"I'm Staying Home" [Williamson Update]

 

 

“I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.  My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.” Ps 6:6-7   We have lately been experiencing the grief and groaning of David in the psalm above, and have felt the opposition he felt in Psalm 3:1 below…   “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!  Many are they are they who rise up against me.”   We got together this week with 2 of the faithful Tobo believers, Welsin & Daisa to discuss what to do about having a believer’s meeting on Friday.  As part of the Tobo culture, everyone normally “does church” on good Friday to respect the day that Jesus died, and to pray for the food in their new gardens so they will reap a good harvest.  As we considered the empty tradition, and the ramifications of holding to that if we met on Friday with the believers (although most of them understand we do not need to follow the Law or the religious traditions in order to be saved) we decided that we would not meet in order to be an example to the rest of the unbelieving community and to show that the beliefs we hold are different than theirs.  We also wanted the believers to be an example to Unex and his wife and to the other family who we have been teaching, that church & the law cannot save us.   On Friday morning however, all the believers showed up to meet anyways, including Unex’s wife.  Jason and I quickly explained to everyone again that we were not meeting and why, but they disregarded our talk and went up to Welsin’s house to meet.  I desperately explained to Unex’s wife why it was not important to meet, and that following the law and the Tobo church traditions did nothing to save us!  I encouraged her not to follow the rest up to meet, but to stay with me and talk about what she’s been learning throughout the teaching.  She did so, and during our conversations, she mentioned that her husband, Unex, thought it was a waste of time to come to church this morning.    She explained, “He told me ‘I’m staying home, because going to church will not save me.  Jesus already has saved me and I believe in Him, so I’m staying home.’  Why do you feel like you need to go?”  She responded to him in a disrespectful manor and left, disgusted that he was not going to church like everyone else.    I was so excited to hear about his decision that I told her, “I think your husband understands the root of God’s talk, that belief is what is big and not the things we do!”  I continued to encouraged her to follow God’s Word, and not the lives of other people.  Please pray that this was an important lesson for her and that my words (or rather God’s Word) sinks deep into her heart and breaks away at it so she will believe.    As we sat on my porch and watched the rest of the Tobo church head on up to meet, I shuttered to think that THEY were the ones that were supposed to be the examples for Unex’s family, and yet Unex had the faith to stand up to everyone and say “I’m staying home!”  Jason, hearing this, walked to Unex’s house to strengthen His faith.  When he returned he said “well, at least we know that Unex is saved!!”  Indeed, God had taken the opportunity through the heartache on Friday to show us where Unex is at in His understanding and we are praising the Lord for his Salvation!   Please, please pray for the Tobo church.  It seems at times even they are against us and we are crying out to the Lord for His direction and for a breakthrough in their lives.   We are thankful for David’s faith and that when He cried out to God, He always knew that God would hear him and answer him.  We can have the same confidence today, and so as we read Psalm 3 last night at the end of an emotional day, we echoed David’s prayer “But You, O Lord area  shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head… I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.  I will  not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around!”   Thank you for continuing to pray for the outreach in Dabiliu.  After many interruptions in the last 10 days we will hopefully be finishing next Friday.  Please remember the other 3 people in your prayers & praise the Lord with us for Unex’s decision to believe!   Your sometimes weary but always hopeful Hands & Feet,   Jason, Nisae, Kadynn, Judah & Eden   Please 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nearing the end [Williamson Update]

 

 

This is a picture of the two families that we have invested so much of our lives in over the past few months. As many of you know, since January we have met at their houses in Dabiliu village Mondays through Thursdays to walk them chronologically through God’s Word.  We are at a critical point in the teaching and know without a doubt that there is a real spiritual battle wagging here for the souls of these people. We want to ask you to take a minute and pray for these  people in this picture. Pray for their understanding of their sinful condition before a holy God and for what Christ, their redeemer, has done for them. We and the Tobo church have been praying for these dear friends of ours with a longing to see the day when they come to a clear understanding of all that our Lord Jesus Christ has done for them. It’s hard to believe that we have only two weeks left until the teaching in Dabiliu will be over. The teaching has been such a part of our lives over the past few months we are not sure what we’re going to do with ourselves when it’s over! During the next two weeks we will be teaching on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We are already hearing some really encouraging things from Unex, who seems to be putting the pieces together, and has become pretty outspoken about what he has been learning. We feel the others are understanding as well but they have not been as outspoken. Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in teaching these last couple weeks, pray for understanding and salvation for those listening and for clear and solid testimonies.   We also wanted to give an update on Welsin wife. She is doing better, still in a lot of pain but doing much better. Welsin is still busy taking care of her and the kids 24/7 and so has not been able to come and help with the teaching. Nisae and I went and visited with them the other day to pray with them and to see how God was teaching them and helping them during this time. Welsin told us that he has been reading scripture and old Bible lessons to his wife and kids to encourage them to continue to trust God during this time and to remind them that they are in God’s hands. I told Welsin that if things with his wife did get worse, we would be willing to help fly her out to town to see our mission doctor. Welsin told me “thanks for the offer but we are trusting God to heal her and look out for us here, whatever happens here we know that God stands on the road of our trials and uses them for His plans and purposes and to strengthen our faith”.  That is so true!  We have seen how God is at work using this trial to grow his body here. Before Welsin’s wife was sick, Ambox was helping Welsin and I at the teaching in Dabiliu with reading scripture and asking review questions.  I have been praying for a long time that God would raise up another leader in the Tobo church, another man who could help teach and lead the small body we have here. However for so long it has just been Welsin. And we never thought that Ambox, being rather soft spoken and quiet, really had the gift of teaching.  However, in the absence of Welsin from the teaching we have really seen this man step up to the plate and has shared the teaching with me.  It’s amazing to see how much this man has grown in his clear understanding of Scripture and in his ability to communicate that well in his own language. Had Welsin never been pulled away from the teaching, we would have never seen the potential that this man has to be a gifted work man of God.   Those of you who have been following the ministry here know how hard it has been for us to work in a place where there has been so little fruit. One of the areas we have been trusting the Lord for here is to see another Tobo man rise up to help with the teaching, discipling and carrying on of the work here. So to see things like this, to see just one family in the midst of hard, hard difficult times turning to the Lord for strength and encouragement and to see Ambox grow is ability to serve the Lord brings much joy to our hearts & much glory to God’s name.   Thank you for your continued prayers working to bring glory to God’s name here among the Tobo!     Your hands & feet, 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