Tiona is a teenager. When he was about ten, his dad died. Tiona has lived basically on his own since that time.
Traditionally the Siawi people believed that the spirits of dead people cause harm to people still on earth. When Sabien’s boy, Boaz, got lost in the swamp and never returned, Sabien blamed Tiona’s dead father’s spirit for working some kind of magic. He threatened to kill Tiona as pay back. So for months, Tiona had to live in another village until the conflict passed.
Then Sabien took Tiona’s mother as his third wife. So even when Tiona came back to the village, his mother couldn’t really help to care for him.
When Tom and Jason taught the Gospel in 2002, Tiona trusted in Christ at that time. He finally had a friend who would never leave him!
Tiona has been reading his Bible and listening to the older men talk about God’s Word.
He began hanging out at our house. Tom would ask him if he wanted something or if he had a question, but Tiona wouldn’t respond. Finally, however, Tiona got up the nerve to ask Tom his question.
Tiona wanted to know if what he was hearing was true. Some people were saying that it is okay to keep on sinning since Jesus died and paid for all sin.
Tom was able to explain that “Yes, Jesus had paid for all sin, but it was not a license to keep on sinning.” As Tom was explaining this truth, Tiona’s face lit up as what he thought was confirmed. He was not longer confused.
Praise God that Tiona trusted in the Savior and that he is reading his Bible and learning.
Pray that other Siawi believers will understand truths of God’s Word, as Tiona did.
Pray for insight as Tom interacts with the Siawi people on a daily basis.
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