Getting our Attention with His Word
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in Him."
Colossians 2:6
I spent the weekend in Torit and on Sunday morning, I went
to our partner church's English service.
The pastor preached on Colossians 2:5-7.
After the service, as I was walking back home I came by a church
of a different denomination which holds its Sunday service at the courthouse in
town. There was someone attending the service there whom I wanted to meet in the evening so I decided to step in to see
if I could find him and get his attention.
But as soon as I walked in I was noticed by the man speaking up
front. He welcomed me and gave me a
chair in the front row next to the pastor, whom I knew well. So in not wanting to offend anyone, I stayed
for the service. When the pastor came up
to preach he read Colossians 2:6-7, the same reading from the other church, and he
preached about them. Both sermons were biblical,
well delivered, and pertained to the verses, but they were done in very
different styles. I feel that perhaps it
was more than just a coincidence that I heard these two messages.
So I have been challenged to keep walking in Christ, which
requires daily discipline and reliance on Him.
Circumstances do not take away the need for that discipline and neither
does going in to full time ministry. I
believe this really is an area that I need to keep growing in. I thank the Lord for his word and for the ways he speaks to us.
Preparations for the Team
The first couple of months that I spent in Yei village were
quite difficult, but it has now gotten much easier as I have been learning what
my responsibilities are and what they are not.
I have decided to take weekends with the church in Loryok and the rest
of the week in Yei village. In the
village I am able to share Bible stories, visit families, and read the Bible
and have a discussion with some of the Laarim students in Kimatong nearby every week. And I have been encouraged by the interest
expressed in a number of Laarim who want to learn more about the word of
God.
It is hard for me to believe that I have lived in Laarim
territory for over three years now. I
feel like I am continuing to improve in the language and yet I do not feel
comfortable with it. Last week I had a
very difficult time trying to translate from Laarim to English to the group for
the preacher in Loryok on Sunday. I still have far to go in the language. But I am greatly encouraged by the fact that
my first teammate, Andrew is coming to join me this week on either Wednesday or
Thursday. We are experiencing God's
answer to our prayers for the last three years.
Andrew comes from the UK and is willing to spend these next two years to
minister among the Laarim. I am very
much looking forward to meeting him and working as a team.
Another big event in the village was the opening of the airstrip. Charlie who is working with AIM, and Clement,
a Laarim builder oversaw the work and spent many days clearing and leveling the
airstrip. Soon after it was considered
usable, one of AIM's planes landed on it.
The pilots were very impressed with it and quite thrilled that they can
now make flights in and out of the area.
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| Part of our construction camp setup |
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| Looking southeast from the camp |
How you can pray
-Please pray for Andrew and I as we meet and get to know one
another and learn to serve together. The
plan is that Andrew will initially be spending most of his time as a learner of
the Laarim language and culture before focusing on other activities. Pray for him in this process.
-Angelo, a Laarim believer in Torit, and I are considering
getting a team of youth evangelists to come to Loryok and the Boya HIlls area
to share the gospel during one of the school holidays. This could be in a few weeks, or a few
months. Please pray that the Lord would
direct us.
