"... now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? ...”
Luke 18:1 - 8
The "R" translators are checking the Book of Luke this month. Pray the Holy Spirit will show the team any errors which may have occurred.
Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.
Pray someone will take up the "R" language project. The current expatriate language workers are looking to retire in May. This is related to the Ketengban language, which already has the New Testament; the complete Bible is at the printers with a dedication later this year. The goal of the "R" project is to translate the New Testament and eventually add the Old Testament to it.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Recently, our family joined a linguist here on a beach day. Mary and the linguist were able to dive the reef and enjoyed seeing God's diverse handiwork there. Praise the Lord for a fun day and fellowship with one another.
They have seen the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
We have heard rumors that young Papuans are being kidnapped. We haven't been able to track these rumors down to determine the veracity of the reports. Nevertheless, we ask for prayers that our boys, as all of the children in the area, will be safe as they go to and from school.
Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the snares of those who do iniquity.
Please pray for Medai, a woman of another faith who also took shelter with Mary in the bank. Medai was terrified of what was happening outside. Mary comforted her, put her arms around Medai's shoulders and prayed for her in the name of Christ. Please pray that the seed that was planted will continue to grow and flourish and that Medai will come to a saving faith in Our Lord.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
Recently, a bit of a disturbance occurred downtown. I, Mary, was right in the middle of it when scuffling began and took refuge in a local bank. Mike was on his way to help me with my motorcycle malfunction and could not be warned. He had large rocks thrown at him and one man shot an arrow at him. This was not due to anything pertaining to Mike, but just because that is what people were doing at the time. God protected us and kept us both from harm.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
The earthquakes I told y'all about in the last letter have continued in a lessening degree. Please continue to pray for safety as we rock and roll. So far, only property damage has occurred.
Mountains quake because of Him
And the hills dissolve;
Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,
The world and all the inhabitants in it.
Please pray for Mike as he brings the message at the Middle School chapel this Friday. He will be talking about "stones of remembrance" and remembering the works of God in our lives.
Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,
Y'all may remember that I, Mary, suffered the loss of my sister-in-law last November. That, and covid, and jet-lag, was a main source of my brain fog in November and December. To my great delight, a Grief Share group has been started here. Grief Share helps those who have suffered a loss to deal with the aftermath of such an event. God brought the right help in my time of need.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
Praise the Lord! I, Mary, have been stymied with a software configuration since October. I was interrupted by life matters in November and December but have been tracking down the problem all month. Finally, with the guidance of a mentor, the problem was solved just yesterday (Jan. 30). Also, I had asked a friend to pray about this last week and a church also prayed about it this weekend. God gave the insight!
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
The holiday season is very fruitful time for those working with interior cultures. This is a time to gain insight into the understandings and beliefs of the people. Many village workers gather much data about languages and word meanings during this time. Please pray that those who worked in the villages will be able to process that data this month and apply it into accurate renderings of God's Word.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.
A translator writes they are having challenges with the water supply at their house. Please pray this will be resolved.
here *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
A friend has asked me to pray for their organization here in Papua. They have been without local leadership for over a year. This has impeded the work interior and has led to much confusion. Pray this situation will be resolved soon.
Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.