"A person must experience the strength faith provides in the midst of trials and misfortune. Otherwise, it is not possible to write well about faith or to understand what has been written about it. But one who has had even a small taste of faith can never write, speak, reflect, or hear enough concerning it." - Martin Luther

"Is it true? Is that really what He is doing for us...right now!?" Daokagi (Man in top center picture) asked me this last Tuesday afternoon as he was sitting there literally laughing with joy. He couldn't believe his ears! He had just heard for the first time the words of Jesus in John 14:2 - "In my Fathers house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would not have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

"Today, you have carried me a really good talk my friend, my heart is happy because I have heard these words!" He said to me as he sat there and just grinned from ear to ear. Although he has claimed to be a believer for a while now, these words had never been available to him in his own language before this last week. He went on for the next half hour and asked me question after question about this house that Jesus is preparing for him. "Will my family and friends that have also believed the message of Jesus be able to spend time with me in this mansion?...Will it be close by the houses that He has already prepared for Wikipai and Totopwi and the other Dao believers that have already gone up to God's good place above the sky before us?"

I had to admit to him of course that I have never seen this place or these "mansions" either but that I have the same hope - that the joy we will experience when we are together with our Creator in heaven, in the "place that he has prepared for us", will by far outweigh even the greatest and happiest moments  that we ever could experience here on earth!

This is one of the great joys of being involved in bringing the Word of God to a language and a people that has never had it available to them before. The joy of seeing someone hear a newly translated verse for the first time and just be overcome with wonder because of the uncomparable promises that are given to those that are part of God's Family. There is nothing like it.

This is what we have been spending almost every day doing for the past month now, translating the book of John into the Dao language. We are also presently  translating and teaching the book of Ephesians and sharing every Sunday about the deep and wonderful truths that Paul writes about, like how "We have been chosen in Him before the very foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4) and how before we ever could have done anything good or bad, deserving or undeserving of His forgiveness and grace, he called us out for His own.

Every day that we work together with Dao believers such as Daokagi to put God's Word into the thier language, and ever Sunday as we teach these rich truths to young believers, we are privelaged to be able to play a part in what God is doing here. That's definately not to say there aren't tough times - there are plenty, and there have been many this past month. But the blessing that we recieve both now and on the other side of eternity far outweigh any sorrows and challenges that we may experience.

Please continue to pray for the Dao people and also for us as we press forward to put the entirety of God's Word into the Dao language. Pray specifically for Jennie as she has the hardest part of the translation process on her shoulders since she is the main Bible translator.  Pray also for me (Scott) as I teach the deep truths of Ephesians to the Dao people. Finally, pray for the continued outreach going on in Taomi and for Daapoi and Otopina as they head it up, and pray also for Moipi and her children (The wife of our recently deceased Bible teacher).

There is also a new "Project of the Month" that you can pray about whether or not the Lord would have you play a part in. It is posted at below if you would like to read about it.
Because He said "GO!" - Scott and Jennie Phillips - Luke 9:60/17:10
Click here for more pictures and information on the Dao ministry: sjphillips.org

December 2009
Estimated Cost : Approximately $5,000  
Sometimes, we wish we were Indonesians!
It is that time of year again when the government office workers expect a visit. But it is never just a visit that is expected and we knew that as we scurried from office to office last month signing papers, taking pictures, and getting fingerprinted! 
This year though, were in for a little surprise at the end of our government office visits because instead of the usual approximately 0ne thousand dollars in charges we usually pay - which covers everything from the paper that we signed our signatures on, to the salary of the office workers that approve the papers, we had a whopping almost five thousand dollars in charges dropped in our laps! 
What is the difference this year you ask? The difference is that we have been serving in Indonesia for over five years now, and when you hit the five year in Indonesia mark, you are upgraded from a visa that has to be renewed once every year, to a new type of visa that has to be renewed once every five years. The problem is that they charge you for all five years at once! Hence the five-thousand dollar charge!
So there you have our new “Project of the month”. It is not an option to simply not get a this visa because without it, we cannot serve here in the country of Indonesia which means we can no longer serve in the Dao tribe. So this is where all of you come in - We have not yet payed this $5,000 bill and are trusting the Lord to raise up the people to stand behind this project and see it taken care of. We know that He promises to “provide every need according to His riches” and so we don’t worry but instead know that God will provide just like he always does. 
Please pray together with us about this need and also please consider whether or not the Lord would have you do more to be involved in this project beyond praying. We really do appreciate all of you that are behind us and thank God for you regularly!