Tuwe was on his way home, ready to hike the last hill before getting to his own hamlet when his brother stopped him. “Don’t go home now, Tuwe,” Sawe told him. “Come over to my house for a while.”
“Not tonight, Sawe. I’ve been working the garden all day, I’m tired and I need to get home and feed the kids.” (You see, a couple of years ago, Tuwe’s young wife died giving birth to their third child, and now as a single dad his responsibilities were great.)
“ No, you need to come to my house, don’t go home, just come over.”
“Why?” Tuwe asked. “What’s going on?” Sawe was reluctant, but Tuwe would not relent without an answer.
Finally, Sawe gave him the news. “We have decided on a wife for you. You are going to get married tonight.”
Now, you are probably fighting a bit of shock, and likely even feeling some defiance on Tuwe’s behalf… after all, who do they think they are? But in all actuality, although this is not the way we may have handled the situation, Tuwe was GRATEFUL for the match, that he would no longer have to shoulder his work alone. And the sweet girl they brought for him, Mok, who lived through the tragedy of being abused and is now pregnant and alone, was also thankful to be paired with a believer and for the security that she can now rest in. Believe it or not, this is one of the most appropriate “weddings” that has taken place here in a long time. In fact, most of the “marriages” that have taken place in the last couple of years have been the after-thought result of a pregnancy. Because although the Dinangat church is doing well in many areas, and their faith is growing trial by trial, this area of marriage and child raising continues to be a huge struggle for them.
We continue to teach through the Word and we have no doubt that the Lord will be faithful and by His Spirit bring about change in the areas where change is needed. However, we also recognize that as ex-pats, we may be missing some basic ways of communicating in a way that is culturally effective. Therefore, to encourage the desire that the Dinangats have to follow the Lord in their family relationships, we have invited a church leader from another area of the country who is a PNG citizen to come in and lead a “marriage seminar”, if you will. Starting tomorrow (and continuing through Monday) he will be teaching 5 or 6 sessions regarding marriage, child raising, dating relationships and everything in between! We are REALLY excited about him coming, and for the Dinangats to hear teaching on this subject from one of their ‘own’! PLEASE PRAY FOR:
- Better understanding of the Lord’s design for marriage
- Hearts challenged to be leaders in the home
- Growth in their desire to teach and train their children in the ways of the Lord
- Pray that the Lord would settle their hearts on the issues surrounding the actual “marriage” (Their culture has changed so much over the last few decades, and now as believers they desire to please the Lord…but their questions remain…what SHOULD a ‘courtship’ look like since their animistic practices are done away with? What should the actual ceremony look like? Are bride prices biblical?
THANK YOU for standing with us and the Dinangat church as ALL seek to lift up the Lord’s name in our marriages and family relationships! And please pray for Tuwe and Mok, that their young marriage would get off to a great start in the Lord, and that the things they learn this weekend will strengthen them and challenge them to follow the Lord in their relationship with each other and as they seek to raise their children in Him!