7.26
We just got back from the village, and I feel SO much better! I didn't relapse to malaria, and my insides (after 7 LOOOONG days) are pretty much back to normal now! Praise the Lord (I'm not being cheeky, I really do thank God for healing me).
Let's see, the village... What do you want to know? Well, the best stories are left to be told in person, but I will give you a few snippets. The huts were nice, mine didn't leak when it rained. The stars were amazing, even brighter and more numerous than I can see from where I'm living right now. It's amazing what you can see in the sky when there are no lights on the ground. Oh, and as the stars got brighter, the bugs got bigger. One of my teammates found a beetle whose body was as big as a grown man's hand, fingers outstretched. The "feelers" were longer than 6" by themselves! Haha, the same guy had a run-in with a bat a couple nights later. He's a trooper though; he didn't even complain :) What else? Some of the animals know no boundaries, so you have to be on constant lookout for runaway fowl and stampeding goats! Possibly my favorite sight was a mule that was being taken for a joyride by 3 boys - bareback... (what else is there to say really? lol)
There were two other things I want to share with you. One is concerning a man, I'll call him Shawn, and the other is about the children in the village. Shawn deserves his own blog entry. No, he actually deserves to have a book written about him. But I will share part of his story with you next time. However, I would like to briefly explain what I saw in the children out there.
First thing to know, the children are numerous. The only investment the people have is their family. The bigger, the better because that means more laborers, more status, more people to take care of you when you get old, and so many more things. But, something you parents know, more kids means more mouths to feed, more responsibility, more time spent on the child(ren) and less spent on what you want to do. Out there, it means the same thing. But there's no doctor's appointments, no bandaids, no school, no babysitter... The only thing you have is family. So that means that when I child is too old to be carried around by his mother, he is left to himself while mom and dad work in the fields all day. They are left to their own devices. And frankly, they are blessed to survive age 5.
Malnutrition is too common, and I saw it so evidently in so many kids. Many of them have sores that won't heal. They don't get enough nutrition to enable their bodies to heal as a body was designed to heal. And so they walk around day to day simply surviving. That is their only task. Then, when they are able to work, they begin to help in the fields, tilling the land, driving the cattle, planting the seeds, pounding the rice, fetching the water from the well. And you know what their hope is? Their greatest hope is to survive and to raise a family who is able to do the same. Except there is one man who knows of a greater hope... Shawn. I'll tell you about him soon.
As you pray, consider your hopes and dreams. Consider your ultimate hope. And pray for those around the world who have not found hope. Ask that the Lord will communicate, in some miraculous way, His hope to the nations who do not know it.
Peace and love to you, my brothers and sisters. I'm looking forward to seeing you all very soon!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday day
7.17
Hello and happy Sabbath to you, loved ones! It's early Sunday evening where I am, (just after noon for most of you), and I was just wanting to write to let you know a little about my morning.
My team and I went to an AoG (Assemblies of God) church this morning. I honestly didn't feel like going this morning - at all. It's just that I don't speak the language, so I can't understand anything that's happening. And everywhere we go, we become the main thing. It's pretty hard to blend in when your skin is the color of mine. They are so generous and hospitable here, so that means that I sit front and center. It could be at a church service (like this morning), or at a soccer game, or at a baby naming ceremony... we still have yet to walk down the street a quarter mile without getting chanted at by the neighbor children. I mean, they've seen us every day for the past several weeks... You'd think it would get old. Think again!
Anyway, so we walk into the church right about 9:30, and they are half way through the first song - I really liked the song too. We were, of course, seated up front and center (you know those 1 or 2 rows in the front that no one sits in... that's not just in America. But those are the rows that we were seated in). It was almost as if they had been saving those rows just for us, just in case some white people came. So we take our seats. And, to my surprise, no one stopped praising God or stared or gave awkward "Welcome to Africa" smiles. They just treated us as if we were welcomed, but not superstars.
They sang a couple more songs in French which I really enjoyed, and my heart began to change. As I looked around and saw the people worshipping, I could feel them encouraging me to worship with them. They knew just by looking at us that we had no idea what was going on, but we were welcomed to clap and dance alongside them (did I mention I liked the music).
We prayed a few times, everyone all at once as AoG's do, and we read some Scripture, in French of course. And then there was a sermon. The pastor spoke in French, and he had another guy translating into the local language. I didn't understand much of it at all, but it was good to be there anyway. I could make out the Scripture references, so I was able to follow along in my English Bible.
At one point in the 2.5 hour service, the pastor spoke to our leader (the missionary) and asked him to pray and to introduce us. This was well and good because he has lived here for 20 years, and he was happy to cooperate and prayed in the local language thanking God for being so good and some other things that I couldn't understand. He told them why we were here and that we are studying to be Bible translators. They were very excited and gave us a round of applause that was accompanied with some hooting and hollering and a young man beating on his drum. Then, at the very end of the service... The pastor made eye contact with me. He asked me (in French) to pray a blessing upon the congregation - he asked me to say the closing prayer. I pray all the time, every day, even several times a day... But this was different.
I immediately turned around and sought some consolation from my leader. He assured me that I should just pray in English. They just wanted us, their guests, to feel as a part of the congregation. And they knew that we were missionaries who had come to give them the Bible in their own language, so they believed that any blessing from us would be great, even if they couldn't understand it. So, I closed the service with a benediction in my best English haha. I ended with the one word I knew they all understood, "Amen!"
As I reflect on this morning, it was no huge thing I did. But it was a step outside the box. Also, I do pray out loud often, but I don't know that I've ever meant an out loud prayer with more sincerity than I meant my prayer this morning. "God of heaven, thank you for being so good and allowing us to gather with these people in peace this morning. Grant them peace this morning as they go from here, that may they bless everyone they meet with the Truth that is in your son, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Those aren't many words, but they came from a place deeper than the ocean.
Hello and happy Sabbath to you, loved ones! It's early Sunday evening where I am, (just after noon for most of you), and I was just wanting to write to let you know a little about my morning.
My team and I went to an AoG (Assemblies of God) church this morning. I honestly didn't feel like going this morning - at all. It's just that I don't speak the language, so I can't understand anything that's happening. And everywhere we go, we become the main thing. It's pretty hard to blend in when your skin is the color of mine. They are so generous and hospitable here, so that means that I sit front and center. It could be at a church service (like this morning), or at a soccer game, or at a baby naming ceremony... we still have yet to walk down the street a quarter mile without getting chanted at by the neighbor children. I mean, they've seen us every day for the past several weeks... You'd think it would get old. Think again!
Anyway, so we walk into the church right about 9:30, and they are half way through the first song - I really liked the song too. We were, of course, seated up front and center (you know those 1 or 2 rows in the front that no one sits in... that's not just in America. But those are the rows that we were seated in). It was almost as if they had been saving those rows just for us, just in case some white people came. So we take our seats. And, to my surprise, no one stopped praising God or stared or gave awkward "Welcome to Africa" smiles. They just treated us as if we were welcomed, but not superstars.
They sang a couple more songs in French which I really enjoyed, and my heart began to change. As I looked around and saw the people worshipping, I could feel them encouraging me to worship with them. They knew just by looking at us that we had no idea what was going on, but we were welcomed to clap and dance alongside them (did I mention I liked the music).
We prayed a few times, everyone all at once as AoG's do, and we read some Scripture, in French of course. And then there was a sermon. The pastor spoke in French, and he had another guy translating into the local language. I didn't understand much of it at all, but it was good to be there anyway. I could make out the Scripture references, so I was able to follow along in my English Bible.
At one point in the 2.5 hour service, the pastor spoke to our leader (the missionary) and asked him to pray and to introduce us. This was well and good because he has lived here for 20 years, and he was happy to cooperate and prayed in the local language thanking God for being so good and some other things that I couldn't understand. He told them why we were here and that we are studying to be Bible translators. They were very excited and gave us a round of applause that was accompanied with some hooting and hollering and a young man beating on his drum. Then, at the very end of the service... The pastor made eye contact with me. He asked me (in French) to pray a blessing upon the congregation - he asked me to say the closing prayer. I pray all the time, every day, even several times a day... But this was different.
I immediately turned around and sought some consolation from my leader. He assured me that I should just pray in English. They just wanted us, their guests, to feel as a part of the congregation. And they knew that we were missionaries who had come to give them the Bible in their own language, so they believed that any blessing from us would be great, even if they couldn't understand it. So, I closed the service with a benediction in my best English haha. I ended with the one word I knew they all understood, "Amen!"
As I reflect on this morning, it was no huge thing I did. But it was a step outside the box. Also, I do pray out loud often, but I don't know that I've ever meant an out loud prayer with more sincerity than I meant my prayer this morning. "God of heaven, thank you for being so good and allowing us to gather with these people in peace this morning. Grant them peace this morning as they go from here, that may they bless everyone they meet with the Truth that is in your son, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Those aren't many words, but they came from a place deeper than the ocean.
Partyin', partyin' (YEAH!)
7.15
An i soma. It's Friday night, and we just got home from movie night at the Hoovers'. We just watched a movie about a single woman who lives in Portland. She is a columnist for a major newspaper who inherits her sisters 5 Amish children because of her death. It was a pretty good movie. Petty cheesy, but pretty good. The highlight... A "high speed" chase - a buggy pulled by a single horse managed to chase down a Ford Explorer.
Here's an update on life here:
This past week we have been working on our translation of Luke 7:11-17 from Greek into the local language. The process has been both challenging and rewarding. Tomorrow we do our consultant check, which is the final step before completing our translation of this short passage. I guess I should explain some of the process.
First, we chose a passage short enough to complete in just a couple weeks time. Then we got together with a national who is fluent in at least 3 languages and well-versed in others. He is the one who translated our rough draft. From there, we were able to look at the rough draft and, using a couple computer programs, revise the rough draft for a more complete draft to work with. After a few days of work, we went out into the community and read the story (through our translator) and asked them some comprehension questions to make sure it makes sense. After the feedback, we made more revisions, and now we're almost done!
So we will have completed our translation by Monday, and then we will be off to the village by the middle of next week. That is expected to be our most testing week here, but we are not worried. Personally, I am very excited, and I know some of the others feel the same.
I have a couple prayer requests, then I will share a story. Please pray for our health. I have had a cold for the past few days, and before that one of my teammates had some kind of sinus or lung infection that required an antibiotic. And now another one of my teammates is coming down with a pretty vicious cough. On top of that, one of the missionaries, the one taking us to the village, is now sick. Praise God that our bodies have remained healthy overall, but ask Him to keep us healthy so that we can continue to learn and grow during our time here. Also, pray that we will be able to keep our focus here, and that we will not be longing for home. It's important that we do not lose sight of what God has set before us. It is easy to talk about the things that we miss. And knowing that we will be home in less than a month can be a hindrance. There is a temptation to stop what we are doing here and focus on what we need to accomplish when we get home. School, work, family, relationships... All these things are important, but right now they are secondary. It's very hard to balance, and each of us has our own situation. Thank you for your prayer support. I miss and love each of you dearly.
Story time! I mentioned that our passage was in Luke 7. It's a story that you should read for yourself, but I'll let you in on it. Jesus is coming into a town called Nain, and he raises a young man from the dead. We chose this passage intentionally. We knew that we would be sharing this story with the public, and we wanted to, in whatever way possible, spread the good news of Jesus' power.
So we were out on Wednesday with a few guys our age. And upon hearing this story, one of the guys made this comment (in his own language), "This is a good story. If this is really true, people should really follow Jesus."
We honestly didn't think much about it at first. Of course, if there's a person who can raise people from the dead, really and truly, who wouldn't follow him? Then we remembered something. We remembered that we have read these stories, heard these stories, and accepted them our entire lives. I go to a school where I talk about the miracles of Jesus every day. For me, and for many of us, his power has lost it's charm.
However, the story is different for the people here. They have all heard of Jesus, and they even accept him as a great prophet of God, but they don't have access to reading things for themselves. A few of them have heard some stories, but they have nothing substantial to remember them by. I can open an English Bible in 20 different versions and access these wonderful miracles every day. But to one young man who heard this story for the very first time in his life, Jesus is still this mystery. He has this power to raise the dead... Even he himself came back from the dead. And the Christians say that he now sits at the right hand of God? How wonderful that would be if it were true...
You and I know the Truth, but these people don't have access to it. Join me in prayer and ask the Father to reveal this great and mysterious and powerful Truth to those who, present day, are not even allowed the chance to consider it.
Thanks for reading. Peace and love.
An i soma. It's Friday night, and we just got home from movie night at the Hoovers'. We just watched a movie about a single woman who lives in Portland. She is a columnist for a major newspaper who inherits her sisters 5 Amish children because of her death. It was a pretty good movie. Petty cheesy, but pretty good. The highlight... A "high speed" chase - a buggy pulled by a single horse managed to chase down a Ford Explorer.
Here's an update on life here:
This past week we have been working on our translation of Luke 7:11-17 from Greek into the local language. The process has been both challenging and rewarding. Tomorrow we do our consultant check, which is the final step before completing our translation of this short passage. I guess I should explain some of the process.
First, we chose a passage short enough to complete in just a couple weeks time. Then we got together with a national who is fluent in at least 3 languages and well-versed in others. He is the one who translated our rough draft. From there, we were able to look at the rough draft and, using a couple computer programs, revise the rough draft for a more complete draft to work with. After a few days of work, we went out into the community and read the story (through our translator) and asked them some comprehension questions to make sure it makes sense. After the feedback, we made more revisions, and now we're almost done!
So we will have completed our translation by Monday, and then we will be off to the village by the middle of next week. That is expected to be our most testing week here, but we are not worried. Personally, I am very excited, and I know some of the others feel the same.
I have a couple prayer requests, then I will share a story. Please pray for our health. I have had a cold for the past few days, and before that one of my teammates had some kind of sinus or lung infection that required an antibiotic. And now another one of my teammates is coming down with a pretty vicious cough. On top of that, one of the missionaries, the one taking us to the village, is now sick. Praise God that our bodies have remained healthy overall, but ask Him to keep us healthy so that we can continue to learn and grow during our time here. Also, pray that we will be able to keep our focus here, and that we will not be longing for home. It's important that we do not lose sight of what God has set before us. It is easy to talk about the things that we miss. And knowing that we will be home in less than a month can be a hindrance. There is a temptation to stop what we are doing here and focus on what we need to accomplish when we get home. School, work, family, relationships... All these things are important, but right now they are secondary. It's very hard to balance, and each of us has our own situation. Thank you for your prayer support. I miss and love each of you dearly.
Story time! I mentioned that our passage was in Luke 7. It's a story that you should read for yourself, but I'll let you in on it. Jesus is coming into a town called Nain, and he raises a young man from the dead. We chose this passage intentionally. We knew that we would be sharing this story with the public, and we wanted to, in whatever way possible, spread the good news of Jesus' power.
So we were out on Wednesday with a few guys our age. And upon hearing this story, one of the guys made this comment (in his own language), "This is a good story. If this is really true, people should really follow Jesus."
We honestly didn't think much about it at first. Of course, if there's a person who can raise people from the dead, really and truly, who wouldn't follow him? Then we remembered something. We remembered that we have read these stories, heard these stories, and accepted them our entire lives. I go to a school where I talk about the miracles of Jesus every day. For me, and for many of us, his power has lost it's charm.
However, the story is different for the people here. They have all heard of Jesus, and they even accept him as a great prophet of God, but they don't have access to reading things for themselves. A few of them have heard some stories, but they have nothing substantial to remember them by. I can open an English Bible in 20 different versions and access these wonderful miracles every day. But to one young man who heard this story for the very first time in his life, Jesus is still this mystery. He has this power to raise the dead... Even he himself came back from the dead. And the Christians say that he now sits at the right hand of God? How wonderful that would be if it were true...
You and I know the Truth, but these people don't have access to it. Join me in prayer and ask the Father to reveal this great and mysterious and powerful Truth to those who, present day, are not even allowed the chance to consider it.
Thanks for reading. Peace and love.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Did you know... (part 2)
7.10
Did you know... (part 2)
I will be back in the States in one month
We still have to keep our lights off at night because of a storm last week.
Here, it's preferable if you do use your hands to eat. Who knows when the last time the forks were washed...
Everything is more expensive here when you're white.
If cheese is green, you shouldn't eat it
If you decide to eat green cheese... Your own fault!
Malaria prophylaxis doesn't actually prevent you from contracting malaria... It just makes it easier if you do get it. Hmmm
The difference between goats and sheep is: goats' tails point up, and sheep's tails point down.
When all is said and done, goats and sheep still make the same BAAAHHH noise that I never wish to wake up to.
There is a boy next door with some disease or disorder that prevents him from communicating with us at all.
God still loves that boy, and He desires for others to love the boy too.
I can physically reach out and touch the boy, and I can play soccer with him in the street or play marbles with him in the yard. Yet (are you ready? 'cause this is the bad news...) I literally have no way to help him. I am right here, on the other side of the world, and I cannot do a thing of lasting importance.
This work is not for the faint of heart
The harvest is plentiful. In a society in which .001% of the people do the things God has commanded, more workers are needed
One of my teammates and I recognized this dire need late last night as we were reading by candlelight. We talked about how we will never be the same when we come home. We have learned so much already. Our eyes have been opened to so many new things, and we are just half way done. We said things like, "These people need help," and we talked about how we now feel obligated by the gospel to do something. We have seen with the eyes of our Creator, and that will forever change us.
Then the last thing we said, the hardest thing to swallow is that we haven't even seen anything hard! We have not "roughed it" at all. We have not sacrificed much. And by my best estimation, until all of God's people are willing to sacrifice everything, the job will not be done. Don't get me wrong, I do not doubt El Shaddai, but I cannot refute what I see with my eyes. And what I see is a people, a whole world of people who need the Truth.
My soul longs for God, for the living God and the Truth that He brings. Join me in prayer as we ask the Lord of the Harvest to raise up more workers. The sad and real truth is that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. And, as I said, this field is not for the weary or faint of heart. But rather God desires servants who are willing to be bold. So as you pray, pray for boldness. Ask that the Lord of the heavens will guide you and give you bold prayers to pray, and also that you would learn to lead a bold lifestyle for the sake of the Kingdom. That is also my prayer for myself and for all of you, that I (and you) would learn what it is to live boldly right where I am (and where you are). "I know the plans I have for you," declares Yahweh. I can't wait to see what they are.
Did you know... (part 2)
I will be back in the States in one month
We still have to keep our lights off at night because of a storm last week.
Here, it's preferable if you do use your hands to eat. Who knows when the last time the forks were washed...
Everything is more expensive here when you're white.
If cheese is green, you shouldn't eat it
If you decide to eat green cheese... Your own fault!
Malaria prophylaxis doesn't actually prevent you from contracting malaria... It just makes it easier if you do get it. Hmmm
The difference between goats and sheep is: goats' tails point up, and sheep's tails point down.
When all is said and done, goats and sheep still make the same BAAAHHH noise that I never wish to wake up to.
There is a boy next door with some disease or disorder that prevents him from communicating with us at all.
God still loves that boy, and He desires for others to love the boy too.
I can physically reach out and touch the boy, and I can play soccer with him in the street or play marbles with him in the yard. Yet (are you ready? 'cause this is the bad news...) I literally have no way to help him. I am right here, on the other side of the world, and I cannot do a thing of lasting importance.
This work is not for the faint of heart
The harvest is plentiful. In a society in which .001% of the people do the things God has commanded, more workers are needed
One of my teammates and I recognized this dire need late last night as we were reading by candlelight. We talked about how we will never be the same when we come home. We have learned so much already. Our eyes have been opened to so many new things, and we are just half way done. We said things like, "These people need help," and we talked about how we now feel obligated by the gospel to do something. We have seen with the eyes of our Creator, and that will forever change us.
Then the last thing we said, the hardest thing to swallow is that we haven't even seen anything hard! We have not "roughed it" at all. We have not sacrificed much. And by my best estimation, until all of God's people are willing to sacrifice everything, the job will not be done. Don't get me wrong, I do not doubt El Shaddai, but I cannot refute what I see with my eyes. And what I see is a people, a whole world of people who need the Truth.
My soul longs for God, for the living God and the Truth that He brings. Join me in prayer as we ask the Lord of the Harvest to raise up more workers. The sad and real truth is that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. And, as I said, this field is not for the weary or faint of heart. But rather God desires servants who are willing to be bold. So as you pray, pray for boldness. Ask that the Lord of the heavens will guide you and give you bold prayers to pray, and also that you would learn to lead a bold lifestyle for the sake of the Kingdom. That is also my prayer for myself and for all of you, that I (and you) would learn what it is to live boldly right where I am (and where you are). "I know the plans I have for you," declares Yahweh. I can't wait to see what they are.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Boom!
7.5
Happy 4th of July (a day late)!
This morning we were supposed to be on our way out to a village to live for a week, but the family who was going to go with us has a sick child, so that experience is being postponed. So what that means is that we have started on our translation project! Tis morning we discussed some basics of translation, and we chose our passage.
Luke 7:11-17 tells a short story of how Jesus raised a boy from the dead. It is really an amazing thing. So often we say that Jesus did miracles as if it is no big deal. But when you isolate a miracle such as this, and maybe even put yourself in the shoes of someone who would have observed it, you cannot help but marvel at the one who is capable of such things. More updates about the translation to come soon.
On a different note, I experienced my first African party the other day. There were drums, a singer, and even an electric guitar! It was awesome! The music is so different here, and I can't quite figure it out. But it is fun nonetheless.
Wow! I was just on the roof watching a storm roll in, then lightening hit a house really close to ours! I've never been that close to lightening before. Also, that was the first time in a long time that I remember being genuinely afraid. The light was so bright, and the sound was so loud. Wow! Huh... No more power :-/
Oh well!
Happy 4th of July (a day late)!
This morning we were supposed to be on our way out to a village to live for a week, but the family who was going to go with us has a sick child, so that experience is being postponed. So what that means is that we have started on our translation project! Tis morning we discussed some basics of translation, and we chose our passage.
Luke 7:11-17 tells a short story of how Jesus raised a boy from the dead. It is really an amazing thing. So often we say that Jesus did miracles as if it is no big deal. But when you isolate a miracle such as this, and maybe even put yourself in the shoes of someone who would have observed it, you cannot help but marvel at the one who is capable of such things. More updates about the translation to come soon.
On a different note, I experienced my first African party the other day. There were drums, a singer, and even an electric guitar! It was awesome! The music is so different here, and I can't quite figure it out. But it is fun nonetheless.
Wow! I was just on the roof watching a storm roll in, then lightening hit a house really close to ours! I've never been that close to lightening before. Also, that was the first time in a long time that I remember being genuinely afraid. The light was so bright, and the sound was so loud. Wow! Huh... No more power :-/
Oh well!
Late night
7.2
It's actually 2:06 in the morning where I am right now on July 2. I felt compelled to write to you and to pray for you. So I have been thinking about and praying for several of you tonight. Your prayers have been a great help to me and my team, and I have even felt them today and tonight.
Funny story:
My friend and I were walking down the street and were greeted in French by a guy about our age (a common thing - French is the national language for many of the countries in West Africa, and they assume that the white people know French). So we greeted him back in French. Then we surprised him and greeted him in his own language, the one we've been learning. He smiled really big and spoke back to us in his language. Then, in a thick accent he shouted back at us, "How are you?!"
Haha, 3 languages in under a minute! I got a kick out of that. And I've been thinking about it since. It seems like a weird thing to me, to speak to the same person in different languages. But I have realized that only in America do you get away with speaking only one language. I know an 11 year old boy who can read, write, understand, and speak in 3 languages. And he hasn't graduated the 3rd grade! It is such a luxury we have to live in a culture that doesn't require us to speak different languages. For a person here, he grows up speaking one language (his mother tongue). Then he has to learn French just in order to get around town (perhaps not the town he lives in, but if he travels his own country at all he will need French). And then if he desires to be truly educated, even the local university stipulates that he needs to learn English. You see, we have it all. We have been blessed. And now we have a responsibility.
To give you an update on things that are happening here:
We have had formal language learning sessions the past two weeks with nationals and with one of the missionaries. This morning concluded those formal lessons (though language learning is always and all the time while we are here).
This weekend should be pretty relaxed. We have some board games to occupy or Saturday with (day of rest), and I believe I heard mention of a party on Sunday evening :)
Early this next week we are going out to live in a village (mud huts, grass roofs). I am so excited! I'm not sure what it looks like; but I do know that we will fetch our own water, we will get our own firewood, and we will bathe by way of bucket.
I have learned/been reminded of one very important truth as of recently... God is my strength. It is by Him that I am able to live life every day, and it is because of Him that I have come to this place. I was worried about missing my friends and family, but I have realized in a new light that God is the One who protects us all. And if that is true, and if He really does love His people, what can I worry about? I have trusted Him with my life, and so I trust Him just the same with my fiancée's life as she travels across the planet, and with my mother's life as she handles matters at home, and with my friends' lives as they live in Joplin (a city devastated about a month ago). He knows all things, and in all things He is good.
Well thanks for reading! I love you people :) if you would pray for one thing, I ask that it would be this - pray that God would bring about His will in this place. The people here deserve everything good that we have. Pray that the Lord will accomplish His work here.
I'll talk to you again soon! Awa, i ni ke! Ambe kofe.
It's actually 2:06 in the morning where I am right now on July 2. I felt compelled to write to you and to pray for you. So I have been thinking about and praying for several of you tonight. Your prayers have been a great help to me and my team, and I have even felt them today and tonight.
Funny story:
My friend and I were walking down the street and were greeted in French by a guy about our age (a common thing - French is the national language for many of the countries in West Africa, and they assume that the white people know French). So we greeted him back in French. Then we surprised him and greeted him in his own language, the one we've been learning. He smiled really big and spoke back to us in his language. Then, in a thick accent he shouted back at us, "How are you?!"
Haha, 3 languages in under a minute! I got a kick out of that. And I've been thinking about it since. It seems like a weird thing to me, to speak to the same person in different languages. But I have realized that only in America do you get away with speaking only one language. I know an 11 year old boy who can read, write, understand, and speak in 3 languages. And he hasn't graduated the 3rd grade! It is such a luxury we have to live in a culture that doesn't require us to speak different languages. For a person here, he grows up speaking one language (his mother tongue). Then he has to learn French just in order to get around town (perhaps not the town he lives in, but if he travels his own country at all he will need French). And then if he desires to be truly educated, even the local university stipulates that he needs to learn English. You see, we have it all. We have been blessed. And now we have a responsibility.
To give you an update on things that are happening here:
We have had formal language learning sessions the past two weeks with nationals and with one of the missionaries. This morning concluded those formal lessons (though language learning is always and all the time while we are here).
This weekend should be pretty relaxed. We have some board games to occupy or Saturday with (day of rest), and I believe I heard mention of a party on Sunday evening :)
Early this next week we are going out to live in a village (mud huts, grass roofs). I am so excited! I'm not sure what it looks like; but I do know that we will fetch our own water, we will get our own firewood, and we will bathe by way of bucket.
I have learned/been reminded of one very important truth as of recently... God is my strength. It is by Him that I am able to live life every day, and it is because of Him that I have come to this place. I was worried about missing my friends and family, but I have realized in a new light that God is the One who protects us all. And if that is true, and if He really does love His people, what can I worry about? I have trusted Him with my life, and so I trust Him just the same with my fiancée's life as she travels across the planet, and with my mother's life as she handles matters at home, and with my friends' lives as they live in Joplin (a city devastated about a month ago). He knows all things, and in all things He is good.
Well thanks for reading! I love you people :) if you would pray for one thing, I ask that it would be this - pray that God would bring about His will in this place. The people here deserve everything good that we have. Pray that the Lord will accomplish His work here.
I'll talk to you again soon! Awa, i ni ke! Ambe kofe.
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