Back from the Bush! Thank you for your prayers!

Since so many things happened during our time these past 3 weeks, we will share several small blogs versus one or two larger blogs, so be prepared for some emails this week and next week.

First of all, thank you all for your prayers! Seth hiked to several villages, drank and ate with the people, and did not get hurt or sick, truly a testimony to God’s grace and your prayers. Seth did lose 7lbs but that is due to the rice 3xs a day and hike-for-hours diet. There is a new diet plan for ya!

We have many things to share with you about: Seth’s trips/outreaches, teaching phase 1, our involvement in the local church here in town, and our time with the people.

We will share about the outreaches in this blog. Seth went on two outreaches during his time up in the bush. The first outreach Seth went with Jeremy, and 16 other men and youth. It was a good time of fellowship, fun, and focusing on the conversation not so much on the hiking J. They hiked 11 hours one day and crossed the river over 50 times to get to one village, spent the night there and preached a morning and mid day service, followed by a 4.5 hour hike to another village to preach again that night, spent the night there, and then headed back on their 8 hour hike back to the main village. They hiked about 24 hours in less than 55 hours.

The Outreach Group

Pastor Gabby, Jeremy, Seth

Hiking The Trail

Seth preached several times and shared devotions with the men and youth daily. It was a great time of fellowship which was filled with constant Godly conversation, talking about the Word, life, and even discipling some of the young men along the way. It was a real bonding experience for the men, the youth will think about the trip for a long time. Seth knew that the focus of the trip was to encourage existing young churches, so he brought intentional applicable encouraging messages to challenge the churches to press on to unity and glorify God. The devotions focused on disciple-making, prayer, and perseverance. The churches were super encouraged seeing that they have not had a visitor in over a year, they were feeling forgotten, but God used our visit to bless and encourage them. We met one man named Jonas in town a month ago, he is the pastor of the church on top of the mountain the men climbed, and Seth told him he would come visit him, 4 weeks later he did. When Jonas met Seth, Jeremy, and the others on top of the mountain he said “I never thought you would come, but now I know you will keep your word… even to climb a mountain to do so…” after which he gave us a big hug and a giant smile. The other village also said similar things seeing as they have not had a visitor or heard from another church in almost a year. The question God pressed on our hearts as we walked to each place, “how far would you go to encourage someone?”. We literally climbed mountains, hiked for days, arrived tired, with the sole purpose to encourage these men in their faith, and by God’s grace alone we were able to do that.

Seth Preaching

On the second outreach, only 12 of us went and Seth was the only ex-pat/white person to go on that trip, they only hiked 6 hours each way this time. After experiencing the first trip he was ready with devotions and messages to preach. But God always works things out to make us depend on Him. We went to the village, where only one family is saved and is suffering opposition from the existing religion. Once again God used this time to disciple the young men who went on the trip (future pastors/missionaries), and encourage the more mature Christians and the one family at the village. Once again we see God asking us “how far will you go to encourage another?”. We went to the village and conducted a service for the one family who has no access to a church, and started to build bridges with the chief of that village with hopes to one day come back and do phase teaching, and see more people in that village come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Arriving at a Village

We were able to encourage 3 villages and remind them we are here for them, disciple many youth along the way, encourage local believers, and make relations to one day do full phase teaching in other villages. We were able to make many connections and impact several villages, God completely blessed our time on the outreaches. Thank you for your partnership and prayers, we pray that there is fruit added to your account from these outreaches.

Your feet to the unreached,

Seth & Nicole Stokes

*Phase teaching is a reference to Creation to Christ, Firm Foundations. There are several courses, 1: Creation to Christ, 2: Security of the believer, 3: Acts/the work of the Church, and to some up the rest we will call it phase 4: New Testament Principles taught through the New Testament especially in the Epistles.

*The team that served on the outreaches were a part of the local church in Big Bay, as well Jeremy Pinero from CSL/Reach Vanuatu, and some of the youth 17-26yr old men from the Church in town.