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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 | 
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