We both felt the Lord give us His joy today, and it was truly a good day of relationships. Maxi, our good friend and neighbor, turned 33 today. He is a sincere, earnest and joyful man who loves the Lord. It was our joy to celebrate with him and his family. Kerline, his wife, is just as joyful and intelligent, but is sassy, too :) This family has been such an encouragement to us both since the day we moved in, despite the many difficulties they have faced just in the last 6 months.
They are each other's unwavering best friend, and it is a joy to see them ACT like best friends in a culture where most couples keep the appearance of being quite distant. Lily LOVES hanging out at their house, chasing "Poul" (chickens), their poor cat, and eating lollipops they consistently give her.
There is NO one, however, that she loves more than her friends Jacob and Josephine. She will twist out of my arms to go to Josephine, something she does for NO one else. They are fantastic to her, and she clearly thinks of them as big brother and sister. Their family is only here a few months a year, and we're already dreading their upcoming departure. What a joy it can be to be in the body of Christ!
We also have three visiting professors on campus right now, Pam, Miss Betty, and David D. They've been joyful and encouraging company, and tonight after dinner we all enjoyed (or suffered through, depending who you talk to) Robert Redford's "Jeremiah Johnson." I will never forgive Gord for introducing Matt to this depressing man-movie. Tomorrow morning I'm teaching about Ishmael and God's covenant with Abraham at the church across the street....will be an interesting exploration of God's plan vs. Our plan and His faithfulness and grace, whichever we follow. Please be praying for that precious time as we explore who He is and why we need Him tomorrow morning from 8-10 in this dark, dark area.
Jil update...after some talk and prayer, we decided to send Jil's four oldest children to school for the rest of the year at the school associated with the church here in Sakenville...getting them a guaranteed one good meal per day and getting them out of the house. Still praying about what else to do, but know they have been on your hearts and wanted you to know they'll be starting in school Monday!
Stacey I'm so glad to hear they are going to school and will have at least one meal. Does the little one get to go to even though he is only 2. My heart is heavy for the family. Mom needs food to if the baby is to be born healthy. We will be praying and trying to figure out what we can do to help. Thank you for all you do. You have a great talent to write and share what God reveals to you. God Bless Marty
ReplyDeletethank you for updating. We can't forget them . . . they are in our thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeletePlease let us know what the needs are that you can help with. Do you need funds to help pay for clothing/tuition for the children? Is there some way to slip the Dad some extra bits of money if it's donated to you? We trust your judgement of the situation.