Had God Forgotten Them?
God Remembered Them
Brian and Kelly Helmuth minister in Papua New Guinea with Ethnos360 Aviation.
Lying on Kelly’s lap was a small Menyan child fast asleep. This child was among the first generation of Menyans to have parents who were believers. The moment was surreal for Kelly as that thought lingered in her mind. Even though the Menyan people group is in a very remote location, God had not forgotten them.
Kelly describes the Menyan people as “people that God has redeemed. … A people overlooked by mankind, but not by their Creator. A people who now are a part of a new family that God is creating in Christ Jesus.”
Gabi's Realization
After the day’s teaching, Kelly was able to pray and fellowship with a small group of Menyan women. Gabi, one of the ladies from the group, expressed her anger at the teaching when she first heard that her works were not enough to save her. She was a good person, so she should be accepted by God! Despite her anger, she kept going back to the teaching. When Gabi finally understood she needed a transformation from the inside out, she realized the futility of her works. She wasn’t angry anymore; instead, “joy radiated from her face as she described the salvation of Jesus and becoming God’s child.”
The Edge of the Church Extends Further
Already, the Menyans have seen God at work in their every-day living. They are confident in the Holy Spirit’s ability to grow them in their spiritual walks. These moments have been long awaited by the team in Menya after years of preparing to teach the gospel.
“It was so familiar and something you might experience in your own church and yet the context made it so much more poignant. To see the salvation of the Lord reach the ends of the earth. To see Him redeeming a people from every tribe, tongue and nation. The gospel isn’t specific to a culture or language. It is God’s redemption of mankind, and it knows no bounds.”
Pray for the Menya church.