We go to the small pond often. During the mile walk from camp to the water the kids chase stray chickens in the road. halfway there we check out the storks that have made a nest on a wood pole. The kids also like grabbing fruit off the overhanging mulberry branches. This is my favorite part of the day. The area is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve visited and the kids are entertained in the water.Yesterday we walked the village handing out 50 Bibles. I was pleasantly surprised at the receptiveness the people had at being given a Bible. Some would ask for 2 or 3 for family members and we happily obliged. Several older people commented they didn’t know how to read but we still insisted they take one so someone could read to them. During this time I prayed the first time with a translator by me. I prayed over an elderly woman as we gave her two Bibles. She lost her daughter when she was in 10th grade because a required vaccination shot took her life. She then commented that if she didn’t keep moving, her body wouldn’t make in through the winter.
At that time we noticed a nearby wood shed filled to the top. We realized most of these houses are probably still heated with burning wood. One of the camp directors said the winters here bring 4ft of snow. That would leave lots of people stuck in their homes with a lot of hope on having enough wood stored up.
Proverbs 16:24 has been a huge help to me the past couple days. When you’re at the end of you, screaming words of life, not destruction grants hope for a better next day. When kids get the best of you, when a can of winterization foam explodes everywhere (much of it on your clothes, hands and feet), when dealing with cultural norms you don’t agree with, when handling ministry conflict, sometimes the only thing to do is shout words of grace at the top of your lungs.
