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GOD, NOT GOLD, IS THEIR FOCUS
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 by Christina Johnson

Missionary Gary Smith praised God when he overheard a group of Dinangat men discussing their perspective on a mining business coming among them in Papua New Guinea. "Before we worshiped all kinds of things. We worshiped our dead ancestors. We worshiped things of the ground and we asked those things to help us and to bless us," some of the Dinangat men said. "But now we have heard the true talk from God Himself and we want to leave all those wrong things behind and only worship the one true God."
The men see the mining company as a blessing from God, but they say they will look to Him to meet their needs and not what the company provides for them. Gary was moved to tears.
"Is this not why God sent us here? For Him to be glorified and honored?" Gary wrote. "The beautiful part about this is that it was not missionary induced. The Holy Spirit was moving these men to praise and worship only the one true God. What an encouragement that was to us."

Gary is learning that it is God's job to create a perfect church, not his. Even though he feels frustrated at times when he cannot solve a problem the Dinangats have or cannot understand some of their issues or ways of dealing with things, he remembers that God is the one who will guide and direct them."Jesus made it pretty clear who would build the church," Gary wrote. "So I let it go and left it in His hands. Is there anyone more capable?"
Please pray that Gary, along with the Dinangat believers, will continue to lean on God for growth and understanding of His ways.

I feel you Gary. Amen.

http://www.ntm.org/pray