How can we describe our reunion with our beloved brothers and sisters in the first churches we saw the Lord plant through us in the villages of Cauyunan and Tumpagon – the first borns of our labour here on the field?
We were ages 28 and 25 when we saw the first fruits of our preaching of the Gospel and the church was born in Cauyunan. Now it is 20 years later and this photo was taken last week on our first evening back in Cauyunan.
Here I was being introduced to 5 young ladies and their babies whose husbands (children who grew up in the church) are now serving the Lord and helping to take His Word to other villages. These young women gave their testimonies of how they came to hear the Gospel and believed and how they want to serve their Saviour alongside their husbands!!
While the women and I were having a wonderful time visiting, sharing and singing, Paul was meeting with the elders of the churches at a place nearby and they talked late into the evening discussing all the things that the Lord had done through their lives during the time we were away.
They caught Paul up on all the news of the six churches in the Dulangan Higaunon area and spent some time in prayer and in strategizing for new outreach.
The men in the picture here with Paul are the elders and bible teachers from the churches in Cauyunan and in Tumpagon.
The next day we went across the river to Tumpagon and had a combined meeting with all the believers from both churches. Afterwards we shared a meal together and people kept piling different things on our plates, fried fish, noodles and chicken, ferns from the forest, sweet potato, bread fruit cooked in coconut milk........
Jubab loved being with his brothers,
with his nephew Wawa,
and with Udi his brother-in-law!
They took their plates of food and sat
in their own little group to eat.
We came away from our time visiting the churches in Cauyunan and Tumpagon just so thankful for the unity that was very evident amongst the leadership in those two churches and so thankful for the maturity of their faith and of their lives and thankful for the way almost 100% of the leader’s wives are there with them serving the Lord alongside them.
We are rejoicing and send you all much love along with this news......
Paul, Deb and Jubab
