Jungle Vine is a major part of a Dao persons Daily life. Every Dao man uses split jungle vine to string his bow. Every
Dao person lives in a house held together by jungle vine. Every garden fence is held together by jungle vine. Even one
of their traditional ways of starting fire for cooking food and warming themselves uses jungle vine creating friction on
a certain type of wood in order to produce heat. Without jungle vine the Dao people’s entire culture and daily way of
life would come to a complete stop.

This being the case it was no surprise to see Uwomuku (Top right picture) carrying a big bundle of fresh jungle vine
down the trail between all the houses yesterday. As I was passing by I casually asked “Friend, what have you gathered
all that vine for? Are you building a new garden fence?” “Actually Degapiyaa, my fence is already completed. This
vine is for tying together and straightening all the individual bunches of sugarcane that I have planted in my
garden. I have to do this so that the sugarcane will grow up well and straight. Otherwise it will not grow well. It
will end up crooked and useless.” He replied. As he was finishing that last sentence he stopped and thought for a
moment. (Top center picture, Jungle vine used to tie two pieces of wood together.)

 

After a few seconds, with a somewhat contemplative look on his face he continued, “But isn’t that exactly what Jesus
does for us friend? He has taken us and planted us in His garden so that we will grow well and be well nourished.
He doesn’t just leave us like that though. Even beyond that He pays special attention and cares for us every day.
When He sees that we are growing in a direction that we shouldn’t he takes his truth and uses it as a jungle vine to
pull us back in the right direction so that we will grow up well and straight and won’t just become useless. He
never gives up on us but keeps on teaching and straightening us out as we grow. He is our jungle vine. He is the
one that keeps us going in the right direction isn’t He?”

Uwomuku, and I together laughed with delight there on the trail at this profound truth and unique illustration. We
talked for a few more moments about this awesome truth, how Jesus is our jungle vine. He is the one that enables us
to receive food for the soul as the bow string often provides food for the body. He is the one that even binds us
together on a daily basis as the Dao houses are bound together with jungle vine. He is the one that watches over us,
provides for us and protects us from things that would come in and destroy us, his garden, just as the jungle vine and
wood used to make the garden fence. He provides us with spiritual light and wellbeing just as the jungle vine is used
to create fires so that the Dao people can have light in thier houses and warm themselves on a cold night. What a
wonderful illustration God gave Uwomuku and the Dao people through this simple everyday tool. Jesus truly is our
Jungle Vine. Without Him, we would be helpless. Because of Him we have everything we need and more.

The following morning in the daily believers gathering we read from 1 Corinthians 1 and rejoiced together as a body
of believers that God never gives up on us but through Jesus Christ always continues working with us to keep us
growing straight and healthy . Verses 4-7 sum this truth up well when they say “I thank my God always concerning you for
the grace of God that was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all uterance and knowledge,
even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So that you lack in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who will conform you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Please pray for the Dao people as we continue to study together through the book of 1 Corinthians for the first
time ever in the history of the Dao people group. Pray that they will learn awesome new truths and continue to
grow in their faith as we study this awesome book. Pray also for Jennie as she continues to translate through the
New Testament and prepare new scripture portions in the midst of being nearly 6 months pregnant with our
second child. Please remember the health of our family also in your prayers as the epidemic of whooping
cough/pertussis/measles that spread through our vilage last month was passed on to our family as well. Moses is
just now getting closed to being fully recovered from measles and Jennie and I are on the tail end of getting over
whooping cough. Jennie coughed so hard during the sickness that she cracked a rib and is still recovering from that
as well in the midst of her pregnancy. There are still many other Dao people in various villages that are also
suffering from these diseases and I am sure they would apreciate your prayers also. And finally, please pray for the
continued outreaches that are presntly taking place and the teachers in those different various villages. Pray
specifically for the area called Kupekuye as they hear about their Creator and Savior for the first time this month!
(top left picture shows Paatoma – one of the teachers in the kupekuye outreach) Thanks so much to every one of
you that have specifically gotten involved in helping to provide new scripture books and school books for the Dao
people, you have been a tremendous encouragement both to them and also to our family. We continually thank
God for every one of you!