[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