A Fresh Perspective

Unex, my language helper & friend

“I’ve never heard the Bible like that before,” Unex told me after one of the believer’s meetings. For the past 3 months the believers here in Tobo have been taught a review from specific Old Testament and New Testament stories. Unex has heard these stories before but never from God’s true perspective. To the Tobo people, God is only a vengeful God that is there ready to pounce on them if they think or do bad things, so they must continually work at appeasing him just like they do with the sprit world. If they can continue on doing good deeds and thinking good thoughts then their good will outweigh their bad and then when they die their spirit will go to heaven - but even then there is no assurance of salvation. So for the Tobo people to accept that they can do nothing to pay their sin debt – except believe- and that they can be confident knowing that their sin is paid for once and for all is a real stumbling block for them . For example a few weeks back I helped my co-worker, Chad, act out an example from Numbers 21 to help the believers really cement these truths in their minds. God told Moses to tell the snake bitten Israelites to look at the serpent and be healed. Chad explained that if the Israelites had tried to help one another and fix it on their own they would have died. But if they believed God and just chose to look at the snake, then God would heal them. Nothing they could do on their own would help them. For Unex, hearing stories from the Word that show God’s love and His plan of redemption through simple belief in the promised redeemer has really shed new light on God and who He is. He and his family have faithfully been coming to hear the teaching week after week. At this point Unex has not yet given us a testimony of salvation, but it’s exciting for us to watch as the Holy Spirit works in his life showing him inconsistencies in his belief system. Thank you for responding to our last update about Unex and for praying for him! Please continue to pray for him and his family as I spend time with them, that the Lord would continue to challenge Unex’s beliefs and reveal the Truth to him and to his family.

Chad and I acting out Numbers 21

This last week Unex also helped as I was given my second language evaluation. Thank you so much for your prayers for me as I have been really pushing myself with language learning these last couple of months. The consultants flew in here for a day and were able to do a full evaluation of where I am at in the Tobo language. They were also able to give me advice that Lord willing, will help push me to the next level. The Language consultants said that I am making great progress, and it could be as soon as next summer that I could be finished. Needless to say I was really encouraged! It’s hard to see progress when I’m in here day after day, but having consultants come in every 6 months really helps me to see how much I’m actually learning. What does this mean for me now? As for the next 6 months or so, please pray that I would continue to be disciplined and diligent to put in the time necessary to finish language study. I am just one step closer to being able to assist the team here in teaching, discipling and translating!

We appreciate you all and the part that you play to keep us here among the Tobo people!
Jason

What are brothers for?

After a few recent close calls with the kiddos, we think we finally know the answer to the question “what are brothers for?”

Answer: For assisting their sisters in the tooth losing process, of course!!

Last month our daughter Eden (3) fell on some steps and cut up her mouth really bad. Her top gums were ripped up all the way to the bottom of her nose. After healing completely, Judah and Eden were being silly and wrestling around last night when we heard an enormous amount of screaming coming from the living room. Jason rushed in to find blood pouring out of Eden’s mouth and Judah rolling on the floor holding his head. Eden had evidently hit Judah’s head with her mouth, and there must’ve been some other sharp object involved. The blow to Eden’s mouth left her front top tooth out of place and her gums & lip all cut up! Oh how we wished we could have hopped in the car and driven to the dentist or doctor! Instead we had to send off an email to our mission’s doctor and dentist and wait until this morning to talk to them on the radio. We spent last night wondering & praying about what the weekend would hold. Would I need to fly her out to town to see a doctor? Would we have to change next week’s plans so I could come back in? Is Eden’s tooth going to fall out? Thankfully after speaking with both the doctor and the dentist on our radio (with a relay of course, because the reception can never be clear when we really need it to be J), they decided that Eden’s mouth & teeth would heal themselves and there’s nothing they could do about it. Even if her front tooth falls out, there would still be nothing they could do about it. This was good news. Of course it’s not the news any parent wants to hear- that their little girl may have to go toothless for 4 more years- but good news nonetheless. We won’t have to spend $1200+ to fly out to town and get medical help! Please pray for Eden, that she will not have any more mishaps with her front teeth and that she would be able to keep them both until she’s ready to lose them naturally!

Our oldest daughter Kadynn (who is actually at the age to naturally lose her teeth J) has been in the tooth loosing business for a few months now, again thanks to her brother! She lost her first tooth by coming down on Judah’s head during a wrestling match and actually swallowed it! Wednesday she was playing around again with Judah and out came her 2nd bottom tooth! Needless to say we’ve had to lay down some rules about wrestling in the house J, and I think we’re ready to be done with this tooth fairy business after giving out cash for lost teeth & candy for out of place teeth J. Thankfully Judah has a hard head and has not incurred any injuries. And his sisters still love him!!

Please continue to pray for us and our crazy kids. We know we can’t prevent injuries, but we can ask for wisdom in how to avoid them & treat them as they come.

Please also pray for Jason and I next week as we will both be having our language evaluations. Pray that we will be able to accurately speak from the knowledge we have of the Tobo language.

Your accident prone little hands & feet,
Kadynn, Judah & Eden
+ mom & dad