Modern Present Day (like this week) Mission Story

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It’s hard to believe sometimes that just within very short flights from us are very primitive people.  People who still live in simple huts with no electricity, radio, running water, etc.  People who believe in the spirits and who don’t know about God and Jesus.  We are talking about villages that are less than an hour away by plane. Which would equal 2-3 days of solid hiking through jungle.   Many of these people groups have never heard of the gospel message.  Fortunately there are mission groups from all different kinds of organizations trying to penetrate these unreached people.  One of my favorite things here to do is getting to know and rub shoulders with these missionaries that work in these remote locations.  Committed and called, fully. 

This week we received an email from Joy.  Joy and her family are precious friends of ours.  They are completely dedicated to their tribe hearing the gospel message and have already lived with their tribal people for 7 or 8 years if I am not mistaken (or maybe it is 11 years after reading through Joy’s email again?).  Joy shared several weeks ago that she was talking through some of the newly translated scripture with one of their language workers on the porch.  Another lady, just happened to overhear the scripture being shared in her language.  Joy said that this lady was so passionately excited about the WORD that she had just heard and stated, “We are SO hungry for more of that.”  At any rate, I am getting off topic.  Back to the email from this week…..I asked permission from Joy to share it with you.  This is a modern present day mission story from our Island just a few mountain ridges away.

 

Death comes so often for the Morop people.  Last night around midnight a man came to our door to tell us that his niece was in severe labor.  Not being able to do much at midnight we sent him with some energy drinks to help her.  This morning at 5 AM he came again to let us know she was still struggling.  So at 5:30 we contacted the pilot and asked about getting a flight into Tarup to get the lady.  However by 7:30 this morning she passed away after giving birth to her baby.  One of the sad things for me, is, I knew this was coming.  For months I have been trying to get her family to send her out to town as she has always had hard births and this time it was complicated by a large hernia protruding from her stomach.  But the family would not send her and now Tina is dead.  Having known this young lady for almost 11 years now and having sat with her through all her pregnancies and been there for each birth it is hard to know how to feel today.  A bit of anger for sure at not being able to convince the family to help her before it was to late, and knowing they will let the baby die too.  This is a hard day of grief and processing.  Please pray with us as we continue to love the Morop people and continue to translate the Words of Life that will be the only thing that will make a difference in their lives.
Thank you for praying with us.

Hyejin and Jiseoung (Jim and Joy’s co-workers)

Joy and Jim

 

Please continue to pray for these missionaries as they labor to bring the gospel to these precious people.  Both of these missionary parents “sacrifice” by having their children separate from them and living here in the dorms at our international school.  This is more difficult for them, then living in the remote location and doing without all the “nice things” of town life.  Your prayers do make a difference. 

 

Thank you.

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