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Prayer Letter Archive18-June-07 Dear Co-laborers, We trust that this letter finds you well and enjoying the summer months. I just arrived back home from Indonesia on June 5 and thank the Lord for a wonderful and profitable trip. It is so good to be home with Jeanne again. She did a wonderful job holding the fort while I was gone. I am continually reminded of the wonderful help meet she is to me and the impossibility of doing this job without her. Our last letter found me working with our Wana Tribal co-workers in Indonesia. I had a wonderful time working with them and also with our tribal church leaders and teachers. Sometimes as we view the work from a day to day perspective things seem to move along slowly, but when we look back over the past 25 years the Lord has done a great work amongst the Wana people. Not only has He established 5 churches amongst them but they are now reaching out to other areas and sending many of their folks out to our missionary training center in order to prepare them to take the gospel cross culturally as well. And besides helping us with Translation and curriculum development our Wana co-workers are now involved in our national church plant in our provincial capital. It is a blessing to us to see how God is using the Wana church. One of the most exciting things we have to report this month is in regards to our evangelistic outreach in the area called "White Rock" with the Wana people known as the "Kaju Morangka". There are six families there who are very very excited to be studying the gospel. One fellow by the name of "Pa nSunu" wrote me this metaphorical poem while there - it a cultural thing they do to express their thoughts or beliefs. I will translate it into English: Geoffrey is the one I trust To take me down the steps, It is the Lord who leadeth me Down the river on the log You notice here he uses the name of our son Geoff - before allowing us to teach in his area these folks were also being swayed by a differing faith. At that time they were at a cross roads not sure which way to turn - who should they believe. They finally decided to listen to our message, thus what he is meaning here here when he says he trusts Geoff is that he trusts the message that Geoff represents...I am trusting/receiving the message you guys are bringing to me to take me down the steps or to take me down this new path in life. The Lord is taking me down the river on the log which means 'just as the log would keep him from drowning so Christ keeps him from eternal death.' Just this Saturday morning "Pa nSunu" reported over the SSB radio that he was not trying to deceive us when he said that he had put his trust in Christ but that he truly believes!! We will appreciate your continued prayers for these folks as they continue to hear the gospel. Presently we have six families studying with others now asking to be taught, too. We have plans to send more folks over to this outreach to help as it is more than two families can handle with having to teach literacy as well. Jeanne and I want to take this opportunity once again to thank you so much for your prayers this past month. Thanks for being a vital part of our team to see folks like those above come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Serving together, Ed & Jeanne Casteel |
