December 13. No rain last night, but turned cold and rainy late this afternoon. Has been quite chilly this evening. The Lord sent water through the pipes again this morning so Daddy refilled the tub and the drum in the house. The rain refilled the drum outside this afternoon. Thank you, Lord.
Was very grateful for a good night’s sleep last night. Did not wake up until 4:40 this morning.
Manila did well in school today. I started reviewing him on questions from all the Bible lessons we have had since the beginning of the school year. There are 234 questions all together. I covered about a third of them today, and was amazed how much he remembered. He only got two wrong out of those. Will continue with the questions tomorrow. In Owena class, I let him choose 25 spelling cards (face down) of all the spelling words for the year. Then I took the cards and called the words for him to spell. He got them all right.
Max was here for Bible school today. Luke and Devit came after that. Luke came late because he thought their flour would be on the plane that came today. Kelly came in on the plane. And a load of cargo for Nuanda — store goods. But no flour for Luke. Devit and Luke stayed a long time and talked. The lesson in Acts 19 sparked a lot of thinking about things in their own culture that need to change. We are glad to see how the Scriptures are beginning to change some of their thinking. We just pray that the Scriptures will take root in their hearts and change their hearts as well. Daddy learned that Solomon, Philemon, and Timothy are in Lae, making a music CD at a studio. Their fathers and other relatives collected money for them to get the CD made. They expect to get it back plus more after the CD sells. They said something about preparing for the coming drought of 2012. Please be in prayer as it is only 2011, and they are already in severe drought.
After nap today, I made sure everything was ready for school tomorrow. Then I worked on some Bible study notes relating to some of the things that have been going on. Worked more on that this evening.
“8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy…. 11For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him…. 17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Psalmn 103:8,11,17,18
December 14. .4” rain yesterday. Raining lightly this evening.
Gibson and his kids finished the roof on the woodshed this morning. Wan is still pretty sick. Gibson said yesterday that he was sick with malaria when he walked to Aivonti and back in the hot sun last week. He got really sick after he got back.
Some hollering going on last night and again this morning. Jevin said that people have been stealing coffee from his garden.
"I am crucified with Christ." Galatians 2:20 The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what He did as a great public representative person, and His dying upon the cross was the virtual dying of all His people. Then all His saints rendered unto justice what was due, and made an expiation to divine vengeance for all their sins. The apostle of the Gentiles delighted to think that as one of Christ's chosen people, he died upon the cross in Christ. He did more than believe this doctrinally, he accepted it confidently, resting his hope upon it. He believed that by virtue of Christ's death, he had satisfied divine justice, and found reconciliation with God. Beloved, what a blessed thing it is when the soul can, as it were, stretch itself upon the cross of Christ, and feel, "I am dead; the law has slain me, and I am therefore free from its power, because in my Surety I have borne the curse, and in the person of my Substitute the whole that the law could do, by way of condemnation, has been executed upon me, for I am crucified with Christ."
But Paul meant even more than this. He not only believed in Christ's death, and trusted in it, but he actually felt its power in himself in causing the crucifixion of his old corrupt nature. When he saw the pleasures of sin, he said, "I cannot enjoy these: I am dead to them." Such is the experience of every true Christian. Having received Christ, he is to this world as one who is utterly dead. Yet, while conscious of death to the world, he can, at the same time, exclaim with the apostle, "Nevertheless I live." He is fully alive unto God. The Christian's life is a matchless riddle. No worldling can comprehend it; even the believer himself cannot understand it. Dead, yet alive! crucified with Christ, and yet at the same time risen with Christ in newness of life! Union with the suffering, bleeding Saviour, and death to the world and sin, are soul-cheering things. O for more enjoyment of them! —Morning and Evening
“1Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty…. 24O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches…. 31The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works…. 33I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” Psalm 104:1, 24, 31, 33,34
December 15. 1/2” rain last night. A little bit of sunshine this morning, but mostly cloudy and cool this afternoon. More rain.
Daddy continued preaching on the family in lotu this morning — 1 Corinthians 11:3, the order of authority. Devit took charge of the singing and prayer time.
In school, I had Manila practice all the verses — Owena and English — that he will be saying on Friday, and we sang them all too. Then I finished asking the rest of the Bible questions that covered all the lessons we had had since the beginning of the year. He only missed 7 out of the 234 questions, so I was quite pleased. He even remember in order the nine plagues that God sent upon Egypt before the final plague and the Passover. I gave him a little book about God as a prize.
Manila also finished up his math book today. So tomorrow we will just do more practice for Friday, finish up English, and finish up his project for his dad.
This afternoon, Ruth came to tell about her teacher’s training in Lae. We had heard that she was assigned to go somewhere else since no children had signed up for school. But she said that they don’t assign her. She gets to choose for herself. If she wants to take over the school we started, she can put it under CIS if she wants to. She said that the families whose kids were in this school before want them to come finish. So we’ll have to see what can be worked out. I took her over and showed her the schoolroom. She said she hadn’t seen it before. Showed her some of the materials we had been using as well.
"Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her." Ruth 1:14 Both of them had an affection for Naomi, and therefore set out with her upon her return to the land of Judah. But the hour of test came; Naomi most unselfishly set before each of them the trials which awaited them, and bade them if they cared for ease and comfort to return to their Moabitish friends. At first both of them declared that they would cast in their lot with the Lord's people; but upon still further consideration Orpah with much grief and a respectful kiss left her mother in law, and her people, and her God, and went back to her idolatrous friends, while Ruth with all her heart gave herself up to the God of her mother in law. It is one thing to love the ways of the Lord when all is fair, and quite another to cleave to them under all discouragements and difficulties. The kiss of outward profession is very cheap and easy, but the practical cleaving to the Lord, which must show itself in holy decision for truth and holiness, is not so small a matter. How stands the case with us, is our heart fixed upon Jesus, is the sacrifice bound with cords to the horns of the altar? Have we counted the cost, and are we solemnly ready to suffer all worldly loss for the Master's sake? The after gain will be an abundant recompense, for Egypt's treasures are not to be compared with the glory to be revealed. Orpah is heard of no more; in glorious ease and idolatrous pleasure her life melts into the gloom of death; but Ruth lives in history and in heaven, for grace has placed her in the noble line whence sprung the King of kings. Blessed among women shall those be who for Christ's sake can renounce all; but forgotten and worse than forgotten shall those be who in the hour of temptation do violence to conscience and turn back unto the world. O that this morning we may not be content with the form of devotion, which may be no better than Orpah's kiss, but may the Holy Spirit work in us a cleaving of our whole heart to our Lord Jesus. —Morning and Evening
“1O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 4Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” Psalm 105:1-4