February 2022
February… already? Say it ain’t so! We’ve blinked once and already we’re finished with our first Discipleship courses for 2022! One group, technically limited to 30 participants, consistently clocked in at closer to 60, in a cramped, poorly-lit space. We thank the Lord for their enthusiasm and their eagerness to learn to make Disciples despite less-than-ideal teaching conditions!
And the embers of Disciplemaking are slowly fanning into flames. Here and there newly trained disciples are stepping out to teach in other churches, to train a group of young people, to invite some friends into their homes, to deliberately seek out someone in their family who is far from God to tell their personal story to as well as the story of Jesus. As in most places, believers want to obey the Great Commission, but they don’t know how to go about it. There are few things we’ve found more rewarding than training people with practical strategies on how to implement Christ’s last request.
To our great joy (and Jaime’s relief) we have Emily, our young missionary and translator, back from visiting with her family in the States. A group of Sunday School youngsters in Texas had lovingly collected many hygiene and school items to bless the Haitian children in her English and Saturday Bible classes. Emily was able to assemble gift bags matching the age and needs of each specific child, which were received with great appreciation and amazement that young kids in a country far away would love them enough to send such gifts. What great missionary principles these kids are practicing at an early age!
And how goes our own language study? Well, shall we say… l-e-n-t-a-m-e-n-t-e. There’s a lot about dialect, idiom, regional vocabulary, speed of discourse, to say nothing of mask-hidden mouths, that DuoLingo hasn't prepared us for. We’ve negotiated a system with our landlord whose help we often need due to the “band-aid” nature of house/electric/water/car repairs here. I send a message translated by Spanish Dict through WhatsApp, to which the landlord replies by voice message, not a word of which I understand. I forward that voice message on to a Dominican friend who interprets it, translating it into decipherable Spanish. Part of the challenge, of course, is grasping the nuances of what is said. I’ll be there “ahora” (now) likely means within the next week or so; “ahora mismo” (right now) could mean within a day or two; “al rato” (in a while) might mean in a little bit or in a very long bit, and “ahorita”…well, just don’t hold your breath!
Praise the Lord, His protection continues to cover our Rescue Homes in Asia, with the pastors sending pictures of their faithful schooling and devotions. Schools are completely closed in that country across the border; these pastors are looking after these children, growing food in order to feed them, teaching multi-ages from preschoolers to graduating seniors, as well as leading and raising up Christian leaders to repair the country when the time is right. May the Lord give them strength! Pray, also, that we get a tourist visa to return for a short time in the summer.
And the chickens? “Curiouser and curiouser,” cried Alice. One brave mama produced…count them...15! She is truly a Tiger Mom, defending them fiercely, and running her babies around the yard at twice the rate of the others. She demands absolute obedience; at intervals, they drop in unison to the ground for a mandatory (and probably much needed) rest. Another hen laid her clutch, began brooding, and after a week or so, a second hen settled in beside her. The two sat on the one nest in tandem. All was well until the chicks hatched…and imprinted on both sitting hens! After some initial confusion, they solved the problem without Solomon’s help, traveling everywhere as a team and co-parenting harmoniously. As they are of different breeds, they are an odd couple, wandering around with their assorted babies. A third mama, sitting dutifully on her own clutch, kindly allowed an abandoned youngster, cast off prematurely by his own mother, to cuddle with her for heat. Now that her own brood has hatched, she has three teensy-tiny babies to find food for...with fostered Baby Huey in tow. My sister, who has heard plenty about the inadequacies of our internet, says kindly, “Why would you miss Netflix with such drama to watch in your own backyard?”
And so, in this month dedicated to celebrating love, may we always remember and be thankful to the One who loved us before we ever loved Him. Thank you for your love as well, and for your prayers and concern for us; all are deeply appreciated.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
P.S. The Haitian Bibles were safely brought back to the Dominican and, based on that success, another set has been ordered, again to be brought back by Haitian Refugee Pastors. They are desperately needed!
P.P.S. All micro-loan recipients have thriving mini-businesses and are repaying their loans on time...they're batting 1,000!