Fish Tales
After our Sunday meeting some of the believers started to tell us very excitedly about how people have been catching fish in the rivers lately. Occasionally we have heard talk of some little tiny fish being caught down the valley in the big river but in all the years we’ve been here we’ve never heard about anything but slimy eels coming out of the upper creeks…until now. Well, apparently someone brought some fish in from town a few years ago and planted them in the streams and they have been thriving. So we asked them to bring some to us and they just brought a 5 pound stringer of Rainbow Trout! We could hardly believe it. They looked pretty big to us but the people said that they are small compared to the ones they have been pulling out. So we feasted on bush trout the other day. We’re looking forward to throwing in a line when the Esther and Simon come home for their next school break. We thought of how much more it will mean to the Simbaris now when they hear the words of Jesus, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
Local Believers Gather
Last Wednesday 3 Simbari believers took off on a 2 day hike to go to a nearby gathering for national believers. The weather has been cold and rainy for weeks but God gave them beautiful weather for the hike. We just know they were praising Him for the answered prayers as we were. They are right in the middle of the gathering as I write and will be finishing up tomorrow and will be starting their return hike on Monday. Please pray for them to be spiritually challenged and encouraged as well as for safety on the trail home.
School Update
Esther and Simon went back at the end of July to start another year at NCA (Numonohi Christian Academy). Esther is in 11th grade which is a big year for her class. They are in charge of organizing lots of special events for the school during the year. Many of the events are class fundraisers that provide food or services to the town missionaries while they help the class raise money for activities and projects during their senior year. Juggling those responsibilities along with homework makes it a busy year for the 11th graders. We were sorry to hear that there is no Jr. or Sr. High science teacher for this year for the whole school. So all the kids are affected by this. Esther is having to take a science course by correspondence, as are many other students, to get needed credits for graduation. Simon’s grade(8th) has also been affected by cut-backs due to the teacher shortages. So please continue to pray for these ongoing needs. Many of the teaching positions are filled by short-term associate missionaries serving for only a year or two which is a real blessing but it also results in a high turnover making every year a new challenge. You can help by praying, spreading the word and if you’re a teacher – please consider investing a year or two in teaching at a mission school. 🙂
Upcoming Translation Check
At our Sunday meeting we were studying about when Jesus began his earthly ministry. The Jews were amazed at His teaching compared to that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were very religious outwardly but their hearts were hardened towards God. The Simbaris were challenged to not just follow God outwardly (“with their skin”) but to believe from their hearts the truths of God’s Word. But before they can hear and believe it we need to translate it into their language. So for a while now our entire team has been busy finalizing around 2000 Old Testament Bible verses. The final checks for our Genesis, Exodus and other selected OT Bible portions are scheduled for the end of October and the beginning of November. We’re on a pretty tight schedule to get everything done in time so please pray for us as we work long hours to get it all done.
By His Grace,
David & Shari Ogg
(Esther, Simon, Rachel & Jason too)