In a recently formed province carved out of the one we call Beeland there was some severe flooding in November. Many people’s homes were destroyed. Abel, a friend and coworker in Pleasant Port in Beeland and a graduate of the bible college we helped establish, wanted to go help and to share the good news. We facilitated a grant from IDES in Indiana (the go-to-place for Christian Church field workers and churches in times of disaster). The area is somewhat of a pioneer area where people have moved in to settle the land and begin to grow cocoa and other crops.
Abel was especially moved to do something in this area because of a Bee friend in Pleasant Port to whom he had been witnessing has family in the area. They visited the area in late November/early December and gave some immediately needed items. Abel seeing there was plenty of wood available in the woods, and that chainsaws were available, promised to bring corrugated roofing when they were ready to build.
Recently he and the friend who has family there and who was buried with Christ in the “cleansing bath” between the two trips, went to deliver the roofing material. The limited funds they had could not meet everyone’s needs, but did assist their efforts to get out of the elements and into more suitable living conditions.
The brand new believer was encouraged to go slow in sharing the Good News, but he insisted that he had to tell them what he had experienced. He set the pace in bold witness to his family there.
Bees of the M faith heard the Good News, and are interested, but not ready to make a commitment. There is a continuing opportunity to serve them, as well as, Catholics from the same ethnic background as Ann, Abel’s wife. Other area residents come from mystical “M” areas and a Hindu conclave.
Join us in prayer that Abel will be able to make the grueling trip to follow up with these folk using some rapid church planting methods he has been studying over the past couple of years.
Note on Lynn’s mother. Lynn was able to spend all day Tuesday with her mother. She says it is painful to watch her just lying there most of the time half-asleep. She did talk some. Dennis has been slowed by a stomach bug he picked up, but will likely begin to drive up to Delaware on Wednesday, the 15th. The schedule for their few weeks in the US is still rather unsettled. Thank you for your prayers.
We may not be able to contact as many of you as we had planned. Our phone numbers here are Dennis: 706 402 2680 and Lynn 404 747 2179.
Please pray for Lei and Deborah who are planning to join us in ministry in Maluku as soon as we get back there. They will be completing their church planting practicum from our bible college.
We are so grateful for the ease with which this prayer update can be sent. In Ambon I usually spend three or four grueling hours of connecting and re-connecting to get one out! But then when we went to Indonesia 39 years ago, phone service by abysmal and an exchange of letter usually took 4 weeks. That should keep me from grumbling!!!
