A Highlight from Mentz

 This past week during Bible study, Mark was teaching from Genesis 2

Gen 2:1-17 ESV ... 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

It has been a few weeks since we have been there because of a death in their family and the funeral.  It was a small group today with only three ladies but sometimes we feel when there are not so many they answer questions and even ask more questions.  

 

Mark spent some time reviewing the days of creation.  He spent some time talking about the word holy and that it means being "set apart."  

 

As Mark was reading verse 7 he began pointing to the dirt and talking about God forming man from the dirt. ... then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature .  Mark pointed out that God formed man and that man was a lifeless form UNTIL God breathed life into him. 

 

I was sitting beside Jackinah and she was staring at the dirt and listening so intently.  When Mark said that God then breathed life into his nostrils, she very quietly said, "Wow!"  I am not sure anyone else heard her at that time.  Mark continued teaching and and asked a question ... knowing that God created everything, how should we treat him?  Well, we did have to spend a few minutes discussing what the word "treat" means and once they understood Mark repeated the question.  Jackinah said, "Well, HE created ME we need to thank Him for that."  I then mentioned that I heard her say "Wow" as Mark was reading that God breathed life into mans nostrils.  I told her that in that moment when she realized that and she reacted with a quiet "wow,"  that she was showing awe and respect to God who created her.  

 

It was a sweet moment, one that I will not forget!  It reminded me of how AWESOME our Creator is!  We are so thankful for the opportunity we have to teach the Bible in a small group in Mentz.   It is amazing to us that these people, who attend other churches like the ZCC and IPHC, have never heard the days of creation.  We serve a MIGHTY God, and we pray that as we are able to continue to work through the Bible chronologically using the New Tribes Curriculum, that their eyes will be more open to the truth.  It is our prayer that one day one (really all) would come to know Christ as their personal Savior and truly have an understanding of what it means to be a Christian, a Christ follower.    We pray that God would raise up believers in the village of Mentz.  Ones that will sing His praises on High!  Ones that will be on fire, take a stand against culture and religion and want others to know the Saving Grace of our Father.