Dear Friends and Supporters,
It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas time are right around the corner. I hope you are more ready for them than I am!
Jason (our oldest son) and Tiffany were excited to be able to buy their own home in Colorado. They are both working and doing well.
Heather, is in the midst of trying to get accepted at the University of Central Florida. In the meantime she is constantly on the go between classes at the community college, work and spending time with her friends. She hopes to get some scholarships or grants to help pay for her schooling. Please pray for wisdom as she plans for her future.
Cody is doing well his senior year and is enjoying Junior ROTC but still hasn’t decided what he wants to do after high school. Please pray for his future plans, as well.
I (Jackie) occasionally do some substitute teaching on the side. Oh, what a difference I see in the students at our Mission school and those in the public schools! It just takes a few to make the day a really stressful and challenging one. I feel so depressed every time I leave the public schools after seeing the lack of discipline, low morals and life styles of many of these kids! It just makes me so thankful that Haley is able to be in our mission school. The sad thing is that the school only goes through 8th grade so please pray with us as we are already thinking about what to do for her schooling next year.
Phil and I enjoyed sharing with an RA and GA group in a local church this month. We were able to share our work with them and encourage them to support missions by praying, giving and going.
Again, we are thankful to have just a small part in reaching tribal people with the Gospel. In our last prayer letter we mentioned the Tobo tribe in Papua New Guinea who were to begin to hear the Bible taught in their language on October 16th. The first two days of teaching drew crowds of 300 people, and then attendance leveled off to 150 the rest of the week. When the Tobos heard that Adam’s sin brought condemnation to the whole world, they realized that their traditional beliefs were wrong. Many cried because they realized that they are sinners and that there is no way for them to get back into the garden to get to the tree of life. "There has to be another way," they said, "or we will all die and go to the lake of fire." They are hearing that God is all-powerful and everywhere. He knows and sees everything and everyone and will not let sins go unpunished, He loves us and in His mercy promised a Deliverer to redeem people from the punishment they deserve.
Evangelistic Bible teaching was interrupted one day by the shouts, clicking tongues and clapping of the Tobo people. The teaching couldn’t go on until the verse was read again several times — the first scripture the Tobos of Papua New Guinea had ever heard in their own language. Some of the men later told missionaries Jason Knapp and Chad Mankins that they wanted to cry when they heard it. Some commented, "It was sweet to hear," and "It hit my insides!"
One day a rather large earthquake occurred during the teaching. "It felt like a stampede of horses about to storm through," wrote Jason, "just an awesome picture to the Tobo people that earthquakes are part of God’s handiwork." Even the interruption of the rains has impressed the people. Thursday before the teaching it started to rain, but then a rainbow appeared and within minutes there was blue sky. A half hour after the teaching it was raining again. Each day the rains have stopped while the missionaries teach.
The beginning of this month the Tobo people heard the evangelistic lesson about Noah and the ark. I hope these stories stir your heart to pray that the Tobos will continue to understand God’s Word and come to know their Savior! Pray for a spiritual awakening among this people.
Thank you again for your part in helping reach groups like the Tobo. As we all work together the Gospel can reach around the globe.
In Christ,
Jackie for the Burns Bunch
P.S. Keep up with the Tobo story by checking out New Tribes Website under "subscribe – daily prayer requests".
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