Kingdom WIN
Dear Family and Friends,
A God-impelled development– a “Kingdom Win”–has been happening among the Aruamu people of Papua New Guinea this last year. The Aruamus have started their own Aruamu Bible College. The idea and initiative for this has come entirely from the Aruamus, from God’s Spirit working in their midst. Their vision is to train Aruamus to reach out well in their own language area and to go to other language groups and even other countries. Steven Dazim, coordinator of the Aruamu Translation Team describes their vision like this:
“This Aruamu Bible College is our dream. After the Old Testament translation is finished, this college will carry Aruamu people and go ahead into the future. And the generations which will come after will still follow Jesus. Marsha, I’m thinking big about this.”
So this year, 2016, the Aruamus have begun their own Bible College in Tiap village. Right now they have 7 students and 2 teachers, who are Aruamu. Some of our PBT missionaries, Jim Bliffen, Kevin Duplechin, and B.J. Nolan, were asked by the Aruamus to present specific lesson modules, and have traveled out to the Aruamu area to do that.
When a people group comes full-circle and purposes to equip and send missionaries to other places, it is a WIN for the Kingdom! The Aruamus want to step up to the global plate, and do their part, carry their share of the Kingdom load. Honestly, their vision is pretty staggering. Many Aruamus have a very big faith, and they seek to follow the Lord from the inside out. Many of them are mature believers, who REALLY love Jesus.
Aruamus are no longer in the “un-reached people group” category. When a people group becomes “reached,” our role is not to continue treating them as “un-reached,” but to partner with them in equipping and mobilizing them to reach other groups which are “un-reached.” Aruamus can go where we many other missionaries cannot. It is very exciting to see this KINGDOM WIN unfolding before our very eyes!
What happens next could be very significant for the Kingdom. Thank you so much for partnering with the Aruamu people in what God is doing. We look forward to the ultimate KINGDOM WIN, when
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 11:15
Blessings to you,
Marsha Relyea Miles
(for Nathan, and our entire Aruamu Translation Team, as well)