We want to start out AGAIN by apologizing for the lack in communication over the last year. The school year with new ministry and life in town was very different for us and updating you all just kept getting away from us.  

WARNING: World’s longest update!!  Grab your reading glasses and a cup of coffee or feel free to skim through it real quick, or even read it like a chapter book 😂 -I promise there are some incredible things God is doing you won’t want to miss! 

We value and are so thankful for all of your support. We don’t take any of it for granted and feel humbled and honored to be part of what God is doing here in Papua and the fact that God allows us to have front row seats to the transformation of our Dem friends, YOUR Dem brothers and sisters is beyond humbling. 

As a reminder in case some of you missed it or forgot- last August our family moved to the town of Sentani to be full-time dorm parents at the International School. We believed God was leading us there for Eden’s junior and senior years and had been praying about it for years. It was not an easy choice—our hearts are in Dem and we miss our tribal family and the ministry we have there—but we are trusting God with where He has our family in this season. This is NOT a permanent move OR a paid position, as we mentioned in the last update. We hope to return to Dem-land full time in the future, but for now we are temporarily living in town, serving in a different ministry role, while doing what is needed for our family. And we are thankful to still have coworkers on the ground there working daily to translate and help the people. 

I (J) was able to make a couple of trips back into Dem each semester, and we are able to talk to our Dem friends almost every day (thanks to technology). We communicate with them about needs they have or things they are working through spiritually. We are very thankful to be able to stay in touch with them while we are in town. Even though we haven’t been “on the ground,” we remain in contact with many of our Dem friends and have been helping with medevacs, supplies, projects, and more.

August ’25

School started and Eden began her 11^th grade year, Jericho his 8^th grade year and Noelle her 4^th.

 As the school year began, we were all trying to adjust to dorm life.  It took a little while to figure out how to fit three teenage boys into the family.  Eden and Jericho, along with one of our dorm boys, were playing volleyball (all on different teams, of course). Noelle continued homeschooling, but joined the 4th grade class for a few extra classes. We also enrolled Jericho at the International School half time so he could join sports, which was a new experience for him.

September ’25

 We started to get into the swing of things and find a rhythm as a new extended dorm/family. Meanwhile in Dem-land, a serious illness began to sweep through. Several babies became very sick and several died. Many of our Dem friends lost children, yet their faith was unshaken. They did not return to their old ways; they continued to trust the Lord and testify that Yahwe is good all the time, no matter what happens.

            Also in September, I (J) took a hard poke to the eye during basketball. A doctor friend wanted to send me to Singapore because he thought I could lose my eyesight, but I’m a ‘lil stubborn and decided to take a chance and  praise the Lord, the eye healed without needing to travel.

October ‘25

Jericho turned 14!:)

            The illness in Dem-land continued, and one of our good friends lost their super sweet little girl, Delila. At the funeral, her dad told our co-worker that even in his grief he trusted Yahwe’s plan, knowing his daughter had gone to be with Jesus ahead of him and that he would see her again. This is so different from how things used to be and such an encouragement to see our friends fully trusting the Lord.  Even through sadness, the faith of the Dem believers continues to encourage us as they trust in God’s goodness despite the trials they face.

            October also brought a significant event we had long anticipated and prayed over for the Lord’s protection.  As many of you know, we now have an Indonesian Christian school in Dem-land (see previous posts for more details). In September, a group of builders also arrived to construct school buildings, teacher dormitories, and a medical clinic.  It was a huge answer to prayer, and the Dem people were thrilled—as were we. They all had been in there for a couple months but unfortunately, a large group of “rebels” showed up and the situation became very tense. We can’t share all the details publicly, but the Lord was so faithful in protecting both the Indonesian teachers and the builders.

            When the rebels arrived with great force and hostility, our Dem friends immediately stepped in. Men, women, and even children surrounded the teachers and builders to protect them. One Dem man stood face-to-face with the rebel group, machete in hand, and shouted, “You came here being used by satan our enemy. You came like Goliath when he confronted Israel, but what happened then will happen now. You don’t know Yahwe; you are not part of His clan or family—but we are! If you try to harm the teachers or builders, you will die right here on this land just like Goliath because the power of Yahwe is behind us!”

            The Dem were ready to protect—and, if necessary, die for—the teachers and builders. The situation remained tense for about a day, but the rebel group eventually left. Then they were able to get flights into Dem to evacuate all the teachers and builders.

            Understandably, some of the teachers were shaken. Historically in Papua, when a situation like this occurred, the national Indonesians were killed, buildings burned and the local tribal people flee because they are scared of the rebel group. However, the testimonies we heard from the teachers and builders were remarkable. They kept saying, “We have never seen faith like that!” and “The Dem weren’t afraid at all—they surrounded us, ready to die, and trusted God through it all!” Another teacher, while waiting to be evacuated, posted online about how he has never seen people pray as much as the Dem, which strengthened his own faith.

            There are many other details—powerful testimonies of the Dem’s faith and of how God protected what could have been a catastrophic situation. Instead, their story encouraged people all across the island: pilots, other mission organizations, national workers, and fellow teachers all reported that hearing what happened in Dem strengthened their own faith.

            The Dem continue to encourage many from the mountains of Papua because of what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. To all of you who have supported and prayed for these people over many years—you have had a part in this incredible transformation.

            After the incident, the teachers and builders remained in town for a couple of months. Some needed counseling; others needed time to rest. Their leadership also wanted an opportunity to let things settle and to reassess the situation.

            The Dem were heartbroken to see the teachers leave. They did not know whether the teachers would return—or how long it might take—but they prayed that God would bring them back in His timing.

At the end of the month,(October) we received word that another friend’s baby was critically ill, so we requested a medivac right away. I was at the airport to meet them, and as they walked toward me they had a hopeless look in their eyes—the baby had died during the flight. I had the ambulance take them directly to the hospital to confirm, and sadly the baby did not make it.  It was another heartbreaking example of what happens when medical help arrives too late.

With the help of the mission community, we flew the parents and a small coffin back into Dem the next day so they could bury their baby and mourn with their family. Both parents are believers, and amid their grief they echoed what our other friend had said: “Although we are very sad, we know Yahwe has given our daughter a new body. She is no longer sick. She is with Jesus, and we will be together one day in the future.”

The faith of our Dem friends continues to grow and humble us. Your prayers over all these years have been answered. Thank you!

November ‘25

             Volleyball season wrapped up, and we transitioned to futsal (indoor soccer), which kept Eden, Jericho, and all three dorm boys very busy.

            The illness that started in Dem-land in September remained a concern, so we continued gathering information and considering how we could help. In November I (J) managed a short trip into Dem-land. Even though the teachers had been evacuated, the principal, a local Papuan medical worker, and I spent about four days in the interior. I assisted the medical worker by translating while we examined over 200 children. We had sent word ahead of time asking to see any children with symptoms similar to those who had passed away in prior months.

            Although we saw many children, we encountered few with that same illness. I was a little disappointed but ultimately thankful, because the medical worker was able to treat other very sick children and adults.

            One of those patients was one of Noelle’s closest friend’s, Mira. She had been ill for several weeks and no one realized how serious it was. She looked very unwell, so the medical worker started her on strong antibiotics. Praise the Lord—she began to improve and is now fully recovered.

At the end of November, a Dem woman began showing symptoms that reminded us of Petrus (see last year’s post about our friend who died quickly from liver cancer), so we flew her out to the hospital for evaluation.

She was diagnosed with hepatitis, which is unfortunately common among the Dem (and much of Papua) and often goes undetected, eventually leading to liver failure and even liver cancer. We secured medication for her at the hospital, and she will need monitoring every six months. The encouragement was that one of our most faithful believers, (named Autina) who loves Jesus dearly, came with her. 

Imagine being in a strange place with no cell phone, TV, friends, or reading material—and unable to communicate easily. Yet Autina, the caregiver, was happy to help & I printed some new Bible lessons she had only heard taught once, and she spent days in the hospital reading Scripture and those lessons over and over with great joy.

When I gave her the lessons she said, “My heart is so happy. I am going to read this again and again and read it to my friend (the patient) because she doesn’t yet know the true talk. I will use this time to tell her about Yahwe and keep reading these new lessons. I am so happy.”

What an amazing reminder—from our Dem friends who only a few years ago were in complete darkness, unable to read, and without Scripture in their language—that now they are thrilled to receive new lessons and Scriptures they can read repeatedly. Praise the Lord!

December ‘25

December was an extremely difficult month for the community and for our family.

On December 6th, Eden and her friend, Janae were at our house getting ready for the Christmas banquet. Briana did their hair and makeup, and it was a special time. The next day Janae began to get sick. By Friday, it began to be very serious and on Saturday, December 13th, Janae passed away and entered eternity with Jesus. This shook our community tremendously and was deeply personal for our family because she was so important to Eden. 

For such a young, healthy girl to be gone so quickly rocked everyone. The funeral was held at the International School, and Janae’s body is buried at a cemetery next to the school.

Our hearts broke for Janae’s family, the community, our dorm students (two of our boys were in her small class) and of course for Eden, as they were close. Naturally, there were many questions about why and how this could happen. Unimaginably devastating.

Janae’s family was an integral part of the community and school here. Janae was a healthy, strong, beautiful young lady who has gone Home way sooner than anyone could have imagined. 

Janae’s parents in the midst of their worst experience, encouraged us all. They still do. Though they wrestle with questions and anger, they are trusting God and have not lost faith. They continue to encourage us through their trust in the Lord and are constantly encouraging Eden and other of Janae’s friends to remember that God is good no matter what, despite the trials we face.

If you would, please pray for the Bilimek family. They have had to return to the States and leave their ministry in Papua—not because of their daughter’s death (which would be understandable), but due to other health reasons. (Without going into detail, they wanted to come back, but for health concerns they were advised not to by many doctors.) They not only had to say goodbye to their daughter and her gravesite here, but to a community that had become their family and a ministry they LOVED. And this was very hard for the whole family, including Janae’s brother and sister. We will miss their family tremendously & We will NEVER forget Janae and the legacy she left behind!

A week later Christmas break began and our family, plus our WHOLE team flew into Dem-land for Christmas. It was such a blessing to all be back together and it was good for Eden to be “home” in the tribe to continue to try to process what had happened.

Although it will never fully “make sense” for Eden or anyone, the Lord used our time in the tribe to encourage us through the Dem believers—to spend Christmas in our “home” and to grieve together away from the mission community and dorm.

January–February ‘26

Returning to the dorm and school was very hard on the students, teachers, and community. After Janae’s passing, the last few days of the term in December were canceled, so January was the first time the kids returned to class.

Eden turned 17 at the end of the month.

For those who didn’t hear already, the high schoolers  here at the International school take a two-week trip to an interior location. It is called OE (Outdoor Education). It fulfills an anthropology credit and includes projects to help and serve the locals, AIDS and TB presentations and various other activities.

This year I was asked to be the speaker, which involved two sessions almost every day. I decided to teach through 1 & 2 Peter for two reasons: (1) Janae loved 1 Peter, and it played a significant role in her walk with the Lord; and (2) these letters address the reality of struggles and trials we face on earth. We are not promised a life of health, wealth, and happiness, but we are promised amazing things and an inheritance for those who persevere and follow Christ.

The time we spent looking at Scripture and reflecting on Janae’s life—and how short life really can be—was very special for me personally. I was honored to do it (who knows if the students enjoyed it, but I was grateful).

March – April ‘26

School and dorm life continued as usual. These were our last couple of months as dorm parents (or so we thought!), and it was bittersweet—we were finally beginning to feel like one big family. (It takes time to figure out how to live together.)

In March, Eden and Briana took a trip off island to Jakarta because Eden needed to have her wisdom teeth removed. Surgery like that isn’t available on our island, so it turned into a nice opportunity for some mother-daughter time. 

In April, our “little” Eden—who moved to Indonesia when she was one—earned her Indonesian motorbike license (you have to wait until 17 here).  She was VERY excited about this! It may sound unusual to Western ears that she got a motorcycle license before a car, but motorbikes are much more common here. Honestly, I’m more nervous about her driving a car than the bike!

May ‘26

We were wrapping up the school year with the dorm and our family. We had originally planned to do the dorm for Eden’s junior year only—she didn’t want us to continue into her senior year, and the dorm was set to close due to low enrollment. The school requires a minimum of three students, and with one boy graduating, only two would have remained.

We knew we needed to find a place to stay in town, which meant either house-hopping each month or living at the Ethnos guesthouse, neither of which would have been ideal. We were trusting God to provide. With a couple of weeks left in the school year, we thought we had everything figured out, but then the school asked us to consider serving as dorm parents for another year.

They had new students interested in joining the dorm and decided to keep it open after all. We talked with our kids, prayed, and felt peace about doing it for Eden’s senior year also.

There is a lot more behind that decision, but this update is already quite long, so we’ll stop there. The Lord continues to provide. There are many positives to being dorm parents and living on school property, but there are also challenges that make it hard to carve out meaningful family time. Please pray that we and Eden will be able to balance this well during Eden’s senior year.

To close out the eventful school year, one of our dorm sons tore his ACL and injured his MCL and PCL. Would you please pray for Danie’s recovery—that his knee heals without lasting issues and that he stays faithful with his rehab.

Summer– 

We spent the summer back in the tribe and it was so, so good. It was so encouraging to hear testimonies from the Dem believers, to see them and be with them and talk with them, enjoy the “cooler” weather, and be back in Dem where we left pieces of our heart. We enjoyed the change of pace and the special time we had with friends and family in the land that we have come to call home. We also were busy with some things we felt like the Lord had us there for to help with. 

We will write another update about the summer and the many stories from just a couple months in Dem-land, but for now this is long enough. 

We apologize again for the lack of updates this year. We really want to and intend to be more proactive this coming year. Let’s face it though, it’s not our strong point, so thanks for giving us grace:) We love you all and thanks again for being a part of this ride! We had several extra costs this year like the wisdom teeth and the kid’s schooling, so if you feel led to help with any of those extra things, shoot us an email. 

Thanks again for partnering with us to serve here in Papua. 

*Here are some random pictures and videos from the year and our time in the tribe over Christmas break.

Hey everyone,

We wanted to update you all with everyday life, but also with a decision we are trying to make and value your prayers. There’s a lot of things happening here in Dem-land and it won’t all fit in 1 post (I mean it could, but it would be REALLY long), so we are going to update you all in chunks. In the next update there will be a video update as well with us explaining some changes with our future plans for our family, but that will be in a couple weeks.

First off, the Dem are continuing to grow in their faith everyday and working through trials and temptations just like we all do. We have 1 more lesson in Ephesians after going through it verse by verse and of course they love the last chapter talking about war and the armor of God. A good friend of mine came to me after I taught the lesson on how “we wrestle not against flesh and blood...” and that we are at war but we cannot see our enemy, and told me about a dream he had a few weeks before.

In his dream he said there was an enemy who was strong and wanted to kill me (J), but I was wearing these strange clothes and strange shoes and I told him in the dream that we, who are God’s children, do not need to fear the enemy and that the enemy has had a hold on this land in Dem for so long, but now the Gospel is here and we need not to fear the enemy.

He said he didn’t understand the strange clothes I had on, but when we taught the lesson on spiritual warfare he saw the picture of a Roman soldier with the breastplate and sandals and he said thats exactly what he saw in his dream. He said during the lesson when he saw the picture and we read Ephesians 6:10-13 his mouth dropped and he was amazed that the Lord would make His word so clear and real for him through this dream. This was really cool to see and hear how the Holy Spirit is working even in dreams of our Dem brothers and sisters.

On the flip side, 2 days after he shared this dream and was on fire for the Lord, the tribe faced a temptation to fall back into their old ways. A man who was a big guy in Dem, who had been out in a small town, was killed in a war and because of his status, lots of the men in Dem were angry and wanted revenge. The Dem culture has always been “an eye for an eye,” so if a Dem was killed by a person from a different tribe, then the Dem would not rest until a person from that tribe died as well.

This was really sad to see some of our believers turn so quickly to the old ways and forget the truths we have learned. On the other hand it was really cool to see some of our stronger believers come together and pray for their fellow brothers who were not holding onto the truths of God’s word, praying that they would not fall back into the old rituals of the past.

That Sunday I decided to not teach on Ephesians, but go back and remind them of the Israelites, who saw many miracles and despite God rescuing them over and over, they would turn so quickly away from the Lord. I then challenged them that they too have seen and witnessed many miracles here and now, many of them were very quickly turning back to their old ways just like the Israelites did.

The Dem are on fire for the Lord, but also dealing and struggling with many struggles just like we all do. Their’s just looks a little different then ours in a western context, but our enemy is always out looking to seek and destroy God’s children. Our enemy attacks us with flaming arrows and we need to shield ourselves just like Paul said in Ephesians 6. Please continue to pray for your Dem brothers and sisters.

An exciting thing that we will briefly update you on, but will give more details in a future update is the Indonesian school that has started in Dem-land. Long story short, a Christian business man from Jakarta wanted to use the money the Lord has given him to help remote locations in Indonesia (mainly Papua) to provide them with education and from a Biblical perspective.

They were ready to open a school here about 3 years ago, but we asked them to wait. We wanted to make sure the Dem had time to be grounded in God’s word, to grow in their faith and focus on that before having any outside distractions come in. Even though this school provides Christian teachers and not run or funded by the government, it is a huge time consumption and excitement here, and we wanted the people to have a solid foundation first, instead of taking away from the most important thing, God’s word.

The school started fall of 2024 and we will give more details and info about that, but it has been a huge blessing. The 4 teachers are really amazing and love our Dem kids. The school has been using our church building temporarily for the 1st year and also living in our previous co-workers house, but they are wanting to build their own classrooms and houses and so the Dem have been working hard on preparing land for the permanent buildings the school will use for many years.

It makes you take education for granted. The desire the Dem have for a school here, so they can continue to hear God’s word in the Dem language and also receive education and learn the national language is pretty evident. They have been cutting the wood for posts, carrying rocks from the river, cutting down trees, digging up roots, moving tons of dirt, all with their hands, and few shovels and wheel barrows. They continue to thank the Lord for making the trail for His word to enter Dem-land, and now for the school to come to help them learn.

Upcoming trip and decisions-

This below is filling you in on an upcoming trip and kind of the reasoning for the trip and also for you to pray as we make a decision on what to do. This below is from Bri…

Where do I start this update? Time is flying by and so much is happening these days.

I guess I will start with letting everyone know that Eden and I (Briana) and now Noelle will be attending Eden’s best friend’s wedding in the end of May in Indiana. I am sure many of you are wondering why we would travel across the world for this wedding. It’s a big trip that will cost lots of money and we don’t take these things lightly.

Let’s rewind back to 6 years ago. Eden was 10, and growing up in a remote tribe, didn’t have many opportunities for friends in her language and culture. She did have our coworker’s daughter thankfully!!! But Raquel was almost 3 and a half years older than her, and sometimes, the age gap was felt and a longing left in her to have a friend her age. When we came on furlough in 2019, she didn’t fit in with any of the girls in the states her age, still left feeling very lonely. One sweet lady asked me how she could be praying for my kids, to which I responded “Will you please join me in praying for Eden to make a true friend? She is getting to that age, where she really just needs a friend.” Someone who she actually clicks with, someone who will be able to keep in touch with her, someone who will be a good friend to her and encourage her…. Well it didn’t take long after we were back that she found that friend, in a rather miraculous and unexpected way actually. It was a COMPLETE and TOTAL ANSWER TO PRAYER. It was all God.

Through some random church travels we took to Indiana after our normal Michigan church visit, we met the Leeman’s and their church. Emma was their daughter who was 12 at the time. Eden and Emma really hit it off, and were able to stay in touch over the years, and their friendship grew a lot, even though long distance. It turned out to be exactly what Eden needed living in such an isolated place. It was a God send!! I have thanked God for providing this friend for Eden so many times over the years now. We made every effort for them to see each other when we were back in 2022/2023, but they still have only been able to be together in person less than a handful of times, and sometimes that is really hard for Eden.

Well fast forward to 2024, Emma gets engaged to a boy from her church who she has grown up with and is getting married! It was a bit shocking for us to process this all from here as the last time we had seen her she was 16, and now she is 18, getting married young, and Eden processing she will never get that one on one friend time she had hoped to get with Emma one day when Eden moves back for college. And yet, we are SO happy for her. She is a Godly girl, who is very mature and has just been such a blessing to us all. Eden doesn’t want to miss out on this monumental life event for Emma, and I don’t blame her. We would do just about anything to make sure she was there for this special day. Eden often has felt as though she has missed out on things, like seeing Emma more, and being torn between 2 worlds, but she overall has handled it very well and is thankful for her rich life here too. SO we want to make sure she gets to be there for this big day.

We planned on paying for Eden and I to go since it would be too expensive for the whole family to go back for just a summer, but I was feeling so sad about leaving Noelle as she has 3 new baby cousins she is dying to meet, and she misses her grandparents and is such a Momma’s girl, that that time here while we are gone would be so hard for her. Grandpa and Grandma graciously offered to pay for Noelle’s ticket to join us. We have been preparing for this trip coming up in May and looking for best options for plane tickets, etc.

But as it gets closer, I now am heavily considering what it will look like, if Jericho doesn’t go back to the states, his passport country for 4 years. I know he will be just fine ultimately, but it becomes more and more like a foreign country to him, and one he will have to return to when he graduates from here. So, I am left wondering if I am doing him any favors leaving him here and should we all come back, even if it is just for a short trip (could be 8 weeks)? Please pray with me as we wrestle through all our options. We thought we had it settled, but it’s not feeling quite right now. I am feeling guilty for leaving Jericho and J here now, as it will have been 2 years since we came back to Indo, and we won’t be coming back until after Eden graduates in 2027. That is a long time. And with parents getting older and retiring to different states (Washington and Florida!!) next year, it all feels a little bit overwhelming not wanting to make the wrong choice. I don’t want to look back and wish we would have just spent the money. I thank you all for your prayers, support and gifts to us. We try to weigh everything out heavily, instead of making decisions lightly.

If anyone would like to contribute or has questions about the trip, feel free to write us. Thanks so much for your continued prayers.

Eden and Emma when they met in June 2019 and when they saw each other last in June 2023

Hey friends,

Sorry for not keeping you all in the loop more the last couple weeks. It’s been a very busy, stressful, emotionally draining few weeks. The last couple months have been busy draining with lots of medical emergencies and trying and trying to navigate different situations that have come up.

2 weeks ago while Petut was at the hospital our co-workers asked him if he had any talk for people who are praying for him, or for his family in the tribe and so our co-workers took a short video. I plan on translating the video soon for all of you to see but for now I will paraphrase what he said in the video.

“To all of you in Africa and America who have been praying for me thank you. Before the Gospel came into Dem I was not a happy person, I was in darkness, but then God sent 4 families to come and tell me His word. They taught me from the beginning all the way to the end about what Yagwe and His son did for me. I believed and I am so grateful. My body is sick, my time on earth is coming to an end but I know that Yagwe is preparing amazing things for me in heaven. He has them ready for me, so whenever I die I will go up and receive all the many amazing things that Yagwe has prepared for me because He is very good. I am so thankful.”

We know many of you have been praying for Petut but we no longer need to pray for Petut and his health as he passed away last week late Wednesday night. Just last Monday Petut told our co-workers the Curries that he would like to remain in town another couple weeks to get the fluid build up in his abdomen drained one more time and then he would like to fly back to Dem-land to die. The doctor had just told our co-workers he thought Petut would make it a few more months and so we were making plans for him to stay a couple more weeks in Sentani, get fluids drained one more time, then fly back in.

On Wednesday morning we got word that Petut wasn’t doing well and so our co-workers went and picked him up and took him back to the hospital and it was clear he didn’t have much time left. We worked hard at trying to arrange a flight for the Thursday morning to get him into Dem-land to die. The missions planes can fly a dead body but due to regulations and permissions its extremely expensive so we were trying to get him in ASAP.

We were able to get a mission flight scheduled for first thing Thursday morning but Petut went to see his Savior Wednesday night around 11pm. Thursday he was buried in town and we are thankful for our co-workers and friends in town that were able to organize and handle all the details of a funeral and finding a burial sight and everything else.

Our family was already planning on heading to town on Friday for a short break but Thursday we spent going around in the tribe to cultural mourning locations and the difference between the way the Dem mourn the death of someone now, to how it was before the gospel is unbelievable. Before the gospel, the Dem would mourn for 2-3 weeks, never leaving their yards or houses as they cried and talked to the spirits as they feared where the “spirit” of the person who died went.

Now they mourn for 2-3 days. I was talking to Petut’s brother in law and he told me, “J, we dont need to mourn long. We are sad he is gone but we know where his soul is, we know that he is with Yagwe, in a great amazing place. Before we didn’t know where the souls of the dead went so we were scared of death, scared for our friends who died but now we know the truth and so we just cry/mourn a little and then we are done.”

The Lord has done amazing things in the Dem and His Holy Spirit is working and moving everyday. Like most things in life that you see everyday or things that become “normal” they tend to loose the amazingness (If that’s a word) but then things like this happen and remind us just how incredible the change is in Dem that we get to experience and see first hand.

At the funeral Tirinut stood up and said,

“Petut was my very good friend, I cared very much for him and when he got sick it was very heavy on my heart, and now that he is gone I am sad, but I’m not sad for Petut, I am sad for his wife, and for his family but not for Petut. My friend was very sick and in a lot of pain but now the moment he died, his spirit went up to the amazing place. His body is so good right now, his body isn’t in any pain, he is looking at the amazing things that Yagwe has prepared for him and he is so good right now. So all of us here need to remember, while on this earth we have hardships, thats because of our sin, but the hardships we face here on earth are just temporary. Some things are very hard but what Jesus did for us was much harder. He died for us, and Yagwe’s talk is so big and true so listen to His word, read His word, follow His word and the day that we die and leave this earth we will be with Jesus, with no more hardships, in an amazing place with Him forever. So Im sad my friend is gone, but I will see him again.”

There was many things like this said at the funeral that I cant share them all right now but the power the Gospel has made on a land that was so full of darkness and now a language group have changed from darkness to light is incredible to witness firsthand.

So thank you all for praying for Petut and his family. His wife flew back into the tribe the next day when we flew out on friday. Petut is no longer in pain and we who are Gods family will see him again (or meet for the first time) one day.

*Side note- Many have asked about finances for our team account and these medivacs. Thank you! Many have given but if anyone else would like more info on this please email.

Hey everyone,

Today marks 3 weeks since Petut has returned home to Dem-land knowing that he has a sickness that there is no medicine that will heal him. Since then, the Dem church have blanketed him and his wife with prayers and continue to pray for a miracle but also for peace and comfort.

Petut continues to tell others that he is not sad and not afraid as he knows when he passes from this life he will be in the presence of his “Egingo owe ta enakme.” (His Redeemer) This past week he has been in pain and the fluids in his abdomen continue to build which causes more discomfort but considering the situation he remains in pretty good spirits.

We continue to share with him that people from all over the world are praying for him and that many people are sad but also rejoicing that he knows “Yagwe.” (Dem for YHWH)

We will keep giving quick updates every couple weeks as we know many of you have shared that you are praying for him and the Dem church. Thank you!

*Oppurtunity to help-

The last several months we have had several medical emergencies and although we were able to recieve a little help from a local medical group for flight costs, these medical situations are paid for by our team and with so many medi-vacs, hospital bills, medicines purchased for the patients, etc… our team account is back in the red.

If anyone would like to help with these costs specifically or like more details about this please email us. Please do not send funds directly to us, but rather they need to go to our team account which I can give you the information for that if interested. Some of you are already contributing monthly to our team account and we thank you for that.

As a reminder… the team account funds go directly towards medical costs, literacy supplies, Dem church materials, airstrip maintenance, and anything else that comes up directly helping the Dem. Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

We want to thank everyone for their prayers. So many of you have been praying for the Dem guy who received the news of late stage liver cancer just over a week ago and we want to give a quick update.

The hospital in town couldn’t offer anymore help and advised Petut to come back to Dem and spend his remaining time with family. Before leaving the hospital they were able to extract almost 20 liters of fluid from his abdomen which was a praise and definitely helped alleviate some discomfort he was having.

Petut flew back into Dem land on Friday and the Dem church has been amazing with trying to encourage and pray for Petut. This past Sunday after church one of the other men who have gone through the training alongside with Petut stood up and encouraged the church by wanting to have a tribal wide prayer gathering for Petut at his hut on sunday afternoon. He stood up and said, “Those of us who are Gods children need to gather and go to his house together, and pray for a miracle. The creator is good and knows if our brother Petut is going to live or die but we need to trust the Creator and prayer is so important and lets all go and pray for him together.”

Since Petut has been back, almost everyday countless Dem believers go and visit and pray for him and that he would be comforted by the Holy Spirit and if it is God’s will for Petut to be healed then He can easily do that, but if not, God is still good and His character is good.

It has been so encouraging to see the Dem church be so faithful in praying. On Sunday while Bri and I were sitting with Petut I asked how he has been sleeping and he said, “My pain isn’t bad. It hurts a little so I have to move around but I can’t sleep well because there is so many people in the hut throughout the night talking and praying that I cant fall in a deep sleep.”

The Dem are keeping him up cause they are praying too much!! lol

We praise the Lord that Petut pain isn’t too bad right now. Please continue to pray for his pain and strength through this process. We don’t know how much longer he has but the Lord does and we are trusting in Him.

Hello friends,

In the last update we mentioned how we started training 5 men and 2 ladies to be the first trained Dem Bible teachers/evangelists. One of the men’s name is Petut. We are asking for you to pray for a miracle for Petut. I will give you a lil background first…

Petut and his wife Tenonggolina have been faithful followers of Yagwe since they heard the gospel in their langauge for the first time back in 2021. In 2021 when we started the chronological Bible lessons they had a healthy young son around 11/12 years old who became sick and with what we believe was either Meningitis or Tb that went to his brain and resulted in their son ending up in a vegetative state. They were in town at the hospital for about a month and then returned to tribe for a time. Their son required around the clock care and so after a month or so in Dem-land they decided he needed to go back out to town to try and get help. While in town their son passed away.

When they returned to the tribe their very new faith was unwavering. They would say “The Creator is good always. Even though our son has died, the Creator is in control and is still good.” This was so incredible to witness first hand their faith in the Lord and it never stopped.

That was in 2021 and since then they have been so hungry for God’s word. They never miss an opportunity to hear God’s word and Petut leads a study/prayer meeting in his area every week. Petut has a hunger to tell his family and others the truth and share the goodness of the Lord. Hence why he was one we felt would be great for the first Bible teacher/evangelism class.

We finished the training a few weeks ago and Petut was excited to keep learning and get an opportunity to teach in larger gatherings. The last week we met (about a month ago) he mentioned he was having stomach pains, and was uncomfortable with some other symptoms. This is very normal as so many of the Dem people have bad worm issues but we had our Dem medical workers give him medicine we thought might help. Fast forward to last week it was obvious something else was going on, he was in a lot of pain and stopped eating and Bri and I felt like he needed to get medical help in town.

Petut flew out to town last friday and was rushed to hospital to get USG and other tests as there were some concerning symptoms. After tests and scans they discovered that Petut has late stage liver cancer and doesn’t have much time left. The Doctors here have said there is nothing they can do as his condition is just too bad and he needs to go back to his home and spend his remaining time with his family. This was so hard to hear and also to make sure he understood what the doctors were telling him as his first language is not Indonesian.

Ive been able to communicate to him through another Dem guy who lives in the town who has been going to hospital everyday, along with the Teall’s (our co-workers who used to live in Dem-land) and also another Dr friend who has been going and making sure he agrees with the local doctor’s assessment.

When I asked Petut what he wants me to tell his sisters and his mother who are here in Dem-land worried about him he said, “Tell them I’m very sick and there isn’t any medicine for my sickness and Im coming home. (which culturally means he is going to die) Tell them to not be sad because the Creator has planned this with my life, and my life is in His hands.”

We are trying to get him back into Dem-land ASAP, hopefully this Friday. Please pray for his family and for Petut. Bringing him back in here to spend his last days/weeks/months are not going to be easy. Please pray his pain would be minimum, please pray for the Lord to do a miracle as we know He can. But if He chooses to not save Petut’s life, that he would go quickly and as painless as possible.

We are heartbroken by this but so encouraged by his faith and we know that when he gets in here, he will continue to praise Gods name and trust His plan. We appreciate your prayers for Petut and his family. We don’t know if he has days or months left so please pray! Thank You!

Some super exciting news we didnt share in the video update is we started a teachers training course (so to speak) with 5 guys and 2 ladies. This is a hands on training for us to start working with and training them to be teachers and possible evangelist for outreaches. This is super exciting to see how the Lord is going use these people to be the first Dem teachers/evangelists so please pray. The names of these people are below in the picture. These are 7 people who we prayed about for a while and felt they showed the characteristics of a teacher/evangelists and have shown growth in their spiritual walk and a desire to tell others the gospel.