A few of you mentioned your interest in still getting updates from me. Apologies that I rarely get that done. I’ll forgo elaborating the issues excuses that hinder the production. God is still at work and what He is doing is worthy of sharing! My thanks for your continued interest and prayers on such matters!
First – the old issues:
- My sister’s house in CA was supposedly sold in a foreclosure sale last week. Did it??? We have yet to hear. Since her communications with them of late are all via snail mail that info may take some time to reach us. I’ll update you when we know.
- The fridge got fixed!!! The furnace remains questionable. Looks like we will need to just wait and see what happens with it next winter.
Other areas of focus here in our household:
Thankfully the recent tornados have all missed us by a mile – actually 2 ½ miles!!! God is merciful and we are so grateful! Many recovery ministries are in town, but not being of chainsaw crew caliber we found a friend from church we could help pick up the tree limbs in her yard. We are so grateful to Mrs. S for letting us do this for her! Then came the rains…. Thankfully we live on an Ozark knoll so flooding hasn’t affected us much. Now the cold! We’re back to praying the furnace will stay lit thru these freezing mornings!- Neighbor Mrs. L continues to come to visit, usually at suppertime. She shares her woes – 3 young children, her job, her aged husband, the friend her husband has invited to live with them for a time; her paranoia, fears and frustrations. We always try to bring Christ into the conversation — but she immediately changes the focus away from Him. She and her whole family certainly need to know Jesus as their Savior.
- Elderly Miss W from the east side of town is seemingly warming up – when she needs something. My brother met her thru his work. We’ve tried to befriend her but she is very resistant to my dropping in to just visit & check on her. She blatantly rejects anything I may take her. It seems better to wait until she calls my brother. He then arranges with her for us, or me together with a friend, to take Miss W to do her errands. She needs different housing. She needs assisted living! She needs medical care! She needs The Savior! She is extremely resistant to those first 3 and makes no response when Jesus is mentioned. Since she’s from an Episcopalian background, I am not sure exactly how much she understands of the Gospel of Grace.
And here in our domicile:
- Niece Naomi still needs a job; and for CA to issue her a title to her car so she can get it registered here!
- Nearly 11 year old Julian – still needs diversions that aren’t of the electronic media nature.
- Niece Eva still needs a Christian psychiatrist and counselor.
- Faith still needs hearing aids, glasses, resolution on the CA house situation, a new phone, peace of mind …..
- Me – I still need a bigger heart to know better how to meet the needs in our household without enabling long-standing unhealthy lifestyles. Your prayers to that end are appreciated!
So, now for the “meanwhile, back at the ranch” segment about God’s work in PNG !!!
From the wilds of Wabuku Jason & Laken Cizdziel wrote:
We’re excited to continue sharing that 53 new believers have been baptized in Wabuku. This new group has renounced their black magic, sorcery, and necromancy. I (Jason) interviewed each one who wanted to be baptized. Here are some quotes from their responses:
– Sebeti told me, ‘Just like the sheep took Isaac’s death place, Jesus took my death place.’
– Jebri said, ‘Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. Satan thought he had won, but when Jesus stood up again from the dead, it was clear that Jesus had won and cut a road for us back to Yawe.’
– Aiwasi said, ‘Like Cain, we all were born in Satan’s clan and couldn’t escape. But Jesus beat Satan for us, and now we can join Yawe’s clan.’
– Kiwar said, ‘We were trapped in Satan’s clan and couldn’t do anything to get out. How can we people defeat Satan? No, Jesus beat Satan for us and rescued us. We only have to know with one thinking (or single mindedness) that Jesus’ talk is true.’
– Dina said, ‘When Jesus comes back, he’ll undo all the evil Satan brought into this world. We won’t be afraid or sick or ashamed or die or fight each other. That’s what our ancestors wanted too, but they didn’t know Yawe’s talk. We used black magic but that never helped us. It was all a lie from Satan to keep us calling on his power. So we will not follow our ancestors’ traditions anymore. We will leave them behind because they were Satan’s lies. And now we know Yawe’s true talk.’
And from Maliyali Chad & Martha Earl shared:
We wrapped up another post literacy class last month! Post literacy can sometimes be a lot of work and a little stressful for us- especially reading and grading their homework! But when their stories are clear and understandable it’s SOO exciting to get a glimpse into what they’re thinking about! This story is from Waswana … She tells Rachel and I almost every single time she sees us, ‘I could have gone to hell, but Jesus took my sin and died for me and I’m just so happy!’”
(Chad & Martha will soon be returning to the States to adopt a baby girl!)
Nathan & Rachel Muller also posted from Maliyali about their Bible teachers’ training course. Here’s a bit of their report:
As you all know, our goal is not to live in Maliyali for the rest of our lives. The goal is to finish the (Bible) translation and then pass the work off to the believers. This will take YEARS…but it is the end goal. Many days it feels impossible that we will ever see that day, but lately we have been encouraged! Nathan and Chad made the decision to take our chronological Bible lessons that we taught in 2022, simplify them, and write them in a way that Maliyali believers could teach them. This was a HUGE load of work … The original lessons … were several pages of front/back text. … total word-for-word lessons. Maliyali isn’t our first language, so it is VERY difficult to get up and teach, making thoughts turn into words that flow freely. So the lessons had to be written ahead of time word for word, and then HOURS spent reading and practicing each one. That way, they could get up and teach it well…but they could always look at the text if something was forgotten….But our people are still improving in their ability to read. We knew that there is no way a Maliyali guy could take one of those long word-for-word lessons and read it all, let alone read it and teach from it! So Nathan and Chad spent these past few weeks simplifying the lessons and making them into more of an outline form. And the end product is so good! We are all really proud of their hard work. We now have 49 TEACHABLE chronological Maliyali lessons!
As you read these “stories” conveying a bit of what God is doing around the globe, and as you pray for those involved, you perform a vital part of sharing God’s love. You will meet these fruits of missionary labors in heaven one day and know you are have been instrumental in these dear PNG Christians maturing in their love and understanding of our Savior.
Thank you again for your various means of encouragement and support for our family now, too. God is always so faithful to guide and provide. YOU are a muchly appreciated part of that as well! May God bless you bountifully in return, with all His spiritual blessings in Jesus!
Because Christ came and is coming again, perhaps today! we therefore have ……….. HOPE !!!!
Hope Sharp – Retired NTMPNG
Business address: Ethnos360, 312 W 1st St., Sanford, FL 32771 USA
USA Address: 918 Tremont St., Poplar Bluff MO 63901
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