Artist to Artist

Ann is an artist but it has been about 4 years ago since she has done any artwork. Today she spent the morning with a local mudcloth artist learning how to paint with sticks and mud. The artist had a great time showing her how to do the mudcloth and encouraging her to just let go and paint. It didn't take long and Ann was in a new world. She said, "This may just spark the passion to paint again." She did a great job on her first mudcloth painting!!! You will all have to ask her to show it to you when she returns!! The local artist could not stop commenting on how good the painting was!! Our Creator God was showing off again through His children. Pray for this artist and the new depth of relationship that was begun with him today. Pray for God to open doors for deep conversations with him in the future.

Between Friends

On our arrival in the village, we discovered that the grandmother of the young woman who had been stung by a scorpion a year ago had died. Our friend was not in the village because she had gone home to be with her family. In the customs if the P@n@, the family gathers and sits for 7 days. People who know them come to visit and sit with them and offer the blessings given to family in their loss. We decided it was important for us to go greet and sit with our friend. We went and sat with the family. Our friend was out in the bush, but they called for her and she came. She was surprised and so excited to see her American friends. She loved introducing us to her parents, her sisters, and so many others who had gathered to be together. It was great to see her as well, to lavish her with our Father's love, and to demonstrate Is compassion to her and her family. I brought pictures for her from our visit in November and everyone enjoyed looking at them. We prayed for her and her family and after we finished, ourfriend asked if we would pray for a family member that was there and sick. She was having the same symptoms as our blind friend in our village. Her head was hurting so bad and it was effecting her eyesight. We prayed for and then said our final greetings.
Many of them walked us to our truck. I walked side by side with my friend, thanking Father for the opportunity to be there during this time. Please pray for Father to use this time with this family to begin drawing them to Himself. Ask Him to open the doors for them to know Him and follow Him!

Time with the Potter

Each if us has been hand-crafted by the hands of the Creator! There are no two people exactly alike, yet each of us has the imprint of our Creator's fingers on us! He has fashioned us like clay molding us, remaking us, and refining us into the exact vessels He needs us to be. We saw first hand a living example of Father's tasknwith each of us. We sat with the potter as she kneaded and worked the clay. We saw the strength of her hands and the precision of the process. We were amazed! Ann was able to join the potter in pairing one of the pots. A red dye was made by scraping a red rock against another rock. Water was added to make a paint. Ann took a piece of millet and used it like a brush...painting decorations on the pots before it was placed in the fire. What joy filled both Ann and the potter! A creative connection binds them forever. Pray for the potter and her husband to consider more fully the walk J.s.s wants to take with them. Consider your own life and how Father wants to mold you, shape you, and reveal Himself through you!

I'm Thinking

During our last breakfast with Sou, we expressed to her how much we had enjoyed getting to know her, having her with us, and how important she was to our team. Ann also told her we could not share with the Pana all about following J.s.s and not do the same with her. We asked her to consider all that we had talked about, all she had translated. Later, when we were alone, I asked her what she had been thinking about J.s.s. She simply said, "I am thinking!" In the village, Sou was a vital part of our team as she sang the songs of faith she had heard in other visits with volunteer teams. She was a huge part if the blind women having songs of praise to sing. The follower in the village said to her, "You cannot sing like that if you do not believe in your heart." Please continue to pray for Sou as she thinks about all she has seen and heard. Pray for Father to reveal truth to er through the stories she translates and the songs she loves to sing and hum!!

Hearts of Praise

Our bucket bath area was on the outer wall of the village so if you looked over the wall you saw a path around the village as well as the fields where they plant. On the morning after we spent the evening with the women sharing stories, we heard the sweet sound of praise filling the air! It was the beautiful sound of a young boy singing songs about J.s.s. He had heard them the night before as we sang with the women. He was a little shepherd boy guiding the cows around the village singing with a heart of praise! All day we looked for the little boy who blessed our day with the sounds of praise! In the evening he came to the house and was there at the same time as the chief. We played the recording of the Demon Possessed Man story for the chief in the Pana language. This young boy listened intently alongside the chief. The chief shared with us what he got out of the story. As we discussed it, the young boy began helping the chief remember the story. He told the entire story back to us in Pana. This young boy also joined us for worship to help lead us in the songs. His heart is tender, open, and filled with understanding. Pray for M as he tends the cows. Ask Father to draw him into a personal relationship with Himself. Pray for his mind to dwell on the stories and the songs he heard about J.s.s and for his heart to continue to be filled with praise, understanding, and desire to know and serve our Father!

Women and His Word

The second night in the village 5 women came to story with us. We were so excited because they had all been telling us they were coming all day! We sang some songs with them, then Ann received her P@n@ name--Bintu Senou. Bintu shared her testimony with the women-- how Father has walked with her through the difficult times of her life especially these last two years. The women listened and poured out blessings on her. Then Hawa shared the Cain and Abel story with the women! It was awesome to actually hear them listening. With every new detail of the story, you could hear the response... Ahhhh and huuuuhhhhh were said in unison. It was also incredible to discuss the story and see how well they understood. When asked to repeat the story, the women all worked together to get every detail. They did a great job and we praise Father for the understanding He gave them. Pray for Father to use that story in their minds to reveal truth to them in the days to come!!!

Memory Test

Our first morning in the village was spent with the one follower and witness in the village. In November, we had worked together on the Demon Possessed story and the beginning of translating it into P@n@ language. that first morning bece memory test as I asked him without warning to share the story with us. Our Father was amaInf in him. After 3 months, he was able to retell the story almost perfectly!! It was a great time as we talked about it and went over it again. After the discussion, Sol retold the story to about 10 or 12 children who had gathered to sit with us. After telling the story, he went through the teaching process by asking the children questions as well as asking them to repeat the story. Throughout our time in the village there were three young boys who stood out as exceptional in their understanding, their desire to listen, know, and repeat the story. Please pray for these young men who were with us continually, who have heard the Demon Possessed Man as well as the Cain and Abel stories. Father has given them a hunger to know, ears to hears, and mouths to repeat. Pray for them to have hearts that choose to follow! Pray that the stories will stay fresh in their minds and when we return they will also have opportunity to take the memory test. Pray for Sol to have more opportunities to mentor and spend time with these young men while we are away!