Join us for PART 2 of our incredible conversation with David and Emily Rimestad.
Embarking on a mission to an unfamiliar land comes with its share of trepidation and thrill. Imagine the awe as my guests, David and Emily, along with their family, were enveloped by the open arms of the Maliyali people amidst the untamed beauty of Papua New Guinea. Their voices, rich with emotion, recount the tale of building not just homes, but bonds, and the fascinating dance of learning a new language to share the deepest parts of their faith.
As the Maliyali's avid curiosity for the Gospel grew, so did the intimacy of our conversations, reaching into the soul of a culture untouched by our modern-world narratives. The poignancy of their spiritual hunger, as shared by Emily, is a poignant reminder of the universal quest for divine connection. Their journey, peppered with challenges and triumphs, encapsulates a story that's far more than the sum of its parts—illustrating the resilience of the human spirit and the relentless pursuit of purpose.
In closing, we bear witness to an incredible transformation—a community, once isolated by geography and culture, now united in fellowship through faith. The Maliyali's declarations of belief, interwoven with David and Emily's reflections, are a powerful testament to the enduring impact of dedication and love. This episode isn't merely a narrative; it's an invitation to explore the profound ways in which faith transcends barriers and touches the very essence of humanity. Join us as we celebrate the light of hope that glimmered within the hearts of the Maliyali and the unwavering spirit of those who journeyed to bring it forth.
Follow @unreachedpodcast on Instagram for more!
Join us for PART 2 of our incredible conversation with David and Emily Rimestad.
Embarking on a mission to an unfamiliar land comes with its share of trepidation and thrill. Imagine the awe as my guests, David and Emily, along with their family, were enveloped by the open arms of the Maliyali people amidst the untamed beauty of Papua New Guinea. Their voices, rich with emotion, recount the tale of building not just homes, but bonds, and the fascinating dance of learning a new language to share the deepest parts of their faith.
As the Maliyali's avid curiosity for the Gospel grew, so did the intimacy of our conversations, reaching into the soul of a culture untouched by our modern-world narratives. The poignancy of their spiritual hunger, as shared by Emily, is a poignant reminder of the universal quest for divine connection. Their journey, peppered with challenges and triumphs, encapsulates a story that's far more than the sum of its parts—illustrating the resilience of the human spirit and the relentless pursuit of purpose.
In closing, we bear witness to an incredible transformation—a community, once isolated by geography and culture, now united in fellowship through faith. The Maliyali's declarations of belief, interwoven with David and Emily's reflections, are a powerful testament to the enduring impact of dedication and love. This episode isn't merely a narrative; it's an invitation to explore the profound ways in which faith transcends barriers and touches the very essence of humanity. Join us as we celebrate the light of hope that glimmered within the hearts of the Maliyali and the unwavering spirit of those who journeyed to bring it forth.
Follow @unreachedpodcast on Instagram for more!
In Revelation 7, john shares his vision of heaven with members from every tribe, tongue, people and language standing in the throne room before the Lamb. Yet today there are still over 7,000 unreached people groups around the world. For the last six years, my family and friends have been on a journey to find, vet and fund the task remaining. Come journey with us to the ends of the earth as we share the supernatural stories of God at work through the men and women he has called to reach the unreached. Hello friends, welcome back to the unreached podcast. Dustin Elliott here, your host, I've got Clint, I've got David and Emily Remstad back for the second part of this incredible story of going to Papua New Guinea and meeting and engaging with the Mali Ali people group.
Speaker 2:Guys, if you missed last episode, pause it, scroll back, go listen to it. It has to happen. You've got to listen to all of the things that God has done. Just a quick recap for those of you guys that did listen, just to remind you we got to hear their incredible story of being mobilized and actually going into an unengaged people group Not just an unreached people group, but an unengaged people group the Mali Ali people, who live in what pretty much anybody on the planet would consider the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 2:So, david, emily went into this place Emily was talking about. They flew in with the helicopter, with the kids. They landed, everybody opened their arms and hugged them, which was such a blessing to her. Just an incredible story, an incredible scene. But part of the scene that Emily left us on for our last episode was just dealing with the difficulties of the environment. There's bats, there's bugs, it's dark, it's hard. You were left with Emily sitting on the porch having the realization that this is a really, really difficult life that the Mali Ali people deal with. So, emily, pick us right back up and help us understand more of the story of God at work and the Mali Ali people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely so. Us wives and children spent about another week or two there in the tribe, living in the Bush houses with our husbands and continuing to build those relationships with the Mali Ali people. And then, at the end of that two week mark, the wives and children we flew out and the men stayed in to get to work on milling wood in order to build our houses so that we could live long term in Mali Ali.
Speaker 4:Once we get acquired just enough lumber in order to build our houses. Then we simultaneously worked with the Mali Ali people in order to build our houses and that was an absolute joy. Similarly, they had never held a hammer, they had never, obviously, driven a nail, they had never seen a chainsaw. I remember the first time that we brought out a chainsaw I had no idea what they were saying, but eventually we would learn. They were screaming it has teeth, it has teeth Run away from it. They were still petrified by chainsaws but eventually, over time, gradually, as we gave them just more responsibility with holding the chainsaw and placing it correctly, placing it on the sawmill and pushing it, they grew just to love the overall experience. They were no longer afraid of that raging teeth monster. And, obviously, the culmination of building our houses, it meant that we were able to start learning language officially.
Speaker 4:I remember stepping outside my house on that first day. We had woken up early, emily and I had our morning coffee and we had read our Bibles. We were prayed up and we were ready to walk outside the door and tackle the day. And I remember walking outside and the mist is rolling through where we live. The sun is starting to come up and I could hear in the distance someone sing out never we love you, whoa, never we love you, whoa. And I thought how in the world are we going to learn this language? And immediately I didn't even see the individual, but somebody had responded from a nearby ridge and they said I'll always you me, love you whoa. I'll always you me, love you, whoa.
Speaker 4:And I remember meeting with my coworker on that day of just the first day of learning language, and we were desperate for the Lord to move. We were so incredibly dependent on the Holy Spirit to show up. If he was the one who could put flaming tongues above the disciples heads, then he was the one who was going to make our mouths open. Let's go. And I was moved so that we could not only learn their language but understand it to the point of being able to share with them the greatest news that they will ever hear in the history of their time on that land.
Speaker 4:And so we not only had a privilege, but we were completely satisfied in knowing, dude, he's going to have to show up. And he not only showed up in faithfulness, but he showed off in magnitude. Those sounds that we were hearing eventually turned into letters and those letters turned into words and those words turned into phrases and those phrases turned to sentences. And over months and years, those sentences turned to paragraphs, which turned to stories. And inevitably we reached fluency in the language, not because we were ambitiously driving the train with reckless abandonment, but we were completely and wholly devoted to the Spirit doing his powerful work within us and we were so incredibly desperate and dependent on him in that season and he just showed up and he showed off and we were finally able to test out of the language.
Speaker 3:Remember. And so in the early days of learning language, david would about one or two days a week he would stay home and homeschool the kids so that I could get out and learn language too. And the first language session I ever went on was with my friend Otome. So Otome was one of the few women that could speak a little bit of Melanesian talk pigeon and so we had off to her garden and we're working in her garden Now. Their gardens are like on the side of the mountain and they're around the size of a football field, I mean, they're just huge. And so we get out there and I am going supposedly to be helping her pool weeds and her garden, and everything's just green. I don't know what a weed is and what a sweet potato is At this point. Everything is just green. And so she's trying to teach me what to pool and I'm pulling greens, I'm pulling baby papaya trees, and she's like no, no, no, no, no, you know, trying to tell me what to pull.
Speaker 1:and so we're Does no the word? Is she saying no, no?
Speaker 3:No no.
Speaker 4:They like shake their hand and shake their head.
Speaker 3:You very quickly know that. No, don't do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, got it, we got it.
Speaker 3:We're working out in the sun for a few hours and we're laughing. She's super gracious to me, man. The Molly Olly people are so gracious to us. We went in as learners, as babies, you know, trying to understand who they were. We didn't go in with just all this authority and speaking English, you know. We went in trying to be learners about their culture and their language and their way of life, and they saw us struggle, they saw us sweat, they saw us fall on the trails.
Speaker 4:Little eggs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they would compare us and say years later they would tell us that they thought we were little eggs and they just wanted to hold us because they knew if they let go of us we would break very quickly, oh my goodness. And so we said, yes, that is very true. And so it was so neat for them to see our humanity, you know. Anyways, we finished doing the gardening and we're sitting down under a tree and Automay says Emily, I need to ask you a question. Say, yeah, ask me any question, any question.
Speaker 3:And she said, okay, so there's this man that walks around Mali-Ali land and he says that he's God. Is he the one true God that you guys have come to tell us about? And I'm just like completely shocked, wondering if I'm hearing this correctly in pigeon and her broken pigeon and me trying to understand her. And so she says it again and I'm blown away that the first question I get asked on my first language session is about God. It's a spiritual question. But that is, I learned very quickly, very typical of Automay. She wants to, she wanted to know the gospel the entire time that we were there, always eager, and so I told her. I said Automay, I do know who's a one true God is, but we don't know your language well enough, and so you're just going to have to wait, and I promise you that we will tell you who's a one true God is, and one day you will know who he is.
Speaker 4:That's very wise. Very wise, I think, if you put a word to that season, something that we're saying over and over and over, it was weight. I remember, in the middle of kind of language learning, we knew enough to be able to talk, but we just didn't really know much in order to go into deep spiritual discussions yet. And I remember we were having some health issues and the helicopter was on the chopper pad, our bags were packed, we were all ready to go and my best friend and I are in the office and he looks at me and he knows that I'm about to leave and he just says hey, david, you know, could you just tell me the story that you've come to tell us? Can you just tell me what? It is just real fast. And I said oh, man, I'm so sorry, but I just can't. We're just not there in your language yet. And he says oh yeah, I know, I know, kind of hangs his head and he says Well, david, what happens if you leave and you don't come back? And I said man, we're for sure we're coming back, but even if we don't, you know, you're going to hear this message from the mouth of Nathan or Chad. You're going to hear this message from our coworkers if we don't return but we will we will come back.
Speaker 4:And then there's a silence. It is, it's counting, it's completely changes at this point. And then he finally asks his real question and he says David, if, if you go and I die before I hear this message, what's going to happen? And I just look at him right in the eyes and I say, man, I'm I'm so sorry, but you're just going to have to wait. And I remember breaking down in the helicopter as we eventually left the ground to go back to the States in order to get some health stuff done. But I remember we, we just couldn't. You know, they didn't have a word for love, they didn't have a word for gift, they didn't have a word to forgive. How do you begin to share the greatest story ever told without those necessary words? And so they were just waiting, waiting to know the truth about what God has written in his word.
Speaker 1:And I wonder how? What gave him the impetus to ask that question? He was contemplating his eternity. He was contemplating life after death. He was contemplating what he knew to be true and he trusted you to know something he didn't know. And they were welcoming you to share that story and all of you wanted to hit fast forward and nobody could push the fast forward button because it wasn't ready yet.
Speaker 1:It makes me think. I got to point this out almost a I need to repent of something. I keep thinking innately about unreached people, groups being behind hostile borders in places that don't want the gospel, and the story here is no, these people were begging for it, they were wanting it. They were, in their own way, praying for it for years. People were praying for y'all to get there for years. That is such a beautiful kindness and such a sweet, sweet thing to just sit in for a minute, thank you. I guess I just don't really ever consider that there, that that hunger is there and that thirst and that want is there. I think I just spend too much time thinking, and maybe it's because we are 1040 focused and we spend a lot of work in other parts of the world that do have hostility towards the gospel, but I love their welcomeness and waiting to get to the field is hard. I think waiting to deliver that message has to be a multiple harder right.
Speaker 4:It was excruciating for sure. And there's a principle to what you're saying, I think. When we look at Jesus' words in Matthew I'm pretty sure it's Matthew, chapter nine when he looks at the Samaritans that are coming and he says look, disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. I think we take that verse and we apply it to the overall holistic view of what's left in regards to the task that remains about unreached people, groups and engage. And I see, I think Jesus had a perspective that we need to have.
Speaker 4:We have a fixation on, like how many people are responding, or et cetera, but Jesus looked at it and said look, like the harvest. You don't understand what I see. And oh, by his grace, he gave us what he saw. He, john, sees it before his throne. Every nation, every tribe, every people, every language will surround the throne and worship the land. And I think Jesus is seeing this holistic view of men, no matter where you go, expect a harvest, and it's not quantified by numbers but just by disciples. It is sheep, and so if we go to one place with one disciple, it was absolutely worth it, absolutely worth it. But yeah, the big degree for the Maliyaali people is they are desperately wanting it, and that's why literacy was so incredibly amazing to begin.
Speaker 3:After we tested out of language, then, as a team, we started developing an orthography in order to teach the Maliyaali how to read and write in their language for the first time. After creating an orthography that was sound to symbol, then we began literacy classes, and I think the first literacy class had about 15 or 16 people in it. We finally had Maliyaali men and women that were able to read and write in their language for the first time. And I think one of the really cool things was at the end of the first graduation, we had a big celebration for the Maliyaali people. And Automay comes up to me, my friend who I was talking about earlier, and she comes up to me. She says, emily, come over here, I really need to talk to you. I say, yeah, sure, and so we go sit down behind the literacy house and she said, listen, okay, so you guys have learned our language. You know about us. You've learned a lot about us while you've been learning about our language, and then now you taught us how to read and write in our language. I just graduated from the literacy class. I know how to read and write in Maliyaali now. So when's the third thing coming? When are you going to put God's word in our language so that we can hear it. Man again, just that eagerness and desire to hear God's word. And I told her. I said Automate. Right now, david, nathan and Chad, they are working so hard in their offices to put God's word into your language. It is coming, it is coming, just keep waiting.
Speaker 3:After that first literacy class, then we had another class of graduates, and all those students were taken through a post-literacy course and so where they were getting more training, going through flashcards, so that their reading ability was not just so that they could read something, but that they could actually comprehend it.
Speaker 3:And so we would have these little tests where they would go through, read a passage and then they would have to answer questions about the passage that they just read. Because the whole point of why we wanted to teach them how to read and write in their language was that one day they would be able to read God's word in their language and be able to read scripture, and not just read it for the point of reading it, but reading it to understand what God is saying in his word. And so literacy was so vital. Was that next step in order to be able to present the gospel and have them read along with us as we're presenting the gospel. So it wasn't just what the missionaries were saying, but they too were sitting there reading God's word as we were sharing it with them.
Speaker 4:Amen. Education wasn't the end, but education was a means to the end. Like we wanted them to be able to hear the word of God spoken clearly when we would present it to them, but we wanted them to be able to see the word of God for themselves. But eventually we knew, and if we're here for a task rather than a time and Bible translation is necessary, these people are going to become self-feeders, these men are going to become elders, these men and women are going to become deacons in the church. This is a necessary role to take education and place it in a high priority for the sake of the longevity of the church. That the Bible would be translated into their language, that they would be able to feed off of it until they die or Jesus Christ returns. We saw literacy as just a very important piece.
Speaker 1:Did y'all build a school or have a building, or was there a certain tree or spot that y'all kind of hung out at? How'd that work?
Speaker 4:So we ended up creating a literacy house, but it was called, like, the nothing house, simply because our people have a very strong desire to make a name for themselves through the things that they construct. So if we build a literacy house, it is for their name to be known around town ultimately or if we did it, they would have thought ritualistically, this is something that puts us in good standing or in a bright light in God.
Speaker 4:So, we wanted to make sure that we downplayed every structure that we ever ever built that it was to help them, but it wasn't a means of achieving any type of status or relationship with God. So, even during our teaching, we made sure that the house that we constructed, like the teaching house, was made out of tarps that will eventually rot and decay and burn, simply because they knew this house is not what is important, Our name is not what is being made.
Speaker 1:God is what is important and His presence is what we ought to desire because you took the time to learn their culture and understand that had you shown up and built a big you know building and made it all fancy day one, we would have been headed down all the wrong rabbit trails right with this people group.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, well, and that's every step of the way. It was ultimately, by God's grace. We put it in the effort to not just learn their language but understand their culture, but the Lord just always gave us insight. He always allowed us to be a step ahead, that we were never second guessing or wondering why we're about to say what we're about to say, but calculated and very strategic. We say what we say because we know how they're going to take it and how they think. And they would always come back and say how the heck did you know we were going to say that, how the heck did you know? We were thinking that, like, how do you know us so well? And we're, like we've been spending like years this is our job like not just to know your language but to know you guys really, really well, really, really well.
Speaker 4:So during the time of literacy, we began to translate scripture chronologically. So we had 54 lessons that think about it like 54 chapters, from Genesis to Revelation, to tell one chronological story of redemptive history. We had those 54 lessons, or those 54 chapters, and we began to translate each of those narratives so that we would be able to tell the Mali-Ali people in the coming months, this one story. And I remember, as we were translating, and that same friend that I had previously told years before amen, you're just going to have to wait. We don't have a word for love or to forgive or gift. You're just going to have to wait. He's now in my office again and we're working on these lessons. Now we're not working on them chronologically, so he doesn't really know the main characters or what's going on, but I remember we're in the story of when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. And I could see he's getting excited and he's whistling and he's tapping the table. Ultimately, once we're done just kind of reading this chunk of scripture, I look at him and I'm expecting to hear the answer. When I ask, like what stood out to you? I'm expecting him to say this guy named Jesus raised this guy from the dead like he was dead and now he's back to life. And my friend looks at me and he's like I cannot believe there's someone on this ground who says that he's the source of life after death, like he's the resurrection and the life, david, what kind of man is this? What does this mean? And I just say, okay, just wait just a little bit longer. If you wait just a little bit longer, we'll tell you.
Speaker 4:Fast forward a couple of weeks later and we're in the narrative piece that we used for Jesus' resurrection. It's Luke, chapter 24. And the ladies are at the tomb and the angels are there and we know the story. The angels are like why are you looking for someone who is alive among the dead? Like don't you remember? And my friend slaps the desk and he's like, yes, yes, how could he be dead? He's the one who is the source of life after death. Like he can't be dead, david, what does this mean? And I'm just like, just wait, just a little bit longer. And then I remember, a few weeks later, all the pieces to the translation for the 54 lessons, and then the lessons in their development have been fully finished, everything's written and we're ready to go and we begin to teach the Mali Ali people for the very first time.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm so impacted by in the story the Mali Ali people, as you're sharing the truth of the gospel with them. They're like children in their understanding of the gospel, but you guys were like children in your understanding of how to live in Papua New Guinea, and so they took you as little like you said little eggs they took you and they walked you guys through this, and that's how you earn that relational equity with them over time. And now you're doing the same thing with them and their understanding of the gospel. This is just such a beautiful story.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're going to do something a little different for the listeners. David and Emily have an incredible story to tell us. Set aside, get yourself some popcorn, pull the car over whatever it is, but get zeroed in, laser focused, prayed up, open your hearts, open your ears and be ready to receive a word from David and Emily. We're gonna give them the mic for about the next 10 minutes to close out a story we all need to hear.
Speaker 4:I remember day one. It was August 29th 2022. Lessons were developed, translation was ready, the people were assembled, we were prayed up and we were ready to go, and it was one of the greatest mic drops up until this point in Mali-Ali history, when we began within the beginning, god, that he existed before all things, he was perfectly happy. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was not only harmonious in their fellowship, but they were perfectly content. They needed nothing, and yet they chose to make everything. And the Mali-Ali people said what, who is this God? This is unlike anything that we've ever heard. This is the kind of joy, this is the kind of happiness. This is the kind of fellowship that we are longing for. Give us more. We want more. Let's eat the fruit together. And man? I remember getting into the lessons and they eventually hearing that all things were created not for the one true God to consume, but that he would create all things and in so doing, he created Adam and Eve, he created male and female and he placed them in the garden and he gave them all things to consume and delight in. But then the Mali-Ali people were completely blown away. Not just that they were given all things to enjoy, but that they were given the privilege Adam and Eve were given the privilege of being in this fellowship that existed before all things, that they would have this perfect, harmonious, joyful, contented relationship with the one true God. Oh, the Mali-Ali people walked away from that lesson saying, yes, this is exactly what we want, what our ancestors had, this is what we have been desiring this entire time. But then that slowly grew into a subtle whisper of a question why, if they had it, why don't we? And then they heard a few lessons later, in lesson eight, that according to Genesis, chapter three, adam and Eve, although they had absolutely everything, they exchanged it all for a lie and disobeyed the one true God. Oh, the Mali-Ali people were just heartbroken. The Mali-Ali people began to weep, and they were weeping not because Adam and Eve had messed it up for them, but the Mali-Ali people saw themselves and their first ancestors for the very first time that if Adam and Eve had sin and they lost fellowship, then the Mali-Ali people are living in sin and they have no fellowship. All the Mali-Ali people were so incredibly sad. But then lesson 11, lesson 11 highlighted one of the most important, pivotal moments in Mali-Ali history, because that was the lesson that Genesis, chapter three, verse 15, that a promised one would come and he would wage war against the serpent. That the Yom Tifu Mulfi would come, the road-cutting man. That he would cut a brand new road to get all humans back into that fellowship that they had lost. The Yom Tifu Mulfi, lay yufkok muapete, yufkok muapete, yufk luamulfi, lafapue mani weime ane wei weifk g'odlodluamulfi, laf maneliamme, nana fuwef, nana fuwef mu. That the road-cutting man would eventually come and he would crush the head of the serpent, he would remove his people's sins and he would bring them back into a right relationship with the one true God, and there they would be forever. Oh, the Mali-Ali people, oh, they longed for this guy.
Speaker 4:We finally got to the story of Noah and the boat and the ark, and they're like is this the guy? Is this the Yom Tifu Mulfi that we've been waiting for? Do we need to build a boat? And we're like no, no, no, just wait, just wait, just continue to listen to the stories. And then we eventually get to the story of Abraham and they're like this is the guy, this is who we've been waiting for. Abraham is gonna be a lie to the nations and happiness is gonna be had through him and we're like, no, just continue to wait, it's not him. And then we get to the story of Moses eventually and they're like, well, this is definitely not the guy. Moses straight up killed somebody. It can't be the Yom Tifu Mulfi. And then we finally get to David. We get to King David and the Mali-Ali people come up so joyfully because they're like this is the guy. We know this is the guy, simply because this is why your parents named you David David, because they wanted to give you the honor of being named after the Yom Tifu Mulfi. But so incredibly sad is that the Mali-Ali people saw that it wasn't David and, devastatingly, they saw every single king after David. It wasn't him either. And then lesson 34, we remember lesson 34 because that was the lesson that the Mali-Ali people walked away for the very first time saying we know him by name. His name is Jesus.
Speaker 4:Oh, when the Mali-Ali people began to long for Jesus, oh, jesus was unlike anybody that they had ever seen. According to Matthew chapter one, he was from the line of David and so he was the king of kings and Lord of lords. He wasn't just like David, he was better than David. And according to Matthew chapter two, he was an even better Moses. He went in to Egypt and came out of Egypt so that Jesus would be able to save not just Israel but the nations. He would be an even greater Moses and the. But according to Matthew chapter three, jesus would be an even greater Noah. The dove descended to Noah with an olive leaf to show him that the flood waters are receding.
Speaker 4:And then the Holy spirit descends upon Jesus in Matthew chapter three to show everybody, just like Noah, that not the flood waters but the reign and rule of Satan, sin and death have met their match in him, in Jesus, and they are going to end because Jesus, the Yom Tifu Mavi, will win. But Jesus willingly enters into Matthew chapter four, into the invitation, and he becomes a perfect Adam and, even better, israel, because Jesus did everything that they couldn't do. Jesus did in 40 days what Israel couldn't do in 40 years and what Adam should have done. Jesus obeyed his heavenly father perfectly. All the Mali-Ali people saw him and they said, yes, this is the Yom Tifu Mavi, this is the man who's going to be able to crush the head of the serpent. This is the man who's going to remove our sins. This is the man who can bring us back into that right relationship with God.
Speaker 4:And then they saw Jesus treated like a criminal, accused like he had done something wrong and punished for something that was false. And the Mali-Ali people began to weep and they became undone so perplexed. How could this happen? This is the one we've been waiting for. Nathan Chad, david, this is what you've been telling us, this is the one that we're waiting for, but he's dying on the cross. Oh, we can't even imagine. We don't even want to think. He was beaten over and over, but what for is dignity was completely stolen from him. He was beaten so much and we knew that he was going to die, but yet he was beaten even more. And then we all said he's going to die now, but he didn't, and he was eventually put up for all to see. David, if this is the one we've been waiting for, why? Why was it so bad?
Speaker 4:And then my friend that had been waiting for so many years In our men's group. He says friends, I think we just need to wait, we need to wait and we need to watch. And did he not say in John, chapter three, that he would be like the snake who would be hung up in the wilderness for all to see. Friends, I think we just need to wait and watch. And three days later, through skit and speaking, the people not only heard, but they saw that Jesus indeed is the King of kings and Lord of lords and our dear and compassionate Savior. Jesus lived the life that we couldn't. He died the death that we deserved and he gave us eternal life that we could have never earned on our own.
Speaker 4:November 14, 2022, the Maliali people 75 of them for the very first time stepped from darkness and into light. After years of living among the Maliali and learning their language and culture to fluency, we began to meticulously prepare 56 lessons that span the distance from Genesis to Revelation, in order to teach them the greatest news ever. And after presenting 47 of those lessons, we have finally arrived at the apex of the gospel the resurrection. Without the resurrection, as Christians, we are most to be pity, but because of the resurrection, we are the most privileged, for Jesus did everything that we couldn't and he willingly gave us everything that we didn't deserve, freely. He did this for us generously, he gave it to us and, joyfully, he finished His work On that day.
Speaker 4:We were so overjoyed as a team to see and to say that the Maliali men and women found the road cutting man and they bowed to Him as their King. We began to teach through the book of Acts, which eventually culminated in the book of Revelation, and the people saw the gospel of Jesus Christ over and over and over. They heard our own personal testimonies and eventually they saw the end of all things, that Jesus would come back and he would gather them up. Oh, from that day on, our Maliali people have longed for that day. After that last lesson that we gave them, our Maliali people got up and said Come, lord Jesus, we are waiting for you, but as we wait, we will point all men and women to the Yom Tifu Mofi. Jesus Christ, he is the only road, our only Savior, and he has done what he said he would do, and he's done it for us.
Speaker 3:After the death, burial and resurrection were presented and we would be walking from the teaching house to our house and people were in groups talking about the lessons and coming up to us and coming up to our coworkers, and we didn't have an altar call or anything like that. But the Maliali people were coming up to us individually saying I too believe. I too believe that I do have sin and I see that I'm separated from God and I know that Jesus is the only one I am ever going to have a right relationship with God. Jesus is the only one that can get me back in. And those conversations after years of waiting, after years of waiting to finally be able to have those spiritual conversations with our dear friends now the Maliali people are our dear friends and to finally be able to have those gospel conversations, the spiritual conversations, was just the sweetest gift that we could ever imagine having. I remember going up to Aadame. She was sitting under a little tiny hut that the women sat under and I asked her. I said, Aadame, did you hear clearly now, did you finally hear who the one true God is? And she looked at me and she said yes, emily, now I've heard clearly. I've heard who the one true God is. I know who the one true God is and I know that he died for all of my sins, he died for all of my bad, and that one day I will be in heaven with him, with my God.
Speaker 3:And David and I were standing in our house a few hours after this and I looked at him and I remember saying David, like, like God is faithful Like for the first time that it hit me. Like, you know, we talk about Revelation 7, 9 and how one day, every tribe, tongue and nation will be surrounding the throne of God. We look at that and we long for that someday. But, like, this is something that's happening right now that tribes in different languages and different nations, different people, are being entered in to his kingdom. And who are we that we get to be a part of this and seeing his faithfulness? You know I've always talked about having the fear of the Lord, but, man, at that moment I feared God like I had never feared him before, because I just saw how faithful he truly is to take two nobodies a scaredy cat, an extremely dyslexic person and use them for his glory to bring the gospel to a people who had never heard it, unless he brought us to them.
Speaker 4:And his story is one of glory and absolute brilliance, because this wasn't the David and Emily show, this wasn't the Nathan, Rachel Chad and Martha Mueller's, Earl Shrimpstead's show, this wasn't the Mali-Ali show. This was his and it took everybody. It took an entire system of supporters and cinders and us goers to go to the Mali-Ali people. We say this it was the greatest privilege that we were able to go. It was by God's goodness that we ended up in Mali-Ali, but it was because of the prayers of the saints that were alive, but it was because of their financial partnership with us that we were able to bring the gospel to bear on the hearts and minds of the Mali-Ali people. And it was our privilege.
Speaker 4:We suffered tremendously, tremendously. We have broken bodies and minds to prove it, but it was worth it. We will unanimously, we'll all surround the throne one day and look at the lamb, face to the face, and I believe we will unanimously say we could have given more. We should have given more, because all the suffering, all the hardship, all the no's and yes's no's to the wrong things and yes's to the right things everything will pale in comparison to the perfect, harmonious intent, joy and fellowship we will have with one true God, forever and ever Amen.
Speaker 2:Friends, you hear me say this on this podcast often, but how could you not want to give your life to this? There's nothing that is a greater privilege than to give everything we have to this. So, david Nimley, thank you guys, and thank you so much. Thanks for your faithfulness, but just thanks for sharing your story. I am convinced that the history that's been made in the Mali Ali people will echo around the world. What a joy to get to tell these stories For those of us that are getting a chance to hear the story and listen to this. David, I just want to ask something of you that none of us have ever had the privilege of experiencing. Would you pray for us in Mali, ali, a language that was not known, had not been written, the name of Jesus had never been communicated before. Would you take the time to pray for us now in Maliali?
Speaker 4:Nafakwe wano with Laf tekwaf e Yo el Yo matifu mothi. El Yo matifu mothi el ane animo Ane animi with an luamothi laf garbhaque manu Manu peya luamothi el laf Ane animio. Luamothi laf atapak na kwe wano with Laf na kwe ane animo Ne o benafime, naine yao An falama yunene, naine yao Siqo al ghaque Na kwe me tu me afanai. If al luamothi atapak Na kwe wano with Inaf het me tu Me afanau Ane ya muro wano wiht Na na al Siqo al ghaque.
Speaker 1:Ane animio. Ane animio Unreach podcast. Or email us at unreachedpodcastgmailcom.