Connected as One through Our Father's Word

The last evening that the team spent in the village of S we all were gathered together under the shade relaxing during the heat of the day.  In small groups of two and three, we all began our own conversations of J.s.s. One group began talking about our favorite stories of our Father’s word; while others come together opening up our B.ble in their own language to share their favorite verses and stories. At some point we were all crowding around each other reading over each other’s shoulder, writing down everybody’s favorite verses and pointing out our favorite stories. For hours all we did was immerse ourselves in reading our Father’s word in different languages including Bambara, French and English. This time together showed us there is no language barrier with our Father’s Word. We all have our favorite verses and our favorite stories to share amongst our brothers and sisters of J.s.s. Our Father’s word is the same in every language. We can all be connected as one as we read from our Father’s word no matter what language we speak. Even though the evening was really hot, I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend our last evening in the village of S with our brothers and sisters of J.s.s!!!

Kadia

Praise in the Public Place

One of the desires of the young adults who had gathered for the storying conference was to sing and praise J.s.s in the public place so that the village of S might hear and see what it means to be a follower. Their desire to demonstrate their faith, their love, and the song of their hearts was bold and powerful! Many came to watch and listen, then were compelled to join in the celebration and praise! I was amazed as I watched them sing, dance, clap, and enjoy the proclamation of Father's greatness! I was exhileratingly exhausted as I joined in with them to sing and dance for over an hour!! Don't know when I have had so much fun!!! Don't know of a better way to demonstrate the joy of following J.s.s!

Confessions of the Mouth

"For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." Romans 10:10
One by one, young followers confessed with their mouths how they had come to know, believe, and follow the Way. During this time of testimony and confessing, one young woman confessed to the group, "I am not yet following." Testimonies continued and the power of Father was evident in each person's story. Later as we prepared to break for lunch, the words of Romans 10:10 were shared and the challenge proposed to the group--"If you have not yet confessed your belief, today is a great day to do that." The young woman spoke again saying, "I want to follow the Way of J.s.s." The group affirmed, encouraged, and supported her confession.
Just after that as we waited for lunch to be served, an older woman in the village who has been struggling with her decision to follow for a long time came and sat beside me. She also confessed with her mouth that she has made the decision to become a follower. We talked about that decision and the importance of her confession. We invited her to come back after lunch to hear the testimonies of the team and join in with the singing and praises as we concluded our conference. We confessed with our own mouths the greatness of our Father and the work He has been doing among the nations living in this region!!
Thank you for your pr@yers and your ongoing support of Father's work among the P@n@ and the peoples groups that surround them!!

Strength and Encouragement

Sensing Father's leadership to bring young followers together with the young adults on this team, we hosted a time of training and encouragement in the area where the P@n@ live. We didn't know at all what to expect, how many would come, or even how much time we would really have together. It is the busiest time of the year with field preparation and planting, so we knew that most would be expected to be in the fields working. We arrived on Saturday afternoon, unloaded, then sent the trucks back out to the villages to pick up the young followers to bring them to the village of S. When we returned, we had 2 trucks full of young people--22 in all. With our team and the nationals, we had 33 followers invade the village of S--all ready and excited about growing, learning, and praising our Father. We arrived back in the village and had a meal together--tigadigana-- before beginning our time of storying Father's Word. We were amazed at the number of young people who have chosen to follow the Way and amazed at the opportunity Father was giving us all to be strengthened, encouraged, and build relationships with each other.
During our time together, we shared our testimonies about how Father has changed our lives as well as stories from Father's Word. We sang praises, needs, and shared words of encouragement. We left our time together empowered, strengthened to continue the journey with Father, and encouraged to tell others about the difference J.s.s makes in our lives. We left connected as friends and family for eternity!!

Home Again--Resting and Reflecting

Greeting to you all from the good ole USA! Yesterday morning the team sent each other off with a special time of pr@yer for each team member. We began this in Mali as we began saying our "see you laters" and we completed it in the hotel in Paris before heading to the airport. It was a sweet time of closure as we all began the final journey homeward. Then we took a crazy subway ride to the airport that began from the first moments of stepping onto the train. The train was PACKED like a can of sardines, yet we had to get on it to make it in time to the airport. Half of the team was on and the other half struggling to squeeze into the can. We all made it even though those on the train wish we had waited...smile. It was a tough ride being squeezed so much...there were a few moments of relief at a couple of stops. When we got to the airport, we discovered that we were not all able to leave from the same terminal. This meant that we had to leave Yaya and Kadia way before we were ready. We hugged and said our "see you later" to them believing and trusting Father to see us all home. Abi, Sali, and I made our way to our terminal and found the check-in place for Abi, found our check-in place, then went back to say "see you later" to Abi. Again, believing Father to be her companion as she traveled the rest of the way alone. Sali and I got check-in after a long wait. Our flight was delayed a little, but we didn't have any problems. We got to London in time to go straight to boarding. Each of us arrived in the USA safely and found family and friends waiting to welcome us home! It was great to be off of the plane and connected again with those we love and long to share our experiences. Continue to pr@y for our adjustment to the new time zones, the different weather conditions, and the changes Father has made in our hearts and lives these last 30 days.

Airport bound

We are headed out for the airport and the journey homeward! Continue to support us as we fly and process all we have experienced! Thank you for being a part of our team!

Saying See You Later!!!

The see you laters are always hard to say but I know that I will see them again! We spent time in P@n@ and it was amazing!! God moved through each one of us and it was AWESOME!!! We met the followers and got to spend time with them and encourage them! It was wonderful to even be encouraged by them! The lasting connections that were made touched my heart in new ways! I will remember these people and love them for eternity! I'm excited to see what Father does through the seeds tht were planted and begin the harvest! Thank you for pr@yers and support during this amazing journey! I hate saying the see you laters but know it's a part of the mission life! Thank you all again!!

Dying to Self,
Sali