AMBASSADORS FOR LIFE
Missionaries in training to the unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea
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Where have we been lately? Sedona!If you'd read previous blogs, you've seen us go to Sedona, a super New Age Arizona town a couple hours north of Phoenix. Well... we went there again, with Taliah this time! It was so much fun! We were so blessed by the great scenery, and we had some exciting evangelism! Here are some highlights...  Daniel and Taliah!!I love how excited Taliah is in this picture! Here's some pics of evangelism we did in Sedona! If you can see the middle picture closer, you can make out a guy dressed like a wizard holding a snake. That guy and some others were allowing random strangers to hold and pet exotic creatures like snakes and lizards. One of the guys got a tract. ;) I had a conversation with a couple, and the guy was (ironically) named Daniel! We talked through the Law, and I explained the seriousness of sin like lying, stealing, etc., but they didn't seem too concerned that they were headed for Hell. Because of that, their consciences weren't open to the Lord, I didn't explain the Gospel to them. That's an important principle in evangelism. You don't want to share the Gospel if someone is still hard in their heart to understanding the holiness of God.
Speaking of hardness of heart...I thought our last Trump trillions would look great with books at the library on wealth and retirement. It makes no sense to me that people would want to spend their lives focused on prosperity when they have eternity to face at any time. People are running towards a cliff, headed for Hell, and yet finances are the focus of life? What will it matter if you look a little nicer than the next person when you go into the grave? Instead of sprinting towards the cliff, is it better to drive your fancy car off into the abyss? That's a little bit of my thinking on why I wanted to put Gospel tracts in these books. When you have the Gospel, Jesus dying and rising again for His people, why is anything else of much value?  Speaking of value, this is what we have been focused on!While Taliah has been learning like crazy, Daniel has been studying like crazy! If this is the first blog you've read, what you need to know to be up to speed is that we're missionaries in training to the unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea with an organization called Finisterre Vision. Our goal is to get the Gospel to a tribe who has no Scripture in their language, and no access to any solid churches. My husband moved from Australia, across the world, to Phoenix to pursue training to get there, and I moved from Detroit for the same purpose. So, that's why Daniel is studying in seminary, because our hope and prayer is to be on the field in a few years! For right now we're focused on studying, marriage, parenting, evangelism, (because you never know when tomorrow won't come as we know it) and our personal relationships with Christ! On that note, I HAVE to show you something... 
MY PHONE PRINTS TRACTS!! IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME COME VISIT IN PERSON AND I'LL SHOW YOU!! It's so cool... So, this app I have makes it so that you can "print" Gospel tracts from your phone. People are so obsessed with this, that it's hilarious! Please read the front of this tract, the illusion on it is so awesome! If you want to see what I'm talking about for yourself, look up Living Waters Tract Printer on the app store (if you have an iPhone, if not, throw your phone away and get one, because this app is worth the investment). Here's a link that might help: App Advice Link: appadvice.com/app/tract-printer/779104549  But...how's Taliah..?She's so cute!! I'm so excited to watch her learn and grow! She's doing so much so fast!! I love how much she looks like her father!! Now...why an elevator...?  Audacity!!So...this is just an elevator with caution tape around it, but it reminds us of one of Ray Comfort's free online movies, called Audacity. In the movie, the main character is a delivery guy, and he's rushing to get a delivery done, when he gets caught in an elevator. He eventually gets out, but he needs to let people know that the elevator is broken, because if anyone goes inside it, they might die. So, he runs and makes a sign to warn people, and then lets a shady looking guy know about the situation, and then he runs off. Well...the shady guy comes up to the elevator, and he sees two women who are obviously lesbian coming up to the elevator, and he takes the sign down. The main character then runs by again, just as soon as the women get in the elevator... What happens next? You'll have to watch the movie... Here's the link: Audacity Free Movie: www.livingwaters.com/movie/audacity/ (This was actually just an elevator in a local library, but I couldn't help but go on about that movie.)  Taliah going on about fun!!We have a really awesome local mall! This arcade place inside our mall is probably the most video games I've seen in one place! While I'm not into video games, I thought Taliah might enjoy experiencing it, so we went inside!! She loved it, and we had a good conversation with some teenagers about the Gospel too!! Where else have we been?  An ancient book room!We have yet to schedule a time to visit inside this room, but this is an awesome room inside our local library! We love the idea of old, rare, books, so we'll let you know if we visit sometime! The library in general, however, has been awesome! Daniel has been able to study, and Taliah loves it! More pics to come!!  Birthday party fun!This pic was taken at a birthday party for someone at our church. Taliah had her first ride on a pony! It was great fellowship, and Taliah had a great time. We are definitely blessed by our church family, and we long to see other people groups who don't have church families have the same joy we have with the body of Christ. Speaking of that...  Here's a map of Papua New Guinea!I thought this pic of Papua New Guinea (where we plan to do mission work) looks awesome! Daniel was born right up near the tip of Australia, which is shown in this picture. It's so crazy to think that going to Papua New Guinea would be like going home for him! The Finisterre Mountains, where we desire to go share the Gospel, is right below Madang. It's not a very big area, but that area alone has 49 people groups left who have never heard the Gospel. That's why we want to focus on sharing the Gospel!  More local evangelism...But until then we're doing local evangelism! With the REST of the remaining Trump trillions we had (we had 10,7000 of them), we gave out tracts at a Trump rally! This rally was crazy, holding nearly 10,000 or so people! 2,000 or so tracts were passed, then we ran out! People were chasing us down for them, which was funny and encouraging! This is also interesting, but not encouraging...  Muslim IKEA?This was in IKEA. I don't understand why Islam is glorified like it is in America. My only thought is that it's because anything that's not of God is considered good in the eyes of people who aren't saved. I wanted to put this in this blog to remind you to pray for those persecuted. On a lighter note...  Fun at the library!We are blessed to be able to go to the library again. Taliah has had so much fun there! The library we go to has a really nice children's area that she likes. Also, other moms go there with their children, and sometimes there are people to talk to about the Gospel! Daniel can also have a place to study there...  Studies...Here's a picture of Daniel studying! Right now he's doing six classes! He's taking Theology, an English course, Hermeneutics, a Pastoral Leadership class, an Old Testament Survey, and Hebrew! His favorites are probably the Old Testament class, Theology, and the Pastoral Leadership class. It's so fun to hear what he's learning from all of his textbooks, and especially from personally reading the Scriptures!  More fun at the library!!And as he studies, she plays! These pics were taken at the same library I mentioned above. She can grab the wheels in these pictures by herself! The rope is probably her favorite toy! What else is at the library?  Hebrew!!Daniel is doing really well with his Hebrew class! With language learning, it's really essential to practice on it every day, so that takes a lot of work. Hebrew is a crucial skill for Bible translation, so I'm so excited that he's taking it! His class is at 5:30am though, so pray for him!! Thankful that he still has time to play with Taliah! 
Daniel and sweet Taliah!I love seeing them together! Isn't that first picture a cute one? Daniel was showing her how she can play with a toy she has! The bottom pictures shows her playing with a bouncer they have at church. I love seeing her play!  But hopefully she'll never play with this...We saw this when we were at First Friday's for evangelism... It's so terrible to see stuff like this out in the open everywhere. I was able to give one of these ladies a tract, but I wish they were open to more conversation. It's so sad to see the lost in the world... ...and it's even worse to think of those around the world who are doing this same kind of thing without any access to the truth.  Would you consider joining us in prayer and action??
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Where did we go…? Narnia!Haha…we did go to Narnia! And by Narnia I mean Focus on the Family headquarters!! We have had lots of travel and excitement this month, along with WAY MORE studying and work with seminary starting!! I’ll share more about Focus on the Family through-out the blog, and give you an update on how everything is going with our church, missionary training, and our lives. What have Taliah and I been up to?  Putting pro-life tracts in IKEA!This was a fun trip. I thought the display of a baby crib was missing something… …an image of a baby with the Gospel on it! Find the tract in each of these pictures. It’s so important to remember that life is precious, that people are all created in the image of God, and that they all need the Gospel.  So that’s why we go to First Fridays!!If you’ve missed other blogs, First Fridays is a monthly festival in Phoenix where we’re able to get into conversations with people so we can share the Gospel with them. These curved illusion tracts really catch people’s attention, and they lead to great conversations!! With these particular tracts, it’s easy to explain to people that our eyes can easily deceive us, because these tracts look like one is bigger than the other, but they’re both the same size. Are you tricked easily? Try this: 1. What is the name of the raised print that deaf people use? 2. How many of each animal did Moses take on the Ark? 3. Spell “shop” out loud and say what should happen when you come to a green light. Check above the next pic for the answers. Did some of those get you? Even if they didn’t, one question gets most people. “Do you consider yourself to be a good person?” Most people profess their own goodness, because, if we’re honest, we think we’re a little bit better than the next guy. You know you’ve sinned, but somehow your sin of lying, gossip, coveting, etc., doesn’t seem as bad as others around you. That ideology is full of pride, which is seriously condemned in Scripture! I’m so thankful for the cross, the fact that Jesus died and rose again for His people, those who are guilty and deserving of Hell along with those around us who seem to be so sinful. We are blind to our own sin! (The answers are: 1. Deaf people don’t need a raised print. 2. Moses didn’t take any animals on the Ark, it was Noah. 3. You go, you don’t stop.)  Speaking of blind…who put these books backwards…?I couldn’t help but take a picture of this bookshelf. Is that supposed to be some kind of cool style or something? How do you know what each book is if you can’t see the binding?? That would annoy me so much… …guess who would never do that with his books…? Daniel!! My husband!! He got into seminary!!!! YAY! I’ll share more on that after my Taliah update!!  The Taliah update!!YAY! She’s growing so well and she’s so cute!! Taliah has been doing awesome! She’s starting to do so many things for the first time! We are so thankful for her! Here she’s sitting happily as we left these Ray Comfort books on people’s driveways. Living Waters is doing a video on this project! Can’t wait to share it soon!!  Study time!Along with spending time with us, doing evangelism, and working, Daniel has been super busy with seminary!! He’s doing a program at Expositor’s Seminary, which is out of Master’s Seminary. He’s able to do all the training out of our church, Grace Bible in Tempe, Arizona. He’s taking SIX classes, and I’ve been so proud of how well he’s been taking it, and how motivated he is!! If you haven’t caught up on our other blogs, we are missionaries in training to go to the unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea! Lord willing, someday this blog will soon turn into more missions and tribal people after we’re finished with our training… …but for now… …we’re working towards church planting in a tribal context by learning the biblical languages, having cultural training for Papua New Guinea, and, for my husband, learning how to be a pastoral leader for those who have NO church, NO real understanding of the Gospel, and NO Bible in their language. We have done lots of cultural training, so now the next step is seminary for my husband!! He just started this month, so by the next blog I should have more updates on what he’s learning in class, what’s really sticking out, etc.! But for now, our prayer is that we are careful that “our fire doesn’t go out as we’re gathering sticks”, as Ray Comfort would say… (In other words, being on fire for Christ, because we may not have tomorrow.) And…we’re spending time being thankful for this little one!!I just had to share these pictures of Taliah! We had some great fellowship at this park (the two outer pictures) with friends, and Taliah was so excited!! As she grows, we want to share with her a balance between the sovereignty of God and a serious zeal for evangelism. The middle picture shows her having some learning time on her stomach! A healthy balance between work and play, and having fun (having a good attitude) while doing things of use are among the many things we want her to experience.  A new experience of all of us. :)What would be a new experience for us? Papua New Guinea! This is a random sign we saw in Phoenix. I think it’s there because it was close to a coffee shop that (probably) sells coffee from PNG (Papua New Guinea), but I put it here because PNG needs the Gospel. Papua New Guinea has less than 9 million people, compared to the 328 million in America. Just for comparison’s sake, Arizona alone there are over 7 million people, and California contains over 39 million. Can you imagine the population of just one state speaking over 830 languages. That’s how many languages are in Papua New Guinea, and many of them don’t have biblical churches and don’t have the Word of God. That’s why we want to go there.  And we hope she’s excited to go!!Taliah is so expressive for her age. I love her expressions, and I love her! These pictures were taken at a little outdoor mall called Tempe Marketplace. We go there to get some ministry work done, and to see if we can get any conversations with people. Another place we like to go is the mall…  An awesome store in the mall…I had a great conversation with the owner of this store. Everything sold here is made in Italy. This place was a great conversation starter, because of the Catholic crucifixes, the Nativity, and the chess boards. I’ve collected chess boards from all the countries I’ve been too (besides Canada). So far I have Israel, Guatemala, and the US. I hope Australia and Papua New Guinea are next! 
Our new musical addition!!YAY! Not to brag on my husband too much… …but… …after looking around different places a bit… he bought me a keyboard!! I’m so excited to play songs for us, and maybe teach Taliah to play one day!!  And how to not be like this…Feminism is everywhere. It’s ironic to me that people who advocate for “women’s rights” don’t see the inconsistency of saying that they “care about women”, but they put them into lustful subjection. Because of that, I thought this display would look good with a “What Time is Purple”. It’s hard to see stuff like this and not do anything… …even if it’s a quick tract, it’s better than nothing because it brings glory to God. And so do these cute ones!!I love the way they look together. Though it looks like Taliah is laughing at a funny Ray Comfort video on YouTube, she’s actually laughing at something one of us said or did. Daniel wasn’t watching YouTube, anyway. I don’t remember exactly what he was doing in this picture, but I’m sure it was something useful! When he’s using his phone, he’s always doing something productive and helpful, and I’m so thankful for that!! Back to our travels…  Purple art…Art makes no sense to me. Who would pay money for a giant thumb tack that you couldn’t even practically use? I’m sure it’s just meant to draw attention, but I think it’s sad to know people pay for items like that. Hopefully someone gets a nice surprise and reads the Gospel when they stop to look in that “art bowl” in the middle photo! Enough of pointless art… …let’s get to real creativity!! Focus on the Family!!Here are some pics from our trip to the Focus on the Family headquarters! These pics are from the Adventures in Odyssey land they created!! Daniel had a great time looking at all the elaborate decor, and Taliah was SUPER amazed! :) It was awesome to see a Christian place that was so clearly so well loved by many people. But hold on! I have one more set of purple pictures!! What time is Claire’s?I had to share these too, before I continue on with the trip. Can you find the booklets? I thought this booklet fit well in this store. (Here’s a hint…there’s actually only one booklet in two of the three pictures.) Okay! Back to the trip…
Wow!You look away for one picture and Taliah got so big! Just kidding… In these pictures, Taliah is Connie Kendall and Daniel is Eugene Meltsner from Adventures in Odyssey. If you know the show, or you know Daniel, you know that both of them speak in very precise language… You should listen to it sometime!  BUT PLEASE DON’T PLAY ANY OF THESE GAMES!!Find the tract! (Disclaimer: this was not taken at the Focus on the Family headquarters.) Did you find the tract yet? It’s an “Are You a Good Person” one. You should see it in the to the right of the “meme” game. NOW, I can Focus… (get it? Focus on the Family?)  A Global FocusThis globe was so cool! It shows all the stations around the world that have Focus on the Family on them!! Our prayer is that Papua New Guinea can have as much Gospel influence as we are blessed to have in America. The rest of these pictures show some fun we had in a little play area they had. Do you like where I put Taliah’s sticker? I thought it was funny… (See the middle picture.) What else were we up to?  Huntington Beach!!AREN’T THEY CUTE?!? AHH!! They’re mine, you can’t have them… In the pictures I have below the most ADORABLE one, I show the three best conversations Daniel had on the beach. The guy on the far left was Catholic, but open to the Gospel. In the middle was a JW… And on the far right was a guy who may have had a disability, but he was open to conversation. Praising God for all those conversations!!  I love this picture of Taliah under the bridge!!Doesn’t she look so excited? Lots of exciting things happened… At Huntington Beach, they were having a yoga festival…which made for some interesting conversations! It was so fun to share the Gospel in a place that needs it so badly. But, what does Taliah have on her shirt…??  Living Waters onesie!!Can you read it now?? “FullyFreeFilms.com FREE ONLINE MOVIES Ask my parents for a free movie gift card!!” Ray Comfort loved it! He said it made his day. :) What other adventures did we go on?? We had a great time at a local park… …and we went to Grace Community Church!! See us with Phil Johnson below!  Want us to continue this work?
Where to now...? Evangelism!First of all, happy late 4th of July! It was weird to have the 4th on a Sunday this year, but we were still able to share the Gospel!! We have had Trump trillions for over a year now, so it was really nice to get rid of them, and to plan for new tracts!! Our prayer is that souls are convicted of sin through them! Now, before I get to the move, let me explain more about ministry!  A video of a man speaking in Tok Pisin!How are things going in terms of going to Papua New Guinea? Everything is on track right now! I plan to start studying a little Tok Pisin soon! This video is of a guy who is speaking the trade language of Papua New Guinea. The plan is to learn that that trade language, Tok Pisin, and then to learn the tribal language of specific tribal people. Tok Pisin is fairly easy to learn. This video is really engaging if you are interested: Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhGohMxJ9WM&t=21s We have been able to connect more with the Canns, too!! One really helpful, notable conversation we had with Zach Cann was regarding Bible translation. He helped us understand the translation process, as well as update us on how the Do tribe translation is doing! Zach has been translating using an AWESOME translation software that he showed us! Right now, Ephesians is the focus. The Do have around 2,000 verses translated in their language! Pray for their hearts to understand the Gospel, and that one family from the Do team, the Mitchell’s, would be able to get back into the village safety from South Africa! And pray for us to be faithful to help the mission as much as we can while we’re still here! So...how is Taliah?  She's cute!!Taliah has been growing well! She's getting bigger every day! It's so fun to see her making more noises and learning how to grab things. We are so thankful for her! In other news...  Not thankful for this...Isn't this ridiculous? Ironically, there's no scientific evidence for these made up evolutionary pictures (minus the last one) - they are just drawings. Don't believe me, or have questions on that? Comment below! The last one, however, is more correct than any of the rest. Laziness and apathy are strongly against the will and the character of God. We want to be diligent in the faith and not make this picture...at least the last image...true of us. Guess who sure isn't lazy...? Taliah!She is so active! Her expressions are so funny sometimes! Most of the people I talk with say she looks like Daniel, and I LOVE that! She's so smart already for her age! She's such a mature person already, just like her father!  Daniel, my love!!This picture was taken at a local park where we do some evangelism. I just love the way he looks off into the distance! To the right of Daniel you can see the outside of an art museum. It's closed down, permanently, I think. It reminds us of the temporary nature of life.  So cheerful!Despite the vanities of the world, we are thankful most of all for the cross. Daniel reminds me frequently about how we need to put our focus on Christ alone. It's so easy to get bogged down by the things of the world, but remembering the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ should be enough to get your face as smiley as this little one. So...more about evangelism...
A human right...?This is a store we visited in a mall to put tracts in. It was absolutely awful. The place was so explicit, we had to get out of there almost right away, leaving only a few tracts behind. I didn't notice the REALLY SMALL sign on the left corner of the picture to the left. The things in this store didn't actually have anything to do with homosexuality, but I think they were just waving the popular banner to try to "be cool". "Love is a human right" Our problem starts when we have an entitlement mentality. All that we deserve is Hell. Please consider meditating on these verses: Ephesians 5:1-13, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. " So thankful for Daniel and Taliah!Look at how cute they are together!! I'm so blessed to have a godly husband who takes spiritual maturity and parenting seriously, and for a daughter that we can train in the ways of the Lord. These pictures show Daniel trying out a baby carrier we got. Usually I enjoy carrying Taliah, but it was fun to see Daniel with her! Because after that we did some evangelism!  Golden Rule Tattoo??I could say so much about this picture. This was taken at an evangelism event called "First Friday's". It's held the first Friday of every month. This month, there have been more people attending than we can remember since we've moved to Phoenix! I thought this store really stood out, because, it amazes me what the world does to the things of God. They take stuff in the Bible and they try to make it their own. It never works out well...  First Friday's!!What are some conversation highlights? Pray for Ashley! She was pretty open to the Gospel, but was insisting that she was a Christian pretty firmly. She didn’t have any assurance of her salvation, though, and she didn’t seem to be living a lifestyle consistent with Christianity. The mindset she had was one of the things of God being nice, and that going to church was good, but it didn’t seem like she understood the seriousness of the Christian faith. I went through the Law and the Gospel with her, and she seemed like she might look into things. I was trying to not be distracted by her eyes, because she had contacts in that were bright red. Pray for Katie! Pretty sure she was high, but I can’t be sure. She said she liked reading “those pamphlet things” (Gospel tracts) because reading things about God “make her happy”. I thought that was an odd response...so I asked her why and explained the seriousness of her sin through the Law, and the Gospel. I don’t know if I got past her lax attitude, but she seemed to be genuine about how she felt and she looked like she was listening. I explained that God was the standard, and that the Ten Commandments show us His holy, righteous Law. She tried to argue that some things could be good for some communities, and not for others, but I explained to her the objective standard of God’s Law. Pray she takes things seriously!! But wait? What was that first picture? Hebrew Israelites... We run into these guys all the time. This pamphlet was from a group of mostly black men who think that they're Jewish, and some of them believe they're the only ones who can be saved...because no one who's white can be saved... They are very interesting to talk to (see previous blog posts).  Guess where else we went to evangelize?IKEA! I thought this sign was ironic. Who gives power to nature? Why is it not okay to say His Name? We can talk about climate change and say that nature gives itself power, or that we give nature power, but that makes no sense. Nothing makes any sense without a Creator. And I'm so glad God gave us Taliah!This happy face did a lot of exploring at IKEA! I think she likes seeing all the bright colors. Also, a number of moms go to IKEA frequently with their little kids. In Phoenix, IKEA is a great place to take little ones who want to get out of the house, but it's too hot outside to do much of anything else! So...what did we explore?  Find the tract!See if you can spot the tract in each of these ten pictures. Here's a hint: Eight of them are Reagan tracts, and two of them are I.Q. Tests. IKEA is a really fun place to put tracts, because everything is so creative! It's a pretty causal place, one I never thought of before to hang out at. So...what did Taliah do...?  She played in so many different places!!I wanted to see if she could hold a Gospel tract (with supervision) - and she did it! The FIRST object she transferred from one hand to the other was a Gospel tract! YAY! I'm so excited that she's developing her motor skills well, and that she's getting started on things that really matter! So...what's the news with Daniel...?  LOI's!HUGE NEWS... DANIEL IS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED INTO EXPOSITORS!! YAY!!!! I'm so proud of him and SO excited for him to start! But what are LOI's, and what do they have to do with seminary?? These are foundation grants. Daniel and I have been blessed a fun (I love it, I'm not being sarcastic) task of sending requests called LOI's for our mission! The connection with the seminary? The great thing about Finisterre Vision is that everything is connected with our church, Grace Bible. So, I'm primarily doing the LOI's, and Daniel will primarily be doing seminary, all through our church!!  NOW...for our apartment!!Here's Taliah's excited face as we moved in! These pictures show a display that Daniel and I are really excited about. It's SO fun to be able to have books and tracts from the ministry that led us both to Christ (Living Waters) out in the open for everyone to see! The first (little picture to the left) shows a Four Gospel booklet, one that Ray gave us personally for free! Under it is an audio format of "How to Bring Your Children to Christ, and Keep Them There", which we highly recommend (written by Ray Comfort). And on the bottom of the first picture is Hell's Best Kept Secret (a must listen-to), a TON of Trump trillions, and an Amazing Grace Flash Mob Gospel tract!! The second picture shows Taliah's shelf! She has an Answers in Genesis book there, a comic Gospel tract, a chessboard, some sweet pictures of Taliah before she was born, two Living Waters books, and a little Baby Animals book! I mentioned most of these things before, if you want to look back at a previous blog. In case you don't want to, I will mention here that the Baby Animals book is especially exciting because it could be used in the tribe! It's perfect for explaining biblical concepts that become SUPER important (terms like lamb...) The third pic is of a Living Waters board game, a chessboard from Israel, emergency tracts, (in the thing that looks like a book...don't tell anyone...) and some RARE and unusual (some out of print) tracts. The fourth pic shows the entire case, and the last picture shows one of Daniel and I's favorite movies, Audacity (fullyfreefilms.com), a money holder tract, a book by Ray on the Holocaust, and some of our What Time is Purple booklets!! More pictures with lots of stories behind them!Starting at the top left corner, we have some tribal pictures with a bilum! A bulim is a bag that women use to carry their babies in (or other goods) in Papua New Guinea! The design is the Papua New Guinea flag! That top row also shows some Israeli oil lamps with two Ray books, one an older version of Hell's Best Kept Secret, another one of Daniel and I's favorites, called "Hollywood Be Thy Name". It's about how Christian's shouldn't be supporting Hollywood. The last picture on the top row includes my special Bible, American Gospel, The Gospel Primer, a mini Australian flag (see the blog on ANZAC Day), a devotional by Ray, and a REALLY good book on Bible translation. The second row includes a book on sermons by Spurgeon, Edwards, and Moody, a SPECIAL edition of Pilgrim's Progress (Daniel proposed with it <3), some Greek books, a booklet by Todd Friel on an extremely important topic, and I have a mini replica of the Dead Sea Scrolls that's opening a Greek New Testament to Romans 15:20-21, "And in this way I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already known by name, so that I would not build on another person’s foundation; but just as it is written:“They who have not been told about Him will see, And they who have not heard will understand.”" The other pics show more of the living room, complete with Taliah, and our Israeli flag! On the third row you can see a world map, with the Golden Rule on top of it. You can also see a missionary calendar we got from Grace Community Church in California. Finally, you can see a map with two of my favorite verses on it (squint for the smaller verse). The places I have marked (if you can't read them) are the Finisterre Mountains, and Daniel's place of birth. I also have Australian flags on the fridge, a Spurgeon million dollar Gospel tract, a Papua New Guinea apron, and a closer picture of one of those pictures I have up with the bilum. Comment below if you have questions about any of these things!!
A couple more things...This is on the wall when you first walk in. Most people seem to ask about this one more than all the other things I have around. Someone said...the rest of this makes sense (all the purposeful decor), but why the money? And I said... ...so people will ask, and I can show them that it's really a Gospel tract on the back!! ISN'T THAT COOL? I'm sure you're fully convinced that we have a serious obsessive compulsive disorder now... ...but that's okay!! 
One more thing!Even though she's not exactly smiling, this is one of my favorite pictures of Taliah. :) But what is this in the window? It's the 10-40 window! Get it?? It was Daniel's super creative idea. :D The 10-40 window refers to the coordinates in the world that don't have the Gospel. Look it up! So...in other words, people groups that still don't have the Gospel - the unreached. Will you help us reach them?
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What about evangelism?
Hope that analogy made sense to you!
If it did, get out there and share it with others!
Or...stick to leaving tracts in bathrooms!
Here's sweet Taliah getting excited!!
She is doing so well!
We are so thankful for her growing healthy and happily, and for all the things we are able to do with her!
If it did, get out there and share it with others!
Or...stick to leaving tracts in bathrooms!
Here's sweet Taliah getting excited!!
She is doing so well!
We are so thankful for her growing healthy and happily, and for all the things we are able to do with her!
Look for the tract game!!
I promise there is a tract in each of these pictures!
(If you can't find one, comment below.)
These pictures were taken in a mall store that Taliah and I went to.
I couldn't believe all the idols in the store, so I figured it was a perfect place for Gospel tracts!!
My favorite pic is the one of the elephant who has something stuck in his tusks...
(If you can't find one, comment below.)
These pictures were taken in a mall store that Taliah and I went to.
I couldn't believe all the idols in the store, so I figured it was a perfect place for Gospel tracts!!
My favorite pic is the one of the elephant who has something stuck in his tusks...
Taliah and I sharing the Gospel at First Friday's!
I mentioned going to First Friday's before, but now it's gaining more and more people!
In case you forgot, First Friday's is a festival in downtown Phoenix where people come to sell their art, eat at local restaurants, walk around and hang out with friends, or proclaim loudly that the earth is flat.
I had one good conversation that stood out with a lady named Chauntel!
Pray for Chauntel! Her and her boyfriend (I assume) seemed pretty open to the Gospel, admitting their sin in the conversation, and letting me explain the Gospel to them.
Daniel was able to pass a lot of tracts, and we had the great privilege of being joined with a couple from our church!
It was both Taliah's and the couple from our church's first time!!
First times are SO exciting to me!
In case you forgot, First Friday's is a festival in downtown Phoenix where people come to sell their art, eat at local restaurants, walk around and hang out with friends, or proclaim loudly that the earth is flat.
I had one good conversation that stood out with a lady named Chauntel!
Pray for Chauntel! Her and her boyfriend (I assume) seemed pretty open to the Gospel, admitting their sin in the conversation, and letting me explain the Gospel to them.
Daniel was able to pass a lot of tracts, and we had the great privilege of being joined with a couple from our church!
It was both Taliah's and the couple from our church's first time!!
First times are SO exciting to me!
Another first time for evangelism!!
Daniel, Taliah and I (along with a lady from our church and her daughter) made it to a Phoenix Suns Arena game for the first time!
Before the pandemic, thousands of people would be lined up in downtown Phoenix for this game, but, when we went, there was only a few people here and there.
It was still worth it though, because Daniel was able to share the Gospel with two different guys.
Pray for Eric! Daniel and I were able to share the Gospel with him and call him to repentance, even though he seemed kind of out of it...saying weird things at weird times. For example, Daniel asked him if he had heard of the “Law of sin and death”, and he ended up talking about millet and cereal...
Pray the Gospel gets through to him regardless of drugs, etc.
We didn't get the other guy's name, but you can pray for him too!
It was such a blessing to be able to go!!
Before the pandemic, thousands of people would be lined up in downtown Phoenix for this game, but, when we went, there was only a few people here and there.
It was still worth it though, because Daniel was able to share the Gospel with two different guys.
Pray for Eric! Daniel and I were able to share the Gospel with him and call him to repentance, even though he seemed kind of out of it...saying weird things at weird times. For example, Daniel asked him if he had heard of the “Law of sin and death”, and he ended up talking about millet and cereal...
Pray the Gospel gets through to him regardless of drugs, etc.
We didn't get the other guy's name, but you can pray for him too!
It was such a blessing to be able to go!!
Hopefully Taliah was thankful she was able to go as well!!
She is getting more expressive, and it's so fun!
I'm so excited to get to know her and her personality as she gets older!
I can't believe that, this month, she will be three months old already!!
She's growing so fast, and I'm so thankful that she's pretty well-behaved for a baby!
Want to hear about more of our adventures...?
I'm so excited to get to know her and her personality as she gets older!
I can't believe that, this month, she will be three months old already!!
She's growing so fast, and I'm so thankful that she's pretty well-behaved for a baby!
Want to hear about more of our adventures...?
Find the tract in the nine lower pictures!!
I can't believe how many stores have New Age stuff in them!
Most of the pictures I have taken have been from the same mall.
Pray for people to stop following after their idolatry and to turn to the true God!!
Comment below if you don't see a tract in a picture!
I really enjoyed putting tracts in places in this store. :)
What else has been going on?
Most of the pictures I have taken have been from the same mall.
Pray for people to stop following after their idolatry and to turn to the true God!!
Comment below if you don't see a tract in a picture!
I really enjoyed putting tracts in places in this store. :)
What else has been going on?
The Expositors Seminary application is OFFICIALLY IN!!
YAY!
Daniel is still hoping to go to Expositors in August, and his application has been officially put in!
Even though he had it in awhile ago, there were references that needed to be filled out, and those can take a long time.
So thankful that it's officially in!!
Also, in case you were wondering, we are finishing up our Going Deeper Greek book, and then we will be reviewing and taking a break for the summer!
This picture was taken at our church. If you look at the second picture from the bottom, that's us!! It's so exciting that there are two campuses in the Phoenix area for the seminary!!
If Daniel gets in, he will be able to study at the church during the week, and get solid teaching from all the of other campuses over Zoom while staying at his home church!
Taliah will be so old by the time he's done!!
Daniel is still hoping to go to Expositors in August, and his application has been officially put in!
Even though he had it in awhile ago, there were references that needed to be filled out, and those can take a long time.
So thankful that it's officially in!!
Also, in case you were wondering, we are finishing up our Going Deeper Greek book, and then we will be reviewing and taking a break for the summer!
This picture was taken at our church. If you look at the second picture from the bottom, that's us!! It's so exciting that there are two campuses in the Phoenix area for the seminary!!
If Daniel gets in, he will be able to study at the church during the week, and get solid teaching from all the of other campuses over Zoom while staying at his home church!
Taliah will be so old by the time he's done!!
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Not old enough for Disney though...
What do you think about Disney?
Do you think that it's an ungodly source of idolatry and lies?
We do!
I'm not going to go on about conspiracy theories or anything like that, but I do think that, whether people realize it or not, Disney is promoting ungodly principles, such as self-love and prideful self-esteem.
The company glorifies sin through Disney Channel shows promoting sexual sins such as homosexuality, teaching kids wrong views about relationships, and introducing physical themes before children are ready for them, as well as promoting universalism through their language in their shows and themes.
I could go on, but the main point Daniel and I want to make is that we want to guard our children from worldly thinking without being legalistic. It's a hard, fine line, but we want to be careful to call sin for what it is without pretending like it's innocent and okay.
That's why we put tracts in the Disney products. :)
Do you think that it's an ungodly source of idolatry and lies?
We do!
I'm not going to go on about conspiracy theories or anything like that, but I do think that, whether people realize it or not, Disney is promoting ungodly principles, such as self-love and prideful self-esteem.
The company glorifies sin through Disney Channel shows promoting sexual sins such as homosexuality, teaching kids wrong views about relationships, and introducing physical themes before children are ready for them, as well as promoting universalism through their language in their shows and themes.
I could go on, but the main point Daniel and I want to make is that we want to guard our children from worldly thinking without being legalistic. It's a hard, fine line, but we want to be careful to call sin for what it is without pretending like it's innocent and okay.
That's why we put tracts in the Disney products. :)
What's all the excitement about?
I just had to show some pictures of Taliah's excited face!
She doesn't need Disney to have a good time!!
I love how much energy she has, even as a little baby!
I'm not one to sleep much, and I think she's taking after that...
She's still more like Daniel though...and I'm SO thankful for that!! ;)
She doesn't need Disney to have a good time!!
I love how much energy she has, even as a little baby!
I'm not one to sleep much, and I think she's taking after that...
She's still more like Daniel though...and I'm SO thankful for that!! ;)
One more find the tract game!!
This store was REALLY terrible. :(
I don't want to share much about the things in the store, because I don't want to be glorifying sin, but let's just say these pictures were all I could do before I had to get out of there.
As a Christian, you should feel a deep burden for your own sin, and a serious uncomfortableness around the sin of others.
As long as you're sure that your sin is confessed and that you're in a right place before God, I want to encourage you to not be content watching or listening in the sin of others.
Flee!!
Honoring God is more important than temporary pleasure.
I don't want to share much about the things in the store, because I don't want to be glorifying sin, but let's just say these pictures were all I could do before I had to get out of there.
As a Christian, you should feel a deep burden for your own sin, and a serious uncomfortableness around the sin of others.
As long as you're sure that your sin is confessed and that you're in a right place before God, I want to encourage you to not be content watching or listening in the sin of others.
Flee!!
Honoring God is more important than temporary pleasure.
Praying that this cute little one comes to understand the importance of honoring the Lord!!
We are praying for Taliah already, that she understands these things, and that she sees her own sin seriously before God.
It can be so tempting to think that she's "innocent", because she can't comprehend too much yet, but she's getting there, and she was definitely born in sin!
This Scripture comes to mind:
Psalm 51:1-10, "Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.
Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in secret You will make wisdom known to me.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones You have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.
Create in me a clean heart, God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Speaking of Scripture...
It can be so tempting to think that she's "innocent", because she can't comprehend too much yet, but she's getting there, and she was definitely born in sin!
This Scripture comes to mind:
Psalm 51:1-10, "Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.
Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in secret You will make wisdom known to me.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones You have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.
Create in me a clean heart, God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Speaking of Scripture...
These cute ones need the Gospel too!!
What's going on in Papua New Guinea?
The team is on furlough, trying to travel to and from Papua New Guinea as best as they can with all of the restrictions still set in place.
The Do tribe is continuing to grow in the faith, and our upcoming team, the Pano team, is getting everything in place to move in to a new tribe!!
For now I'm giving a short report, BUT...by the time the next blog comes out...I should have a LOT more information to share!!
Pray for the work of Bible translation and creating a self-sustaining church in the Do tribe, and for the Pano team to be able to build their houses, get to know the language and culture of the Pano tribe, and for them to be able to share the Gospel and give the Pano people the privilege the Do tribe had!
The team is on furlough, trying to travel to and from Papua New Guinea as best as they can with all of the restrictions still set in place.
The Do tribe is continuing to grow in the faith, and our upcoming team, the Pano team, is getting everything in place to move in to a new tribe!!
For now I'm giving a short report, BUT...by the time the next blog comes out...I should have a LOT more information to share!!
Pray for the work of Bible translation and creating a self-sustaining church in the Do tribe, and for the Pano team to be able to build their houses, get to know the language and culture of the Pano tribe, and for them to be able to share the Gospel and give the Pano people the privilege the Do tribe had!
Waiting for the Canns!
Speaking of Papua New Guinea...
The Canns are in town, and we were already blessed to spend time with them!!
YAY!
These pictures are of Taliah waiting for them at the airport.
Here they are:
The Canns are in town, and we were already blessed to spend time with them!!
YAY!
These pictures are of Taliah waiting for them at the airport.
Here they are:
Welcoming the Canns at the airport!
In case you don’t know the whole story, the Canns came home because of a mini emergency.
They were planning on going on furlough (missionary break) soon, but they ended up leaving the tribe and returning much quicker than planned because Jude, their oldest, hurt his jaw on his bike.
They thought he might need surgery for it, but he ended up being better than they thought, which was a huge relief!!
Now they plan to stay here in Arizona for about a year.
And we are so excited!!
Zach Cann gave an update on their first Sunday here on the Do tribe to our church.
If you want to listen to it, here it is:
Cann PNG Update at GBC, Summer 2021: www.gbcaz.org/sermon/png-and-cann-family-update/
They were planning on going on furlough (missionary break) soon, but they ended up leaving the tribe and returning much quicker than planned because Jude, their oldest, hurt his jaw on his bike.
They thought he might need surgery for it, but he ended up being better than they thought, which was a huge relief!!
Now they plan to stay here in Arizona for about a year.
And we are so excited!!
Zach Cann gave an update on their first Sunday here on the Do tribe to our church.
If you want to listen to it, here it is:
Cann PNG Update at GBC, Summer 2021: www.gbcaz.org/sermon/png-and-cann-family-update/
Do you see Taliah’s shirt?!?
If you can’t make out the writing, it says “Future Finisterre Vision Missionary”, and it includes the Finisterre Vision website.
Of course, the future is in the hands of the Lord, so we don’t know what’s going to happen...
...but our hope and prayer is that God allows us to get to the mission field!!
And we are so thankful for the Lord blessing us with Taliah before our time on the field!
Our prayer is that she sees the need for the Gospel to go to unreached people groups as well.
But more about the Canns...
Of course, the future is in the hands of the Lord, so we don’t know what’s going to happen...
...but our hope and prayer is that God allows us to get to the mission field!!
And we are so thankful for the Lord blessing us with Taliah before our time on the field!
Our prayer is that she sees the need for the Gospel to go to unreached people groups as well.
But more about the Canns...
Daniel patiently enduring my many pictures of anticipation at the airport.
Here you see Daniel waiting for the Canns.
You know their update...but what have they told us personally?
A huge thing that stuck out from our conversations with them is that, while theological training is REALLY important, someone training for the mission field NEEDS to have people skills.
Going into the tribe knowing how to properly translate the Bible is essential, because you need to rightly handle the Word of God, but...
...if you’re just sitting at a computer all day...
...you can’t learn the Do language!!
It was really encouraging to hear that boldness in street evangelism and talking to strangers in general is extremely helpful on the field.
My prayer is that YOU keep that in mind, and remember that you don’t have to be a “special person” to go to the field.
You need lots of training, and it will be very hard, but people are dying, and they need the Word of God in their language. They need an established church!
All you have to do is talk to people!!
Also...
Of the Do people, Zach guesses that there are around 20 believers!!
About 50 people attended the meetings where the Gospel was preached.
Pray for the Do tribe as they become a growing church!!
You know their update...but what have they told us personally?
A huge thing that stuck out from our conversations with them is that, while theological training is REALLY important, someone training for the mission field NEEDS to have people skills.
Going into the tribe knowing how to properly translate the Bible is essential, because you need to rightly handle the Word of God, but...
...if you’re just sitting at a computer all day...
...you can’t learn the Do language!!
It was really encouraging to hear that boldness in street evangelism and talking to strangers in general is extremely helpful on the field.
My prayer is that YOU keep that in mind, and remember that you don’t have to be a “special person” to go to the field.
You need lots of training, and it will be very hard, but people are dying, and they need the Word of God in their language. They need an established church!
All you have to do is talk to people!!
Also...
Of the Do people, Zach guesses that there are around 20 believers!!
About 50 people attended the meetings where the Gospel was preached.
Pray for the Do tribe as they become a growing church!!
A missionary family photo!
In this picture, all three of us have our missionary shirts on!
We have been so blessed this month!
So thankful for our time with the Canns so far, and for everything God has done through us this summer!
We can’t wait to see what God has in store next!
Pray for the unreached people groups of the world!!
We have been so blessed this month!
So thankful for our time with the Canns so far, and for everything God has done through us this summer!
We can’t wait to see what God has in store next!
Pray for the unreached people groups of the world!!
Want to help us continue our work?
Finisterre Vision Donate Website Page: https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
What did we do for our anniversary??
THE COMPLETED BIBLE WALL!!
Before I explain the fun of Anzac day, I have to share with you the completed Bible wall at our church (Grace Bible in Tempe, AZ).
Daniel, Taliah, and anyone who comes to our church can now walk down the hall of our church and see the entire Bible!!
Click here to see a REALLY awesome time lapse of it going up:
Grace Bible Bible Wall Time Lapse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OB28q9nFyQ&t=1s
You can see Daniel at 55sec. in!!
The ending is enough to make you cry!
I can't tell you how excited this is, and how fun it is to hear of kids at our church running up and down the hall doing "sword drills" (finding passages of Scripture on the wall based on the reference). I want to join in!!
What translation is it in?
Our church had the idea of creating a Bible translation with "slave" instead of "servant" for the Greek word transliterated "doulos", and with the word "Yahweh" used as a name for Lord, specifically in the Old Testament.
Most modern English Bibles use "LORD" and "Lord" for two Hebrew words for Lord. Using "Yahweh" for "LORD" is really helpful in distinguishing between the two words. Both can refer to God, but the lowercase Lord doesn't necessarily mean God, Creator of the Universe and Savior in the Hebrew.
Hopefully that was understandable and not too deep...
...this translation has some textual variants differences too that are too complex to explain here...but if you're interested feel free to contact us!!
As I mentioned before, the guys at Master's Seminary had the SAME idea for a Bible translation, when our church had already started the process!
If you're interested in what it's like to read the text, the Master's version has a free app where you can see the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
It's called the Legacy Standard Bible.
Look it up!!
Daniel, Taliah, and anyone who comes to our church can now walk down the hall of our church and see the entire Bible!!
Click here to see a REALLY awesome time lapse of it going up:
Grace Bible Bible Wall Time Lapse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OB28q9nFyQ&t=1s
You can see Daniel at 55sec. in!!
The ending is enough to make you cry!
I can't tell you how excited this is, and how fun it is to hear of kids at our church running up and down the hall doing "sword drills" (finding passages of Scripture on the wall based on the reference). I want to join in!!
What translation is it in?
Our church had the idea of creating a Bible translation with "slave" instead of "servant" for the Greek word transliterated "doulos", and with the word "Yahweh" used as a name for Lord, specifically in the Old Testament.
Most modern English Bibles use "LORD" and "Lord" for two Hebrew words for Lord. Using "Yahweh" for "LORD" is really helpful in distinguishing between the two words. Both can refer to God, but the lowercase Lord doesn't necessarily mean God, Creator of the Universe and Savior in the Hebrew.
Hopefully that was understandable and not too deep...
...this translation has some textual variants differences too that are too complex to explain here...but if you're interested feel free to contact us!!
As I mentioned before, the guys at Master's Seminary had the SAME idea for a Bible translation, when our church had already started the process!
If you're interested in what it's like to read the text, the Master's version has a free app where you can see the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
It's called the Legacy Standard Bible.
Look it up!!
AROUND THE WORLD...
It's so cool to think of the message of the Gospel going out into all the world!
Eventually, at the church, the plan is to get a missions wall also, so that you see the Scripture in YOUR language through-out your time there, and then you see the missionary wall as a reminder that the Gospel needs to go to all the world, and Scripture needs to be translated into the languages of the unreached.
For now, I just have a picture of this globe to show visually the need for the Gospel to go to the unreached.
Daniel found this globe in downtown Tempe. He noted that Australia is disproportionately smaller than it's actual size (it's about the same size of America, with the population being a lot less then California).
Papua New Guinea rests directly above Australia.
49 people groups are yet to hear the Gospel, yet to have Scripture in their language, and yet to have any hope of an eternity with Christ in Heaven.
Thousands of people groups cry around the world, having no access to the Word of God, no access to solid churches, and no hope of anything short of what their ungodliness and idolatry (and OUR ungodliness and idolatry - yours and mine) deserves...eternity in Hell.
So what are we doing to share that message to those whom we can right now, striving towards the goal of going to the unreached, before it's too late?
Eventually, at the church, the plan is to get a missions wall also, so that you see the Scripture in YOUR language through-out your time there, and then you see the missionary wall as a reminder that the Gospel needs to go to all the world, and Scripture needs to be translated into the languages of the unreached.
For now, I just have a picture of this globe to show visually the need for the Gospel to go to the unreached.
Daniel found this globe in downtown Tempe. He noted that Australia is disproportionately smaller than it's actual size (it's about the same size of America, with the population being a lot less then California).
Papua New Guinea rests directly above Australia.
49 people groups are yet to hear the Gospel, yet to have Scripture in their language, and yet to have any hope of an eternity with Christ in Heaven.
Thousands of people groups cry around the world, having no access to the Word of God, no access to solid churches, and no hope of anything short of what their ungodliness and idolatry (and OUR ungodliness and idolatry - yours and mine) deserves...eternity in Hell.
So what are we doing to share that message to those whom we can right now, striving towards the goal of going to the unreached, before it's too late?
PARK EVANGELISM!!
See the Reagan tracts?
Daniel took this picture of Taliah and I at the park, going to share the Gospel with whoever we could before it got too hot outside (it's nearing the 100 degrees F already...) or a diaper needed to be changed.
Pray for Paula and Jill. Taliah and I witnessed to two ladies sitting by a little water park with two dogs...both in clothes.
Paula was more vocal. She was happy that I wasn’t a Mormon, and she said she’s non-denominational.
We walked through some Scriptural truth and talked about the Ten Commandments, then the Gospel.
They seemed to understand that their lying and disobedience was against the Lord, but I'm not sure if they totally understood the seriousness of it or the preciousness of Jesus Christ dying in their place.
So thankful for the conversation, though!
What else have we been doing?
Daniel took this picture of Taliah and I at the park, going to share the Gospel with whoever we could before it got too hot outside (it's nearing the 100 degrees F already...) or a diaper needed to be changed.
Pray for Paula and Jill. Taliah and I witnessed to two ladies sitting by a little water park with two dogs...both in clothes.
Paula was more vocal. She was happy that I wasn’t a Mormon, and she said she’s non-denominational.
We walked through some Scriptural truth and talked about the Ten Commandments, then the Gospel.
They seemed to understand that their lying and disobedience was against the Lord, but I'm not sure if they totally understood the seriousness of it or the preciousness of Jesus Christ dying in their place.
So thankful for the conversation, though!
What else have we been doing?
MORE GREEK...
Our Greek has been going really well!
I love specifically the class I'm taking through an awesome professor in Ohio.
Daniel and I also started to read this book - and it's SO helpful.
I would highly recommend it for any Greek student who wants to know the best way to retain information they have learned, or just to review what they have learned so far and continue on. This book really provides everything one needs for healthy review.
But what about Taliah? What about evangelism??
I love specifically the class I'm taking through an awesome professor in Ohio.
Daniel and I also started to read this book - and it's SO helpful.
I would highly recommend it for any Greek student who wants to know the best way to retain information they have learned, or just to review what they have learned so far and continue on. This book really provides everything one needs for healthy review.
But what about Taliah? What about evangelism??
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MALL TRACT EVANGELISM!!
Taliah and I have been having a great time at the mall!!
We have been going to try to get people in conversations, and to leave tracts in places where people will most likely not throw them out.
Because of school still being in, we have had less conversations, but we are praying that those pick up after school is out!
But as for tract placement, that has been so much fun, especially when you're trying to find creative ways to put them places and praying that God will use each of the tracts for His purposes.
For example...
We have been going to try to get people in conversations, and to leave tracts in places where people will most likely not throw them out.
Because of school still being in, we have had less conversations, but we are praying that those pick up after school is out!
But as for tract placement, that has been so much fun, especially when you're trying to find creative ways to put them places and praying that God will use each of the tracts for His purposes.
For example...
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FIND THE TRACT...
I promise I won't do the same thing I did last time and make it so you can't see the tract in the picture, in ONE of these pictures you can ACTUALLY see a million dollar bill Gospel tract.
It's a Trump tract...
Need one more hint?
It's in the left picture.
Doing evangelism with Taliah is so much fun!
What other excuse would I have for looking at these bows?
Okay...I can give away where the tract is completely.
It's under the second brown bow in the left picture.
You can see Trump's tie, part of his shirt, and part of the American flag.
So...what else happened at the mall?
It's a Trump tract...
Need one more hint?
It's in the left picture.
Doing evangelism with Taliah is so much fun!
What other excuse would I have for looking at these bows?
Okay...I can give away where the tract is completely.
It's under the second brown bow in the left picture.
You can see Trump's tie, part of his shirt, and part of the American flag.
So...what else happened at the mall?
BEWARE OF THE AUSSIE CROC!! RUN TALIAH RUN!!!
WE WENT TO AUSTRALIA AND ALMOST GOT EATEN BY AN AUSTRALIAN CROCODILE!!
Just kidding...
We found this outside a Rainforest Cafe in the mall.
It reminded me how thankful I am for Daniel, and how exciting it is that he could go to Mill Ave., though I don't go to that evangelism opportunity anymore because we agreed it's not safe enough for Taliah.
BUT - Taliah and I can do evangelism at the mall!!
More adventures to tell each other about!
Just kidding...
We found this outside a Rainforest Cafe in the mall.
It reminded me how thankful I am for Daniel, and how exciting it is that he could go to Mill Ave., though I don't go to that evangelism opportunity anymore because we agreed it's not safe enough for Taliah.
BUT - Taliah and I can do evangelism at the mall!!
More adventures to tell each other about!
REALLY?
We have adventures...and we have to deal with stuff like this...
This was in a store called "HippiesRUs".
The heresy is ironically obvious, and I can't believe some Christians (or at least professed Christians) fall for it.
Paul, in talking about false teachers in 2 Cor. 11, says in verse 14,
"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
Remember this when you see things that look like they're Christian, and they use some biblical language, but they're universalist in their understanding.
This was in a store called "HippiesRUs".
The heresy is ironically obvious, and I can't believe some Christians (or at least professed Christians) fall for it.
Paul, in talking about false teachers in 2 Cor. 11, says in verse 14,
"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
Remember this when you see things that look like they're Christian, and they use some biblical language, but they're universalist in their understanding.
DANIEL AND TALIAH TIME!
We want to teach Taliah the truth of the Gospel and guard her from heresies like this, making her aware of them and explaining to her the truth in the midst of the lies.
Also...ISN'T SHE CUTE?
I love seeing her and Daniel together.
So thankful for an awesome husband and daughter!
What else have we been doing?
Also...ISN'T SHE CUTE?
I love seeing her and Daniel together.
So thankful for an awesome husband and daughter!
What else have we been doing?
A REALLY COOL IDEA...
We have been exploring some really cool looking churches!
This church had the great idea of creating what they call "Bibleville" for the kids of their congregation.
We didn't even know the church had this set up, Taliah and I were just curious about their MOPS group.
And this is what we discovered!
I thought it was REALLY creative...see if you can catch all the puns... :)
This church had the great idea of creating what they call "Bibleville" for the kids of their congregation.
We didn't even know the church had this set up, Taliah and I were just curious about their MOPS group.
And this is what we discovered!
I thought it was REALLY creative...see if you can catch all the puns... :)
TALIAH BEING TALIAH!!
You've seen the cute little girl - but how is she doing?
She's pretty funny...
Taliah is doing so well! She's growing healthy, getting more expressive, and she's developing her own personality!
We are still praying for her to one day understand her sin and need for a Savior, and to understand the need for the Gospel to go into all the world.
Speaking of that...
She's pretty funny...
Taliah is doing so well! She's growing healthy, getting more expressive, and she's developing her own personality!
We are still praying for her to one day understand her sin and need for a Savior, and to understand the need for the Gospel to go into all the world.
Speaking of that...
WHAT'S UP IN PNG?
We have some really exciting news coming up!
I mentioned in the last blog that some people from our church who are currently in Papua New Guinea will be heading to the states soon...well...Lord willing, they will be coming in a few months for quite a long time, longer than we thought!
We are very excited to give you more details as things get closer.
Because of the team going on furlough (missionary breaks), and the nature of our mission (we strive to help the PNG church become self-sufficient), a significant update is that the tribal people are getting ready to take over!
They still need the Bible finished in their language, and some more training so that they can lead themselves, but they are getting close!
One story told to me recently was one of a husband and wife having a fight, and the wife then realizing her sin against God. She went and asked for forgiveness from God and from her husband.
This is so encouraging to hear!!
Alright...unless you have had enough excitement for now...here's the reason this blog is titled the way it is:
I mentioned in the last blog that some people from our church who are currently in Papua New Guinea will be heading to the states soon...well...Lord willing, they will be coming in a few months for quite a long time, longer than we thought!
We are very excited to give you more details as things get closer.
Because of the team going on furlough (missionary breaks), and the nature of our mission (we strive to help the PNG church become self-sufficient), a significant update is that the tribal people are getting ready to take over!
They still need the Bible finished in their language, and some more training so that they can lead themselves, but they are getting close!
One story told to me recently was one of a husband and wife having a fight, and the wife then realizing her sin against God. She went and asked for forgiveness from God and from her husband.
This is so encouraging to hear!!
Alright...unless you have had enough excitement for now...here's the reason this blog is titled the way it is:
ANZAC DAY!!
What in the world is this?
See all these people?
Most of them are either Australians or New Zealanders.
We even met a British couple!
Daniel had joined a group on FaceBook called "Aussies in Arizona", to try to evangelize and connect with other Aussies in the area!
Through that, we found this event - ANZAC day!
ANZAC day is like our American Memorial Day.
It started to remember the Australian and New Zealand forces who served in World War I, and it became a day to remember service men in general through-out both countries!
We couldn't think of a better opportunity to share the Gospel!
What was the first question of every Aussie and New Zealander we met?
"How did you guys meet?"
Well...let's talk about missionary work... ;)
See all these people?
Most of them are either Australians or New Zealanders.
We even met a British couple!
Daniel had joined a group on FaceBook called "Aussies in Arizona", to try to evangelize and connect with other Aussies in the area!
Through that, we found this event - ANZAC day!
ANZAC day is like our American Memorial Day.
It started to remember the Australian and New Zealand forces who served in World War I, and it became a day to remember service men in general through-out both countries!
We couldn't think of a better opportunity to share the Gospel!
What was the first question of every Aussie and New Zealander we met?
"How did you guys meet?"
Well...let's talk about missionary work... ;)
AN ANZAC DAY BISCUIT...
I'm so glad that Daniel was able to connect with some Aussies, and to have some at least semi authentic Australian food!
These are called "ANZAC biscuits".
Daniel (and other Aussie's) call them "bicky's" for short. :)
People were purposely using their Aussie lingo with each other in conversation.
We had a great conversation with a couple who, like us, were an American and an Aussie who married. It was easy to talk with the woman because we already had that in common.
Other conversation highlights included a British couple who had lived around the world, including in Australia. They loved Taliah, and that opened the door for a Gospel conversation!
What did Taliah think of all that...?
These are called "ANZAC biscuits".
Daniel (and other Aussie's) call them "bicky's" for short. :)
People were purposely using their Aussie lingo with each other in conversation.
We had a great conversation with a couple who, like us, were an American and an Aussie who married. It was easy to talk with the woman because we already had that in common.
Other conversation highlights included a British couple who had lived around the world, including in Australia. They loved Taliah, and that opened the door for a Gospel conversation!
What did Taliah think of all that...?
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TALIAH'S BICKY'S...READY FOR AN AUSSIE TRIP?
Taliah got some bicky's too!
She did awesome the whole event!!
Then she prepared for a road trip.
Do you like her hat?
She's preparing for a long trip to somewhere she's only been in when she was in the womb!
She did awesome the whole event!!
Then she prepared for a road trip.
Do you like her hat?
She's preparing for a long trip to somewhere she's only been in when she was in the womb!
SOME THOUGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS AND LOCATIONS...
Before I disclose the trip (I'm sure you've already figured it out based on the title and on previous blogs), I have some quick thoughts.
I thought this billboard was ridiculous, something you would see in somewhere like California, but this was in Phoenix.
Hate is a virus?
I mean...hate is sin, it's murder in God's eyes, it's incredibly serious, but that's not what this billboard was saying.
How do you define hate?
Not wearing a mask?
Being anti-feminist?
No, biblically, this is NOT how you define hate.
Hate defined biblically is more serious than a virus.
And a virus won't stop us from going on a road trip...
I thought this billboard was ridiculous, something you would see in somewhere like California, but this was in Phoenix.
Hate is a virus?
I mean...hate is sin, it's murder in God's eyes, it's incredibly serious, but that's not what this billboard was saying.
How do you define hate?
Not wearing a mask?
Being anti-feminist?
No, biblically, this is NOT how you define hate.
Hate defined biblically is more serious than a virus.
And a virus won't stop us from going on a road trip...
BEHOLD...THE ATHEISTS' NIGHTMARE!!!
If you haven't seen enough Ray Comfort, you might not understand this.
Ray has an analogy with a banana. He told the analogy in front of crowds frequently, and people laughed at it, because it was meant to be funny.
BUT...some atheists took him too seriously and made fun of him for his analogy because they took it as if he were saying that the way a banana is shaped is proof of the existence of God.
I can't explain it better than Ray can.
Please look at this link for the whole story:
The Fool: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCc_TA7gw8
And, if you don't have time for a long video, see this shorter one:
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron Banana Analogy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXLqDGL1FSg
What does this have to do with anything?
CALIFORNIA!!
Ray has an analogy with a banana. He told the analogy in front of crowds frequently, and people laughed at it, because it was meant to be funny.
BUT...some atheists took him too seriously and made fun of him for his analogy because they took it as if he were saying that the way a banana is shaped is proof of the existence of God.
I can't explain it better than Ray can.
Please look at this link for the whole story:
The Fool: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCc_TA7gw8
And, if you don't have time for a long video, see this shorter one:
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron Banana Analogy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXLqDGL1FSg
What does this have to do with anything?
CALIFORNIA!!
Sharing the Gospel on Huntington Beach!!
I could go on and on sharing how amazing our anniversary trip was!
It was such a blessing to spend time with my husband, Daniel! We have been officially married for one year!!
On Huntington Beach in California, we ran into Ray Comfort, who was sharing the Gospel with various people one-on-one.
He gave us two In-N-Out gift cards (that's a burger place founded in California that has Bible verses on their burger wrappers and drinks), and one of the new Living Waters Four Gospels!
You should see it...
Living Waters Four Gospels: store.livingwaters.com/the-bibles-four-gospels.html
Also, this is one of the witnessing encounters Ray had while we were there (we’re not in the video):
Living Waters Witnessing Encounter: youtu.be/BdHogVWU9p0
Daniel was able to share the Gospel to a guy who was KJV-only...which was interesting...
...and Taliah and I were able to talk with a false prophet who was blowing a shofar (Jewish horn) and claiming he knew the time Jesus was coming back, and we talked with a few women.
There was also a Trump rally, and we were able to give away more Trump trillion tracts there.
People were in love with them!
But how did Taliah do?
It was such a blessing to spend time with my husband, Daniel! We have been officially married for one year!!
On Huntington Beach in California, we ran into Ray Comfort, who was sharing the Gospel with various people one-on-one.
He gave us two In-N-Out gift cards (that's a burger place founded in California that has Bible verses on their burger wrappers and drinks), and one of the new Living Waters Four Gospels!
You should see it...
Living Waters Four Gospels: store.livingwaters.com/the-bibles-four-gospels.html
Also, this is one of the witnessing encounters Ray had while we were there (we’re not in the video):
Living Waters Witnessing Encounter: youtu.be/BdHogVWU9p0
Daniel was able to share the Gospel to a guy who was KJV-only...which was interesting...
...and Taliah and I were able to talk with a false prophet who was blowing a shofar (Jewish horn) and claiming he knew the time Jesus was coming back, and we talked with a few women.
There was also a Trump rally, and we were able to give away more Trump trillion tracts there.
People were in love with them!
But how did Taliah do?
Taliah's first time in California!!
Taliah did so well!
We were so blessed by the Lord that He allowed us to do so much evangelism with our little girl!
She honestly made it easier to evangelize, not harder, because of everyone wanting to see her and interact with her!
We praise God that she was so well-behaved, and that she stayed healthy and safe with us during our time.
It's all of God, not of our parenting, and not of Taliah's own understanding that she did so well.
This pictures show her with some of the tracts we used!
Maybe it was just us...but she seemed to like the beach!
The weather might have felt good to her, because she's used to the Phoenix heat, and the day we went to the beach was pretty overcast.
So...what else did we do in LA...?
We were so blessed by the Lord that He allowed us to do so much evangelism with our little girl!
She honestly made it easier to evangelize, not harder, because of everyone wanting to see her and interact with her!
We praise God that she was so well-behaved, and that she stayed healthy and safe with us during our time.
It's all of God, not of our parenting, and not of Taliah's own understanding that she did so well.
This pictures show her with some of the tracts we used!
Maybe it was just us...but she seemed to like the beach!
The weather might have felt good to her, because she's used to the Phoenix heat, and the day we went to the beach was pretty overcast.
So...what else did we do in LA...?
We went to Downtown Disney!
And we probably never will again! Haha...
The mask police and security was SO tight that it was hard to even pass tracts at all.
BUT - we still had a good time, and it was nice to go somewhere none of us have been before.
We thought that "masked" millions would be fitting for that occasion, so try to find them in four of the pictures above.
So what happened Sunday?
The mask police and security was SO tight that it was hard to even pass tracts at all.
BUT - we still had a good time, and it was nice to go somewhere none of us have been before.
We thought that "masked" millions would be fitting for that occasion, so try to find them in four of the pictures above.
So what happened Sunday?
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We went to John MacArthur's church!!
It was SO encouraging to be around soo many believers yet again. It never gets old for me!
We got to sit in on Phil Johnson's Sunday school class, GraceLife.
You can see how Taliah was intently listening.
She's used to listening to teachers like Phil Johnson, because we love listening to Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.
Phil Johnson joins Todd Friel once a week on his show.
Please see the link here:
Wretched Radio: wretched.org/category/radio/
We also saw Daniel's friend from Australia, Matt! He is studying to be a pastor at the Master's Seminary on campus, and we can thank him for telling us which class was Phil Johnson's. :)
But what about Ray...?
We got to sit in on Phil Johnson's Sunday school class, GraceLife.
You can see how Taliah was intently listening.
She's used to listening to teachers like Phil Johnson, because we love listening to Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.
Phil Johnson joins Todd Friel once a week on his show.
Please see the link here:
Wretched Radio: wretched.org/category/radio/
We also saw Daniel's friend from Australia, Matt! He is studying to be a pastor at the Master's Seminary on campus, and we can thank him for telling us which class was Phil Johnson's. :)
But what about Ray...?
Ray, Daniel, Taliah and I!!
Here's the picture!
We were so blessed to do evangelism with Ray!
Praising God for the opportunity and for our amazing time in California!
We love being able to preach the Gospel daily, because we don't know if there will be a tomorrow.
So go out and share your faith while there is still time, and pray for the efforts of missions around the world to be fruitful and be able to continue to give the Gospel to places where they have NEVER heard the Good News.
We were so blessed to do evangelism with Ray!
Praising God for the opportunity and for our amazing time in California!
We love being able to preach the Gospel daily, because we don't know if there will be a tomorrow.
So go out and share your faith while there is still time, and pray for the efforts of missions around the world to be fruitful and be able to continue to give the Gospel to places where they have NEVER heard the Good News.
Interested in helping us out?
Here's the donation link:
Finisterre Vision Website Donation Link: www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
What have we been up to this month with our new child?
Resurrection Day with Taliah!
Hope your Easter went well earlier this month!
This picture was taken during some fellowship after church with church people.
It was such a blessing to have time with our church family, and to connect as a new family ourselves!
The fellowship we had was awesome; we even had the privilege to sing some hymns together to express our joy in Christ!
Taliah did awesome the whole time...she slept all through-out church... ;)
This picture was taken during some fellowship after church with church people.
It was such a blessing to have time with our church family, and to connect as a new family ourselves!
The fellowship we had was awesome; we even had the privilege to sing some hymns together to express our joy in Christ!
Taliah did awesome the whole time...she slept all through-out church... ;)
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Some thoughts on the Easter season...
Did you do anything for Easter?
I'm sure that, if you did, you thought about the cross and about the sacrifice that Jesus gave to us through His death.
But isn't it terrible how everything is so glamorized? In this picture (to the left), you see a common image of "crosses" - a nice background with some fancifully designed crosses.
Obviously you know that this is not how the Roman cross Jesus died on looks, but do you ever think about the seriousness that Jesus Christ, who was completely sinless, took on all of YOUR personal sins? In the picture to the right, you see an illustration that is much more accurate...our lying, stealing, lusting, coveting, greed, and dirty thought life upon Jesus Christ.
Only God could die for sins.
I'm sure that, if you did, you thought about the cross and about the sacrifice that Jesus gave to us through His death.
But isn't it terrible how everything is so glamorized? In this picture (to the left), you see a common image of "crosses" - a nice background with some fancifully designed crosses.
Obviously you know that this is not how the Roman cross Jesus died on looks, but do you ever think about the seriousness that Jesus Christ, who was completely sinless, took on all of YOUR personal sins? In the picture to the right, you see an illustration that is much more accurate...our lying, stealing, lusting, coveting, greed, and dirty thought life upon Jesus Christ.
Only God could die for sins.
And that's what we celebrated at church!
Our church explained the Gospel extremely well this Easter! Please look at this link for the sermon: www.gbcaz.org/sermon/04-04-sermon/
Taliah got to listen in too!! And she was great the entire time (she slept through it all...)
At our church, when there is a new life that the Lord has blessed a family of church members with, they ask the parents to hold the child up to display the blessing of new life on earth!
So that's what this picture is, a week before Easter Sunday!
Taliah at church - her first time!! She was only one week old!
Taliah got to listen in too!! And she was great the entire time (she slept through it all...)
At our church, when there is a new life that the Lord has blessed a family of church members with, they ask the parents to hold the child up to display the blessing of new life on earth!
So that's what this picture is, a week before Easter Sunday!
Taliah at church - her first time!! She was only one week old!
Teaching Scriptural truths since birth...
It is our prayer that Taliah will understand Scriptural truths once she gets older...when she’s too old to sleep through church!
Our prayer is that this verse will be true for her:
2 Tim. 3:15, “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
The reason I have a picture of the Ten Commandments is because, without a true knowledge of sin, there is no way to understand the truth of the Gospel.
Once we understand that we have broken God’s Law, it will make more sense that we need a Savior.
On that note, what evangelism have we been able to do?
Our prayer is that this verse will be true for her:
2 Tim. 3:15, “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
The reason I have a picture of the Ten Commandments is because, without a true knowledge of sin, there is no way to understand the truth of the Gospel.
Once we understand that we have broken God’s Law, it will make more sense that we need a Savior.
On that note, what evangelism have we been able to do?
 |  |
Reagan tracts and diaper changes!
How have we had opportunities to share the gospel since Taliah has been born?
We have been blessed with unique opportunities!
Because we need to stop for frequent diaper changes, what better opportunity is there to leave tracts in public restrooms?
This awesome little holder that I carry Taliah in is also a great tract holder!
I’ll come back to evangelism, but how are we doing Greek nowadays?
We have been blessed with unique opportunities!
Because we need to stop for frequent diaper changes, what better opportunity is there to leave tracts in public restrooms?
This awesome little holder that I carry Taliah in is also a great tract holder!
I’ll come back to evangelism, but how are we doing Greek nowadays?
Greek studies!!
We have been able to take a little break from Greek, but then to get right back to it!
it has been so great to work at our own pace and to study when Taliah is sleeping!
The class that Daniel and I have with Greg, our friend up in Michigan, has been really nice! It has been refreshing to be able to still connect with Greg, and to have a very flexible schedule.
The other class I am taking has been really fun, also! We have our first test today!
We will probably continue our studies until Daniel starts seminary in August.
it has been so great to work at our own pace and to study when Taliah is sleeping!
The class that Daniel and I have with Greg, our friend up in Michigan, has been really nice! It has been refreshing to be able to still connect with Greg, and to have a very flexible schedule.
The other class I am taking has been really fun, also! We have our first test today!
We will probably continue our studies until Daniel starts seminary in August.
Back to evangelism!!
This picture was taken on one of our first times out after I gave birth to Taliah!
We had a small group event where we went out to eat at in a nice town in the Phoenix area.
This led to some tract opportunities, and some great fellowship, not just our small group, but with a bunch of church people and all of their kids!
It’s so encouraging to have the body of Christ with you when you are trying to stay focused on Christ and share the Gospel!
Speaking of the body of Christ…
We had a small group event where we went out to eat at in a nice town in the Phoenix area.
This led to some tract opportunities, and some great fellowship, not just our small group, but with a bunch of church people and all of their kids!
It’s so encouraging to have the body of Christ with you when you are trying to stay focused on Christ and share the Gospel!
Speaking of the body of Christ…
Daniel’s Expositor’s Application!
Daniel officially got his Expositor’s application in!
If you weren’t paying attention before, or this is the first blog post you’ve read, Expositor’s is an in-house church Seminary that Daniel plans to attend this Fall.
Completing this training should equip us with the skills we need for the mission field!
I just wanted to make a note about the title of this seminary. The whole idea of having such training is so that we can learn how to exegete the text of Scripture.
What does that mean?
Exegete means that we are to study the text of scripture and learn what it says, and then what it means, not to interpret it however we want to.
if we do that… maybe we won’t be as moody as the pictures below…
If you weren’t paying attention before, or this is the first blog post you’ve read, Expositor’s is an in-house church Seminary that Daniel plans to attend this Fall.
Completing this training should equip us with the skills we need for the mission field!
I just wanted to make a note about the title of this seminary. The whole idea of having such training is so that we can learn how to exegete the text of Scripture.
What does that mean?
Exegete means that we are to study the text of scripture and learn what it says, and then what it means, not to interpret it however we want to.
if we do that… maybe we won’t be as moody as the pictures below…
Crazy Taliah faces...
I just had to include these!
Taliah is so cute, and so crazy!
We are so thankful for the gift God has given us!
Her silliness is already a springboard for the Gospel, and I pray that it continues to be!
No matter where we end up…
Taliah is so cute, and so crazy!
We are so thankful for the gift God has given us!
Her silliness is already a springboard for the Gospel, and I pray that it continues to be!
No matter where we end up…
What does our timeline look like?
Have you ever heard of New South Wales!?
I hadn’t, before Daniel!
it’s in Australia! But this picture was not taken in Australia, it was taken in a cool little antique shop in Phoenix!
I included it so that I could explain more about our timeline for those of you who are wondering what it might look like! Of course, it is the Lord that determines our steps, but if we were to say how it looks like things will go right now, this is what we have in mind.
The thought is: years of seminary, sometime in Australia before we go to Papua New Guinea, and then at least 10 years in the tribe.
In the tribe, we plan to learn the language, teach the tribal people literacy, present the Bible from creation to the cross, disciple the tribal people, and then plant a church that is self-sustaining.
It is our goal to work to this end, and not waste our time while we’re here in Phoenix on a goal that is in the future, when we are never promised tomorrow.
I hadn’t, before Daniel!
it’s in Australia! But this picture was not taken in Australia, it was taken in a cool little antique shop in Phoenix!
I included it so that I could explain more about our timeline for those of you who are wondering what it might look like! Of course, it is the Lord that determines our steps, but if we were to say how it looks like things will go right now, this is what we have in mind.
The thought is: years of seminary, sometime in Australia before we go to Papua New Guinea, and then at least 10 years in the tribe.
In the tribe, we plan to learn the language, teach the tribal people literacy, present the Bible from creation to the cross, disciple the tribal people, and then plant a church that is self-sustaining.
It is our goal to work to this end, and not waste our time while we’re here in Phoenix on a goal that is in the future, when we are never promised tomorrow.
Redeeming the time at the mall!
Daniel, Taliah and I, having a great time at the mall!
I have been wanting to get out and share the gospel more, but with the heat of Arizona, and the short amount of free time we had, the mall seemed like the best idea!
These pictures show Taliah on one of her first times out of the house, ready to share the gospel!
We were able to go throughout the maul and place a lot of tracts in various places.
It was a huge blessing to be able to do that again!
I have been wanting to get out and share the gospel more, but with the heat of Arizona, and the short amount of free time we had, the mall seemed like the best idea!
These pictures show Taliah on one of her first times out of the house, ready to share the gospel!
We were able to go throughout the maul and place a lot of tracts in various places.
It was a huge blessing to be able to do that again!
Find the tract!
Do you see the tract in this picture? Here’s a clue, it looks like money sacrificed to idols...but it’s not!
I can’t believe that no one bats an eye at all of the idolatry that is around us!!
Daniel and I have been talking about statues like this, and we were contemplating that maybe this is what Paul meant when he mentioned not stealing money from idols!
The amount of new-age stories and ungodly, mystical spiritism seems to be getting stronger and stronger.
Pray that the gospel overcomes all of the darkness in our world, because Christ has already won the battle on the cross!
I can’t believe that no one bats an eye at all of the idolatry that is around us!!
Daniel and I have been talking about statues like this, and we were contemplating that maybe this is what Paul meant when he mentioned not stealing money from idols!
The amount of new-age stories and ungodly, mystical spiritism seems to be getting stronger and stronger.
Pray that the gospel overcomes all of the darkness in our world, because Christ has already won the battle on the cross!
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A reason to rejoice...
In the midst of the darkness of the world, God has given us life!
I included these pictures of Taliah, partially because they’re really cute, and partially to explain how important it is to remember the preciousness of human life.
Can you believe that this beautiful little girl was less than a month old when these pictures were taken?
She’s so alert!
She can express herself, she can sneeze...
I strongly encourage you to think about the preciousness of human life, and...of course...I have to leave you with a link.
Ray Comfort’s 180 movie is a must see, and a must re-watch:
Living Waters 180 Movie: https://youtu.be/7y2KsU_dhwI
I included these pictures of Taliah, partially because they’re really cute, and partially to explain how important it is to remember the preciousness of human life.
Can you believe that this beautiful little girl was less than a month old when these pictures were taken?
She’s so alert!
She can express herself, she can sneeze...
I strongly encourage you to think about the preciousness of human life, and...of course...I have to leave you with a link.
Ray Comfort’s 180 movie is a must see, and a must re-watch:
Living Waters 180 Movie: https://youtu.be/7y2KsU_dhwI
Daniel sharing the Gospel!!
One major advocate for 180 is definitely Daniel!
This picture shows him getting ready to share the Gospel.
The website on his mask will take you to the 180 movie if you didn’t already click the link.
Daniel has been able to go to Mill Avenue since the birth of Taliah, along with doing evangelism other places! At Mill he has had not only great fellowship, but plenty of conversations.
He has been doing really well through everything, and he is getting more sleep because I’m getting stronger since delivery!
This picture shows him getting ready to share the Gospel.
The website on his mask will take you to the 180 movie if you didn’t already click the link.
Daniel has been able to go to Mill Avenue since the birth of Taliah, along with doing evangelism other places! At Mill he has had not only great fellowship, but plenty of conversations.
He has been doing really well through everything, and he is getting more sleep because I’m getting stronger since delivery!
What about this little cute face?
How has Taliah been doing?
She is growing well (note the dried milk on her face).
Everything is going great with her health.
She is such a joy to be around, and I can’t wait for her to reach milestones as she gets older.
I can’t believe how much God has grown her so far!
She is growing well (note the dried milk on her face).
Everything is going great with her health.
She is such a joy to be around, and I can’t wait for her to reach milestones as she gets older.
I can’t believe how much God has grown her so far!
Two growing Aussies...
Aren’t these funny?
A sweet friend from church gave them to us.
I included it to highlight the fact that I’m married to an Australian!!
No, I’m not gloating over that, I’m noting it to remind people reading this to think about things that happen around the world!
Did you know that Papua New Guinea is just above Australia?
Keep reading...
A sweet friend from church gave them to us.
I included it to highlight the fact that I’m married to an Australian!!
No, I’m not gloating over that, I’m noting it to remind people reading this to think about things that happen around the world!
Did you know that Papua New Guinea is just above Australia?
Keep reading...
Getting ready to read the Bible soon...
Taliah, the half-Australian, has the Bible written in her language. As noted above, Australia is right above Papua New Guinea - a country with hundreds of unreached people groups in it who don’t have the Bible in their language.
Obviously, Taliah can’t read this Bible, but I wanted to include it because this specific Bible means SO MUCH to me.
This is my Evidence Bible.
I know that it’s quite torn up, but that’s because I have used it for years in evangelism and personal study.
It’s from Living Waters, Ray Comfort’s ministry.
101 Questions and Objections to the faith, Springboards for Evangelism, hundreds of quotes from solid men of the faith, beliefs and Scriptural truth against Major World Religions, Creation/Evolution material...
...these are just a few of it’s many contents.
Here's a link for all that material for free: EvidenceBible: http://www.evidencebible.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml#questionsobjections
It’s definitely worth buying on Living Waters website too!
Obviously, Taliah can’t read this Bible, but I wanted to include it because this specific Bible means SO MUCH to me.
This is my Evidence Bible.
I know that it’s quite torn up, but that’s because I have used it for years in evangelism and personal study.
It’s from Living Waters, Ray Comfort’s ministry.
101 Questions and Objections to the faith, Springboards for Evangelism, hundreds of quotes from solid men of the faith, beliefs and Scriptural truth against Major World Religions, Creation/Evolution material...
...these are just a few of it’s many contents.
Here's a link for all that material for free: EvidenceBible: http://www.evidencebible.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml#questionsobjections
It’s definitely worth buying on Living Waters website too!
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Speaking of Bibles...
What is Daniel working so hard on?
He has been helping out at our church with a major project...
It has to do with a previous blog post I did which showed a HUGE slab with Scripture on it.
So...what is this?!?
You’ll have to wait until the next blog...
He has been helping out at our church with a major project...
It has to do with a previous blog post I did which showed a HUGE slab with Scripture on it.
So...what is this?!?
You’ll have to wait until the next blog...
Taliah waiting to get to the store in the car.
I took these pictures with Taliah in the car on the way to the store!
She seems to like travel, usually calming down in the car (unless she’s hungry).
I could be wrong, but she seems to like being out and about doing things!
I’m so thankful for these times when she is content, and she makes it easy to focus on what we should be focused on - the Gospel - while still having her needs and safety in mind.
Ready for a game of “find that tract”?
She seems to like travel, usually calming down in the car (unless she’s hungry).
I could be wrong, but she seems to like being out and about doing things!
I’m so thankful for these times when she is content, and she makes it easy to focus on what we should be focused on - the Gospel - while still having her needs and safety in mind.
Ready for a game of “find that tract”?
Do you see the million dollar Bill tract?
Did you find it?
Keep looking.
Oh? You think you found it now?
If you did find it… good job… because honestly… I can’t even find it!
I PROMISE IT’S THERE!
It’s somewhere on the left...
...somehow when I took the picture I must not have realized that it slipped all the way down.
BUT - I wanted to still include this picture just to again display how the world is so focused on New Age thinking that it comes across even in an amoral drink.
It’s so ridiculous!!
Keep looking.
Oh? You think you found it now?
If you did find it… good job… because honestly… I can’t even find it!
I PROMISE IT’S THERE!
It’s somewhere on the left...
...somehow when I took the picture I must not have realized that it slipped all the way down.
BUT - I wanted to still include this picture just to again display how the world is so focused on New Age thinking that it comes across even in an amoral drink.
It’s so ridiculous!!
Taliah to the rescue!!
That’s why Taliah is here with her million dollar Gospel tracts to save the day!!
Okay...maybe she was just sleeping...
...but I thought she looked really cute in the store!
And you can see how wide awake she was in the car again, on a journey that could be a few minutes away or thousands of miles away...
Time for a PNG (Papua New Guinea) update!
Okay...maybe she was just sleeping...
...but I thought she looked really cute in the store!
And you can see how wide awake she was in the car again, on a journey that could be a few minutes away or thousands of miles away...
Time for a PNG (Papua New Guinea) update!
Some people from the Do tribe!
How are the Do people doing?
Really well!!
The team is continuing discipleship with the people. Some are responding well and growing in the Lord, and others are still unsure of everything they believe.
Members from our church who are serving in Papua New Guinea with the Do tribe should be coming to town within the next few months (if it’s God’s will and nothing bad happens in terms of COVID restrictions)!
That will be an awesome blog once that comes out!
Continue to pray for the work of the Gospel to be done to the unreached!
Really well!!
The team is continuing discipleship with the people. Some are responding well and growing in the Lord, and others are still unsure of everything they believe.
Members from our church who are serving in Papua New Guinea with the Do tribe should be coming to town within the next few months (if it’s God’s will and nothing bad happens in terms of COVID restrictions)!
That will be an awesome blog once that comes out!
Continue to pray for the work of the Gospel to be done to the unreached!
A kind father and his sweet daughter saying goodbye...
Daniel and Taliah! <3
They look so much alike!!
I thought this picture was a nice closing pic for the blog, because they both look so cute!!
Please seriously consider the things written in this blog, and consider what Gospel truths mean for your own family, because I’m sure they’re precious to you like these two are extremely precious to me.
Time is also precious. Be careful to redeem it.
Eph. 5:16, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Comment below!
They look so much alike!!
I thought this picture was a nice closing pic for the blog, because they both look so cute!!
Please seriously consider the things written in this blog, and consider what Gospel truths mean for your own family, because I’m sure they’re precious to you like these two are extremely precious to me.
Time is also precious. Be careful to redeem it.
Eph. 5:16, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Comment below!
Interested in donating while there’s still time?
https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
GUESS WHAT...WE HAVE A DAUGHTER?
This is our little blessing from the Lord - Taliah Grace Bruce
She is an absolute joy in our lives! Don't worry, I'll back up and give more details on her...
Yes...I've been pregnant for almost the ENTIRETY of writing this blog! We found out a few months after our wedding in May!
And, I had been SUPER sick through most of it, including both trips to California!!
But the Gospel is sustaining, and I have been completely honest about my joy and attitude about all the adventures we have had!
I wanted the focus of this blog to be on the Gospel first and foremost. (Also, personally, I would be really annoyed with a blog that rants about pregnancy; it REALLY helps to get my mind off of the sicknesses I had through focusing on serving the Lord presently, and preparing for parenting!
As much as I want to go on and on about our little girl, I have some other things to share first. We have had a full month! She didn't come until the end...so you will have to wait (JUST LIKE I HAD TO WAIT FOR SO LONG)...
Yes...I've been pregnant for almost the ENTIRETY of writing this blog! We found out a few months after our wedding in May!
And, I had been SUPER sick through most of it, including both trips to California!!
But the Gospel is sustaining, and I have been completely honest about my joy and attitude about all the adventures we have had!
I wanted the focus of this blog to be on the Gospel first and foremost. (Also, personally, I would be really annoyed with a blog that rants about pregnancy; it REALLY helps to get my mind off of the sicknesses I had through focusing on serving the Lord presently, and preparing for parenting!
As much as I want to go on and on about our little girl, I have some other things to share first. We have had a full month! She didn't come until the end...so you will have to wait (JUST LIKE I HAD TO WAIT FOR SO LONG)...
Beginning of the month: Daniel and I in Prescott, Arizona.
Since it had been a while that Daniel and I have had the time to go on a day trip, when the timing worked out, we headed up to Prescott for the day!
Prescott is about two hours north of Phoenix.
As you can see, it has beautiful scenery, and it has a good amount of people as well!
It's probably one of my favorite places in Arizona now, for reasons you'll see below.
Here's the main place where we got to share the Gospel...
Prescott is about two hours north of Phoenix.
As you can see, it has beautiful scenery, and it has a good amount of people as well!
It's probably one of my favorite places in Arizona now, for reasons you'll see below.
Here's the main place where we got to share the Gospel...
At a courthouse?
We didn't go IN the courthouse to share the Gospel, but we did get to talk with some people around this area.
One notable conversation I had was with a girl named Cameron, who was walking along this courthouse area with her friend.
Cameron's friend seemed pretty mocking and antagonistic to the Gospel at first, but Cameron listened. Her friend told me she was a flaming homosexual, and a liar, among other things, before I really asked her much of anything. She walked away, but Cameron stayed and continued the conversation up to the Gospel. She told me she had tried to kill herself before, and she seemed to understand the seriousness that you could die at any moment. She took the tract, a 'What Time is Purple booklet', and a Living Waters movie gift card, saying she would look into the stuff I gave her.
I was shocked that Cameron stayed to talk with me after her friend left.
Pray for Cameron and for her friend!
You can also pray for some tracts we left in a really old-looking building...
One notable conversation I had was with a girl named Cameron, who was walking along this courthouse area with her friend.
Cameron's friend seemed pretty mocking and antagonistic to the Gospel at first, but Cameron listened. Her friend told me she was a flaming homosexual, and a liar, among other things, before I really asked her much of anything. She walked away, but Cameron stayed and continued the conversation up to the Gospel. She told me she had tried to kill herself before, and she seemed to understand the seriousness that you could die at any moment. She took the tract, a 'What Time is Purple booklet', and a Living Waters movie gift card, saying she would look into the stuff I gave her.
I was shocked that Cameron stayed to talk with me after her friend left.
Pray for Cameron and for her friend!
You can also pray for some tracts we left in a really old-looking building...
The inside of an old post office (still in operation) in Prescott.
I found a plaque that said this building was erected in the 1800's.
Isn't that cool?
We thought the place needed a little Ronald Reagan...
Can you spot the Reagan tracts in two of the pictures?
These are really cool tracts, by the way.
They have the Gospel on them, as well as an American flag, a picture of Reagan, and an anti-abortion message on them.
The front of the card is a quote from Reagan that says, "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."
I can only pray our little girl appreciates that quote as she grows to maturity...
Keep reading to see what else we explored in Prescott...
Isn't that cool?
We thought the place needed a little Ronald Reagan...
Can you spot the Reagan tracts in two of the pictures?
These are really cool tracts, by the way.
They have the Gospel on them, as well as an American flag, a picture of Reagan, and an anti-abortion message on them.
The front of the card is a quote from Reagan that says, "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."
I can only pray our little girl appreciates that quote as she grows to maturity...
Keep reading to see what else we explored in Prescott...
A better view of the surrounding area of the courthouse...
Here's another side of the courthouse.
I put this in here as a separate picture so I could explain more about what's so nice about this park.
Because of a sidewalk around the courthouse and some nice little shops surrounding the place, people tend to causally walk around this area without much going on.
This is what makes it so ideal when we talk with people!
In the photo above, you might also notice some writing in the pavement in front of the big statute...
I put this in here as a separate picture so I could explain more about what's so nice about this park.
Because of a sidewalk around the courthouse and some nice little shops surrounding the place, people tend to causally walk around this area without much going on.
This is what makes it so ideal when we talk with people!
In the photo above, you might also notice some writing in the pavement in front of the big statute...
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Here it is a little closer...
Can you make out any of the writing?
It's a timeline, starting with "In the beginning" and then going up to the late 1900's.
I know it's probably super hard to read, but I figured the important part was the beginning of it, shown on the bottom of the left hand side picture.
Suddenly, "in the beginning"...a big bang happened...and...all of a sudden...the next point of the timeline shows 1581.
I wonder if anything happened in-between that time...
I'm pointing this out because I found it ironic that they used the very words that God used to start the Bible and then they put it with a non-sensical explosion thing. It just shows how man can't make sense of anything without the Word of God.
It's a timeline, starting with "In the beginning" and then going up to the late 1900's.
I know it's probably super hard to read, but I figured the important part was the beginning of it, shown on the bottom of the left hand side picture.
Suddenly, "in the beginning"...a big bang happened...and...all of a sudden...the next point of the timeline shows 1581.
I wonder if anything happened in-between that time...
I'm pointing this out because I found it ironic that they used the very words that God used to start the Bible and then they put it with a non-sensical explosion thing. It just shows how man can't make sense of anything without the Word of God.
No kidding...man can't make sense of anything without the Word of God...
Time for another round of...
...spot the Reagan!!
See if you can find the tract in each of these pictures. (If they're too small, try clicking or touching the pictures to make them bigger).
These pics were taken inside one of those little shops I mentioned.
Does it remind you of any previous blogs...such as...I don't know...the one about Sedona??
Daniel had asked me if I wanted to go into any of the little shops before we left.
I'm not really into shopping and such things, but the town seemed pretty reserved and friendly, so I figured their little book store might have some nice, Christian books...
...nope...
...but I'm SO glad Daniel was kind enough to ask me, and sweet enough to endure the some time in there with me.
Why...?
Because it's SO exciting to put some form of unadulterated truth of the Gospel to shine in places that are SO dark.
On a lighter note...
...spot the Reagan!!
See if you can find the tract in each of these pictures. (If they're too small, try clicking or touching the pictures to make them bigger).
These pics were taken inside one of those little shops I mentioned.
Does it remind you of any previous blogs...such as...I don't know...the one about Sedona??
Daniel had asked me if I wanted to go into any of the little shops before we left.
I'm not really into shopping and such things, but the town seemed pretty reserved and friendly, so I figured their little book store might have some nice, Christian books...
...nope...
...but I'm SO glad Daniel was kind enough to ask me, and sweet enough to endure the some time in there with me.
Why...?
Because it's SO exciting to put some form of unadulterated truth of the Gospel to shine in places that are SO dark.
On a lighter note...
An update on further preparation for the mission field...
Update on what's been going on in Greek!
My Greek class (the new one I just started) is absolutely amazing!
The students are great! One woman taking it is pregnant too, and we are already starting to become friends!
We are using the book I shared in the last blog, and the book in this picture is a suppliment to that book.
In addition to that, instead of fully stopping Greek with our pastor, Smedly, he offered to let us continue!
He offered to give us the resources to sharpen Greek skills with materials from a "Greek Readings" class!
That's perfect, because I LOVE it, and because it should help Daniel retain what he has learned thus far in class until he gets to seminary (Lord willing) in August!
My Greek class (the new one I just started) is absolutely amazing!
The students are great! One woman taking it is pregnant too, and we are already starting to become friends!
We are using the book I shared in the last blog, and the book in this picture is a suppliment to that book.
In addition to that, instead of fully stopping Greek with our pastor, Smedly, he offered to let us continue!
He offered to give us the resources to sharpen Greek skills with materials from a "Greek Readings" class!
That's perfect, because I LOVE it, and because it should help Daniel retain what he has learned thus far in class until he gets to seminary (Lord willing) in August!
Daniel sharing the Gospel on Mill Ave with while others from our church witnessed to others.
Pray for Lee, Krin, and Marecalla.
Lee was very animated and he talked with our friends for probably an least a good hour.
Daniel talked with Krin for about the same amount of time. Praying that conviction gets through through some drunkenness.
I had a great conversation with Marecalla.
She listened to the Law and the Gospel, admitting her sin openly and honestly. She then started crying, I think under conviction, and she said she couldn’t handle it anymore. It was too much all at once for her. She knew she was living in sin. Pray she is truly convicted and that the Holy Spirit converts her!
We have had some great nights on Mill Ave...and I'm so thankful that our little surprise came within about 24-hours of being there one Thursday night!
Lee was very animated and he talked with our friends for probably an least a good hour.
Daniel talked with Krin for about the same amount of time. Praying that conviction gets through through some drunkenness.
I had a great conversation with Marecalla.
She listened to the Law and the Gospel, admitting her sin openly and honestly. She then started crying, I think under conviction, and she said she couldn’t handle it anymore. It was too much all at once for her. She knew she was living in sin. Pray she is truly convicted and that the Holy Spirit converts her!
We have had some great nights on Mill Ave...and I'm so thankful that our little surprise came within about 24-hours of being there one Thursday night!
Ready to see her?
She's coming!
This was our last time at small group before she was born.
Our shirts have our church's mission logo on them!
We were so excited to be matching, and to be together, and we both knew what was coming!
But first! A quick Do update...
This was our last time at small group before she was born.
Our shirts have our church's mission logo on them!
We were so excited to be matching, and to be together, and we both knew what was coming!
But first! A quick Do update...
Zach, a missionary sent out by our church to reach the Do tribe.
The Gospel has been preached in Do!
So...now what?
Discipleship, church planting, and translation!
In this picture, Zach is discussing translation of key biblical terms into the Do language with the team.
Such a careful task!!
So...now what?
Discipleship, church planting, and translation!
In this picture, Zach is discussing translation of key biblical terms into the Do language with the team.
Such a careful task!!
Some of the Do tribe, ones who graduated from their literacy classes, complete with their primers!!
One of the steps in the process of evangelizing tribal people is teaching them literacy.
This picture shows some tribal students who are now able to read in their own language!
It's so exciting because this is a huge stepping stone for the Gospel to get to them.
I LOVE the way this picture looks, like a classroom setting, but even MORE exciting!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO HOMESCHOOL!!
This picture shows some tribal students who are now able to read in their own language!
It's so exciting because this is a huge stepping stone for the Gospel to get to them.
I LOVE the way this picture looks, like a classroom setting, but even MORE exciting!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO HOMESCHOOL!!
I know there are some steps before homeschooling though...
You need to start out with pictures!
These are some of the pictures that the Do team has to show the tribal people what biblical concepts look like.
The people learn better through the pictures, and it helps clarify to them concepts they might not understand otherwise.
Continue to pray that the people are truly regenerated by the Spirit and that they understand the Gospel in its fullness.
Now...related to that...
...it becomes a problem in the tribe when you're trying to teach/translate concepts that the people are unfamiliar with, but the more pictures you have (in various formats), the better...
These are some of the pictures that the Do team has to show the tribal people what biblical concepts look like.
The people learn better through the pictures, and it helps clarify to them concepts they might not understand otherwise.
Continue to pray that the people are truly regenerated by the Spirit and that they understand the Gospel in its fullness.
Now...related to that...
...it becomes a problem in the tribe when you're trying to teach/translate concepts that the people are unfamiliar with, but the more pictures you have (in various formats), the better...
Multi-use Bible animals book!
That's why I'm so excited about this little book!
This book is a little touch and feel book that will help our daughter better understand the original context of Scriptural animals from an early age, as well as teach her facts about what she needs to learn regarding animals!
ALSO, this very book could be used in the tribe!
Making the sure tribal people understand, for example, that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is CRUCIAL to understanding the depths of the Gospel.
We don't want to cut corners with our tribal teaching. We have heard of substitutions being made for concepts, such as, the "pig" of God referring to Christ, because they don't have lambs over there.
I don't feel like I need to explain too much how confusing that would be to a tribal person, not to mention when you get into teaching animal sacrifices and such things...
Just because the people don't know something, doesn't make them stupid. I can think of so many things the tribal people would need baby picture books to explain to us Westerners.
And I'm so excited at the thought of them teaching our daughter useful things she would never learn through living in America her whole life.
OKAY...you can see her again now...
This book is a little touch and feel book that will help our daughter better understand the original context of Scriptural animals from an early age, as well as teach her facts about what she needs to learn regarding animals!
ALSO, this very book could be used in the tribe!
Making the sure tribal people understand, for example, that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is CRUCIAL to understanding the depths of the Gospel.
We don't want to cut corners with our tribal teaching. We have heard of substitutions being made for concepts, such as, the "pig" of God referring to Christ, because they don't have lambs over there.
I don't feel like I need to explain too much how confusing that would be to a tribal person, not to mention when you get into teaching animal sacrifices and such things...
Just because the people don't know something, doesn't make them stupid. I can think of so many things the tribal people would need baby picture books to explain to us Westerners.
And I'm so excited at the thought of them teaching our daughter useful things she would never learn through living in America her whole life.
OKAY...you can see her again now...
Here she is!!!!
Taliah Grace Bruce!!
She was born last week at 12:07am Arizona time.
Everything about her delivery was normal. She came out healthy and adorable!!
She looks a lot like Daniel to me.
SHE'S SO CUTE!
She was born last week at 12:07am Arizona time.
Everything about her delivery was normal. She came out healthy and adorable!!
She looks a lot like Daniel to me.
SHE'S SO CUTE!
Living Waters for kids!
I know Taliah isn't old enough to read yet...don't worry...
...but I'm so excited when the day comes where she can comprehend the Gospel!
That's why we think this book, Way of the Master for kids, will be helpful for her to understand biblical concepts as she grows!
We are so excited to be able to have constant ministry on our hands at all times now, along with our already constant ministry of marriage and our other responsibilities.
I know we have a ton of work (and not much sleep) on our plate, but God has blessed us so much this far, and every day He continues to do so!
...but I'm so excited when the day comes where she can comprehend the Gospel!
That's why we think this book, Way of the Master for kids, will be helpful for her to understand biblical concepts as she grows!
We are so excited to be able to have constant ministry on our hands at all times now, along with our already constant ministry of marriage and our other responsibilities.
I know we have a ton of work (and not much sleep) on our plate, but God has blessed us so much this far, and every day He continues to do so!
More pictures of our sweet one!
Isn't her face just the best?
Taliah has quite a personality already.
Sometimes she's calm and normal like her mature father, Daniel...
...but most of the time she's CRAZY and full of energy....
...not that I'm crazy or anything...
Taliah has quite a personality already.
Sometimes she's calm and normal like her mature father, Daniel...
...but most of the time she's CRAZY and full of energy....
...not that I'm crazy or anything...
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Little outfits for her in the near future!
Aren't these adorable?
We got this really cool gift opportunity from when I did my first ultrasound, and here is the result - self-designed little outfits for Taliah!
I can't wait until she can wear these to church, and out in public so that people might ask us questions about them...
...and if people don't, I'm sure they still will be interested in her, so we might just tell them anyway...
Okay, okay...I'll let you see her again...
We got this really cool gift opportunity from when I did my first ultrasound, and here is the result - self-designed little outfits for Taliah!
I can't wait until she can wear these to church, and out in public so that people might ask us questions about them...
...and if people don't, I'm sure they still will be interested in her, so we might just tell them anyway...
Okay, okay...I'll let you see her again...
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Why the name Taliah Grace?
Wondering about her name?
Taliah in Hebrew (or Arabic), means "lamb" or "dew from Heaven".
In Australian aboriginal (she is an Aussie...), it means "by the waters".
The way Daniel says it is the best!!
So...in other words...Living Waters!
In all honestly though, we picked that name for many reasons, one of the main reasons being that the Gospel is literally all-sustaining, more than physical water can ever be.
And it's God's grace that reminds us of that - Taliah Grace!
Taliah in Hebrew (or Arabic), means "lamb" or "dew from Heaven".
In Australian aboriginal (she is an Aussie...), it means "by the waters".
The way Daniel says it is the best!!
So...in other words...Living Waters!
In all honestly though, we picked that name for many reasons, one of the main reasons being that the Gospel is literally all-sustaining, more than physical water can ever be.
And it's God's grace that reminds us of that - Taliah Grace!
Speaking of some water...
One more quick thing to highlight...
Answers in Genesis!
Daniel and I are so excited to teach our daughter the truth of biblical Creation from the beginning!
This book looks SUPER helpful in explaining the Flood, and how it is a picture of the Gospel!!
Alright, one more picture of Taliah...
Answers in Genesis!
Daniel and I are so excited to teach our daughter the truth of biblical Creation from the beginning!
This book looks SUPER helpful in explaining the Flood, and how it is a picture of the Gospel!!
Alright, one more picture of Taliah...
Our little girl!
Say bye to Taliah!
Thanks for reading this!
As for prayer requests, please pray that Taliah's health continues to be good, that we are good stewards of her, treating her rightly and biblically, loving and teaching her as we should, and that she eventually comes to saving faith through the transforming work of the Spirit.
Also, keep praying for Do, for the other works in progress in the Finisterre Mountains, and for us to recover well, continuing in the work of evangelism and ministry without growing weary!
Comment below!
Thanks for reading this!
As for prayer requests, please pray that Taliah's health continues to be good, that we are good stewards of her, treating her rightly and biblically, loving and teaching her as we should, and that she eventually comes to saving faith through the transforming work of the Spirit.
Also, keep praying for Do, for the other works in progress in the Finisterre Mountains, and for us to recover well, continuing in the work of evangelism and ministry without growing weary!
Comment below!
Okay...maybe now that I haven't bombarded you with links, you've seen our daughter's cuteness...you'll want to donate: https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
SNOW, EVANGELISM, GREEK, AND THE DO TRIBE...
Snow in Arizona?
Believe it or not, this picture was taken in the desert state!
This snowy scenery was only about an hour and a half from Phoenix!!
We have quite a bit to share from this month, but I figured I'd start with something fairly light-hearted.
So...
...why the snow??
This snowy scenery was only about an hour and a half from Phoenix!!
We have quite a bit to share from this month, but I figured I'd start with something fairly light-hearted.
So...
...why the snow??
Because this is the FIRST time that Daniel has EVER seen snow!
Of course he's seen it on TV, a little bit on the road, etc., but he hadn't seen snowy weather in person. He was able to see it fall and stick on the ground!
After we went up to Flagstaff with Joey last month, and didn't see any snow up there, we were told that an even closer town to Phoenix was going to have snow!
So, we took the drive up there, the roads closing behind us as we travelled up.
How would we get back?
But, in the meantime...
After we went up to Flagstaff with Joey last month, and didn't see any snow up there, we were told that an even closer town to Phoenix was going to have snow!
So, we took the drive up there, the roads closing behind us as we travelled up.
How would we get back?
But, in the meantime...
Daniel had some fun in the snow!!
These pictures show Daniel making snowballs and throwing them for the first time (if you're concerned... no ducks were harmed in the throwing of these snowballs)!
And, here's the good news...
By the time we were ready to go back, all the roads were opened!
And...best of all...we were able to leave some tracts places in the short time we were there! YAY!!
In other news...
And, here's the good news...
By the time we were ready to go back, all the roads were opened!
And...best of all...we were able to leave some tracts places in the short time we were there! YAY!!
In other news...
Some thoughts on the virus...
It's hard to believe it has almost been a full year of this corona madness!
This past year has been filled with so many changes and crazy things happening in the world, it's also been almost a year since Daniel and I officially met!
I praise God for His timing! If Daniel would have tried to leave Australia just a week later, he probably wouldn't be here!
Everything shut down that soon after he got here.
So thankful for God's Providence...including His oversight in evangelism...
This past year has been filled with so many changes and crazy things happening in the world, it's also been almost a year since Daniel and I officially met!
I praise God for His timing! If Daniel would have tried to leave Australia just a week later, he probably wouldn't be here!
Everything shut down that soon after he got here.
So thankful for God's Providence...including His oversight in evangelism...
A flame thrower we saw at Tempe Beach Park while we were out sharing the Gospel.
I had a great conversation that I wanted to highlight while at the local park where we normally share the Gospel!
Pray for Yonyo!
She was sitting on a bench, and she was open to talk about the Gospel! She didn’t have much church background, and she wasn’t sure about having a belief in God, but she was willing to accept that a Creator exists.
After we established that, she admitted her sin when I took her through the Law.
She said she never really read the Bible, and she didn’t believe that Jesus is God.
So, I explained to her that the Bible says Jesus is God, and He proved to be God by living a sinless life, dying, and rising again for the salvation of His people.
Near the end of our conversation, she asked me a few really good questions. She wondered why Jesus would die for people, and other inquiries that seemed to show genuineness.
I told her of the importance of repentance and faith in Christ.
When I asked her what she needed to do to be saved, she said she couldn’t do anything to save herself.
She said she had never heard the things I told her before, and that it made sense to her.
Please pray for her!!
Pray for Yonyo!
She was sitting on a bench, and she was open to talk about the Gospel! She didn’t have much church background, and she wasn’t sure about having a belief in God, but she was willing to accept that a Creator exists.
After we established that, she admitted her sin when I took her through the Law.
She said she never really read the Bible, and she didn’t believe that Jesus is God.
So, I explained to her that the Bible says Jesus is God, and He proved to be God by living a sinless life, dying, and rising again for the salvation of His people.
Near the end of our conversation, she asked me a few really good questions. She wondered why Jesus would die for people, and other inquiries that seemed to show genuineness.
I told her of the importance of repentance and faith in Christ.
When I asked her what she needed to do to be saved, she said she couldn’t do anything to save herself.
She said she had never heard the things I told her before, and that it made sense to her.
Please pray for her!!
Also at the park...
We ran into some Black Hebrew Israelites who tried to engage Daniel by asking him what his race is.
When they got the answer “Australia”, they asked him if he was an aboriginal...
...obviously he’s not, so they started screaming at him and blaming him for murdering aboriginal people.
Please pray for them because they are near impossible to talk to...
On this subject, I would STRONGLY recommend a teaching series our church went through on the social Gospel and the whole BLM issue.
Grace Bible Church Equipping Hour:
https://www.gbcaz.org/ministries/classes/equipping-hour/resources/
When they got the answer “Australia”, they asked him if he was an aboriginal...
...obviously he’s not, so they started screaming at him and blaming him for murdering aboriginal people.
Please pray for them because they are near impossible to talk to...
On this subject, I would STRONGLY recommend a teaching series our church went through on the social Gospel and the whole BLM issue.
Grace Bible Church Equipping Hour:
https://www.gbcaz.org/ministries/classes/equipping-hour/resources/
 But...it gets worse... |  |
A week or two after that first encounter...they were back!!
A bunch of them were out, slowly gathering, trying to get a crowd. They were trying to stop people before they crossed the street. With a little crowd gathered, we watched them for a minute, hoping to catch people after that they had talked to. They were literally telling one girl with her two friends that, because of some verse in Revelation, she should be enslaved to them. The three soon had enough of that and they walked away, swearing and freaking out in conversation with each other about them.
We saw where they went so we followed them, and they eventually came up to us, wondering what those guys were all about. They asked us if we were Christians, and they said they liked our approach better than the Hebrew Israelites. We gave them a booklet, and we wanted to continue conversation with them, (obviously) but they didn’t really seem open to it. They were nice, but pretty hostile (worldly) and didn’t actually want to engage in anything serious. Interestingly enough, one girl from the group said she was born Jewish (non-practicing)...
Pray for the Black Hebrew Israelites, and for those who they were talking to!!
What are you doing?
Go watch Omri preach...
A bunch of them were out, slowly gathering, trying to get a crowd. They were trying to stop people before they crossed the street. With a little crowd gathered, we watched them for a minute, hoping to catch people after that they had talked to. They were literally telling one girl with her two friends that, because of some verse in Revelation, she should be enslaved to them. The three soon had enough of that and they walked away, swearing and freaking out in conversation with each other about them.
We saw where they went so we followed them, and they eventually came up to us, wondering what those guys were all about. They asked us if we were Christians, and they said they liked our approach better than the Hebrew Israelites. We gave them a booklet, and we wanted to continue conversation with them, (obviously) but they didn’t really seem open to it. They were nice, but pretty hostile (worldly) and didn’t actually want to engage in anything serious. Interestingly enough, one girl from the group said she was born Jewish (non-practicing)...
Pray for the Black Hebrew Israelites, and for those who they were talking to!!
What are you doing?
Go watch Omri preach...
Another thing you should watch...Fireproof!!
I saw this picture inside a firemen-themed restaurant, and I thought it was cool!
It reminds me of one of my favorite analogies of sharing the Gospel.
Imagine a burning building with people inside, and a bunch of firefighters outside the building, playing on their phones, ignoring the people dying inside the building.
That sounds crazy, doesn't it?
Shouldn't the firemen do something? They have all the resources to save those who are in anguish...
We have the Gospel, we have the resources!
Let's go share the Gospel to those who are unreached!!
It reminds me of one of my favorite analogies of sharing the Gospel.
Imagine a burning building with people inside, and a bunch of firefighters outside the building, playing on their phones, ignoring the people dying inside the building.
That sounds crazy, doesn't it?
Shouldn't the firemen do something? They have all the resources to save those who are in anguish...
We have the Gospel, we have the resources!
Let's go share the Gospel to those who are unreached!!
So...how are we currently trying to obey the Great Commission?
We are blessed with so many resources, especially from our church family.
On top of having the Gospel in our language, we have all the food we need, a nice place to stay, and everything else we need.
In order to be faithful to the Word of God and obedient to His commands to us, we try to be thankful, and to pause and remember all God has done for us.
We want to glorify God even when we don't have fruit or current opportunities to obey the Great Commission in more exciting ways (like tribal work), because we know that God will allow us to go there when it's time. We want to be fervent in prayer and thankfulness now, not missing opportunities as they come.
This is what we strive for: 1 Cor. 10:31-33, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; just as I [Paul] also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved."
On top of having the Gospel in our language, we have all the food we need, a nice place to stay, and everything else we need.
In order to be faithful to the Word of God and obedient to His commands to us, we try to be thankful, and to pause and remember all God has done for us.
We want to glorify God even when we don't have fruit or current opportunities to obey the Great Commission in more exciting ways (like tribal work), because we know that God will allow us to go there when it's time. We want to be fervent in prayer and thankfulness now, not missing opportunities as they come.
This is what we strive for: 1 Cor. 10:31-33, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; just as I [Paul] also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved."
So...where are we?
This is where we are seeking to live out the Great Commission! Tempe, AZ! (Tempe is a subset within the greater Phoenix area.)
I thought this board game was funny!!
When I put stuff in this blog regarding evangelism, it’s usually (unless we take a weird trip somewhere) in Tempe!
“Downtown Tempe” and the “ASU Tempe Campus” (in purple...the most expensive ones...) are the main places we go, along with “Tempe Town Lake” (in teal just above the others).
Phoenix has some creative features!!
I thought this board game was funny!!
When I put stuff in this blog regarding evangelism, it’s usually (unless we take a weird trip somewhere) in Tempe!
“Downtown Tempe” and the “ASU Tempe Campus” (in purple...the most expensive ones...) are the main places we go, along with “Tempe Town Lake” (in teal just above the others).
Phoenix has some creative features!!
More interesting Phoenix creativity!!
Doesn’t the cactus art look cool? We have real ones too...
BUT, the real reason I took this picture isn’t mainly about the cactus.
What else do you see in this picture?!?
It’s a little image of Jesus (I assume)...and a boy hugging him.
The Catholic presence is pretty strong here, and I pray for more opportunities to witness to them.
Some might think little pictures like this are fine, and Christians might think they’re okay as long as one isn’t worshipping the image, but I think it’s more serious than that.
I can’t look at this and think that the King of the Universe would be pleased with it.
I’m only putting this in here as a reminder that Christians need to make sure that they’re not guilty of this same thing Catholics are doing, making God out to who they want Him to be and worshipping that image they have created in their mind instead of the Lord.
This is one of the reasons we want to go to an unreached people group, because we want to go were we "aren't building on another man's foundation" (Rom. 15:20). We want to share the Gospel with those who don't yet have distorted, culturally-informed view of Jesus. People here have the Bible in their language, and they have access to solid teaching/churches, if they want it. The people of the Finisterre Mountains don't have that...
Another colorful place in Phoenix!
I think of these spiritual analogies in everyday life, because I want to be thinking of the things of God wherever I am.
Of course, I DEFINITELY don’t do this perfectly.
I try to look at things like this picture above and just be thankful for beauty God has given us on this earth.
Even though Phoenix has some ghetto, it really does have awesome places like this.
Not only awesome places, but awesome people...
Of course, I DEFINITELY don’t do this perfectly.
I try to look at things like this picture above and just be thankful for beauty God has given us on this earth.
Even though Phoenix has some ghetto, it really does have awesome places like this.
Not only awesome places, but awesome people...
 |  |
A fish tank at a restaurant where we had great fellowship!
Yes, I know I ended the caption of the last picture implying I was going to talk about people, and I know these are fish...
But I wanted a picture of these fish anyway, so I thought I’d use it as a reminder that, as well as going out to evangelize (fishing for people), we should be fellowshipping with other believers.
And that’s what we did at this restaurant!
It’s so encouraging to have such a solid church where we can have fellowship with other believers, especially when they invite us out to eat and we spend the entire time talking about the things of God! When you can see the joy of the Lord radiating on the faces of the people of God, it’s so awesome!!
It’s such a blessing to have like-minded believers who want to ponder the things of God, who desire to be edifying, who want to help others grow in their faith and want to grow in the faith themselves.
But I wanted a picture of these fish anyway, so I thought I’d use it as a reminder that, as well as going out to evangelize (fishing for people), we should be fellowshipping with other believers.
And that’s what we did at this restaurant!
It’s so encouraging to have such a solid church where we can have fellowship with other believers, especially when they invite us out to eat and we spend the entire time talking about the things of God! When you can see the joy of the Lord radiating on the faces of the people of God, it’s so awesome!!
It’s such a blessing to have like-minded believers who want to ponder the things of God, who desire to be edifying, who want to help others grow in their faith and want to grow in the faith themselves.
Speaking of growth...
WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING I’M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT?!?
So, this current Greek class has been extending a little bit, but it still ends by the end of this month.
Actually, by the time you’re reading this, we could be taking our final exam...AHH!
That’s not what I’m particularly excited about though...I’m excited about MACHAM!!
Here’s a long story as short as I can put it (so you’re not too bored):
I’m weird. I really like Greek. I mean...honestly...I LOVE Greek!! So, I was pretty sad about Greek ending...because Daniel can continue on with seminary training, but this is the last class for me...
...it was the end for me...
...but then...
Greg, our good friend from Michigan, came to the rescue!!
He told me of a guy who’s holding a Greek class over Zoom for various people of different skills and walks in life, for free!!!! And this is the textbook for it!!
WHOOO!!
And the best part...is that Daniel is totally supportive of all of it!
Hold on...speaking of Daniel...let me brag on him for a bit...
So, this current Greek class has been extending a little bit, but it still ends by the end of this month.
Actually, by the time you’re reading this, we could be taking our final exam...AHH!
That’s not what I’m particularly excited about though...I’m excited about MACHAM!!
Here’s a long story as short as I can put it (so you’re not too bored):
I’m weird. I really like Greek. I mean...honestly...I LOVE Greek!! So, I was pretty sad about Greek ending...because Daniel can continue on with seminary training, but this is the last class for me...
...it was the end for me...
...but then...
Greg, our good friend from Michigan, came to the rescue!!
He told me of a guy who’s holding a Greek class over Zoom for various people of different skills and walks in life, for free!!!! And this is the textbook for it!!
WHOOO!!
And the best part...is that Daniel is totally supportive of all of it!
Hold on...speaking of Daniel...let me brag on him for a bit...
Daniel completed the School of Biblical Evangelism!!
Look at Daniel!!
Have you heard of the School of Biblical Evangelism?
If not, you should consider it!!
It’s an online course from Living Waters that takes you through how it evangelize to the lost through various (101) lessons and bonus audio!
I haven’t given you enough links yet, so here’s the link:
Living Waters School of Biblical Evangelism:
https://www.livingwaters.com/outreach/school-of-biblical-evangelism/
Speaking of Living Waters...
Who do you see in this picture?
Yes, this picture shows a guy in all black talking to Ray Comfort (not shown)...but who else...?
Daniel and I!!!!
This picture (or more properly, this video, shown below) was taken when Daniel and I took our first trip to LA!!
You have to see the whole video, it’s so good!!
Here’s the link: Living Waters "6 Ways to Conquer Porn":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdZ-bDkN0cU
More about Daniel...
My little professional recorder!!
Curious about these photos?
No, this doesn’t have anything to do with Living Waters...it does have to do with the Gospel, though!
Our friend from church has been recording for an EP, and he wanted Daniel for a portion of it.
For what?!?
You’ll just have to wait and see... ;)
No, this doesn’t have anything to do with Living Waters...it does have to do with the Gospel, though!
Our friend from church has been recording for an EP, and he wanted Daniel for a portion of it.
For what?!?
You’ll just have to wait and see... ;)
ALRIGHT, I need to rant for a minute.
You think this is funny?
It isn’t.
I almost didn't want to put this in here, because it bothers me so much, but I thought it was necessary, to make a point.
Feminism is no joke. The first sin consisted of Eve taking fruit from the tree.
She was the one deceived. Her natural emotionally driven sinfulness contributed to our plunge into depravity (sin and death).
I could write a whole blog on this, but I doubt many would pay any attention if I did so...
So, instead of that, please read these verses:
"But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer. But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation." - 1 Tim. 2:12-15
Moral of the story?
Don't toss men aside...
Women are not always right.
It isn’t.
I almost didn't want to put this in here, because it bothers me so much, but I thought it was necessary, to make a point.
Feminism is no joke. The first sin consisted of Eve taking fruit from the tree.
She was the one deceived. Her natural emotionally driven sinfulness contributed to our plunge into depravity (sin and death).
I could write a whole blog on this, but I doubt many would pay any attention if I did so...
So, instead of that, please read these verses:
"But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer. But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation." - 1 Tim. 2:12-15
Moral of the story?
Don't toss men aside...
Women are not always right.
Under-cover evangelism at GCU!
On a lighter note, want to hear a fun story about some evangelism we did at a local college?
We went to a college we had never been to before!
It's called Grand Canyon University (GCU), and it's called a "Christian" university, but it's definitely not.
I did have one conversation with a girl named Sarah (I talk to quite a bit of Sarah's...), and she did seem like she had genuine, saving faith, and that was encouraging! But, everyone else we talked to or encountered, were clearly secular.
One interesting conversation I had to note was with a girl who got offended by the pro-life message of the Gospel tract I was using.
It's not one of those tracts that has graphic images on it, or anything, it simply has a quote from Ronald Reagan on it that says basically that everyone who is for abortion has already been born. Sometimes I forget the quote is there because it has the Gospel on the back, and it doesn't really talk much about abortion.
Anyway, I was going through the Law with this girl, and then she kind of interrupted and she asked me if I would keep the baby if I was raped. I said yes, and she walked away.
Pray that she is convicted of sin, and that she turns to Christ with whatever potentially hard situation she's going through!
Also...keep praying for Do...
We went to a college we had never been to before!
It's called Grand Canyon University (GCU), and it's called a "Christian" university, but it's definitely not.
I did have one conversation with a girl named Sarah (I talk to quite a bit of Sarah's...), and she did seem like she had genuine, saving faith, and that was encouraging! But, everyone else we talked to or encountered, were clearly secular.
One interesting conversation I had to note was with a girl who got offended by the pro-life message of the Gospel tract I was using.
It's not one of those tracts that has graphic images on it, or anything, it simply has a quote from Ronald Reagan on it that says basically that everyone who is for abortion has already been born. Sometimes I forget the quote is there because it has the Gospel on the back, and it doesn't really talk much about abortion.
Anyway, I was going through the Law with this girl, and then she kind of interrupted and she asked me if I would keep the baby if I was raped. I said yes, and she walked away.
Pray that she is convicted of sin, and that she turns to Christ with whatever potentially hard situation she's going through!
Also...keep praying for Do...
Quick Do update from the team in PNG!!
Things are going well for the Do tribe in the Finisterre Mountains!!
As for the response of the Do tribe to the Gospel, they are continuing to grow and ask important questions about the things of God to the team.
Next steps include finishing the translation of the Bible (portions have been translated for the teaching lessons), more teaching for anyone with questions, and training men up to be elders in the newly formed church!!
Pray for them, for the other team that is just starting the process of language learning, for another team in Florida who wants to get to the field in the next year or so (more on that later), and for us as we continue to train so we can get there too!
We also have a huge surprise to share next month...
As for the response of the Do tribe to the Gospel, they are continuing to grow and ask important questions about the things of God to the team.
Next steps include finishing the translation of the Bible (portions have been translated for the teaching lessons), more teaching for anyone with questions, and training men up to be elders in the newly formed church!!
Pray for them, for the other team that is just starting the process of language learning, for another team in Florida who wants to get to the field in the next year or so (more on that later), and for us as we continue to train so we can get there too!
We also have a huge surprise to share next month...
If you're interested in donating, please visit:
Finisterre Vision's website:
https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
WHAT BETTER NEWS COULD BE IN THE FINISTERRE MOUNTAINS?!?
Starting the Year off with Evangelism!!
Well! I have a lot of share!
This year has been going very well concerning evangelism, here in Phoenix, AND...in the Finisterre Mountains!
I can't wait to share with you all of the exciting things going on in both places, saving the best for last!
This first picture was taken on Mill Ave. in Tempe (Phoenix area). We have had some of our best conversations, this year and last year on this street!
I will highlight some of those conversations, as well as some other things we have done before I get to the BEST NEWS EVER!
This year has been going very well concerning evangelism, here in Phoenix, AND...in the Finisterre Mountains!
I can't wait to share with you all of the exciting things going on in both places, saving the best for last!
This first picture was taken on Mill Ave. in Tempe (Phoenix area). We have had some of our best conversations, this year and last year on this street!
I will highlight some of those conversations, as well as some other things we have done before I get to the BEST NEWS EVER!
Daniel and I doing some evangelism on a small lake.
Daniel and I took a day-trip to a nice little lake north of Phoenix!
As you can see from the pictures, we had lovely weather! The park had a little play area, and it also had a random donkey in the parking lot!
We thought that was pretty out of the ordinary...
Tracts were pretty well received, though there weren't a lot of people there.
We couldn't believe how many people were receptive at the next place we went though...
As you can see from the pictures, we had lovely weather! The park had a little play area, and it also had a random donkey in the parking lot!
We thought that was pretty out of the ordinary...
Tracts were pretty well received, though there weren't a lot of people there.
We couldn't believe how many people were receptive at the next place we went though...
On a certain "trailhead"...
Where were people surprisingly open to the Gospel?
On a mountain trail called the "Mormon Trailhead"!!
People were so open to the Gospel on this little trailhead, even when climbing up a mountain! We weren't expecting that, so it was a huge blessing!
If you're curious...the name is in reference to the 1,300 mile long hike (the Mormon Trail) from Illinois to Utah. It was used by Mormons in order to get away from a town in Illinois after Joseph Smith was murdered there.
Ironically, we didn't run into any Mormons on the trailhead (that we know of)...
On a mountain trail called the "Mormon Trailhead"!!
People were so open to the Gospel on this little trailhead, even when climbing up a mountain! We weren't expecting that, so it was a huge blessing!
If you're curious...the name is in reference to the 1,300 mile long hike (the Mormon Trail) from Illinois to Utah. It was used by Mormons in order to get away from a town in Illinois after Joseph Smith was murdered there.
Ironically, we didn't run into any Mormons on the trailhead (that we know of)...
An interesting place to put a tract on the Mormon Trailhead. :)
While on the Trailhead, after realizing that I had ONE MORE of the hundreds of corona tracts we had ordered months ago, Daniel found an interesting place to leave this tract. :)
There's a lot I could say about this picture, but I'll focus on one thing specifically.
When you're looking at all the people around you, who are wearing their masks without even thinking about it, think about the blindness of our culture towards the things of God and the Gospel.
The masks might as well be over their eyes, because they are all blindly headed towards a cliff of destruction, on their way to Hell because of their crimes. Their lying, stealing, blasphemy and thinking things against the things of God (just to name a few) keep them from seeing the Gospel clearly.
And we are just as guilty of those sins! Let us go share the Gospel to them before it's too late!
There's a lot I could say about this picture, but I'll focus on one thing specifically.
When you're looking at all the people around you, who are wearing their masks without even thinking about it, think about the blindness of our culture towards the things of God and the Gospel.
The masks might as well be over their eyes, because they are all blindly headed towards a cliff of destruction, on their way to Hell because of their crimes. Their lying, stealing, blasphemy and thinking things against the things of God (just to name a few) keep them from seeing the Gospel clearly.
And we are just as guilty of those sins! Let us go share the Gospel to them before it's too late!
On the subject of masks...can you spot the tract? :)
Before I finish talking about tracts, I HAVE to mention this tract...
Do you see it? IT'S SO FUNNY! It's a Living Water's million with a MASK on it!
I love them! They go out so well (usually...some people just look at me like I'm stupid).
This is at Mill Ave., where they have billboards up everywhere about masks.
How then could someone complain about this Gospel tract? It's wearing a mask...
Do you see it? IT'S SO FUNNY! It's a Living Water's million with a MASK on it!
I love them! They go out so well (usually...some people just look at me like I'm stupid).
This is at Mill Ave., where they have billboards up everywhere about masks.
How then could someone complain about this Gospel tract? It's wearing a mask...
Handing out booklets at a local park with a little train.
Do you remember those little booklets that we were giving out before?
Well - here they are! We still have a bunch of them, and we are looking for creative ways to use them.
This little park we went to contained a few people who took them, as well as a little train!
It's actually an amusement park (open on the weekends). Hopefully we can go when the whole park is open sometime, and be able to share the Gospel with those attending!
I talked with one interesting lady at this park, but she didn't speak the best English and I didn't understand her accent very well.
Well - here they are! We still have a bunch of them, and we are looking for creative ways to use them.
This little park we went to contained a few people who took them, as well as a little train!
It's actually an amusement park (open on the weekends). Hopefully we can go when the whole park is open sometime, and be able to share the Gospel with those attending!
I talked with one interesting lady at this park, but she didn't speak the best English and I didn't understand her accent very well.
Speaking of interesting... a Scientology Center!! Pics from “Church of Scientology” in Phoenix and L. Ron Hubbard’s house...
What is all of this?
Well... while doing some studying through a training course on false religions, I stumbled across a website that shared some of the history of Scientology.
Guess where it started?!?
PHOENIX!! I couldn't believe it...
But what is Scientology...?
Well... while doing some studying through a training course on false religions, I stumbled across a website that shared some of the history of Scientology.
Guess where it started?!?
PHOENIX!! I couldn't believe it...
But what is Scientology...?
A peek inside one of the Scientology books...
Scientology was created by L. Ron Hubbard (in Phoenix apparently), a science fiction writer who wanted to create his own "non-religious" religion.
So...he basically did...
According to Scientology, you can be ANY religion and adhere to the principles (some unbiblical principles) taught through dianetics, which is basically based off of the occult. It's similar in though to Buddhist teaching on "mindfulness", and using ungodly means to try to get peace.
I think it's important to know at least a little bit about these things, because some people might come into contact with Scientologists, and then get themselves into something that's NOT biblical!
Just to comment briefly on this page (see picture above), I wanted to point out that, yes, in a sense, we should "respect other's religious beliefs"...BUT...this kind of thinking can be so dangerous. If you take it to it's logical conclusion...this means, if you respect other's beliefs, you shouldn't share your faith with them in order to try to get them to see why Christianity is absolutely true. Because we know that the Bible is true, we need to try to persuade others of the life-giving Gospel because without it, they will perish in Hell. That is not an opinion. If we really "respect" people, and love them like Christ did, we will tell them the error of their thinking. We need to be prepared (2 Tim. 2:15-17) to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
So...he basically did...
According to Scientology, you can be ANY religion and adhere to the principles (some unbiblical principles) taught through dianetics, which is basically based off of the occult. It's similar in though to Buddhist teaching on "mindfulness", and using ungodly means to try to get peace.
I think it's important to know at least a little bit about these things, because some people might come into contact with Scientologists, and then get themselves into something that's NOT biblical!
Just to comment briefly on this page (see picture above), I wanted to point out that, yes, in a sense, we should "respect other's religious beliefs"...BUT...this kind of thinking can be so dangerous. If you take it to it's logical conclusion...this means, if you respect other's beliefs, you shouldn't share your faith with them in order to try to get them to see why Christianity is absolutely true. Because we know that the Bible is true, we need to try to persuade others of the life-giving Gospel because without it, they will perish in Hell. That is not an opinion. If we really "respect" people, and love them like Christ did, we will tell them the error of their thinking. We need to be prepared (2 Tim. 2:15-17) to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
Speaking of being prepared...how is Greek going?
The plan is to officially finish in mid-Feb. with our first semester of second year Greek. I will keep you updated on what the plan is after that. One more big exam and we will be finished for a while!
If I had to pick one major thing that has been really impactful so far through the Greek learning process, I think the use of sentence diagramming has been the most helpful. And...it's not that complicated! You can do it in English, too!
For example, take a verse such as John 6:15 (NASB),
"So Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone."
What does this mean? Is the main point that Jesus was to be taken by force? Is it that Jesus liked to go to mountains to be alone? Is it that certain people were intending to come?
How do you know grammatically?
Well, you find the subject: (Jesus) and the main verb: (withdrew).
So, the main point is that Jesus withdrew! This helps us not make the text mean whatever we want it to mean, but what God intended it to say to us.
Want more of this sentence diagramming. Check these videos out, they are so helpful!
Grace Bible Church - Sentence Diagramming for Dummies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvnUlKuM6QM&list=PLmrj25zC0cBcWFoyPRANHorJickTh3qYq&index=2
If I had to pick one major thing that has been really impactful so far through the Greek learning process, I think the use of sentence diagramming has been the most helpful. And...it's not that complicated! You can do it in English, too!
For example, take a verse such as John 6:15 (NASB),
"So Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone."
What does this mean? Is the main point that Jesus was to be taken by force? Is it that Jesus liked to go to mountains to be alone? Is it that certain people were intending to come?
How do you know grammatically?
Well, you find the subject: (Jesus) and the main verb: (withdrew).
So, the main point is that Jesus withdrew! This helps us not make the text mean whatever we want it to mean, but what God intended it to say to us.
Want more of this sentence diagramming. Check these videos out, they are so helpful!
Grace Bible Church - Sentence Diagramming for Dummies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvnUlKuM6QM&list=PLmrj25zC0cBcWFoyPRANHorJickTh3qYq&index=2
GREEK NEW TESTAMENT - SWEETEST GIFT MY HUSBAND COULD EVER GIVE ME!!
On the subject of Greek...
DANIEL GOT ME A UBS 5 GREEK NEW TESTAMENT!!
Why is this so exciting?!?
Because, THIS Greek New Testament can be read by someone who knows all the Greek words in the New Testament used 30 or more times. If a word is used less than 30 times, the Bible provides the English word for you.
I'M SO EXCITED!
DANIEL GOT ME A UBS 5 GREEK NEW TESTAMENT!!
Why is this so exciting?!?
Because, THIS Greek New Testament can be read by someone who knows all the Greek words in the New Testament used 30 or more times. If a word is used less than 30 times, the Bible provides the English word for you.
I'M SO EXCITED!
How important is Greek? Without it, you might become a Flat Earther...
You can talk about biblical truth with people who believe the earth is flat as much as you want, but what it really comes down to is that they are filled with their own interpretation of what they think the Scriptures say. They rehearse their arguments, but they won't listen to actual truth because they don't want to hear it.
What are their arguments like? You don't want to know. Basically, they will take a random verse, and they won't look at context, but they will claim they know what the Hebrew says (they usually go to Old Testament verses), because they looked up a word on a Bible website, and they think they have the liberty to interpret it however they want.
After a long conversation with these guys, Daniel got to the root of why they are so hostile towards us. Because of their faulty methods of interpretation, they think that including repentance in salvation is "adding works" to grace. This is a scary conclusion to come to, scarier than the whole flat earth thing, because they are denying the importance of the lordship of Christ. Please pray for them!!
Also, on an encouraging note, at this same spot where the Flat Earthers were, Daniel, our friend Nicholas and I were able to share the Gospel, and to have GREAT conversations with plenty of people, including a woman named Arah (I think) who seemed REALLY open to coming to our church! Yay!
We have had other exciting things happen too...
What are their arguments like? You don't want to know. Basically, they will take a random verse, and they won't look at context, but they will claim they know what the Hebrew says (they usually go to Old Testament verses), because they looked up a word on a Bible website, and they think they have the liberty to interpret it however they want.
After a long conversation with these guys, Daniel got to the root of why they are so hostile towards us. Because of their faulty methods of interpretation, they think that including repentance in salvation is "adding works" to grace. This is a scary conclusion to come to, scarier than the whole flat earth thing, because they are denying the importance of the lordship of Christ. Please pray for them!!
Also, on an encouraging note, at this same spot where the Flat Earthers were, Daniel, our friend Nicholas and I were able to share the Gospel, and to have GREAT conversations with plenty of people, including a woman named Arah (I think) who seemed REALLY open to coming to our church! Yay!
We have had other exciting things happen too...
Daniel and I went up to Flagstaff, a couple hours north of Phoenix, on a day trip with Joey, founder of Finisterre Vision.
Flagstaff was really nice! Believe it or not, they actually do get snow sometimes!! I, for one, was very thankful that I didn't have to endure snow, just good fellowship. :)
Joey Tartaglia is the founder of Finisterre Vision. Him and his family are hoping to move to Papua New Guinea with their four little ones next month.
If he's able to fulfill this role in the Finisterre Mountains, he will be doing this work on TOP of all the other work he's currently doing, which includes training missionaries like us to be prepared for tribal work.
They have already reached a tribe with the Gospel years ago, the Mibu tribe, but now they are seeking to go again so they can fill a logistics position that has an IMMEDIATE need to be filled.
Please pray for their travels and their responsibilities!
Joey Tartaglia is the founder of Finisterre Vision. Him and his family are hoping to move to Papua New Guinea with their four little ones next month.
If he's able to fulfill this role in the Finisterre Mountains, he will be doing this work on TOP of all the other work he's currently doing, which includes training missionaries like us to be prepared for tribal work.
They have already reached a tribe with the Gospel years ago, the Mibu tribe, but now they are seeking to go again so they can fill a logistics position that has an IMMEDIATE need to be filled.
Please pray for their travels and their responsibilities!
Speaking of travels - an interesting sink I came across in Phoenix.
Why the picture of a sink?
I thought it looked really cool!
Also, I just wanted to say as a reminder to those who are reading this and are new to the idea of evangelism, that your evangelism doesn’t have to start with something HUGE.
If talking to people is intimidating for you, or you’re not used to sharing your faith in vocal ways yet, or you can’t for some reason, you can always leave tracts in bathrooms!!
I know it sounds really cheesy, but I would encourage you to do this, and to do something so you remember to pray for the tracts you placed! God has saved countless souls through simple tracts in random places.
I thought it looked really cool!
Also, I just wanted to say as a reminder to those who are reading this and are new to the idea of evangelism, that your evangelism doesn’t have to start with something HUGE.
If talking to people is intimidating for you, or you’re not used to sharing your faith in vocal ways yet, or you can’t for some reason, you can always leave tracts in bathrooms!!
I know it sounds really cheesy, but I would encourage you to do this, and to do something so you remember to pray for the tracts you placed! God has saved countless souls through simple tracts in random places.
Another random tract example I thought was too funny to not share...
Phoenix has some interesting sights...
I honestly don't remember all the places I take pictures, but when I look back at them I laugh a lot at all the ones I've collected.
Yes...you're seeing this picture right...
This is a picture above a cactus (and a Living Waters tract) of nuns secretly smoking.
When thinking about hypocrisy in general, remember that the only true church is filled with true converts, those who repent and put their faith and trust in Christ.
I honestly don't remember all the places I take pictures, but when I look back at them I laugh a lot at all the ones I've collected.
Yes...you're seeing this picture right...
This is a picture above a cactus (and a Living Waters tract) of nuns secretly smoking.
When thinking about hypocrisy in general, remember that the only true church is filled with true converts, those who repent and put their faith and trust in Christ.
Daniel sharing the Gospel to a man on “Mill Ave.”
Speaking of true converts...
Please pray for our evangelism on Mill Ave.!
This is a picture of Daniel witnessing to a guy named Ravi. The conversation was interesting, and it ended with Daniel having the privilege of inviting him to church!
The night this picture was taken on Mill Ave., we had some other conversations too! Some guys who were with us talked with a guy named Colin, and I talked with a couple who was open to the Gospel.
Our church has seen fruit from this ministry, so please pray that we continue to see fruit, especially as school starts up again and more people start to come out!
Please pray for our evangelism on Mill Ave.!
This is a picture of Daniel witnessing to a guy named Ravi. The conversation was interesting, and it ended with Daniel having the privilege of inviting him to church!
The night this picture was taken on Mill Ave., we had some other conversations too! Some guys who were with us talked with a guy named Colin, and I talked with a couple who was open to the Gospel.
Our church has seen fruit from this ministry, so please pray that we continue to see fruit, especially as school starts up again and more people start to come out!
Exciting day of evangelism!
After a busy night on Mill Ave, Daniel and I had the opportunity to go to an awesome pro-life event!
This is us (complete with Trump tracts) with about 500 people or so in the background!!
Why did 500 people gather from a bunch of different states?
For a rally to propose a bill in Arizona to fully abolish abortion in the state!
The event was such an encouragement!
This is us (complete with Trump tracts) with about 500 people or so in the background!!
Why did 500 people gather from a bunch of different states?
For a rally to propose a bill in Arizona to fully abolish abortion in the state!
The event was such an encouragement!
Some Catholic priests (I think) at the rally.
The best part of this event was how clear the Gospel was proclaimed.
This Catholics, (being the odd ones out, not the ones who ruled the event) stood there and heard the Gospel! They heard how the modern pro-life movement is a problem, because they don't take the things of God very seriously, and they're not all really trying to fully abolish abortion, either.
I was so encouraged to be part of an event that understands the distinction between Christians and Catholics.
What was even MORE encouraging though, was that my loving husband went ALL the way back to the car because I forgot to bring specific tracts we have for Catholics.
We were able to give some to them, and they took them!!
This Catholics, (being the odd ones out, not the ones who ruled the event) stood there and heard the Gospel! They heard how the modern pro-life movement is a problem, because they don't take the things of God very seriously, and they're not all really trying to fully abolish abortion, either.
I was so encouraged to be part of an event that understands the distinction between Christians and Catholics.
What was even MORE encouraging though, was that my loving husband went ALL the way back to the car because I forgot to bring specific tracts we have for Catholics.
We were able to give some to them, and they took them!!
My sweet husband overlooking all the events...
I thought this picture looked really cool, so I wanted to include it.
I'm so thankful for all the evangelism I'm able to do with Daniel!
It has been so encouraging to look over all these events, especially during this time of crazy world events.
The discouragement can set in when I think of all the cancelled church events, the lack of actual Gospel conversations with people, etc. ever since the virus. BUT, when I look back on all these events and good times, it reminds me to be thankful for the fruit God has given us during this season of waiting.
When the world has completely gone haywire, God is still holy, stable, and secure. The Gospel is eternal and immutable.
I'm so thankful for all the evangelism I'm able to do with Daniel!
It has been so encouraging to look over all these events, especially during this time of crazy world events.
The discouragement can set in when I think of all the cancelled church events, the lack of actual Gospel conversations with people, etc. ever since the virus. BUT, when I look back on all these events and good times, it reminds me to be thankful for the fruit God has given us during this season of waiting.
When the world has completely gone haywire, God is still holy, stable, and secure. The Gospel is eternal and immutable.
Hundreds of people listening to a message on abortion that included a great Gospel focus!
This is what I wanted to get to...
The fact that, at this event, the Gospel was so clearly preached!!
Also...do you see the guy in the bench in front of us sitting on the right?
That's James White!!
If you haven't heard of his works on textual criticism, please start with this video, it's a must watch for anyone who wants to seriously understand the background of the text of their Bible:
James White on the Reliability of the New Testament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuiayuxWwuI
The fact that, at this event, the Gospel was so clearly preached!!
Also...do you see the guy in the bench in front of us sitting on the right?
That's James White!!
If you haven't heard of his works on textual criticism, please start with this video, it's a must watch for anyone who wants to seriously understand the background of the text of their Bible:
James White on the Reliability of the New Testament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuiayuxWwuI
A cool map! Transition from Arizona to Papua New Guinea.
2021 is a LANDMARK YEAR...
As of January, 2021...
Unreached tribes in the Finisterre Mountains are down to 49...
Why?
KEEP READING!!
As of January, 2021...
Unreached tribes in the Finisterre Mountains are down to 49...
Why?
KEEP READING!!
The Exciting News!!
THE DO TRIBE HEARD THE GOSPEL IN THEIR LANGUAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!
This is the best news that Do will ever receive!
Christ is being GREATLY glorified in the Finisterre Mountains!
The Do Tribe is having mixed feelings about the teaching. Some can't believe that their good works don't matter, and they find it hard to believe that salvation can be so simple! Others are responding VERY well, and the missionaries there believe they TRULY understand the Gospel, and are saved!!!!
Want to hear more about it?!?
FOLLOW THIS LINK:
Do Teaching Videos: https://youtu.be/PevbQH27k4I
This is the best news that Do will ever receive!
Christ is being GREATLY glorified in the Finisterre Mountains!
The Do Tribe is having mixed feelings about the teaching. Some can't believe that their good works don't matter, and they find it hard to believe that salvation can be so simple! Others are responding VERY well, and the missionaries there believe they TRULY understand the Gospel, and are saved!!!!
Want to hear more about it?!?
FOLLOW THIS LINK:
Do Teaching Videos: https://youtu.be/PevbQH27k4I
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interested in donating?
https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONCE UPON A TIME...
…in a land filled with false doctrine and bearded old men…
…there lived a man, a gruff, passionate man who was incredibly zealous for the sound doctrine of the Christian faith…
…he made his way into the Council, the Council of Nicaea to be exact, listening to the lively debate going on…
”The Word”, one stated in error, “did not exist, in the beginning…”
The gruff man lifted his heavy head, anger coursing through his veins…
…with a fist of rage, he started towards the heretic, striking him with a terrible blow…”
(to be continued)
On that note (I’ll explain more later), hope you had a great Christmas!!
Our Christmas was very nice. We were able to have great fellowship with church people, and we were able to make it to some great Christmas Eve services!!
The teaching in the tribe is going really well! The Do tribe has learned about the character of God, who He is, as revealed in the Scriptures. It seems they have also understood how they don’t measure up to the standards of God’s Law, so much that they need a Messiah, and now they are starting to understand the good news of Jesus Christ! Please continue to pray for the Do people, and for their hearts to be softened to hear the precious truth of the Gospel!!
Here's the link again:
Do Update Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT1Z97BASs4
As for our lives, we have some exciting things going on too!!
Greek is still going great! We are taking a little break for Christmas, and then we will be back at it in January.
I’ve been doing some tutoring during the month of December, for an adorable little girl! She is so awesome to work with! The job has been such a blessing from God!!
ALSO, we made it out to California again! Whoo!! That was SO much fun!!
We were able to share the Gospel with Living Waters, Ray Comfort specifically, and then, we found out that it was his birthday!
They were filming a pro-life documentary, so we were able to watch them make part of the movie right on the beach!
ALSO, before I forget, you HAVE to see this certain video they filmed awhile ago!! We got to go to the location of one of the scenes in it and give tracts to the people that were there! It was SO cool to hand out cards that had information about the movie on them, and to be able to tell people that that movie was filmed there! Please see the pictures below for more details.
It was awesome to be able to spend time with Ray and to share the Gospel alongside such a solid, amazing ministry.
Another exciting thing about the trip is that my friend Renee was able to come too!! She was in the area to continue in her missionary training, and I’m SO thankful she could come with Daniel and I to California!
She had never been before, so it was exciting for her to see Ray Comfort, to share the Gospel on Huntington Beach, and to go to John MacArthur’s church on Sunday!
So thankful for her as a friend and sister in Christ!! Praying we will be life-long friends and partners in the work of the Gospel!
After California, we had a few more exciting things happen before Christmas.
FLASH MOB!!
What?
What am I talking about?
So…our plan was to have a flash mob…
…and we didn’t really expect to have people join us because we’re weird and crazy, BUT…a family from our church did show up, and it was a REALLY cool evangelism experience, way better than I thought it would go!
You HAVE to see this short Living Waters video on flash mobs around the world. This movie is what gave us the idea to have ours.
Here’s the link:
Christmas Gone Viral:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDMoqL_Qkc
Our experience at the mall for the flash mob was SO awesome! We did end up singing (please watch the video if you’re confused), and having some people join in too! BUT, the BEST part was, we were able to hand out a ton of tracts, and they were really cool ones, too!
They were GIANT $100 bills with the lyrics to Amazing Grace and the Gospel on the back!! I have a picture of Daniel handing them out below. 😊
ANOTHER exciting thing that happened…REALLY exciting…is that we OFFICIALLY became members of Grace Bible Church!!
Please see this link:
GBC Membership Sunday:
https://www.gbcaz.org/sermon/church-membership-12-13-20/
The last thing I want to share is that we were able to have a great conversation at the park the other day.
Here’s what happened:
Daniel asked me if I wanted to go to a new park (one we had never been to before), and I was super excited!
So, we went to the park, and it seemed pretty dead, not many people to talk to, but then, I found someone!
Long story short, this woman was incredibly open to the things of God, and she seemed to understand her need of a Savior because of her sin! She said that the Gospel really made sense for the first time through our conversation! Being Hispanic, she said she had been going to a Catholic church that was in Spanish, and so she understood bits and pieces of what was said, but she didn’t really understand the true Gospel and its serious implications for her life.
At the end of the conversation, she asked me for more information, so we exchanged numbers, and we have been talking since then! Please pray that she makes it to church with us!
YAY!
I could go on and on about stuff, but you probably want to understand how I started this blog, right?
Or did you get distracted by something I said and forget about it?
Well…in either case, here it is!!
To put a long, awesome story short, the guy who the world calls Santa, or at least the idea of him, was actually a hero of the faith!
St. Nicolas of Myra punched Arius, a famous heretic, in the face, at the Council of Nicaea because of his false doctrine of Christ. We’re not sure of the exact details, and I certainly don’t condone punching people who have wrong thinking, but the idea of the story is awesome!
(See the picture and link below for further info.)
Why am I telling you this?
I want to encourage you this year to think on Christ, and who He is as God. When we think about Christmas, sometimes we can focus on other things besides Christ, or we can focus on Jesus Christ Himself, but in a warm, fuzzy way that’s completely separated from the Messiah who came to die for the sins of His people.
So, please remember this Christmas season (and always) that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, that He is eternal, He always existed, and He always will exist.
Be thankful that, if you have truly turned from your sins and trusted in Christ alone as your substitute, you have passed from a lying, blasphemous person deserving of eternal punishment, to one who is called righteous through the blood of Christ.
Hope you had a great Christmas, have a Christ-centered New Year!!
…there lived a man, a gruff, passionate man who was incredibly zealous for the sound doctrine of the Christian faith…
…he made his way into the Council, the Council of Nicaea to be exact, listening to the lively debate going on…
”The Word”, one stated in error, “did not exist, in the beginning…”
The gruff man lifted his heavy head, anger coursing through his veins…
…with a fist of rage, he started towards the heretic, striking him with a terrible blow…”
(to be continued)
On that note (I’ll explain more later), hope you had a great Christmas!!
Our Christmas was very nice. We were able to have great fellowship with church people, and we were able to make it to some great Christmas Eve services!!
The teaching in the tribe is going really well! The Do tribe has learned about the character of God, who He is, as revealed in the Scriptures. It seems they have also understood how they don’t measure up to the standards of God’s Law, so much that they need a Messiah, and now they are starting to understand the good news of Jesus Christ! Please continue to pray for the Do people, and for their hearts to be softened to hear the precious truth of the Gospel!!
Here's the link again:
Do Update Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT1Z97BASs4
As for our lives, we have some exciting things going on too!!
Greek is still going great! We are taking a little break for Christmas, and then we will be back at it in January.
I’ve been doing some tutoring during the month of December, for an adorable little girl! She is so awesome to work with! The job has been such a blessing from God!!
ALSO, we made it out to California again! Whoo!! That was SO much fun!!
We were able to share the Gospel with Living Waters, Ray Comfort specifically, and then, we found out that it was his birthday!
They were filming a pro-life documentary, so we were able to watch them make part of the movie right on the beach!
ALSO, before I forget, you HAVE to see this certain video they filmed awhile ago!! We got to go to the location of one of the scenes in it and give tracts to the people that were there! It was SO cool to hand out cards that had information about the movie on them, and to be able to tell people that that movie was filmed there! Please see the pictures below for more details.
It was awesome to be able to spend time with Ray and to share the Gospel alongside such a solid, amazing ministry.
Another exciting thing about the trip is that my friend Renee was able to come too!! She was in the area to continue in her missionary training, and I’m SO thankful she could come with Daniel and I to California!
She had never been before, so it was exciting for her to see Ray Comfort, to share the Gospel on Huntington Beach, and to go to John MacArthur’s church on Sunday!
So thankful for her as a friend and sister in Christ!! Praying we will be life-long friends and partners in the work of the Gospel!
After California, we had a few more exciting things happen before Christmas.
FLASH MOB!!
What?
What am I talking about?
So…our plan was to have a flash mob…
…and we didn’t really expect to have people join us because we’re weird and crazy, BUT…a family from our church did show up, and it was a REALLY cool evangelism experience, way better than I thought it would go!
You HAVE to see this short Living Waters video on flash mobs around the world. This movie is what gave us the idea to have ours.
Here’s the link:
Christmas Gone Viral:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDMoqL_Qkc
Our experience at the mall for the flash mob was SO awesome! We did end up singing (please watch the video if you’re confused), and having some people join in too! BUT, the BEST part was, we were able to hand out a ton of tracts, and they were really cool ones, too!
They were GIANT $100 bills with the lyrics to Amazing Grace and the Gospel on the back!! I have a picture of Daniel handing them out below. 😊
ANOTHER exciting thing that happened…REALLY exciting…is that we OFFICIALLY became members of Grace Bible Church!!
Please see this link:
GBC Membership Sunday:
https://www.gbcaz.org/sermon/church-membership-12-13-20/
The last thing I want to share is that we were able to have a great conversation at the park the other day.
Here’s what happened:
Daniel asked me if I wanted to go to a new park (one we had never been to before), and I was super excited!
So, we went to the park, and it seemed pretty dead, not many people to talk to, but then, I found someone!
Long story short, this woman was incredibly open to the things of God, and she seemed to understand her need of a Savior because of her sin! She said that the Gospel really made sense for the first time through our conversation! Being Hispanic, she said she had been going to a Catholic church that was in Spanish, and so she understood bits and pieces of what was said, but she didn’t really understand the true Gospel and its serious implications for her life.
At the end of the conversation, she asked me for more information, so we exchanged numbers, and we have been talking since then! Please pray that she makes it to church with us!
YAY!
I could go on and on about stuff, but you probably want to understand how I started this blog, right?
Or did you get distracted by something I said and forget about it?
Well…in either case, here it is!!
To put a long, awesome story short, the guy who the world calls Santa, or at least the idea of him, was actually a hero of the faith!
St. Nicolas of Myra punched Arius, a famous heretic, in the face, at the Council of Nicaea because of his false doctrine of Christ. We’re not sure of the exact details, and I certainly don’t condone punching people who have wrong thinking, but the idea of the story is awesome!
(See the picture and link below for further info.)
Why am I telling you this?
I want to encourage you this year to think on Christ, and who He is as God. When we think about Christmas, sometimes we can focus on other things besides Christ, or we can focus on Jesus Christ Himself, but in a warm, fuzzy way that’s completely separated from the Messiah who came to die for the sins of His people.
So, please remember this Christmas season (and always) that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, that He is eternal, He always existed, and He always will exist.
Be thankful that, if you have truly turned from your sins and trusted in Christ alone as your substitute, you have passed from a lying, blasphemous person deserving of eternal punishment, to one who is called righteous through the blood of Christ.
Hope you had a great Christmas, have a Christ-centered New Year!!
Merry Christmas!
At MacArthur's church in California!!
Daniel handing out Todd Friel's booklets at a Christmas event in the Phoenix area.
Daniel, Renee and I in front of the Bible Wall at Grace Bible! More info to come on it soon! It's going to look SO cool!!
Visiting with Ray Comfort on Huntington Beach in LA!!
Due to California's laws on corona...this is the future backdrop of the Living Waters TV show - the Way of the Master!
Ray Comfort and Mark Spence filming for a pro-life documentary under the Pier.
Ray setting up the microphone for a YouTube evangelism encounter!
A guy on Huntington Beach making GIANT bubbles!
A great analogy for life!
Life is like a bubble: it's full of hot air and will pop at any moment unexpectedly!
Make sure you're in the world, but not of it!
The Hollywood sign, and someone holding up a "Jesus" sign under it...
Daniel, Renee and I at John MacArthur's church: Grace Community!!
Visiting a restaurant where a scene from Rays movie, Audacity, was shot. We were able to give Gospel tracts there! So cool!!
The Living Waters film: Audacity!!
Watch it for free here:
Audacity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbPu2rtmDbY
Daniel handing out Gospel tracts for the Flash Mob!!
Merry Christmas!!
Wondering where this picture is from?
See Kirk Cameron's Christmas movie on YouTube here (and get the whole story on St. Nicolas...)
Saving Christmas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-WOjJpYuRE
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Interested in donating?
https://www.finisterrevision.org/donate/
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Jokingly, because of the way the sun looks on the picture, we call this Daniel's "funeral picture". You could die at any moment. Repent and trust in Christ alone.
Authors
Daniel and Sarah Bruce are missionaries in training to Papua New Guinea. Daniel is from Australia and Sarah is from Detroit, MI. They reside in Phoenix, AZ, where they are members at Grace Bible Church in Tempe, AZ.
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