This will be a much different post today on Radiant Hope. But I am confident you will be blessed as you read and listen to what is included.
Almost 11 years have passed since I first met David and Emily Rimestad. They were just beginning to raise support to go to a jungle area in a remote part of Papa New Guinea, with the goal of one day planting a church. They were making plans to spend a large portion of their adult life with a tribal people who had never heard the gospel, and who had no access to the gospel, unless missionaries would go to them.
Jan and I immediately felt God prompting us to help support them, prayerfully and financially. Much has happened in their journey over this past decade, but one thing has been evident the entire time—God’s faithfulness in lovingly and powerfully providing for the Rimestads and their partners.
I received an update from David and Emily this week, including a couple of audio transcripts of an interview they gave on a podcast. Please, please, please read the update and listen to both parts of their interview. I was so blessed and moved to joy-filled tears as I listened to them recount their experiences with the Maliyali people in Papua New Guinea. I was so encouraged as I heard them share how God worked mightily in their midst, to use their team to eventually present the gospel to this isolated tribe.
Due to serious health issues, the Rimestads had to leave Papua New Guinea, but the work continues with their partners, the Earls and the Muellers. David and Emily have taken on a new role in missions, which they discuss in the newsletter I am sharing with you all today.
*****Chad and Martha, you were there, up close and personal, walking hand in hand with the Rimestads and the Muellers. Please feel free to add anything you want in the comments.
The following is the update from David and Emily Rimestad:
“If He wills, we are doing this!"
“13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13–17).
If you are in a state of “where is the time going?” you are in good company! We ask ourselves this weekly. “Where is the time going? Is it just us or does time seem to be flying by!?” And if you are like us, you can hear James’ words above and agree, "Indeed it's true our life is a mist." His words are so true and ever presently revealing the lack of breadth we actually have from birth to death. What is our tomorrow? For we know it not. This shouldn’t move us into a more stressed out, daily frustrated routine of living but this reality of life should move us to joyfully say, “If He wills!” as we make our plans.
According to James it is true, our life appears for a little while just like the mist of a morning before the dawning of the sun in all its fullness. And because that is true of our life’s reality, then it is indeed out of pure arrogance to say we will do such and such without any regard to the One who is actually in charge of all things. So James says, do not go about your life just assuming your plans but trust the Lord with all your business. If He so desires, according to His infinite and triumphant will, to allow your prepared plans to come to fruition, then no one and nothing in heaven or on earth can stop Him. For if man casts the lot but the decision is the LORD’s (Prv16:33) then lets make some crazy ambitious plans knowing full well it's the LORD’s decision. It is His plans and purposes which are for His glory and our joy.
--- One last non-negotiable left ---
Before we ever stepped foot overseas or even decided to actually pursue being missionaries we sat down and made a blueprint of what that life would look like if we decided to go that route. We called them the five non negotiables. If we were to be able to go overseas, Lord willing, we desired to — (#1) Go to an unengaged people group. (#2) We desired to make sure Bible translation was a part of our church planting efforts. (#3) We desired to give ourselves to a task and not a time frame. (#4) We desired if at all possible to continue to personally raise support for the work. And lastly (#5) we had a high desire to be a catalyst for the next generation to be ready to go as well.
If the Lord willed, this is what we desired. Friends, did He not meet us there and do far more abundantly than what we dreamed of or anything we all could have imagined? He did. We boast in Him and Him alone. He willed and worked, showed up and ultimately as we like to say, 'He showed off.'
The Lord was so good in that He allowed not only the Rimestads but you all also who have been faithfully praying and financially giving to be a part of all five of those "planned desires." Through the graciousness of His will, He accomplished all of them to the extent He desired. And that was our God given task. He gave us that much, no more and nothing less. And we are confident that He is not done with this season of ministry because we have one more desire, one more non-negotiable left to apply all our efforts to — (#5) to be a catalyst for the next generation to go. The work in Maliyali isn’t done, praise be to the God who actually cares of His people. The team is full steam ahead and the church there is maturing. So as the team in Maliyali continues, our role stateside is just beginning. To be a catalyst for the next generation to go by assisting the Church to make His Mission our priority and the training for all goers a non-negotiable in the context of their local church.
By God’s will and work in our hearts 12 years ago now, our blueprint didn’t just stop with working among the Maliyali. We have always said it's necessary for people to go but its imperative that the next generation is well prepared and diligently taught so that when the time comes for them to make the decision to go and their congregation comes along to send them, everyone is ready. If He wills, this is our primary business for the foreseeable future.
Emily and I are convinced God is doing what He said He would do. Therefore we are motivated in continuing to join Him in His mission and we are committed to leveraging all gifts and resources we have to see His mission accomplished in our lifetime.
--- Understanding our New Role in the State of CA ---
Our new role as California Representatives for Ethnos360 officially started in January of this last year! While we were traveling and speaking prior to this, things have definitely ramped up and the Lord has shown us much favor with providing ample opportunity to share. It is now our full time job as mobilizers to encourage and spur on this next generation to go and to bring the Gospel to those who haven't heard yet. This is a large task but it carries with it the potential for a powerful impact. We know that just 13 years ago we were sitting in a college conference hearing the previous mobilizer for Ethnos360 speak and it was there that the Lord gave us a desire to go specifically to a tribal location. Now our deepest prayer is that we too can be a part in seeing more missionaries go and more church members sending!
A great deal of our time is spent traveling speaking at college bible studies, summer camps, missionary training centers, small events and conferences. While this alone takes up the majority of our time, we see this as just one piece of the work that needs to happen. We believe the majority of the work consists within the Church and among her Overseers and Shephards. One of the problems the Church in the west faces regarding sending well-trained goers will continue to happen until the Church stands up and declares, "this is our job, not someone else’s.” Our desire is to see a generational shift in the Church toward His Mission. We do not merely want a momentary shift in our efforts towards His Mission but we want to help assist the local church in understanding missions as a whole and give them the tools and resources they need to grow deeper in their understanding of God’s mission. If the Lord wills, we can see some major change not just in this generation but for all future generations, for as long as the Lord tarries. Lets pray to that end!
Some dear friends of ours hosted Emily and I for a two part / 2 hr conversation on their podcast talking all things Maliyali. Crazy enough, we all felt like we were just scratching the surface. For part 1 & 2, click the links below:
Again, I encourage you to take the time this week to listen to both parts of the interview. If you have any passion for the lost, especially those who have no churches or gospel witness available to them, then you will be moved by listening to to this interview. May God increase your hope as you listen to how He worked and is still working mightily through the sacrificial ministry of these missionaries, in a remote part of this world.
Frank, this is so incredible. It brings the work of our missionaries into focus. It is so hard to even imagine what they do, but these interviews brought their work out of the abstract into reality. The work they do is so incredible. And, one of the most difficult actions, for me at least is to WAIT. And, yet these people had to wait years to hear about Jesus. And, they didn't give up. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the missionaries to have to keep saying, 'Wait". But, now, their work in the blessed harvest is showing fruit. They make me ashamed of my weakness; and, make me want to strive even harder to obtain the faith they have after their long wait. I am praying for the people there , as well as the missionaries. I am so thankful for their willingness to work hard and, their sacrifice,. They are very special people.
So good. Looking forward to listening to the audio discussions.