a new place of ministry, which includes flying everything out of the tribe to a new house, and getting acclimated to a new climate and new responsibilities.  Nisae will continue to homeschool our kids and I will continue my training in becoming a language consultant while assisting Chad with materials for the Tobo church and adding on other support roles as we continue ministering here in PNG.

 

Thank you for your prayers & support of our family and walking through these changes with us.  Please feel free to write us, we’d love to hear from you!

 

Your hands & feet heading down a new trail,

 

Jason, Nisae, Kadynn, Judah & Eden

 

News from Tobo

 

Glad to have our co-workers back!

 

We just wanted to send an update and let you know what we’re up to in our family & ministry in Tobo these days! 

 

November finds us at the beginning of our “dry” season here, and yet it has been very wet!  We’re thinking maybe the seasons here are much like the seasons we grew up with in Michigan… you never know what the weather is going to be until you step outside and experience it J.  Nevertheless, we have fully outfitted our home in Fall colors, fake leaves, and Thanksgiving artwork from the kids.  We’re looking forward to a yummy Thanksgiving next week with our co-workers and then celebrating Kadynn’s 10^th birthday the following weekend.  Should be a fun time for all!

 

The kids and I are almost half way through the school year (Kadynn in 4^th grade, Judah in 2^nd and Eden in Kindergarten) and enjoying our time together every morning.  We’ve had some excitement recently with our cat having 5 kittens and our guinea pig having 3 babies as well.  There’s never a dull moment around our house!

 

On the ministry side of things, Jason is translating lessons to teach the Tobo believers and teaching them every Wednesday morning.  They are currently half way through the book of Ephesians.  He is also teaching on Sundays and meeting with several men throughout the week to encourage them in their walk with the Lord.  We covet your prayers for the believers here and what the Lord wants to do in each of their lives!

 

On a personal note, the Lord is teaching us a lot right now through some trials He’s allowed into our lives.

It’s such a profound thing that we can be completely satisfied in any circumstance by understanding the Lord’s love for us.  It’s something the Lord is teaching us right now and longs for us to understand.  We are praying for true understanding, full satisfaction and deep contentment in the Lord’s lovingkindness towards us, that we won’t hope or long for anything else in this world.  “Oh satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness” Ps 90:14

 

We are looking forward to a little break coming up, which will include some beach time J, some meetings to determine more direction for the church here, and a trip for Jason into another tribe.  He will be getting his feet wet in a ministry to other missionaries in neighboring tribes who are learning the tribal language.  After his training, Lord willing, he will be able to help them determine their level of fluency in the language they’re learning.  This is something he will be able to do alongside of our ministry in Tobo and it’s exciting for us to think about being a part of the bigger picture of church planting here in PNG and being an encouragement to fellow missionaries!

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and for the work here!

 

Your Hands & Feet in Tobo,

Jason, Nisae, Kadynn, Judah & Eden Williamson

 

Mailing Address: Jason & Nisae Williamson

New Tribes Mission PMB

Madang, MP 511  Papua New Guinea

 www.handsandfeet.net

Giving Addresss: New Tribes Mission, 1000 E. First St, Sanford Fl  32771 or www.ntm.org/give

 

 

Planting Tomatoes of Truth! [Williamson Update]

 

 

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavily places in Christ.   This past week the kids have been helping us work in our little family garden “plot” planting tomato plants. This has been part of their science this year teaching them how God designed plants to grow, and how we should care and look after them. One of the things they have been learning is that God designed seeds to have everything they need, all the food and protection within their shell to start to grow into a mature plant.  All that’s needed is air, warmth & water!  This has been a great reminder to my heart that God has given us everything we need to grow and mature!  We are lacking nothing and He is the one who is lovingly and patiently working in us to bring about the character of Christ in our lives.  Just as we patiently tend to these new baby plants, God is working in His perfect timing in our lives.   As we think about these truths our hearts are encouraged in knowing that even though the work here in Tobo and has been slow, (and at some points we have even questioned whether or not God is really working at all!) just like those tomato plants, God has planted a seed in their lives when they believed, with everything needed to grow into mature men and women of God.  It just takes patience, a little water & warmth, and TIME!  What an encouragement!   This past couple weeks we have felt the Lord’s leading after many discouraging months to implement some pretty big changes in how we (the tobo church) function. We’ve been feeling for a long time that our regular Sunday teaching times have not been a great platform of encouragement for the Tobo believers who genuinely have a passion to grow and encourage each other. During our Sunday meeting times we have many people from different beliefs and different worldviews come to attend church, and this has clouded identity.  Just like seeds need a little warmth to grow, we believe by having a separate meeting for these believers it will be the warmth they need to begin to open up, share burdens, pray for each other and ultimately strengthen and establish them as a family. After our first meeting with them, it was like there was a big burden lifted off their shoulders. I asked them to share about what God had been teaching them through our study in Ephesians. And for the next hour I just sat and listened as all 5 people shared about what God was teaching them, how He was strengthening their faith and how they really wanted to continue to strengthen each other.   For Unex and his wife Eski who were both recently saved, we have began teaching during our Sunday meetings through phase 2 of the chronological teaching for new believers for them and for everyone else. We are praying that they will grow spiritually as they learn the purpose of meeting together and are reminded again of God’s big redemption story and His plan for their lives.  Pray for the others attending that this teaching would convict their hearts and lead them into a real desire to follow God!   Prayer Requests   ·         As you can imagine… if you were 1 of about 8 people who have believed the gospel among hundreds who do not, and you didn’t have communication with anyone else who is saved and no books to read to encouraged your faith except already translated portions of the Bible in your language… it may be hard for you to stand up for the gospel as well.  No one who we are writing, ourselves included, will ever know what that’s like.  So we are trying to put ourselves in the shoes of those believers here in Tobo.  Some of whom, in the last 3 months, have fallen to temptation.  They need your prayers!   ·         Pray for our co-workers, Chad and Janeene Mankins as they settle back into life here in PNG, and for the adjustment as a family.  We’re excited to have them back!   ·         Pray for our annual conference coming up here at the end of this month. Our family will be flying out to Madang to enjoy some fellowship and encouragement from our fellow missionaries who work in other tribal groups around the Madang and Morobe regions of PNG.   Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!   Your hands & feet cultivating these Tobo seeds, Jason, Nisae, Kadynn, Judah & Eden     Please delete the body of this email and respond to: jason_williamson@ntm.org Send mail to: Jason & Nisae Williamson New Tribes Mission PMB Madang, MP 511  Papua New Guinea www.handsandfeet.net