NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Seeing the growth

of the Siawi church has been our joy. This last week the Siawi believers hiked several hours and then canoed to attend the Upper Sepik believer’s conference. Several of the Siawi elders and deacons participated in the teaching and leadership of the conference. We were encouraged by the report that it was an excellent time of fellowship/encouragement for everyone.   Most moving to us was the report of the Siawi believer’s concern that the host village would have enough food for themselves after the large group of visitors returned to their home villages. Never before have we seen this level of sharing and caring for others.  Praise the Lord for the growth among the churches in their area.

38 Siawi men have been challenged to love their wives.   for 21 days Jason challenged the men to learn to love their wives.  If you have seen the movie “Fireproof” then you will understand this is a “Love Dare” Siawi style.  Please be in prayer for the men who have had their eyes opened to a new level of what it means to love their wives. 

Nokee summed it up on Day 15 as he prayed.   “Oh Father Koto.  Help us.  We are not good at loving our wives.  Before, we didn’t know what the road of loving our wives was like.  We didn’t know how big and hard that road is.  Now we know and we are wanting to love them and follow you.  But it is hard.  We are not strong.    But for you nothing is hard.  Thank you for our brother here.  We didn’t ask him to come and tell us how to love our wives.  No, we didn’t say that but you knew we were short (meaning we were lacking in love for our wives).  So, you shot Tiesen’s heart and now he is coming and showing us how to love our wives.  Day after day he has come in the early morning.  And this work is strengthening us.  He’s just a man but you are the far-above-all-one.  Because of that we ask you to help us.  That is all.” 

Some of the highlights:

• The Lord led Jason after the first day to a man who can’t read yet in Siawi.  He seems to be a man who looks after his wife well so Jason asked him if he wanted to come to the class on learning how to love your wife.  He said yes but couldn’t read to do the homework.  He told him that he was going to be reading everyday what loving your wife each day looks like and what verses from the Bible talk about that particular day’s work.  It was exciting to see him come the next day to the Love Dare time.
• On the third day men were encouraged to show their love for their wives by “giving” them something.  You could make something with your hands or give them their favorite garden food or give them the best piece of meat from an animal you shoot.    “What if I decide to get her something from Town later?  Can I wait until then?” Malakai remarked.  Hoping to get out of the day’s rather difficult love dare.   “That is a great thinking.  Listen.  Later, when you go don’t forget about your wife.  Buy something for her then.  And give her something today too.  Do both.”  The next day Jason was talking with Malakai again and he said something about giving his wife a shirt.  Apparently there was a shirt he had from a previous visit to town that his wife really liked.  Before she had asked him if she could have it.  He said no.  The Spirit reminded him of this and he went up to her and gave it to her.  He told Jason it went something like this.  “ Here, take this.”  His wife looked at the shirt and said, “Are you giving this to me?”   “Yes, but if you don’t want I’ll keep it.”  “No way.”  she said, “I like this shirt.  I’m taking it.”
• One day the men had a full day where they were supposed to practice just “listening” to their wives.  There was another day where they were supposed to help their wives before they asked them for help.  About this time someone said.  “my wife asked me today what I was doing.  Why I was helping her all the time.  what am I supposed to say to her?  We’re supposed to keep this work we’re doing hidden, right?  I don’t want to tell her this is a class.”  Jason told the young man, “tell her you are trying to follow God’s straight road.  Tell her you are glad she is the wife God gave you.  Tell her you have no plans to get a second wife.  You are happy with just her.  You are trying to love her and that means helping her.  Tell her something like that.”
• On one of the days around day 12 they were given the assignment, “Work together with your wife in the garden or something but do it together.”   The next day one man said.  “Yep, we went to the garden.  Actually I arrived at the garden after her and the kids.  She worked over there and I worked over here.  I finished my side of the work early and went home.  She came home after I did.  That’s what I did but I don’t think that is what you meant is it?  You wanted us to work the garden together.  But we don’t do that.  Maybe we shouldn’t call this part of the garden mine and that part hers?  Is that what you are saying?”  That was a huge statement.  The Siawis are always micromanaging their garden food.  Only the husband can eat his planted food.  It was neat to see them seeing that maybe they could begin to garden with everyone in mind.
• Another man said  “I’ve got some talk about the garden.  Yes, I go to the garden but I always fill my wife’s string bag with all the heavy bananas I can.  And the papayas.  I don’t want to carry them because they are heavy.  I let her carry the heavy stuff home and then I eat it.  (he laughs then looks down in shame)  But now I am thinking that isn’t the way of loving our wives is it?  Making them do all the heavy work.  Is that something else that we should be changing?  Wow, brother Tiesen we really don’t know about this way of loving our wives.  This is all a new thing for us.”
• Another Day one of the men came to Jason and said this.  “I didn’t understand what you meant about giving my wife something.  Did you mean food or water for her to drink or what?  We each have a mosquito net and a bed sheet. (in other words, what more do you need?)  Then as I was leaving the church building the Spirit told me to give her my extra battery for her flashlight.  So, I gave it to her.  I told her that I was happy that God had given her to me.  I told her Tiesen didn’t tell me to give this to you.  The Spirit shot my heart.  This is how you walk the loving your wife road.  She took the flashlight  and her eyes brightened up.  She was pleased.”

Thank you again for standing beside us in this wonderful work the Lord has allowed us the pleasure to be partakers in.  He is at work and it is so exciting to see.    Please continue to pray for these men.  They have finished the 21 days that Jason dedicated to giving them daily tasks and it is now up to them to continue loving their wives.  In the next few months some of these men will be appointed as Deacons and some Elders.  This is a huge responsibility to “look after the church.”  Please pray for these husbands and wifes and future church leaders.