A Call to the Deep

At the beginning of my last week in the states, I said my "See you laters" to my friends and family of f@ith in T3xas and began my journey driving to SC@rolina, where I would spend my last week with family and begin the packing process. I had been doing a B!ble study with the women of my ch.rch (Children of the Day by Beth Moore). I went to Bible study that last day in T3xas, then got on the road to travel as far as I could go that day. It was quite the journey with lots of traffic since it was both Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day weekend. I was also traveling through L0uis!ana...home of Mardi Gras. There were many accidents and lots of slow traffic. Of course I had not even considered those things in my plans, but G0d was f@ithful to my desire to be with the women of my family of f@ith one last time, to study and pr@y together. I was able to get far enough along the way to not make the second day too long...again I forgot that I would be losing an hour traveling eastward. As all of these things came to light I just turned it all over to G0d, smiled in my heart knowing He had it all, and kept up my singing and pr@ising!!!

I was able to make it to Gulfport, MS in spite of all the delays. I was very excited about this because I would be able to sit a few minutes on the beach the next morning and drive along the beach to begin the day. It was Valentine's Day, so sitting on the beach with the Lover of My Soul and expressing my love for Him was a great way to begin bringing an end to my time in the states. Listening to His expressions of love to me was a great way to begin turning my thoughts to what He has called me to do.

As I walked on the beach and sat down with Him to journal my love and commitment to Him, I could see Him all around me in the great beauty of His creation. I watched the seagulls, looked at the shells on the sand (one with a heart inside it to literally say "Lori, I love you and I am here with you!"), and I pondered how the tide was in its low position. I was reminded of Ezekiel's vision in chapter 47 of the Life Giving River. The man walking with Ezekiel in his vision was showing him the Life Giving River. He took him into the river first up to his ankles, then up to his knees, then up to his waist, and finally into the river where it was "deep enough to swim, but too deep to walk through." (vs5) I remembered a time in my life that G0d spoke to me through these words. It was a gentle calling to come into the deep water with Him. I recounted His f@ithfulness to me as I walked this life with Him. First just taking me ankle deep to teach me that life with Him was safe and fun like splashing around as a child in the shallow waves of the ocean, holding the hands my mom and dad. Then, taking me a little deeper in my understanding that He was the stable ground beneath my feet as I stood alone in the knee deep waves, jumping and playing with my parents close by. Next, He had taken me out deeper into a f@ith that trusted Him to speak, guide, and protect me in uncertain circumstances. He was the anchor that kept me steady when I was waist deep in the ocean laughing and playing with my family and the waves would come and lift me off the ground. Finally, He had proven Himself to be f@ithful and ALL I NEED to follow Him into the deep water...to go wherever it would take me, trusting that He was with me. He was my Source for everything I would need to accomplish the plans He had for my life. I thought of all the moments I have had in the ocean where the waves were crashing over me, my feet could not touch the ocean floor, yet I loved floating and riding the waves wherever they would take me. My parents on the shore or even more importantly, my parents out in the deep water riding their own waves of service and surrender to G0d. As I looked out over the ocean in front of me that Valentine's Day, I heard His call..."Come back over to the other side. I'm waiting here for you." Then I saw a road in the way the water was pooled on the sand that beckoned to me, "Come walk in me." It was a road of water that led to the deep ocean, where again I can swim in the deep water with G0d as my anchor, my guide, my everything!! G0d had given me the sweet time of rest and fellowship and renewal and vision to see what He was preparing for this year and beyond and He was calling me to come back to the unfamiliar, uncertain, and deep water with Him to make a difference in this world for Him and for His gl0ry!

Never Before

"Pr@ise the L0rd! I will thank the L0rd with all my heart as I meet with His g0dly people. How amazing are the deeds of the L0rd! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything He does reveals His gl0ry and majesty. His r!ghteousness never fails. He causes us  to remember His wonderful works. How gr@cious and merciful is our L0rd!"
Psalm 111: 1-4

Greetings everyone!!
I come to you with a heart full of pr@ise and thankfulness!! I can only declare that our G0d is amazing--full of gl0ry and majesty, grace and mercy! His r!ghteousness never fails!!

I sat with D@n this week to listen to the wonderful works of our G0d in JuduTou! It is always exciting to go into an area where the name of Jss has never been spoken or rarely heard, where the love of G0d and His r!ghteousness has never before been experienced!! This is the case of JuduTou!

Most of us live with some tiny understanding of right and wrong...in a culture where guilt and innocence is a ruling force. Here in this land...right and wrong look very different...if you can even see them at all. The ruling force here is fear and power. Those with power rule over those without it, and those without power fear those who have it. Everyone is looking for power over the fears that they live with daily.

Because of the lack of food in this area, many non-government and government organizations have been distributing grain throughout the year. While the people have been receiving help, the words NEVER BEFORE became a theme in all that D@n shared with me. As he recounted the words and experience our our food distribution among the people of JuduTou, I was struck by those 2 words..."NEVER BEFORE".

The people said,
"Never before has anyone come to distribute food to our village AND given us the Words of G0d with the food."

"Never before has anyone come to distribute food to our village AND EVERYONE in the village received food."

"Never before--since the creation of our village--has anyone come to distribute food to us AND made everyone in the village EQUAL."

You see, those distributing grain entrust it to those with power in the village. Then those with power give small amounts of grain to those with whom they have good relationships and leaving out those with whom they are at odds. The majority of the grain is then given to the people of power and authority in the village. While to us this seems unfair and wrong, it is the way the world of fear and power works.

For me, I give pr@ise to our ALL POWERFUL G0D, for His unfailing love for EACH ONE of us, for His demonstration of r!ghteousness toward EACH ONE of us, and for His open arms of acceptance for EACH ONE of us when we surrender ourselves to Him. You see for the first time the people of JuduTou not only heard the Words of love and r!ghteousness, but they experienced the reality of them. They EACH received the gift of grain G0d had provided for them as well as experienced what it meant to be EQUAL before G0d.

After sharing with the people a little about Jss-- how He came to be among us and traveled from village to village telling people about the Kingdom of G0d--D@n shared with them how G0d loved the world so much that He gave His Son so that whoever believes in His Son would not die but have life forever. He also shared with them how Jss said, "Love one another."

The food they were receiving that day came from f0ll0wers of Jss who heard about JuduTou and the compassion of Jss moved them to come together to help. D@n told the story of Rachel, a 10 year old, who had a yard sale and raised enough money to buy 38 bags of grain. Then he said the most important thing, "I, D@n, did not give you this food. The people who gave money did not give you this food, but G0d Himself passed through them to give you this food! G0d Himself saw you--the people of JuduTou--and He came to you so that you could see His love for you. There are many villages around you, yet G0d chose you--JuduTou-- to come and visit today." D@n also shared the story of Jss feeding the 5000 with them.

As I listened to his next words, I am still unsure of how this happened. We had prayed for enough funds to provide one bag of grain for each family on the list given to us by the chief. G0d provided that and extra so that we could give extra to the widows and those with special needs. D@n told me that they gave out a bag of grain to each family on the list and the others as we had planned. When that was all completed, there were 38 bags of grain left. NOW, that is a lot of grain and I can tell you I have no idea where it came from. There were people standing around who had not received grain--again people the chief did not put on the list because he was at odds with them. Some were angry so D@n asked to meet with the chief and his council. He was able to say to the chief, "We only came to bring peace to your village." So they worked together to get EVERY family name in the village. There were 33 families not on the list. D@n went back to the storage and distributed a bag of grain to each of  the 33 families. Still we had 5 bags of grain left. We gave a bag of grain to each of the men who helped D@n distribute the grain, a bag to the family of AB@--the man we work with here in the capital, and 2 bags to the chief to use to help those who come to him later in need. Again, I say to you I do not know how we had those 38 bags left over. We bought 268 bags of grain, and there were 290 names on the new list.  This one thing I know...our G0d knew what we needed so that EVERYONE in the village would receive His Gift of Grain and HE PROVIDED IT!! He demonstrated His r!ghteousness, His gl0ry, His majesty!! Oh the wonder of His GREAT work!!

still pondering the amazing deeds of our G0d....

Feed the Hungry

"No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned, lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help...Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon...." Isaiah 58:6-10

Greetings everyone in the name of our Risen L0rd and S@vi0r!!

Would you join me in reading all of Isaiah 58 today? The whole chapter is rich and helpful in showing us truly what G0d wants from us as w0rship. It describes false w0rship and then goes on to describes what true w0rship and fasting means from G0d's perspective. As I have been pr@ying and seeking G0d regarding the v!llage of JdTou and our Gift of Grain Project, this chapter and these verses spoke to me. As f0ll0wers of Jss, the light of G0d in us shines in the darkness around us when we demonstrate His compassion and unfailing love to those who are consumed by the darkness.

On Friday, D@n, Pastor JD, and I sat together to hear D@n's report from his trip to the v!llage of JdTou--our focus for Gift of Grain 2014. I can only say I continue to be moved by G0d's Sp!r!t to believe in Him and to act in w0rship to demonstrate His love to this people. As I listened to D@n describe his journey, the difficulties and the fears of those he went to visit, it was evident that G0d had opened D@n's eyes to fellow M@lians who are living in some of the harshest conditions he had ever seen. As I watched Pastor JD and listened to his responses, I knew that he too understood the difficulties as he said, "Oh B@ye (the place where we all thought was hard),B@ye is a good place!"

Some of the descriptions D@n shared were

• From where the paved road stops, you will travel 175 km to the v!llage of N. This is the closest v!llage to find food, healtcare, etc. to JdTou.
  
• There is only sand...no trees...no water...no roads.
• From N@ra you will travel 30 km to JdTou without seeing any other person.
• From N@ra you will not find any protection or security forces.
• The road is not clear...so it is easy to get lost. They got lost and when they finally saw a man, his wife, and children, they ran and hid in their home. They were afraid of these strangers and did not want to talk to them. 
• Even in JdTou, the people were afraid of them. When they asked where the chiefs house was and if they could see the chief, they did not want to tell them even though the chief was sitting among them. G0d broke down those fears and began to develop a trust so that the chief spoke up and took them to his house...EVERYONE followed them.
  

When they were asked what their greatest needs are, they said 4 things:

• We have no water in our village. We have to travel 15 km to get water.
• We have no hospital or healthcare in our village. We must travel 30 km to find medicine or medical help.
  
• We have no school for our children.
• We have no food in the village. We must travel 30 km to find food for our families.

D@n asked them, "I need to buy 5 kilos of millet right now. Can I find it here?" The answer, "No. You cannot find even 5 kilos of millet here."

So they sat together to determine how many families lived in JdTou. There are 244 families living there.

It did not take long to experience that overwhelming feeling, to have a fear rise up in me, and to wonder if we can do this! As I looked at the number of families and the cost for ONE bag of millet I thought, "How can we possibly help? This is too big for us!! How will we ever have enough to make a difference?"

But as we talked we all agreed that we must seek G0d and allow Him to do what He wants to do. We cannot imagine how He will accomplish this, but we all believe and know that whatever He does will be exactly what we need to do.

Then I read Isaiah 58, and I asked myself, "L0ri will you fast so that this v!llage and these people might see the light shining in their darkness? Will you give up some of your food so that you can feed the hungry in the v!llage of JdTou?" I cannot imagine the hunger these people live with daily, the challenges they face with no water quickly accessible. I cannot imagine what it is like to be in the middle of the area where rebels seek to overtake you and you live in the fear of that daily. Yet one thing I know, G0d has shone His light and revealed this v!llage to His people and He knows all about the things they face daily.

For each family of JdTou to receive one bag of millet, this project will cost over $12,000. We have never done this before and to be honest I find myself trying to figure out what we can do if we do not have $12,000.  G0d continues to remind me, "L0ri your confidence and your hope is in me, not in yourself or others. Trust in me!"

We want to begin buying grain as quickly as possible. One bag of grain will cost $50. As August and September come, the price of grain will increase greatly because the shortage will be even greater until the harvest comes in October, November, December. We are asking G0d to provide what we need by the end of June. Will you pr@y with us? Will you fast with us so that His light will shine in the darkness of JdTou and her people?
 

If you and your family would like to buy a bag of grain for one of the families in JuduTou, you can do that by:

• going to our website at www.hisharvesters.org and clicking on the DONATE button. Please place a note on your donation that this is for Gift of Grain 2014.
  
• sending a check to HSI PO Box 1975 Cleveland, TX 77327. Please put Gift of Grain 2014 on the memo line.

Will you also begin now pr@ying for a great rainy season here in M@li? Pr@y for a great harvest this year so that people will find what they need to eat both physically and sp!r!tually.

Thank you for pr@ying with us for the people of M@li!!

The Arts and C@bo V3rde

Greetings to you all!!

Thank you so much for your pr@yers for us! R!ta, T0m, and I saw the hand of G0d orchestrating and leading us every step of the way. Our purposes in C@pe V3rde had many facets and we experienced G0d clearing the surface of each facet so that we could see Him and the purposes for which He sent us to C@bo V3rde.

T0m is an ethnomusicologist. Some of you may not even know what that means or what they do for the K!ngdom of G0d. Truly it was a blessing for me to watch and to learn myself how they go about their work. In the development of G0d's work among different ethnic groups, a key element is music. Think about it...where would your f@ith be if you did not have songs and music that allow you to express your love, your beliefs, your need, your surrender to G0d? Where would you be in those dark hours of life or those moments of jubilation if  you could not express your heart to G0d in song? How would your w0rship be impacted if the only songs you had to sing were in a language that you do not truly understand in the depths of your soul?

Part of the work we were doing was researching the existence and the need for the development of songs in the heart language of the C@bo V3rdeans--Kriol. In the ch.rches throughout the islands, the songs they sing to w0rship are primarily sung in Portuguese, the messages are given in Portuguese, yet the majority of C@bo V3rdeans speak Kriol as their heart language. We spent time learning about the C@bo V3rdean music, art, dance, and theater and how those avenues could be used to present the G00d News to those who have never heard of Jss. T0m was able to talk with many different people--f0ll0wers and non-f0ll0wers--about how using C@bo V3rdean music, art, dance, and theater could influence their desire to know and understand G0d. We had many opportunities to experience the different arts C@bo V3rdean style since each year during this time they have a Jazz Music Festival with all kinds of art displayed throughout the city. One huge moment during our time there was when we experienced a complete change in w0rship during the first Sunday. The w0rship had been powerful and the most of the people were engaged from the beginning. Yet when one man came to lead 2 songs in Kriol, the whole body of Chr!st began to move. In an instant, their hearts came alive as they w0rshiped in heart, mind, soul, and body! Truly we were watching people "Love the L0rd their G0d with all their heart, with all their mind, with all their soul, and with all their body."
Please pr@y for the development of Kriol songs, art, drama, and dance that will tell the story of G0d's unfailing love and f@ithfulness in ways that will engage all C@bo V3rdean people with the opportunity to know and w0rship G0d in heart, mind, body, and soul.

Pray for direction, leadership, and clear vision to engage the Kriol f0ll0wers of Jss and the church of C@bo V3rde in the development of the arts for the glory, pr@ise, and w0rship of G0d.

Another purpose for which we were visiting C@bo V3rde was to pr@yer walk and seek G0d direction for reaching the many West African who have moved to C@bo V3rde to work. Many of them go there thinking they will find their fortunes but they find themselves living very difficult lives and longing for home. G0d orchestrated every detail for R!ta and I to travel to the island B0aVista where the largest pocket of West Africans live. We were able to pr@yer walk through the streets of the shanty village where they live and to greet some along the way. It was a taste of home to be able to speak Bambara to some. I had experienced the struggle of not being able to speak to people since I do not speak Portuguese or Kriol. My heart became full as we were "home" among the West Africans. Many of the sellers in the tourist market are from S3negal, M@li, Gu!nea Bissau, and other countries in WA.

The greatest moment was when we were able to connect with M0di. Two years ago R!ta met him in the capital after overhearing him speak Bambara. R!ta greeted him, they talked, and he was so helpful to her in doing the research she was there to do. He was moved by her work and told her that the work she was doing was good. They talked about G0d's Word and R!ta bluetoothed some stories from G0d's Word in his language to his telephone. She tried to find him on her last visit but they missed each other. When R!ta called him this time, he was so excited to see her. He approached from behind R!ta and I could see his face. He was radiant with joy and continued throughout our visit to say, "I'm so happy! I'm so happy today!" He took us to his home, gave us a cold soda, and invited 2 of his best friends to come. One is from L!beria where R!ta lives now. We talked a lot with them and they were amazed we could speak some in their language. After his friends left, M0di told us he had listened to all the stories R!ta had given him and how much he loved them. We called D@n in M@li and the two of them talked. M0di told D@n how he wanted to f0ll0w Jss but there were no Chr!stians here who speak his language or who speak French that can help him understand and learn about f0ll0wing Jss. At that point, my heart became heavy. He told us that he had lost phone and lost all the stories. I felt this desperation come over me to figure out how we could get G0d's Word to him as soon as possible. This desperation just in my heart throughout the afternoon. Then M0di told us of his work and took us to see his work place. He drives the big Catapillar machines and is helping to build the port for B0aVista. He walked us home, then left to shower and eat. He came back later and we sat together and talked. He told us again how he had listened to all the stories, but one day he was working and his phone fell out of his pocket and into the ocean. UUUGH....was all I could think! There is no finding that phone...smile. I shared a verse of scripture I had recorded on my phone in B@mbara...verses I share with my friends on the street. He listened and smiled. Then he began to talk into my phone thinking he was recording a message. When I realized what he was doing I asked him to do it again and I did record it. It was a message to the church asking them to pr@y for him to have G0d's Word, to learn, and to know how to f0ll0w Jss. That he could share Jss with his friends and share G0d's Word with them too. Again, my heart was overcome with desperation...how could we get G0d's Word to him SOON!! Then R!ta opened her phone and took out her own microSD card with stories from G0d's Word in several languages. She handed it to him and his face lit up...while tears filled  my eyes. My heart was at peace and I felt a huge sense of rest come over it. This man was thirsting and longing...and he was satisfied. He immediately began listening to the stories going from language to language...he didn't seem to care that he didn't understand them all. He told us he would be listening and that he would invite his friends to listen with him. The great thing is there are many languages on the card...so of which other W African on the island speak.
Pr@y for M0di as he listens to the stories, as he seeks to know and understand what it means to f0ll0w Jss. Pr@y for him as he shares these stories with his friends. Ask G0d to send His H0ly Sp!r!t to teach them, to give them understanding, and to reveal deep truths to them.

Pr@y for G0d to show us how He wants us to join Him among the W Africans in C@bo V3rde. From the first time R!ta told me of them, my heart was quicken and my mind wondered if G0d might mobilize some M@lians to go and tell His G00d News among them. Please pr@y for G0d's direction, timing, and leadership in this work.

Tomorrow, I head back to M@li! I am super excited to be going HOME to be with my people there. I cannot wait to celebrate EASTER together with them. Please be in pr@yer for us as we celebrate both Friday and Monday--as we remember on Friday the suffering of our Savior and as we celebrate on Monday the victory we have because HE IS RISEN--HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

Your Son and Daughter

The big wedding celebration did not end in B@m@k0!! What a privilege and joy it was to present D@n@ya and his bride R3bek@ to his mom and his v!llage!!

D@n@ya's mom and many from the v!llage were not able to attend the wedding because of the distance between the v!llage and the c@pital city. As we sat with his mom and watched her look at pictures, my heart filled with joy as I thought about the privilege we had of bringing the greatest gift to her...Her Son and Her Daughter!! What a sweet, sweet moment to watch her take in every picture, to enjoy her baby boy and the greatest event of his life...an event she said, "I did not know if this day would ever happen."

You see, D@n@ya's dad died when he was just a very, very young boy. He does not remember his dad at all. His mom was chased away from his father's family and she was own her own with 4 small children. By the grace of G0d and a faith that was unwavering, this woman and her 4 children thrived and were blessed by G0d. She said she didn't know if her children would survive and certainly didn't know if they would grow up to be married and begin families of their own. All of her children have a strong faith and are powerfully serving the kingdom of G0d here in M@li.

Again I found myself watching intimately, the cultural joys of weddings, the joining of lives, and the welcoming of new people into a family and a v!llage. I watched as women came to greet us each one saying the same thing, " D@n@ya went to the big city and threw me away for this new woman." It was one of the funniest things I have ever watched as these women--all OLDER women, all described as D@n@ya's grandmothers--came to meet and joke with his new wife. The funniest moment was when we were walking through the v!llage greeting and we met up with one of these "grandmothers". She looked at R3bek@ in the eyes and said to her, "Do you know THIS man? Do you know THIS man? He has 14 wives and  you are the 15th one!" We all burst into laughter as this grandmother looked at us with the most serious face. I watched all of these interactions and saw the grace and peace of G0d displayed in R3bek@ as she enjoyed the joking and participated in every way with these women who were claiming her husband as theirs and not hers. It was such a joy to see her join in with the v!llage and become a part of it with her husband by her side.

I spent the evening and the early morning hours thinking about what it must be like to be in R3bek@'s shoes. We drove 8 hours to get to the v!llage, we greeted and all of these women came to joke with her, and then after it was dark, she was expected to cook supper for her new family and all of us. I could not imagine the intimidation of that task--entering another woman's kitchen not knowing where everything is or what is expected. Then to awaken the next morning and be expected to cook every meal for the family--your new family.

I was amazed by the grace, the joy, the peace and the fun that R3bek@ was having. She displayed a great love for her new family and became a part of them in a way that only G0d could have done through her. I was equally amazed by D@n@ya and the way he walked beside his new bride and encouraged her, helped her, and cheered her on. It was evident they were in this together!!

A Beautiful Celebration

On January 25th, we celebrated the wedding and the joining of 2 lives for the gl0ry of G0d!! One of our M@lian partners, D@n@ya, got married to his beautiful bride, R3bek@. It was a celebration filled with joy, excitement, and hope for all that G0d has planned to do through the lives of His 2 children, D@n@ya and R3bek@.












It was my first time to be intimately involved in the planning and preparation of a M@lian wedding and what fun it was!! We helped get the loads of tomatoes, onions, cabbage, egg plant, and rice needed to feed all the guest. We loaded up the cow in the moto taxi to be taken to be slaughtered and prepared for cooking. The moto taxi delivered a cooler for the drinks, the sodas, ice, chairs, tents, and everything needed for the big event.









Then the day of the event, the church was packed with people until it was overflowing. Tents were set up outside for those who could not fit inside. There was much singing, celebrating, and sharing of G0d's word with those attending. Then a sweet, sweet ceremony where D@n@ya and R3bek@ united their lives, making commitments to each other before a crowd of witnesses that were moved and touched.








You see, many in attendance had never experienced a Christian wedding. They had never seen the joy and love expressed in this celebration and they had never understood G0d's plan for One Husband and One Wife...the uniting of 2 to become ONE! As they bowed together before G0d, uniting their previous 2 lives into ONE life for the Glory and purposes of G0d, EVERYONE was touched!!

 To finish off the day, we transported family members back to their gathering places where the celebration continued!! This is one of my favorite parts of wedding celebrations here...load up and declare the fun and celebration to the whole city....

When I asked my friends who had seen a Chr!sti@n wedding for the first time what part they liked the most, the response was unanimous...

• When they made their alliance, giving each other rings, and committing to each other to love in all things...whether there is money or not, whether there is health or not, whether there is good or bad...
• When they knelt together before G0d to surrender their lives as 2 to become 1...one husband, one wife...D@n@ya is now R3bek@ and R3bek@ is now D@n@ya, if one hurts the other hurts, if one rejoices the other rejoices!

With My Own Eyes and Ears

His F@ithfulness R@dio...the fruit of all that G0d had placed in my vision 8 years ago!!! It became a reality in 2013, but this year 2014, I saw it and heard it with my very own eyes and ears!! I have longed for and waited for this time to actually see and hear His F@ithfulness R@dio on the air and to stand beside those who serve their community through this work.What a joy it was to peer in the doorways to see it in full operation.


On that first trip to the village 8 years ago, my friend, R!ta, and I were traveling to a remote part of M to see what G0d was doing among 3 different people groups. We were doing the study Bel!eving G0d together as we traveled. In that study the writer asked the participants to place a blue string around their wrist to remind them of the 5 statements of beli!eving G0d. We looked in the markets that day but could find no blue string. but G0d had a more lasting plan for providing us with a reminder.

Along that journey we saw this incredibly beautiful bluebird. One like I had never seen and one like I have never seen since. Every day as we journeyed to the village and while we were in the village, we saw this bluebird. It became our Bluebird of Bel!ef. To this very day, on every trip to the village and during every stay in the village, this Bluebird of Bel!ef has gone before us and flown beside us all along the way. Even when it was evident that our work was moving to the city because of the trouble in the n0rth, G0d brought this Bluebird across my path to show me He was indeed going before me and preparing the way for this change. This 2014 journey back to the village was no different. On the first morning when I woke up after staying the night in the r@dio station, I went outside to spend time with G0d. I looked up and there sat the bluebird on the tower watching the station. Pr@ise filled my heart and joy consumed me as I experienced once again the very REAL and PERSONAL Presence our our G0d affirming His work, His plans, His purposes!


I had fun looking at all the equipment and seeing how it all works to proclaim the G00d News of Jss throughout this remote area. The workers told me of how the children would come every Saturday morning to be on the r@dio. They would each have a chance to greet their parents and their friends on the r@dio. This is just one of the many creative ways the r@dio is making itself a part of the community.



On Sundays, the whole day is dedicated to Chr!st and making Him known through music, G0d's W0rd, and other Chr!sti@n programs.

After spending a couple of nights at the r@dio station, we headed to the P@n@ v!llage. The chief told us how he listened to the radio every day and how he no longer listens to anything else except His F@ithfulness R@dio!! It was a double blessing to be able to personally sit and listen to His F@ithfulness R@dio while we were there!! While we were eating or while we were just sitting around visiting, the r@dio was playing ...just like it was playing in compounds all over the 80 kilometer radius to which it was broadcassting!! Fullness of Joy!!!!

The Year to Return...2014

Two years since I have been to the villages and the peoples to whom G0d sent us... two years pr@ying for their protection through the difficulties their country faced... two years believing G0d to be the S0verign L0rd over all things, all situations, all peoples... two years knowing He loved them and was with them more than I could ever imagine!!





 

2014--the year to return... the year to see what G0d has been doing... the year to rejoice in HIS F@ITHFULNESS!! I cannot express to G0d how grateful I am for the opportunity to go back and see those I have missed so much!

For me and for my heart, it was a full circle experience. I was with all the people who began this journey with me.  I was seeing the lives of those He had changed as we w0rshipped together. Where there was once only one f0ll0wer choosing to live the hard life of Chr!st in front of those in his v!llage, there were now close to 20 worshiping together. We spent the day talking about G0d's Word and looking at how to live that out in the culture of !dol w0rship.

It was a great discussion and the levels of f@ith were evident as we struggled through what f0ll0wing Chr!st looks like as a P@n@ f0ll0wer.

A favorite moment was when the f0ll0wers wanted to sing a song where they had changed the words into their own language. To see their response to that...instantaneous dancing and praising G0d in ways they can only do in their heart language!! What a joy to witness!!

A hard moment for me was the news that one of my precious friends I would sit with under the tree and learn language with had passed away 2 months before our arrival. She died giving birth to her 5th child. The child also died. My heart was and is still heavy for her husband and the 4 children she left behind. As we sat with her husband, he expressed his emotions in ways that are rarely seen here. Please lift him up to our Father and ask Him to comfort and bring salvation to this man and his whole household.

He Shall Be Called

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine...

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: 

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...

Isaiah 9:2, 6

"And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
"...and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:23

Greetings to YOU ALL and Merry Christmas!!!!

Like many of you these past few days and weeks have been full of activity and experiencing the joys of this season!! In M@li, our weather has changed drastically with morning temperatures in the 50's and the afternoons in the 80's. I spend each morning in my favorite spot--meeting with my Savior by a little fire to heat up some water for hot chocolate and keep my toes warm. These days are always number and can never last long enough...of the joy of the cool mornings with my Best Friend, Immanue!! I pr@y you are having precious moments with Jss these days and that your time with family and friends will be full of the Light He brings to life!! Know that I am thinking of you and giving thanks for the joys you have brought to my life!!

As always, I have spent time thinking about Chr!stmas and what it has meant for me. I have considered what this baby and His purpose in life, death, and r3surrection has meant for me. I have pondered how to express my love for Him to those around me. This all began while sitting at a Baby Naming ceremony for a friend's grandchild. As I took in all the cultural things they do here to present a child to its family, friends, and the world, I began to think about how Jss was presented.

Even before the creation of the world, our Father knew His Son would be sent to us and all throughout the history of mankind, our Father was preparing for the presentation of His Son to the world. All things that happened were orchestrated and put together so that we as His special creation would recognize the gift of His Son and the S@lvation that He would bring to us. Even before He was born, His names were being spoken. they were being given, so that when He was presented to His family, friends, and the world, they would recognize Him. He will be called:

WONDERFUL

COUNSELOR

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

MIGHTY

GOD

MIGHTY GOD

EVERLASTING

FATHER

EVERLASTING FATHER

PRINCE

PEACE

PRINCE OF PEACE

JESUS

IMMANUEL

GOD WITH US

These were just some of the names He was called before He was born and they are only a drop in the ocean of names we have come to know Him by after His birth. He is so much, so much, so much more than words or names can describe!! What do you call him? Take time to call Him by name and to express to Him who He is to you...after all we are celebrating His baby naming celebration and G0d's presentation of HIS SON to us and to the WORLD!!

Please pr@y for those living in darkness!! May they see the GREAT LIGHT and may JSS--that LIGHT shine on them this Chr!stmas!!

i love you all!! May G0d fill you will JOY, HOPE, PEACE, LOVE, and HIS PRESENCE as you spend time with family and friends this CHR!STmas!!

Beginning from V!llage to V!llage

"One day Jss called together his twelve d!scipl3s and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the K!ngd0m of G0d and to heal the sick..." Luke 9:1-2

"The L0rd now chose seventy-two other d!scipl3s and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places He planned to visit. These were His instructions to them, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pr@y to the L0rd who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields. Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves." Luke 10:1-3

 Yesterday I drove 3 young men  to the village of Da and left them with the chief of the village and another man. As I left the village I cried and gave thanks to G0d for His grace and mercy, His call and His f@ithfulness!! I sang pr@ises to Him at the top of my lungs!! 

You see, the three young men (our first Harvest Team) I dropped off had been chosen by G0d to spend the next 3 days in this village--sharing the Words and life of Jss with the people there. They are 3 young men from 3 different ch.rches in B@mak0 who desire to spend some time with people they do not know in order  to share with them the ONE they DO know. As Jss sent His 12 d!scipl3s, the 72 d!scipl3s, He is now sending these 3 young men. They are D@n, B3n, Yu5. 

G0d had placed the village of Da on the heart of D@n and about 3 weeks ago sent D@n with a couple of friends to see the village, meet the chief, and look for how G0d might be working. The chief welcomed him with open arms, told him he would have a place to stay, and said he looked forward to time with him. D@n also met one Chr!sti@n woman and a man who had just become a b3li3ver. He saw that they had no one to help them grow or w0rship with them. He came home excited and looking for the next step with G0d to go to this village. 

After our arrival yesterday, we went straight to the chief's house where he changed my last name to Doumbia...smile. He welcomed us and explained with whom and where the three men would stay. The man was there with us, so he took them to his house and we unloaded them there. He wanted his picture made with them beside the house they would be staying in. Then he went into his house and brought out a laminated piece of paper. We looked at it and it was his certificate of baptism. He was so excited about it. When I read it all, I saw the date on it. This man had just been baptized November 17, 2013. He too was a new f0ll0wer.

Pr@y for them as they spend time with the chief, with the f0ll0wers of Jss in the village, and as they share with other the G00d News of the K!ngdom of G0d. They plan to have a time of w0rship with the f0ll0wers there as well as anyone else who would join them. Pr@y for G0d to pour out His Sp!r!t empowering these three men to accomplish His purposes as well as empowering the people He is drawing to Himself to b3li3ve. Pr@y for them as they learn and seek to know how we can develop and move forward with sending teams into the harvest from V!llage to V!llage.

Devouring of another kind

Greetings friends who bow with me...

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of G0d, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to G0d, for He cares about you. 

Stay Alert! Watch our for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your f@ith. Remember that your Chr!sti@n brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 

In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal gl0ry by means of Chr!st J.s.s. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. All power to Him forever! Amen.

1 Peter 5:6-11

These verses have become the theme for my time here in M since my return in July. I continue to go back to them for strength on what seems to be a regular basis these days. I guess you can say the honeymoon is over and now we are into the real day to day of discipleship, growing, learning, humbling ourselves, and giving all of our concerns to G0d for He cares for us. Daily I find myself preparing for the enemy and watching for him...knowing there will be pain, struggle, and sometimes even destruction. 

While all this hurt and struggle is going on and there are days I just want to run, I want you to know that your prayers and my f@ith in the One who has called me remain the things that give me what I need daily to stand firm and strong...to seek G0d's perspective ...not the perspective of my own selfishness, my own hurt, my own anything. Truly this work G0d calls us to do has nothing to do with us but everything to do with Him and His perspective and His purposes. 

I am learning the truths that we suffer, but He restores! We suffer, yet He supports! We suffer, HE STRENGTHENS! We suffer, and HE puts us on a FIRM foundation!! ALL POWER TO HIM FOREVER!!

Please pr@y these verses over us as often as G0d brings it to your mind!! Please pr@y for 0 and S0 as they are being taunted, tortured, and occasionally devoured bit by bit by the enemy. Our enemy is not happy with their interest and their pursuit of Jss. I ask you to especially pr@y for 0 as she is in a battle from many different sides. I have struggled to understand where she truly stands with G0d and I'm so glad G0d continues to remind me that it is not my job to know where someone stands with Him....it is my job to be His light in the darkness, to be His Presence to love, care for, and demonstrate His righteousness in my own life. I plead with you to pr@y earnestly for 0 as she is torn and twisted from so many directions...home, work, friends, family. It is not easy being the friend of a white person here and even less easy to be a f0ll0wer of Jss along with it. My heart breaks for her, yet I know that truly G0d alone can help her, can reveal truth to her, can RESTORE, SUPPORT, STRENGTHEN, AND PUR HER ON A FIRM FOUNDATION!! Those are the things I pr@y for her...and S0...

Will you join me?

The Big Feast

Greetings and Thanksgiving to you all!!

Thank you so much for your Pr@yers for our Big Feast M@lian Style! It was a great and fun day! I started early preparing my heart to share G0d's story, preparing the house for lots of visitors, and washing the dust off of all the dishes, cooking pots and bowls we would use to prepare the feast! Renting chairs, setting up the garage, then the fun begins. Friends begin to show up and the cooking starts.

So many times before I am busy picking people up and running here and there, getting this or that, but this time...this feast I was able to sit with my women friends who came early and prepare the meal beside them. It was the greatest joy, even though we cried a lot. We had to cut up 10 kilos of onions. So the onions are where we began...peeling them, cutting them in half, then in tiny slices. We were making an onion sauce called Yassa. It is so yummy and requires marinating the onions in mustard, Maggi (similar to bouillon cubes), garlic, and pepper. 

While some were cutting the mounds of onions, others were washing the 20 chicken legs and 20 chicken thighs, mincing the garlic, and preparing the pots for frying. Still others were cooking the couscous...8 packages of couscous. It was just fun! Each group was having a blast and we even had some outbursts of singing throughout our morning of cooking. Oh yea...and of course someone had to be making tea to keep us all going..3 rounds! And yes the day was like the tea...it got sweeter as the day went on!

 After the food was ready we ate...each one until we were stuffed....just as you should on Thanksgiving day! A group of children sitting together eating, a group of women gathered together around the common bowl, and the men sharing food together. A time I will not quickly forget and a time that I give GREAT THANKS to our G0d for allowing us to share together. Everyone was enjoying, laughing, and receiving the bountiful blessings G0d has given!

 After we ate, everyone received a cold soda of their choice! We raised them high and shouted together..."Ala, I ni ce!! Matigi, I ni ce! An be barika da I ye, I ka nyuma koson!!" God, thank you! Lord, thank you! We thank you for your goodness!" The smiles on their faces and the joy we shared in those moments of pr@ise blessed my heart!

We also broke open 4 watermelons! There are no words for the joy Africans have eating watermelon...so let's just get this picture in our minds...we all had watermelon from ear to ear, from fingers to elbows, and probably some on our toes!!





The sweetest part of the day was our time of pr@ise and thanksgiving! We started with pr@yer then sharing together Psalm 136:1-9 to declare who G0d is and how His f@ithful love endures forever.
We had a time for each of us to share things we give thanks to G0d for and the ways He has blessed us this year. One said, "He helped us find out what was wrong with our son. He has been sick all of his life but we did not know what was wrong. We have been able to get help for him." Another said, "I wanted to begin a business selling things in the market, and G0d helped me do that." One said, "I cannot say all He has done for me because the tears come and I cannot speak." We continued on sharing the story of the 10 Lepers Jss healed and discussing all that we learn from this

story. Most could not believe there was only one who returned to give thanks and pr@ise to G0d. We all agreed that as humans, we most often do not give G0d thanks for the things He does for us. We ended with more singing and dancing and pr@ising and giving thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends in Am3rica!! We have celebrated M@lian style and everyone agreed that they want to share this celebration together every year...to join with Am3rica and give thanks to G0d!!

 

 Happy 

Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

American Thanksgiving M@lian Style...headed my way

Greetings and Thanksgiving to you all from M!

This is just a quick note to ask you to join me in pr@ying for tomorrow, Friday. I have invited my M@lian friends over to celebrate Thanksgiving with me M@lian style. I have no idea who will actually come, but no matter what the order of the day is to give thanks to G0d our Father for ALL He has done for us! I am looking forward to being together and enjoy fellowship with what I consider to be my family here in M and to spend time singing, sharing G0d's story, eating together, and just hanging out for the day away from the workplace.

We will be having a feast...chicken (complete with bones), couscous, yassa (a yummilicious onion sauce), brownies, tea and dah(hibiscus tea), and cold sodas. Then we will sing songs of pr@ise and w0rship before and after we feast on G0d's Word. We will talk about the story of Jss healing the 10 Lepers and the 1 who came back to give thanks to Jss.

Please pr@y for us as you read this email and in the morning. When you are waking up the party will be beginning to get into full swing!!

I'll let you know how it goes and how other things have been going this past week!! Love you all and you are on my BIG THANK YOU list to G0d!!

Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am G0d! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. The Lord of Heavens Armies is here among us;  the G0d of Isr@el is our fortress."

Psalm 46:10-11

Greetings everyone!!

My heart is much lighter today and I wanted to thank you for your pr@yers, your f@ithfulness, and your responses to go to the Father on behalf of the people here. Walking with you through this has been a joy and a privilege and I cannot keep silent about how our Father is listening and answering!!

I want you to join me in giving pr@ise to our Father for His Presence, His Power, and His Wisdom! Pr@ise Him for the way He draws His people together in unity to pr@y and to seek His will and His purposes!! Pr@ise Him for being a G0d who listens and responds, who acts for the sake and glory of His name. 

I confess I did not sleep much last night. I got up around 2 am and sat still with Him, pr@ying and seeking Him alongside you. I confess I really could not even put into words what I wanted or needed to pr@y. I also confess I still do not know how our Father is going to work all of this out, what the road looks like that will walk as we follow Him, or how He will use this for His glory. These are the few things I know and saw Him do today:

• Soften the heart of my friend who had closed the door to communication with me yesterday
• Open that door of communication this morning
• Open the door for me to sit among my people today, to listen to their hurts, and walk with them in this difficulty
• Open the door for me to speak Truth about G0d, His ways, His plans, and His purposes
• Open the ears of my friend to consider that the Truth that G0d had the power to stop what is happening but He didn't, to consider that if He didn't stop it, then whatever He is doing will be better than what they had before yesterday, to consider that we need to seek G0d and His will and surrender to whatever He has planned for their work, to consider that G0d is for them and He will never throw them away.
• Opened the way for us to work through this together for the good of everyone on the street and for the glory of G0d

Please continue to seek G0d's face and pr@y for this situation. Many, if not all of these women, bear the responsibility of providing for their children and families with little to no help from their husbands. Most of them are asking themselves how will I take care of my family....it is about the day to day survival...not the luxuries of the life you and I experience. Please pr@y for wisdom and boldness as I walk with them through this. Pr@y G0d will reveal Himself, His Truth, and His Plan to them and especially that through this trial, they will come to understand the personal relationship our Father longs to have with them...to help them, to provide for them, to guide them, and to pour out His grace, mercy and salvation.
I also want to give thanks and pr@ise to our Father for my visit to the doctor. I am doing much better. She did some blood work today to check things out and I will get the results from that tomorrow. Her instructions today were to "go to the street and spend some time with your friends, drink tea, and enjoy being out of the house." That is just what I did and G0d showed His Power and Presence.
One other thing to give pr@ise to our Daddy G0d...He is the One who prepares us and orders the moments of our day, the steps of our feet. He does all of this without our understanding so much of the time. I say this because Sunday a week ago I felt compelled to BE STILL with Him, to know that He is G0d, and to claim the Truth that He WILL be honored among the nations and in all the earth. I had the sweetest time with Him that day and He did a major work in my heart, in my eyesight, and in my mind. So much changed that day and the battle with the enemy lifted in so many ways. It was that next Tuesday that the doctor ordered me not to work, to stay home and rest, to take my medicine, and recuperate. Talk about  BE STILL and KNOW....7 days of not going out, not running like a crazy woman, not coming home exhausted. In those 7 days, G0d showed me how He was being honored, how He was at work, how He chooses to use us...He doesn't need us, He chooses to use us. Sweet, sweet time of gentle reminders and remembering my place before G0d. Oh how He orchestrates every detail of our lives...He is Sovereign...He is worthy of our Pr@ise!
Give HIM all the pr@ise!

"Rain and snow fall from the sky.
But they don't return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat.
That's how it is with my words. They don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do." 

Isaiah 55:10-11

Greetings to all of you, my friends and co-laborers!

Last week, my neighbor came to me to tell me he would be leaving to go to his father's village. He has been living next door to me studying with to be an Imam under the leadership of the Imam that lives beside me. G0d has allowed me to build a good relationship with these two men, their wives, and their children. We laugh together, we share food with each other, and we spend time talking together. Many times they have been sick and have allowed me to pr@y in the name of Jss. Our G0d responded with healing when they were embracing death. We walked together through the difficulty of losing the son of the Imam...a tough time for all of us, yet G0d's compassion and love was expressed in real ways. We have rejoiced over the arrival of a son in the life of this man who came to me last week.

When I went home, I told him that I was going to spend some time with my parents. I explained it had been a long time since I had seen them, and I told them their ages. He was so moved by the fact that my Father was almost 80 years old. From that day on and since my return, there has not been a morning or an evening that he did not greet me and ask about my father. He always gives me this blessing for my father... "May God give him good health and life until he is102."

We talked a lot about his going to the village, what he would be doing there, who was going with him, and when he would come back. I must admit my eyes filled with tears and still do as I think about it.  After I had expressed my sorrow in his leaving, my giving him the road to go, and after I had blessed his journey, an amazing thing happened. He knocked on my door again. When I opened the door, with tears in his eyes he placed a coin in my hand and asked me to give it to my father. I had the hardest time keeping it together in that moment. It was not the moment to cry but my eyes and emotions, even now, were difficult to control. I told him my father would receive it and I thanked him so much!! The coin was approximately $1 in monetary value, but its true worth is incomparable in this world. For some unknown reason at this point, G0d has connected this man to my father in a way that probably none of us can really know or understand. He has never seen him or met him, yet he considers him every time he sees me.

When I shared this story with my father, he asked me if i could give this young man one of the mp3 radio players that has God's Word and songs of Truth on it. He wanted to give him a gift that would give him an opportunity to hear more about Jss and understand G0d's great gift to us through Jss.  I told him,"Yes, I can do that!" You have to know also that my dad is a Gideon and giving G0d's Word to someone is part of who he is.

After talking with my dad, I went the next day with D@n to give the mp3 player to him and to express my father's gratitude for his gift and his continual blessing of health and life until he was 102. He was so happy to receive it and he could not wait to begin listening. He went with a huge smile on his face into the house to listen with his teacher. I don't know how long they listened that night, but when I went out the next morning they were listening. His first words of greeting were "Thank your father for me! The words and songs on this radio taste so good!" He left that afternoon and I was not sure when I would see him again. To my surprise, this past Monday evening when I came home, my father's unknown son, Sole, was sitting outside my house along with about 10 other men, his teacher,
the 3 women of the house and all the children. He and his older brother had come back before heading to their father's village. They were listening to the radio and talking with one another. I don't know what G0d has planned for this gift from a father to an unknown son, but I know the words and songs he is listening to on that radio have power to bring life and salvation.

Please pr@y for Sole, his teacher, and all those who may listen to G0d's Words with him. Pr@y specifically for G0d's Sp!r!t to be poured out every time the radio is turned on and for understanding to be given to those who listen. Pr@y for The Truth to be revealed, for courage to walk in The Way, and for The Life to be place in the hearts of Sole, his teacher, and all who listen with them. Please pr@y for the s@lvat!on of these brothers and sisters of mine!!

Give Thanks

I want to first thank you all for your prayers and your personal involvement in my life and ministry!! You have been an encouragement to me in so many ways...many of you have taken the time to email, encourage, and cheer me on in the fight of f@ith and the struggles we all face in this world!! I am happy to say and to tell you that our G0d, our Father and our L0rd has heard all of our prayers and He has made Himself known is so many personal ways!!

This past Sunday I took the morning to just spend alone with Him! It was the sweetest time of honest confession and sincere surrender and His response was to draw me close and show Himself to me!! He helped me to see things I have not been able to see and He helped me to refocus my eyes on His perspective. I just love how personal and intimate our God is with us and how He leads us along His Best pathway. I love that He doesn't leave us out there wondering and wandering on our own...He beckons to us, calls to us, and draws us and at just the right moment He reveals Himself to us!! He shows us where we are going astray in our thinking, our actions, and our attitudes. He changes our perspective and suddenly His peace, His love, His joy flood in and the load of this life is lighter.

I want to thank you for pr@ying for me and for those with whom I am working. The enemy is in retreat mode...I know this may be for only a moment...but for this moment we give pr@ise to our G0d. He has been victorious and He has overcome the battles. Our G0d has used these struggles and battles to teach us and to show us how to fight the enemy.

Give thanks to Him today for the opportunities He has given us to grow and understand Him in greater ways. Thank Him for continuing to use songs to teach the women on the street. Monday morning as O and I were driving downtown we heard 2 new songs on the radio...songs that spoke to her heart. She began teaching me what they were saying. One was about Peter's words to beggar outside the temple..."Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jss get up and walk." The song simply talked about all the situations we may face...no money, no food, no clothing, no this or no that... Jss has come so get up and walk. Later in the day we were listening to the mp3 player while we were working. A new song she had not heard before came on. It was about the women of the Bible (Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Abigail, Hannah, Lydia, and others) who gave their best and their lives honored and glorified G0d. Needless to say, we listened only to that song all the way to the market and home. I watched as she processed that song and the reality that her life and her work could honor and glorify G0d. She is searching and seeking to understand this new walk of f@ith and life. Please continue to pr@y for her as she discovers the realness and personal intimacy that G0d desires with each of us. Give thanks to G0d for the ways in which He Himself is teaching and leading O to walk with Him. Please pr@y for O as she teaches what she learns with others on the street.

Thank you again for holding us up in the challenges and the struggles of this life!

Praising

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I found myself wide awake and unable to sleep. There was a heaviness in my heart. So I believe G0d revealed to me that I needed to get up and just pr@ise Him...to stop pondering so much and start pr@ising. So I did...and I realized really how long it had been since I just stopped to pr@ise and give thanks to Him. It was a sweet, sweet time of fellowship with Him, and I realized how much I needed to share with you all that He has been doing. Its not that it is BIG, HUGE, life changing things...but the sweetness and tenderness of His Presence at work...again small glimpses of His Glory in the sometimes difficult days of adjustments and changes.

G0d continues to use the small solar powered radios to reveal Himself, to teach His ways, and to fill the hearts and minds of the people on the street with His truth. I want to personally thank each of you, your churches, and your workplaces that have donated these radios...God is using them for HIS GLORY! Let me tell you how....

Ladies on the street...

A group of ladies all working side by side on the street...on their stand sits a radio playing songs about Jss. One lady says, "That is a great song!" They begin to talk about it and what it means. Each lady adding her thoughts. I love that the Old Woman among them who follows a different road sings and shares her thoughts...taking in the TRUTHS as well.

A young woman...around 18 years, with 2 small children...she is working with one of the ladies and you can see that she looks up to her as a role model and mentor. A song is playing and "the mentor" picks the radio up. She calls the young woman to lean closer to her. She begins quietly asking her to listen and then asking if she understands. She quietly explains the meaning of the song to the young woman.

After a difficult few days of spiritual warfare and a confrontation early in the morning, this same lady pulls out the radio and sits it on the table. She begins listening and a song comes on that speaks to her. She turns to her friend and says, "Did you hear that?" She explains to her friend that the song is saying "If you have a trouble or a problem comes between you and someone else, be careful. Satan will come and sit with you and lead you down the wrong road." Then she looks at me and says, "Did you change this song so that it would be the next song I would hear?" You see, we had just had this discussion, this same battle of Satan trying to destroy, lead astray, and cause division. Of course I had not changed the song and my language is not good enough to even know that the song was on there. It was my first time to hear the song. G0d knew it was there, and I love how He used it at just the right moment to teach, affirm, and solidify a truth that is vital in our walk with Him.

Men on the Street...

Shortly after we returned from a conference, one of the young guys (Amad) on the street asked me for one of the radios. My translator had gone to the village and I do not like to give the radios out without someone talking with them about what is on the radio and finding out a little about why they are asking for one...are they really seeking G0d or do they just want a cool radio... So I asked him to wait until the translator got back from the village and we would talk about it. A few days later the brother of our friend who died was standing talking to one of the women about the radio and about how he had been listening every Saturday and Sunday to the teaching of Good News on the radio station in the city. He was asking about the radio she was listening to and what was on it. Later, he came and asked about getting one. Again, I asked him to wait for the translator to return from the village. So when he returned, he sat with the two of them and talked. He sensed a great interest and a great opportunity for G0d's Words to penetrate their hearts and lives. We gave each of them one of the radios. This week we talked to one of them about what he has been listening to on the radio and what he remembers about it. He said really the words in the radio are hard. He has realized really that he is not living like those words. We had a chance to talk with him about the importance of honesty and recognizing that we are all sinners. He shared with him how he too was a sinner but there was one difference between them. Jss has forgiven him and has given him eternal life. They continued to talk and he continues to listen. Pr@y for his salvation and his acceptance of the gift of forgiveness through Jss. Pr@y for the opportunity to talk to the other man about what He is hearing and how it is impacting him.

Pr@ise G0d for the sound of His Word and the Songs of His Truth being played everyday on a street corner!

more pr@ising to follow....

Tidbits of News

Greetings everyone!!

I continue to be overwhelmed and awed by our G0d daily...I seem to live in a state of being behind in declaring His Gl0ry to you all! At the end of the day I am overwhelmed with things to ponder about G0d and His work, so I think I will write to you all in the morning...then in the morning, I find myself in awe to the point of wondering "How do you put all this into words?" I am going to attempt to just get started...It may be more of a dumping  than a declaring...only time will tell...smile...enjoy the gl0ry of our G0d...smile

C@therine's last day:We started the day as normal and C@therine had gifts to share with some of our friends. After going to pick up ice to deliver downtown, I did my solo wound care assignment. For months C@therine has been caring for the wound on S0's ankle and I will be taking that over until it is healed completely. Then we had planned to go to lunch with O and her daughters. C@therine gave her gifts and had one thing left she wanted to do...pr@y for O and S0. We gathered at S0's business and he asked C@therine, "Will you tell me one last story to remember after you are gone?" She agreed. Then a peanut gallery began forming again as we waited for O and S0 to complete some business. She told the story of Peter Walking on Water. After the story, one of the men in the peanut gallery began asking questions:

According to you, is J.s.s a prophet, a messenger from G0d or the S0n of G0d?
According to you, is J.s.s coming back again?

After talking much about  his questions, he told us how truly he was a M.slm, but they have not shown him the true way. He knows J.s.s is in their book but they have told him nothing about who G0d is, who J.s.s is. He said, "I even went to the Chr!sti@n ch.rch and I have talked with many Chr!sti@ns, but no one has convinced me." He went on to say, "I have never heard words like yours today and they are words of truth and power. Today, I am convinced!" I explained to him that these words were not our own, but that G0d Himself came near to him today because He wants him to be convinced about who J.s.s is and what He has done for him. We left him with a question and told him that we would meet again to both share our answer to that question and to hear his answer to the question.
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Two days later he came to me and greeted and then asked if we could talk the next day. We set up a time. As the enemy would have it, one of the ice trucks for their business broke down and he was unable to sit with us and talk. He did come to apologize and let us know why he was unable to meet.

Please pr@y for Baso as he ponders and thinks on the question as well as considers all the things we talked about the day G0d poured out His Sp!r!t and came near to Baso. Pr@y for J.s.s to reveal Himself to Baso in dreams and visions, to pursue Him until Baso understands and receives the gift of s@lvation G0d has prepared for him.


C@therine's Safe Arrival:After a few glitches and changes in C@therine's ticket home, she arrived safely back in N0rth C@r0lina. I received word from her and her family that she is safely in her mother's hand. Her journey was eventful, but she was well taken care of by the airline. Please thank our Father at least one more time for the work He did in and through C@therine during her time here in M@li. The light of His Presence shone brightly through her daily!!

C@therine...keep seeking Him, serving Him, and shining brightly for His gl0ry!!