Update and Introduction

Greetings!

These have been exciting days for us as we see the Wana churches continue to grow and mature. One of the most recent developments is that 5 of our churches are wanting to begin literacy programs in their villages teaching the illiterate folks to read and write in their own tribal language. This of course is vital to their being able to read and understand Scripture on their own.

It has also been great to see our Wana churches sending out their own missionaries cross culturally. Last week we asked for the testimonies of the Wana families who are serving as missionaries to another language group. With this email we would like to introduce you to the “Nemo” family and allow you to read their testimony and how the Lord brought them to himself and led them into missions. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Ed & Jeanne

P.S. Sidirman was one of Geoff’s good buddies when he was growing up in the Wana tribe.

TESTIMONY OF REPENTANCE AND SALVATION

    Left to right: Sidirman, Agus, Vera, & Bida Nemo

We who are Wana, have worshipped the gods of our parents worshipping idols, worshipping omens, and also many different kinds of their worship, but there were none that were correct because they were not worshipping God, and they also have many personal beliefs.

When I was still very young, the Lord sent the missionaries to proclaim the good news to the Wana people. So when the time came that the missionaries presented to us the good news I believed that good news because I clearly understood that I was under the judgement of God but He still loved me by giving His Son to die because of the sins of mankind. I believed the work that was done by the Lord Jesus and by believing I was considered by God to be His child and received eternal life.

After that I made public profession that I had believed and trusted the Lord Jesus as the One Who Paid for my sin by being baptized on the 29th of January in 1994 so that others would see that I was already a child of God. After I was baptized, I studied the Word a lot then after some time I was taught how to teach others by helping the elders teach the different groups.

At that time I was thinking of going to a Bible School, but the Lord had not opened up a way for me to go. I was still single at the time but through the counsel of one of the elders he asked both me and Bida, my future wife (mother of my children) if we were attracted to each other. So we married the 26 of July 1996.

After that we truly had a plan to go to the Missionary Training School but it still wasn’t working out. So it was kind of like we put that plan on the shelf until the year 2000 when we again made plans to go, however at that time our second child was just born so my older sibling said don’t go yet as it will be difficult for your child who is still very small to be baby-sat by other people (because we had heard that the school regulation was that children have to be in child care).

So that plan was put on the shelf one more time until the year 2005. We clearly understood that all the obstacles that we had at that time trying to get into missioanry training was not because of people but clearly of the Lord as He had not yet given us a way to go earlier, but in 2005 it finally happened. We entered the Basic Training for one year, then returned to our home church for one year of practical assignment. Then we went back to missions training for another 2 years until finished. We were initially challenged to go to the missionary training because we really remembered what people’s lives in Wana were like before they had believed, and realized, wow, it was just like that too for people in other places who have not yet come to the understanding of the good news. They were strongly held in slavery by Satan and it was already for certain if they didn’t believe they would go to hell. So we felt sorry for them also thinking there was no one to go make clear to them the good news. And we also thought that even if we didn’t go to another tribe, even in our tribe there were other places besides the villages of Uebone and Paramba, where there were still many who had not yet believed.

So right after our finishing missionary training school we returned again to the Paramba Church to wait to join a missionary team. After one year of being back in Wana there was one German girl who sought for a team to go to another island. So we had three of us Wana families and the one German girl at that time to make up a team.

On another note we have two children: the oldest is a boy named Agus, he is presently taking semester exams for proceeding on to 11th grade in high school. He was born August in 1997 so is nearly 17 years old.

Our second child is a girl named Kristina Verawati (Vera) but usually called Wera. She is also presently taking semester exams for proceeding on to 9th grade in junior high school. She was born October in 2000, so nearly 14 years old.

So a prayer request for our children is that the Lord would help them so they would be able to pass their exams and will proceed to the next class this year. And also one prayer request for Agus is this coming August he is doing a practical class in school for the district. Much of the work they do needs to be done on the computer, so we have been thinking about this as we only have one computer and so it won’t be good if he is using our computer all the time. So we are praying for the time when the Lord will open up a way for us to get another computer.

So that is what we want to share with you even through it is not too detailed. May the Lord bless each of us.

Thank you your prayers.

From the family of Sidirman Nemo, wife Bida, and children Agus & Vera.