Decision time for Akolets
"The time has come. You’ve waited for years for this, and now God’s Word will be taught to you in your language for the first time."
Missionaries Adam Martin and Ryan Warner called together the Akolet men to announce the start of evangelistic Bible teaching and to prompt the men to make some final decisions.
"Big decisions need to be made on your part," the missionaries said. "Where will we meet? How often? This needs to be your decision. We’ve talked about ideas for a long time, but decisions need to be made because this teaching starts in January and we all need to be ready for it."
The men became silent as they processed the announcement.
Finally, a man who is visiting the village until Christmas launched into a passionate speech.
"I would give anything to have missionaries giving me God’s Word in my language! You guys have it right here for you.
"A while back I traveled with my wife a long distance to a Bible meeting we heard was being held a long ways away. It wasn’t in our language but we wanted to hear it so we went anyway. We spent lots of money and time to go to it.
"And you guys, what do you guys have to pay? Nothing! Where do you have to go? Wake up and go outside your door and it’s right here in your village. You shouldn’t waste your chance. This is huge!"
Slowly, the Akolet men, who are fairly laid back when it comes to making decisions and plans, started to voice similar statements.
"As it stands now, after discussion with the village leaders, the Bible teaching will be held Tuesday to Saturday for an hour or so in the mornings starting in January," wrote Adam and Julie Martin. "The shelter where we held literacy classes will be expanded and we will meet in there."
Adam and his Akolet co-worker, Gili, continue to write Bible lessons and are nearly done with the 70 evangelistic lessons that will comprise more than three months of teaching.
Please pray for wisdom as they polish them up a bit for their first public hearing, and as they begin writing follow-up lessons.
Pray too that God would be mightily at work in the hearts of the Akolet people in Papua New Guinea, that they will be faithful to attend and listen to the teaching and have their eyes opened to His awesome message of salvation.
Missionaries Adam Martin and Ryan Warner called together the Akolet men to announce the start of evangelistic Bible teaching and to prompt the men to make some final decisions.
"Big decisions need to be made on your part," the missionaries said. "Where will we meet? How often? This needs to be your decision. We’ve talked about ideas for a long time, but decisions need to be made because this teaching starts in January and we all need to be ready for it."
The men became silent as they processed the announcement.
Finally, a man who is visiting the village until Christmas launched into a passionate speech.
"I would give anything to have missionaries giving me God’s Word in my language! You guys have it right here for you.
"A while back I traveled with my wife a long distance to a Bible meeting we heard was being held a long ways away. It wasn’t in our language but we wanted to hear it so we went anyway. We spent lots of money and time to go to it.
"And you guys, what do you guys have to pay? Nothing! Where do you have to go? Wake up and go outside your door and it’s right here in your village. You shouldn’t waste your chance. This is huge!"
Slowly, the Akolet men, who are fairly laid back when it comes to making decisions and plans, started to voice similar statements.
"As it stands now, after discussion with the village leaders, the Bible teaching will be held Tuesday to Saturday for an hour or so in the mornings starting in January," wrote Adam and Julie Martin. "The shelter where we held literacy classes will be expanded and we will meet in there."
Adam and his Akolet co-worker, Gili, continue to write Bible lessons and are nearly done with the 70 evangelistic lessons that will comprise more than three months of teaching.
Please pray for wisdom as they polish them up a bit for their first public hearing, and as they begin writing follow-up lessons.
Pray too that God would be mightily at work in the hearts of the Akolet people in Papua New Guinea, that they will be faithful to attend and listen to the teaching and have their eyes opened to His awesome message of salvation.