Now glory be to God! By HIS mighty power at work within us, HE is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare to ask or hope. May HE be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement during our recent visit to Hewa-land. As you know, we were able to spend 3 ½ weeks at the small hamlet we refer to as Kul. At this location there are about 40 folks involved in a church that was established in 2008. Our co-workers, the Kopf’s, shared the Good News with these folks at that time. Since then their appetite for The Word has been voracious. They have been taught through key Old and New Testament portions including Acts and Romans 1-3. On this trip, we had the opportunity to go in and share with them Romans 4-8. During this time they often sat with HUGE smiles on their faces, shaking their heads in amazement, and saying, “Momale*.” They were excited to hear just how secure their salvation is in Christ. The Hewa ancestors taught them that in the spiritual world, the spirits were always in need, and nothing was secure. Some of the other churches in the area teach that God is very much the same, always demanding perfect behavior, and nothing is secure. However, to now see clearly in God’s Word that Christ paid their debt and therefore they are declared “perfectly right (righteous)” in the sight of God, brought forth praise for all that Christ accomplished on the cross. (*Momale – Hewa term for “It is good, true, or amazing.”)
Life in Kul – it was an incredible family time. We lived in a house that is 16X25. That means one bath, one Bedroom (8X9) and one other room that encompassed a kitchen, desk, dining table, and another bed. The kids slept in the bedroom in a 3 man tent (didn’t want critters to get them). We arrived in Kul in the middle of a drought. So, Keith carried water most every day – about 25 minutes, round trip. We were thankful for the strength and health to accomplish this. And as a bonus – Keith lost no weight but lost one belt notch in just 3 weeks. If you are interested in the Kul weight loss program I can send you the details (and it won’t even cost you 3 installments of $19.95). Angie and the girls carried the laundry down to the creek. It was a good time of working together to keep us all clean and healthy.
Psalm 139 was the passage God laid on my heart to study most every day during our time in Kul. We are 2 hours helicopter ride from anywhere, and sitting in a group of people that are different from us in most every single way. As I spent time in this Psalm I read the words, “…you chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.” When I struggled with how to say the deep truths of Romans in the Hewa language I read, “…You know what I am going to say, even before I say it…” When we were lonely and missing family I read, “…I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” When I was exhausted from carrying water or from teaching 6 days a week twice a day I read, “your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” It was wonderful to live in a beautiful rainforest in the heart of PNG and know that God was right there, looking over us, guiding us, and protecting us. What a privilege.
Our trip was fantastic and we are praying about when we should go back. Please pray for God’s wisdom and provision so that we can move in sync with HIS leading. We want to be where HE is working. We want to be tools in His hands that do HIS will.
Thank you for the tremendous part you play in our ministry through prayer, support, and encouragement. We are privileged to serve our wonderful Savior.
It is a pleasure to serve HIM together with you,
The Copley’s