Dear reader,
Whether you be close friend, distant relative, and random blogger. I pray the following will be a true blessing to you on your journey of life's path to what lies just beyond. I've titled this post time flys because coming to a 6 months milestone and turning around to watch it as it passes by I've been able to recount some of the experiences I've had so far living on the frontier of gosple work. Retracing memories of victory in appearent defeat, steadfast standing on shaking groud, and through it all learning more about trust and faith than I ever thought possible. There have been nights of sleep surrendered and long days of work done by strength not coming from within. There were times spent of the mountains of thanksgiving as my cups was appearently overflowing with blessings and also times of darkness where my cup seemed to be all but dry. Turning back I don't have to look to far down the road to spot a story worth passing on.
As of late things have been fairly quite and restful for the missionaries here, not much to write home about. We've been able to settle into our daily routine. For the teachers that meant having time to catch up grading and planning a little ahead in lesson plans. For the nurse and the clinic it means organizing, charting, prepacking assorted medicines, and treating the cuts and bruises and the occsaional malaria patient. But as it sometimes happens relaxation can be short and sweet.
It was Sabbath morning all was quiet and peaceful as the church members gathered at the church for singing and prayer before Sabbath School. Smiles could be seen all around and warm greetings were heard by all, it had all the promises of a happy and restful Sabbath worship service. The numbers grew as worshipper continued to come in. After our time of prayer and thanksgiving we prepared to break off into individual Sabbath School groups. Thats when things started to get stirred up.
Outside of the school house/ church doors waited a small group of people. After a little investigation we were able to find out the reason they had come. One woman was a frequenter of the clinic. She is know on a first name bases but not for all positive reasons. Just recently, she has been stringing together a chain of twisted story that have left our clinic staff feeling as if she has manipulated their vonerablity. The situation had started when she started asking for extra milk for her baby to supplement her breast feeding but later we found out that she had been lying to us and had been giving it away to a friend. Now I'm not saying the clinic here is short on milk or not willing to give it away to all that need it but we make it a priority to see and assess each patient that we can make sure that a case of simple malnurishment isn't worms or any other serious disease. But with that being said the nurses here had been made uneasy by the breach of trust and having to meet this same situation again quickly removed the atmosphere of peace.
The other part of the group that had gather was a father and son of a sick mother who was still at home. Since the clinic here is one of the only place to receive free medical care for the native people we have patient come from far and wide. This family lives a 3 hour hike away from the clinic. They had come that morning asking to receive medicine for the sick mother. The nurses weren't able to gather enough information about her symptoms to be for sure about her illness. It was decided that she would need to be carried to the clinic. So at the end of church some of the young men went with them to bring back their mother, causing us to have to cancel the Bible studies being given in an area newly receptive to the gosple. The boys ended up not being able to carry her in that afternoon and had to return home that night and go back the next morning. After coming back together we recognized that Satan had been at hard work that morning to try and stop the gosple for going forward in those Bible studies and it was discouraging to see that he had won the battle but we had proof that he didn't win the war.
Whether you be close friend, distant relative, and random blogger. I pray the following will be a true blessing to you on your journey of life's path to what lies just beyond. I've titled this post time flys because coming to a 6 months milestone and turning around to watch it as it passes by I've been able to recount some of the experiences I've had so far living on the frontier of gosple work. Retracing memories of victory in appearent defeat, steadfast standing on shaking groud, and through it all learning more about trust and faith than I ever thought possible. There have been nights of sleep surrendered and long days of work done by strength not coming from within. There were times spent of the mountains of thanksgiving as my cups was appearently overflowing with blessings and also times of darkness where my cup seemed to be all but dry. Turning back I don't have to look to far down the road to spot a story worth passing on.
As of late things have been fairly quite and restful for the missionaries here, not much to write home about. We've been able to settle into our daily routine. For the teachers that meant having time to catch up grading and planning a little ahead in lesson plans. For the nurse and the clinic it means organizing, charting, prepacking assorted medicines, and treating the cuts and bruises and the occsaional malaria patient. But as it sometimes happens relaxation can be short and sweet.
It was Sabbath morning all was quiet and peaceful as the church members gathered at the church for singing and prayer before Sabbath School. Smiles could be seen all around and warm greetings were heard by all, it had all the promises of a happy and restful Sabbath worship service. The numbers grew as worshipper continued to come in. After our time of prayer and thanksgiving we prepared to break off into individual Sabbath School groups. Thats when things started to get stirred up.
Outside of the school house/ church doors waited a small group of people. After a little investigation we were able to find out the reason they had come. One woman was a frequenter of the clinic. She is know on a first name bases but not for all positive reasons. Just recently, she has been stringing together a chain of twisted story that have left our clinic staff feeling as if she has manipulated their vonerablity. The situation had started when she started asking for extra milk for her baby to supplement her breast feeding but later we found out that she had been lying to us and had been giving it away to a friend. Now I'm not saying the clinic here is short on milk or not willing to give it away to all that need it but we make it a priority to see and assess each patient that we can make sure that a case of simple malnurishment isn't worms or any other serious disease. But with that being said the nurses here had been made uneasy by the breach of trust and having to meet this same situation again quickly removed the atmosphere of peace.
The other part of the group that had gather was a father and son of a sick mother who was still at home. Since the clinic here is one of the only place to receive free medical care for the native people we have patient come from far and wide. This family lives a 3 hour hike away from the clinic. They had come that morning asking to receive medicine for the sick mother. The nurses weren't able to gather enough information about her symptoms to be for sure about her illness. It was decided that she would need to be carried to the clinic. So at the end of church some of the young men went with them to bring back their mother, causing us to have to cancel the Bible studies being given in an area newly receptive to the gosple. The boys ended up not being able to carry her in that afternoon and had to return home that night and go back the next morning. After coming back together we recognized that Satan had been at hard work that morning to try and stop the gosple for going forward in those Bible studies and it was discouraging to see that he had won the battle but we had proof that he didn't win the war.
Earlier during the youth Sabbath school that morning three of our girls came under spiritual attacks similar to one's we seen in the past with our young people here. They weren't as serious as what we have seen before when they needed to be protected from hurting themselves but this morning two of them, for short periods of time, would have acute muscle spasms. Uncontrollably and incoherently they would clinch their fists so strongly that it was nearly impossible to pull their fingers apart. But once their hand was reopened they would be coherent again. This has happened in the passed to the same girls. And as we did in the past and as we do always in these situations we prayed. The youth prayed during their Sabbath school and the missionaries gather after church for a special season of prayer primarily for the girls and also for direction as to what we should do for the planned outreach for that afternoon. One of the girls who had been demonically harassed has been mentured to give Bible studies, in particular two each Sabbath afternoon. Sadly, after the long morning of fighting she seemed to exhausted and weary to go on as planned. But we felt that we needed to ask her and also encourage her to still give the Bible study, the first of which was with a few of her own peers near the church. With a tired face she agreed. We shared with her the promise that whenever we work for God, He sends extra angels along side us to strengthen us and they even give us the word to speak.
I wasn't able to go to the Bible study but I can tell what was relayed back to me. The girls still worn down and tried began by singing a few songs. While the were singing, familiar smiles returned to their faces. They opened with prayer and the tone in her voice seemed to have changed from before. The person who had sat down at the beginning of Bible study seemed to be a different person from the one now giving the Bible study. Her saddness and exhaustion had been replaced with joy and energy. She gave a wonderful Bible study and closed with the lesson that no matter how hard the trying times are, we should never stop praying to God.
I wasn't able to go to the Bible study but I can tell what was relayed back to me. The girls still worn down and tried began by singing a few songs. While the were singing, familiar smiles returned to their faces. They opened with prayer and the tone in her voice seemed to have changed from before. The person who had sat down at the beginning of Bible study seemed to be a different person from the one now giving the Bible study. Her saddness and exhaustion had been replaced with joy and energy. She gave a wonderful Bible study and closed with the lesson that no matter how hard the trying times are, we should never stop praying to God.
Following this Bible study, they both hiked up to the top of the ridge to visit with another family and give another Bible study. This one was followed with the same lesson as before, never stop praying. It reminded me a favorite Bible verse in 1 Thessalonians 5 starting in verse 16, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." verse 24. "He who calls you is faithful and who also will do it." And how true His word was for those two girls, He was faithful in their time of need, and He partnered with them and did it.
The God who helped those two young girls is the same God who is making Himself availible to each and everyone of us every moment of our lives. He gave more than we could ever imagined just so that He could be there to help us when we need Him most and there He waits just a prayer away.
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