Giving our lives for our brothers and sisters?
This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives
for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16
Dear brothers and sisters, it's a joy to write to you and share how things are going here.
When we returned last September, we were amazed once again to see how God answered prayers, moved hearts, and confirmed that He was the one bringing us back to continue serving among the Nakanai people. It's always a delight, and probably a necessity, to know that it's God's will for us to be here. These details are tangible evidence that strengthen us in difficult times. Some of you contributed in special ways to meet our needs, packed us with hugs and kisses, and sent us off with the blessing of your prayers. We truly rejoice in the beautiful body of Christ, and we consider ourselves privileged to be an extension of it where we serve.
It only took us a little over a week to get here... whew!
Now, we'd love to tell you that everything is progressing smoothly without obstacles. That's probably the divine perspective, but down here things look different. We're definitely in a hostile environment where little of what we do is appreciated or valued. We've used up our supply of hugs you sent with us, and at times we've felt lonely and discouraged. The battle for joy is certainly one of the toughest we face on the field. Sometimes we win it, other times we find ourselves staring at our suitcases. No, we haven't reached perfection yet, as Paul said so well; however, God's grace and mercy have abounded and sustained us through it all. That's why we keep pressing on toward the goal.
View from the Ground
Although the work among the Nakanai began over 15 years ago, there still isn't a mature church functioning autonomously with its own leaders, pastors, and teachers. Instead, it's a mission that largely depends on the care and direction of missionaries. That's why one of our most important objectives is to disciple and train believers so they can continue the work of caring for and shepherding the church and proclaiming the gospel to others.
This is Mama Philly, one of the first Nakanai believers.
One of the things that brings us the most joy is teaching children God's Word. Every Sunday, God sends us between 30 and 50 children. God has allowed Claudia to train a Nakanai believer named Darline to teach, and we're praying that He will put the desire to serve in this area in more hearts. Each week, the two of them meet to study. Although the classes are for children, we want Darline to learn to draw teaching directly from the Bible rather than depend on pre-designed lessons—to be able to discern errors and find truths. She's been an excellent student, and God is using her to bless others in many ways. Given the number of children and the age differences, we've decided to split them into two classes. The goal is for the Nakanai church to be in charge of teaching their own children, but there aren't any more hands raised to serve yet.
Darline is on the left. We finished from Genesis through Acts and started over again.
Isaac has been working with the men. He meets with six of them during the week to study what will be taught each Sunday and to address church matters. They're currently studying and sharing from the book of Acts. These men are in training to feed, care for, serve, and lead the church. Besides a general study, Isaac has the opportunity to meet individually with some of them several times a week, teaching them how to study the Word. This is a vital task for the progress of the work.
Another responsibility that falls on this group is resolving conflicts that arise in the church. This is a delicate issue since it requires a deep understanding of the culture to help them discern what God's Word teaches, which can sometimes be countercultural. Church discipline is a topic they know little or nothing about, and it hasn't been implemented. There are very sad cases of people who attend church meetings but whose behavior looks nothing like that of a follower of Jesus. Unfortunately, this has contributed to some people not wanting to hear the gospel. We need much wisdom and grace to teach the men to serve and lead in this area.
This is Bosco, one of the six men. Teaching in Tok Pisin, the national language, adds another layer of difficulty.
Sadly, the Nakanai church is distinguished by its lack of love for one another, and in this case, the women are leading the way. God has given women the important role of being the glue that binds families and creates an atmosphere of harmony, love, and care—which this church lacks. A constant complaint we hear among them is that they don't trust each other. There's constant criticism, rumors, and complaints. This also causes none of them to want to serve in the church for fear of disapproval from others. It's a very unfortunate situation.
Claudia has tried to gather some women for discipleship, but only three have been consistent. With them, she's started a study focused on teaching them from the Word about the importance of loving one another and how this is undeniable evidence that we are disciples of Christ. The ultimate goal is to equip them to teach and disciple others. The task, far from being easy, has been full of obstacles. Even in this small group of three, there's no love and trust between them. The women would still much prefer Claudia to teach everyone else instead of them—it would save them from being criticized or judged by others, plus it would save them the workload. But doing the work for them, far from helping, would hinder their growth, as has happened until now.
Florence, on the right, is one of the three women who meet with Claudia. She's Bosco's wife and makes delicious flour tortillas. On the left is her daughter, Jaira.
We constantly remind ourselves that this task the Lord has placed in our hands will ultimately be completed not by our effort, which would never be sufficient, but by His promise to finish the work He has begun in each of His children. The Nakanai believers belong to the Lord, yet after understanding they've been saved by grace through Christ's work, they've understood little about how to live the Christian life, or as Paul puts it, to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
The Nakanai church.
There's something else that keeps us busy and has caused us stress—learning the Nakanai language—which we ask you to pray about. But that topic, along with its advantages and disadvantages, will have to wait for another letter.
'Copra' is one of the most important economic activities in the region. It consists of drying coconut meat and selling it by the kilogram. We started learning Nakanai with the parts of the coconut. "Ale la liu" means "this coconut.
Finally, we don't want to say goodbye without thanking you and mentioning how important your prayers are. In everything and for everything, we depend on and need God's grace to serve others and reflect Christ. The work is His, and as His workers, prayer is the means of grace the Lord has provided for us to cry out to Him and see Him do what we cannot. We testify that the Lord has worked and answered many of your prayers, though we're certainly not aware of many others. One day we'll see that nothing we did for His glory was in vain. Thank you for sustaining us with your prayers. We also pray constantly for you, our beloved brothers and sisters in the faith.
We send you greetings with much love from an island in Papua New Guinea.
Prayer Requests
Please pray for the discipleship work we're doing among the Nakanai, that the Lord would produce fruit in their lives and ours.
Pray for the constant battle we have for joy, that we would learn to win it.
Pray that God would raise up pastors, deacons, and teachers from among them.
Pray that God would help us (and them) to live in a manner worthy of the gospel—to be humble, to forgive one another, to love one another, to have a servant's mindset.
Pray for the children, that they would understand and believe the truths shared with them each Sunday. Pray for Darline and Claudia who are the teachers.
Pray for Isaac, that the Lord would use him to disciple and encourage the men to participate in God's work.
Pray that God would give us the mind and strength to learn the Nakanai language and culture.
Pray for our children, that they would know and love the Lord with all their strength. That the Lord would continue working in them and transforming them for His glory.
We're Thankful For:
Hot water for showers
The rain God has sent to fill our water tank
Broccoli, cauliflower, and masa flour that came from far away—truly exotic food around here!
School supplies for Jacob and Emma
God strengthening our marriage
You—who pray, give, and keep up with us
Thank you for serving alongside us!
For His mercy and for His glory,
Isaac, Claudia, Jacob, and Emma Hernández
Witnesses of a living God in Papua New Guinea
If you missed our latest video on our YouTube channel, you can watch it here.
