New Guinea News                                                                      25 August 2008

One Week Away

Me, my tribal brother Tamrau, and my little brother Andrew.

In August 1993, as a 16 year old, I had just returned to America from a short term trip in Papua New Guinea.  I stood before the church and told them all about my trip, the country, the people, and the 868 languages in Papua New Guinea, most of which needed to hear God’s Word in their own language so that they could understand the Gospel.  I told them that I wanted to go to one of those tribes, so they too could know the one, true God.  Now 15 years later, the day has come.  We are one week away from beginning to teach the Word of God to the Patpatar people.  Years of studying the language and culture of the people, developing relationships, and writing Bible lessons in the Patpatar language has cumulated to this point in history.  Now, 2000 years after the Gospel was presented to mankind in human flesh through Christ, on September 1, 2008 we will begin teaching the Patpatar people.

We will teach every weekday for the next 3½ months to lay foundation of who God is, who we are as sinners, and what God has done for us.  There is already a lot of excitement about the teaching, like the Patpatar man who said, “This is a really big and good teaching that is about to begin, because many of us are unclear about what happened before we were born clear back to the time the world began.”  And already some things have come up to try to hinder God’s Word from being taught, like the Patpatar man who doesn’t want the teaching in the village because he thinks it might interfere with some of the traditional customs.

 We feel encouraged having come away from our annual conference at the mission base last month followed by a week with my parents and 3 of my brothers who came to visit us in the tribe.  Despite feeling encouraged, we need your prayers as we delve into 3½ months of intense teaching, continued curriculum development, home-schooling, and life in the tribe.  Pray for wisdom, strength, discernment, protection and encouragement as we are likely to face spiritual opposition.  Pray for the Patpatar people, that they will come hear God’s Word, that they will understand God’s Word, and that God will draw them to Himself.

 You have a chance to make history among the Patpatar…pray to that end.

 For His Glory,

Aaron

 Aaron, Lori, Avalon, Sierra, and Kylee Luse