Gary and Esther Smith moved out of the Dinangat tribe in Papua New Guinea several years ago and are now serving in support roles. However, they still go into Dinangat as much as possible. It has been almost two years since their last visit because of Esther’s health and a nine-month home assignment. But they made it in this month, and it was well worth it!
God even gave Esther enough strength to join in the ladies’ meetings. She was very encouraged by their sincere hearts and desire to follow the Lord. They usually go over the portion of Scripture that was preached on Sunday mornings. It’s not all the ladies in the village but a good amount especially for a small group setting.
Gary had the joy of doing some comprehension checking of portions of Luke that their co-worker Jeremiah translated. He also had many occasions to interact with people, who just wanted to talk about what the Lord has been teaching them! He had the privilege of preaching on the Sunday that they were there. It was so encouraging! In Dinangat culture when they start talking to each other in the middle of the message it means that something significant has spoken to them. Gary could tell that God had spoken to their hearts because there were a couple times that he had to just stop talking because they were processing the points with each other.
While talking with some of the Bible teachers, Gary was surprised when he asked them about the former outreach church group; they said, “It’s going really well. Oh, and by the way, they are doing an outreach.” They had seen the need and gone for it. However, please continue to pray for the main village that is still not open to the Gospel.