From the editor: A missionary story of the practicality of reading to communicate the Bible's message.
...I was truly baffled about what to do. This term [on the mission field], the Lord has used different ones to help us find what I believe have been answers.... Two or three times a week, I go to the village at night. I take along workbooks of the lessons, and spend time reading.... Most of the time we read the workbooks together, slowing the reading down so that the slower readers can follow along. Other times, we go around allowing each one to read individually.... The benefits have been far beyond what I could have ever hoped for.
As I began to see the Word of God piercing the darkness during these night sessions, I became quite impressed with the fact that it wasn't me rounding up the people and trying to make my program work. It was the Word of God going out that was making the difference. The Word of God ... will accomplish what the Lord pleases—it will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).
When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, nearly 50,000 people met together before the water gate while Ezra the priest read the Law.... As it was read, the Levites caused the people to understand the Law. Nehemiah 8:8 says, "So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." At first the people mourned as the Law was read. Then they rejoiced....
The Word of God has the same effect today. Through it we see our impoverished state before God and are filled with mourning. But then the Word changes our mourning into great gladness and joy as we see God's goodness and grace. Certainly as we have read the Old Testament stories together ... they have begun to get truly excited about God and His goodness and greatness.
Indeed, reading the Word together with them has stirred my own heart ... and has made a difference among the Nimo people.
Adapted from an article by Dean Theobald, Bible teacher to the Nimo tribal people in Papua New Guinea.
For more missionary stories, see EE-TAOW! & EE-TAOW! The Next Chapter, as well as The Taliabo Story & Delivered from the Power of Darkness.
