As missionaries Scott and Jennie Phillips sat with their Dao friends in a clearing waiting for a helicopter to come pick the couple up, they cried and prayed together.
Scott and Jennie were leaving Indonesia for the first time in five years and flying to the USA for a year of home assignment. While they were excited to re-unite with their families, leaving the Dao believers was very difficult. They weren't sure which of their friends would survive the year. The Daos live in a harsh environment and death is a frequent visitor. In the last three months six more of their Dao friends died.
"We spent much of those last three months hiking from funeral to funeral trying to encourage the believers to trust God even in those hard situations," wrote Scott. "This being the case, it was very hard to say good-bye to these precious people and to look into their eyes knowing there is a good possibility that we may never see many of their sweet faces on this earth again."
As they waited together for the helicopter Scott prayed for the small group of believers. Then Daapooi, one of the Bible teachers Scott had been training, spoke up and said he wanted to pray for them.
"Oh Creator One, today we thank you," Daapooi prayed. "We thank you because you are the One that is greater than all others and there is no one like you. You are the One that caused Scott and Jennie to hike here into our valley and tell us of Your great message. If You had not caused them to come to our valley we still would not know of your son Jesus. And so today we thank you for sending them here. And we ask that you would please protect and watch over them that they would travel well, and that you would bring them back to us. Thank you, Creator One."
As Daapooi closed his prayer, the helicopter popped over the ridge and the couple and the Daos shared one last round of snapping knuckles, the traditional Dao greeting, before Scott and Jennie stepped into the helicopter and left their friends for their first home assignment.
Please pray for Scott and Jennie as they adjust once again to the USA. Pray too that the Dao believers will continue to grow in their knowledge of the Lord.
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