I will never forget the little scene that played itself out at my kitchen window years ago when we lived in the tribe. The little Ayore boy standing there had dirty little smudges of dirt on the end of his nose and cheeks showing that he had probably been too eager eating from the honey pot the night before. He stood there staring with a look of wonder in his big brown eyes as he watched me take a batch of Christmas cookies out of the oven and when he asked what they were, it touched my heart so profoundly that here was a little eight year old boy who didn’t know what a Christmas cookie was! Isn’t that sad? It so touched my heart that now, every Christmas, as I get ready to make those cookies, I think of that little boy.
Praise the Lord — the Ayore people have heard the wonderful Christmas message and know that Christ came to earth to bring them salvation. That little boy is now in his forties! He can read God’s Word in his own language, and he can tell his own children and grandchildren about the wonderful Christmas story.
As I write you — our daughter Starr (a missionary in Mexico) instant messaged me asking us to pray for Jesus, an elderly Tepehuan man. Matt is sharing the story of Jesus with him, leading up to the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. So we are praying that Jesus’ spiritual eyes and ears will understand this wonderful truth. Because his parents named him Jesus — he believes that this Jesus is his patron saint! So, he will brew up a big pot of corn liquor and many friends and family will come on Dec. 25th to celebrate his special saint’s day. All these years Jesus has never understood the Christmas story, He has never heard it clearly explained in his own language. Pray with us please that this dear little old man will come to know Jesus as his personal Savior — not just his special saint.
As you make those cookies this year and celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, please be encouraged with the part you are playing to spread the Gospel around the world! Little boys with big brown eyes and old men with wizened, wrinkled faces are hearing the Gospel for the first time. NINE new tribes were entered by NTM missionaries this year and NINE tribal groups heard the precious story of Jesus for the very first time in their own language in this year of 2006.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, dear friends! How we praise the Lord for you! And let’s be encouraged for what GOD is going to do through our joint efforts in this new year. THANK YOU for your prayers and financial support!
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