BacktoNormal?

Here it is, the next couple of days. jk. Here's some more highlights, there's just no way to include everything.

On the last day that Pastor Dempsey was here, we were able to travel to most of the village churches. We didn't get to see the church (the people, that is) but it was still nice to see where all of the pastors work. Some of the church buildings were small and in very poor condition. One in particular sticks out to me. It has some cracks in the walls, but the biggest problem is the roof. It is made of tiles and supported by wooden beams. These wooden beams are being eaten away by termites. The beams look very weak and about to collapse. On top of that, the building sits in a low spot and water drains to it. This is also taking it's toll. Pastor Daniel says that this building is his main issue right now and he needs to fix it because it is very dangerous for people to be meeting there. The man who pastors the congregation in this building is very faithful. He has his main congregation in a nearby village, but shepherds this flock as well.

There were usually a couple believers or the pastor at each place we visited to show us around. Of course, they had to give us something at each church. In some places it was pretty simple, like a coke or a couple biscuits (cookies). Other places were more exciting. At one church they brought us warm buffalo milk. I've thought it might be the milk that caused my stomach problems in the past, but you can't really refuse the people's offer. So I prayed and drank it thankfully. It was actually pretty tastey. We visited a house after this and they brought out a tray with chips and buffalo cheese (kind of like pudding). Pastor Daniel told us to pick one. I started going for the chips, but the ladies pointed to the cheese and said, “This one, this one.” So I ended up with the cheese. More prayer and thankfulness. It was a little different but still pretty good, and my stomach felt good the rest of the day. Praise God!

One of the harder parts of the day was visiting the widow who couldn't make it to the meetings. We walked from the church to her little grass hut. She was sitting on her bed and in obvious pain. She has chicken fever (gout) which is extremely painful. She also had a broken leg. Dempsey asked if she could go to the doctor. Daniel said that the cloth with sticks in it wrapped around her leg was from the doctor (obviously not a professional doctor, but the local doctor). We prayed for her. It would have been great to see miraculous healing, but in His ultimate, sovereign wisdom, God chose not to. I don't always understand why, but I only see a small part of the picture. I thank God though, that He has saved this woman and that her sufferings in this world are only temporary and seem so incredibly small and short compared with the glory and joy of eternity with God.

In another church, I had the privilege of meeting an elderly man who was the first person in that village to come to Jesus. This was so cool. He kept talking to Pastor Daniel about something. I learned later that he wanted to have Scripture verses painted on the inside of the church building. Haha, sweet old dude. I also met two young men in this church who are now in college and had grown up in the orphanage. It was very encouraging to see the span of generations in this church.

The next day we took Pastor Dempsey to the airport and had some excitement, but the bottom line is that he made his flight and called us later to let us know that he made it home safely. Praise God!

Since then, things have gone back to “normal,” which is a little slower...sometimes. There's been lots of good times in prayer and having fun. After prayer with the church one Friday morning, some of the ladies mentioned Dempsey leaving and asked Daniel how long I would be with them. He jokingly replied, “till Jesus comes back.” They laughed and then said that they would arrange my marriage for me. Haha, glad to know I've got that taken care of. I also tried making banana bread one day (failed), but Mom was daring enough to try it anyway and said, “not so bad.” Tried round 2 a couple days later and I'd give it a solid C+. Considering what there is to work with, maybe a B+.

In other news, one of the N.C.M. pastors has a house church that has grown and is now looking at building and raising funds for it. It's good to know that the church isn't stagnant, but moving forward and growing. Praise the Lord for that!

Another blessing is that God has placed my mind in serious OVERDRIVE this past week. It's been one of those weeks were everything I read in the Scripture seems to stand out to me. I can hardly keep going on one thought because the moment I turn to look at another reference, a different passage catches my eye and another line of thoughts and references with that. It's like I can't keep up with it. It's wonderful. I've also learned to “be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). Pastor Daniel asked me Friday night to preach twice on Sunday, once in home church and then in a village church we would be visiting.

So, Sunday was pretty busy but good. Preaching went well. The village church was encouraging in some ways, but also showed some weaknesses. It has over a hundred members, but out of this, only about 10 or 15 men. The men and women sit on opposite sides of the church, which makes this contrast that much more apparent. It was still good to be with them. After the service, we got to pray with people. One in particular was very encouraging. He is an elder in the church (good to see a church that actually has elders). For two years, this man has chosen not to sell his tobacco, which is the main crop in that area, and is now having financial difficulty because of it. It is one thing to be poor because of circumstances that you can't control. It's something totally different to be poor willingly. It's powerful seeing a man follow his conviction in obedience to Christ.
Another praise is that we have to buy more chairs for the women's side in the home church. We did not have enough on Sunday. Praise God! What a good problem to have!

As always, thanks for your prayers and support. You have no idea the impact they have. I'm so blessed by all of you and the emails you all have sent. I'm sorry that I can't respond to each one individually in a timely manner, but I'm still encouraged by them. I pray for you often.

“And He said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.'” Luke 16:15

Please Pray for:
-Tabitha's husband-salvation
-More men to be saved and lead these churches
-Wisdom and finances for the building in poor condition
-30 to 40 sponsors for kids

Praise for:
-Pastor Dempsey's travels
-God moving His church forward
-Faithful men here
-More people in home church
-Opportunities given
-Continued physical health
-His teaching me His word