update on Yoonare

Just wanted to give a quick update on our friend Yoonare. 

 

Yesterday when Yoonare got to the hospital in town they immediately got her hooked up to an IV because she was very dehydrated. The doctor's initial examination determined that both her spleen and liver are enlarged and that yes, she has an obstructed gut. He is also suspecting cancer. That one really surprised us. They did not want to go ahead with any surgery to remove the obstruction because of her weakened condition. They took some blood and x-rays and are still waiting for the results of those. They aren't saying anything about the possibility of cancer to either Yoonare or Keteng until they have the results, which we are eagerly praying that they come back negative. She is in a great deal of pain and they have moved her to another ward where the nurses can keep a better eye on her. Meanwhile Keteng is looking after Yoonare and both of their young children who went out with them and is having a hard time with that. They are asking that we send their older daughter and one of her uncles out to get the kids so hopefully tomorrow they will be able to do that. It will be a two day hike for them as well as a big expense so you can be praying for that as well. 

 

Thank you all for your prayers for this family, they are really appreciated. We will keep you all updated as we learn more.

 

Love,

the Husas

Child training postponed - medical emergency

We ended up postponing the first installment of the child training until next week. One of our friends showed up on our doorstep Saturday morning to inform us of his wife's worsening condition, and when all was said and done our best guess was that she had a very serious condition (obstructed gut, for any of you in the medical field out there) and needed emergency help. That kind of took over the whole weekend, including Sunday morning.

 

I went down to Mibu early that morning and was so blessed to see the community having come together the way they did to support and encourage this family. A large number of people was needed to help carry this woman on a stretcher a very full day's hike up steep mountain trails to the nearest airstrip, where we were hoping to be able to have arranged a flight for her the next morning. It only took about a day to organize the community effort and when I went down there the morning of their departure I truly was blown away by all the people who were helping! I happened to catch out of the corner of my eye, a number of people giving small amounts of cash to the family so that they could buy food in town (at the hospitals here, you need to provide your own meals if you can). A number of people quickly put together a stretcher. Many women were there to try to provide comfort for their friend and relative. The whole thing was just a very touching scene and I consider myself blessed to have witnessed it.

 

These are great opportunities for people to come to understand the specific work and experience of God's Spirit in their lives. I was glad to be able to talk with some of the people who were helping and point out and praise their sensitivity to the Spirit's movement in them. It was so great to see this community of believers come together with such genuine concern and desire to help!

 

Then as of yesterday morning (monday), our friend and her husband and the smallest 2 of their 9 children are safely in Madang town where the hospital staff can hopefully quickly discern the cause of her condition and help resolve the issue. We are very thankful that though it was the weekend and with nobody at work, with the help of some of our friends and co-workers in town, a flight was just able to get arranged! Then once the plane arrived in Madang these friends of ours took the time out of their days to go pick the family up at the airport, take them to the hospital and offer any help and assistance they might need. A HUGE help, as the whole hospital experience is very foreign and probably adding a lot of stress to an already stressful situation. What a blessing though!

 

For those who would like to pray for her, our sick friend's name is Yoonare.

Titirapok outreach update

Earlier this week, after our weekly meeting with the teachers here, a group of men involved in bringing God's word to the village of Titirapok came and shared a report with all of us regarding the teaching there. After a long haul, with some interruptions here and there they have just finished the initial presentation of the Good News of Jesus and were excited to come and share that there are over 55 new brothers and sisters in Christ there as a result! There are still a few that they've not had a chance to talk with yet to see where they're at with things. So there likely could be a few more here and there. It's just so awesome to see how God has been working in people's lives to see his message spread!

 

We want to thank God for his providing faithful workers thus far. As you may or may not know, as God's word continues to spread through the mountains here there are the added challenges of continuing teaching and discipleship that must be handled wisely. Those who are going, need ongoing accountability and discipleship. They need to be fed and gain strength to then go and serve. They need to continue their own personal growth as well as taking this message of light to areas that have not yet heard. Sometimes the current 'system' that is in place to support these efforts is shaken and current methods must be revised. It's a scary thing sometimes to realize what little pieces of the puzzle can so drastically effect the big picture. We would appreciate your continued prayers specifically for effective ways to continue the teaching, training and long term encouragement of these people working to see the message of God's kingdom go beyond their home areas.

Child training teaching to begin in Mibu

This Sunday (May 3rd - May 2nd for those of you back home) we'll be teaching our first installment of lessons for child training. This is an important time of topical teaching here in Mibu, that we hope will give them some of the key foundations for understanding how to lead their families and children in a way that honors God. God has really impressed it on our hearts to take the Mibu people through some basic training on these matters and we've been working on the lessons for it for about a year now. Don't be impressed yet! The reason we've taken so long to get the lessons ready (and there's still more to work on yet) is just because of time constraints. Lately we've picked up the pace a bit as the time draws near to get started and we've got about 5 lessons near a state of completion. And even though we're trying to keep this round to just foundational principles it's looking like we're going to have a hard time keeping it under 10 lessons! There's still a lot to do and so we'd ask for your prayers regarding this. We hope to find enough little bits of time here and there (outside of our many other responsibilities; translation being the biggest one) to be able to finish these lessons.

 

This first Sunday will be mainly warming up their minds to thinking about their parenting. Lots of questions will be asked in hopes of eliciting discussion from people about what they currently think about the job of parenting. They'll also be encouraged about how much God's word actually does teach us about parenting. Then next week we'll begin the process of moving through the various points in scripture that teach us something about our roles as parents.

 

Please be in prayer for these lessons. Like I said before, we're starting them out with very basic, foundational principles. A lot of the material is very different from how they currently perceive their roles as parents and so obviously we hope that we can present them in ways that are easily understood and applicable in their cultural context.

 

We would also appreciate your prayers regarding our time spent on the lessons. Shannon and I have been working together to develop these. Usually we have short little bits of time here and there to work on them, either together or separately. The difficulty is getting 'into the groove' enough to actually accomplish something during these short times. An hour here and there is usually just enough time to remember where you left off and add a little bit of thought... not much. I've thought about giving a whole day to it here and there, but I never seem to be able to find a whole day to take away from translation! So you see the difficulty. So we would ask for clarity of mind and wisdom as we invest our time into these lessons and try to get them all done to a high standard.

 

Geoff and Shannon Husa

Update on: Crossing the line

Many of you have been praying for the situation where the gentleman had gotten angry at me and at the church here in Mibu and had decided to step out. Well here's an encouraging update.

 

A little while after our update about this man, he met with some of the developing leaders in the church here and actually confessed that he was wrong for the things he said and did! He explained that his words were driven by anger and that he was wrong for saying what he said and doing what he did. He went on to explain that he definitely does see that what we believe as a church here is in accordance with God's word and that he really doesn't have any desire to go back to the old system. Regarding his having said that he wanted out, that too was just said out of anger and a desire to save face because he was embarassed by his actions. He actually said this stuff! And further, he said these things in front of a small group of others who have been kind of following his direction! Not surprising that the Holy Spirit has been prompting this gentleman, but unexpected because I took his words seriously back then.

 

Because I'm rather skeptical of situations like this I decided to wait a bit before writing, just to see if this guy's actions reflect genuineness. So after a few weeks here it seems that he has indeed been repentant of his actions. Something we're all very glad for.

 

So what happened back there anyway? Though I'm not certain, I suspect that God is using this as a point of growth for him in his Christian life. Where in the past he has just been in a state of coasting, I think that after those events he's one step closer to understanding the true value of what Jesus did for him and it's implications for him as a member of his body. I suspect God allowed him to do this so that he would be challenged about where he really stands and what he really values. Maybe in God's divine plan for this man's life this sequence of events was needed at a time when he was at a crux in a particular battle of unbelief; a battle that he would have to experience in order to be brought to further realizations of the treasuredness of Christ over mere trinket hopes of the past. At least that's what I like to think God has been doing in this man's life. His demeanor in the past few weeks, since his apology, has allowed me to feel fairly confident that he does indeed remain desirous of God and is now aware of his sense of being left exposed to the cold when withdrawing himself from the warmth of God's love manifest in his church.

 

So let's praise the Lord for his confirming work in this man's life and continue our prayers for his future growth and maturity. Thank you all for your prayers so far!

 

Geoff and Shannon Husa

Out of his shell

I have a friend here who, until recently, I'd pretty much written off as, 'just not gettin' it'. He's always held himself aloof, seeming actually to be really nervous and skittish not just around us, but the rest of the community here as well. Always mystified by his demeanor, I was never really understanding what was causing him to be like that. He's actually one of the more educated men here and his mind is very capable and he seems to know what he's doing so I couldn't quite chalk it up to being deranged or anything like that. But something has been holding this guy down.

 

As I got to know him more and more I began to suspect that his 'impairment' may be the effects of extreme guilt. Maybe the rumors I've heard about his having murdered his own mother are true. People in the community have not shown much respect for him in the past and some of the women have even expressed fear of him. He's not a scary man at all; extremely gentle and respectful, sensitive to others. I'm not sure what things of his past have such a hold on him, but I'm all the more certain that the weight of his guilt is so powerful that it disables him in many forms of social interaction. Even just talking with him and understanding him has been very difficult because even his speech is oppressed. He's almost afraid to talk and often trails off into faint whisperings that I just can't follow. There is one thing I've managed to hear as a general theme in his mostly undiscernable language, and that is his feelings of guilt. He has said over and over again, "I'm such a bad person. I've done so many bad things."

 

Recently (several months back, that is) he began asking me if he could get some copies of the lessons that we print. Remembering that years ago his interest in the teaching seemed minimal, I was happy to hear of his desire and gave him all the lesson books we have so far. Over time, he would come around about once a week to ask some questions about the lessons. It was clear to me that he is definitely understanding where the lessons are going; not something I necessarily doubted as he's shown evidence of being able to read even English pretty well. Another thing began to be clear as I listened to his questions; This man seems to be deeply sensitive to God's word. He's hungry!

 

Even more recently, I'm convinced and overjoyed to realize that this gentleman definitely has come to know the Lord as his savior. While he still struggles with guilt, when put in the press he holds on to Jesus' work on the cross. It was during one such 'pressing'; a time when, contrary to what one might expect, I FED his guilt, assuring him that at some time there definitely would be judgment for his many iniquities that he had been sharing with me, that he stopped me and very clearly pointed out Jesus' death on the cross as having taken place to take his punishment for him. "What about that?" he asked. "Is that not enough?" Well, after seeing him reach out for Jesus like that, I left my role as devil's advocate and assured him that yes, what he said about Jesus is most certainly true.

 

The weight lifted from this broken man's shoulders was so great that he couldn't contain his tears. His body shook with the emotion and he covered his face with his hands and cried. The tears and expressed emotion were unlike anything I've ever seen in anyone here. This man was freed and he knew it!

 

Since then, I've watched him seemingly emerge from a shell. He's still a little bit skittish out of habit, but even his speech has begun to change some. His demeanor now, stands in growing contrast to that of the past; one of oppression so deep that even his speech was effected. While in the past his guilt was as a mountain on his shoulders, now that mountain has moved off toward the horizon and is merely a shaded visage of where he once was.

 

The transformation is happening. While he still struggles with many things and is by no means instantly perfected, he's on the road to that glorious perfection and I'm excited as I wonder what 5 years down the road holds for this man? 10 years? What does the Lord have in store for him? He has been coming around a lot more and we've been working on helping him to understand the importance of being with other believers for encouragement and continued growth. He's even expressed interest, without any urging from me, to get started training so that he can take this message to others.

 

I'm sure that he would appreciate your prayers as he continues to grow in God's grace in which he now stands.

Crossing the line

(Something appears to have gone wrong with the first attempt. This is a resend. Sorry if you've already gotten it!)

 

Sometimes we find ourselves sitting on a fine line between the need to be sensitive to culture and maintaining the integrity of God's revealed desire for us as a church. Sometimes the cultural norms kind of get in the way of God's word and I would even go as far as to say are sinful, going against what God's desire is for his people.

 

Here in Mibu culture, you don't dare step on someone's toes and indicate to them that you think something is wrong with their actions or worse, their heart. Even if done gently and lovingly, you run a high risk of the recipient of your exhortations 'rightfully' getting angry and even charging you a large amount of money to settle the issue. But a few years back, when the gospel was first presented, God's word did that very thing. It pointed to every single person and revealed to them that God himself thinks they are sinners and that there's nothing they themselves can do to take themselves out of that horrible condition. Many people responded in a way that gave the type of weight and honor that is due to such a revelation from our Creator. Many also moved on to hear and believe the provided way by which they could be restored in their relationship to God; an alien righteousness.

 

One of my friends here, whose way of life has never really seemed to steer any closer to accordance with that truth, recently became angry with me because I've repeatedly turned down his frequent requests for material help; something we're VERY cautious with here because of the expectations that giving handouts creates. He wasn't just a little bit angry or bothered by it. He actually was making a big deal about it and slandering the church and the work that God's Spirit is doing here. I've questioned for quite some time whether this guy had ever really understood the fact that he is a sinner whose only hope was something totally outside of himself. His recent actions and the things he was saying confirmed quite firmly my previous suspicions and so it was time to express my concerns to him, now that I had some concrete outworkings of his heart that I could refer to. I talked to some of our teachers who were also seeing the same things and we decided that we needed to meet together with him.

 

In that meeting I shared with him where Jesus says, in Luke, essentially that our actions are resultant from what is really in our heart, so that our actions are kind of a window, though blurry, into our hearts. I told him that based on his actions, I wonder if he might be in danger of turning out like the many examples in scripture where people turned away from God because of their desire for the easy life and the acquisition and maintenance of material wealth. His response was very angry, and much more of his heart in matters poured forth into the open.

 

He left in a rage, threatening to come back with his axe and chop our house down and bring all kinds of heavies upon us. He also said that only a large amount of money being paid to him would fix this situation and restore peace between us. Soon after, he sent a middleman (another interesting cultural story for another time) to inform us of what he's upset about and to work out the details of restoring peace with him; something we were desperately interested in, but not in a way that would be communicating to others that our having approached this man about his blatant wrongdoings was improper. We were able to stand strong on this point because we've seen the power of God's word to convict here. There are many who have responded to similar exhortations in exactly the opposite way and have continued to be faithful to what God's word has revealed to them. It's not impossible to work around this cultural hurdle!

 

Just a warning; this story doesn't resolve itself in a way that most would probably hope.

 

Long story short; this man, for some reason, changed his mind about demanding money for peace and we were able to restore the peace and maintain a civil relationship (signified by a handshake with the mediators and sometimes others present). This man expressed that he was basically intending to stay on the course he's on and that he is now officially reverting back to the old system (under which he was the recipient of material benefit). I fought the urge there to remind him of the infinitely more precious provision that Jesus provides, but was reminded that he's shown himself to be of such state right now that such words would only fall on deaf ears. So I remained silent and only nodded in agreement with him, that this was indeed probably the best move for him at the time.

 

While it's sad that this man has heard and chosen something other than what God offers, it's not unseen in history. Not a surprise to see it happen. In fact we're desirous of keeping the integrity of Jesus's precious bride, the church. Fakers like this gentleman are said in the bible to be as wolves among a flock of sheep; dissentious and leading people away from the truth. Very dangerous, and we're given every indication that their presence and participation within the church congregation is extremely undesired. It's not until they have the Holy Spirit within them and are recipients of God's promises that they receive any benefit from, or themselves become a benefit to the other members of Christ's body. So in that regard this thing happening was positive. Even more so because we seem to maintain a peaceful standing with him for the time being. We certainly hope that over time and the influence of the church here this man will eventually see what is infinitely more precious.