The End...Almost...

Well, here we are. The end of the last day of work here amongst the Bayono tribe.

What do I think of my adventure?

This is going to be a hard question to answer right now. God has shown & taught me so much in the last four weeks, that it is probably going to take me a few weeks to process the whole thing. I know I have spent the last four weeks in another part of Gods wonderful creation, that I have met & befriended some of the best people I have ever known, and that our Father in Heaven definitely has a plan for the Bayono people. Both by the Edelens ministry here and Beni & his families ability to survive on a long term daily basis in this unforgiving environment.
I would like to take a minute to thank each and every one of you who supported me financialy and prayerfully while I was on my trip. I would like you all to know how your contributions have been paying off...

Firstly the Edelens will be able to return to the Bayono tribe, as a family, the next time they fly in. Now that the building has a roof & guttering for fresh water, they will be able to stay in their own house, and able to minister to the Bayono tribe.

Secondly, our presence here has been a blessing to the Bayono people. Since we arrived we have been creating new friendships and sharing Gods love with the people. Especialy the children. They do not often have much to smile about, and us being here and interacting with them has blessed them so much.

Thirdly you have helped a fellow brother in Christ grow deeper in his faith in the last four weeks than he has in the last two years! For that I personaly thank you. I knew God would have challenges for me here, but I was not prepared for the things he has shown me, and they have truly opened my eyes and my heart.

That is really all I can think to say right now. I am off to take my last wash in the river. I will put my last post on this blog on Wednesday 21st of April.

I will also be available after this time to personally share my experience with you or your community group. I have lots of awesome stories and photos to share...

Peace

Your humbled carpenter for Christ....

Yohanes...

Whats Easter?

Happy Easter from Bayono land. Everything is going well. Only 3 more full working days here, then we will be picked up by Helimission sometime between 10:30am and 3pm Thursday. We still have a lot to do, but we should be far enough along that Matt will be able to do a lot of the work left on the house by himself.

Easter service – Beni Belingga lead the service today, first opening up in prayer then singing some songs, both in Indonesian and Bayono. Then he continued with his old testament teachings, this weeks being the Tower of Babel. Then he finished up sharing the Easter message, and closing in prayer.

Now here's the interesting thing...

How do you get a bunch of Jungle people to understand concepts like, sin, eternal salvation, Son of God, and dying on a cross so that peoples sins can be forgiven; When the mere concept of a God is unfamiliar to them?
Well, basically you don't. First you have to send some crazy guy & his family into the jungle to figure out how those people live, what they believe, how they communicate, and how they learn the best. All while learning their language. Once they have done a lot of that kind of stuff; Then they start to figure out how to communicate biblical concepts in a manor that the Bayono will understand.

A missionary in India took around three years just to find a suitable word in the native language that expressed 'Gods love' for us. In that tribe the 'fatherly love' that we use In the western world wouldn't work, because fathers would abuse their wives & beat their children as part of common practice, motherly love was not to un-similar from fatherly love. In the end he figured out, with a lot of communicating and learning that the love that two best friends have for each other was the same kind of sacrificial love that God shows us through Christ. Love is one concept out of hundreds that have to be accurately translated into the Bayono, so that these people can accurately receive the word of God, and ultimately receive the precious gift of salvation.

So, although the message this Easter may have been a little confusing, it didn't hurt for Beni to give it a try. Our good Lord works in wonderful ways and if it is his will to put upon someone the Holy Spirit to understand the message just a little, then that would be an awesome thing.
The Bayono people may not have seen the message of hope in that sermon, but I sure did. I saw a new hope for a people forgotten to the outside world, a hope for a people that desperately need it. They need to know that God loves them, that he loves them so much that he sent his only son for them. So Praise God for Matt & Beni & their families for what they are doing. But more over, Praise God for using them to show his love to these lost people...

John 3:16

'For God so loved the world that he gave his

one and only son, that whoever believes in

him shall not perish but have eternal life.'

After reading this passage again, as I have many times before, I was struck with a new appreciation for it. I can understand what it means! Praise God for allowing us to have his word in our own language, and being able to understand the concepts. I would encourage you to read this passage again, and Give thanks to God that you are able to understand it. It is my prayer today that every Christian across the world takes a moment to thank God for the precious gift of his son, and the hope that he brings us. I also pray that soon I can count members of the Bayono tribe amongst those....

Peace....

Construction Update...

Construction Update....

I realized at this point you have all probably forgotten why I came on this missions trip in the first place. Due to the fact I haven't written much about the construction to date. My apologies; I have been caught up in all the other awesome things the good Lord is showing me here in Bayono land.
So, here is were we are to date...
(Weeks run Wednesday to Wednesday)


Week 1:

• Erected temporary electrical shed, installed solar panels, finished installation of satellite dish. We arrived on a Wednesday and had to have the complete system up and running by the following Saturday morning(two and a half working days). We had an appointment with someone in Hong Kong at 8am Saturday to fine tune the satellite dish. We had everything ready by 6pm Friday night, and we were not missing any components, and it all worked first time. PRAISE GOD! We had communication with the outside world!
• We installed the floor joists and planed them level.

Week 2:

• Installed bracing between pilings to stabilize structure
• Completed exterior wall framing (with 10' ceilings!)
• Tom very diligently ripped EVERY wall stud to the same thickness! There are a lot of wall studs.
• Installed stairs from ground level to 1st floor
• Completed interior wall framing
• Started Laying beams for 2nd floor.
• Started planing wood for floor boards. Unfortunately that was short lived because our bench top planer quit working.

Week 3:

• Laid second floor joists.
• Started constructing and erecting roof truss system.
• Started ripping floor boards to consistent sizes
• Construction of main stairs started

Week 4:

• Construction of main stairs finished
• Roof truss system completed! Hooray. This was very hot hard work.
• Started guttering system
• Laid some flooring
• Installed battens for tin roofing
• Started tin roofing.
• Built water tower. Hoisted tanks

To be continued....