{"id":46,"date":"2009-03-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-24T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2009-03-24T06:02:59","modified_gmt":"2009-03-24T10:02:59","slug":"opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/aaron-luse\/2009\/03\/24\/opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Heidi<\/a><\/p>\n

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity,” Paul tells us in Colossians 4:6. In the last few months, God has given us many opportunities here in Papua New Guinea. We know that many of you continue to pray for us and the Patpatar people daily and we do not take your part in the ministry for granted. It has been a month since we updated you last, so we wanted to write a longer general update about all that we have been involved with recently. <\/p>\n

The Patpatar Church: We are excited that one of the opportunities we have been given is actually not with outsiders, but insiders. That is those who are now in the family of God. Twice a week we get to meet collectively with our Patpatar brother and sisters in Christ. Since January we have been meeting as a church at the traditional men’s house, but instead of performing the customs associated with the Patpatar clan, we have been able to teach what we have been given as members of God’s clan. Last week we finished reviewing through the Old Testament and the Gospels to show again the finished work that Christ accomplished for us and the eternal hope we now have as believers. One of the believers, Subul, a quiet man who prefers to follow rather than lead, has been told by others lately that he is not going to go to heaven and has been pressured to return to the works and religious exercises to work his way there. After one of our meetings I heard him confide to his fellow believers that, “It doesn’t matter if they call me a man of sin. It is not my work that will get me to heaven, it is the work the Jesus did for me and I am believing in that.”<\/p>\n

The outside pressure and years of lies have not made believing the true Gospel message a popular choice. Right now the group is small with only 10-20 of them attending regularly. We are praying to see the small church grow and become stronger. This week we begin the book of Acts. This will be an exciting journey, as we study the early church, the spread of the Gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit despite the persecution that they faced. Pray with us as we have opportunity with the “insiders” as they interact daily with the “outsiders.”<\/p>\n

The Other Village: Meanwhile, five mornings a week we continue to have opportunities with the Patpatar people in the other village. We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the great attendance as we teach this group of 60+ people through the Old Testament laying the foundations of our helpless situation as sinners before a Holy God. It is exciting to hear as individuals are grasping the truths of God’s Word like never before. One morning after the lesson as I was visiting with one of the men he said, “I haven’t figured it out completely yet, but I’ve noticed a pattern. It seems like a lamb is always killed. I wonder why a lamb. I wonder why the blood of the lamb had to be shed for the sins of the people.” This week we will finish the Old Testament and begin the New Testament, where the Lamb of God will be introduced.<\/p>\n

Aaron – on the side: As many of you know, I had been given the opportunity to be trained to become a culture and language consultant for new missionaries in other tribes. I have now completed my training and have been able to be a part of several evaluations. This has meant that my weekends (and some weekdays) recently have been consumed by traveling into other tribes. This in itself can be an adventure as the last 3 hour hike through the jungle ended up being a 20 hour trek due to a small landslide cutting off the road, swollen rivers that couldn’t be crossed from a deluge of rain, and having to spend the night in a hut along the trail because of nightfall. Once at the tribal locations, I get to see how the missionaries who are learning the language and culture of those tribes are doing, evaluate them, and give them direction. My desire is that God will use this ministry to speed the rate of their language and culture study time, so that they can begin writing Bible lessons, translating God’s Word, and teaching God’s Word more quickly so that more tribal churches can be planted.<\/p>\n

Lori – On the Side: Lori has also had many opportunities. Last month she took her last evaluation and has now official completed her culture language study. She has been working hard preparing for the Patpatar literacy course, analyzing the sounds of their language, preparing materials, working with the Patpatar dictionary, translating booklets, and getting things ready for the construction of primers.<\/p>\n

Allowing Opportunities: One of the reasons that Lori and I have been able to be so involved with so many opportunities is the continued help of Aaron’s sister Heidi and her friend Lela. They have helped out with much of the cleaning, cooking, housework, and homeschooling to give us more time in other areas. Their time here is coming to a close and we appreciate all they have done for us.<\/p>\n

All for Him, Aaron<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wonder why the blood of the lamb had to be shed for the sins of
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