Clay Pots

News from Tobo

2012-01-26T01:40:00.005+10:00

I know that many of you still pray for the church in Tobo and are interested in hearing updates as to how things are going back in Lengbati. I received this update from the Williamsons a few days ago and thought I would post it so that you could be in prayer, both for them and the believers in Tobo. God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts; but we can rest in His sovereign plan, convinced that his love never fails and that his kingdom will not end. The following 2 paragraphs are from Williamson's update:

"In December we met with our NTM leadership, church planting consultants, and teammates about the condition of the church and the concerns we have with its growth. Nisae and I have poured our hearts into the believers here and have given much effort into seeing them grow in maturity and adapt a Biblical Worldview that is lived out among their unbelieving community. What we have seen in response has not been what we have hoped and prayed for, but rather our efforts have been met with resistance and callousness. The believers have closed the door themselves on our family’s ministry among them and ultimately on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in their lives. At the conclusion of our meetings, we all decided that it would be best to take a step back from the Church here in Tobo and allow them some time to decide for themselves if they are going to follow after the Lord or not or continue to live in the shadow of their prideful community.

Nisae and I have done everything possible to spur on growth in the believers’ lives and to facilitate the possible reigniting of the church. We’ve built friendships, laughed, cried, admonished, preached the Word and modeled it, pursued, and encouraged each believer in hopes that God would use these efforts to produce fruit in their lives. However, the Lord has not chosen to bring about a harvest at this time and we think that leaving the Tobo church on their own is now what is best for them, and us. Therefore, with the support of our leadership, consultants & teammates, we have decided to move out of the tribe in February and live in Madang (the town where our support center lies). After we’ve put a stop to our teaching in Tobo and explained why we are moving out and the reasons we are all stepping back from the church, our co-workers, Chad & Janeene Mankins, will continue to live in Tobo to translate God’s Word and other materials in hopes that down the road the church will reignite and desire growth."

Please lift up this situation before the Lord. Thank you for your prayers, they make all the difference.

Peace,
Jason for the Knapps

Clay Pots ~ Busy months

2011-11-09T01:07:00.005+10:00

You haven't heard from me for awhile. That is because I have been flat out busy. The month of September found me traveling twice a week down to Illinois for further training and "on the job experience" in immigration law. It was a great experience to sit down face to face with people, hear their stories, understand their situation, and help them to apply for an immigration benefit.

September and October are also are busy months in the chimney business, so I have been come home black with soot or concrete dust four days a week. I am thankful to God that he, in his grace, has chosen to humble me... in the village of Lengbati, people put me on a pedestal, hung on my every word, and never let me sit in the smoke or get myself dirty with mud or ashes. Ironically, now I have been exalted to lonely rooftops, hanging on ladder rungs, and filling my lungs and eyes with ashes every day. I am grateful to God for the experience.

The month of October was full of gathering documents and information in the compilation of the application package to be sent to the Board of Immigration Appeals for the recognition of James Place as an Immigration Legal Services site and my own partial accreditation. November will be a month of waiting for the BIA's approval of the application, creating handouts and documents to be used in the office, writing down procedures, learning new computer programs, physically moving into the office space, and getting the word out to the public. I am praying that God would allow us to officially launch early in 2012.

Immigration is a touchy subject in our country today. It seems to be a topic which surfaces frequently in the Presidential campaign, and there are strong and legitimate opinions on both sides of the issue. When I was living in the village of Lengbati, I found myself in the midst of situations where both sides had legitimate arguments which always made the situation 'touchy' and potentially volatile. I find myself in much the same situation with immigration; but I have learned that in such situations, the best thing to do is to fall at the feet of Jesus and beg for wisdom and discretion, and ask for him to give me his heart of love for all people.

Please pray with me that God would do just that... that he would impart wisdom, discretion, patience, compassion, and love to myself and those who are working along side me in this ministry. And pray that God would use us to introduce these needy people to Jesus Christ and the citizenship which awaits them in heaven if they believe.

His Clay Pot,

Jason

Fellow Citizens

2011-08-24T11:20:00.009+10:00

In the Bible, Jesus tells us to: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. In a challenging response, a man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In his classic way, Jesus answered a question by telling a story. In response to the question of who is my neighbor, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in which we learn that our neighbor is anyone who is in need, regardless of race or ethnicity. But this wasn’t a new revelation that started with Jesus; from the beginning, God's heart has always been for all people, and he vividly displayed it when he told Israel: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”(Lev. 19:33-34) God wanted Israel to remember their past and how he saved them, so that it would shape how they lived in the present. God’s heart of love has always been for all sinners from all nations, races, and ethnicities and he wanted Israel to be his avenue of grace to the world. All of us, regardless of our race or national origin, are by nature lost and separated from God just as Israel was in Egypt; but instead of leaving us in our helpless, vulnerable condition as outcasts, in the same way that God redeemed Israel, He had compassion on those of us who believed in his Son and made us “… a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles…” (1 Peter 2:9-11). Peter calls those of us who are Christians sojourners or immigrants in this world, and we are immigrants because although we live in this world, God by his grace has given us amnesty into his kingdom and our citizenship is in heaven: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…”(Eph. 2:19) Just like Israel, we, of all people, as Christians should should remember our past so it will shape how we live in the present.

In light of this, I am excited to be studying and working my way towards being an accredited immigration representative, which is an avenue by which I can demonstrate love to my "neighbors" by showing compassion to the vulnerable and assisting the ‘aliens’ in becoming not only citizens of our physical country, but more importantly, citizens of the household of God. In the coming months and years, I hope to inform and challenge others to see the white harvest of the nations right outside our front doors.

The garden project has been a success. I am always amazed at the fruitfulness God causes from one small plot of ground. It has been exciting to see the families tend their gardens and reap the benefits of their labor. Many are excited to try again next year and are already talking about what they would do differently. It has been such a blessing to get to know these immigrant families and help them to feel more welcome in our city.

Clay Pots ~ Ending of an Era

2011-07-07T12:39:00.003+10:00

When we came home from Papua New Guinea we wondered where God was leading us and how He was going to use us. He clearly directed our family to minister to the Hispanic population through the avenue of a new ministry that we started (Clay Pots) in partnership with our supporting churches. Its purpose was to plant a Hispanic church. The latest census shows that the Hispanic population has grown to over 50 million in the USA, a growth of 26%. An amazing statistic! As Jason built relationships and made connections with a number of Hispanic families, Hispanic pastors, churches, organizations, business owners, etc., it became apparent to him that the majority of Hispanics did not desire to separate, but to integrate into our society. So as we looked at it, Clay Pots ministry, in its original intention of a separate church plant, needed to be re-evaluated.

In the meantime a large church that Jason was ministering with, adopted the vision of integration. That church was looking at hiring a part time Legal Consultant for Immigrants. Jason applied for the job thinking that it could be a good fit, and we just found out this past week that he was chosen to fill the position. We feel so blessed that they chose Jason as this allows him to continue to pursue the relationships which were built and the ministry that was started, just through different means. Jason will be properly trained and accredited and then eventually will have an office downtown Waukesha. Jason will continue to work part time with Kellie's Dad at Ziebarth Masonry & Chimney Service to supplement our income, and Kellie has been asked back to the public school, part-time, to continue helping out as a literacy teacher. We are so thankful to see God's hand ever so gently moving us in this direction. With this new job, though, we will have to leave our Waukesha Bible Church family whom we have been a part of for over 25+ years. Our hearts are heavy, but we know that where God guides, He will provide (on all levels). He has never let us down and we know that he never will.

We have also moved! We have been trying for the past year and a half to build a home, buy a home, and lastly purchase a foreclosed home. For various reasons, they all fell through. We were disappointed, but God has provided a wonderful place to rent where our family can spread out and enjoy a deck. Our new address is 1609 Dover Dr. Waukesha, WI 53186. Our email address continues to be: jason@claypots.org (or) kellie@claypots.org (or) Micah's is soccerstudjr@gmail.com

We do covet your continued prayers and support as we make yet another transition in life. Pray that we can finish this summer out strong with the garden project, transition well, not worry about tomorrow, and look with joy towards the future. For those of you who have faithfully supported us financially through the many years, there are no words to express our gratitude to you. You have touched our own lives and through your gifts, the lives of others in Papua New Guinea and in Waukesha. Thank you so much! July 31stwill be the official ending of Clay Pots ministry.

That said, we will continue to live our lives as God’s vessels of grace and we will continue to allow God to use our frail vessels as he sees fit. So we will continue to post updates on our blog from time to time. But we will no longer be sending out mass emails. So if you want to keep up with our family, just check out our blogspot: www.claypots.org.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah (12), Sophia(10), & Malachi(7) Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Muddy Start

2011-05-26T11:37:00.003+10:00

Saturday was a great day! In spite of the rain, there were ten immigrant families who braved the chilly, damp morning to break ground and plant seeds. We started at 11:00 and by 11:30 it had started to rain and things got good and muddy. Everyone's feet were caked in two tons of mud within minutes; but no one left. They all stayed and got soaked while continuing to prepare the ground and planting.

It was great to hear the comments, see the smiles, and watch the interaction. One lady from Burma, and her husband, stayed well into the afternoon... I don't think they left till 4:00, and she kept saying how much she likes to garden and how perfect this was because she had no space for a vegetable garden at home. The Hispanic children that I was working with kept telling me how much they were learning and how much fun this was for them. Their family of 5 are crammed in a small apartment, so they don't get to do this type of stuff. Another friend was happy with the opportunity to get his children together and teach them something useful while getting the headphones out of their ears. On the 7th there will be a group of elderly Hispanics working on a plot together and there is another new family heading out on Friday to start their garden, so it looks like even more people will be spending the summer with all of us.

Thank you to all of you who donated food, time, and tools for the sake of these people. We had volunteers come from all over and we had donations come from as far away as Baraboo! Thank you. You all were a blessing and brought a sense of 'belonging' to those who came. These people are looking for acceptance and community in and among our culture and all of them said how great it was to rub shoulders with all of you.

Thank you
Jason for the rest

10 days and Counting!!

2011-05-14T03:52:00.000+10:00

Latest count we have 15 Hispanic families from the community signed up for the community gardens! We wish all of you could be a part of hearing their stories and seeing their excitement. They long for a sense of community and belonging in their newly adopted country. To hear how we are meeting their needs physically is a huge part of that as well. For them to be told it really is all free because a whole lot of people love them is speaking the gospel to them.

Soooo we still need your help:-) As more people from the community sign up we have more needs. We need more volunteers to "host" a family. What this means is that we need people to just be willing to be introduced to a specific family in the community. To be willing to exchange phone numbers. To be willing to help when they call. To be willing to give a ride when needed. To be willing to hang out with them at the gardens and let them practice their English with you every once in awhile. I know how very intimidating it is. But I also know what an incredible blessing it is.

We also still need some tools. Check out the garage sale near you...I have been finding tools at really good prices at garage sales!
Here is a list of what is still needed....
3 wheelbarrows
12 watering cans
4 hoses
6 shovels
6 hoes
6 garden rakes
Tomato cages (these wont be needed immediately)

And lastly, the kickoff is May 21st and it will be an all day event. FOOD will be appreciated. Here is a list of some things we are hoping to have laid out for people to munch on:
Bags of tortilla chips
jars of salsa
Icees (they are long thin popsicles in a plastic wrap, they come in a box or bag and you freeze them)
bottled water
apples
oranges
carrots
pretzels
cookies

Please do come out May 21st. Grab a shovel, help hand out seeds, play on the playground, have some chips, or share a smile and an icee with a new friend:-)

Thank you for being willing to sacrifice to show the love of Christ to those around you, Please do email me if you are planning on donating any of the above items so we dont go out and buy what isn't needed.

Clay Pots ~ cement

2011-04-22T05:56:00.003+10:00

From the beginning, we were hoping to harness rain water for use on the community garden. I was thinking of a few rain barrels, but I usually think too small. So anyway, when you put Pete Burrie, Keith Knapp, and Reese Braband in the mix, you got yourself a world-class reservoir coming your way. So last Saturday we dug and assembled some forms for some pads upon which a couple of nice donated pallet racks are going to sit. On Thursday, the cement was donated by Ace in Waukesha and Pete was out there to finish it off. When all is said and done, we may even get the reservoirs for free too... at least we are hoping. We are getting there, and looking forward to being able to enjoy using the rain.

Hopefully see you on May 21st for the kickoff, bring donations of tools and seedlings if you have them.
His Clay Pots,
Jason for the rest

Clay Pots ~ Gettin' Ready

2011-04-12T12:11:00.003+10:00

Good news! Spring is finally here and that means that people are outside, parks are filling up, and there is excitement in the air. And, about two weeks ago, Paco and I hosted some informational meetings for those who were interested in having a community garden. We have 8 Hispanic families who are ready to go and just waiting for the ground to be ready, and we are anticipating more families in the next few weeks. It is a blessing to be able to offer this opportunity and we are excited to see what God is going to do through it. One family has a desire to spend time with their children and to teach them some useful skills along with building some new relationships in the community. Another family is living paycheck to paycheck and this is going to be a help for them financially. One single mother works two jobs and is raising two teenagers and this is a good opportunity to spend time together with them, do something fun and healthy, and to build some new relationships in the community. My impression so far is that the 'selling point' has been the opportunity to get to know other people and to rub shoulders with English speakers. The Bible says that "They will know that we are Christians by our love..." My experience has been that through acts of love, people not only hear, but see and feel the gospel of Jesus Christ which causes an openness to accepting and believing it.

Our 'kickoff' date is going to be Saturday, May 21st, 11am at the gardens (see directions below). That is when we will divvy out the plots, prepare the soil for seeds, and plant the seeds, etc. Please feel free to just stop by and check it out! There is a nice playground for the kids and a shelter area as well. Bring a picnic and hang out. We will also orientate the participants to the property and link up families to assist each other throughout the summer.

The Hispanic Health Resource Center's Latino Senior program is going to cultivate their garden out there this summer too. They are anticipating about 15 people to be a part of their program and we are looking forward to serving them in this simple yet meaningful way.

Praises: We have a volunteer to make a sign! There is a group of guys who are going to fabricate a rainwater system next weekend! Free wood chips have been delivered on site for 'cleaner' pathways! Some tools have already been donated!

Pray: That all the rest of the little details will be sorted out in a timely fashion. That a few more families will sign up. That those who are fabricating the rainwater system will have it come together without much difficulty. We are still in need of a couple wheelbarrows, watering cans, tools, and some starter plants (tomatoes, green peppers, & Broccoli) That May 21st will be a beautiful day!

If there is a specific way that you would like to be involved, please call me: (262)501-8487.

By grace,
Jason for the Knapps

Directions: 164 and Glendale Rd.

Clay Pots ~ On Our Doorstep

2011-03-16T08:58:00.003+10:00

When I was in Guatemala, I saw various brightly colored clothes. There were many different patterns, but I didn't learn the significance until after I returned home. Centuries ago, when the Europeans came and conquered Guatemala they assigned a different color or pattern to each people group so that they would know from the color or pattern where the other is from. It is important to note that those from Central America are a conquered people; I am from a different background, not one where my ancestors were conquered. Therefore our two cultures view life very differently.

I recently went to a conference called "Missions on your Doorstep" where I met with and heard various personnel from World Relief and other churches who minister cross culturally here in the U.S. It excited my heart to meet others who share the same vision of uniting churches within communities to minister to the masses of immigrants who are flocking to our country... the mission field is right on our doorstep. So with the many people groups represented in the U.S., the question I am pondering lately is, "What is my response as a Christian to be to this situation? And how should understanding some of their cultural background also effect my response?"

Spring is fast approaching (finally!) and we are in full swing making preparations for the garden project taking place this summer. We have been encouraged by the number of interested immigrant families and we will be having an informational meeting for them at the end of this month. Also, there is a list compiled of those who want to participate in a "Home English Club" where Anglo families go into the homes of immigrants and help them practice their English. Kellie and I along with other volunteers have been invited to come into their homes for this purpose. We are excited about this invitation and thanking God for opening up this door!

It has encouraged our hearts to see several churches from Waukesha county come together to support Clay Pots. We are praying that this will continue and that a network of churches can be established so that together we can reach the world on our doorstep. Thank you for supporting us and for living this verse: "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ coffee

2011-02-18T23:54:00.001+10:00

Some of you might know the amount of work that goes into a simple cup of coffee. Then again, maybe you don't... I didn't. Even after living in Tobo where they grew coffee, 'washed it', dried it, hulled it, and packaged it up (weeks of work), it didn't strike me as that big a deal until I went on a tour of the Azotea Coffee plantation outside of Antigua a few weeks ago. There, on sight, we were able to see the process from start to finish: from planting the seed, transplanting the seedling, harvesting the ripe crop, shelling the two halves, drying the beans, hulling the parchment off, roasting, shipping, grinding, to the finished product: a pleasing, sweet-smelling, delicious cup of black coffee. Seems like a whole lot of work and a whole lot of time for one simple product which we consume every day. On our tour, we were told that 1 coffee plant, which only produces one crop a year, produces only enough coffee for approximately 40 cups! Wow, how many plants worth have I drank this year already?

The preparation process for coffee is intense, requires just the right climate, and entails numerous steps before one can enjoy the final product. This encouraged me with the ministry I find myself in. Just like hurrying up the process or skipping a step in the production of coffee would produce a product not appropriate for consumption. In the same way, I need to be faithful to patiently accomplish the steps necessary to see the appropriate final product of ministry, which is changed lives. This includes learning the language, understanding the culture, compehending the needs, and knowing and loving the people. This all takes time, but it is time well spent when we become "the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing". (2 Cor. 2:15)

Pray for us as we prepare for the gardens this summer. Pray for us as we are being invited into people's homes. Pray that my Spanish will progress and that I will be faithful to practice it and use it. Pray that the aroma of Christ coming from us, like the aroma of coffee, would have an attractional characteristic.

Peace,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Guatemala part 3

2011-02-08T13:34:00.004+10:00

Well, it has been quite a week. Took that hike up the volcano, met that guy at the restaurant, got a list of 200 new verbs that I need to learn, am grasping a few new concepts in Spanish, watched from afar as you all went through a crazy snowstorm, put in over 8 hours a day of studying, took a 32 mile mountain bike ride through the rugged mountain terrain around Antigua, visited the capital city of Guatemala and spent time with Paco's brother, attended a new church plant endeavor out in a pueblo, watched the Packers WIN the Super Bowl, and now I am trying to process it all.

Some things that hit me this past week: As I looked down on a huge city thriving with life from an enormous volcano where it was like I felt the fiery hot breath of God, I was humbled with the thought that we are not quite as significant and important as we think we are. With one breath of his nostrils, God could rend the earth and consume an entire city of millions of people.

As I biked through some of these small towns and saw the poverty and rough existence, the dry barren gardens, the delapitated houses, I was reminded of my time in the tribe in PNG and I realized what an amazing act of love it was for God to come down and be born, live, and die as a human... most of the world does not live with white picket fences, sanitary clean roads, and glimmering grocery stores. God came and lived as a poor man among the poor, he got dirty with those who were dirty, and he bled with those who bleed.

As I walk the streets of Antigua, watch the drunk pee on the wall in front of me, answer "no" for the 30th time to the offer for 'weed', and see men and women chase after anything in this life which can give them a temporary 'fix' for the ache which they feel inside, my flesh initially is repulsed, but my spirit is filled with compassion and a prayer that everyone could find the relationship they crave in Jesus Christ.

And as I witnessed the desire to plant a church in a new pueblo, I was reminded that relationships founded on godly, sacrificial love are what build trust and draw people to Christ. It takes time (maybe years) to spread the kingdom in this way, but we are each called to influence our own little corner of the world and proclaim Jesus to those we meet. And as in any family, growth happens one birth at a time as God gives the miracle of life to what was once dead.

So, although God could have consumed us or could have said, "no, they are rebelious, they rejected me, why should I love them?" and then just left us to rot on this rough planet; instead, he took on flesh. He became poor, dirty, and bleeding, he was filled with compassion and prayed for the hopeless around him, and then he gave of himself in sacrificial godly love in order to innitiate a relationship with us. Now that is a story worth listening to!

See you soon,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Guatemala part 2

2011-01-31T12:28:00.004+10:00

My Spanish studies are going well. Two weeks down and two to go! I passed the grade "A" level test on Friday and am moving on to level "B". I appreciate my teacher and his patience. Also, he is going to try to teach me all the vocabulary he can for gardening and cultivation so I can better serve in the upcoming project this summer. What a nice guy!

The following paragraph is in answer to my prayer that God would use me in small ways... I wanted to attend a church today, but my contact fell through and so I found myself out and about today on my own. Well, I thought about going on a mountain bike ride with this outfitting group, but the only trip going today was a 32 mile trip… too much for me today since I just hiked down a volcanoe last night (I was in awe of the omnipotence of my Father in Heaven). So I was like, “Well, where should I go for breakfast since I am famished?” So I went to this little bakery that had some good prices. There were absolutely no tables open except one right next to the cash register. So I sat down there by myself. It was a table for three and I felt a little strange taking up their whole table for only me, but I was hungry and ordered eggs, beans, coffee, juice, and a plate of fruit. Well, this older gentleman (probably my father's age) comes walking in and was looking for a table too and couldn't find one, and so I offered him a spot at my table. Suprisingly, he actually accepted and sat down. He is down here learning Spanish too and so we practised for a few minutes on each other. Then God just opened the door and before I knew it, we were having the greatest conversation which lasted for the next two hours about his life and divorce and kids and about our backgrounds and how difficult life had been up to this point. I told him a bit about who I was and what I was doing here and opened up and told him about some of my struggles but how Jesus has made all the difference in my life. We talked about immigration, our country, and something that he thought our country lacks… and that being an understanding of ‘grace’. So we talked about grace and the grace of God through Jesus Christ. He was appreciative of our conversation and I offered to pray for him before we left and he accepted. So I prayed a short prayer of blessing on his family, kids, and studies abroad. He thanked me and we parted. I was very blessed to be able to sit and chat with this guy… and to share Jesus with him during an incredibly deep conversation - considering we were strangers. I think that he just needed to hear about grace and Jesus today. May the Spirit of God work in his heart to draw him to himself!

Adios,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Guatemala part 1

2011-01-24T13:58:00.003+10:00

Well, I have been in Guatemala for a full week now... and my, what a full week it has been. My first full day here was filled with attending a fairly wealthy and 'modern' church in Guatemala city, seeing (from a car) the poorest section of Guatemala city, visiting Paco's parents for lunch (pray for Paco's Mom who is very ill), and then driving to a smaller city called Sumpango, where I attended a newly planted church (within the past 5 years) which is in the advanced planning stages of planting another church fairly soon in a neighboring city. I finally arrived at my host family's home in Antigua a bit after 8pm, exhausted and trying to get prepared for classes the next morning.

I have class from 8-4 minus two hours for lunch. My teacher is a very nice guy named Julio who has been teaching Spanish to foreigners for 20 years. We have managed to have some pretty interesting conversations even during this first week as we covered about 18 lessons in 5 days. I say 'interesting conversations' because he is not allowed to speak English (and he really does not know it super well anyway). I think we are one of the more lively pairs (every student is paired up with an individual teacher) as I had him dancing in the hall to a spanish song on you tube called Buenas Dias Senior Sol. We also got pretty animated when I started telling him about Milwaukee in my very broken Spanish, but was able to get across the idea that Harley Davidson and Miller Park are two icons in my home state... the Cerveseros (Brewers) are a pretty popular team. The studies are coming along really well and I am satisfied with the progress we are making.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying and have made this possible for me. Thank you for remembering my wife and children at home too. We talk at least once a day via video chat, so that makes the separation a little easier.

Adios,
Jason
Jason's e-mail address: jason@claypots.org

Clay Pots ~ Immersion School

2011-01-14T23:21:00.004+10:00

Thank goodness for Llamas

It is hard to believe that it is halfway through January already. I have had a busy week, but I wanted to catch you up on what is going on so that you can be in prayer. First of all, I am heading out on Saturday for Guatemala for 4 weeks of immersion Spanish study. I will be attending a school during the day and staying with a host family during the evenings. I am hoping that I can accelerate my Spanish study during this month and come back with the ability to carry on simple conversation, talk on the phone, and be able to build on that base during this spring and summer's activities in Waukesha. Be in prayer for Kellie and the kids as they will be home alone for that month; and pray for me, that I will learn quickly and retain it all; and that I will be a blessing to those I come in contact with.
Another thing which you can be praying for is the Common Ground garden project. God has really been at work with this and I am getting pretty excited about how things are starting to come together. As you know, the ground has been turned over, which is a good start, but there is still a long way to go. Some friends of mine have really jumped in and done some amazing work. Through them, a local tree trimming company has graciously donated free wood chips (which I believe will be a big help in cutting down the mud and in retaining moisture) and we have a means of acquiring llama manure as our fertilizer this first year. I don't know much about llamas, but I have read enough to know that they make the best manure for gardens! Also, I have been looking into sources for seeds and have found what I believe to be a very reasonable source. Remember, we want to be able to provide seeds for the participants free of cost. In my ideal world, I would like to purchase these seeds this year, and then harvest our own and save them from year to year afterwards and never really have to pay for seeds again. The total cost for slightly under the amount of seeds we need will be around $450.00, but if I wanted to have excess (which I think would be a good idea), then I am estimating the cost to be $615.00. If you feel that helping us purchase some seed would be a way in which you would like to participate in this project, please contact me through email (because I will be out of country for awhile) or send a check specifying the garden project to:
Clay Pots
S53 WW24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI 53189
Keep praying about this up-coming year. I think God has big things in store and look forward to updating you as we find out more. I will try to send out an update or two from down in Guatemala. See you all in a month.
Peace,
Jason for Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Grandpa Knapp

2011-01-02T06:44:00.002+10:00

On Monday, December, 27, 2010, at 10:35 am, my Grandpa, Kellogg Knapp, went to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ. This post is a tribute to him.

I believe my Grandpa was great because he found his greatest satisfaction in relationships. He was not concerned with worldly possessions, he knew that they only brought worry and trouble; instead, he possessed a wealth of friendships and relationships, and this brought him joy and peace. His first and most special love was for Jesus, followed closely by his love for his wife Lucille. Now, I would not consider Grandpa a book smart theologian who knew all the aspects of and defenses for all the doctrines in the Bible, but he was an experiential theologian that knew Jesus, loved him deeply, and knew that he would see him someday when he finally passed away. His comments about his Savior were often short and sometimes subtle, but they were frequent, interspersed through almost every conversation, heartfelt, and full of thankfulness to his Lord. Grandpa lived his theology and loved his Savior.

Grandpa had a way of making every person he met feel special. He always had time for people, they were never a bother to him, never inconvenienced him, and you always felt like he would rather talk to you than do anything else at that moment. I loved that about him. And… as everyone can testify, he was extremely funny.

A special bond that I believe I, personally, shared with my Grandfather, was the fact that both of us, in the prime of our lives, went overseas for the sake of something bigger than ourselves, for a cause. Psalm 102:18-22 – We both believe in freedom. A freedom for this generation and the ones to come to have the opportunity to worship the true God and his Son Jesus Christ. And we both believe that true freedom from our sin, freedom from the punishment of eternity in hell, and freedom from the cares of all the garbage in this life comes only through belief in Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross for us. Without Jesus, we have no hope in this life or in the life to come… Grandpa is EXPERIENCING this freedom and hope in full right now, whereas I continue to believe… that lucky dog (as he would say). Grandpa made every opportunity (even at the possibility of loosing his life in WW2) for us as a family to be able to first believe, and then to declare the praises of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Because this belief permeated his entire life, he exuded a quiet confidence in life. Growing up, I knew that my Grandpa wasn’t afraid of anything in life or in death, and I believe that this is because he knew that he belonged to Jesus whether in life or death and that Jesus would never let him go, no matter what the circumstances. This caused him not to worry about much, and that is why I believe that he was always smiling… confident that his life was in Jesus’ hands. Well, his confidence spurred me on to travel overseas and live among a primitive people group who were in spiritual darkness and who did not have the light of Jesus shining in their lives. But before I left, I remember sitting at Grandpa and Grandma’s kitchen table, worrying, and asking them if I should continue on this crazy journey and head overseas… everything was so unknown and I was fearful. They sat there over ice cream cones and told me about how God will never let you down; how God is your only back-up plan. They told me about how God had provided for them during the depression, after the war, and while raising three kids. They told me that if God was leading me to do this, that I should not fear whether or not he would provide, but to go trusting that he would. So I took my family, and we went… and we never lacked!

These are the qualities of my Grandfather that I wish to aspire to: To continue to live my life for Jesus, in dependence upon him, not worrying about the things of this life, but investing in the lives of others, to demonstrate to everyone in my life that they are special, because they ARE in the eyes of Jesus, and to not be afraid of new challenges in life because I am confidence that the same God who cared for my Grandfather is caring for me.

I love you Grandpa! I know you are now in the arms of Jesus and the Father is saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I pray that you are enjoying a hunting trip with your best friend, Jesus. And I pray that each and every life that you touched is like a gem which you can cast at the feet of your Savior because I know that you would rather give than receive. God bless you!

Clay Pots ~ Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T02:55:00.002+10:00

People... we say that they are priceless and valuable, we invest in them, we have profitable or unprofitable conversations with them, sometimes our relationships go bankrupt or we perceive that we received no return on our investment in them. I was reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. In one of the last chapters in the book, the author wrote about Christian love. His point was that we often use our love like a commodity... like money. I stopped to think about this and realized that unconsciously, at times, I did view people as a place where-in to invest my love. And if, perhaps, that investment did not produce a good return (of course, this is in my own estimation of what a good return means), then I would be tempted to remove my deposits of love and place them elsewhere where there would be a good return.

As I mulled on this for awhile, I came to the conclusion that that type of response is human reasoning and human love. It is also a lot of work with not much joy involved. Godly, gospel driven love, however, is not an investment, it is a gift. God loved me, a terrible wretched sinner, so much, that he gave his only Son to me for free. And he gave his only Son to the whole world, out of which there are some that would accept and others who would not. But I don't believe that God looked at His Son's death as an investment; it is a free gift because he loves and appreciates and yearns for all people (regardless of who they are or their backgrounds or what they have done) to be in joyful communion with him. The difference between Godly love and human love is that he does not withdraw his love from those who do not respond.

So as I prepare for Christmas just like all of you, I am struck anew this year with the incredibleness of God the Father's gift of unconditional love and grace upon me. Whether I would have responded or not responded to his loving gift of salvation through Jesus Christ made no difference to him... it is unconditional, and he would have given the gift of the baby born in a manger either way because he loved me. And this is true of all of us. Knowing this makes me feel special and privileged, but at the same time, humbled by the fact that he did this for each and every person on this planet. But what breaks my heart is that this planet is full of people who do not yet know that there is a gift of salvation waiting for them from a loving Heavenly Father. Thus his love motivates me to joyfully love my neighbor in word and deed, and not withdraw it if I don't get a good return on my investment.

May the remembrance of the Christmas story bring joy, peace, and hope to you.
Peace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ news

2010-12-04T13:27:00.004+10:00

The turned over ground

For our Monday night listener's club, Paco and I are attempting to structure some English lessons for beginners that will be productive, challenging, independent of other lessons, practical, entertaining, and interactive so as to open up the doors to a deeper relationship with the ones who we are working with. Not necessarily easy, but this is the niche we find ourselves in. "Why would you come up with your own lessons?", you ask. Well, because our structure on Monday nights is not a classroom setting; instead, it is built around conversation. So we are tailoring the lessons to lend to conversation and interaction. The attendees are loving it. They love to come every week and practice their English and learn more. The members of the basics group enjoy laughing with each other and learning new things each week. The more advanced groups are able to delve into some deeper conversations about life, culture, beliefs, and many other things. This has been a very encouraging time.

Another very exciting development: Pastor Mario Navarro is hosting a one hour a week Spanish radio program starting on December 13th. His program will air from 7:00-8:00 on Monday mornings on AM1460, if you would like to tune in. This will be a great time for the Word of God to go out, in Spanish, to our community. Please pray that many will tune in and that it will be successful in ministering to the spiritual needs of the Latino community. Praise God for Mario's heart and for those who have encouraged him and donated already to make this a possibility. If anyone would feel moved to donate to Mario in order to sustain this ministry long term, please contact me.

The ground for the garden plot was turned over a few weeks ago! Praise God! We are one step closer to seeing this ministry go forward. Paco and I are planning on getting together this next week and designing and printing flyers and promotional materials for the gardens so we are ready come the middle of this winter when we want to get the word out. Be in prayer that this will meet just as many spiritual needs as it does physical needs.

Christmas is right around the corner. We pray that all of us remember the meaning of the incarnation and how we can model God's love to those around us.

Peace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

A lot... for Free?

2010-11-06T08:42:00.003+10:00

Sight of our home-to-be on West Ave. in Waukesha

Our family's request to God over the past months has been to own our own home. To us, that seemed like an outrageous request. Jason and I have lived either in mission apartments, rental homes, or bush houses ever since we have been married. For us, there was never a sense of permanence or stability, which inherently comes with the missionary status. It was unsettling to see a "for sale" sign go up in front of our rental home this past month and we knew that our kids just can't go through another move again. So, knowing that God can do miracles, we have been continuing to pray to him about this area of our lives.

We have been looking to locate somewhere in the heart of downtown Waukesha in order to live among those whom God has given us a heart to minister to. The city of Waukesha is full of Latinos and other immigrants so it seemed like a logical place to begin to pray about. Through the city of Waukesha and Jason's cousin, Keith Knapp, President of Paradise Builders God has miraculously provided to us a FREE vacant city lot only blocks from downtown Waukesha where we can build a low income home! A free lot is a wonderful blessing but we still didn't have the funds or approval for a loan to build a home... we had already been denied twice for a loan cuz it is hard to understand how we maintain an income... "You mean, people faithfully give you money every month? What happens if someone ceases to donate?" "Well," we said, "God has always made up the difference." (Living by faith doesn't always look good on the books.) But our God is always at work and he has graciously moved in the hearts of certain individuals at our bank, Waukesha State Bank, and they have decided to take us on as a very special case and offer us an in-house loan. I think that they are in favor of the idea of Clay Pots and want to show it by signing for the loan themselves. Seriously we are telling the truth!!! And if that wasn't the icing on the cake, we have found out that at least two of the other adjoining lots were given to immigrant families! So we believe that God is working to put us exactly where he wants us to serve.

So when I get nervous about how we may not always have the support we need to pay our mortgage, I have to stop and laugh. We can't deny that God is making this happen in pretty miraculous ways and so I just better hold on for the ride realizing that he is answering the prayer we have been praying for so long. I feel safe and secure knowing that God is in charge of cities, banks, governments, and people...I tend to easily forget that. I am confident that some day next year you will be receiving an invitation to our house warming party and what a joyous party that will be! Our heart's two-fold desire has been met by God through His people in ways no one (at least I) could have imagined. We consider this opportunity a demonstration of the miraculous grace of God... who knew that he would have this in store for us when we left PNG a year ago? Could you pray for wisdom for us as we move forward with this? That we would continue to trust in God's provision. That we could find good deals on building supplies. That we could cut costs as we and volunteers do certain aspects of the project. That our hope of breaking ground before the snow flies could be a reality... I guess that could be any day now in Wisconsin:-)

Thankful for God's purposeful movement in our lives,
Kellie for the family

To support this ministry,
Send a check to:
Clay Pots
S53W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI. 53189

Clay Pots ~ Gardens and Help needed

2010-10-16T06:48:00.004+10:00

"You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Lev. 19:34) "If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.” (Lev. 23:35). I find this second passage very interesting because even though God is talking about how the Israelites were to treat their own ‘brothers’ (people from their own country); it assumes that the Israelites were supporting and caring for the stranger and sojourner (or immigrant)… and allowing them to live with them. “You shall… as though…” Wow, no segregation here, the Israelites were actually supposed to be hospitable by housing those of other cultures in their own homes, according to God’s design. I know that this does not apply to us across the board, but it is a glimpse into the all inclusive and loving heart of God for all peoples everywhere, and it gives me encouragement to think outside the box in how we as the children of God can care for the immigrant among us.

I told you in my last letter, that I would inform you of ways in which I believe God is directing his servants to trust him, live the gospel, and care for the poor and needy. Here are two ideas which we are in the process of planning and organizing for next year with the Biblical hope (confident expectation) that God will work mightily.

Community Garden Plots: (We gotta come up with a better name than that:)) As humans, we all innately have a desire to create something or tend nature. Next summer we are going to try to use this innate desire by offering free garden plots to low income families in order to meet a physical need and in order to build relationships. The concept is simple: we allow immigrants from low income housing and apartment complexes to plant a garden free of charge on our church(s) property. We provide seed and water and tools, and they commit to tending their own gardens through the summer and then they take home all the produce. I have seen this type of project hosted by a local church in Ohio (the pic of it is above)… they had at least an acre of land divided into 20 or 30 small plots which ministered to the physical needs of those who were displaced or less fortunate. What a blessing we can be by simply using our unused property! As to date we have approx 40 interested families!

English Classes: As a follow up to this, Paco and I are in the process of planning a way to spring-board off this project with winter English Classes. We would like to offer these free classes to anyone from any country (Latino or otherwise) who would need/desire it. The course would run through the winter and be followed by another summer of gardening if the idea catches on.
Of course, both of these projects require many of God’s servants to labor together for the sake of the gospel. I am praying that God will provide immensely in this way. Pray that God would open the necessary doors and that he would make this project successful. Pray for the planning. Pray for community desire. Pray for open hearts to the gospel. Pray for laborers.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?: Do you have garden tools that you would be willing to donate? Would you be willing to donate/plant seeds and/or donate seedlings? Could you give a financial gift to help pay for rain barrels, sheds, tools, seeds, hoses, etc? (see below on how to do that) Some of the people are going to need transportation..have any ideas? Would you be willing to help prepare the ground? Volunteer to help with English classes? Donate $ for materials needed for those English classes? MOVERS. There is a volunteer call list of people through James Place willing to help immigrants and low income residents move from one apartment building to another or one house to another. There were 37 families that needed help moving this past year; 11 of those had to be turned down due to the lack of volunteers. Would you be wiling to add your name to the list? E-mail us. Call us. We can't wait to hear from you!

Thank you for your prayers. His Clay Pots, Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp
FINANCIAL DONATIONS:
Send a check to:
Clay Pots,
S53 W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI 53189
(if you are specifically wanting to donate to the Garden Plots, attach a note specifying Community Gardens)

Clay Pots ~ Noah

2010-10-04T11:45:00.004+10:00

Jason and Jeronimo trying to figure out English

As I have been reading through Genesis in my quiet time, I have been impressed with the fact that life is a messy vapor which is rarely characterized by white picket fences, booming economies, and harmonious relationships. The story of Noah, for instance… we often look at that story as a cool children’s tale, full of animals, a solid family, and primitive yet amazing boat architecture. But we fail to remember that God was grieved with the fact that he even created mankind because they had become so evil in their murderous actions. And we fail to remember that the point of the story is that God massacred hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of these people in one gigantic cataclysmic flood which covered the whole earth. Only Noah and his family survived by the grace of God. But…
Would you have wanted to be the only one left on the face of the planet? Talk about Post Traumatic Stress… the nightmares of screaming people, waters engulfing everything you see, death and carnage everywhere, and then the suffocating misery of waiting in an enclosed boat for almost a year. I bet there were some pretty miserable days filled with depression and little to smile about. How about loosing your home and everything you once knew and loved, being displaced, and starting over from scratch? Oh, and wait, there is no one there to help you or council you… only your wife and children (who are looking to YOU for strength and to answer their questions), because everyone else was obliterated.
How could anyone go on after that? That doesn’t sound like fun to me. Noah’s life was not one of comfort, but one of sheer survival… God purposed that Noah’s life would serve one purpose… to preserve the human race. And because Noah believed God’s promises, God rescued the human race through Noah (or as we say in Tobo: ‘on the road of Noah’)
All I am saying is that life is not always cut and dried, and even when God is blessing us or fulfilling his promises to us, it can seem as if he is really torturing us. You would think that he would work in a predictable way that would require the least amount of suffering and pain, but that is not His way. Think of Noah and Jesus and Joseph and Paul, etc. As his word says, it is through the pain and suffering that we truly find and experience Jesus who is our comfort, grace, and salvation.
I believe that he is at work here in Waukesha ‘blessing’ the church and carrying it on to maturity even though it could seem at times that there are more negatives than positives. But God can use the economy, the housing struggles, loss of jobs, poverty, injustice, illegal actions, and imperfect relationships to bring about his ultimate goal… which is to save as many people as will believe from every ethnic group, cultural background, and native language from every nation under heaven.
Sometimes I feel like I am Noah, sitting on that boat waiting… waiting for something which God could miraculously do, but chooses not to. Building relationships within a community takes time, and establishing trust within a community who normally would not trust you is even more time consuming. But God continues to open doors and we continue to see his leading and provision as we seek to reach the Latino community here in Waukesha. In my next entry, I am excited to inform you of ways in which I believe God is directing his servants to trust him, live the gospel, and watch Him as he rescues many.
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Support needed

2010-08-31T09:19:00.002+10:00

"That All May Hear and Believe!" We consider this to be our assignment no matter what zip code God assigns us to. At this time, we have no doubt that God has assigned to us Waukesha to minister in one of the fastest growing Hispanic areas in the nation. Since Jason was in high school he knew that God had called him to make disciples of those who are less fortunate and we knew as a couple that we would follow that calling until He called us home. This is Jason's heart beat and we are honored and humbled that God has chosen to use us.

Our ministry, under the name Clay Pots, involves networking and bringing people and churches together that are wanting to reach the Hispanic community with Christ and to help guide in cross cultural relationship building and discipleship making. It involves bringing Hispanic pastors and individuals together in the unity of the Spirit to work together to see this goal accomplished. It involves being in a constant mode of building relationships with the unbelieving Hispanic population and learning and understanding them more. In the fall or early winter, we are hoping to start some small group Bible studies with unbelievers! I, personally, am always amazed at how quickly Jason can build and establish trust a relationship. In addition, this ministry involves bringing an awareness to the community around us resulting in compassion for the sojourner and stranger in our land. The Hispanic population is exploding here and Jason desires to bring people, churches, and communities together to recognize and meet that need.

Since we have come back to live stateside, our funding has steadily decreased. In American standards we are living at poverty level. However, we know that our income is considered rich in many other lands and even here among many of those who we seek to minister to! That said, we are seeking God for continued monthly donations to Clay Pots. In Luke it says that "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few". Because of the donations we receive, Jason is able to devote himself to what God has called Him to do and work amongst the "harvest fields" of unbelievers, strangers, and sojourners. God has told us to go and trust that He will provide our needs according to his bounty through his people. I love how God established long ago that he would provide for his servants and build his kingdom in this way. God knew that as He asks you to give, His church continues to be built among all nations. Thank you for trusting God that your donations are being invested in something eternal.

If you would like to support this ministry and God is laying it on your heart to do so, then you are an answer to a specific prayer! We need you! God planned for us to need you.

You can send checks to "Clay Pots"
S53 W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI 53189. (You will receive a tax-deductible receipt.)

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Successful weekend

2010-08-24T07:26:00.003+10:00

(I thought I took pictures, but the card was not in the camera)

God is amazing! I had very little faith and very little hope that this past weekend was going to be of any significance. On Monday we actually had very little stuff for a garage sale, and we switched the location from church to our home. But through the course of the week, our driveway was a revolving door, and our garage started to pack out. By Wednesday it was so packed that we had to put things into our living room. Then our living room was so full of boxes that we had to put stuff in the kitchen. So Thursday morning it took us almost 2 hours to put everything out on the front lawn and in the driveway.

What we didn't expect was that God was going to bless us and also a whole lot of other people as well. We priced everything to go: 50 cents here and a buck there... $10 here and $20 there. From 8:00 on Thursday morning till 6:00 on Saturday evening, there was a steady stream of people that stopped on our busy road. I saw up to 30 people at a time rummaging through the items. We estimate that probably 75% of the customers were Hispanic or African American. I think that English was spoken maybe 50% of the time... some knew only enough English to give us the money and leave. And people just kept on coming... many from the Hispanic community living in the apartments not far from our house.

On Friday, two of my Hispanic pastor friends came by and gathered some things for their families, we told them to take it for free, but they wanted to get rid of me and send me out of country to learn Spanish, so they put in some money too:-). One of them was able to invite some people to his church and he helped me by translating for a lady and we were able to help find her exactly what she was looking for. By Saturday afternoon, we had pulled in over $1000 and so at 4:00 we put up a "Free" sign on the road. One man stopped by on his motorcycle and was falling all over himself in gratitude as he took some in-line skates and other things for his children for Christmas. Another person was gathering things up in a box and said, "No one has ever given me anything for free before. This is amazing!" Another man from Mexico and his family stopped by from Milwaukee and he took two boxes of clothes which he said he was going to take to his needy family next month in Mexico. Soon everything was almost gone. So we boxed up about 12 boxes of clothes and took those off to Hope Center in Waukesha where they hand out clothes to needy people for free. The rest of the items (a few cups and knickknacks, material and odds and ends) we put in boxes on the curb and we have had a number of cars stop by and dig through it. One man's junk is another man's treasure! I heard them going through the stuff at 10:30 last night and 6:00 in the morning.

We are grateful to all of you who donated. It was a blessing to not only make enough money to pay the room and board for learning Spanish, but we also helped a number of needy people and were able to donate the left overs for those who will need those clothes come winter. Thank you, you are a blessing!

By Grace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Loving others

2010-08-17T22:09:00.004+10:00

Welsen with homemade crutches

Over the past few months, many of you have asked how the believers in Tobo are doing, which missionaries are in the tribe, and what is happening over there. Here is a story from the Mankins who are still working with the believers in Tobo:

“Our considerable time spent in chapters 12 and 13 of Romans alone has been very profitable for the believers here. We have seen a few instances where they have gone above and beyond the cultural norms of helping each other out in the context of family and clan relationships, and also helping those who will then owe them. This “payback” system, (good for good and bad for bad) is prevalent in our area as well as much of the country of PNG. So it was encouraging when Welsen and I went up to visit a lady in the village named Bula.

Bula is lame and her legs and feet are much too weak for her to get around without aid. This confines her to her house and porch, and she has to sit and shuffle back and forth on a rough plank bench leading to her outhouse. In spite of her circumstances, this very kind lady has an excellent sense of humor and an infectious laugh. When Welsen and I got to talking about her plight, we decided that maybe there was some way to help her. So we scrounged up some leftover plywood pieces, some nails were thrown in and her grown sons were all to glad to take it from there and build her a narrow plywood covering the once splintery and uneven plank bench pathway. They even had enough for a nice sitting platform just on her porch to allow her extra comfort when she scoots out from the smoke-filled house to sit and take in the fresh air from time to time.

But as we were discussing what to do, Welsen did not stop there. He suggested that we try to make some wooden crutches for Bula! I donated a couple of old tin cans for the feet, and he selected the wood and carved them himself. So on the Sunday after our church meeting when we first carried up the plywood, we also brought the hand-hewn crutches along with us. Welsen, Ambux, and Musanggi (Asa Selep, or “Grandpa Finger”) and I all pitched in to help, drawing more than a few curious stares from the villagers we passed. When we arrived with the wood, Bula could not contain her tears as she expressed her gratitude. I paused to see what my brothers would say in response and was rewarded with a display of gracious humility as they deflected her praise from ourselves and all to God.

And I too stood there and gave grateful praise to God for, you see, though generosity is very prevalent in Tobo culture, the type of help that we gave was not something that most Tobo people would ever dream about. The typical response would be, “Ah, it’s her sons’ responsibility. Let them take care of her,” or “She’s not in our clan,” (implying also the following: “There is nothing we will get in return, no prestige or big status will come to us from this. She is not a big man in the community either, so is it worth it?”). But of course you readers and I all know that the Spirit of God uses the Word of God in His children to cause them to do good works that transcend and exceed all expectations from the clan and the culture at large. It is one thing to discuss on a Sunday the fact that the Spirit will lead us to help people even if they are not closely related to us or prestigious community members, or to get a big name publically or curry extra favor with God and man. Yes, it is one thing to say these things, and entirely another thing altogether to put these words into action. What a great example of some young believers living out what they’ve been learning from Romans.

God is alive and well and continuing the good work which he began in the Tobo believers. Continue to pray for them. Pray that their love for God would grow deep within their souls and that His love and grace would abound into abundant fruit.

So all may Hear,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Garage sale and Uno

2010-08-04T11:51:00.002+10:00

Clay Pots, as a ministry, is going to be hosting a garage sale to be located in the Waukesha Bible Church parking lot. The times are going to be from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Thursday August 19th, Friday August 20th, and Saturday August 21st. We are raising money for a couple things. We would like to send Jason to a Spanish immersion school in Central America this winter. We and the Hispanics we work with, feel like this will be the very best thing to give Jason the needed concentration and time to go from conversational Spanish to complete fluency so he can begin teaching small group Bible studies, etc. And we would like to use the $ raised by the garage sale to purchase some curriculum to be used in small group Bible studies. If you have anything you would like to donate or get rid of, you can give us a call at 262-501-8487 (Jason) or 262-501-8206 (Kellie), and we will arrange the details with you. Or feel free to just drop things off by the barn in the church parking lot. Thanks to all of you who have already been donating items, it is greatly appreciated.

It has been a privilege to be able to be used by God in the lives of people around us. We were able to donate some items to help a needy church with their garage sale and are looking at ways to help them with a homeless shelter, Jason has been invited over to a man's house in order to help him practice his English, and the lines of communication with another couple have opened up and trust is being built. It is great to be meeting new people and hearing their stories and hearing what it is like for them, and some of the difficulties they face in the U.S. We can empathize with them as to what it is like to live in a foreign culture and feel it an honor as they start to trust us and ask us to be a part of their lives and families. Our children have been a big part of this as well as we were invited over to a birthday party for a 6 year old Mexican boy that Malachi has befriended. The two boys play "UNO" together with his mom to help them learn English. When I told Malachi to be sure not to be bossy during the game, he replied, "dont worry mom, I cant tell them what to do, I cant speak their language:-)"

Pray that we can continue to demonstrate Christ's love in tangible ways.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah (11), Sophia (9), and Malachi (6) Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Good Picnic

2010-07-24T03:10:00.002+10:00

Last Sunday was a great day. We were really busy that day and came home exhausted, but we were praising God because it really was a lot of fun serving alongside Christians from all over the city, meeting new people, building on new relationships, and investing more time in solid relationships. I was particularly encouraged that two Hispanic families in particular whom we have been working to build a relationship with showed up, ate, and spent some time mingling with people there. It was hot, but it was perfect weather for a picnic and we are thanking God for the great weather that he gave all of us.

We were all encouraged with the diverse crowd that came... there were hundreds of people there from all walks of life... there were churches and aid organizations, rich and poor, homeless and congressmen, Hispanics, white Caucasians, and African Americans. It was encouraging to see all the people mingling and talking, laughing, and sharing the love of Christ. 'Feed My Sheep' did a great job in providing and cooking the food. The water and lemonade were flowing, the watermelons were sliced and diced and devoured, and the barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs were a real treat to all those who came. Local bakeries and businesses and people donated tons of deserts and cookies, which was also a huge hit. I don't think anyone went away hungry. Overall, the picnic was a great success in that Christians from all over the city came together to manifest the love of Christ to those who were there... with no strings attached.

Be praying for those relationships that were established or built upon during that time... that God would use them to draw people unto himself.

Thank you for your prayers and for all of you who came down to help out.
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Volunteers Needed

2010-07-09T07:09:00.002+10:00

James Place, Elmbrook, New Beginnings, Hope Center, La Vina del Senor, and other churches and agencies are hosting a huge community picnic for the downtown Waukesha/Hispanic community in order to display the love of Christ; and we as Clay Pots are helping as well! We need volunteers! So would you be willing to volunteer? Bring food? Or just come, mingle, and smile?

Details:
When: Sunday July 18th 12:30-4pm (Come any time!)

Where: Frame Park in Waukesha.

Food: Bring cookies, bars, or watermelon to share. Bring your own chairs & blankets.

What: There will be Children's activities, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, playground, music & more!

How: Volunteers are needed to help with activities, set up, tear down, and Spanish speakers.

If you would like to volunteer to help, you can sign up at www.elmbrook.org/events/concerts.asp. Look for the Community Picnic and click the 'Volunteer' tab. You will see a list of who is needed yet.

See you there!
Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Three + One

2010-07-06T05:32:00.002+10:00

Have you ever moved to a new city or state? Wow, what a transition time. You feel alone, out of sorts, a bit lost, you don't know where everything is or where the good stores and the good deals are. You feel that you waste time and money, and sometimes you sit and wonder if you will ever fit in in this new place. And yet you speak the language and know the culture for the most part. What if you had to move to another country where you knew very little of the language and had few or no friends there to greet you?

I have had the privilege to begin building relationships with three Hispanic ministers here in Waukesha. Each of them arrived from their home countries to the Waukesha area in the past 3 years and each are here to minister to the Hispanic community. As a foursome, we have been meeting together once a week for prayer and fellowship. God has knit our hearts together in a wonderful way through prayer. We pray for our families, for our community, for the gospel to go forth, for area churches, and for the growth of the Hispanic church here in Waukesha. Without fail, every time we get done, these men thank each other for coming and say to one another how much of an encouragement this is to them. They have testified to the fact that they felt alone in this town, but how this meeting has encouraged them greatly to continue on because others are here for the same purpose.

I, personally, do not think that it is coincidence that three men from three different countries arrived in the last three years to head up a Hispanic ministry for three different churches in the city of Waukesha. God is doing something here and we are praying that he uses us to encourage and empower these men to see his kingdom expand. Thank you for making this possible for us.

Pray:
That God would bind our hearts together in love and unity to serve his purposes.
That God would continue to open doors to new relationships with unbelievers.
That God would stir the hearts of the unsaved community with a desire to hear His word.
That I would continue to learn Spanish quickly.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Sojourner

2010-06-09T22:06:00.003+10:00

Malachi's first fish. "I will make you fishers of men."

When Jason came to me about making Clay Pots into a ministry to reach the sojourner and 'stranger' in the United States I actually had hoped that something would change his mind. I was pretty sure we had put in our time as church planters and we were entitled to a normal and average life. As far as I was concerned it was time to "play it safe". Little did I know that God was about to change my mind!

Unless you haven't gone to a store, restaurant, or outside your own back yard in a while, it is pretty hard to ignore the fact that you don't just hear "English" being spoken everywhere you go. In fact, there are many places I go to that I feel that I am the outsider. It got me thinking. Both our ancestors came from Germany and Ireland. At one time, Jason's ancestors spoke only German and they came to the States for a better life for their family. As I thought about this, I couldn't help but sympathize with them and what they went through as they moved and adjusted to a strange and unknown land which was so unlike their own. I know what it's like, I've done it myself.

I wonder who the people were that reached out to them? Who surrounded them with acceptance, love, and help? I assume that there were people who did. I know that as their descendant I am considered an "all American" but they were not and they went through much heartache and struggle in leaving their country and being strangers and sojourners in a foreign land so I, their descendant, could have all of this. I do know there were German/English speaking churches for them to attend where they could feel safe and grow in their faith. This is a key element since Jason's heritage contains Christians as far back as he can figure; they handed it down to their children praying that their children would do the same. So, I think we know what we are meant to do with our freedom as Christians and as Americans: we are to be the ones reaching out and sharing the gospel to immigrants, strangers, and foreigners because someone did it for our families first.

If you are questioning whether to support the Clay Pots ministry I would encourage you to seek out your past, your history, and your heritage. Ask yourself who reached out to your family when they came to this country? Was there a church that spoke their language so that they could attend and feel safe and loved as strangers in a foreign land? This is the job of the church and our cities need that again. They need churches speaking their heart language and Christians reaching out and helping them settle. I ask that you support Clay Pots so that we can encourage and empower churches to reach out to Hispanics in our own town... and then, and because our God is a very big God, we wont stop there but keep on going to more nationalities. Send people to our webpage. Pray for us. Reach out to your cities.

"You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt." Exodus 23:9

His Clay Pots,
Kellie for Jason, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

www.claypots.org

You can send checks to:
Clay Pots
S53 W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI. 53189
(You will be sent a tax deductible receipt)

Clay Pots ~ new direction

2010-05-11T07:44:00.004+10:00

Mother and Daughter on Mother's Day

Over a decade ago, we chose the name "Clay Pots" when we first started out as missionaries and church planters because we knew that we were simply vessels... inadequate to accomplish anything apart from the grace of God. 13 years later that sense of inadequacy hasn't changed, but we believe that God has asked us, as his vessels, to go in a new direction. This direction is utterly impossible on our own, and yet we know our God is a God of impossibles!

Jason has seen the need for cross cultural church planting here in America. The world is coming to us and there is an amazing opportunity for our local churches to reach the world in our own communities! Our goal is to see individuals from these different ethnic groups become disciples of Jesus Christ here in, what is to them, a foreign land. Our prayer is that they could take this life giving message back to their own countries.

To facilitate this endeavor, we are making the name 'Clay Pots' into a ministry of its own whereby those who are interested can partner together with us to see these communities reached. It will also allow us to be funded to put in more of our time and energies into seeing this goal become a reality.

So where are we starting? With the approx. 16,000 Hispanics of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

What is our goal? To band together with local believers (Hispanic and non) to reach out and build relationships with the unsaved Hispanics in our town. Through relationships, we then hope to lead them to Christ and have in home Bible studies/ cell groups from which a Hispanic congregation could be birthed.

What are you doing now to reach that goal? Learning Spanish, learning culture, being a part of different community outreaches including volunteering at free English speaking sessions, and most importantly building relationships with the Hispanic community by bringing them into our home.

Why are we telling you this? We need you. Just like we couldn't go to PNG and plant a church among the Tobo people without a support group, we can't reach these people within the USA without you and your support. We greatly desire to give this our all in order to reach different ethnic groups (beginning with Hispanics) and disciple them to carry this on in their own ethnic context as they live here and/or travel back and forth. Would you consider partnering together with us in this endeavor?

If we support you, what will the $ be used for? The $ will be used to support our family and for all ministry costs.

What if you don't get enough support? Will you still do this? We want to say, "Yes, God has asked us to do this and we will do it regardless of support." But if Jason must work a full time job, then obviously he won't have the time to devote to this ministry. So the more we are supported the more we can give ourselves to this. At this present time, Jason is working part time for Kellie's dad 3 days of the week with www.ziebarthmasonryandchimneyservice.com while at the same time, moving forward with Clay Pots and making contacts the other 4 days with our current support level. If that level decreases too much, however, he will look for a full time job, and do this in his spare time.

Just Hispanics? No, we dream big because we have a BIG God:-). Our desire is to see all different kinds of ethnic groups reached in the years to come!!!

What about NTM? As of the end of May we will resign from New Tribes Mission as we have seen God direct us out of that ministry and into another. We have been involved with NTM for 15 years and are thankful for the many things God taught us during our time in the mission. We are eternally grateful for the experiences, the people we were able to meet and work with, the lives we were able to be a part of, and the privilege of planting a tribal church by the grace of God. Not a day goes by that we don't pray for our dear Tobo brothers and sisters in Christ. The space they contain in our hearts will never go away. We are resting in God's faithful guidance and sanctification in their lives as they continue to grow in his grace. We are confident that he who began a good work in them will be faithful to bring it to completion. We have come to understand some of Paul's heart and love for the churches he was privileged to plant. It is difficult to be away from them.

Obviously this e-mail cannot contain all the details and if you would like more information on Clay Pots we have a brochure, information, etc that explain this ministry and all of the ins and outs of it (i.e. vision statement, goals, etc) please don't hesitate to contact us or our home church (Waukesha Bible Church).

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Checks can be made out to Clay Pots and you will be sent a quarterly tax deductible receipt:
Our new business address is:
Clay Pots
S53 W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI. 53189

Our Home Address:
1352 Dopp St.
Waukesha, WI. 53188

Phone #'s
Jason 262-501-8487
Kellie 262-501-8206

NEW e-mail address:
jason@claypots.org
kellie@claypots.org

Clay Pots ~ Identity

2010-04-02T04:22:00.002+10:00

My Oldest Boy

Identity. We will do anything to gain it, sell our souls to maintain it, and suffer greatly to secure it. And yet we are often rarely satisfied with the identity we possess. Since my family and I have come home, I have had to struggle through this topic in my head. What is my identity? Who is Jason Knapp? Am I a missionary? Is that what I really am? Am I a member of a certain organization? Is that where my worth comes from? Am I a citizen of a certain country? Is that where I find my security? What are my accomplishments? Do I find my fulfillment and maintain my reputation by accomplishing those? What happens if all of that is changed or stripped away? Then what?

God has been revealing to me, in ever increasing clarity, what it really means to be a follower of Jesus Christ... what it means to be a Christian. I know, that sounds so basic and simple. But we humans really are a simple and base people, we often just pretend that we are more than we really are. The Apostle Paul learned this, a man who thought he had found his identity in his nationality, his title, his accomplishments, his reputation... he learned that all of this was but a pile of stinking dung in comparison with his true identity: "Being found in him (Jesus Christ), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ..." (Phil 3:8-9) And in Galatians, Paul makes it even more clear when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." His identity was Jesus.

The answer to the identity question is simple yet profound: I am in Christ. He is my identity. I am a Christian. It does not matter what I do, where I am from, who I associate with, what my accomplishments are, what organizations I am a part of, or what I own. What matters is that I am a believer in the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ, and that in him is found freedom, life, security, fulfillment, and acceptance. I will not labor for a position, I will not work to maintain a reputation, I will not struggle for a title, and I will not fight for security because all of this is given to me freely by grace through faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, and nothing else! I will only labor to serve HIM, work to praise HIM, struggle to give HIM glory, and fight for faith in HIM! The alternative is not just worthless, but repulsive.

May we truly "know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may we share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…"

His Clay Pots by Grace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Settling

2010-02-24T06:01:00.002+10:00

We know that it has been many weeks since we last sent out an update and for that we apologize. We desire to keep you all "in the loop" as to what is happening in our lives and yet we ourselves have felt very "out of the loop"… thus we have not had much to say. We have been back in the States for about 8 weeks now after our sudden departure from Papua New Guinea. I believe that we are still in a process of grieving this departure, and yet we are resting in God's immeasurable love and care for both us and the Tobo church. I am not too sure if this hole in our heart will ever be filled until we get to be reunited with are precious friends and fellow believers in heaven! Without internet, phone, or mail, it will be very difficult to communicate with them, but when we do hear from them (or about them) we will be sure to pass it on to you so you can be in prayer on their behalf.

We figure we still have a few good years left here on this earth, and we don’t want to waste them… so we have been earnestly seeking God as to where and how He would like to use these Clay Pots again. We are confident that it was His direction that brought us as a family back home to settle in Waukesha, WI where our families and home church are located. Even though it should feel normal to be here, I think we are still going through some aspects of culture shock and the frustration of transition. We hope that in time it will feel normal to be a permanent American in America again. Kellie is homeschooling the kids (5th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten) to finish out the school year and we hope by the time the next school year starts, we will know where we are living, and they will be able to attend a school. For now we are renting but are dreaming that some day we might own a small home of our own.

As we seek to move forward we have watched God close some doors and yet, ever so slightly, crack open a few other ones. We have timidly walked through one of those doors and at this point in time are carefully pursuing something that we are passionate about: Cross cultural church planting! The foreign population in Waukesha is very substantial. We believe that with evangelism, discipleship and teaching, God could raise up more disciples of Jesus Christ from within different ethnic groups which are living in our own cities and towns. And then, if God so directed, they could in turn take the gospel back to their home countries. I have been asked to "survey” this need as the missions elder for our home church and the more I look into it, the more I am convinced of this need, and the more Kellie and I are drawn to it. Everything is still very much in the "survey" stage and at this time, I have been having many meetings in order to evaluate from all angles what is best and what is needed. We ask that you pray about this with us. That God would give us clear direction as to whether or not this is the direction he wants us to pursue full time. As we see it, like the Tobo people, there are many foreigners who need people to build relationships with them and love on them with the love of Christ.

To be honest it would be nice and not as ‘unknown’ if I were to apply for a full-time job, be given a paycheck, and know where my family was headed in the weeks to come. But as we seek to follow God's will for our lives He has given us a peace to wait on His perfect timing in regards to this new adventure and direction He may be guiding us into. To live and walk by faith is a most rewarding but often ‘unsettling’ place to be! Thank you for living and walking with us on this journey. Thank you for your prayers.

Until He closes the door,
His Clay Pots by grace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

ClayPots ~ Transition

2010-01-09T06:01:00.004+10:00

Yes, we have made it safe and sound to the cold and wintery land of Wisconsin. It was a bit of a shock to our systems to go from 100 degree humid weather to 15 degrees and extremely dry, but it is good to be home. What an encouragement it was to us to be greeted at the airport by a loving group of family and friends. We were a little groggy from the flight and overwhelmed to see so many faces, but we were very thankful for the demonstration of grace and love. Thank you to all of you who braved the cold weather and snowy conditions to come and make our return special and memorable. It meant more to us than you will know, and it was exactly what our children needed… they felt right at home as they saw their friends and were able to connect again. Thank you!

Also, when we got back to the same rental house we had last time, there was food in the pantry and fridge, “new” sofas in the living room, beds for all the kids, 2 television sets, desks, dressers, lamps, closets full of clothes for all our kids, and a tree propped up by gifts in the basement which our children opened and found to their surprise that the gifts replaced all the toys they had to leave behind or sell in New Guinea. Not only that, but two days later, we were given a vehicle! How does one show gratitude and say “Thank you” for all of that? Words are not sufficient. Thank you to all the family, friends, and church body who gave of your time and energy and money to help us in this transition. We are truly overwhelmed with your generosity and humbled by your service to us. May God continue to richly bless each of you.

Many of you have asked what our plans are. We ask that you pray for us as we seek the Lord’s will in this transition. Our hearts are to continue to serve our Lord and Savior and to reach the lost. We also still have an undeniable desire to plant churches and see true disciples of Jesus Christ raised up. I am sure you all have experienced this at one time or another, but I told someone the other day that there is no experience on planet earth that compares with watching God save a hopeless sinner and raise him to new life in Jesus. Then to watch the Spirit mature that believer in seemingly no time at all is a blessing beyond compare. It is all to the praise of His glory!

So please pray for us as we wait on the Lord’s direction in our lives. I believe that it is God’s will that we settle here in WI and establish a ‘home base’ for our family. We are encouraged that God is still at work in us and he still desires to work through us. So even in settling here, the sky is the limit at this point as far as ministry opportunities, so be in prayer that God would open and close doors appropriately. We are anticipating that we will be able to share with you what God has for us within the next month or so. In case you were wondering, we are still members of NTM so the financial aspect still remains the same as it was… we are just not in PNG. We greatly appreciate your patience with us during this time.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

ClayPots ~ Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T15:55:00.007+10:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

On Christmas Day we will be starting our travels over the ocean. Our night will be spent in Tokyo and then we will be landing in Milwaukee a day later.
A little late to slide down the chimney, but we might be able to hit the after Christmas sales!

Many of you have asked how the past weeks went, but to write all of that would fill a book.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a small pictorial documentary of our farewell to the tribe:

Our last days in the tribe were filled with…

Soccer Games

Ladies Get-to-gethers

Prayer

Worship

Teaching Romans 8

Guy Time

Hugs

Food

Laughter

Long Hikes to see friends

Family Pictures

Crying

Packing and Selling

Last walks on the muddy airstrip which inevitably ended in star wars epic battle scenes

May you all experience peace and joy knowing that our Savior was born to grant us freedom and forgiveness!
Glory to the newborn King!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

2009-12-06T02:18:00.001+10:00

Tingon, Jason, and Polas

We will be flying out of the tribe in a few days. Over the past couple weeks we have met with our close friends and told them one on one that we believe God is moving us on, and that we will be leaving them soon. We then told the rest of the church the other day. We shared with them that it was a struggle to come to this decision , but that we have peace that this is God’s own direction upon our lives… and we shared how very much we love them and care for them. Even though there were many, many tears in the initial telling, we have been tremendously encouraged with their responses. The Tobo people do not hold back in showing their emotions and for many long hours the people held us tight with weeping and wailing.

We wanted to share a couple of their responses with you because it is not about us, but it is about the exaltation of the power of God.

I went and visited a dear friend of mine, Polas a couple weeks ago. 2 years ago, shortly after Tingon and I shared with him the gospel of grace, he went to town to live and work there. I haven’t seen him for two years and was wondering how he was doing. As Tingon, Polas, and I spent three super encouraging days together in town talking of the goodness of God, the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, the grace of God which makes it all possible, and how each of us are living our lives because of the change the Spirit is doing in us, Polas spoke this to us,
“When I left our village and came to town, I had no intention of staying for longer than a month or so. But I saw the spiritual darkness in this gold mining town and so I put up a tarp and started teaching about the characteristics of our perfect God and how we humans are sinful and doomed to hell. I taught that following the law or living moral lives or following different denominations cannot save us, only belief in Jesus’ death for us can save us from our sin and the punishment of hell. Many people have challenged me on this point, but I take them to God’s Word and show them the only road of life… Jesus.”

When we told the church, one of the men who was a slow starter, but has really grown leaps and bounds in the past few months said this:
“We did not ask for you to come, but God saw our need for Jesus and brought you to us. Now we have not only believed in the one road, Jesus, and been given eternal life, but we also know how to read the Word of God in our own language. We have been blessed and since God brought you here, how can we disagree with him and say that you should not leave now? He is taking you somewhere else. Others need to hear this message and God will use you to tell them.”

Another friend spoke up and said,
“God’s Word says that some people plant and others water. You have planted the seed and it has grown. God will use others to water, and God will cause us to grow.”

On lady said,
“We can be sorry that you are leaving, but we now have Jesus Christ in our lives and so we can rejoice because we will shortly see each other in heaven where there will be no more goodbyes or tears.”

We praise God for the privilege it has been to live among these people and to become their friends and brothers. It has been an unspeakable blessing to watch God, through the simple gospel message, to bring salvation to these people and to watch him work in their lives and cause them to mature. All the praise goes to him! “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Another praise of ours is that we have been able to sell almost everything of ours to other missionaries. Even though it has been hard for all of us to let go of these earthly possessions we are reminded that they are simply that, earthly possessions which will rot and rust, but our true treasure is being able to see these believers again in heaven someday.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Dates

2009-11-19T16:48:00.004+10:00

While out here in Madang town, Malachi came and asked Jason if he would take his training wheels off his bike. First try and he was off totally on his own! He later told us that he talked to God and asked Him to help him learn to do it while he still had his bike. All 3 of our kids learned to ride their bikes on this gravel road here in Madang and all on the same bike. I know it is silly but it sure made this mom’s heart smile to get that little hug from God.

We just wanted to update you a little bit…
~We will be returning to the tribe on Friday to say our goodbyes and pack up.
~We will be selling all that we can to other missionaries to cover moving expenses.
~We are in the process of reserving tickets to return to the States in late December/early January .

Many of you have asked how you can help us. We are truly humbled. We really don’t know what our next steps are other than to purchase a vehicle and find a place to call home. Our heart’s desire and passion are still very much in sharing the gospel and in building up the body of Christ. We know we are coming home during a hard time in the economy and are very thankful for our churches and supporters who have said they will continue to support us until we are on our feet again. Our position in New Tribes Mission will not change for at least another 6 months until we know what our future holds.

We have a huge mix of emotions but the main one is peace and yet a deep sadness at leaving the Tobo people. These next 4 weeks are going to be extremely hard but we are so thankful for God’s ever loving arms around us.

His Clay Pots,
Kellie for Jason, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Change

2009-11-13T08:11:00.003+10:00

My desire is to explain to you some changes that God is making in our lives. We have been out of the tribe and living in Madang town for the past 2 weeks. As you all know, we have been struggling a lot these past few years. We felt that God had sufficiently healed us during our time on Home Assignment, but my family has been buffeted by the enemy spiritually, emotionally, and physically even since we have returned to Papua New Guinea, and then these past three weeks were even more difficult. We are in a very real battle, and in this battle, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but we are fighting against a very real and very ruthless, cruel, and inhumane enemy. As the husband, I could keep “fighting the fight of faith”, but I have come to realize that my family is no longer able. My family has been in the battle a long time and are feeling the consequences… they are wounded and need to heal completely. It is not that we don’t want to continue; we do, but they are injured and the Medic of our souls is taking us back to heal. Therefore, because I believe that God has given me this family to shepherd, love, and protect, I believe that He is clearly directing me to take my family back home to the U.S. We are looking at leaving the tribe and returning to the States in January. We are not quitting the team in Madang, PNG and we are definitely not quitting on God or despairing of Jesus love for us. We love everyone whom we have served with and labored with over the years and will miss them all dearly. We are so very thankful for our mission, co-workers, elder board, churches, friends, and family back home who have supported us and loved us through the years and through this decision making process. They are all in agreement with us that this is a wise and loving decision.

We will be returning back to the tribe to close up our home, sell all our possessions, say goodbyes, and leave the church with encouragement and hope. We rest in knowing that the Tobo church is God’s church and He alone will build it and bring it to completion. The Holy Spirit is working in their lives, and we rest in God’s promise that he will complete the work which he has started in them. We count it a privilege to have planted a church, with your support, and we know that this church will grow, be strengthened, and reproduce.

Pray for the Tobo believers that in the remaining time we have with them that they will understand why we are leaving and learn in an even deeper way, to depend on Christ for their all. Please pray for my family, that we can help our kids through this time as they lose their home and friends and as we have few answers to their many questions. Pray for faith for us as we go back to the States with no home or vehicle, and without the knowledge of what God will be having us do in the future. We are following God’s leading, and although we see how he has been preparing us for this over the past few years, we are still walking by faith and not by sight in this decision. We do, however, have complete peace knowing that we are in the hands of Almighty God and that he has never let us down, and he will not let us down this time either. He isn’t done with us yet, and his plans are far better than we can imagine.

We are praying for you. That you will be encouraged in the work that you were and are a part of, and that in this decision of ours, that you can (as our Pastor said) “Remember you are loved without condition, accepted without requirement, forgiven without limit and served without reward – this is grace.”

We will keep you updated as always,
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Encouraged

2009-10-11T04:03:00.001+10:00

This picture was taken while we were out in the town for a week in Madang, PNG for our mission’s annual conference. The sun was warm, the fresh food was in abundance, and most importantly the fellowship and worship was plentiful!

We have since returned to the tribe and yes, things are still difficult; I think that there will always be heavies to deal with. BUT we are encouraged as we see the hand of God moving in his people. We have seen repentance, forgiveness, and a desire to worship, pray, and read God’s Word together. We have seen the believer’s start praying for the ones who have left and encouraging them to return. We have seen 2 believers return to fellowship this week due to the church’s love and prayers! The men and women have started to meet during the week again to pray and review Paul’s words to the Romans which we learn on Sundays. The Tobo church, of their own accord, has even decided to take up offerings to give to those who are in need! It thrills our souls seeing the believers give what little they have and truly sacrificing to help their brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. That is what the body of Christ is all about!

God will be faithful to complete the work which he started with the Tobo church. He will do it in his time. And we know that whatever he does will be perfect!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ more

2009-09-24T09:12:00.002+10:00

~ We took Malachi to see the doctor on Monday. Thank you to all who were praying about this decision of ours since we were a little apprehensive as to what we needed to do for him. We were assured that, although he will need surgery again sometime in the distant future, as of right now, there is no pressing or urgent reason for us to take him home for surgery. So we get to stay together as a family!

~There have been 3 more deaths in the past couple days. A pregnant lady went into labor and didn’t deliver her baby right away. Five days later, her family took her to the clinic and her baby had already died. She died a few hours later. It was heart wrenching to see her body lying there with the baby still in her stomach. Another lady, an older one from another village, passed away a day later. People are starting to talk… some have asked, “What is going on? Is this the hand of Satan or is God trying to get our attention?” Pray for the believers as they answer the questions of their clan members and that they would have more opportunities to share the hope they have in Christ. Pray that hearts will be softened and the unbelieving will find the hope (Jesus) that they admit they do not have.

~The past few days, we have been approached by a number of people trying to sell us rocks. Someone told them that we would buy rocks and give them $ for it. It is a thinking and belief most probably associated with the cargo cult. Strange, but still it has been a good opportunity for both Jasons to tell them again that we are here to tell them about Jesus… and ONLY about Jesus, because HE is life and peace.

Some days you go to bed at night and wonder what was accomplished… Only God knows. We have only been back for 6 weeks and I feel like such a failure because I am already spiritually and emotionally worn out. I was hoping it would take a couple years for me to get to this point. But God! I am learning that in him and in him alone I can find joy and peace because I know that he loves me and accepts me.

Thank you for your prayers!
His Clay Pots,
Kellie for Jason, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi

Clay Pots ~ Office

2009-09-17T00:08:00.000+10:00

The office will go on that patch of dirt near our house

Jason’s office where he works in is inside our house. The size is 10’ x 6’ and is separated by a thin piece of paneling from our school area and kitchen. When we built our home in the tribe 8 years ago this was a way to save $. But through the years it has become a source of stress. Jason must contend with 3 kids doing school, noises coming from the kitchen, and other noises from the rest of the house when school is done. I try to keep the noise level down, but it is often not very easy with all the kids. Also, I myself have found it difficult to process some of the conversations which I hear from the office as Jason does some discipleship with the Tobo believers in there as well as the translation. And there is the constant interruptions to school with people seeking Jason. In addition, his office can only hold one individual at a time and he needs more space.

So we would like to build an office separate from the house. We have estimated that the cost of materials and flight costs (the expensive part) and we think it will be about $4,000.00 (give or take?). Since it is so soon after our furlough, we are still paying off a few medical bills, but we feel that building this office soon is a priority for our family and the ministry.

We are never sure to what extent we should share our needs with others. Do we let our needs be known? Do we trust God to lay it on your hearts without telling you? Do we ask too much and give missions a bad name? We don’t know the answer to that, but we do desire to be honest with you and to share our struggle in this. We are in constant awe and totally humbled by God’s provision through His people time and time again. We get the distinct privilege of living by faith, something we wouldn’t trade for any pay check in the world. Thank you for your sacrifice to go to work everyday so that we can be here. Thank you for allowing us to share our needs with you.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Romans 8

2009-09-12T06:18:00.001+10:00

When God gives you mud…make mudslides!!!

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your prayers on our behalf. We know that God works mightily through people who call upon him and who live in dependence upon him. These things cannot possibly be accomplished or remedied in our own strength, but only as we rest in God’s grace and the wisdom and strength of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As I have been translating lessons for Romans chapter 8 this week, I have been encouraged with all the results of being in Christ:

1. No condemnation in Christ 8:1-4
2. Alive in Christ 8:5-11
3. Children and heirs with Christ 8:12-17
4. Freedom and hope in Christ 8:18-25
5. Interceded by the Spirit 8:26-27
6. Predestined in Christ 8:28-30
7. Justified by Christ 8:31-34
8. Loved by Christ 8:35-39

And the thing which has grabbed my heart and given me hope is the fact that the Sovereign God who has conquered death and hell and trampled Satan in the mire, this God who is my Father because he looks at the finished work of his Son on the cross and credits Jesus death to my account, this God who loved me even when I was a rebel sinner in opposition to him, will he not also give me all things (v.32)? I trust that God will give me what I need, nothing less (so that I complain) and nothing more (so that I do not turn my eyes on the blessings instead of himself).

The fevers are all gone as of this (Friday) morning. The boils are gone and antibiotics are finished. There was not a death this past weekend, which was a ready relief to everyone here, and the sun has been shining every morning for the past week. We will be flying out in a couple weeks to have Malachi evaluated by our mission Dr. in town and will make a decision based on his evaluation. Thank you for your prayers, they have made a difference. But please do not cease to lift up especially the believers to the throne of God. Many are still in the midst of persecution, heavies and difficulties, concerns and worries. And some are still dealing with the aftershocks of death and sickness. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ… that as they begin to hear all the results of being in Christ in Romans 8, that they will be encouraged and strengthened in the grace that is found in Christ Jesus. We all need these encouraging words, and our Tobo brothers and sisters are no different.

Thank you for your part in this work,

Jason

Prayers Needed

2009-09-01T23:16:00.000+10:00

Could you pray for us?

~ We have had 4 people die in the 3 weeks we have been here. A young man (who left 3 kids and a wife), a 1 year old girl, a young girl (in her 20’s), and just last night the baby granddaughter of one of the believers. And from what we can tell, there is no real reason other than the powers of darkness love death and are hitting the un-believing community. The causes of these deaths, in their minds, range from people working poison on them to someone talking bad about the other person. They need the truth in their lives.

~Jason and Malachi are both trying to fight off boils right now on their skin and Kellie, Micah, and Sophia have been fighting a fever and a headache for over a week now.

~ The Tobo believers did not meet this past Sunday due to the extreme rain and mud. We have asked them to pray and seek God on what to do about a building to meet in. We missionaries have many ideas, but we want to see them seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in this and come up with a culturally appropriate way to meet.

~ Remember Malachi’s 2 surgeries while we were home? This past week we have seen the symptoms starting to reoccur again in that area and it is swelling up. We consulted our mission Dr. and he told us Malachi will need another surgery soon if things don’t change.

~ And both of our co-workers, Mankins and Williamsons… they are struggling with various issues… so our whole team is getting attacked in different ways.

I am glad that the powers of darkness think we are worth annoying but it can still be discouraging. We are in a battle here and we believe that the prayers of the saints make a huge difference. We ask that you pray for the community that they will see their need for a Savior. For the believers, that they would rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in direction for the church and for boldness in demonstrating the love of Jesus as they talk to the different families that have lost loved ones. For us as a family, that God would intervene and (we do not see this as a coincidence – happening immediately after our return) choose to heal Malachi himself so that we don’t have to try to figure out where and how to get another surgery done. And pray for our whole team, that we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus so that we can endure with joy.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ The 12 Days of Christmas

2009-08-27T01:25:00.000+10:00

Tingong and his wife had a baby boy (Caleb) while we were gone and she brought him for me to see as soon as we got back.

I keep humming the 12 days of Christmas song in my head except my version sounds more like this…

“On the first month of tribal living the Good Lord gave to me…6 layers of mold , 5 cockroaches, 4 earthquakes, 3 muddy kids, 2 leaping rats, and 1 (hundred) maggots”

Did I mention the spiders? Despite the cold, rainy world we now live in and our very limited access to communication. I am SO thankful! Thankful to be back with our co-workers, the Williamsons. Thankful for my ever-loving and gracious husband who not only kills all the things that try to live with us but he is also doing all that he can do to make this an easy transition for me. I am thankful for our kids who find the fun and laughter in all of this (“Hey, mom if the cockroaches eat crayons they poop different colors!”). And I am so very thankful for the Tobo people and our ministry here with them. We met this past Sunday for church. There were about 12 people there, and as I sat there I said to myself; “if God has decided to send us here so that 12 Tobo people can be in heaven with Him then so be it, I will do it.” I have been reading Jeremiah and God asked him to go and warn his people and then told Jeremiah “oh by the way they wont listen to you and you won’t do any good”. (Kellie’s version) So I am thankful for these 12 growing and maturing believers. Jason told them that God started with just one man and one woman. He can do mighty things here as well. So they are encouraged and we are praying hard that maybe God will choose to do something even bigger here.

His Clay Pots,
Kellie for Jason, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Everlasting God

2009-08-15T01:45:00.000+10:00

I could feel a change in myself. With Kellie and our two younger children safely resting in the guesthouse in town, Micah and I were flying at 9,000 ft. above a sea of endless clouds. It was 6:30 a.m. and off to my right there was a huge thunderstorm, underneath us I caught a glimpse of a huge waterfall surrounded by steep white cliffs, then quickly shrouded in clouds again. As this amazing panorama was unfolding beneath me, my mind went back to the past year and what it was that God had taught me. The first song I had heard at church after returning to the states last year was “Everlasting God”. Little did I know then that that song would encapsulate my whole experience while stateside. “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord… You are the Everlasting God, you do not faint, you won’t grow weary. You are the defender of the weak. You comfort those in need. You lift us up on wings like eagles.” I am weak, but God the Father has been my defender. I am a very needy person, yet God patiently comforted and strengthened me, and he has changed me and lifted me up again to soar upon his grace.

You see, a year and a half ago, while sitting in a little plane looking at endless clouds, not knowing what was going to greet me on the ground, and carrying the burden of a young church, I would have had a pit in my stomach, shivers from the nervousness, and my mind would have been racing with scenario after scenario of what to do in each and every circumstance. But not so this time. I could feel a peace from God and a confidence in Him like I have never experienced before. I sat there in awe of his creation, the cloud formations, the incredible expanse of jungle, the waterfalls; and I thought back to how faithful the Father had been to me over the course of this past year. Here I was again, going back to this little corner of the world where only He could give me a desire to live and serve him and I was impressed with the fact that he doesn’t faint and he doesn’t grow weary. In fact, he patiently, lovingly, and graciously continues to conform us to the image of our Savior and hero, Jesus Christ. He did this for me, and he has done it in the lives of the Tobo believers too. Though their numbers are fewer, I could see growth and maturity peeking out of the lives of those I have seen.

After a huge embrace, the first words out of Tingon’s mouth to me were, “I continually thank God for our brother-brother relationship. I had lost hope and then God sent you to tell me of Jesus. While you were gone I have seen God meet my needs and care for me. Oh, I have had heavies, but he has helped and guarded me through them all, and I am doing well. I praise Him.” At this point in time I did have shivers… but they were not from nervousness. They were shivers of awe at how great and awesome God the Father is… how he can minister to me, as I wait on him, in the crazy and hectic pace of America, while at the same time he can minister to Tingon in the jungle mountains of Papua New Guinea. Wow! He is the Everlasting God! The defender of the weak!

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us and have supported us this past year. Thank you for not giving up on us and allowing us the privilege of representing you to the Tobo church.

His Clay Pots,
Jason for Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ the eagle has landed

2009-08-07T01:34:00.001+10:00

We made it to Papua New Guinea after one of the most uneventful and smooth flights we have ever encountered. Thank you for your prayers! All our luggage was accounted for and we got through customs without even having to open a single bag! 36 sleepless hours later and we arrive to speaking a different language, eating totally different food, and living with a new standard of cleanliness. When we got off our last plane there were people screaming and whaling. One of the passengers on the plane was obviously coming back for a funeral of a relative and it is the way of the people here to show how sorry they are. We aren’t in Kansas anymore TotoJ.

We are at the mission base in town and Jason flew out with Micah this morning to go into the tribe. Monday morning I fly in with Sophia and Malachi. For the next 4 days I have different meetings in order to catch up with the newest tax laws, home school, computer set up for e-mails from the tribe, buy supplies, etc.

Thank you for all your love and support this past year. We were given an undeserved “heroes” farewell and we will cherish the memories forever.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

(we are now 15+ hours ahead of you – go to the website www.claypots.org to see exactly what time it is here)
((That's on this page, in the upper right!))

Clay Pots ~ Kidney Stones? Why now, Lord?

2009-07-30T03:21:00.003+10:00

Last night Malachi complained about sharp abdominal pain a couple of times. Right before we went to bed he came and told us his pee was pink. We called the clinic and they asked us to take him to the nearest emergency room. We were there until 2am and then they sent us home to get some sleep and told us to return for further tests this morning. When we left the ER Malachi’s urine was mostly blood. However, all his blood and urine work came back with no infection and his vitals were doing great.

This morning after an ultrasound, x-ray, and more tests the doctor’s preliminary diagnosis is that Malachi, our little 5 year old, had a kidney stone! We are hoping/assuming that it has already passed but we will know for sure in the next couple of days. The doctor is running his findings through a specialist right now just to make sure, but we are thankful that everything else is fine. Even though our hearts are heavy with the knowledge of how severe and rare this is for a little guy and that this will be a frequent occurrence in his little life, there are also many things to be thankful for. We are so thankful that God brought this on now and not 5 days from now on some airplane in a different country! We are so thankful for doctors and hospitals. We are even thankful for hospital bills because it means we had a place to go!

I would say we are living out of our suitcase, but in reality everything is kind of strewn all over the place waiting it’s turn to be put in a suitcase. We had dear friends and family come and help us move and clean the last two days, and on Sunday we had an un-believable blessing happen! We went to visit one of our supporting churches in Baraboo and we stood up to ask for prayer concerning the many things we will be facing once we get back to the tribe (more to come on that). Well, as a family we had been praying for $2400.00 to pay for the flights back into the tribe. This was not a number or need which we had shared with the church. The church did an impromptu love offering for us at the end of the service, and do you want to guess how much we were sacrificially given? Yep, $2400.00!

We are convinced that God is working in the heart’s of His people and is in charge of all the little things in life, even kidney stones and mommy’s emotions!

Love,
Kellie for the family

Clay Pots ~ 2 weeks

2009-07-20T08:25:00.004+10:00

Our Home in the Tribe (the one in the middle)
Williamsons live on the left and Mankins behind us to the right.
The Tobo village is on the hill from where the picture is being taken from.

When do you leave? In 2 weeks!

Do you have your plane tickets? Technically yes, in that the commercial airline tickets are paid off, but we still need money for the three flights it will take to get us and all our supplies back into the tribe. God, as always, is faithful and people have given towards this need… thank you for being sensitive to His leading! If God is prompting your heart to support us in this ministry, you can go to www.claypots.org and click on the “give towards our ministry” tab to see more info.

How long will you be gone? 4 years

Where are you going? Back to the isolated Tobo tribe of Papua New Guinea.

Why? To continue to disciple men who, in the future, will shepherd the church; and to continue the process of translating the Word of God and corresponding Bible lessons.

What are you taking with you? 10 suitcases in which we are in the process of trying to stuff 4 years worth of everything! We have about 8 small boxes of books and things (i.e. chocolateJ) which we just can’t fit… so if you are interested in helping us out and mailing a package, we would love it if you sent one of these boxes for us! They are already packed and would cost approx. $40.00 to send one box for us.

What about your house here and can we see you before you leave? We have been renting half of a duplex and our lease ends the end of July. We are storing some of our possessions for when we return again, but the rest we are selling. So please come to our garage sale July 23-25th. In addition, we will be attending Walnut Hill Bible Church in Baraboo next week and then Waukesha Bible Church the week after that. We would love to see you there as well!

Are you ready to go? Jason and the kiddos would answer with a hearty “yes”. Jason is anxious to get back to continue discipling the believers and the kiddos can’t wait to have the rain forest as their back yard again and see their dear friends. As for me, well my feet are ready with obedience and I have peace about going back, it is just my nasty flesh that is taking a little longer to catch up. I am excited to see what God is going to do in the next 4 years, not only in the lives of the Tobo people, but also in our lives and yours as well!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Prayer Request

2009-07-01T04:30:00.003+10:00

Visiting our friends, Scott and Lina Sutton

Jason and Amy Miller, missionary pilot, 9 years later we meet back at our old apartments.

We have just recently returned home (for a few days) from our travels. We were greatly encouraged by our time in both Nebraska and Missouri. Although it has been over a week since we visited our friends and attended the conference, the late night chats, the encouraging and convicting sermons, and the good fellowship with fellow missionaries is still buzzing in our ears. It was so good to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones; people who are committed and faithful servants of Jesus Christ. We heard amazing stories of people who had been through deep waters only to surface with a greater love for their Savior, Jesus. Wow, what a testimony to us to persevere! The past few weeks have been a real shot in the arm as we prepare to head back overseas.

On a somber note, we would like to ask for your prayers on behalf of our co-workers, Chad and Janeene Mankins. They had to return to the States about 3 weeks ago because Chad was having some medical issues. This is their latest email:

After conducting some more tests, the doctor found a small tumor in Chad’s bladder which he said looked like the beginnings of a malignant tumor. He wants to surgically remove the tumor on Wednesday, July 1st, then we will wait for the pathology report.

Interestingly enough, he also said that he could see no apparent link between this tumor and Chad’s pain.

So as you can see, we are still looking for more answers. But at this point, if nothing else, we can see God’s gracious hand at work in showing us this tumor so quickly. He has also been our Rock during these times of uncertainty and suffering. Many of you have sent emails expressing your love and prayer support of us. Thank you. We would also ask you to continue lifting us up as a family before our Father.

Please pray for Chad’s upcoming surgery tomorrow, that the Great Physician will heal him completely so that we can see him back in the tribe very soon. As a family, pray that the Lord would encourage their hearts and strengthen their faith during these times of uncertainty. Also, be praying for our other co-workers, Jason and Nisae Williamson, as they ‘hold down the fort’ in Tobo for the time being.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

We’re also on facebook!

Clay Pots ~ Drying Out

2009-06-11T11:27:00.001+10:00

One of the things on my “Bucket List” was to learn how to throw a pot. So for my birthday, Jason surprised me with a date night lesson. They take couples at night and teach them together how to make a pot. When the pot is done being shaped and molded it has to dry. An interesting fact, which struck Jason and I, was that the pot cannot dry alone but has to be surrounded by other drying pots (in a small room or covered with plastic) so that it will prevent it from drying out too fast. Our instructor showed us this gorgeous bowl that had completely cracked because it had been left out to dry alone and uncovered. But when pots are drying together they balance out the humidity so that they all dry evenly and at a slower rate. It is curios how it is much like us Christians. We need fellowship with those of like faith so that we are strengthened under trials… if left alone, we are prone to cracking under the pressure. We need the church body surrounding us so that we won’t dry out and crack. Although we are all different sizes and shapes and temperaments, Jason and I have been learning not to take other pots surrounding us for granted. God put each of us specifically in our local assemblies for the strengthening and building up of the body of Christ.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Ps We are off on the road traveling for the next couple weeks to visit friends and to attend a mission refresher course. When we get back we will be starting to pack, then head out west for a week, and then finishing packing… the first of August is coming up fast! Maybe it will actually get warm in WI before we leaveJ.

Clay Pots ~ Selflessness

2009-05-12T05:05:00.004+10:00

“Dear Knapps,
I had a birthday party on November 7th.
Instead of presents we raised money for diffent things.
I chose a missionary and it is you.
I raised a hundred dollars.
These money is for any thing you would like.
Love: Riley Kenyon”

I found this letter today as I cleaned out my desk. I have been really struggling with maintaining my faith as I have prayed this past week for God to provide the $ for our plane tickets to return to the tribe. Why do I so easily forget God’s provision for my family and ministry? Not only that, but I was humbled by Riley’s selflessness and my selfishness. Have I been selfishly trying to look out for good ‘ol #1 or selflessly giving of my own life and resources?

In regards to my faith in God to provide for our needs, I was encouraged with an e-mail from my co-worker, Nisae, who is in the tribe ,… “Janeene and I are doing a little Bible study thing on Ezra… it is amazing all the stuff we can relate to in that book- crazy! Like the Lord wanted the Israelites to rebuild the temple and then used a pagan King to give them everything they needed, all the $, animals for sacrificing, food- anything they needed for what God wanted them to do. I guess He’s the same God today and will provide what we need for things He’s asked us to do!”

Know any Pagan KingsJ? Just kidding, but the point is that my faith needs to rest not in humans, but in the Almighty, All-knowing God to provide for our needs. I am very thankful for the community of faith that surrounds me, encourages me, and challenges me to grow in these areas.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Ashamed?

2009-04-29T05:25:00.002+10:00

In the past months, I have been greatly challenged and encouraged by Paul’s second letter to Timothy. As I endeavor to apply these truths in my own life I also greatly desire to impart these truths to the Tobo disciples and see them embody it. In 2 Timothy 1:8-2:7 Paul is encouraging Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel, but to stand strong in it, to guard it, protect it, and to proclaim it. He didn’t want Timothy to be like Phygelus and Hermogenes who were ashamed of Paul and the gospel that he preached and thus deserted him in one of his greatest times of need (while he was in prison). Paul told Timothy to be like Onesiphorus, who shared in Paul’s suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul was encouraging Timothy to stay the course, to continue to participate in spreading the gospel and making disciples, even if times got tough or if he was threatened with prison or even if he didn’t have some of the nicer comforts of life.

My very loose paraphrase of what he was saying would go something like this, “Don’t give up! And don’t be ashamed of what you believe! What we believe is the only truth, and if we who believe turn tail and run because of a little discomfort, then there is no hope for the world. We are soldiers of Jesus Christ, ambassadors for his kingdom, and witnesses of God’s grace displayed through Jesus Christ. Be strengthened in this grace and share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!” This timeless plea applies to us even today. We who believe in Jesus Christ are Christians. Our life is Jesus Christ, our Father is God Almighty, our hope is heaven, and our ministry is reconciliation. May we, like Paul, not be ashamed of what we believe before our unbelieving acquaintances; may we be convinced and proclaim to all an unashamed belief in the gospel of Jesus!

Thank you for your continued partnership in spreading the gospel,
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Spring Break

2009-04-21T10:06:00.005+10:00

Wow, we had an eventful spring break! Here is the synopsis: Sophia sang in her first quartet, lost two teeth, and announced that a boy likes her (gasp!). We got to see our adorable new niece, Lani. During Easter, we came to the conclusion that the Easter bunny must be wealthier in America, that Grandma Steck makes the best ham in the world, and that the free zoo in Madison is awesome. During all of this, we had my Chicago college dwelling sister and then the Deering family spend the night at our house for a couple days. After which we spent a couple nights at Wisconsin Dells as a family and then went on a road trip to Chicago to visit some dear friends. Then we got to visit our church in Baraboo. Thank you Walnut Hill Bible Church for those special hugs and words of encouragement!!! And, the kids were gone for a couple days and got to fish and canoe with Grandpa and Grandma while mom and dad had a few nice days alone. Oh yeah, and Jason made me a baker’s rack. Not bad for a week and a half, hey? The conclusion to this wonderful break is that we got to hold our adorable nephew today! Samuel Pederson was born this morning via c-section weighing in at 9.6 lbs! Mom and baby are doing perfect!

We are cherishing our time here which is going by quickly, and yet preparing and waiting for the day when we will be reunited with our co-workers and the Tobo church in Papua New Guinea…

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Baby Lani

Easter Morning

Baby Sammy

Clay Pots ~ Murdocks and Lani

2009-04-07T02:04:00.002+10:00

As you all know, this ministry of taking the gospel to all corners of the world takes cooperation and partnership. We are blessed with an incredible support team here in the U.S. who labor and work in order for us to be able to spread the gospel. Thank you for your sacrifice on our behalf. In the same way that we are dependent upon all of you on, we as tribal church planters, while overseas could not continue in the tribe for extended periods of time without people assisting us. We could not fulfill our ministries without a support staff of co-workers back in town doing the often thankless tasks of paperwork, supply buying, finances, flights, medical, and encouragement. We appreciate every one of these supporters who from a heart of love, serve faithfully in order to make the tribal ministries possible. Since arriving in Wisconsin, we have had the privilege of living next door to one such couple, their names are Chase and Kaycee Murdock. They have a real heart to serve missionaries who are planting tribal churches and so are in the process of preparing to head over to the Madang Region to function as supply buyers. We are very excited to have these guys join us overseas. Could you please be in prayer for them? They desire to arrive in PNG by the end of the year. You can view their website at www.themurdocks.weebly.com

Thank you all for your continued prayers on our behalf and also on the behalf of the Tobo church.

His clay pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

P.S. Congratulations to my brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Jen, on the arrival of their cute little baby girl, Lani. We are excited for them! Mom and baby are doing very well. I am particularly excited to be an uncle again because it means that now I have a niece to spoil.

Clay Pots ~ Passports and no cancer

2009-03-26T07:50:00.004+10:00

We want to give praise to God!!! We just got the kid’s passports along with their entrance visas in the mail today! Kellie just returned from her cancer check up and the Dr. said to go ahead and plan on going back to Papua New Guinea! She got a clean bill of health. Then we got a phone call last night from some friends saying they want to buy us our needed laptop! Also, we have ¼ of the $ needed towards our return tickets (thank you Cornerstone!). And Micah prayed 2 nights ago that a boy in his class would stop bullying him and hitting him. Well, Micah came home yesterday and said that this boy came up to him that morning and ‘out of the blue’ said to him, “I have decided to stop hitting you; I will not bully you anymore.” And he has!

We have reserved tickets for our return to the tribe for the first week of August. 16 weeks and counting.

Over the past months, we have spent countless hours worrying and, as the Bible says, trying to add “another hour to our lives”. What we have learned yet again is that prayer works! So those post-it-notes with our plans and strategies to scrimp and save are now in the garbage where they belong… along with our many parenting “ideas” for how to stop a bully. Prayer is the only strategy, for by it God fights our battles for us!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Latest News

2009-03-14T07:47:00.004+10:00

The Tobo Team:
Knapps, Mankins, Williamsons
Newest member of the team – Ezekiel Mankins - (not pictured),

So what is the latest news from the tribe?

Chad Mankins has been keeping busy both translating the book of Romans and also writing the lessons and teaching them to the church. So his plate has been full indeed. The first drafts of Romans are completed and are in the process of being prepared for a consultant check. The problem is that consultants are hard to come by, so please be in prayer that a consultant is freed up to help Chad and that he is able to get Romans checked before summer… that would be a wonderful thing to have done by then. Also, the Mankins have been fighting some illnesses in the past few months and so it would be wonderful if you could all pray for them. We have also heard that it is raining cats and dogs in the tribe (God wouldn’t want to disappoint now, would he), so be praying for both the Mankins and the Williamsons that their spirits would be encouraged and that they would have some sun to dry out their clothes.

Speaking of the Williamsons, it sounds like Jason should be getting close to finishing his formal language study! That means he will soon be able to join Chad and I in the translation of Bible materials and in the more intimate areas of discipleship. Please pray that he will continue to progress well (as he already has) and finish here soon with flying colors.

And, as always, continue to be in prayer for the Tobo church. Pray that their love for God and for each other would grow as they continue to learn and appreciate God’s love for them as seen in the book of Romans. Pray that they would understand in a new and empowering way all that Christ did for them through his death.

Thank you for your prayers, many of you have said to me that you pray daily for us and the Tobo work… thank you. Your prayers to God on our team’s behalf have made a difference in the past and they continue to do so. God honors our attitude of dependence upon him as manifested by our prayers to him. I have the great privilege of being able to recount answered prayer after answered prayer… thank you for never ceasing in this great work of the Spirit!

His Clay Pots,
Jason for the Tobo team

Clay Pots ~ Update on Malachi

2009-03-06T10:01:00.003+10:00

Thank you so much for praying for Malachi’s surgery today. It went really, really well and (as you can tell by the picture) the hospital makes it “so much fun” that Malachi rates it right up there with McDonalds! His cheerful attitude was a testimony to all those around him. He has 15 stitches internally “down there” and the extra fluid build up is gone. He is learning how much ice really does numb it and make it feel better and the few steps he took today came close to a John Wayne stride. We are keeping a careful eye on a slight fever he has just gotten and praying it doesn’t get any higher. But for now we are all going to bed exhausted and grateful to God for allowing this to be a successful surgery.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, Malachi (and turtle, bear, and doggy who all had to go through it too!) Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Malachi and Facelift

2009-02-25T08:49:00.002+10:00

No, Malachi is not getting a facelift. But our webpage, however, just got one… please take a minute to check it out! www.claypots.org

However, Malachi will be going in for surgery next week Thursday. His last surgery was in October and unfortunately they have since figured out that it corrected only some of the problem and they are going to have to dig a little deeper (no pun intended) to hopefully correct it completely. 2 specific prayer requests would be…first that he would stay healthy for the next week. Our family has been fighting strep throat, ear infections, flu, bronchitis, cold, cough, etc. Malachi has to be a 100% and pass a physical for this surgery. Secondly, this is not a surgery that is normally done on children so this will be a “new one” for this team of surgeons. We are confident in their abilities and wisdom and we know he is ultimately in the hands of the great Surgeon, so it’s all good… but the waiting is always hard.

Until the next update or next surgery…whichever one comes first.
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Underwear Will Prevail!

2009-02-13T02:16:00.003+10:00

Well the panic has officially set in. We are leaving in 6 months for Papua New Guinea and I am trying to visualize packing up our family of 5 into 2 suitcases a piece. This has me wishing I was Mary Poppins and could fit a lamp and hat stand magically in our bags. The kids were spoiled this past Christmas/Birthdays, so that means our stuffed animal “families” have tripled. We have enough matchbox cars to fill a parking garage and did I mention Leggos? I see the importance of packing enough underwear for 4 years; Sophia, however, insists that it is more important for her dolly (who also has a sister) to bring her bed, stroller, changing table, 50 outfits, swing, and highchair than for us to pack all of that “gross” underwear.

We have already spent many hours and are still in the process of getting all our passports renewed and visas for Papua New Guinea. We have been in contact with airlines trying to find the cheapest way (no such thing) to get our family half –way around the world. And… ever so slowly our home that we are renting here is getting emptier as I realize I can’t hold onto it all. I have tried every which way to figure out how I could keep it or store it or shrink it or pack it, but in the end… most all of it must go. So keep an eye out for a big “Moving Sale” sign outside our house. The $ will go to a good cause… purchasing plane tickets so you can get rid of usJ.

These days we are continuing to keep busy; Jason continues to help with the translation from this side of the world and we are all involved at church in different aspects. We especially like the part where we eat and fellowshipJ. We know what it is like not to have a church body to fellowship and worship with on a regular basis. Don’t ever take that for granted, God has His reasons for calling us together as a body to worship!

My prayer for the up-coming months is that I will stay calm and content (hey, miracles can happen!) so that I can help my family through another move with JOY.

Micah's 10th Birthday Party

Kellie trying something new at 30yrs old. I had a cute instructor.

Celebrating Jason’s Grandma’s 89th Birthday!

Sledding and Tubing

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

She is Home!

2009-02-01T04:48:00.003+10:00

We want to thank you all for your prayers regarding our sister-in-law, Jen Knapp. God did amazing things… worked miracles actually, and completely healed her. She and her husband, Jeremy, are back home right now after about 10 days in the hospital. Jen’s lungs seem to be doing fine, the baby is healthy, and Jeremy said he is looking forward to getting back to normal. When they arrived home and were able to read about all the people who were praying for them, the emails received, and all that was on facebook, they were overwhelmed with it all. So thank you for holding them up in your prayers. And we are praising God that he chose to answer our prayers according to our desires and heal her.
Please join in with us in giving thanks to God for his faithfulness yet again in our lives.
Thank you,
Jason

Praises

2009-01-26T00:23:00.004+10:00

In reference to Jeremy and Jen Knapp, we want to thank you all for praying. I and a few friends left last night after seeing her and Jeremy, and they were both very encouraged. At that point in time, Jen was only being given 50% oxygen from the machine, and her oxygen levels with that were at 98%! This means that she was breathing pretty well on her own. She was sitting up in bed, drinking fluids, smiling, and looking pretty good. She had eaten half a nutrient shake earlier that day and so she had also gotten some nourishment. She will still need to be in the hospital for a few more days at least until the inflammation in her lungs decreases and she can breath completely on her own.

We want to say thank you for going to the Father for all of us and for your specific and heartfelt prayers. They made a difference! There were multiple stories and little “miracles” that I could tell you. But I think the biggest one was this: Jeremy sat us all down in the waiting room and said, “We need to have a time of thanksgiving to God for what he has done.” We all were giving praise to God and honoring him for his powerful working. The amazing thing was this: at the time that we were giving praise, she was still not completely healed. But God gave us a peace and a confidence in his loving care and in faith we were thanking him for his complete healing when complete healing had not even happened yet… she is still in ICU. I was so thankful because Jeremy’s faith and our faith in God was strengthened so much so that we were able to thank him by faith and not by sight.

We would ask that you too go to the Father and thank him for his powerful working in the life of Jen and in the lives of all of us. We sent up thousands of petitions and requests to our God; let’s give him just as much praise, and even more! He is worthy of our praise. He is a good God, and he did and is answering our prayers. Let’s let him hear praise from all the voices who asked him to help.

Praise be to God alone,
Jason

Urgent Prayer

2009-01-24T02:13:00.003+10:00

We have called upon you all before, and we are calling upon you again. We have an urgent prayer request that we would ask you to be in prayer about:

Jen Knapp, my younger brother Jeremy’s wife, at this point in time, is in ICU in a hospital in Missouri. She is in critical condition. What started out as a kidney infection a few days ago has really taken a turn for the worse and she is now faced with the possibility of lung failure. What complicates the issue is that she is about 7 months along in her first pregnancy and so treatment is difficult. As of 9:00 this morning, she was finally sleeping for the first time in almost 2 days. My brother’s prayer request is that as she sleeps in the next 3 to 4 hours, that God would miraculously cause her lungs to improve instead of continuing on this road to lung failure. I would add that you also pray for my brother, that God would grant him peace, wisdom, and comfort as he watches his young wife and unborn child go through this painful situation.

Thank you for your prayers, they do work! You are a large body of believers and we have seen God work mighty miracles through your prayers. Thank you and keep praying.

In Christ,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Happy 2nd Birthday

2009-01-19T12:29:00.010+10:00

Growth

Many of you have asked what is going on with the Tobo church since we have been state side. The Tobo church is 2 years old this month. Jason was able to meet with two of our mission’s Church Planting Consultants (2 men who have “been there and done that” and know more than us!). They had both just returned from visiting our co-workers (the Mankins and Williamsons) and the Tobo church this past fall… they were there to do an “evaluation” of sorts on how things were progressing with the church. 25 pages into the write-up on the evaluation, Jason looked up and said to me how encouraged he was by it. Now I found that pretty strange, seeing that the numbers have drastically dropped, our co-workers are still dealing with the same problems, the opposition against the church is still there, and lethargy seems to be the attitude of the day. But yet Jason is encouraged. He spoke to me of the different soils into which the seed had been planted. Some did indeed take root, but the cares of this world choked out God’s truth and they are no longer hungry for the word. And yet some…well 16 or so, from what we have heard, are staying and growing and maturing. It is painfully slow growth and not always obvious to our eyes, but it is happening. Also, the consultants communicated with Jason that they were very encouraged. Again I was flabbergasted. Why were they encouraged? Because they said they saw how strong of a foothold Satan has among the Tobo people, and yet there is a maturing church in a terribly dark place. It is nothing short of a miracle! There is one tiny church among 7,000 people who are opposed to it. Wow, I guess that is encouragement!

Where there was darkness there is now a ray of light; where there was death, there now is life.

Keep Praying!
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, Malachi & The Tobo Church

Clay Pots ~ Faith

2009-01-05T07:13:00.001+10:00

Wow, I cannot believe that it has been this long since we last wrote a letter. I guess the holidays just really flew by. It was a special Christmas time for us as we were able to see almost every family member on both sides of our extended families. So we were at a lot of family get-togethers, and we had a great time. We rejoice in that we were able to be home and enjoy this Christmas (and a white one at that) with so many loved ones. We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends as well.

God has been particularly faithful to our family. Over this past year, we continue to see his provision almost daily in our lives. We are thanking God for his continual financial provision through all of you. Not only has God continued our support at the level where it was, but he has blessed us above and beyond that. We are here in the states and are able to see the financial stress some of you are going through… the job losses and such, and we are that much more grateful for your faithfulness. I cannot tell you how many gas cards we have received as gifts this year; it has been such a blessing to see God provide for this basic necessity. So we praise him for that, and want to thank all of you for your continued financial support for us.

God has also been faithful to heal our souls and refresh our spirits. God has taught us innumerable things on this furlough… things about himself and his faithfulness and graciousness towards us as undeserving humans who are constantly failing; things about how important the family and the body of Christ are to him; things about faith and trust and resting in our Heavenly Father. In our last letter, I mentioned some things about Joshua. Another story from Joshua which really encouraged me lately was the story of where the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. The priests had to put their feet in the water before it would part. There was an element of risk involved in that act of faith and obedience. But what struck me was the fact that all faith and obedience, if it is truly that, has an element of risk involved. What if my faith and subsequent obedience fails? What if I step in the water and it does not part? What will that say about God’s character? Could I get injured? Did God really say that? But that is what walking by faith and not by sight is all about, isn’t it? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Yes, there is an element of risk, but that is what makes living by faith so exciting… we get to see God work where no human power or ability could. Jesus said that we are to go and make disciples of every nation. Obeying that command by faith has an element of risk to it. What if no one listens? What if I get rejected? How will God provide for me to be able to accomplish this command?

I guess what really encouraged me through this story was that it brought me back to the character of God. He is trustworthy and faithful and he will do what he said he would do. Has God ever failed me? Never. He will part the waters. He will cause that depression to cease. He will save some from every corner of the world. He will provide where he guides. He will never reject or forsake those who are his own. Knowing this about my Father assures me that my faith is not a risk at all, when my faith is in Him.

May you be encouraged in the Greatness and Faithfulness of our God. And may you step out in faith where it looks like an impossible situation.

Have a joyous and fruitful new year,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots - Be Courageous

2008-11-26T12:00:00.005+10:00

Micah (who is going to build a million snowmen), Sophia (who doesn’t remember snow), & Malachi (who has never seen snow until now)

It is almost December and Jack Frost is nipping at our noses! Kellie wants you to know that we have the decorations up and the Christmas music playing. With Christmas coming soon, it reminds us that next year is right around the corner. And for us, next year means that we will be heading back to PNG.

As I look ahead to next year, I find myself a little overwhelmed with taking on the responsibilities in the tribe again. I find myself worried about the Tobo church, concerned that our team might make mistakes along the way, inadequate because I have never done this before, and fearful that what we have done might fall apart. But I was encouraged by what the Lord said to Joshua in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. I am sure that Joshua too felt much the way I am… worried about the people he was leading, concerned that he might make mistakes, inadequate to lead people in battle when he hadn’t fought too many wars before, and fearful that they might get into the land and get completely wiped out. But God said to him, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you (past tense)… no man will be able to stand before you… I will be with you… Be strong and courageous.” Joshua was asked to fight the battle, but the outcome was not his to decide. God had already promised that the land was theirs, so obviously all Joshua had to do was go and obtain it. God would take care of him and the Israelites. No one would die if they kept their eyes on him. It was God’s war, just as the church is God’s church, and has already promised that he will build it. Building the church is not our job, but his, because as humans we really are inadequate. But he still requires us to go into battle fully trusting, confident, and courageous that God himself will give the victory.

Some prayer requests:

~We have set a target date for returning to PNG… August 1st! We need to buy a 4 years supply of certain cosmetics, electronics, office supplies, clothes for the kids, replacement parts for our solar equipment, plane tickets, contacts/glasses, chocolate (Kellie put that), etc. The prayer request would be for the necessary funds to buy it all and for some volunteers to push 10 shopping carts at Wal-mart for usJ. Trust me the look on the cashiers face is worth the trip!

~Pray for our team as they continue to translate, teach, and disciple the Tobo believers. It looks like I will be able to assist in the translation process from over here as we head into the new year, so be praying that our team can work together efficiently even with the long miles between us.

~Pray that the Tobo church will, like Joshua, be strong and courageous, fully confident in God and understand that the battle is the Lord’s as they live their lives in a very dark place.

His Clay Pots,
Jason for the Knapps

Clay Pots ~ Moving Forward

2008-11-07T08:47:00.002+10:00

“But Jesus said unto him, ‘No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

Many of you know or have heard me share of my struggle with returning back to the mission field. I had ideas of what I thought I deserved and what I thought my “rights” were as an American woman. And full-time ministry in a remote tribal location was not one of those ideas!

For the past couple months I have been listening to this amazing (and good looking) preacher teach at various churches on unity, suffering, and sacrifice. And the other day, that same preacher quoted the above verse to me. Normally I would have hit him. However, God in His caring and loving way of working in my life had been preparing my heart to hear that verse. I have my hands on the plow but am straining to look back at everything I am leaving behind. And yet my greatest fear is failure of not finishing well. What a contradiction!

The verse was a reminder to me that I am not a citizen of this earth and that I am here to do what God has asked of me to do (through His power, so stop trying Kellie!) and to not look back. And so my goal now is to move forward, take those baby steps, and be thankful for the time God has allowed me to have here in the States instead of wishing for more or wishing that it would be permanent.

Thank you for your prayers for me in this area, they are being answered!

Kellie for the good looking Pastor, & Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

P.S. Could you pray for us again? Jason was returning home from a Bible study last night and hit a deer with the van. (Yes, the one we purchased just a few short months ago) It is discouraging because we know that God provided this van through all of you, so why would he choose to ruin a perfectly good vehicle? I don’t know either. But we would appreciate if you could be in prayer for us, this was our only vehicle and we need to make some decisions quickly. Thank you.

Speaking of cherishing fun times….

Micah and Malachi’s first time hunting with the Knapp boys!

Clay Pots ~ Kellie

2008-10-24T10:00:00.000+10:00

As some of you know Kellie had a CAT scan done last Wednesday. Her Dr. was looking for some cancer in her lymph nodes. We were called back to the Doctors office on Monday and they expressed their concern that the results of the CAT scan showed that Kellie might have at the very least, a cyst on her one remaining ovary (she had a partial hysterectomy 3 years ago) or at the very worst, ovarian cancer. 4 hours later we were then told by an OBGYN surgeon (after an ultrasound) that the CAT scan was miss-read and Kellie is very healthy. Also, a week ago Kellie went in to her Dermatologist and was assured that her melanoma is no longer there! So it has been an emotional roller coaster these past few days going from what could be cancer to something totally normal. But it has been really good for us to go through it together. You tend to appreciate each other more knowing that you could lose the other one at any time… so you hold each other a little tighter every night, you take more time to really listen to your kids, and you ignore the dishes and laundry (I guess we tend to do that anyway!). We never really know what the future holds, do we? It was a good reminder to Kellie to live every day like it could be her last. Thankfully there isn’t anything we would change about our lives. Well except for those medical bills!

His Clay Pots,
Jason for Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Fall

2008-10-11T07:21:00.003+10:00

You can take the kids out of the jungle, but can’t take the jungle out of the kids

It’s fall time here in Wisconsin! I think the #1 reason most of us Wisconsinites brave the cold winters is so we can be here for fall. It is awesome watching the leaves change colors and to be able to experience a change in season. It is so much different than the tribe!

Malachi had his surgery last Thursday. If you have never seen your child on those relaxation drugs, it is a must for all parents, totally funny. We are only sad that we left the video camera at home! The surgery went awesome but the recovery time wasn’t so much fun for him. It is hard to see your little guy in so much pain and with so many questions. He felt great before the surgery and not so great afterwards so it was hard for him to understand the necessity for the pain. It did help having his Grandparents and his Auntie bring him special treats though! And thanks to all of you who brought meals.

Micah and Sophia are enjoying going to a “real” school for the first time and yet not really enjoying the very “real” homework! As a family, it has been an adjustment making school a priority in our lives. I know that sounds funny but in the tribe so many other things demand our time that school did not necessarily get the priority it deserved. We are proud of our kids and the extra time and energy they have to put into school.

I have been busy writing sermons, preaching at different churches, watching the Packers lose, and making furniture. It has been a joy to me to be able to share my passion for discipleship with different congregations. The month of October is mission conferences at two of our churches, so I am looking forward to that opportunity as well.

Kellie has been really enjoying just…being. She has been able to spend some time at home with Malachi, work on refinishing some furniture “steals” which she found at garage sales, and help the kids with homework at night. In the upcoming month she will be sharing at a few different ladies groups, AWANA, and Sunday Schools. It has been awesome to see God meet my wife in her frailty and give her the strength again to speak of his power in her own life and in the lives of others.

Thank you to all of you for all of your love and support which you have lavished on our family during our time at home. We know many of you are struggling with finances during this financially unstable time and we are in awe of God’s continued provision in our lives as you sacrifice daily to provide for us. There are no words to express our gratitude!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Malachi and our Family

2008-09-14T00:41:00.001+10:00

We have a praise and yet another prayer request: Malachi has healed up wonderfully form his stitches and concussion. However since then he has come down with malaria. Through a series of circumstances the Doctor examined him and found an un-related problem which will require surgery. So Malachi will be going into surgery on October 2nd. They will be closing up a tube, removing some fluid, and preventing a future hernia. Our prayer request is that he will heal up completely from the malaria and his fever will leave so that he can be strong enough to do the surgery in a couple weeks.

To be honest, we as a family are barely holding on as we feel that we have little to no time to process one crisis before we head into the next. Please be in prayer for us as we fall into His arms and “give up”. As some of you have probably noticed we have really stepped back from communicating and being involved in things. Even to the point of having to go back on our word and withdraw from things we had originally said we would love to do. We as a family need more time to work through everything, and we really need some “normal” time as our own family. At this point in time, talking about our time in the tribe is painful for us because we have had so many crisis that we have not had a chance to fully internalize or process. We thank you for your love and grace towards us as we take this time to refresh our souls.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Remembering to Pray

2008-09-05T07:29:00.003+10:00

Micah and Sophia’s first day of school!

Bored. Twiddling our fingers. HoHum. I keep thinking one of these days I can use those words to describe our lives, but alas we are nothing close to that these days! Malachi thought it would be kind of cool this past week to jump off a retaining wall, get a concussion, 15 stitches, 5 hours in the hospital, and a visit to the dentist. Dad and Mom did not find it so cool. Malachi is now experiencing the joy of eating everything through a straw and talking like Rocky.

The two weeks before that, we as a family have been grieving, praying, and struggling with the situation Kellie’s brother and family have been going through. We are grateful for the body of believers nation-wide who have comforted and helped out Kellie’s parents, their Bed and Breakfast, and Jonathan.

When we first arrived in the States the Tobo church and our co-workers were never very far from our thoughts at any given hour of the day. The busier we get though, the more we find ourselves only thinking of them perhaps once a day. We are realizing how much more difficult it is for you to remember to pray for the Tobo believers when you have never even been to Papua New Guinea and have never met them. But the simple truth is that this job is a group effort. We and our co-workers cannot do this without you or your prayers. So during this year, our desire is to foster additional prayer and financial support for the Tobo church. Sometimes simply writing a check each month can remind us to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ being persecuted on the other side of the globe. For instance, one lady from the Tobo church is no longer allowed to come to the church meetings because her husband has threatened to slit her throat. Wow, I know how hard it is to think beyond our crazy schedules here in the States, but could you take a minute and pray for her and for other Tobo believers who are faced with this sort of opposition? And pray for other believers who have not been persecuted, but need to persevere and grow in their faith by making the tough decisions instead of being hesitant and afraid to make a stand for Christ. Also, pray for our co-workers the Mankins and Williamsons, that God will give them the wisdom and strength as they disciple the believers and stand in the face of opposition. God has so designed that prayer is vital to the spread and belief of the gospel, so please continue to lift up the Tobo church before our heavenly Father. Thank you.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ The Past 6 Weeks

2008-08-17T00:07:00.003+10:00

In the past 6 weeks we have slept in our own bed about 5 times. But we are grateful to be able to say that our suitcases are stored away for now and we plan on being home for awhile! In our last e-mail, we told you that we were going on a camping trip, and that our family would be taking time to try to deal with things that have happened to us as a family in the past few years. We talked about the highs and lows in the tribe and about our feelings and/or struggles concerning them. It was a much needed time in the quietness of nature to talk and pray. We made lists of all the good things that have happened in the past 4 years and all of the bad things. We asked God to help us focus on the good and to trust Him with the bad. It was a great time to get to understand our children and ourselves a little bit better. And we thank God for giving us seasons of refreshing, and the assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us.

The kids voiced that although they are loving the States, they are anxious and excited to return to home (the tribe) in a year’s time. Jason too is enjoying being here immensely, but misses his friends and desires to continue the task of discipleship. I, however, am still struggling with choosing contentment and joy when faced with returning to the tribe. Honestly and selfishly. I truly enjoy and love my culture here in the States. I love convenience, shopping, and lots of people speaking English! I love not being watched through my windows. I love wearing pants and jewelry. I love being clean and wearing new clothes. I love my husband not having to be pulled in a million different directions. I love being able to know when I go outside I won't be followed and touched. I love having a doctor and dentist to take my kids to. I love running out of groceries and running to the store at any time I want to. And I love going on a date with my husband and having the chance to actually miss my kids!

So can you pray for me? Pray that I will trust God to give me the grace and strength when I need it. Pray that I will enjoy this year instead of getting anxious when I think of having to go back. I can say without a doubt that I know God wants us to go back to the tribe and finish well, but I don’t want to go back and just survive… I want to thrive.

Thank you for being gracious with us as we have been traveling, healing, and ignoring e-mails. We felt that we needed to take this summer to re-gain our footing. And we are excited as fall approaches (what happened to the summer?!) in order to be more involved in your lives!

Here are some of the highlights of the past 6 weeks that we thought you might enjoy seeing…

We got the incredible privilege to attend the wedding of our friends in Northern Ireland, Tim and Vivienne (Eakin) Price, and while there we celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary with a stopover in Paris!

Malachi’s 4th Birthday!

Getting to spend a weekend with Uncle Jonathan (who isn’t very good at arm wrestling)

When we went camping all the kids were sooo excited to see their machetes again and be able to do what they miss the most….climb trees, cut trees, and make fires

More fishing of course

We got to go to the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) show in Oshkosh, the biggest air show in the world! Our to-be-pilot, Micah, was in awe of everything. There was a plane landing or taking off every 8 seconds!!

Clay Pots ~ Healing

2008-07-11T02:46:00.000+10:00

The new one!

Have you ever noticed that things break down in three's? Our van, our laptop, and another thing all gave us problems in one week. It has been one of those stretching times for us as we trust God to provide for our physical needs and not allow ourselves to worry. We didn’t do too good of a job of it this past week, but as always, God has started to intervene despite our lack of faith. When our first van started pouring fluid all over the driveway, our family prayed around the dinner table for God to provide for us. We need a reliable vehicle for all the traveling we do. That night we went on a bike ride. We went to a used car dealership thinking that it would be closed for the night. But it was still open. (He normally would have closed two hours earlier, but had to finish something up) Well, in the lot was a van of same make and model as the one with fluid problems, but it looked a lot newer and nicer for a good price, $4,000.00. So yesterday we picked it up praying that God would provide the money for it. That afternoon our church dropped off a $1,000.00 check. Also, this past weekend someone gave us $600.00, and to top it off the man from whom we had bought the first van gave us all our $ back, $1000.00. So within 24 hours God provided for over half of the vehicle! And we know He will continue to provide for the rest because we have already seen him pay off our medical bills from all those surgeries.

Also, this next week our family of 5 will be leaving for a 2 week primitive camping trip up north. We ask that you pray for our family as we go. In many ways, we all are still dealing with and processing all that happened to us while living in the tribe. Our children have been through alot in the past years. As a first response it is easy to say we are okay and doing fine; but we have come to realize in the past weeks, that we are struggling and need some emotional and spiritual rest. Kellie has actually had panic attacks when she thinks about going back to the tribe and I have been dealing with high emotions as well. We want to take this time camping to pray and talk as a family. We are going to make lists of what we have seen or gone through and take time to talk to God about those things. So we ask that, as you think of it, you pray for our family. Pray that we will heal completely in this next year so that we can finish well.

We thank God for every one of you and how He has uses each of you in our lives,

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Memorable Moments

2008-06-26T00:27:00.003+10:00

Grandma, Aunt Whitney, and Mommy taking Sophia to the American Girl doll store in Chicago for her 7th Birthday (June 7th)!

Jen Knievel/Knapp, our new sister-in-law getting baptized

Going on the paddle boats with Grandpa.

Malachi’s First Fish with Uncle Kyle (Pederson)

All dressed up for Jeremy and Jen Knapp’s wedding!

The Bride with flower girl and ring bearers!

The kids did awesome in the wedding except for the end of the ceremony when Malachi all of a sudden burst into tears because he realized that “his” aunt Jen was going to marry Uncle Jeremy instead of him. She promised to still love him though, so it was a ‘happily-ever-after’ for everyone, even Malachi.

The Bride & Groom!

Thank you, Jeremy and Jen, for glorifying God through your wedding and for displaying the wonderful picture of Christ and the church. It was a neat time, as a family, to have Jason perform the ceremony, Jen Pederson singing in the wedding, and to have Kyle and the kids all stand up in it. The wedding ceremony was a memorable experience; and no, not because of the tornados and sirens going off during the wedding, but because of the incredible picture of Christ’s servant hood displayed within marriage.

4 Generations

God answered our prayers in keeping our Grandparents healthy so that we could see them again!

Not to gross you out or anything but just in case any of you E.R. fans want a look at the incision on Kellie’s arm where the melanoma was.

For her 30th birthday, Jason surprised Kellie with a night out with her “old” high school friends whom she hasn’t seen in a very long time!

Gone Fishing!

These are just some of our highlights from the past couple of months. Jason’s sister and brother-in-law, Kyle and Jen Pederson and their son Noah, returned to Papua New Guinea just a few days ago. Jeremy and his new bride, Jen, will be living in Waukesha until they go on with the missionary training in Missouri with New Tribes Mission in January. Kellie’s brother, Jonathan, hopes to visit us next month from California; and Kellie’s sister, Whitney, will be returning to college in Chicago this fall. For us, we will be hanging tight here in Waukesha close to our churches and enjoying the summer with more fishing and camping. We would love to share with your church or small group some time this fall or winter…so please give us a call or drop us a line!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

(cracked) Clay Pots ~ Kellie

2008-06-16T05:26:00.001+10:00

For as unpleasant as all the doctors appointments and surgeries have been, things have gone really well. We are praising God for his faithfulness and constant watch-care over our lives. We are also praising God for competent doctors and wonderful medical facilities here in the States. I wanted to update you all on how Kellie is doing right now.

Kellie went in on Wednesday and the doctor removed some more skin from around the area on her right arm where they had previously found the melanoma cancer. It was quite a large cut, and he had to go pretty deep, but was able to bring it all together and stitch it up. So she will only have a line scar across her whole arm instead of a huge round area. We are thankful that this cancer was caught in the earliest stage it could be, thus there will be no need for further treatments or procedures. She is unable to type until they remove her stitches (in about a couple weeks) so wants me to apologize for her lack of communication with any of you who might have written lately.

She went to the dentist the following day and will be getting a filling and a cap put on in the next couple of weeks, God has provided our family with a dentist who does all of this for free…what a blessing! Also her colonoscopy went well, she will be going for follow up appointments and taking some medications to take care of some minor problems. So all in all, she is doing well, and we are just glad that God has allowed us to be able to get these things done and “out of the way with” before summer sets in. We are greatly anticipating going camping and fishing with the kids and enjoying some of these long malaria-free Wisconsin summer nights.

We want to thank you all for all your prayers and concern for us. We truly feel loved and accepted by the body of Christ. You all truly are our brothers and sister in Christ.

Please continue to pray for our co-workers, the Williamsons and the Mankins. Williamsons have had their first language and culture evaluation and they are progressing very well. Pray that the language continues to come quickly for them. You can read their updates at www.handsandfeet.net. Also, Chad and Janeene Mankins (and kiddos) should have arrived in Madang. Pray for them as they re-adjust to PNG life and prepare to return to the tribe. Read their updates at www.reachestotheskies.com. And finally, please continue to pray for the Tobo believers, that they would grow in grace and in the knowledge of their God and Savior Jesus Christ, and that the gospel will spread through them to those around them.

In Christ,
Jason for the Knapp family (Wedding pictures will be coming soon!)

Thank you

2008-06-07T02:44:00.000+10:00

I wanted to stop and thank all of you for praying for me. I was overwhelmed as there were people whom I had never even met praying for me and then calling to ask if everything was alright. Thank you.

The procedure went very well. I went to Waukesha Memorial Hospital early in the morning, got prepped and then was wheeled into the surgical room. That was a little intimidating with all the monitors and all the “stickers” they put on me. I think that my back and front were completely covered in stickers, but with these they were able to see a three dimensional view of my heart on the monitors.

Anyway, after they put me under, they stimulated my heart and were immediately able to find the problem (praise the Lord because sometimes things like this just don’t show up when you want them to). So they cauterized the electrodes that were causing a problem in my heart and then they stimulated it again to see if the problem would re-occur. It did not. So everything was a success. Again, thanks for your prayers on my behalf.

I have been a little groggy due to the anesthesia, and a little sore in places; but I really feel pretty good and just waiting for the entrance points to heal. I will not really be able to see the effects of the procedure until I am able to exert myself and get my heart going faster. Before the surgery, that is when I would have the problem of a racing heart; but that should no longer be the case. Which will be a nice peace of mind on those long hikes in the mountains of New Guinea.

Thanks again for your prayers,
In Christ,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Medical and Wedding Update

2008-06-01T10:35:00.001+10:00

This “shot gun wedding” picture was taken up in Wisconsin Dells this past week. We as a family were all together in the same country for the first time in 4 years! We had so much fun and were so blessed to be together!
(Kyle and Jen Pederson (Noah), Todd and Carol Knapp, Jeremy Knapp and Fiancé Jen Knievel)

This Wednesday Jason goes in for his heart surgery at the Milwaukee Heart Institute, it is about a 8-9 hour surgery but he will hopefully be able to go home right away that night! Please be praying for Jason: that the surgery will go exactly as planned and be successful and that God will calm his nerves (and mine!), and that he will regain his energy and strength quickly because this Saturday is Jeremy Knapp and Jen’s wedding and Jason has the privilege of being able to perform the wedding for them. We are so thrilled to be able to be home for this awesome day and incredibly thankful that we get to keep Jen in our family forever!!!

Then the following Wednesday I will go back to the Doctor. They did find out I had skin cancer. BUT it was found really early and the Dr. is pretty confident that he got it all out the first time. So next Wednesday they will be taking out good tissue all around the sight just to make sure and then sew me up. It is about a 2 hour surgery. I will have limited use of my right arm for awhile but it will be worth it and I am so thankful, it could have been a lot worse! And next Friday is my colonoscopy.

So in a couple weeks here we should be all “fixed” up and done with it all! We will let you know how everything goes and send pictures of the wedding celebration!!!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Home

2008-05-29T00:51:00.003+10:00

We are home! We arrived almost three weeks ago and yes, we went directly to Culvers for some good food. We have been told that for every hour of difference between here and PNG, it would take that many days for the jet lag to wear off. Papua New Guinea if 15 hours ahead of Wisconsin so a few days ago, we finally woke up feeling somewhat normal.

One of the main reasons for our time home is to rest and to rejuvenate so that in a year’s time we would be ready to return to our ministry among the Tobo tribe. Part of that is going to the doctor and taking care of ourselves physically as well. This week it was determined that Jason needs to have procedure done on his heart. It was a condition which he was born with but in the past year has gotten worse and is becoming dangerous. Kellie also had some spots removed by the dermatologist this past week. He is concerned that one in particular is cancerous and will be calling us this next week with the results. Kellie will also be going in for a colonoscopy next month. We are a bit discouraged with all this new found information and trying to get used to Doctor’s offices, bills, and gas prices. But we are so thankful that we are home among friends and family and very capable doctors.

We are renting a duplex in Waukesha just a few blocks from the hospital (and no we did not do that on purpose). Thanks to our wonderful families and the ladies from church; we arrived to our new home fully furnished and cupboards full of food and toiletries! After traveling for 3 days the last thing we wanted to do was to go and pick out toothpaste at Wal-mart. Thank you so much to all of you who sacrificed your time and $ to make us feel at home here in the States and for all the used clothes to clothe our kiddos!

And speaking of the kiddos… They are in awe of everything! From seeing “real” cows for the first time to doorbells and the toaster. As much as they are in awe of everything, it is when we tuck them in bed at night that they start asking us when we are going back home to the tribe and their friends. It will take some time for them to get used to living here and to make some new friends. Please pray for them as they internalize their new world here.

Our highlight, by far, has been to fellowship with our churches. Our first Sunday home the tears flowed freely as we sang, “Indescribable”. Our God truly is amazing all the time, and we love to praise him in song, but it sounds a lot different when there are hundreds of people singing instead of just us 5! We have so missed fellowship within our own culture! We have had the opportunity to show our DVD presentation to a few of you and it has been fun! Thank you for loving and caring for us and this ministry. If you would like to see the video or just hang out, please don’t hesitate to call us.

It would mean a lot to us if you would read the following update from our co-workers, Jason and Nisae Williamson. Right now, they are in the tribe alone…keeping things going while we and Mankins are here in the States. This update gave us tears of joy. There are many things to discourage us, but God always gives little things, like what Kips did and said, which make every hardship worth it! You are making a difference in people’s lives, thank you!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2

“I was in my house trying to sleep but the two old ladies next door just wouldn’t stop talking, they where talking about night and day and how we just go to sleep and wake up and never really think about it. Who or what causes the sun to rise in the morning and go down in the evening? I saw this as an opportunity from the Lord to talk to the women about some of the things that I have been teaching in the village. So I got out from my warm bed got my flashlight and headed out the door. I went and saw the ladies and asked them, pointing to my flashlight, ‘whose flashlight is this?’ They laughed and said ‘well of course it’s yours’. Then I told them that because it’s mine I have the power to turn it on and off as I wish. That’s just like our creator God. He made the world and so everything in it;, the sun, moon and stars are His. He controls everything just like I turn this flashlight on and off.” – Kips

Kips, Welsen and Tingon, for the last three weeks have been teaching about who God is, who Satan is, and where sin came from. They are teaching chronologically through the Bible just like they heard it for the first time over a year and a half ago. The believers are excited to hear these truths again and to really cement them into their thinking. Now that they are believers some of these truths take on a whole new meaning. This has also been a time of outreach for them as we are having the meetings up in the village of Denginu. There have been some new men & women who curiously come in to the meeting house and sit down, but not many. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to begin a work in the thinking of the Tobo people here. The believers really have a heart to reach their own people but struggle to know how to do it. I told them that it’s so much more than just teaching God’s word -we have to live it before the unbelievers. Kips shared a verse with me from 1 Corinthians 13:13 “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love”. “We need to show these people we care and that we will make time for them just like Jesus,” he stated. I showed them from Philippians 2:3 that we need to look after the interests of others and not just ourselves, this will show people we love them. It has been a real encouraging time with these guys as they in turn have been teaching me things about the power of God and loving others just as Christ loves us. Please pray for these three Tobo teachers, Kips, Welsen and Tingon for boldness and direction as they look to reach out into their own community.

Your hands and feet,
Jason, Nisae, Kadynn, Judah and Eden

Clay Pots ~ Re-entry

2008-05-06T01:19:00.002+10:00

~Tobo~
At the top of the airstrip there is a group of 3 houses with tin. That is our house, Williamson’s house and Mankin’s house.
The houses on the right is the medical clinic and Doctor’s house
The picture is taken from the trail going up to the village.

We will be arriving in Wisconsin on May 7th! We leave Madang on May 5th so that kind of gives you an idea of how long we will be traveling with 3 kids, 10 bags, 2 baby dolls, turtle, bear, monkey, giraffe, and blankey. Our longest flight will be 14 hours. We are already thinking of creative ways to knock our kids out!!!

Feel free to come and see what a family of 5 looks like after our journey of flying across the world, sleeping in airport lounges and eating nothing but airplane food. We will be the ones kissing the solid ground! Laugh at us as we stand at the edge of the escalator not too sure if we remember how to get on it. Giggle out loud as we try to talk Malachi into not climbing to the top of the airport terminal, not running ahead, and not yelling every 2 seconds…”Yahoo Cowboy”. (to get a sneak preview, click here…we hear it is getting to be a popular ring tone in WA.). But oh man, can we ever tell you about God’s greatness and faithfulness to us these past years! So you go ahead and laugh, we’ll talk through mouths full of custard, and we will see our unity in Christ connecting us again despite the years of change in all of us. Please give us a call, we would love to connect with you.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Happy Rememberance Day!

2008-05-01T00:22:00.000+10:00

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?” (Psalm 77:11-13)

I know what you are thinking, another holiday?! What did Hallmark come up with this time? Don’t worry, Hallmark doesn’t have the goods on this holiday. And no husbands, you don’t have to buy a gift for your wife on this one (but I am thinking of adding that to the by-laws!). This is a day for a Feast of Remembrance. To look back at the past year and remember. Not necessarily to be thankful, but to remember. Just like God had the Israelites celebrate Passover and the Feast of the Booths to remind them of all that He had done for them by delivering them out of Egypt. We decided as a family that it was about time to have our own little feast of remembrance before we head to the States! We videotaped each family member and our co-workers, the Williamsons, sharing about one thing they remembered from this past year.

“I remember my turtle”
(stuffed turtle / best friend) ~ Malachi (3 years old)

“I remember God’s provision in sending us co-workers and God’s Faithfulness in maturing the Tobo believers.” ~Jason

“I remember when I was scared to be baptized but God helped me and I wasn’t scared and Daddy baptized me in the river” ~Sophia (6 years old)

“I remember God helping me through a dark emotional time in my life this past year and I am grateful for it. I will always look back and remember God getting me through it” ~Kellie

“I remember that with God all things are possible. When I hurt my knee real bad I was able to go to town and be with my friends and stay out for 3 weeks!” ~ Micah (9 years old)

It was a day for music, laughter, and fun! Keep your calendar from the past year and look through what happened and important events that God put in your lives and then invite friends and family over for a Feast of Remembrance! Thank you for all that you have done and given in order for us to be able to celebrate this day of remembrance in PNG. We left the tribe this morning and are anxiously awaiting our departure date in Madang. We will arrive in the U.S. on Wednesday!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Review

2008-04-28T01:01:00.001+10:00

Discussing the Word of God

“I do not have a lot of knowledge. I only made it to grade 2 in school. I don’t see books (know how to read). But since I believed in Jesus’ death and resurrection for me, I have seen him bless me. I went through the literacy school you taught and learned to read my own language, and now I am able to read God’s Word every day! I know that it is God’s work in my life because these words are very big and difficult to understand, but I pray every time before I read the Bible or prepare to teach a lesson, and God opens my eyes so that I can see the words and understand them. It is not my strength, but his, and I am so thankful that he has given me this work to do.” – Welsen

“We desire to continue to grow and learn more about God’s Word. We are hungry for it. We learned a lot of new and good talk from the book of Acts and we desire to review it again so that we will not forget all that God has taught us.” – The believing women to the men asking them to review Acts.

As we said a few days ago, the believers are doing an outreach to the village of Dengenu. They are going to be doing that every Saturday morning for the next year while we are gone… please be praying for them. Also, the believers are going to meet every Sunday afternoon as well, and they are going to review the book of Acts together so that they will not forget what they have learned. They are excited to do this, and it thrills our hearts to see them desire and hunger for the word of God. As they have been studying through the Old Testament again, in order to teach on Saturdays, they have realized how much they had forgotten; but also, they are thrilled with the things that they are learning which is strengthening their faith. Please be praying for your brothers and sisters in Christ, that they indeed would grow in their faith and retain all that God is teaching them.

May God give you a hunger and desire for his word.
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Handing Over

2008-04-23T01:03:00.001+10:00

Handing out and splitting up the lessons

“I sat there and my intestines were shaking.. As Tingon started teaching, I just sat there waiting for my time wondering how I was going to be able to do this. Then it was my time to teach. My intestines were still shaking, but I started teaching my point of the lesson. And this is huge! As I started talking, God just gave me thoughts and reminded me of what I had learned before, and the words just came out. I know that God exists (I could feel his presence) because I could not have taught that lesson on my own strength, but God gave me strength and I was able to do it. So now I am giving big praise to him.” – Kips (after teaching for the first time)

“Now that we are meeting in the village again, you all can see that we are not just another “religion”. We have just learned the true meaning of God’s Word, which was hidden to us for so long, and now we want to share it with you. Look, these men who are teaching you are not important men; but they want to tell you what they have learned and show you the way to get eternal life.” – Yaka Siwia (Kips’s father, talking to the unsaved who came to the outreach)

The believers decided a few weeks ago that we would go back up to the village of Dengenu and meet in the village square and teach again from creation to the resurrection of Christ. This is where we first taught back in 2006. There are unbelieving people who desire to hear this story again because it has made such an impact in their friend’s lives. Others still choose to reject and ridicule the believers, but to the believers, it is ok because they know that persecution is a sign that they are believing what is right, and it has strengthened their faith.

As my family prepares to leave, we are handing over the responsibility of the church and outreach to the believers. It was a joy to hand out copies of the lessons from Genesis and watch as Tingon, Welsen, Kips, the Doctor, and Alex all split up the lesson so each of them could help each other and support each other as they taught. And it was exciting to watch them teach God’s Word clearly, even though I knew that they were afraid and they knew that other people were going to ridicule them for it. At the outreach, all the believers and about 10 unbelievers came to hear God’s Word. I did see some unbelieving people out on the fringe coming and going, but not wanting to be a part yet. Pray that these people and others will swallow their pride and arrogance and come to hear the message of life. Pray for the 5 teachers as they faithfully expound God’s Word for the year that we are gone, and that they would have insight and wisdom and be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading.

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing here in Lengbati.

Your Co-workers,
His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Visitors and Baptism

2008-04-06T01:55:00.002+10:00

Dr. Zango

Kips

Nanci Zango

Last Sunday, the rain stopped just long enough for Dr. Zango, his wife, and Kips to be baptized in front of the community. One by one they slowly stepped into the freezing water and gave a public testimony of their faith in Christ before being baptized by Jason and Welsen. They were physically shaking… mostly because of the freezing cold water but partly due to their nervousness. They were ready, but apprehensive to take this step of faith in front of everyone since there has been opposition to the gospel recently. And yet as they came out of the water, every one of them had a smile. After it was all done and we were sitting around the fire trying to warm up, Kips and the doctor were encouraging each other with the fact that this was the same thing the early believers in the book of Acts faced as they believed in Jesus Christ. “Praise God that we finally know the truth,” they said.

The Smith family

We were also blessed to have some dear friends of ours bring their entire family to come visit us in the tribe this past week! We were in awe that the Smiths were willing to make this tremendous sacrifice to not only come over and encourage us, but to meet their brothers and sisters in Christ. They and their three children brought lots of laughter and fun to our home as they interacted and played games with our three kids and the tribal children, and helped us with some projects around the house. They were also our personal CNN correspondents as we asked question after question about what was happening back home. From elections to economy we feel like we can now enter back into “society” without feeling so lost and clueless. And they sat down with us and explained all the new technology out there as well. I know this sounds silly to you, but after living in the tribe for 4 years it was a blessing to have some of the changes explained before we hit home soil again.

They were in tears as some of the believers said goodbye to them here on earth, but reassured them that they will be in heaven with them some day soon! The Smiths commented that it was a huge encouragement for them to see simple faith in action.

We only have a few weeks before we will be leaving the tribe for our year long home assignment! We would appreciate your prayers as Jason is in the process of handing over the teaching responsibilities to a few of the Tobo men. Also be praying for our co-workers, the Williamsons, as they continue to learn language and culture. It is hard to think about leaving them and the church but we know this time apart is a needed time of growth for all of us.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ 48 Hours and 1%

2008-03-16T00:32:00.001+10:00

The kids favorite thing to do on break while in town is ride their bikes!!

We had a nice break… a time to relax and enjoy the ocean and some good food. Thank you for your prayers. Well, we have been back in the tribe for 48 Hours. In that little amount of time we have had….

~ A man come to our house yesterday morning accusing Jason of starting rumors and lies about a plane coming in (seeing how we just stepped off the plane ourselves we were kind of amused that they could think of something to accuse Jason of so fast!).
~Last night we received a letter from some unbelievers in the surrounding area saying that they made a resolution that we need to stop our work here. (don’t worry we aren’t going toJ).
~This morning, a plane landed with the dead body of a young girl who had died out in town. We had sent her out a few months ago in hopes of getting her some more advanced medical treatment as our Dr. was gone at the time. She never received the needed treatment. So today, outside our house on the airstrip, there was loud wailing by hundreds of people… all of them without hope of eternal life. That is a sound you will never forget. The community is split in thinking that she died because a man worked poison on her or because of a sin in her life. So there will be a court held all day today with police from other villages to decide the reason. One of the believers (the Dr.) is being accused of wrong doing, but he was gone when it all happened.

So much for “welcome back.”

For your information. Out of the entire Tobo tribe, only about 1% of them have believed in Christ’s finished work on the cross. That would leave the rest of the community either apathetic or opposed to the believers. Some of the unbelievers even try to persuade the community that we are all just a bunch of liars trying to steal things from them. Satan has used the Cargo Cult to blind them to the truth.

~Could you be praying for the 1% that they will stay strong in the midst of daily persecution and shaming.
~Pray for the 99% that they will see and hear the testimony of the believers and desire the joy and freedom in Christ.
~Pray for us, we are outsiders and it is hard enough living here without the majority against us. We have 7 weeks until we fly home, pray that we will finish well and still have a smile leftJ!

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi

Clay Pots ~ Micah

2008-03-04T04:23:00.004+10:00

The last couple weeks have been a bit “interesting” for our family. About 2 weeks ago Micah was running on the airstrip, slipped on some moss, and fell on his knee. His knee took the full impact of his fall on a sharp rock and was split open. We took care of it the best we knew how, but when a part of his skin was still lying on the airstrip it was a little hard to “butterfly” back together! After 4 days, Micah’s knee was very swollen and he had very little movement, so we started to wonder if he sustained any trauma to the area. Also, despite the antibiotics we had given him to ward off infection, the knee was infected and he needed some stronger medicine. Also, during this same time Micah had a double ear infection (that he never complained about) and there was blood coming out of his ear.

So on Tuesday we packed up our family, handed over Jason’s responsibilities to our partner and some men in the church, and flew out to town to take Micah to the doctor. After some local anesthetics, a whole lot of needles, syringes, gauze, x-rays, and medicine, Micah is on his way to full recovery. He will have a “war wound” to brag about for the rest of his life but he doesn’t seem to mind too much and thankfully it is on his knee and not face!

We will be out in town for another week or so in order to recoup from more stress and fatigue that we realized we were under. So we apologize for not returning personal e-mails lately…we just needed some time to catch our breath. We really appreciate your prayers for us as a family during this time. It seems that the last few weeks and months before furlough are some of the more stressful.

Clay Pots - gratitude

2008-02-27T04:16:00.001+10:00

“And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” – 1 John 5:15

Tingon came to me and told me this story the other day:

“About 2 days ago, my wife and I woke up, cooked food and went outside our house to go give food to our two pigs. But when we got there, we saw that they had both vomited everything in their stomachs, and were now lying on their sides, barely alive. They were on the road of death. This was a huge thing to me, so I told my wife to get some cold water, and when she came back, I poured the cool water over their bodies, and then I put my hands on their heads and prayed. I said, ‘God, you know that this is a big heavy. You gave me these pigs to look out for, and you know what they are used for in our culture, and how important they are to me. You also made them, so you care for them. And you care for me. So I am just asking that you will heal these two pigs of mine, so that they will not die.’ I prayed that, and then I prayed that same prayer again later that day. I knew that these pigs were going to die. They were on the road to death, and there was nothing I could do for them. In the past, I would have called the “cold” man, and he would have said some words, poured some special blend of water and blood and herbs over them, and cast out the bad spirit. But I knew that wasn’t the true way. So I waited and prayed. Then last night, I was ready to go to sleep, and I prayed a third time to God to heal my pigs. When I got done praying (and this is the truth), I felt a total peace from God. I just KNEW that my pigs were going to be alright. And I lay down and went to sleep. This morning, I woke up and went outside, and there they were, standing there ready to eat. And I went over and gave them food and they ate! I tell you the truth, I have never seen anything like this in my whole life! This was impossible, they were as good as dead, but God healed them for me. I thank him for that. So I came today to help you teach God’s word to the people because this story was just burning in my liver... I was so thankful. And as I left, I was just so happy I went over and patted the two pigs on the head and said, ‘See, God is watching out for us,’ and I came here.”

Later, he told me that he has an even greater desire to study, read, and teach God’s Word, because he is just so thankful for what God has done for him. Not only did he save him from sin, hell, and Satan, but he also is caring for his every need!

Isn’t that what it is all about? Service to God out of gratitude, not grudgingly or in order to gain favor. We already have favor in God’s eyes, and we are already as loved as we ever could be because we are in his Son. Why is it that we constantly need to be reminded of that fact? And the simple prayer of faith, just KNOWING that we have the request which we have asked of the Father, because we know that he hears us. This is a changed man… but it is only by the grace of God, through belief in his Word.

Clay Pots ~ Crushed Frogs

2008-02-21T06:33:00.001+10:00

This is a picture of Sophia and our partners daughter, Kadynn, crushing up a beetle and feeding it to their “babies”.

When I saw them doing this I yelled, “what are you doing?!!!” (along with “gross” “yuck” “ugh”).

They looked at me calmly and said, “we couldn’t find a frog”.

In the Tobo tribe when a baby has a cold they take a frog; boil it, crush it up, and feed it to the baby. If it isn’t smooth enough for the baby to eat they will put it in their mouths and chew it up themselves and then spit it out and feed it to the baby. Sophia and Kadynn are in fact very good “mothers” according to the Tobo people. This mother made sure they weren’t going to chew the beetles up for their babies before I went back inside!

My life is SO not normal!

Clay Pots - depart from iniquity

2008-02-15T01:32:00.002+10:00

“Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Kips, the fighter
Just before Christmas I sent out an email explaining that if Kips’s relative came from the town of Lae, that the two of them would probably have a huge fight, possibly ending in the death of one of them. I also shared how one Sunday we all met together and Welsen and some of the other believers came beside Kips to encourage him not to fight, but to forgive this man and walk away; and then how they had all prayed together for Kips. Kips had readily admitted that he was contemplating killing the guy, but he knew that that was from Satan.

Well, here is the rest of the story: A few weeks later Kips came up to me and said, “I know that God is alive.” (meaning, God really does answer prayer). So I asked him why he said that, and he said to me, “Remember when we prayed on that Sunday about me not fighting with my relative? Well, in my heart I forgave him, and decided that I was not going to fight him even if he came and called me out. But then a few of his friends came to the village the other day, and they brought word from him. And this is what they said, ‘We sat down and talked about what we would do to you; but instead of deciding to fight, your relative said he forgave you, and that if he were ever to come to Lengbati, that the two of you would shake hands and kiss (sign of affection and total agreement).’” Then Kips said to me, “The reason I said that I know that God is alive, is not only because he forgave me and I forgave him; but because they told me that the day that they had met to talk about this was the same Sunday which we prayed together.” That sent chills up my spine as I heard it… yes, God is alive and he is working out his plan for his children.

Alex, the fiery temper
There were times in the past when the community was ready to kill Alex because of his incessant anger. Well, there was a group of people from another village who had a gripe with him, so they took him to court a few weeks ago. Last year, during the election time, he and a few others were traveling to a couple other villages on a campaign trail. One of the young boys who went with them had stolen a can of tinned fish, and lied about it. Well, Alex, as our village magistrate, was told about it, found the evidence, and made the boy pay compensation for it to the offended party. During the course of that time, he had hit the boy in the face. Well, a few days later (or weeks, we don’t know which), a tooth fell out of the boys mouth. So now 8 months later, the family of this boy got angry, and greedy for money, so they came to court Alex for causing his tooth to fall out. If they won the court, then they would get compensated with money. I sat in during the court, but didn’t say anything… I just wanted to watch and see what was going to happen. How would Alex respond to false accusations and no proof? Both the young boy and Alex gave their stories, and Alex did admit to hitting him twice in the face for stealing. But there was no evidence that the tooth fell out because of that hit. But, the court officials (who were not Christians) decided in favor of the boy and charged Alex.

A few days later I was in the village of the accusers, and they said to me, “We wanted to kiss and hug Alex for how he conducted himself during the court. He told his story truthfully, did not get angry, submitted to the authorities, and was very peaceful. We saw this in his life, and we knew that Jesus has changed him. We saw the fruit of his belief and baptism in his life.” What an amazing testimony!

Welsen, the instigator
A week ago, there was a huge disturbance in our village. We had sent out a young lady to the hospital in town with NTM Aviation because she was very sick and not eating and couldn’t swallow. Well, on Wednesday night of last week, the family heard over the radio that she had died in town. So there was screaming, yelling, wailing, but also angry fighting type of sounds, people angrily running up and down the airstrip hitting houses with bush knives. We found out later, that everyone was angry at the school teacher, who had supposedly had relations with her… in their minds they thought that he was the cause of the sickness which took her life. So they wanted to kill the teacher. In the morning, Welsen and a few other believers came to our houses here and we talked through this situation a bit. Welsen said that he could see this situation causing a lot of problems and conflicts in the village, and also in the midst of us believers. So he decided that we should pray. So we did, and he led us in a prayer for God’s protection, wisdom, and insight into how to handle this situation so it didn’t escalate and cause more problems. Then we had to go up for a court regarding some of the damages done to personal and community property. Welsen did not want to go with us. So I asked why, and he said, “You remember that before I was saved, I instigated many fights. Well, I know that if I go right now and look at the faces of those responsible for this disturbance, then I will probably sin by getting angry, starting a fight, or something. And I don’t want to do that, because Jesus wouldn’t want me to do that.” I was again very encouraged. Here is a man who was fleeing from sin (2 Tim. 2:22).

May you be encouraged in the Greatness of our God.

Clay Pots ~ Culture Stress

2008-02-05T05:25:00.000+10:00

One of my better moments…

I have been culturally stressed this past month beyond anything I could have ever imagined. We have lived in the tribe for almost 6 years now and I feel like it was only today that we moved in. I was at the ladies bible study a few weeks ago and began to pinpoint some of the specific things that were stressing me out. Maybe you can pick out some things that just wouldn’t happen at your ladies Bible study in the States?….

We ladies gathered together and sat on the cold, wet, dirt floor of a small grass hut. The lady picked to share that day had her 3 year old son go from breast to breast nursing as he pleased while she shared from the book of Acts. He held her shirt up and for 10 minutes we had a topless speaker. To keep from staring I decided to count the flies that I was wildly trying to keep off my face. I got to a 100 and realized I should be paying attention to the speaker. By now her son was done nursing but had pooped in his pants right next to her so she took his clothes off, threw them in her bag, and he ran around her naked. And no, she never missed a beat the whole time. She then noticed that his nose was running (more like huge chunks of snot hanging down his face) and took her bare hands and wiped it off and then wiped it on her shirt. So I decided to count the bugs again. There was a weird looking orange spider that had crawled on my shirt, a fluorescent blue bug on it’s way to my leg, and something much bigger than a fly was trying to land in my hair! (Did you know God made 3 inch long furry bees?!!)…I was getting the willies and ready to cry. Then I started to cry. Not because my emotions were at an all time high but because the smoke from the fire in the middle of the hut was hurling large amounts of smoke at me (I am sure on purpose!). I was drenched in smoke and my nostrils were burning, so I moved closer to the lady sitting next to me to get out of the path way of the smoke. I offered to hold her baby while she got something out of her string bag. The baby peed all over me. Now I smelled of smoke and pee . So I tried focusing on something else and looked away. Only to be met by intense staring. Every child in the hut was watching me. That hasn’t changed in 6 years. I am constantly being stared at. You would think they would get used to me and my white skin and red hair! I even wear the same clothes so there’s nothing new to look at. But every move and word is seen and heard. They will actually notice if a piece of my hair falls out of my head and will grab it to inspect it. Now that is fishbowl living! I looked at my watch. 3 hours we have been sitting here and we haven’t even begun to pray yet which would take another couple hours. I cant feel my legs, I need to start dinner, and I really needed a shower. So I got up and left.

That’s it. The climax of my story. I left. I want you to know that even though I am supposed to be an “experienced” missionary…I make mistakes, more than I care to admit. I let these trivial things get to me and missed truly fellowshipping with these ladies because I was grossed out.

Will you pray for me as I try in the following months to ignore my culture stress and be sensitive to the Spirit?

His Clay Pot,
Kellie for the family

Clay Pots ~ Coming Home!

2008-01-22T02:19:00.000+10:00

Sophia has only been in the States 8 months out of her 7 years of life
Malachi 7 weeks out of 4 years
And Micah 2.5 years out of 9

There is always a lot of confusion as to why missionaries go back home to their home country for a year after being on the mission field for 4 years. You see… we start getting this twitch, and then we start mumbling a lot in a different language, and then our kids start looking and acting like tribal kids! No, I’m only kidding (sort of). In partnership with our mission and our home churches, we all feel that it is a needed time for us to re-connect with not only our own culture, but also our churches and all of you. It is a time for us to really be able to share in person what God is doing over here and our future plans in this ministry. It is also a much needed sabbatical for Jason. Planting a church has it’s daily pressures and the spiritual battle has been intense these past 4 years and we are feeling it. Our family needs a time of spiritual renewal, corporate worship with our church bodies, and time as a family, husband/ wife outside of a tribal atmosphere. It has been 10 years since we have been home for a full year! We will be arriving in the states on May 7th.

“That is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:12)

Many of you have asked what we would need when we go home. Here is a list of the things we will need when we get to the states. If you are selling any of these things or have any ideas of people to contact, please let us or Jason’s mom, Carol Knapp , know. She already has keys to the place that we will be renting and is setting it up ahead of time for us.

~Dressers
~Full Size Mattress Set
~ Pillows
~Mattress Covers
~Sheets/towels
~desk/ office chair
~A Vehicle
~Desk top computer for when we are home in the States and to bring back into the tribe for translation
~Printer
~kid’s bikes
~Jet Ski (thought I would just throw that one in there!)
~kid’s clothes ( 4T through 12 years old...we need to stock up for the next 4 years in the tribe )

We have made a DVD presentation of the incredible things happening here. And we are making one for kids to see what it is like to live in the jungles of Papua New Guinea as a MK (Missionary Kid). Make a date on your calendar to get together with the Knapps, and then let us know the date. We will be sure to let you know our phone # and address once we get them. You can always get a hold of us by e-mail though!

Clay Pots ~ Baptism

2008-01-12T01:30:00.000+10:00

“…so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” -Joshua 4:24

I have often wondered why, if salvation is simply by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, that Jesus told us to baptize those who believe. I think maybe it has to do with solidifying our belief in our own minds. It is like the stone memorial which the Israelites erected after they crossed the Jordan River… it reminded them that they had believed God and God had fulfilled his promise. Baptism is a picture to us of what Christ did for us through his death, burial, and resurrection; and that God fulfilled his promise by saving us through faith in his Son. It is a memorial to God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Yesterday was a day full of truth and emotion. Two men (Welsen and Alex), 4 women, and Sophia, all stepped out and were baptized yesterday in front of their families and friends. The freezing cold mountain stream rushed down to where we stood in a waist deep pool of water. One of the ladies took a bag of flower petals and threw them on top of the water. And as the seven men and women solemnly stood there with heads bowed, water dripping off their hair, shivering, and yet full of joy, I couldn’t help but praise God for their simple yet steadfast faith in Jesus Christ. Years ago, I would have thought that the bowed heads and solemn faces was a sign of dissatisfaction, embarrassment, or uncertainty. But after spending time with them, I have come to realize that it is a sign of conviction and reverence. Praise God for their response.

Before we started, Welsen told Jason Williamson that he was afraid because he was one of only two men who were going to be baptized. Alex too, told me that he was afraid of what the community would do to him if he got baptized. But all those fears were dissolved after it was all said and done. Alex came up to me afterwards and said, “I see clearly now what you were trying to tell me all along. I just wanted to fight with you and say that things were going to go bad, or that you were not doing this right, or whatever. But now I see that this whole thing is simply a mark, a sign, of what happened when we believed. It is nothing more, and I see that now. I am sorry for doubting God’s Word.” He was so relieved, he went and killed a pig, and we had a wonderful feast. Those who had gotten baptized and those Christians who hadn’t, we all got together and sang songs, fellowshipped, and praised God for his salvation.

Afterwards, there were many people who came and told us that they too want to demonstrate their faith by being baptized very soon. So in the next couple weeks, we might just see some more of the believers act in accordance with Jesus command.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers this past week. It has been a difficult one; but we have seen God work in our own hearts, as well as the hearts of those around us. Thank you for holding us and the Tobo church up before the Lord.

Clay Pots ~ Prayers Needed

2008-01-02T03:02:00.000+10:00

Jason took this picture on a recent hike he went on with Jason Williamson .. They had found a heart shaped crevice in a large boulder filled with the nights rain.

The believers clearly understand that baptism is simply an expression of their belief in Christ and that they are now associated with Him. They also understand that it is an act of obedience to Jesus’ command in scriptures, and that it is a testimony to those around them that they now believe in Jesus finished work on the cross. But to the rest of the community, baptism is the means by which a person leaves one religion and enters a new one, and thus they see it as an attack to their old belief system. I guess, in a way, they are correct, but the believers know that they are not becoming a part of a new religion; but that they have already been born into a new family; the family of God!

The date for the baptism has been set for Thursday, January 10th. I wish we could report that everyone is excited with anticipation for that date, but that is not the case. We have talked and prayed with various believers who have made it known that they are going to be baptized, and they have already been under tremendous pressure and persecution. Husbands, families, and village leaders have mocked them, laughed at them, and have even threatened to harm them if they proceed with their decision to be baptized. So the general atmosphere has been more along the lines of fear and nervousness, rather than joy and excitement. But we know that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So we know that because they will be obeying God, this baptism truly will be a testimony to others, just as God intended it to be.

We covet your prayers. We need them. If we felt that your prayers were of no use, then we would not be writing this e-mail to ask you to pray. Pray for the Tobo believers, that they will have strength and courage in the face of opposition. Pray for Jason and some of the Tobo men who will be preparing what they will say on the 10th to the crowd of people. Pray that Jason will have courage and wisdom in addressing the crowd. Pray for the ladies whose husbands have not believed, and who are taking a real step of faith by disobeying their husbands in order to obey the command of Christ. And most of all, pray that God and his Son would be glorified in all that is said and done.

Clay Pots ~ Family Picture

2007-12-28T01:02:00.001+10:00

Clay Pots ~ Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T02:48:00.000+10:00

“Yesu Winneyep Muat Nalia”

“The Time Of Jesus Birth”

His Clay Pots, Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, Malachi
& The Tobo Church
(Some believers not pictured due to the fact that some were scared of the camera, and some men not pictured because their pigs got out of their pens, and they had to go round them up.)

On January 3rd we are very excited to have a representative, from one of our home churches (Walnut Hill Bible Church in Baraboo, WI) come to Lengbati. Brain Hawkins and his daughter Sarah will be staying with us for 10 days in order to meet their new sister church here in Tobo land. We and the church are really looking forward to them coming so that we may all fellowship together as a church body. We are very encouraged by our church families back home who have been rallying together to send representatives here to show God’s love to these young believers! It reminds us of how in Acts the church in Jerusalem sent representatives to Antioch in order to encourage and exhort the believers there. Thank you for being used of God!

Clay Pots ~ Truth and Forgiveness

2007-12-18T01:31:00.000+10:00

“…laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another…

… and do not give the devil an opportunity…

…let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:25, 27, 31-32)

Kips is known as a fighter with a hot temper. In the past, if anyone crossed him, he would not think twice… he would just nail the guy. Kips is now a strong believer and admitted to me in his testimony that he finally realized that he could not fight with God and win. Well, the man with whom Kips has had a gripe with, and with whom there is still bad blood, is coming from town to our village for Christmas. Welsen, another believer, was concerned that Kips would fight this guy if the opportunity arose, or if this guy came and threatened him. And Welsen knew that if Kips fought with him, that he would ruin not only his name(reputation), but also the name(reputation) of the believers. Welsen said to me, “I am praying that Kips would forgive the guy’s sin, not fight, and show his new life in Christ.” So I asked if we could bring this up to him before the other believing men, and he said yes, we could, and we should.

So when we were all together last night, Welsen, in a very culturally appropriate, yet graceful way, told Kips his concern, and exhorted his brother to forgive his enemy and to show the community how Jesus has changed his insides. He told him that Satan would desire that he fight so that his reputation would be marred. It encouraged me to see Welsen truthfully share his heart and what he thought could happen and the repercussions of it all (it is not traditional Tobo culture to care that someone else does the right thing).

After he was done sharing with him, Kips said, “My big brother. You are right. I was sitting in my house the other day just thinking about this. I was heavy of heart and Satan was putting many bad thoughts in my mind like, ‘What if he comes and starts hitting my house and calling me out?’ What should I do? Should I grab my bush knife or my axe? Should I come down quickly and hit him and then go and hide? Or Satan said, ‘What if he doesn’t come to my house, should I go to him first and hit him?’ And again I thought of how I could do that. I was sitting there planning all of this in my mind, but I knew it was Satan’s thoughts in my head. I don’t know what I will do, and I cannot say that I will do what is right because I know that Satan will try to fill my head with bad thoughts when this man comes.”

After he confessed that to us, all the guys pitched in and offered encouragement to him, telling him how important it was that he peacefully settle this thing, and how he needed to be a good example. They said that culturally, if this guy comes to hit him and comes to his house, if Kips comes down and is peaceful and does not retaliate, then the other party will be forced to not do anything, and their “strength will fall down” and the fight will be over with. So after they encouraged him in this, and after I told him a little bit more of how the Spirit will guide us and what kind of thoughts He will put in our heads, we had a time of prayer. Kips prayed. Welsen prayed for Kips and totally lifted up his brother before the Lord. And then Nikos prayed as well.

Afterwards, we picked up our guitars and Nikos lead us in a song, and then he abruptly stopped when it was done and said, “Guys, I love coming to sing, pray, talk, encourage and share from God’s Word with you guys. I look forward to it every week. When people come to my house and want to talk about things of the ground, I am repulsed and tired of it. But the time when we are together makes me happy and you guys are my true brothers.” To which Alex with tears in his eyes, gave a hearty, “I agree and you have just shot my liver. This is what Jesus has done for us.” Then we all sang another song or two and then went to our homes.

Please pray for Kips and the other believers, that they will not only be learning the word of God, but applying it in their every day lives.

Clay Pots ~ Church Buildings

2007-12-13T00:31:00.000+10:00

The believer’s New Meeting Place
Budget: $0.00
Materials: $0.00
Labor: $0.00
Amount of time to build: 3 hours

For the past 11 months, the believers have met outside in the rain, and sun. Before you assume that it was a poor lack of planning, I will assure you that we did this with intention. With so much emphasis put on church buildings in this country (if you show up to the church building on Sundays, then God will be appeased or satisfied and allow you into heaven) it was important to us that the believers learn that God is only satisfied with us on the basis of our belief in his Son. And we wanted them to realize that they are not a “church organization” but an organism… a body of people who trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Their belief in Christ is what binds them together in unity, not a building. It has been an incredible testimony to each other and to the community around them that they didn’t need a building in order to hear God’s word and worship Him.

But with Kellie and the ladies meeting every Tuesday and with their numbers continuing to grow, they needed a place to keep all the kids out of the sun or rain as they met. Also, God has been overwhelmingly faithful to us as we have met outside every Thursday since January and have only had two rain days, but the people felt a need to at least get out of the sun which is fairly intense. So this past Thursday all the believers rallied together to throw together a ‘make shift’ building. It is not permanent by any stretch of the imagination, but it will serve it’s purpose. It has no walls and is open so that everyone can see what we are doing and yet keeps the sun and rain off. The Grandpas and Grandmas watched all the kids while the woman went to cut long pitpit grass for the roof. The men built the structure and put the grass on. It is always so incredible to see the body of Christ at work and the intimate fellowship among fellow brothers and sisters, not to mention the laughter and singing that took place as well!

On Sunday the men met for our weekly Bible study. One thing that was mentioned was that God’s Word is not bound to any one place or building; but that it is a powerful word that should and does infect our every area of life (going to the garden, walking on the trails, sitting in our houses). WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT ANYWHERE, because it is LIFE! So I asked them, “What did Jesus say to do with this message of life? Did he tell the disciples that they were supposed to sit in Jerusalem and call people to come and hear it?” They said, “No, he told them not to stay in Jerusalem, but to go out to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” So I asked, “What does that mean to us? Should we sit down here in our house and tell everyone to ‘come’, or what?” They said, “No, we are to go out with this message, just like the apostles and Paul did. In fact, Jesus even said of Himself that He did not have a house to sleep in, and he kept telling others of God’s way of life. We need to be like that.” So I said, “Yes, and this little make-shift building which we just built will rot and fall down and we will probably not meet here in a few years, because we will be going out and telling others of the road to eternal life, Jesus.”

Please continue to pray for the believers. They are beginning to sense an urgency to tell their families and clans this gospel of life. We want you to pray that they will not just feel the urgency, but do something about it.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.

Malachi said the mud found HIM

2007-12-10T05:13:00.000+10:00

The 3 Kiddos

Malachi said the mud found HIM

Clay Pots ~ Dancing, Paychecks, and Earthquakes

2007-12-01T01:33:00.000+10:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ala with her scriptures, drum and smile!

Ala used to be able to walk with the help of 2 sticks but now the disease has completely taken over in the past couple weeks and she can no longer walk at all. Her only desire is that she would never miss a believer’s meeting on Thursdays. So 2 ladies carried her all the way down from the village to our place for the believer’s meeting this past week. Her smile never faded from the moment they put her down to the moment they carried her back up to the village. She led the singing with her homemade drum and listened intently to every word Jason said. One man went to tell her what a tremendous testimony she is to everyone by her contagious joy despite her circumstances. She just smiled and said , “I am ready to go to heaven and see my Jesus”. I don’t think it will be very long until Ala will be dancing in heaven with her Savior, on an eternal Thanksgiving Day!

We celebrated an awesomely relaxing Thanksgiving day last Friday with our partners. It included Jason and Jason playing football with the kids (speaking of football is there any one out there who has taped any of the Packer games? We are “dying” out here without our green and gold fix!) , lots of food, a nap, Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving movie, and lots of laughter! So what were we thankful for?!! YOU !! (After my cute husband of course). We are very privileged to have a “job” where our paycheck comes from people who care for us. Thank you for being sensitive to His leading and willing to make that sacrifice for us and the Tobo church. We celebrated you on Thanksgiving!

Last week we experienced a HUGE earthquake. From what we have been told it registered a 6.7 on the scale. We were scared and, excuse the pun, very shook up! We raced outside with the kids as things started to fall around us inside the house. Thankfully no one was hurt, though our house needs some extra TLC after it. As Malachi said during it, “God is SO big!” Sometimes we need those little reminders of our God’s incredible power.

We hope you find lots of things to be thankful for in the days following Thanksgiving, a reason to say your God is SO big, and a DVD recorder to send us Packer games!

Clay Pots ~ Their Mouths Were Stopped!

2007-11-21T01:04:00.000+10:00

Welsen

We all know the story of Stephen, the first martyr for Christ. His defense speech before his accusers is a masterpiece. He articulated the whole word of God in a 15 minute speech. And in the face of those who were pointing their fingers at him and saying that he was blaspheming God and the law of Moses by preaching Christ, he turned and pointed his finger back at his accusers, and said to them, “No, I am not blaspheming God, but proclaiming to you the very word which He spoke for thousands of years. Only you did not listen, just as your fathers did not listen. And just as they killed the prophets who proclaimed to them the way of forgiveness and life; in the same way, you killed Jesus, the only one who could give you forgiveness and give you life.” What a fantastic story! What an encouragement to us to stand in the face of our accusers and proclaim the way of life.

I wondered why Welsen did not come to our Sunday afternoon men’s bible study. The next day he was quick to come and tell me why. He said that he put his string bag over his shoulder and came down out of his house to come to the meeting, but some guys stopped him on the way. There were six guys, all leaders of the Cargo Cult, and all wanted to ask him questions about what he did every Sunday. So they took him into a house and grilled him with questions. They asked why he left their cult, if he was a part of a new “church”, if he was going to get baptized, and why he was turning his back on and rejecting his former beliefs. Sound familiar? So he boldly told them that their cult was a lie of Satan. That Jesus did not come to give us paradise or a comfy life on earth, but that Jesus died to save us from our sins and give us life in heaven. He told them that, “No, I am not part of a new church, but I am simply a believer in Jesus, which makes me a true child of God and part of Jesus’ clan.” He also told them that he was going to get baptized because it was just a sign to them of what Jesus did to him when he believed. He also told them that they were on their way to hell if they didn’t believe in Jesus’ death and that hell was eternal even though they did not believe that either. He told me that he talked for 3 hours to these guys, and their mouths were stopped. When faced with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they had no answer and their mouths were stopped. It is the same thing that happened in Acts 6:10 where it says, “But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

Welsen claims that two of those men believed that day! Two men who are leaders in the Cargo Cult and who, during our teaching last year, sat in their houses waiting for cargo to miraculously appear from the ground. What a testimony of the power of God’s Word. I know it was not easy for him to stand up against 6 guys like that. In Tobo culture you just don’t do that sort of thing. But Welsen did, and he witnessed to them, and their mouths were stopped. Praise God!

Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Lengbati. They face opposition, but they have already won! They are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

Fwd: Stairs to the new loft

2007-11-14T01:38:00.001+10:00

Fwd: The new ceiling in the living room/bookshelf

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Fwd: The new Ceiling in the living room

2007-11-14T01:35:00.001+10:00

Fwd: Decorating for Christmas

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