Piduy and Pulding are back from looking for Manubu’ villages where there are Manubu’ who would be interested in listening to the evangelistic phase of the teaching which takes a few months to teach. They motorcycled for nearly 1000km (625 miles), mostly on dirt roads – lots of mud and slippery trails – and visited 30 villages. Thanks for praying for their safety.
As we suspected, in most of the Manubu’ villages within 20km of the highway only the elderly people know Manubu’. Because of schools everyone else speaks only Cebuano which is the language of the non-tribal people in our part of the Philippines. And even most of the elderly converse among themselves in Cebuano even though they can speak Manubu’. It is only Manubu’ people who live back in the mountains where there are only trails going to their villages who have retained their language.
But, they did find 5 villages where there is potential to teach. In those villages older teens and up understand and can converse in Manubu’ even thought they usually talk in Cebuano. In the most promising village an old tribal leader and an elderly woman were very disappointed when Piduy and Pulding said that it would be months before they could possibly go there to teach. There are many churches of all kinds there, but she said that because the preaching is in Cebuano and English and not systematic, she doesn’t understand what is taught. In general, churches here (especially those in rural areas) teach eternal salvation through faith plus good works.
All of the land where they surveyed is privately owned by Cebuanos. The Manubu’ are primarily impoverished people with no land to grow food on eking out a bare existence. It would be very difficult for Pulding and Piduy to live there with their families. As Piduy has said, “There is no way, humanely speaking, that we could live there. Only God can plan this.” Both Piduy and Pulding have ‘hurting breath” – are very concerned that the Manubu’ out there have the opportunity to hear the true gospel of grace, be saved, and learn all of the other wonderful things God has in His Word.
In a previous update we said, “If it becomes clear that the Lord would have us relocate to another Manubu’ area where we can live in a town on the highway and have access to mechanics, carpenters etc then we would relocate. We would have to take at least one translation helper and family with us.” We would continue to pay them for working on translation with us – but it would have to be not an hourly rate as now, but a set amount equal to what they need to support their families. And, of course, we would like to relocate where they would be able to exercise their gifts as Bible teachers along with helping with translation. But, they need a way to be able to continue on financially even after we’re no longer able to carry on in the work (we’re hoping that will be a number of years yet, but only God knows how many).
This afternoon we had a meeting about with Piduy and wife, Lynlyn and Pulding and his wife, Charlyn. It was encouraging that the wives said they are willing to follow their husbands in whatever plan they come up with. The couples would like to plant their land here with 500 or more rubber trees and also coconut trees to provide income for the future and to also help other Bible teachers do outreaches. Grafted rubber tree seedlings they have heard cost about $.75 each and coconuts to sprout about $.25 each. If anyone would like to help them with the cost of purchasing these items funds can be sent to New Tribes Mission – not to our personal account – but to the 6MANU account and specify that it is for rubber seedlings and coconuts. Or funds to that account can be sent without designation to be used to help any of the Manubu Bible teachers doing far away outreaches with things such as building materials and seeds.
The positive and negative aspects and the possibilities related to our possibly relocating are too complicated to go into detail here – it would take a book! Please PRAY for God’s wisdom as we weigh all this, that he will open doors as He sees fit, and that we will know the way that God would have us to go.
These are exciting days as we look to God for His will about us relocating and for extension of outreach by Manubu’ to Manubu’.
Please also PRAY about our internet connection. It is via cell phone signal, and the signal has deteriorated so that the past few months we can seldom get connected, and often when we do we can’t do anything with it. We think that it is important that we have internet so we can keep you, our partners, informed as to what God is doing here and what you can pray for. We also use it for other important things such as searching solutions for computer problems. If we don’t relocate but stay here, our only alternative is expensive satellite internet equipment and monthly contract payments more expensive than we pay now .
This work for God’s glory is possible because you have chosen to partner with us. Thanks for praying.