The morning of Good Friday, Kailyn,
Jamee, Mal and I went on a bike ride with Laurie. I talked to her most of the ride and it was
great to have that one-on-one time with her.
We discussed the Rosemont Team arriving and how Mal and I felt about it
since the dynamic here at NDO may change this last week. We also talked about how when Mal and I
leave, Kailyn and Jamee may struggle (and we will too, just back in the
USA). We have all grown so close that
it’s going to be extremely sad when we have to part ways, with both K and J and
everyone else at New Day. Mama Lala said
that’s one of the tough things about being on the mission field and people
coming for only a set amount of team, whether it is 6 weeks or 6 months. It is so easy to grow with others and get
attached to them that it’s, of course, upsetting when they leave. I know I can speak for Mal and myself when I
say we will be heartbroken to leave all of our great new friends at NDO.
On a lighter note, Rosemont arrived
that evening! It was fun seeing everyone
and filling them in on our time here. Cindy
Little gave me a big hug from my Dad (so now you know she did it, Dad!). I have to admit Mal and I weren’t sure how
the atmosphere might change with the team’s arrival but any nerves we had
dissipated quickly. Almost immediately,
many members of the team said they could see a huge change in me. It was extremely encouraging. That night we had orientation, unpacked all
of the supplies the team brought for the missionaries and orphanage, and
prepared for the next day.
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| Finishing up the giraffe art project with the kids on Friday. |
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| Working with Axer (she wanted me to do it for her...) |
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| These boys are artists, for real. |
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| Always in my lap. Love my Agnes. |
Mal and I signed up for evangelism
Saturday morning. Anyone who knows me, especially
from last year’s Guatemala team, knows this is typically not my first
pick. The theme for this last week,
however, is to let God stretch us and to step outside of our comfort zone. We filled two trucks with team members and
drove an hour through the bush to our first stop, a headman’s village where Wes
holds a Bible Study weekly. While there,
Mama Loveness shared her testimony. It
was incredibly motivating. When she came
to know Christ, she had to sneak out of her house in the morning before her
husband woke up to go to church, only to return home after and him beat her for
doing so. She is such an inspiration and
an amazing, loving woman.
We then found out we were invited
to the “head” headman’s village to share.
This changed out plans, but that’s how God works and this was a BIG
deal. Side note: there are multiple
headmen in an area, with “head” headmen over about 6 of them and then a chief that is above them. Hence why it was such a huge
deal for us to get to visit his village since he holds such an influence in the
community. Papa Wes shared the gospel
there and 14 people accepted Christ, including the headman himself! Not only that, but a 105 year old man (the
headman’s uncle) accepted Christ that day.
He thought he had already been cleansed of his sins because he was
baptized, but after Papa Wes spoke to him at length, with the help of a 14-year
old translator, Anna, he came to realize he had never asked Christ into his
heart and he did so right then. After we
visited and prepared to move onto the next village, the “head” headman began
talking to Randy’s son William, realizing they both had the same name. He was so excited that he gave William a
piece of wood with “William” written on it and it’s meaning. Not only that, but he gave him a TURKEY! Yep, the rest of the day Randy held a turkey
in the back of the truck for his son and we brought it back to New Day, Randy
getting filthy in the process.
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| William and his gifted turkey! |
Because our plans had changed, we
were running way behind schedule. Then
again, I should have remembered there really is no schedule on “Africa
time.” God was certainly stretching
me. Every time we loaded up in the
truck, thinking we were headed back, we heard another village wanted us to
share with them. While that was great
news, I began to get concerned I wasn’t going to make it back in time to teach
Kids Club, like was planned. I also, as
ashamed as I am to say it, was starting to get pretty “hangry” (this is a very
real emotion for me). I sucked it up,
praying for the strength to do so, and after four stops total 25 people had
accepted Christ and we were headed back to New Day.
Following along with what the kids had
been learning at Kids Club, I told them the story of God raining down manna to
the Israelites when they wandered the desert for 40 years. This struck me because it was a reminder that
even when we complain and are ungrateful (as I felt I had been earlier that day), God still cares and provides for
us. Kids Club was a blast, as always,
especially with the team there to join in on the fun.
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| Seriously, they are STRONG. |
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| Making nshima and slaw for Kids Club. |
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| Teaching Kids Club |
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| Mal laughing and Stanley snoozing |
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| Hannah's here!!! |
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| Yes, I fed Agnes her whole plate. With my hands. And I loved it. |
That evening, we had devotion at
the fire pit (without a fire) and some people shared their testimonies. As other Rosemont mission trip goers know,
this is what we do every night and it really brings everyone closer together. It is
always so encouraging and fun to hear about the experiences everyone had
throughout the day and how they saw God at work. Love having the team here and can't wait to see how much we accomplish and grow the rest of the week!
