Hark The Heavenly Angels Sing!
Yes the angels are again rejoicing, but this time it is over the many new believers that have just come to faith in Christ over the last few days in the Abau tribe in Papua New Guinea. Some of you may remember about the Abau people from our prayer letters while we were still in PNG. During our final years in PNG we were involved in training and orientating new missionaries for tribal mission work. You may remember us talking about the Abau people who had been constantly sending us letters begging us to send them missionaries to work in their tribe. In fact, they have been waiting over twenty years to hear this good news, but we were finally able to put a team of missionaries into the Abau tribe. You may remember the above picture of us sitting with some of the members of the new Abau team as it was being formed, and planning their future work there. Those were exciting days, but lots of hard work has gone on since then. They had to transport materials and build their houses in their new jungle location. They spent years of language and culture study to prepare for teaching the Abau people. They spent months preparing literacy and lesson material and doing foundation teaching. And now after all this hard work and planting spiritual seeds, God has raised up a harvest of souls among the Abau people! Here are some translated quotes of the new Abau Christians:
(quotes taken from an email by Kelly and Sien Luyendyk)
- -Fifty year old Weima shook my hand saying to me, "I know that Jesus is standing in my place for my bad things. I do not have to think about the place of fire but when I die I can sit down good with God."
- -Twenty year old Kalasia believes that Jesus is her only road to make God happy.
- -Yafeno, standing there holding his little boy, testified, "I know that I will go to be with God when I die." I asked him why he thought that. He said quietly, "Because God’s son Jesus has paid for my bad ways. His blood ran out and paid for my bad ways."
- -Dominic held his dirty shirt behind his back and stated that in the same way, Jesus covers all things he has done wrong.
- -Grandmother Nanso evidences understanding of God’s gracious provision on her behalf.
- -Matin says he is tired of the sorcery talk that he has heard since a child. He realizes that because of what Jesus has done on the cross, he is now in God’s hand and protection.
- -Plinla recognizes Jesus as her "manakway posuey e lw", her deliverer.
- -Powi, a perennially self-righteous man, said this, "I don’t have to work my way to make God happy with me. I am believing that Jesus is my way to God."
We praise God for this wonderful work of grace among the Abau people and we want to thank YOU also for your part in helping these people being reached with the gospel! Yes, in God’s eyes you are very much a part of this team that reached the Abau people with the gospel. As Christ’s body (the Church) we each have our part, and you…through your prayers and support–have been very much a part of our ministry and those whom we have helped also. And so, whether you realize it or not, you are sort of "spiritual grandparents" to those new babes in Christ there among the Abau!
Thank you again for being a part of our team and the Abau team in helping see the Abau people reached with the gospel. Continue to pray for these new babes in Christ.
Gordon and Janet Wohlgemut
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